Room of the Day

This space from (new-to-me) Margot Austin is so calming and cheery to me. Off to check out the rest of her work!

Girl Crush: Lea Michele

Seriously, how tiny is Lea Michele's waist?

Love her and her style! Live Creating Yourself did a great round-up of all of Lea's fab red carpet looks; check it out here.

Hey now, don't you tell me you don't remember me 'cause I sure as heckfire remember you

Once a year the eyes of the nation turn to this tiny hamlet in western
Pennsylvania, to watch a master at work. The master, Punxsutawney Phil, the
world's most famous weatherman, the groundhog. Who, as legend has it, can
predict the coming of an early spring. So I guess the question we have to ask
ourselves today is, does Phil feel lucky?

+

My nieces' birthday is next week, and one of them told me that she can never tell people if her birthday falls in the winter or spring until the Prognosticator of Prognosticators makes his debut for the year.

For their sake, I'm hoping that the large squirrel doesn't see his shadow. You won't, right Phil? Don't you remember doing this every year? So there's no reason to be scared of your shadow like you were the last few years? 'Cause I'm sure as heckfire donezo with the cold weather!

I'm really hoping to catch Groundhog Day on TV tonight. Love it!

Get in Here

February already?! Happy Love Month!

by Christopher David Ryan
18" x 24" poster available here for $20 ($5 off right now with code "THANKS")

also cute in a baby onesie version

My Love Resolution

2010 so far has been crazy work hours-wise for The Hubs (usual) and me (unusual), so we haven't been able to see much of each other lately. When we do, we're often stressed and snippy.

Case in point: I ate the last burrito when I came home late the other night, and unbeknownst* to me, he had his sites set on it for breakfast the next morning. He was not. happy. with. me. (In my defense, it was mine to begin with. His reasoning is that I have 24 hours to eat something that was originally mine and then it becomes community property. Apparently I need to make sure I'm updated on the latest house rules. The committee must have voted on that one without me.)


We did get the chance to snuggle on the couch a little last night after I got home from volunteering and before he had to go to bed, and it was nice to reconnect. February won't be any better for him, but I'm hoping to take a breather and concentrate more on love instead of fighting about burritos in the coming month. A worthy goal, I think.

Just in time for Love Month, AT did a post on love prints, and I fell in love (ha!) with these city prints by artsharkdesigns. I think it would be so neat to have a collection of your most favorite places. Unfortunately, none of them are for cities that have special meaning to J & me (although we've visited quite a few together), so I'm eagerly awaiting new cities. Check out these lovelies!

We did go to Venice and had a grand ol' time, but we didn't do a gondola ride, so I don't particularly feel like this umbrella couple. More fitting would be us walking along the canals with me eating a huge cup o' gelato. I may have to get this one anyway!

I'm saving our pennies for an awesome trip this summer. Maybe London?

Love this one of the UVA campus. I'm crossing my fingers for a UT one! That would be so perfect. Maybe I should commission one?

Brooklyn Bridge

San Franciso...I'm dying to take a romantic trip here!

What's your favorite? Know any other good lovey-dovey artwork I should look at?

* Okay, so not totally unbeknownst to me. I knew we were out of breakfast food other than yogurt and dry cereal and I ate it anyway. It was sooo worth it.

Two Chances to Win My Dream Pillow

I want this chevron pillow so much that I almost don't want to share these giveaways for it because it could decrease my chances. But since there are two blogs hosting giveaways for it right now, I'm feeling generous. You'll win one and I'll win one, okay?

Enter here:

Sparrow's Nest - hurry, ends tonight!

Live Creating Yourself

If you win, let me know so I can be jealous of happy for your good fortune!

Know of any other blogs giving away this pillow from CSN Stores right now? I must enter them all!

Please Help

I was sent this email today from a coworker. After reading this, how can you not help?

Hello all, It is with deep sadness that I have to report the heart wrenching news that I have lost a younger brother in the earthquake in Haiti while he was in his law office. His car was still parked outside. The conditions in which he was found is too graphic to detail in this e-mail. Fortunately, about 2 miles away, my Dad and everyone else in the house (3 floors) made it outside, before it completely collapsed. Haiti is my land of birth. I left there when I was 19 to come and live here. I guess that you can only imagine my anguish right now.

On behalf of my people, I want to say that we truly appreciate all the support that we have received so far from the entire world and especially from the American people and Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton.

I also value the fact that all of you kept in touch and offered to help in these devastating moments of deep sorrow and suffering. Please keep us the Haitian people and the people of Northern Malawi in your thoughts and prayers. If your friends and fellow parishioners feel the urge to donate, please tell them do so "only" through a well-known relief organization.

It makes me so sad that I am sitting here, healthy and comfortable with life's luxuries that I am lucky to have, when hundreds of thousands of people are facing devastation that I can't even imagine.

Please, please consider giving what you can to a recommended organization. Charity Navigator has provided a helpful list of organizations and tips. I just made a $100 donation to Doctors Without Borders. Normally $100 is a lot in my everyday, trying-to-be-frugal life, but it's definitely not enough. Who am I not to help others when I have the resources to do so? I hope to donate some more to other relief organizations as well.

Please, please, give today. Pick an organization, and do what you can. Even better, find a way to get your donation matched or supplemented. I truly believe that every little bit helps. For example, Money Saving Mom is donating $10 for each person who blogs about what they did to help those in Haiti and leaves a comment. There is wonderful stuff like this going on all over blogland, and it's amazing.

28th Trip Around the Sun

I'm 28 today!

And I've been so surprised by all of the emails, texts, and FB messages wishing me a happy birthday.

And by these nice surprises from coworkers:

"Happy Birthday, I bought you a Diet Coke."
(A joke in the office because the drink machine is now free.)

But hidden on the back were Lotto tickets...

and I won $7! Woo-hoo!

And some yummy cupcakes on my desk when I came back from (my free) lunch...so sweet!

(They came from the cupcake place down the street where my friend works, so maybe she even decorated them!)

I'm so thankful.

Ice, Ice Baby

Monday's my birthday. (28: eek!)

But I don't want to go out this weekend, as 14 degree weather does not equal celebration for me. (I know any Northerners reading this are rolling their eyes at all of us down here freaking out about the cold, but hey - I live in the south for a reason. Give me 100 degress any day.)

I was an ice baby, born in a Texas ice storm. Every year, my mom likes to tell me how the doctor stayed with them all day while they were awaiting my grand entrance into the world, as there was no use in going home, and how all of the family later braved the roads to come see me.

It's sweet, but it doesn't stop me from disliking cold weather, and therefore January, with a vengeance.


So maybe next weekend I'll do some celebrating, when it should be back to normal temps. This weekend, all I want to do is curl up with my new library books and do some home organizing.

Any exciting plans that don't involve a Snuggie for you this weekend?

Hook 'em!

These cookies look delish

I don't know if it's going to go our way tonight, but I'm excited!

Hook 'em Horns!

Hey, Bevo

Texas Fight!