to all that is gentle, kind and forgiving...

i am not quite sure where to begin this post.

but i think we can all agree that 2009 was quite a doozy, no?

personally, i lost a job that i loved. i got another, sort of, but floundered for awhile. i made some bad relationship choices. i was financially irresponsible. i drank and slept too much. i lost sight of myself for a few months.

but i also strengthened friendships and created new ones. i found another job that i love (and started it on monday). i learned that even when i'm losing things, i can be strong--and i've learned that letting go can hurt like crazy, but it's necessary to move forward. i discovered that happiness happens in tiny, significant moments, and if you blink, you can miss them. moments. that word is magical, to me.

yes, 2009 was quite a doozy. 2010 is going to be what i--we--make it. and i'm thinking it should be awesome. so i'm making peace with 2009. i'm giving myself the gift of closure. and i'm looking forward to making many magic moments in 2010.

are you with me?

{ happy new year, everyone. see you monday, january 4, if not sooner. oh, and image via one of my new-found favorite blogs, notebook doodles. a nice thought to end the year, yes? (psst. karey m. i think you might love this blog as much as i do.) }

happy, merry.

happy monday, everyone--and for those of you who celebrate christmas, i hope you had a warm, cozy, peppermint-flavored, pine-scented day (and weekend).

i thought i'd kick off the week (the last of 2009! eek!) with some fashion inspiration. i just love this girl's look, and would like to copy a page from her style book right into my own.

{ via urban weeds }

tuesday love.

just a little balloon-y love for your tuesday. i love this image, don't you?

p.s. tomorrow i'll share the fruits of my holiday baking labor. i feel like a baking elf, but it's been worth it!

my dear acquaintance, a happy new year.

i've been thinking a lot about the new year lately, mostly because i feel like 2009 was a package of days that was pretty crappy for a lot of people (myself included). sorry to be so negative--i'm actually a very, very glass-half-full person, and i would be remiss in complaining like this without saying there were some definite life-highlights over the past 365 days--but honestly, i just cannot wait for january 1st. i have a really good feeling about next year.

so in the spirit of the holidays, here are some things i pledge to do in 2010. these aren't my official resolutions, just things i'd like to accomplish at some point:

+ wear prettier underwear. fact.

+ take more risks in every area of my life.

+ go jet-skiing in the bay (never done) and kayak with dolphins (again).

+ evolve my look. more j.crew, less college student, please.

+ write--really write--more.

+ take a vacation to somewhere i've never been. (california, maybe?)

+ run a 5K, and then a 10K.

+ bake a lot.

+ be more loving. (i had a long talk with a friend about this recently.)

+ volunteer with an organization i'm passionate about (this is actually in the works, and i'm so excited).

how about you--any preliminary new year's resolutions you'd like to share? xoxo!

{ image via le love }

what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday, friends. what are your plans for the weekend? i plan on writing all of my holiday cards and baking up a storm. on the list: molly's caramel corn and peppermint bark, maybe some chocolate blocks, and my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies. wrapped up in pretty tins, i think they'll make for some nice gifts, don't you?

have a wonderful weekend. xoxo

{ glorious pink goodness by nicole }

the pleasures of cooking for one.

last night, one of my favorite people in the entire world--my friend m.--came over for a girly night of shopping, gossip, movie-watching and food. she brought the movie (casablanca--neither of us had ever seen it. i know), and i picked up the ingredients for one of my favorite new dishes: judith jones' sauteed shrimp with asparagus. after seeing the recipe and a quick write-up about jones' new book, the pleasures of cooking for one, in a recent issue of glamour magazine, i decided to make the dish a few weeks ago--and wound up making and eating it for about five nights in a row (i fixate like that). it's incredibly easy, healthy and it only has, like, five ingredients--three of which (salt, pepper and olive oil) you probably already own. plus, it can easily be doubled. m. and i ate ours atop some orzo, with a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes, some garlic bread to sop up the oil/garlic/shrimp sauce, and a couple of glasses of white wine. yum.

m. and i are both huge garlic lovers, so when i made this for the two of us, i quadrupled the amount of garlic, but if you're making it for just yourself, one clove will suffice. also, i used frozen shrimp (again, i know, but financially it makes more sense for me) and a liberal amount of olive oil, because why not?, but 2 tbsp. would be plenty.

p.s. yes, i ordered jones' book, and i can't wait for it to get here. i'm sure i'll be sharing many more recipes!

sauteed shrimp with asparagus and orzo

adapted from the pleasures of cooking for one, by judith jones

about 9 shrimp, fresh or frozen

as many stalks of asparagus as you like (i like a lot), cut into thirds

2 cloves garlic (or less or more, to taste), sliced

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste

1 green onion, finely chopped

splash of white wine (optional)

1/3 cup orzo

cook orzo according to package instructions; set aside but keep warm.

heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. add garlic and cook for one minute. add shrimp and asparagus and season with salt and pepper, then cook 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. add a splash of white wine and cook down for another minute or two. just before plating, add green onions and toss. serve atop orzo, with a simple salad and some crusty bread.

happy merry everything.

my dear friends, i have a confession to make: i have not yet sent out any holiday cards, done any holiday shopping, or done any planning for the two very special december birthdays of two very special december babies (ok, they're not babies at all, but humor me) i know and love. so it's time to get crack-a-lackin', and that's what i plan on doing for the rest of the week. and speaking of, aren't these "happy merry everything" cards by e.m. papers adorable? i just want to go around singing, "happy merry everything!" to everyone i meet for the next two weeks.

how are your holidays going so far?

white christmas.

sorry for the light posting recently, my loves. i've been a bad blogger and, even worse, a bad commenter, but i have been keeping up with you, i promise! i think come 2010, i'll be much more back in the swing of things. there're some big changes happening chez megan, and i can't wait to share them with you. until then...how beautiful is this photograph? a book, a bed and some white fairy lights--it doesn't get much better than that.

{ images by anna inghardt--get thee to her flickr photostream immediately. (you're welcome.) }

happy monday!

love these words by karey m., one half of the delightful t.ruffles girls. visit their sweeterie here.

how are your mondays going, my dears?

girl crush.

i love the way the absolutely beautiful natalie portman was photographed for this month's issue of marie claire, don't you?

p.s. if i ever highlight my hair again, i'm going this route. so pretty.

{ via joanna }

ringing true.

"i believe in the good. i believe that it's been a hell of a year, and i believe that, in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we will be ok. i believe we survive. i believe that believing we survive makes us survive." --grey's anatomy

(just a little thought to start the week--and start what is always the most reflective time of the year for me. how are you doing today, lovelies?)

{ photo by beth retro }

what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday, lovelies! what are your plans for the weekend? mine is looking pretty full, which is not uncommon for december, i think: tonight i'm going to have sushi with girlfriends to celebrate my friend s.'s engagement; saturday is a work day; and sunday i'm planning on taking advantage of the cool weather and spending time with friends outside. (even when it's cloudy here, it's still gorgeous.)

what are you up to? is your holiday calendar full? wishing you a firs weekend of december that is merry and bright! xoxo.

{ aren't these photos so sweet? ryan and angela got married on their college campus, and i am swooning over these bookish photographs. i'd love to have my wedding reception in a cute little library. photos by miranda karling, via courtney }

a christmas kitty.

someone loves my (teeny-tiny but cute) christmas tree. someone also loves to try to sneak playtime with the ornaments--so far, it's oscar: 1, me/tree: 0.

(seriously, i love my cat. he makes my life exponentially better in every way.)

xoxo!

{ photos by me }

lavendar love.

love-love-loving this cozy purple-accented room, via {this is glamorous}. don't you want to curl up on that couch with a cozy blanket and a book?

one week.

oops--where have the last seven days gone? sorry to have dropped off the face of the earth last week, but you know how it is over the holidays--time loses all meaning.

anyway, i spent a very nice thanksgiving at my parents' house and came back to sarasota over the weekend refreshed, about 5 pounds heavier and with a small christmas tree in tow--the first i've had as an adult. decorating it was bliss, and i'm looking forward to staring at it lovingly over the course of the next month.

and speaking of the holidays, don't you just love this image? it's via the lovely dallas (of course), and it makes me want pink tights, a tiara and (more) twinkle lights. so pretty.

happy december, my loves! xoxo