happy monday! + committing to...

good morning, good morning!

how were your weekends, everyone? did you have good ones? here in sarasota, it was so ungodly hot that it was honestly hard to want to go outside for any long period of time (this coming from a native floridian, mind you). i checked the temperature on saturday night and it was 85 degrees at 11 p.m. (!) with a feels-like temperature of 95, thanks to the oppressive humidity. ugh. that, coupled with the fact that every store and restaurant i visited seemed to be having air conditioner issues, made for a pretty uncomfortable couple of days--but it was nothing that raspberry fro-yo with fresh banana slices from whiteberry on saturday and good conversation with friends all weekend long couldn't cure. seriously, though, is it super-hot where you are, too?

anyway, i missed my little "committing to..." feature last week, so here's a fresh list for a fresh week. ready, set, go:

+ sleeping like a normal person. every night last week, i fell asleep with the light on, a book splayed open next to me, and--once--my laptop open and still on. if i'm that tired, i need to go to bed earlier.
+ embracing the wave in my hair. this is an odd one, i know, but i always try to flat-iron my naturally quite wavy hair into submission--maybe this summer (with the help of my beloved moroccan oil) will be the summer i let loose.
+ taking the saleable clothes from my closet to my favorite consignment shop, and the rest to goodwill.
+ not complaining about the heat. starting now.
+ keeping up with daily chores. i (and oscar--really) operate so much better in a clean house, and last week's tiredness and busyness kind of made me lax in that department.
+ and, as always, continuing to try to focus on the positive.

and you? xoxo!

{ lovely image--which makes me feel cool just looking at it--via {this is glamorous}. }

what are you doing this weekend?

there's no use fighting it, you guys: summer is here. in southwest florida, it's been hot and sticky, the kind of weather that makes everyone roll their eyes and say, "i can't wait to see what it's going to be like in august." but at the same time, there's a sense of joy in the air, too: summer means no school, kayaking, shorts, flip-flops,  ice cream from kilwin's, post-beach margaritas and daiquiris at the bars in siesta key village--the kind where you can roll off the beach, sandy and sun-kissed, slick back your wet hair, and sit down with your friends for talks and laughs.

this weekend, i'm going to think of all of that and hopefully partake in some of it, too. i'm also going to finish the fantastic book i'm reading: let the great world spin, by colum mccann. (seriously, you guys: amazing.) and i'm going to try to put the horrific oil spill out of my mind for a few days (sarasota will be getting some of it soon, it looks like, and the pictures on the news are completely heartbreaking). this post on courtney's blog made me cry when i read it--so come to think of it, maybe this weekend, instead of putting the spill out of my mind, i'll try to think of some ways to help, even if it just means sending love and good juju out into the ethos to all the louisianians and animals affected by this disaster so far.

but let's end this on a positive note. tell me: what are you up to this weekend? big plans? or are you taking it easy after last weekend's festivities? please share, and i'll see you back here monday morning! xoxo

{ image via sfgirlbybay. it just felt like home when i looked at it, you know? }

movie love + { giveaway winner! }

i can't wait to see this movie. love rachel mcadams, love young-people-coming-of-age-in-new-york-city stories. what movies are you looking forward to? (i also can't wait for eat, pray, love and the new drew barrymore/justin long movie, which kind of looks like this year's (500) days of summer.) 

p.s. the winner of the csnstores.com gift card giveaway is...angie! i used the random number generator at random.org to choose the winner, and it chose you, angie! i'll be in touch later today! congratulations, i'm so excited for you!

thank you so much to all who entered--i look forward to having more giveaways soon! and thanks, too, to the wonderful team at csnstores.com for sponsoring the contest. xoxo!

loving...

...these super-lovely pieces from babette's etsy shop. i love etsy so much; when it comes to finding the perfect gifts and jewelry (and much more), there's really no need to go anywhere else--right?

p.s. don't forget to enter the csnstores.com gift card giveaway! the contest closes tonight at 9 p.m. e.s.t.!

little letters.

dear kayaks in the photo above,
thank you for being a high point of my three-day weekend. (mine was the red one.)

dear sun,

ouch. 

dear sex and the city 2,
you were total fluff. but you were entertaining, and the perfect dessert after a sushi dinner with girlfriends.

dear universe,
i miss lola. i would like to adopt a dog. i know that this is probably not a good idea right now, but  i still wish you would send the perfect pup my way.

dear urban outfitters,
i really love all the awesome patterns you're carrying right now.

dear "committing to...,"
i'm taking a little break from you today, but i'll talk about what i accomplished this week on friday. ok?

dear let the great world spin,
i'm coming to get you. i hope you're as good as everyone says you are.

dear june,
hi.

dear readers,
happy tuesday. don't forget to enter the giveaway, ok?

xoxo!