what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday, friends! we made it to the weekend!

i'm particularly looking forward to this one because my mom is coming to visit. i haven't seen her since january, and the weather is especially beautiful right now, so it looks like we'll be spending a lot of time outside -- at the beach, at the farmer's market, at restaurants that have outdoor dining options. i was sick this week (again, ugh -- this time with food poisoning, which i'm still experiencing stomach cramps from, yuck), and even at 27 years old, i still always want my mom when i don't feel well. so this is good timing. yay, mom.


what are you up to this weekend? whatever you do, i hope it's relaxing and springlike and full of people and things you love. see you back here on monday. xoxo

photo

the (holiday!) weekend + committing to...

i was sitting on my couch last night, watching last night's stellar episode of mad men, and -- during the commercial breaks -- wondering if i'd enjoyed my holiday weekend or if it was a bit of a wash. do you ever feel like that? for some reason, i felt like i didn't really do a whole lot, which made me a little sad -- i spent a lot of time with myself, by myself, and often at home.

but then i wondered why that made me feel strange. after all, i went to see a movie by myself on friday night (going the distance, which was very cute and much smarter than i had hoped), i gave myself some much-needed relaxation time on saturday night, i got back into what will hopefully be my fall routine of exercising outside, alongside a beautiful sarasota sunset, and i actually cooked a somewhat elaborate and very tasty dinner for one last night -- a nice change from my typical cereal or soup regimen. and in between all that, i did spend time with my friend k. and  had some much-needed catch-up time (complete with frozen yogurt) with my friend m.

so, i think my ambivalence about the weekend stems from the fact that my days off are usually filled with other people. it's fairly rare that i spend a significant portion of time alone. that's why, in doing so, i was forced to more closely examine some of the aspects of my life that i'm maybe not so content with lately -- things that i'd like to change or adjust or make better. i think that always leads to some natural discomfort. but i also think it's all a part of growth. and i'm all for that -- even if it makes me moody from time to time.

so, with all that being said, here are my little goals for the week. tell me yours, too, will you?

+ actually taking action on the aforementioned things i'd like to change. and being really present to the things i think and feel.
+ continuing the being-outside thing. it's amazing the endorphins you get from a brisk jog on a warm fall night.
+ cooking every meal i eat this week (and trying to stay away from those brach's candy-corn pumpkins that i am unabashedly addicted to. no judgment; they are delicious.) i'm also thinking i might try and go back to being pescetarian-only again, since -- aside from the animal rights reasons -- all the chicken i eat lately seems to be in fried form, which is not so good. i was a strict vegetarian for a solid five years until 2009, so this wouldn't be such a leap for me, but we'll see. (also, this probably deserves its own bullet, but oh, well.)
+ keeping my messy bedroom clean.
+ trying to take more pictures of sarasota to share with you here. i was struck by this the other night while driving down one of my favorite streets, which was lit with white twinkle-lights and anchored by beautifully arranged shop windows. sometimes the beauty of this city makes me catch my breath.

that's all for me for now, but again, please tell me your goals for the week -- and i'll see you back here tomorrow! xoxo

photo of the cherry blossom girl's wedding by marianne taylor. p.s. how am i just discovering alix's blog? it's stunning.

here comes the sun ( + committing to...)

happy monday, everyone--how were your weekends? mine was very, very low-key, just as i hoped it would be. i had sushi with two of my favorite gal pals on friday night; ran errands with another one of my favorites, k., on saturday afternoon; spent time with my friend m., her cousin and his friend on saturday night; then slept for, oh, about 10 hours straight into sunday morning.

i also rediscovered the glory that is the 2005 movie version of pride & prejudice. i'm a total jane austen lover (see: here), and i know some austen purists take issue with this adaptation of the book, but i personally think it's beautiful, and i get goosebumps every time matthew-mcfadyen-as-mr.-darcy tells keira-knightley-as-elizabeth-bennet that he loves her "most ardently." swoon. (where's my mr. darcy, by the way?)

and now here we are again, at the beginning of a new week. how were your weekends? what do the next five days look like for you? are they busy? are you going on vacation? do you have lots of work projects? are you making big life changes? please tell me--i'd love to hear!

here's what i'm committing to over the course of the week:

+ paying my taxes. (gulp. this is going to hurt. maybe i should commit to a large alcoholic beverage after i make that payment!)
+ smiling more.
+ wearing bright lipstick/gloss every day. it's amazing what a pick-me-up that can be.
+ straightening up my apartment every night before i go to bed. i've been really bad about this lately, and a clean house makes me feel so much better.
+ continuing working on the whole positive attitude thing--and not just on the surface.
+ living by this quote:

"do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. keep in the sunlight."  

(benjamin franklin)

here's to keeping in the sunlight. xoxo


{ lovely photograph via miss mary ruffle. of course. i love balloons. }

i know why the caged bird sings.

totally and completely swooning over this photo by alice b. gardens. so pretty--like something you would see in an anthropologie catalogue.

p.s.: more goodness by this talented lady here, here, and here.

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!

happy wednesday.

balloons and chairs--does it get better than that?

{ via all the mountains }

a little extra cuteness.

just a girl and her balloon. i am a big fan of this photo. (apparently, it's a helium-filled day here today.)

{ photo: la cerise via decor8 }

music and lyrics.

who knew some balloons and a guitar could be so lovely?

speaking of guitars/music, i've been really loving mayer hawthorne's new album. what have you been listening to lately, my lovelies?

{ images by sea shanties }

what are you doing this weekend?

happy, happy friday, my lovelies! what are you doing this weekend? i'm heading up to orlando on saturday with one of my favorite sarasota friends to visit my parents (and puppy), do a little shopping and--most importantly--have my final fitting for my bridesmaid dress. a dear family friend is doing my alterations, so i know the dress is going to look perfect. other than that, i'm planning on relaxing on friday and sunday, so it should be a delightful weekend.

what are you up to for the next couple of days? tell me! and thanks for all of your sweet comments, as always...isn't the blogosphere a beautiful place?

{ balloon-y goodness by anna aden }

a little pop of color.

a little cheer for you on tuesday morning, via the incredibly inspiring nie nie. (tuesdays are my mondays, for some reason, which means i usually need extra cheer. and extra coffee.) i love that there appear to be little notes attached to the balloons.

up, up and away.

i thought we could kick off this monday morning with some pretty balloons--a nice idea, don't you think? how were your weekends?

p.s. guess what? i went to a party at a local furniture shop on friday night, and guess who was in attendance? eames demetrios, grandson of charles and ray eames(!!) and head of the eames office in california. SO COOL!

mais oui.

you better believe i will be ordering this lovely notecard from sugar paper when it's available online. it's so french, and i just love-love-love that pink balloon.

{ photo via oh so beautiful paper }

summer's coming...

...i can feel it in the air.

don't you love this image? it's from an old issue of seventeen magazine. (i remember being so excited when i was finally old enough to read seventeen. i also loved ym and sassy.)

need i say more?

thank you, t.! xoxo