Organizing: Small Victories

I just want to say that today is Monday and I am thankful I made it through the weekend in one piece.

In hindsight, it was probably a little over-zealous to try and cram so much into one weekend. In case you're not convinced that I'm crazy, here's what went down over the 4-day weekend.

Thursday:
- food prep (mostly figuring out how to use a mandolin - they are awesome)
- eating lots and lots of food
- football on TV
- showing family around the new house
- packing, packing and more packing

Friday:
- the big move, for which the truck showed up at 8 a.m.
- visting with family and friends who came to help - I now know movers don't want any help. They have their system and you are just in the way.
- Harris family movie - The Blindside was so good. I highly recommend it.

Saturday:
- Pre-football breakfast
- NCSU vs UNC (huge rivalry, for all you non-Southerners) at which I screamed my head off
- Hicks family Brunswick Stew (10 gallons!) and mom's homemade banana pudding

Sunday:
- hooking up appliances
- first home-owners trip to Home Depot
- finally a bit of relaxation while I worked on Morgan's invitations

So yeah, I'm a wee bit tired today. That being said, I have to celebrate the little things. Is my house unpacked? Not even close. Is my closet organized? Big fat nope. But I did organize my scarves last night.

Like I said, it's the little things.

I hope you all had a more restful holiday than I did.

Living: Wish Me Luck!

If you're a fan of praying or thinking good thoughts, send some my way. Today is the big moving day and I'm hoping it's relatively stress free!

If you like to specialize your prayers/good juju, here's my wish list:
- that we actually get packed in time
- that nothing breaks
- that I make it through the day without stress crying
- that boxes get put into the proper room - I really hate it when boxes get dumped wherever

As I mentioned earlier, once we get over the hump of moving I hope to have lots of home beautification projects to share with you. Stay tuned!

Making: Memories Part 2

To follow up this morning's post, I thought I would tell you about a tradition from my side of the family: the green vegetable.

Five or so years ago, my Mom was preparing Thanksgiving dinner. This was to be the first Thanksgiving dinner she celebrated with her boyfriend (now my step-dad) Bruce. Mom wanted it to be perfect. Whenever she entertains, everything has to be just-so. The crisp linens, the charming decor and the well-thought and balanced menu. A key to this menu is that there has to be something green on the plate, for nutrition and a pop of color - a plate full of neutral colored food is just dull.

On the other hand, Bruce is notoriously picky. The only green vegetable he will eat is canned, french-cut green beans - not plain canned or frozen french-cut. Mom looked all over for his favorite but couldn't find it - apparently this variety of beans is quite elusive and hard to find.

Jump to the morning of Thanksgiving. Mom still hadn't found the beans. Bruce was okay with this, willing to forgo vegetables altogether. Mom would not be dissuaded - "There has to be something green!" In a moment of frustration (I'm sure a kitchen timer was beeping) she sent Bruce and I to the grocery store and told us not to come home until we found something green.

Bruce and I had no idea what to buy. Neither of us wre keen on vegetables. The few I would eat he hated, and I didn't like the few he could stand. Then, wandering through the holiday section, Bruce had a brilliant idea. M&M's were green. We bought a family size bag of red and green holiday M&M's and headed home. Before we showed Mom, we spent a few minutes separating the red from the green, then presented her with a bowl full of shiny, green M&M's.

It wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but it was clever and she does love chocolate. The "green vegetable" was a big hit with all the kids (and vegetable avoiding adults) and has since become a fixture of her Thanksgiving table.

Making: Memories

My husband's family has a wonderful tradition I would like to share with you. Every Thanksgiving after the turkey has been eaten, the football has been watched and the naps have been taken, they all go see a family movie together. Sometimes it's a Christmas movie, sometimes it's a musical but the chosen movie is supposed to be light-hearted and uplifting.

This year's movie is The Blind Side. I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since I first saw the trailer. I'm probably going to cry, but that's ok because the theater is dark and hopefully no one will notice.



So tell me, what unique tradition does your family enjoy during the holidays?

Buying: Party Boots

Inspired by Kate Miss, I have come to the decision that I need some heeled booties to get me through fall and winter. I think any of these would look fabulous with some tights and a party dress, don't you agree?



Which ones should come home with me?

From left to right, top to bottom: Truffle by Hive and Honey, Indigo by Clarks, Gallop by Fergie, Sweater Cuff Wedge by Kimchi Blue, Kline by Report, Wedge Bootie by We Who See, Suede Zip Bootie by Deena & Ozzy, Patent Oxford Wedge by Deena & Ozzy, Nash Bootie by We Who See

Coveting: Throw Pillows

I am just in love with the pillows by Dimmalimm Home. I originally found their shop because Apartment Therapy wrote a post on their line of coasters, but I was much more impressed with their pillows. They have a sculptural series (grey and white) but they also craft pillows from authentic Japanese kimino silk (orange).

They are definitely on the pricey side, but I would love to have one of their pieces on my couch!

Making: Upcycled Summer Scarf

Because posting has been so light lately - ok, almost non-existant - I got on the ball and wrote lots of posts to hold me over while we paint/pack/move/etc. By next week my sanity will be dwindling and you do not want me writing new content in that condition.


Anywho... I'll kick off my series of pre-scheduled posts with my DIY scarf. Inspired by this crafty chica, I set out to follow her tutorial for the summer scarf:



I'm a big fan of scarves any time of year - I am always, always cold - so I thought this would be a great opportunity to purge some of my giant giveaway T's that have been pilling up.

For my first attempt I followed her tutorial to the letter, and my results were... just ok. There were 2 key problems for me: 1) She recommended using an XL t-shirt which has a lot of volume. I have a petite torso - small shoulders, short waist and all that - so it was a little overwhelming on me; 2) I did the fringe because I thought it would be a fun detail. Not so much. It was a lot of look for me, so I will probably go back and cut off the fringe.

My subsequent attempts were much more successful; I downgraded to M and L t-shirts and ditched the fringe. I like the outcome because it creates a light-weight scarf perfect for transitional weather. My office is in an old, drafty building and I often wear scarves all day to keep the chill off my neck.*

Another bonus is its versatility. I can wear it long like a scarf...

... or doubled up like a choker.

As usual, I am a fan of any project where I can make something useful out of something I would normally wash the car with. This is such a simple project (it literally took me 45 seconds to cut up the shirt with a rotary cutter**) you could stock up on $0.25 t-shirts from Goodwill and make a scarf in every color.

So, any fun tutorials out there I'm missing out on? Any trash to treasure DIY you've come up with? Do tell!

*Yes, I'm secretly an old lady. I also complain to my landlord when my neighbors don't clean up after their dogs.

**Prior to this project I didn't own a rotary cutter, because no one bothered to tell me how awesome they are. Cutting t-shirts with scissors = lame.