47/52 :: 2015

we're closing in on the last month of the year. how is that even possible? this year was an interesting rollercoaster, but I guess there are still five more weeks to get through to find out what else is going to happen. I still have Christmas shopping to do, a vacation to plan for early next year... my head is spinning just thinking of all of these things to mark off of the invisible to do list.

anyway! happy Thanksgiving! tell someone you love them.

Thursday 19 November // day three hundred twenty-three :: grey skies. it was a pretty dreary day, if I remember correctly.

Friday 20 November // day three hundred twenty-four :: pretty sure that this Oliver Jeffers illustration from The Heart and the Bottle will be my next tattoo.

Saturday 21 November // day three hundred twenty-five :: a stack of preschool books, which has since grown but there are also three or four less. (that makes no sense, Teresa.)

Sunday 22 November // day three hundred twenty-six :: yesterday's mail for some upcoming short trips.

Monday 23 November // day three hundred twenty-seven :: the first dusting of the snow of the season. it was gone a couple hours later.

Tuesday 24 November // day three hundred twenty-eight :: new unicorn keychain!

Wednesday 25 November // day three hundred twenty-nine :: I am always the one who gives everyone stars. I went out on Tuesday night, and I owed Morgan some stars because she did a bunch of work for me (cleaning the toaster, the sink, and the counter along with washing the dishes). she then proceeded to share them with all of us who came out to meet her.

xoxo.

What's in My Bag? v.5

I recently downsized from my giant Coach bag into an Osgoode Marley Kelly Zip-Top Organizer. This meant that I had to remove some stuff that I carry, but I was still able to keep quite a bit of it because this bag may be smaller, but it has a lot of pockets!

I should have taken some pictures of what the pockets look like, but I'll try to describe them.

The front double zipper part is now my wallet. It has three phone-size pockets and five card size pockets, so I use those in addition to a Vera Bradley ID case to hold cards, cash, coupons, etc.

The next pocket has a magnetic closure, and it holds a small journal, star stickers, and a Luna bar. This is where I usually put my headphones as well, and my iPod will either go here or with my phone in the main section.

The main section has a zip top and has a zip pocket, three drop pockets, two writing utensil holders, and a lobster claw for a key. That main space holds lotion and keys (personal + motel), and often my phone and iPod. The zip pocket holds bandages and hair ties, while the drop pockets have gum, a mirror, my nametag for the Y, hand sanitizer, lip balm (this is my new favorite), and peppermint and lavender oils. I also stash a pen in here.

There's also a zip pocket on the back, but I don't currently have anything in there.

I am so glad that I finally have a leather crossbody purse like I have been wanting for a while! It was so annoying to carry around my other giant bag, and while I liked my Vera Bradley Hipster, I just often thought that it was too bright with the rest of my clothes. Osgoode Marley seems to have a lot of quality products, and I am thankful that the wonderful woman at Hide Side in Fish Creek showed them to me!

xoxo.

What's in My Bag? {Part One}
What's in My Bag? {Part Two}
What's in my bag?
What's in My Purse? {with the Circle}

this is not a sponsored post. I'm just sharing some of my new favorite things.

46/52 :: 2015

intros are hard and I don't know what to write, so here are some pictures.

Thursday 12 November // day three hundred sixteen :: where I stand, featuring my new purse.

Friday 13 November // day three hundred seventeen :: working on a what's in my bag post.

Saturday 14 November // day three hundred eighteen :: a favorite piece in my bedroom.

Sunday 15 November // day three hundred nineteen :: while I was at work, I realized that I forgot to take a picture before I left! so here is a picture from the evening of my sugar skull wreath. (:

Monday 16 November // day three hundred twenty :: Luna got waxed and cleaned on Thursday and she looks so pretty!

Tuesday 17 November // day three hundred twenty-one :: a journal of lists and a journal of song lyrics.

Wednesday 18 November // day three hundred twenty-two :: I spied this oak leaf while I was sitting in my car finishing listening to a song before I went inside. anyway, I had to have the leaf for a photo.

xoxo.

NatureBox :: November 2015

Apparently I had a bit of a sweet tooth when I was picking out my snacks for this month!

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Pretzels :: I had these for the first time in December, and I don't think that I am impressed with them as I was then. they're still good, but they don't seem as good as I remember them. I don't really care for chocolate covered pretzels (unless they're done right), but yogurt covered pretzels are a yes, and the blueberry flavor on these makes them special.

Next time you hit the trails with your friends, be sure to bring along this berry delicious treat! With no artificial ingredients, it has the slight tang from Greek yogurt and all the tasty sweetness of blueberries. Look for this snack in classic Greek yogurt as well as Strawberry!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Animal Cookies :: I had the vanilla ones last month, and these are just as good, but with a chocolate flavor, which makes them even better. I love the little farm animal shapes too. (: (I usually try to show a serving size for the pictures, but I got a little out of hand with this one because they are too cute.)

We started with a classic animal cookie and gave it an updated spin with premium ingredients including whole-wheat flour, cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate. These perfectly chocolaty, perfectly crunchy Animal Cookies deliver the right amount of sweetness with a healthy dose of nostalgia.

Lemon Tea Biscuits :: I first had these back in May 2014, and they are just as cute, sweet, and delicious as I remember. they're so cute and little! these mini cookies have the perfect lemon tang cut with the buttery taste of shortbread.

It's 4:00pm and you're ready for afternoon tea. Or maybe it's only 10:00am and it's time for that pre-lunch pick-me-up. In either scenario, help yourself to these lightly lemony treats. They're decadent but they're bite-sized, so it's easy to portion them into snack-sized servings. Simply add them to your favorite scalloped saucer and serve them with a steaming cup of freshly-brewed green tea.

Cinnamon Yogurt Mini Grahams :: oh my gosh! I love these so much! the frosting that they are coated in reminds me of eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch when I was little!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with our Cinnamon Yogurt Mini Grahams. We started with classic graham crackers (in an irresistible mini size) and covered them with rich, creamy, slightly tangy yogurt coating. For a sweetly spiced finish, we sprinkled them with a dash of cinnamon.

Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Pops :: I can't say that I was too impressed with these... I guess I'm not a big fan of the dark chocolate that they use because it seems so bitter.

The classic taste of the holidays comes together in our Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Pops. First we take small batches of bite-sized pretzels and coat them in rich dark chocolate. Before we add the peppermint, we let these little guys rest so they stay crisp and crunchy. A little bit sweet, a little bit salty, completely delicious.

xoxo.

around the web :: 13.11.2015

another Friday, another attempt at sharing some web links...

I updated my about page and it makes me happy. it had been over two years, so it was a bit outdated.

Kiki wrote a post about our shout-out society, and I love it.

There are illustrated Edgar Allan Poe books, and I want them. {Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness // Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia}

all those things they forget to tell you to buy.

I just bought a new purse, and I really like it. it's leather and classic, so it's going to last and it's just the right size and style.

I love me some Gwen Stefani.

these glittery tights are great! I like these better than the ones that I have because mine don't have sparkle on top of the feet.

my friend Rick Wood is a comedian who does a podcast called 15 Minutes every weekday. I finally started listening to it and I can't stop laughing.

xoxo.

45/52 :: 2015

I'm still falling back into this normal schedule thing. it's less of a transition to go from mid-season to huge event to peak season than it is from peak season to event week to quiet season.

lots of dining room table shots this week, but I have some other ones I need to edit for some upcoming posts yet...

Thursday 5 November // day three hundred nine :: part of the mess on my dining room table. there is always at least one scarf. I really love that I could wear both of these at the same time and it wouldn't be too noticeable.

Friday 6 November // day three hundred ten :: starting to fill this journal with lists.

Saturday 7 November // day three hundred eleven :: a week-old unicorn. once last glimpse before it disappeared.

Sunday 8 November // day three hundred twelve :: it's always a joyous occasion when my NatureBox arrives! but it usually happens when I'm at work, so I don't look at it until the next day. (and that's a stack of preschool books because the lighting is best right there.)

Monday 9 November // day three hundred thirteen :: breakfast time.

Tuesday 10 November // day three hundred fourteen :: so in love with my new sunglasses! they fit my face so much better than my old Coach ones and I can see clearer in them too. (:

Wednesday 11 November // day three hundred fifteen :: leaving in the morning.

xoxo.

what I wore :: Halloween week

first I had so many photos to edit that I didn't get to this post, and then I was accidentally slacking on taking outfit photos. I have all of them from the week leading up to Halloween, plus a couple days after. here's a look at what I wore, because some of these things are my favorites.

Sunday 25.10.2015 :: Mass & motel craziness.

Everly Peter fit-and-flare dress via StitchFix // black leggings // black Steve Madden Savvior leather boots

{see also: boots = leg pockets}

Monday 26.10.2015 :: motel craziness in the evening after getting things done at home + errands.

sugar skull tee via Zulily // American Eagle Kick Boot jeans // Converse

Tuesday 27.10.2015 :: motel craziness.

v-neck tee (Target) // infinity peacock scarf (World Market) // Just Black skinny jeans via StitchFix // Converse

Wednesday 28.10.2015 :: preschool classes & motel craziness.

Sevenly tee // American Eagle Kick Boot jeans // Converse

Thursday 29.10.2015 :: motel craziness.

floral skull tee via Zulily // American Eagle Kick Boot jeans // Converse

Friday 30.10.2015 :: motel craziness & performance. I was a dark princess and there is a lot of color in my hair (:

black Lara fit-and-flare dress via Zulily // tulle skirt (ModCloth) // lace tights (ModCloth) // patent pumps

Saturday 31.10.2015 :: motel craziness & performance. this also turned into afterbar and then breakfast. I wore this for more than 24 hours... whoops.

Old Navy dress // black sparkle tights via Zulily // Steve Madden Savvior leather boots

Monday 2.11.2015 :: eye appointment (where I did my makeup between trying on pairs of glasses) + errands.

v-neck tee (Target) // skull scarf // Barrett's hoodie // American Eagle Kick Boot jeans // Converse

Tuesday 3.11.2015 :: back to the grind at the recovering motel.

v-neck tee (American Eagle) // cardigan (Target) // American Eagle Kick Boot jeans // Converse

{my camera strap cover is from The Poppy Shoppe on Etsy (she has tons of super cute ones, but here's a current listing for the leopard print) // my belt is from Gap about a year ago // this mirror is from Target // this post may contain affiliate links}

xoxo.

real talk Tuesdays :: on being the quiet one

about real talk Tuesdays: sometimes I like to talk about the real and heavy stuff that is going on in my life. it's not a regular thing that happens every Tuesday, but I tried to streamline it down to only being on Tuesdays, if ever. (that said, not every post that happens to be on a Tuesday is going to be heavy.) they're written stream of consciousness because they are typically snippets from my actual journal.

I was going to change names, but then that seemed like too much work. this is literally copied and pasted from a note on my phone.

-----------------------------

One of the things that still sticks out the most to me about the time I spent with Cash this June was that when I was quiet and just taking everything in at Beach and the Woods and in the car, he asked me multiple times what I was thinking about. He made a comment that Sunday night at the bar about how hard it is to read me and that he thought it was the eyes. (For the record, this wasn't the first time that I've been told that I am hard to read, but it was the first time that it was narrowed down to something specific. Maybe I should learn how to play poker.)

I guess I've never really had anyone actually ask me what I was thinking about before. I'm a quiet person and I think that it really has a lot to do with how I was brought up. I'm sure the Catholic school experience was part of it, but I believe that a lot of it has to do with the fact that I witnessed a lot of fights between my mother and my sister as I was growing up. I will never forget sitting in the car crying on my 13th birthday as my mom and sister yelled at each other at my sister's cottage on Bay Shore.

My sister and mother are so alike in how they speak and express themselves. They both love to talk and gossip, but are always very vague about things, trying to get people to ask them for more information. What I have learned in recent years about my father (because honestly I don't remember a whole lot about him when I was growing up) is that he is not really vocal at all, and I am seeing that I am the same way.

I really don't know how to talk to people, and they make me so nervous. I think that another part of this is that a lot of things that I want to say are things that I feel like I'm not allowed to talk about and that I don't have anyone to actually talk to about them.

It was a joke in yearbook my junior and senior years of high school that Logan (and maybe Kyle, Heather, and Erin) would "steal" my backbone because I am just so spineless.

I truly feel like I have no friends anymore. I have no social life and I rarely go out other than the events at the motel because I am just so nervous around people. Other than things for work or from my mother/sister, the only phone calls and texts I get are from people who want something from me. No one ever just wants to talk to me.

People like to just tell me stuff about their day, and I find it so strange because I would never feel like I should just tell someone about where I went for dinner and what I had and what I talked to who about.

Maybe I'm to blame because I always go for the short answer when people ask me questions, but I just wish that one time someone would get me to open up and talk about something.

I just want someone to care.

I just want someone to know.

I just want someone to understand.

I just don't want to feel so alone.

xoxo.

the month by iPhone :: October 2015

a whirlwind of a month. busy weekends, busy weekdays, lots of fun with incredible people. I made some time for driving around in the beautiful fall though.

a sad image, but one that had to be captured. I ate a lot of ice cream from this place.

it's been a while since it's looked like this! just a minor problem this time though. (:

Lake Michigan

I don't know why, but that guy on DuoLingo made me laugh so hard.

Lake Michigan, but this time in Algoma.

Marquette Middle School, abandoned in Kewaunee. seems to maybe be condemned? I only peeked in the windows that I could, but there was a room full of desks and I really wished that I could go inside.

lunch at Caffe Tlazo in Algoma. (California wrap sans ranch with chips & a s'mores mocha; reading The Clasp)

on County U, if I remember correctly... the top photo failed to upload to Instagram, but I went around and got it from a different angle. (I use Afterlight to edit a lot of photos before Instagram.)

that awkward moment when your phone has an issue with times on the weather app, so it thinks that the sun isn't going to rise until noon...

so in love with the decorations at my aunt and uncle's house. it's hard to see because of the reflection, but there are skulls in the window too! (:

choppy waters at the boat launch.

I drove up to Egg Harbor, and I decided as it was too late to turn (story of my life) that I wanted to go to a store, so I ended up pulling into a cemetery to turn around. I thought that it was pretty inappropriate, but I had to get out for some pictures because the leaves were pretty and the gravestones were so worn.

reading some of my favorite Oliver Jeffers books to the kids because I needed to hear them.
{Stuck // This Moose Belongs to Me // The Heart and the Bottle}

I've been meaning to take pictures at the abandoned Sawyer School in Sturgeon Bay for so long because I am so fascinated by the fact that there was a separate door for "boys" and "girls." I just wish I hadn't waited until those windows were all boarded up.

 causing trouble again.

I have been using AfterLight to edit photos on my phone again, and I am just loving it.

seeing "shake well" on anything makes me happy. (it's a lyric from my favorite pat mAcdonald solo album called Troubadour of Stomp)

raven for pat from Eleanor. (:

333 bracelet from the lovely girls.

thank you, Third Avenue Playhouse.

matching unicorn tattoos (from Tattly). I am loving this placement.

xoxo.