Wednesday, October 26, 2011

I like this...

Someone's tumblr, via someone's tumblr, via Pinterest (I don't know the source.)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Hang on tight to what you know...

source

I feel a little bit like that boy in the picture. I want more than anything to curl up on my couch at home and hide from the world. But I know that things are going to get better, life will feel right again, and that I'm not alone in this. It feels nice to admit that I'm a mess, because we all get that way sometimes, right? 

What do you do when life feels overwhelming? What do you do when things are spinning around you, and you can't keep up? Hang on to what you know...

I know that God is in control

I know that I am loved beyond measure

I know that there is a bigger story going on than just me and my life.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6



Here are some encouraging things I've been reading lately:

Keeping Rhythm and Balance

When Life's Unfair 

The Release of Freedom

Don't forget to breathe

From Despair to Dawn



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Postcardly

Yesterday started off badly with the worst migraine I've had in 6 months. (The aura was fast to onset and changed every 5 minutes or so: ocular symptoms, traveling numbness, stiffness, nausea, trouble speaking... ) fun stuff. I went home and tried to sleep it off, but had to run an errand to the post office in the late afternoon. The symptoms came back around the time I had to go in, and I think I freaked out the postal worker that helped me. I remember trying to ask what time they closed, and it came out something like,"What time do you stay at this place?" haha, I got a really weird look from him and realized I hadn't said what I meant... 8 mg more of zofran, a diet coke and salty popcorn from Target and I was doing better later on. I still feel sluggish and forgetful today, but no aura symptoms yet, so I think it has passed. (Who knows, this post might all be gibberish and I just don't realize it!)

I ran across this service today and had to share!! Postcardly sends postcards from pictures that you e-mail with your own message. If you buy a package, it can work out to be $1 a postcard. That's not too bad!


Friday, October 14, 2011

Straight, Wavy, now Curly...

My hair and I have a long history of disagreement. It's a fight I forced my mom out of when I was 5 years old or so. I have very thick hair, and being a bratty little kid I decided that I could style it better than my mom. For the most part she let me. There were a few low maintenance hair cuts: the bowl cut of 1990, the bangs with bob of 1991... but overall my hair needed lots of brushing and de-tangling and I wanted to be the one to do it.

For fun (mine mostly) here is a short hair history:

Hair at Birth: full head of dark brown hair
As a kid: soft blonde curls until 4 or so, thick super straight hair until the "perm"
Proudest moment: at 6 years old when I created my favorite hairstyle "the waterfall" (a half-up ponytail at the crown of my head, that "flowed" out over my head like a water fountain...)
Most over used hairstyle: half up/ half down (all through jr high and high school)
Perms and chemicals: a perm in 2001, highlights in 2008, single process color twice in 2009.
Current hair: curly/wavy, long, dry at the ends, oily scalp.

There were a couple of years in between that I was ambitious and dove headfirst into french braids and barrettes and clips. But I ended up with lots and lots of broken and bent hair accessories from my thick hair. 11th grade started with a plan to grow my hair long to donate to a wig charity. I gave a whole 14 inches in the spring and was left with a short angled bob. bobby pins were my friends almost all of senior year. I was a pro at the twisty hairstyle. It grew out much more wispy and wavy than before, and during college I wore it pretty long- mostly in a ponytail.

Since being diagnosed with Addison's, my slightly wavy hair has seemed more and more curly. The top front section has stayed pretty straight, but the back and sections underneath are very spirally (i'm not sure if that is a word or not...).

I've tried the no-Shampoo method before, but I always go back to my favorite Pantene Pro-V. Now I'm trying it again with a twist. I'm washing my hair only with a sulfate free Conditioner. No shampoo. It was weird at first, because conditioner doesn't suds up, but I'm getting used to it. Conditioner actually has some detergents in it and removes any dirt or build up in your hair. Before when I tried this, I would just wash my hair with shampoo once a week, or every three days. So far this is working better because the conditioner is moisturizing my dry curls and my hair feels fresher.

Here's what my hair looked like after a few days of conditioner washing:




For reference, here is a picture of me when I used my normal shampoo conditioner routine:



What made me try again? I stumbled on the Curly girl method, based on the book Curly Girl: the handbook by Lorraine Massey.
Turns out there is a lot out there on caring for curly hair. I've been wanting to do something new with my hair, but all the cuts and styles I seem to like are for straight hair. I think I need to stop fighting what my hair has become. Any others with curly hair out there?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Listen up!

This is something we all need to hear once and awhile. found here via Pinterest

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Planner in Progress

I bought a binder for my planner! I couldn't leave the store without this avery kelly green 5 1/2 " x 8 1/2" binder. I was contemplating thread binding my pages, but I think what I'm really looking for is the flexibility of adding and removing pages as the year goes by.

I've been day dreaming about a color scheme for the inside:


Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

I bought rainbow colored tabs for the months:

I cut them down to fit my half-size binder and punched new holes. The tabs overlap just a little bit more than they would in a full size binder, but I can still read each month. 
They don't look very pretty in this picture (from Avery), but there is something about these puppies that make my heart happy. 




Monday, October 10, 2011

A collection from last week

Pinterest, you better be here to stay for awhile, because I'm really counting on you to keep all of my really great pins for me to try!

Here are some that I liked a lot from last week (click on the captions to go to the sources):

The Soho

Sunday Crossbow

from Eat Well Living Thin- Broc Quinoa Casserole

Style Me Pretty

From Sweet Verbena: Recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes- only two ingredients!

From Chie Mihara: Boots I would loooove to own.

From Recipe Dose: A recipe for a favorite food of mine. Applebees blondie!

From Apron of Grace: Strawberry Cake

And I don't know where this came from, but it makes me laugh...

Friday, October 7, 2011

Scarf tutorial

I've seen this video in too many places not to share. It's really fun to watch and in it there are several ways to wear a scarf that I've never seen. Take a look!


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Planner Plans


So it's October, three months before my current planner is finished, but I'm already thinking about what I want to use next. For the past 6 years or so I've used leather covered books like this one (pictures from Barnes & Noble ):



 ^ this is what the inside of my 2011 planner looks like ^
Right now I use it for all kinds of things:
  • Monthly Calendar
  • Weekly schedule
  • long term planning
  • daily to do lists
  • Big picture to do lists
  • Blog ideas and to do lists
  • keeping track of medicines
  • recording when I exercise
  • reminders to myself
I divide each day into sections and fill them to the brim. I've been thinking... it might be fun to make my own planner for 2012. It would give me a chance to customize everything. I wouldn't have to section off each day, because I could put that in my planner to start with. Plus, it would be fun to choose the colors, fonts, graphics... everything!

I've been working on templates for my pages (and having lots of fun doing it! it brings back memories of year book staff...) but now I'm wondering how I want to bind it.

There's always an A5 size 3 ring binder (from Staples):
 OR this one (from Rebinder):
I would probably cover either one with fabric like this one:
But I'm not sure it would be as easy to tote around as something thread bound. There are lots of tutorials for thread binding (here, here, here, and here for example)

Right now I'm having fun looking at other people's handmade planners:
From KatieMcelroy on Etsy

From KatieMcelroy on Etsy

From DoubleHappiness on Etsy
From DoubleHappiness on Etsy

From Bubbo on Etsy
From Lemon and Raspberry
From ihanna

From Callaloo Soup
From Decor8
From Wild Olive
From Crystal Wilkerson

From Here

From Here