things that are making me happy

pretty decorations outside a restaurant, fall 2010

My neighbor's Christmas lights on his balcony (and the fact that they've been up for a couple weeks now)
Katy Perry's Teenage Dream album
Starbucks' peppermint mocha & caramel brulee latte
Laughing with my family
New magazines to read - especially Marie Claire with Emma Watson!
Christmas music on the radio
OPI's "Pink of Hearts" polish
Tank tops and sweaters paired with comfy scarves
Say Yes to the Dress marathons
Great Lakes Brewing Company's Christmas Ale



What things are making you happy?

weekend wrap-up & the holiday season

isn't she just the cutest?! under the tree at the boyfriend's house

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! I did - I shopped (got some of the boyfriend's presents!), hung out with my cousin, visited my grandma, watched the Ohio State/Michigan game (GO BUCKS!), did a good deal of homework, watched The Holiday (one of my favorite movies - great story, romance, comedy, awesome actors/acting, Christmas, etc.), had a second Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and sister, and went back to school early-ish to work on more homework and run some errands.


Now that the holiday season is fully and officially upon us, I am definitely looking forward to some specific seasonal activities, like:

• Decorating!!!
• Hot chocolate of every flavor
• Holiday specials & movies on TV
• Candy canes
• Snow days
• Holiday music
  
• It's A Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, White Christmas, & Scrooged - on DVD, uninterrupted
• Shopping! and just generally being in shopping locations, fully decorated, and filled with people
• Making paper snowflakes
• Making the dogs wear reindeer antlers
• Christmas cookie baking
• Christmas cards
• Holiday get-togethers with family and friends
• People smiling more & giving back
• Tons of little special traditions

And so much more!!

What did you do this weekend? What are you looking forward to this holiday season?

weekly gems

spring 2010

Did everyone have fantastic Thanksgiving? I hope so! I sure did - amazing food, wonderful time with family, just perfect : ) This weekend I plan to relax, spend time with my family, get some schoolwork done, and maybe do a bit of shopping (but no Black Friday morning madness!). What are your plans for the weekend?

And now..weekly gems!

• Love this holiday dress! Especially the color.
• Great graphic & question by Kelly!
• AMAZING positive perspective from Kendi.
• I really want to make these. Yummmm.
• LOVE these winter ideas.
• I'd love to be Mrs. Confection for a day.
• Favorite weddings of the week number 1, number 2, and number 3.
• This extremely touching article about old dogs moved me to tears (via tulips & flight suits). RIP, Charlie.
• I really, REALLY want to make these cupcakes.
• Brittany Snow's updo is fantastic!
• What a fantastic DIY idea!!

Have a wonderful weekend! : )

thanksgiving

decorations at the boyfriend's house

YAYYY!! Thanksgiving is here! Thanksgiving is definitely one of my very favorite holidays. The following is the typical Thanksgiving day for my family:

1. My brother, sister, and I wake up, go to the living room, and promptly plop ourselves down in front of the TV to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My dad has been furiously cooking and baking the kitchen for some time already (and he has the parade on in the kitchen, too!). My brother tries to change the channel and find the best coverage of the parade. My sister and I scold him and tell him to pick a channel.
   
2. My mom wakes up and joins us in the living room. She becomes more talkative as she drinks more coffee.
   
3. My dad starts to urge us all to get ready.
4. We all start begin to prep for the day. My brother's fashion choices have to be edited and ironed. My mom is somehow behind before she begins. My sister and I fight over the bathroom. My dad is somehow still ready before all of the rest of us, while continuing to cook.
5. The dog show comes on TV and distracts everyone. We compare the dogs on TV to our old dog Charlie (RIP), our family dog Sasha, & (she's new to the family this year, but it's bound to happen!) my dog Madison. The dogs are distracted by the fact that we keep saying their names and get hyper. The cats get angry at the dogs' combined energy. My dad somehow manages to keep being productive while the rest of us are frozen and/or playing with the dogs.
   
6. My dad starts corralling us again. My mom is the last one ready. My dad is packing up the car and giving continually giving frantic updates on how late we are going to be this year.
   
7. We leave for Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt's house. We are generally running behind.
8. We arrive at my aunt's house. We start socializing with the many relatives who have come for the holiday. (Sidenote: I have a huge family. My mom's parents had 12 kids!)
9. DINNER. Delicious : ) favorite items include the cranberry circle slices from the can, turkey, and mashed potatoes and gravy.
   
10. Card-playing, video game playing, football game-watching, talking, laughing, dessert-eating (strawberry pretzel jello! PIES!), wine-drinking, texting the boyfriend, napping.
    
11. Head home. Maybe go to a movie at the movie theater or watch a movie at home. Feed the dogs turkey leftovers. Feed the cats their cat food turkey dinner.
    
12. Bed! And probably pretty early for my sister & dad, who work at Macy's and will be on staff for Black Friday!

Thanksgiving always reminds me of the things I'm most thankful for in life: an amazing, gigantic family, wonderful pets, traditions, good health, good food, & laughter.

What is your Thanksgiving usually like? I hope it's fantastic!



By the way, today is my best friend Kaylyn's birthday!! She's super smart, fun, funny, caring, creative, gorgeous, and adorable. Happy birthday, love : )

the perfect quote for this week...& every day

sunset driving back to school, fall 2010

"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton

why you're not like your siblings

my siblings & I at Red Robin's for my brother's birthday, spring 2010

Do you have siblings? How similar are your personalities?

I have an older brother (5 years) and an older sister (3 1/2 years). I am not that similar in personalities to them! I've always felt bad about that - why am I not more of a "friend" with my siblings? Why are they more "friends" with each other?

Well, according to this article, this is not an unusual occurrence! In fact, there are actually three different theories that address this difference in sibling personalities issue.

The one that made the most sense to me was the third one listed - environment. It essentially argues that while siblings grow up as members of the same family, they experience family events at different ages, which affects them differently. This seems to make perfect sense for my siblings and me. My siblings are only a year and a half apart, so they process family events/life events in a similar manner, where as I process them differently since I'm a few years younger. For example: they ended up going to the same Catholic high school, while I chose to go to my city's public high school.


What do you guys think? Do any of the theories in the article apply to your family?

weekend wrap-up

Hi, everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was great!

Friday night the boyfriend & I drove to his hometown to visit his family. Once we got the dog all settled in, we went to dinner!

Old Bag of Nails Pub for fish & chips : )

the boyfriend & I outside dinner

Saturday morning we woke up early to watch a soccer game with his best friend (Arsenal!), then picked up my brother who lived in the area, and went to see...

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Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part I! Soooooo amazing!!! I want to see it again. Actually, I want to see part II in theaters immediately. It was funny, dramatic, action-packed, moving...just incredible. Check out this article on its audience appeal.

After that, we hung out at his house for awhile. We had amazing frappacinos made by the boyfriend's sister, went to get pizza, and then went to TARGET! Then we went to bed early.

Sunday was spent eating breakfast, listening to Christmas music, doing homework, lunch, and then having coffee at this amazing coffee shop, Crazy Goat Coffee!

having coffee at Crazy Goat!

Then, we headed back to school. It was such a wonderful weekend : )


What did you all do this weekend?

weekly gems

one of my favorite pictures of the boyfriend & me

Yayyyy I'm SO EXCITED it's the weekend! It's been a very long week with homework, work, and teaching. This weekend the boyfriend, dog & I are going to go to the boyfriend's hometown! We're going to spend time with his family, see HARRY POTTER (!!), go out to eat, and generally have a fun, relaxing time. With some homework tucked in, of course. What are you all doing this weekend?



And now...weekly gems!

• I recently discovered the rockstar diaries & totally love it! Plus, as a fellow pet lover, I absolutely ADORE the diary of kingsley posts.
• I really enjoyed this NY Times article about The Nutcracker and America. Sooooo ready for Christmas!!
• Mary's post about her and her husband's weekend getaway makes me want to vacation in North Carolina right now! (slash consider it even more as a post-graduation option...)
• Favorite wedding stories of the week number one, number two, & number three.
• Love the Mrs. Holiday Shoppe! Especially the cocktailers and shoe clips.
• This post is amazing. It feeds both my love of photographs of the sky and my "must travel to" list.
• This quote is incredibly beautiful. And this one just makes me feel like everything will be okay : )
• This amazing story from Self brought me to tears (make sure to first read the original article the most recent story links to).
• I love Kendi's outfit & positive attitude!
• Kinda really liking this idea for bridal bouquets. Thoughts?

What are some of your finds from around the web this week?

bookmark it: boutiques

a screenshot of my boutiques profile!

Have you guys heard about Google's latest website? It's boutiques.com, a fashion website. And it's awesome.

Basically, anyone can make a profile, or a "boutique." You answer questions about your style preferences to set up your profile. Once set up, you can go around the website, looking at other boutiques (of celebrities, bloggers, designers, retailers, trends, featured, etc.). You can mark items as love or hate (and explain why you feel that way). You can save items to your boutique under "favorites." You can follow your favorite boutiques and get notifications when new items are added to favorites, and leave comments for the "boutique owner" to see.

It's pretty darn cool - fun, inspirational, a good substitute for actually shopping (although the website does provide links to buy products), and super addicting. I can definitely see myself relaxing in front of a funny TV show or movie after a long day, with a cup of hot chocolate and my computer on my lap, tuned into the boutiques website.

If you go to the site, be sure to check out my profile! My username is "Kelly [Beagle & Bear]"


Are you going to check out this site? Do you think it's a cool idea? Let me know - and link up your boutique in the comments if you make one!

things that are making me happy

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wearing a dress with tights and boots

chocolate chip cookies with chocolate frosting

Friends on DVD

mini-walks with the dog

Taylor Swift's Speak Now album

baths to relax & read magazines in

November afternoons so sunny I have to wear sunglasses to drive

hugs from the boyfriend

the holidays getting closer & closer

family : )

What things are making you happy?

a royal engagement

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So Prince William and Kate Middleton are engaged!! Congratulations to them! Apparently they've been secretly engaged since October, but it was not announced until now. For some reason, I am a fan of Will and Kate as a couple and always feel drawn to read stories about them, so I'm very excited about this! : )

The prince gave Kate his mother Princess Diana's engagement ring. He said it was his way of honoring his mom and incorporating her into the celebration of their impending marriage. From the bit of feedback I've been reading on the web, some people think it was a bad idea since Charles and Di's marriage ended in divorce. Personally, I think it is super sweet and a wonderful way to honor his mother and future wife, to link them together in such a way.

Also, it was reported Prince William asked Kate's father for permission before he proposed. Love it!

Can't wait to hear about the plans for this sure-to-be huge wedding!


What do you all think about Prince William giving Kate his mother's engagement ring? Are you excited for a royal wedding?

a pixar proposal

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How amazing are these ring boxes?! They were made by Michal Miszta, a modelmaker in Dublin, Ireland. As a lover of Pixar and a hopeless romantic, they just blow me away!

What do you think? What movies would you want a ring box designed around?

weekend wrap-up

Hello, everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good. Friday night consisted of working and then seeing a movie with the boyfriend. What movie?

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Unstoppable! I thought it was excellent - never knew a movie about trains could be so exciting and engaging! Plus I love Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, and Rosario Dawson. The boyfriend, however, did not enjoy it. He said my review reaffirms that he loves me because I like everything. So take that as you will! ; )

Saturday was devoted to homework and was a very productive day! I worked Sunday morning, and got a visit from my wonderful friends E & C.

the three of us at a football game earlier this fall

They brought me part of my Christmas present! A sparkly black clutch, and inside was a pair of sparkly cupcake earrings (because of my obsession with the delicious treats) and a gift card to P.F. Chang's! They went on to explain my present was a girls' night out, but they knew there weren't many weekends left in the semester so we had to pick a date soon. So we picked a date right then and there! I can't wait!

The rest of the day was spent doing homework and meeting my deadlines. The amazing boyfriend supported me and helped me all day by getting me Starbucks (peppermint mocha!) and the new Taylor Swift CD, taking out the dog, making dinner with me, and giving me encouraging advice. I'm so lucky to have him : )

the boyfriend & I drinking Starbucks this summer

All in all, it was a great weekend! How was your weekend?

weekly gems

highway in Northwest Ohio, spring 2010

It's been a long week that wrapped up in a long day today. It makes me in the mood to go on a road trip somewhere and have a mini-vacation...of all the destinations I can think of, I'm craving my parents' home the most! Makes me nervous about possibly being more than two hours away from them next year, but I'm sure wherever I end up it will be a great adventure! Overall, I'm just excited it's the weekend. I'm ready to drink coffee, cuddle with the dog, read magazines, and knock a lot of things off my to-list!

Moving on to...Weekly Gems! Weekly Gems will be my Friday post about my favorite Internet findings of the week.

• I adore all of these vintage little black dresses. Especially the one with the white trim.
• I love everything in this holiday gift guide - especially the coasters, mug, nail polish, & Emily's goals for the holiday season.
• Can't wait to read this book.
• I love people who love their pets, and even more I love people who blog about that love.
• Lately, I haven't been able to get enough of Kate Spade - so you must understand why this book is now on my Christmas wish list.
• I always enjoy reading Makeunder Your Life, but I especially enjoy its Design Your Life series. This week's edition really spoke to me - just wonderful : )
• Love this wedding & the story behind it. This one, too.
• Every weekend I long to be a Mrs. Sunday.

What are some of your favorites finds from this week?

veterans' day

the view from my window of my junior year residence hall

Today is Veterans' Day. As a future social studies teacher, and a person related to several amazing members of the armed forces, I felt the need to call attention to this often-overlooked day of remembrance. To me, this day means reflecting on our country's past and the sacrifices generations of citizens have made. Thank you to all those who have, do, and will serve the U.S.A. as part of the military, and God bless you all. What does Veterans' Day mean to you?


I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week. I've been a bit ill this week, and in the middle of the night had to take my boyfriend to the ER after he started getting super ill with the flu. It was pretty awful - so if you haven't gotten your flu shot yet this year, I highly recommend you do so and take extra care to make sure all the elderly, young children, high-risk persons, etc. in your lives do so as well.

See you tomorrow for our week in review : )

the perfect fall saturday

a tree on campus, fall 2009

I think I've found the recipe for a perfect fall day. It must consist of...

sleeping in
sunshine
Tim Horton's breakfast
watching funny TV shows in bed
a long walk in the park with the boyfriend and the dog
gorgeously colored treetops
Subway lunch
quiet day at work
Daylight Savings Time change
football game
late night treats

...or something like that ; ) what's your idea of a perfect fall Saturday?

things that are making me happy

the weekend.
mini cupcakes.
pink reading glasses.
gray boots.
holiday cups at Starbucks.
Modern Family DVDs.
surprise visits from friends.

What things are making you happy?