weekly gems

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• Recipes I want to try: Sally's rum french toast with maple syrup rum, cinnamon biscuits, avocado apple and arugula salad, banana birthday cake, Lucky Charms treats, all of these recipes with blood oranges
• Great article on the new buildings on campus at my alma mater, BGSU, and what it means for the state of Ohio.
• Awesome apps for book lovers.
• Interesting post about Irish wedding traditions.
• I might need to try some of these Hunger Games-inspired nail polishes.
• Happy 100th Birthday to the Girl Scouts of America! (well, it was Monday. But still!)
• I'm in love with this series on Carrots 'n' Cake called Blog Dogs. Similarly, tips for photographing your pet!
• The best 35 cameos in movie history.
• Encyclopaedia Britanica is no longer releasing print books.
• The ten funniest comedic lady tweets of the week.
• I'll definitely be checking out this jewelry company, 31 bits, that works with women in Northern Uganda.
• Interesting article on earning money through blogging.
• I definitely want to try out some of these trainer-favorited abs exercises, as well as these leg and arms workouts!
• Favorite Hello Giggles posts of the week: 1, 2, 3, 4
• Favorite weddings of the week: 1, 2, 3

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day : )

LOL: bugsy and malone

This super cute video is a couple years old and has a ton of views, but I couldn't help but share it. It always makes me smile, and you can never smile enough!

new year's all year 2012: february reflections and march goals

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In January I introduced the 2012 New Year's, All Year Challenge, in which I made broad "endpoints" goals for the year and explained that each month I will make specific small goals that are stepping stones to my endpoint aims. Each month I will also reflect on the previous month's goals and efforts.

My goals for February were:

• Health: track food daily; do yoga at least once a week
• Finances: save specific percentage of each paycheck; open separate wedding fund account
• Relationships: cook dinner for Grandma; plan presents and cards for birthdays in March
• Wedding: set a date for engagement photos; research vendors
• Career: sub 3-4 times a week; reflect on swim season and start prepping for swim team award night
• Self-enrichment: Cook and bake more

Reflections on February:

I did well with my goals for career (subbing is going well and swimming ended nicely), wedding (we might have our reception venue chosen!), saving money, and planning out gifts. While I continued to eat decently the majority of the time and attend Zumba when I was able to, I did not do much yoga in February. Also, while I did spend time with my grandma, I was not able to cook a nice dinner for her last month. Similarly, I wasn't able to bake as much as I would have liked. I hope that I will be able to do more (or all!) of these activities in March, as it seems there will be more time since swim season and all post-season work (except for awards night!) is complete now. All that being said...

My goals for March are:

• Health: get enough sleep; stay hydrated
• Finances: keep saving money
• Relationships: complete as many little acts of kindness as possible - like cooking dinner for my grandma, for instance ; )
• Wedding: continue researching and meeting with vendors and start booking them
• Career: read more articles and books related to my content area (social studies)
• Self-enrichment: volunteer - hopefully at the local animal shelter

Do you have any goals for 2012? How are they going? Any for last month? What are your goals for March? It's not too late to become part of the challenge!! : ) Shoot me an email if you decide to join in.

weekly gems

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• Recipes I want to try: chocolate caramel brownies or brownie squares, bacon cheddar scones, browned butter blueberry muffins, and bacon arugula pizza
• I love the idea of a pancake bar for any party!
• In honor of her birthday this past week, here are some rare and unpublished photos of Elizabeth Taylor.
• The photo diary of Uggie, the canine star of The Artist (and Water for Elephants!), is so cute!
• Do you watch Parks and Recreation? Its newest star is another canine actor - a three legged pit bull named Lucy. Also, check out this playlist inspired by the characters of Leslie and Ben.
• Great tips on how to style an entryway.
• Pumped up for Mackenzie's Design Darling Boutique!!
• I'm also loving these these Hello Giggles posts: 1 & 2
• The peplum is in right now, and I'm surprised to say I'm liking it.
• The best articles about this year's Oscars: best quotes of the evening & an interview with Christopher Plummer

weekly gems

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• Recipes I want to try: mac and cheese cups, beignets, peanut butter and jelly bars, dirty brown rice with shrimp, mini chicken meatball soup, orange spiced cashews
• I LOVE the Oscars and I can't wait for this Sunday evening! In anticipation of the amazing fashion always featured, I enjoyed looking through this slideshow of Oscar's best looks.
• This post by Emily made me feel so relieved. I'm glad to hear other brides who feel overwhelmed at a big wedding ultimately are thankful they are doing/did it!
• Check out this post if you need a smile!
• Adored Jess's inspiring and relatable post on "smurgging." This MML post on "the abs situation" is also a must-read.
• If I was offered the chance to live either here or here, I'd take it!
• How much it would actually cost to build the Death Star.
• Interesting: how the recession is affecting young adults, how marriage is becoming an economic privilege, wedding statistics, and the most loved states.
• Favorite Hello Giggles posts as of late: one, two, three
• Four ways to volunteer and help animals
• It's true, I actually am addicted to ice cream.
• Great tips for planning a vacation.
• Favorite weddings of the week: one, two, three

watch it: big miracle

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Notable Cast Members: John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Ahmaogak Sweeney, Ted Danson, Kristin Bell, Dermot Mulroney, Vinessa Shaw, Rob Riggle, James LeGros

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (rating rationale)

Plot Summary: In 1988, Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) was on assignment in Barrow, Alaska as part of his "Adam Around Alaska" series for his Anchorage news station. Shortly before Adam was ready to depart, he and his young native Alaskan friend, Nathan, discovered three gray whales - a mom, dad, and baby - trapped in the ice. Adam's ex-girlfriend Rachel (Drew Barrymore), who also happens to be a major Greenpeace activist, immediately begins campaigning for serious rescue efforts. Her cause is helped when NBC picks up the story and airs it nationally. Suddenly, the country is experiencing whale fever. The U.S. government, major oil companies, Barrow locals, and reporters and volunteers from across the U.S. band together to rescue the whales. The movie is based on a true story.

Personal Thoughts: I loved this movie! To be fair, I had a feeling I would going into it as I (a) love John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Bell and Ted Danson, (b) the film takes place in Alaska, a major place on my "To Visit" list, (c) the movie is all about animals, and (d) the film is based on a true story and even features excellent Cold War tension and cheesiness. All that being said, the movie did not disappoint. John Krasinksi and Drew Barrymore had a wonderful chemistry and did excellently in roles that fit them well. Ted Danson was deliciously evil yet human as an oil baron, as was Kristin Bell as an aspiring journalist. All of the greater supporting roles, such as James LeGros and Rob Riggle as helpful inventors, were well-done and enjoyable. The story itself was compelling and poignant. A big softie, I didn't even wear masacra to the theater (despite the fact that I wanted to look cute since it was a date with Dan) because I knew I would cry at some point- which I of course did. The movie definitely ended on a positive note, though, along with some fun credits that included information about what happened to the main players in the rescue once it was completed. Overall, the movie was touching, funny, and interesting, and I highly recommend it.

LOL: favorite super bowl 2012 commercials

I really only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and the halftime show (and unless the Browns make it any time soon, those will probably remain my reasons!). As a animal lover, of course the commercials I liked best from this year's crop all involved dogs. Here there are - I guarantee they'll brighten your Wednesday!

*If for some reason you are having trouble leaving a comment, please e-mail me at beagleandbear@yahoo.com or leave me a comment on Beagle and Bear's Facebook page. Thanks for your help with this issue!

LOL: the bark side

Happy Friday : )

*If for some reason you are having trouble leaving a comment, please e-mail me at beagleandbear@yahoo.com or leave me a comment on Beagle and Bear's Facebook page. Thanks for your help with this issue!

use it: usps 2012 stamps

Hello, everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty great! I had Starbucks with a friend Friday night, spent literally all of the day Saturday at the conference championship meet with my swimmers (who did AWESOME!), and went to a bridal fair on Sunday.

I really enjoy "snail mail," for various reasons, and this week I plan on sending several cards and letters. Have you seen any of the United States Postal Service's 2012 stamps? I'm excited to head down to the post office and pick up some. My favorite ones are:

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Cherry Blossom Centennial

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Dogs at Work

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Mail a Smile (Disney Pixar)

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Bicycling

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Earthscapes: Natural

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William H. Johnson

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Heart Health

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Frank Capra

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The War of 1812: USS Constitution

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Santa and Sleigh

Do you enjoy sending cards and letters to friends? Which of these stamps or other ones listed at the link above do you like?

pet love: cuteness overload

Since it's the first week of November (and a Wednesday, which in my opinion is usually way more challenging than a Monday), I think watching an adorable video is a great way of kicking things off on the right note. And what is more adorable than a baby AND puppies?!

saluting the small things (day five)

TGIF! and the final day of my appreciation week for the little things in life:

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1. Mega-cuddling with your pets (love that this dog looks like a pit bull...we think Madison may have some pit bull in her).

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2. The perfect night in - books and wine.

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3. A classic sassy Marilyn Monroe quote.

This week's posts were fun and refreshing to create - the perfect accompaniment for the craziness of this week and easing back into regularly blogging. Did you enjoy them? What little things have you been loving as of late?

What do you have planned for this weekend? I will be visiting Dan, and we are going to have a full-out fall fun fest - carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, drinking apple cider, playing outside with Madison, etc. I will also be posting some weekly gems! : )

saluting the small things (day one)

Hello, everyone! How are you?

As I mentioned in this post, I am making a slow but steady return to blogging regularly after an unintended hiatus. I am excited for the awesome posts that will be coming up in the weeks to come!

However, this week is going to be quite busy. Due to some family matters, I recently relocated from Columbus, where I had moved for a job earlier this year, to Cleveland, where my parents live and where I was fortunate enough to quickly find a part-time job. As a result, I have a lot of training, preparation, paperwork, meetings, cleaning, and unpacking to do!

So this week's posts are going to be simple but sweet: every day, I am going to post two photos and a quote that are reminding me to enjoy the little things. I'm calling it "Saluting the Small Things." Here is Monday's entry:

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1. Adorable Merle Great Dane puppy

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2. Fantastic Muppet cupcakes

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3. My favorite Audrey quote

What small things are inspiring you today?

weekly gems

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Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. I have no "rational" excuse, but I have what I consider an acceptable one: I was busy re-reading the seventh Harry Potter book. You'll be pleased to know I finished it in time to both happily and sadly attend a 12:04AM showing of the eighth and final film. Did you see it yet? Are you planning to? I highly recommend you do, it was fantastic (more of my opinion next week)!

While you're waiting to leave for the movies, or relaxing at home, or whatever you're up to this weekend, enjoy some weekly gems!

• Everybody needs to read this inspiring story (And I mean, really read it, go through all the links and background). So moving. (via Aspiring Kennedy)
• Awesome entertaining tips from Emily.
• Fitness tips and an awesome outfit from Taylor.
• Courtney Cox's Malibu house is gorgeous! And Hank Azaria's Bel Air home is pretty fantastic, as well.
• Neat podcast recommendations and photos of Audrey from Fallon.
• If you love HP and FYA as much as I do, the you'll enjoy the 10 High School Lessons I Learned From Harry Potter.
• Speaking of HP, I adored Ezra Pound Cake's several "Harry Potter feast" posts this week!
• Other recipes added to my "Need to Make" list: pasta with yellow tomatoes, cherry sorbet, frozen cocktails, caramel banana cake, and giant rainbow cookies. I also want to try cupcake fondue! (via Glitter Guide)
• Although I'm not a graduate wife, I sure appreciated Lauren's three posts full of tips on living well and nurturing a serious relationship on a tight budget.
• Similarly, though I'm not a working mother, I was fascinated by a new series on balance curated by Joanna.
• Cute post about dogs' happiness.

weekly gems

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• I would totally live in this Portland loft.
• Love Matchbook Magazine's wish list for July.
• Can't wait to try these recipes for tuna cobb sandwiches, triple berry crisp, watermelon margaritas, and nectarine and blackberry galette.
• My heart melted when I read this essay about dating a girl who reads.
• Tips for keeping your dog safe in the car.
• Love this doodle-filled interview with my favorite author.
• Ideas for making drinking water less boring.
• What do you think about 3-D movies? I'll sometimes spring for it if I really want to see the movie, but I'm fine without it.
• A slideshow of Prince William and Duchess Kate's Canadian tour.
• Adore these vintage travel posters.
• Ways to avoid annoying your boss.
• Favorite weddings of the week: one, two, three.

LOL, pet love edition: dog walking

My dog, Madison, loves her leash. It's her favorite thing in the whole world. It's like her security blanket. Last week, I decided to see what happened if I took Madison's leash and clipped it onto the collar my family's dog, Sasha. Watch the video to find out! : )

(belated) weekly gems

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• This interview with a Special Olympics athlete and her mom is a must read!
• Absolutely adore this slideshow of fathers and the advice they've given their daughters.
• Foods that can boost your mood.
• Check out this new crop of money-saving websites. Also, tips for improving your credit score.
• A CUP OF JO's Joanna's son Toby got grumpy about beer.
• An awesome checklist of photos to take each month.
• So happy same-sex marriage was legalized in New York! Here's a slideshow of the event.
• Nine happiness boosters.
• An interesting article on five U.S. women's every day finances.
• Why am I always so drawn to Chanel nail polish? And speaking of nail polish, I am in love with this new take on glitter polish.
• Katie's love letter to her dresses is such fun!
• Want to be a food blogger? Here are some etiquette tips.
• I can't get enough of gray and yellow for weddings (well, pretty much gray and any color!).
• Love this photo essay of senior dogs. Beautiful.

things that are making me happy

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1. The adorable photo above
2. The Indians' win over Kansas City Monday night
3. Reading awesome new books
4. Visiting Dan in Columbus and having fun at our favorite places
5. Pinterest's iPhone app
6. Yummy pasta dishes made by my sister
7. Watching Cheers on Netflix
8. Meeting new people who are friendly and have a great sense of humor
9. People's issue that's all about Pippa Middleton
10. Summer fun with friends

What things are making you happy as of late?

weekly gems

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Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a good week. Mine was pretty decent - stressful at times, but certainly enjoyable at others. It definitely made me relate to the print above! I'm very excited for this weekend, not because of any major plans, but just to have some days off to be super productive and relax with my boyfriend, dog, and friends. What are your plans for this weekend?

• Definitely want to make and/or eat chocolate almond fudge with salted caramel sauce.
• Adore Victoria Secret's MLB PINK line! I for sure want some Indians gear. (found via fabulous k)
• Check out this amazing live feed of an eagle nest!
• Tips for happiness.
• A fun and sweet tea party photo shoot.
• This recent MML post provided some great inspiration for me!
• Love this classic yet funky living room.
• This is a super sweet story about a stray dog taking care of abandoned puppies!
• Great post about J. Crew's recent marketing campaign.
• Tina Fey is one of my favorite actresses and writers, and I can't wait to read her book! I want to read this book, as well.

things that are making me happy

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• The photo above
• Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish (especially in Commander in Chic)
• Watching The Golden Girls
• Yummy ice cream treats
• Seeing and now quoting the movie Your Highness this past weekend
• Long walks with the dog
• Reading articles on Reese Witherspoon's wedding
• Making delicious chicken and pasta dinners with the boyfriend
• Weather getting warmer
• Listening to all the Glee volumes on shuffle
• Visiting with family and friends this past weekend

What is making you happy this week?

weekly gems

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• A few simple ways to save money.
• Adore this collection of super cute teal items.
• Coffee ice cream? Yes, please!
• Just in case you need some reasons to go on vacation.
• Photos of Laura's trip to the top of Rockefeller Center took my breath away. I need a trip to NYC, stat.
• Love people who love their pets.
• Tips on how to green your kitchen.
• I've officially added Edinburgh to my list of places to visit in my lifetime.
• The best time of day to do different activities.
• Help out a little girl named Violet!

Happy weekend : )