Tidbits: 9.28.12

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A baby pig rescues a drowning baby goat, I kid you not.  (See what I did there, eh?)

Take the HomeGoods Stylescope Quiz to determine your home design personality.  (I took it twice for accuracy purposes.  Apparently, I'm Boho and Farmhouse Glam.  I can live with that.)

Hilarious.

Can't wait to try this Gluten Free cookie recipe.  via Cleverly Inspired.

50 Fall Recipes from Iowa Girl Eats. Yum!

This post completely inspired me this week.  via Lemonade Makin' Mama.

Who wants to rent this charming house and vacation in Cornwall?!


xoxo,
Al

Keep Smiling.

Happy Wednesday!  Thank you to everyone for their sweet messages on yesterday's post.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with these thoughts!

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P.S. I posted an inspiring story about a local high school girl standing up to cyberbullies at her school.  Read it here.

The Waiting Game.

Me and Spence, circa early 1990-something

Some days it is easy to play the waiting game.  Some days it is not so easy.  We're at this interesting crossroads in life.  Waiting on bar results.  Waiting to find a job.  Waiting to move forward.  

When you are waiting, it's easy to dwell on what you are waiting for, what you don't have.  But I am trying really hard to remember what I have right now.  And to be thankful for those blessings each day.

My love.

My family.

My friends.

My health.

A dream. 

A job that pays the bills.

Inspiration.

A roof over my head.

So wait, I must.  But even if I have to wait forever, I know I am blessed right now.  I am so happy and content with this little life of mine.  

xoxo,

Al

Carve for the Kids 2012

Over Labor Day, the hills of Hackensack were alive with the sound of chainsaws.  A local artist puts on the contest each year.  Artists create pieces for three days and then on the third afternoon, they auction everything off, with the funds going to programs for the kids of the area.  

If you are ever in Hack, check out his amazing store - Detour North Cabin Outfitters!  Amazing stuff!  One of my favorite pieces is the large statement piece outside the store with the bear and moose portaging a canoe.  I'm sure it's just a a matter of time before he finds the right home for these guys, but until then, the public gets to enjoy them!

Each piece is completely different, with each artist adding their own personal style.  This was the first time I was able to see them use the flames to create a burned-wood effect.

Skye, one of the artist's dog, watches from a far.  The middle piece was a crowd favorite at the auction and went for hundreds of dollars.

Inside the store, more detailed pieces are on display.  I just love the whimsical tortoise and bear!  The cardinals were actually made during the weekend, but they are just so pretty.  But my favorite is the skunk and the cooler.  How cool.

The auction drew a great turnout, with many of the pieces going for $500+.  Our crew didn't buy anything this weekend, but we that didn't stop us from looking!

Goodness, I love this town.  

xoxo,

Al

Weekend Workout: 9.23.12

Here's a quick Weekend Workout to squeeze in before Monday!  I recommend adding this on to your regular workout but if you only have five minutes, it's better than nothing.  Thanks again to the fabulous Fitnessista for this awesome ab burner!

Recovering from LA.

I was in Ohio facilitating at Kappa Kappa Gamma's Leadership Academy last week and I'm still recovering. I'll recap the weekend later (it takes time to put such an amazing and inspiring couple days into words!) but for now, I'll leave you with my incredible Light Pink group.  They were absolutely fantastic and they made my dreams come true.  

Seeing Red.

Last summer, K painted two of our doors red.  We thought about painting the front door to match but it took me a bit to commit to the idea.  Last weekend, I took the leap and K painted the door!

Red doors are simply classic.  In Feng Shui, a red door means "welcome."  Perfect!  Red doors can also bid you good luck and bring happiness and energy into the home.  What's not to love about that!

Before:

I love our little lion man we inherited with the house.  When we move, he's coming with us.

K patched and sanded the door,

removed the hardware,

taped the windows and primed the door.

After:

I just love it!  We used Sherwin Williams' Stolen Kiss and to me it's the perfect red.  When the door is open, it adds such a lovely pop of color to the living room!

The big storm door blocks most of it from the street so we are debating what to to there.  We're either are going to take the storm/screen door off or paint it to match.  We'll see.  

All I know is that next year, my hanging pot won't be pink.  I also want to move that hook over a little so it doesn't block the front light but that's a project for another day.

So, what do you think?!  

xoxo,

Al

Getting Thrifty.

I love thrifting.  It's not K's favorite.  Like, at all.  So, in order to get my thrifting fix, I turn to my mama for a partner in crime.  On the last day of the month, the thrift store up north goes half-off.  Literally everything in the store is 50% off.  Love!

In July, I swung into the store and found this lovely set of china.  Even though it was "on sale," I decided to wait.  It turns out my mom also was debating on the china!  We decided then and there that if it was around in August, we were buying the china to share.  

August 31st rolls around and as soon as the doors opened, we were there to purchase our "new" china!  Score!  For only $12.50 (and really only $6.25 since we split it), we have a new set of dishes perfect for future showers, Easter, and any other entertaining.  And if you need to know anything about my mama and me, we love to entertain!  

So here's our treasure:

The set is complete except for one teacup.  I can deal with that.

Each piece has a different flower.

I love the gold edging!

  

And after a good scrub, the set just shines!

Can you believe we got this for only $12.50?!

Have you been thrifting lately?  Any good finds?

xoxo,

Al

Eleven Years Ago.

Eleven years ago.  Hard to believe it's been that long.  Some days it feels like yesterday.  Some days it feels like another lifetime.  I was a sophomore, heading to homeroom, when I overheard the president of the school say he thought someone just bombed the Pentagon.  I got to homeroom in time to see the first tower fall.  And we sat in horror as our world changed in an instant.

But I will never forget that during that tragic day, my aunt and uncle brought three new lives in to the world.  The triplets will only know a post-9/11 world.  But they are living proof that in the darkest of days, there are moments that make you stop and appreciate life.

As September 11, 2001, fades farther into history, take a moment today to remember where you were, who you were with, and how strangers pulled together to help each other out in those hours and days that followed.  Remember those people who lost loved ones that day.  Remember that day that changed our nation.  That changed me.  

But most of all, please remember.

Chicago | Be The Person 2012.

In June, I made my first trip to Chicago for the Be The Person conference.  This week I've been catching up on all the things I was supposed to do over the summer.  Labor Day hit and I kind of went into panic mode.  

So, anyway, here are the photo highlights from my trip!

Scavenger Hunt on the streets of Chicago:

Dipping my toes in Lake Michigan.

My amazing scavenger hunt team!

Inspired by how people finish the sentence "The world would be better if..."

Seeing the sights of Chicago:

Part of the conference was held at Loyola's law school so I snuck into the courtroom to take a look.

Each attendee was give $5 to make someone's day.

 

My friend Janet gave hers to this adorable little boy.  I bought a homeless man named David dinner at McDonald's.

A bullet hole from St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

 

 

Loyola shout out to my people!

Kindness flash mob.

The awesome Kappa crew!

I honestly can't believe it took me 26 years to visit Chicago (Minneapolis isn't really that far...) and I can't wait to visit again!  Maybe this spring...

xoxo,
Al