This morning, I'm lying in bed, drinking a smoothie and thinking about being productive.

I moved about a month ago and I'm still not unpacked. I'm not settled in. I'm rarely home. I live around boxes. I haven't really blogged. I haven't really baked. I have a running to-do list that I ignore. I haven't even put away my laundry.

Little Suzy Homemaker is going through a rebellious stage, I guess.

I did start reading blogs again - they're starting to inspire me! I did start organizing my finances - I'm trying to learn to be frugal where needs should be frugal! I did get back into my book Apron Anxiety - it's sort of what I'm going through now and she's about to start her upswing!

Hopefully, it's a sign.

It's definitely a sign. Fo' sho.

Until then - I'm going share some of my fave links from the week.

1. Blogging is something I truly enjoy doing. But can it be taken seriously? How do I do that? How does one become a Creative Professional? Elise gives us some insight on turning what you love into what you do.

2. Summer is coming to a close soon. I know because Starbucks is serving pumpkin. But don't let it go without reflecting first. What was so awesome about Summer 2012? Tracy shares her summer wins with a picture journey!

3. How to Properly Wash Your Brushes. Let's be honest, this is just really important!

4. Dude, Where's my Podcast? Joy & Tracy are back in action this week! There's a NEW! Joy the Baker podcast up over at Home Fries!

5. I have to bake for work on Sunday. What better than this lovely little recipe I stumbled upon? Apple Toffee Blondies - yes, please!

Now I need to go put away some laundry or dishes and water my plants! Yes, I have plants now. 4 outdoor plants. 2 indoor plants. And I'm in the market for a terrarium if anyone is interested.

Special shout out to Katie Gandy for her crafty skills this week - I got a new plant hanger AND a neon pink hula hoop. Both handmade. She's so cool.

That's all I've got for now...

Tell me what INSPIRES you out of a slump!

Whoa. What a good week on the interwebs! I had a really hard time choosing posts not to include! Everyone was so insightful and inspiring - I love it. I also needed it. It was an up and down sort of week ending with a Saturday off that was SO FULL. 

I did yoga and drank coffee and had real life talk with my boss. I walked along the beach and watched the surfers surf and the water surround me. I drank mimosas at lunch and shopped for things that smelled wonderful. I had lovely dinner with lovely people and half priced wine. And I cried while watching Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - the kind of cry where the tears stream down your face as if it's completely natural for you to be openly weeping.

I hope you had a day that was that good, too. You can tell me all about it if you want. I'd like that.

But until then, here are the Links I Love:

1. There was a day this week where I wasn't happy. It's ok to not be ok. Eat a macaroon and let it go.

2. I am obsessed with yoga. Last year, I mastered Crow Pose, so maybe 2012 is the year of the headstand? [Lululemon has a showcase store in Charleston. It's the cutest little place ever.]

3. Writing help. Real writing advice. Direction and inspiration for Bold Types.

4. I am not the best at giving or receiving compliments. I'm self-conscious and awkward, but I try to be good at it anyway. Here are a few tips & tricks if you have a hard time with it, too!

5. I WANT TO JUICE CLEANSE.

6. Oh dear goodness. Trust me, you want to listen to this podcast. I wouldn't steer you wrong and neither would Joy & Tracy. 

7. A friend sent me this link because she loved it. She thought I would, too. And I did. My eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with hope. Love is alive. 

"They’ve set the bar high, but there’s no need to lower it; this isn’t limbo, it’s life. Nothing good has ever come easy, and I love a good challenge." 

8. Elise reminded me to be in the present. What are you doing right now? I would love to know.

9. Clearly, I will soon be making Raw Chocolate Milk. And I'm going to want to store it in a mason jar.

And my final piece of information: Listen to Lana Del Ray - Video Games.

Gosh, I hope you enjoy these links as much as I do. And I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I loved writing it.

xo.

twloha. [subject: me, photo credit: katie gandy]

I've decided to turn Top 5 Friday into "Links I Love". Why? I don't like the constraints I put on myself for Top 5 Friday. It's both a limit and a deadline. No thanks. So, welcome to the first edition of Links I Love! I just couldn't make up my mind, so it took me all weekend to narrow it down from the hundreds of posts I probably read this week.

Enjoy!

1. Sometimes you need an attitude adjustment or a perspective shift. Sometimes life seems glass half empty, but you can definitely make it half full.

"You'll do fine. People have phenomenal capacity." // Project Life Week 2

2. I am slowly but surely learning this trait - How to Say No (Without Being an Asshole).

3. An old friend and I discussed the idea of my blogging "seriously" or maybe writing professionally one day. This post on Organizing Inspiration may be an excellent place to start.

4. This week, Black Eiffel hit me with two motivating posts. One about Pretty Closets to jump start my cleaning project! And another about Alt Summit and Up & Coming Blogs - the inspiration is endless!

5. We often think about the things we wish were or could do. If you make a list, it might come true. A lot of these things are the kind of woman I want to be, too.

6. Meg also reposted this Dear Sugar post. It's quite intimate. "What you resolve will need to be resolved again".

7. Oh hi, Blue Print Cleanse. This is just another reason to convince me to spend my life savings on a juice cleanse. Thanks, Nicole!

8. Secrets don't make friends - especially if you tell ones that don't belong to you. End of story.

9. Once I make my closet pretty, I will be hitting the pantry. How could I not want to after seeing these before & after pantry photos?!

10. Gentlemint - Pinterest for boys.

11. This moved me to tears - Why I love Jesus, but Hate Religion.

12. Find your Daily Dose of Pretty at The Beauty Department. I realize this is incredibly girly.

13. Apple just changed the game. Again. Watching the iBooks Textbooks video made me want to go back to high school. This is how we do.

PS. I just found out my dear friends Charles & Myron had a free range chicken named after me at the Keegan Filion Farms Barn Raising today - how fantastic & flattering!

I'm not entirely motivated for Top 5 Friday - I've got four minutes and I'm ready for bed after too many hours at work, not enough sleep and three beers.

So...
Eat These.
Watch This.
Hear This.
Remember This.

Also, an excerpt from my evening:

Friend: Were you flirting with him?
Me: Um... No.
Friend: But you weren't not flirting with him?
Me: Well, I mean, I didn't have my game turned on, but...
Friend: I get it. The car was in drive, but you weren't pushing the gas pedal.

Oh goodness. Friends.

And then there is this :

and these.

Bahahaha.

Today's Top 5 Friday is brought to you by Columbia, SC. Ok, so not by, but from. That's where I am.

I'm currently trying to do this while watching an episode of Felicity. It's proving almost impossible to do since we just got into the middle of Felicity and Ben - the relationshop I want to happen. Forget Noel. Team Ben! If he'd stop being so scared.

Anyway. Focus. It's Friday and I definitely have more than five. Here we go.

[Edit. Top 5 Friday is now Top 10 Saturday because I took a break to drive to Pigeon Forge, TN which is the Vegas of the South. I'm just saying.]

1. The picture in my post came from Curious Girl. I like it because it looks like fall... Thus it made my list this week.

2. I've been keeping up with Julian Bialowas for a while through his 365 pictures. Well, he reached 365 this week and here it is. I'll miss the beautiful photos and the inspiring quotes, but "a new journey will soon present itself."

3. I l.o.v.e granola. I l.o.v.e pumpkin. If I ever get the time & motivations, I'm pretty sure I'd l.o.v.e this Pumpkin Granola recipe I found on Free People. PS. Have you ever read the Free People blog? It's pretty fantastic. Full of recipes, quotes, music and fashion. Check it.

4. Love. Love. Love. Love. This is what Amy loves. What do you love?

5. About this... First, I enjoy From India. With Love. A lot. Also, I love food. I love Thanksgiving. I love cute boys who travel. I love videos about cute boys who travel and eat food. So, here have you it - all of that rolled into one.

6.  I think I'm out of shape. Or I'm out of healthy eating habits. So, I want to eat more veggies. I very much enjoy brussel sprouts. No lie. And this is a very yummy way to eat them. Hooray!

7. I found this blog post to be a wonderful reminder. Bind my wandering heart to thee. Also, Mumford & Sons are fantastic. Don't just listen to this - go get their album, too!

8. Shut.The.Front.Door. Go bake.

9. I read this post & said "that's me" a thousand times. I'm so happy I found Elise Blaha's blog and I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only person who is trying a new skincare routine and is not ready for their 1/2 marathon. And when I was in a relationship with someone who was away I wrote to him daily, so I'm not the only crazy. Planning Embracing. Celebrating. Drinking. Enjoying. Lamenting. AND I will also be returning to healthy eating after this mountain weekend. I've already had three cinnamon rolls.

10. Apple has done it again. Siri(ously). A voice activated personal assistant on your new iPhone 4S. Watch this video. It will change your life. That's just how we do.

I hope I didn't just blow your mind. It was just a good week in the blogosphere.

xo.

Oh hey. TGIF. I mean Friday is almost over, but that's ok. I am currently eating a bowl of Chocolate Frosted Mini Wheats and listening to this week's Joy the Baker podcast. The perfect end to a long day. Long week. Really. Since the last Top Five Friday, I have been involved in new hire training, had a visitor, worked extra hours, lost some good people from the world, cried at work, ate lunch in a park, etc, and so on and so forth.

I haven't baked. I haven't cooked. I haven't been to the gym much. I have had a lot of coffee and written a lot and read a lot. All for work. I haven't really been home too much. I'm not complaining. I just have a lot to do before I go out of town for FIVE DAYS! Ah!

But ANYWAY, I'm here for a reason. What reason? Top Five Friday! And.... go!

1. I love Feist. The Reminder was the anthem for Summer 2007. It always takes me back. I had no idea that Feist had a new album coming out, but thanks to this Black Eiffel blog post I am now in the know! And thanks to Spotify, I've been able to listen to the entire album! Hooray!

2. Every month, Sarah Von has a special post on her blog Yes & Yes. What is it? It's called The Network of Nice and it is so awesome. It's like take a penny, leave a penny, but with people. It's a nice little way to pay it forward. The concept is fantastic and it makes me feel better about the world.

3. Once in awhile, there is a person whose death rocks the world. On October 5 2011, it was Steve Jobs. At first, I couldn't believe it, but there it was on apple.com so that means it's truth. And, of all the five bazillion blogs I read, there were only a few people to mention it.  One blog post dedicated to him was from SRSLYLIZ and another was from The Goodie Life. I very much appreciated their kind words.

4. Do you like food? Do you like cocktails? Do you like photos? You need to check out Spoon Fork Bacon. End of story.

5. So, a weird fact about me. I enjoy "What's in your bag?" type series. Really. It helps satisfy this curiousity I have about people. Petite Elefant is on Week 66 of it's What's in your purse? series. And if that's not enough for you, then I really recommend the Persona Diptych series on Flickr. L.O.V.E.

6. And lastly, I just want to know... Coffee or Tea?


Alright. I have to go pack my lunch and read an outline and get to bed and make a list of things to do before I leave. All in thirty minutes. Heh. What's that funny little gadget necklace Hermoine had that term she was taking extra classes at Hogwarts? I want that. Yeah. I just went there.


Love.

It's for real TGIF for me. That's right. I have the day off. I guess that's not really what Friday is about for most people though. However, I am now aware that I will be out of the store for 5 days. Three are days off and two of them I'll be working offsite. Weird. But without further ado, here it is... Top 5 Friday! Take 2.



1. I very much enjoy being single and being in charge of my own life and making my own decisions, but sometimes I wish I already had my happily ever after - my someone to share responsibilities & coffee with. (There's an episode of Gilmore Girls about this, btw.) Anyway, so when I read this post by Meg Fee, I understood & appreciated it. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

2. Every so often I discover a new blog that I l.o.v.e. This week I fell in love at Une Deux Senses - a delightful little blog that has posts such as "Manicure Monday". Um, what's not to love? Food, Fashion, Music & Other Little Lovelies. Also, I stumbled upon an entry called Magic Coffee - I'm so in. It appears another Cali blog has stolen my heart. [Please note, I didn't enjoy the magic coffee. Not one bit. But I still enjoy this blog.]

3. Last week, I told you about Caffeinate Me. Well, that blog led to me to Just a Titch. I have to say, I really love Amy. I love how insightful she is about life. I love how dedicated she has become to her health. I love how she always asks the reader a question. I love how regularly she posts. Mostly I love how she posts the things I happen to be pondering in life or reminds me of the things I should be pondering. This particular post is about what she wants less/more of in her life. What do you want less and more of?

4. It's not even right how much I love the Joy the Baker Podcast. No seriously. I check my iTunes for updates almost daily (well, on Wed, Thurs and Fri) to see if Joy (the Baker) & Tracy (Shutterbean) have posted a new one. This is real life. It's ladies talking about road trips and food and boys and guilty pleasures and nail polish. They just hosted the awesome HomefriesU - Back to School. And, if I can break the bank when Spring Break rolls around, I'm all over. I can't wait.

5. The picture posted today is one of the best things I read this week. I love this quote. I love Amy Poehler in Parks & Recreation. I just love Parks & Recreation. I love the Apartment 513 blog. I love it all.

6. I need a large piece of art. I was thinking about doing a lyrical canvas. I stumbled upon this idea/picture on Pinterest and fell head over heels with the idea. Now all I need is the patience, supplies and the right song. Decisions.

7. I'm completely convinced that the way you make friends in life is by baking. Duh. Nothing says, "I'm trustworthy and good to be around" like a nice batch of cookies - I'm partial to making sea salted chocolate chip cookies. However, I think the best way to win over even your worst enemies is Pumpkin Nutella Bread. I know, shut the front door! Let's all bake.


PS. Anyone swear by Juice Beauty? I'm jonesing to try this Organics to Clear Skin kit...

Oh alright, so I chose more than 5 links. It's my blog and I'll link excessively if I want to. So there.

Hugs.

TGIF, to you.

I don't particularly care that it's Friday - makes no difference to me. My work week goes Saturday - Friday and my days off were Monday & Tuesday. So, last Sunday was my Friday. Today is Wednesday in Erinland. Sort of. I have Sunday and Friday off this week, so we'll revisit this topic next Friday when it applies to me. I hope you enjoy your weekend, though!

I'm supposed to be at the gym right now, but I have noticed on a lot of blogs that people will post their favorite links from the week on Friday. I want to do that, too. So I am. And it's more important to me than cardio right now. Here is the inaugural post for my "Top 5 Friday"... Get excited.

(Also, the number 5 is ambiguous - it could be more or it could be less, but today it's inaugural and it's five, hence the name.)

1. Fall is upon us! And I've decided there is no better way to celebrate Fall mornings that with Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. That's right. I said Pumpkin Pie for breakfast. I quartered the recipe here for a single serving. I also substituted walnuts & brown sugar for pecans & maple syrup. (I hate pecans & I don't have any maple syrup.) Delish.

2. Here, in the world, in my life, a lot of us have been faced with unfortunate and/or difficult decisions/lessons. Sometimes the hardest thing & the right thing are the same. Well, that really sucks, but I found a bit of inspiration over here at Elise Blaha's text art project. I think it speaks volumes. Also, I love her Etsy Shop. I'll take a Goodness Book, please & thank you.

3. You know how people grow up? It's weird, right? Well, this guy (I wouldn't say we were friends - but we were in Yearbook together) I went to middle/high school with, Jeff, he grew up into a personal trainer and is actually quite motivating. He is in the middle of a cleanse and started a blog called Be Happy Live Fit. I recommend checking it out for some tips & tricks!

4. I don't know Andrea, but I know her blog Caffeinate Me and I l.o.v.e it. Really. The other day she posted her personal manifesto and it is spot on. Give it a read. Be a better person. Maybe write your own. Maybe just get addicted to her blog like I am. You choose.

5. And, finally, I have a new Netflix obsession. What? Felicity. Why? This blog post over at Champagne Bubbles spurred me into streaming action. I was on Team Noel for 3 or 4 episodes until I found out about Hannah. I mean, hello! And hey, this show premiered in 1998! They had curly fros, oversized sweaters, cassettes and pay phones still. I'm in for the long haul.

Also, I'm still listening to The Civil Wars. Please suggest something else to me.

xo.