merry christmas!

What a whirlwind this year has been!  It is crazy to think that in just a few days, we will be welcoming in the new year.  This year has been one of the most memorable of my life because it is the first year I have shared with Tom from beginning to end.  We have shared so many amazing experiences and have fallen more in love each day.  We will be ringing in 2014 at a friend's wedding and it seems like a fitting end to this year to be celebrating love.  This was our second Christmas together.  And to be honest, Christmas time can be stressful.  Trying to accommodate each other's families and split time with both, shopping for twice as many people, making food for all the get togethers, double the work parties...it can get to be too much.  It becomes so easy to get caught up in the chaos of it all and forget the reason for the season.  At times, I was certainly guilty of this.  But I was able to step back and embrace all of the love and laughter we shared with both of our families and it gave me a glimpse of all the support we are surrounded by.  We shared great food, funny stories, warm hugs and lots of smiles and laughter.  I hope that your season was filled with the love and happiness of friends and family to carry you into the new year!

gift guide for pets 2013

Looking for gift ideas for Fido?  These are my top 13 gift picks for Christmas 2013 for the fur baby in your life, cat or dog.  There are items that will fit any budget ranging from $12 to $160.

1.  Custom Pet Pillows | Uncommon Goods | $45
2.  Sandy Paws Print Kit | Uncommon Goods | $12
3.  Merry Woofmas Assorted Dog Treats | Frontgate | $40
4.  Pyramid Stud Dog Leash | C. Wonder | $28
5.  Red or Green Bobo | PetSmart | $10
6.  Kate Spade Saturday Pooch Parka | Kate Spade | $45
7.  Calabash Cat Pod | Kitti Craft | $160
8.  Soggy Doggy | The Grommet | $80
9.  Catnip Catfisher Doorknob Hanger Cat Toy | Remmeer | $14
10.  Porcelain Geo Bone Dog Treats Jar | C. Wonder | $40
11.  Kong Glide 'N Seek | PetSmart | $25
12.  Grumpy Cat's Odor Eliminator | Grumpy Cat's | $15
13.  Paw Plunger | The Grommet | $30

gift guide for her 2013

Looking for gift ideas for your mom, sister, best friend or ideas to give your man when he is shopping for you?  These are my top 13 gift picks for Christmas 2013 for the ladies in your life...whether she is a hostess, a decorator, a book worm, a traveler, a fashionista or a techie.  There are items that will fit any budget ranging from $5 to $225.

 

1.  Sterling Silver State Love Heart Necklace | Etsy | $45
2.  Seaside Nautical Studs | Forever 21 | $5
3.  Tick-Tock Clock | Anthropologie | $24
4.  Ticket Stub Diary | Uncommon Goods | $12
5.  Vintage Brooch Wine Stoppers, Set of 3 | Cost Plus World Market | $18
6.  Landmark Ring Dish | Anthropologie | $12
7.  Kate Spade New York 'Gramercy Grand' Bracelet Watch | Nordstrom | $225
8.  Gold Mirrored Tabletop Tray | Cost Plus World Market | $30
9.  Puppy Bookends | Anthropologie | $68
10.  Sweater Stone | Vat19 | $7
11.  London iPhone 5 Case | Anthropologie | $38
12.  How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World | Amazon | $13
13.  Adulting:  How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps | Amazon | $12

gift guide for him 2013

Looking for gift ideas for the man in your life?  These are my top 13 gift picks for Christmas 2013 for the men in your life...whether he is a dad, micro beer lover, weekend warrior, sports fan or techie.  There are items that will fit any budget ranging from $5 to $250.

1.  Kobalt Hypercoil Work Light | Lowes | $25
2.  Estate iPhone 5 Case | Fossil | $25
3.  Townsman Automatic Leather Watch | Fossil | $245
4.  Hand Warmers | Target | $5
5.  iPhone Alarm Clock Dock | Uncommon Goods | $40
6.  Home Plate Doormat | Uncommon Goods | $22
7.  Wooden Beer Tote with Bottle Opener | Uncommon Goods | $40
8.  Personalized Men's Leather Valet Tray | Etsy | $40
9.  88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates | Amazon | $9
10.  Handy Dad | Uncommon Goods | $15
11.  Authentic Stadium Cuff Links (10 stadiums to choose from) | Uncommon Goods | $170-200
12.  Monogram Mug | Anthropologie | $8
13.  Fifty Shades of Bacon | Amazon | $10

a thankful year indeed

This year I have an enormous amount to be thankful for.  I have a good paying job, a nice warm cozy home, my family and friends are in good health and I am in love.  This girl has nothing to complain about!  I have always been a huge fan of the holidays.  I generally start watching Christmas movies in October and don't stop until February.  Although it's easy to get caught up in the commercialism of the holidays, I find that the happier I am in life, the more I want to give and the less I want to receive.  I have Tom to thank for the majority of my bliss.  He has filled my life with more happiness than I knew possible.  This year I can honestly say, I would be perfectly content without receiving a single gift and simply enjoying his company and our families.  God has blessed both me and my family with allowing us time to spend together and give thanks while enjoying delicious food and conversation.  We celebrate Christmas with my father's family on Thanksgiving and this year both Tom and my brother's girlfriend were able to join and meet the extended family for the first time.  Having them both there really brought home what a great year it's been for my family.  I also got to spend time with Tom's family decorating their tree.  They have welcomed me into their lives graciously and I enjoy any time I get to spend with them.  Even Jack, their Australian Shepherd,  has made me feel like a part of the family with his sloppy kisses and tail wags.  Even though this entry is a bit late for Thanksgiving, I think it is fitting that I am posting it on Giving Tuesday.  I hope you found time during your holiday season to give back, whether it be by donating to your favorite charity or helping an elderly neighbor.  You will always get back more than you give when you do it for an unselfish reason.  Give thanks!

happy halloween!...a few days late

Since I've already mentioned that Fall is my favorite season, I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I also adore Halloween.  I have always enjoyed dressing up in costumes and nothing makes me laugh as hard as seeing a dog in one does.  This year Tom and I went as cat burglars.  With the invention of Pinterest, I saw the error in my ways of purchasing overpriced store bought costumes.  There were so many fun ideas to choose from, I had a very difficult time!  The cat burglars costume struck me as the perfect choice because we would be able to reuse the shirt, pants and hat.  I don't think we will be using the masks again, but you never know ;) lol  I also have to give props to the clever folks who made their own costumes based on popular current pop culture references.  Miley Cyrus and the foam finger was pretty trendy this year.  Hope you and yours had a great Halloween!  Would love to hear what creative costumes you came up with!

my first boss's day

I celebrated my first boss's day Wednesday. Yay, me! I have never been drawn to a supervisory role and to be honest, this one was rather thrust upon me. I always thought that I would spend too much time on the bureaucracy of it and not enough time in my wheel house, creating unique ways to increase efficiency and reduce redundancies. I am a creative person by nature and being someone’s manager struck me as a position more suited for someone who was a better rule follower than I am. I have been pleasantly surprised though. Knock on wood, so far I have been able to strike a balance between the attendance tracking, timestamp approving and other HR nightmares and being able to impart some of the things I’ve learned during my professional career to those who report to me. I will be the first to admit, they have taught me as much as I have taught them. My initial thoughts that management was often for the unimaginative have been happily discredited. I do think there are probably some in the role that meet my initial expectations. However, I also believe that as the workforce is changing with the technology engrossed generation entering the workplace, some managers are rising to the challenge and using their creativity to embrace the exclusive strengths of this generation and to soften their weaknesses. I hope to be in the latter group. I am definitely a work in progress but I am willing to learn and take advice. Anyway, I included a picture of the beautiful and thoughtful card my employees gave me. It feels awesome to be appreciated :)

i've fallen for fall

Today's little victory, I cannot take credit for...it's all mother nature. Autumn is here and I couldn't be happier about it. Fall encompasses all of my favorite things: sweater weather, warm colors, savory food and fall leaves. The photo below is a picture from my apartment balcony. Not too shabby, for an apartment complex. I love anything apple so when the spiced hard ciders start hitting the shelves, I am a happy girl. I am not a coffee drinker but during the autumn months, I flock with the masses to Starbucks to consume the season in a drink, their apple cider with whipped cream and caramel. If you haven't tried it, I'm telling you, it's worth the calories. Living in Indiana, autumn is a great time to get out and enjoy neighborhood events. Weekends are filled with fall carnivals, outdoor antique markets, apple picking events at orchards and covered bridge festivals. I will be hitting up my favorite covered bridge festival, Parke County's 57th Annual Covered Bridge Festival, this weekend. It is the perfect fall outing, great food, perfect weather and shopping :) Visit their website, for more information. Please comment if you have suggestions of any other Indianapolis area fall events worth checking out.

i started a blog

Today's little victory is that I finally have completed one of my life's ambitions of starting a blog. I have put it off for years. Many things seemed overwhelming about starting a blog. Choosing a title, topic, color scheme, logo all seemed daunting beyond words. Anyone who knows me will tell you, I can be a bit obsessive about design. I am sure that I will redesign this blog many times as my design taste matures and evolves. Being such a book worm also made the task of writing troublesome. I love words and want to do them justice. I decided that centering my blog around small successes in my life made the blog creating task more manageable and less intimidating. I strive to be an optimist and creating an avenue to reflect my triumphs, both large and small, seemed a great way to stay grateful. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my blog and leave comments. Happy reading!