Must-Have Monday

Let us begin with my current must haves

back to school must have...

i cant stop listening to... 

guaranteed laughter...

loving the new season of...

 do you lilac it...

This week I'm getting off to a MUCH better start than last (thankfully). I decided to cut my Labor Day Weekend a day short and do what you are actually supposed to do when given the day off work, relax. I did however celebrate heavily with shopping, a few nights out, and a trip home to visit my dads side of the family and my high school best friends :)

so cute and only $20!

Not surprisingly, the universe had to throw a few obstacles in my way. The morning of my departure I broke my hair straightner, which as all girls know, escpecially curly haired girls, was a tragedy in itself. Then on my drive I discovered there was a nail in my tire. My brand new, barely six month old tire. Typical. After a few hours of driving around in attempts to find somewhere that was open on a friday night to fix/replace my tire, my dad was nice enough to let me borrow his Jeep as to not disrupt my plans, and bought me a new tire the next day. Aren't dads great?

My weekend also included a night on the town to celebrate one of my best's birthday  and some QT with my grandparents. This time was much needed, but I decided to head back to my home at school a day early in order to have a full day to devote to myself, cleaning, relaxing, organizing and yes, blogging.

With less than 10 months left until I will be forced to truly enter the real world, my daydreams lately have been less focused on what my big girl job will be and more focused on what my big girl apartment will look like. Since there's no telling where I will be living/working next year, all I can really plan is what will be inside this home to-be, and thanks to some blog stalking, Lowes, HGTV and my highly domestic mother and grandma, I have tons of ideas. 

A  friend/coworker who is an avid thrifter has offered to lend her expertise in helping me find some old pieces I can restore. I'll definitely be searching for a dresser, bookshelves, desk and anything that can be used as storage. My overwhelming amount of shoes, books, bags and clothes is becoming an eyesore. I also need to find some old frames for some smaller projects. 

My last project will be making a headboard (details to come). I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars on a bed frame when I hate footboards. Weird I know, but I for some reason hate the way they look at the end of the bed. I would much rather prefer a chest or table, so I guess we will add that to the list as well. 

I will hopefully be able to find these items soon because as anyone who is familiar with Ohio weather knows, the rain and cold are now just a couple of months and maybe even weeks away. It's beautiful now but I can recall all too well Halloweens as a child trick-or-treating in boots and a snowsuit, which means I could have as little as 7 weeks. I realize there is little chance I will have time to complete all of these projects, but hopefully with the help of some friends and the plethora of thrift and antique stores in my area, I can get a good start. 

I cant wait to test my painting abilities and take some of the color combinations swirling around in my head and actually put them on paper (or wood). I prefer white furniture so most things will probably start there, but I plan on playing around with patterns and stencils and stripes using much bolder colors. The outcome should be interesting at the least.

Since last week was such a cluster of non motivation and running around yet getting nothing done, I will spend the rest of my day doing some work from home I should have finished then. The days are winding down on my internship at the Academic Health Center and I am not looking forward to that :( I love it there. I am however excited about my upcoming opportunities!

Fall 2010 I will be starting 3 new work ventures. 

1) Gameday Communications. This will probably be something I only do a few times a month, but I am pumped none the less. I am on the street team and will be working events all around town for their clients. My first shift is coming up soon so more details to come.

2) Playhouse in the Park. I start as a public relations intern in October and could not be more excited. This is an internship I actually wanted last year and didn't get, but they offered it to me this time around so YAY! I know there were a lot of applicants so I am honored and cant wait to jump in and really work my butt off.

3) The Eisen Agency. Counting Playhouse I will of had 4 internships, but Eisen, the 5th on my list, will be my first agency experience. I am nervous but more than that excited to see how I feel about this aspect of public relations. I will be joining my future coworkers at my first PRSA meeting on Tuesday, so the new opportunities have already begun.

It's SO hard to focus on my "be here now" when there is so much coming up (the above) not to mention school, fall and football season. 

I have some great ideas for blog posts for the rest of the week so stay tuned.

More to come,

Out with the old. In with the new.

This week my Monday was a little off. 


I always try to start the week off as organized as possible so that by Friday I still have something that at least resembles sanity/order. That did not happen this time. Consequently, I felt pressured to make my Tuesday even more productive, and it turned out pretty well. Though I got a semi late start to the day, I did get a good nights rest. I spent about five hours in the office before running a few errands and coming home to get to work. 


A lot of my favorite shows and web sites seem to recently stress the idea of less is more, removal of clutter, that type of thing. Since the school year is just three short weeks away, I decided this would be a great time to go through all of my clothes, shoes, books and just stuff to see what could go.


Oprah says (yes, I am one of those people who DVR's every episode) that if you haven't worn something in 6 months it's time to say good-bye, so I followed that rule when scouring my room. It wasnt as hard as I expected, and I now have a much clearer view of all my favorite clothes I can't live without. Success.

One of my favorite sites that is also currently endorsing this idea is zen habits. I stumbled upon this a while ago and one of their most recent posts definitely preaches a message we could probably all learn from. A few things it recommends that I will actively be attempting are:


less TV, more reading
less clutter, more space
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present

While I am extremely guilty of over consumption and tv obsession, the thought of spending my days reading, creating and focusing on the present doesn't sound so bad.

That last item, focusing on the present rather than the future is something that I really need to work on. I am very future oriented, always dreaming and imagining the next great thing I can do or buy. 

Current example: moving. I am always daydreaming about the next neighborhood I can try or how I will rearrange my things. I have moved every year of college, sometimes more than once. Growing up I lived in at least 10 different houses between both parents (probably more, I've honestly lost count). 

The jury is still out on whether or not this is healthy or normal, but for now, I love it. I love experimenting with different things. I thrive on change. I change my mind about a lot of things very frequently and a new home is a great way to reinvent yourself.

A problem with my big dreams (that is especially evident with my constant moves) is follow through. I get the idea, the resources, make the "move" and then there's no follow through. This time I will not let that happen.

I am more financially confident, focused and mature than ever, so I think I'm ready to have my first big girl place. I've begun browsing and I think there are some great but affordable places in some amazing neighborhoods around the city that I could really make into my own.

While this big move/plan is still in the premature stages, I am already very excited about it. Living a few blocks from campus is convenient, but I think I'm ready for bigger and better things. Stay tuned for all the details of my apartment hunt, decorating plans and mission to make a home that will actually satisfy me.

In other news, I have some amazing plans for the rest of the week and labor day weekend. This means I have a jam packed schedule. I may not be able to devote much time to blogging, but when I do return there will surely be much to say. I'll close with some current wants and one of my favorite quotes. I read it when I need to feel inspired or before I start my day.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. -Calvin Coolidge

current favorite finds

I'm all about watches and this color is perfect

you can not beat a good planner

cute, functional, and green

planner option #2

More to come,