holding it together

I've been trying to hold it together lately and the truth is, I just can't. Last week I was able to get through the work week, but each day I would come home and want to crawl into bed. I didn't want to talk to people or get out of the house. I wanted a dark room and silence and my husband's snuggles. A lot of that was due to that lovely time of the month, but still... I hate it when I don't feel like myself. I'm not pregnant, I'm not depressed, I'm not angry at anyone or about anything... I'm just not feeling good.


"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in your my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Might High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me."
Psalm 57: 1-2 (ESV)

What helps: prayers. snuggles. Freecell. croutons. quiet. Andy's compassion and generosity. 

the million dollar baby girl

earlier in the week I showed you a mood board for a baby boy nursery. today I'm presenting a mood board for a baby girl. This is for the mom (and dad) who want a soothing and sophisticated nursery.

I want this room. I love plum and grey together- the colors are lovely and a bit moody, in a romantic way. Isn't that mirror to die for?Everything other than the crib and changing table attachment could be used as the girl gets older. 

only change I would make would be to replace the dresser's hardware with white, frosted or clear knobs (something girly and pretty). 

that horse print is begging to be hung in a corner above the rocker. just sayin'.

oh, and the mother of this baby would own this navy Ikat diaper bag. that bag is bananas. the Rachel Zoe in me is out of control right now... between that mirror, the horse print, that bag... even those baby blankets... AH.

(from left to right)
Coqo floral curtain (in plum)- Anthropologie
Oversize seagrass basket- West Elm
Basket weave baby blanket (in every color, cuz they can afford it) - Coyuchi
Oeuf classic crib- Giggle.com
Horse print- Z gallerie
Doily rug (in grey)- Anthropologie
Spot on Square Roh dresser (with changing table attachment)- Amazon
Dreaming mirror- Pier 1
Mid-century rocker chair (in carbon)- Urban Outfitters

what I do, exactly

"So what exactly do you do at the Daily News-Record?"  <--- I get asked that question a LOT, and I never know where to begin. My job title is "editorial assistant," but that doesn't really explain what I do, which includes

- receptionist duties (answer phone calls, transfer calls, put away mail, file newspapers, etc)
- Editorial assistant duties (edit letters to the editor, confirm letters with the people who submit them, pass them along to my editor)
- Features writer duties (come up with story ideas, interview people, make photo assignments, write the story) -- read my story in last week's Rocktown on tossing the toads in your life and finding your prince. Search my name in the search bar to read more stories published in Rocktown (there's only been a few). My stories published in the newspaper are only accessible if you have a subscription, but Rocktown is free.
- building permits and property transfers on Wednesdays (I have to go to the courthouse to do this... it's very cut and dry, but it's still nice to get out of the office and walk through downtown)
- obit desk duties on Thursday nights (receive obits and death notices, communicate with funeral homes, edit obituaries (grammar and punctuation), file obits, record weather for the day, put away the day's newspapers and file one paper in a big "folder" by punching three holes in the paper and putting it in like you would papers in a binder, except I have to do each punch individually and it's messy and often frustrating)

lots of duties. I usually keep pretty busy. I'm happy.  :)

thought I'd share with you my "on the way home from work" song. 

have you ever- brandi carlile

Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?
And everything there feels just as it should
You're part of the life there
You're part of something good
If you've ever wandered lonely through the woods
if you've ever wandered lonely through the woods

Have you ever stared into a starry sky?
Lying on your back you're asking why
What's the purpose I wonder who am I
If you've ever stared into a starry sky
Have you ever stared into a starry sky

Have you ever been out walking in the snow?
Tried to get back to where you were before
You always end up not knowing where to go
If you've ever been out walking in the snow
If you'd ever been out walking you would know

the million dollar baby boy

I've been dying to do a baby nursery post for the loooongest time but have held myself back, mainly because I have my future child's nursery planned out in my head and I don't want to write about it until it can be a reality. SO... this is a mood board for an imaginary baby boy. While I obviously am a big fan of everything on the mood board, I purposefully chose to put together some expensive pieces (minus the submarine toy, which is $3) that I would never actually spend on a nursery myself. The Sparrow Crib was the first crib I ever fell in love with, but thankfully I've since started admiring a much more wallet-friendly option. YES I've looked at baby cribs before. I want babies! Not yet, but eventually!

Bear with me... I didn't take the time to get rid of the background part of the images, so it's not a very pretty mood board. What I like most about this nursery is that it's modern yet inviting. I also like that it's not a themed room. While the rug and basket look odd next to each other on the board, I don't envision the basket being placed on the rug.

First off, how ahhh-mazing is that rug??! Honestly, as much as I love that crib, if I could purchase anything off this mood board it would be the letterpress rug. It would work so well in a nursery but could easily be moved into an office or living space if desired. The artwork is like the rug in that it could easily be moved into a different room and is playful without screaming "baby!"

The crib would stay gray and I'd put a solid white organic waffle-weave blanket in to cover up baby and drape it over the end of the crib when not being used to soften up the gray. I'm personally not a crib bedding set person, so I would love to see that darling Dwell crib sheet shine on its own. Honestly, I want those crib sheets now.

I'd be tempted to paint the whale basket a light silvery gray just to add another layer of color without clashing with the strong mustard and orange in the rug. The submarine toy wasn't chosen because it ties in with the whale basket- I just liked how the colors matched the colors in the rug. Plus I love crocheted toys.

Aren't those knobs fun? I'd paint the top of the dresser a bright orange (maybe the "seams" too- I don't know what else to call them). If I was actually putting this dresser together, I'd try just putting two knobs on the top drawer and seeing how it looked before adding more to the other drawers.

I couldn't find a glider/rocker/chair that I liked enough to put on the mood board, but that striped pillow would be propped on one. I also didn't include curtains, but I think these West Elm tortoise curtains would be perfect.

Other colors would come in from stuffed animals, toys and books (LOTS of books).

the goods:
Sparrow Crib- Amazon
Squares crib sheet- DwellStudio
Letterpress rug- CB2
Whale basket- Pottery Barn Kids
Crochet submarine- Etsy
Robin Dresser- Mbeans
Yellow lucky number knob- Anthro
Red lucky number knob- Anthro
Navy and white striped pillow- Etsy
"Lofty View" artwork- World Market

how to annoy me

use every pot/pan/utensil/dish in the kitchen to concoct your late night dinners while I'm upstairs snoozing away unsuspectingly.

then I come downstairs in the morning and expect to see the kitchen sparkling clean like I left it before I went to bed and instead there are unwashed dishes all over the counters and you've left for work, therefore leaving me with the mess.

sneaky you.

apparently my husband is not the only husband out there who has this need to think to himself, "I should make a grilled cheese. With bacon in it. With a bowl of soup. Maybe some veggies. And I should use a different pan for all of those things!"

OH AND I SHOULD USE A TOOTHPICK AFTERWARDS AND PUT IT ON MY PLATE AND THEN IT WILL STICK TO MY PLATE AND IT WILL BE GROSS BUT THAT'S OK MY WIFE WILL DEAL WITH IT.

okay... this has annoyed me... many, many times. but, there comes a day when your husband breaks you, and all you can really do is laugh and see the absurdity/kind of cuteness in his quirks. and his sheepish grin and "forgive me?" dance is worth having to clean the kitchen all over again.

I love you, Andy Rennie.

(it's been over a year since I've quoted Bronx Beat here, so it's time again)

Betty Caruso: You know what? Don't get married. Listen to us. Don't get married, the minute you do your life is over, over!

Jodi Dietz: She's right. You know what? My husband, I want to kill him. I want to strangle him while he's asleep. I want to kill him. But you know what? [voice breaking] I love him. He's the love of my life.