ick.

this is what i tell myself every time i swallow my three handfuls of stinky vitamins.

smile at strangers.

i don't want to become one of those bloggers that simply posts images found on other websites and blogs, but to be perfectly honest, i kind of can't help myself. when i find things i love, i drag them into a file on my desktop that i frequently visit, causing me to smile.

so, now i will share. it is also a good quickie blogging option for a 8-hour-day "part-time" job gal like myself.

this is truly how i feel. and what i try and do every day. i may forget to dress my best as i run out the door to work, but the rest i make sure i do. everything from making eye contact with, greeting and thanking my bus driver to making sure that i am attentive i can be at work and home, and letting my mom know how much i love her, i try my best to live by these rules. i would say that it's a pretty good list to live by.

also, i think that you should listen to a guilty pleasure song on a daily basis.

an instant pick-me-up.

(because of my casual system, i have absolutely no idea where so many of these images come from,

meaning that i can not properly credit the artists. i apologize to all for that.)

ho-ho-holi-delay. (that sounded much better in my head.)

ok, officially a horrible poster/blogger and my dear emily (www.frenchieandflea.blogspot.com) has called me out on it. so, in honor of that, i'm going to get my blogging booty in gear and for now, i am going to do a little play-by-play of some of the FANTASTIC christmas presents i received.

sidenote: truly everything i got was amazing. it was a great year. aside from successful gift-giving and gift-recieving, the day was full of great food, amazing family, laughter and love and it was one for the books. love it. (plus cranium -- always a hit.)

my "fun-in-laws" (a.k.a. boyfriend's family) got me some really great things, including this awesome book that i'm pretty much obsessed with. it's essentially a guide to all things passing us by, such as cash, mix tapes and basketball players in short-shorts, and most ironically -- books. totally right up my alley.

they also got me a couple scarves, one that's a really pretty pashmina-esque burnt orange color, and another little banana republic number that's a light khaki cable-knit neck warmer. totally in love. worn it the past two days.

also, not to be outdone, CP's grandma got me law & order: svu on dvd. season 8. brilliant.

my mom gave me this great mixing bowls for the apartment. and yes, they are indeed ladybugs -- with fancy gripping "spots." totally adorable. and this means that we won't have to use our big ceramic crate & barrel mixing bowls when we just need a quick mix.

my adorable little (well, not too little 17-year-old) brother bought me a book on lifting for women. he's a total ripped gym rat, and is trying to encourage me to get "lean and mean in 2010" as he wrote on the gift tag. he also got me a little composition book for me to use as a workout log. so cute. and SO from him. and practical and encouraging!

in the workout category, i also got the hook-up from my dad and my mom, who i'm planning to do a half-marathon with sometime this coming year. after opening an impressive lululemon box, i was greeted with cute, inspiring gear!

(the one i got is heather grey on the outside and a really pretty bright blue on the inside. big hood. love it.)

also, the boyfriend did a fantastical job this year. truly. so proud of him. i got my favoritest kate spade perfume i had requested. (along with the michael kors i needed a refill on...) CP also replaced a raggedy old marc jacobs tote that most certainly needed an upgrade. and once again, he always does a great job with books and other little tokens of love. i'm glad he's all mine.

little sister brought me a great scarf from italy with of course, it amazingly soft and gorgeous and an amazing deep chestnut-y red color. so pretty. one of those things that i'm almost to nervous to wear -- but, i'm sure i'll get over that quickly.

also, leave it up to my super-cool older sister to rock it out with the always desired weird japanese masking tape. i absolutely love this stuff, and i'm so very glad that she hooked it up for me.

my dad got me a really cute brown michael kors leather tote, which i can't wait to use. kind of surprisingly rustic for kors, much more my vibe than his typical stuff.

in addition, i got some new books, a few things here and there. (a stocking full of cleaning supplies for the apartment -- yay grown up life!) some cute little jewelry piece from my daddy. really fun stuff. overall, things that i really wanted (or didn't even know that i wanted!), but would not likely buy them for myself -- which is exactly what a gift should be.

merry christmas!

or merry december 27th. whatevs.

long time no see.

SO.

obviously, been a bit busy. though, that does not mean that my love for the blogosphere has lessened. i truly promise that i will work on getting back into the groove.

i found this wedding suite on bird and banner today, and i love it so much it makes me ache. i don't think that a wedding in jackson hole, wy is really my style, i am most certainly willing to re-evaluate.

the invite (and postcard style response card) is actually letterpressed wood. so amazing!

the bundle of weddingness comes wrapped in its own little monogramed bag.

this welcome packet is genius. most certainly stealing this idea.

all found on bird and banner.

busy busy.

i have been so so busy these last few weeks. i'm either at work, school or running errands. if nothing else, my DVR is filling up!

my new thing is attempting to cook. and in all actuality, it is a lot more exploring recipes than actually booking. we'll get to that part eventually, right?

so, these are a couple of my favorite cookbooks right now:

found on amazon.

found on amazon.

now, if only i could find some time to cook!

embroidery.

something i've been seeing all over the place lately is really cute, often personalized, embroidery.

love love love.

all found on etsy.

when the going gets tough.

yet another etsy find that makes me smile.

we could probably all use on of these on our walls.

found on etsy.

wedding.

while cruising around some of my favorite wedding blogs this morning, i found this gorgeous wedding, which (i can't believe i'm saying this) would make me consider getting married in oklahoma.

some bits of Wednesday loveliness:

all found on green wedding shoes.

all hallow's eve.

well. things are better.

despite a little strep throat. but i'm on antibiotics so all is well.

it is halloween and the city is excited about it. at work yesterday, there was a trick-or-treating parade around the neighborhood and it was completely adorable. about a million little kids in cute little outfits. though, it was then that i vowed to never resort to the close costume as a mother. yeesh. bad news.

it is all very fun, though i have absolutely no plans. which, is probably okay since i am never one to wear a slutty costume, so i usually just end up feeling inadequate and like a complete prude. though, i did see a friend dress up her baby in this costume and i just fell in love.

found on costume craze.

i am not even a star wars fan, but i just can't get over how adorable it is. this is one of those things that tempts to purchase it despite the fact that i'm extremely far away from any sort of baby-ness.

have a safe and happy halloween!

mood.

sorry for the lack of posts. it has just kind of been one of those days. or one of those weeks, i suppose.

this rut will pass. it is too painful if they don't.

in the meantime: watch glee. and the amazing race.

(sorry for being all emo-tastic.)

regretsy.

kind of love this.

just a sampling of the great "finds" on regretsy:

found on decorno.

picnic worthy.

the past few days in san fran have been wonderfully warm, despite the oodles of rain we had at the start of the week. before it gets too chilly, it would be a wonderful time to set up for a little mid-day picnic in the city by the bay.

all found on etsy.

1. beautiful woven picnic basket with leather hardware and plaid lining.

2. totally adorable little thermos set.

3. a cozy little blanket for snuggling up on a sunny lawn.

4. these little reusable produce bags are a great way to "go green" at the grocery store, and out and about. they come in a bunch of sizes and colors are are super easy to clean.

dress me.

just a little bit of fantasy exploring on etsy. i love so much of the clothes that i find and i love that the pieces are so individual and fresh.

all found on etsy.

1. i adore this fantastic autumnal sweater by LittleHouses that i'd wear with everything.

2. Tres Beau knit dress that would look bangin' on someone thinner than yours truly.

3. adorable light pink top and high-waisted skirt from Tea & Crumpets.

4. yummy grey sweater from Lirola to pair with some skinny jeans and colored flats.

"a woman is closest to being naked when she is well dressed."

- coco chanel

sing-a-long.

recently, while i was driving and listening to my xm radio, i started thinking of all of the fantastical songs that i will ALWAYS turn waaaaay up and sing-a-long to when they begin to play. here we go.

(WARNING: if you think i'm cool in any sort of way, it's probably best if you don't look at this super embarrassing list [mainly comprised] of guilty pleasures. VERY guilty in many instances.)

Taylor Swift - Love Stoy

Rihanna - Disturbia

Michael Bublé - Everything

Chris Brown - Forever

John Mayer - Waiting on the World to Change

Sara Bareilles - Love Song

Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Lady GaGa - Poker Face

Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

Hanson - Lost Without Each Other

The Fray - Over My Head (Cable Car)

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Guster - Happier

Britney Spears - Lucky

Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body

Sister Hazel - Your Winter

Christina Aguilera - What A Girl Wants

Christina Aguilera - Come On Over

Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind

Martina McBride - Wild Angels

Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

The Temptations - My Girl

The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone

national go-on-a-field-trip month.

some of my favorite field trips of all time. in no particular order.

Oakland A's game.

Cardoza's Pumpkin Patch in Petaluma. (Now known as Tolay Lake Regional Park.)

San Francisco MOMA.

Italy. Florence, Rome, Siena with a quick, unexpected bonus day in Paris.

Camp Cazadero.

Academy of Science in San Francisco.

Easy Coast. Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City.

Dylan Beach.

Exploratorium.

national frugal fun day.

one of my news things is to get out and do more. and as a individual with limited funds, i've had a lot of fun discovering this site for all you san francisco kids out there.

you'd be surprised how many movies are being shown for free!

some upcoming events this week i'm looking forward to:

Oct. 2, 3, 4: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Oct. 3: Film Night in the Park

Oct. 4: Cupcake Camp San Francisco 2009

fun, right?

national caramel month.

i love these.

just plain. old school. call me crazy. it's just how i roll.

dear lord, how can you resist that?

(since there's a whole month dedicated to caramel, that means that i can

justify a sizable intake of such products, right?)

the new owl

well, i think it's official. the matryoshka doll is going to take over the owl's position -- SHOWING UP EVERYWHERE.

yup yup yup. everything is currently covered in a witty, wide-eyed, "whoo"-ing friend and i sure know that i am sick of seeing them. i was never really into them, so after what seems like a decade of owl-tasticness, i think there is a new star about to steal the scene: the russian nesting doll, technically referred to matryoshka dolls. from stationary to baby clothes, to tote bags, they are popping up all over.

i appreciate the colorful nature of them, much more appealing to the owl in my book.

take me out.

with baseball season coming to a close, my heart grows weary with how i'll be spending my evenings. i'm sure i'll spend quite a bit of time looking forward to next season, possibly planning a trip to spring training and getting my orange and black wardrobe ready for april. in the meantime, i've managed to find some cute finds that i'm pretty stoked about, and i'll find some sort of excuse to get these all in the future.

i think these are absolutely fantastic, and i really look forward to my future mister (in my hypothetical, fantasy world and imaginary wedding) sportin' (pardon the pun) these down the aisle.

found on etsy.

i also really like these pens. if i had any vested interest in any of these ballparks, (which include yankee stadium, fenway park, wrigley field, busch stadium, and dodger stadium ) i would make sure to snatch one up. they are made of repurposed old wooden seats that have since been retired from the stadiums. they would make a great father's day present for a true fan.

found on red envelope.

my third and final tidbit of baseballness is something for the truly dedicated. these awesome cuffs are made from genuine leather baseballs. i think that they'd be really cute as a coach's gift. a perfect fashion statement? possibly not -- but once again, i believe in brownie point to concepts.

also, a couple months ago i briefly mentioned that i was the lucky recipient of a wonderful baseball wardrobe item (code for badass, super warm jacket) this season. this three-year-anniversary gift from my dear CP had managed to keep me warm at the ballpark and at home. not only is it official, authorized MLB merchandise, but it's also what the PLAYERS wear in the dugout! so awesome. i'm such a gamer. loves it.

found on sfgiants.

and last but not least, i need to mention one last thing:

GO GIANTS!

WE'RE IN THIS!!!

plug.

loving this blog.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/

must. learn. basic. sewing. techniques.

some recent favorite projects:

found on feeling stitchy.