This post was originally going to be about how I strive to make things “perfect” in my world and how I’m a classic work-a-holic. I read a post last week written by Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess and it really got me thinking.She explained how she was OK with her “work-a-holic” status because she is romantically in love with her job. At first I was really happy for her, then I was jealous, and then I was slightly annoyed. I wasn’t annoyed with Elsie and her ability to make her dreams come true, but annoyed with myself. One day I’m on edge with excitement about what the future has in store and the next day I’m frustrated that those days still haven’t arrived. I start to think that I’m failing and then I start to over think things.

One thing I fail to do often is recognize the small milestones that have been reached. I neglect the fact that I’m working hard every day to better my world and I’m not sitting on the couch waiting for things to happen. I’m an active participant in shaping my future. Patience is not one of my strong points and I need to keep in mind that my timelines are not always realistic. The universe is going to keep spinning no matter how hard you try to stop it.

I think I’ve found the key to feeling like you are living your dream. Find the small things that make you tick. Do you love crafts, but don’t have enough time to do them? Make it a priority to do little projects here and there and don’t use the excuse that there is not enough time. There is always a little time for what you really enjoy if you put it on the same priority level as doing laundry or cleaning the house. Life will go on if laundry isn’t done on the weekend.

Ok, so I’m rambling now. I just wanted to share with you guys how I felt about living your dream or having your dream job. If you are actively working to make things happen you need to be patient, I need to be patient. Fill your days with little things that make you tick and celebrate small milestones.

Would love to hear your thoughts on how to make your dream job a reality. Any insights?

Oh…by the way… Take this dream job e-course now!! (I’m signing up for this ecourse and THIS one.

Oh Mishka, a blogger gal pal and I were talking on Twitter and coincidently we were both typing up a “nerdy me” kind of post to share with our readers. I’m definitely a nerd and I think my readers should be aware of my weirdness.

The boy and I frequently say things like, “it’s ok. we can say that…we’re nerds”. Being openly nerdy allows you to say things like “by golly” and “who woulda thunk”, which are two amazing phrases.

Here’s some nerdy tid bits about me. Stop over at Michelle’s blog to read her list. Because I’m a nerd I can…

1. Sing Aladin by myself in the shower. Who doesn’t love the song Magic Carpet Ride?
2. Drive to work and add up all the speed limit signs. I hate math, so this little activity is an odd one. (50 mph + 65 mph + 55 mph)
3. Spend a whole day filling out Suduko puzzles. I’ve even graduated to using pens while filling out the numbers.
4. Wish Bill Nye was still on television!
5. Say “Television”
6. LOVE typography. I could stare at the nuances of Futura and Bauer Bodoni for hours. You don’t want to get into a debate with me why those two fonts are the best fonts EVER!
6. Use an entire pack of post it notes in one sitting. I like notes….lots of notes.
7. Have a Hello Kitty stamp set at my work desk that I randomly stamp papers with. A Hello Kitty stamp makes documents much more important. Did I also mention I have a desk gnome standing on my desk?
8. Make up words on the fly and use them to describe things. The good ones like fridgidoor and horizontical have hung around. (refrigerator door and something that is not quite horizontal, but not vertical either) For more info visit pruittvillefarms .

After writing this post I asked the boy what he thought was my nerdiest quality. His response was “giggle”. Does that make me nerdy???

If you create a “Nerdy Me” post I’d love to see them!

*I also wanted to thank all of my new readers that have stopped on over from Sometimes Sweet. I really appreciate your visit and all the comments you guys are leaving. Thank you!

I always have my eyes open for that one little object that can steal my heart. The thrill of the hunt, the styling of items once you bring them home and the possible DIY/restoration to bring an item back to life…these are the things that keep me thrifting. Here’s what I’ve recently found.

1_Kodak Brownie home video camera (1961)  2_Black Leather boots (my aunt’s wardrobe from the 70’s) 3_Vintage Aluminum  Thermos Brand Lunch Box (bought from Frecklewonder’s Etsy Shop)  4_ Metal & Wood Type Letters (mixed typefaces)

Have you found some “keeper items” recently?

This weekend I’ve been on my own because the boy was attending an industrial design conference. I planned on getting a bunch of DIY things marked off my list, but when the time came…I wasn’t all that into it. I picked away at the little things on the list and spent the rest of the time catching up on my blog roll and writing posts for the upcoming week. I’m amazed at home much this new blogging adventure has taken over all of my free time, but I’m not complaining because I’m really enjoying it. I think I’ve found something really special here and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.

1^ I received a new 3 lb bag of chocolate chai in the mail and after a week of not having any…I was so excited. I even carried the heavy package around my office showing people what I got in the mail and no body seemed as excited as I was. (check out Big Train chai and you’ll know what I’m talking about) I think I’m going to go make a cup before I finish the next items on the list…brb…..
2^ OK back. I skipped both my yoga classes this week because I just wasn’t into it. I’m regretting it now with tension headaches. ICK!
3^ I’ve been spending a lot of time researching vintage companies of all kinds. I’ve been caught up in the dream of starting my own vintage clothing/home goods company and after my research efforts, I think my dream may become a reality someday.
4^ Wishing I had two of me to accomplish everything I want to do. Feeling a little anxious that I will miss out on something amazing because my schedule is too busy.
5^ Sourced a shipping flat for my spring DIY dog bed project. Concerned that the flat may be treated wood, so we’re looking into all the details before continuing the project. Wouldn’t want the pup sleeping on a bed filled with chemicals.
6^ Thankful my freelance projects are going to be wrapping up soon. I think I’m going to take a break from freelance for awhile. Exhausted.
7^ Are we friends with Google Friend Connect?? If not, all you have to do is click the button in my side bar and I’ll come check out your blog!!!

Still taking music suggestions but with a focused intent.
Who’s your favorite French singer??

Happy Sunday!

Today, spring decided to make an appearance again. Mr. Spring has been in hiding this past week, so when I woke up to sunshine I was ecstatic. When I woke up I immediately check the weather app on my phone and sure enough it was going to be sunny and 60! Wahoo.

Around noon, I took the pup out for a nice long walk through our beautiful neighborhood, just he and I…taking it all in. Our neighborhood is dreamy and if we ever have to move, it will be severely missed. The hood feels like it’s been transported from the calm side streets of Paris and plopped down in the center of a bustling city, it’s own small contained bubble of bliss. It’s a small square that has a fantastic vibe and a batch of extremely nice home owners and renters.

We stepped outside to the smell of warm sun and white and yellow blooming trees. There was a slight chill in the air, but if you stayed in the sun and closed your eyes, it felt like early summer. I took several deep breaths, practicing some breathing techniques learned through my practice of yoga. We walked EVERY street of the neighborhood and the pup stopped and smelled EVERY blooming flower we passed. It took a long tim to get home, but I was enjoying every minute of it.

On a particularly straight stretch of road I closed my eyes and let the pup lead the way. (dangerous…yes, but totally worth it) I had Beau Fixe by Coralie Clement playing on repeat in my head all day, but this ended up being the perfect background music for our outing. I soaked up all the sounds and sights of early spring and reminded myself about the importance of life’s simple pleasures.

Once we finally made our way home we both, the pup and I, curled up on the couch and took and much needed afternoon name. We continued to enjoy the spring day from the couch. Perfection day.

How have you been spending your Saturday?

……PLAY ME (Jenny Lewis, “Rabbit Fur Coat)…..

Fur Coat: Vintage
(found at antique mall or $50!)
see our thrifting trip here–>
Jeans: F21
Flats: Not Rated
Purse: street vendor in Florence, Italy

This outfit shoot went a little more smoothly than the first. The key was to leave the dog in the house and go out on our own. I had my first experiences with people driving by and staring and the awkward, “hey…I’m going to look at this blank wall” moments that just happen to come with the territory.  Hope you enjoy them!

What do you know guys…spring has left us again. I’m actually sitting here looking out my window at  bunch of snow falling from the sky. Bummer! Another busy week done and gone. Looking forward to April and warmer weather, a visit from my family, my best friends birthday, and a lot of other unknown great things. This is some of the highlights of my week.

1^ Bought some books online from Borders.com. All the books I bought were 50% off! (I’m really upset that Border’s has filed bankruptcy) Books I purchased: The rest of the Hunger Game series & The Art of Racing in The Rain.
2^ The boy’s mother came to town this weekend to help do his taxes. I don’t see the point in doing them yourself, so I sent mine to “The Tax Man”. I’m pretty sure I’d screw them up if I attempted them myself.
3^ Took the puppy to the “beauty shop” for the first time. He’s seemed to like it and now his nails aren’t like daggers!
4^ I’m dying to get back outside on the weekends. I see lots of picnics and park days in the near future. I think park naps are one of my favorite things.
5^ Feeling a little bummed that I missed the blogger meet up in Arizona this weekend. A lot of the bloggers I follow were able to attend, but I couldn’t justify the expenses for a weekend trip on the other end of the US. Sadness. I hope of all the bloggers took their cameras!
6^ I hit the blogger jackpot this week as far as finding new lovely ladies to follow, so I’ve updated my daily reads list. You need to check out these gals: Designer’s Library, Esme and The Lane Way, Fancy Fine, Field Guided, & Flashes of Style.

Happy Sunday! Today is going to be a chill day…I hope.

…your world starts to get sucked back into the black hole. I think I’ve hit the wall that I hear most new bloggers talk about. The wall that makes you question whether or not all your time and effort has been worth it. You’ve been pouring out your soul, sharing your life with the world and is there anyone who really cares? Anyone listening?

The fact is this-  it shouldn’t matter if anyone is listening. I shouldn’t have set so many unrealistic goals. I should think about how I had the best time documenting my weekend, versus…who’s even going to read this? I love blogging. I love everything about it except for the technical difficulties I’ve been having with WordPress. I love the community. I need to focus on today and not where I’d like my blog to be a year from now. I need to enjoy every minute of it and take breaks when I’m a little burnt out. I need to live in the world of reality and not a world of high expectations.

I think I just needed to write this post as a reminder to myself. I need to remember that life is not about the destination, but the journey and all the adventures. I need to remind myself to keep documenting because I’ll really appreciate looking back on all the fun stuff I’ve done. I need to remember why I started this blog. This blog is for me!

Thank you to all the gals who had a chit chat with me on twitter about all these feelings. You really opened my eyes and allowed me to see things from a different perspective.

It’s been one year since we picked up our puppy from the ranch. We brought him home at 6 weeks old and he’s changed our lives for the better, despite all the trouble he’s gotten himself into. If you’re a new dog owner too, there are tons of things you ought to learn such as how to calm your puppy down in order to make your pet-owning a breeze.

There have been bumps along the way and Porter James has acquired the nickname “the problem child” and “high-maintenance”. He’s been a pretty expensive investment and has given us many sleepless nights filled with worry and concern for his health. We feed him the best food, As seen on TV commercial about Bella and Duke company we bought great quality raw good food him. Here are some details about puppy how we handle him .Are you ready for all this?

Photo 1: Porter James, 6 weeks- the day we brought him home / Photo 2 Porter James, 1 year-1 month- at the park

At 12 weeks, Porter had to have emergency stomach surgery to remove a bunch of fabric that he had eaten and that had tangled around his intestines. We caught it just in time, but it set us back a good $2,000. He wore the cone of shame for two weeks and had the staples removed later. Bad dog! He keeps us on our toes and we are frequently running towards him at full speed ripping thing he shouldn’t be eating out of his mouth. He’s getting better with age, but he’s definitely a chewer/swallower.

At 5 months old he literally stole a sock from our neighbor’s hands and swallowed it whole. We were on vacation and were pissed to have to take him to the emergency vet again. They induced vomiting, but nothing came up. They sent us home to keep an eye one him and we feared we were going to have to pay another $2,000 to remove the sock. Dear lordy, two massive surgeries can’t be good for a pup of this age. A week later Porter finally threw it up, but we were on pins and needles the whole week.

At 7 months, we took Porter on a hike with us. All was going well until we walked straight through a “tick bomb” on the trail. This basically means that thousands of nearly invisible baby ticks were all over us. ( I know. Gross)  I pretty much had a breakdown/freakout/panic attack on the trail balling my eyes out and this was the start of another few weeks from hell. We thought we had all the ticks removed and went home and showered just to be sure. Yes, the dog got in the shower too.  A few days later (after the ticks had matured and turned brown) we noticed that all 4 of Porter’s legs and feet were covered in thousands of baby ticks. THOUSANDS people! Back to the vet we went and we had to treat porter for the next two weeks and watch the ticks slowly die and fall off. Porter lived in the bathroom for those two weeks and we had the eeby jeebies for long after.  I’m never hiking again!

At 12 months, Porter James gets a double ear infection. Most dogs let you know they have an ear infection, but our happy-go-lucky puppy didn’t give us any signs. Who knows how long he had that ear infection. We had to treat the infection for two weeks with drops and a bi-weekly cleanse. Went back to the vet to make sure he was free of ear infection and NOPE…he still had it! Another 3 weeks of drops twice a day. Annoying and expensive. Take a look at the full list of cat treats here that also works for dogs that are natural, healthy and nutritious. Reduce your pets anxiety and alleviate their pain with cbd oils for dogs.

At 1 year, 1 month we found Porter chewing gum. Spearmint gum. We don’t chew spearmint gum so this means he must of scraped it off the sidewalk. Gross. His breath smelled awesome!

And here we are. Porter James is 1 year, 1 month old and has costed us well over $5,000, but we love him to death and he is the funniest little guy. Did I tell you he loves dog parks? He also smiles and makes funny faces. Thank goodness he does cute things of we would of shipped him off long ago.