Oh, what wouldn't I give in order to win all the goodies here:
http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2011/02/07/2600-61-shops-1-winner-the-awesome-photog-love-giveaway-from-laura-winslow-photography/comment-page-22/#comment-50060
And now...time to annoy all my FB friends by trying to earn more entries to win! Everything is so darling.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Another Giveaway!
Another fabulous giveaway at A Bowl Full of Lemons today! This time, you can win an adorable handmade cleaning caddy from Thirty-One. I never win anything but here's hoping!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Organization!
Hi, my name is Emily and I'm a mess.
Seriously.
I was not raised by a mom who worried too much about keeping a neat and tidy house. We wouldn't have made it onto that TV show, "Hoarders," but it just wasn't much of a priority. If my room was messy, it was okay as long as I closed the door.
Steve was raised by the best housekeeper on the planet. I am not kidding you. Every inch of her home is spotless, perfectly organized, and divine. You might think you would be uncomfortable and nervous about making a mess but it really just feels wonderful. My MIL also works a full-time job. I really want to run a house like she does but can't figure out how to make it a priority. I know it seems so easy to you neatniks out there - you just do it - but for me I struggle to find the motivation. Although I usually only work a 50 hour week, I exert a lot of mental energy at work so when I get home I only want to relax. P.S. When did 50 hours get paired with "only"? Time to move to the Netherlands, where the work an average of 26% less hours per year compared to the United States. Could be worse, though. South Koreans work 34% more than us!
Okay, okay, I digress. Turns out I blog like I talk. All over the place. The point I was getting to is that, although I enjoy my leisure time, I am certain I would like it more in a more organized environment. I stumbled upon the blog, A Bowl Full of Lemons, recently. It is devoted to leading a clean and organized life. I haven't spent a lot of time on there yet but am hopeful it'll be good. She is doing weekly challenges and I'm determined to follow along. I just went to Office Depot to purchase the supplies for Week #1 - The Home Management Binder! Check out her blog and follow the challenges with me - I need all the motivation I can get! Here's to a neater,cleaner 2011!
Cheers!
Emsielou
Seriously.
I was not raised by a mom who worried too much about keeping a neat and tidy house. We wouldn't have made it onto that TV show, "Hoarders," but it just wasn't much of a priority. If my room was messy, it was okay as long as I closed the door.
Steve was raised by the best housekeeper on the planet. I am not kidding you. Every inch of her home is spotless, perfectly organized, and divine. You might think you would be uncomfortable and nervous about making a mess but it really just feels wonderful. My MIL also works a full-time job. I really want to run a house like she does but can't figure out how to make it a priority. I know it seems so easy to you neatniks out there - you just do it - but for me I struggle to find the motivation. Although I usually only work a 50 hour week, I exert a lot of mental energy at work so when I get home I only want to relax. P.S. When did 50 hours get paired with "only"? Time to move to the Netherlands, where the work an average of 26% less hours per year compared to the United States. Could be worse, though. South Koreans work 34% more than us!
Okay, okay, I digress. Turns out I blog like I talk. All over the place. The point I was getting to is that, although I enjoy my leisure time, I am certain I would like it more in a more organized environment. I stumbled upon the blog, A Bowl Full of Lemons, recently. It is devoted to leading a clean and organized life. I haven't spent a lot of time on there yet but am hopeful it'll be good. She is doing weekly challenges and I'm determined to follow along. I just went to Office Depot to purchase the supplies for Week #1 - The Home Management Binder! Check out her blog and follow the challenges with me - I need all the motivation I can get! Here's to a neater,cleaner 2011!
Cheers!
Emsielou
Embroidery Machine!
Sweet Steve got me a Brother embroidery machine for Christmas! It is fancy so it will also be my birthday present this year. So worth it! I let it sit on the kitchen table for 2 or 3 weeks after it arrived because I was intimidated by it. Turns out I was worried over nothing. It is SO fun and pretty easy, too! If you forget how to do things, like wind a bobbin on it, there are little step-by-step videos on the LCD screen. I made these double pointed knitting needle pouches as my first project with the machine. I have been neglecting my regular sewing machine, as well, so it was good to put it to use.
http://kathrynivy.com/patterns/extras/needle-pouches/
I embroidered the size of the needles on each pouch. It was so fun to make something that combines so many of my crafts - embroidery, sewing, and knitting! I am kinda partial to mine because they are covered in either monkeys or polka dots. I hope someone out there gets to enjoy this pattern, too! If I actually get better about blogging I promise to take better pictures and format these entries better. That's all for now. Happy crafting!
xx,
Emsielou
http://kathrynivy.com/patterns/extras/needle-pouches/
I embroidered the size of the needles on each pouch. It was so fun to make something that combines so many of my crafts - embroidery, sewing, and knitting! I am kinda partial to mine because they are covered in either monkeys or polka dots. I hope someone out there gets to enjoy this pattern, too! If I actually get better about blogging I promise to take better pictures and format these entries better. That's all for now. Happy crafting!
xx,
Emsielou
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Post a day?
Who thinks I can do a post a day? {crickets chirping} Well, I haven't even told anyone I started this yet (because I know it would bore ya to tears) but I wonder how long it would take for me to break the streak...honestly, though, is it better to do a tiny post a day at the risk of being mundane or should I wait until something interesting pops up? Only time will tell.
I have felt like garbage all weekend. Austinites will understand me when I mention the dreaded "Cedar Fever." Turns out the Live Music Capital of the World is also the Allergy Capital of the World. You see, we have these Mountain Juniper trees here that are mistakenly referred to as Cedar. They fill the air with their dreadful pollen every winter and make many miserable here...including yours truly. I went from no allergies for my entire life to now having symptoms most days of the year with an especially miserable 3 months each winter. I've been curled up on the couch sipping tea, weirdly tired/awake due to my zyrtec/sudafed cocktail, and fantasizing about ripping my eyeballs out of their sockets while scratching the back of my throat with razor blades. Hey, a girl's gotta dream.
I have been a little productive, though. I made two adorable newborn hats this weekend. I will figure out how to upload pictures ASAP to share. No, I am not pregnant. I am looking forward to kids at some point but I currently craft with two goals in mind: baby gifts and becoming a billionaire. There are 7 important people having babies soon. My dear friend, Jenny R., is having her second baby boy this month; my medical assistant and his wife are having a little girl in February, my beautiful maid of honor, Jenny C.O., is having a girl in April; and then 4 other VIP's are due in May: my other {equally beautiful} maid of honor, Sandy; my sister-in-law {Steve's sister}, Mandy; my very best friend from my first PNP job, Emily; and a childhood friend's brother and his wife, who moved to Austin last year. My goal is to not be months or years late as has typically been my m.o. But after you seven I may {but probably will not} take a break!
Oh yeah, and the billionaire part...I am very interested in creating and selling my own knit/crochet patterns. I will likely never sell finished work because it takes too bloody long, though. We shall see. That's all for now. I'm off to find some razor blades. Be well.
xx,
Emily
I have felt like garbage all weekend. Austinites will understand me when I mention the dreaded "Cedar Fever." Turns out the Live Music Capital of the World is also the Allergy Capital of the World. You see, we have these Mountain Juniper trees here that are mistakenly referred to as Cedar. They fill the air with their dreadful pollen every winter and make many miserable here...including yours truly. I went from no allergies for my entire life to now having symptoms most days of the year with an especially miserable 3 months each winter. I've been curled up on the couch sipping tea, weirdly tired/awake due to my zyrtec/sudafed cocktail, and fantasizing about ripping my eyeballs out of their sockets while scratching the back of my throat with razor blades. Hey, a girl's gotta dream.
I have been a little productive, though. I made two adorable newborn hats this weekend. I will figure out how to upload pictures ASAP to share. No, I am not pregnant. I am looking forward to kids at some point but I currently craft with two goals in mind: baby gifts and becoming a billionaire. There are 7 important people having babies soon. My dear friend, Jenny R., is having her second baby boy this month; my medical assistant and his wife are having a little girl in February, my beautiful maid of honor, Jenny C.O., is having a girl in April; and then 4 other VIP's are due in May: my other {equally beautiful} maid of honor, Sandy; my sister-in-law {Steve's sister}, Mandy; my very best friend from my first PNP job, Emily; and a childhood friend's brother and his wife, who moved to Austin last year. My goal is to not be months or years late as has typically been my m.o. But after you seven I may {but probably will not} take a break!
Oh yeah, and the billionaire part...I am very interested in creating and selling my own knit/crochet patterns. I will likely never sell finished work because it takes too bloody long, though. We shall see. That's all for now. I'm off to find some razor blades. Be well.
xx,
Emily
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year, New Blog!
Umm, what have I gotten myself into here? I've always wanted to keep a blog and decided, for many reasons, that I would start this year. I had no clue how many settings, formats, and general intricacies would be involved, though! Please bear with me as I figure out how to do this, how to make this format more interesting, and how to write things that someone might actually want to read.
Here goes nothing...
Here goes nothing...
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