friday i'm in love...

February 16, 2018 Arlene Giddings

♥ I haven't posted a photo of this little guy in a while

♥ ok...I don't think it would be a big surprise to anyone
to find out that I would totally support the idea of
"wednesday cake" ... (or Monday or Tuesday or...you get the picture)
just cake in general...♥ ♥

♥ this adorable website....i want one of everything.

♥ I don't know if I have ever written about my
little baby bullet journal. I bought this at HMS Office
Supplies on my birthday last year and I absolutely love it.
I use my big bullet journal for all the pretty stuff. But this
baby bullet just gets the brainstorming, the quick notes,
the quotes pulled out of books and blogs I want to read.
I absolutely love it and want to buy all of the colors...
although...I am partial to orange. And it's the perfect size!

♥ I love this story. It resonates deeply with me even though
cooking is obviously not my thing & I suspect that is apparent to anyone
that knows me. But I think because of his age...and because it gives me
hope that I can still find my way. They say change is the only constant,
the only thing you can really rely on...and I can see the truth in that as
my kids get older, as I consider that things I still want to do. It gives me
hope that it's not too late or inconceivable to think that I might write a
book someday...or go to Cabot Trail...or meet Billy Idol.

friday i'm in love...

February 9, 2018 Arlene Giddings

♥ with the way the sun shone through
the ice covered branches
early this morning...
it was like walking through a fairy land
all teeny tiny lights
and the only sound
was the crunch of snow
under my boots

♥ got home yesterday to find that my brakes
and my car stereo
have been fixed...
i missed my car stereo so much!
oh. and the brakes were important, too! :)

♥ this kid's sculptures...i am IN LOVE...
if you only click on one link in this post...make it this one.

♥ oh but wait...this is really cool, too!
are you sure you don't have time to open 2 links?
because this is so neat...video that shows how
everyone takes the same instagram travel photos... :)

♥ i got to spend an evening with an old friend the other night...
it has been far too long.
and it makes me so happy that,
even after being apart so long,
the conversation picked up
just like we saw each other yesterday.

♥ i think that next year, instead of celebrating New Years
and creating all the resolutions that I have already failed miserably at
because, let's face it...it's JANUARY, people...it's DEAD CENTER WINTER...
and you are exhausted from the holidays...
i am completely lying to myself when i say i am going to
go to the gym after work.
what i am going to do is come home, put on my pjs and hibernate
until the days get a little longer.
so...the thought of celebrating this instead seems far more plausible. :)

♥ someday. someday i am going to do this.

♥ i tried a new yoga class last night....
and i am SO happy that i did.
i am a little picky about my yoga classes...i tend to find
one instructor and then stick with them for a long time.
this instructor was new to me and so was the venue
but as soon as he said "are we all ok if we turn the lights down?"
i was sold.
today i have that almost pleasant muscle ache...
the one that reminds you that you actually did something good for your body.
i cannot wait to go back.

♥ have you seen this movie? you should.
(winter is the best time for settling in with a blanket and a pug,
some diet coke, buttery popcorn and letting yourself get lost
in a good movie...)

friday i'm in love...

January 19, 2018 Arlene Giddings

and yeah. i am still totally editing photos from the fall. i'm a procrastinator.

♥ with the Pocket feature. It's an easy way to bookmark/save things that interest you and it recommends other items for you based on your activity which I know creeps some people out but I kinda like. Plus I have the Pocket app on my phone so I can easily save things for my blog when I am out and about. :)

♥ this article on journalling...which I was totally going to do more of this year. And started off strong! But have faltered a little. I blame winter. And dark mornings. And cold that sucks the ever loving energy out of me. (Please see this same reason in relation to why I have not been going to the gym).

♥ i have been rewatching friends from the beginning. And I have been loving it. I will never get tired of that show. And it was exciting to realize that I might have been watching an episode that I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

♥ and speaking of high quality tv shows...have you seen this??? oh my little 80's heart.

♥ did you ever read an article and wonder how the author wrote about your life...the title alone says it all in this case... A Case for Trying (Really) Hard to Make Friends as an Adult ...

♥ life goals...what i want to be when i grow up

♥ oh my heart. Can i grow this in my backyard this year? I did manage to make sunflowers last year.

♥ and since i am gushing about beautiful things that i wish that i had created....

and not really part of friday i'm in love
but i did something today that i was
pretty proud of
and in all honesty
terrified the everloving hell out of me
as well.

i wrote a short story
and submitted it to an annual contest
that our local writer's guild holds
called Battle Tales.

they give you 3 prompts and an allowance
of 2500 words or less
and a week to write a short story and submit
and
for once in my life
i said i was going to do something
AND I DID IT.

i submitted the story tonight
and promptly felt like vomiting as soon as i hit
submit.

but i did it. no matter what happens, i followed through
and finished something for once
when it comes to writing...

i sent it to a friend whose opinion i take very seriously.
we tend to like the same writers and although she is my best friend
she is also brutally honest....

she sent me a message the next morning that said
"this is fucking dynamite. submit it."
:) :) :) :) :)

i literally wanted to print that out & wear it on a tshirt, it made me so happy.

so...keep your fingers crossed for me...
but no matter what happens, i'm happy that i made it
as far as the submit button...
it's good to put yourself out there sometimes
and see what happens,
even if it does make you feel like vomiting momentarily.
(that actually might be a sign that you are
moving in the right direction).

friday i'm in love....(where i realize i am watching too much tv)

October 13, 2017 Arlene Giddings

♥♥♥ with surprise desk deliveries of new toys for my collection...2 smurfs AND this
adorable cookie monster with an ice cream cone. sigh. such awesome sweet co-worker friends i have. ♥♥♥

♥♥♥ this show. i mean...it's about a kid called mayonnaise. and yeah, it's a kid's show.
but let's face it...that's what i apparently relate best to. oh...and if you watch it,
please tell me you laughed just as hard as i did at "i'm a banana".

♥♥♥ i have been listening to this a lot.

♥♥♥ and yeah...i got sucked into this. i didn't want to.
i watched the first one and was all like...what! that's not really what
Archie was like...why isn't jughead eating burgers...mr lodge isn't in jail!
but...i kinda wanna know what happened to jason blossom.
and the soundtrack isn't bad either.

♥♥♥ the response to the 365 robot love project.
and my favorite thing to hear is "my kid loves your robots".
that literally just makes my heart bounce up and down...
totally in a good way.

♥♥♥ flannel sheets back on the bed...big fluffy duvets...fuzzy socks...fleece lined leggings

♥♥♥ homemade strawberry sauce...how have i NEVER made this before...

♥♥♥ kindereggs with MINIONS

♥♥♥ fall leaves...

friday i'm in love...

September 29, 2017 Arlene Giddings

it's been a long time
since i have done a "friday i'm in love"...
:)

♥ with season premieres! old favorites and brand new ones...(what are you watching?)
♥ with this show...i am so sorry that i scoffed at it once upon a time...i'm definitely hooked now.
♥ the foo fighters have a new album (again...what do you call it now? album? cd? songs you magically pull out of the air? i never know anymore)...and i have heard that i should check out the documentary on netflix, so i am adding that to my list.
♥ this song
♥ people finding things they thought they had lost forever...

♥ with all the sunflowers in my yard finally
♥ with my maple apple cider bourbon scented candle from Superstore. i regret not buying more of these.
♥ with the thought of maybe trying this for October...but sticking with robot theme maybe...
♥ i don't like the weather is getting cooler...but i do like chicken fricot.
♥ superstore had the markers i was looking for...for A DOLLAR NINETY SEVEN. and yeah, i'm not embarrassed to say they were crayola markers for ages 5 and up. heh.

what are you watching/reading/listening to right now?
i'm always looking for ideas!
:)