Sunday, December 23, 2012

Commercial Modular Buildings

The popularity of commercial modular buildings is growing quickly, as both business owners and public officials have become aware of their advantages. Commercial structures vary from temporary single to multiple unit modules. They also have permanent, customized and original alternatives for specific needs of clients. Among the most popular uses are classrooms, educational complexes, offices, hotels, dormitories and medical facilities.

Portable Buildings – Some Unique Advantages

portable buildings are also known as demountable buildings or modular buildings. They are specially designed structures that can be demounted and transported to another site without the full processes of deconstruction and reconstruction.

Monday, November 26, 2012

shop mannequins

Marketing has always been about finding out what people want, and then presenting them with that in as appealing a way as possible. shop mannequins have been shown to handle the presentation very effectively, but of course you need to make sure that you get your display and choice of mannequins right. shop mannequins allow you to present a complete image to your customer, that clothes and accessories hanging on a rack alone won't do. You want to show prospects that the items will look good on them when they wear them, and that they create the image they want to present. People want to look good in front of others. They also want to wear things that other people agree is the fashion. Shop-front displays show them what the latest fashion trends are.

Visit Our Website!

Come visit our website and its brand new customer-friendly layout! www.zuriandcompany.com We have a wide-variety of high-quality hair products that are sure to fit your different hair needs! Our products range from skin wefts to professional hair tools.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Our 2012 Holiday Cards & NextAdvisor

Christmas decor 2011
 our Christmas card display last year

When NextAdvisor contacted me about using their services to choose our Christmas cards, I knew I had heard about the company but wasn't too sure what they were all about. I asked some questions and did some research, and found out that they are a REALLY cool service that is free and available for anyone and everyone to use.

In a nutshell NextAdvisor is a comparision site that allows you took look at a ton of different options for whatever it is you need, and make a decision based on the information they provide. They review everything from credit monitoring services, online back up, web hosting providers, online diet programs, and much more. One thing that sets them apart from other similar sites is that they have a content team that actually tests out each service, making their reviews and comparisons much more in depth. Another difference is that no advertiser can pay for their ranking or placement on NextAdvisor- it's truly an editorial decision to rank them the way they do. Awesome right?

So, I decided to use the service to select my family's Christmas cards for this year. There are a million and one options, and over the past few years I've tried a bunch of different companies but always seem to choose my trusty favorite. I was excited to have use a site that would bring every photo card company to me, compare and review them, and maybe give me enough information so I could try something new.

The process was simple. First, I visited their main photocard review site and started exploring. In the past I had used TinyPrints, Shutterfly and Zazzle, but there were on a ton on the list I hadn't tried. I clicked over the comparison chart to see which companies matched up with what I wanted: good service, a great selection of beautifully designed cards, and high quality prints. Due to my parameters I was able to check quite a few off of my list right away.

I was left with a good handful, and decided to check out the reviews for each. Both Minted and TinyPrints' reviews stood out to me (seriously, check those reviews out- so in-depth and helpful!) so I then headed over to both of their individual sites to do some research on the kind of holiday cards they offered.

I visited Minted first and fell in LOVE with so many of their cards. NextAdvisor's review was right on- they were a little pricey for small orders but their quality was apparent and their selection was huge and really, really great. I loved that they offered a ton of simple designs that focused on the photo, but even if their busier designs you could still feel a really nice design element to them and so many of the cards made their way onto my "maybe" list.

Then I headed over to TinyPrints to check out their current card selection. I found some favorites there too, and again, NextAdvisor's review was spot on in giving them the overall win. I've used TinyPrints before and found their service and quality to be excellent, and I often choose them because I trust the company and I'm familiar with them.


In the end I decided to go with Minted to do our holiday cards this year. NextAdvisor's site was totally helpful for a few reasons but most of all because it allowed me to shop all of the sites in one place, and get honest reviews that gave me enough to move away from my "old favorite" and try something new. I am SO excited to check out our cards from Minted, and I will definitely be using NextAdvisor in the future to do all of the work for me!


*this is a sponsored post, but as always all opinions and writing are my own. xoxo

Tuesday Randomness

Welcome to my brain. It's a big mish-mash of thoughts today, so I thought I'd empty my head into this little blog. And while I'm at it, here's a random photo to go along with it. I snapped this high-quality mirror picture while in Flagstaff this past weekend while battling snow, ice and insane winds...but thankfully I packed for it. So grateful for that scarf right there- its warmth was my saving grace.

It's freezing up here! Jackets and scarves and boots =

- I want to have a million babies. Hank will cringe while reading this- he is in the two-will-compromise-at-three camp and I am in the eight or nine camp. Uh what? Totally kidding. But really, to me there is nothing better than being a Mom and I'd love to have a whole house full of wild little things. Three I think. Maybe four. Although perhaps we should start with two...

- I don't like peplum tops. Maybe my shoulders are too broad but they look ridiculous on me.

- I don't know how I was ever vegan. Today shredding cheese for Henry's lunch turned into eating cheese straight from the block and I think a little part of me died from happiness. I'm so obsessed with Gouda cheese and I can't imagine life without it.

- I constantly go through this weird thing with the internet, maybe everyday, where I feel like I share too much. Then I don't care. Then I feel like I should share even more in order to be 100% genuine. Then I kind of do, then I feel uncomfortable because it's strange to have so many people read what you write. And then I write something like this and feel totally boring because really, no one cares. Make sense? And on a side note, any and every time I write about blogging I tell myself not to do it again...but then I inevitably do. 

- I think about getting pregnant with a second baby all of the time. I'm so, so excited for this to happen but then I think about having another c-section and I have this strange fear of of that needle in my back. If I think about it too much I get the chills and feel like I'm going to throw up. Weird that the needle is scarier to me than the surgery but that's where my mind goes.

- Recently I've realized that I need certain simple things to make me feel my best. I have no idea why it took me this long to really get it, but whatever, at least I now know, right? Specifically, I need to get at least eight hours of sleep, drink water all day long, avoid sugar, do straight cardio a few times a week, and read more than I watch television. It's so interesting to look back on periods of my life when I felt out of whack physically, and I was always missing one of these components. It can be hard to be successful in every single area but the more I focus on it, the better I feel.

- I've been writing this post on what makes me truly happy after being inspired by The Happiness Project and it's seems like the most simple thing but it's SO eye opening. Hank and I had the longest discussion the other night about what makes us happy, both separately and together, and I think it was such a good "couples" thing to do. I've been with the guy for over eight years so it's kind of rare to learn something totally new, but I feel like they're the best little surprise gems ever and doing this I got a couple of them. Maybe I'll share more about this later.

- I find Calliou to be insanely annoying. This is a bold statement, but he just might be the most annoying kid's TV character to ever exist. Dora is a close second of course, but Calliou takes the cake, at least in my book! Not in Henry's though, the kid LOVES him!



Sunday, November 11, 2012

Mondays & Little Goals


Maybe I'm the odd one out but I love, love, love Mondays. I enjoy setting small weekly goals for myself every Sunday evening, and then waking up fresh on Monday morning, ready to work on them throughout the week.

Are you in the habit of making goals like this? I'm not sure why I started doing it, but I can remember all the way back to growing up in NJ and writing them out in my little black and red "C.W. Goetz Middle School" planner they'd give us each new year. I write things like "curl my hair every morning" or "do my homework every night before bed!" Nowadays those would be translated into "take time for me and get ready every morning" or "don't procrastinate scheduling posts- get things done early!"

I thought would be fun to share my goals here this week, and ask you guys to share yours too. Sometimes being accountable makes it a little easier, so if you'd like to participate, write your three goals out in the comments. I promise I won't badger you about them via Twitter!

Here are my 3 mini-goals for this week:

1. Lift up the people around me. Take time everyday to tell my family and friends how much I love and appreciate them. 

I'm good about this with Hank, but sometimes I get so caught up in our busy life that I forget to reach out to my faraway friends and family and let them know I'm thinking of them. This week I want to focus on doing just that.

2. Go to sleep by 10pm every night.

This is a huge issue for me. I stay up WAY too late doing dumb stuff and wasting a TON of time. Sometimes I'll just be online browsing blogs or "fake" online shopping (you know, filling up your cart but never checking out), and suddenly I'll realize it's 12:15am and Henry will be up in less then 7 hours. Ugh. So this week I am focusing on a 10pm bedtime. I tried last week and failed miserably. And let's just pretend it's not already 11:15. I had to break a goal to make a goal, okay?!

3. Do something new with Henry dveryday.

This is something I've been focusing on for awhile, and I'd like to continue it this week. "Something new" doesn't have to be a huge event or big deal, but we've both been enjoying breaking out of our comfort zone these recently and trying new things. This week I want to get some more outdoor time in before it gets even colder! I'm thinking a nice Autumn picnic is in our near future.

So that's me, what about you? I can't wait to see what you're working on this week.

Once upon a time I went away to college...

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Once upon a time I went away to college, two and a half hours north of where my parents lived. I went knowing just a few people- one close friend from high school, a couple more from sports- but after growing up surrounded by the same people for so long, it was a totally different experience to be just plopped down in this new place, without my support system all around me. Luckily just over two hours wasn't so far at all, but it was still a shock to suddenly be on my own after being so not on my own my entire life.

They had all of the freshman arrive a week early to get acclimated to our new college world and attend some of the million events and activities happening all over campus. I remember contiuously seeing signs for Greek life and Rush Week and it started to get my wheels turning a bit. Sorority life? I wasn't too sure. I certainly hadn't come to college with the intention of rushing, but in the spirit of "new" that was pervading every inch of my life, I decided to try it out and dragged along my friend from home.

I think sometimes it's hard to really see life-changing events for what they are as they are happening, and I'm not sure if I really grasped just how much this would change my life. There's so much more to say about my four years as a Pi Phi- many more stories for another day for sure- but for now I'll just say that looking all the way back to 2000 I can't even begin to express how fortunate I am that I just did it. Through it and its connections I met my lifelong friends, the girls who I call my sisters and who are deeply intertwined into my life so naturally and easily that it's amazing to just step back and look at this family of friends we've created. We may not all be the same; in fact, we're insanely different, but over the past decade we've all grown together and apart, and back together again in different ways, that our now adult selves are able to really appreciate the strength and stability of our bond even more. We don't all talk all of the time, and naturally some of us are closer than others, but when we are all reunited it's as if no time has passed. And to me, that is the sign of a true friendship.

And now fast forward twelve years to the present. It's Fall again in Flagstaff, the leaves are orange and gold and red. It's freezing out, our breath clouding the air as we laugh and talk, and the clouds hang in the same way around the San Francisco Peaks just as they did ten years ago. I walk arm in arm with the girls I spent four years laughing and partying and studying with. The girls who have seen it all. We talk about old times and we catch up on our todays. We reminisce at how strange it is to be back together in this place, visiting our old haunts and walking the same steps we did, way back in the beginning. And we make wishes for the future, looking ahead to a day just like today and yesterday, when the six of us will walk arm in arm together again as little old ladies, thinking how strange it is to be back together in this place, visiting our old haunts and walking the same steps we did when we were young.

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She is a friend of mind.  She gather me, man.  The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.  It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind
  
-Toni Morrison, Beloved

Friday, November 9, 2012

CLOSED // Giveaway: Win a free night via Radisson for their 50th Anniversary!


WINNER:

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As you guys know I don't do a ton of giveaways (or very many at all), but when I do, they're awesome! And this one is really wonderful and so perfect with holiday travel just around the corner.

This month I've teamed up with Radisson Hotels during their 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Rooms promotion to celebrate their 50th anniversary! They've chosen 50 of their favorite bloggers to give away one room a day, everyday, until December 10th. Each morning at 10:00AM EST that day’s blogger will be revealed through a tab on the Radisson Facebook page. You can enter on as many blogs as you'd like, so be sure to visit that tab daily to find out who the next blogger is!

 
To enter to win one night's stay at a Radisson hotel:

Leave a comment below with your full name and email address. Please be sure your email address is correct, as this is the way a representative from Radisson will contact you if you win.

For up to four additional entries:

Do one or all of the options below, then leave a separate comment for each. So in the end you may leave up to 5 comments for 5 entries! Those are some good odds!

1. Like Radisson on Facebook.

2. Like Sometimes Sweet on Facebook.

3. Follow me on Twitter.

4. Share via Twitter using this tweet:
I entered to win a free room through the 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Rooms giveaway via @radisson & @danihampton! #Radisson50 http://tinyurl.com/aur7py9

I'll choose a winner tomorrow evening (Sunday Nov. 11) and post it here, so be sure to check back!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Weekend Links

"I want to vote, Mama!" See that little "I voted" sticker? This is the proud face of a little one who had a great first-time experience "voting!"
Henry, post-voting on Tuesday. See that little sticker? He was so proud of himself.

Yay, Friday! Every week I sound like a broken record but I can't help it...I'm just so happy it's the weekend! This one should be especially fun too. Later today I'll be heading up to Flagstaff to meet up with five of my college girlfriends for a rare couple of days all together. I'm so excited to get lost in nostalgia visiting our favorite places and eating all of our favorite foods...and also catching up and making some new memories too. Feel free to follow along with me on Instagram as I (over)gram the weekend away (user name: danihampton). Then Sunday Hank, Henry and I have a fun family movie night planned. We're going through all the Disney classics to get ready for our Disney trip in a few months. So far Henry's favorites are Lady and the Tramp and Dumbo. My vote for this week's pick is The Little Mermaid...the best!

And usual, here are some links to enjoy. xo

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18 things you should say yes to. Such a fun article.

My friend's partner runs Welcome Home Cleaning, a cleaning service in Phoenix that uses all Method products. Pretty awesome, right? Check 'em out!

Still Juxing, still loving it! And, good news, the Jux app will be released soon!

I linked to this awesome e-book last week, but if you missed it, be sure to check out A Hip, Handmade Holiday. See my pal Emily's adorable promo video here.

Last Links post my "Tips for New Bloggers" link was broken and I couldn't fix it until later in the week. For those who missed it, here it is.

I've download almost all of these fonts- they're great...and free!

Okay, I think I am finally going to try these no-heat curls after seeing this tutorial

A wonderful post on happiness

A night at the museum...I would love to attend something like this!

92 years of women voting in pictures. Love this one.

Adore Cailyn's blog- check out her "Currently" post from this week.

Tofu pumpkin pie! Yum.

Annnd...pomegranate picking!

22 of your childhood style icons, revisited. Blossom anyone? Although I was actually more of a Six girl if you must know.

Remember how I asked for tips for Disney with a little one earlier this week? Well one of my sweet readers sent me this link on Modern Kiddo. Such a wonderful, informative post.

Love the "Teach Me Something" series on Michele's blog- this week's is pretty awesome.  Then head over to Jess' blog and learn how to crochet a rose!

Talk to your cab driver.

Deep in the woods. Enjoyed this post on one of my most favorite blogs.

Some discount codes from my sponsors:

15% off with "DREAM15" at Feathers and Sinew
15% off with "SOSWEET" at Moorea Seal

Speaking of shops, have you checked out my sponsor Zaia yet? 

Here are some fabulous blogs to visit: one, two, three and four. Have fun getting lost in those blogs...so much amazing-ness!

Finally, and most importantly, here are some blog posts from around the web via Sarah, about Hurricane Sandy. If you're interested in donating, The Red Cross is always a good option. One of my readers also sent a link to a fundraising site to help her family after everything they owned was destroyed.

Volunteer Sunday
The Side of the Storm You May Not See on TV
My Un-Marathon Weekend
Don't You Forget About Us

Literate & Stylish: Lindsay from elledoubleyouu

LS
The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 


from Lindsay (aka LW) of elledoubleyouu
 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

As a high school English teacher and a voracious lifelong reader, I am constantly asked The Dreaded Question: what is my favorite book? I have come to realize that the reason I dread this question and have such difficulty answering it is that at this point in my life as a reader I have many different relevant responses, varying by genre, country, time period, etc., all filed away in my head.

So, for this feature I racked my brain to pick the perfect book to share. I considered a number of options, including The Sound and the Fury, The Time Traveler's Wife, Angelology, and Wuthering Heights. In the end, I decided to share one of my favorite books I've read in the past year, from my current favorite Young Adult author, Maggie Stiefvater. I have always been interested in YA fiction, and what I love about Stiefvater is that she takes mythology (such as werewolves and water horses) and writes about them within the YA conventions in a manner that is beautiful and intelligent. The Scorpio Races is Stiefvater's most recent novel, based on the mythology of water horses. Although I had never read or heard anything about the water horses prior to reading The Scorpio Races, I was pulled in by Stiefvater's action-packed descriptions of the racing, the majestic and otherworldly horses, and mostly by her characters, with whom I fell in love. One hing Stiefvater does so incredibly well in this book is to make characters that feel tangible and likeable and unique all at once. Sean Kendrick is nothing like your run-of-the-mill modern day YA male protagonist, which makes him even more delicious and intriguing.

This book has everything: horses, magic, action, a hot book boyfriend, a non-cliche love story, and an endearing female underdog to root for. Add in Stiefvater's bewitching way with words, and this book instantly rocketed onto my ever growing list of favorite books (mentally filed under YA and recently read).

I won't give any more away, but I strongly suggest reading this book, as well as Stiefvater's other novels.




see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 
I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.  

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Family Photos in Sedona

After Emily Snitzer took some 2-year photos of Henry and our little family, I couldn't resist booking her one more time to capture some of Sedona's beauty in the Fall. I'm kind of obsessed with family photos, but they're not always the easiest thing with Henry being almost two, and always moving and playing. Trying to wrangle him enough to sit down for a shot can be close to impossible but yet again Emily managed to really capture him and us, and I will forever and ever cherish these photos.

Emily is based in Phoenix but will travel anywhere, so if you're interested in booking her for a session, a wedding, an event, whatever, be sure to get in contact with her. She is a truly talented photographer and I can't express enough how blown away we are with her beautiful work.

She still has some spots left in November for her mini-sessions (perfect for holiday cards and family gifts!), so if you're in Arizona or surrounding areas, contact her and treat you and your family to some amazing photographs. Be sure to tell her I sent you, and be sure to send me the link to your photos in her blog once they're up- I would love to see them!

Thank you so much again Emily, you are a magician! If you're interested you can see the rest of the photos here, and thank you to LuLu*s for sending me this adorable sweater- I love it.

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Monday, November 5, 2012

Currently.

Every night I go to sleep thinking there is no way I could love this little boy more than I do. But then I wake up, and my heart has miraculously and wonderfully grown overnight, making room for all the falling in love I'll do again and again (and again).
photo by Emily Snitzer - more to come later this week. Edited with the Afterglow app on my iPhone.
Have you checked it out yet? Loving it!

Watching: I'm currently super into a few shows, the first being Revenge. Another one of those programs I heard a ton about from a million people but never watched for one reason or another. I think most of all it just looked super cheesy- and not like I'm above super cheesy shows (hello Footballers' Wives, hello Make It Or Break It, hello...should I go on?) but this just looked kind of dumb. Well surprise, surprise it's actually really amazing, with good acting and great writing. I'm totally sucked in and have gotten a few of my friends addicted in the past couple of weeks too. I'm also loving Nashville so, so much. It might be my favorite new show this year. Have you seen it yet? It's superb and the music just gets me every time. Plus, you can't go wrong with Connie Britton. And the final show I'm loving (besides Bravo's premiere week this week- YES!) is X Factor. I am loving a few of the contestants- Beatrice Miller, Tate (country singer), and a couple more. I'm so curious to see what happens this week. On a related note, I sometimes forget how silly I sound when I talk about television so seriously, so thank you to you non-television loving people for bearing with me while I go on and on (and on!).

Listening to: lots of country and lots of the Cloud Atlas soundtrack. Do yourself a favor and listen to the last song on the soundtrack- but be warned it might make you cry like it does me! I still need to see the movie, but in the meantime the music is making my day and become my own little soundtrack to blogging. As far as country I've been loving Luke Bryan's Tailgates and Tanlines, and I've been listening to a lot of Dixie Chicks too (much to Hank's disgust, haha). I've also had the new Broadway Calls and The Swellers on heavy rotation. 

Planning: Disneyland! Have any of you gone with a 2-year old? We're planning our first trip with Henry for February or March and I've never been with a little one. I have a lot of research to do, but I'm curious about what rides he'll be able to go on at his age (about 2 1/2), which ones you'd recommend from experience, and any other bits of wisdom you'd like to send our way! I'm sure I'll write a post once it gets closer but any early-planning info would be awesome.

Thinking about: the election today. I have so many thoughts, some of which I really have to stop myself from sharing for fear of offending some of my closest friends. I am voting for Obama for a million reasons, including but not limited to women having rights to their own bodies and equal rights for all. It's hard to verbalize just how disappointed I feel that Romney's stance on so many things could even be accepted by the nation I live in, but I know that everyone has their own viewpoints and is entitled to them. And unfortunately it's close to impossible to even try to change their minds, especially when those beliefs are so deeply rooted in religion. Just as no one could ever convince me that being gay is "wrong," I doubt I could ever convince someone of the opposite. And that upsets me, but I really try and remind myself that as much as I think I am right, they think they are right too. Ugh, it's hard. I accept my friends and their views no matter what though, and I know that it's okay to feel differently about things. But I will say this: I am so, so scared for womankind (and humankind) if Romney is elected. I do not pray but I am crossing my fingers and toes that our President is elected another term to finish what he started (cleaning up).

Looking forward to: this weekend! I'm heading up to Flagstaff for a little college girls reunion. It's been years since we've all been in the same place at the same time, and since no one is getting married, pregnant, or experiencing any of the other huge life events that have been happening on the regular since we last saw each other, we are good to go! Hank was sweet enough to plan a "guys weekend" for himself and Henry, and I'm grateful I'm able to go and spend a couple days with my sorority sisters and girlfriends where it all began.

Reading: I've been a reading machine lately. Currently reading Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin and loving it. I'm also about to finally start Gone Girl, although I'm a little nervous because I've heard it's a little intense! I'll keep you posted. Oh, and how could I forget Goodnight Construction Site? We've been reading that one a million times a night thanks to a little guy by the name of Henry (or Hennison, Henny, Henson, or any of the other million silly nicknames we've given him).

Making me happy: visiting my sis and Abe in their beautiful new home this past weekend, quality time with my parents, texts with Amber Joy that make me laugh out loud at my phone, getting excited about all of the holiday fun coming our way, the box full of something awesome for Henry's party that arrived yesterday, exciting blog stuff, making new friends, continuing to stay in the positive when it comes to negative online stuff, Henry and that contagious smile of his, turkey and provolone sandwiches, new flats that fit like an absolute dream (more on them later this week), and a fun date night Saturday with Hank that ended with frozen yogurt and fits of laughter.

So, how about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments for everyone to check out. And thanks again to my dear friend Megan for providing the original inspiration for these posts.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Book Review: The Age of Miracles

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I finished The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker this evening, after poring over every word, reading and rereading every line in it. I'm not really sure how to even begin talking about it besides telling all of you to read it- to just go get it, to go pick up this novel that is somehow more like a long poem, page after page.

The Age of Miracles is fiction, although I feel like it could be real, which is strange and scary all at once. Without giving too much away I will say that it is about our world right now gone wrong- how a "slowing" of the Earth's rotation suddenly happens, and it's about what happens next. The writing is beautiful, pages full of the sharpest imagery and words that just click together like they were meant to be written precisely in that way. There are many stories in one- the Earth's story, a family's story, a growing up story that reminds me a lot of my own sometimes awkward adolesence, and a love story...a beautiful, touching story that brought me back to being 11-years old myself, falling in love with the boy on the skateboard.

This is a special book, a book for adult fiction lovers, YA fiction lovers, Sci-Fi lovers....anyone who loves good read. It made me laugh and cry, and I found myself squeezing in 5 minutes, 10 minutes of reading whenever I could.

Just watch this trailer for the book, then get yourself a copy...and let me know what you think.

xoxo


Saturday, November 3, 2012

Weekend Links

Shark on the loose!
a little shark on the loose at our library's Halloween party last week

Happy Saturday morning! This weekend should be a good one full of friends and family. On the agenda: a baby shower, visiting my sister and Abe's brand new home, and hopefully a stop at our favorite vegan restaurant.

I have been loving seeing all of your Halloween posts, and thank you guys for humoring me as I posted about 10-too-many (okay maybe 15) photos in my own post. Oh well! It's for the sake of posterity right?

Wishing all of you a wonderful time this weekend!

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First up, have you checked out LuLu*s new site?  LuLu*s has been a sponsor of mine in the past and I love love love so many of the items on their site. I'll be posting some family photos next week and in them I'm wearing my favorite sweater from there. I've always enjoyed shopping on their site, but the new version makes navigation a million times easier and they're offering some awesome new things too, like free returns. Check it out and let me know if you find something you like! Here are some of my picks: this party perfect dress and these sweet and simple flats.


Looking for a way to get creative this holiday season? The Craft Pack (made up of three talented people, including my friend Susan!) has created an e-book called A Hip Handmade Holiday, teaching you how to make gifts for everyone in your family for under $10. And best of all, the book itself is $10. Awesome.


And some more links:

5 excuses that keep you unhealthy

Simple and so true.

Loving this Etsy shop! So many little treasures.

There is just something about November.

One of my most favorite blogs. Ever!

Have you checked out the Just Lovely blog yet? So many pretty things and inspiration. 

The Nature Walk Project: One Year Later. 

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self. I sure love that Gretchen Rubin.

And speaking of Gretchen Rubin, she interviewed another one of my favorite authors Cheryl Strayed. Good stuff!

Mayor Bloomberg endorses Obama - an interesting read.

Fairy-tales for 20-somethings.

I always enjoy Sara's posts, and this "reality check" was a good one.

Pushing Daisies in the theater?! Even this shred of hope makes me so happy.

Pretty Moms, pretty threads! Love this inspiring look at the ladies behind my new favorite blog.

Super sweet of Babble to include this "Flashback Friday" pic of Henry in their round up of 50 Favorite Halloween pics.

Obsessed with this pinboard calendar from Pinhole Press.

Sponsor love, Etsy edition: Mary Mary Handmade and Feathers and Sinew.

California on film...

And finally some "vintage" Sometimes Sweet:

Tips for new bloggers
Sweet 16: A Letter to My Younger Self
Mirror, Mirror: A Post About Self-Acceptance

xoxo

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Our Halloween


“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." -L.M. Montgomery

October is one of my favorite months, and Halloween in our town is always a big affair. We have events leading up to the big day all month, which I love. And this year was the best yet! It was Henry's 2nd Halloween and it was awesome to watch him get so excited over just about everything. I think my heart melted into a big puddle about a million times watching him say "trick or treat!" while he held out that orange pumpkin.

Henry and I went to CrossFit in the morning, then came home so he could take a long afternoon nap to gear up for our evening. We headed out around 4pm to beat the rush of older kids and I'm glad, because as we finished up around 5:30 it got insanely crowded. Afterward we stopped by both sets of local grandparents and then headed home to put a super sleepy little guy to bed.


I absolutely loved Hank and Henry's costumes! Silly me planned on being a waitress of some sort to go along with the guys but I didn't get a good costume together so instead I was a last-minute sailor. Mark my words, next year we will have a much better 3-person get up! We trick-or-treated with Veronica and her family and little Max was a Grill Master and Trevor wore Hank's hot dog costume from last year to go along with our Dad/son food/chef theme. Veronica was a last-minute devil, so we were both the odd ones out but didn't mind too much! 

We walked up and down the streets, which are closed off from 4pm until the evening, trick-or-treating and running into tons of friends. It was really a wonderful night and reminded me yet again how much I love living in a small town...and more specifically, this one. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by so much beauty, and so much excitement over holidays. It's pretty awesome.

I hope all of you had a happy, happy Halloween too. It's hard to believe it's November!


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