Pinterest goals: November

My name is Alison and I have an addiction.

I use Pinterest...a lot.

I think I tend to use it a little too much.  I find myself pinning way too many things and then not even attempting to create 3/4 of the things that I pin.  What is wrong with me?  Sure, I go back and look and them and say to myself "I should do that!", but I hardly ever do it.

Isn't Pinterest supposed to be about inspirations and motivating yourself?

Maybe it's not really...

Anyways.  I decided to make myself a little Pinterest goals list for November.  A few pins that I think I can accomplish this month, but won't be over-stressed out with.  I also have an addiction to lists, but we won't go into that.

I've done a string art before, but I love the dark, distressed wood and the small, cute, cursive-y word. 

Source: adorable-decor.com via Alison on Pinterest

I have the first part of this project finish.  The hardest part is finding the right leaves and finding a good place to dry them.  I have a couple drying, but I don't know which or how many I want to use.

Source: pinme.ru via Alison on Pinterest

I think I have a rope obsession right now and I seriously need these everywhere in my house.  Okay, not really, but in the bathroom?  Yes!

Source: isksw.com via Alison on Pinterest

I know it's not Christmas yet.  Have you seen all the Christmas ads ALREADY OUT?!  Sheesh people.  Anyways, we don't have stockings and I really should make some.  Why not make cute burlap ones?  It would go well with my rope obsession, ha!

Source: cottageinstincts.blogspot.com via Alison on Pinterest

I have a ton of shells from my old room in college.  Why not do this?  Is it bad to paint shells?

Source: addicted2decorating.com via Alison on Pinterest

I am on the hunt for cute and affordable boots.  Especially black ones.  If anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears.

Source: urbanog.com via Alison on Pinterest

What are your crafty and cute ideas for November?

What's so cool about Washington anyways?

I'm sure there are some of you out there that are asking that question.  What's so cool about Washington, huh?


Well, I have come today to share with you some of the things that I think make Washington so cool.  I love living in this state.

One.   Seattle.  Okay, this is pretty self-explanatory.  What's better than an beautiful, hipster-filled, big city?  I don't know either. 

 Two.   Jazz Alley.  I love Jazz Alley.  I have been to many shows there and it is one of my favorite venues to see great live shows.  It's not that big and you sit at cozy tables and can order dinner, desserts, and yummy drinks.  My favorite show has definitely been Tower of Power.  What is hip?

Three.   The ocean.  I may not live on the ocean, but I love being able to visit it when I want to.  I know it's not tropical or even sandy in some parts, but hey, you can't complain when you get to see and experience it!

Four.   Lakes.  If you don't like swimming in the ocean (not to mention it's ridiculously cold and I am not an ocean swimmer) then the lakes will be more of use to you.  My favorite place in the world is on a lake.

Five.   Trees.  I can't hide it.  I love living near forests.  I love the green and the critters that live in them.  There's something soothing about trees.

Be prepared for a part two to come soon ;)

It's a date!

Most couples know how important dates are in a relationship. 

It's incredibly easy to get caught up in a routine.  Ya know, the routine that involves coming home, eating dinner together, maybe watching a show/movie together, and just doing the same thing repeated.  We've caught ourselves falling in this autopilot mess a couple times.

Dates are so important because it gets you both doing something different and focusing on being with each other.  Focusing on being you two as a couple.

Well, we decided to take a little date this weekend.  Something different and fun.
Sidenote: don't over-plan dates.  We tend to do this quite a bit, i.e. plan to do a lot of things or plan out each hour of the night.  It tends to get stressful and not fun.  We've learned this.  Don't do it.

I picked up Nick from work and we set off to explore the area of Fairhaven. 

We grabbed a cup of coffee* and cruised around the boardwalk and a couple of shops in the area.

*I'm putting this footnote here, sue me.  The coffee shop we went to was disappointing.  There were two girls there that did not once smile at us.  We came up to the counter and one girl asked us what we wanted.  The other girl (taking our money) didn't say anything until the very end when I said "thank you".  It was even a cool coffee/wine bar that looked like a nice place to hang out, but with people working there that weren't even nice enough to say "hi" with a smile?  Sheesh.  Even I can do that when I'm in an awful horrible mood. #endrant

Nick got a tip from a coworker about this hidden-ish restaurant in downtown Fairhaven.  It's called Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat).  It was awesome.  The food was fantastic and it was a nice cozy place.  My only critique was that the waitresses all wore "skimpy" clothes and cat ears, but whatever.  The food outweighs that anyday.

We explored a few record stores (bought 4, woohoo hipsters!), played some Mario Kart 64 and ping-pong with our friends C & J before getting some AMAZING Italian sipping chocolate and salted caramel gelato from Chocolate Necessities in Bellingham.  Oh. My. Word.  So good.

Later we went to a local comedy club called the Upfront (cool story: Ryan Stiles owns the Upfront).  Hellingham was the show that was going on.  Bellingham + Hell = Hellingham. 

It was a really fun because it is a fairly small club that houses shows put on by local improv students/people.  The show was basically an improv zombie apocalypse set in Hellingham (Bellingham) and the audience had to guess which one would die (only the person who lives and the zombie actors know this.  No one else).

It was a super successful date night.  Who can go wrong with an awesome dinner, chocolate, gelato, friends, and improv? 

We definitely supported everything local that night.


What's your opinion on date nights?

Sparkle Pony. The Band.

10 points for whoever can name what the title's from.

I've had no motivation this week.  None.  It's awful.  I've been melting on the couch each night.  No thanks to working at 5 am each day.

We did make some homemade zucchini relish and a BIG pot of yummy chicken noodle soup.  I also finished a SWEET cross-stitching pattern, but I can't show it to you because it is a Christmas gift.  You'll just have to wait. 

I really do hate weeks when I'm not that productive.  Makes you feel like you wasted time.  I didn't waste time, I swear!

To make up for this I'm going to write a productive blog post.  Or somewhat productive...



It's ok...

...that pictures don't do justice sometimes.  I tried to get a picture of this gorgeous sunset we had a few nights ago and it didn't turn out as pretty as the actual sky.

...to enjoy watching action movies with my husband.  We saw Looper the other day and it was actually really good.  I'm starting to like all these sci-fi (ish) movies.

...that I haven't seen a chick flick in over a few months.  Is this really okay?

...that we have been buying a lot of VHS's lately.  We went to Value Village the other day and bought 8, yes 8, different ones. 

...to re-watch Portlandia because it is such an awesome show.  I need to buy it.

...to eat ice cream out of the carton. 

...that I sometimes get caught up in a Youtube watching frenzy. 

...to find videos like this to be absolutely hilarious.

...that we tried to go on a spontaneous dessert date last night and totally failed.  BOTH places that we went to ended up being closed (this was at 7).  We didn't want to drive incredibly far either so we just came home and had some apple cider and toast with honey and cinnamon & sugar.

So, what's okay wit' chu?

Linking up with Neely.

We can work it out.

Get it?!  Work it out?  Work out?  Ha!  Anyways...

First off, Malo at Life Feels Good in Portbail Beach has let me be one of her sponsors for this month.  She is awesome and I've been following her since I first started this blog and vice versa!  I'm giving away a nice little Starbucks gift card to those of you who want one.  It's not much, but it'll definitely buy you a nice pumpkin something coffee ;)


It has been a week of training so far and I'm still alive!

Source: boostyouresteem.tumblr.com via Alison on Pinterest

I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say that it was incredibly easy because honestly, there were some days when I was like "meh, it's pretty cloudy and will probably rain soon.  I should just do an indoor workout instead."  BUT, I kicked my own butt and made myself go out and run (and bike). 

I haven't had any major major issues because it's only been a week, but I have been learning about myself as an exerciser and runner.

Running is super mental.  If I go for a run and I'm in a really bad mood, I tend to not be able to run as long or notice little pains that go on.  It's awful.

Source: pleasegetmethinspired.tumblr.com via Alison on Pinterest

Yeah motivational quotes!

Audio/company makes everything so much better.  I love running with someone else or some good to listen to.  It makes the time fly by SO much faster.  If I can't run with somebody (usually Nick), then I turn on my workout playlist and get lost in the music.  Yesterday I tried listening to an audiobook.  It worked pretty well because it was a good book with a really good audio to go along with it (Life, The Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams).
Do you have tried any audiobooks or have any good music suggestions?


To gym or not to gym.  Living out here in the Pacific Northwest means that we've got some serious rain in fall/winter.  I've been lucky so far with the weather, but once it starts pouring on my training days I'm either going to have to suck it up and run or start a gym membership or something.  Nick and I are thinking about starting a Y membership.  Then we can get access to a swimming pool and a gym.  It would require running on a treadmill, though which isn't one of my favorite things to do.

 

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Do you run/walk/exercise in the rain/cold?

Currently

Currently...


watching:  the last episode in season 3 of Parenthood!  What am I going to do when I have to wait for episodes each week?  What has Netflix done to me!?

eating:  homemade lasagna leftovers.  YUM!

wondering:  why reality TV shows have become so ridiculous.  Example: TLC has a show called Breaking Amish.  What is that?!  I'll end this rant now before it gets out of hand.

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excited:  about getting snail mail and having pen pals.  Getting mail is so much fun!

working on:  more fall crafts.  Anyone know how to decorate with sticks?  I don't want to find some and have them mold or something weird in my house.  Same with acorns.

Source: imgfave.com via broadbean on Pinterest

dreaming:  about our new desktop computer.  We haven't picked one yet, but it's going to be a Christmas present to us!  Any recommendations?

dreading:  the day when my training program will go up to a 5 mile run.  That's going to be incredibly insane and I don't know how I'm going to get myself there (lie, I know I'm going to get there with training, but whatever.).

looking forward to:  a fun and busy weekend complete with dinner with my mom, video games with the brother, canning tons of relish, thrift store hunting, and buying new boots!! 

Randomnesses.

I'm in the mood for some randomness today.  That is how I'm feeling.

I hope you don't mind because this post is just going to jump into a random mess of words compiled into one crazy list.

Randomness #1:  I'm amazed at how our grocery shopping has evolved as a couple.  When we first got married we lived off of HALF the income we have right now (keep in mind we lived on the east side of the mountains and the cost of living is a little cheaper - at least in housing).  We only shopped at whatever was cheapest (usually Safeway).

Now, however, we only shop at Trader Joe's and the local Food Co-op.  We shop to get the best food for the best price (meaning we try to get as much organic/natural stuff as we can afford).  This doesn't always happen because some things we're just not going to pay a butt load for, but it is pretty nice knowing we're shopping for a mostly healthy diet.

Randomness #2:  I love fall decorations.  Mini pumpkins?!  YES!  Different colored leaves, acorns, scarecrows, browns, oranges, yellows, and reds?  Well, you get the idea.  I love that I get to start decorating my house in these cute and festive colors.

So far, I've made a pretty cute wreath out of all fabric, even the flowers!  I've even started putting out some cute mini pumpkins.  I'm debating whether or not to steal Angi's idea on simple glittered pumpkins.  We'll get there...

Randomness #3:  I have this love-hate relationship with some new animated movies.  I love most animated movies.  Some of them I even love, but hate certain aspects of them.  For example, the Princess and the Frog.  Cute movie and I love the music and cheesy Disney love story.  BUT, why must there be a creepy voodoo man as the bad guy?  Yuck.  I'd just rather not dwell on the whole witchcraft/voodoo magic things.  Wall-E, on the other hand, is fantastic in every single way.  Awesome movie.

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Randomness #4:  One thing that bugs me, and probably always will, is the fact that my husband doesn't understand my need for ice cream and sweets.  Seriously.  We went grocery shopping and I said I needed ice cream (haven't had it in the freezer for a couple of weeks).  He then went to the ever-so wonderful "Why?" question.  He just doesn't understand my desire for something fattening and good.  I've tried explaining, but he just shakes his head.  It usually comes down to him always buying beer so why can't I buy something?

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Randomness #5:  My half-marathon training has officially started.  I know I said before that I was getting ready for it, but I have found a program that I like to help me start training and I completed my first day of it yesterday!  I'm using Hal Higdon's training guide - by some recommendations from quite a few people - and it looks like something I could totally accomplish.  It's going to be insane, though.  


But, hey!  It's almost Friday!

Noreply commenters. Yes, you.

Alright, it's high time that I did this.

There are a few of you readers out there that have left me comments that I can't reply to!  It's awful!!  Especially since I would love to reply back to your lovely comments.

Do you know why this is?

Well, Blogger likes to automatically make you a "no-reply commenter".

This means that when you comment on my blog and I get an e-mail saying you did comment, I can't reply back to you.

WAIT!  There is a cure for this.

All you have to do is set your account to allow your e-mail to show (you can even change e-mails this way, too).

Here's how to do it.

First, go to your Blogger profile (upper right corner on Blogger)

Once you're there you will see this cute little button in the upper right corner.  Click it!

You'll see a line that says "show my e-mail address".  Make sure this is checked.  This will make me (or other bloggers) be able to e-mail you back when you comment!  

Why is it important to attach your e-mail to your comment?

Well, if you do I can comment back!  I know I can comment back ON my blog, but I'm never sure if people come back to check for replies.  Plus, it's way more fun to e-mail back and forth.  


That's all.  Just a little house keeping. 

Source: iwastesomuchtime.com via Irma on Pinterest

Have a fabulous Tuesday!  Hey, it's not Monday!

It's Ok Thursday.

Hey!  It's Ok...


...to be incredibly excited to be seeing Wicked in a month!!  I know it's a month away, but still. WICKED!

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...that making friends as an adult tends to be a little difficult.  What's even more difficult is making time to hang out with friends when they're always busy hanging out with other people.  I'm not ranting.  Really.


...that it's supposed to rain ALL week next week.  It was bound to happen eventually.


...that I have no motivation to do anything productive today and yesterday because I'm working from 5:30 to 5:30.  I'm just a little tired...


...to love cuddling with dogs.  They're so soft and cuddly!

...that I also love animated movies... much more than Nick does (he just sticks to a select few Pixar movies).


...to come home to a messy kitchen for the last few days, but have awesome dinners made by my husband.  This almost always happens when he has the day off and I don't.


...that I am not cleaning up the kitchen tonight and instead will be melting into the couch.  Sorry honey!


...that my best friend is getting married in Japan next year and I am worried that we won't be able to fly over there for her wedding.  I won't give up, though!


What's okay with you?

Oh, How Pinterestingly Autumnish.

It has been waaaay too difficult finding/figuring out cute fall decor while not including halloween-y things.  I'd really rather not have my house look like a haunted or cutely-haunted house. 

Pinterest has been a little kind to me whilst I search for these decorations, but honestly, it hasn't done that much good.  I'm still at a loss on what I should do with cute pumpkins or even a bunch of fall leaves.

I even had to call in Google to do some decor hunting for me.  Yeah, Google.  It didn't do so well either.  It's too overwhelming to see a million pumpkins staring at me from someone's overly cute porch.  I don't even really have a porch.

I did, however, find some good ideas on Pinterest that I think I may be trying.  What do you think?

I love the twine and acorns.  I bet I could find lots of those around here.

Source: littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com via Alison on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Alison on Pinterest

I have plenty of candle holders from the wedding.  Maybe I'll make good use of them...

Source: webecoist.com via Alison on Pinterest

Hammering leaves to get the color.  Love it!  

Source: allfortheboys.com via Alison on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Alison on Pinterest

I really want to make a wreath this year.  I like a couple of these.

Source: blog.addicted2decorating.com via Alison on Pinterest

I like this one, too.  Except not in purple.  My husband will thank me later.

Source: etsy.com via Alison on Pinterest

That's what I'm pinning.  I'm going to try and get some of these things done this week/next week and I'll hopefully have something fall festive in my house.

Do you have any good fall decor ideas?