things i love thursday

not killing my succulents, so far • having a husband that will call every drugstore in town to find me a humidifier & heating pad (who knew these were so hard to come by in LA?), bring me soup, make me tea, listen to me whine, etc. • when Pepper lays on the floor and watches TV – she really does this! • finding a really amazing new pet sitter for the girls (what a relief for people who travel so much) • Timothy Keller’s new book, King’s Cross • getting notifications from the library that a book I’ve really been wanting to read is ready (in this case, The Room) • not being as pale as a ghost, finally • dancing with my sister while lip syncing Lady Gaga as her fiance and our brother watch on, clueless and amazed • making the bed first thing in the morning • oyster crackers • YSL Touche Eclat concealer – so worth the splurge! •  unsubscribing from a bunch of useless blogs that were filling up my RSS reader • buying birthday presents for family … it’s one of my new favorite things to do I think • cat stretches • warm weather • Japanese hibachi grills • being old enough to rent a car and not pay through the roof • king size hotel beds – kind of spoiling us! • when good movies are streaming on Netflix (especially nice when you’re sick!)

Have a happy Thursday, party people!

Photo: sequinsandcandy

bits & pieces: march 30, 2011

Looks like all that fun & sun & mingling with large crowds of people in Orlando didn’t come without a price! I’m feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, so my apologies for not being my usual over-the-top, peppy self.  I’m doing my best to keep myself rested, hydrated, and full of vitamins & medicines, but I’m still a big baby when I’m sick.

Lucky for you I managed to collect a few fabulous links before this sickness set in… enjoy!

The “Before I Die…” wall in Nola. Loveee this idea! And people seem to love it, too! (Thanks Mom for sending this my way!)

Military-inspired post-wedding portrait sesh. So American, so pretty.

Such a pretty Spring colorboard – for a wedding, a home, or a wardrobe!

15 clutter busting routines for any family – I practice many of these, they work!

How sugar stacks up. This will seriously make you question many of the things you eat/drink. P.S. – They’re pictures, so it’s easy education.

Clever and cute bicycle typogram

The turtle who pooped plastic – this is sad. Even sadder that it isn’t surprising.

thebestpictureontheinternet.com

How to be skinny.

That’s about all I’ve got in me for now… I’m off to lay on my heating pad with hopes that my ears will unclog again. Have a wonderful day!

Photo: via the most amazing of things, by Smiley Vow

things i love thursday

Happy Thursday! And while we’re at it, happy Spring! I’m in a fabulous mood because my husband returned home last night after an 8-day jaunt in Nashville, which means I no longer have to make coffee, feed the cats in the morning, sleep alone, or take out the trash. And tomorrow morning, bright & early, we’re flying to Orlando for Playlist Live, which is going to be so much fun.

So here’s what’s keeping me happy right now…

My new bike!!! More on that here, but I couldn’t not mention it.

Christmas in March for my girls. I splurged a bit on a few new things for my fave furry ladies last week and every last one of them has been a hit. The corner of my (expensive) couch has seen better days, so I got them this well-reviewed scratching post in hopes that they’d actually use it. Well, miracle of miracles, they actually are! I also got them a new brush at the recommendation of my Dad- the FURminator. And my goodness does that thing work. It takes off so much hair – and pulls up the undercoat which is really great for Spring/Summer. Pepper, my black long-haired beauty, is especially loving it. The last treat I splurged on was Da Bird – a toy that our friends with cats have raaaved about forever. I’m not sure what it is about it, but Scout goes CRAZY for this thing – it looks like a bird I guess. I’m super glad she’s into it, because we all know she could use a little exercise.

Exit Through The Gift Shop - we should have known this was going to be fab, considering it was a) recommended to us by about a thousand friends and b) was Oscar-nominated. But it exceeded my expectations and left me curious and inspired, even moreso after I found out it’s most likely a prank by Sir Banksy. Definitely check this one out. Plus, if you have Netflix, you can stream it!

Tapped! What can I say? We’ve been on a bit of a documentary kick. This flick takes a good hard look at the bottled water industry – lots of info you’ve heard already, but sooo much more that you never knew! For example, the way the manufacturing adversely affects the residents in the towns where they pump, the hundreds of chemicals and carcinogens (that means cancer causing!) found in the water (even moreso when you leave it in the trunk for a week!), and the fact that there is literally only 1/2 of a person in the entire FDA responsible for bottled water.  I highly recommend you watch this. It’s not too long, and it will change your outlook! We are personally never buying bottled water again if we can help it, instead getting a couple Klean Kanteens and toting those around like the eco-friendly LAites that we are!

More love to:

… and so much more. It’s one of those weeks I could go on forever. But I have some laundry & packing to do, you know, super fun stuff. So I’m off! Have a beautiful day!

Photos: I wish I knew! Found it on Pinterest, pinned from Tumblr, but no credit. / Stephany Alves

the wheatfield prints

I am truly obsessed with the prints from The Wheatfield. I’ve added at least a few of these to my “favorites” list today, including the ones you see below. The bright colors & lovely messages are so contagious. One of these babies framed would make a great gift, don’t you think?

the narrow gate

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Photo found via *bon*chic*bon*genre*

tips on donating to japan disaster relief

I haven’t posted anything about the Japan earthquake & tsunami yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been paying attention. Rather than posting a series of scary images and stats, I wanted to give you a resource to help you make educated donation decisions. Giving is giving no matter how you split it, and at the end of the day it shouldn’t come down to whether or not you give, but to whom you give. So read up, pick one, and whip out your PayPal login. Every bit counts!

CharityNavigator (great non-profit source, btw) has compiled a list of the non-profits with the best track record for providing disaster relief. Aka, the best bang for your buck (they analyze financial health and efficiency). Among the charities with four star ratings are Action Against Hunger, AmeriCares, Direct Relief (a personal favorite of mine), Doctors Without Borders, and Save the Children.

CN also provides some helpful tips on how and when to give your money – waiting a few days after the disaster to donate so charities have a more calculated response plan, carefully considering exactly where you want your money to go (children? supplies? medical relief?), thinking before you text-donate, and double-checking the website of a charity before giving, to name a few.

As tempting as it may be to just text donate and take a quick ten bucks off your cell phone bill, I highly suggest taking the time to research the .org to which you’re giving your hard earned money. ♥ Now go, give!

“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”

- Golda Meir

Photo: makosy

a few thoughts on reacting

Found this cute little image on Urban Velo while looking for some fabulous new cycling blogs. It’s adorable, and though I’m sure it makes most sense for folks with bikes, I think it gives a pretty universal message about how we can better react to confrontation and negativity.

I know it would personally take an enormous amount of self-control not to snap back at someone who yells at me while walking, driving, biking, or just hanging out… but how you respond really is the most important thing if you want to make a positive difference. Think about the last time you were rude to someone and they didn’t respond with anger, but instead with a reaction that made you feel terrible for unleashing on them in the first place. Powerful stuff.

Image by Rosscott, Inc. found via Urban Velo

i’m a “cyclist”

Or at least I have a bicycle now! After many, many years of proclaiming I was going to buy a bike, today we strolled down to I Martin in LA (which I highly recommend) and actually got us a couple of hot two-wheelers. I am so excited! We both got road bikes, which seems to be the best fit for our needs. I already feel healthier & more free. Yay for bikes!

Here she is now*, leaning up against the Techno Jeep. She needs a good name… anyone got any ideas?

See Mom? That $400 of “Christmas/birthday money for a new bike” you gave me back in 2007/etc has finally materialized into something I can pedal.

*Once again, sorry for the l-a-m-e cell phone pic. But it’s easy.

“did you lose a cat?”

I don’t know where this picture came from, but it’s making my day. My Grandpa down in Dallas, who is the Chief Email Forwarder in our family, sent it my way. And now I’m sharing it with you. I mean, how can you not share something like this? Even if it is 100%, without a doubt, Photoshopped.

Oh how I wish it were real.

video: last minutes with oden

Warning: I am an extremely sensitive sap when it comes to animals, pets, etc. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much watching a video on the internet than I did watching this. It’s a documentary clip of Jason Wood’s last moments with his beloved dog Oden, before he had to put him down due to his suffering from cancer. It’s beautiful, raw, and full of emotion. As I’m sure is true with any pet owner out there, it touches a part of me that holds one of my greatest fears. Thank you Jason for being so brave and sharing this with the world.

And thanks to Boz for posting this!