A Closet Full of....

Beautiful Etsy Finds! I wanted to share some gorgeous pieces that I wish were in my closet right now!! These are just a few that can be found in my Favorites right now, along with gorgeous bags, and accessories. Is it my birthday yet???

Dyanas Designs

Prizy Sebastian

Clementiny Clothing

MODA SPIA

Carol Hannah

Heirloom

Also by Heirloom (see above picture for link)

Vacation!!!

I have the entire week off of work!! My new school closes the week before school officially starts in order to have the center painted and worked on, and to give the teachers a much needed break!! We do actually have a trip planned...we're going to New Hampshire for a long weekend of camping and hiking starting Friday.

Here's what I did on Day 1:

*Walked the dogs
*Laundry
*Dishes
*Discovery Channel
*Etsy
*Nap

It was glorious!! Tomorrow I plan on being a little more productive, but not by much:)

It is not 'your' Facebook profile. It is Facebook's profile about you.

This is an interesting quote and story from the New York Times, and Time Magazine. It's sort of making me rethink my addiction to the social networking site.

It is not 'your' Facebook profile. It is Facebook's profile about you.

Facebook Exodus

Perspective

As earlier posted...I'm home with a migraine...not the worse I've ever had, but enough that I just didn't think I could keep up with the kids at work. I've been in my bed and on the couch, on the computer, just being "sick and lazy" and then I flip in on NESN (New England Sports Network). They are currently running The Jimmy Fund Telethon. The Jimmy Fund is an organization through the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston, and a staple in the Boston and New England Communities. You might remember a post a few months ago when I went to the "Scooperbowl" in downtown Boston. It's a Jimmy Fund event as well. Their goal is to raise money and awareness about Cancer in Children and Adults. They do amazing things and raise so much money for research and care. Boston Sports, including the Red Sox, have a great relationship and do a lot of work with The Jimmy Fund.

Talk about putting life in perspective. Oh, I feel so sick...whoa is me. Here are stories and video of kids, families suffering through this terrible, life threatening disease. How awful I feel now...not because of my migraine, but because, really, I'm not in that much pain...I'm not dying. These kids are in pain...some of them are dying. People suffering from this disease are dying every day...we just lost Ted Kennedy to cancer yesterday. I myself have lost 2 great friends to cancer.

I know that we are all entitled to a day off, especially if we're sick and a migraine is tough to deal with, but I just thank my lucky stars that I am here today and healthy. And I'm making the commitment here and now to be healthier and to continue supporting the Jimmy Fund. This particular fund may not be close to you, but there are other organizations, so I challenge everyone out there to find one and start supporting it! And lets all strive to live the healthiest life possible!

Migraines!!!

If only it was this easy! First migraine since moving here...kinda thought I was miraculously done with them. Obviously not. I wish I understood more about these headaches that have plagued me for years. Will my meds work, or won't they? Is it allergy related or did I eat something I shouldn't have? It's always this, or that, one or the other. And honestly, doctors don't know enough to pinpoint exact causes. Of course I have triggers, smoke, pollen, red wine, when the weather changes 25 degrees in 2 days, menstrual cycle, but these triggers don't always mean a migraine. And that's the frustrating part...I'll be fine for almost 3 months and then BAM...my head feels like it's going to explode!! And on that note, I'm off to sleep this thing off:(

The Lion is Gone

RIP - Senator Edward "Teddy" Kennedy

It's difficult to watch the news, especially in MA as he was our Senator. So many stories, and memories that people have to share. I have obviously only lived here for a short time, but I have always loved Teddy for all that he stands for. Politics aside, we lost a great man today. A man who fought for so many, who gave a voice to those who could not speak. It is my home that many will pick up the torch and continue fighting in his honor and his legacy will continue to live on.

Wish List Wednesday

Another Wednesday, another wish list!
Maybe sometime soon I can find a way to make these wishes come true!!

I wish this gorgeous clutch wasn't sold out from Mollusa ART on Etsy.

I wish I could spend a week at Hidden Pond Cottages in Kennebunkport, ME


I wish for not only this bathing suit, terra paisly halter from J.Crew, but also for the body this model has!


I wish for this Olympus OM-1 Camera and the ability to use it well!


I wish for more of Adams Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.

What are you wishing for?? Tell us! Link to The Foster Family Blog and share your wish list!

end of the year party

One of my former students, checking out the trees in Central Park.

Tonight is the end of the year celebration for the school I just started teaching in. I've only been here for a month, but it just feels like the right place, making it seem like I've been here forever! It's so nice to find a place that I love, doing what I love. I hope that everyone out there is just as lucky. I've been thinking and talking a lot about my old students and while it's been hard to come to terms with the fact that I'm starting over, I'm confident that these little ones will fill my heart just like my Smarter Toddler kids did! No one will ever take the place of the kids I taught in those 2 years or the teachers that I worked with, but this new adventure will certainly bring me wonderful new people and great joys!!

So here's to kids and teachers...may we always remember that Childhood should be a journey, not a race, and that teachers plant the seeds of the future, a future that never stops growing!!! Saliente!!!

Sunday Project

I have had tons of pictures and supplies in a set of drawers for YEARS with every intention of putting something together...but just never did...Until today! Today, I sat down and started the first of what will hopefully be many scrapbooks of my and Adam's life together. I took pictures to share, and as you can see, it was mayhem!!

Bumper sticker

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that I just had to share. It said:

"Kill Your Television"

What would you choose?

Yesterday morning on my drive to work I was listening to one of my favorite stations out of Rhode Island. They had a question for their listeners based on a survey taken from a magazine I think. The question was this: If you could have one of these 3 things which would you choose: 1 extra hour of sleep each night, $50 a week, or a better sex life?

Now maybe it's the demographic of the people listening, or in the area, I don't know, but almost everyone that called up said $50 a week! And I'm pretty sure that's what the majority of people chose in the actual survey too. Times are tough, the economy is in the toilet...but really, would that make all of these people happier? You're just going to spend it, not save it, and then you'll be back to wishing you had another $50 a week. It makes me sad that money has become a substitute for happiness. I understand the need for money, and I love to shop, which would warrant more money, but it wouldn't have been my first choice.

Mine would have been sleep! I love to sleep and I wake up every morning wanting just a little bit more. And what's more, we're just not getting enough sleep these days. Our lack of sleep is directly linked to obesity, stress, and illness. And most kids I know aren't getting enough sleep either. On average 3 year old's need approx. 12 hours of sleep a day. Obviously the older the less sleep they need and the younger the more they need...but I know some kids that maybe get 6 hours of sleep a night....that's less sleep than I get most nights. And then we wonder where the meltdowns and tantrums come from. I would like to think that if we all slept a little bit more, we'd be healthier, more productive, and in the end happier. Sweet dreams:)

Wish List Wednesday

The Etsy Addition

I have way more than 5 things on my Etsy wishlist! Here's a mosaic of some of my favorite things right now! Continue to the bottom for links to each item. Happy Hump Day!

1. Mini Bike Bag - Boneshaker Bags
2. Sea Mineral Bath Salts - Sweet Petula
3. Mahogany Butcher Table - Atilla Designs
4. Love Lorn Dress - Heirloom
5. East Side Garden Mosaic Sign - Pear Tree Mosaics
6. Simple Red Poppy Note Cards - inkOBSESSIONdesigns
7. Calhoun Street Jersey Dress - Carol Hannah
8. Baby Crochet Beanie Hat - Southern Baby Boutique (I know it's for babies, but I love it!)
9. Divine Deco Edna Necklace - EM Bridal (Makes me want to get married all over again!)
10. Poppy Princess Vintage Flower Necklace - Glamourpuss Creations
11. Sweetgrass Place Setting - JD Wolfe Pottery
12. Handknit Cable Twist Scarf - Bombshell Studios

New and Improved??

I found this adorable Boutique Web Design site called Quirky Bird and I just fell in love. If I had all of the money in the world I'd have them design my ideal blog. But since few actually read it, and it's really just a way for me to get things out of my head and do it in a pretty way, i went with one of their free backgrounds. I love it, but it took away all of my side bar stuff. I'm still deciding how I feel about this....I loved having my favorite things and slideshow on the sidebar. Maybe I can figure out how to add that stuff to the template, though when I view the template I am frightened by it.

To Be Continued.....

quote to sum up my life:)

"Good people drink good beer." - Hunter S. Thompson

Wish List Wednesday

Wish List Wednesday - The Quote Addition


"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about dancing in the rain." -Tiffany Wilson

"The life and love we create is the life and love we live." - Leo Buscaglia

"Success is not so much what we have as it is who we are." - Jim Rohn

"You'll never leave where you are, until you decide where you want to be." - Robert Brockman



All of these things I wish for you. May your day be filled with peace, love, and happiness!

*picture credits: 1. the blog: the banana made me do it, 2. flickr blog, 3. feng shui society-UK, 4. The illustration art of Gris Grimly, 5. the nonviolence network

which way do I go, which way do I go??

I'm sure it has something to do with my age, my life choices, the changes that have occurred as of late, but I'm feeling a bit....lost. It's hard to describe really.

Adam and I early on made decisions that would seem unconventional to most, and we've always been ok with that...but lately I've been nervous. I know it has a lot to do with the lives of those around me. As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm influenced a great deal (probably too much) by those around me. It's not jealousy, or envy, but wonderment (is this even a word?!). What their life must be like?! Is it better than mine? Am I making the wrong decisions? Our lives seem so different than those of our close friends. They have houses, kids, and lives that seem so far out of reach to me. I truly understand that this is all a part of growing up, and maturing, but at times I feel like maybe I'm not growing up, even though I want to be, because I'm not making the same decisions as my friends.

And then I stop and think about these friends, and friendships, and the past and I become even more uneasy. I'm honestly having a hard time connecting the way I once did with the people in my life. And then I think, man, what did we talk about before houses, and jobs, and kids came into the picture?! And I pick up the phone to call someone and think, shit....I don't know what to say to this person...it's been so long! What sort of person have I become that I can't even talk to the friends that have so shaped my life? And really, what shape has my life taken?

I'm driving myself crazy.....and yet, I know that it all goes back to the uncertainty of moving, starting new, growing up: changing. I see so many around me with so many "things" and then on the rare occassions that I stop and take a step back I realize this: I too have so many "things"....and so many more "things" to look forward to. And I don't mean things as in stuff, I mean things as in experiences, changes, reasons that life is rich. And as I grow and embrace my life and the changes that are taking place I think my feelings of being lost will evolve as well. And the true friends I have will understand this, and help me to realize that a house, and children don't necessarily make maturity and perfection. Because honestly, I've never known perfection and I've never really wanted to be too mature:)

Red Sox are going to the "Dogs"

It's been tough around here lately being a Sox Fan....but really, it always is in August. With that being said, I've decided to recruit a few more to the fan base. Hey, we need all the help we can get:) Do you think she still loves me?

Paul McCartney

For our 3 year Anniversary this past week Adam and I went to the Paul McCartney concert at Fenway Park. Now I know what some of you are saying...."the wrong 2 Beatles are dead." It's not funny...but not everyone likes Paul or Ringo as much as John and George, including my husband. But this is what I say to you: It doesn't matter...he is a Beatle! Together they made amazing music...they paved the way for everyone in music today. They made music that meant something, and still does. And in the end, he put on one hell of a show...even at his age. My doubting husband, who was pretty sure he wouldn't enjoy himself, did and that's saying something:) The show was spectacular, and even more so because it was in Fenway. An old rocker doing it up in the oldest stadium! And, I would do it all over again if I could:)

Happy Anniversary to us! Paul McCartney Show - Fenway Park

Blackbird - Beautiful

Pyrotechnics during Live and Let Die - Awesome!!!

Show us your life (part 2) - Wedding Receptions and Honeymoon

Here's part 2 of Show Us Your Life - Honeymoons from Kelly's Korner. Adam and I did a New England Road Trip for our Honeymoon!

We started our trip by driving from MI to Niagra Falls.

We next went to Massachusetts, which is now our home. We stayed for one night in Boston, visited the Museum of Science, and had beers at an Irish Pub.

We next drove up the coast of Maine staying in Portland. We visited Freeport and then headed to the North Woods where we stayed near Baxter State Park. Mt. Katadin is in the background.

We did not climb said Mountain, but we did hike through some of Baxter State Park. We stopped here at this waterfall for a snack, and to wait out a quick little downpour.

I had read that we were in Moose Country and I had never saw one in the wild before so I was on the look out. The first one I saw was in a lake munching on some foliage, but just her head was sticking out of the water so I didn't get a good idea of how big one could be.

Then I met this gal!! On our drive down Lilly Pond Rd to our campsite this little (ya right!) lady was hanging out on the side of the road. In all we saw a dozen Moose in Northern ME...some areas we saw more moose than people!

These 2 pictures are from our campsite in Kokadjo, ME (population: Not Many) The first is an actual view of the city....err, I mean town/village. We camped at Northern Pride Lodge on the banks of a lake with views of mountains and nothing but the sounds from a dozen other campers and loons to keep us company. It was perfect:)

We did a lot of canoeing while in Northern ME. We were on a lake or river here, not sure which, looking for Moose and enjoying the scenery.

On our way back we drove through New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York State (again). Adam used to live in NH and worked at the AMC. He really wanted to visit again. It was a beautiful trip! We had so much fun, and would love to do it again, this time with the girls.

For the record, we did not climb to the top of Mount Washington (where Adam is here) via our feet...but in our car. I was so scared (yes, it's out...I'm scared to death of heights!!!) but I got Washington Moose out of the deal:) He's forever my co-pilot!!