Monday:

Happy Monday morning to you. How was your weekend? We went for a long bike ride along the NLR river trail, I got stung by a bee, we made the most delicious cookies, ran 3 miles in preparation for a 5K this week, visited a friend in the hospital, and took lots of walks.

Hope your weekend was as fun and rejuvenating as our was. Because we certainly needed it to get through this week.

Happy Weekend:

[photohttp://notetosarah.tumblr.com/post/21241943087]

Happy weekend everyone! I'm excited have some free hours to spend outdoors. The weather has been amazing lately, hasn't it?! I plan on taking advantage of it before it gets insanely hot here. So that means a few bike rides and some long runs. With plenty of sunscreen, of course. There are only a handful of days like this left so lotion up and get out there!

Looks I Love:

So, by now it's no secret that I stalk the J.Crew website. Seriously. And while browsing the other day, I came across these outfits in their "Looks We Love" section. They may as well have called it "Looks You Will Love" because yes, I love them. Probably a little too much. And you will too. Have a look here.

A Walker Comes to Town:

Kristin, 1/4 of the Order, came to Arkansas with her Delaware kids for Spring Break. I only got to see her for a few hours (luckily she's coming back next month) but watching this movie they made while they were here makes me feel like I was around for all the fun.



I love that crazy kid. And her crazy talented brother, who shot and edited the movie. Basically, I am obsessed with that entire family. They're pretty much my family, after all.

Summer Dresses:

We are going to the beach this summer with a group of college friends. I have slowly been collecting summer clothes for Andrew and I since we found out we were going. I've been trying to decide which dresses I want to buy and bring on our trip but can't seem to commit to anything. Everything was either too expensive for a simple cotton summer dress or wasn't anything that really stood out to me. So I've decided to make some dresses. The plan is just a few well-made cotton dresses that I can run around in all summer long, at the beach and here at home. I've been doing some fabric hunting online (our selection in AR pretty much stinks) and have fallen in love with a few options over at Spoonflower. If you've never heard of Spoonflower, it's a website where designers (and normal people too) can upload their designs and have them printed onto fabric. And people can buy them. They offer different fabrics including cotton and silk. A's sister Maggie turned me onto them a few years ago and I've been obsessed ever since.

And so after spending hours checking out fabrics, here is what I'm thinking:

So I can have the dresses that I want in the fabrics that I want for much less than what they would cost at any store. And much better quality. Because I am obsessed with the tiniest details when it comes to garments.

Monday:

Happy Monday morning! Here's a little something to make you laugh. Because you can never have too many laughs on a Monday. Especially after a week like last week.

Happy Weekend:

Oh weekend, I thought you'd never get here. I almost didn't make it. I don't have any big plans for you. I just want to sleep and eat. Maybe go for a run. You know, just relax.

Here:

Wishing I were here today instead of where I am.

Domino Magazine:

It's out. And it's amazing. Go get your copy now.

This week:

You ever have one of those weeks where sitting on a Monday, thinking about everything that has to get done, makes you feel so incredibly beat down before it even happens? I think this is going to be one of those weeks. I can feel it. Also, my planner tells me that will likely be the case. This is the busiest week of my whole year and my game plan is to just survive. Just keep treading water. Friday has to come eventually, right? And when it does, you better believe there will be some major celebrating going on over here. That celebration might be in the form of a hot cup of tea and a bedtime of 8:30 but I'll be partying on the inside

Here are a few things I will no doubt resort to in order to keep myself going this week:

1. running my butt off at running clinic -- great stress reliever even if my legs and lungs are killing me by the end of the hour
2. treating myself to the special edition of Domino magazine (out tomorrow!)
3. changing immediately into pajamas the second I get home
4. lazing around in bed all evening with Friends DVDs, the iPad, and bottomless cups of tea
5. going to sleep before the sun has set
6. planning some retail therapy for the weekend

Dodocase:

When we got our new iPad, we bought a dodocase for it. It's a cloth-bound hard case (ours is green) that keeps it protected and looks like a book at the same time. It's fantastic. And for someone like me, who is having a hard time adjusting to reading electronic books, it makes the transition easier. 

They've got cases for the Kindle and other tablets too, so take a look.

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Weekend everyone! What are your plans? We're planning on stepping up our exercise routine for the upcoming race(s), playing with the photography settings on our new toy, and soaking up some sunshine. Other things on the agenda: dog bathing, sewing (JoAnn's reopens here this weekend!), and watching the latest Netflix movie to arrive in our mailbox -- the Descendants. I also got some pretty new makeup from Sephora that I can't wait to play with. Hope your weekend is full of fun and good weather!

The new iPad:

This week, we bought ourselves a belated Easter/Tax Refund present: the new iPad.

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Isn't it pretty? We've only had it a few days but so far, we're really enjoying it.

Need Supply Co:

I am pretty much in love with Need Supply Co. and their new Spring 2012 lookbook. I seriously sit and drool over these pictures. Don't they look like something from a Wes Anderson movie? I wish my wardrobe was full of these beautiful clothes. Then I could fully disappear into the imaginary world of Wes Anderson.

[all photos by Need Supply Co.]

Check out their entire collection here.

New Reads:

This week I'm reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave. After the last book I read, this is a nice change a pace for me. 

Here's the blurb from the inside cover:

" We don't want to tell you what happens in this books. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this:

This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there.

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds."

Different, huh? When I read that, I found it incredibly intriguing. I had to read it. And I am enjoying it. Read it and you will too. 

Monday Morning:

Happy Monday morning, everyone.

Am I a nerd if I like listening to Deathcab's song "Monday Morning" on repeat while on the way to work just because it's Monday morning and it makes me feel better about being up so early after two days of sleeping in?

Well, then okay. I'm a nerd. And nerds like me can sit for hours and laugh hysterically at the WhatShouldWeCallMe tumblr because it seriously is hilarious. Check it out. You'll see what I mean.

I hope it brings some much needed laughs to your day.

Happy Weekend:

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This weekend should be beautiful, so what are you going to do with it? My nephew has a taekwondo tournament on Saturday so we're going to cheer him on. And of course there will be lots of outdoor time. Hope your weekend is a good one. 

Playlist:

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We've been a couple of running fools lately. And as I am a somewhat still person by nature, this has been a major feat for me. To get myself pumped up for a run, I rely on some really good beats. These are the songs that are giving us the energy to push through the miles these days:

1. Run the World -- Beyonce
2. New Workout Plan -- Kanye West
3. Stronger -- Kanye West
4. Who Invited You -- The Donnas
5. Empire State of Mind -- Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys
6. Teenage Dream -- Katy Perry
7. One Girl Revolution -- Superchick
8. Firework -- Katy Perry
9. California Gurls -- Katy Perry
10. Fire in Your New Shoes -- Kaskade ft. Dragonette
11. Canned Heat -- Jamiroquai
12. Pot Kettle Black -- Tilly and the Wall
13. Move Along -- All-American Rejects
14. Lose Yourself -- Eminem
15. Single Ladies -- Beyonce
16. Party in the USA -- Miley Cyrus
17. Bulletproof -- La Roux
18. Sexy and I Know It -- LMFAO
19. Anthem Part 2 -- Blink-182

Sharing a playlist is kind of personal thing. I mean, there are songs that I am a little embarrassed to admit I listen to. But I can't help what gets me pumped up. And I can't ignore a catchy beat. So, forgive me my Miley Cyrus and Superchick and I'll forgive you yours.

Click here to listen to this playlist on Grooveshark.

Lose It:

I've kind of become seriously obsessed with the diet and weight loss tracker, Lose It! As in, I look at it about 45 times a day. I think it was made for me. It satisfies my obsessive desires, my love for organization, and helps me keep track of how many calories I've eaten every day. And it lets me keep track of my exercise and lets me know where I stand. It has definitely made me so much more conscious of what I put into my body. And it breaks down your eating by days and weeks and lets you see (with charts and graphs) where most of your calories are coming from. It also shows you how much sodium, cholesterol, protein, etc. you eat, so if those things are a concern for you, you can definitely monitor them. It's easy and it's become like a game for me in that it makes recording my diet and exercise fun. 

It's a totally free service. You can use their website or app, whichever is more convenient for you. I use both. Check it out here.

Polaroid:

Polaroid has finally come out with a digital version of their instant camera! I'm in love! Our 5-year anniversary is coming up soon. Maybe I should start dropping hints.

The Polaroid Z340 Instant Camera -- starting @ $299. Buy it here.

New Love:

I've been hunting the perfect trench coat for over a year now. But the search is over. I just scored this Hunter trench for $156 (originally priced @ $398). I love the color, the classic style, and the red lining. Plus, look how cute it looks with Hunter wellies. I can't wait to pair it with my boots. Come on, rain.