Week in Review: 3/26

Caitlin and I started photoblogging at 1000 miles between so come visit!

I discovered I Love Charts and it is awesome.

Jenn now does Take Five Fridays. It's pretty much the same as the Week in Review, except it's all recipes all the time.

A wonderful post from Little Brown Pen on travel and what makes a place really special.

I've been reflecting on my frustration with wanting a house and not finding a house and wondering how much less frustrated I might be if I didn't spend so much time at home decorating blogs looking at things like this adorable workspace, this cheapo kitchen reno, or this cottage. But I love my decorating blogs and will not leave them.

I have a new favorite YouTube video.

Happy weekend! We're looking at a house tonight and then my parents are coming in tomorrow night for Palm Sunday mass on Sunday morning. We have bagpipes on Palm Sunday so I'm very excited! Also, Go Cats!

Full as the Moon

"'It looks like a circle,' I said. 'Love is a circle, full as the moon.'"
- C.B. Christiansen's I See the Moon
 

I think I first read C.B. Christiansen's I See the Moon when I was in middle school. It was my favorite book until Pride and Prejudice stole my heart away. I hadn't read I See the Moon since then, but I picked it up a few weeks ago and I still love it.

I can promise you it's a wonderful book because even though it had been over a decade since I last read it, I could still remember some scenes so clearly. Although I must warn, I cried through pretty much the entire thing. Thankfully it's only about 100 pages. And it's more bittersweet than sad.

image: Anindo Ghosh

The Wall

When Lee goes running with me, he often instructs me on "the wall": that place where you feel like you can't run any farther, but if your husband is with you he makes you keep going anyway because he's mean, but then in five minutes you realize you're doing just fine and feel awesome and maybe husband was right.

Walls in Europe are extra pretty. Even the leaning ones.


As part of my ongoing struggle with running, I had been going through a phase where I decided not to tackle the wall. If I just took it easy and avoided the wall then I would be happier, run more, and improve more. Except I didn't start running more and I still ran at the pace of a fast walk.

So after months of running rarely and always stopping for a walk break after a mile, on Saturday, I ran through the wall, and ran my whole loop of 2.18 miles without stopping! We don't need to discuss my pace (Okay, it was 12 minutes.), but I ran a little over two miles without stopping! If that doesn't deserve a handful of cookies, I don't know what does! (Curing cancer definitely. Also, completing your EGOT. How did I not know before that Audrey Hepburn is an EGOT-er?!)

But I don't think metaphorical walls are just present in athletic activities. I hit walls every afternoon, Monday through Friday, right after lunch. And last night I came home and was convinced that I would not be able to get anything done on my to-do list (Hello, chore chart!) and would probably just wind up being lazy and frustrated at my laziness all night. Somehow though, I managed to give Zoey her bath, and after that, I had a sudden burst of energy! I conquered my "I've been sitting at a desk for eight hours and am now incapable of accomplishing anything" wall and crossed most of the things off my to-do list! In under an hour too! I am master of wall conquering! For the past 72 hours at least.

(You get a virtual pretend cookie if you thought this post was going to be about The Greatest Wall of All Time. I'm looking at you Pinju.)

Edited to add: I ran 12 minutes per mile, not two miles in 12 minutes. Oops! That would've been pretty awesome though!

7 and 2 Are Very Different Numbers

On Saturday night I tried Simply Recipe's hamburger and macaroni. It was delicious. But for some reason I read "2 cups uncooked macaroni" as a whole box (7 CUPS!) of macaroni. Needless to say we'll be eating macaroni all week. 

Announcement! (not a house or baby)

Caitlin and I are starting a 365-day photoblog today! *shoot off confetti* *celebrate*

As you might know, Caitlin and I went to college together and are BFF, brought together by a shared love for movie nights and cookie dough. Sadly, we currently live 1000 miles apart (Louisville, KY to Austin, TX), but since we both like blogging and photos, this seems like a great way to stay in better contact and see what the other sees everyday.

I took this picture yesterday on my way to work, so sadly I couldn't use it today since that's against the rules. 

Check it out (and subscribe!) at www.1000milesbetween.blogspot.com

Week in Review: 3/19

My mom's vintage camera. Can you believe she just had it sitting in the garage? It deserves at least an indoor shelf. ;) 


Jill shared some of her favorite casserole recipes and I can't wait to try one!

Cute embroidery ideas via CRAFT and dooce.

Kath says you can use frozen bananas to make ice cream. Jenn tried it and says it's awesome.

Have a good weekend! Mine will be filled with basketball definitely, but hopefully some crafting and reading too!

My Empty Mood Board

Last Thursday Lee and I returned home from house hunting, gleefully calling our friends and family to let them know we had found the house. Once I calmed down (a little), I started making the mood board background that I had planned to make to use in home decorating. I was so excited about mood boards I even tweeted about it.

But a week later the mood board sits empty because the house didn't work out. And even though as I assembled the mood board last week I could not even think of the heartbreak that would ensue if this didn't work out, I'm actually doing just fine.

The sellers had to get the full price of the house to pay off the mortgage, but the house wasn't worth that much in this market, so we walked away and we're feeling good about it. So in a few minutes we're heading back out with our realtor. Here we go again!

Future house, I'd like to dedicate this song to you.