Yearly planners are one of the most wonderful items ever created. Having used one for the past 16 years, I have tried many types and brands, but I adore my 2011 Kate Spade Spiral Desktop Calendar.
Unlike many planners, this one only has monthly calendars which I find to be the best view to organize my time. Even in college I never used the week-by-week pages and found them to be a waste of space. I love not having to fumble through them now!
Each month begins with a blank page and a festive image created by artist Jenny Bowers, along with a white blank page to keep notes for the month. This is perfect for my obsessive list making! (You know there is a problem when you write lists of the lists you need to make).
The back section features several pages titled Notes and Doodles, an appropriate space for jotting down all the notes for which you never really have a place (random Post Its on the fridge anyone?) Which brings me to the next topic... magazines!
I have four magazine subscriptions: InStyle, Real Simple, American Spirit (the official magazine of the Daughters of the American Revolution), and Texas Highways (up until this past December). Needless to say, this means there are many, many periodicals lying around... most of which I hang on to simply for one or two features.
In an effort to eliminate some of the stacks, I decided to put those Notes and Doodles pages to use by taping in the articles and photos I want to keep: historical information... items I want to remember to purchase... logical advice... attractive interior design... travel destinations... How To's... yummy recipes... awesome quotes... things that are funny or happy... fabulous clothing... and inspirational musings.
Not only have I been able to declutter our living room but it should be fun looking back at the end of the year to see the clippings I found important enough to keep : )
Aside from time management, how do you use your planner?
Woke up this morning to a fun tag! A super huge thanks to Preppy Lane for passing along the Seven Facts Blog Award to me! So sweet! Here are the rules... I have to write seven facts about myself, pass it along to other bloggers, and then link it back to Preppy Lane... simple! Here we go!
1. I earned an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Texas A&M University and was the 14th person in my family to graduate from the school (including my dad, Class of '69 and '72).
2. My favorite color combination is navy blue and pink.
3. Even though no one ever believes me, I do not own a hairbrush : ) I do, however, use an amazing Mason Pearson comb.
4. The best Mexican food in Texas (and my favorite) can be found at Jacala's on West Avenue in San Antonio. We drive down there at least twice a year to eat and I have been known to drive there and back to Fort Worth in the same day... oh and I always order the #11 : )
5. I read The Jellyfish Season by Mary Downing Hahn once a year and have done since I was in middle school. Sadly, it is out of print... better keep hold of my copy!
6. I am addicted to what most would call "Junk Food TV"... ha!! My weekly lineup includes the Bachelor (or Bachelorette) and the Kardashians, plus numerous TLC hits including What Not to Wear (although I find this one to be quite educational) and Say Yes to the Dress (sorry, Atlanta... NYC version only!)
7. I love to sing in church because I have a ridiculously terrible singing voice and it is the only place no one is going to ask me to stop singing!
Let's see... who to tag... I am going to send this to three of my Followers!
Looking forward to learning more about y'all...!!
At home... at school... on your phone... the possibilites are endless of where you may post blog updates! Bracey at Handmade and Lovely is hosting a "Where I Blog" link-up to show everyone where you blog. SO... here is where I blog!
My corner of the sofa in our back family room : ) This is where my laptop lives and there is usually a pile of magazines, books, Sharpie pens and lists... and my planner is always with me! I love where I blog because not only is it comfortable seating but I can also watch TV or supervise CB while she is playing independently on the floor.
Where do you blog?
Howdy Y'all... it is SNOWING (again) in Texas!!
The exclamation points make it appear as though I am excited but being stuck in the house since Monday evening has not been my idea of a good time (especially when we oh-so-desperately need to get to the grocery store)! There is currently one inch of ice topped with six inches of snow on my street... and it is still snowing!! BRRR!
Thankfully, it is no longer 8 degrees like it was earlier this week... we have inched up to 19... such an accomplishment...!! With the Super Bowl taking place in a few days this is kind of a big deal (both airports were shut down earlier this week)... although our friends from the North are probably amused by our inability to deal with this winter weather... not sure they would do so well in our Texas summers, though... several years ago we had more than 100 days of temperatures over 100...!!
Even though the weather is a bummer Preppy Lane has brightened up this winter day for me... with the most fabulous giveaway! Visit her page for details on how to win an amazing Kate Spade Big Apple Darla wallet in PINK... perfect for spring (which will hopefully be here soon!) Y'all stay warm!
Last month I handed CB the new J.Crew catalog, hoping that even at six months old she would choose some awesome pieces. Sadly, when she opened the catalog to the Italian cashmere page, this became its fate...
SO... I am trying to decide if she either A. really, really LOVES cashmere (and was too excited to control herself)... or B. really, really dislikes cashmere (and wanted it to disappear)... ha! If the answer is B. we may have to double check she is my child! ; )
Shampoo... sudsy and cleansing... but how do you choose which one to use? I don't know about you but I find the haircare aisle to be somewhat overwhelming... there are so many choices making different promises as to how your hair will look, feel, and smell at the end of your shower.
Growing up I always chose whichever one smelled of coconut, especially during the summertime; as an adult I have been more-or-less loyal to the Neutrogena line, using both the Triple Moisture and Triple Renewal products. However, I have recently become aware of using more natural products... such as J.R. Liggett's Old-Fashioned Shampoo.
This hand-cut, New England-recipe shampoo comes in the form of a paper-wrapped bar and is very Earth friendly. In addition to being 100% bio-degradable, the shampoo is made with minimal, natural ingredients free of detergents and is suitable for all hair types.
Best part? It is made in New England (Cornish, New Hampshire to be exact... LOVE made in the USA) but is available in Texas! My mother picked it up for me at H-E-B Central Market in Fort Worth (other locations include San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Plano, and Southlake).
The packaging is so adorable and I love the New England Saw typed on the side... "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"... now that is good advice by which to live!
While roaming the Web in search of fabulous personalized stationary, I ran across a site called Shop Across Texas... what a fabulous shopping resource! If you are looking for a retailer in the Lone Star State this is a good place to start your search.
The page lists shops divided by a variety of categories in several large Texas cities (including Dallas and San Antonio), as well as featuring some smaller towns such as Fredericksburg and Granbury. In addition to retail outlets, some city pages also feature hotels and attractions.
I am especially enjoying the "Best in Texas" lists featured on the homepage and the "2011 Best Stores in Texas" results... gives me a whole new batch of stores to check out...!! BONUS... click on the "Discounts" tab for coupons by city!
