love lists: february 2014.

February, oh February... it has definitely been a bit trying. But that doesn't mean I didn't find some things to get excited about during its cold, gray days. From the Winter Olympics, to one major fitness motivator, to organizational tools... I think I have all the bases covered in my February 2014 favorites.

1. L'Oreal Color Riche Balm in Nourishing Nude. I love color-rich lip balms, and that's exactly what this is. I chose the nude color on the recommendation of Jen's 2013 Beauty All-Stars round-up, and I love it, because it's so easy to wear, while also perking up my look a bit, which is especially great for simple makeup days.

2. Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Pinkberry. My mom gave me her sample tube of this shade when I was visiting over Christmas, and I have loved it ever since. Another nude - this one, as the name implies, a flattering pinky hue - this shade is easy to wear and one I have been reaching for often.

3. Sharpie Pens. I love handwriting, pens, paper, & fresh new journals. They're kind of my thing. And the discovery of my love for Sharpie pens happened over the summer. Couple that love with a stumbled-upon deal at Staples, and a slight obsession was born. Right now, I'm using a collection of different hues to color-code my Organizational Suite (which I'll soon be writing about... finally). I just love the way these things write.

4. Sex & the City. Ok, so I'm not totallyyyyyy in love with this series like I thought I was going to be. BUT, Justin and I did spend a large portion of this month going through all of the episodes. Neither of us had ever watched them before, so it was nice to finally have the whole story together. Maybe this is a weird thing to say, but I think I like the movies better. A breakthrough realization DID come out of this viewing, however: Miranda is, by far, my favorite character. She is hilarious.

5. The Winter Olympics. Need I say more? I am already feeling lonesome for dinner eaten on the couch in front of ice skating, slope style, moguls, and all of those other wonderfully wintery sports. The only good thing about the Winter Olympics ending? It means the Summer Olympics - and GYMNASTICS - is now only around two years away.

6. Post-its. Another Organizational Suite feature, I've been loving using these little things recently. Oftentimes, I will write my on-the-go to-do list on a small post-it and attach it to the back of my phone, ready to come along with me for my errands. I've also been using them in my planner and journals as well. I do want to add the full-adhesive variety into my routine, though, because right now I'm just using the classics.

7. My Fitbit! I think I'm soon going to put together a post discussing everything I love about my Fitbit Flex, so be on the lookout. For now, I'll address all of those asking me how I like it by saying I'm in absolute LOVE with it. It's a great motivational tool, that is for sure.

Tell me: what have you been loving this month? I'm looking to change up some of my current products in the near future. My sister has already sold me on the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation. Have you tried this product? Did you like it? Spill!

around here lately.

It's been a little while since I last shared an Around Here Lately post, and I thought this lovely Wednesday morning would be a good time to share some of the goings-on as of late.

sharpie pens have been my favorite lately - and this pack aids me in my color-coding missions!

you may as well call us crazy fit-bitters, because we're obsessed with these little gadgets

while having lunch the other day, i couldn't stop admiring this wrought iron detailing

little bursts of pine are currently littering one of my favorite parks, due to recent ice storms

i was on a kick, for a while there, where i was drinking entirely too much coffee

i had a meeting last week at the gorgeous City Club at de Rosset - i couldn't stop admiring it

one of my favorite winter flowers - the camellia - are in full bloom around here

the light pink are my absolute favorites

here's a little peek at our valentine's day restaurant - its so quaint and cute

i've been drinking more tea recently, in an effort to reduce my caffeine intake a bit

we stopped into the library on sunday, and i picked up a couple books to devour

a tuesday night dinner at one of our favorite downtown places, sitting at our favorite corner table

the sunday currently, volume 75.

here is justin with a "tooth" in downtown wilmington yesterday. it's supposed to be a peach.

Good morning, folks! Remember last week, when I said we were going for brunch? Well, we didn't. But I think this week, we are going to, and I think we're going to one of our old favorites, The George. We haven't been in a long time, and I'm really excited about it.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G hasn't topped the list of my priorities recently. For whatever reason, I was kind of freaking out about this, but I've decided to just let it go until I'm ready to read again, which I'm sure will happen as soon as I'm super busy and don't have time for it again.

W R I T I N G in composition books and planners a lot recently.

L I S T E N I N G to Justin watching various videos, a morning ritual of sorts around here. We like waking up to funny videos!

T H I N K I N G that today is a day for relaxation.

S M E L L I N G nothing at the moment.

W I S H I N G for coffee this morning. But I'm going to stay away from that for a while. I think I've been consuming too much caffeine recently, and it has made me feel a little too wired.

H O P I N G for good weather and safe flights later this week.

W E A R I N G my Fitbit like its my job.

L O V I  N G cozy new pajamas and sweat shirts.

W A N T I N G a nap later, I bet.

N E E D I N G a nap later, I bet.  

F E E L I N G ... well, tired.

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, volume 74

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the sunday currently, volume 74.

i was going to share our valentine's day photo, but it's quite an awkward one, to tell you the truth

here are the wonderful blue skies and sun instead

Good morning, everyone, and happy Sunday! I hope you have been having a good weekend. Things over at the C Residence have been good and laid back, with yesterday serving as a day for thrifting, having lunch at a diner in Carolina Beach, and dropping in to the antique shops on Castle Street.

Before getting up to write this post, I was having an interesting dream, in which I discovered a whole bunch of long lost cousins. We went out to their country farm lands in a really small town, and we ran around like we were children, exploring. There were two pools, and I wanted to go swimming so badly. But we explored. And when I woke up from this dream, I felt like a kid again. Right now, as I type this, I'm trying to hold onto that feeling.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G Reddit before bed like it's my job. TSC-ers, do any of you read Reddit? I haven't worked up the courage to actually comment on anything, but maybe that will happen one day in the future. I learn so much when reading, but I think Justin is tired of my every story starting out, "Well, I was reading Reddit"...

W R I T I N G three pages each morning, as inspired by this morning routine. I can't even express to you how much I love the concept of that website.

L I S T E N I N G to the sound of silence. It's very quiet in our apartment this morning, and all I really here is the zooming-by of cars outside, as well as the hum of the ceiling fan, and the on-off of the air conditioner.

T H I N K I N G that it's time to break out the Spring nail polishes! I'm tired of the dark colors and, dare I say it, the glitter polishes. I'm ready for light, refreshing, airy, pastel goodness. I'm easing in by starting with a very neutral pink I recently picked up from the Wet-n-Wild line, called Sugar Coat. The MegaLast line is definitely one of my favorites from the drugstore, and I am really jonesing to pick up 2% Milk, as well as Private Viewing and Haze of Love. Let's face it: I pretty much want the entire collection.

S M E L L I N G ... well, hopefully soon after this post is complete, I will be smelling coffee and pancakes and other such brunch smells. I hope we go to Dixie Grill, although by now it will be packed.

W I S H I N G that Muggles could apparate. It would make living so far away a lot easier, I bet.

H O P I N G the awesome weather will stick around. Yesterday, the sky was so blue, and there were tons of cotton ball clouds in the sky. It was such a welcome respite from the gray, muggy, gross, rainy, icy weather we've been having. Just as I'm typing this, the sun came out from behind a cloud and shined through our window and onto my face. I'll take that as a good omen.

W E A R I N G a lot of pajamas and house shoes lately. Just being honest. Luckily, this week I have a meeting, which will force me out of the house and into adult clothing (hopefully not in that order).

L O V I  N G my dream from last night. See the introduction paragraph to this post if you need reminding. It just felt good to be a kid again, running around with seemingly not a care in the world, just enjoying getting to know some long-lost cousins.

W A N T I N G pancakes and coffee, if I didn't make that clear enough in "Smelling."

N E E D I N G a life makeover... again. But this time, I'm kind of excited about it. That's a good sign, right? I miss being my best self.  

F E E L I N G so excited for Lindsey and Tison and E.M.T. - I cannot WAIT to meet her.

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, volume 73

right now

love

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love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

right now.

Right now, I'm sitting at one of my favorite Starbucks locations here in Wilmington. It's at the corner of two busy streets, and the flow of cars zooming by is unending. Every time the door opens, I'm forced to realize that maybe I should have added a few layers to my outfit - after all, it is only 29 degrees outside. 

The familiar whirs and sputters of the espresso machines are slowly but surely threatening to lull me to sleep, but bursts of alert, focused energy keep finding their way through the woodwork, reminding me that maybe I should make some use out of my time today.

The truth is, it's hard to get out of bed when the muted light coming from behind the blinds is a gray putty color, signaling the continuance of dreary, cold weather to which you're just never going to grow accustomed. Even now, as I gaze to my right, freezing rain is doing a kind of taunting dance on the large, clear-paned windows. Frost is gathering on the glass of the door. 

And I know that soon, I'll need to leave, and soon, I'll have to worry that the roads may be frozen as I drive slowly on them. 

But for now, I'm inside, admiring my recently-painted candy-apple-red nails. Just in time for Valentine's Day. For now, I'm remembering the little things that have inspired me lately. Unexpected blogs, crisp and refreshing in their simplicity, just waiting to be read. 

And even though right now is a time of waiting with bated breath by the mailbox, for something that feels like it may never show up, I'm happy. I'm happy because my house is clean, my husband is his usual, wonderful self, and I have time to read books. I'm happy because I know that today is treat day, and there is a black and white cookie waiting for me at Harris Teeter. I'm happy because yesterday I cooked both lunch and dinner, and today I'll make lunch for myself again.

And right now, that is enough. 

the sunday currently, volume 73.

Good morning and Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you're enjoying a nice weekend, like I am. I'm happy to say that this week's Sunday Currently was written out with ink and paper in the corner of our local Barnes and Noble, yesterday afternoon. It was a cold, rainy day, and Justin and I decided to duck into the cafe for a while and read. (This was after we attempted to see the Legos movie, and it was all sold out).

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G Harry Potter & History. With my re-read of the Harry Potter series, I've decided to intersperse a non-Harry Potter book in between each of the series books. This way, I won't lose interest, & I'll be able to cross some books off my to-read list. Similarly, I've also decided to embark on the mission of reading all unread (and some very-long-ago read) books in my bookshelf. This (hopefully) means finally finishing Wuthering Heights, which I started in 2008.

W R I T I N G a little bit every day through a free-writing exercise. I tried it this past Wednesday, and it actually relieved a lot of stress. This may be something I incorporate into my routine. Sometimes, you just have to get the feelings out.

L I S T E N I N G to Bruno Mars, St. Vincent, and Broken Social Scene a lot lately (see my February 2014 playlist here). I also really love Cider Sky's new single, Flames.

T H I N K I N G that a clean house is a happy house. I deep-cleaned the house while Justin was away in Georgia last weekend, and I maintained its pristine visage all week. This process brought me great joy, I found, and it prompted me to create a cleaning schedule, which I've decided to try out for a few weeks before sharing. I love it when little, everyday things bring about feelings of joy, and I must say, this definitely qualifies. Any cleaning routine tips or tricks-of-the-trade that you swear by? Please do share.

S M E L L I N G with much more ease these days! I've recently added an allergy medication to my daily regimen, and I have to say, it makes me feel somewhat better. I love being able to readily smell things again.

W I S H I N G I could let go a little bit. Lately I've been over-analyzing myself and definitely being over-critical. it is of paramount importance to be kind to oneself. Life is a lot easier when you give yourself a break and when you let your very best be enough.

H O P I N G for blue skies and sunshine this week. Before I knew anything about Seasonal Affective Disorder (which I so clearly have), my friends and I coined the term Lauren Winter Depression - or LWD - because, in the midst of the winter doldrums, I would spend hours in bed, hovering between sleep and wakefulness, in a full-tilt miserable depressive state. Things had gotten better in recent years, with my newfound love of knit scarves and boots, but this has been a pretty severe winter, and my body and I have not responded very well to it. In other words: where ya at, spring?

W E A R I N G a lot of scarves and leggings and boots lately, as you may have gathered from "hoping." I've also found a lip color I've really been loving lately: it is L'Oreal Color Riche Balm in Nourishing Nude. Shout-out to Jen's 2013 Beauty All-Stars video for the recommendation (and read the coordinating blog post here). My other recent favorite lip color has been a lipstick from Estee Lauder in the color Pinkberry.

L O V I  N G time spent in Barnes and Noble. It really is one of my all-time favorite places to be. Our Barnes and Noble here in Wilmington is quite a drive from our place, but I'm going to make more of an effort to get out here. It is the ultimate comfort to fold into a cozy corner table and get lost in a book - or go off on a writing tangent. 

W A N T I N G to do a vlog version of The Sunday Currently soon! I loved Betsy's, and I've been inspired ever since. Maybe next week.

N E E D I N G to take my own advice, as found in this week's "wishing." Hydrating, eating healthful foods, working up a sweat in the gym, getting lost in Harry Potter and History, picking up a pen and free-writing... this is what I want the remainder of February to look like.   

F E E L I N G more and more excited about our impending ski trip to Colorado! I've never been snow-skiing, and neither has Justin, so we've been doing research and watching YouTube videos as a resource. I'm excited to ski, but to tell you the truth, I'm most excited to see that much snow in one place, and also to enjoy a warm drink in the lodge. And, hot tubs! Have you ever been skiing? Any advice for this newbie?

THE PAST WEEK ON SIDDATHORNTON:

the sunday currently, volume 72 | february things

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