little joys: a fulfilling monday schedule.

It's been one of those Mondays in which I derived great joy from the freshly-vacuumed carpet's lined pattern. 

I have these days from time to time, though not often enough - the ones where I'm just filled with joy over completing menial tasks. Over the mini hustle & bustle of my own life. Over my taking control over the most minute details. You know, that kind of day. 

While I was showering [obviously where most people do their best thinking], I had the thought to share the sequence of my highly simple, yet highly fulfilling day. I highly doubt anything ground-breaking may be gleaned from reading this post - consider that your warning.

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I rose around ten this morning, which is later than I had originally wanted, but early enough to still feel productive. I looked around at our freshly-cleaned house & decided: I'm actually going to make our bed this morning. After that, I loaded all of the things we planned to donate to Goodwill into my car & set off for the gym, where I did 30 minutes on the bike, as well as some toning with weights. 

Here's where it gets really good: on the way to the Goodwill drop-off facility, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin Donuts is a relatively new thing for me; you see, we don't have them in my hometown [or at least we didn't then - I can't speak for now]. And as I was pulling into the parking lot, I remembered: today is $1.00 iced coffee day. What is $1.00 iced coffee day, you ask? Well, it is a day during which you may purchase an iced coffee - any size - for one measly little dollar. Naturally, I asked for the largest size. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, because before I knew it, the lady at the register was handing over to me a 32-ounce BEAST of an iced coffee. That's when I knew it was going to be a good day in Lauren Land. 

I dropped off the boxes at Goodwill, then drove back home to meet Justin for lunch, all the while sipping my gargantuan iced coffee. And loving every second of it. After he left, I proceeded to tackle catching up on my correspondence, meaning I responded to all of my messages & comments on all social media platforms, as well as on my blog. I scheduled the tweets for The Sunday Currently. The only thing I didn't get to in this category was responding to all of my emails. Alas, it is only Monday, folks. There's still time. 

The next few hours of my day were spent on the following activities: baking strawberry-on-strawberry cupcakes, shoveling banana chips into my mouth, showering to John Mayer songs, putting on makeup, fixing my hair, chatting on the phone with my sister, folding & putting away laundry, & vacuuming [see above for proclamation of vacuum lines love]. 

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So, you see? Not a particularly eventful day, but instead one chock-full of endless productivity, it seemed. And this is just my favorite, favorite type of day. So I decided to share it with you. Because maybe you take joy in this kind of day, too. And maybe this will inspire you to live out this kind of day tomorrow. Lord knows, I will try to.

In a little while, we'll be heading to the airport to scoop Justin's mom up, as she is arriving for a week-long visit. I can't wait to spend the week with her; we have lots of Wilmington-exploring to do!

How was your Monday? Did you get a lot done? I hope you enjoyed yours like I enjoyed mine.

photo: the beast-of-a-coffee mentioned above \ instagram

the sunday currently, volume 47.

Good Sunday morning to you, friends! I hope  you all have been having a good weekend. Yesterday was a day of knitting, working out, & getting caught up on my YouTube subscriptions. Justin went & golfed, so after being out in the heat & humidity for a few hours, he was exhausted last night. 

Today we are wrapping up preparing the house for our visitor tomorrow! I'm so excited to have Justin's mom come visit. It'll be fun showing her around our town, as well as taking her to eat at our favorite places & to browse around our favorite antique shops.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G nothing at the moment. I decided to put Rise & Shine on hold for a while & take a little break.

W R I T I N G blog posts every day in August, for Blaugust. It's making me happy. I may do Septemblog, too.

L I S T E N I N G to the hum of the computer & my fingers tapping the keys of the keyboard. It's a quiet morning around here, folks.

T H I N K I N G that it's time to get up & clean! My mother-in-law is arriving for a visit tomorrow. I'm so excited - I LOVE when people come to visit us. 

S M E L L I N G the fresh mug of hot chocolate I'm enjoying in an effort to wake up.

W I S H I N G I rose every day with the sun like Jen.

H O P I N G to get a lot accomplished today. 

W E A R I N G nothing special... just pajamas.

L O V I  N G everything on Organized Jen's channels lately. They've been ultimately inspiring to me. Also, the crafting project I'm working on, as well as the ones I have planned.

W A N T I N G sushi & a caramel macchiato.

N E E D I N G medicine for my sinuses. And to get caught up on all my correspondence.

F E E L I N G tired. I don't know what it is, but this break from school has somehow exhausted me.

C L I C K I N G Rachel's blog a lot lately. I want everything in her Etsy shop.

Alrighty, the time has come to do the dishes. Happy Sunday, everyone!

photo: my navy knitting project \ instagram
p.s. a very happy anniversary to this one!

beach reading.

It's been too long since we've been to the beach around here. If I recall, we were supposed to be redoubling our efforts to get down there [or over there?] a lot this season... well, let's just say that Mother Nature had a different plan. It has been SO rainy here these last few weeks. And let's be honest - the beach & the rain don't really mix [Editor's Note: Unless, that is, you're in a beach-front condo with a balcony... in which case, I welcome a little beach rain with open arms. There's nothing quite like watching a storm come in over the water, with a cup of coffee or tea & a good book in hand... But I suppose that's another story for another day]. Perhaps we'll pop over to the beach this weekend? I'm sure that amidst cleaning the house [We have a visitor coming on Monday!], we will need a bit of a break. It sure would be nice to lie on the beach & read for a while. We'll see.

In the mean time, here is some beach reading I think you should peruse this weekend...

- Allyssa shared some tips for saving money at Target - because we all know that place is a trap. You walk in for one thing, you walk out with fifty things. May as well save a buck or two, right?

- Know what makes me happy? Chocolate chip cookies. That's why I was pretty thrilled to stumble across Aunt Peaches' post in which she shares Tessa's post on how to achieve your favorite type of chocolate chip cookies. Personally, my favorites are the more flour, baking powder, & dough chilled 24 hours varieties. What are yours?

- I love routine. I love daily rituals. I love reading about it & watching vlogs featuring it. And hopefully soon I'll start writing about it. Kind of like in this post that Victoria shared on Nicole's blog. 

Need more to read while you lounge in the sand?

beach reading, first edition

beach reading, second edition

photo: wrightsville beach in march

a song, a book, a quote, a look.

song | Breezeblocks, by alt-J

book | And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini

quote | A true classic & a great reminder

look | Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me, as seen here

share your SBQL list with everyone via jenna, here

wardrobe reconstruction: defining my personal style.

For the past few months, I've been thinking over & brainstorming on a wardrobe reconstruction. I've been mentioning it here & there on Twitter, & if you follow me on Pinterest, then surely you've been clued in a bit to some of the details. Mainly, my closet has been way overdue for a good, honest, cleaning-out, & now that you're seeing this post, it means the wheels have finally been set in motion.

But before I embarked on rebuilding my entire wardrobe, I felt it was important to meditate on what kind of style I wanted to go with, so that I was building a closest I'd be in love with, & I'd always feel like I had something to wear. Not only would this approach cut down on stress, it would also cut down on waste.

So, in what direction did I want to take my personal style? Well, I came up with a few buzzwords first: romantic, preppy, classic, & cozy. When I reflected on the styles I like looking at most on others, I realized I was drawn to traditional styles, with a bit of a feminine twist. So,  I decided that I'd fill my closet with structured blouses, playful prints, & items that could be mixed & matched to provide professional looks, casual looks, & cozy-around-the-house looks. It was also important to me that my wardrobe stand the test of time: I wanted my closet full of classic fabrics & styles, not trendy pieces that would flit in & out within a season.

Then, there was the issue of color. In order to allow for the mix-&-match element I wanted in my wardrobe, I needed most of my pieces to coordinate in some way. Thus,  I decided on some of my favorite colors to play main fiddle in my collection: navy, gray, yellow, black, cream, & blush were chosen to be the main contenders.

To take the brainstorming to the next level, I took to Pinterest & created a board for each of the above colors, as well as some additional items: stripes, flats, lounge/workout, gold details, & style icons. These boards have been a lot of fun for me to add to, & they've proven such a help in guiding my purchases. I'd absolutely encourage anyone looking to restructure their wardrobe, to take the steps I did. I still have a long way to go, & more items to buy, but I feel like I'm on the right track now, & I'm excited about it!

My wardrobe reconstruction series will include Polyvore sets that I'll put together with my parameters in mind, as well as more & more items being added to my Pinterest boards. Look for more posts, coming soon!

See all of the Pinterest boards here:

navy | gray | yellow | black | cream | blush | stripes | flats | lounge/workout | gold details | style icons

photos: some new wardrobe additions, from my birthday shopping haul \ nikon

little joys.

I love taking joy in the tiny details of life, so I thought today I'd share one such thing I'm really enjoying right now. These gold-detailed letters were one of the DIYs from our wedding: I made these, as cake toppers for our wedding cake. Right now, they are sitting in a glass jar on a table in our living room, & they bring me joy every time I look at them. The truth is, I really enjoy making things - especially things that will last for a long time. It's nice to have a daily reminder of our wedding in one of the most-used rooms of our apartment.

Speaking of DIYs, soon I'll be sharing one from my mom, as well as some projects I have on the docket for the near future. What are your favorite things to DIY? 

photo: j & l wedding cake topper \ nikon

how i organize the blogs i like to read.

This morning I'm sipping New England Coffee Chocolate Cappuccino blend out of the above-pictured mug, as well as catching up on my YouTube subscriptions & blog reading list, & I thought I'd share a little bit about how I organize the blogs I like to read. 

I know lots of people like to use subscription services like Bloglovin', RSS feeds, & formerly Google Reader, to keep up with all of their reads, but I tend to get overwhelmed when those numbers of to read content get too high. Blog reading then starts to feel like a job, & an un-enjoyable one at that. 

So, what's the solution? How do you organize the blogs you want to read, in a way that is not overwhelming, but still conducive to staying up-to-date with their content? Well, I simply use the tabs feature on my toolbar. As I look up at our toolbar right now, we have many items spanning across its entirety: banking sites, YouTube, Pinterest & Polyvore plug-ins, etc... but I also have two drop-down tabs the purpose of which is to collect blogs that have piqued my interest. 

The first tab is labeled get to know, & a blog is added to this category if I'm clicking around the Internet & see something that catches my attention. Sometimes I bookmark blogs due to their layout alone. Sometimes I bookmark blogs due to a written passage that really spoke to me. Sometimes I bookmark a blog simply because a blogger I admire mentioned them. I would share with you my get to know blogs, but right now - even after my little organizing spree yesterday - there are simply too many. 

The second tab is labeled daily, & a blog is added to this category after I've spent significant time clicking through to them via my get to know tab. As the name implies, this means that I will click through to their site & catch up with their content each day. Since I recently (read: yesterday) re-organized my tabs, that means that I have some new blogs in my daily rotation, & out of sheer dorky excitement, I thought I'd share them with you all today. Here they are...

Organized Jen

Freckled Italian

lemon stripes

Secondhand Sundays

laken b. nix

sweet and wild

elephantine

Olivia Rae James

Smart Pretty and Awkward

The Classy Cubicle

Oh So Pretty

the daybook

je na sais quoi

Of course, these aren't the only blogs I enjoy each day. My tried & true favorites list can be found right here. I add blogs to the R E A D tab on my blog after I've read & read & read & love & love & loved them daily. They are the cream of the crop, in my opinion. And by that, I mean that they each inspire me, in their own very unique way. 

How do you organize your blog reading list? Do you use Bloglovin' or something similar? Or do you have a system more like mine? I'm ever searching for ways to improve the organization of the online content I enjoy, so please do share.

savannah snapshot: gryphon tea room.

We popped into Gryphon Tea Room on our second day in Savannah, & we didn't stop talking about it for the rest of our trip. I'll simply let the photos speak for themselves. We cannot wait to go back.

photos: gryphon tea room \ nikon

the sunday currently, volume 46.

photo taken friday night at fat tony's - home of the prettiest indoor twinkle lights i've ever seen

I feel like I ran a marathon yesterday. What did I actually do? Well, I shopped. For five hours straight, without a break, in Smithfield. It is tax-free weekend here in North Carolina, & since my birthday present from Justin this year is a shopping spree, we decided this weekend was the one. We picked items up from J.Crew, Polo, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, & Tommy Hilfiger. Since I am planning to - finally - begin posting about my Wardrobe Reconstruction this week,  I'll probably share some of the pieces I chose. Great deals abounded, so Justin walked away with some wardrobe additions as well. It was a great - but very tiring - day. 

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G Rise and Shine, by Anna Quindlen, & planning to finish it this week.

W R I T I N G in my DIY composition notebook planner. I've created a system, & I'm pretty excited about it. I love life-documentation. In 2014, I'm thinking of starting a Gratitude Journal, utilizing a ready-made planner, thanks to Jen.

L I S T E N I N G to Shark Week play in the background as I type this post. I remember Shark Week '93, & ever since then, Shark Week has kind of been a thing for me. We also had it playing all week last year when I was working in my Dad's office. Good memories.

T H I N K I N G that I love diet cheat day. I can't wait for brunch! We're also going grocery shopping today to stock up on healthy foods & snacks. Changing your eating habits to healthy ones really is rewarding.

S M E L L I N G the vanilla hand lotion I applied last night before bed. It's super rich & smells amazing.

W I S H I N G I would have woken up a little bit earlier this morning. But, I was so tired last night!

H O P I N G Justin will enjoy watching Shark Week with me. 

W E A R I N G some new clothes this week. I'm excited to style all of my new pieces. And share them here on my blog!

L O V I  N G life.

W A N T I N G Justin to wake up. I'm hungry.

N E E D I N G to embark on some organization projects this week.

F E E L I N G excited - my MIL is coming to visit in a couple weeks! I love visitors.

C L I C K I N G nothing today! I plan to enjoy my day with Justin. BUT, if we have some down-time later, I may click over to read some of y'all's TSCs. 

As I type this, Justin has emerged & is now enjoying Shark Week with me. I'm sure we will soon head out for a delicious brunch. Happy Sunday!

photo: fat tony's twinkle lights \ instagram

thoughts at the park.

Yesterday, as I was walking through Hugh MacRae Park, a big gust of wind breathed through the tall pines surrounding me. The wind chimes dangling off the back of one of the bordering houses started to play, & as I stared up at the rich blue sky & shining sun, I felt other-worldly. The chimes sounded vaguely reminiscent of the little gifts sent to the tributes in The Hunger Games, & I was suddenly & wonderfully aware of how magical the world can be.

photo: light & crepe myrtles \ iphone

weekender.

Y'all, I slept ultra-late this morning. For my classes this past semester, I was rising bright & early around 6:15 each morning. Today, I slept until 11:00. That's quite a stark contrast, wouldn't you say? I've already had my hot chocolate & greek yogurt for breakfast, & now it's lunch time. Just like yesterday, today will be comprised of cleaning around the house, watching YouTube videos, writing... & I think I"ll go have a nice, long run at my park.

It's been a while since I've had a Friday's Fancies post, so I'm brining one your way today. The theme is shorts, which I love, & since we may have a night out ahead of us, I thought I'd put together a little going out look. It's been ultra hot & humid in Wilmington lately, so minimal clothing is a must. If you know me, you'll know gold glitter is kind of a must these days, as well as pearls & coral lips.

clutch | earrings | blouse | lip gloss | shorts | shoes

this look also bears in mind the parameters i've set for myself for my wardrobe reconstruction, 
which i still haven't yet blogged about. that is coming very, very soon.

In other news, I was lucky to stumble upon some YouTube channels that I'm REALLY excited about. They are all run by the same girl, & they encompass beauty & fashion, organization, & house-wife-ish stuff. Here they are:

The Busy Bee Buzz

Organized Like Jen

My Housewife Life

I don't know what it is about Jen, but I just love her! She is inspiring me to get my home ultra organized, & I'm pretty excited about it. I cannot stop watching her videos - luckily, there are a lot of them, & I have some catching up to do! And - bonus - she has a blog, too.

this week's posts:

weekender + a song, a book, a quote, a look

i've decided...

the sunday currently

savannah snapshot: flags + flowers 

a birthday month overhaul

Happy weekend, folks! Let's make the most of these summer nights. 

link-up: friday's fancies \ {long distance loving}