A Walk in the Woods...in the City

When we were at North Park Nature Center a couple of weeks ago, I saw a ton of bags of hay along with a sign that said, "Free Hay." I had to go back this past weekend with A.P. and snag a few bags for my garden. Of course, by then there were only a few left. I took a couple and am using them to cover my raised beds for the winter. In the mean time, though, A.P. and I walked around a bit and took some photos.

If you live in Chicago and don't know about North Park Nature Center, you really are missing out. Part of North Park University, it's a stretch of land that is located in the city, but feels as if you have stepped into the country. It's basically a wooded area with a small wetland. There are deer, foxes, and so many other creatures roaming around. But step outside, and BOOM, you're back in the city. It's so crazy! We love it even though we don't get there often enough.

I shot all of my photos with my Canon AE-1, so until I finish the roll of film and get it developed, you'll have to enjoy these pics A.P. snapped with our digital camera. : )

Isn't it beautiful? You'll see some more of North Park soon. Just wait! ; )

(Photos by A.P.!)

Dance Me to the End of Love

Monday is Valentine's Day, people! Here's a very late, but appropriately themed Friday dance!

First up we have this gorgeous Valentine's Day themed engagement shoot photographed by Laura Leslie and featured on Green Wedding Shoes.


Also...

...slip one of these printable Valentine's Day themed coffee sleeves on your sweetie's morning brew.

...channel Betty Draper in this pretty vintage nightie.

...suds your deer ones up.

...how many ways can I tell you I love you? Let me count the languages.

...a place for the lovebirds' wedding rings.

...Je t'aime these cute earrings.

...sip your soda with these flirty straws.

...brighten up a room with this vintage red phone.

...wear this with your best LBD for a poppie of color.

...sweeten up baby's room with this sweet message in vintage blocks.


I've never been so happy for a weekend to arrive. I'm planning on attending a work training tomorrow, then napping the day away! I need to catch up on some rest this weekend. And Sunday is supposed to be warm...40 degrees! So perhaps we will finally leave the cave and play outside a bit. Have a great weekend, party people!

(Dance Photo via Jess James Jake Authentic Vintage; Valentine's Day Engagement Shoot Shot by Laura Leslie via Green Wedding Shoes)

Getting Things Done

During my quest to get organized, my brother recommended a book called Getting Things Done by David Allen. I started to read the book, but after a while, it became kind of tedious, and the system is really rather simple when broken down. The idea is that if you have good systems for corralling all the things you have to do, your mind can be more productive and creative because it's not worried about all the things you have to do. This sounded like the perfect plan for me. I always have a million projects I'm working on, and many of them sit untouched for long, long periods of time (e.g. the many, many, many photos which never get developed, put in albums, etc.).

Allen lays out a great system for corralling/sorting through all that you need to do, as well as making it so that you don't forget anything. The first big step in getting the system going is also the most daunting: you have to figure out every, single thing you have to do. This can include day to day stuff, like making certain phone calls, returning emails, as well as really long term projects like make a will, or plan a vacation. After reading a ton of reviews online, it seems like this whole process actually takes a couple of hours, so, in an effort to be "Clutter Free by Thirty" (my motto for the first quarter of the year), I'm going to spend tomorrow afternoon corralling all my projects, tasks, and appointments into Mr. Allen's system. I'll keep you posted on the results.

In addition to my boring Saturday afternoon, I have work to do, a barbecue joint to check out that A.P. has been bugging me about ALL week (if I hear the words "pork" or "shop" one more damn time...), and we are going to an open house for fun on Sunday. Only a grownup would find that fun, no? What are you guys up to this weekend?

PS. Interested in David Allen's GTD system, but don't have the time (or desire) to read a whole book about it? Check out this quick and dirty rundown of the system.