Category — The Nest

In the next two-and-a-half weeks I have to move into a new apartment, get all of my work done and lined up for the two weeks I’ll be out of town after that, and then as a reward, I fly to Europe.  I’m totally in a panic.  Nothing is ready.  My health has hit a bump in the road.  Our house is only half (okay that’s a stretch, I’ll give myself one-third) in boxes.  The goal is to have movers show up at our doorstep next Monday, but I am nowhere near ready for that.  The movers may be at our doorstep, my hair in a messy ponytail, pillows scattered across the floor, boxes still needing heavy duty tape, no one to watch the dog, and forgive me, but likely the ugliest pair of sweatpants I own (i.e., the ones I vow to never pack, to wear only on moving day, to throw out immediately upon move-in at new place, only to throw them in a bin for their reemergence at our next move in day), a.k.a., my worst nightmare.  And boy do we have plenty of moving to do.  Not that I’m complaining; I dove in headfirst to the married life of an MD/PhD’s spouse (and he really is the best); from what I hear, we still have years of hospital hopping (and city hopping to go with that).  And I planned the big apartment move just before our European Adventure – which was sort of unavoidable with hubs starting rotations two days after we get back from said vacation.  I’m a masochist.  What can I say?

But you know what — my organized-meets-disorganized chaos … it kind of works for me.  Actually, it really works for me.  I organize and plan and make lists, and then as the weeks and days to the events near, I run around like a crazy person, forgetting to put on mascara or match my pants to my top.  But in the end, it all sort of falls into place.  Obviously not without some hiccups, but life’s hiccups are what make us better, stronger, and a whole lot funnier.  And I am sometimes a mess.  And sometimes I don’t brush my hair.  So far, so good.

How do you keep it all together?  Especially when your “to do” list is miles long and all of your “planning” is not very helpful at all?

This weekend, the plan is to stay in, catch up on work, make popcorn, watch movies (otherwise the popcorn would be lonely), and play supportive wife (hubby’s thesis defense is in two-and-a-half weeks, and then back to medical school he goes!) I actually relish in the weekends spent at home on the sofa. Sometimes it feels like we’re teenagers playing house when the parents aren’t home … maybe it’s that we actually dated in high school, but getting to sleep late, to relax (and do work) in our own living room, to make pancakes at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, it’s all kind of surreal, and we love it.  Are you a fan of the lazy weekend?

Get the weekend look (a.k.a., one step above pajamas):  A.J. Morgan Glasses // Madewell Striped Heartnote Cardigan // Abercrombie & Fitch Melanie Shine Cami // Joie Kaplan Silk Pants // Shopbop Memo Mug // Barefoot Dreams In The Wild Leopard Throw // Arboretum Bloom Notebook // Apple Mac Book Pro // UGG Australia Coquette Slippers // Honeydew® Intimates X Madewell Lace Bralette + Lace Boyshorts

With the holidays now nearly over, and New Years Eve fast approaching, my mind turns to my tabletop.  I have been on the hunt for perfect white dinnerware sets.  A white place-setting is always a classic, and it gives me wiggle room with the rest of my decor. I’m also going through this bizarre stage of nesting where I want everything in the house to look perfect (though it’s far from it!) I’m going to call this “third year of marriage syndrome”. I blame our wedding registry. A few years ago I got to beep a gun to my heart’s content at every pretty dish, fork, and vase, and voila: they appeared at my door a few weeks later. I’m having decor withdrawal.

I thought I loved the square shape.  We went to a friends’ house and they served everything is this funky square bowls, and I thought, “These are awesome!”, but after seeing all of the other gorgeous shapes, I’m more confused than ever.

So I need a bit of help:  Porcelain or stoneware?  Square or rounded edges?  Modern or classic?  Mix and match?

Dishes, Clockwise from Left to Right: Williams-Sonoma // Crate & Barrel // Pottery Barn // Greenhouse Design Studio // West Elm

Hubby and I have found ourselves in the thick of what we like to call “workaholics syndrome”.  I touched on this here, but I’m curious to know what you all do to combat laptop-glued-to-lap-itis.  The story goes a little something like this:  Hubby is an eternal Md/PhD student (a.k.a., school is the norm for many many … many years) and I am a lawyer/blogger.  The “/” is important because let’s face it, they’re both pretty time-consuming endeavors.  Hubby also works until 8:30/9:00pm every night, and once his rotations start, his hours will get worse.  I blog after work, which means I’m up blogging far too late.

As the new year rolls around, I’m reflecting on things I’m proud of, things I can change, things I can improve upon.  Hubby and I have one of those awww-inducing relationships.  We’ve been together on more fingers than I can count and I still beam/gush/squeak when I talk about him.  But I worry sometimes that the work does get to be too much, even when we don’t think that it does.  You know, like when we’re arguing over his double-dipping (because I swear once you’re married you argue about the most trivial things, and then laugh about it later), you throw in a gut-wrenching, “Yeah, well when was the last time you planned a romantic dinner for me?”  Where the heck did that come from?  I blame my hormones.  And I always regret those knee-jerk comments, but I know that I wouldn’t have thrown that at him unless it held some glimmer of truth.

So truth is, I don’t like that we work so much. I don’t like that he hardly gets enough sleep, let alone time to plan an Anniversary dinner for me.  This is in no way to blame him, trust me, I’m guilty too (says the girl who sits with her laptop on her lap … in bed … well, past 1am.)

I guess my question is, how do you make the time for each other?  How do you shut off that computer?  How do you balance work, play, love, family?  And is that even realistic?  Work is what I busted my tush for during all those years in law school, blogging is an utter passion, and hubby, he’s everything.  How do you make it all fit?

Image here

On the heels of an amazing, but intense weekend of Blogshop, I welcomed the chance to curl up on my couch and watch mindless tv and movies on Sunday night.  Though I love dressing up, going out, seeing the world, trying new things, branching out, the hubby and I both agree that we love home.  And the sofa sometimes, is the only place I want to be – plus, a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate, a cheesy movie, and  a cozy blanket.

popcorn bowl // modcloth mug set // nordstrom throw // Green Mountain Café Escapes

We had the chance to try out the new Green Mountain Café Escapes this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Hubby and I are both big coffee drinkers, and though we both love the sweet drinks, cocoa and such, I’m always wary of the calories.  But Café Escapes are 70 calories or less, brew up in seconds with the Keurig, and taste great.  Plus they come in great flavors like Café Vanilla, Café Caramel, Café Mocha, Cocoa, and Latte flavors.  I’m a chocoholic, so I’ll always reach for Mocha and Cocoa.  I’m hooked.

Café Escapes is the brand of hot, flavored indulgent beverages that provide you an everyday treat and a chance to relax and savor a moment of your day, whether at home or at work.

And be sure to check out Green Mountain Café Escapes’ Facebook sweeps with prizes including daily spa packages and a spa getaway.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

Although I am unbelievably type-A and have every other aspect of my life organized, I am a messy-house person.  I clean for guests, exclusively.  I used to crack jokes about being messy.  I won over roommates by being a good cook – friends were happy to pick up when I made chicken-and-dumplings and homemade salad dressing.  My husband, he’s messy too.  So we charmingly declared ourselves “two peas in a pod” and scraped together what we could for the occasional maid service (whom we could have kissed at the culmination of each visit.)  Nowadays, the hubby and I work crazy hours.  We have one car and I pick him up from public transportation that he rides from the hospital each night around 9:30pm.  I then scramble to throw dinner together because I can’t stand the idea of something frozen or served through a drive-through window.  Then we eat with our computers on our laps, sleep, and do it all over again the next day.  I’m not complaining.  I couldn’t be happier.  We all have our own stress and our own hectic schedule to juggle – I don’t ever judge whether someone is justifiably “busy” – that’s just crazy.

But here’s the thing … how do we throw a baby into the mix?  I just can’t imagine.

The fact that I’m even writing “baby” on this blog scares the pants off of me.  (Actually, I think I’ll keep my pants on, I wouldn’t want to add to the ever-growing laundry pile.)  It’s about to get personal here, people …

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