Come and FOLLOW!

I know a ton of you know this by now, but they just announced that Google Reader will no longer be with us as of July 1st this year! RIP Google Reader.... it was great to utilize you while you were here, and you will be truly missed!

What does this mean? This means if you are a Google/Gmail follower on a blog, you'll need to eventually transition to Bloglovin'. I have a few easy peasy steps I followed to import my entire reading list from Google Reader to Bloglovin' which added all my peeps in a snap! I suggest you follow along before you keep puttting it to the side, and by July 1st, you'll lose your fave reads!

1.  Sign onto Bloglovin' and on the top right hand corner, click on Settings under the Account menu.

2.  Scroll towards the bottom of the Settings page to the "Other" section, and click on Import blogs. This will import all the blogs you follow on Google Reader to Bloglovin'!

3, 4, & 5.  The rest is a click away!

BOOM!! Your reading list looks just like your Google Reader list on the left hand side. Hope this helps you out! And please don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' (click on that pink heart under my picture to the right of this page or click here)!

Uplifting Pins

I N S P I R A T I O N... something we can all utilize each and every day, and from multiple sources! While trying to head this blog in a different direction during my second year of blogging, I've made it a point to try and blog about a topic that is inspiring... that can reach out to those who need it, including myself! From this post I wrote a few months ago, you all know I love to dig for inspiration through Pinterest!

I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for an OHP, and sharing more words of wisdom, a continued edition from the last round!

Source: floatingonthebreeze.tumblr.com via Beverly on Pinterest

Source: leanne-simplybeautiful.blogspot.com via Beverly on Pinterest

Source: thevintageapple.com via Beverly on Pinterest

Source: candiceelaineh.com via Beverly on Pinterest

Source: letitbebeautiful.com via Beverly on Pinterest

Source: candiceelaineh.com via Beverly on Pinterest

You can never have enough words to lift your spirits, right?? Link up with Michelle and share what you've been pinning lately!

Do you know what today is??...

(singing)... it's my blogiversary... blogiversary!

Source: herwhitesunrise.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

H A P P Y * B L O G I V E R S A R Y * T O * M E!!

During my first year of blogging, I shared many triumphs and sad times with you all. My journey through life in 2012 was cray cray to the MAX! As the year was unfolding, so many things were happening that I just needed to vent! So that I did... I blogged about my life as it was in the making! But with the help of your support, I....

* Finished my dissertation and earned my PhD

* Married the man of my dreams

* Was a part of my Bestie's lovely wedding

* Had a great time at our Family Reunion

* Started the LLL series (what I loved, learned, and laughed about throughout each week)

I was also introduced to new things by you lovely bloggettes!! I discovered...

* Link-Up's

* Birchbox

* Blog Awards

* Blog Designs

... and much much more! You were all there to encourage me and give some great advice... and for this... I thank you ALL!

This upcoming year, I plan to head in a different direction. Instead of blogging as a lifestyle journal, I wanna be more of a service to my peeps!! I'm gonna blog about things that can benefit others... crafting, fashion, encouragement... things I had planned to do when I first started blogging! Now is the time for me to pay it forward and help you all just as you have all helped me! So, embrace yourselves (and me!) for year 2!

Crafing Goods

Did you know that if you download the Michaels and Jo-Ann apps on your iPhone, you have immediate access to coupons that you can use at the cashier? AND... Did you know you can use both coupons at either store?!?

Since I discovered this during the wedding rush last year, I've paid many more visits to Michaels more than needed! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually think my trips to Michaels have outweighed my trips to Target!!

It doesn't help that they keep adding the most cutest things ever to their dollar bins that is BAM! in front of your face right when you walk into the store! Most of these knick knacks are stationary, mini picture frames, stamps, and everything else you can imagine... things that if you don't see yourself using right away, you can easily store it away in your craft station til the time comes.

In spirit of the new direction I'm heading with this bloggy blog next week (if you missed out, read here about Blogiversary shinnanigans), I snagged some fun cute doo-dads to play around with!

So.... you headed to Michaels?? Because I sho am later on today!

Fun Times

If you've been hangin' out around herrr for awhile, you probably can catch a clue that I've been in school for all of my long glorious life. NO breaks. While in school, my "hobbies" have been reading textbooks and researching and writing and this and that and everythang! If I took a day to partake in a DIY project, I can promise you it made me happy, but not whole heartedly. WHY?? Because I knew that there was still work to be done to finish a paper... to study for an upcoming test... to meet up for a group project...

Welp! Fast forward through all that mumbo jumbo of my life consisting of school school school, and occasional fun times... I'm DONE-zo now... and my life is quiet (for the most part). No rushing. No papers (besides publications, which is in a completely different ball park). No group projects. Q U I E T!! Quiet time can be a great thing, as some of you may know. It can lead to passion, talent, and maybe even creativity.

One of my 2013 resolutions is to spend more time discovering the FUN parts of my life... finding out what soothes my soul and mends my heart.... discovering my hobbies (maybe re-discovering them b/c I just didn't realize they were a hobby at the time!)... implementing what I've learned into my career, while making the time to enjoy other areas of life.

I'm sharing this with you all because you have been through some tough times with me last year, and what I want you to know is that there is light at the end of my tunnel! So let the good times roll!

Later this week marks a new era for this bloggy blog. It's my blogiversary on the 17th, and I am sooo excited to share a new direction with my bloggettes!! Stay tuned for some ch ch ch changes!

Organzing Chaos

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via After Midnight on Pinterest

How many things can you think of at the moment that can use some organizing? I can think of a million!!

Jewelry (always). The rubber bands scattered in my house. The top drawer of my file cabinet that has all of my office supplies stored in there. My spice cabinet in the kitchen. The middle closet that I tend to re-organize every few months just to find it scattered again. My closet. My hubs closet. My makeup. My paperwork around my office and on my computer and laptop. On and on....

This list can be quite overwhelming.... so I narrowed it down to a few key items to organize that will help me keep on track with my 2013 resolutions. What are they?? Sooo glad you asked!

:: PINTEREST :: 

My Pinterest boards need some cleaning up so I can actually utilize my pins for inspiration and not just adding to my endless dream closet I hope to have one day!

:: COMPUTER ::

I have so many documents and folders on my computer. I need to do a major clean so I know what useful documents I have and where they be.

:: BLOG :: 

I want to organize my blog and add more structure to it. I use this bloggy blog as a journal to document my life at the moment. I want to head in a different direction and focus on specific topics (more to come on my blogiversary next week!!), so I need to strategize with a new blog notebook.

Wish me luck as I venture out and begin organizing, restructuring, and cleaning up my life!

Zsa Zsa Zsu

Don't you just loveeeeee some Carrie Bradshaw?? I have fell more in love with Sex and the City in the past few years... maybe because they play episodes back to back on two different channels!

Watching re-runs has been making my obsession with all four ladies grow tremendously, but more-so with Carrie than the rest of em! Her style... her whitty humor... the way she analyzes men and relationships, and most importantly the way she makes writing look so chic!

In each episode, she has an intense moment alone where she is deep in thought as she comes up with a question or catch phrase. And that's the moment I swoon over! It seriously makes me want to sit nearside my window while I blog (check), sipping on a martini/glass of wine/cup of coffee or orange juice (check), smoking a cigarette (NO check there, but it's so Carrie Bradshaw!), and thinking about a way to interpret my life with a cute little catch phrase using, "Zsa Zsa Zsu."

Blogging has been superb for me... I get to write whatever I want about the happs in life, and read tons of other life stories. The process of blogging is actually really relaxing too... sitting at my nice glass desk near my window with shear curtains, while I sip on something with a few lit candles... sometimes a fresh bouquet of flowers nearside me... ahh yea!! I just hope you're having as much fun blogging as Carrie has with writing her columns!

As Carrie described the excitement of having butterflies in your tummy when you are passionately in love (or lust) with someone, I can't help but wonder.... is blogging my new Zsa Zsa Zsu?