saavy cubicals

I landed a new position at work, which means I’ll moving into a new cubical on another floor. Such change! I’ve had my current space for the past three years and I never really did anything with it. I have the “Keep Calm and Carry On” picture perched on my desk, along with a handful of rubber ducks collected over the years. Otherwise, I have a mish-mash of pictures and papers tacked up and office supplies strewn all about. It’s uninspiring, to say the least.

SO, I have vowed to make my new space a bit more aesthetically pleasing. Some people go all out, which I love. Some people thing cubical décor is unprofessional. I disagree. As long as one keeps the party pictures and bottle of liquor AT HOME. Or at least hidden in a drawer.

Here’s what I am thinking:

A pretty garland for the backboard of my cube wall....

 

1

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Some fun folders to keep my papers tucked away....

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And a dah-ling pencil cup.

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And here are some great links to browse for ideas. You really can have fun shopping for anything!

·        See Jane Work

·        Sorting with Style

To come clean, I did do a post on this exact subject awhile back:

Part 1 │ Part 2

That’s as far as I got. I promise to actually do something this time around! Hold me to it, won’t ya?



weekend recap

Happy Monday Tuesday! Hell, I don’t know what day it is. The holiday vacation sucked me into a black hole for 6 days and I’ve barely crawled myself out.

I walked into work this morning and the lights were still off. A few more people have crawled into their cubes, but it’s mostly desolate land around here. I'm totally OK with this.

As usual, I ate way too much, received too many gifts, and spent too much time lounging on the couch. It was a beautiful thing.

I also keep reading about people’s engagements and pregnancy announcements. Gag. I’m not bitter or anything. OK, maybe a lot.

How was your holiday? Did you celebrate with the people you love?

weekend recap

You know those weekends, where it actually feels like a weekend? Where you have a lot of fun packed in, but also enough time to lounge, relax and get stuff done around the house? This weekend was a perfect mix of all that, and for that I am thankful.

Friday night I attended the Blazer Fan Fest. I haven’t been to a Blazer game in years and it was great to be back. Even though I was pissed about the lockout and how greedy the players have become, I still went. That said, if I held a grudge against everything that pissed me off, I would be miserable.

As an aside, my family used to have season tickets to the Blazers until they became the “Jail blazers” which my dad refused to support. Good call.

When we arrived, most of the players were milling around the main concession area to shake hands and take photos. That was a nice touch. Greg Oden was also walking around, though not as many people were clamoring for his attention as you’d expect. I wonder why not? *cough*

The event was free and you could sit anywhere you wanted – score! – but food prices were steep. I was smart and ordered a kid’s meal, which included a normal sized hot dog, a bag of chips and a small drink. For $4.50! It’s perfect to tide one over. Probably too small a portion for guys though.

After interviews with the players, they played a scrimmage game. Good news: we won. Hardee har.

Fast forwarding to Sunday….we trekked up to Washington to see my cousins’ Christmas pageant at church. It was very sweet. And funny. Of course, it’s not supposed to be funny, but you can’t help but chuckle at your little cousins, dressed in makeshift shepherd costumes.

How was your weekend? 6 days until Christmas!

fill in the blank friday

Happy Friday all! We finally made it to the weekend. The countdown to Christmas is really on now, and I have a few more things to wrap up before then. A handful of presents left to get, and a bunch of baking. Luckily, I only have a two-day work week next week, so I won't be too stressed getting everything done.

It has been awhile since I have participated in Lauren's Fill in the Blank Friday game, so here we go!

My most favorite "little thing" is getting a new magazine in the mail. I subscribe to too many, but I love seeing them in the mailbox and then curling up on the couch with coffee to read them.

I would give anything to be laying poolside anywhere warm.

I can't believe how quickly 2011 went by. Hello, 2012!

The one thing I'd like to achieve today is to catch up with an old friend, whom I’m meeting at the Blazer Fan Fest tonight.

The last thing I want to do today is be sitting at work. I’d rather be baking sweets at home, or out running around.

If I were writing my own blank today, it would say: What is your favorite tradition during the Christmas season?

My favorite candle scent is pumpkin or tobacco. Yum!

cookies, cake and pie, oh my!

Holiday season means baking season, but baker I am not. It has been one of my goals to get better at baking cookies, cakes and pies. Good goal, right? I’m learning for my future kids. Clearly not for my own benefit. *cough*

Growing up I always baked chocolate chip cookies, orange cookies and made chocolate covered pretzels. Yum! This is what I am thinking for this year:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret with these little guys is using vanilla pudding mix. It makes them so soft and so good. Swoon.

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/detail.aspx

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

“Holy crap!” is what you’ll say after you make this mouthwatering treat. And you won’t want to share. A layer of cheesecake, topped with a layer of pumpkin pie, is heaven.

Recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pumpkin-cheesecake-pie-recipe

Cookie Dough Truffles

True story: The summer between junior and senior year of college, I discovered Dreyer’s cookie dough ice cream. I ate a container a week. And I gained a lot of weight. And now I’m not allowed to buy it.

I love everything cookie dough. I could eat a whole batch with my spoon and never make the cookies. As a kid, the best part of making cookies was licking the beaters. Heck, it still is. Y’all, I cry no shame.

I’ve never made these but, when I stumbled upon this recipe, my heart sang. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

Recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cookie-Dough-Truffles

Happy baking!

a weekend recap

I took Friday off to do a spa day with my stepmom and it was HEAVEN. I got to use the sauna, and then we had facials and mani/pedis. I’ve never had a facial before, and now I can’t wait to do another. Seriously people – this is luxury. If you ever want a great place to have a spa day (or just one treatment) Exodus is the place to be. Super affordable and the staff is beyond awesome.

Saturday I got to spend time with old friends that now live up in Bellingham, Washington. They just had a baby and I got to meet the little guy for the first time. So in love! I was a nervous wreck holding him though. I haven’t spent much time with babies and they are so wiggly that I thought I'd drop him. I may have caught the baby fever bug though. Don’t worry – it’s not happening anytime soon! But I really look forward to having one...someday.

Sunday I did a major shopping marathon and even braved Washington Square mall. It was chaos. I could barely even step into the Made in Oregon store and quickly decided it just wasn’t going to happen.  I had to resort to Plan B for one of my gifts. Except I didn’t have a Plan B, so a gift card was the result of that experience. Oh well.

I also tried making a roast for the first time. I had no idea what I was doing but it turned out OK. Nothing like my mother’s, but that seems to be how it always is. I have another roast stashed in the freezer so I’ll have to give it another go.

And, wouldn’t you know, but I don’t have a single pic from this weekend’s activities. That's a lie - I have one from the spa but I'm now realizing how ew I look.

Happy Monday!

the big debate: hodge-podge vs. formal

Admittedly, I’m a big fan of the hodge-podge Christmas tree - where you string up some lights and then add all the crazy and beautiful ornaments you’ve collected and cherished over the years. But I also love the idea of having a more elegant tree, with white lights and coordinating ornaments and ribbon. My family and I have done this a handful of times and we always loved how it turned out.

To remedy this issue, there’s apparently a trend of families having two Christmas trees. One for the adults and one for the kids. It was being discussed on the radio this morning as I was driving to work. Is this a new thing, or am I completely out of the loop? Seems like a lot of work.

Here are some  trees that I found browsing the Internet. I’m loving them!

One

Lovely tree, all in white. Goes nicely with the elegant all-in-white interior design this person already has.

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I love the idea of whimsical trees too, such as with this candy cane themed tree.

Three

The balls and stars are very cool. Again, all in a white tone. I wouldn't of thought I'd be drawn to this color tone! I usually love color.

Four

This beauty is in the lobby of the building I work in. Again, very formal and simple - but really makes a statement.

Oh - I also found this fun "How Should You Decorate for Christmas?" quiz on Better Homes and Gardens. Just tossing it out there.

What do you do for your tree? Fake or real? Uniform or hodge-podge? Curious minds want to know!



christmas movie roundup

Another reason I love the Christmas season? The movies, of course!

Below are just three of my favorites, which I ALWAYS watch every year. Even if I do have every line memorized!

Which holiday movies are on your must-watch list?

A Christmas Story

A Charlie Brown Christmas

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

*all images sourced from Bing

tis' the season

I cannot believe it has been close to two weeks since I last posted. The holiday season is always a bit chaotic and, for some reason, work is buzzing as well. Not that that should be an excuse for my lack in posting. But  I am using it as one anyways. Sue me. Tis’ the season, to be jolly….

In usual fashion, I pulled the Christmas décor out of the closet the day after Thanksgiving, because seeing holiday goodness strewn about my apartment brings me a lot of joy and peace. And do I need peace now more than ever. And though I didn’t go to the hassle of bringing home a real tree, I did purchase a 4 foot fake tree from Michael's Stores which was already adorned with colored lights. I added the ornaments that I’ve collected over the years and ta-da!

Done and done. Nice and easy. The nice thing about being single is that I can decorate with what I want, how I want. Psst...Notice the presents under the tree? That's right - I'm well  underway on shopping!

And because I have a fireplace now (!!) my mantle is dressed up with a retro looking garland, with Christmas oddities perched atop.

AND I hung a Christmas wreath on my front door. All we need now is a day or two of snow. And,  if you know me, I NEVER wish for snow. I’m just strangely in the mood for it this year.

Do you go all out with the Christmas décor? Or do you keep it simple and stress-free?