This is easily becoming my favorite spring tradition. We bought six pounds of strawberries for just $10, and have already used them for my mom’s Mother’s Day brunch, on a cake I made for my in-laws Mother’s Day celebration, and in my morning smoothies. Also I plan on making strawberry pie and some freezer jam later this week. (Have you ever heard of freezer jam? I hadn’t until J mentioned his friends’ mom used to make it, so I will let you know how it goes.:)

What other strawberry recipes do you love?
Do you have any fresh picking produce in your area? 

PS – My first strawberry picking experience last year.
PPS – This (outdated-looking) site is helpful for finding out what you can pick in your area. 

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There are hundreds of articles out there talking about the benefits of getting up and moving throughout the workday and the benefits of stand up desks — it increases your metabolism, improves your posture, and reduces the health risks of sitting for long periods of time.

Last November I converted to a stand up desk, and absolutely love it. A coworker of mine had one, so I decided to try it out and see if it improved my health and energy.

Would you like a peak into my office to see it? Of course you do. :)

My “standing desk” is really just a simple desk shelf that I keep my mouse, keyboard and notepad on. I like that it’s easy to convert back to a sitting desk without changing the furniture drastically (like a lot of standing desks out there). I don’t think standing desks are for everyone, either because your work environment doesn’t allow it (aka: this would be awkward in a cubicle), or because you can’t be on your feet for long periods of time, but for me it has definitely helped, and I don’t plan on ever going back to a sitting desk.

Here are a few FAQ when I tell people I have a standing desk:

Did it take a while to get used to?
It took me about a week for my body to get used to. The first few days I came home feeling exhausted, like I do after spending a long afternoon of shopping. But by the end of the week, I noticed I had a lot more energy throughout the day, and didn’t even notice pain in my feet or back.

Does your back or your feet hurt at the end of the day?
Honestly, not at all. I’m technically not standing the whole day, but leaning against my desk and occasionally I’ll rest my foot on my chair to help transfer the weight from my feet. That has a lot less impact on my body than just freely standing.

Do you wear heels? 
I work in a corporate office setting, so I try to wear heels at least two or three times a week, and flats the other days. All of my heels are pretty comfortable (that’s one thing I don’t mind spending more money on), so it doesn’t bother me too much standing in them. However, it does start to weigh on your calves by the end of the day, so I keep a pair of cheap black flats under my desk as back-up and slip on my heels when I walk around the office. So far, so good!

Have you seen an improvement in your health?
I have! This was unexpected, but I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my digestive health. For the past few years, I have experienced stomach aches later in the day (read more on that here), and I really think part of the problem was eating lunch fast and then immediately sitting for the rest of the afternoon. Now that I stand, my food seems to digest easier and I have fewer stomach aches. I have also noticed my core and posture are improved.

Do you ever sit?
I sit when I am reading or editing, but try to stand whenever I use the computer. I have at least one or two meetings a day, which are all sitting around conference rooms, so I have a few breaks from standing.

What is your favorite thing about it?
I love that when I come home at the end of the day, I don’t feel guilty relaxing on the couch and putting my feet up.

Have you ever considered a standing desk?
Do you have this option at your office?
What other questions do you have? :)

PS – You may or may not find me occasionally in the tree pose behind my desk. ;)

–

Update: I asked my office manager and I am using the Safco Heavy Duty Desk Shelf, for those curious.

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1. I love this gorgeous, light living room look.
2. Bookmarking this post for when we travel to Europe.
3. A photo collage for a birthday party.
4. This DIY desk looks really easy to make.
5. Tips on indoor plants.
6. DIY Ikea ottoman.
7. Party backdrop idea with paper.
8. I love this floral monogram.
9. Helpful post on cooking shortcuts.
10. A great quote to remember as you decorate and declutter.

What have you been pinning lately?

Click here to follow me on Pinterest. All links point to original source, unless the link was broken and in that case it’s taken to the Pinterest page. Happy Monday!

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What was not-so-perfect was the weather. You’d think the first weekend of May would be beautiful and warm, but it felt more like early March with highs in the low 50s and drizzly, cold rain interspersed throughout the day. But that didn’t damper our plans.

Saturday
We arrived late Friday and spent Saturday perusing the town. We shopped downtown, ate at Carmel’s for lunch and ended up at the Battery Park Bookstore and Champagne Bar, aka my new favorite spot. Why don’t they have something like this in Raleigh or Durham? I’d be here every week. Even dogs are welcome! That evening we went to see J’s favorite band, Relient K play at the Orange Peel. We ate a delicious meal at Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro, in walking distance to the club. The concert was great, although we were among the very select few that didn’t have an X on their hand (aka: we were the oldest in the place:).

^J took these with his iPhone on Monday, when there weren’t a lot of customers. :)

Sunday
Sunday we spent at the Biltmore Estates. The day was pretty gross and rainy (this picture sums up our thoughts on the weather)… but rain or shine, the Biltmore was as beautiful as ever. Since we love Downton Abbey, we signed up to do the Butler Tour, curious to see the behind-the-scenes of servant life. We took our time touring the house, and later drove by the beautiful gardens to Antler Hill Village where we took a tour of the winery and wine tasting. That evening we stopped by one of my old college roommates’ apartment, then had Mexican dinner with J’s aunt and uncle (Cinco de Mayo!), and afterwards went to see Iron Man 3 (because it was rainy and gross and J couldn’t wait any longer to see it. Boys!:).

Monday
Monday was beautiful, so we spent the morning meandering downtown before venturing home. We stopped by our champagne bar again to get an old copy of Little Women, ate lunch at Farm Burger, and split a decadent liquid truffle and chocolate cake at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge before heading home.

Ahhh Asheville. How I love thee. Can’t wait to visit again soon. :)

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Blah.

I chalked this up to just plain bad luck, but I think I was just going about it the wrong way. I swore I wouldn’t shop for clothes or shoes online ever again, but I love the convenience and savings that comes with online shopping. So I’ve slowly gotten back into the game, but this time with a few rules that help me feel okay when I open my package. Here are some tips for how to work the system. :)

Shop in the store first and know your size.
I know, this kind of defeats the purpose of online shopping, but most of my bad online shopping luck has come from not knowing how the clothes run, what size fits best, and whether the materials are high quality or not. So I only buy from an online shop that have a physical store (of course, this rules out all of the online boutiques out there, but for me I’ve had too many returns to make it worth it). The stores I can order online are the Loft, Target and J.Crew. I’ve found that Gap, Old Navy and Banana sizes vary based on the outfit, so unless there’s a specific item I have tried on, I usually stick to the store only.

Make a wishlist of items, and stalk them online.
When I go to stores, I like to try on different pants, sweaters, shoes, make a mental note (or save it in my Pinterest wish list) and wait for that bad boy to go on sale. It takes a lot of patience, and it doesn’t work well for must-have items (like a dress for a wedding), but for basics and everyday clothes, I’ve saved so much money. I do this a lot with Target, especially since they offer free shipping and 5% off the purchase to anyone that has their credit or debit card.

Get promotional retail emails.
Almost every retailer has daily email alerts for sales and discounts. One email service I use is Shop it to Me. You can customize it with your favorite stores, types of style, or outfits, and every week (or day) you get a consolidated email of all the deals and sales going on. Now, you have to be careful, especially if you’re easily tempted by good deals, because it may cost you more money than save, but if you select stores you know you will shop then it can certainly help.

Look for discounts and coupon codes.
A lot of times it is cheaper to order online because of discounts codes you can apply to your order, so look on those sites for any codes before you hit that Complete Order button. One of my favorites is Save1.com. I like it because it saves you money (duh), but also because it has a great mission. For ever code that you use, a portion of their commission goes to feed a hungry child through one of their feeding partners. How awesome is that?

Don’t buy final sale and know the return policy.
Don’t buy anything that’s final sale, unless you know absolutely without-a-doubt that it will fit. I have had too many mistake purchases, and it’s not worth it. Similarly, always know the return policy. Can you return it in the store? How long do you have before it can be returned? What is their exchange policy? Do you need to receipt to return it?

What are your go-to online shopping sites? Have you had a lot of bad luck ordering from online-only sites? What tips do you have for shopping online? 

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What was the book about?
This is a non-fiction book about Rachel Bertsche’s search for a new best friend after she moves to Chicago with her newlywed husband. She goes on 52 first friend dates and this book accounts her journey to find a new BFF.

Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?
I liked the concept of the book, but not really the execution. The question of How do you find a best friend? is a very relevant and important one, especially to many young professions seeking post-college friendships, but I didn’t connect with the writer and didn’t like her approach.

It all seemed way too forced. She took this search for the new BFF so seriously, it made her seem desperate, like none of her conversations with these women were authentic, she always had an ulterior motive. At times it read like a research thesis on friendships, with boring statistics on the dispositions of people who have more friends than others. She even consulted with a professor on the topic and got his opinion on what she was doing wrong on her friend dates. Too much!

For someone who lived in the same town as her husband, her mom, close cousins, and four close work friends that have lunch almost every day, it seemed like she was doing fine socially. She also mentioned she had multiple best friends in different cities and was busy maintaining those relationships. Maybe I’m just skeptical of people who write non-fiction books these days, but it felt like she had a book deal and needed to go on this journey just to fill up the pages (I felt this way with Happier at Home and Eat Pray Love too, but maybe I’m just a cynical non-fiction reader?).

I also was a little annoyed at how she treated her husband. Between the two book clubs, weekly yoga classes, 52  friend dates on top of working a full-time job, she didn’t seem to value quality time with him at all. She shared a few of their arguments in the book, and I have to admit I was on his side most of the time. I certainly don’t think a husband can substitute for a gal-pal, but I also think cultivating that relationship–especially in the first year of marriage–is a really big deal.

But I still liked the concept of the book, and I share her sentiment about finding an in-town hang-out-at-the-drop-of-the-hat best friend. Y’all, making friends isn’t what it used to be when you bond over snacks in your lunch box in the first grade. Good friends are hard to find, and making a best friend out of school can be a real challenge.

I thought a lot about my friendships while I read this book. Friendships are so important, and different seasons of my life I have had more or less “support system” near where I live. I first moved to DC after graduation and didn’t know anyone but one of my college guy friends. My best friend Allison joined me after two months, but for those first few months it was very lonely and took time to develop friendships with co-workers and neighbors. I also had a similar feeling when I first moved to Raleigh. I moved in with one of my oldest, closest friends from high school and I knew J and his family, but it still took time to get adjusted here and develop my group of friends and who I could call to hang out with on the drop of the hat. Joining a small group and getting involved with our church has been a huge way to make new friends, and I feel like my life here is very settled now and I have a good group of friends both at work and elsewhere. It’s also hard balancing old friendships. I have a handful of friends that I keep up with on a regular basis — girls that I call or text or chat with at least once a week. And then there are old friends that I don’t see or talk to on a regular basis, but when we do finally catch up, we pick up right where we left off. Those are real gems.

This book may not have been my style or the approach I would have taken, but I did like how strongly Rachel valued friendships and truly understood how rare and precious good friendships are. The “best friends” title for me isn’t something you can casually place on friends or seek to fill, I think that has to happen organically and over lots of time. Nevertheless, this book did make me appreciate my friendships and more open about meeting new people.

What’s your favorite quote from the book?

“Popular culture has made it okay to yell “I want a man!” from the rooftops, so why are we still embarrassed to say, “I want a best friend”?”

“Some of the friendships I’ve found as an adult are far more rewarding than those forged out of the convenience of adolescence.”

“According to psychologists Debra Oswald and Eddie Clark’s research, there are four necessary behaviors to make a friendship stick. Self-disclosure, supportiveness, interaction, and positivity.”

“‘It takes a lot of work,’ I say. ‘You’ve got to say yes to all the invitations that come your way.  The more you say yes, the more invites you’ll get. You have to follow-up with all those meetings where you say ‘We should totally get together!’ instead of just saying it to sound nice. And signing up for things helps. Oh, and asking for setups. You know, basically all the things you do when you’re dating.’”

Would I recommend this book?
I guess I would recommend this to a girl who just graduated college, has a boyfriend or husband, and is seeking a best friend in a new city.

Have you read the book? What did you like, or didn’t like about it?
If you wrote a blog post about it, please link here:

May’s Book: This month we are reading the Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist. I’ll be reviewing this Monday June 3rd! 

Other reviews:
January: Bossypants
February: What Alice Forgot
March: Happier at Home

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Highlights from April:

+ Pear blossom trees lining my neighborhood
+ Snuggles with Leia
+ Second wedding anniversary
+ Bold hair cut
+ Cotton blossoms from my parents
+ Wine Festival on a beautiful spring Saturday
+ Azaleas in full bloom
+ New cute welcome mat
+ Lime green trees

April was a great month. I only had one major goal, and I’m sorry to admit that was a big fat fail. The first week was good, and I was still more conscious of my eating, but I definitely didn’t follow it as strict as I wanted.

As for my yearly goals: I went to Coquette for my new restaurant of the month, went to the Wine Festival for my local activity of the month, I made shrimp and grits as a new recipe, and read MWF Seeking BFF (review on Monday!), Bread and Wine, and Every Good Endeavor.

How was your April? :)

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Happy May everyone! Perhaps it’s years of school schedules in me, but this month has always felt very similar to December. Semesters end, activities come to a close, and life seems to be extra busy to prepare for a slower pace in the summer. We’ve had a quiet few months, so I welcome a busier change of pace, especially since they include fun plans three out of the four weekends this month. :)

Goals for this month:

– Start the P90x program (has anyone finished this workout program? Would love some feedback!)
– Go strawberry picking
– Stay within budget, for trips and regular budget
– Move my old job investment accounts to new ones
– Sell stuff on Craigslist or Ebay
– Don’t spend any money on home decor or DIY projects
– Don’t buy any clothes (except for a dress for the Memorial Day wedding)
– Take more pictures using my DSLR camera
– Cook something new and unique

What are your goals this month? Feel free to link up, if you’d like:

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The video was about 90 minutes long, and afterwards there was a panel of church leaders and members who shared how they were helping in the area and around the world to fight the problem. J wanted to stick around and talk with some people at a few tables afterwards. We bought a Tiny Hands bracelet at a booth, and then I asked if we could go. He tried to make conversation on the way to the car, but I just couldn’t speak.

Once our car doors shut, I lost it.

For five minutes in the church parking lot, I cried uncontrollably. Deep gut-wrenching sobs. I wept for the orphans sold into slavery. I wept for the girls herded and bargained like cattle. I wept for the children whose parents permitted, even encouraged, a lifestyle of prostitution, because it was more profitable than other professions. I wept for the women on display in Amsterdam windows for men to purchase for the night. I wept for the women who were tricked by the glamor of a Pretty Woman happy ending, stuck in abusive and violent lifestyles. I wept for the millions of children sexually abused by trusted family members, beginning a life of shame and fear and self-worthlessness.

But above all, I wept because I felt so helpless. The problem was so huge. The number of women too high. The trafficking too smart. The corruption too big. How could I do anything to make even a dent in this problem? It was too much, the evil too great.

It’s easy for me, and most of us I think, to feel helpless and then move on. Feel sad, but chalk it up to another issue we can’t do anything about. Go about our lives and assume someone else will handle it. Someone with more resources and more leadership and more access for change.

But then I think of the African slave trade. Abolition didn’t happen over night, and it didn’t happen from one person single-handedly abolishing slavery. It took years of hard work and awareness and advocation and reform from thousands of individuals who cared enough about the lives and humanity of those persecuted.

I want my grandkids to learn about this issue in their history class. I want it to be a horrible thing that used to happen. On the same list of past horrors like the Holocaust, African slavery, genocide. I want them to ask me if I did anything to help, and I want my answer to be yes. To show them tangible ways of how an average middle-class girl in North Carolina can make a difference, albiet small, in changing the world for the better.

Here is the trailer for the video, Nefarious: Merchant of Souls.

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My Friday Night Broken HeartMy Pretty Pennies -

Decluttering
Remember that long list of rules to keep, donate and toss? Two Saturdays ago, a certain someone woke me up at 5 am (hint, it wasn’t my sweet husband who loves when I sleep in), so I decided to get started on that long list of decluttering rules I made for myself. I started with the laundry room, then walked in the guestroom and started on that room, then the closet, then threw things away in the kitchen and started on the pantry. By the time J got up, I had seven projects going at once and the place looked like a madhouse. It was fabulous! I got rid of so much junk, so many “I’ll use this someday” items. I ended up with two bags of trash, five bags of donated items, five things to try and sell, and a very clutter-free apartment. Spring cleaning for the win!

Laundry Room Makeover
During this decluttering party, I gave my laundry room a little makeover. I use the word makeover very loosely because this room is certainly not beautiful or Pinterest-worthy, but everything has its place and is so much more organized than before.

While we are on this subject… can I go on a little Pinterest rant? When searching for some laundry room inspiration, I came across some crazy pics. Like painting polka dots on your washer and dryer. (Isn’t that going a little far for a washer and dryer?) Or, laundry rooms with a TV. Now, I may change my tune when I have kids and laundry becomes my life, but right now that seems just a little excessive. Anyone else agree?

Anyhoo, back to my “makeover.” This room is part-laundry, part-pantry, part-storage area since our kitchen cabinets are limited. It started out looking like this (well, technically it was after I got started… it wasn’t normally this messy):

And turned into this:

It doesn’t look that amazing, but it is much more organized than before. The bookshelf is my storage saver. I thought about painting it, but instead just added some old wrapping paper to the back to give it a little pop. The top shelf has our detergent, toaster and food processor (appliances that didn’t fit well in our kitchen), the second shelf has Leia’s dog treats, wet food and bones, the next two shelves are party and baking supplies I don’t use very often, and the last one stores our soda and paper towels. I also hung my aprons and Leia’s leash on some hooks on the empty wall to the right. There are a lot of cleaning supplies hanging and bags full of rags behind the washer and dryer.

Also – you may notice the sports posters on the wall… this my friends, is what we call compromise, as I shared in an earlier post on decorating with a boy. ;)

Let there be light.
My sister in-law Katie works at a furniture store, and will occasionally get free accessories that are broken or damaged. She sent me a picture of this lamp that had a broken ceramic piece, and I decided to go for it, since our large side table needed a chunkier lamp. I super-glued the broken piece (one of the “loops”) and you can’t even tell, unless you look really closely. I’m not crazy about the lamp shade and will probably replace it someday, but for now it looks so much better than our skinny lamp on that table. And the best part is it cost me nothing!

For the record, the lamp isn’t crooked, just my photo skills.

A New Little Print
Has anyone read Kisses from Katie? If not, go right now and order the book or rent it from your library. I read it last October and finished it in two days. SO GOOD. This quote is from there, and the print is from the Recipe for Crazy etsy shop.

What home improvement projects or little additions have you given your home lately? 

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Home Improvement: Decluttering, Makeovers, New Lamps and a Whole Lot of JesusMy Pretty Pennies -