Whirlwind

Decmber has been nothing short of a whirlwind, and once again, I have let my blog fall to the wayside. December rolled in and it was time to organize and sort everything we own in preparation for our big move. In that same time, I finished my student teaching and master's program - woo hoo! I am extremely excited to be able to spend some time working before beginning any classes again.

Then, it was time to move. Because the husband was leaving the military, we were able to use their moving services for the majority of our things. However, the movers came about two weeks before we were leaving so there was plenty of stuff to pack into two vehicles. The drive was long but rather beautiful, and I used Christmas music and some other "belt it out" type songs to pass the time. 

After my 3 am arrival in northern Virginia, I pulled the car into the garage, got the dogs settled in the condo, and slept all day. The next few days were filled with unpacking and trying to find a place for everything. [we still have lots of unpacking/organizing left to do - our garage is a mess and no longer fits a car inside of it] I was also able to fit in an evening out in Annapolis with a very dear friend of mine - and what a lovely evening it was. All of that fun had to come to a halt as we packed up the car once again and headed to western PA for Christmas.

We spent five days with my family for the holidays. The days were filled with laughter, warmth, food, drinks, snow, and lots of love. A very merry Christmas it was!

Kings and I continued our travels as we headed to Lancaster, PA to say farewell to a friend who is moving to Japan. We enjoyed a night of remembering old and creating new memories with friends from college.

After all of the excitement, I've returned home [my new home] for a day and a half, only to head off to Philly for NYE festivities. 

Like I said, this month has been a complete whirlwind, but I am proud to say that I have found myself smiling and laughing often, and delighting in the simple things in life.

New Name

Some of you may be arriving from my previous blog, Twinkling Nights. While that blog was only active for a short time, I had been searching for the perfect blog name to fit my personality, writing style, and discussion topics. 

I finally came up with the perfect one - 'Tis life, darling! Some days are utter disappointment while others are overflowing with joy and excitement, but both are equally important parts of our lives.

Hope you enjoy the previous posts and what is yet to come!

xo
Alli J

Where are you Christmas?

It’s December 10^th – only 15 days until Christmas. This is normally my favorite time of the year. I’m usually bustling about decorating our home, hosting parties, buying gifts, and enjoying other holiday festivities.

This year is different. Because we’re in the middle of a move, I barely have any furniture in my apartment, let alone decorations. The stress of completing my student teaching and grad school while getting ready to move and job hunting has got me feeling down in the dumps lately. And to top it all off, there was a record high temperature in this area of Florida today – 78 degrees on December 10th - oy!

Needless to say, I am having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit this year. It pains me to type that as Christmas is absolutely my favorite holiday and I have delighted in its presence for as long as I can remember.  I am trying to find ways to boost my holiday cheer in the midst of all the chaos - any ideas?

Here is my one measly strand of white twinkle lights that I managed to grab out of storage before everything was shipped away.

I feel like Cindy Lou Who from the Jim Carrey version of the Grinch.

“Where are you Christmas?

Why can’t I find you?

Why have you gone away?....

My world is changing

I’m rearranging

Does that mean Christmas changes too?”

It's been a while...

Wow.  I kind of fell off of the blogosphere. I had every intention of contributing to the blog at least twice per week, but then life happened. I missed two entire months, and two of my favorite months of the year at that! Let’s give this another try.

While I was out....

October – Student teaching & grad school have consumed my life. I feel like every waking moment is spent lesson planning, teaching, or writing papers. I managed to make it to one Halloween party where some friends and I were the cast of Grey’s Anatomy. I was Addison Montgomery, visiting from L.A. of course. I missed the Northeast terribly, but was able to enjoy a few cool days at the end of October. I supplemented my yearning for Northeastern autumns with pumpkin spice coffee daily and comfort food, a la turkey pumpkin chili –mmm! That’s my October in a nutshell. 

I also took some time on October 8th to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. I roasted a turkey breast and served it with all of the fixins' - yum!

November came and went in one big blur. I honestly do not recall doing much of anything outside of student teaching and graduate school. ‘Tis the life of a student teacher.  I was able to escape all of my schoolwork to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends. We went to Kings’ grandmother’s house and shared a wonderful meal and many laughs with aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and my mother-in-law. It was a terrific holiday.

Oh, and I managed to get out there and vote on November 6th. Politics aside, voting to me is an inspirational experience. To know that we live in a country where we get a voice, a voice that so many of our ancestors fought long and hard to be heard - we get a voice.

Sometime during the two months, I managed to make one fall craft – an autumn banner. Incredibly simple DIY project. I bought wooden letters from the craft store, painted them various colors, hot glued them on twine, then added a couple Styrofoam pumpkins when it was hung.

And voila!

A simple autumn banner made my Florida apartment feel just a little more like fall.

Yard Sale-ing & Flea Market-ing

Lately, I have been hitting up some local yard sales and flea markets on the weekends. I have a love/hate relationship with yard sales and flea markets. On one side, I love searching through the multitude of items with the hopes of discovering something exquisite. On the other hand, I tend to get discouraged after multiple searches through dishes, knick knacks, decorations, and books to no avail. However, I can usually convince myself to continue on my search for the perfect items for my home, crafts, and projects.

Lately, I have had some successes in the book department. I’ve always loved vintage books. There’s just something inspiring about looking at the books of our past. Recently, I came across an older copy of Dr. Suess’ Green Eggs & Ham.

Also, I found these darling “natural wonders” books.

And, my most prized book find – a dictionary from the 60’s! My first thought when I saw this baby was “Oh, the crafts I can make with you!” And that is fully what I intend to do with this book – make crafts.

Another delightful little find is this owl drawing – I simply adore it.

What are some of your favorite yard sale/flea market finds?

Simple Pleasures – Apple Nachos

The other night I was really craving something sweet. Because the husband and I have been trying to eat healthier, sweets are hard to come by in this household. However, I found some left-over hot fudge and caramel in the fridge from previous hot fudge sundae cravings. While there was no ice cream to be found, I did have a delicious gala apple. I simply used my apple corer to slice the apple, heated the hot fudge and caramel, and then drizzled both of the toppings on the apple slices. 

And voila! 

Deliciousness!

I highly recommend apple nachos as a slightly less calorie and sugar-intense option - sweet, scrumptious dessert.

This simple pleasure was tasty!

Magazine Love

Look what arrived in my mailbox yesterday!!

My October issue of Better Homes and the fall catalog for Restoration Hardware, accompanied by an extra inspiration catalog! [If you haven't checked out Restoration Hardware, you should head to their website immediately - http://www.restorationhardware.com/ - they have some amazing pieces for your home]

Needless to say, I am having some difficulty working on my schoolwork. I see some home projects in my future!

Fall Equinox

Saturday was the fall equinox, which marks the official beginning of autumn – my absolute favorite season! Even though I’m in Florida (where the high was like 92 degrees), I tried to get into the spirit of the season. I spent some time daydreaming about a place where cool, crisp air blows and I’m bundled up in a hoodie, jeans, and boots, hanging out by a campfirewhich is surrounded by yellow, orange, and red leaves, I’m sipping some apple cider and eating a pumpkin-flavored dessert….this is my fall. This is the fall that I always picture in my mind. Well, this coupled with pumpkin patches, hayrides, haunted houses, trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, pumpkin coffee, Thanksgiving dinner, football, and apple picking. For four years, I have been deprived of most of the staples of autumn because of my location. However, next year I’ll have my fall – the fall I always picture in my mind, the fall I’ve longed for throughout my time in Florida. The glorious autumn days will be all mine to savor! [Can you tell I’m a little excited?!]

For the time being, I’ll continue to drink my pumpkin coffee and apple cider, find a way to put pumpkin in almost every dish I cook, and burn my autumn scented candles. On Saturday, I burned a mulled apple spice candle and baked the pre-made sugar cookies with pumpkin faces on them. [I seriously love these Pillsbury sugar cookies – I think I could eat the whole batch in one sitting – eek!]

While it will never compare to the first day of autumn in Pennsylvania, it will do for now. Saturday was a good day.

Simple Pleasures - Pumpkin Scented Candle

I love autumn. All things associated with fall bring a smile to my face. Cool, crisp air. Evenings that begin a little earlier. Brilliantly colored leaves falling to the ground. Apple cider. Football. Snuggling up in hoodies and blankets. [just to name a few]

Unfortunately, living in Florida, I don’t get to experience much of the usual comforts of the autumn season.  Because of this, I usually begin yearning for fall much sooner than normal people.

So this weekend, I indulged myself with a little slice of autumn that’s available anywhere: a pumpkin scented candle. [spiced pumpkin pie to be exact]

I burnt the candle all weekend and our apartment smelled amazing, while the scent made me crave pumpkin-flavored desserts.  The smell of warm pumpkin makes any place feel cozy and ignites nostalgia of my childhood days – jumping in piles of leaves and picking out that perfect pumpkin from the patch. [Not to mention the romantic, inspiring look of a room lit only by candles]

This simple pleasure reminds me of wonderful times, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and reignites my zest for life.

So I'm starting a blog...

So, I decided to start a blog. “Why?” you ask. That’s a good question. I can answer it with two main reasons: negativity and developing a craft.

Now before you leave my blog without reading another word, hear me out. I am trying to combat the constant negativity I’ve found in my head lately. You see, I live in northwest Florida because of my man’s military career. This has displaced me from the city I called home (Philly), my very best friends, and my family. Also, I’m nearing the end of graduate school, stressing about completing my program and, frankly, dismal career opportunities after graduation.  On top of all of this, I am a northern girl, born and bred, and I just do not fit in down here. I cannot stand the constant heat and humidity, I miss having four seasons, I miss living in a city, I miss my friends, I’m sick of being underemployed…the list goes on. Thus, the major sources of negativity in my life that I finally decided to work toward replacing with positive thoughts.

My second reason for starting a blog is to further develop my writing and creativity. One of my life goals/dreams is to become a published author. I’ve never told anyone that before (except the hubs, of course). I think it is because I’m afraid that my writing will be subpar, that no one would be interested in my ideas – basically, I’m afraid that I will fail. But I have all of these ideas in my head that I want to put onto paper and develop more. It’s a tug-of-war between my fears and my aspirations. But lately I’ve been hearing the phrase “dreams don’t work unless you do” playing in my mind, on repeat.  So, I spent a few days thinking about how to work on my writing skills, find my voice, and nourish my creativity, and I decided on a blog.

My goal for this blog is to help others who are struggling with negativity in their lives. I truly believe that one can find at least one amazing or excellent or beautiful or inspiring thing in every single day…if only one looks.

So, I am promising myself and my readers, that from here on out, I am looking. I am looking for that gleaming eye of a child who sees a balloon floating off into the clouds and wonders where it’s going. I am looking for that delightful flower growing in an unlikely place that puts you in awe of nature. I am looking for that perfect cup of coffee that makes getting out of bed in the morning just a little more pleasant. I am looking for the joy and elation in the faces of loved ones as they are reunited. I am looking for the little details hiding in the bookcases and on the walls that make your house a home. I am looking for that magical feeling that comes when a certain December holiday rolls around. I am looking for the little things, the simple things, which are brilliant, magnificent, and inspiring – these are the things that make our lives sparkle and our nights twinkle.