Proud to NOT be a barbie!!!

I saw this ad on Rachele's blog

Apparently it was banned from being used by the Body Shop because Mattel (that's right, the Barbie people) thought it was offensive! After doing some internet research on this, I realized I'm a bit late on the uptake, but I do remember wondering what happened to this ad...

...and hearing that it was banned from billboard advertising because it was offensive. How is that possible?! How can something like this ad be ok to advertise and flaunt in young girl's faces, but a depiction of a real woman is "offensive?!" I happen to find it offensive to show sickly thin (and yet still photoshopped!!) women who have fake body parts in advertisements. When will our society finally realize that stick thin, silicone, and Botox do not equal beauty?!

Beauty is comfort in your own skin, its kindness and generosity, its glowing because you are happy, and emanating that to others! Just imagine what the world would be like if we all modeled that to young girls....

Happy Monday {19th ed.}

Happy Monday!

Sunday lazy coffee
I love sitting in coffee shops on Sunday mornings. Everyone is relaxed, there is nowhere to rush to, just coffee, a shamelessly fattening breakfast snack, and a good book....perfect!

Bird on a Wire artistry :)

Nerds!

I found this nerd diagram (which is, in and of itself, quite nerdy!) along with an article on the different "nerd varieties" in Seattle. 

Isn't it awesome?! I really love nerds and am proud to be one :)

Book jewelry!

...see, I told you I was a nerd! :)

from etsy

etsy again!

Dogtown

Has anyone seen this show? I celebrated passing my dissertation proposal defense (side note: yay me!!) by lounging on my couch and watching 5 episodes from my netflix instant queue our new big tv (which is also making me very happy!). Its a really great show and Best Friends animal sanctuary is an amazing place, I love everyone that works there and the passion for animals that is so apparent in the atmosphere! 

Quotation Wednesday {4th ed.}

I love this one because I totally resonate with it, I feel naked without a book in my purse! Im also reading this book for the first time, and I love finding (and underlining!) good quotes in books. 

"She loved to walk down the street with a book under her arm. It had the same significance for her as an elegant cane...It differentiated her from others." -Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)

Happy Monday {18th ed.}

Happy Happy Monday everyone!!

I have no words...
It is taking everything I have to not order these shoes!! Crystal, you have no money and nowhere to wear them ~ Im repeating that to myself...its not working...

via Etsy (where else?!)

When things are made into rainbows!

I shared this house with you last week, but I really love when stuff is "rainbow-ized!" 

This dress just makes me giggle! 

via Etsy

Goodwill shopping
I love getting a good deal, its far more fun than spending a ton of money on something. Plus I love unique, non-cookie-cutter items....and Im poor! So Goodwill consists of the bulk of my shopping, and I find some fun stuff :)

A super fun and quirky chair ~ $7.50!!

And remember my overflowing bookshelf dilemma? Well, this is the mini version that is $35 at Fred Meyer....for $7, yay! :)

Its my new TBR shelf...Ive gotta get cracking!

Ok, that is it for me, what is making you happy this week?!

A great reminder...

via The World Made Flesh

Random Simple Pleasures {3rd ed.}

Simple Pleasure #3 ~ The out-of-corpse movement
You know that feeling when you have been in corpse pose, fully relaxed and unmoving, then you wiggle your fingers? Its like your whole body is consumed with the simple motion of wiggling your fingere....yup, I love that!

Quotation Wednesday {3rd ed.}

I found this one in a Yoga magazine at my yoga studio and absolutely love it! Unjudgemental and unconditional love is all too rare, but absolutely beautiful! What a wonderful analogy for it!

Happy Monday {17th ed.}

Happy Happy Monday!

Finally relaxing after overwhelming stress
This past week I flew to MN alone to go on 2 internship interviews, finally submitted my completed dissertation proposal to my committee members, and scheduled a defense date!!! There is no better feeling than finally relaxing after stressing out for months on end! Ahh the joy of not waking up (and going to bed) filled with stress and dread! (It will last for about a week, but oh how I will enjoy it!)

This video
It has Gloria from Modern Family and Britney S Pierce from Glee...awesome! :)

Nuthin' But A Glee Thang with Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison & Sofia Vergara from Heather Morris

Eva Longoria's dress at the Golden Globes
Gorgeous, I want to wear it while sitting on my couch and eating ice cream!! :)

Books written from a dog's perspective
Yeah, because I'm a dork like that! I just read A Dog's Purpose and loved it. It's no literary masterpiece, but it made me smile, laugh, cry, and want to hug my pups...what more could you want?! :)

Oh, and The Art of Racing in the Rain is another good one. (Hmm...I just realized how similar the covers are!)

Perusing the "free" section on Craigslist
I know, get a life Crystal! Seriously though, it is simple entertainment at it's best! Where else could you find "Stuffing, clean and white" or a picture of a guy rock climbing for free? Who gets in their car and drives to some strangers house to pick this crap up?! (Who spends their Sunday night looking at this stuff?...oh yeah, me!)

"Good Rubbish for Free!!!"

Roller Coasters!!!

One of my interviews was in Shakopee, MN...the home of Valley Fair! This was the amusement park of my childhood, adolescence, and yes, adulthood! I will admit that I am a huge baby when it comes to scary movies, halloween pranks, and even the dark! But, I love love roller coasters, to the point that I can't even fully enjoy them unless I am strapped into the front seat! Valley fair is awesome and I hope to be able to go back soon :)

This is the "Wild Thing" and it is strategically positioned right along the road,
just to make you want to jump right on!

Ok, that is it for me this week! What is making you happy?

Have a Rainbow Day!

I saw this house while I was out walking some dogs today, isn't it awesome!? Its kind of hard to see, but the sign says "Have a Rainbow Day!"  Only in Seattle..... :)

Random Simple Pleasures {2nd ed.}

Simple Pleasure #2 ~ The Window Seat
I hesitate to include this as a "simple" pleasure because I really think it is quite amazing. I mean you are watching the world get minuscule while flying through the air! That is awesome right?! I decided to include it though because it has become a somewhat mundane thing in our ever traverse society. But alas, I still think it is stunning. I have found that I love flying into/out of Seattle during the day, the mountains and water are just phenomenally beautiful.

I love Minneapolis at night because it always amazes me that there are city lights literally as far as you can see!

Its not really something you can capture...

I also though love flying over the midwest during the day when the farm land looks like an expanse of earthly quilts. When you are close enough to see the little worlds below, its just so amazing to think that each little plot, each light, each household represents a family, a whole life...am I the only person who finds that to be extraordinary?!

Quotation Wednesday {2nd ed.}

I stole this from my friend Rachel, who I think stole it from some other blog, but secondary sources are a stress for dissertations, not blogs!!

"Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle." -Plato

I love love it!! I am constantly reminding myself that you just never know what trauma someone has gone through. So when your server gets irritated about your 15th refill or someone doesn't give up their "backpack seat" on the bus, its ok, they may be going through something really difficult. I think the world would be a better place if we just all gave people a little bit of leeway and compassion rather than judgement and irritation.

Happy Monday {16th ed.}

Well its late today, but that is because I was traveling all day today and am now in a hotel room in Minneapolis awaiting my internship interviews (eek!). But alas, here is what is making me happy this week....

The new mens shoes for women fad

I generally don't like the fashion fads that are around as I dress in my own little way most of the time. But, I love this new shoe trend of women wearing men's style shoes....I can't quite figure out why because they really are quite ugly, but oh how I want some!

via Nordstrom

Peeking owl teacups
I saw these on My Owl Barn's site and love them :)

Passive Aggressive Notes website
Maybe I have lived in the pacific northwest (aka: passive aggressive land) for far too long, but this site just is hilarious to me! This one is my favorite...

link here

Ties
Im on a bit of a "men's clothes for women" kick huh? Yeah, I really love ties though! I love wearing them and I love the look of them...maybe its a Shane thing, I don't know ;)

Ok, that is it for me this week, hopefully my interviews will make me happy too though! What is making you happy this week?

Titillating...(hehe)

Lynn and I went to a burlesque show last night (which was awesome by the way!) and were introduced to the concept of naked girls reading! Have you guys heard about this? Apparently it is exactly what the name implies, naked girls doing book readings! Im intrigued...

Random Simple Pleasures {1st ed.}

Going to bed early!
As you probably know by now, I love love bedtime! This could just say "simple pleasure #1-sleeping!" and I would be happy!  There is something extra special though when you just say "you know what? Im tired and I don't need to still be up!" and head to bed before 10pm. It just feels scandalous somehow, then you wake up early and feel extra refreshed!.....yup, I love that!

ps: Isn't this print beautiful?! You can find it here.

Quotation Wednesday {1st Ed.}

Well, here it goes! My first Wednesday quote...

"For where can one find more noble distraction, more entertaining company, more delightful enchantment than in literature?" -Bradbury (The Elegance of the Hedgehog)

New weekly posts, yay!

My Happy Monday posts have been fun and I think I've been doing a pretty good job at keeping them up (aside from the last one, but it was the holidays so..yeah). Anyways, I've found some blogs recently that I absolutely love and that have inspired me to start up 2 more weekly posts. Now, I can't promise that these will last forever, but Im going to give them both a try and see how it goes. (That is my "live in the now" mantra speaking, aren't you proud of me?!)

So, introducing...(drum roll).....

1) Quotation Wednesday
This idea came from my extreme joy when Lisa shared this blog! I love how it showcases eclectic quotes in such an interesting way through pictures. So, I am going to try to do the same! I love quotes and have been trying to find a way to share my favorites with you, so yay Im excited!!

2) Friday's Simple Pleasures
This idea came from the blog 1000 simple pleasures that I talked about on Monday. I have always been a big proponent of appreciating the small things in life. One of my first posts was about finding $5 for cripes sake!! I just think that life gets too crazy sometimes and we need to be reminded of the simple joys  that are all around us. We need to stop and smell the roses, for lack of a less corny reference! So, I will do my best to be that reminder. And what better day to showcase life's simple pleasures than on Friday, which is itself, a simple weekly joy?!

I also made those fun button things for the names, but I can't decide which of these two to use for  Happy Mondays. Which one do you guys like?

Option a)..

..or option b) ??

Im pretty excited about these new posts! What do you guys think? 

I need a new bookshelf...

...maybe my New Years resolution should have been to start reading some of the books on my TBR list (aka: that overflowing top shelf!) rather than continue to buy more. That would mean no more trips to my beloved Half Price Books though....so no, new bookshelf it is!!

Happy Monday {15th ed.}

Oops, I forgot about Happy Monday last week!! Well, this one will be extra happy :)

Champagne!!
Who doesn't love champagne? Its bubbly, it has it's own special stemware, it generally indicates a special occasion (ps: happy 2011!!), and even the cheap stuff tastes good!! I love the bubbly! :)

Twisty bookshelves
How awesome are these?! Too bad they are ridiculously expensive, but oh so fun! See them all here.

Simple pleasures

I was inspired by this site. I love simple pleasures; "empty house" style dancing, refills you didn't even realize you wanted, fresh sheets, when you finally remember why that actor is familiar, you get the idea! This one is by far my favorite though!! I am considering making some sort of "simple pleasure" weekly post....thoughts?

Getting random "Santa gifts" in the mail

Remember when I was wishfully thinking about my longest running Etsy item? Well it magically showed up at my doorstep the week before Christmas!! Yay, I love it! Its not up yet because I am searching for a worthy frame...but pictures will come! (ps: thanks Lynn ahem, Santa!!)

Zindle's Thundershirt

Have any of you dog lovers out there in blog land heard of the thundershirt? They advertise it as a miracle cure for all bad behavior, which obviously induces skepticism. It doesn't make a dog instantly into a trained perfect companion, but it does take the edge off. Zindle gets ridiculously anxious on walks, in the car, when someone walks by the yard, basically any time she is outside of the house! This definitely helps, plus its looks kinda cute on her :)

What is making you happy so far in 2011?!