hey girl, I just found my new obsession...

My love for Ryan Gosling is well documented. So how have I not stumbled across this brilliant website until now? F@#k Yeah! Ryan Gosling combines all the things I love: pictures of Ryan Gosling with witty commentary. Behold...

 

Hey girl, do yourself a favor and check it out. It will be time well wasted. 

PS: Oh and hey girl, 

You're welcome. 

The best gift to give...

to me, giving gifts is more than just buying something expensive for the people I love. I want the gift to mean something. Right before my wedding this year, while searching for a meaningful gift for my parents, I discovered Kind Notes. 

Kind Notes are jars filled with 31 decorative mini-envelopes that include personalized messages. You can either choose from pre-written messages or receive blank papers and create your own messages. Then the recipient opens one note each day for 31 days. 

I always choose to write the notes myself for a more personal touch. There are so many approaches you can take to the jars – inspirational messages, love notes, memories, notes of thanks. I like to do a combination so the message is a surprise each day. You can also choose from a wide variety of jar and envelope designs that best suit your loved one. 

Kind Notes are a great gift for everyone:

1. Teachers: Kids and parents can fill it with things they like/appreciate about their teacher. Or all of the classroom parents can get together and have each child in the class write one note to their teacher. 

2. Spouses: It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life that you forget to tell your spouse how much you appreciate them. With Kind Notes, they can open one each day and be reminded how much they mean to you. 

3. Kids: Especially for teens or kids who are away at college, it's a great way to tell your kids how much you love them. 

4. Grandparents: Grandma and grandpa love sentimental gifts and this is a great way for all of the grandkids to fill out a few envelopes with memories or notes of thanks. They will have personalized messages from their beloved little ones for an entire month. 

Kind Notes are also perfect for: 

Relatives who live far away

Military members stationed overseas

Notes of encouragement for parents-to-be

And many other creative uses

And it's the gift that keeps on giving. You can re-order note cards and envelopes to continue to show your appreciation to the ones you love. Best of all, they are only around $40 with shipping and handling. 

There is still time to order your Kind Notes before Christmas. Hurry – it's a gift everyone will love! 

Home sweet home...

It's official, we are homeowners! We got the word yesterday and our closing is in a few weeks. We are so excited – it is a beautiful house. We still can't believe that it's ours!

The wheels in my head are just spinning with decorating possibilities. Stay tuned...

The soundtrack of my life...

music is big in our house. My husband may have more CDs (remember those round things you used to buy before downloading took over the world?) than any human I have ever met. Before I met him, I fancied myself quite the music aficionado, but I humbly take a backseat to his musical knowledge and collection.  That said, there isn't a day that goes by that there isn't some music playing in our house.

Music is part of my every day life and since this blog is about "My Life" I thought I'd start a new feature "The Soundtrack of My Life" about the music that is currently inspiring me.

First up is a CD that is playing at this very moment on my computer, Mat Kearney's Young Love.

You may have become familiar with Mat when his amazing breakout hit, Nothing Left to Lose, hit the charts in 2007. It was followed up with the achingly beautiful single, All I Need, that still gives me chills every time I listen to it, as well as the equally moving, Breathe In Breathe Out. He followed up his major label debut album with City of Black and White, which features one of my all-time favorite songs, Closer to Love. Do yourself a favor and listen to this song. It's hopeful, inspirational and will just make you feel good.

His new CD, Young Love, is Mat Kearney doing what he does best, mixing haunting ballads with upbeat tunes that provide for a seamless album. Many have compared his sounds (and looks) to Chris Martin from Coldplay, and I can hear (and see) it. But every song is sung with such honesty and emotion it feels more pure than any Coldplay record of late (yes, Fix You was amazing). That said, I'm still coming to terms with his "spoken word/rap" style on some songs. It's growing on me.

As a writer, I find it hard to listen to music while I write, but I've already listened to this CD three times today. It's a great album by a fabulous singer and songwriter.

My favorites on the album: Hey Mama (the album's first single), Sooner or Later, Down and She Got the Honey. I defy you not to hum "She's got the honey, and I got some money to buy her a big bouquet" by the end of it the first listen.

Added bonus: He even sounds good at 30,000 feet.