lists

my christmas love list //

December 23, 2013 by Rachel Leave a Comment

A Tattoo.
Preferably this one.
‘It’s always darkest before the dawn.’

Mizuno Running Shoes.
These Mizuno Wave Rider 16’s to be exact.
In this color.
I already have these in the pink/salmon color, but they are b-e-a-t! I love the way they feel.
I think it’s the first shoe that has not induced pain when running.

A Fitbit Force.
I love my Jawbone Up, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t intrigued by having
a watch and a pedometer visible throughout the day.
Plus wireless syncing! That’s a huge bonus.

Trader Joes Gift Card.
LOVE me some TJs! ‘Nuff said!

Gift card for a massage/mani-pedi/dinner for one.
Ha!
From my fave salon, Charles Scott in Rocky River, of course!

A calendar from Etsy.
I especially love this one from Row House.

Faux Taxidermy.
Don’t judge. I love it.
Would I ever want real deer antlers in our house?
No way. But this is too cute!
There’s a whole area devoted to faux taxidermy on Etsy.
Who would’ve thought!?
And this one is from Banana Tree Studios!

An E-Gift Certificate to Wine & Canvas.
Cause who wouldn’t love a fun night out, getting crafty + sipping on wine!?

the Humans Of New York book.
Must.
If you don’t follow this blog, you totally need to.

What’s on your love list this Christmas Eve?? 🙂

love list //

November 12, 2013 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Things I’m loving as of late…

1. This tote from AlwaysDesign on Etsy. 2. This Macbook Pro case from PochetteGavotte on Etsy. 3. This card from LittleCanoe on Etsy. 4. This sketchbook from SomeOfMyOrange on Etsy. 5. This fun necklace from BirdieNumNumShop on Etsy. 6. These awesome gold vinyl wall decals from UrbanWalls on Etsy.

1. This awesome rug from Zulily. 2. This DIY gold mason jar crafting project via LilyShop blog. 3. These adorable (and eco-friendly!) new diaper designs from Honest Diapers. 4. The Fox Says printable from GroopDealz.

What are you loving right now?

30 Before 30.

October 8, 2013 by Rachel 4 Comments

About a year ago, I posted my “30 before 30” list. You know — my list of 30 things that I want to accomplish by the time I turn 30. Which, at this point, is less than 365 days from now.

I’m already planning on a ‘birthday-project-esque’ hurrah to ring in my big day. But first, I have to make it through this year.

And I have to make it through this list I wrote for myself one year ago:

01 // Become a mom. Hey! I did this! 🙂

02 // Run a half marathon.

03 // Go on a family vacation to the beach. We did this over the summer! 🙂

04 // Participate in a yoga workshop.

05 // Go to a professional sporting event. I wasn’t anticipating going to three Indians games this year, but we did.

06 // Learn something new by taking a class. Another unexpected surprise was surprising myself with going to Wine & Canvas painting events. It feels good to make it a regular practice to be crafty.

07 // Spend an entire day paying it forward.

08 // Visit Niagara Falls.

09 // Visit Denver.

10 // Pay for the person behind me at Starbucks. I’ve done this — THREE times! 🙂 And it feels fantastic each and every time.

11 // Go on a wine tour. Check! Girls wine tour, 2012, in the books!

12 // Try a new [to me] exercise class. I tried a new cycling class. But I feel like this only half counts.

13 // Visit an apple orchard as a family. My sweet family of three visited an apple orchard just a few weeks ago!

14 // Participate in the Warrior Dash. I haven’t done this exact race, but I did participate in Pretty Muddy — which was an obstacle course women’s mud run. Sooo basically the same thing. And to be honest, I probably will not do a Warrior Dash. The Pretty Muddy 5k was super rough on my body and I don’t think I’ll do the WD.

15 // …and the Color Run! Does Color Me Rad count?? I think so!

16 // Go kayaking — and finally put our kayaks to use!

17 // Have professional family pictures taken. Thank you, Justine Johnson, for taking our first family photos!

18 // Ride a roller coaster.

19 // Make bread from scratch.

20 // Live a more sustainable life. Complete work in progress!

21 // Eat at Mighty Taco in Buffalo, NY again.

22 // Get a massage. I’ve had FOUR!! Look at this mama go! HA!

23 // Visit the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland.

24 // Attend a social media gathering. Check! #VitamixCLE,

25 // Feel comfortable in a bathing suit.

26 // Visit the zoo. We visited the Akron Zoo on what seemed to be their busiest day of the summer! But it was fun.

27 // …and a museum. Our Fathers Day weekend was spent at the Akron Art Museum!

28 // Take an aerial yoga class.

29 // Have a successful no-spend month.

30 // Play in the snow.

get fit! // fitness goals

May 10, 2013 by Rachel 6 Comments

I’m big on lists. And goals — big and small.

So I’m sharing how I am holding myself accountable.

and offering myself little rewards throughout my “get fit” journey!

1. Fit back into my old pre-baby jeans. This is a big one. I’m tired of wearing maternity & postpartum clothes. I miss my old J.Crew jeans. Sigh. Reward? New pair of Lululemon yoga pants.

2. Go back to a C-cup. You may think I’m crazy, but baby weight gain + nursing = giant tatas. And I’m over it. Like, a thousand percent over it. Reward? New bra from Victoria’s Secret.

3. Run for 30 minutes straight. Used to be easy-peasy. Now I’m working myself back up to it via the Couch to 5k program. Getting there! Reward? I Run This Body shirt from mile-posts.com.

4. Work out 7 days straight. This is kind of self-explanatory. I used to work out everyday. I know it’s not possible to do 7-day a week workouts all the time, but just one week would be nice. Reward? These pub glasses I’ve been lusting over for ages now.

5. Run my first timed 5k race since Ari was born. It’s been a longggg time since I ran an actual race. Reward? This Run Like A Mother shirt.

How about you? Do you have any fitness goals or other life goals you’re working on?? Do you set mini-‘rewards’ for yourself when you achieve them?? 🙂

{ love list }

December 13, 2012 by Rachel Leave a Comment

A short list of things I’m loving right now. <3

The Biennial Hobo purse from J.Crew:

This blog post on the secret drinks you can order the next time you’re at Starbucks.

Pantone’s 2013 Color Of The Year. Hooray for Emerald!
This Ohio necklace from {Turtle Love.com}. I also love the Maine necklace, obviously.
Mizuno Wave Rider 16 Running Shoes. They are great for the underpronator, such as myself.

Locally-made little boy bow ties from Simple Hands. Don’t worry, you can order from her Etsy store!

The Cabernet Sauvignon from Twenty Rows that I had at my aunts house earlier this week. My palate has changed from pregnancy and it’s been hard to find a wine that I really like. This is now my fave.

Blog post + gift guide from Akron Blogger Ashley, from My Little Apartments’, Gift Guide For The Environmentally Inclined. Which rings especially true for us — as we asked for gift cards to our local gym to renew our membership. Something we both need and is something that isn’t just ‘stuff.’

What is on your love list right now?

my favorite things – August 7th edition

August 7, 2012 by Rachel 11 Comments

I’m an obsessive list-maker. OB-SESSIVE. I keep a list in my phone of “things I need to add to my to-do list.” Granted, some of this extra-obsessiveness is because of my severe pregnancy brain. I can’t remember anything. Nada.

And there are things that I come across on the interwebs that I feel like “OMG! I have to share this with everyone!”

Here’s my list of awesome + inspirational + pretty finds over the last few weeks:

Have a Great Day, Every Day: 5 things to Do in the Morning. – via Wisebread

This Monarch Butterfly Mobile. – via etsy shop Belles Nursery Decor. Think it’s too girly for a yellow/gray nursery? I feel like bending some gender stereotypes. Plus, I haven’t found many others I’m in love with.