Links | The Lone Rager

Showing posts with label Links. Show all postsShowing posts with label Links. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

on writing, adorably

It has become a tradition for me to begin blog posts with an aside, a practice I could also refer to as “My 11th grade English teacher probably hates me.” Hi Ms. Clinch! Anyway, this time my aside is somewhat related to what the rest of my post is about, and it starts with you reading stuff on other places on the interwebs. But promise to come back afterward.

Okay, here goes. Firstly, I am turning last year’s post about gut health and antibiotics into a three-part series on MindBodyGreen, and the first article is up today. Go check it out! Next read this Onion article about Boston. Finally, watch this youtube video of bad NFL lip reading, which has nothing to do with anything but was so funny I nearly actually fell out of my chair laughing. [Dad, Billy will love it.]

****************
Oh hi, you’re back. I thought of that Onion article when I mulled over the concept of this post because it’s kind of how I feel telling people I’m thinking of writing full time, like, as a career. They smile and say, “That’s great!,” but in my head they are saying, “Awww, how adorable. She thinks she can wriiiiite.”

People are probably not actually thinking that at all. Or, maybe a few are, but my anxiety isn’t about them; it’s just an excuse to keep me from writing. Once I stripped away those lame excuses, I had an epiphany. It’s me. I’m the only thing keeping me from writing. This realization is both good and bad because now there’s nothing stopping me. Well, nothing except watching that youtube video on repeat. Or feeling bad that I am not always writing now that I’ve had that epiphany, then gorging on peanut butter and bananas while watching that youtube video on repeat.

But even with all that banana-gorging and youtube gawking, I am somehow managing to write a little every day. I owe a lot of my inspiration to my parents, who are possibly the two most encouraging souls around, and…is this turning into an acceptance speech for a phantom award? I’ll wrap it up before I get played off the stage…and to Anne Lamott for writing her very funny, very encouraging book about writing, Bird by Bird

Something you may not have noticed, unless you’re one of my children’s grandparents, is that I haven’t been writing about or posting Instagram photos of Vivi as much so far in 2014. There are several contributing factors to this trend. But the most essential point is that she is growing into a person with her own thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and I think she deserves to have her privacy back. It’s bittersweet to see her become a little lady and be so proud of her but also realize that Vivisms are probably all but gone for good (which means no more tripping on butt cracks). I still write about being a parent, but I think I’ll post less about my kindergartner’s day-to-day behaviors and more about the postcard-worthy accomplishments.

My BRF when I am reading what I’ve written…more like CRF (creepy resting face)

at8:00 AM 4 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Just Write,Links,Sharing is Caring,Vivism

Friday, September 14, 2012

did you read? {4}: lazy edition

Sweet thrift store finds for my future tweens.

Hey peeps,
Today I’m going to do that thing where bloggers phone in their post, i.e. share stuff they liked that week and don’t say anything very poignant about it. I, however, typically love these phoned-in posts, so I hope you’ll enjoy a few of my internet loves for your weekend browsing. You can read other more cleverly written {did you read?} posts here
Read more »at7:30 AM No comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Best of the Interwebs,Did You Read?,Links

Monday, August 13, 2012

on dream houses, the word of the day, and other haps

Tell me, friends, do you spend time planning your dream house? If so, do you plan what you will adorn the walls with or do you focus on building your own home some day?

I focus on the former, but truthfully it’s more like I obsess over one or two minute details, like that I will have a gallery wall or a map room some day. We are still renting a home, so those dreams have to stay just that for the time being. But whenever I am feeling blue about not being able to jazz up my current dwelling, I turn to Pinterest and pin to my heart’s desire.

Here are some of my favorites lately (and you can see the whole board here). Do tell me what your dream home will include.

Gallery wall of black and white photos. {Swoon}
Source: ciaonewportbeach.blogspot.com via Lone Home Ranger on Pinterest

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

the seven year itch

This just in: I have officially been blogging for seven years Sometimes putting my thoughts out into the world makes me feel like that guy up there (minus the man junk), but mostly blogging is a wonderful part of my life. I am so thankful–and frankly surprised!–to have all of you lovely readers.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Chuck Norris believes it’s not butter

The closet of doom, aka. the office closet.

I know I really should be paying attention to areas in my home like the closet above, but how can I begin tackling these kinds of projects when my Google Reader tells me I have 1000+ unread articles?
Read more »at7:30 AM 2 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Best of the Interwebs,Food,Links,Real Food

Saturday, March 31, 2012

sharing is caring: {blogger lessons}

I’m sharing this post because I’ve been asked my opinion by bloggy friends on some web tools, so I thought I’d blab my thoughts with y’all on what I’ve been reading and learning about recently. I’ll be back tomorrow to dish on some of my inaugural canning lessons (spoiler alert: I broke my jar cherry..and broke a jar!); if blogging isn’t your thing, I hope you’ll catch me on the flip side. If, however, you are a blogger, I hope you’ll find this information useful. On a related note, I also wrote a few tutorials a while back that you might be interested in: How to make a blog button and How to make a social media bar

A quick disclaimer: I’m sharing what I know as I learn, but if you feel like something I say doesn’t jive with your knowhow, please speak up! I hope this blog will be a positive learning space for everyone, including and perhaps most notably me.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wednesday link love

Source: designcrushblog.com via Justine on Pinterest

My dad is coming in town tomorrow, so I’m changing things up a bit and sharing my linky love today instead of Friday. Look out tomorrow and Friday for my guest posts by Alice and Emily. I’m super excited they are stopping in to chat with us.

Are you as sad as me that we have to wait until September for the new season of Downton Abbey? I’m still walking on air after the Season 2 finale, which I may or may not have watched twice. Did you hear Shirley Maclaine is playing Lady Grantham’s mother next season? I don’t generally squeal, but if I did, now would be the time.

Friday, February 17, 2012

s’more Friday linky love…mmmm, s’mores….

Source: simplesong.typepad.com via Justine on Pinterest

Monday, October 17, 2011

October bliss

We’re enthusiastically continuing on our merry way through this October sent from Heaven. After a few days of rain, this weekend was once again wonderfully 60’s and dry. I am happy to report that leaves aren’t yet at their peak; we are eagerly anticipating a long weekend with David, Caroline, and Edie and want the changing colors’ perfection to strike in T minus 3 days. But the maples are just starting to turn, which made for a pleasant two days of hiking trips.

These pictures are from a Saturday trip an hour west to Leominster State Forest; we didn’t mind the long drive as it meant we got to hear some of our favorite NPR programming. At the very end of our hike there were huge thunderclaps immediately followed by heavy showers, so we had a harried run back to the car. Of course the girls thought it was hilarious that Mommy and Daddy were running through the woods. Then Sunday we stayed closer to home and walked around the long pond at the Middlesex Fells Reservation; as always, we were happily greeted by a gazillion giddy dogs and their owners.

Vivi informed us that it’s time to decorate for Halloween, and she demanded requested ghosts and a jack-o-lantern so far. I think her list will grow based on our neighbors’ creations. We accomplished the pumpkin carving yesterday, and today I’m in search of an old white sheet to start cutting ghost squares.

Last night I made us a yummy semi-vegetarian dinner, which I will tell you more about in a rare second-post moment later in the day today. The high point in cooking dinner was when I decided to wet my whistle with a dark ‘n stormy. The low point in cooking dinner was when, half my drink guzzled, I mistook the glass of chicken stock to be my cocktail. Reader, this is not a mistake you make twice.

In other weekend news, I found a picture of my childhood bangs and updated my post on the subject, lest you call me an exaggerator. I also updated our mantel with more fall accessories. I read my Thanksgiving Food and Wine magazine cover to cover in less than two days, which is my all-time record. And finally, I am enjoying the online magazine for moms called Babble; this week they posted their Top 50 Design Blogs for Mom.at8:00 AM 3 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Boston,Halloween,Links,New England

Monday, October 10, 2011

there is a place for everything, and everything is out of place

Typical view of my living room couch:

I am see-ree-uh-slee considering teaching my toddler how to fold laundry, for reals.

In other news, we are getting all of Canada’s geese as they make their way south, and they have taken over the local playground by the school. I won’t get started about the poop. But there is some. Poop, I mean. Lots. There was no end to my cackling the other day as I watched a grandma attempt to shoo the geese out of the playground gate and back down to the pond. Go, Gramma, go! A valiant effort that I probably shouldn’t have snort-laughed at, but you get your chuckles where you can, amirightladies? It was one of the many moments in life I cursed not having a smart phone so I could better capture the moment I knew I would blog about later.

Much like I almost always turn my amusing life moments into blog posts, I also live my life as a Monty Python sketch. See someone walking funny? They must work at the Ministry of Silly Walks. Feel like having an argument with someone for no reason? Go pay for an Argument Clinic. See a bunch of geese flying overhead? Discuss the potential migration of coconuts

Somebody found my blog the other day by Googling “reason to hate Timothy Geithner.” Not sure how I feel about that, but hey, I suppose I’ll take what I can get. If you’ve forgotten why my blog came up (and I know I sure struggled to remember), here’s the post under review, and its follow-up. I hope you found what you were searching for, angry-one-time-reader.

Did ya’ll have a nice weekend? We are having glorious weather, prompting me to reconsider my bid to head south. Have I forgotten the blitzkrieg to come? Mayhaps. For now, I’m relishing in the most perfect autumn ever created. Thanks, New England.

Hasta lasagna,
~Jat8:00 AM 3 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Home ranging,Links,New England,Weather

Friday, September 16, 2011

priorities

I’ve got no shortage of activities to keep me busy while Nate’s out of town.

My bedside table is fully stocked with good reads (Jon Krakauer’s “Where Men Win Glory” and Tina Fey’s “Bossypants”), I’ve got movies from the library (finally checked out “La Vie en Rose” and also re-rented “It’s Complicated” just for laughs), and I recently discovered all of the episodes of The History Channel’s “American Pickers” are available to watch instantly on Netflix.

But I can already feel myself slipping back down the rabbit hole of the Interwebs. Right when I had begun managing my obsession with Pinterest, along comes another too-fun, time-sucking website, this time a mock blog written from the point of view of Suri Cruise, in which she puts down other children of celebrities for their sloppy attire.

Who needs intelligent books when I’ve got satire mixed with gawking at unwanted paparazzi shots of celebrities’ kids? Surely a wicked combo. I should feel ashamed, but instead I’m sharing it with you. You’re welcome!at8:30 PM 4 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Best of the Interwebs,Links,Pinterest

link round-up: design ideas

Image courtesy of: Charlotte Minty, Interior Design

Image courtesy of: knockoffdecor.com

The older I get, the more into design I become. Design appeals to my frugality because I can pick up treasures in a thrift store and refinish a desk or old frame to make it shine like new. I’m still no fashionista, and I probably never will be because no matter how you cut fashion, it’s expensive to be in style, and expensive and I don’t mix.

Now that I have a family, I find myself fantasizing about what our future home might look like, and I surprise myself that these daydreams often include me decorating the home and doing DIY crafty projects. Perhaps it’s because now that I am at home with the kids, I have the down time I needed to relax and become inspired. Today I’m sharing some of what inspires me:

My DIY-loving cousin introduced me to a great DIY design blog, Centsational Girl. Also check out how she’s giving back to her community. Cool chick.
When you have time for some virtual page-flipping, stop by an online style magazine. There are many out there, so here are just a few: House of Fifty, Ivy & Piper, Adore
A couple of great examples of gallery walls on Oh So Beautiful Paper, a DC friend’s blog. I’ve gathered a few of my own too on Pinterest, among other dream home inspirations.

at8:00 AM 3 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Frugality,Home ranging,Links,Pinterest

Thursday, September 15, 2011

I’m sorry, did you say something?…

If I didn’t respond to your email or answer my phone or come to the knock at the door, it’s because I have fallen in love with Pinterest. It may be the coolest thing ever to have graced the Interwebs and has rapidly become my favorite activity during nap time. You can “pin” anything you find that has an image associated with it, like a recipe, a nifty craft project, or an inspiration for a room in your house. So long disorganized magazine clippings, hello Pinterest. You should check it out! But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the potential for time suckage…at8:00 AM 3 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Best of the Interwebs,Design,Links,Pinterest

Friday, August 12, 2011

blog round-up: organic food & gardening

Yesterday I shared some thoughts on growing and/or canning our own food at home. Although this goal may be difficult to achieve, I am committed to cooking organic food as much as we can, if for no other reason than this adorable, brilliant, and frightening glimpse into getting a sweet potato to sprout. Even my less lofty goal has been made more difficult lately because of rising food prices. I find myself buying more processed foods simply because the bottom line is cheaper, which reminds me of something a recent fellow blogger (author of Chiot’s Run; see link below) said about the difference between being “cheap” and “frugal.” Essentially, she sees frugality as withholding purchases but not necessarily purchasing poorly made items, whereas being cheap means buying crap. So, maybe that philosophy can extend into the food world. I will try my best to buy whole food frugally, getting only what we need and not buying processed junk simply because it’s cheap (hear that, sun-dried tomato Triscuits? You’re outta here).

So with all that in mind, here are my favorite blogs that inspire me to make better food for my family:

Spoonfed: a great blogger shares tips on teaching kids to care about food
Chiot’s Run: adventures in organic gardening
Dinner, A Love Story: a hilarious wife-husband writer team who blog about getting the family dinner to the table
Slow Food USA: a movement to connect food and farming
Nourish (food + community): this blog’s part of an initiative on food and sustainability. The post I linked to is a video on “food and family”
LocalHarvest: a non-profit that assists in finding local farmers markets and CSAs

We are on a waiting list to begin using a meat CSA, which will hopefully start in January. Until then, we are planning on sharing a pig with another family. I will report back on the experience.

What inspires you to make better food?

at8:00 AM 3 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Family,Food,Links,Parenting

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

need some help wasting time?

I’m too busy wasting time on the internet to write anything poignant. Two websites that have become daily reads for me in the last week are:

1) STFU, Parents! I definitely need an occasional reminder that just because my kids are the center of my universe right now doesn’t mean everyone should hear about their every poop or temper tantrum. Hilarious and true.

2) Damn you, Auto Correct! Even though I don’t have a smartphone, I can still appreciate this humor. Ok, ok, maybe they are fake, but who cares? Don’t be a killjoy!at9:38 PM 4 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Best of the Interwebs,Links Older Posts HomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)

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