Wednesday, August 31, 2011
I fell into an internet rabbit-hole this week. You know, where you find a site that leads you to a link that makes you think to google something and before you know it hours have disappeared? Sometimes this leads me to total dead ends, but sometimes I discover amazing and wonderful things. Discovery: grey and beige can be friends.
Here's the backstory: I've been wanting to take on a new project recently. Mr. Fix-It has been pushing for us to paint the remaining walls in our Master Bedroom a super-soft-subtle grey. I just couldn't commit.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
I am in total denial about summer coming to an end. As far as I'm concerned, summer days roll well into October and one day you happen to notice your flip-flops have slowly make their way to the back of the closet. But alas, I made an appointment with a client for late this week and realized it was in September. Impossible.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned to Mr. Fix-It a few things I wanted to squeeze in before summer came to an end. On that list was Ravinia. If you're not a Chicagoan, it's an outdoor concert venue where you bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, wine, food, and enjoy music under the stars. There's really not a more perfect way to spend a summer night.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned to Mr. Fix-It a few things I wanted to squeeze in before summer came to an end. On that list was Ravinia. If you're not a Chicagoan, it's an outdoor concert venue where you bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, wine, food, and enjoy music under the stars. There's really not a more perfect way to spend a summer night.
Monday, August 29, 2011
...I decide it's the perfect time to clean, de-goop, and reorganize my makeup.
Makeup organizer similar to the one found here:
Makeup organizer similar to the one found here:
Friday, August 26, 2011
I'm a product junkie. In fact, I'm usually telling people about "this amazing thing I've found that they "haaaaave to get". Just ask my husband. Or friends. Or my sister that time I insisted she wear Seven Jeans even though she doesn't have the dexterity to unbutton the fly. (Whatever! She looked trendy!) So, I figured it was a good time to round up some things I'm currently loving. Let me know if you enjoy this type of post, maybe I could make a habit of it. And just think, we could even do one about home improvement products.
1. Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System - Pink
I went back and fourth on this one FOREVAAAA. I have crazy sensitive skin, and it's not very blemishy as it is. Why drop over $100 on a beauty product I don't need? Product junkie. Duh. Seriously though, I decided that I'll be 30 soon (yeesh!) and I should step up my self-care regiment. I'd also like to report that my skin feels amaaaaaaazing now and I'm still break out free. I'm relieved there wasn't any creepy cystic acne hiding under there or anything.
I went back and fourth on this one FOREVAAAA. I have crazy sensitive skin, and it's not very blemishy as it is. Why drop over $100 on a beauty product I don't need? Product junkie. Duh. Seriously though, I decided that I'll be 30 soon (yeesh!) and I should step up my self-care regiment. I'd also like to report that my skin feels amaaaaaaazing now and I'm still break out free. I'm relieved there wasn't any creepy cystic acne hiding under there or anything.2. Sugar Lip Polish My lips "feather". Supposedly that's what they call it. During therapy sessions I have to make a conscious effort not to pick at my lips while my clients are talking. Not cute or appealing. This stuff is my savior. I try to remember to rub it all over my lips every day or so to keep them soft and smooth. No pealies!
3. 
Navy Stripe Scarf I found a navy and white infinity striped scarf at Ann Taylor Loft at the beginning of the season. I'm totally obsessed with all things preppy and nautical at the moment, even though wearing a scarf in the summer seems ridiculous. (Like those idiots who were wearing Uggs with shorts a few years back. What WAS that?)
Navy Stripe Scarf I found a navy and white infinity striped scarf at Ann Taylor Loft at the beginning of the season. I'm totally obsessed with all things preppy and nautical at the moment, even though wearing a scarf in the summer seems ridiculous. (Like those idiots who were wearing Uggs with shorts a few years back. What WAS that?)4. Tiffany Beads Earrings These are college/sorority girl throwback. I rediscovered them amidst my jewelry and have been wearing them almost daily. I missed you, shiny balls!
5. Tory Burch Eddie Flats Comfy and cute and perfect.
6. Bloglovin' App The only app I've found that I like for reading blogs on my iPhone. I'm not a Google Reader person, so bloglovin' makes me mucho happy. You know, because I need to spend more time reading blogs.
7. Quo Vadis Septanote
Once upon a time, I was super, super, super organized. Then my system kind of fell by the wayside with the advent of blackberries and smartphones. I recently came to realize that using a smartphone/google calendar just wasn't the same as good old pen and paper. The absolute, very best calendar I ever used was by Quo Vadis. As a therapist, having columns for each day where I can block out my sessions and see my week at a quick overview is fantastic. I was tempted to take pics and get more specific but that whole HIPAA thing gets in the way.
Once upon a time, I was super, super, super organized. Then my system kind of fell by the wayside with the advent of blackberries and smartphones. I recently came to realize that using a smartphone/google calendar just wasn't the same as good old pen and paper. The absolute, very best calendar I ever used was by Quo Vadis. As a therapist, having columns for each day where I can block out my sessions and see my week at a quick overview is fantastic. I was tempted to take pics and get more specific but that whole HIPAA thing gets in the way.What are you loving right now?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
When we first moved into our condo, our guest room closet became a major dumping ground for our random "stuff". In fact, the guest room in general collected odds and ends of apartments past. (Is that not its purpose?) The guest room closet was very standard: a long bar mounted straight across with a shelf just above.
We knew this set up wasn't going to cut it. After remodeling the closets in our Master Bedroom we had some left over materials. Mr. Fix-It got to work. First, he destroyed the guest room.
Monday, August 22, 2011
I always hate it when someone in a group becomes a designated photographer and then holds the photos hostage. I mean, really, why bother even taking pictures if you're just going to let them sit on an SD card somewhere? A month after returning from our vacation, I'm totally that guy.
I spent the better part of yesterday evening watching an intensive Lightroom 3 tutorial online, got our photos edited to my liking, and finally posted (most) of them for our family to enjoy. Such a slow poke!
I spent the better part of yesterday evening watching an intensive Lightroom 3 tutorial online, got our photos edited to my liking, and finally posted (most) of them for our family to enjoy. Such a slow poke!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
I wrote a guest post on Stephanie's blog "This Casita" today! Click on over to read about Three Tips To Take Better Photos of Your Kids - you know, since I'm such a pro photographer. You'll get to see some cute babies!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
We're kicking off The Fix-Its: Rewind with our entryway! It's probably not an "entryway" when the front door opens up to the entire living space, but work with me here - we live in a large city in a small space. You've have to define areas somehow. I opt for fancy terms and imaginary ideas. "The place where we put our keys and mail" just doesn't sound as grand.
When we first moved into our condo and started thinking about the space, this was definitely one of the areas that took least priority. We lived with the set up below for about 9 months. In retrospect, I'm not sure how.
{August 2009}
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Back in the days before we were blogging, Mr. Fix-It and I did an unbelievable number of home improvement projects. In fact, since timing is everything, we recently realized we've done everything completely backwards. Currently, we're doing our most consistent amount of blogging and almost no home improvement projects. For a blog about home improvement, we really got it all wrong.
Over the weekend we made a funny discovery. This photo:
This was taken six days after purchasing our condo. SIX DAYS! We were crazy people. Forget unpacking and getting settled, we tore the place apart.
What are you looking at exactly? Let's take a closer look:
Friday, August 12, 2011
7 links seemed like a perfect Friday post, no? If you haven't seen these posts floating around the blogisphere here's the story: there are 7 categories (almost like superlatives) that you choose for your blog posts. It's a fun way to reflect on your previous blog entries!
The lovely Kelly of KJPugs tagged me to participate, so here goes!
Most Beautiful:
I'm going literal on this one. I think the most beautiful post on The Fix-Its was probably our vacation highlight photos from Greece. I was really proud to share some of our photos (as my photography skills improve) and I can't wait to share more!
Most Popular:
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Row One:
1. Guess who spent one evening texting photos of open box fridge specials to her husband this week? This girl.
2. I drank a Shark Week Martini in honor of my sister. Girl is CRAY-CRAY for Shark Week. I was always was on board with this because she's mentally disabled, loves fish, and gets really into things that she loves. This year I noticed that other adults were totally jazzed about Shark Week too. Really, people?
Row Two:
3. I don't wear high heels. I'm clumbsy, I'm tall enough as it is, and damn it they make my feet hurt. Guess who decided she needed these shoes? This girl. I'm happy to report I wore them ALL DAY at work AND to a wedding. Score! I'm a grown up.
4. Random photo I texted to Mr. Fix-It to approve my outfit for an important day. The guy at Subway told me I looked "really really nice" that day. The extent to which that boosted my self-esteem is somewhat questionable.
Row Three:
5. My glass of wine from a wedding I attended this past weekend. Mama got tipsy.
6. Bestie Allie! We clean up nice.
Row Four:
7. When in Wisconsin...
8. On Facebook Allie tagged me as one of the mice in this photo. Fair enough, I do love me some cheese. And well, I did come home with 3lbs of it from the "Cheese Outlet" (5 year aged Cheddar - DELISH!). And now I feel gross.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
You know those things you do "because that's what you do"? Like, Mr. Fix-It always pretends to act surprised and make me repeat myself when I say, "you were right". It's as if there's some sort of universal rule that spouses are supposed to be shocked when their partner admits fault. Honestly, I have no problem with this. Mr. Fix-It is right about plenty of things, and I have no problem admitting when his idea was better than mine. Turn the tables.
I was so right about our sofa. When we were moving into our condo and furniture shopping I had my eye on an oversized, super-deep, cushy, comfy sofa. Mr. Fix-It insisted we needed something more crisp and tailored to make our living space look more finished. I argued that the space was for living and that having a cozy home was more important.
Guess who won?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
{source}
It's time to announce the winner of our Dwell Giveaway!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
What are you looking at exactly? It's our refrigerator - completely emptied out, scrubbed down, and disassembled.
{Alternative Post Titles: You Live and You Learn. Penny Wise and Dollar Stupid. Don't turn the damn fridge off when you travel for 2 weeks.}
Before leaving for Greece, Mr. Fix-It turned off a few fuses in our condo (stove, master bedroom) since we wouldn't be needing electricity to those places. We figured it would save a little money and it would be a responsible thing to do. We also emptied out the fridge and freezer as much as possible and turned down the settings to LOW.
Somehow LOW became OFF. Not sure how.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
{source}
Two years ago today we became homeowners. And one year ago today I wrote my very first post on this blog. What better way to celebrate than to host our first giveaway!?
{dwell}
Who doesn't love to get mail? We know we do! Whether you're a home design junkie or just like to look at pretty things, we're giving away a 1 year subscription to Dwell Magazine!
There are 3 ways to enter! If you do all 3 let me know in your separate comments below! You can comment, follow, and tweet.
1. Comment saying, "Send me Dwell!"
2. Follow in Google Friend Connect.
3. Follow us @TheFixIts and Tweet:
Send me dwell! I entered @TheFixIts Dwell #giveaway! http://www.thefixitsblog.com/
The giveaway will end at 12pm (CST) Friday, August 5. The winner will be announced Saturday August 6!
Monday, August 1, 2011
This was our first vacation where I traveled like a "photographer" - camera bag, multiple lenses (30 1.4, 50 1.4, 17-50 2.8), 5 SD cards, and shot in RAW. As a result, it's taken me longer than usual to get our photos sorted and posted. The added steps of resizing, converting to jpeg, and doing some light editing are all still new to me, but based on the quality of photos I'm (finally) getting it's SO worth the extra effort!
Here are some highlights of our trip. I'll definitely put together another post or two on our wedding and travels, but for now enjoy this glimpse of Greece!
Here are some highlights of our trip. I'll definitely put together another post or two on our wedding and travels, but for now enjoy this glimpse of Greece!
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