My Sole Mate

If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I am a shoe girl. If you know me at all, even just in passing, you have probably guessed that about me.

I don't typically post things on Saturdays, but when I stumbled upon Aubrey's blog, High Heeled Love, and saw her Shoe Lust Saturday link up, I decided to make an exception. Anything for shoes.

So, lately there has been one particular style of shoe that I have been lusting over. It's not very practical considering it's almost spring and the weather will warm up soon. But I am hoping I can find a pair of these wedge booties on sale somewhere.

Kate Spade Saundra, via Zappos Coture

Tory Burch Vikki via Nieman Marcus

JCrew Factory Suede Lace Up Wedge Boots via JCrew Factory

Enzo Angiolini Flory Wedges via 6pm

I may have to wait until next year for a pair of these booties. I can't find any in my size.

High 5 for Friday

Happy Friday!

Notice anything different around here?

I have a new blog design! Yay! I have to say, I don't know why I held off getting a custom design for so long. It was such a good experience and soooo worth the nominal fee.

Kristen over at Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is responsible for this loveliness. I contacted here after I visited From Here to There and saw her awesome new blog design. I couldn't recommend Kristen more. She was awesome!

Ok, now on to the rest of my week...

 

1. B bought me a "thinking of you" present. A book that I saw over the weekend called Underwater Dogs. The book is full of pictures of dogs diving underwater chasing a ball. IT. IS. AWESOME!

2. I think I finished "designing" our living room and picking out the furniture that we need to order. We are going to have to wait a few weeks (or months) to get it all together.

3. & 4. It may have been a rough week if my snack choices are any indication. Clearly I needed chocolate!

5. Oh, did I mention I have a new blog design?

How was your week??

Rules for Working from Home

Even though I moved to Charlotte, I was lucky (read: blessed) enough to be able to keep my job in Dallas, but work remotely. I am also lucky enough to have an actual office that I can go into on a regular basis and also lucky to have the flexibility to work from home when I want. Yes, overall, I lucked out in this situation.

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I have never had a job where I worked from home before, and knowing me, working from home can quickly lead to watching endless hours of TV, not showering for days on end, and not leaving the house for weeks.

Because of that, I gave myself some ground rules for working from home.

Rule #1: Accomplish something before logging on.
Since my coworkers are operating on Central Time, I start my day a little later, around 9:00 instead of 8:00. This gives me time to do something for me. Typically I work out for 30 minutes to an hour, make coffee, watch the Today show, and/or work on the blog. Sometimes I will put in a couple loads of laundry or get things prepped for dinner. It just helps me feel like work isn't infiltrating my entire life.

Rule #2: TV off at 9:00 am.
Like I said earlier, it would be really easy for me to just sit in front of the TV all afternoon and accomplish very little. That's why I have a hard stop on the Today show at 9:00. No ifs, ands, or buts. It also helps that there isn't a TV in our guest room where my sweet desk area is. One less temptation.

Rule #3: Take a lunch break.
I break this rule more than any other. But I did the same thing at the office. Sometimes I will go out to the store or run an errand during my lunch. If I am just staying in, I try not to eat at my desk, but that usually doesn't happen. It is just  nice to break up the day and not feel like you have been sitting in one place for hours and hours.

Rule #4: Take mini breaks to walk around.
It's easy to forget how much walking I did in the office. To the breakroom, bathroom, up and down stairs, visiting coworkers. It added up. Now I just walk a few feet around my apartment. I have not been very good about this, but am going to try to be better. Every time I get up to use the bathroom, I am going to take 2 extra minutes to walk around. Or, if I have 5 minutes, I may go out into the stairwell and walk up and down a couple times.

Rule #5: Go outside at least once a day.
Staying inside a small apartment all day can get really depressing. And I don't think its that healthy to be cooped up so much. I try to get outside at least once a day, whether that's going for a stroll after dinner. Walking around the building during lunch. Whatever. The fresh air is good and it reenergizes me.

Rule #6: No one should be able to tell a difference between when I am working from the office or home.
I view working from home to be a privilege. My boss could easily tell me to go into the office every day and monitor my presence there, but she doesn't. When I work from home, I work just as hard, if not harder, than if I were at the office. I try not to let household chores or other issues distract me. If I am being honest, I probably work harder and more hours at home than I do at the office.

Do you or have you had a job where you work from home? If so, what were the ground rules you gave yourself?

AND...

I'm sending out extra special Valentines to all my lovely friends, so if you would like to be included on that list shoot me an email at followtheruels {at} gmail {dot} com with the address you would like me to send it to Valentine in the subject line!

Oh How Pinteresting

So I had a brilliant idea today. My idea was to have a giveaway for a surprise Valentine's Day care package. The more I thought about it, I realized that there just wasn't enough time to run the giveaway and mail out the care package in time for V-day. So, instead I thought I would send out some Valentine's to all my blog friends! I may even throw in a special treat if you are lucky! If you want a Valentine, email me at followtheruels {at} gmail {dot} com with your address and Valentine in the subject line!

Now onto OHP!

B and I are in the midst of completely redecorating our living room area. Thus, as you can imagine, I have been pinning a lot of living room design ideas. I don't know if it is actually helping though. I think it's making me more indecisive.

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Maybe we will finally get furniture picked out this week. Probably not. I don't think Pinterest is helping.

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Muffins

I think I mentioned before how my step mom is famous in my family for her muffin recipes. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of the recipe for her blackberry muffin recipe a while back. I am pretty sure that any berry would work in that recipe, which is why I decided to make these Valentine's-inspired, raspberry dark chocolate muffins.

But I didn't really make them for Valentine's day. B's boss and his wife were nice enough to take us out to dinner when we arrived in Charlotte. At that time both of us were fighting a pretty bad case of bronchitis. Well, it looks like both B's boss and wife are now battling their own case of bronchitis. So, these muffins were my version of a mea culpa for getting them sick.

The ingredients are pretty basic. I bet you have everything in your pantry right now. You can definitely substitute whole wheat sugar or another sweetener if you prefer.

I actually used almond milk in this recipe and you could substitute sour cream for the Greek yogurt. I was just trying to make them a tad healthier.

Obviously, chocolate chips would be preferable here, but I only had chocolate in bar form. Any type of chocolate can be used. White chocolate would be delicious, too. Also, my raspberries were frozen, and I just thawed them out.

I think I use my ice cream scooper more for muffins and cupcakes than for actual ice cream. It is the perfect size for these muffins. Also, a quarter cup measuring cup is good too.

The only problem with this recipe is that it makes exactly 12 muffins. Oh, you don't think that's a problem? Well, how are you going to test one to make sure that they are okay? I mean, you don't want to give people bad muffins! So you taste one of the 12, leaving only 11. And they know you have eaten one. Who only gives 11 muffins? Its something I struggle with every time I make muffins and cupcakes.

And that's what I did! I fought temptation and temptation, clearly, won.

Click here to view and print this recipe.

Lights Out. Any Questions?

I am clutching my coffee even tighter than normal this morning. Anyone else?

Last night was a late night for us. We drove down to Columbia, SC to hang out with some friends for the Super Bowl. Which means we didn't get back until 12:30am. Maybe I am getting old, but that is late for me, especially on a Sunday!

Some other things that happened this weekend:

1. I did plenty of baking with B's favorite brand of sugar, "White Gold" (what B thinks his stage name would be if he became a rapper)
2. I attempted to make red velvet brownies. They did not turn out very well.
3. I made a new friend, Bagel. She definitely makes me want to get a dog.
4. B and I did more furniture shopping. I loved this particular living room decor...I don't even think we can afford the coffee table.
5. B and I drove down to Columbia on Sunday. The scenery is a lot different than in Texas.
6. I did not hide my support for the Ravens. I went all out, purple, black, and gold.

So, going back to the Super Bowl, what were your favorite ads?

I definitely favor the funny ones, over the emotional ones. Although the Budwiser ad with the Clydesdale was great.

A couple of my favorites were on early in the game.

1. Audi, Prom



2. Hyundai, Team



3. Best Buy, Asking Amy


And how awesome was Beyonce?

Just Jared

Not that she had anything to prove, because who cares if she lip synced the National Anthem or not, but she shut up everyone who doubted her. She definitely sang the whole time, which is impressive considering all the dancing and running around she was doing. And you got to love a Destiny's Child reunion! Best half time show I have seen since Britney/N*Sync/Aerosmith in 2001.

Also, the title of my post is actually Jay-Z's tweet during the game in reference to her performance. What a cute couple they are!

So, how was your weekend?

Flowers for Kathy

You can't go to a wedding without noticing the flowers. Brides spend thousands of dollars and countless hours picking out the perfect bouquet. Sometimes, the flowers are dedicated to family and friends who could not be there on the special day.

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My flowers will be for Kathy.

Kathy and my mom have been friends for years. Over 30 years, probably. Kathy's son and I are only about a year apart, so I would spend a lot of time over at her house as a baby. Her son and I sort of grew up together until we went off to our respective preschools.

After Kathy and her husband divorced, and my parents divorced, I didn't see Kathy as much any more. Life happened and things got in the way. Particularly kids and work.

It wasn't until my mom ran into her just a few years ago that Kathy came back into our lives.

Kathy has always been so beautiful and bright. I always remember her being so cheerful. Nothing had really changed, but my mom did notice Kathy wasn't her normal self. What she would learn is that Kathy had recently been diagnosed with a rare disease, something in the Parkinson's family. I couldn't tell you specifically, but it's not good.

For a while, Kathy was not hindered by it. She could still get around. Her and my mom would go on walks, go shopping, go out. Normal stuff.

After a while though, the disease started to get more serious. The last few times I have seen Kathy, she was confined to a wheel chair, her mobility and speech were limited. But mentally, she was all there.

Kathy has been really lucky to be surrounded by people that love her so much through out all of this. She has a wonderful live in care taker, who has been a blessing in every sense of the word. My mom, bless her heart, has been a constant presence at Kathy's house. Coming over, just to visit, every week. I am sure that my mom's loyalty and friendship has meant a lot to her. Kathy also has family that lives near by and comes to visit as often as they can.

Not long after B and I got engaged, my mom told me that Kathy wanted to pay for our flowers for our wedding. I was completely shocked by her generosity, and told my mom it wasn't necessary. But I know Kathy was just doing this out of the kindness of her heart, and so that she could be, in a small way, part of our wedding.

And who ever ends up paying for the flower, it won't matter, because our flowers will be for Kathy. In her memory.

Kathy passed away last night.

I'm not sure how. Though I know she is in a better place. And while we are sad to lose a friend, I can't help but rejoice that she no longer has to suffer. Now we can begin to celebrate her life.

I mourn for her son. Who I hope got to see her one last time. He is a strong and very smart man, just like his mom, and I know he will be okay without her. But it's always hard to lose a parent, especially so young.

I pray for her family, too. Who I know have only gotten closer to her as her health deteriorated. And her friend and care taker, Leslye, who has spent nearly every day with her for the past couple years. Their lives have been made that much better for knowing her. Just as my mom's has, and mine.