Friday Friday!

Today was nice because Mike didn't have to be at work in Brentwood until 1pm, which means he didn't have to leave Hohenwald until 11:15am. We were able to sleep in a little bit (10am) and hang out before he left. It seems like our time recently has been cut short because he works so much and the commute is so long. But anywhoo, today was also my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!

I cleaned around the house a bit and finished up some cards and packages for my penpals. I set out for the post office and mailed at least 10 things, so if you've sent me anything, be on the lookout! I received an adorable postcard from Rennie, a sweet Bulldog card from Cecily, a sweet Canadian card from Jane C, and I also received a card with the most generous gift inside from Caitlin M's parents in Ohio. The card was so so generous and so incredibly thoughtful, I cried upon opening it. I read it aloud and my mom cried, too. I cannot begin to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. McCormick.

Today I received a package from SusannahBean and it was the most adorable thing ever! Inside was a pack of smoothie jelly belly jelly beans, a gorgeous handmade yo-yo headband (which I planned my entire outfit around), a handmade bracelet (which I'm currently wearing), a mixtape cd, a card, and some color swatches. I can't wait to listen to the cd on the way to work tonight. If you have time, pop over to her ETSY and check out her stuff! The headbands are suchhhh fantastic quality and I'll definitely be buying some! I love them SO much!

(I have more photos of all of these wonderful things, but unfortunately my iPhone doesn't want to send them to my computer! If nothing else, I can post them tomorrow!)

After the post office, I picked up Mom 3 Gerber Daisy plants, a gift card, and a birthday card. She's already planted them in the front yard!

Tonight I went with my mother and stepdad to dinner at Junk Yard Dog steakhouse. Not the most fantastic place for a veg to eat but I made do. We talked about the drive to NYC and it appears we shall be departing Tennessee on Friday, June 4th and we'll arrive either Friday night or Saturday. We may swing by Asheville, NC on the way! They just left for birthday festivities and I'm sitting with a towel on my head as I get ready for work. I have to leave so soon but I refuse to rush.

Mike gets off at 9:30pm and he's going to drive down to my bar while I work. Then we'll come home, sleep, and try to enjoy a low-key day for his only day off.

So sorry for the lack of photos! I know how boring text-only posts are! haha

Oh, Maggie told me about a super cute website where you can get the most adorable wallets and such! You should pop on over to Fluff Shop and check it out (I LOVE the one she got!)!

Things I Love Thursday

A short list of photos and links that I'm loving this week...

1. Illustrations by Lauren Gregg. This talented illustrator resides in Athens, Georgia and has an adorable website boasting the names of clients that might cause you to squeal. With past clientele of names such as Nickelodeon, Disney, Visa and Target, she's got a gallery full of adorable! Click HERE to view her website.

2. Target Commercials. Everything about Target is spot on. EVERYTHING. The branding, the advertising, the information architecture of the store (with the exception of the Cool Springs store... I really feel as though Juniors should be in the front right rather than the back right... it needs to change places with Misses but thats just my 2 cents ;P). Targets commercials manage to find their way into a tiny tiny tinyyyy little niche of tv advertisements that I never mind sitting through. I wish ALL commercials were Target commercials. I'm really loving the new approach, too. (Though I never minded the old!)

3. Cleverly placed album art. I've seen many of these on tumblr and the likes. My favorite tumblr is the one with the 3 different album covers at the same time making a full body... Does anyone remember the name/link of it?! ** Edit: Shea found a few of them HERE! So great! **

4. Package Design. Especially this Matrioshka Vodka line! How cute! I don't drink vodka but I love me some Matrioshkas! I can sit on The Dieline for hours and hours and hours just drooling over incredible package design. I really love the innovative things that a lot of students put on there. Sometimes, however, it makes me question why I don't create anything worthy of The Dieline! Maybe I'll use that as motivation!

5. Human Vending Machines. Just thank the Japanese! Here's what FuckYeahStrangeFinds had to say about it...

Japan is famous for its wacky, wonderful and generally amazing vending machines that sell everything from hot meals to ice cream, flowers and beyond. For special products and times, however, human-powered vending machines have now become de rigueur. These are now being brought to the UK by Kit Kat to take the guesswork out of getting your favorite chocolate.

The machine will be operated by a trained person inside so consumers can experience the speed of a traditional vending machine while having a quick chat to brighten their day. It’s an extension of the latest Kit Kat ‘Working like a Machine’ campaign, which demonstrates how taking a break can transport people out of the mundane and monotonous nature of everyday life. Seeing the machine itself and interacting with the vendor certainly is a fun break from the usual!

Crazy, right?! So cool! I love the whole personal-relationship aspect of it all. I think it helps to have some social interaction!

6. TweetlyNoted on Twitter. A new twitter account aimed at showing you that you are always loved and never alone. The tweets are inspirational and lovely, without any of the cheese normally associated with things like this. Very glad to be in support of the new project. Head over to Twitter and follow. Show your support by retweeting and spreading the TweetlyNoted word! You can even submit your own inspirational quotes! How cool!

7. TinyBuddha on Twitter. Your one-stop shop for quotes of wisdom. I love following TB because the simplistic quotes help you realize the bigger picture. It's so important to surround yourself with positivity. Once you do, you will radiate it. Put positivity into the world, and that is what you shall reap.

8. Coffee Muffins! I haven't tried them yet, but Stephanie was sweet enough to send over her recipe via email when she told me that she and her boyfriend had made them. They sound deeeeelish! I know Mike is excited, as are some lady friends from school. I promised to make them plenty if they turned out good. Hopefully we can make these early next week! I shall post the recipe then if you guys are interested!

One thing I'm NOT loving this week is having to study non-stop for this Art History exam in the morning! Bleh! This class is SO hard! However, I am determined to do well on this test, and one bad thing is greatly outweighed by all the amazing things that I DO love so I hope you find more pros than cons in your week, too!

Want to submit something for my weekly Things I Love Thursday post? Got a cool article, website, artist, or non-profit event happening? Email me at kaelahbee@gmail.com and I'll include it! xo