Blogs I just discovered…

• Lara Casey: Full of inspiration and pictures
• Emily Ley: Her custom stationary is fresh and pretty!

A new book…

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I don’t usually read books that would even remotely fall under the “self-help” category. I’m not sure if this one does (although the expression on my hubby’s face when I told him I was reading this was priceless – he definitely considers it to be in the self-help category), but I’m loving it so far and I’m only in Chapter 3. It makes me laugh, but more importantly it is making me think, and I often find myself wishing I was reading this and taking notes because the ideas are that good. I might reread the first few chapters just so I can do this.

Magazines…

Budget Travel, February 2010

just arrived. It has me thinking of trips that will take place over the next 6 months (Boston, Caribbean and Hawaii adventures are in the planning stages) and daydreaming of trips I want to take.

Martha Stewart Living

is full of sweet ideas for Valentine’s Day, including the sweetest cloud cupcake (I can’t find a picture but it is a cupcake filled with raspberry curd, berries, and crème fraiche topped with a pink meringue) – sigh – it looks beautiful. I want to attempt this.

Most tv dinners are rather healthy – at least the kind I pick out. But they are just not tasty. In fact the adjective I usually use to describe them is “bleh”. This has resulted in me usually taking a bite or two out of the meal and tossing the rest out. Sometimes I then make it down to the cafeteria to pick up a less than healthy option but usually I just don’t eat lunch – which isn’t healthy either.

While at Target this past weekend with Peter I picked up some goodies for the week. One item I found that looked too tasty to pass up was this adult style lunchable by Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Creations. I originally couldn’t really see inside as there was a plastic cover on top but I liked that there were two kinds of meats and cheeses and it wasn’t terrible in the calorie department.

But then I opened it up today at lunch…

and found the surprise inside.

A tiny Milka chocolate bar.

I’m slightly obsessed with Milka.

I first discovered it at a specialty candy shop (which is no longer there) several years ago at the Tyson’s Corner Mall in Vienna, Virginia. Peter is familiar with Milka (despite not being as obsessed with chocolate as I am) and introduced me to it. It’s not that easy to come by and ever since then I pick up a piece here and then when I managed to find it. Last Christmas I scored a Milka pencil pouch (purple and soft with the cow!) at the Czech airport in the duty free store on the way home. It was filled with Milka bars of course. I managed to make them last from December ‘08 to nearly this past August.

It’s funny how something as small as the tiny Milka bar turned my lunch into this amazing, happy, experience.

This reminds me that I have to finish reading my Seth Godin book – Free Prize Inside:

some time soon – great Marketing tips!

Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers (Voices That Matter); by Shel Perkins

Amazon Description: “This comprehensive guide includes everything designers need—besides talent—to turn their artistic success into business success. You’ll find information on key issues facing designers from freelancing to the management of established design firms. A strong visual focus and to-the-point text take the fear factor out of learning about thorny business realities like staffing, marketing, bookkeeping, intellectual property, and more. These smart business practices are essential to success in graphic, Web, and industrial design”.

Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition (Voices That Matter); by Steve Krug

Amazon Description: “The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of the tips, techniques, and examples presented revolve around users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many of the book’s assumptions, such as "We don’t read pages–we scan them" and "We don’t figure out how things work–we muddle through." Coming to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design that then produces topnotch sites.”

Wired Magazine

I ordered this for my husband for his birthday. I quickly discovered that I enjoy it as well so I’ve been stealing his issues. I’m currently checking out their Back to School Gift Guide 2009.