Back to the Old

02/15/2010

Last week I dug out my old backpack – the one I used from middle school through my second year of college when I discovered tote bags. As a commuter, totes where the best way to not have to carry 8 books around all day. I had my morning tote bag, my lunch bag and my afternoon tote bag (and occasionally some gigantic portfolio and art toolbox). They all resided in the car until called upon.

Back to the present. I carry my laptop to and from work in a neoprene sleeve in a tote back. This is the one I’ve been using recently:

The thing is, I’ve pulled or strained or twisted some muscles in my back or side 3x in the past couple of months. I think it’s from slinging in and lugging out the heavy tote from behind my driver’s seat.

Time for a change. So here I am with my new [old] backpack, ready for work and feeling like it’s the first day of school all over again.

What do you think – cute or nerdy? You can be honest. It won’t affect my decision to wear it (as evidenced by the pom-pom hat).

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Celebrating Everyday Events

01/06/2010

The holidays are fun, of course, but isn’t it fun to spontaneously celebrate when something special happens? Like the time we went out for cheese fries in honor of paying off our car. (Didn’t matter where, just had to be cheese fries!)


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I got some good news today—a job promotion of sorts; a monthly freelance project—and I need celebratory ideas. Other than going out to eat. Can you help?!

So far I’ve thought of dancing around the house with sparklers … but we don’t have any sparklers and we just did that on New Years Eve. Or chocolate fondue with strawberries and raspberries. Or taking a thermos of hot chocolate on a night time visit to the Parthenon.

(click • for the source)

3 Comments | Family, Family: Jason, Family: Me | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Thank YOU!

11/26/2009

Happy Thanksgiving!


I love taking this time of the year to reflect on all the blessings I am so thankful for:
my God
my husband
my family
my dear friends
my church & my pastor
my job
my home
my doggie

and YOU – my blog readers! I’m thankful for you! Thank you for taking the time to read my updates. It’s so fun to be part of the blog world and I love love love getting comments and suggestions from friends and strangers. Thank you for sharing this piece of the inter webs with me.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

What Erie Gave to Me

10/20/2009

erie

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Leading up to our trip last weekend to Erie, PA—the city where I did most of my growing up, from age 8 to 20—I was reflecting on some of the things I got through my time in the Flagship City, the town from That Thing You Do:

• a great foundation in Christ through a church that produced a super fun children’s church by Captain Bill and a vibrant youth group lead by Pastor Derek

• my now husband Jason, who I met at said youth group when I was 14 and married at that church 4 years later (yep, I was that young. nope, no fundamentalist arranged marraige. haha!)

• a great appreciation for warm weather and sunny days (due to Erie’s lack…)

• many breath-taking sunsets over Lake Erie

• snow driving skills that I may or may not ever need to use again

• lots of sweet friends through the years, a few who have managed to keep in touch

• a quality public school education

• a tolerance for swimming in 76º water on an 80º day

• summers and holidays spent with my mom’s parents and extended family

• summer walks on the beach of Presque Isle (hands down my favorite place in Erie) and the spot at beach 7 where Jason proposed

• a lasting love for Connie’s turtle ice cream, Smith’s hot dogs, Heinz ketsup, Troyer Farms chips, Wegmans grocery store, and Romolo sponge candy

Tomorrow I’ll share my pictures and a recount of our trip.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

What my nightstand says about me

08/24/2009

What’s on my nightstand?

an IKEA lamp
an copy of Alice in Wonderland from the 1940’s (on loan from my sister-in-law … it belonged to her grandmother)
Paper Source catalog
Vaseline
Geriatric size digital alarm clock
Dust

nightstand

What does this say about me?

I love cheap and modern home decor. I like to read before falling asleep or graze through creative stationery catalogs. I have a very sweet, trusting sister-in-law. My lips are soft in the morning. I can’t see anything more than 18″ from my face without my glasses on. Cleaning is not a priority for me, much to my sweet husband’s perturbation.

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That all sounds about right. 🙂 Got this idea from Joy the Baker. She has lots of delicious dessert recipes on her blog. This nightstand reveal idea was actually an intro to a Lemon Rosemary Palmier cookie recipe but I thought it would be fun to do my own.

1 Comment | Art, Art: modern design, Family: Me | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

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