Stella and Dot from Mix and Match Fashion

I’ve been following Tara over on Mix and Match Fashion for a while now. I find great inspiration for work outfits.

About a month ago I was lucky enough to win a pair of Stella & Dot earrings from Tara.

I had heard people talk about Stella & Dot jewelry before, but I was a little skeptical because I had never had a hands on experience. I wanted to see it in person, hold it in my hand, make my own judgement as to whether or not it was good quality.  So, winning this giveaway was perfect for me. I was able to try the jewelry without worrying about spending money on something I’d never wear.

The results… I love my new earrings. The quality is amazing in look and feel. You are definitely getting your money’s worth.

I won the Serenity Stone Drops in Green.

(Those who follow me on Instagram have already seen this gem.)

I love them so much I’m already planning my first purchase.

I’m thinking the Camilla Ring…

Or the Arrow Bangle…

What do you think? There are so many choices!

Thanks Tara for the introduction to Stella & Dot, and for the gorgeous earrings!

R.I.P Google Reader

I’ve been using Google Reader for about 3 years now. The best part is that it is associated with all your other Google identities, like e-mail and such. So access is easy.

I’m sure everyone has heard about Google Reader being discontinued on July 1st. I personally thought this meant that everything would remain the same until that date and then it just wouldn’t work anymore. I was wrong.

As of Wednesay, Reader was removed from the “More” drop-down when you’re in your Gmail… So, no more easy access…

I actually had to Google, “Google Reader,” to figure out how to access my blog feed (www.google.com/reader, you’re welcome). So, my assumption of ‘no change’ was inaccurate. Apparently there is some sort of phasing that Google has planned. It is probably called ‘Make it Harder and Harder to Access Until No One Uses It,’ just my guess.

This isn’t the end of the world. I knew change was coming. I just thought it would be 4 months from now. This new development just lit a fire under me to figure out what platform I’m going to start using next.

There are a lot of options out there. I did a lot of research and trials.  This included free platforms and not so free platforms. In the end my top two were two of the free options. They were the most similar to reader and thus, familiar feeling to me.

Feedly (Looks to be the obvious front runner for most.)

• Feedly takes the form of a browser add-on for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, and also an iOS and Android app.
  
• Feedly actually uses Google Reader as its backend. This means you can log into Feedly today and it will automatically have all of your Google Reader feeds set up and ready to go. They announced that they are partnering with Google to develop a program that will transition your reading experience from backed by Google Reader to something else once Reader is not available. They say that as long as you try their services prior to July 1st, everything should transfer seamlessly.
• If you’re like me and have a collection of unread blogs, Feedly makes the transition a little easier. Since it is linked with your Reader the unread blogs come in as unread. As you read them they are marked as read in your Reader as well. So you can actually make the transition as fast or slow as you want, both platforms will update simultaneously.
• You can manipulate the interface to be similar to Google Reader. You can have the same type of list and view full articles which is nice.
• There is an iPhone app.
• If you were a ‘Starred Items’ person in Google Reader so you could remember the location of posts you liked, these transfer directly into Feedly. They are called ‘Saved For Later’ in Feedly.

Screen shot using Chrome..

Bloglovin’

• You can connect through Facebook or create a log in on their website.
• Transferring your Google Reader blogs is very simple. Once imported the last weeks worth of blog posts will show up as unread.
• There is a nice alert feature (via Google Chrome browser extension, one-click install) to let you know when you have unread blog posts on your reading list.
• You can group blogs of similar content.
• You can’t just scroll through full articles within Bloglovin’. You actually have to click on the article and view it via the blog website with a nifty Bloglovin’ toolbar at the top. The toolbar allows you to jump from blog to blog or post to post easily. It also allows for easy sharing. At first I thought this was a draw back, I loved seeing full posts in Google Reader but I realize that traveling to the actual site is definitely a good thing… 1. You can experience everything by seeing the layout and 2. The blog gets more views.
• Your “Starred” items in Google Reader do not transfer in as “Liked” posts in Bloglovin’.
• I downloaded the iPhone app and it is very user friendly.

Screen shot using Chrome…

Screen shot of toolbar once you start reading blogs…

At the end of the day I don’t think any option can really be categorized as a replacement right now. My hopes is that once Google Reader isn’t available these companies will step up and start making improvements. So, picking the platform that has the options you enjoyed most about Google Reader and keeping your hopes high for improvements is my best suggestion for you.

I’m currently using both. I started out leaning more towards Bloglovin’ but now I’m really liking Feedly. It might just be because it is very similar to Google Reader which makes it feel familiar. I plan to continue trying both so that I can discover all of the different features. I don’t want to miss out on something great just because I stick to something familiar. I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts. I’ll also let you know if I stumble upon another option out there.

If you decide to start using Bloglovin’ you can easy follow ‘my morning coffee’ by clicking here or using the “+” icon on the top right of my home screen.

Importing your blogs/subscriptions/feeds into Feedly and Bloglovin’

Importing your Google Reader blogs to Feedly is as simple as juts signing in.

Simple instructions for importing your Google Reader blogs into Bloglovin’…

1. Log into your Bloglovin’ account.

2. Click on ‘Account’ on the top right of your screen and a drop down will appear. Click on ‘Settings.’

3. Scroll to the bottom and under the ‘Other’ heading click on the ‘Import blogs’ button.

4. On the next screen you’ll have the option to import blogs from Google Reader. Click on this button.

5. The next screen seems a little redundant, maybe because I was already logged into my Google Reader. But, once again click on the button to ‘Import from Google Reader.’

6. Bloglovin will then import all of your blogs seamlessly. All of the posts from the last week will show up as unread for each blog.

Just  That  Easy

I’ll miss you Google Reader.

What are your thoughts? What have you tried? What did you like and dislike?

PS… I updated the list of blogs I follow. Viewing them in list form, there are way too many!

Book Review: Liane Moriarty, What Alice Forgot

In case you don’t remember or are new, I’m trying to participate in the No Commitment Blogger Book Club hosted by Ginna over on My Pretty Pennies. The first Monday of the month was actually March 4th. I’m only 17 days late. Look on the bright side, at least I made it in the correct month.

Book Review #1: Bossypants by Tina Fey

Book Review #2: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

For my last book review I just sort of winged it without any guidance. This time I think I’m going to stick with Ginna’s questions.

What is the book about?

The book begins with Alice waking up on the floor at the gym thinking she is 29 years old. It turns out she had fallen which caused her to misplace 10 years of her life. She is actually 39 and a lot of her life has changed. Using three different perspectives the book unfolds her journey to remember.

Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?

Yes. The best part for me was the self evaluation. The book made you look at your own life and ask questions.

At one point Alice’s sister, Elizabeth, was thinking “how would I feel if I lost ten years of my memory, and what things, would surprise me, or please me, or upset me about how my life had turned out.” Ten years ago I was a sophomore in high school. There are so many decisions I’ve made in the last ten years that have shaped my life forever. If I were my 16 year old self sitting across from the person I’ve become today, would I be happy with what I saw? I’m not sure. There are definitely aspects of my life that need work.

While Alice was in the process of remembering the last 10 years of her life all of her thoughts were in the perspective of a 29 year old. They were sometimes immature and naive, but sometimes the simplicity brought such clarity. It made me wonder if I would enjoy life more if I had some of the perspective I had 10 years ago on certain things. Maybe I’m too serious sometimes.

Stories of Elizabeth’s struggles with infertility are very heart warming and sobering. The reality is that many women struggle with this. In the book you see many perspectives. It made me wonder, if the time comes, how would I approach this struggle? It takes such strength.

You see love in all of it’s many phases. Young love that is fresh and simple. Old love that has grown through experiences, the best and worst. I felt great encouragement from seeing all the different phases. Love doesn’t look the same in every relationship.

There were so many other great situations that Alice and her loved ones ran into that really make you just take a step back and reevaluate.

The book is a little long but I found it went by fast. My first thoughts when I finished were… that I need to be more grateful for life and the experiences that it brings and that I need to reminder to slow down and enjoy it all.

Would you recommend this book?

Definitely. It so easy to relate it to your own life and growth.

What’s your favorite quotes from the book?

“They would think she was savoring the taste –, but she was actually savoring the whole morning, trying to catch it, pin it down, keep it safe before all those precious moments became yet another memory.”

“It’s just that sometimes I want to say to her, ‘Darling, maybe you don’t get to be a mother, but you still get to be a wife.'”

“They take their lives so seriously, these young people.”

You can read Ginna’s review and other’s over on My Pretty Pennies.

Next month’s book is Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin in case you want to join in. I hope to have my review done to post on April 1st. I better get to reading!

We Will Find It For You, J.Crew

I’m back!

I’m sure that many of you know about the “We Will Find It For You” service offered by J.Crew. For those of you that don’t, let me share my experience.

I had an obsession with the Excursion Quilted Vest in Herringbone. I put that in past tense because that particular vest is no longer available online or in store. Apparently there were many others sharing my obsession.

Right before the vest sold out, it went on sale. Obviously they wouldn’t have my size online, TYPICAL. I called all of the local J.Crew stores to see if they had one in stock. They didn’t,  but one of the sales reps was nice enough to fill me in on what the “We Will Find It For You” service is all about.

Here is the run down:

1. You have an item that isn’t available in your size or at all online.
2. You call 1-800-562-0258.
3. You describe the item or provide the item number.
4. You provide them with credit card information so that if they find the item you are searching for they can buy it right then.
5. You both hang up the phone.
6. They go and search all of their stores across the country for the item you desire.
7. They promise to notify you within 48 hours of the results.
8. If they don’t find it, which was the case for me, they send you an e-mail…

9. If they do find it, they buy it, and it is shipped directly to you. SHIPPING IS FREE!

Amazing, right?

J.Crew does not really advertise this. It took me about 5 minutes to find it online.

It says “*Full-price merchandise only.” But the secret I discovered during this process is that they will search for sale items as well and give you the sale price.

Unfortunately for me, there were no vests to be found.  But, believe me, I will be using this service again, and so should you.

As for my vest, I guess I’ll be perusing eBay…

With those prices, it might be next season before I procure one of these bad boys…

My Last Post was February 20th?

Seriously? I can’ t believe it has been that long. I’m very sorry. I know, once again, #slacker.

Currently I’m going on week #2 of being out of town for work. I left Sunday (2/24) and will hopefully be returning this Friday. I’m helping our Norfolk office’s electrical department with some GIS work. Essentially this means that I walk around the majority of the day carrying a tall pole with a GPS unit attached to it while looking at electrical components. For the record, since I’m a structural engineer, if it is not a light, I typically have no idea what I’m looking at. This is actually not problematic because we travel in pairs. So my partner, “the discipline specialist,” always knows what is going on. My job is just to manage the GPS unit and put in the information my partner gives me. My unit is fondly named “Tom.”   I’ve learned a lot, I would say I know about 8 times as much about electrical now than I did when I started. It is nice to get out of the office for a bit. The only draw back is that it is rather chilly outside here and we work rain or shine.

My typically day..

Another draw back is that I miss my boys. Miss them terribly. Brian sent me this picture of Bauer the other day. It seems like he has turned into a grownup dog while I’ve been gone. He does not look like a puppy anymore. I guess that is what happens when you’re gone for two weeks and you miss your dog turning 10 months. I can’t believe he’s been part of our lives that long. It is crazy how time flies.

The last and final draw back is my lack of free time. I was thinking that when I got done for the day I’d have all this free time to work on the blog and the rest of the items on my long list of “things to do while you’re gone.” After the first long day I realized my list was going to be hard to accomplish, if not impossible. My ride picks me up at 6:45am (yes, I’m out of town with no car), I walk and work all day and am typically dropped off about 4:30pm back at my hotel. At this point I am tired and not motivated. This state continues until I’m picked up for dinner around 6:30pm. When I return from dinner I just want to go to bed. In my pre-planning for this trip, I think dinner was what I didn’t account for. The food is amazing, but it always takes longer than I think. So thus, I haven’t shown my face here in a while. I’ve just been trying to keep up with my daily obligations. I haven’t had time for any luxuries, like blogging. I’m hoping this week will be a little better. Maybe it is like jet-lag  takes a week to adjust to the new time zone and then you’re read to go. I’m not making any promises, but I’m hopeful. I still need to fill you in on how the microwave install turned out and review What Alice Forgot (which I’m almost done reading) from the No-Commitment Blogger Book Club.

You guys ever have plans that get completely messed up by the unexpected? It sucks.