Stored! Last weekend, some friends and I were discussing the merits of holding onto things our kids make (or in my case, will make) at school, in art class, with the babysitter, etc. I have always been of the mindset that less is more. I hate piles of stuff and have no interest in holding onto more than a few key keepsakes. Same holds true for things from my childhood – other than maybe some photos and yearbooks, I am more than happy to give my parents the green light to get rid of everything else. Jess recently had to grapple with this issue, as her parents were ready to purge some of her childhood from their home. {source: Du Wax Loolu}

Unplugged! As you read this right now, Sweets and I are staying in a log house on a lake in rural Maine. Our computers are off. Our phones are stowed away. It’s just us. SoMi. My aunt and uncle. Nature. Water. Bliss. I’ve always appreciated the times we get to unplug. I feel closer to Sweets, because we’re able to connect without interruption. I feel more involved in conversation with others, because the glow of phones, TVs and computers is missing. In some ways, this makes me an old soul, even compared to friends who are only a couple years younger than me. Amy is just a babe compared to me, but she, too, saw the advantages to unplugging. {source: Just a Titch}

Snort! This one is too good to pass up (snort reference, as in LMAO). Check out this tutorial on how not to take self-timer portraits! {source: Digital Photography School}

Bedazzled! Many of us have been lucky enough to make friends through our blogs. There are women from Boston to Chicago to LA whom I consider near and dear to my heart. One of those women is a spunky gal who just relocated from LA to KC (hello, time warp!). She’s an amazing artist and I’ve been lucky enough to wear some of her jewels. Lately, I’ve commissioned her to make me some statement pieces. First, it was a necklace for our trip to Grand Cayman. And now? It’s a necklace that’s a reflection of what will become our nursery. We already know the colors for our nursery: lime green, orange and turquoise. Well, Christyn has created a necklace using our nursery as an inspiration. I couldn’t be more pleased! {source: Bead Up blog, Bead Up shop}

That’s all from here. Even though I’m on vacation, I have some great posts planned for you next week. And I’ll see y’all on the flip side of the flip side!

Names! What’s in a name? Everything, you say? Well, as you know, Sweets and I are in a very secretive process of picking out names for Grasshopper. And while we are keeping that process a secret, I direct you to Erin’s blog. The post itself is interesting, but the comments are fascinating. Learn all about people’s names and whether they love them or hate them! For the record, I love my name – when people hear the name, Nilsa, they usually think of me (for better or worse), so it’s a sort of badge of honor to be the definition of a name. {source: the state that i am in}

Finalist! If you haven’t read Crissy’s blog, hide from your kids and your bosses and go read her stuff. She’s honest and funny and often NSFW. She recently found out she’s a finalist for a BlogHer award. Only, she doesn’t even participate in BlogHer activities. And they told her if she wants to accept her award (assuming she’s a winner), she has to buy a ticket (already sold out) or volunteer. Seems to me that the priorities are skewed. Shouldn’t winners be, I don’t know, honored? Just saying. {source: Crissy}

Etiquette! I may have a pretty smart phone with talking, texting and interneting capabilities. But, when it comes to cell phone etiquette, I fall squarely in the old school camp. I find it rude when people talk loudly, break out phones in restaurants, keep their heads buried in their phones and walk into other people on the street. We’ve become so engrossed in our phones, we forget there is this big, interesting world around us. On some level, Jess agrees. She made some astute cell phone observations and might even be considering a change in her own behavior! {source: Everyday Adventures (of me in the city)}

Question! As I mentioned above, we’re going on a little vacation. And each time I leave this little blog behind, I wonder whether I should (a) schedule a bunch of posts ahead of time, (b) ask people to guest blog or (c) let the blog go dark while I’m gone. I’m always hesitant to post my own posts, because I know I won’t respond to comments and feel that’s letting all of you down. I’m also hesitant to ask people to guest post, because I know people put a lot of thought and effort into guest posts and they aren’t always well received (i.e., if I wanted to read someone else’s thoughts, why wouldn’t I go straight to their blog instead – guest posts don’t always garner a lot of comments)!? So, I throw this question out to you – would you prefer that I schedule some guest posters while I’m gone or would you prefer that I allow the blog to go quiet for the week?

That’s all from here. Have a great weekend and I’ll see y’all on the flip side!

Decision! Last week, there was a lot of commotion over The Decision. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Maybe this name will help: LeBron James. People all over our country, everyday citizens to journalists to sports team owners, were freaking out over one decision: where LeBron James will play basketball next year. The answer: not Cleveland, but Miami. It was an absolutely ridiculous display of freaking out over something so short-sighted that we’ve probably already forgotten about it one week later. That said, those of us who know Alexa know Cleveland is in her blood. If you still care, then read her friend’s take on the whole situation; it’s a good one. {source: Cleveland’s a Plum}

Lists! There are people who make lists and there are people who don’t. Me, I need lists. They help me stay organized and prioritize what I need versus want to do. Most of the time, merely writing something down commits it memory. But, if I fail to write something down, it’s a sure bet I’ll forget about it. Marie needs lists, too. We’re even on the same page about Life Lists. {source: Marie’s Blog Cafe}

Progress! I’m pretty loud and clear on my stance on gay marriage. (In case you’ve missed previous posts, let’s just say, I have a gay brother, gay friends and want them to have the exact same civil opportunities that I have!) Our country may be lagging, but that hasn’t stopped others. Go Argentina! {source: CNN}

Ducky! Spell check is the bane of my existence. The other day, when texting a friend, I wrote in “… it’s a family thing” and hit send … only to be horrified that I chose the wrong letters and spellcheck made it to be “… it’s a family thong.” Check out Marie’s post on similar less-than-helpful replacements (yes, she gets two links in one day – I think that’s a record!). {srouce: Marie’s Blog Cafe}

That’s all from here. Hope y’all have a great weekend and I’ll see you on the flip side!

Needless to say, I was tardy in reading many of your blogs and felt a tad bit uninspired by it all. Therefore, forgive me please, Replay is on the light side this week. Hopefully, a few personal snippets thrown in will carry you over until the next time. =)

Giveaway! I might not have an “in” with the big retailers, so it’s a good thing my friends do. Want a $50 gift card to CSN Stores? Visit Nora’s blog and enter her giveaway! {source: Walking with Nora}

Century! I’m not shy about the 5 marathons I completed. Granted, I completed them over 4 years, but still, that’s a feat, right? Well, how about try a 100-mile race through the mountains. In 1-2 consecutive days? Yeah, that’s what a friend of mine did. He blogged about his training (which took place in FLAT Chicago), but the most exciting post is his recap. If you consider yourself a runner (beginner, expert or otherwise), check out this post. The photos and commentary are amazing. {source: Running with Camera}

Fixed! I’m one of those people who generally takes a new car to the dealership until it’s about 5 years old and then I’m willing to switch to a mechanic. When Sweets and I moved into our condo a few years ago, we were sporting a 7-year old car and an 11-year old SUV, both of which were eligible for a local mechanic. Lucky us, there’s a mechanic right around the corner. We became fast friends with the owners, Ron and Pablo. They’ve always done great work on our vehicles – honest work at a reasonable price with a smile. So, it was a huge surprise and honor to learn that one of our local papers acknowledged them as one of the best mechanics in town. If you’re a local, check out Speedline. They come highly recommended! {source: Chicago Reader, Speedline Auto & Tire}

Travel! I have travel on the brain lately. A lot of it has to do with the rest of the year and plans that are already in the works. A road trip to Maine and Cape Cod to see my family next month. Another long weekend to go camping in Door County. A weekend get-away in Kokomo, Indiana (when you have good friends, you’re willing to travel for them – we’ve owed this couple a trip to their neck of the woods for almost a year!). And the icing on the cake? We just booked a long weekend to New York this fall. A trip we wanted to take this spring and will finally come together in October. Hooray! {no source}

Hilarity! I think I’ve mentioned on here before how much Sweets absolutely loves the show, Wipeout. The show features adult-sized obstacle courses that are virtually impossible to complete. Hilarity ensues when the contestants bounce off huge rubber balls and fall into the water, get sucker punched in the face by a punching machine and fall backwards into mud or slip on a wet surface and fall 20 feet into a pool. I likely wouldn’t watch the show on my own, but it’s hard not to have fun when Sweets is having so much fun. I know it’s hard to fully understand how much he loves this show. That’s why I secretly filmed him the other night (though, he knows about this video now and gave me permission to share it with you). It’s kind of grainy, but you’ll get the idea of the simple pleasures in life. You’ll need sound to enjoy this one (hang in there until the 0:18 mark; I promise it’s worth it).

It’s funny every, single time … and he laughs like that every, single time … multiple times per episode. Sweets sure is a gem, wouldn’t you say?! That’s all from here. Hope y’all have a great weekend and I”ll see you on the flip side!

Cooned! So Kelsey has recently expanded her family from two kids to four, thanks to the recent birth of her twins. I’m not sure how she’s keeping it together, but she somehow is. And her stories are no less funny, despite the lack of sleep. Like the time there was a dead raccoon in her yard. No kidding. {Source: The Mama Bird Diaries – Story; The Mama Bird Diaries – Follow-up}

Style! I’m a recent reader of Kelly’s blog, but she brought up a good point in a post this week. What kind of style do you have when you go out to eat? Do you go out often, eat only what you need or do you seldom go out, consider it a splurge and order everything on the menu? Sweets and I like eating out and don’t often consider it a splurge. The key to our strategy is sharing an entree. That way, we can also enjoy appetizers and dessert without getting sick or breaking the bank! {source: She Wears a Red Sox Cap}

Rosebud! I’m not much of a style gal. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but I have a limited attention span when it comes to style (especially since style always seems to carry a hefty price tag, which interests me not). That said, there is one style blog I follow closely, Bon Bon Rose. Kristin and Megan do a great job of recapping cute clothes, shoes, jewelry, paper products, home decor, etc. Price points are reasonable. And they constantly host giveaways, which seem to lure everyone in a little closer. And now? They’re expanding their network with yet another giveaway! {source: Bon Bon Rose}

Clubs! Speaking of joining the club, I’ve started a new page with a couple of the clubs I currently belong to (you can always find it under the Feature link over there in the sidebar). Some of them are what I”ll refer to as actual clubs. Others are business I support. Let me know if I missed yours. {source: SoMi Speaks}

Holiday! It’s a holiday weekend in these parts. The United States celebrates its independence over the weekend and many of us don’t have to show up to work on Monday. Yay! What I didn’t realize is that Canada has a special celebration this weekend, too. Canada Day. And what better way to learn a thing or two about Canada than from a Canadian herself! {source: Girl with the Red Hair}

Well, that’s all from here. Hope y’all have a great weekend, no matter where you are, and I’ll see ya on the flip side!