Saturday cartoons

How was your long weekend? To start ours off, Matt and I woke up and watched Saturday morning cartoons. As silly as that sounds, it's something we've been wanting to do ever since we heard about Spoons, Toons and Booze, offered by Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg. 

When you think about it, as a kid, it was a weekend ritual to wake up and eat cereal and watch Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry or Garfield. So, that's what we did! To be fair, our cereal choices were much healthier than the sugary options we devoured growing up (I ate cheerios with blueberries and strawberries; Matt had grape-nuts), but we watched a couple of hours worth of old school Looney Tunes. It was so fun and relaxing! A nice way to ease into the weekend and unwind. 

What were your favorite Saturday morning cartoons? 

(Image 1, 2, 3)

The weekend is here!

My darling readers, happy Friday! What do you have planned for the next couple of days? I'm excited to kick back and relax—and also to cook up some homemade blueberry pancakes. Last weekend, I picked 10+ pounds and while we ate through a lot of them, we still have so many more! (Note: This is definitely a good problem to have.) Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

Colorful wrists.

The best way to say 'I love you'.

Music to focus by.

How to exit a taxi gracefully.

Yes! Nick Miller!

Dazzling blue.

Aca-awesome.

Amazing advice (thanks, Joanna!).

Living vicariously.

I'm intrigued.

Perfect scrambled eggs.

By the sea.

(Image via Pinterest)

Finding the calm

What do you do to add peaceful moments for yourself into your day, your week, or your month? After reading this thoughtful post by Megan Gilger over at The Fresh Exchange, I realized: Finding the calm is something I need to start prioritizing...now.

I actually used to be very good at squeezing in time that was just for me. In fact, I cherished it, and put it at the top on my list of things to do. Now, I'm on a mission to get back to this ideal—even if it is only for 22 minutes a day (the length of an episode of Friends, my favorite TV show) or 90 minutes a weekend (the length of time necessary to get a manicure/pedicure and maybe a 10-minute massage if I splurge!) or eight hours a month (the length of time to take a break—from speaking English, at least—and brush up on my French).

Anyways, the point is that it all starts with finding the calm—and doing the things you need to do to "repair yourself", as Megan describes. Good advice, don't you think?

(Image via Pinterest)

View from the road

I know I said I wasn't going to blog about my trip to Ireland and Paris until next week, but then Kate posted the image above and I couldn't resist. What an amazing reminder—in the midst of a chaotic day/week/month—to stop, even for a minute, and appreciate the view. 

The shot directly beneath Kate's image is one I took through the windshield of our car while driving in Ireland. The speed was 120 kilometers per hour on that road(!), but I got Matt to slow down for a second—long enough for me to take this pic. We were driving just south of Galway, and the natural beauty here (and everywhere in Ireland) was astounding. Just looking at this photo is all the reminder I need to slow down and take a deep breath.

Wishing you a lovely Tuesday—more about my trip next week!

(Image via Wit & Delight)

Old school

When you have down time, what is your favorite way to unwind? Do you relax with a cup of tea? Call a friend? Do you cook? When I saw these photos from Fallon Elizabeth over at A Lovely Being, I felt instantly nostalgic for pure and simple ways to relax. I also love the vintage feel of her pics. It's a great reminder that as busy as our lives can get, the old favorites always apply!

(Images via A Lovely Being)

Baby, let's cruise

As the popular Seinfeld phrase goes, "Serenity now!" That's exactly what it looks like you'll get while aboard the M/V Aria as it tours the northern part of the Amazon River in Peru. How breathtaking are the panoramic views? The floor to ceiling, wall to wall windows in every room enable you to really see (and enjoy) all the sights as they pass by. Talk about the ultimate spot to unwind and relax!

Tell me — if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go to relax?

(Images via Double Takes)

Morning moment

The sunny kitchen set-up above got me thinking: how much leisure time do you set aside each morning before walking out the door to start a busy day? If I had a breakfast set-up like this, I'd love to build in an extra 30 minutes — just enough time to wake up, read the newspaper, spend time pinning on Pinterest, or just sipping a cup of green tea.

What time do you wake up each morning? Do you allow any down time that's just for you? 

(Image via Darling Dexter)