Weekend Ramblings From the Ghost Girl

There is one thing I have not been good at for the past month. That is updating this blog.
There are, though, a few things I've been really good at for the past month. Those are:

• Head bobbing and shoulder shimmying everywhere to Taylor Swift's new Red album.
• Practicing my new French audiobooks.
• Creating secret Christmas gift boards on Pinterest for the fam. That you can't see, so I can't link it here. (Aren't the new secret Pinterest boards fantastic?)
• Shopping for new booties. Just purchased these, after much dilemma and denial over these and especially these.

(Photo cred)

Yep, all those things I've pretty much perfected in my free time—very important things, as you can see. Aside from my newfound hobbies, I've been down in the Big Easy shooting for the March/April issue of VIE this week. A whirlwind trip meant three nights at the luxurious Roosevelt hotel, where we spent our time getting to know Ashley Longshore (my newest obsession, her modern pop art infuses so much personality I was almost bent over laughing—not to mention she's crazy cool and perhaps the funniest person I've ever met) and the precious, could-be-my-BFF girls behind the Jolie and Elizabeth line (I want to drink champagne with them every day + our makeup artist from the shoot.) Mix that with the most fine dining experience I've ever experienced at Stella!, a few nights out listening to brass bands in smoky lounges, and a quick run through Saks for these babies, and I had myself quite the business trip. Look for all of the above in an upcoming issue of VIE.

(Photo cred)

So here I am, settled back into beach life after a lovely break away to find that surprise! Thanksgiving is next week. Hello, darlings, how did that happen?
Life is so quick. And for that I am thankful.
I used to be the number one person to be melancholy when I noticed that life was passing by quickly. Always the sappy sentimentalist, I wanted to hold on to moments, to anything I could that would keep me in a moment, a day, a month where I was so very happy. Until I realized that, if life was passing quickly, that was all the time.
Life happens fast when we're satisfied, filled up near the top of contentment. When your days begin to drag slowly, when minutes are hours or the day never seems to end—that's the concerning passage of time when something most likely needs to change. But when a day passes in a blink or a month flies by, despite hectic schedules, dissatisfaction with a situation, or whatever your "complaint" may be, you're actually one of the lucky ones.
So, I'm thankful that my life happens fast. (Hold me to that, Mom.)

So, I'll wrap up this post of miscellaneous comments and stories with a few Friday Finds in case you should find yourself in a nesting weekend much like mine ahead. I'll be doing some writing, using some crafty hands and planning for the upcoming holiday season. Thanksgiving will be the Theme of Ainsley's Life next week and, as one who often skips right past this fantastic holiday in leu of Christmas and New Year's Eve planning, I'm going to attempt to pay a bit more attention to gratitude giving. A few things that are on my agenda, holiday-related and not:

• This fantastic tip for cleaning makeup brushes—I'm not sure about you, but mine are long overdue.
• Hunting for this perfect holiday nail duo. Glittery yet subtle, it will go with everything for the perfect holiday sparkle.
• Making these adorable Thanksgiving coffee-dippers to deliver as festive handmade treats next week.
• Creating a few of these seasonal decorations to hang from the curtains in our home. I think I'll paint mine metallic for a bit of glitz, though.
• Plotting the beginnings of a girly holiday party that is sure to feature this.

Happy Friday lovelies, enjoy your pre-Thanksgiving weekend!

xoxo