The totally (un)endorsed, (un)official, totally legit guide to gchat.

Now that summer is over and everyone is settling back into their routines, I have a feeling everyone is going to hop back on the gchat train to make the day go a little faster. Before we start doing that, let's establish some gchatting ground rules, shall we? Yes, we shall.

Don't start with "hi" or the receivers name. Just start talking. I'm already signed in to chat, so I'm super ready to hear what you have to say.

Really, just get rid of ALL the pleasantries. Gchatting is for the efficient. Don't waste time saying "hi" or "bye" or "okay great!" Maybe it's just me, but once we've had a conversation, and I say "okay thanks" or whatever to close the conversation, you don't need to send "you're welcome, have a great day!" or "okay, bye!" back. It's over. Just end it, man! It's fine! Really! Really.

Don't tell stories 
in short, fragmented sentences
you are not a poet
and it's just really annoying. Just because it's online chatting doesn't mean that the rules of grammar and sentence structure fly out the window. Also, this is not The Odyssey. You are not Homer, and this isn't an epic novel. Just talk like normal. Really. It's fine.

Don't send someone several different links in a row. You just sent me four things. They're all great and hilarious, but am I still supposed to respond to the first one? In order? Reverse order? Now I'm stressed and kind of annoyed, and it's all your fault.

Don't bash your job. This seems like a no brainer, but seriously, if you're gchatting at work, DO NAHT talk about your boss, your job, or any assignment you have to do that you hate. Because someone WILL find out. And then you'll get in trouble. And that's not fun for anyone.

For the love of all things holy, do NOT keep asking someone "what are you doing?" This is seriously my biggest pet peeve. If we're talking, and I'm doing something, and it's cool enough that I want to tell you all about it, I will. And if you didn't have anything you wanted to talk to ME about, why'd you chat me in the first place?

Are there any gchat behaviors that you absolutely hate? Tell me all about them.


*only slightly official
*okay, it's only official in my own mind.

Decorating on the Cheap - A guest post!

By Jennifer Osieczanek, ShopAtHome.com

Moving into your first apartment is a huge milestone. Full of excitement? For sure. But being out on your own presents a variety of challenges, as well. One of those is likely to include putting your own stamp on your new place while adhering to a budget.

Most apartment lease agreements won’t let you paint the walls, or require you to paint them white again when you move out. Let’s be real: No one likes painting that much.

Using accessories is a great way to brighten up your space and express yourself without spending a lot of cash.

To start, toss a couple of colorful throw pillows on your couch. Ikea sells “cushions” starting as low as $3.99, and covers starting at $3. Covers come in a variety of colors and patterns, which you easily can switch out seasonally or just to suit your mood for fresh style that doesn’t cost much.

White walls and white carpet got you down? Add a colorful rug to set off a seating area. That said, think a little bit more traditionally when making your purchase because rugs are more expensive items and you’ll want to love it for a long time. Overstock.com offers a good variety. One of my favorites is the Alexa Moroccan Trellis wool rug for $169.99. The navy version would ground your space with a rich, classic feel. Make sure you look for online coupons to save on this pricier purchase.

Art is another great way to make a statement, but it can be really expensive. Seriously. Instead of shelling out your well-earned paycheck, get creative and make something of your own.

I found a big frame on sale at Michaels (you don’t need glass in it) and then went to Lowe’s for some sheet metal -- both standard and a decorative pattern -- and spray paint. I cut both to fit my frame and then spray painted the standard metal black. I layered the decorative sheet metal on top of the painted metal and put them in the frame. The framed sheet metal in itself is like a work of art.

On a whim, I took it a step further and displayed some of my favorite vacation pictures with magnets. I’ve left enough room still to see the cool metal design, but also made a personalized photo collage that can be changed whenever I feel like it.

And, finally, one last little trick to making your new place feel like home: Fresh cut flowers. Even a few stems from the grocery store in a simple vase can bring a pop of color to a room and a smile to your face.

Jennifer Osieczanek writes for ShopAtHome.com.

Photos by Jennifer Osieczanek

Fall, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

It's not really Fall yet, but I don't care. Once Labor Day passes, it's all fall, all the time. Not sorry. And I know I talked a while ago about how I should just be able to live at the beach all the time, but really, fall is totally where it's at. Let's talk about it.

First of all, it's so cozy. North Carolina fall is the BEST because the average temperature is low 70s, no humidity. You could wear shorts OR jeans. You could wear a tank OR long sleeves. And you can ALWAYS wear a scarf. You guys haven't known me that long, so you don't know about my total scarf fetish. It's pretty serious.  

Sources 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

And then there's the fall beers. While my devotion to Son of a Peach will never, ever waver, all the fall beers are just TOPS. My current favorites are Pumpkick by New Belgium and Autumnfest Vienna by Natty Greene's, which is a bar here in Greensboro.

What fall beers do you think I should try? (Meg this question is for you.)

And of course, I have to talk about my main love, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I start counting down to PSL day far, far in advance. No, really. This year's countdown started on June 6th. 

It's seriously one of my favorite days of the year. Because of this, I take a picture of myself with every First PSL. I'm serious.

Lemme tell ya, it was a big deal that I shared my First PSL of the Season with Garrett the last two years. It's something I take very seriously. 

Are you laughing at me yet? I don't blame you. I LOVE FALL, OKAY? 

Whoops - I took an unintended blog hiatus.

I just could NOT bring myself to throw together a Weekly Roundup on Friday, and yesterday when I sat down to do my Sunday post, the power went out. As soon as I sat down. You just can't make this stuff up, man.

Not too much going on in Casa de Fragory lately... I've been spending a lot of time catching up on all the Bravo shows I've missed in the two weeks we were TV-less, and Garrett has been watching a lot of soccer. We've also been drinking a lot of boxed wine.

On Saturday, we got this duvet cover for our bed and I am OBSESSED WITH IT.

We found it one night when we were at Target. We both saw it (separately) and loved it, and when we realized we had found the same one, we knew it was the one for us. We were going to wait until August paychecks came in to get it, and when we went to get it on Saturday, it was on clearance! Perfection? Yes. We just have our old red sheets on it right now, but we'll get some light blue ones soon.

The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key. We went to church yesterday with Garrett's cousin and his family, and then spent the afternoon with them. It was fun, and the bonus is: we looked pretty amazing.

I'm seriously DYING at how long my hair is getting. OBSESSED WITH IT TOO.

Oh yeah and also - I GOT MY FIRST PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE ON FRIDAY. This is a big deal, you guys. More on that tomorrow. 

The rest of the day today will be for coffee with Jenna, blog things, and lazy things. It's going to be great.

Happy Labor Day!