i've returned from a nice little break.

It's been a little over a week since I decided to take a small break from the world of blogging and social networking. I must say, it was a breath of fresh air.

During this short hiatus I:

• baked pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
• read one and a half books.
• cooked some meals in batches and froze some for later (loving this method, by the way.)
• wrote letters to friends.
• had long phone conversations with my parents.
• went to a bonfire and roasted marshmallows.
• rested lots and lots (I've been sick for the majority of the past couple of weeks...Vitamin C and my pillow have been my best friends.)
• went on a pumpkin patch adventure with husband.
• enjoyed surprise homemade smoothies (thanks to husband...love him.)
• ate some halloween candy (here's to hoping it's not all gone before tomorrow!)
• collaborated with husband on a project we're working on (which we will be able to unveil soon!)

{image of my sister Alycia, taken by me}

It's been a good break, and I'm now going to slowly ease back into the online world. But this little break of mine has definitely helped me reevaluate my priorities and I'm aiming for much better balance in my life.

I'm not going to:

• feel the need to update my blog every single day
• feel like I have to read everything in my Google Reader
• compare myself to others
• leave Facebook open in my browser to distract me during the day
• feel like a loser when I don't have anything exciting to Twitter about :)

But I am going to:

• continue documenting our adventures through photographs and this little blog
• find inspiration in others and in turn, strive to inspire
• stay connected with what's going on in my friends lives
• love life with everything I've got :)

Enough about me. How are you all doing? I must say, I feel a little disconnected from everyone since I haven't been reading people's blog posts or statuses. I trust that no one got engaged or had a baby while I've been m.i.a. And if you did, you'd better let me know!

Happy Friday! :)

today's list of random thoughts:

• Today our new fridge arrived, and we now have a working ice maker. To be honest, the sound scares me. Will take some getting used to.
• On Saturday my hands were sore from gripping my camera all day out in the cold...but I loved every moment of it!
• I have 10 gigs of wedding images to sort through and then edit. I'm psyched about it.
• I'm not feeling so well today. Husband and I are tag teamin' it. Now he's taking real good care of me. He's my favorite.
  
• I'm really excited about the new website that husband is making me...I can't wait to share it with you guys!
• I miss my friends and family.
  
• I really want to make an apple crisp soon.
• Hook is such a great movie.
  

today is awesome because...

{image via the small object}

Today is awesome because...

• My puppy is snuggling beside me.
• I have an amazing husband, and we're very much in love.
• I just had a mug of hot chocolate.
• God is so good. Way too good to me than I deserve.
  
• I am editing photos.
• We ate our favorite pizza this weekend.
  
• We got to spend lots of quality time with family and friends this weekend.
• I have dreams, and an opportunity to do something I love.
• Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra are my soundtrack for the day.
• The air is crisp outside, and I love love love it.

What makes your day awesome today?

a restful weekend.

{print by: decoylab via: we heart it}

I don't know about you, but after I've taken a break from something it often takes me a little while to get back into the habit of doing it. For example: checking my email, updating my blog, and staying connected via the web. After having spent most of last week off of my computer, it's taking me a little longer than normal to get back into the swing of things. So, forgive me for my recent lack of updating.

This weekend when we got back from Pigeon Forge, husband and I just crashed. We decided that our time would best be spent relaxing and spending time together in our cozy home.

Here's what our weekend consisted of:

• Making meals at home {as much as we love going out to eat, after eating out for every meal for a week...we were ready to cook at home.}
• Snuggling with our puppy {we sure did miss him!}
• Catching up on our favorite show, The Office {is anyone else excited about Jim and Pam's wedding this week?!}
• Reading a lot {I'm a bookworm...reading is such a relaxing activity!}
• Visiting a new church {we've visited a lot of churches recently...ready to settle in to a church home.}
• Snuggling on the couch--husband watched the Titans lose miserably, and I read more of my book.
• Napping.
• Cookie baking {this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe by Smitten Kitchen is amazing! It's also good with craisins.}

It was such a perfect home sweet home weekend. What do you like to do during a relaxing weekend at home?

a weekend full of sunshine.

I hope you all had a great weekend! I got to spend it with my favorite person, so I was pretty happy. :)

This weekend, husband made me even more thankful for him. He has a habit of doing that. This weekend I loved that he:

• Came home from work on Friday with a little surprise for me.
  
• Was patient with me while I took forever deciding what kind of pizza I wanted.
• Cheered me up when I was feeling a little less than great about myself.
• Mowed our football field sized lawn...for five hours.
• Went grocery shopping with me.
• Made me laugh until my sides hurt.
• Encouraged me in my dreams, like he always does.
• Finished some projects around the house while I was sleeping.
• Hugged me tight when I really needed it.

I know I say it all the time, but I'm truly thankful for my husband.

here's to not being normal.

(credit: av photography, via naturally nina)

Singing loudly in the shower when no one is home, corny jokes, goofy voices, dancing like a dork, secret love of Sci-Fi (Star Trek, Star Wars, and LOTR all the way, baby), my talent of folding my tongue into a three leaf clover shape, talking to my dog like he can understand me (I swear sometimes he can), talking (and sometimes walking) in my sleep, my unnatural fear of opossums, my mad Monopoly skillz (which is why husband and I can no longer play together..*cough cough*), my preference for music that is at least 50 years old as opposed to anything modern (Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole--please-and-thank-you-very-much.)

Why be normal when you can be yourself?

What are the things (the dorky, geeky, and just plain strange included) that make you...well, you?

a season for everything lovely.

One of my favorite things is experiencing the change in seasons. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Each new season brings a new set of possibilities...and potential memories made. When asked which time of year is my favorite, my answer is all of them. I am equally excited to see each season arrive...full of potential and overflowing with opportunities. It is exciting, to say the least.

As spring slowly comes to a close and the summer months are upon us, I look forward to these things:

• cookouts on the grill {husband makes the best grilled chicken!}
• taking naps in my hammock {which we just bought a stand for, so we can actually use it now...yay!}
• the smell of freshly cut grass.
• the feeling of sunshine on my shoulders and in my hair.
• sipping fruit tea with husby as the sun goes down and talking about our present and our future together.
• fireworks.
• picnics in the park.
• summery music {i.e. the beach boys, the beatles, jack johnson, etc.}
• my wildflower garden blooming.
• fairs and carnival {i have a thing for cotton candy and ferris wheels}
• buying fresh flowers and quality produce at the farmer's market.
• painting my nails bright, fun, colors!
• taking lots of photographs in the lovely weather.
• going to the drive-in movies and munching on yummy treats.
  
• husband's senior recital.
• husband's graduation.
• our two year wedding anniversary.
• vacation together.

{photos taken in 2006 during "the dating years" at the fair}

What are some things about summer that you are looking forward to?

let love shine.

• smile
• open the door for someone
• say "please" and "thank you"
• pay someone a compliment
• write a hand written letter to someone to let them know you care
• hug those you love
• make a handmade gift
  
• tip your waitress more than you usually would
• let someone go in front of you in busy traffic
• make cookies for your neighbors
• tell those you love that you love them...it's that simple

what are some other simple ways that you can let love shine today? :)

these are a few of my favorite things {when it's raining}

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

• wearing my polka dotted rain boots and splashing in the puddles
• kissing my husby underneath our extra large family umbrella
• curling up with my red fuzzy blanket and a good book
• writing a letter to a friend
• taking a nap while listening to the raindrops play music on my window pane
• watching a classic movie, such as: my fair lady, sabrina, or the sound of music
• drinking a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or tea
• the smell of fresh rain
  
• laughing at how prissy max gets when it's wet outside
  

{images by me}
what are some of your favorite things when it's raining?

things on my mind right now {a random list}

• why do good people have to go through not-so-good things?
• i want to make all bad things go away for all those good people i love.
• words are never enough.
• i want to always be there for those who need it.
  
• i want to pray more than i do...really pray, and not just for my chicken salad. i'm trying.
  
• there are so many things that i want to do, but don't have enough time to do it all. need to set priorities, i suppose.
• i have lots of photos to edit and sort through...lots and lots. still have family photos from easter i need to get to.
  
• if i had to pick a least favorite part about photography {which is hard, because i love it all} it would have to be sorting through photos. it's hard to narrow them down...it's hard.
• i miss my sister who lives in indiana.
• i'm going to miss my brother who will be living in maine for the summer.
• i get to see my grandparents from maine soon {three more days!}
• i want to have all the people i love in one place. let's all move to an island together. i'd be okay with that.
• husby will be finished with this semester in six days...then all he has is his senior {guitar} recital this summer...and then he graduates. there will be a lot of partying going on in the zajas household. most definitely.
• i'm thirsty.

off to get some water...

have a lovely weekend.

{photo by my husby while on vacation last summer}

Hello friends!

I hope you'll all have a very lovely weekend. The weather forecast tells me that it's supposed to be sunshiney and beautiful for several days, and I am very much looking forward to that. This weekend I will most likely be: going on walks with husband and maxo, weeding out a spot in our garden for me to plant some wildflower seeds {now that the weather is finally nice and going to stay that way...yay!}, and helping Jonathan by making him coffee, giving him a good excuse for a study break, and proofing his many papers he has to write.

What are you up to this beautiful weekend?

In the meantime, here are some links to some of my favorite finds around the web this week:

• living your passion: what it takes to be an entreprenuer
• these beautiful paper garlands makes me want to plan a party just so i can decorate!
• learning to love cleaning - because sometimes it's not an easy thing to love
• these chick bookmarks are adorable! maybe if I make one of these I'll actually finish that book in my nightstand.
• the importance of family rituals - because they really are oh-so-important!

Now for a roundup on what happened here at Jonathan & Tiffany this week:

• i opened my own etsy shop! - www.withlovetiffany.com
• it's the simple things in life, really - taking time to enjoy even the smallest things in life
• rise and shine! - why is it so hard to get up at the time you really want to? maybe these tips will help you some.
• studio inspiration series #2 - we took a look at nicole balch's stationery making studio.
• and the winner is... - we announced the winner of our withlovetiffany card giveaway!

I hope you all will have an amazing weekend! Go out and enjoy this weather, spend time with loved ones, and do something new.

rise and shine!

Why is it always so difficult to wake up early in the morning? Waking up early is something that I really want to do...it makes the rest of my day feel so much better. I feel more productive, alert, and happy. But getting up the first time that alarm clock goes off is oh-so-hard for me.

Does anybody else have this problem? I know I'm not alone here!

I did it today though. I got up without hitting the snooze button, which was practically a miracle!

I've been reading some articles online on the benefits to rising early, creating a morning routing, and tips on becoming an early riser.

Here are some of the things that I have been doing to help me get up early:

1. make gradual changes - I often make the mistake of being overly ambitious in my getting up early attempts...."I'm getting up at 5:30!" and then I end up turning off my alarm clock completely because when 5:30am rolls around my body thinks that getting up is just plain ridiculous. Instead, getting up 15 minutes earlier than normal is a lot easier to adjust to. Then, a few days later get up 15 more minutes earlier until you've reached the desired wake-up time.
2. go to bed earlier - um, yeah...staying up until 12:30 and getting up at 6:30 {my desired wake up time} just don't compliment each other. I need to start getting to bed by 10:30.
3. put the alarm clock far away from the bed - if the alarm clock is right on my bedside table, I will just hit snooze over and over and justify in my sleepy mind the reason for not getting up right away. If I set the clock on the other side of the room, I have to walk all the way over there to turn it off...so I might as well get up for good anyways.
4. get out of the bedroom {and away from the couch} and go do something - I have to admit, there have been times that I have gotten up and out of bed...but only to go lay down on the couch to snooze for another half an hour. But if I get up...and go put the coffee on, start exercising, go put a load of laundry in, take care of clean dishes, etc. I will wake up a whole lot faster.
5. make a list of things you enjoy about getting up early - before I go to bed each night, I write out my to-do list and schedule for the next day. Having this list, and knowing how much I can accomplish if I get up at the time I want to, is very motivating. Also looking forward to rewarding things in the morning, such as coffee with husband, pilates, yogurt and berries, reading my Bible, etc. makes getting up early more enjoyable.

What about you? Are you an early riser or a nite owl {or both?} What have you found that helps you get up {and stay up} in the early morning? I would definitely love and welcome any more tips you may have...heaven knows I need all the help I can get to stick to this. :)

it's the simple things in life, really.

• coffee in the mornings
• checking things off my to-do list
• warm, clean bed sheets straight out of the dryer
• a letter in the mail
• fresh flowers
• reading a good book
• getting just the right amount of sleep
• water with lemon
• making things with my hands
• my new gray marker
• taking pictures and preserving memories
• being with the people i love most in this world
• laughing so hard my tummy hurts
  
• evenings walks
• smoothies
• hammocks

It's amazing how much joy can be found in the simple things in life. I think it's so important to take a moment to stop and appreciate these things. Take time to enjoy them. :)

What are some of the simple things in life that make you smile?

Here's a list of more simple pleasures to brighten your day.