Girls Who Code + Closing the Gender Gap

I'm using this space tonight to talk about a topic that's important - closing the gender gap in technology.  When I was in college, women were five times less likely to study technology.  Someday, I hope they are five times more likely. 

My blog focuses primarily on lifestyle and IT has been a huge part of mine. Maybe, someday, a girl will find this page via a Google search, Bing, or something that hasn't even been invented yet. I hope she learns that she can have an awesome cat, great makeup, bake a killer batch of chocolate chip cookies, and have an enjoyable career in software development.

I take pride in the fact that I've studied seven development languages.  It's fun to remember those early days of HTML "de-coding".  Logging into Prodigy, doing a view source, and then teaching myself how to tag HTML.  My parents get all the credit in the world for this passion and early introduction to technology.

I've been so blessed to work for companies that have taken me (literally) all around the world and then back home again!  I love this career and wouldn't change it.  It's sad to think of technology careers as "the road less traveled" and hopefully we can make a difference.  Girls Who Code is an organization with a mission to close the gender gap in technology and engineering sectors.  I love that and I hope to become involved in this organization, or one like it. 

Just a quick post on this- but if there's interest- I'll blog more about it soon! <b> xoxo </b>

Madeleine

Quick Chocolate Cheesecake

Just a quick post (mostly pictures!) of an amazing chocolate cheesecake that I made for my parents last night. Made mainly with ingredients most have in their kitchens already, this dessert was super easy AND super delicious!  Best combination ever :-) 

Shout out to my Grandma who introduced me to Taste of Home! Give this recipe a try- enjoy every bite of this cheesecake and every bite of this week!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-cheesecake-pie

Xxoo Best Love,

Madeleine

Farmer's Market + Relic Revival

I hope everyone is having a great week!  It was a busy one, I'm blessed with work, but catching my breath this weekend has also felt good.  Yesterday I visited the Summerville Farmer's Market.

It was a lot different than my last Farmer's Market experience - I really loved it.  So many farm stands and local artisans.  I counted 1 hot food truck, which I think, is all that is needed.  There were stands for hot doughnuts, hot dogs, and Italian ice.  But I loved the selection of fresh fruits and veggies! 

Most of my shopping was done at Freeman Produce - you can find Camden admiring this and the rest of my haul below... Minus two plums that I ate during my errands. :-)

 After the Farmer's Market, I walked just 15 feet to Relic Revival Antique Shop.

The store is so beautiful!  It is a converted dance studio with a great selection across multiple price points.  I admired their beautiful furniture and I'm definitely going to make a return visit someday when I have a bigger house. 

But my favorite items were the beautiful home accessories.  I loved the handwritten note on each treasure, sharing the background and history of the items.  It reminds me of the notes my Grandpa left on items he would pass forward...  Loved these notes + the store has arranged their items so beautifully!

My favorite moment?  When Claude Debussy's Claire de Lune started to play. Here's a pic I took a few seconds after it came on... A song so special to my Granny - I linked to it above and I'd recommend giving it a listen - it starts and ends in a whisper.  Love moments like that!!

As I checked-out, I had a chance to chat with the owner, Morgan.  She was so easy to talk to and just lovely, I enjoyed hearing about the store.  While I was shopping I was really impressed by the number of repeat customers and the attention she showed. Visit the store and you'll see what I mean!  I purchased two books which she wrapped beautifully.  I highly recommend Relic Revival located at 113 W 2nd South St, Summerville, SC 29483. 

 

Here's Camden with one of the books I found, "Little Lost Kitten", for my original little lost kitten! 

The day ended with TJ Maxx and some deep-dish pizza!  Hey, if I was all fruits and vegetables, I'd have no credibility :-)  Today, I'm planning on further organizing the house and dropping off a bunch of items at the Goodwill.  May or may not be making this no bake chocolate cheesecake pie from Taste of Home (surprise ruined if my parents read here ;-) ) and visiting my M&D + Hensy.  Best love to everyone this weekend - make the most of it!! xxoo

Love, Madeleine
 

Northern Towns + Sweet Surprises

It was a wonderful weekend visiting family in Erie and celebrating my cousin's bachelorette party in Put-in-Bay!  There is nothing like going home to see your family.  But of course, it was great coming home to my family too.

This has been such a great month for my hometown of Cleveland. Can't help but feel pride for the 216--

Shout out to my sister for saving the day with these cute flippy flops which will have a great home in CHS.

I'd also like to give a shout out to Benefit Cosmetics - loved seeing this vending machine today-- such a welcomed break from the more typical snack, electronics, and travel necessity vending machines.  Why shouldn't you be able to purchase makeup this way?

The weekend went by too fast but the love and company of good friends and great family left me with smiles and awesome memories.  OK, and just a little bit of a headache from the night before...

Special shout out to my favorite people that I'm blessed to come home to- my Mom and Dad! I loved the gifts, you didn't have to do it but they are so cute.  These cute little bears will be featured when I re-do the garden in my front yard.  They are definitely Camden-approved :)

Xo Best Love, Madeleine

Love & Print + Vaca

I hope everyone's having a great week! This is just a quick post on Love & Print (https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveandPrint). Love & Print is a recent Etsy find and I am in love with their instant download and print products. With a price point starting at $4 they cost less than a cup of fancy coffee and make great decor and gifts. See the arrows below for some cute prints I hung in my office this week!

The picture of this spread was taken this morning - some are gifts so I had to hide them in the picture :-)

I think the prints look great in frames but also look adorable when they are hung on a wall with a little washi tape.  I have some big plans to decoupage that "hey y'all" and the "M".

Other selections:

Off now to see my Grandma, sisters, and to celebrate my cousin's bachelorette! This girl is really excited for her Grandma hug- not lossed on me for a second how blessed I am.

Best love- xo

Madeleine 

Office Makeover + Some DIYs

Greetings from Charleston, SC.  We've had our share of rain lately, but the best part about southern storms is that it'll rain like crazy for a bit and then the sun comes out again. 

 

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I did a major overhaul of my 2nd bedroom/office.  I have to say, I had some reservations about this "makeover".  Mainly because of the good memories I have from painting this with one of my sisters.



But the lighter color on the wall (China White by Pottery Barn) really lightens up the joint!
And then there's this big wooden desk that I found on Craigslist.  I've gotta say, it was almost impossible for this to fit in the room.  So it might have to be sold some day with the house.

My vision for the desk came from Pinterest and I was really happy with the result.  I painted the bottom white and kept the top the wood color.  The top of the desk is actually laminated particle board.  This was fine by me as it's easy to clean and looks a lot like the "real thing".

Decorations on the wall are courtesy of Anthropologie, Love & Print on Etsy, and my Goodwill hauls.  The bulletin board over my desk was a Goodwill find that I cleaned, recovered in chevron burlap, and then I re-painted the frame white.

The other DIY I completed was sanding down this clock featured in my prior post and painting it a Tiffany blue.  I thought this came out really cute. 

Finally, a little washi tape, and an important reminder from one of my sisters.  I wonder if little sisters know how much they teach their big sisters??  So excited to see them + my family for some celebrations this weekend.

Best love - Madeleine

P.S. I'm working on the format of this blog to make it easier to comment!

P.P.S. Expect a future post on Love & Print - they are amazing!! Can't wait to share the products with you.

My Goodwill Haul

After spending the weekend re-painting my 2nd bedroom/office, I've been on the lookout for a 'new to me' desk.  At Goodwill tonight, two desks weren't exactly what I was looking for, but could have worked.  But of course, there was no way one would fit in my Toyota Corrolla and they weren't "perfect enough" to coordinate a pick-up.

I did leave, however, with a good haul from Goodwill and I can't wait to share with you all what I have planned for these treasures - oh yes, this girl has ideas!!

  



I believe in a type of "Goodwill karma".  I can't take treasures that should belong to someone else.  But boy if you have a preschooler in Summerville - check out this $6 find!  How cute is this?  E-mail me if you'd like the address to the store.

 

Otherwise it's been a relaxing week.  The more I'm home, the more I've come to appreciate my "creature comforts".  And of course, Camden is at the top of the list.  Grateful for the big guy, who decompresses with his Mama while she watches HLN. :-)

 

 

Love to all, xo-

Madeleine

 

Mason Jars & 1st Reupholstering Project

It's been so long since I've last posted!  But this little space sure has been on my mind -

First, these beauties from  Southern Tradition Crafts.  These mason jar wall hangings were custom made-- manu patterns, finishes, and color options are available.  At $10 a piece, they were a steal! They extend the kitchen in a beautiful way.  Check out this company, just love them. 

On Pinterest there are some really great ideas on how these mason jars can be filled.  I loved the idea of putting them in a bathroom and filling with cotton balls, soaps, and Q-Tips.  Another thought, potted herbs for the kitchen.  But for me, some pretty straws, paper and pens/pencils for jotting down quick notes, and flowers fit my need.  Each time I see these, I smile :-)

In other home news, just finished my first reupholstering project.  Pics below... 

 

Like everything else in life - the first time upholstering was a learning experience.  First, my project cost (originally $5.69 for the chair, purchased at Goodwill) escalated quickly.  When all was said and done, the project cost came in around $100.  Biggest mistake I made was not sanding before the first round of paint. 

Best purchase that came from this would have to be the staple gun - that will definitely come in handy for future projects. 

The fabric for the chair was an old pillow case from Pottery Barn that I had been saving. 

My advice to anyone that's recovering a chair like this one, is to strip down to the wooden frame.  The new foam pad I bought for this chair was about $6 but it was money WELL SPENT.  The previous pad was just disgusting and I'm very happy with my finished product, pictured below...

I like to think that for the most part, I did this project right (and didn't cut corners).  I'm excited to see if I can shrink the refurb budget in the future and have project ideas for my office.

More updates soon!  I have big plans for this blog, and they start with some more frequent updates:)

XO XO Love, Madeleine