thankful thursday {link up}

Here's what you guys were thankful last week...

Jamie over at Our Family of Four was thankful for positive attitudes and her daughter's dance recital.

Marie Elizabeth over at The Places I Go was thankful for summer... and rightly so with that yummy looking mango treat.

Emily over at The Johnson Five is thankful was thankful for her friends, family and Savior.

Miranda over at Carolina Nutshell (love this blog name:) was thankful for free lunches and date nights.

Flossie over at Flossie's Farm was thankful for online bill pay and her sprouting zucchini.

Liz over at The Colville Clan was thankful for her new bronzer (I must try out this Birchbox thing) and new sheets.

Kim over at Let it Snow was thankful for her family... all of them... aunts, uncles and cousins:)

Elizabeth over at Kismet & Company was thankful for a break from classes and an upcoming trip to the beach (jealous!).

Single Mama over at Ready for Take Off was thankful for 12 days of vacation and her adorable little man (he really is so, so cute).

Arianicious over at Randomness Out Loud was thankful for saving (she's paying off debt!) and Sonic drinks.

Marie over at Pouty Pink Princess was thankful for adorable little nephew and her new camera!

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So. What are you thankful for THIS week? Link up at the bottom of this post to share your own Thankful Thursday post....

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Rain. Although it did pour on me the other day when I was running. Like a full-blown-torrential-down-pour. I knew it was going to happen. I just kind of thought I would be able to finish running before the bottom fell out. Wrong. This is the picture I snapped with my phone right before the sky let loose... pretty awesome, huh?

2) Chuy's chips. Okay... I'm originally from Texas... so I'm pretty particular about my chips and salsa. But I LOVE CHUY'S CHIPS (and their salsa for that matter). They are wonderfully thin and crispy and salted to perfection. And when the bring them out warm... omg, it's like a party for your taste buds.

3) Good insurance. So... I may have gotten in a little fender bender the other day. Totally sucks. But I am so thankful that no one was hurt and there was very minimal damage done to either vehicle... and that Kentucky is apparently a no-fault state. But regardless, it sucks. I am however, very thankful for our awesome insurance company USAA... they make the process as painless as possible, allowing me to file my claim directly from an app on my phone. I have always been super pleased with their service in everything.

So... what are you thankful for?

what i wish i were wearing...

I mean... you know... if I actually had somewhere to go... and had a ginormous clothing budget... and didn't work from home...

top 10 :: things i love about summer

Since today is actually the first official day of summer, today's top ten list is honoring the things I love about summer... There are about a billion, but I'll narrow it down to ten... just for you...

1) Lightning bugs. I just love the magical feeling of lightning bugs. There's just something about seeing them float around as they light up the nighttime air, that just ooozes summertime.

2) Flip flops. Quite possibly the very best thing about summer. I love that feeling of slipping on that favorite pair of flip flops (or chacos) after a long day at the pool.

3) Ranier cherries. Okay... scratch what I said above about flip flops being the best thing about summer... Ranier cherries are definitely the best thing about summer... hands down. And sadly, I haven't had any yet. I think they must be harder to come by over here in Kentucky. Don't worry though... I have already asked my produce man when I should expect to see them... and I only have a few more weeks to wait.

4) Breezy tank tops. I love the silky summery tops that are making a come-back these days. I love the how they flow in the summer breeze and don't cling to any unsightly areas that aren't ready for their summer showing yet.

5) Fun nail polish. Specifically this pastel essie polish... "nice is nice." One of my favorite people mailed me a bottle in my birthday package this year and I can't stop wearing it.

6) Pool time. I mean, you can never go wrong with a little bit of pool time with your favorite book or magazine. There's just something about that chlorine smell I simply can't resist.

7) Vacations. Summer vacations just remind me of being a kid... the countdown until you leave... the thrill of packing... the roadtrip... And although the vacations look a little different as you get older, the anticipation is still the same.

8) Floppy hats. Any good excuse to wear an oversized floppy hat, I'm in.

9) Grilling out. Just the smell of burgers on the grill makes me long for summertime... (well, either that, or football season). I love the gathering that takes place on summer evenings... with neighbors, with friends, with family. It's as if the longer days yearn to be filled with the smell of the grill.

10) Lots and lots of sunshine. I know sometimes it just gets too dang hot in the summer... but give me sunshine, and I am happy. That vitamin D really must do wonders... it always seems to work for me:)

What do you love about summer? Linking up to Oh Amanda and It's a Crafty Life.

guest bloggers needed...

So... in honor of my new found love for pinterest and my upcoming Alaskan Cruise, I've decided to host a stellar line-up of guest bloggers during my absence. I will be gone approximately 10 days, so I thought, why not schedule guest bloggers based on my top 1o pinterest boards?

The guest bloggers don't need to blog anything about pinterest itself, but rather on the topic of the board. For example, the guest blogger that is chosen to blog on the topic of "Yummy Treats" might blog about their favorite summer snack, share a recipe for their own favorite treat, or maybe just some fun cupcake ideas (you can never go wrong with cupcakes). The topic is pre-decided, but the subject matter is completely up to whoever is chosen to guest blog for that particular day... make sense?

Here's the guest blogger line-up (based on my pinterest boards)...

1) Books & Nooks {Friday July 8th}

2) Craftiness {Saturday July 9th}

3) Cozy Spaces {Sunday July 10th}

4) Home Sweet Home {Monday July 11th}

5) Photography {Tuesday July 12th}

6) Style & Fashion {Wednesday July 13th}

7) Travel {Thursday July 14th}

8) Wedding Bliss {Friday July 15th}

9) Work Space {Saturday July 16th}

10) Yummy Treats {Sunday July 17th}

So... there you have it... if you would like to be a guest blogger for Black Tag Diaries on any of the above days, drop me a line. Email me at: julialblack@mac.com (JuliaLBlack{at}mac{dot}com). Make sure to let me know which day/topic you are interested in and don't forget to provide a link to your blog. Happy guest blogging!

happy father's day!

Meet my dad. He's the best. I know I might have said that before... but really, he is...

He is a musician.

He is funny.

He is an incredible chef.

He is a family man.

He used to stay up late with me when I was a little girl when I had growing pains in my legs. He would carry me around the house, pointing to the moon and singing songs until I finally fell asleep (maybe this was because he felt partially responsible for passing down the family long legs). He used to braid my hair, and was pretty good at it. My dark eyes and dark hair... compliments of my dad. He's the one I call with any business related question. He is a constant example of what a loving family looks like. Told you. He is the best dad ever.

Happy Father's Day Dad!! I love you!!

very pinteresting...

I might be obsessed with pinterest...

...from my favorite things board...

...from my office board...

...from my cozy spaces board...

...from my books and nooks board...

What do you find pinteresting?

thankful thursday {link up}

{link up here or on Jamie's blog}

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Smoothies. Specifically the Angel Food smoothie at Smoothie King. It's the best. I treated myself to one yesterday, and it was delicious. After my walk/run it only seemed appropriate to treat myself to a smoothie... it tastes like a milkshake... but it's (gasp) healthy.

2) Dryer sheets. Weird, I know. But I love the smell of clean laundry... like really LOVE it. I just bought some dryer sheets the other day, and I realized after driving around for a couple of hours before I unloaded my purchases, that my entire car smelled like clean laundry. It was fabulous. And just in case that doesn't do it for you, here are 20 more ways to put your dryer sheets to good use.

3) My dad. Because he is awesome. He really is. He is one of the wisest men I've ever met. He is an incredibly talented musician. He can cook anything. He is an amazing entrepreneur. But more than any of those things... he is an incredible father. And I am so thankful that he is mine.

What are you thankful for this Thursday? I will be posting a Thankful Recap this weekend, spotlighting what YOU are thankful for... your thankful thursday posts are always so fun to read... I love hearing what is making you grateful each week. Be sure to link up below...

embrace the camera

It's been a while since the camera and I have done any embracing...

This week's photo is of me and my beautiful sister at her bachelorette party last weekend. I love that girl.

Go here to link up to today's Thankful Thursday!

around here...

Around here we've been...

...working on some craft projects...

...eating lots of watermelon...

...doing some running/walking...

...discovering new places for that running/walking...

...snacking on lots of these...

...thinking about finishing this project...

...enjoying breathtaking sunsets at the seminary...

...helping my sister with wedding invitations...

...editing lots of photos...

top 10 :: organizing tips

Lately I've been on a bit of an organizing mission. I get this way occasionally. Where every single thing laying around the house drives me absolutely crazy. I go into what I like to call, full-on P.O.M. (psychotic organizing mode). It's a real disease people. If you have ever stayed up past 2:00am alphabetizing something, you probably have it too.

So, today I thought I would share my personal top 10 list for organizing tips. If you too have been diagnosed with P.O.M. these tips might help...

1) Color coordinate. Because let's just be honest, everything looks better in Roy G. Biv order. This is especially true in your closet. Try it. I promise you won't be disappointed.

2) Baskets, baskets, baskets. It doesn't matter if they are wicker, wire or plastic... just as long as they have 4 sides and a bottom. Heck, they can even just have 3 sides... just make sure they have a bottom... that is a pretty key factor.

3) Use a planner. I'm preaching this one to myself... (use your flippin' planner Julia). Statistics prove that if you write something down you are like 80% more likely to remember it and do it... something like that.

3) Label everything. If I had beautiful labels like these, I would label everything. But even a simple label machine can do the trick. I once bought a billion little shipping tags and have used those for labeling my craft baskets (and they make perfect gift tags).

4) Have a purse within a purse. I'm a big fan of compartments. In my purse I have like 3 different little bags inside... a wallet, a small coin purse for my lip gloss and mascara, and another little clutch for my coupons and misc cards. I'm thinking about buying that teal cotton pouchee pictured above... it's a brilliant idea for those of us that like to switch out purses frequently.

5) Make a home for everything. If you know where everything is supposed to go, it is much easier to actually put it there. It's those times that we don't know where something goes that we throw it on the counter, floor, or the dreaded junk drawer.

6) Create a filing system. Simple is key here. The more complex your filing system is, the more likely you are to not use it. This is another one that I'm preaching to myself. Make sure your filing system is easy to access and simple to keep up with.

7) Repurpose items to fit your needs. Look at your furniture and decor in a different light. Maybe that kitchen island would actually be perfect for your craft room... or maybe you can turn that salvaged shutter into a beautiful message board like Martha? Think outside the box.

8) Keep like-items together. If your kids always color at the kitchen table, keep a drawer in the kitchen with crayons and coloring books. Keep your cleaning supplies in one bucket that you can tote around the house with you as you clean. Keep your bills, envelopes and stamps in a spot by your desk for easy access. You get the idea...

9) 3-ring binders are your friend. A 3-ring binder is the simplest way to keep things together, yet hidden all at the same time. I always like to search for standard binders that I know I will be able to purchase more of in the years to come. I try to avoid the really cute decorative binders (which is really hard) because I like the consistency of using the same color/brand, etc. I'm a huge fan of the Kolo products and American Craft albums.

10) Make a list. Write.it.down. I'm a big advocate of legal pads and sticky notes. You are so much more likely to finish that project if you have a list to help you out. Promise.

I will be linking this over to Oh Amanda and It's a Crafty Life.