Quote of the Day

"The beauty of the world has two edges~
one of laughter, one of anguish
cutting the heart asunder."
-Virginia Woolf

(Photo via Dress Design Decor)

Positive Thoughts

I have been absent for awhile, I know. This has been for a few reasons but two I'll share with you.

One~ my computer has up and died on me. I was on my two year old Mac laptop one night as per usual, doing nothing offensive or particularly high risk (unless you consider surfing for fab spring clothes high risk, which I suppose it could be, but only to a credit card!). The pesky little coloured wheel wouldn't let me do a thing and so I shut the darn thing off. Lo and behold, when I turned it back on I was staring at a blue screen and nothing else. Everything was gone in a few, mere seconds. Beyond frustrating. It's being looked at now but I have no idea if anything can be salvaged.

Two~ I have been feeling blah lately. And not just a tiny little blah, but seriously uninspired. Do I keep going with this with no determined game plan? How much can I possibly blog about things to buy or what to wear? I love these posts on other girls' blogs as much as the next person but it's not terribly meaningful or affecting anyone.

I started this blog because I had something to say and things to share and somewhere along the way I lost my love for it. It became competitive and I hate that. I'm not interested in competing with anyone. I do this for me, even if three people read it (one of which is my mother). So I will continue to share things I love on Ally Redhead, be it a happening in my life, a story, an anecdote or a pretty dress. I need to return to what I felt when I started this little thing almost a year ago. So keep posted for new things, new inspirations and a new me.

So here are a few of the wonderful, happy and thrilling (or even just good) things that have happened to me lately. Let's take a moment for positivity...

My friend Kristen had a gorgeous baby girl, Anabelle

My best friend Nicole had a fabulous birthday celebration

I've told off someone it felt damn good to tell off

I got a new bed (the most blissful, cozy thing in the world)

I let go of someone who treated me badly

I've made some incredible new friends
(quite thrilling at 30 to still meet amazing, cool, generous and warm girlfriends)

I decided to not let bad feelings keep me from doing things I love~ including this!

Thank you for visiting, sweet readers, and I'll be back on top form, blogging away soon!
xoxo Ally

ps- Love this cute little floral dress and denim jacket for spring!

True

Dear You

Dear you,

You know who you are. And I love you so much. I know right now is a hard time. You are so strong and you put on a tough front, but it has nonetheless been a difficult few weeks. It is so okay to admit that. You are so lovable. You are so loved. Do not doubt that for a second.

You are everything that is good in life~ caring, passionate, thoughtful, funny as heck and unfathomably beautiful, inside and out. I feel so fortunate to know you and know you well. I wish I could take any pain you feel away. I can't. It is human to go through it, to feel it. And in time it will start to dissipate and then one day it will be gone altogether. You will wake up and it won't be the first thing you think of. It will be gone and you will feel free. And happy. I promise.

You don't have to be so strong all the time. It is okay to admit you are vulnerable. Hell, you know how I bother you all the time! Every thought, every detail. You can come to me, with anything and at any time. Never forget what a truly incredible person you are. Hold onto that and know that the future holds every happiness for you. Without a doubt, it is out there for you and soon enough, it will be yours.
I love you.

Love, me
xoxoxo

We're Waiting For You, Baby Girl

This upcoming Sunday I'm so excited to be attending the baby shower my mother, grandmother and wonderful family friend Nancy are throwing for my cousin's wife, Kate. Patrick and Kate will welcome their (undoubtedly) beautiful little girl next month and I can't wait to meet her (and find out what her name will be)! In the meantime, I'm so excited to see what heartbreakingly adorable goodies everyone will bestow upon the impending bundle of joy!

If money were no option then this nursery would be lovely for a little girl. The palest of pink walls, antique cane back chair and pretty white crib are sweet and soothing, while the flowered pendant light is a genuine show stopper. Nurseries should be just as stylish and creative as the rest of any decor lover's home and this room is perfect for any budding girly girl.

I can't wait to see you, little one!

(Photo via The City Sage)

Words

(Like being told you have the most charming handwriting)

Have a lovely weekend!

xo

Quote of the Day~ By Winnie

Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows by now my love for quotes. I think this partly comes from being an English major, and the subsequent years and years I spent immersed in the most powerful of books and awed by the beauty of our language. Also, in part, I love quotes because I'm constantly amazed at how only a few words or one simple sentence can so profoundly move me.

Yesterday was a fun day. While texting with a girlfriend she brought up Winnie the Pooh. Don't ask me why. It just happened that way. I'm a sucker for children's books, especially the enduring classics. Books for kids are generally so wholesome and simple and sweet, but hold messages about life and love and friendship that everyone can relate to. I spent some time after work last night reading through Winnie the Pooh quotes and I immediately felt warm and fuzzy. And so, here starts my latest devotion to Winnie and his lovely way of life. Hmmm, I think I feel like some hunny!

Quote of the Day by Winnie:

"When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish."

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."

more to follow...

(for the Christina's)

Quote of the Day

"We teach people how to remember,

we never teach them how to grow."

-Oscar Wilde

Somewhere

Grown Up Kid

Love

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible, isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life... You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you and leaves you crying in the darkness. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love."

-Neil Gaiman

I don't hate love. The farthest thing from it~ I love love, but this passage rang so true for me that I had to share it. I think many many people go through this kind of pain in love, but I so absolutely believe going through this makes you a stronger person and you will be a better partner for it one day, for someone else. Still, in the moment, it sure does suck. But it's so worth it.

Meant

Quote of the Day

"Anyone can slay a dragon... but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero."

-Brian Andreas

The Best Kind

Do Not

(Photo credit unknown)

Quote of the Day

"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life."

-Brian Andreas

(Photo via Vi.sualize)

Broken

(Photo via Vi.sualize)

Quote of the Day

"You think you know someone. You think you know what they're about, what they feel, how they think. And then in one action, one moment, you think "they've changed". But then the realization sinks in. It's not the person who's changed, it's your perception of them that's changed. They are the same person they were, it's how you view them that's changed. And it makes you think... did you ever really know them at all, or were they merely the creation of what you wanted them to be?"

-Henry David Thoreau

(thank you, jenka)

Mean Reds

Today was a day filled with a rather serious case of the mean reds. It was pretty awful. So it's time for a bath and an early bedtime to wash it off me and put it behind me. Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully it will be a lovely one. Good night, all.

Quote of the Day

"The only real elegance is in the mind;

if you've got that the rest really comes from it."

-Diana Vreeland

(Photo via Paper Tissue)