Currently trying to work through: How much time to spend with people before they become a client. 15 minutes on the phone seems too short, an hour in-person is exhausting. How to spend time by myself without it being centered…Read more
After we welcomed in the new year, I vowed to read a book per week. While I’m chuckling to myself now, I do think I’ll be able to read two books this month. It took five years to kill my…Read more
New year, new look! Thought I’d kick off the new design with a giveaway because I love you all. I really want to use this space to work on personal design work, experiment with photography, live some great adventures and…Read more
I often struggle with the idea of disconnecting without disappearing. Without disappointing. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I get jealous of people who aren’t on social media. My mom doesn’t have a single account. She doesn’t…Read more
Hello. My name is Allie and I’m breaking up with winter. I know I just blogged about how I love winter and that it’s perfect for my introverted self but I take it back. I’ve discovered that I hate shivering…Read more
Right in between Thanksgiving and hosting a party for 100+ people, we moved. It was the worst and best timing, ever. I really love our new place and after my friend Meghan came to visit, it felt so cozy and…Read more
True story. When we set our clocks back in November, I’m always a little thrown off. It’s been happening all my life. I remember being a kid and going to piano lessons at 5:30pm one day when it’s light out…Read more
Ohhhhh right! I have a blog! Damn. I forgot. But I’m back because I remembered and then I realized I miss you all! I usually call these “Let’s Get Coffee” but I’ve already had three cups. You know the drill.…Read more
I live in Ohio and we (generally) have four solid seasons throughout the year. I grew up in Illinois and so the landscape tends to be quite the same but just a bit more flat. For the last 27 years…Read more
I’m off to Vegas (first time I won’t work during a vacation since 2012!) but I wanted to share two things: It’s my husband Adam’s birthday. To celebrate, you can donate. And if you’re still in the giving mood, I…Read more
I help bloggers on a weekly basis via The Wonder Jam. Sometimes I’m redesigning their blogs (like this one, or this one, or most recently this one!), sometimes I’m consulting and other times I’m teaching them how to take photos!…Read more
In no particular order: Olaf from Frozen. I watched the movie three times in three days Wireless bras from Journelle. More comfort and I don’t need them any perkier. Working out. Especially yoga via YogaGlo. Chrissy Teigan, in general. Sam Smith’s new…Read more
Five years ago (June 5th is my anniversary), I moved to Columbus after getting married and slowly began to explore this city. I wasn’t gluten-free back in 2009 and we lived in the ‘burbs. That meant a lot of Olive…Read more
But it doesn’t get as many Instagram likes. There’s lots of talk lately about Instagram and what it encourages: perfectly styled photos, standing on chairs to take a photo of your food and selfies for days. I would say it bothers…Read more
As you may have noticed…our May was quite eventful. AND EXPENSIVE. It left us quite high and dry and we’re treating June as a “re-save all the monies” type of month. Some expenses included: Trip to Nashville (while it was…Read more
We made it to Friday! Instead of my usual “Let’s Get Coffee” post, I thought I’d switch it up and grab a glass of wine with you! I’ve done this a few times and it’s like a virtual date and…Read more
Yesterday Adam and I were able to spend a solid two hours with our friends Josh and Megan over coffee & tea and it was good for the soul. I have known Megan since we were fourteen years old and both had an…Read more
Last month we decided to take Sundays off. Sundays have become this little life boat that I end up hurling myself onto and holding onto for dear life. Well, that’s dramatic. My week isn’t a sinking ship but by Sunday…Read more
If you came over to my house, I’d tell you to take a seat. On my lumpy, uncomfortable couch. So sweet of me, right? We bought our couch when we moved into our townhouse in 2012 and it’s seen better…Read more
Happy Friday! It’s been one of those weeks. I’m running towards the weekend with full force. Adam took this picture of me and um….it’s amazing. You can see my molars. What are you up to this weekend? Read more
The weather forecast is looking promising: temps in the 50s and 60s for the next 10 days so I’m hoping that I can bust out my spring wardrobe soon! Last year I shared exactly how I pared down my wardrobe…Read more
I’m going to start a new “series” called Essentials here on Be Up & Doing. But it’s not going to be heavily influenced by affiliate marketing or sponsored in any way. You’ll be getting a list of things I honestly…Read more
I spent a few days in Vegas last week and while it might be a city that never sleeps…I pretty much squashed that concept with my shoe. We really didn’t do anything too adventurous. I went to bed early, slept…Read more
Real talk today. I read an article last week about how asking someone, “What are you?” is a rude way to ask about their ethnicity. Then I read an article called, “How to piss off an introvert.” THEN I read…Read more
We’ve been trying to get into a process when it comes to our business. We’re asking a lot of questions. How do we track projects? How do we track invoicing? How do we handle our retainer clients? Do we need…Read more
Since I posted about simplifying my wardrobe, I’ve learned a lot more about my style. When I first started paring down my clothes, I had an idea of who I wanted to be in my mind. On my mood board…Read more
When you write a blog, you know you’re obviously talking about yourself a bit more than someone who doesn’t blog. I mean…it’s weird when you think about it. This post felt specifically Allie-y. But I’m excited about some things and…Read more
I think it’s important to find the little things in life that make you happy.” – Paula Cole This quote has resonated well with me lately. Since I’ve returned from my short hiatus, life has felt quite enjoyable. Our business…Read more
Over the past week, I’ve allowed my life to slow down quite a bit. These are some of the things that have helped… Plus quality time with my sister, Skype calls with Adam, adding butter oil/fermented cod liver oil to…Read more
