Teasers are just spoilers in disguise.

Note: I wrote this post way back in June but just hadn't gotten around to publishing it yet. In honor of the release of Les Miserables next month, I figured now was the perfect time to hit publish!

Source: tres-little-birds.tumblr.com via Majo on Pinterest

And by teasers, I mean book jackets and movie trailers. Hear me out: I love previews. I'm one of those people who is actually upset when I miss the previews in a movie theater, and not just because I don't like looking for seats in the dark. I really like trailers, and I used to think it would be amazing to be a trailer producer (a la Cameron Diaz in The Holiday). However, if I know I want to see a movie and already know the storyline, I don't want to see a trailer because I don't want any part of the movie to be ruined for me.

Summer Book Challenge Winner: Nova R.

Today I'd like to introduce you to another finisher of the Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge, Nova. She finished the challenge in the first nine weeks, which made her the third finisher overall. Read more about her after the jump.

Photo via Date a Girl Who Reads

Thankful Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been meaning to join this link-up with the sweet Meghan of Shine On for weeks, and what better week to finally join than Thanksgiving itself?

First, I am mostly thankful for the friends and family I get to see this holiday:

Summer Book Challenge Winner: Heather L.

I know it's been a while since the Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge ended, but I wanted to be sure to feature each of the ladies who completed that challenge as we prepare for our first Semi-Charmed Winter 2012 Book Challenge check-in (on December 1!). This first reader I'm featuring finished all 14 books of the challenge in the first six weeks! Read more about her after the jump.

Photo via Date a Girl Who Reads

I've got the whole world ...

... in my bag!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you might remember when I posted about how I fit my entire life into 96 pounds worth of luggage at the beginning of this journey. Somehow, a lot of those items have migrated to a permanent place in my purse. You never know what you might need! On any given day, my purse serves as ...

... an actual purse. Of course I have the necessities: Wallet, passport, business cards (in multiple holders; I have quite a collection now), receipt pouch, assorted ticket stubs that haven't been thrown away and my Alpha Delta Pi badge.

... a drugstore. Some chapter members have called my purse the "Mary Poppins bag" because I can seem to find everything in there. A chapter member smeared her eye make-up during a meeting? Good thing I have some Neutrogena cleansing wipes! Someone has a headache? I'm handing out the pain relievers! Got a stain? I have TWO Tide-to-Go pens for that. Other items in this category include gum, mints, Tums, cough drops, assorted pieces of candy, a water bottle, Kleenex, a nail file, a compact mirror, various lip balms, sunglasses, hair ties, bobby pins, hand sanitizer and—of course—a small flashlight.

(#beprepared)

... Best Buy. Of course I need my basic technology: My iPad, various cords, a USB drive, my phone (and my work phone, which I used to take these pictures) and my iPod.

... a (post) office. I have this thing for stationery, so I always have a few cards on hand. I also carry a small photo album I've been using to collect postcards from each school, a pencil pouch with assorted pens and highlighters to color-code my planner, said planner, return address labels, an unfinished crossword, post-its and two notebooks (one big and one small; you never know what the occasion will call for!).

Other items that can often be found in my purse depending on the day include a TSA-approved bag of liquid toiletries, a bag of almonds (or other snacks), my padfolio, my Kindle and/or chargers for my various electronics.

So tell me: What's in your bag?

P.S. — I did a similar post back in May, but my life was significantly less interesting then.

Blog makeover!

Last night I was on a Parenthood kick on Netflix and needed something to do on my laptop while I watched the show on my iPad (I know, my life is ridiculous), so Semi-Charmed Kind of Life got a redesign! What do you think? I kind of miss the personality of my old design, but I thought it was a little busy and wanted to clean the whole page up a bit.

Before & After
Click image to enlarge.

So really, what do you think? I'd love your feedback!

Fall Friday: The Footwear (Friday's Fancies: Week 14)

I had been planning a footwear-themed post for this Fall Friday post anyway, then I saw {av}'s Friday's Fancies theme this week was autumn-inspired, so I decided to combine them (again)! I know this Friday's Fancies is technically supposed to be inspired by a fall treat, but {av} always encourages us to post about anything we want, so I'm going to pretend like riding boots are my "treat." :)

Blogger Book Swap: A Review

Some of you might remember the Blogger Book Swap I co-hosted with Jessica a few weeks ago. The link-up to share our goodies was originally going to be last week, but Jessica extended it an extra week for those participants who hadn't received their books yet. This worked perfectly because I started my book right away, so the extra week gave me time to finish it!

My partner was the wonderful Leah of Leah's Life. During our email exchange, we decided we were pretty much book twins. When Leah told me she liked historical fiction and romance, I knew exactly what book to send her! (To be honest, I wanted to send this particular book to whomever my partner ended up being, so I'm glad it matched Leah's interests!) You can see the package I sent her here.

As for the fantastic goodies Leah sent me, check out the picture below:

Photo A Day: October

It's time for another photo a day challenge recap! At least this time I'm getting it up before the next month is halfway over. :)

I decided my previous way of sharing my challenge images was not very user-friendly because you couldn't read the captions while you were looking at the pictures. I'm trying a new design this week to make reading my post a little more convenient. What do you think?...

Something new.

I'm constantly inspired by all the adorable quotes on Pinterest, and I thought I would put my rudimentary InDesign skills to use and attempt to make my own graphic with one of my favorite song lyrics.

Without being too annoyingly self-deprecating, I'll just say I know it's not amazing, but I'd love to get your input. What do you think? Is this a hobby I should continue? I've been contemplating some Les Mis quotes for my next design experiment to honor the upcoming movie release....