Things I am in love with

Just thought I would share some of my favorite Holiday decor finds this year. Now all I have to do is convince my husband we need them ;).

This is from Crate and Barrels Christmas collection. I pretty much love everything in this picture, I am sucker for all things dot. My favorite thing is the pillow though:

It is a pretty good deal at $21.95!This aluminum branch from West Elm is also cute. At $100 though I don't think it will be finding its way into my home.These peppermints, found at wrapables.com, can be either a table runner when it is buttoned together or place mats when you unbutton it! Love things that can serve multiple purposes. It isn't too much of a splurge at $40.One of my favorite places for all things paper, paper-source, was featured in this month's Better Homes & Gardens. I just love all of their wrapping papers, color combos, and wrapping ideas!

That's all I have for now. Where do you find your Holiday decor inspiration?

LOVE

I finally have a professional picture of my husband and I that I LOVE. Taken by the talented Mollie at Bloom Photography.

# 83 Host a Dinner Party

For this years Halloween party I decided to make it a formal dinner because I love to cook, and well, I wanted to cross something off my list! So we busted out the china and dressed up for a fun fancy dinner.

The napkin rings were candy necklaces. Cheap, edible, and fun!

We carved the tops out of these Pokemon pumpkins to put votives in. Festive candles!

The table all set for dinner.

A place setting.

The above table decor. I strung a bunch of cobwebs around our light and added some glittered stars, bats, and skeletons.

The spooky dessert.

The fireplace all decked out.

Wordless Wednesday

Last Book!

I have read the last book in my fifty book challenge (I didn't count things like New Hat Old Hat by Dr. Seuss or I would have been done a loooong time ago!). Before I move on to the last book details, I have an important question for all my readers (all 13 of you). Should I keep the Goodreads feed on the right that tells you what I am currently reading or ditch it? I will still be reading books, as I love to read, but do you care what I read? Let me know!

This is the third installment of Dan Brown's symbology adventures. I have to say that even though the book followed his typical ancient group, secret symbols, and running away template, this is my favorite of the three. I think it was more well-written and more adventurous. I liked it a lot. If you even remotely enjoyed the other two books (or the lame movies) you should read this book!

-- Publishers Weekly - The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

After scores of Da Vinci Code knockoffs, spinoffs, copies and caricatures, Brown has had the stroke of brilliance to set his breakneck new thriller not in some far-off exotic locale, but right here in our own backyard. Everyone off the bus, and welcome to a Washington, D.C., they never told you about on your school trip when you were a kid, a place steeped in Masonic history that, once revealed, points to a dark, ancient conspiracy that threatens not only America but the world itself. Returning hero Robert Langdon comes to Washington to give a lecture at the behest of his old mentor, Peter Solomon. When he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for his lecture, he finds, instead of an audience, Peter’s severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington dressed in white robes, ascending to heaven. Langdon teases out a plethora of clues from the tattooed hand that point toward a secret portal through which an intrepid seeker will find the wisdom known as the Ancient Mysteries, or the lost wisdom of the ages. A villain known as Mal’akh, a steroid-swollen, fantastically tattooed, muscle-bodied madman, wants to locate the wisdom so he can rule the world. Mal’akh has captured Peter and promises to kill him if Langdon doesn't agree to help find the portal. Joining Langdon in his search is Peter’s younger sister, Kathleen, who has been conducting experiments in a secret museum. This is just the kickoff for a deadly chase that careens back and forth, across, above and below the nation’s capital, darting from revelation to revelation, pausing only to explain some piece of wondrous, historical esoterica. Jealous thriller writers will despair, doubters and naysayers will be proved wrong, and readers will rejoice: Dan Brown has done it again.

Wordless Wednesday

#52 Another book down (one to go!)

I won't give too much away as this is the book club book for January. But this book was amazing. It was really well written. What I really liked about it was that the book was written in the first person point of view, for each character. So while one chapter might be told from the mom's point of view, the next would be the dad's. It was a great way to tell how each person affected felt.

I will say that the book had an unexpected twist at the end that made me very sad :*( It was a great read, even my husband enjoyed reading it.

From Publishers Weekly:

The difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult (Second Glance, etc.). The author, who has taken on such controversial subjects as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results. Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out. Picoult uses multiple viewpoints to reveal each character's intentions and observations, but she doesn't manage her transitions as gracefully as usual; a series of flashbacks are abrupt. Nor is Sara, the children's mother, as well developed and three-dimensional as previous Picoult protagonists. Her devotion to Kate is understandable, but her complete lack of sympathy for Anna's predicament until the trial does not ring true, nor can we buy that Sara would dust off her law degree and represent herself in such a complicated case. Nevertheless, Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion.

#83 Host a dinner party

This is in the planning stages and should happen VERY soon!! Squeee.

I will be busting out the china for it too :)

#38 Finish buying our china

I think I am only going to ask for china from most people for my birthday and for Christmas. Hopefully that will jump-start buying what is left. For those interested, here is our beautiful pattern: Noritake Piedmont Platinum

#7 Pay Off Credit Cards

I am marking it as complete!

100 things that make me happy

This was hard to do. Not because I am an unhappy person, but because sometimes it is hard to remember the simple pleasures. I will add to this list if I think of anything more, but for now I have 100!! Here they are in no particular order:

1. my husband
2. hay bails
3. rainbows
4. warm rain
5. C's smile
6. getting cards in the mail
7. chocolate
8. Halloween
9. perfect snow (you know the type where no one else has stepped foot in it and it is a bright white blanket)
10. curling up to read a good book
11. swinging
12. waterfalls
13. holding hands
14. scrapbooking
15. petting Luna
16. road trips
17. vacations
18. the beach
19. swimming
20. legos
21. milk and cookies
22. relaxing with C
23. crisp fall days (the kind that make your cheeks pink)
24. myself
25. bubble wrap (small joys :))
26. hugs
27. snuggles
28. hot chocolate
29. warm brownies
30. fresh hair cut
31. pedicures
32. gerbera daisies
33. poppy flowers
34. pictures
35. kisses
36. phone calls
37. sand between my toes
38. the ocean (unless it is a cold Massachusetts ocean)
39. The smell of freshly done laundry
40. cheese
41. ice cream
42. cooking
43. movies
44. laughter
45. grass
46. office/school supplies
47. thunderstorms
48. bubble baths
49. painting
50. making pottery pieces
51. yoga
52. warm spring days
53. puddle jumping
54. putt-putt golf
55. seahorses
56. orange (the color not the fruit)
57. sewing
58. working on projects with C
59. aquariums
60. smell of rain
61. monkey bread
62. my mom
63. my dad
64. my sister
65. my friends
66. Japanese gardens
67. sunshine
68. lemonade on a hot summer day
69. dots
70. kayaking
71. shopping
72. winning
73. smell of fall
74. frogs
75. my Nathan water bottle
76. going to my hometown
77. Christmas
78. family traditions
79. not wearing pants
80. going to new places
81. the smell of pine trees
82. chocolate chip cookies
83. memories
84. making a snowman
85. driving around looking at Christmas lights
86. fields of flowers
87. receiving flowers
88. fires
89. sunsets
90. lounging around in bed
91. sexy underwear
92. clean sheets (especially when coming home from a trip)
93. singing in the shower
94. dancing
95. LOL cats
96. skipping
97. compliments
98. presents
99. my home
100. sleeping in

List in Review

With less than a year remaining I thought I would recap my unfinished tasks. I can't believe I have finished less than half! This list is going to have some big time failures!

3. Get a passport - This one really should be done. I have a coupon in my wallet for free passport photos from Walgreens... Hopefully by the end of 2009.

4. Go to Las Vegas - This has been way harder than I expected. My husband simply does not want to go. It makes me realize that I should have just put "go on a vacation" on my list instead of a specific destination.

5. Make a coffee table - This one is nearly complete. There are some finishing touches that need to be done by C before I feel I can truly cross it off.

6. Go to Costa Rica - Need a passport for this one :) We had planned to take this trip this past spring or early summer. That was before my sister got engaged and planned a summer wedding. We didn't have the time & money to do it after all. Maybe next year...

7. Pay off credit cards - Getting there. Progress is all I can hope for with this one.

8. Take a hot air balloon ride - How does one go about doing this anyways??

9. Learn to Scuba - I don't think I have enough time left on my list to actually complete this either.

11. Make wedding album - I still need photos from our photographer. I am just bummed I don't love my photos. I really want to do a photo shoot with C & I so I have photos of us that I love. sigh. I swear I will do something about this soon.

13. Lose 25 pounds (10/25) - I changed my BCP and it seems to be helping me lose weight, or at least keep it off instead of yo-yoing.

17. Buy/Make a headboard - Still don't know what I want for my headboard. Right now the body pillow against the wall is doing just fine ;)

18. Finish love seat project - Well I need C's help for this and he thinks the project is done enough. We shall see.

19. Go to Yellowstone - Again I shouldn't have picked a specific place. I should have just put "go to a new to me National Park". Then I could have counted Sequoia National Forest and Kings Canyon. I didn't do that though. I really don't think we will be able to go to all these places in the next year. It is called limited vacation time people!

20. Start house hunting - Well we kind of started this. We talked to our bank about a mortgage and they made us want to cry, so we put it on hold for now.

21. Buy a house - Overwhelmed

23. Buy a car - The more I think about it, we do just fine with one car. I don't think we need a second until our life circumstances change (baby, school, etc.).

24. Get a couples massage with the hubby - I think I will have to trick him to actually be able to complete this :)

25. Go camping - We have plans of camping once it gets cooler.

27. Make a list of 100+ things that make me happy - I started this awhile back and let me just say that coming up with a 100+ things is freaking hard!! I petered out at 30ish. I have made it all the way to 49 now though, hopefully I will complete this list soon!

28. Find a new church - There are so many factors in finding a new church that we both love. For me the sermons have to be engaging. For C they have to have great music and the minister not talk with a William Shatner cadence. For me, the congregation needs to make me feel loved. This one is super hard since I grew up with all the people at my church back home. I simply will never be able to find that anywhere, but home. sigh.

32. Get back into yoga - I am having trouble finding a class I love. I really loved my Pilates/Yoga fusion class in college, but I can't find anything like it here. I have done quite a bit of yoga on the Wii though, so at least there is that.

33. Buy expensive lingerie - This will be crossed off soon. I have booked a boudoir photo session and have plans to buy some lingerie. Keep you posted on how that shopping adventure goes!

36. Find a job I love - Still haven't figured out what that job is yet...

37. Buy a china cabinet - I haven't found one that I LOVE yet. I am beginning to think that is simply does not exist.

38. Finish buying china - I forgot about this. Maybe I need to start buying a piece a month or something...

40. Get wedding dress cleaned - Long story short, I had every intention of getting this done right after my trash the dress session, then I was told to wait to clean it. Then when nothing happened I forgot about it and have yet to get it cleaned. Need to find a cleaner in Austin to do this.

43. Learn how to make Creme Brulee - Not even sure I like creme brulee, what was I thinking?

44. Help SMD get a new job and relocate - I have given up on this. I have made lots of effort and she seems perfectly happy being discontented.

49. Find a fabulous swimsuit - I found a bikini that I like alot, but I am still on the hunt for a one piece I love.

50. Splurge on a pair of shoes - Does $50 count?

52. Read 50 books (48/50) - Nearly there!! And with the books I have queued up to read I will be done before November!!

55. Buy a designer purse - I haven't found a purse in nearly three years that I love. That is sad my friends, sad indeed. Keeping my eyes peeled everywhere I go though.

56. Make a fountain for the patio (started) - Good lord this has been a thorn in my side. Hope to be able to finish it once the weather cools off and allows for us to be outside again.

60. Learn about investments (401k, ira, etc) - This isn't done yet because it bores me to death to listen to C drone on about it. LOL.

61. File taxes by the end of January or as soon as we have W2s if after Jan (2/3) - See no reason why this won't be finished early 2010.

67. Visit a Texas winery - I might be able to cross this off in September. I will be at one for a work related reason, but it counts right?

68. Go to Big Bend Park - Again, should have just put new park.

69. Make a new piece of stained glass - It has been too hot to work in the garage to make anything.

70. Finish dining room chair project - I'll do this soon I swear ;)

71. Take an art class - Does a scrapbooking class count?

75. Burn photos to cds - I haven't made many cds, but I have copied all files to an external hard drive. that counts, right?

78. Adopt an animal through the WWF - Maybe for Christmas I will do this.

79. Donate to American Cancer Society - I think I have done this, but failed to cross it off. I will have to look back at my records...

80. Volunteer at an animal shelter - I need to find out how to do this. Any one know?

81. Learn to play chess - Maybe when winter arrives and we have less desire to be outside...

83. Host a dinner party - Why have I not done this? I am sure I could convince some friends to dress up and come over for a fancy meal. Any takers?

84. Decorate bedroom (started) - I still need to finish the painting for over our bed before I will call this one done.

87. Go to the Texas State Fair - We have our last chance this spring. Hopefully we make it.

88. Learn how to decorate a cake - I really need someone to sign up for a class with me. It will be way more fun then!

90. Go parasailing - No opportunity for this has arisen yet...

91. Go star gazing - When we go camping we will cross this off too.

95. Scan and print wedding photos (or order prints) - See number 11

97. Write a love letter to hubby - I have one in the works.

100. Make a new list of 101 things - I have a list of things I wished I had put on this one.

101. Blog about all 101 - Working on it!

#52 Four more books down

This was another disappointment from Wickham. While it was better than the Gatecrasher, it still ended fairly abruptly. I did like the writing style and characters more in this novel, but it was still lackluster.

From Publishers Weekly:
Wickham (The Gatecrasher; also, the Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella) spins a delightful story of British families forced to spend their vacation together after a mutual friend promises them the same week in his Spanish villa. Chloe Harding hopes that a holiday will soothe the strain between her and longtime partner Philip Murray, who is worried that a recent takeover of his company may cost him his job. Their hopes are dashed when they arrive and find another family already settled at the villa. To Chloe's disappointment, she'll be sharing the space with Hugh Stratton, the beau who broke her heart 15 years ago. Now married to high-maintenance Amanda and with two children, Hugh apologizes, and though Chloe initially expresses nothing but hurt and disdain (all the while keeping their past a secret from Philip), she eventually considers beginning life anew with Hugh. Wickham does a bangup job of creating believable characters—even Amanda is less vapid than she at first seems. Surprises abound as the plot unfolds, and the families begin to wonder whether their mutual friend made an innocent mistake in getting them together.


This book is the prequel to Secrets of a Shoe Addict. I picked this up because I enjoyed the second book. I have to say that the first just wasn't as good as the second. The characters seemed less developed than the ones in the second book. Good news is that only one character is the same in both books. Still a good read, just not as good as its partner.

From Publishers Weekly:
Arriving just in time for beach-read season, the effervescent hardcover fiction debut of cookbook author and romance novelist Harbison features four D.C.-area women who meet weekly to swap and chat about... shoes. Trying to get a handle on her massive consumer debt, Lorna Rafferty posts an Internet ad looking to trade footwear with women who have good taste and wear size seven-and-a-half. A senator's trophy wife, Helene Zaharis, is dreaming of escaping her loveless marriage when she stumbles upon Lorna's post. Overweight phone sex operator Sandra Vanderslice struggles to overcome her agoraphobia long enough to attend the shoe meetings. After a few funny missteps, the threesome finds a fourth member, Joss Bowen, the nanny of a shrewish socialite's hellion boys. Joss couldn't care less about shoes, but uses the group as a reason to get out of the house. Harbison does a fine job of showcasing how each woman is trapped—Lorna by her debt, Helene by her marriage, Sandra by her self-image, Joss by her employment contract—and how the fresh eyes of the group allow them to see themselves in a new light. Harbison creates vivid, convincing characters and handles them well. Reading this novel is like eating a slice of cake.


I needed a couple of books to read while on my three plane rides recently. I decided to check this one out at the library because I have liked a few of the other books by Wickham (Kinsella as well). This book was a good read up until the end. It was kind of abrupt and left me wondering what happened. It was a good time kill on the plane, but not a great book.

From Publishers Weekly:
"Money is safety, darling," the delightfully wicked funeral crasher Fleur Daxeny advises her 13-year-old daughter after an almost perfect execution of her best skill: swindling wealthy widowers. In this modern-day novel of manners, Wickham's lively prose needles the British upper class with a mixture of suspense and wit. Armed with a closet full of designer black suits, the daily obituaries and a face that never betrays her 40 years, Fleur invades the funerals of the wealthy, enchantingly rich, grieving new widowers in need of a shoulder to cry on. She attends the memorial service of Emily Favour, whom she pretends was a long-lost acquaintance, and promptly lures the good-hearted Richard Favour into her web. Although his troubled daughter, Phillipa, and her crafty husband, Lambert, suspect serious gold digging, Fleur's beauty and charm dazzle them, and soon she's invited to live at the family estate in Surrey. What Fleur finds there is a gate-crasher's dream--a welcoming family, an accessible Gold Card and, after some snooping, a bank account worth millions. Even when Fleur's daughter, Zara, whom Fleur has neglected to mention, arrives unexpectedly from boarding school, the Favours make no fuss, welcoming the teen into the fold. As Fleur and Zara become comfortable with country club life, Fleur learns that she's not the only one scheming for Richard's money, and that Richard might not be as gullible as she thinks. But with Zara finally enjoying the stability of a real home, can Fleur leave so easily this time? Wickham (Swimming Pool Sunday) creates memorable characters who are as unpredictable and multifaceted as they are stylish. While the quick wrapup misses a cue, this novel is still jolly fun.



I have wanted to read this book for awhile since I loved The Devil Wears Prada. I was waiting for it to come out in paperback though. The recession will do that to you :) I really liked the book. The characters are hilarious. I would recommend it for a fun summer read. Below is the back cover:

Emmy is newly single, and not by choice. She was this close to the ring and the baby she's wanted her whole life when her boyfriend left her for his twenty-three-year-old personal trainer -- whose fees are paid by Emmy. With her plans for the perfect white wedding in the trash, Emmy is now ordering takeout for one. Her friends insist an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure will solve all her problems -- could they be right?

Leigh, a young star in the publishing business, is within striking distance of landing her dream job as senior editor and marrying her dream guy. And to top it all off, she has just purchased her dream apartment. Only when Leigh begins to edit the enfant terrible of the literary world, the brilliant and brooding Jesse Chapman, does she start to notice some cracks in her perfect life...

Adriana is the drop-dead-gorgeous daughter of a famous supermodel. She possesses the kind of feminine wiles made only in Brazil, and she never hesitates to use them. But she's about to turn thirty and -- as her mother keeps reminding her -- she won't have her pick of the men forever. Everyone knows beauty is ephemeral and there's always someone younger and prettier right around the corner. Suddenly she's wondering...does Mother know best?

These three very different girls have been best friends for a decade in the greatest city on earth. As they near thirty, they're looking toward their future...but despite all they've earned -- first-class travel, career promotions, invites to all the right parties, and luxuries small and large -- they're not quite sure they like what they see...

One Saturday night at the Waverly Inn, Adriana and Emmy make a pact: within a single year, each will drastically change her life. Leigh watches from the sidelines, not making any promises, but she'll soon discover she has the most to lose. Their friendship is forever, but everything else is on the table. Three best friends. Two resolutions. One year to pull it off.

An Important Day

Today marks my three year anniversary with my hubby AND one year left on my 101 list! I think a review of my list is in order, but it may have to wait a few weeks until I am less busy :)

Another book down

From Publishers Weekly: Harbison's witty, fast-paced follow-up to last year's Shoe Addicts Anonymous chronicles the foibles of four women brought together by—in this case—not shoes but debt. During a fateful trip to Las Vegas as chaperones of a school band trip, Loreen Murphy accidentally hires a male prostitute on the PTA credit card; pastor's-wife-with-a-past Abbey Walsh gets blackmailed by an ex-con ex-boyfriend; and usually restrained PTA president Tiffany Dreyer purchases thousands of dollars worth of clothes that she can't return. Enter the zaftig Sandra Vanderslice, who, before she started her shoe-importing business, made a living as a phone sex operator. She suggests her sister, Tiffany, hop on that gravy train to pay down her credit card bills. Loreen and Abbey join up, and soon the ladies are raking in dough and trying to hide their new source of income from husbands, kids and their snoopy nemesis, the cartoonishly judgmental Deb Leventer, who wants to take over the PTA. Harbison's writing is zingy and funny, and her light touch allows her to get away with the ridiculous situations in this nutty beach read.

I loved this book. It was a fun, fast, entertaining read. The way the author wrote the book made you attached to the characters and wanting to read more. I recommend it for a fun summer read.

There was apparently a prequel to this that I must also read now.

# 52 Two more books down

This is the most recent release from one of my favorite murder mystery series. It was another great book by Denise Swanson. I only wish she didn't take an entire year to release another book!

This is the current book club novel, so I won't say too much about it. The novel is a semi-true story from a period in Frank Lloyd Wright's life. I never knew he led such a poor and scandalous life. It was quite insightful and entertaining to a point. It was however a long and wordy read. I could leave it for days at a time and not miss it.
On another note, I didn't know how the book was going to end. I skimmed a Smithsonian article about Frank and totally had it ruined. That made me quite sad. :(

New music album

I love love love Regina Spektor's music. Her new album comes out this Tuesday. It is titled FAR. You can listen to the ENTIRE album for free on NPR here.

#22 Bathroom Photo UPDATE

I posted awhile back about the photos I took for our bathroom. I was not really feeling the center picture that was a heart. I didn't feel like it was enough contrast and I felt like I was settling for a pic I didn't really love. Well C & I took a picture while on vacation that was PERFECT for this spot. So after a quick photo print, I switched it out. What do you think? I think it fits us better :)

#5 Coffee Table

I was not in love with our hand me down coffee table. It was made of solid, very heavy, MDF. It was hard to move around we I needed to vacuum or if I wanted to play with the Wii. It served no additional purpose aside from being a flat surface.

We decided to make our own coffee table to fit our needs after we discovered that what we wanted didn't really exist. If it did exist it was way to pricey. It is not fully completed (is any project ever around here :P), but it is functional. The outside is made of bending birch. The top is removable and cushioned. The inside is hollow for blanket and pillow storage. There is also a flip out compartment for holding the remotes and coasters. The top can also be flipped over for a hard surface to set your food/beverages on. All in all I really love this piece. It is so light that I can scoot it with just my big toe, even when it has blankets in it. :)

#56 Fountain

This is a project we have been working on for over a year. We have had more troubles than you can even imagine making this thing. It is still not done, but I thought I would post an update. After many many different adhesive types and many many subsequent failures, we think we have found a better solution for holding it together. We still have to put on one more bamboo tier, but here it is so far:

PS - The roar you hear in the background is 3 or 4 air conditioners being on in the neigboring building. Not the fountain :P

#84 Decorate Bedroom

When we first moved into our married apartment we had no real furniture, just a mattress on a frame. We had a book shelf from college days tucked in the closet to stack my underwear on (which the cat would rearrange often). We had MDF tower bookshelves to put our lamp and alarm clock on. It was quite sad really.

*note bed skirt was hand me down, never my style ;)*

We went on to decorate other rooms in our apartment, but never got around to the bedroom. We couldn't agree on furniture (C thought the book shelf was just fine!). We really only slept in there, it wasn't like the living room or the dining room where we spend time and guests see. It got neglected.

Then we found dressers that we loved! It was the perfect blending of our styles. We hated the wood knobs, but that was fixable. And we had to stain them ourselves, which was a whole new debate. We bought them, stained them, and replaced the knobs. It was so nice to have a home for my clothes!

We didn't find bed side tables that we liked though. The ones that went with this set were super low to the ground and very clunky looking. No matter where we looked we couldn't find what we wanted. In steps my master craftsman dad and he made us "floating" ones that match the style of our dressers! They are exactly what we wanted. We had to wait until last Christmas to get them though and then we still had to stain them.

In this picture you can also see the new bedding that C bought me two birthdays ago. So much better than the down comforter we had before (not to mention that there are only a handful of days you need it in Texas!). You can also see the lamps we bought.

We still needed some frames and a couple of art pieces. C's sister gave us a coupon for a painting for our wedding. She was waiting for us to pick colors and such before she made it. We finally told her what realm of colors we wanted and she painted us this gem. I love it! Last summer my sister also helped me pick out frames and photos to go on our dressers.

That is all the changes in our room over the last two and a half years. I don't think I can cross this off until I finish painting the artwork for over the bed. We also still need a headboard, but that is something we have yet to agree on. In the meantime the body pillow works just fine! :)

#74 Print Digital Photos and Keep up on it

This task has been achieved for quite awhile now. By getting back into scrap booking and dedicating at least one day a month to Scrapmania at Archiver's, I have done really well at printing out photos. I think it is safe to call this task complete!

#12 organize photos

When I wrote this list I thought this would be an incredibly daunting task. I have several boxes of photos starting from senior year of high school that were not organized. They were all tossed in the box, making it impossible to ever find a particular photo. One day, during one of my spring cleaning bouts, I emptied all the boxes and sorted the photos into piles according to date/activity. It was way easier than I thought it would be. It was so much fun flipping through all of those old photos! It was nice to finally shred any photos that were duplicates or had damage or were really fuzzy.

Ahhh...organization. I feel really good being able to cross this one off.

Google Reader

I have real updates coming soon, promise.

So I use Google Reader to follow a few blogs that are updated often. Google Reader seems to "know" what I want to read so it suggests other blogs. Well today it suggested that I read this blog! haha.

I also found out that I have 13 people following me using Google Reader. Hi followers! I didn't realize anyone at all followed this blog. I will try to update more frequently! :)

Christina's Shower

Christina's Shower

I had the pleasure of photographing a baby shower this weekend. Here is a selection of those photos.

**Note: Images are web sized and are NOT good for making prints**

Suspension story

Since so many of you are curious about my suspension, here goes the tale...

It was winter of my senior year in high school (keep in mind I grew up in central Illinois, so it was very cold). There had been a recent incident at my school where a student had smuggled in a baseball bat in his coat and beat the crap out of another student. To ease people's minds the school decided that no coats, hats, scarves, etc could be worn once indoors. This poses a problem seeing as you are a frozen icicle after walking in from the parking lot. The last thing you want to do is remove your coat immediately and then walk to your locker.

Rebel that I am ;), I decided that below freezing weather meant that I would wear my coat and hat all the way to my locker. This meant a walk from the back of the school to the front. Not very far, but enough to take off the icy chill.

I have my coat off and am hanging it in my locker when I get a tap on my shoulder from the assistant principal saying, "excuse me senior girl...". This should indicate to you how little trouble I have ever been in because she didn't even know my name. "Can you please remove your stocking cap?". I said "OK" and rolled my eyes because I was freaking standing at my locker!! It was the next thing to go into my locker. No one liked this assistant principal because she was known for being petty and always looked like she feared the students.

Anyways, as she was walking away I shook my fist at her a-la Chandler Bing from friends. Well another teacher, we shall call him Brown Nose (BN) told the assistant principal that I had flipped her off. Which was not indeed the case. She huffs over there fuming and asks me if I flipped her off. I said no and my nearby friends vouched for this. BN insisted that he saw me do it. Well she is not one to be calmed so quickly. She said I would be receiving a week suspension and to meet her in her office.

I went down to the office. Scared out of my mind, I mean I didn't do anything and this lady was going to ruin my attendance. She is in all sorts of rage and tells me she will get the video tape and prove I flipped her off. She is trying to get me to confess that I did it, but I didn't. Not to mention that I knew there was no cameras in my locker area. She gets ready to dole out my punishment when duh du dah the other assistant principal comes out and wants to know what the deal is. She explains her story and he says she can't punish me because I am a senior.

Ah, yes I have left out an important bit. She only deals with freshmen and sophomores. The other assistant principal deals with juniors and seniors. Saved! Or so I thought. He calls me into his office and leaves me in there with the door closed while he goes and talks to her. He comes back and asks if I did it and I say no. He goes to find my discipline and attendance records (which in this day and age are on paper in a folder). He is very puzzled as they are both blank. He goes off to see if this is perhaps my second sheet. I finally convince him that I have indeed never been in trouble and have never missed a day of school.

He says she is too livid for me to let you off the hook. I say I didn't do anything wrong. He says I did since I was inside with my hat on. Alas, I must give up. He assigns me one day to internal suspension. This means I am put in a room with no windows, troublemakers and a strict lady who won't let you sleep. Fabulous.

To top it all off, my teachers didn't believe I was in the "pit" as they call it and all came down to see me themselves. They thought it was so ridiculous that they didn't even send me work to do. Gah! I was so bored. My architecture teacher had mercy on me though and signed me out to his classroom since there are no drafting tables in the "pit". It was all very ridiculous, but since it was internal and I was technically at school it didn't count against my attendance. YAY!

20 Things About Me

Tons of people have done this and tagged me on Facebook. I decided to post my list here. This way I can be a bit more choosy with my audience. I could only come up with 20 things at this point. I will update if I can think of five more.

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. In this case I tag those in the blogger world who have yet to do this.

1. I never missed a day of high school. I even have a plaque to show for it.
2. I have been suspended from school.
3. I used to be a track star.
4. I won the regional geography bowl in 5th grade.
5. I only have three incisors on the bottom. I came that way.
6. One of my pupils is larger than the other.
7. I love seahorses.
8. More than seahorses, I love frogs.
9. If I could live in the water I would.
10. I made it all the way to lifeguard in my hard ass swim lessons, but couldn't get certified because I can't dive.
11. I didn't use to eat meat.
12. I hate wearing pants.
13. I can make balloon animals.
14. I can spoke an entire bike wheel.
15. I have experience in a photo dark room.
16. Halloween is my favorite holiday.
17. My hair used to be (naturally) light blond and stick straight.
18. I have a 6 inch incision scar on my left leg.
19. It is extremely difficult for me to bend the last two toes on either foot.
20. I am working on designing my latest purse/camera bag.

7 more books down

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Euxpéry is one of my husband's favorite books. Somehow I don't think that I read this as a child. C insisted that you couldn't truly understand the book until you were an adult. So I read the book. Man is it a deep book for a children's book! It was very well written. I think I may have to read it again to understand all of the book. I recommend it for all, young or old.


When my BFF was in town over Thanksgiving, she insisted that we go see Twilight with her in theaters. Having not read the books, I said sure, why not? The answer to the question would be because no one should have to suffer through that much bad acting. When we left the theaters I said there was no way I would ever read the books if they were half as bad as the movie. SMD insisted that the books were way better and that I should read them. Fast forward to Christmas. I went back home to see my family, where my sister continued to insist that I needed to read them. So I left Illinois with four books in my bag. Still having no interest. Then my husband starts reading them and telling me how good they were. I guess the third person did me in. I started to read them.
I have heard many people compare them to Harry Potter. They are not remotely similar. Harry Potter has many layers and is very well written for people of all ages. Twilight is brain candy for the young adult to adult. There were many spelling and grammar errors that were so glaringly obvious that they made me stop for a second.
However, the books were very good. They are the sort of series that sucks you in until you have finished all the books. I would recommend them for anyone who wants a fun, quick read that is not sad and lets you escape the world while you read.



This is the most recent installment of the Hannah Swenson murder series. I love how the author manages to keep me guessing up until the end. For those of you who don't know me well, it is hard to fool me in a mystery book/movie. I usually figure it out waaaay before anyone else. That is why I love Joanne Fluke, she keeps me guessing. So if you love mystery novels AND you love recipes, this series is for you.



I got my dad this book for Christmas. He finished really quickly and thought that I should read it too. Randy Pausch wrote this book and delivered his Last Lecture as a legacy for his children. He, at the time of publication, was battling terminal cancer. He wanted his young children to have memories and life lessons from him. So he compiled this wonderful book of his experiences, memories and lessons. It is a good read, but a little sad because you know in the end he loses his battle.

#46 Send Flowers to a Friend

My BFF SMD has been a bit down about the winter weather as of late. I think it was because she soaked up to much sun while on vacation in Mexico ;) I decided to send her a bright beautiful vase of tulips (her favorite flower) for Valentine's Day. She was surprised to have flowers show up at work. I hope they brightened her day.

#76 Make an apple pie

Back in Novemeber my BFF was in town for the whole week of Thanksgiving! SMD, hubby and I attended a cooking class at Whole Foods and made an apple pie and a chocolate pecan pie from scratch. Well, correction, we each made those pies. So 6 pies in total! We put in a lot of hard work and it paid off in delicious pie.

To find the recipe details, head over to the food blog: apple pie & chocolate pecan pie.

#85 Roast Marshmallows

When I put this on my list I kind of assumed it would be over a campfire or in the fire pit at my parents house. However it was in our fireplace in the apartment. One of the very chilly nights in Austin (below freezing) the apartment was very drafty. I blame this on the sliding glass door. So C decided to light a fire in the fireplace and while we were at it, we roasted marshmallows. It was fun and a very nice time spent cuddled in front of the fireplace.

#61 Taxes

Our W2's didn't arrive until the 3rd, so I sat down and did them last night on the 4th. I am so proud of myself for doing it all on my own. Granted I did have C go back and check my work, can't make mistakes with the Feds! I am so excited we will be getting money back. I can finally purchase a new desktop computer and it will contain a processor that C worked on!! Oh happy day :)

#22 Photos for the Bathroom

I decided about two years ago that I wanted to hang our initials in the bathroom. However I didn't want to buy the letters, I wanted to find them! The "C" was the first one to be found. There is a tree in Austin that we came across one day that was shaped perfectly. The "J" was next. We were at another park on a day when the clouds were fluffy and moving quickly. We decided to lay on a picnic table and hope for the best. It paid off when the perfect "J" formed! The heart is a red bud leaf. I am not entirely happy with it. I wanted a fall leaf or something else in the orangish realm. I will be keeping my eye out for a new heart. All in all though, I love them. They complete the bathroom because it had no art in there.