Sharing my new closet!

So... the rest of my closet... as promised.

When we moved in, it had these HORRIBLE built-in shelves. There was a TEENY nail like... every 1/2" or something ridiculous. We tore those out...

... and I spackled (I did! Me! By myself!), primed and painted (Benjamin Moore Grey Wisp), and then put up some elfa shelving from The Container Store. :-D The top right of the closet houses grey bags, which hold old gymnastics shirts (LOTS of them!); old sweatshirts (which I hope to make a quilt out of some day...); a white box, which holds gymnastics leotards, shorts, and gear (I still have some that fit... *sigh*); and my dress shoes and sandals (in the plastic shoe boxes).

When you first walk in, this is to the right (my side of the closet). My bags hang from hooks. And above, there are my hats and gloves in canvas bins:

Then below, are my belts and flip flops. Flip-flop holder and belt holder are also from The Container Store (just warning you... you *may* see a trend here... LOL). And to the left of that are three more canvas bins (I LOVE these!!), that hold scarves, slippers and slipper socks. :-)

And then my line of shoes. I was SO surprised by the little amount of shoes I own (my dress shoes are in plastic shoe boxes at the top of the closet)... compared to the average woman - who has FORTY pairs of shoes. LOL. You can also see my dress pants and my boots peeking out from under them...

Then hubby's side of the closet... his is MUCH higher than mine (he's 6' 3"). I almost have to stand on my tip toes to reach his closet rod to put his clothes away! LOL.

these are his shoes and things...

And our travel bags. Hubby travels A LOT for work, and sometimes I go with him. And then I travel to California, Colorado and Idaho too, so I need a few travel bags. ;-) Mine are from Vera Bradley, and I LOVE them. :-D

And that's it! Hope you enjoyed the tour. :-)

Oh! And if you'd like to vote for me... for Most Organized Employee, you can! Go to The Container Store's Facebook page (you have to be a fan to vote). Then go to "Photos." Then go to "Employee Contest Day #1." And I'm #20. :-)

Unpacking... slowly but surely.

Well, it's... coming along. LOL.

We didn't take any time off work to move. So we've been working, moving, unpacking and sleeping. That's all we have time for... tee hee. We do what we can.

Here's what it looks like so far...

This is right by the front door. We still need to hang up photos. Our wedding photo (with the photo mat that everyone signed as a guestbook) will hang right above this secretary desk. Wet/muddy shoes go in the container underneath. All other shoes are taken to the bedroom closet. :-)

Walk to the dining room, and you see some shelves we hung up. Right now they have watermelon knick-knacks and just some of my cookbooks (I have yet to unpack the others). Then you can see the table... that looks SO small in this room. LOL. I need to hang stuff on the walls! It looks so empty! I have a whole pile of stuff that needs to be hung up.

The kitchen looks pretty nice and lived in. I'd love to paint the walls a creamy yellow (Benjamin Moore Popcorn Kernel), but maybe after unpacking is done. :-)

You can see the tree peeking through! LOL. Hubby set that up with lights. I still need to hang the ornaments. And I have some potholders hanging on the wall with a cute little watermelon. :-)

Our pantry. Mmmm... organized. I need to label the baskets, but it's pretty easy to tell what's in them for now. I love the dairy crate at the top and folding crate at the bottom. They're such nice and cheap catch-alls! (Ooh, I need to buy paper towels! Only one roll left!)

The Christmas tree has ONE ornament on it right now. LOL. The blue box of ornaments is on the floor to the left (the suitcases are just for decoration). I love that we have this cute shelf on which to hang our stockings! Since Jesse (Jeremy's brother) is with us this year for the holidays, we thought we'd do a mish-mash of stockings from past years.

I'd like to *make* stockings this year. We'll see how that goes. LOL. And see my Mickey and Minnie? My VERY favorite Christmas decorations. I'm still trying to talk Jeremy into the Mickey wreath...

And see how there's just a chair and a table? Yeah, we need furniture. We barely own any! And that chair is going to live somewhere else (office or guest room). We *do* have a loveseat, but we moved it to the scrap room (its permanent home), so we could watch movies on my computer. :-D (Wow, I didn't even notice that Ruby had stepped into the photo!)

On the other side of the living room, we have our bookshelves from Ikea. Umm... this looks VERY messy right now, and is not done. We need to move all the books in here. We will be doing that soon. Perhaps today...
(And I do NOT like the speakers there, but hubby does. It may look better if we had a TV, but right now, it just looks silly to me! What do you think?)

Next is my scrap room... in progress. Okay, okay, I know... my scrap room is *rarely* messy. Okay, it's never messy... unless I'm in the *middle* of creating something, but right now... it's just CRAZY! 75% of my scrap stuff is still at the apartment. I NEED to get that moved over. I'm going through withdrawals! LOL.


And this cute little nook (photo below) in the scrap room is one of my FAVORITE things in the whole house. How cute is this?! And how perfect is it that that loveseat fits PERFECTLY in that little spot? My December Daily (also in progress) is on the floor. LOL. I finished up to page 6 last night! WOOHOO!

Wrapped gifts (in beautiful wrapping paper), scrapbooking projects, Thickers, Container Store bags. Yes, Reyanna lives here. :-)

You may notice that my scrap room has been painted white. Flat/Matte Ultra Bright White. Yes, the guy at Home Depot asked me fifty *million* times (not exaggerating) if I was SURE that I wanted this whole room white. And I know, it sounds crazy to lots of people that I didn't choose *color*, but honestly... if you know me (and saw my scrapbook gallery), you understand. White inspires me. Blank canvases make me feel creative. And that's what this space is about... inspiration, creativity, and fun. White walls with lots of bright colors, fun designs and vintage finds. Can't WAIT for it to be done!

Well, that's it for now! I'll post my closet next. It's yummy. :-)

Reading is so fun!

I'm back!!!

And though I have lots to share, I'll just give a little preview of my new closet...

I'll share more photos later this week. It's SO pretty. :-D

*sigh*

I missed my blog. I missed reading blogs. I missed emailing. But...

I SO enjoyed being without internet for a few weeks. I read... a lot. I finished Eclipse AND started Breaking Dawn. And Breaking Dawn? I had to pee SO bad the other night while reading it, and I did NOT want to stop, so I actually brought it with me. LOL. TMI? Perhaps, but I just wanted you all to know how much I'm enjoying it. :-)

So even though I have my internet back (and my iMac.... which I missed even more!), I will continue to read... A LOT. And since I've remembered how much I love reading, I thought I'd share my favorite books. :-) If you're still undecided for a few people on your list, these may give you some ideas... ;-)

Favorite books:

The Chosen by Chaim Potok (Because it made me think. It made me feel serene and relaxed. I honestly wanted to take a vow of silence after reading this book. Seriously! ME!)

Light in August by William Faulkner (LOVE that there were like five stories going on at once. Held my interest. And had a bit of a platonic love story in there. Loved that. :) )

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (This girl could write! She was only 18 when she started writing this, and that just blows me away [it was published when she was 21]. The imagery... just wow. I could picture every second of this book. I didn't want it to end. I need to read this again...)

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (I read it first when I was nine. And am reading it currently. It's just SO much fun.)

Children's books:

Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch (oooh, also Stephanie's Ponytail!) (I got Purple, Green and Yellow when I was eleven. It became my favorite then. The colorful photographs are on WHITE background, and it's just lovely. The story is hilarious... especially the last two pages.)

Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman (I STILL know this book by heart. Word for word. My aunt bought it for us when I was about... umm... 7 or 8, I think. Our room was almost always messy, so she thought we resembled Jillian Jiggs... whose mother would say, "looks like your room has been lived in by pigs!")

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin (Found this book as an adult and laughed my BUTT off! She now has written the diaries of a Fly and Spider, and though they're cute, they're not as funny as the original Worm. If you're looking for a good book for a child [either sex], this is AWESOME! I still want the diaries of a Fly and Spider, but I have yet to make them part of my collection.)

Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan and Janet Ahlberg (My mom and aunt read this to me every night as a small child. It still holds a special place in my heart. I probably still know this one by heart too... LOL.)

What are some of *your* favorite books?

Holding my breath.

Sometimes I catch myself holding my breath. I'm not sure why. And when I notice, I take a breath, but it still feels like I'm holding onto something in there. Stress? Burdens? Happiness? Not sure what it is.

It could be creativity. And since I haven't been able to scrap, it's all pent up... LOL. ;-)

Or it could be longing. Longing for something I need, but don't know yet that I want or need it. I'm sure I'll figure it out... one of these days.

Bolting out the door.

Just a quick one.

I LOVE our house! It is SO quiet at night. SO quiet. We all slept SO well... even the puppies! :D

My newest review is up at Craft Critique today. It was my favorite one yet! Now I know which blank ink pad to grab! :D

We're out of town today until Sunday. No internet access. (YIPPEE!) It's the Annual Stark Thanksgiving (we always have it at the beginning of November because it's more convenient.) Just a lot of eating, talking, resting and playing dominoes. That's all. Hopefully, *this* year I'll remember to take photos. LOL.

And happy birthday to my beautiful sister yesterday! 27! She's OLD! HA! ;-)


This photo is of *last* year on her birthday. I haven't seen her since November 6th, 2008! Sheesh! One year! Much too long. I may need to visit soon. *sigh* I miss her pretty face.

Happy Day-After-Your Birthday, Shaina! :D

Remembering Nine Years Ago.

Journal entry from nine years ago today...

"Thursday, November 2, 2000:

Today Jeremy called and asked if he could come over, so of course, I said he should. He said he had to come over to get his laundry, but now I kinda think it was an excuse for him to come over.

Tonight he said, "Reyanna, do you know how much I like you?!" I said, "No...." I seriously didn't know he was that stoked on me. He said I'm gorgeous and lively and other stuff, which was pretty cool. I think he's pretty cool too. He said I'm a tease, but he's not complaining. (LOL!)

I like Jeremy too because I've always been myself around him. I had a dream about him the other night, and it gave me butterflies even!"

Ohmigosh, how cute is my 19 year old self?! LOL! Makes me giggle. We've always celebrated today as the anniversary of us getting together. It was the day we both admitted that we liked each other (though to be honest, I didn't think this would go anywhere... I just thought I would humor him... LOL. After all, he was one of my best friends, and we hung out just about every day).

Perhaps our first kiss (November 4, 2000) should be the anniversary, but we celebrate that too. LOL. I can't believe it's been nine years. NINE. That's a long time. LOL.

And since I don't have a photo of us from the day we got together, here's one taken November 2, 2005. Jeremy with Ruby on his face, and Amber by his side. LOL. So cute. :-)

Getting excited! Finally!

Ohmigoodness. I'm finally getting excited! I'm finally *allowing* myself to get excited. LOL.

Inspection? Done!

Loan approval? DONE! (WOOHOO!)

Appraisal? Done!

Me? Breathing. :-)

And now? Photos. Hoorah!

Here's the front of the house...

Looks totally cute and quaint, right?! I wanted brick, and I got brick! It also looks small, but it's actually over 2,000 sq ft in one story! :-) I love how homey-looking the trees are. :-) We'll probably mulch the front yard to cut back on maintenance. Plus, it's better than grass in the SUPER hot weather.

Walk in the front door about 12 feet, and you see this...

I actually really like this green color, and we'll keep it this way. I'm going to do soft greens, blues, tans, and browns in the living room. This is the color pallet I'm going for in the living room (vintage, beach cottage decor: no fish or palm trees; no surfer girls... LOL). I'll probably get that striped blanket to take with me when I shop for furnishings. :-) And this fabric from Lee Industries. Oh, yummy. It's kinda pricey to upholster a few chairs, so I may just have to buy a few yards and make some accent pillows. :-D

To the right... see that window thingy? When I first saw these photos, I thought that was a wall... like a really tall bookcase or something... LOL. But it's a window to the hallway, keeping the house more open. You can hop right through that window into the hallway! Straight down that hallway to the left (on the other side of the kitchen) is the master bedroom.

And here is the master bedroom, looking from the master closet, seeing the door to the hallway on your left...

I'm not sure why the photo was not taken standing at the door, so you can get a better idea of size (just over 13x19), but this is it. It has two windows to the backyard. In the future, perhaps we'll make sliding doors to go out there. Or maybe a bay window. Perhaps. :-) I like to dream and think up neat things like that. LOL.

This room will probably be painted in Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware or Prescott Green (like the #1 room, aka "The English Trellis," that I posted earlier) by Benjamin Moore. They are very similar colors. Celing fan will probably be replaced with a chandelier or a white ceiling fan.

The master closet is HUGE! It's 6ft by 12ft, which is PLENTY big for both of us. I'm pretty sure we can even store out-of-season clothes in there as well! You know, and perhaps the state of Rhode Island. ;-) It will definitely be getting some elfa from The Container Store. :-D That's where my discount is going to come in handy. :-)

And the master bathroom... (love that it has double sinks, yay!)

The master bath will be painted cream. I'll probably paint the cabinets cream too. I LOVE that this bathroom has a double stand-alone shower (not pictured) with no tub. LOVE it! We both wanted this for our bathroom, but we didn't actually think we'd get it!

We want to re-tile the shower in the future. It certainly doesn't *need* it now, but the color does not appeal to us, and we'd like something different. I like knowing that we can change it when we want to... and when we save up to do so... ;-)

Standing at the door of the master bedroom, you look down the hall to the other rooms...

Straight ahead is the guest room. Second door to the left is the laundry room, I think. Gah... I don't remember. LOL. Pretty sure though. And then to the right... straight across from the laundry room... will be Jeremy's office. (Which currently has a ceiling fan with DAISIES on it! At least it's not as bad as the baseball-themed one in the guest room... LOL. We close on November 4th, and then go on vacation on the 5th. You can be assured that those will be placed on Craigslist... shortly after we return. LOL.)

That bit of green to the right (the 2nd opening) goes back to the living room. That first opening (is the "window" to the Great Room). And that HUGE (French doors) opening to the left? Yeah, that's my scrap room, and I don't have any pics of that, but it's AWESOME! Or, you know... it *will* be awesome!

Here's the guest bathroom, which is pretty nice, and I won't have to do anything! Yay!

Let's go back into the Great Room. This viewpoint is about 10 feet or so inside the front door. Straight ahead is the door to the backyard...

I was *stoked* when I saw this kitchen. I NEED a big kitchen. I cook... A LOT, and I NEEDED lots of space...

Walls will be painted a light, creamy yellow... that has yet to be decided, though I have a few in mind. Popcorn Kernel by Benjamin Moore, I believe is the current front-runner. All the paint swatches online look different, so we'll have to see it in real life. And we'll see what it looks like when I paint it on some posterboard... ;-) Cabinets are nice, and I don't want to replace them, so I will be painting them white... or you know, white-ish. ;-)

Our sink is the COOLEST! It's granite composite, and oh wow, I LOVE it! I *did* want a gas stove over electric, but we'll buy the flat electric stove that's easy to clean, and I know I'll be singing a different tune... ;-)

The stove and dishwasher are not too old, not too new, which is good because we can save to buy new ones to go with the fridge that we end up buying. It's nice to know we don't have to think about that now. However... I can't decide between stainless and white. I love the *look* of white better, but if we re-sell in the next five years (which is doubtful, but you know, it could happen...), buyers will want stainless. Ack. I should probably just get what *I* want. LOL. But how important is it to cater to the value of the home? Decisions. Decisions.

And I don't have a picture of the pantry, but I think it's a pretty good size!

Then you go outside...

And the backyard has a big oak tree! Totally fun and climbable! LOL. The landscaping in the backyard was pretty much the *only* thing we didn't like about this house (save the stove), but we felt that was the *easiest* fix.

So... we'll probably put 6ft hedges up along the perimeter for privacy. Not sure if they'd let us build a new fence because we're in an HOA (homeowner's association). The deck we will probably paint the green to match the trim of the house. We may paint it cream to match the siding of the house. We'll build a covered patio and put furniture, a hot tub, and weather-proof curtains out here... and it will be perfect. :-)

Choosing colors and style.

If you had to choose a bedroom to have for your own, which would you choose?

Room #1: Warm colors, white bed frame, pastels, florals, soothing feeling


Room #2: Dark furniture, cozy, comfortable, elegant

Room #3: Blues, creams and tans/beiges, white/natural furniture, comfortable (edited to add: style would be *quite* different)

Photos are from the hotel I used to work at, The Chanler at Cliff Walk. These were my three favorite rooms. I *really* wish you could make the photos larger, but for some reason, they make them itty-bitty on their site. You'd *think* that at over $1,000 per night, they'd want the photos to be *at least* 6x6 on your screen. But I digress...

Thanks so much for your help! :-D

Feeling SO much better!

Wow, thanks for letting me get *that* off my chest yesterday. That, a good cry, and a chocolate cake, and I'm feeling SO much better! LOL.

Well, those things and the thought of margaritas after work tonight with hubby... Tee hee.

Oh! And here's a new layout...

I pretty much just used the August Studio Calico kit. Basic Grey, Sassafras and Maya Road yummy-ness. :) This is my friend's daughter, Lily. She is SO much fun! We did a photo shoot, and this was one of my faves!

p.s. Check out Craft Critique this week! We're doing some awesome giveaways!!!

Changing too many things.

Too many changes... too fast.

We said goodbye to our cars.

We said hello to a new car.

We're under contract (inspection DONE!) on a house.

New house (BIG for us) means we'll need furniture. Pretty much all we own currently: bookshelves, a loveseat, small table, and my scrappy storage stuff. I'm thinking that will NOT fill up a 2,000+ sq ft home. LOL. We don't even have a BED! I did buy one the other day though... it will wait at the store for us until we move. Then again... I do like wide, open spaces. I mean, seriously, how many homes do you know that you can rollerblade in the Great Room?! ;-)

House needs landscaping and deck add-on (pergola or something similar)... so that I don't have to stare into my neighbors' backyards. LOL.

Hubby is the lead on a multi-million dollar project... taking him away from home A LOT.

I've been sick too long, causing me to cut my work hours.

I decided to cancel my subscription to Studio Calico. (Though I'm still getting the papers each month... tee hee.) I'm not sure yet if canceling was the best thing. Though I'll feel better about spending less and accumulating less, I do feel like I'm missing out. And that just might be as much stress as keeping it. LOL.

At SC, we're saying goodbye to Scarlet, Kirsty and Tina C. *sigh* That's a tough blow for me. I can't BELIEVE how tough. I'm really bummed about SC being without a clean and simple style like Tina C. I really felt like she rounded out the group. And Scarlet and Kirsty... two of my favorite designers EVER. I'll definitely continue to stalk all their blogs. :D

Welcoming Celine and Lisa to Studio Calico. These two women are AMAZINGLY talented! And I'm very excited to see their work with SC kits each month!

Ack. On top of that, I'm TRYING to get over the stress of the past year, and so many changes... eek... does not help stress. LOL.

Oooooh! A good change! I cut my hair short...er:

Though when I look at this photo, I see that I'm really stressed. LOL. Where's my color? Where's my REAL smile? Umm... they're on hiatus. But I'm hoping they will return VERY soon.

Maybe I need something new and different in my life. A new happiness... that's not really "bad" stressful, but fun. Maybe I should apply for a design team. LOL. Or maybe I just should do something fun... to get my mind off of being stressed. I could...

Scrap.

Read Eclipse.

Upload the layouts I've finished.

Listen to fun music.

Jump around.

Dance.

Stand on my hands! Holy COW! I haven't done a handstand in like... over a month! Maybe two months! Okay, that should be first on the list!

Till next time...

... here's hoping for a little less stress. :-D

Laughing at hubby.

So... this morning, I put on a pair of jeans, and I felt kind of dumpy as soon as I put them on. I thought I'd ask hubby. He was sitting on the floor in the bedroom.

I turned around, so that my back was facing him...

Me: Honey, do these look like Mom Jeans?

Jeremy: Gross! Throw those away!

I was horrified! My own husband thought I looked dumpy! I was kind of bummed at his reaction. I was not looking forward to the expression on his face.

And as I turned around, he was holding out to me, a few pieces of Kleenex that were drenched in our dog's vommit.

OH!!! He was talking about the Kleenex! And dog vommit! NOT my jeans! :-D

Me: So, Honey, what DO you think about my jeans?

Jeremy: They're GOOD! I like 'em!

Phew.

*Photo from SNL.

Feeling a bit better.

Holy C0w! I haven't blogged in SOOOOOO long! And when I say "soooooo long," I mean fifteen days. LOL.

And SO much has happened in two weeks! Okay, since we all know I'm a long-winded blogger, I'm going to try to do this in as little words as possible...

First thing's first...

I'm still sick.... went to the doctor. He was clueless. Referred me to someone else. Idiot.

I got worse. Woke up with a HUGE bulge in my groin (like 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/2 inch high!)... decided I needed to go *back* to the doctor (yesterday). Saw nurse practitioner who said, "Yeah, you're really sick! Probably an intestinal infection. You need anti-biotics!" Sheesh. Anywho, I'm hoping to feel better soon. Good news: my energy is FINALLY coming back! WOOHOO!

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Was able to go to the flea market with my friend Stephanie and her BEAUTIFUL daughters, Harper and Sadie. Ohmigoodness, I love them! Could just eat them up! We had so much fun. :-) I only spent SIXTEEN dollars at the flea market, and I was *stoked*! Here are my finds...

Super cute watermelon and apple for decoration. Watermelon is for me since that's my kitchen decor, and the apple is for a friend.

Loved this cute little, vintage jewelry box. I'm sure I'll put it in our bedroom... maybe to hold chapstick! :-D And these great brooches; four are actually earrings. :0)

These tins are SO cute! I haven't decided to put them in my scrap room or kitchen yet, but I LOVE them! The pair for a buck! The cute, yellow doily for a buck. And the drawer insert for a buck-fifty! YEAH! :-D (I bought a large one too, but it's still in the car...)

A super-fun-filled day! Can't wait to see Steph one more time before she moves... :-(

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Next up...

We got a new car! Well, new to us. ;-) See, HUGE hail storm (sheesh, I need to post those pics!) in March totaled both our cars, so we sold them to State Farm and bought just one car (hubby has a work vehicle he uses). The great thing is that this car was TOTALLY paid for by State Farm. Yay. It's a blueberry-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee, and we LOVE it! I'll post pics soon!

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We're house-hunting! We were approved for a loan last week, and we just JUMPED in to finding a house. We've looked at TWELVE houses already! GAH! Put an offer in on one. That fell through due to the listing agent neglecting to tell us it wasn't able to be sold... GAH. Then we found two more we LOVE. Put an offer in on the larger of the two. Waiting to hear back...

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Was feeling kinda down, and my sister was feeling kinda down, so to cheer her up, I decided to buy her a new wardrobe. She got it in the mail yesterday and was SO excited. Seriously, she hasn't bought new clothes in like... 8 years. She deserves it! She's such a great mom, and she needs to look and feel confident! A few things didn't fit, so she'll send those back, but all in all, she's happy. Yay. :-)

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Buying a house makes me want to look at TONS of decorating books, mags and websites. Makes me want to look at furniture galore. Craziness. I'm seriously needing sleeping pills to sleep because I have so much on my mind! LOL. Think I found the perfect bed, which would be awesome because we've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for over four years... because our apartments' bedrooms have all been too small for frames. YAY!

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Our "vacation" is in a month... from yesterday. Goldthwaite, Texas. LOL. Doesn't sound like a good vacation destination, but... every year we go to Goldthwaite for four days. It's our Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family. We eat A LOT, play dominoes A LOT, hike A LOT, and sleep A LOT. We hang out and tell stories and play with the little ones (his two cousins each have a child under four). It's the best four days of the year. Yay.

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That wraps it up. Fairly quick and painless, no?!

Feeling. Crappy.

I'm sick.

And it sucks.

Loving Right Now.

rag dolls
American Crafts Thickers
bridges
art
watermelons
color
old photographs
the Dionne Quintuplets
Shirley Temple
a long walk
fall photos with bright colors
tulips
reading a magazine cover to cover
Diet Coke with vanilla
a pizza I don't have to make myself
cake
really good dark chocolate
coffee from Starbucks
a day out
walking along the lake
dancing
cuddling with my puppies
pajama pants
frozen yogurt
Disney, anything Disney
chocolate pudding
frozen grapes
hands-free phone-talking
french fries
children's books
baby names
the beach
hot tea with honey
rock climbing
Friends
cereal
chapstick
owls
fresh flowers
Uglydolls
strawberry limeade
a cozy blanket
slippers

Anticipating.

It's almost fall. And then it will be almost winter. My friend, Wendy, mentioned on her blog the other day that she's not really looking forward to it. And even though I HATE cold weather (read: HATE... with a fiery passion), I do look forward to the changing of the seasons because there are certain things that come with fall and winter (that I don't like so much during spring and summer) at my house.

I understand that many people out there are not ready to hear (or see or read) about fall/winter stuff, but... Wendy, this is for you...

1.) Schokinag Extreme Dark Drinking Chocolate

• I hate hot chocolate. Ew. Makes me want to hurl.
• See, I used to drink it EVERY single day, and then one day, I got sick. Hot chocolate was the only thing in my stomach; therefore, it was the only thing that came up. And as Chandler says, "It's very difficult to enjoy once you've seen it in reverse." Every time I *smell* hot chocolate, it reminds me of that fateful day (January 27, 1995). Ew.
• So to say that I was reluctant to try this hot chocolate is an under-statement. But a friend of mine assured me that it's NOT yo' mama's hot chocolate. She was right.
• It's drinking chocolate. There's a difference. And it's fabulous. Yup, it's expensive. But seriously? Worth it. I only drink it during the winter months, so I figure I can afford it. ;-)
• Jeremy's favorite flavor is Dulce de Leche, which (to me) isn't hot chocolate. But I humor him.
  

2.) The Company Store Microfiber Fleece Blanket

• It's super fabulous. I bought it (in cashmere blue) last year when it went on sale (for like $13), and I LOVE getting all cozied up in this blanket.
  
• I may have to buy the sheets and pillowcases now too. And this matching bed jacket. Mmmm... a bed jacket. I've asked for that for Christmas for the last THREE years [this will be the 4th] to no avail. Jeremy? Honey? Are you reading this? ;-) I need it. NEED it. I'm thinking that if you're still coveting the same thing after four years, it's safe to say that it will be used and loved. A lot. :-) And if you friends of mine would like to join me in the "Reyanna Needs a Company Store Bed Jacket" stance, please send an email to Jeremy (jeremy@remyanna.com)... if you'd like. :-)

3.) Mom's Turtle Brownies

• Every year, I'd look forward to my mom's turtle brownies. I'm not sure why she never made them during the spring/summer months. Maybe because it was Southern California, and we were thinking more of popsicles and watermelon in the hot weather than hot, gooey, sticky, yummy brownies... ;-)
• In any case, they were my absolute FAVORITE thing! I only got them during the cold months (usually during December), and I looked forward to them EVERY year. :-D
• Now, she no longer makes them for me, so I have to fend for myself.
• Get a brownie mix and put most of the batter (leave 1/4- 1/3 of the batter out) into a pan. Bake it for five minutes. Then take it out, and put a 1/2 cup of *melted* caramels on top. Then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Then put the rest of the batter and bake for the rest of the time.
  
• Yummy. Yummy. Fabulous.
  
• And yummy.
  

4.) Acorn Versa Fleece Socks

• These had been on my Christmas wish list (you know... along with that bed jacket...) for quite a while, so when my In Laws gave me a gift card to Sierra Trading Post last year, I thought it was about time that I get some!
• They are the BEST.SOCKS.EVER.
• In the fall and winter, I sleep in them, lounge in them, cook in them, watch movies in them, keep them in my nightstand when I'm not wearing them because I KNOW that I'll need them the next evening. LOL.
• They are SO soft and SO cozy. And I can't believe I only have ONE pair! LOL. This year, I'll get more because I know that I live in them. :-D
• They are the BEST.SOCKS.EVER.

5.) Fall Walks

(Photo of me and the puppies in Central Park. Taken by Jeremy, November 2006.)

• Mmm... it's so nice and crisp out. I throw on a sweater and some jeans. Perhaps some cozy gloves and a scarf.
• The air smells cleaner (to me, at least....) during this time of year. Taking a deep breath feels SO good. Love that feeling.
• And then when you get back from your walk, you throw on your fleece socks, wrap yourself in your cozy fleece blanket (and bed jacket...), sip on some hot chocolate, and eat gooey brownies. You smile and sigh. It's fall and winter... it really is a great time of year. :-)
  

Answering.

Taken from Paige's blog. :-)

A- Age: 28 (also my favorite number! yay!)

B- Bed size: queen (thought I wanted to go back after our king, but now I miss our king... LOL. When we buy a house, we'll get a king again! And the queen will go to the guest room. LOL.)

C- Chore I love: picking up all the stuff laying around. LOL. Oh! And toilets. LOL. They just look SO nice and shiny and clean when they're done. :)

D- Dogs' names: Ruby-Monday (she was born on a Monday... tee hee) and Amber-Lamb :-)

F- Favorite color: blue

G- Gold or Silver: gold. though i really like the two-toned look these days.

H- How many times have you been outside the USA: I went to Canada once.

I- Instruments I play: I can play a few songs on the piano. I only took lessons for a short time, but my teacher told me I wasn't getting very good, so I quit. Nice, huh?! True story.

J- Job title: Sales :-) (at The Container Store)

K- Kids: Probably next year. We want a house first. And less credit card debt. LOL. I'm having baby fever right now though. I'd like to have a baby now...

L- Living arrangements: 2 bed, 2 bath apartment... with hubby and puppies. :-)

M- Most popular dessert at my house: ice cream or frozen yogurt. We LOVE going out for frozen yogurt. Ohmigoodness... I usually eat a whole pint (no joke) all by myself... in one sitting. :-)

N- Number of times I have stayed overnight at the hospital, not counting my own birth: Really... too many to count. I broke my legs and was in traction... for like... months.

O- Outdoor activity I have never tried but would like to: I've actually never been rock climbing/repelling on REAL rocks. Only LOTS of indoor stuff (I have a membership), and I have my own harness and shoes, so I know I COULD do it. Well, okay, I've bouldered, but like... I've never been with a harness and ropes and stuff. :) Soon. Very soon. :D

P- Pet peeve: Typos. LOL.

Q- Quote from a movie: "I can't believe it... I'm losin' to a rug!" -Genie from Aladdin

R- Restaurant I could eat at every day: North by Northwest (here in Austin). We just went a couple weeks ago, and OH.MY.GOSH. Seriously, one of the best meals at a restaurant I've EVER had. In my top three. I can't WAIT to go back. :D

S- Siblings: an older brother (Dack) and a younger sister (Shaina)

T- Time I wake-up: Usually around 9 or 10. LOL. I NEED lots of sleep.

U- Unknown fact about me: Unknown? Hmm... I have a phobia... a true phobia of breaking rules. Panic attack. Hysteria. Tears. Everything. It's kinda crazy. Okay, really crazy. LOL.

V- Vegetable I dislike: can't think of one... oh! I don't like radishes or beets. Ew.

W- What is my dream vacation: French countryside. Or... a private beach. LOL.

X-rays I've had: I think... every single part of my body. LOL. I am SO accident prone!

Y- Yummy food I make: Everything has been pretty tasty! ;-) But my favorite thing to make is cheesecake. It does NOT last long though. LOL. I usually eat the whole thing within two days. LOL.

Z- Zoo favorite: Primates :D Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. And if I'd ever seen bonobos, that would be in there too. They're my favorite animal, but chimps will have to do. And I LOVE the snake house. :D

Pimping.

As in... my sister, Shaina, *pimped* out her daughters' room! P.I.M.P.E.D. Seriously... I know all their 2nd-grade friends are super-jealous! :-p

Alaura (older twin by 21 minutes) *loves* the Eiffel Tower/Paris/anything French. Apparently, she's infatuated with the fact that the Eiffel Tower looks like a giant A. LOL. Anywho, her request was that an Eiffel Tower be painted on her new bedroom wall (they just bought a house). Her favorite color is pink.

Her twin sister, Brenna, likes black and white, Asian decor, and pandas. My sister admitted that this room was more to Alaura's liking, but they'd finish the upstairs in the future, and Brenna could have a room all her own. Brenna is not complaining (seriously, most agreeable child I've ever met). She still thinks she has the coolest room EVER. And she'd much rather have this room to share, then your run-of-the-mill little girl room.

My sister surprised the girls with a hot pink and zebra room on Christmas morning (in their old house). She set up the whole room with the lights OFF... while they were sleeping (pre-drilled holes... my idea! tee hee... to hang up stuff). So she had all the decor, but they bought this house, she took it one step further and painted the whole room! By hand. :) No projector. No stencil. Yeah, she's awesome.

When you walk into their room, you see this:


And then you turn to see the cutest wall...

Again, no stencil. No projector. She did use a circle mirror and traced a circle at the bottom. She drew it on with pencil first.

Turn again, and you see their window...


And then, their beds..

Funny thing is, Shaina looked for MONTHS for the perfect bunk-bed for them. She is SO picky and won't settle for anything less than the wonders of her artsy imagination. So she found this and painted it. They love it. But THEN, they ended up not wanting to sleep in separate beds. LOL.

So... her husband extended the frame of the bottom... making it into a full-size, on which they both sleep. He said, "Why don't we just get RID of the bunk-bed, and they can just have a full or queen?" Umm... no. Shaina LOVES that bed. Not an option. LOL. So now... really, everyone's happy. And she said when they have someone spend the night, they're good to go. :) And if my parents come to visit (or me!), they can just remove the top. Perfect.

My sister is so delightfully artistic. I love it. She's actually the one who got me into scrapbooking. And when I say "got me into scrapbooking," I mean "forced" me into scrapbooking. LOL. True story. She hasn't scrapped in a LONG time because she hasn't had time or room. But now she does, so hopefully, she'll be scrapping soon. :)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Oh! And head on over to Craft Critique to see my article on Maya Mist. You can do some AWESOME stuff with those little bottles!

And now... I'm going to grab my Diet Coke w/Vanilla (1/2 price at Sonic! YEAH!) and sit out in the warmth and read some magazines and catalogues... while gaining inspiration for the SC kit (my last SC kit... *sigh*) that I received in the mail today. :-D

It is a *good* day off.

Happy 09-09-09 to ya! (aka... Beatles Day!)

Oh! One other thing... I laughed my butt off at this website today. Frickin' hilarious! Especially this one. Oh.My.Word.Funny. I SO wish my dad was here with me, so we could laugh our butts off... together. :-) Alas, I called him in Colorado and told him about it. Listening to him laugh instead. I'll take that though! ;-)

Cooking.

I've been cooking up a little recipe book (tee hee) as a gift. I don't know these people, but my aunt had the idea and asked me to make this recipe keepsake book for her niece (on other side of family). It was very fun. And Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird line (plus $1 recipe cards from Michaels) made it come together SO quickly! :D

My aunt had the idea to make a space for her niece to put a photo next to the recipe to whom it belonged. She handed out the recipe cards at the bridal shower. Isn't that a cute idea?!

(I put photo splits, so she wouldn't have to get her own adhesive. "Photo" stamp is from Studio Calico.)

Put some extra recipe cards in the back...

And just so I could see what it looked like with photos, I decided to throw in some of me and my sister. LOL. :-)

I hope they like it! :-)