Answering.

Wendy Smedley, friend/scrapbooker/author/organization extraordinaire, is teaching a Big Picture Scrapbooking class right now (based on her fabulous book, The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker - currently sold out at CK Media).

She asked a few of her students to come up with a few questions for me about my space... and my super-cool job at The Container Store. I was perfectly happy to oblige. Me talk about scrapbook organization AND my job?! YES, please! :-D

I hope you're ready... I'm very thorough and hyper-link-happy (with your mouse: right click and click "open in new tab/window" to go to links while staying here on this page... or Mac users: hover over link and Command-Click.). :-D

1. What are The Container Store's options for storing 12 x 12 papers? -Renee

Renee, I'm so glad you asked! The great thing about The Container Store... they know their audience. You can go to their website, and type in "scrapbooking," and get these results. LOVE that feature.

So... here's what they have to offer (and some other ideas I came up with) as far as paper storage:

Scrapbook Cart (and what's really great about this... you can buy those Paper Storage Cases *without* the cart if you'd like)

Archival Scrapbook Storage Box

Translucent File Tote

14-Pocket Portfolio

There's also this MDF Paper Sorter (shown in my own scrap space):
It is VERY well-constructed, and has SIX paper trays (plus the top to put things on). It's not available on the website anymore, but I *know* that it's still available in some stores (Austin, Texas is one of them). Unfortunately, stores can't ship, but if you have one near you, check it out! They may have some left! Retails for $39.99 right now (on sale).

We also have these *fabulous* elfa Cabinet-Sized Mesh Drawer Units. They come in three heights and three widths... PLUS three different-sized drawers (1-runner, 2-runner, and 3-runner... and you can mix and match if you'd like). These Cabinet-Sized ones only come in white (my dog, Ruby is making a cameo in this photo)...

And the "Medium-sized" ones (NOT the Narrow!) fit paper perfectly! The *inside* dimensions (most important) are 14x14 (I measured them myself!)... so they'll even accommodate that extra 1/2" (that most patterned papers have these days). These one-runner drawers (shown in the below photo) would be perfect to hold paper! (Though the Narrow-sized drawers have outside dimensions of 12 7/8" x 16 7/8", the inside dimensions are too small to hold 12x12 paper. They will hold 8.5x11 paper, however.)

You could order and build (very easy... literally, takes minutes!) a 10-runner (ten 1-runner drawers) for only $137 with the sale right now! You just need this frame kit in Medium, ten of the Medium 1-runner drawers, and you're set! (Of course the price will be a bit higher if you're having it shipped.)

If you don't want to buy the whole unit, you could just buy a few of the drawers and have them sitting on shelves. You could also get a deeper drawer to house completed layouts before they make it into albums.

However, we *also* have ones that are a bit larger (20 3/4" long - outside measurements), and those come in three heights, four widths (including Wide) and *two* colors: white and platinum. For both the regular and cabinet sized, you have the option to add a melamine top (shown in above photo) and/or wheels! (Also, don't forget back-stop pins if you don't want the drawers to open both directions or in & out stops if don't want to be able to pull the drawer all the way out.)

Elfa is The Container Store's best-selling product. It's VERY sturdy, has an awesome guarantee (great return policy if it doesn't hold up or serve the purpose it should), and is completely customizable! Plus, it's 30-50% off until May 10, 2009! Seriously... what more could you ask for in scrapbook storage?!

2. What Container Store products do you use in your own scrapbooking space? -chameleongryl

Wow, what a question! I think there are too many to name. LOL! Well, in addition to the MDF Paper Sorter, my favorites are...

-A whole slew of these Stockholm boxes in all different sizes (in white; though I'm *really* craving the orange and red right now... and I may have to give my scrap space a color makeover...). Our store also sells them in a deep plum color (which is GORGEOUS), graphite, and a green stripe. :)

-This Natural Desktop File. It's "raw," and I think that's what drew me to it (check out its matching friends on that page). Raw chipboard to most scrapbookers means altering. :) And I'm an altering fiend, so I love this! I spray painted mine with an antique white paint and decorated it with lace and buttons. :) It holds my alphas, and it really is the perfect alpha solution for me. I tried *many* storage options before I settled on this gem:


-This is kinda unconventional (considering these are intended for clothes and towels), but I keep my punches in these adorable small canvas bins. I have three of them (my punches are organized by category: squares, circles, shapes like flowers/hearts/etc). They are *under* my computer desk now because I was so sick of lugging a box of these off a shelf. Ugh. They're much too heavy to keep up high. LOL. LOVE this solution. Adorable? Check! Open? Check! The small one large enough to hold lots of punches? Check! Perfection.

-And last, but certainly not least (save the best for last, right?!) is my elfa shelving. :) I get a HUGE discount on elfa (50-60%... see, a great place to work!), so I went a little crazy. LOVE it though. And what's great about elfa is that I can add shelves as I "grow." Tee hee. Here are some photos of my space. It has changed a *tad* since I took these photos in December (moved the ribbon *under* my desk by my punches, moved the paper sorter to the left where the ribbon cabinet used to be, and placed another shelf where the paper sorter used to be). I'm often changing and rearranging to fit my current creative process. But it's pretty much the same. :)

3. What products are on your list of things to invest in?

From The Container Store? elfa! elfa! ELFA! I think this really is the most important for me. We say, "Happiness is an organized closet." Well, for us scrapbookers? Happiness is an organized scrap space! Am I right?!

(photo from www.containerstore.com)

The wonderful thing about elfa is that it is COMPLETELY customizable. The shelving options are almost unlimited... birch, walnut, bamboo (GORGEOUS in real life!), sycamore, driftwood (very cool and different), white solid (my personal fave), white ventilated, and platinum ventilated. You can create an entire room, just a couple walls, or just a *small* workspace.

Also, elfa can hold A LOT of weight. On average... 70 pounds per square foot. Seriously... the guys at my work HANG on the ventilated shelves! LOL. And if you ever have ANY problems with your elfa (or any products at The Container Store, for that matter), just bring it back... no matter how long it's been. We want you to be completely satisfied! How's that for service?!

And my favorite non-Container Store purchase is the Cropper Hopper Vertical Storage Holder. :) I have TWENTY of them. Not exaggerating. I didn't always buy the value packs though. Most of them, I bought the holder only.

Oh! I just thought of one more thing. Paper/project envelopes! I sort my paper by manufacturer, each manufacturer (or each kit or collection) has its own envelope, and they fit inside the Cropper Hoppers. This way I can keep all papers/scraps, die cuts, alphas (that coordinate) together in one place. Michaels sells a pack of 10 envelopes for $12.99 (these may be a different brand than Generations, and they have snaps instead of ties), and I use my 40%-off coupon (I feel like I'm stealing them at that price...)! I probably have over 50 of them. I've never counted. Now I'm scared to count. LOL.

4. Do you organize by color/theme/manufacturer?

Umm... all three. :) Most embellishments are by color. Metal, wood, journaling cards... are by *type* of embellishment (they all have their own drawers in the embellishment drawer center):
Christmas embellishments are separate (including snowflake punches).

Punches are by theme/shape. Alphabets are all together in that one container, but still in color order (so all whites together, blacks together, etc).

Cardstock is by color, ROY G BIV order. I don't separate Bazzill (the main company I use) from other manufacturers.

Patterned paper is by manufacturer. It used to be by color, but I have this creepy knack for memorizing paper lines (and an addiction to buying complete lines), so now I have them by manufacturer. Scary, really. ;-) If I happen to have *many* lines from one manufacturer (*ahem* Basic Grey *ahem*), then I sort those alphabetically by collection name.

And I have one Cropper Hopper for all Christmas papers. I have about seven different Christmas lines from different manufacturers (okay, several from Basic Grey), and it was WAY too confusing to have those separated the other way. LOVE it this way!

Studio Calico kits (another addiction) are kept separate from all the other paper. I do not sort out embellishments or papers into my stash. I have two Cropper Hoppers for those kits, and each kit has its own envelope to hold everything from that month's kit.

5. Are you a 'visible' or 'not-visible' storage person?

I'm not too keen on visual clutter, so I used to have my pens, adhesives, scissors (your basic staples) in drawers and closed containers, but it drove me bonkers. My staples are the only things that are visible because I use them on every layout. (Adhesives are also in a sterling silver plate. Trimmers are in a basket behind my workspace on another table.)
Everything else is in a non-visible box or container.

BUT... I do have labels on EVERYTHING. I used to not have things labeled, and I'd say, "I know what's in there!" But then it was like... 50 containers without labels. LOL. I realized I was wasting precious time not having them labeled. Even though I "knew" where things were, having a label gives my eye something to "catch," and I grab for it faster... don't second-guess myself. I spent one whole night labeling everything, and it was the best hour or two I spent. I even labeled some open baskets. Label, label, label!

7. Which of the hanging file accommodating plastic storage container options do you think is the best -- covered or uncovered, stacking? (Locally, there are about three versions on sale right now.) I'm thinking memorabilia/large photo storage. -Thanks! Kathleen

Kathleen, that's a toughie. I suppose it's personal preference. Since I'm more of the non-visible type of organizer, I'd probably go for one of the non-plastic Stockholm Desktop Files or Archival Safe Storage Box.

But if you wanted plastic, specifically, I'd go with the Translucent File Tote Box (X-large if you think you need twice the space). It accommodates both letter- and legal-sized folders, which is awesome if you think you may want to keep larger newspaper articles! And you can buy archival-safe file folders for those photos. :)

6. What is the one Container Store product (scrap or non) that you couldn't live without?

You're killin' me! I'd say elfa, but I'd sound like a broken record. LOL. So since that's a given, I'll say...

... the Semikolon Spiral Notebook. :D I'm HUGE into journaling, and I also love sketching layouts. It has three tabbed dividers. 60 pages of lines. 60 pages of grid. 60 pages of blank pages. How perfect is that for a scrapbooker?! Seriously! And totally alterable (I altered one for a friend... added some paper, ribbon, chipboard stickers and alphas... to the bottom 1/3 of the notebook).
And my favorite non-scrappy item? It's kinda silly, but...

... the Cup-A-Cake. :-) It was the VERY first item I ever bought there. It's a little container that holds a cupcake... without messing up the frosting. They don't sell them online, so you'd have to go to the store to get one (or email someone who lives near one... LOL). My camera battery is dead, but once it gets charged, I'll take a photo of it, and post it! Check back! :-)
________________________________

Well, Organizers... that's it. I know... long. Thorough. ;-) If you'd like to see ALL the photos of my space, go here to my December archives. Hope you enjoyed it! Please send me photos of your spaces! I'd LOVE to see! :)

And I'll leave you with this...
My "puppies" (they're almost six years old now), Ruby-Monday and Amber-Lamb love to go shopping with me. Here they are posing in front of Food Storage at The Container Store. Yes, we are a pet-friendly store.

Speaking of Food Storage, it's a great place to find "little" visible containers for your scrappy stuff. One of my favorite sections of the store. Another great department of the store, full of fun containers for everything scrappy, is Collections! Check it out!

Have fun organizing!

Winning.

Would you like to win this?

Look at all of that yummy stuff! Most of it is BRAND NEW from CHA! Well, if you *would* like to win (and I'm thinking you might...), run (don't walk) your little fingers over to Craft Critique to enter to win! Now. Quick! You only have until the night of March 11th, so hurry! Quick!

But keep calm. And carry on.

Confessing.

Dear Grapefruit,

I have a confession...

... sometimes, I forget about you. I pick up some Empire apples (and Honeycrisp... or Fuji if those two are not in season), bananas, kiwi every now and then, white flesh peaches, raspberries, strawberries and even some Clementines. 

I pass you up.

And then one day, out of nowhere, a coworker makes a comment about how Texas has the best Grapefruit in the world. Or I see "Grapefruit Juice" in a restaurant menu. Or you catch my eye in the grocery store. And well, Grapefruit, my heart melts at the mere thought of you.

Your juice, your yummy fruit, the way I revert back to a child-like state when I eat you with my hands instead of being all prim and grabbing my "Grapefruit Spoon."

So I take a bite, and I remember... that you are my very favorite. No fruit tastes better than you. All fruits pale in comparison to you. The bananas go brown. The peaches get wrinkly. The limes become hard as rocks. 

Because you, Grapefruit, are all I want. You're all I need.

I'm so sorry I neglect you sometimes when I know deep down that you are my very favorite. Could you please forgive me? I sure hope so. I just love you way too much to ever hurt your feelings.

Love always,

*reyanna*

p.s. Please, please do not tell Banana.

Motivating.

I haven't been able to scrap since *before* CHA. Sheesh. Sure, I've been a *bit* busy, but it was more like the fact that I couldn't get motivated in light of recent events. Nothing like a deadline for Craft Critique to nip that in the bud! 

So Studio Calico's February kit was all kinds of fun. I decided to make a necklace with Tim Holtz Fragments, and the new SC papers were SO perfect! They have this AWESOME  sheet of paper that has fortune cookie fortunes on one side, so I found a fun one "It is a sunny day" to have on one side of my necklace. How cool is that?

I really love how it turned out. And I was stoked to use SC papers to line the carpet and give my dress-form (from Creative Imaginations) a nice resting place. :D

Then I decided to use one of the adorable bingo pieces (from the K&Company die cut package) to adorn the back of another Fragment...

I need to make more cards. They really are so fun. :-)

And I've been wanting to scrap this photo of myself with my nieces... for... a LONG time. Almost two years... seriously. But I've never had the *right* papers. And then Method Playground totally inspired me to use five patterned papers (from different manufacturers), so I came up with this...

And really... all the credit for the patterned-paper-choosing must go to the wonderfully talented April and Scarlet over at Studio Calico. Seriously... this is *why* I'm a part of a kit club (*that* kit club). I can't scrap exclusively Basic Grey *forever* (though I wouldn't complain *too* much...), and I've never been very good at the whole "coordinating/matching" thing. Seriously, ask my sister. She picked out my clothes until I was 18 years old. :-p (SO not kidding here.)

In other news... I went hiking yesterday. I was supposed to be in a Meetup group, but traffic was SO crazy, and I was too late to catch them. And I was not going to settle for driving 45 minutes and then just go home... so I went hiking by myself. Still very nice and wonderful. Only got lost once, but I quickly found my way... just in time too because it got dark within minutes of making it to my car. Phew. :-p

Oh! And the other day at work, I was putting together a few boxes, and this mother with her two daughters walks toward me. And I overhear her saying, "Look, Girls! This girl gets to *play* at her job! She gets to put together boxes! How fun!" And she was being TOTALLY.SERIOUS. 

And you know what? She was SO right. I *was* having SO much fun. I love un-nesting our plastic boxes. LOL. It actually is so much fun for me. (Uh-huh... I know. I'm silly. Carry on.) I ended up having a conversation with her and telling her how much I'm in love with my job... how at the end of my shift, I just don't want to leave. LOL. I ended up giving her a recruitment card. She would be so fun to work with... she really "gets" it. 

Speaking of The Container Store, I totally need to highlight (here on my blog) my favorite products. And ironically, some of my favorite products seem very silly to me. And I can't imagine who would buy them... or why. But I just love that we carry them. LOL. A container that holds TWENTY FOUR lipsticks?! Seriously?! Ladies! Come on! Fess up. WHO out there has 24 lipsticks?! 

To be continued...

Altering.

I've been meaning to post this for a while, and the fabulous Wendy Smedley reminded me with her post today. (Wendy, could you please remind me to post pics of us too... LOL. Note to self: POST PICS FROM CHA!)

While in San Antonio one week, I decided to check Craigslist for any cool moving/yard/garage sales. I was JUST moving to Austin, and I really wanted to go crazy shabby chic in my house. So I went to CL, and I typed in "shabby chic," and this awesome moving sale came up! This woman had collected TONS of cool stuff, and I made out like a bandit! (Lots of stuff for my scrap space.)

Well, one neat thing I found was this awesome shabby chic white cupboard door ($2 maybe?). The second I saw it, I wanted it. And a few seconds after that, I knew what I wanted to do with it.

It did need a bit of a touch-up. An antique white spray paint did the trick here:


Here is a photo of the back. I didn't do anything to the back because... well, who sees that when it's hanging on the wall?!


Next I went to PhotoShop, and I created a new layer the size of the *inside* measurements of the cupboard door (where the photos would go). I changed them all to black and white and cropped if need be. Then I just placed them inside the layer and moved them all around until they "pretty much" fit. I added more photos if I needed them (of all my family). If they all fit in this space, I knew they'd fit on the cupboard door (even if I decided to change the arrangement later on).


Then I transfered all the photos to two new layers (8.5x11"), so I could print them out onto photo paper. Once they were printed, I cut them all up (I did end up moving some around). Some I needed to cut down, but I just arranged them until they worked. Then I ModPodged the heck out of it (on top and underneath the photos), added some awesome lace from Jo-Ann Fabrics, a silk flower from Michaels (drilled a hole into the cupboard and filled it with super glue), and VOILA!


Sits right next to my computer, right above my printer, so I can see it every day. It's one of my very favorite things in my scrap space, and I love that what I envisioned actually came out. :) SO easy too!

So go on, Kids! Go garage sale-ing and thrift store-ing for old cupboard doors! And you could totally add patterned paper and stuff too. I'll probably do another in the future. I think it would make a great housewarming gift. :)

Concealing.

There are many different types of bloggers. Some blog about their lives. Some do not. Some seem to stick to one theme like scrapbooking or doing handstands in cool or mundane places. Some blog about every good and bad thing that happens. Some blog only their struggles. Some blog only the happy times.

I generally fall into the latter category... with a mention here and there about a hard time. But I like to graze over it like a small thorn in a garden of roses. 

I suppose I don't do it intentionally. I like to focus on the good things... positive, optimistic, happy, lively things. I like to focus on good people and good times. And on occasion, I'll mention that I don't like cheesecake or (despite the fact that pregnant women are lovely) the thought of touching a pregnant woman's belly freaks me out more than anything I can think of off the top of my head. But you know... generally happy thoughts.

And then last night, though I was trying to avoid the topic of a certain recent event, someone mentioned it. I casually grazed over it and changed the subject. But then I received an email... an apology from an internet friend. She felt like she had hurt my feelings by unintentionally touching on the topic. Then she shared, "I didn't see an update on your blog recently... so I guess I am just blind or haven't been reading long enough." 

No, Lovely. You are correct. There is nothing on my blog of the sort. 

And that got me thinking. What is this blog I keep? A journal? A diary? Random thoughts? Journaling that will end up on a scrapbook layout one day? I suppose it's all of those things. But most importantly... to me... it's an escape. It's an escape of the life I really do lead. One where I cry every day, but then realize I've cried too much, so I should do my best to make it through a day without crying. A life where I watch an unending line of Friends episodes and eat fresh fruit, cheese and certain meats for the sole reason that it reminds me of my favorite grandfather.

I bake because it reminds me of my mom. I watch movies I've never seen. I color in my coloring book that has been up on a high shelf collecting dust. I chat on the phone with friends for hours and hours. I try my very best to keep my chin up and to focus on the things that really are wonderful in my life.

I have the best friends and family I could ever, EVER ask for. I am truly blessed with those God has placed in my life. And though I sit alone in my house day after day, I still want a life I love. I still want a life I enjoy... things I enjoy, people I enjoy. I always try to stay so strong. Put on a different face. It's so much better to make the best of things. 

But now I feel like I've come to a point where it's too late. It's too late to share what I'm going through. I'm that person who loves to smile. I'm that person who loves to make the best of things. I'm that person who wants to stay strong no matter what. I can't share... on my blog... that I'm *gasp* ... human!

I know, I know, thousands of people go through this every year. And I hate that it's become that. It's become a "yeah, that happens to lots of people. You'll get through it. You'll be fine." And I'm not fine. I feel like someone has died. I feel like a part of me has died. I've never felt so much pain, sadness, and loneliness ever in all my life. I feel like my whole world... everything I know and love is crashing and falling from underneath me. And I really do try to be strong.

But right now... I feel anything but strong. I am so... not myself. And more than anything, I just want to jump through cyberspace, wrap all my friends in my arms and say, "I love you, Ladies! You mean more to me than you could ever know. And right now, you are getting me through the hardest time I've ever, ever been through." And though I'm alone at home, I know in cyberspace, I'm not alone. So... thank you. :)

And thank you for letting be human today.

Surviving.

Phew. This has been a tough year so far.

When I'm having a tough time, I really love to look at older photos. And that brought me to my handstand photos, and that made me want to post to my Handstand blog. :) And that made me smile. :D

Hopefully, soon I'll post pics from CHA. I got to meet so many great people! That will be coming soon. :)

p.s. The Friends episode, The One with Ross's Wedding is awesome in so many ways. One of those reasons being the fact that Hugh Laurie  (House, MD) is the most, totally, awesome guest star ever. :)

Reminiscing Pagosa Springs.

I was reading a friend's profile page today on Facebook. She belongs to a Facebook group called, "I'm from a small town you've never heard of."

Since we're from the same town, I decided to click on the group to see what it had to say. It shares a "you know you're from a small town if..." list. As I read the list, I couldn't help but giggle at how many of those are, in fact, true to our small town.

When I was 14 (just as I was about to enter high school), my parents moved our family from Anaheim, California (population 300,000) to Pagosa Springs, Colorado (population 5,000). Now, Pagosa Springs has doubled in size (and went from having one stop-light to having... *gasp*... SIX)! It still, of course, has that "small town" feel, and I love that everywhere I go, I run into someone I know.

And back to that list on Facebook... it got me reminiscing, and here are a few things that were true about my town, and I love to giggle about.

1. I can name just about everyone I graduated with (there were 94 in my class).

2. I've been to a party 20 miles down a deserted dirt road.

3. Heck, I *lived* down a deserted dirt road, and it took me 25 minutes to get to school.

4. I don't think there is anywere in town that has a speed limit of over 40. It's mostly 25 mph.

5. I still love to go back and visit my high school to see my former teachers (the ones who haven't retired... I did graduate ten years ago) when I'm in town.

6. I thought people who lived in big cities dressed funny... and I then would wear those "trends" two years after I first saw them.

7. If I was looking for a friend or family member and couldn't get them on the phone (*nobody* I knew had a cell phone), I would actually drive around town looking to find their cars in parking lots of their favorite places. :)

8. EVERYONE in town has a phone number that begins with either "731" or "264." When asking a friend for a phone number, only the last four numbers are given. Which side of Pizza Hut (now some outdoor outfitting store) you lived (east or west) depends on the prefix of the number. I STILL say things like, "Okay, so they live on the EAST side of Pizza Hut... that means their number starts with '264'!" LOL.

9. When we first moved there, there was only one grocery store... City Market. After we lived there a year or two, they built another one on the opposite side of town... still (some 12 or so years later), locals affectionately refer to the stores as "The Old City Market" and "The New City Market" respectively.

*Photo, taken by my dad (I think...), is of Snow Wolf Lodge, the Christian Camp my family lived and worked for all four years I was in high school.

Browsing.

Isn't it funny how you're just browsing blogs, and those blogs lead you to other blogs? And sometimes those bring you to other blogs, and then down the road, you're thinking, "Gosh, how the heck did I happen upon this gem?!" LOL.

Well, I was just reading Caroline's blog (which I adore), and she posted about this adorable little blouse:

The Lunch Date Blouse

So I wanted to share.

And hopefully soon, I'll have some CHA photos and stuff, but right now, I really want to scrap! :)

Shooting.

I cut my hair again. Well, *I* didn't. Laura (my new stylist!) did. You know, after you have a really bad week, cutting all your hair off is a good idea. :) So is buying a case of 48 Snickers bars... *ahem*

So... I'm home alone right now, but the puppies were like, "Mom, let's have a photo shoot!" And I was like, "Whoa, cool! My puppies can talk!" But after that I was like, "Great idea, Pups! Let's!"

Ruby moved her head *just* a tad lower than I had hoped, but you can still see her cute little eyes and ears (I just shaved them). LOL. And Amber looks like she's plotting something. Hmm...

You can pretty much get the gist of my new haircut from this photo. I'll have to have Jeremy take some others. I took a whole bunch, but they don't look good to me. I look tired, and I don't feel like putting make-up on to make myself look un-tired, so this photo will have to do. :D

Also, I had a whole LIST of things to do today, and I did like three of them... all IN the house. So I better get packing because *tomorrow* will be crazy-errand day again. LOL. 

I leave for CHA in less than 40 hours! HOORAY!

Smiling.

First off, I want to wish a VERY Happy Birthday to my sister's baby, Mairen Elizabeth. May (as her family calls her) is FOUR years old today! I can't believe how much time flies. She's so OLD! I'm so glad we got this super-awesome photo of the two of us, just this last November. And seriously, how cute is she?! Does my sister not have the most adorable girls ever? 

Happy Birthday Mary-Beth!! (My sister hates when I call her that. Tee hee.)

So this last week? Seriously worst week of my entire life. It's so bad, I can't even share it with people because that would entail reliving the horror. *sigh*

And... in grand Reyanna fashion (tee hee), this is my post-yucky-week happy post. :)

Things that made me smile today:

1. Talking to my grandfather and being able to say, "See you in three days!" Yay! And also, laughing along with him while he teased my grandmother. :p

2. Getting out of the house without having an anxiety attack (they're not common in my life, but they definitely were this last week). 

3. Getting most of my errands done (oil change and post office will have to wait until tomorrow). 

4. Finding the VERY two books I wanted from the Christian bookstore.

5. Talking to my bosses about last week. (Insert BIG SIGH here.)

5. Hearing my favorite song (Walking in Memphis) on the radio while I waited in line at the *wrong* grocery store (there are too darn many HEBs in my area) to return my expired (read: rancid and very gross) cereal. Yeah, I still smiled. LOL.

6. The grocery guy who promptly took the remainder of expired cereal off the shelves (you know, once I actually *got* to the correct grocery store).

7. Finding six camis (all of mine accidentally were sent to the thrift store...), three tops, and two pairs of socks at Old Navy: all for $38. AND getting to use a gift card on said purchase. :)

8. Jeremy saying to me, "You had a rough week, and you've been really strong. You should go treat yourself." :D

8. A Mexican Vanilla milkshake from Amy's. 

9. Stopping at the new Vietnamese restaurant (on my street!) to get spring rolls and a nice big bowl of Pho Ga. :)

10. Noticing that said Vietnamese restaurant uses my *same* rice cooker. Tee hee.

11. CHA is this coming weekend, and I'm FINALLY going! So excited to see online friends and represent this great website. :)

12. Not wearing a bra today. :D

13. Getting five compliments on my new super-short haircut. :)

Altering.

I know I mention Studio Calico quite a bit. And you may think I'm obsessed with it...

And you would be right. :D

I was taking a nap yesterday, and when I woke up, I checked my email. And I received an email saying that my Studio Calico kit was on my doorstep. 

My breath catches in my chest as I jump up to run to the front door. And my kit? It's already sitting in the hallway...

"WHAT?!?! Jeremy!" I yell.  "My kit came, and you didn't even wake me up?!" 

"Well, you just looked very peaceful, and I wanted to let you sleep."

"Jeremy! You know this is my favorite day of the month!"

We both giggled, and I sat down at the table and dug in to my yummy Studio Calico goodness. (Jeremy is forgiven, by the way.) This month, they premiered *new* exclusive papers, and they are beautiful. I woke up at 7:30 this morning to alter or scrap something with it. :)

Altering is fun. And even more fun with Studio Calico products. 

And I really want a donut.

Besting.

So my friend Cyclops (yes, she really does have one "i" ;) ) made this list of ten things she loves. And that was my intent for my New Year's Day post... a "Best Of." :) But I got side-tracked and found another cool idea on Scarlet's blog, so I went with that. Anywho, when Staci told me she did a Top Ten list on her blog, I thought this would be a good time to do mine too. :)

So here's Reyanna's Favorite Things. Or a "Best Of" (you know, best of stuff that's out there, but this is really the best because I say so) list. :) Stuff I can't live without. Things I've *tried* to live without. But it just... wasn't pretty. (Oh, and also... most of this stuff, I refuse to pay full price for. :p )

1. Eco-Lips Mint Lip Balm (and now that I see they make Coconut, I want that too!)

2. Dark chocolate. I'm really not *that* picky. :p But if I had my choice (and you know, hundreds of dollars to spend on chocolate), it would come from here. But I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on chocolate (hubby was less than thrilled when I spent $40 in there while we were in New York), so I usually buy this. 

3. Schokinag Extreme Dark European drinking chocolate

4. Colgate 360 Toothbrush. Soft. Compact.

5. Apple (iPod Touch and iMac to be exact...)

6. Nalgene water bottles 

7. Studio Calico

8. Martin and Osa

9. The Container Store (... more of an obsession, really. What kind of crazy fool is disappointed when her work-shift ends?!)

10. Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream

11. Basic Grey patterned paper

12. Canon PowerShot SD1100

13. Vera Bradley (Mod Floral Blue, Kensington, and Night Owl)

14. Re-usable shopping bags. These. And these. The one from TCS is small enough to fit in your purse or clip to your wallet, so you'll *never* leave it in the car! :)

15. Friends

16. Wacoal bras. 

17. Bath and Body Works Moisturizing Soap in Sensual Amber 

18. Clorox wipes

19. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

20. Dove Supreme Cream Oil Ultra Rich Velvet Body Wash

21. Merrell shoes (I can't wear anything else...)

22. Prescriptives Mascara

23. Mickey Mouse and Minnie too. Okay, anything Disney... and this website.

24. The Company Store flannel pillowcases (I wait till they're on clearance for 75% off... tee hee).

25. Simple Scrapbooks. Their magazine. Their books. Their special issues. Their staff. Their creative team. Just how great is SS?! Fabulous! :)

Okay, so... that was supposed to be only ten things, but I get carried away when naming products that I love. And I can still think of five more, but I'll save those for another day's list. :)

Wishing.

I can't believe it. Alaura Dawn (right) and Brenna Rey (left) are SEVEN years old today. SEVEN! I knew they'd be beautiful... before they were born, I knew. But I could never imagine how gorgeous they would be. Or sweet. (Or sassy.) Or fun. Or how much I'd ache whenever I leave them (and their sister...). It truly hurts me to not be with them on their birthday. 

But you know, it's okay... I got to see them about every other weekend for three years. I really took advantage of living near them. And I feel blessed to have those memories... even if that time is over. :)

Now there are just photos. And phone calls. And video cam if we ever send them their new computer. ;) Though... I'm not complaining about the photos. Do I not have the most beautiful nieces ever?! I could just stare at those faces all day!

Remembering 2008.

Dear 2008,

There are some things I want to remember about you. :) There are also things I want to forget (like... the first ten months ;) ). Here are some highlights... okay, and lowlights...

Favorite Photo:

Alaura, Brenna and Mairen at gymnastics. I tried all EIGHT days I was there to get a photo of the three of them... together... where they're all smiling, and nobody is making a goofy face or giving someone bunny ears. This is it. This is the one. :) Makes me happy for so many reasons. One of which being that they've all three found a passion for gymnastics that just makes me giddy. :)

Best day: 

It's a tie. Between June 23rd (the day I found out I'd be published in Simple Scrapbooks), November 20th (my first day on the sales floor at Sharkiver's *wink*), and December 30th (my first day in Sales [as opposed to Visual Sales] at The Container Store).

Best movies:

*I realized when looking through the 250+ movies that came out in 2008 that there were A LOT I didn't get to see. And I'm thinking, had I seen them, they'd have made this list. I suppose a resolution for 2009 should be to get back Netflix! ;)*

Iron Man - Welcome back, Robert Downey Jr! I guess rehab was what you needed! You were hilarious in this. :)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - I SO wanted to see this twice! But I saw it the last week it was out, and the following week when I wanted to see it again, it was too late. *sigh* I will be buying this. :)

Best Scrapbooking Decision:

Becoming a subscriber to Studio Calico. What in the HECK took me so long! Sheesh! :p

Favorite Gifts:

Well, it was the year of the fruit. ;) I received my iPod Touch in March, my iMac for St. Nicholas' Day (December 6th), and my Apple tote bag (like a purse...) yesterday from my friend Amy. How do you like them Apples?! ;)

Favorite foods:

I think I ate more peanut butter sandwiches and burritos in 2008 than all years put together. Yum. :) (I'm not sick of them either!)

Favorite drinks:

Friends of mine know I HATE hot chocolate. HATE IT! Makes me want to hurl. Oh, I'm sorry... makes me want to... be sick. :) But I MISSED liking it. I drank it every single day while in junior high (12/13 yrs old). But then when you see it in reverse, notsomuch. :p Then I found Schokinag. *sigh* Extreme Dark drinking chocolate... not your Mama's Swiss Miss, Kids. Doesn't make me want to pray to the porcelain god, has the words "dark chocolate" in it, and is absolutely perfect. So yeah, that stuff... my favorite. :) 

That and the new Crystal Light Hydration in lemon flavor. Electrolytes with no sugar... yeah, baby!

Toughest Decision (EVER):

Deciding to take my husband back (and forgiving him...) after he left me. *sigh* He didn't cheat on me, so I guess that made it a *bit* easier. But seriously... I spent months debating if I had the strength to take him back... let alone forgive him for putting me through that for the first ten months of the year. But... I'm SO glad I did. And I'm also so blessed and so thankful that God gave me the strength and patience to do so. I'm SO happy now. Happier than I've been since before we were married, and boy, does that feel GREAT! :D

Epiphany:

I want kids... bad. :) One boy and one girl. We want to adopt, and I'm pretty sure we already have their names picked out. Tee hee.

Coolest Discovery:

Figuring out that I LOVE being in Sales. Love it. LOVE it. LOVE IT! I'm so in my element. So at home. So passionate. So happy.

Best week:

Visiting my sister and her family in Boise, Idaho (Oct 30-Nov 6). Impromptu trips are the best ones. :) When I found out my parents would be at my sister's house for Halloween and her birthday, I booked my flight just ten days out. It.Was.Fabulous. Best week of the year, bar none. Hadn't seen Shaina and her girls (and Tony...) in almost 14 months. Way too long. 

Mairen tripled her cute factor. Three really is the best age. :) And the fact that she can spell and read over TEN words, a few months shy of age 4... floored me. 

Alaura impressed me to no end with her leadership skills and maturity. She is growing into such a beautiful young lady... leaving some of that sassiness behind and heading into Age 7 with gusto! 

And Brenna's (Alaura's twin sister) passion for gymnastics and school... along with her problem solving, kind heart and gentle spirit made me believe she was much older than 6.75 years. :)

Best Shopping Finds:

Okay, two. I'm not a big shopper. Actually, unless I'm shopping at The Container Store or Archiver's, I HATE shopping. Just had to share that. :p

Anywho, long story short... Last year, I was looking for the perfect bag. Smoky blue, fits my wallet and a water bottle, leather, shoulder strap, clean and simple, no decorations. Easy enough? Notsomuch. Finally found it. Dooney. It was $165... on clearance! Debated. Finished my shopping. Went home. Asked the husband. He said yes. Called the store to put it on hold. They had sold it in those two hours. *sigh*

Kept looking for like... a year. Found it on ebay. The larger version (YES!) for less than a THIRD of the retail price. And about half the price of the smaller version from the previous year. I don't make large purchases like this... especially for purses, but I knew it would last forever, and I'd get my money's worth. I was right. :)

The second one. My red Mary-Janes. I did a layout about them. Seriously, that's how happy I was to find them. LOL. 

Something I Did a Lot of:

Crying. And getting sick. I hate to say it, but it's true. Next year WILL be better. Even if my health isn't better, the crying thing will be. Because this year, my husband says he won't be leaving me. And I believe him. :)

Oh! Something else I did a lot of! Watching Friends! Seriously... I'm not sure I could have made it through you, 2008, without Chandler, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel. I think I've seen every episode *at least* four times each now. LOL.

Something I Thought I Didn't Need, but Do:

A sofa. LOL. We didn't have a sofa for like... three years. We bought one the other day because we couldn't stand it another second. And getting it for nearly half off... bonus!

Something I Thought I Didn't Need, and It's Still True:

A television. :) We've been television-less for... four years now, and I'm still happy about this. :) Every year, it's more apparent.

Person I Became Close With (and didn't expect to...):

Grandpa Pendzimas. Who knew he'd become one of my very favorite people in the world?! Talking to him is truly one of my favorite things. I always smile, laugh, scoff, smirk and reminisce when we talk. And I love that our 5-10 minute conversations have turned into an hour. :)

Best Move:

Literally... moving. LOL. Growing up in California and Colorado, moving to Texas is just something you don't do. ;) But after spending winters in Colorado, Minnesota and Rhode Island, I knew I needed a warmer climate (well, rather... my *hips* needed a warmer climate). Jeremy suggested Texas. And I heard from quite a few friends that Austin was unlike the rest of Texas. I moved here... sight unseen. No job. No place to live. Husband still in Rhode Island (and deciding...). Not having ever seen *photos* of Austin. And I never want to move away from here.

My walking cane is currently retired, now that I live here, and that feels great! I haven't *not* walked with a cane during a winter since I was 17. Ten years. And though I may have to walk with one in the future, I'm reveling in the fact that I don't have to now. :)

Downfall:

Trying to please everyone. *sigh* I SO need to work on that. (Reyanna, repeat these words: "It's okay to focus on you. It's okay to focus on you. It's okay to focus on you.") 

Something I Never Thought I'd Do:

Take up golfing. And I actually enjoy it. LOL.

So, farewell, 2008. I'm glad to see you go. :)

*reyanna*

Dear 2009,

Please be better than 2008. :) I promise I won't take on too much. And I promise not to try to please everybody.

Love, 

*reyanna*