Thursday, January 28, 2010

Have a Picnik!


I got a new camera for Christmas.  My wonderful in-laws replaced (with an upgrade, thank you!) my Nikon D40 that got ravaged in the midst of Christmas Mayhem 2008.  I'm having a lot of fun with the new one.

However...I will tell you that my sister Megan recently introduced me to picnik.com.  A cheater photo editing site for those who are photoshopphobic, like me.  It is EXTREMELY user-friendly and for about $24/year, you get pictures that make you look like you really know what you're doing!  Check it out!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Believe It, Be It



I just finished reading this book written by the first female winner of the Biggest Loser, Ali Vincent.  All in all, it was a good  read.  She tends to repeat herself a lot, but I really enjoyed what she had to say about her life's transformations and how everyone is capable of the same.  She tells her story from "the beginning," how she started as a Mormon girl (a surprise to me) who didn't quite fit the mold (with a permiscuous, single mother), to a self-conscious teenager and unhappy young adult.  I liked her account of how she and her mother ended up on the show, and what happens behind the scenes at the Biggest Loser ranch.  If you are a fan of the show, it is worth the read if you are looking for more of what really goes on there.  The title of the book, "Believe It, Be It", is a saying she would repeat to herself every morning on the ranch as she rung a little bell given to her by a friend.  I thought it was catchy.  I also learned that she is a lesbian...also a surprise.  She seems to be a very warm, upbeat person with a lot of love for others. 

So, if you're looking for a little motivation to change your life, pick it up.  Next on the docket...The Time Traveler's Wife.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

5 Pounds Down...

...** to go! I have definitely started my journey, and since I am rewarding myself in five pound increments, have gifted myself the following as of today:


a luscious little number I found at Costco that called my name from the warehouse door, since I fell in love with these movies when they first aired a couple of years ago. If you have not seen them, you MUST.
I'm still thinking about what I should gift myself for the big 1-0. Any ideas?

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A Hazy Shade of Winter

Ah, January. I hold such conflicted feelings for you. On the one hand, I'm so happy to be done with the excess of the holidays and back into a normal schedule, but on the other it does tend to leave such a drab feeling to the month when all of the warmth of Christmas is gone and the weather is gloomy. Since the sun sets at 4:30 in the winters of the Pacific Northwest, I like to leave my white twinkle lights up for the month of January (and sometimes even into February). They somehow make my home feel warmer.

I was also on the lookout this year for some "winter" type decor that was not necessarily Christmas. I have traditionally decorated with snowmen in January and kept to blues, so I found and am surrounding myself with the following in keeping with that theme:


My mom brought these to me last month, knowing that I love my blue January decor. My aunt made them out of wood blocks, scrapbook paper & vinyl (and a few other elements). They have been a cheery little addition to the mantel after the Christmas decor made an exit and left it looking naked!

I also got these blue & silver ornaments on clearance at Target and snuck a few up on my mantel as well, next to...


my candlesticks now topped with clearanced-out glitter pinecones scored at Craft Warehouse.

I got this lantern over the summer with a Pottery Barn gift card and while it graced the patio then, I decided to give it a home indoors next to the fireplace for winter. I've filled it with more of the same ornaments & glittered pinecones.


My three frames above the kitchen cabinets have also had a makeover from the Christmas red & green to blue & white! I'm so grateful for cute, seasonal scrapbook paper. You can't tell from the picture, but the white one has raised, white velvet dots all over it that remind me of snowballs. Which is nice, since we have not seen much snow this year!