Extreme Makeover: Desk Edition

Here I am, organizing my desk. A task that should have been done when Luke and I first moved in. Alas, I put things on shelves and called it good. Since I'd actually like to use the desk, I figured it's time to get things together. 


Perhaps I should explain how I organize. First, I sit around all day and eat all my leftover Christmas treats. Then, I browse through Pinterest, looking for "inspiration".  When the guilt gets to be too much, I get up and decide to actually do some organizing. 


So I turned on the Russian State Symphony Orchestra. They have amazing versions The Beatle's hit songs (which was like, all of them. Which means that I have like, 53 songs). 


Then I look at all the pictures I gathered online, so I can perhaps shape my stuff into some kind of order. Here's what I'm kind of going for: 












I don't mind if my space has lots of things. I just want the little things put a way and a designated shelf space for everything. Because right now, it looks like this: 




And I promise I'll post pictures once it's  done. 



Brace Yourselves

I tried to bake today. Usually when I bake, it turns out to be delicious. In fact, every time I bake, it turns out delicious. I've kept husband and I healthy and fed. I have a pretty clean track record when it comes to making delicious things. Until tonight. 


I found a recipe to make carmel apple cookies. The picture made them look so soft and delicious, and I had everything on hand. Well, almost everything. I'm out of cooking oil, so I substituted apple sauce. Unfortunately, this is where things took a turn for the worst. Instead of being cookie dough, it was more like angry cake batter. I added some flour in hopes that they would sort themselves out, rolled them up, and stuck them in the oven .


When I took them out, my fears were confirmed. Instead of delicious caramel cookies, I had little spice rocks.  


At least Luke likes them. 

Book: The Devil Wears Prada

Technically, this one isn't from my reading list (which you can take a look at by clicking on the "Summer Reading List" link on the right), but I've seen the movie, and I wanted a quick fun read. Well, if you count nearly 400 pages as quick. 

The writing style was fantastic. I was drawn in right away. The main character, Andrea (known as Andy), gets a job working for the editor of the world's best fashion magazine. As it turns out, her boss is....unpleasant. Demanding might be a better word. So the story starts out with Andy running her errands and failing miserably. In fact, most of the story is about Andy failing miserably. Not because she's incompetent, but because she works for a demanding woman in a demanding industry that she does not like, nor does she care for it. After months of enduring, Andy up and quits during a fashion show. The book ends with her making amends with her family (whom she has ignored since starting her job), her best friend/roommate (whom she has ignored since starting her job), and breaking up with her boyfriend (whom she has ignored....you get it). 

I found the ending to be rather refreshing. The story finishes without Andy in her dream job. She is also spending time with her family, and repairing her relationship with her best friend. What she is not doing, is getting back together with her boyfriend.  

Final verdict: Fun read, even though it was a lot of pages. But I didn't like it enough to recommend it to anyone. 

Finals

I'm not even that busy, but I find myself procrastinating everything. Heck, I'm procrastinating the procrastinating. Ahhhhh, my life. 


At least I'm never bored. 

What I'm Doing, Sort Of

I should be working on my script. After all, I'm supposed to read today (don't most of my posts start with this lately?). But I'm currently more interested in reading about modern-day examples of feminism and sexism. And it's fascinating. And in some ways easier than trying to write 6 pages of a script (and in some ways a lot harder).  I have a lot more to say about this, but I really need to get writing. So stay tuned for that.

I feel like I promised you all a certain post a while back. Don't worry, I'll get that out, too.

Christmas Wish List

Here's a few things I hope to find on Christmas morning. 






Found at Barnes and Nobel 


Found at Barnes and Nobel 



Found at Barnes and Nobel as well as amazon.com 



CD found at amazon.com




Available on amazon.com 




BYU Sweatpants from BYU Bookstore




Found on amazon.com 


Happy Holiday

Here's an embarrassing thing. All day I've been thinking it's Saturday. Since this week has been a holiday, nothing has felt quite "right".  So today has been Saturday in my mind. I've been mourning the end of my vacation. But NO. I have four more glorious days. And now that I'm at the in-laws house, I've got nothing to do but relax. And do laundry. And help prepare Thanksgiving dinner. And do some sewing projects. And relax.

Happy Thoughts

Since gaining my freedom, I haven't been up to a whole lot. I started and finished a book (which will get it's own post). I cleaned my house. I caught up on my shows.I made a cheesecake.

And now? I'm eating said cheesecake, watching Gilmore Girls reruns, and curled up in my favourite fluffy blanket.  Life is good.

Free at Last! Free at Last!

I'm all done with classes until after the Thanksgiving break. It's true. And yes, I am one lucky person. Due to the fact that I'm only enrolled in two classes, one of them is a night class, and the other is only twice a week (and got cancelled for next Monday), I have nothing to do for the next week and a half. 


Okay. That's not true. I have papers to grade, scores to enter, a house to clean, books to read, deliciousness to bake, projects to finish, movies to watch, scripts to write, presents to buy, internets to puddle around, books to read and cross of my list, blog posts to write (hint: I've got some good stuff coming), and naps to take. 



Because I Love You

I have decided to share this bit of awesomeness with you. This always makes me feel a little bit better. Also, it is hilarious. 



Things That Have Made Me Happy Today

- having nearly all day to myself to get done what I will (even if I didn't do anything)
- discovering the joy of warm pumpkin spice egg nog
- coming back to Pinterest after a bit of hiatus 
- watching Gilmore Girls online
- wearing my superhero boots 
- having an apartment that doesn't run out of hot water 

This Again

Why is it that when it comes time to write, I just can't make myself do it? I stutter and procrastinate.  It's almost like I'm trying to sabotage myself. 


I really do like to write. I like to tell stories and get to know my characters and experience the emotions that they feel. 


So why can't I motivate myself?

And Again

I keep changing my blog layout. Nothing speaks to me. Nothing feels right. I'm kind of liking this one, though. I like notebooks, and hey! This one looks like a notebook. Except I can't figure out how to change the title font, or get rid of those orange tabs on the side. 


Despite it's faults, I'll hang on to it for a while. It took me a lot longer to get this one set up than the others. 

Dumb Thing of the Day

So a little more than a month ago, I got a new computer. Tonight I finally decided to start moving files over from my old laptop to this one. Never have I made a grosser error. Turns out that the moving of files is 12 times worse than moving to a new house. Especially when one computer ran with Windows XP and one runs with Mac OX Lion. 


Everything is formatted wrong, and my old system of organization isn't working so well with my new one. I suppose that can be expected after working with one computer for 5 years. But still. 


And it doesn't help that I started at 11:30pm. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really trying to kill myself. 







Goals, etc.

So here's a thing. Why is it that whenever people set a goal to get so much of something, that goal is always one million? It doesn't seem to matter what it is. Fundraising for the Girl Scouts. "Likes" on Facebook. Views on Youtube. Secrets shared on PostSecret. 


Having goals is good and all. But why does the goal have to be so ridiculous and over the top? 

Script Status

So my script is coming along. I've got almost 5 brand new pages of material, which is pretty awesome. Did I mention that historical fiction is hard? Getting events and places right is hard enough, then you have to have a character who fits in that time, dresses for that time, and speaks for that time. THEN you have to have them do interesting things.  


At least it's sounding good. 

Gloomy Tuesday

It rained today. So I wore my boots. Good idea, no? 


FALSE. Terrible idea. 


They got soaked. And my socks got soaked. And since they're boots, they're hard to take on and off as it is. Now that they're wet, once they come off, there is no possible way to ever get them back on. At least until they dry.  Which I imagine taking around 6 hours or so.  Now I get to walk around with wet feet. And every time I go outside, they will only get wetter. And we still aren't due home for another.....6 hours. 


I'm also supposed to be working on my script, since I'm reading in class tomorrow. I need to have around 10 pages of new material. I have.....zero pages. So far all my work has been spent on writing and revising the first 15 pages. Suck. Historical fiction is terribly hard to write. 


Because of the writing and because of the rain, I am in a rather terrible mood today. I would go and get some lunch, but that means leaving the dodgy-but-dry computer engineering building I'm in, and going out in the rain. My feet will get wet. 


Today is a gloomy day, indeed. 





Inbox

From time to time I get interesting emails. Today was no exception. 

The subject line read "You May Be in Contact With a Known Criminal!". Thinking I may be in some kind of danger, I opened it (being careful not to click on any attachments, of course). 

Turns out it was an offer for some web service that does background checks, rather than a list of names (which I was expecting).  Strangely enough, I feel disappointed. 

A New Look

So I decided something. I needed a new look for my blog. The other one, the one with London on it, was really great. But I started feeling like it was too much white space. It was too blank. Now I've got this one. I'm hoping that by changing the look, it'll spark more creativity, and I'll be more inclined to write here. And they will be more uplifting than my last few posts.

Weigh in, friends. How's it look?

I Have the BEST Husband

No really. I do. I don't mean to be all sappy or anything, but he's really great. For instance,  yesterday I was sick, so he made me orange juice AND he made me a delicious grilled cheese-with-tomato sandwich. And then we had brownies (that he made from scratch). He even gave me a back rub. 


See? The best.  

If Only...

If I had all the time in the world, I would sit down, and make a long list of all the recipes and projects that I found on Pinterest. Then, I would take one mega-trip to the craft store (possible several). Then one looooong trip to the grocery store. Then I would come home and put all my things away. Once that was done, I would start with Item One, gather my supplies, then sit at my desk, turn on The Office, and work and create and be artsy.

She's a Rebel/She's a Saint

I'm drinking Dr. Pepper (non-caffeine free) in the library. Shhhh. It's a secret.  And procrastinating my midterm. 


I'd appreciate it if you'd keep both of these on the down-low.  

I'm So Crafty

I made something today. Go me! I "upcycled" (a popular phrase among the crafting community lately) a sweater into....a sweater. I took an Old Navy sweater, bright blue,  and made it into a cover for my Mac. It only took me 893,756,204 hours to do it, too. Okay, not really. But it did take 7 episodes of The Office. But now it's done, it has sparkly buttons, and it fits pretty good. And I didn't even stab my fingers. 

Leftover Thoughts

Snippits from my week:

The perfect day includes cuddling with a puppy while watching The Office re-runs (especially Beach Day and the one with the bat). It also includes cookies and cream milkshakes, cupcakes that are half cake-half frosting, Dr. Pepper, and a fluffy blanket. And possibly a project to tackle.

It's too early for winter. Also, I'll need more winter clothes if it is.

Studio apartments are not as glamorous as I thought they were. At least, studios in Orem.

The Hippest of the Hip

Well, here I am. A full fledged hipster. It's true. It all began when Luke bought me the computer I've been longing for. I now have a MacBook Pro.  It is sleek and shiny. It runs so smooth. It is a lot less clunky to carry around. It works so much better for me. I love having many things open, without sacrificing speed. It also doesn't take decades to open a program. And with the fantastic internet at our house, it's like pure magic. Netflix really does stream instantly; whole pages load in micro-seconds (nano-seconds? Regular seconds? It's fast).


Also, I now have a men's shirt. I'm fairly certain that wearing men's clothing makes me a hipster, especially when it's plaid and I wear it with skinny jeans. And converse. Now I just need some glasses.


Today I'm wearing a hoodie. With the hood on my head and bangs in my face. No one has to know I'm listening to pop music on my iPod. And by pop I mean Ke$ha. 

The One where Ash Redacts

Yesterday I posted a snarky comment. Well, maybe a few. As it turns out, the phrase "icing sugar" is a Canadian-ism for powdered sugar, or confectioners sugar. After talking with several friends, my husband, and my sister-in-law, it turns out that I'm the ridiculous one.


My apologies.


P.S. I don't redact my comments on the other comments. I still think those are silly.

The One Where Ash Gets Snarky

Now, those of you who know me in real life, know that I can be a patient person (most of the time). But I need to get one thing straight. 


If you ask super dumb questions, I will mock you silently. And then bring it up with someone who will appreciate the hilarity of your dumbness. 


This goes triple on the internets. 


Allow me to explain. I was puddling around the internets just now, and found a recipe for frosting. I love cupcakes, and I love finding ways to make them more delicious. So I read the recipe. It's pretty much how I make my frosting now, only made with cream instead of milk (poor college girl can't afford any cream). So I read through it, then moved on to the comments, because for some reason, I do that sometimes. 


And there were so many dumb questions. Like, "what is icing sugar?" and "how much is a cup of butter?" and "is this frosting for a cake?". Really. For reals, homeboy, there are people out there who doing know that icing sugar is for making......icing. Which is known as frosting. Or that a cup of butter is.....a cup of butter. If you don't know, use the Google. If you have to ask about frosting for a cake, you should probably step away from the KitchenAid now. 


I'm not sure if I'm more amused, or afraid of how society is progressing. 

Today I...

  • woke up late 
  • went to church 
  • made pancakes 
  • did some of the dishes 
  • played way too long on Pinterest 
  • cleaned up our new wardrobe 
  • put stuff in the wardrobe 
  • hung some pictures 
Now I need to make a to-do list for tomorrow 

Odds and Ends

A whole month of marriage. Done and gone. And we still like each other. So I take it that's a pretty good thing. I've managed to keep us fed, prevent the house from looking like a tornado hit it (most days, anyway), and I'm still keeping up in school. 


For some reason, it never fails. I have so many things to write about here, or somewhere at least, and the next thing I know, my mind is a blank canvas. 


I should get back to writing a treatment. But I'm hungry. And the internets are so fun.  And for some reason, the story isn't as exciting to me as it used to be. But I don't want to start over completely from scratch. So there we are. 


I have a fun announcement for later. But not now, because it deserves it's own post. And no. I'm not preggers. If you thought that before reading the rest of the paragraph, you owe me a cupcake. For reals. 


Facebook changed AGAIN. I'd complain, but I think by now we're all used to the fact that it keeps going through inane changes, and we have to spend more time there in order to figure it out. Although it does have me considering deleting it. I was going to do that once I'd graduated, and I thought about doing it after I got married. But I think for reals I'll do it right before the kids start coming. I mean, I'm not thrilled about putting pictures of my offspring online, especially on the creeper-site. And I don't want a bunch of people I only kind-of know looking at them and commenting. And I'm really not getting them a Facebook. I read somewhere that 1 out of 16 kinds under 5 (or something) have a Facebook account. That's ridiculous. 


I wish there was a place to get cupcakes on campus. 

Strange Things

Since the start of the semester, weird things have started happening to me.

I rode on a ferris wheel. On campus. 
I got a phone call from the press. Apparantly they want to interview me for a story. About a race that I'm not running. 
I got proposed to by a freshman. And they filmed it. 
I got a job offer. It was even related to my field of study!
There is the most energized fruit fly in my field of vision right now. 

So that's only five....but in my life, that's plenty strange. 

Busy Busy

There's a lot on my to-do list. With two jobs, and two classes, a feature length script to write, a house to maintain, an email inbox to empty, and the internet to browse, all my time is accounted for.

This is Real Life

What they say is true.  Once you get married, you suddenly have to deal with more grown up issues. Like financial issues, paperwork, death, and a myriad of smaller, but no less trivial, situations.  I have the feeling that once I'm done with school and I'm completely out in the real world, there's only going to be more of this "real life" to face.

Autumn and Lists

I suppose with Labour Day nearly over, that means that fall is upon us. I am struggling to say goodbye to summer, so in an effort to get excited about the changing of the seasons, here is a list of happy autumn things:


1. I can start to wear all my sweaters again.
2. I can wear my scarves, too.
3. Apple cider
4. Tights and leg warmers.
5. Boots. I finally bought a pair of boots and I'm very excited to wear them.
6. Anything knitted.
7. Fluffly blankets
8. The return of all my favourite TV shows.


And now, here's a list of all the things I've been loving lately:


1. Owls. I know they're in vogue right now, but they are so adorable.
2. Elephants.
3. Penguins. Okay, so I've always loved them.
4. 1940s anything. It's my new favourite decade. I also still love the 60's, don't worry.
5. Lists. I've always loved those too.
6. Finding recipes. I'm addicted.




Also, I love the husband. Furthermore, I'm not calling him "hubby". Blech. Nor "hubs".

Happy September

We finally have internet in our place! Well, we've had it for a while, but it's not the best internet ever. But it's been working so far today. Which is good. Other than that, no updates here.  I have no Friday classes, so I have the house to myself. That means I get to unpack things and try and get organized.

Oh, internet cut out. Oh, now it's back.

This makes watching anything online nigh impossible.

Also....

I'm happy. Really really happy.

Post-Wedding

So apparently I'm one of THOSE girls now. Who gets married and abandons her blog. In my defense, other than getting married (which I'm not quite ready to post about because it's going to either be two lines, or two pages long), I haven't been up to much.  Nor has anything really exciting happened to me.


Oh, here's some stuff. I made dinner now. Like, real dinner. Well, in my slow cooker. But I make it and we come home and we eat it. And we're not dead yet, so I must be doing something right.


I have some other news, but because I'm foreign, it's taking longer to work out the official-ness of it all. So I'm going to hold off on sharing those things until they are solidified. Because it makes me feel better that way.


Also, watch The Big Bang Theory. It's ridiculous.

The Move, Part I

As much as I love Luke, and as I'm so excited for our place that can't be mandated by BYU, I really hate moving. I'm not very good at packing. And leaving always makes me sad. 


I started already. My walls are looking barer. My shelves are halfway emptied. I really liked this room. It was small, and usually too full of my things. But it's been nice. I'll be sad to see it go.


Is it weird that I wish I'd taken more pictures of it before I started taking it apart?

18 Kids and Counting

I don't have 18 kids. But it's another number for the countdown! 

Which, by the way, totally ends this month...


Maybe panicking a little. I mean, forever is a long time to be with someone. 


Here's what we did today: 
9am - went over to our apartment. He mowed the lawn while I cleaned some of the kitchen cupboards. 
10am - breakfast at my apartment, and a mid-morning nap. 
1pm- he takes a test, I clock in to work. 

The Wedding Shower, Part II

While I was at home, my mom and sister threw me a wedding shower. It was so lovely. We had Texas sheet cake and pink ginger ale, which always makes me feel fancy. Ladies from our ward came, and we had a nice visit. We put together a little questionairre, which garnered some fun stories from everyone's wedding. It was just so nice. 


And of course there were presents. I wasn't expecting much, but everyone was so generous.  I felt very special and very spoiled. 

Catch-22

Directed my Mike Nichols. A 1970s war movie. But it continues on with the count down. 


Moving on, today we have cleaning checks. I canNOT wait until I don't have them any more. That's just one more bonus to moving in to where we're moving in to. 


AND, this is my last free weekend as a single girl. Next weekend we're up at his parents' house. Then it's the reception in Canada, then the actual wedding. Then the next weekend we're getting ready for school.  Sweet Mercy. 

Why Is It...

...that when a person sets out to emulate a prominent author, pilgrameges to homesteads, bookshops, vacation homes, and possible sites of the writing process are encouraged and expected. But when a person sets out to emulate a character from one of these authors, they are seen as being ridiculous, silly, and wasting their time? 


Is it just because authors are real people, whereas characters are fictional? 


Sometimes I would like to behave as certain fictional characters. Just saying. 

Bond 23

Continuing on with my very recent trend of counting down to my wedding using popular movie titles...
This one comes from the as-yet untitled James Bond film, due 2012, starring Daniel Craig. Hey, it was the first film that came up in my search for films starting with 23. So there. 


Also continuing with trends, let's do a little final countdown, shall we? 


9 days until my next shower (hosted by Luke's aunts)/trip to Bear Lake
13 days until Luke is done with the semester 
14 days until we can move in to our first apartment together
15 days until we leave for Canada 
16 days until our reception #1 
17 days until my 23rd birthday (yay!) 
19 days until I go to the temple
19 days until we head back to Idaho
21 days until family comes down to join us
22 days of singleness
23 days until the wedding (as previously mentioned) 
32 days until I begin my last semester of college ever! 

28 Days Later

...I will be a married woman. 


Not to count down or anything. 


Also, I'm in a hotel in Pocatello. A trip back to Provo has taken an interesting turn while driving with family. No cause for concern, just needed a break from driving. 

Night Owl

So, despite getting up at 5am today, and being extremely busy all day, I can't go to bed yet. I did have a nap, but it wasn't enough to throw off my sleeping pattern. I just can't bring myself to go to bed before midnight. And since I was doing important things until about 10 minutes, ago, staying up made sense.


Now I'm too tired to get up and go to bed.

The Dress

Last Friday, my mom and I went dress shopping in Logan. I hadn't had any luck in Provo, so I was a bit skeptical that I would find anything. We went to one shop on Main Street. It used to be a hotel, then was converted into a dress shop. It was such a charming building. And the sales girl was super helpful. She understood my style and brought me some great dresses to try on. 


And then, there it was. The Dress. Of course, I tried on a few others, just to be sure. But that was it. 


Wanna see? I'm not showing myself in the dress, because some people are superstitious about things like that. But it looks pretty good on the model, too. 







The Wedding Shower, Part I

Last Thursday, Luke's mom hosted a wedding shower for me. A bridal shower? I can never remember what's appropriate. It was so lovely. We set up the quilt she's making for us and we worked on that for a while. It was a "favourite recipe" theme, so everyone brought their favourite recipe (of course), and some of the ingredients to make it. I now have many brownie recipes, and some delicious dinner ideas. I'm super excited to try them out. 

Housing, Act I

Applying for housing makes me nervous. Have I ever shared that with you? It's first come, first serve, and I never get there first. I get so nervous that I'll click on the wrong one. Or that someone will beat me to it. Which is probably what will happen. Today there's only one new listing, and either no one will want it, so I'll get it (yay!), or everyone is going to pounce on it. I'd like to think that I'll be the one to pounce first. I'd say something to the negative, but I don't want to jinx myself. 


UPDATE: I tried, and failed. The page reloaded very slowly, and the flat I wanted wasn't available. The anxiety really got to me, and now I'm all adrenaline'd. It really is the WORST way to deal with housing. I feel all jittery now, as if I'd had an espresso. 


And some pictures, because I can. 


Where we're trying to live 


How I feel now


The espresso it feels like I just drank







All I Really Want Is To:

-  move in with Luke and set up our first home together
- go swimming in a lake
- go on a vacation to somewhere I've never been 
- take a shower
- get married, already!

To be Carefree

You know, I've never really wished I was someone else. There have been times when I've been envious of what other people were doing with their lives - the opportunities that seemed to fall into their laps, the friends or fashion they had. But I always noticed the struggles they had. And those were struggles that I didn't want. 


As I'm getting older, and finding myself in grown-up situations, I am finding myself wishing I was someone else. But not someone else entirely. I want to be me, just a younger version. I want to go back to when I was 9, and the biggest challenge I faced was whether I would go swimming on Sunday. Or 14, and my best worry came from whether I'd have any friends to hang out with at my first stake dance. Heck, I'll take freshman year of college all over again, despite wondering where my life is going and if I'll still be friends with all these people. 


I'm not saying that my life is bad now. Quite the opposite. I have many wonderful blessings. But sometimes, it would be nice to set aside my cares, and go back in time. Just for a while. 

Well, This is Awkward

Hi friends. I'm not usually up this early. Or at least online this early. So all of the websites that I usually check haven't been updated yet. It's weird, and I feel a little awkward, like the internet has become a ghost town or something. Or perhaps I'm just cranky that the whole world doesn't spend all their time online like I seem to. 


In other news, the one thing on my to-do list is done. I shall now spend the rest of the day rewarding myself for such good behaviour. 

Just In Case...

...you had any doubt, I love this guy. I can't believe we get married in 45 days. 



Box

Do you ever have those days where you feel like you're stuck in a box? And you can either just stay in the box (which makes you grumpy), or you can try to get out of the box (which makes you cranky)? 


No? 


Well, that's me, today. 

Well, I'm Behind

My reading list is suffering greatly. Due to finals, finals being over, and trying to figure out how to get by for the rest of the summer, the list has been pushed to the back burner.  I feel terrible about that. And I blame Emma. I really tried to read it. But it's a slower book, and very long. And it set me back. So I have set it aside, and moved on to Atonement. I'm nearly done (only 60 pages or so left), so expect a post on that sometime soon. 


And I think I shall watch Emma, and count that. Afterall, Austin adaptations are usually very close.  

Book: The Time Traveller's Wife


So, it's been a while since I read this. I just put off doing a post, I guess. Probably because I'm lazy. But I'll share with you now. Although I'm still lazy, so it's coming at you in bullet points. 
Pro's: entertaining
          easy read 
          sweet love story 
          two different story lines (his and hers) kept things interesting and unique 

Con's: confusing plot 
           over-sexed (an affair, over description of romantic moments, you get the idea)
           the ending is very odd 

Overall, I'm glad I read it. I have plans to watch the movie and see how it compares to the book. However, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. If you want to read it, I'll say "great!" but I'm not saying "everyone should read this book". 

And now you know. 
    



Oh Dear, I'm One of THEM (kind of)

I think I've turned into a Mormon Crafter. I've joined Pinterest, I spend my time making things and using my paper cutter. My shopping trips are to Michael's and Joann, rather than the mall, Old Navy, and the cupcake store. If I had an adorable baby, I'd be all set. Oh, and I'd need one of those fancy cameras to document every project I make. Since I have neither of those things, I guess I'm not there yet. 


I'm okay with being the artsy, faux-punk, film major that I am. Just don't expect me to start posting pictures of my craftiness. 

Creative Outlet

So. I joined Pinterest. I think I'm saying it wrong in my head. And I'm still trying to get used to it (as in, I'm taking images mercilessly without leaving any credit). But it's fun. And there's so much, I have no idea where to get started. And everything is artsy and hipster and awesome. It's just hard to know where to start. 


But I'm loving looking through other people's inspiration, and seeing how people I don't know very well have the same interests and likes that I do. There's so much there to get the creative juices flowing. Just recently I've rediscovered how much I love creating with my hands. Sure, writing is fantastic, too. But there's just something about finishing up a little project that makes me so happy. 

But....

....the more that I think about it, the more I want to learn French. 

French, etc...

You know that scene in The Parent Trap (the newer one with Lindsey Lohan) where she gets angry and starts yelling in French? I wish I knew another language so I could yell when I'm upset about something and no one would be able to understand what I'm saying. But that would be an awful lot of effort. And I don't get angry very often. 


Also, I am currently missing: 


image via Google Image Search 


I'd yell in British, but that's not a foreign language. 

The Pictures, Part II

Okay, so I can't help it. I need to show you more. And then more in a few days. 










The Pictures, Part I

Hey guys.... guess what? I have something to show you. 

I get the rest on Friday. I'm so excited! Debbie Thomas took our engagements, and she did a fantastic job. I can't wait to see the others!

The Updates

So, with school, work, life, family, my wedding, my soon-to-be sister-in-law's wedding, and many other things, I've been a bit busy. In fact, I might have had a small panic attack. Once I'd worked out all the frustration (and maybe had a bubble bath and some Jane Austin...) I got to work. I got a dress for my SIL's wedding, the fiance got a new suit, I ordered my flowers, wrote a midterm (and maybe aced it, fingers crossed), and I finished the design for our invitations. I've still got a ton to do, but now that I'm getting things ordered, I finally feel like I'm really getting married.

Family

My "little" brother left on his mission a few months ago. This is one of the last pictures we took together. I look a little....odd....but I still really love it. 



The Cake

A while ago I posed about a Beatles cake that I wanted for my wedding. I have since changed my mind, now that I've found this cake. Seriously. I must have this. It's delightful. 

Book: The Nanny Diaries


Alright. Now, I don't want to bash, but I need to be honest. This was, in fact, one of the most frustrating, terrible books I have ever read. I kept hoping for some kind of character development or resolution, but the most I got was a passive-aggressive rant.  Some of the characters were set up nicely, and some I just couldn't imagine being in real life. 

The book is about a college almost-grad who takes a job as a nanny in New York City. She takes care of one little boy, and he is pretty adorable. But her employer, Mrs. X, is just terrible. She treads on everyone else, and only thinks of herself. The nanny, then, instead of confronting her about it, passively complains to everyone in her sphere of influence rather than confronting the woman. 

The book left me feeling extremely angsty. And with a solid resolve to never become a nanny.  I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. 

P.S. They even made a movie about this. The movie is not much better, as it follows the story line pretty close. 
Some days, you just feel like a sad panda. 


Today is one of those days. 

I Can't Decide....

....which is better? 


This one? 




Or this one?



Or neither? (keep in mind my bridal wrath)

Book: 1984

First one done! Nineteen Eighty-four by Gorge Orwell has been on my shelf for a while. I finished it this afternoon. I found it to be a depressing story. There's lots written about how it's  a political statement and other such things. But I don't read for that. I'm always most interested in character. And here, there wasn't so much of that. I could see the main character, Winston, changing and learning and defying Big Brother (yes, that's where the term comes from, not some dumb TV show). But I was never sure how I should feel about him. I liked him, but I wasn't sure that I should.  In any case, I'm glad that I read it.  And I would recommend it. This is one of those books that everyone should read. It really makes you think about what's real and what's only in your mind.