meme

Stuff I Like Today

ROCK ON

one.
Listening to my “Eleventied™” mix on my iPod.
This is the playlist that consists of all my favorite songs.
Some examples?
a. Anywhere Is by Enya (DUH)
b. Soul Man by Kid N Play
c. Cry Little Sister (Theme from The Lost Boys)
d. Addicted by Kelly Clarkson
e. Helena Beat by Foster the People.
f. We Belong by Pat Benetar
g. I Can’t Dance by Genesis

38 songs. 2.7 hours of listening AWESOME for moi.
Hey, I never said I was cool.

two.
Long, hot baths with a Lush bath bomb.
Especially the Dragon’s Egg bomb.
The bath bomb that keeps on giving.
It’s one of the slow release ones. It smells amazing.
It crackles!
AND IT HAS GLITTER.
It turns the water the most gorgeous, sparkly orange.
I love it.

three.
Demi Lovato is on the cover of my latest issue of Seventeen!
Don’t ask why I still read Seventeen.
Actually, I’ll tell you why.
I hope to be a YA author one day.
And I feel like Seventeen will give me some insight.
Or at least tell me what to avoid in my writing.

four.
Remembering that a year ago, Adam and I were at Disney World.
We’d eaten so much at Liberty Tree Tavern that we had to go into
The Hall of Presidents because we were too stuffed to move!
We’d eaten ourselves stupid.
I regret nothing.
And we get to do it again next month!

five.
My awesome houseguest is en route to my place RIGHT NOW!
She and her boyfriend are staying with us all week.
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HER!

six.
Beef and noodles in the Crock-Pot.
It smells DELICIOUS.
Dinner is going to be great.
Yum.

seven.
Just getting word that
Make It Or Break It
returns to ABC Family March 26.
WooooooHooooo!
YAY gymnastics!!!

eight.
Feeling like myself again.
The fatigue has eased up.
My appetite is coming back.
I’m ready to do yoga again,
and I’m planning to go back tomorrow.

nine.
Not only did I have the most amazing brunch at
Bleeding Heart Bakery & Cafe,
but I found out some awesome news about a couple of my friends. 😀
I’m so happy for them!


[via]

ten.
My Disney Imagination candle.
It makes the place smell like
DISNEY!
and HAPPINESS.

What stuff do you like today?


Linking up with:

Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters

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Happy Birthday, Aidan!

Happy Birthday, Aidan!
Happy Birthday, Aidan!

He’s 9 years old today!

And the BEST 9 year old in the world.
If I do say so myself.

We took him to Toys R Us
and where he picked out
loads of LEGOs.

He asked that we take him to
Burger King for lunch,
so we did that.

Now he’s happily playing
with his new toys, and eating his
birthday treats from
Dunkin’ Donuts.

Birthdays are my favorite.
Buying presents for Aidan is my favorite.
Watching him get so much joy out of his gifts is my favorite.
Even listening to him sing “Happy Birthday” to himself over and over….
That’s my favorite, too.


Linking up with:
friday favorite things | finding joy

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Favorite Photo(s) of 2011

Can you narrow your favorite photos in 2011 to just one? If so, then grab the button at the bottom of this post and link up at Finding Joy or Sam’s Noggin to show off your stuff.

Because I am IN this photo, I obviously didn’t take it. However, it was taken with MY camera, and we’re having so much fun that I couldn’t NOT include it. We’re dancing with Phineas and Ferb, the coolest Disney Channel characters out there, and having a blast! Look at Aidan’s face!

Rockin' Out With Phineas and Ferb

Hmm, but the one I took that’s my favorite? That IS a hard one. I have a lot of great photos. 😉 But seriously. There were so many cool things that happened this year, and Aidan is so dang photogenic, it really is hard to narrow it down.

So, I’m going to go with this one. The colors are beautiful, Aidan is being the clown that he is, and yeah. I like it.

Aidan and some Pumpkins


Linking up with:

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Friday 5

Friday 5: BRRR

What’s your favorite thing about cold weather?
NOTHING. I hate cold weather with the intensity of 1000 suns.

Brrrr!
I look happy but trust me, I’m hating every second of it.

Soups and hot beverages seem to be everyone’s favorite cold-weather culinary combatant, but what’s another food that seems to take the bite out of the cold?
Beef and noodles.

When the weather is just starting to turn cold but is not yet in full frigidity, what do you add to your bed until it’s time to break out the heavy artillery? (I said what, not whom!)
I turn the electric blanket up a few notches and I have the space heater on til the room is warmed up.

What household chore seems especially unkind in these colder months?
Anything that involves leaving the warmth of the apartment.

Among people you know, who seems most oblivious to cold weather?
My husband. Also, kids seem to not notice the cold.

Snow in Chicago
Ugh.

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Hello December/Holiday Wish Meme

My favorite time of the year is here again. It’s officially the holiday season, I’ve had my first taste of turkey and gravy and there’s another holiday involving those foods to come!, the stores/malls are decorated and people have lights on their homes and trees in the windows, I’m listening to Christmas music, Trader Joe’s has yummy Christmas treats everywhere, and my birthday (and my mom’s and Aidan’s arrival) is in 19 days!

For the 2011 holiday season, I have so much to be excited about and thankful for!

– My awesome Aidan. He’s now eight years old, in third grade, and absolutely the best little boy ever. EVER.
– My husband. It’s amazing to have someone so supportive of me, so ready to defend me, and willing to do anything to make me happy. And he puts up with my wackiness, which is no small feat, let me tell ya.
– My families. All of them.
– Two trips to Disney World!!
– My work study opportunity at Moksha Yoga. I get to do work I love in exchange for what I love. It’s a win-win!
– My friends.
– Fi living with me again. He’s the best cat ever. Plus, he’s a black cat, and everyone knows that black cats rule everything. If you didn’t know, then you know now. So I’m thankful I was able to pass that knowledge on to you.
– My Plurk crew. They are hilarious and fun. Love them!
– The abundance and blessings that have been and keep being rained down on us.
Anywhere Is just got 100 followers!! WOW!! 🙂


It’s now time for the Holiday Wishes Meme. I started doing this in 2006, and I encourage you guys to do it as well.

Step One
– Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered…whatever you’re comfortable with) to your LJ/blog. The post should contain your list of up to 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fun (“I’d love a Doctor Who icon that’s just for me”) to medium (“I wish for _____ on DVD”) to really big (“All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.”) The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
– If you wish for real possible things, make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it’s your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.
– Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your entry, or link to this post (it’ll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two
– Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here’s the important part:
– If you see a wish you can grant, and it’s in your heart to do so, make someone’s wish come true. Sometimes someone’s trash is another’s treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don’t want or a gift certificate you won’t use—or even know where you could get someone’s dream purebred Basset Hound for free—do it.
– You needn’t spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn’t to put people out, it’s to provide everyone a chance to be someone else’s holiday elf—to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not—it’s your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just…wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you’ll have the joy of knowing you made someone’s holiday special.

With that said, here are my wishes for 2011.

1. A gift card, or for you to make donations to, DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose focuses on education. Teachers ask for classroom project materials. We donate. The kids learn. Most of these schools are high poverty, and the teachers are already doing all they can. Any amount is welcome.

2. Donations to Paws Chicago, the shelter where we got Helena. It’s a cage-free, no-kill shelter, and they are run completely on donations; they receive no city, state, or federal funding. It’s a great place. A shelter situation is stressful for the animals involved, and every animal I came in contact with there was happy and friendly. They have an extensive screening process to make sure you’re aware of your decision and commitment, and if somehow things don’t work out, the animal always has a home at PAWS.

3. Anything from my Amazon Let’s Celebrate 2011! wish list.

4. Gift cards to bookstores. I love bookstores. And books. But you already know that.

5. I also wouldn’t mind gift cards to Old Navy, Nordstrom Rack, Target, or Kohl’s.

6. A mailbox FILLED with Christmas cards. Come on, guys. You know you want to indulge me.
Comment with your email address if you’re interested in fulfilling this particular wish and I will email you my address.

7. The Kanani American Girl doll.

The things that I’d like your prayers/happy energy for:

1. My mom to be as healthy as possible and to live a long time.

2. My friends and family to be happy, healthy, and secure.

3. Myself to be happy, healthy, and secure.

4. A mild winter.

Happy Holidays!
It’s December now, the holiday and giving season really is here! YAY!

Now, go download my Christmas Bucket List!!! Also pin it on Pinterest. Share it. Link it to me. It’s my gift to you. 🙂

*** If you do this meme for yourself, be sure to leave a comment with a link to your post, OK? I want to read your wishes!

Friends who are wishing….

Jenn · Dez · Nethilia · Lauren

Add yours:

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