Where I have lived...

My (super cute and always inspiring) friend Doniree recently posted a list of places she has lived. She was inspired by Sarah Von's post over at Yes and Yes. You should all be reading both of their blogs. For serious.

I was thinking about it and, well, I have lived a bunch of places! I have a lot more places to go before we settle down (that is, if we ever settle down) but so far I like my list!

From when I was born to present day, here is where I have lived so far:

Barton, Vermont -- 0-1 years
A farm house that my uncle now lives in. I don't remember this (obviously) but I have a lot of memories of visiting my Grandparents there when I was growing up and they were visiting from Connecticut.

Morgan, Vermont -- 1-3 years
I very vaguely remember living here. I mostly remember my dog Shadow on the big grassy hill near the house.

Holland, Vermont -- 3-14 years
This house was the one I grew up in. Dad built us a huge swing set in the back yard (seriously, it was huge... the two sides holding it up were telephone poles). My parents also owned some property across the street where we used to snowmobile and there was a field in the back yard perfect for sledding in the winter and grazing animals in the summer (either cows or our horses!)

Westmore, Vermont -- 14-18 years
My parents built this house and still live here. It's one of the most beautiful places ever. If you've ever been there, you know what I mean. Jason and I had our wedding reception in the front yard here and it was just perfect.

--- And then I was out on my own! ---

Randolph, Vermont -- 18-19 years
I spent my first year of college here. I didn't think I would like it (I had the attitude that I was going to transfer from the start, which I did the following year) but, I had some of the most memorable professors here and the BEST roommate ever. That's saying something because I can't live with a lot of people (peacefully.) Haha. Erica and I are still great friends, though we don't talk nearly as much as I would like.

Boston, Massachusetts -- 19-22 years
I moved to Boston to pursue my Bachelor's Degree and to be closer to my boyfriend at the time (it was worth it because he's my husband now. Hee.) I lived in the dorms in 2004, we moved in together into an apartment near Symphony Hall 2005, we moved into a different apartment (down the hall from the last one) in 2006, and in 2007 we got married and moved out of the city.

Wilmington, Massachusetts -- 22-24 years
Jason and I moved to the suburbs of Boston and loved it. What we didn't love was the commute into the city every day for work. We both loved our jobs and our apartment, but we just didn't get to spend much time at our home doing anything but sleeping. We actually moved twice within the same apartment complex. We really loved it there (only 3.5 hours from our parents) and we loved Boston and our friends there, but we were ready for a change.

Eden Prairie, Minnesota -- 24 years - present
We started out in an apartment and just recently moved into our first house, both in Eden Prairie. Some people ask why we live here and not closer to Minneapolis and the answer is pretty simple. Jason said that his new office (we moved for his job) was located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. So I said, "well, then that's where we are going to live." No ridiculous 2 hour commute for us! Nope. We now both drive 3 miles to work and it. is. perfection.

Next for us? Well, we really have no idea. We will keep moving though. :-) It's fun and it's part of our own adventure to move around and try out new places. Though, I wouldn't mind staying in Minnesota either. I really do love it here. We'll just have to see what happens next!

How about you guys? Do we have any similarities? What was your favorite place to live?


P.S. - This list, accompanied with some photos, would make an excellent scrapbook page, don't you think? Hmmm... I'll have to get on that. :-)

Wishlist Wednesday - "Create" Ring

I LOVE the word "create." Lovelovelove it. Someday I will even get a tattoo of that word (unless I chicken out, which is very likely considering my talent of hyperventilating and passing our around needles.)


Anyway, when I found Nora McNamara's Etsy Shop I immediately loved her style and all the awesome rings she makes. When I saw the 'create' one, well, I did a little happy dance... sitting down, with my computer on my lap. It was weird, but fun and pure happiness.


Love it! She also has a bunch more words available as well... I love the 'sister' and 'inspire' ones too.



Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support creative people that I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-) Affiliate links wherever possible.

Things I Love About Fall and a FREEBIE!

I love fall. If winter didn't come immediately after, it would be perfect! I have been inspired to write about those little details I love about it because, let's face it, it's my favorite season! I am grateful to live in an area of the world where the change of seasons is (very) prominent and I love it. It gives me a lot to look forward to throughout the year. (Think tulips in Spring, swimming in Summer, leaves changing in Autumn, beautiful snowfall in Winter... just to name a few.)

I was originally going to just make a list of the things I love about fall but then I thought, I should take it a step further. I love it SO MUCH that it's completely appropriate to devote an entire layout to it! Here's the digital layout I made:


Journaling:
1. the colors - just look at all that red and orange surrounding us, it's just gorgeous.
2. knitting - I all of a sudden feel like knitting a scarf for myself is the best idea ever.
3. hot chocolate - delicious hot drinks seem a lot more delicious now that the weather is cool.
4. pumpkin drinks - both lattes and beer, if they are pumpkin flavored, I love them.
5. blankets - snuggling under a blanket is such a wonderfully cozy feeling.
6. new TV shows - favorites like The Big Bang Theory return with new episodes!

Credits: Fonts - New Cicle and Pea Nicki (both are free... you may want to download these to use with the template.) Painted border overlay - Scrappin' Cop

And why not turn it into a free template? Well, I couldn't think of a good reason not to, so here you go!
[Download here.]

If you use the template please feel free to email me a link! I love seeing what other people create with my templates! :) Enjoy!

Summer Bucket List? What Summer Bucket List?

Alright, so this shows you a little bit of how bad I procrastinate sometimes. I have had a list in my 'drafts' folder for a while now (since May 25th, actually). It is a list of things I wanted to do this summer. This is basically what it looks like (though, I am paraphrasing a bit.)


And this, this is what my Summer Bucket List should have looked like:


Yup, that's basically what this summer was about. We DID do some fun things (we actually completed 5 items on the original list, out of 16, which isn't terrible considering I wasn't really trying.) But, when it comes down to it, my summer did not go anything like I had planned.

And you know what? I'm am SO ok with that. I love our new house. I love that it's a house and that we own it. What a good feeling. :-) (Once we get it together more... like photos on the walls and such, I will certainly posts photos here.)

So, since there was really no Summer Bucket List to speak of, I now bring you my FALL Bucket List (completely and totally subject to change, because that's how I roll.)

- Science Museum Dead Sea Scolls Exhibit
- Geocaching!
- Apple picking
- Get my new craft room looking a-maze-ing!
- Visit friends in California
- Visit the Como Zoo
- Wine tasting at Chateau St. Croix Vineyard
- Find the best French Macarons in the Twin Cities
- Redesign de blog (again? Yes. Again. :-)

Now, living in Minnesota means that, if we want to get some of these things done while the weather is still nice (i.e. not freezing cold) we have to really make plans to get them done. Fall is certainly my favorite season, but if I remember anything about living here last year it's that the snow flies whenever it feels like it. (4" of snow on the ground on October 11th. Awesomesauce.)

What about you? Any fun plans for the fall?

Wishlist Wednesday - Autumn

Happy first day of Autumn everyone! I just love the fall, so I thought that this necklace would make a perfect wish list item for today.


First, there is a bit of a story behind this selection. You see, my parents have been building a Sugar House for the last few months. For those of you who may not know, a Sugar House is where Maple Syrup is made (the real stuff... the only maple syrup that should exist, in my opinion!) They have been working all summer to get ready to be able to make maple syrup in the early Spring. It's an awesome (and delicious!) hobby!


So, today's Wishlist Wednesday is this beautiful Maple Leaf Necklace. It's made out of a real leaf which has been painted with silver and I think it's just beautiful.


Since it is a real leaf, no two necklaces are the same.

Check out Englady's Etsy Shop for lots more beautiful jewelry!


Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support creative people that I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-) Affiliate links wherever possible.

Tuesday Template Freebie!

It's been a while since we've had a freebie on a Tuesday, hasn't it? Well, it's about time!!!

Remember this layout that I posted a while ago? I decided it would make a nice template! I hope you agree. :-)

I really like the simple design, the square photos (I'm a total sucker for squares) and the fact that you can get 4 photos on the page without it looking too busy.

Here you go:
[Download here.]

Enjoy!

Children's Art as Photos

An artist by the name of Yeondoo Jung had this brilliant idea to recreate children's drawings into real photos. He stages the photos to look like the drawings and it. is. amazing. Have a look and find more of his work on his blog.

It's these kinds of things that start as a simple idea and result in something that is both inspiring and incredible.

I would love to do something like this when we have kids, but on a much smaller scale. Picture a photo your child drew of your family and your house and dog... and staging that photo and hanging them side by side. Very fun.

Photobooth Friday -- State Fair Edition!

The Minnesota State Fair has a whole bunch of fun vintage photobooths. I love the older ones like these where you don't know when they are going to snap the photo...


... and you can't see the digital image in front of you...


... and you are surprised 2.5 minutes later with your results...


It's the best kind of photobooth because it's that much more FUN!

Happy Friday Lovlies! Any fun plans for the weekend? I will be at the Mall all weekend working at this event. If you'll be there be sure to say hi!

All photos (minus the strip, hee) are courtesy of Jason. :-)

Jason, this one's for you. (AKA: We made Giant S'mores!)

Jason has been asking me to blog about this for a long time now. Actually, he's been asking when I will blog about it since it happened, which was back in April. I had misplaced my SD Card so I didn't know where the photos were for a while (not so gentle shoulder-shaking-in-your-face reminder: upload your photos to your computer for crying out loud! Do not store them on your card... that's ridiculous!) So, the photos were misplaced as well and now I'm finally getting these up on de blog.

Without further ado (or semi-irrelevant explanations) I give you, my readers, GIANT S'MORES!

First, you will need to go to the grocery store. Upon seeing the giant marshmallows you must simultaneously look at each other in a way that says "I'm pretty sure we just discovered gold! Or better yet, GIANT freaking marshmallows!!!" Buy them.

Once you are home, put them in a mug with some cocoa to compare how big the marshmallow is compared to your mug. Look at that thing! It's taking up the whole mug! There's like 2 tablespoons of hot chocolate in there! There's hardly room for the spoon! This is awesome!!!

Next, gather your supplies. You will need:
- Graham Crackers (if you can find giant graham crackers, use those. We could not, so we just used regular graham crackers but we didn't break them in half, so instead they are double long. That's ok.)
- Giant Marshamallows (we also got regular sized marshmallows to, once again, show you how GIANT these things are.)
- Giant Chocolate Bar (once again, we have a little one too, just to be sure everything is proportionate.)

Assemble your s'mores. Graham crackers first, then chocolate, then marshmallows, then more graham cracker. Take photos to show just how giant these marshmallows are (did I mention they are giant? I'm wasn't sure you got that.)

Next, stick those guys in the microwave and watch the marshmallows get all poofy. Smoosh (yes, it's a word, look it up. Ok, don't, but you can trust me, can't you? Maybe not. Just stop doubting me and SMOOSH!) and enjoy!!! Be careful, they are sticky!

Note from the microwave owner: I am a Vermont girl, born and raised. I would OBVIOUSLY prefer and completely advocate for you to go out and build yourself a fire and roast those bad boys up. That is the ideal way to enjoy a marshmallow. However, this was (remember?) back in April, and April in Minnesota is c.o.l.d. Also, we didn't own property at the time and I don't think our apartment management would appreciate us starting a fire to roast marshmallows over, even if they are GIANT and it was for blogging purposes.

Another note from me: I have wanted to type 'marshamallows' instead of marshmallows the whole time I've been writing this post. I think 'marsh-a-mallows' is a much better name anyway and if you want to go ahead and start saying it that way instead, I would love you forever. It's just more fun, right?

Wait? Another note? Ok, here, one more: Why in the world is it spelled 'marshmAllows' and not 'marshmEllows?' The English language is so weird sometimes.


PS - Check out my adorable-crazy kitty featured with some other adorable kitties over at The Curious Pug! :-) I just love that photo of her!

Wishlist Wednesday - Kelly Rae

I have been a fan of Kelly Rae Roberts for a long time. She is one of those people who is just so inspiring you can barely stand it all. Her artwork always kicks my creative mind into over-drive and it's a wonderful feeling.

There are actually two things on my wishlist from her. The first is her new 2011 Wall Calendar. Kelly Rae is a mixed-media artist and, as you can see, her work is fan-tas-tic!

The second is her book, Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings. I just know that it's chock (chock!) full of creativity and inspiration, not to mention beautiful art!


Also, her website's tagline is "Artist. Author. Possiblitarian." Um, yes. She's creative and she makes up fabulous new words. Love.


Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support creative people that I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-) Affiliate links wherever possible

Baby Gifts to Give

When my friend Jess gave birth to her baby girl I sent her a box of fun 'congrats' things. I would have just given them to her, but we live 1,100 miles apart. (Boo.) So, I had to send them. (Woo!) Here is what was in the box:


A set of CUTE onesies from Carter's. I'm not really sure about this from a Mommy standpoint (because I don't have kids, so I've never actually used this brand), but I love Carter's from a gift-giving standpoint. I have a lot of friends who are having babies (I seem to be at that point in my life right now where everyone around me is pregnant) and Carter's has been a great place for me to shop for little ones! They have a lot of gender-neutral options too, which is great if you know someone who will be surprised on the day their baby is born!

I especially love this set because of the cute "Daddy's Girl" onesie... So. Stinkin'. Adorable. It's so not good for my wallet that they just opened up a Carter's near me either. How convenient!

And the cupcake? You can bet this is what drew me to this set in the first place. Anything having to do with cupcakes makes me have to have it. A lesson for marketing professionals everywhere: put a cupcake on it and I will buy it.

A handmade card. I had a fun time making this card. I don't often use pink in scrapbooking or card making, so this was a good excuse to do just that. I went with a soft pink and soft green with accents in brown/tan. Mostly light colored and soft. I really like how it turned out.

And, the best for last.


A hand-stamped necklace with Ms. Mackenzie's name on it. I'm SO pleased with how this came out. Stamping metal is harder than you think. You have to get all the letters straight and lined all up right and make sure they're not upside down. Haha. I stamped the disc and them domed it a little so that the purple crystal sits inside the dome. All materials are sterling silver, so they are made to last. I almost want to have a baby just so I can have an excuse to have a necklace like this. But that's a big almost.