Because I'm obsessed with HGTV.

I love HGTV;

it's like the "food network"

but for design nerds instead of foodies.

Do I lose sleep at night when I stay up to watch these shows??

Yes, yes I do.

My faves are "Dear Genevieve"

and "Secrets From a Stylist"

After I watch them I long for my own space to  decorate and paint and arrange.

Well, I recently moved into a new apartment.

I have my own new room,

and for the first time in my life...

my own bathroom !!

Therefore, I HAD seize hold of this opportunity to design!

...

I really love bookshelves, and plan on having BIG, TALL ones someday,

to hold all my coffee table and childrens books

(but for now this cute little one with my DVD's on it will suffice)

My "office" from 8-12am!

I'm a little in love with it...

Updated picture boards

Seriously,

the most comfy bed in the world...

there are those "egg crate" mattress covers on sale at Target...

and you need to go get one.  Trust me.

Cork boards $5 at Walmart,

Pins $4 at Walmart,

being able to hang up inspiring cards and notes,

priceless.

haha

But for reals though...

Way inexpensive drawer set from Target,

but I love the mid-century vibe it's givin' off

(see how design nerdy I can be??)

it especially makes me happy topped with the 

"let them eat cake" vase 

that my mom gave me for Christmas last year!

I know,

it's just a bathroom.

But I'm so excited about it...

A little reminder of Parisian travels...

I finally framed this print from the Orsay Museum...

in a $2 frame from Goodwill!!

Hooray for excellent deals!

And that soap dish is probably the only thing 

I think I'll ever buy from Anthropologie.

Although, if I had money to burn, I'd buy everything.

And that mirror and vase are both presents;

I have friends and family who know me so well!

Favorite painting... and a fireplace !!!

Sooo luxurious.

"Dear Genevieve",

Thanks for the classy inspiration!!

Grateful for:

not having to spend $200 in repairs for my car,

coupons for my gluten free 'zone' bars,

wifi at starbucks,

stake conference,

baking chocolate chip cookies on Sunday afternoons,

a year subscription to a gluten free magazine

from my dearest friend who's moved to Utah,

chats on the phone with friends from Virginia to California,

lunch dates with Grandma CC,

dinner dates with my favorite people,

my very own DVD of "Cinderella"

(the one with Brandy and Whitney Houston of course),

the new Mumford & Sons CD,

my ukulele,

my comfy bed/8 full hours of sleep

and, the simple truths of the Book of Mormon

Life is good.

List of Twenty Four: Things I love about being a "grown up"

Being a "grown up" is the best.  Now, I feel as though I should use this term "grown up" loosely as I still treasure (and usually am the one perpetuating in the children and adults around me), childhood.  I live for opportunities to use my imagination and strive to appreciate my life with a child-like wonder... but I also really love some things about being a "grown up"...

1. The updated, wiser version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; my favorite, delicious, gluten free flax bread, 'smart choice' peanut butter, and agave nectar... It's nice for my taste buds to enjoy such childhood-delicacies, but to also have gained the wisdom to know that I'm putting foods into my body that will make it very happy as well.
2. A degree in Child Development with a minor in Art that gives me a licence for the rest of my life to get lost in a stack of children's books on a regular basis, and have a legitamate excuse.
3. Dating men instead of boys.
4. Dates to places like art museums.
5.Having smart and cultured and wise and adventurous adult friends.
6. My friends having babies.
7. Being an adult daughter and sister and granddaughter.  It's suuuper fun!!
8. Being invited to the adult table when I go to Grandma CC's for dinner.
9. Updated taste buds... mmmm sushi....
10. Owning a kitchen aid.
11. My own little carefully collected library of DVD's.
12. My Toyota Corolla named Eleanor Rigby.  I LOVE her.
13. Traveling. Scary and stressful as a kid... soooo fun as an adult.
14. Kids thinking I know all.  (As I am 24, clearly my wisdom is without bounds!)
15. NOT being a teenager.
16. A new found appreciation for my womanly curves.
17. A few years under my belt spent creating a personal style.
20. A sense of gumption to be myself in my style, personality and relationships gained through the experiences I've had transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
19. The fact that high heels are acceptable almost all the time.
20. Responsibilities.  It's a wonder to be in charge of the aspects of your life; it's a whole mess of opportunities to create that I never anticipated!
11. It's cool to talk about babies and baking and decorating your house.
22. Visiting Teaching (who would've thought when I was in YW??)
23. the Temple
24. RELIEF SOCIETY!! My fave!


Also Grateful for: A bounteous number of wonderful cousins in my life. Like Brandon who is just the greatest and headed off to med school, and who I got to see a few weeks ago! I love this pic from when we got to go out to lunch! (Also, my wonderful Californian cousins who I got to see last week, and congrats to sweet Summer Marie on the news of her baby GIRL due in the fall!!) I am sooo blessed to know them!!

Paris Style

I've been trying to do an artistic project/sketch/design every day for the last few weeks.  Here's today's:

(click on it to see it bigger...)

It's my "Paris Style" collage of thoughts... I may have already packed for my trip...

Grateful for: When sweet little two year olds tell me I'm cute... hahaha it was the cutest thing ever!!

Quote of the day: "Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."

--Margaret Nadauld