funny stuff...

Thanks Kaitlin for sending this to me...seriously how cute is she???

my weekend {5}...

{wordless wednesday} - well behaved...

{via}

a whole lot of books...

I'm so freaking excited people...Friday I head up to Dallas {with Kaitlin} for the ALA Midwinter conference! I think I'm most excited about the blogger meetup dinner on Friday night where amazing authors are even going to be there...seriously I'm such a fan girl of Trinity Faegen {The Mephisto Covenant} and I cannot wait to meet her and have her sign my copy of the book!!!

This week is going to be INSANE trying to get ready for the conference...I have to clean the house {since Kaitlin is staying over the night before}, finish painting the guest bedroom, plan and pack bags, do insane amounts of work {at work}, write book reviews I'm late on, write other blog posts, and probably lots more I am forgetting.

Ok enough of my rambling...enjoy my latest Etsy treasury...awesome fan items for some of my favorite books...

Reading Necklace - Glass Dom... Lizabettas $12.00	DIVERGENT - Shaggy Loops Cha... bokah $22.50	Fondness of Reading- Emma- J... chickylovit $11.00
Lavender Sachet - Lover'... gardenmis $12.00	Harry Potter 'Lumos'... PrettyLittleCh... $17.00	Harry Potter Notebook . Gryf... sparrownestscr... $17.00
Lucy the Elephant Sterling S... LRoseDesigns $38.00	Harry Potter - Poster A3 Pri... Posterinspired $18.00	Paper Rose Twilight Ornament JezebelRose $30.00
Breaking Dawn - Twilight Que... EnchantedLeave... $19.95	Harry Potter Firebolt broom ... SixAstray $19.90	The Devil Wears Prada Ring JANETLILY $18.00
Wuthering Heights Book Emily... JezebelCharms $40.00	Yours truly, Jack the Ripper... wiccanstyle $15.50	True Blood Necklace-Free Shi... exquisitecraft... $14.00

crazy mom christmas...

So y'all have been reading about my mom's antics for a while now in my memoir posts but I thought I would show you some of her insanity of late... 

This is what she sent with my brother for me for Christmas...

 

Yep, birthday cards. TWO birthday cards...FOR CHRISTMAS. 

Yep. That's my mom. Oh, and a gift? 

She gives NOTHING to my brother's and sister. NOTHING, but she sends me this...

 

Wondering what it is? 

It's a muumuu. 

A FREAKING MUUMUU.

She swears it was mine "when I was bigger". She said that my grandma gave it to me.

Let me be clear. I have NEVER owned a muumuu. 

NEVER. 

Oh, and the muumuu REEKED of smoke. 

Like, it made our WHOLE downstairs smell when I took it out of the walmart bag. 

I washed it and put it on as a joke. 

It was Hi-wait for it-larious. 

And no, there is no photographical evidence...though I might be able to be persuaded to document it for the blog. 

Maybe ;)

{tv tuesday} current obsessions...

 

 I haven't posted my tv loves in a while and thought I should update...I am sad to report that the only new show from the fall season I'm still watching is Hart of Dixie {which I ADORE}...but never fear, by the grace of netflix I have NEW shows I am obsessed with {and yes most are still producing new episodes and you better believe I'm going to catch up through this season}...

If you aren't watching The Vampire Diaries {CWTV} you need to be...my friend Jen even posted shirtless friday posts for each of the Salvatore Brothers {Stefan/Damon} and if that doesn't tempt you into watching it, just know that ALL the guys are eye candy on the show. ALL OF THEM. Oh, plus the show is pretty badass too...but really? Who pays attention to the dialog ;) kidding. Sorta.

Ok y'all - why didn't you tell me how funny How I Met Your Mother {CBS} was??? Funnily enough I had watched the one episode Britney Spears was in, but never watched another one...I saw people on twitter watching it and I jumped in feet first. It took me about 6 episodes to get invested in it and I am HOOKED. Hooked.

 Yes, I know it's staged but it's still pretty awesome.

This show is INSANE. I couldn't imagine what her family must deal with...I'm only a few episodes in so far, but I'm enjoying it...

and an oldie {but a goodie}...

Seriously, HILARIOUS.

Is there anything else on Netflix I should watch?

i think i'm in love...

I just got my first new lens for my camera and I am most definitely in love.

I only got to play around with it for a few minutes this weekend but so far, I'm blown away {these are all straight out of the camera}...

I cannot wait to learn more about the lens and new techniques!!!


PS - how 'bout them Texans??? ;)

I'm wearing them right now...

Gene should seriously know better than to have me go to his store...I ALWAYS find shoes I want. ALWAYS. I fell in love with these and some glittery pumps {which where oh so much cheaper}...but after all was said and done with Christmas gifts from family I had some cash {and gift cards} burning a hole in my pocket and decided to splurge on these amazing boots. I love being able to catch a good sale {I've seen them on sale online too, but no where close to what I got mine for}...after gift cards & christmas cash they only cost me $3.03. :)

now off to find some glittery shoes...

no lofty goals...

{via}

Seriously y'all is 2012...how is this even possible? If I had gotten knocked up in high school {like oh so many of my friends} my kid would be turning 16 this year. Yes, I am a dork for thinking that way, but it's where my brain goes lol.

I was looking back at last year's posts thinking about doing a year-in-review, but honestly, I feel like I don't have much to show for 2011. No major purchases. No major life changes. I swapped one brother for another that is living in my house. I have the same job. The same family dynamic. The same everything...except my heart which felt like it was battered last year.

I'm ready to heal it and move on this year to a life I'm content and happy with {whatever dynamic that is}. The goals I posted last year weren't completed {minus finishing installing the floors downstairs though my house is still missing a majority of the trimwork} so I'm not setting any personal goals for 2012 except to be happy {oh, and read 100 books}.

Blog and business goals for 2012 I am setting since that it needed to make me strive for something and so I can buy pretty things...

...learn more features on my camera and practice, practice, practice.

...have 5 photography clients. 

...develop my online design portfolio.

...have 5 new design clients. 

I am hoping and praying for an amazing 2012...who's with me?

{my memoirs} back to the land of the loony...

This shit gets crazy again yo. To catch remind yourself of the other lunacy be sure and check out part one, part two, part three and part four.

------------

I’m not sure why my grandparents said my mom could take me back? Maybe a 30th chance? Who knows. I was never privy to those conversations and my mom doesn’t make much sense anymore to even ask.

Somehow I wound up back in Austin...she had moved to a new apartment. I remember it was near a Sam’s Boat type restaurant because we would spend many a night in there while she ate oysters and I got free pearls from old men who were trying to pick up my mom. Did you even know that places let the pearls stay in there?

Being back with me you would think my mom would be making smarter choices. Sadly you are wrong...so wrong. She was still stripping. Only this time instead of men coming over who were trying to impress me and woo her, she brought home booty calls. Yep, with me in the apartment. Hell, sometimes with me in the SAME ROOM.

Many a mornings I would wake up to the sounds of her getting her groove on...I would either lay still and close my eyes willing for it to be over or I would crawl out of the room. Now I imagine me sitting in a corner of a room rocking back and forth, but I know that wasn’t how it went down. Most likely I put on cartoons and tried to drown out the memories of hearing the squeaking bed.

One of the craziest nights was a night my mom got pissed off at her booty call (never saw any of these guys enough to call them her boyfriend) and she thought it would be a smart decision to walk out on our patio and fire a gun up in the air...while it was still wrapped in a bandanna. I don’t have any clue what she hoped to accomplish, but 15 minutes after it happened a cop was knocking on our door asking if we knew anything about the shots that were fired. She lied and said she didn’t even own a gun and thought it came from another building.

Man did she lie so easily. No clue if the cop really believed her...who knows, maybe she flashed him to get him to leave (no I’m sure she didn’t but really? who knows). But he left and I remember the relief. Relief that a repeat night from the year before wouldn’t be happening...

The only other night I remember from this apartment was one night during a torrential downpour where flooding was occurring on many streets and underpasses she thought we should leave our second story apartment for the comfort of Bennigan’s. We must have been out of alcohol. We walk outside and with an umbrella in my hand I turn to walk down the stairs and a gust of wind literally picks me up and throws me down the stairs. A logical mom would probably realize it’s too bad to drive to some stupid restaurant. A logical mom would realize that if the wind is that bad, why drive in it. Well, my mom is not that logical person so we wound up at a Bennigan’s which was near one of those flooded intersections. Hey, at least my nachos were good (and yes, that meal has stuck with me for years).

What’s odd about most of this year is I don’t remember school until we move to Round Rock. I’m not sure if all this craziness that happened occurred during the summer (seems impossible to me), but I only remember going to school once we were in Round Rock...and the only reason I remember that is because I checked out a book on gymnastics right before I was sent back to Tiny Town and I never returned it...Damn I must have a horrible book fine by now.

Me going back to Tiny Town was very uneventful this time. I really don’t remember how or why she took me back or if someone came and got me. But her environment was so toxic...so yet again I was starting school in the middle of a school year back in Tiny Town...