Five Question Friday

Well, my Friendly Friday post got lost in the mail (not really...we had to take Ella to the doctor for some tests yesterday.  I simply didn't have time!)  Instead of Friendly Friday, how about an icebreaker game.  I HATED these in school, but I have resorted to it anyway in order to break the Friday post silence. 

These questions came from My Little Life, where they are having Five Question Friday.  Click the button to play along and link up!

 1. If you could, would you go back to high school?

Maybe.  But only if I could go back knowing what I know now.  Or maybe I would do it regardless.  I had some pretty good times!

2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".)

I'm going the non-sappy/completely worldly route on this one.  Pardon me.  :)  

I would wish for Peter Walsh to come and organize my house.  I wouldn't even care if he brought the tv crew to broadcast the whole process to 100 million people.  For reals.  My second wish...is for a new kitchen table.

3. What kids show do you secretly like?

I don't secretly love any kids show.  They make me a bit crazy.  I do have some guilty pleasure shows though...The Hills and America's Next Top Model are two that are on my DVR right now. 

4. What is your beverage of choice?

Diet Coke.  All. Day. Long. :)

5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?

I am trying to become more purposeful with my time and energy.  I try every day to make every action, word, and thought MEAN something.  It's exhausting, but it's worth it at the end of the day to know that I haven't wasted many thoughts, energy, or time.  (Disclaimer: this doesn't happen every day.  This is just something I strive for--I'm not perfect)  :)

Surrounded

The more I think about what I want my life to look like in 5 years, the more I see myself surrounded with things I love.  Obviously I want to have the people I love in my life for years to come, but let me just be materialistic for a moment.  

I've always heard (and believed) that the state of your home reflects the state of your being.  Your self.  Your life.  

So I vow from today forward to surround myself with colors that make me happy, art that helps me remember, and objects that bring me joy.  I want to believe that kind of materialism is okay.

What kinds of colors, art, and objects make you happy? 

As a side note, no I didn't pose that picture of E for this post.  This is the only picture in my entire arsenal of pictures that shows colors and art that I love.  That big art desk in the background?  That is an object that I could live without. :)

Summer is starting early this year!

Three pieces of extraordinarily good news:

1)  I am taking a photography course offered through a local community college this summer.

2)  My husband called me today to tell me that he paid for said class today.

3)  This "summer" class starts...MONDAY!  YAY!!   

Mark your calendar kids, summer starts May 3rd!  :)

Today I am linking up to Trendy Treehouse's Shutter Love Tuesdays.  The theme this week is water.  I took this picture on the Pacific Coast outside of Portland, OR last summer while visiting my sister (that's her in the picture...).  I love that you can't tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins.   
 
For those needing technical info: This was taken with my handy dandy Canon Powershot camera (which doesn't work anymore...).  I've since upgraded to a Nikon 0193489024385 (or something...I can't remember all the numbers...). 

Tuesday Cup of Cheer...in its most literal sense.

Humor me and my long-windedness  for just a moment...  There are some fantastic pictures at the bottom of this post.

(yes Mr. Spellcheck, I realize long-windedness isn't a word)

The morning I had my last Tuesday Cup of Cheer entry scheduled to post (I can't believe I didn't know about scheduled posts before), I went into work to find another Ale-8 waiting for me in the fridge at work.  Attached was a post-it note telling me that I was appreciated and to have a good day.  I truly have the best coworker!

That evening I tried to imagine what a cup of cheer might look like.

hmm...

I realized that besides a can of diet coke (which has its own wonderful little package), the best cup of cheer I could ever ask for is coffee, with 2% milk, and Splenda.  I'm a simple gal.

That led me to think about the drab, sad, pitiful coffee cups I've been drinking out of since we got married.  BORING!  I won't even post a picture.  They are truly that sad.

Which led me to think how nice it would be to have a fabulous little coffee cup.  We coffee-lovers LOVE our coffee.  Why not love our coffee cups with the same passion?

So...I went in search of some coffee cups to love.  Here are my favorites from Etsy:

LennyMud

 This mug is called Indy Hippy Happy Flowers Mug.   What could be more cheerful than that?  Beyond all of my mommy/wife/daughter/teacher duties, there is a little hippie that lives deep down inside me.  When I was in school, my notebooks were covered in flower doodles something like this (although messier and less refined!).  Lorrie of LennyMud has a myriad of cups and other functional pottery pieces in her Etsy shop.  The humor in her pieces struck me immediately, and I dare you to take a look through her shop without having a good laugh!

 

craftyFOLK

This mug reminds me that typewriters, in all their glorious vintage-ness, are almost extinct.  I love the nod that Sarah has given to days gone by with this print!  I was one of the last classes in my high school that learned to type on a typewriter (remember those little whiteout papers?).  Sarah has a great blog over at craftyFOLK and I'm excited to read that she is in the process of turning this into fabric!!

 

Outiart

I asked Outi if I could post her mug here because I know there are days I need this moral boost in the morning.  If you're a mom, you know exactly what I'm talking about!  She is a super talented artist, and her blog is total eye candy!  You can find her shop on Etsy here.  She has all kinds of beautiful pottery and original paintings.

UrbanAntix

  This last one gave me a good giggle.  I can imagine giving this to my mom, who has a great sense of humor.  She would have a good time with this!  UrbanAntix's shop is filled with this mustache theme on different types of mugs and glasses.

Check out these great shops and stayed tuned for a great giveaway (my first!) coming soon!