Day 11 - Describe 10 pet peeves you have

Day 11 - Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

Funny enough, this one was fun to write. Usually you try to ignore all your pet peeves, or not let people know little things bother you, but it's kind of nice to just let it all out :) On the other hand, if my future husband ever reads my blog, there'll be no chance of hiding my OCD quirks until it's too late to back out! Hope he's already tasted my cooking by then, maybe I'll have a chance!

1. Folding towels crooked. They just fit in the cabinet better folder.

2. Actually, folding clothes crooked period. If I fold clothes, I take my time and I fold them neatly. No sense in taking them from the pile if you're just going to wad them up in a stack.

3. Dryer ironing. Irons are sold separately, and boards too.

4. When the covers on your bed get all wrinkled and untucked at the bottom, and your toes stay cold because they're peeking out all night long. Plus, if your toes peek out, then the spiders and monsters can get you.

5. When you go to eat a bowl of cereal and can't, because the person before you has only left the crumbs in the bottom of the box or used up all the milk. Same thing goes for taking the last can Coke and leaving the box there so everyone thinks there's still something in it.

6. Finding something you love on a sale rack, and it's a great price, then getting up to the register and learning that it's there by mistake and not on sale at all.

7. Reality TV, rap/heavy metal music, and stupid comedy. Oh, and video games.

8. Parents who insist their small children 'want' to be in beauty pageants, tumbling class, Spanish lessons, traveling ball...guys, your little kids just want to play and have fun. Competition and stress should not be part of their lives until it has to. They'll be living with it forever, let them live without it as long as possible.

9. Snoring. I hope beyond hope my future husband doesn't snore! Because if he does I'll have to manage to fall asleep before him every night if I'm ever going to sleep at all. If I'm in a hotel room with a snorer, I'm basically not sleeping. I count every snore. And resist the urge to smother them with all the extra pillows.

10. People who make drinking and smoking everyone else's problem. I don't care if you're drunk every day before noon or if you're personally keeping Marlboro afloat, but do it where we all don't have to put up with it.

Day 10: My most embarrasing moment

Day 10: My most embarrasing moment

This one was sooo much fun to think of...yeah right.

For my 18th birthday, my mom, sister Meagan, and I flew out to LA to spend the Fourth of July break with my then-fiance Smith, who was stationed at 29 Palms. The first day out there we went to eat at Bubba Gump's on the Santa Monica pier. My loving mother got the bright idea to tell them it was my birthday. At a normal restaurant it wouldn't be so bad - they bring you free dessert, maybe even sing to you. Not there. At Bubba Gump's you stand on a chair in the middle of the restaurant while they sing and you are supposed to dance. Oh HECK no. For one I don't stand in chairs, the fear of heights thing, two I don't like people staring at me, and three I sure don't dance! I'm sure my face was seven shades of red when I got down, and I don't think I talked to my mama for the rest of the day!

Day 9: List 10 people who have influenced you, and describe how.

Challenge day 9: List 10 people who have influenced you, and describe how.

     I actually already wrote a post very similar to this, so instead of writing a redundant post, I'm just going to link you back to it! Here's the link!

     Instead of writing a double post, I've been really busy crafting today :) Since I start my new job Monday :) I'm living it up this weekend finishing all the little craft projects I have laying around the house. So far today I've made two flower arrangements for a cousin and repainted some tomato cages to make some outdoor Christmas trees...more on those later!

   

Day 8: What are 5 passions you have?

Challenge day 8: What are 5 passions you have?

     Every child deserves an amazing literary education. Reading helps kids out so much. The do betting in vocabulary and spelling, even in other subjects like math and science. They’re better spoken, more mature, and they know how to use their imaginations. Best of all, they’re happier, without all the toys and tv!

     I think that every person needs to strive to become a well-rounded individual. By that, I mean you have your job and your main talents and knowledge, but you still spend time learning about things you don’t know and practicing skills you don’t have.

     I think that it’s better to wait for something you really want than compromise and give in early for something that’s mediocre. If it’s something you know you want, you’ve wanted it for a long time, you’re willing to wait for it, do it. Why settle for something less than your ideal when you don’t have to?

     I’m very passionate about giving back, and being involved in your community. Giving back doesn’t always mean giving of your money; time is sometimes even more valuable, and I’m glad I’ve grown up learning that firsthand.

     Lastly, at least for this post, I absolutely believe everyone should have something they can go to that’s their ‘happy place’, their release, something they can go do that can turn a bad day around and take away all their stress, at least for a little while. It can be a long bath, a nap, going running, playing video games (ugh…), shopping, whatever, so long as when you get through you feel 100% better than when you started!

Day 7: What is your dream job, and why?

Challenge day 7: What is your dream job, and why?

Day 6 was 'What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?', but I'm sort of having a superstitious feeling about answering it and then something way worse happening. Even though I'm not normally the superstition type - I break mirrors if I need more art supplies, I pet kitties black or otherwise, and I walk under ladders if they're tall enough for me to fit under - I'll not be answering that question.

     My dream job has always been an elusive concept for me. I still don't know what I want to be or do as far as a career. The highest education I have is two years of interior design/art school and an Associates of Arts degree in business, simply because I figured I could do most anything I wanted with the flexible business AA, and I didn't need to waste money going for a BA when I didn't know what I wanted to get it in.
     I have been thinking on it a good deal lately, since I started looking for another job, and I think I have an idea of what I'd like to go back for my BA in. Ole Miss offers a Liberal Arts degree that is basically a major of three minors. I know for sure that I would like to minor in history, business, and as for the third minor I'm torn between Spanish and English. I guess I could always make one of those my actual minor....but that would be weird. Liberal Studies major with a minor? So...four minors. Anyway, more thinking is required on that. It'll be a good while before I go back to school for anything, so I have plenty of time to decide.

     To answer my actual blog question, my dream job is something totally made up and is never going to happen. It's a 'dream' job, right? I would love to have some kind of hobby business like a professional organizer/decorator/house remodeler. I know there are people who do all of those things, but here in North Mississippi it's a limited market, especially the professional organizing haha. I'd love to just buy houses and flip them to sell. I'd love for people just to give me their keys and just say 'Make it pretty!' I'd even love to design houses; I actually loved designing and drawing out houseplans when I was in design school. Oh well, maybe someday when I marry that billionaire and he give me all the money I need to start my crazy business, I can come design all y'all's houses!

Fall Pinterest Projects

Happy fall y'all! At least by the rest of the general population. We've entered September, and I'm hoping the weather will take a hint from the calendar and give us a nice long fall season for once! Fall is my absolute favorite, what small time we get to see it here in Mississippi. I've been pinning fall decorations like crazy. I am so ready to wear sweaters and scarves and boots, to see the leaves change, to be able to decorate with pumpkins and pinecones and all those rich fall colors, to see little kids come trick-or-treating on Halloween and give them tons of candy, to watch football on the weekend...yeah, I'm excited, just a little :)

I used to love going to the pumpkin patch as a kid. I kind of wish I had a kid of my own, just so I could take him or her and sneak in on all the fun! 

On another note, isn't it odd/cool that pumpkins come in so many different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures? As a kid, I thought pumpkins were just roundish and orange, but nope, they even make blue ones and warty ones and stripey ones! 

I have found a ton of cute fall decor pins on Pinterest. Some I just think are cute and share-worthy, some I actually want to attempt. Here are the share-worthy ones. 

This one reminds me of my high school art teacher, Gail Morton

I'd love to be able to make one of these, but I have the feeling many many pinecones would have to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of creativity before I even got close.

Cute little owl :)

The candles are cute, and they'd look good on a table if you were doing a sit-down dinner or something, but I imagine they'd take a lot of work to core out just so for your candles, and they'd probably get hot and mushy around the candle where it's hot.

Cute little pumpkin family. Maybe save this one for a later date.

Now, the pins I want to try:

I think these flowered pumpkins would look pretty on our front porch, on some hay bales maybe?

I want to try one or the other of these designs, either glittered pumpkins or mercury glass spray painted pumpkins.  

Haha. Vampire pumpkins!

For our Halloween candy, a ghost or Frankenstein bowl!

I don't know where I'd use this, but I just love the white mini pumpkins and the pinecones. It just looks so elegant and pretty and neat.

I would love to make a fall wreath for us; the one we currently are using is way way spring blossomy. I like the leaf one, but I need to find a lot of fake leaves first!

The medical personnel in my family got a kick out of the 'patient' mummy pumpkin.

We have a hurricane just this size, and I love the colors of the beans and corn together. Very rich, very fall.

Already got something very similar to this going. Just need Wal-Mart to get some mini-pumpkins in stock!

Hahaha this is my favorite one yet! Pumpkins hiding out in my kitchen. I need to hunt up some of my little dishes and cups so I can do this.

If I could find my mom some big lanterns so I could do this, she would be beside herself. I don't blame her, they're gorgeous. Guess I'll be stalking the clearances for a while!

100th Post! August Book Lists

This is my 100th blog post for Hello Melrose!!!

I'm so glad I started blogging a year and a half ago. It's been so much fun to do, more than I ever imagined! I always hated keeping a diary or journal, still do, but I'm in my element with my blog. Here's to the next 100 posts!

   

    It's been a good reading month. Went through some new books, revisited some old friends. I've had a super busy month with paperbackswap; I think I've probably mailed out five books and gotten as many in return. That still hasn't gotten old :) At the end of today's post I'll post a list of my books for 'sale' on there, so of any of you guys need or want one of those you can go to their site and get it from me for free, and I'll get a new book in the process.

     I also got a new toy this weekend, a Kindle. My mama has had the basic Kindle, the one with the keyboard, for a while, but a month ago decided she wanted to upgrade to the Kindle Fire. Even though I travel a good bit and I love to read, I had never bought any type of e-reading device because I figured I was doing okay with books, or my iPhone in a pinch. But since I've read a little on the Kimdle, I'm hooked! The non-touchscreen took a little getting used to after three years of iPhone and tablet use, but otherwise I can't find anything I dislike about it. I love the size, the screen is easy on your eyes, and it took no time to learn to operate. Definitely going to be my new best friend for a long time!

AUGUST

Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind
The Stone of Tears - Terry Goodkind
Mistress of the Art of Death - Ariana Franklin
Serpent's Tale - Ariana Franklin
Grave Goods - Ariana Franklin
A Murderous Procession - Ariana Franklin
O Ye Jigs and Juleps - Virginia Carey Hudson
The Cider House Rules - John Irving
The American Heiress - Daisy Goodwin
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts - Neil White
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg
Peony in Love - Lisa See
I am Legend - Richard Matheson

13 for this month, bringing my year to date total up to 90! Wow! I'm attempting to work with the Goodreads website so I can get a button for my blog to count for me how many books I'm reading, but I can't seem to get it to count re-reads as me reading a book. Sad day...but no matter, I'm way ahead of where I thought I'd be by August!

PAPERBACK SWAP BOOKS

A Wedding in December - Anita Shreve

Worth the Risk: Partner/The Art of Deception - Nora Roberts

Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

Twenty Wishes - Debbie Macomber

The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney

Sandcastles - Luanne Rice

Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe

Red River - Lalita Tademy

The Prayer of Jabez for Teens - Bruce Wilkinson

Peony in Love - Lisa See

Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

The Naming - Alison Croggon

The Kings Gold - Yxta Maya Murray

Julie and Julia - Julie Powell

Jesus Freak - DC Talk

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

The Ghost - Danielle Steel

Finding Alice - Melody Carlson

The Feast of All Saints - Anne Rice

Even the Stars Look Lonesome - Maya Angelou

The Cider House Rules - John Irving

The Blind Side - Michael Lewis

Black Mountain Breakdown - Lee Smith

74 Seaside Avenue - Debbie Macomber

I'm planning on going through my attic sometime this week, and I know I have a good many books up there than are going to end up posted on PBS, so if anybody needs some new reading material, check it out!