Merry Christmas to ME!

Who feels guilty shopping for themselves before Christmas? I do!

After Christmas? I don't!

Today, I ventured out to a FANTASTIC place called Legacy Place in Dedham, MA and enjoyed my fitness instructor discounts at Lucy and LuLuLemon and also, hit up a few other places. My bank account was very pleased to see Anthropologie had nothing exciting in stock........

At LuLuLemon, I grabbed another pair of "Wonder Under Crops" that I just LOVE for pilates, teaching indoor rowing, and teaching a fab barefoot cardio class called "WillPower and Grace" (FIND A CLASS NEAR YOU: www.willpowermethod.com) And, you can never have too many "to & from" tops to cover up and/or play in on the weekends (especially in charcoal grey!)


















I grabbed this $58 gift set for 40% off at Victoria's Secret of my favorite scent, "Sexy Little Things: Noir", which came out to be around $34 (pretty good considering the perfume itself is around $40 on its own!)


















Also, the other day, I met my newest love, my Keurig! I wanted one for Christmas so badly, but Santa isn't a coffee drinker and didn't quite understand why I wanted one so much! We have one in our department office at school and every morning (and mid day), I enjoy a lovely and comforting cup of coffee. I have an awesome top of the line Cuisinart coffee maker that I absolutely love; however, when it comes to making one cup of coffee, it is very inconvenient and labor intensive (ha ha!). So, I never used to buy into these Keurig things until I started using one at work! I now will be able to have that quick cup of coffee as soon as I wake up with next to no preparation time! When I have company or plan to drink on and off all morning, I can use the Cuisinary. Plus, I had the PERFECT little nook in my kitchen next to the fridge that was begging for something useful to sit on it! It was on sale for $139 at Kohl's, plus I had $20 in Kohl's cash, so I got the Platinum one for $119--what what!!!!!?????!!!!








































YAY for Christmas presents you buy for yourself!

Guest Bedroom Switcheroo

So, it pains me to say this, but after 2 years with my lovely gorgeous guest bedroom duvet from Pottery Barn (which was something I registered for and a lovely wedding gift!) was peed on twice by one of my cats.........I've washed it in the enzyme Nature's Miracle laundry booster and stored it in a bin in my basement.......I'm nervous that if I put it back on, it will be peed on again for a third time! I don't want to throw it out, but........I had house guests around Thanksgiving and just couldn't put it on the bed for them.

Before:


















I ran into Target and decided I wanted something extremely simple that came with shams and could work with my current wall color and accent pillows....so, I grabbed this "West Elm-ish" bed-in-a-bag set by Target's Home Collection for $69.99 for my full guest bed. The lighting is bad because I took this photo in bright daylight sun and I guess my crappy $100 camera just doesn't work with this light!?!?!

After:

2010 in Review....

Hmmm, well, 2009 was an EASY year to beat! But, if I had to sum up 2010 in one word, or phrase, it'd would be: low key. Nothing BAD happened and nothing GREAT happened. It was a good year. 2009 had been such a whirlwind with the whole "having to leave my husband after only a few months of marriage because he was a cheating liar and move into a new house and life" thing........that it was nice just to BE in 2010.

I had a great time doing lots of stuff to help me find out who I truly am, to heal, and see the world through new eyes.


January: On the first day of the year, I snapped the BEST photo ever of my cat, Wilson, watching "Cats 101"! How funny!



















February: I met a new man in my life, my best friend's first son, Garrett. AND, I went to Disney World with my family, it was an awesome trip! I passed the one-year anniversary of "finding out" the man I was married to was a double-life Tiger Woods-esque liar. (February 21, 2009 was THE day). It felt strange--part of me felt like "Wow, it's been a WHOLE year." and part of me felt like "OMG, it's ALREADY been a year!?!?" So, I remember a friend of mine telling me in Feb 09 when I was devastated and a pile of tears: "A year form now, your life will be completely different," and she was right! I did so much in a year, but at the same time, around Feb/March, I started to feel the "come down" from the constant moving (literally and figuratively) of the breakup. I started to calm myself and just be still with my thoughts. It wasn't all good. Some days, I was very angry, confused, and upset; whereas, some days, I felt okay and ready to the take on the world. This late winter/early spring period was a time of transition....from the heartbroken old me, to the new "who will I be?" me.....










































March: I turned 30! I have NO photos from my birthday night out except this one from my iPhone where I am apparently, really enjoying miso soup! I came into school and some of my students had decorated my classroom for my birthday, which was such a surprise and very flattering.











































April: I partied it up w/ the Jersey Shore cast in Miami on my school vacation! ha ha!




















May: I planted flowers like a maniac and welcomed some dear friends as my home's first official house guests! I even hired my house guest Mike (below) to install my AC and hang my giant mirror on the wall!



























































June: I went to Miami for the second time in the year to the World Spinning and Sports Conference. And, I chaperoned the prom at school!










































July: I celebrated summer in style all month long with beach time, relaxing, and reading......what would have been my second wedding anniversary came and passed with ease. Last year, I was scared and upset, whereas this year, I was strangely calm and felt more removed from the date. Someday, I hope to see July 12 on the calendar and not feel that pinch in my heart....I went to St. Johnsbury Vermont to an Advanced Placement Institute to learn about the new course I'd be teaching AP GOv't. And, I partied down with Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum in the 5th row! Callie and I also had an awesome time swimming at my parents' pool.










































































August: I wound down the summer with gatherings with friends.....took in some Polo in Portsmouth, RI with some gals and had a big lobstah soiree to meet the 2 new members of our department at school.

































September: 3 of my favorite ladies and I celebrated the start of a new school year over Labor Day Weekend.

















October: We powerwashed (well, my dad did!) and then, I stained my deck all by myself. I was so proud of myself for undertaking the project! And, helped my gym promote our new programs at a women's 5K for to celebrate October's Breast Cancer awareness efforts.



































November: A new roof was put on my home! I took a trip to DC w/ a school trip and had a blast!



































December: The year has come to a close and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm ready for the next chapter in my life and with me all the while, is my best bud, Callie.






















I hope that 2011 will bring more joy, but most of all, me feeling more confident in who I am and the road I am on. There are many days that I struggle with "where am I going?" because I'm such a planner. I intended to be married for 2 years now and perhaps on the way to starting a family, but alas, that was not the grand plan and I have learned that life throws little surprises in our way when we least expect it. I am thankful for all of my friends and family who I have learned so much from and have leaned on so much!

Decorated for Christmas!

Yesterday, I put up my tree and rearranged my focal point shelf on the main wall of my living room. I need to grab some pillar candles for the crystal candle holders next to the mirrors.

Also, as a single woman in my house alone, I have a fake tree. I bought a pre-lit $100-ish tree last year. I've always had a real tree my entire life and the three Christmases my ex and I lived together, we had a real one as well. It pains me to have an artificial tree; however, it was really easy to put up and since I'm the only one putting it up and taking it down, fake the way to go for me!

Lastly, I did not buy one single NEW thing this year for decor. Last year, I bought the tree and ornaments for the apothecary jars and more. This year, I'm trying to save some cash and just make due with what I own already. It sure is tough, though, to walk through the holiday decor area at Target, so I try to avoid it!
























































































And, one of my favorite ornaments, which pays homage to one of my favorite places & hobbies:

























Happy Holidays, all!!!

Living Room Refresh

Just a few changes I've made in the last month or so....

I LOVED my green rug from Pottery barn for my living room, but turns out my pets' hair/fur liked it more and I could see every bit of golden retriever fur and white cat fur all of the time! Also, one of my kitties really thought the rug was a scratching post.......hmmmm....which was the pits for a $300 rug!

So, I got this number from Target for around $100 and I feel like if my kitty takes a liking to this one, then I won't be out so much money if I have to replace it! Also, while I do vacuum twice a week or so, this color works much better for dog and cat fur. Yes, it may stain easier if I spill red wine or something, but for day-to-day, it is a better color choice for me!

I grabbed some clearance pillows and a few 20% off ones from Pier 1 last week and decided on a sapphire/teal with purple combo, inspired by the small rectangular pillow!

PS, my 3rd date was fab and last night, there was a 4th!

Psst...........

I have a 3rd date with a dreamy guy tonight! Woot woot!

Wish me luck!

New roof, dead lawn....

The new roof was put on about 3 weeks ago!

Also, the spring time plan is to paint the house a warm mocha color, black shudders, and white trim.

Here is my old rusty brown colored roof:



































And, introducing......my new roof!!! The color is called "Driftwood" and they are architectural shingles.

My once lush lawn turned to crab grass and is now dead and gross. I think next year, I'll be throwing money at this problem and having a lawn service rip up my top layer of lawn and just start my lawn fresh! I guess it is the end of November, the grass does have a right to die at this point I suppose.....

I'm not proud....

....of my messy bedroom closet.























I only use this closet for tops! The best part of being single & living alone--every room's closet houses a different aspect of my wardrobe!

I bought this ClosetMade cubby thing about a month ago and just put it together today.
























I have a storage bin to the left and need ot take it out and go through it and see what I should keep & get rid of, but until then, the storage cubby does a good job of getting my frequently worn shoes in the spotlight and crap off of the floor!

Presto Changeo Loo!

I was bored with my black and white scheme in my bathroom......I needed a pop of color...maybe all of the apple candles I've been burning for the fall season have been subliminally making me yearn for a rich flash of red in my bathroom!

Anyway, here is the old look--well, semi-old look. Originally, I had a white shower curtain w/ a few black stripes at the bottom of it, but my two cats (who are primarily white) and my golden retriever go in and out of my bathroom--they especially like to linger around me when I get ready for work in the morning--- and the hair just stuck to it and then it was on the black bath rugs too.

I ditched the black bath mats about 6 months ago because of the major cat and dog hair that would accumulate on them in just a few days!!! So, I grabbed a plain white curtain and grey rugs.....they were okay, but a bit boring.























Now, this all started with a random trip to Kohl's and then a stroll through the bathdecor department. I found this shower curtain with white, grey, and black on it--perfect for my bathroom and then a flash of red! Awesome! And, it was on sale! (what's NOT on sale at Kohl's?!?)

The accent rugs are Thomas O'Brien from Target and were on sale too!

Deck Makeover!

So, my deck was just a deck---no idea how old it was, but man, it looked like if I didn't do a stain/water seal to it this year, one more year of water damage and snow would lead to its ultimate decay and wood rot. It seemed like a pivotal time in my deck's life!


















I hired my dad to make use of my parents' smallish power washer and he went to town on the deck. I could not BELIEVE how gross the deck was! Check out this pic of the railing in progress of being cleaned! (the clean part is on the left!) EW! Kiss mildew & dirt goodbye!!!!

















The deck after power washing:


















Progress pic (stain is a one-step semi transparent w/ water seal built in from Home Depot; 2 gallons at $32 each). Staining the spindles was the most tedious and time-consuming part....


















Application done & stain is drying (you can still see the brush strokes on the wet stain....) 4.5 hours later.....

















Final madeover deck: To be posted!