I'm all about beds lately.

I think it's because if(*when*hopefully!) I move off campus next year, my main purchase will be a bed... and the last time I picked one out I was 3... so I really didn't have any kind of refined taste or preference other than - a bed. x__X

I'm also all about summer lately. This winter.. it's cold, but we haven't really had any substantial snow yet... Spring Fever has already hit, and with a vengence this year - I'm ready for some summer loving.

Anyway - that in mind - I'm giving beds lots of attention lately. And I was just looking at Apartmenttherapy.com and I came across this wonderful highlight of outdoor beds. And I've never really thought about them before... but they combine both of the things that I'm all aobut lately! And the more I think about them, the more I really want them and think that they can be so simple, yet really beautiful and special.


There are just my two favorite ones. I guess in a weird way they remind me of glamourized camping. This first one is so quaint. It's just inviting. And it's sheltered so there's still that element of being home rather than being out in the wild or camping.. but on a beautiful summer night it just seems like it would feel like a dream to sleep here.

This one is just beautiful. And it's simple. Fabric hung over wire, with bedding underneath it. It's the easiest tent ever! But the ambiance of this location... I can just imagine wanting to sleep here every night!

I would love something special like this. I may be blowing things way out of proportion(I tend to do that sometimes..), but it seems like such an indulgance, but it really isn't. It's a bed.. the same as the crappy piece of dorm furnature that's 2 feet away from me.. only better. And outside. And in the peaceful warmth of summer.

A small taste of my family life

My little brother is Gaston in his middle school's production of Beauty and the Beast. So tonight, my dad wanted to watch the movie because he wants to know what's going on. So I'm watching it with him :)

But what is even better.. and very charicteristic of my family, but somewhat surprising from him... my little brother keeps coming in the room when Gaston is on and saying his lines and singing along.

I love my family.
They drive me crazy sometimes.. but I love them.

And it makes me sad that I need to go back to school on Sunday.

But I'll just enjoy it for now.

Summer breeze makes me feel fine...

(Sorry for the mini haitus... I'm back on my own computer! I got a monitor to hook up to my laptop.. it was either that of pay $500+ for the screen to get fixed)

I didn't want to work out today.. but I heard a song and it totally got me thinking one thought..

So, there has to be someone out in blog-reading-land who knows where this is without looking at the next two pictures.I'll give you a hint... it beings with an "O"...

....and ends with a "cean City, New Jersey!"
I heard that stupid song that was out this summer.. that "1-2-3-4! Uno! Dos! Tres! Quatro!"(that I secretly love... shh! don't tell!).. and WAHM! I was in a summer state of mind!

The highlight of summer is always family vacation. Usually to Ocean City, New Jersey. I love that place more and more each time I go. I wish I could go for more than just 5 days at a time... my mom always said she'd love to rent a house for a month.. oh my gosh.. I would love that so much! I'd go broke - but I'd love it! We just have so many traditions there, yet it's still new and fresh every time we go.

I'm so excited for that beautiful, warm, sunny day when I'll be on that beach this year.

And what got me on that elliptical today was the thought that if I just lose 1 pound a week between now and July, I'll be down 25lb!... can we say, Hello Bikini! :)

Iron beds.

I had a very crazy kind of day... I first revolted, then came to terms... then revolteld... and revolted some more.. and then finally have come to terms with the fact that I might need to just get a monitor to hook my laptop up to this semester. (Turns out the screen on my laptop needs to be replaced, but it still works perfectly when hooked up to a new monitor)

But I went on a jog today.. and it was slightly warmer than my jog the other day.. less windy for sure - but it made me want the summer! I usually don't get sick of winter until March-ish... but I just want it be tanning, swimming, everyone walking outside, sit by the river weather. So I searched for summery decor pictures, and I found some lovely ones.. but I saw a picture of an iron bed and I wanted more. :) I've been thinking about them lately.. they are beautiful, aren't they? They can be casual or vintage or modern.. or all 3 at once!

My favorite are the one with the thin, tall, vertical posts on either end(like the one with the bunny and the last two.. that are in the middle of a grass field.. haha)... there's something simple about them that makes me want to make them beautiful and comfortable. I think I've decided that my color is the off white/iron showing antique look(again, the one with the bunny).. it has so much character. The sleek black looks pretty cool too(the one with the red patterened comforter)

Definitely on my list of things to keep an eye out for at flea markets and thrift stores! Joining old suitcases, birdcages, and perfume bottles... oh - I saw some beautiful pictures of bird cages... but that's another post for another day.

I want this.

(sorry.. this blurry pic is the only one the website had.. but it's still wonderful!)
I feel like I forgot to mention, I'm obsessed with perfume and I collect perfume samples and bottles... and these little bottles on this bracelet from VictorianPasttimes.com has stolen my heart! I have some beads are similar to some of them... I may have to make my own replica to display with my bottles!

I raided the dollar store for storage containers today... made out like a bandit :) I want to finish my craft area tomorrow once and for all! I've run into some issues, but I'm trying to solve them as creatively as possible. The real pain is going to be cleaning the spare desk to make room for my sewing machine.

I don't have to work tomorrow - so I have no excuse not to clean and exercise.. maybe even do some laundry in there!

The big clean.

Is going slowly, but it's going.

I'm starting with my crafting stuff. It's going slower than I'd like, but I want it to be really organized... I went through all the beads, put all the stray ones into baggies, sorted some, I have piles, that I should probably just put into plastic bags for now, that will eventually become plastic shoe box bins.. I'd love to use those pretty scrapbook boxes, but they're not on sale and I have no money and a lot of ambition right now. Hopefully I can finish sorting tonight, and get the boxes tomorrow! I just want it done now!

In addition, Weight Watchers starts tomorrow. Now, I'm not officially becoming a member, but my mom is, so her old WW stuff gets passed on to my sister and I - and she can also grab a few extra food journals for us! And tonight we're setting the parameters for our family Biggest Loser competition - you'll hear tons about it, I promise. I won our summer Biggest Loser - 14 pounds - a 7.7% loss before vacation this year. The prize: a spare change jar.. which added up, my friends! I'm hoping for at least as much success this time!

I hate technology.

That is what my computer currently looks like.

Well, actually - the screen won't turn on. I don't know what's wrong - but I'm going to see if it can be fixed on Monday. It's done this before, but it's always just solved itself and started working in a half hour... but I've been trying to get it to work since this morning. Uhg.

Any updates the next short while will be from my family computer or my sister's computer.

On the plus side, if I need a new one I'll probably be getting one of those netbooks. They're cute. And they're messenger bag sized. And I could make a heavily padded bag for one and still fit it in to my book bag for classes. But I don't want to think about that, because I have no money to my name at the moment.

What a way to start a year. x___X

Another year over, a new one's just begun

Wow. 2010.

I turn 21 in 18 days.
I graduate NEXT YEAR!
Holy guacamole!

Resolutions... well, they haven't changed much... but I'll post them here:
-If you didn't catch my drift in my other entry - one of my resolutions is to get more organized. I have to.. I am so dissatisfied with my current habits in that area... I really want to change that!!

-I also want to continue to lose weight and eat better. I lost 18 pounds this past year. Which is more than I've ever lost.. I remember shopping after Christmas last year trying on size 16s, and this year fitting comfortably into 12s!! My family is doing another Biggest Loser style competition.. we haven't established the definites of it yet, but that definitely worked when we did it over the summer!

-Get better grades. They don't suck right now.. but I always just miss Deans List.. I;d like to actually make it before I graduate!

-Get in a better skin care routine.. because mine currently sucks.

-Find a good summer job. If I can't get a performing one, then get one that pays better and gives more horus than my job last summer.

But above all:
-Get what I want.
(my friends and I tend to say "You get what you want" and it applies to manner of sin.. so this is 2010 - The year that Marissa gets what she wants!)

So, what are your resolutions?
I wish you the best of luck with them through 2010. Happy New Year everyone!