Thanks!

I would first like to say thanks to my beyond awesome sister, Emily, who created a new blog banner for me. Yes, I was a big fan of the Backstreet Boys and no, I will not tell you any embarrassing stories connected to the Backstreet Boys that Emily previously alluded to. Sorry for the disappointment but you know how much I love to tell a good story so if I hold back then it is definitely for a good reason.

I also want to send a big "Thank You" shout out to those who signed up for my homemade gift tag. That means you - Star, Ashley Shawcroft, Kelly, Ashley Blair, and Charlet! You can look forward to something handmade and personal to you sometime this year.

Way more fun than freeze tag

My feelings toward blog tagging are fairly neutral: I love to read them but I hate to write them. However, I found a fun version of tagging on my friend Lauren's blog and it made me want to join in. This tag game involves a few of my favorite things: handmade goods, creativity, and gift-giving. So, without further ado, here are the tagging instructions:

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Good luck!

And that, Mr. Tuttle, is how you blog.

Hello. It's Emily. Annie's older sister. I've been telling her for a while that her blog needs some serious help. That's where I come in.

I have been given some instructions, however. I am not allowed to write about the following stories: the one about Annie's school project about referees, two different but equally embarrassing stories having to do with the Backstreet boys, how she once insisted my 1981 Baby's 1st Christmas ornament was hers (she was born in '83), prom stories, etc. My guess is that with enough pressure that she'll cave and let me tell them anyway. So bug her about it and then this blog will get really good.

Hey, Annie, here's a deal...if you give me carte blanche to tell whatever story I want, I'll tell about my most embarrassing story. The one where I told you I'd punch you square in the face if you told anyone. That's a deal if I ever heard one.

So, in honor of my new authorship on Annie's blog (which could also use a cool header, by the way) here's two rad videos to make your life worth living. I've got a hundred babies at home and it's a lot of work, but seeing these videos yesterday made me feel like it was all going to be okay. And it was.

I don't know how to post videos, so I'll just send you to where I found them. Oh, and this blog I'm directing you to should become a daily read. It's wonderful.

Go here for a good laugh.

and go here for something beautiful and daydreamy and magical.

Oh, and the picture at the top? That's just because no good post is complete without a picture (a main symptom of Annie's anemic blog) and because I just moved into our new house and I'm currently obsessed with finding the just right pieces of furniture on craigslist and then I'm going to paint and recover them. The chair above is upholstered with Joel Dewberry fabric. Love it. For those with even bolder, bohemian taste...check out Anna Maria Horner (this post from her blog shows all the fabrics of her home decor line, her blog is definitely worth adding to your favorites tab). You can buy these lines (and more cool ones like Heather Bailey and Amy Butler) online, this shop's a good one.

If...

...your only complaint at the end of the day is that you mistakenly chose to buy the Reduced Fat Cheezits instead of the normal (full fat) kind then life must be pretty good.

I'm Happy Right About Now

Why, you ask? I have a job and it is a job that I genuinely love. I don't know that everyone can say both of those things right now so I consider myself very lucky. So much to be grateful for...

I'm Back!

Dear Faithful Blog Readers,

After a three month absence I am returning to the world of blogging and I have my friend Fayer to thank for it (hi Fayer!). I promised her that I would start updating my blog again and I mean to make good on that promise. So, look forward to some more funny stories, random bits of useless knowledge, and hopefully some comments that will put a smile on your face.

Love,

Annie

Twenty-five

Lately I have had lots of things I thought about posting but I have been lazy and never got around to it. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. But, if you want to hear about my conversion from fat free yogurt to 99% fat free yogurt because of my fear of aspartame then I'll be happy to give you the full details later.

I thought I should ward off my laziness for this post because I legitimately want your help with something. I am turning 25 soon and I decided that I want to make goals/resolutions on my birthday every year instead of at New Years. I want to have 25 goals for when I'm 25. Some of them will be big (like running a marathon) and some will be little (like driving Alpine loop in the fall...finally). I've got a pretty good list going but, as my dear loved ones who know me well, what are some things that I've always talked about doing that I should include this year? The last thing I want is to be one of those people that is all talk. I think I have a slight problem with attention-span and I often have exciting ideas that end up getting lost in the shuffle. Please remind me of things I have mentioned or, even better, offer some of your own awesome suggestions. Isn't this fun?