My 2012 Checklist

Now, the other day I told you guys my goals for 2012. I also explained that there was a lot more that I wanted to accomplish in addition to those goals. I have compiled a list of things that I would like to get done this year... 

• Do an outfit post, even if it's just one!
• Photograph more for myself, and for my blog.
• Finally develop ALL my film from 2011. 
• Redesign my blog layout. D.O.N.E. DONE!!
• Get an Instax Mini or 210 [or both].
• Write more.
• Get a job that I will love. DONE!
• Start and FINISH a book. Preferably more than one! 2/6/11 So far, read four books! Woot!
• Reread the Twilight series (I stopped after New Moon). 
• Start to save money. I started putting money in a cute little vintage tin can for emergencies. It's already pretty heavy, woot! And it's not just change either! Win!
• Spend more time with my best friend/friends.
• Keep up on this streak of not eating out.
• Add more stock to Autumn Balm Botanicals.
• Catch a Northern.
• Babysit my Niece Brooklynn more. 
• Visit my brother in Minnesota again. 
• Take a road trip to somewhere I've never been before.
• Get to my goal gauge of 00g. 
• Do something special for myself.
• REALLY learn to knit.
• Visit my dad's side of the family.
• Be more active. 
• Spend more time in nature.
• Take more adventures.

And that's pretty much it! I know I could totally go oooon and oooon, but then these mini goals would be less likely to be done. I think as the year will go on, I WILL cross them off my list. I will be putting up a special link for you guys to check my progress. I will try to blog about my progress as well! 

I really hope you all will have a SAFE and happy New Year. Don't drink and drive!!! I will be spending my year with my best friend playing video games and snacking on yummy treats. I can't wait. See you all next year ;) 

xo, 

Rachel.

[My first] End of Year Recap!

What a crazy ride this year was. Tons of ups & tons of downs. But I'll be focusing on the ups today! I know I haven't been around that long (only since May!), but I've grown to really love blogging and I'm so happy to have my shop. Here are the things I've accomplished this year...

• Created Autumn Balm Botanicals. This was something I've wanted to do for quite some time. I'm a Skeptical Susan...I have an idea (that's usually pretty great), but I never usually roll with it. I create too many excuses in my head as to why I can't do a certain thing. But this, this shop I had to do! I felt it in my bones to start ABB. I'm so so so glad I did. 

• Started this wonderful Blog! I've finally found an outlet as to where I can share my voice with more than just myself. I can share my favorite things, my uber love for cameras and nails, and everything else in between. I can meet wonderfully inspiring people. I can literally go on and on. I know you all know what I'm talking about... I really want to take my blog to a new level in 2012, I really do! I can't wait to bring you all with me! 

• I finally stretched my ears. This is something I loved on other people, but always doubted I could do for myself. I always got self conscious and turned my head at the thought of finally doing it. But I had to put my foot down and do something for myself. I'm very much a giver, so this I knew was something I could do for me. I'm very glad I did. I just sized to a 10g tonight, and I can't wait to get to my goal (00g). 

• I chopped off all my hair & kept up with it. This is something I usually do every other year, but then I just let it grow out until I can chop it off again. I then, gawk at my Facebook pics and drool at how much I miss my short hair. So I decided enough was enough, I was going to get rid of my long thick hair and go (and STAY) short. I'm letting it get a wee bit longer, but it's still staying short. I love it! 

There are other things of course...like getting my first SLR, allowing my vintage camera collection to grow, start to thrift regularly again, watch my niece's birth, start my first herbal garden, expanding my crocheting skills and so much more. I hope I allow myself to accomplish so much more next year. 

I love reading everyone's end of year list, here are my favorites I've read so far:

Nearsightedowl

Onesheepishgirl

Talk2thetrees

Scathinglybrilliant

Just to name a few. I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve-Eve. 

xo.

A lost love...

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 

I seriously forgot that I owned this movie. I forgot how fantastic it is. I am rather ashamed of myself for that. It is one of those interestingly spectacular movies with an all star cast. A movie that you wouldn't think any of the cast members would do. It's by far unique and special...original would be the perfect word. 

How crazy would it be if you could choose to erase certain memories from your mind? One second they're there, and BAM, they're gone! I know there are times (especially in recent events) that I wish I could just delete certain memories. But I don't think I could ever do such a thing. Because those memories and experiences made me, well, me. 

It's interesting that Joel decided to erase Clementine from his mind, only to try to stop those wonderful memories from being erased forever. He realized that the good, bad and the ugly was still worth holding onto. 

I love how spontaneous Clementine is. She's impulsive and changes her mind at the drop of a hat. Joel on the other hand is much more reserved, responsible. How could they fit together? Somehow they do. 

If you could, would you ever choose to erase certain memories from your mind? Why?

xo.

ps. My job interview is tomorrow...EEK!! Wish me luck && cross your fingers I get the job!!! :)

Resolutions??

Lordy bee, only a few days left until the new year. Wow, where did 2011 go?? Needless to say, it wasn't the best year, but it was decent. Not to get too deep, but quite a few people died this year, so that was the definite downside. But the upside was camping (of course), starting Autumn Balm Botanicals, this blog, quitting the job I hated oh so much, realizing you can't live life constantly asking "what if?" and finally allowing myself to move forward with my dad's death.

Now, I am no resolution girl. Especially the whole, "I'm going to lose xx amount of weight once the new year happens." Um, no. I've done stupid (for me) resolutions like that and most times, they don't hold up for a week. I am going to set aside goals that are very much realistic for me to accomplish in 2012. Wanna know what they are?? Here we go...

• Don't be afraid to be yourself. I was SUPER uber dooper self conscious in high school. I mean, to the point where I wouldn't talk to anyone (other than the few friends I did have). Once I got my first job in high school, I *had* to talk to people. My shell obviously opened up. Now I'm not nearly as self conscious as I was back then, but I do find it hard to allow my inner self to completely show through. Meaning, I should dress more in the clothes I wish I wore, instead of drooling over them on someone else. Yes, This is indeed a weight issue, but I am finally getting comfortable in my own skin. Needless to say, this was years in the making, but just because I'm a bigger gal doesn't mean I can't look cute & feel good about it! 
• Find a job that is fulfilling! In October I quit my full time job. This was at least a year in the making. I hated it. Downright HATED it. I was mistreated on so many levels, they overworked you & so on and so forth (I don't want to bad mouth, really). But the sudden death of my cousin made me truly realize that I NEED to be happy. I seen my mom her whole life just settle for things and never did what would make her happy. I down right REFUSE to let things do that to me. I'm no where near perfect happiness (I mean, who is?), but I'm certainly heading in the right direction. I have a job interview scheduled for this Friday, and it seems to be perfect for what I want to do in my life. I'll explain more about that at a later date, if I get the job that is. 
• Crochet, crochet, crochet! I really want to make a granny square for the first time, heck, even a granny square blanket. I want to learn how to put a border on whatever I'm making. I'd love to make a blanket for my bed. This is something I will make happen in the new year! And even perhaps add some more crochet items in my shop. Just because I can :) 
• Read! Not to make another reference to who I was in high school, but I was a downright DORK. I always had my nose in a book. Which is prolly why I wasn't huge on friends, which is totally ok. But I miss feeling the urge to read and wanting to read just one more page! I have literally 100's of books that I need to get a move on, and I hope this year I can do that! 
• Update my blog! I don't nearly update as much as I should, or want to. But I hope to make a good change this coming year. I want to be more involved and have fun stuff planned. I know it's hard in the winter (at least for me) to take fun outdoorsy pics that I love to do, but I need to find some other great things to take photos of. I also want to make more of an effort and reach out to other bloggers. This is a great community and I really want to be apart of it. I find so many amazing and inspiring blogs, and I hope I can be that way to someone else. 
• Create more for my shop. Ohmygosh. When I first was coming up with the idea of my shop, ideas just flowed and flowed, then they came to an abrupt stop. Why? I dunno. Should I change this? Absofreakinlutely. Spring and summer gets me the most inspired to create and use herbs and oils. Probably because I feel more in touch with the natural resources around me. But I don't want to only have creative inspiration during spring and summer. I would like to implement a variety of items in my shop, not just lip balms. I need to dust off my idea book and get to work! 

Honestly, that's all I can think of right now. It is a lot, but I know there is so much more I would like to accomplish. Heck, who knows, there might even be a pt 2 to this. Also, I would like to wish my beautiful mother a Happy Birthday today! I've spent 23 lovely years with her, and I hope (and pray) for many many more to come! So Happy Birthday Mumsie, I love you!! 

My mom is on the right, holding me as a baby.

xo.

Merry Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas this holiday season. Make sure to spend this day with the one's you love. I know I will! I'm very thankful for a wonderful family...here on earth and even in Heaven. I hope this holiday is everything you want and more <333

xo.

Bring on the Jingle Bells

Happy Holidays Everyone!! Here are some photos from my home. 

I love the colors of our tree. So sparkly.

My mom's name is Joy, so our house is littered with her name :p

I love this Santa. He's so cute!!

I spent my pre-holiday at work. It was crazy madness, but a lot of fun! Now it's almost time to exchange some gifts with me mum and watch a movie. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas with the one's you love!! 

xo.

Is it really Thursday??

This week is literally FLYING by! I'm barely done with my homemade Christmas. I've been crocheting up a storm. *Note to self*, start crocheting presents MONTHS early. Work has been so crazy because of Christmas. It's a great thing though, I love it when we're busy. 

I'm watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I had to put something on that was fun and Christmas-y while I wrap gifts. Tomorrow we're celebrating Xmas early with my immediate family. My mom is making a turkey dinner for my brother, his girlfriend, his daughter and son, my grandma and myself. I'm pretty darn excited!! I can't wait to see everyone open their gifts. This is the first time we have done this this early (family reasons). But it shall be a good day! 

Happy Holidays.

xo.

Peeeeeeee.esssssss. I just need ONE more like on my Facebook Page until I hit 100 likes...I will be doing a giveaway once that happens, so make sure to like it :)

A little bit sweeter...

Ah, what a great fresh start to a Monday morning. I went into work to be sent home. I was pretty darn happy about this because I have a lot of balms to make today for last minute orders! 

Right now I'm drinking a yummy Caramel Brulee Latte from Starbucks and nibbling on a chocolate long john from work! I've been down and out lately so this was a little bit of a pick me up that I really needed!! The other day I went to Half Price Books (do you have one in your town?) to sell some old stuff I had and to get some Xmas shopping done. I tried not to find anything for myself, but boy, I couldn't help it! I found Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. 

I've been wanting this baby for awhile (since I heard about the large amount of people fainting when he read "Guts"). I just started it last night and it's really good! I'm going to read this today, crochet and make balms. I will make this day as productive as possible, mark my words :) 

xo.

PS!! Today is the last day to purchase anything through my shop. It will be closed tomorrow through the New Year.  

Friday Fancy - Twin Peaks Edition!

Oh I don't know where to begin. I just started watching Twin Peaks earlier this week and I was INSTANTLY hooked!! I remember years ago an old friend was obsessed with this show. We had to of been at least 13. I never understood her obsession, until now. So here are my favorite Etsy finds related to the show...

piediddy

I love these quotes from the show. I need to get a set of these!

BettyTurbo

Oh, the log...

CastleOnTheHill

How amazing are these prints?? The originals were painted. I admire this type of work!

EcoOdd

How freaking fabulous are these beer cozies??? I LOVE this!

littlesasquatch

The iconic quote heard throughout the series...

If you haven't seen Twin Peaks, I HIGHLY recommend you do so! It's currently on instant play on Netflix. It's so incredibly addicting, I'm nearing the end! I'm sad that there were only two seasons, but boy oh boy, they are gooood!

xo.

Mumbo Jumbo

As I promised earlier in the week, I was going to do a post on my new hair color. I miss the red a lot, but there is a shade of red in my new do too! I'm starting to get used to the dark color. These pictures aren't that great, I took them before work yesterday morning and it was still dark outside. Not to mention, I wasn't wearing the cutest outfit in the world :p 

I had to capture a picture of cute little Bogart and I couldn't help but share how adorable this guy is!! He's growing up so quickly!! He's a little daredevil I must say! 

I seen this online today and I neeeeeded to share this. It's toooo  cute. I want to squeeze this little guy and give him tons of kisses. I love owls!! Hoot :) Now I need to get back to finishing up my homemade xmas! I still have so much to crochet and make, I'm getting exhausted thinking about it :/ Hope you all have a great night!! 
xo.

Wenailsday!

I apologize that this is an extremely belated post. I've meant to do a nail post weeks ago, but I finally had time to do something fun that I thought was worth sharing with you all! 

I was inspired by this post by Nailside (this is a very awesome and inspiring nail blog that I love so so much)! I was ready to try something festive. I used the white dots as snow, drew a few snow flakes and had a very pretty glitter nail. I really wish I had a more steady hand to make better snowflakes with, but I do love the snow idea I came up with! 

I was a little bummed that most of my polish peeled off not even 24 hours after painting. I suppose moisturizing my hands prior to painting and using latex gloves at work today didn't treat my polished nails too well. More excuse to paint them again, right?? :) 

***

Oh, and for you Big Bang Theory fans out there, I am currently watching episode "The Wheaton Recurrence" where Sheldon and Wil Wheaton battle each other over a game of bowling. During this episode, Sheldon explains he created three websites... willwheatonstinks.com, willwheatonstinks.net and willwheatonstinks.org. I took the liberty to see if these actually exist, and indeed they do. I am excitedly in geekdom happiness right now. I just love when shows/movies/etc say things in their show that are viewable in real life. So fun!  

xo.

Hair Itch...

Ah!!!!!!!!!! I want to dye my hair a FUN color. Red is the most fun I ever got, and golly-bee, I want to do more!!! The Dainty Squid has to be my favorite blog of all time. Everything she posts just makes me jealous. I love her style, hair and creativity. I have major hair envy when it comes to her. In a perfect world, this would be my hair:

And this...

One day I need to gain enough courage to do this! But first I need to start small. Like Elycia for example...

I'm considering doing chunks of fun colors and going from there. Sounds like a plan I'd say. Soon after the holiday's pass and my wallet will start collecting $$ again! 

Would you ever dye your hair a fun color? If so, what color?

Eeeep!

I can't believe how quickly this weekend has passed. Today I dyed my hair dark redish brown. I'm actually rather sad about this...because I had to say goodbye to my red. I'm broker than a joke and I can't afford my red dye and I had some dark brown on hand...so I had to use that. My roots were out of sight! I'll post a photo one day this week of my new do, but it's almost exactly this color (this is a year old):

I loved it then, so I think I'll be okay :p It does still have a red hue to it, thankfully. It'll just be hard to get used to. Today I tried curling my hair with a flat iron (I got the idea from Elycia) and it worked out pretty well. My hair hardly, if ever, curls. But I did get a wee bit of a wave goin on. It was fun to do! She's got a week of vlogs going on and they're pretty hilarious, so you guys should check it out! I think I should do that (but man, I feel so shy/scared to make one)..maybe soon :)

Well I'm off to watch Home Alone 2 and warm up because I'm freeeezing!! 

xo.

It's Getting to That Time Again...

That time when I want to go back to Crandon. Sometimes the urge takes awhile, sometimes it happens right away. But I want to go, now. I want to take that 5 hour car ride up to the tip top of Wisconsin and breathe in the Northwoods crisp fresh air. I want a fire, I want to be on the water, I want to find eagles in the sky. I want to catch a fish (seeing this past summer I didn't, boo)!!! 

I wish we went up there in the winter. I want to go ice fishing and snowmobiling and do fun winter activities outside. I wish I could see how beautiful Crandon is in the winter. I wish it wasn't twice as cold up there as it is in Milwaukee (and Milwaukee gets COLD)! But I guess I'll just have to buck up and wait until the end of May until I get to see my beloved once more. 

What I really love about Crandon is you never know what you'll see. This past summer for instance, I seen two baby eagles, a couple female cranes calling for mates, a golden eagle (and quite a few bald eagles, Yay!) and the list literally goes on! Granted, we see all that wildlife everytime we go up, but I can't help but to feel captivated and at peace, and I always go back wanting to see more. Next year, I want to see a bear (from a distance), I want to catch a northern & a muskie, I want to see a deer reaaaallly close up (and even pet it) and I want to find a Hodag. I want to finally gain enough courage to use the outhouse (that is FILLED & covered in spiders, ew). I want to get over some fears I have and create new traditions. I can't wait to take my SLR up north to get some real great pics of the sunsets. Oh, and I want to see the northern lights! Now I feel that this is turning into a bucket list... Oh, I hope these months pass fast. 

xo.

My Annual Must See Christmas Movie List!

The last four months of the year are by far my most favorite. I love the holidays, the colors, the traditions! I love how each holiday brings back those special memories from when you were a kid! And one of my memories that I HAVE to relive every year is to watch my favorite holiday movies! I'm sure these few movies will not be a surprise, but I just have to share!!

Of course the "Home Alone" duo! I love love love these movies like nobody's business. I even love to watch them year round! I don't think I can like either of them more than the other. Both of them are just perfect in their own way. And you can't forget the iconic "KEVIN!!" scream his mom does so perfectly! I don't think there is a soul on earth that hasn't seen either of these movies! 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Seriously, it's a classic! I love any National Lampoon movie with Chevy Chase! He's such a babe, I'm totally serious, too! These movies crack me up and I could watch them for days on end! I love that Chevy's character isn't the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but his family loves him anyways. I love all kinds of mischief he gets into!! :) 

And of course the Santa Clause series with Tim Allen. He's one of my favoriteee comedic actors around (I mean who hasn't seen Home Improvement and didn't fall in love??). He did these movies so well I hope they make another! 

***

Other films that I love to watch around this time is Stepmom. It's a little bit sad, but it's still amazing. And I also love The Family Stone. So so so good and humorous! It has a great cast as well! I love all the Charlie Brown holiday movies too. I'm so glad they still show these on TV every year! Can you believe I never seen A Christmas Story?? That's one I plan on watching this Christmas season! What's your favorite holiday movie(s)??

xo!