blog challenge: the third day

day 3- a picture of you as a child

katelin & i - approximately 10 years old
i don't possess many pictures of myself as a child. those "treasures" remain at my parents house. this picture was one i randomly had featuring my 10 year old self and my best friend at the time on a summer trip to colorado. the great thing about having found this particular picture is having the ability to post a recent picture of the two of us as well. she still is my best friend.

myself & katelin, nye 2010

day 2

day 2- the meaning behind your blog name

i came across this quote randomly one day at work and saved it in one of my many 'favorites' folders. time passed and i didn't even think about that quote or how i could use it. then one day i had a wild notion to start a blog. i'm not completely sure what exactly possessed me to start this little blog of mine, but when it happened, and the first quote that popped in my mind was this one; "Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can." ~Danny Kaye. I just love it and think it rings so true. this life is what we make of it, so why not fill it with color?

30 days of blogging

so, i am a follower of eva @ lovers in a dangerous time. she presented a challenge where in one topic/question is provided each day to be answered by whom ever chooses to join the challenge. you can also go to her blog and find the list of everyone who has joined, then go check out their answers. sounds like fun! personally, i am hoping this little challenge inspires me to post more often, so here we go.
cheers, and i hope you enjoy.

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself


me and the husband - new year's eve

1. i am left handed, which makes me smarter. :) being left handed is not that interesting i suppose, however it does make it significantly harder to use scissors.
2. i thoroughly enjoy the taste of beer. (miller lite, to be exact). don't worry i don't have a drinking problem, but i sure do love the taste of an ice cold miller lite.
3. i am a huge sports fan. i could happily spend any day watching football, basketball, soccer...even golf.
4. i work for my family's business, which in my case means i am with my father, grandfather, husband, brother-in-law, and both grandmothers each work day.
5. i have two cats and two dogs, and i would gladly have more if i only had the means and the space.
6. i dated my husband's best friend in high school. yes, my husband's best friend in high school was one of my high school "loves". hubby says i wouldn't give him the time of day, i say i was saving the best for last.
7. i have a wonderful group of girlfriends. we spend our weekends together and have more fun than most (if i do say so myself).
8. i still think of myself as being 22-ish. i find it hard to believe that i am old enough(almost 27)to be doing all these grown up things, i.e. owning a house, paying lots of bills, going to bed by 10...etc...
9. i am a slow reader. i love reading, but i am slow.
10. i was convinced i wanted to be an architect, then a coach, then a nurse. i ended up with a degree in psychology, and running an office.
11. i never strayed to far from home. although i moved out of my parents house at 18 the apartments i lived in and the colleges i attended were all less that 40 miles from where i grew up.
12. i have been married two and a half years, which have also been the best two and a half years of my life, seriously.
13. i have a "salt-tooth" instead of a sweet-tooth. i crave salty popcorn instead of midnight ice creams treats.
14. in my teens, i broke my wrist, my ankle twice, and my femur twice. i was an athlete (with weak bones apparently)
15. i am pretty sure i could live off of fruit alone, i love it so. well, in all honesty i would probably have to have some pizza now and then.

winter

picture via
let me preface this post by coming out and stating that i am not a fan of the winter season.

granted, it's usually fun at first, when fall wraps up with chilly nights and brisk mornings but once the temperature highs drop below 40 for the day i am miserable. (not really miserable....but close) here are a few reasons why me and mr.coldweather don't get along:
1) i don't like jackets. i don't like having to put them on and take them off when going outdoors and back in, and when i do take them off for extended periods of time i usually forget where i put them down and walk off without them...ugh, such a pain.
2) i enjoy spending time outdoors, however when doing so requires, sweaters, hoodies and/or above mentioned jackets i do less of it, and that makes me feel trapped.
3) taking my dogs out becomes a dreaded task, and sitting outside long enough to play "stick" (fetch) is definitely out of the question.
4) regulating my car's temperature is much harder in the winter. you see, my heater works extremely well, which is a good thing until it gets too hot. i usually end up driving with my window partially down and my heat turned up. ridiculous.
5) it seems to be cloudy more often in the wintertime, and i. love. sunshine.

i really do not like cold weather.

this morning i was going over the above mentioned reasons in my head, cranky because it was 27 degrees outside...and then i came across a friend's status update on facebook and my perspective changed a bit.
here is what she said:
"Man, walking a dog has never been this painful before. -24 is brutal".
she lives in chicago, and apparently the windy city is 24 degrees BELOW zero...what?!!!? i could not imagine.
there i was negatively thinking about how bad today was going to be because the temperature wasn't going to get out of the low 40s and she was out walking her dog in -24degree weather.

i am such a BIG baby!
i need to remember that one of the perks of living in the great state of texas is not having to deal with 5 months of frozen-ness like our northern neighbors do. i should be grateful, and i am, really. i'm just also really looking forward to spring!

"yoga is the space between your thoughts" ~ricky tran

last weekend i became a part of a group called the "breakfast yoga club". this little club is a mobile yoga class taught once a month in different studios across our city with the purpose of breaking down the walls that separate one studio from another. it is open to anyone, free of charge and is trying to bring unity to all yogi's in the area regardless of what studio or practice they belong to. such a cool concept. this particular class was held at 'super yoga palace' and taught by owner jessica jordan, as well as the awe inspiring ricky tran. once we arrived we all rolled our mats across an open concrete floor in front of a small group of musicians that beautifully played slow john lennon and beatles songs as we yoga-d. it was an amazing 90 minute class that went by too fast. please check out this video to get a better idea of what i'm talking about:

Super Yoga Palace from Yes Go Productions on Vimeo.

and to top it all off everyone was invited to eat at one of my favorite establishments, all good cafe.....soooo yummy!

picture credit

pretty patterns

i have never been able to easily combine patterns; patterns in decor, furniture, clothing, anything really. i am timid when it comes to prints. i think i over think their colors and arrangements. for example, deciding on a simple area rug for our neutral living room was an unwarranted stressful and tiresome experience. my inability to easily be bold is quite frustrating really, and because of my personal difficulties in this department i find myself constantly awing over other's ability to combine pattern so beautifully. here is one example;

photo credit elle decor courtesy of a life's design
i have been thinking about this room for days....i need those chairs!

business partners!

finish by Martin Painting Corporation, design; George Cameron Nash
as of this week I am officially a partner in ownership of Martin Painting Corporation. holy moly, that is a crazy thing to say(write). zach and i feel so incredibly fortunate, excited, anxious, nervous and optimistic about our family's business and future.
growing up i spent many summer days "going to work" with my grandfather and father, and once in college, my dad gave me the opportunity to work part time in the office, allowing for me to be a college student with a flexible work schedule, a little extra cash, and an understanding boss. after bouncing back and forth between degree plans i finally graduated with a bachelor degree in psychology, but by then had come to the realization that my true passion laid in the work of my family's business. i could not imagine doing anything else. my job responsibilities have continually grown and shifted since i started and i can not wait to see where this business takes me! Over the past few years Barry A. Martin Painting Contracotrs, Inc., our residential & commercial speciality painting business has expanded the 'Martin' painting services by creating a full service furniture finishing company; Martin Painting Corporation. recently, my mother and father graciously offered their children the opportunity to stake claim in this new and expanding business....and so we did!
needless to say, things have been pretty busy around the shop, and my job is becoming more extensive, but i have my heart and soul in these two companies and am willing to do all that i can to make the both succeed. *wish us success!

finish by Martin Painting Corporation, design; George Cameron Nash

the holidays

christmas has come and gone, new years has been celebrated, and recovered from, and now it is back to life as usual. these past few weeks have been very busy and have certainly reminded me that time is flying bye.
this year's christmas was spent with lots of family, food and gifts. it truly is my favorite holiday for so many reasons.



then we were lucky enough to spend new years eve surrounded by our favorite friends.

i couldn't have asked for more.

to top it all off...i do believe our house has become an even happier place, namely because of the following additions:
*our new stereo system, my parents gave us,

which has been continuously playing the likes of ryan binghm and stoney larue

*and, our bedroom accessories beautifully made by my sister


*and although i haven't found the perfect place to hang the painting my father created and gave us, i know it will be just lovely wherever it ends up


it's hard to believe the celebrations are over and a new year has begun.
i can't wait to see what's in store...