Author: Emily

Doesn’t this bedroom just make you feel all cozy and peaceful? Imagine, just outside the window the snow blankets the grass and settles on the tree branches for a most serene view. Couldn’t you just stay curled up with a good book all day, then drop off for a dreamy nap only to awaken to the perfect romantic opportunity?

If your bedroom isn’t quite like this and is more like mine-in need of a good paring down and a major cleaning, then why not make it a point to make your bedroom more of a sparce, relaxing haven where you can go and leave the world behind. If you don’t care for sparcity, than just do what makes you feel more comfortable and at ease in your boudoir. It’s time for renewal, and that goes for your surroundings, too.

What could be cozier on a cold winter’s day or night than to cuddle up with one of these guys?

I’ve taken the Christmas decorations down and have dusted and swept and rearranged things a bit. I’ve redecorated for January, pulling out my lighter colors which celebrate the heart of winter being January, my favorite winter month.

One of my favorite inexpensive ways to add a touch of color is to use yarns….even if you don’t knit or crochet, you can purchase beautiful yarns at thrift shops, wind them into balls and display them in a pretty bowl for an instant, attractive decorating element. Yarns in different shades of creams and neutrals displayed in a shallow wooden bowl would make a lovely January display of whiteness.

I got this 2008 Retrospective Questionnaire from Heathen Family Revival. It’s kind of fun to look back and reflect on the passing year. Feel free to copy the questions, answer them yourself and post them on your own blog.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? I saw Gone with the Wind for the first time in my life. (I loved it!), went to my first book signing.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I did for the most part. My resolution was to exercise more and I did succeed, but not as well as I had hoped. This year, I hope to do even better.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not one person (thank God).

4. Did anyone close to you die? My mom’s best friend died.

5. What countries did you visit? Only NYC…is that considered another country?

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Beginning a new career…preferably a substitute Art teaching gig and some new magazine press, will power and a triple shot of self confidence.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The scary conditions at the Cubs game on 8-4-08…(my wedding anniversary) and we attended the game with 3 of my kids. Wrigley Field was evacuated because of the tumultuous weather. It was truly the scariest situation I’ve been in. My biggest fear was getting split up and not being able to find my kids. It was almost mild hurricaine conditions….very terrifying.

Visiting New York City with Caroline and seeing my second son off to college.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting a few more projects published in Create and Decorate and having my blog banner chosen for Artful Bloggings, Our favorite Banners.

9. What was your biggest failure? I failed once again by not being able to have will power enough to lose weight. I am lazy and should exercise more and eat less. Lastly, my biggest failure was to attend church. I’ve fallen off the church wagon and I can’t get up.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major,some bouts of vertigo and a case of the worst flu I’ve had in years….it was nasty.

11. What was the best thing you bought? my Eiffel Tower picture from IKEA, my bargain kitchen table and my art supplies from Dick Blick.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My daughter. She’s very much becoming a young woman I’m so proud of.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My neice’s and her mother, my sister in law. We are what you would call….estranged.

14. Where did most of your money go? Out the window and down the toilet.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The anticipation of and finally going to see the Sex and the City Movie, Project Runway and the Chicago Cubs 2008 season.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier

b) thinner or fatter?
The same
c) richer or poorer? I’d say poorer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Wish I threw out stuff from my garage, visited more museums with my kids and in general wish I had done more with them, exercised more, and spent more time dabbling in art.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating and wasting my time during the course of each day instead of doing more meaningful activities.

20. How did you spend Christmas? At home with my family. It was nice.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Hmmm…I wish.

22. What was your favorite TV program? House, Project Runway, American Idol, Heroes and perennial Sex and the City reruns. Seriously, I will never tire of them. They are like comfort food to me.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don’t hate anyone, just extremely disappointed in my brother and his family.

24. What was the best book you read? The Artists Way

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I saw a documentary on The Who and I now have a new found respect for them and appreciate their music so much more now that I know their story. Growing up in the 1970’s, I never really cared for their songs.

26. What did you want and get? The Eiffel Tower framed art from IKEA.

27. What did you want and not get? My carpeting ripped up and replaced with hardwood flooring.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Sex and the City Movie and P.S. I love You.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 45, and seriously, I can’t remember what I did. Obviously nothing spectacular!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If Chris Noth would have come to his senses, sought me out, knocked on my door and pleaded, “Run away with me…you are the most wonderful woman in the world. I need you…please?”
Really, that would be nice-very nice, but, in reality, what would have made my life more satisfying would be if I had more stick to itiveness and grew my business even more and made good use of those 10 Thousand catalogs I purchased.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Artsy-comfortable, casual and city-fied.

32. What kept you sane? Writing, my creativity and being able to be alone at times.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Although Chris Noth is my staple celebrity whom I fancy, this summer I spent a lot of time fancying Mike Fontenot of the Chicago Cubs. i’m also very fond of Jamie Lee Curtis. That woman has her shit together and truly is an inspiration.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I’m very concerned about the safety of our country. Terrorism does it’s job with me-it scares the hell out of me.

35. Who did you miss? My father…so much.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Kai

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. There are two sides to every story.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
…”I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned.
” Staring at the blank page before me, open up the dirty window let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find, reaching for something in the distance, so close you could almost taste it…release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin.
Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.” Natasha Beningfield

Yesterday morning, my son Scott (19) informed me he was planning to go later on in the day with his friend to get a tattoo. Wow. He wanted my approval. (He didn’t even want to consult his father, because he knew Larry would talk him out of it, and he didn’t want to be talked out of it at all.) I can’t say I was thrilled at the news, but I wasn’t down on it either. My thoughts about getting tattoos are this: Make sure you love the design you pick because it will be on you when they bury you, and I’m presuming a long life here. Also, get one tattoo, not an armful which is so popular these days. I understand getting a tattoo can be a mistake, but it’s going to be his mistake, and honestly, if getting a tattoo is his deepest regret in life, than he’s got nothing to worry about. My husband, on the other hand carried on like the kid was going to go out and have his arm amputated. Oh, my gosh, what a whiner! It’s only a tattoo! My biggest thing was the cost. He was spending money he shouldn’t have, but I wasn’t going to contribute a dime towards it.