10 Day YOU challenge, week 2

 

Well, week 2's challenge is 9 loves, I guess :) I think I am better at sharing things I love than sharing secrets! hehe

1. My family. Well, obviously! duh! My dh and I have been together since we were 16 years old. We have been through a lot together and it seems as if every year that passes brings us closer together in a very intimate, very real way. We are truly bonded to each other like we have never been before. My girls and I are also very close. My eldest daughter is one of my best friend's. I really do have a great family and I love that more than I could ever express because there was a time in my life where I could not ever even dream of that for myself.

2. My hair! How is that for vanity? lol. If you knew me personally you would know that for me to admit that there was something about my physicality that I loved you would probably fall right over and die. lol. I am usually great at self deprecation, not loving something on myself. But, it is true, I do love my hair. It is about the only thing that ever makes me feel girly, flirty, and pretty. It is super long, almost to my waist and I like to keep it varying shades of red :) There is just something about red hair that I love! My girls call it Pantene hair, cause when I am having a good hair day I could pull of a Pantene commercial lol!

3. Pumpkin candles. I do not care what time of year it is, this is not a seasonal scent for me, so I hate when I can only get them in the Fall. I am usually stocking up for the year about now. I love me some pumpkin candles! My goodness, you enter the room, take a deep breath and it is such a warm, calming scent. Mmmmm, love! I also found a brand that lasts as long as Yankee candle for half the price, I think they are called Village candle. Another favorite is the Febreeze candles, they have a great scent and last awhile as well!

4. Bows and ruffles. I really do not know when I became such a girly girl, but I am just absolutely in love with bows and anything that has ruffles on it! Ruffles even more so than bows! I have purses with ruffles, I have shirts with ruffles, necklaces, blankets... I am totally in love with that ruffled shower curtain that has been on Pinterest for forever and a day but we have a glass door shower darnnit! Ruffles ... *happy sigh* they can only get better if they are in like a dusty rose color, oh my Lord! Heaven!

5. Digital Scrapbooking. It is my biggest creative outlet and I think I am pretty damned good at it! I am really fortunate that I am on the creative teams for some absolutely amazing designers... like my all time dream teams even! Seriously. There is one dream team I have not been accepted to yet and I will keep trying! :) But I love doing it, taking the pics, editing them, creating the pages... the memory keeping is awesome incentive. I want my girls to be able to cherish these things long after I am gone and share them with their kids some day.

6. Quilting. I really love quilting, it is completely cathartic ... unless I screw up in which case I can be found throwing scissors and cursing at my machine, my children can be found shaking with laughter. It is all very amusing I am sure lol. There is something about the process of bringing the pieces together and creating this beautiful design out of nothing. I also love fabric and the colors, they always inspire me. Call me crazy but I also love the ironing process (though I hated ironing before I quilted) I love the fresh, crisp fabric, the straight lines, the meeting of the seams, it is a beautiful thing, I tell ya!

and btw, I can not imagine anyone is still reading by now lol, this has turned into a novel!

7. Facebook. Yep ... I love Facebook. It is a simple pleasure. Being able to chat with my online friends here and there. They give me a smile and a lift in my day. If I need to vent, someone is there to listen and agree. If I need a kind word there are always plenty waiting for me. I can keep in touch with scrapping friends and we can share our hobby and encourage each other. I get a little glimpse into their lives with pics of their adorable little kids, their snarky comments about their dumb neighbors, a giggle about a co-worker, etc.

8. My engagement ring. My ring was bought for me when I was 23. We had a 5 yr old and a 2nd kid on the way, not much money at all ... it was like 69 dollars at Sams Club I think. It is a garnet, because that is our first child's birthstone and that was special to me, and we definitely could not afford a diamond at the time. It has a chip on one of the corners, it has been resized twice, it has scratches on the gem. But I never take this thing off. I love it with all my heart and it is completely a piece of me. I could not imagine my hand without it ... ever. I have no intention of replacing it with "something better" in my eyes something that cost more is not necessarily better and there could never be a better ring for me.

9. Driving.  Yes, driving is definitely on the top of the list of things I like to do! I love when the sun is shining, the windows are down, my hair clip is in so I am not blinded by hair lol, the music is way too loud and of course the sun roof is open :) That is one of the most freeing feelings to me. I sing, dance, look like a moron... I could care less. I have had people smile and wave, I have given people a good laugh, I have started men in the adjacent car dancing along with me lol. It is just pure fun! :) Especially with that super blue Florida sky, the warm sun on my shoulders ... love!

Ok, well... there is 9 things I love, in no particular order. There are plenty more but those are what popped in to my head for now. I guess next week is 8 fears ... oh boy. I will tackle that when it comes around! lol

-Tanyia