But, even though I have little time to do anything else, I still fit San in at least once every other week if we both have work off at the same time which eats up all my time to do things productive.  I’m not complaining, I’m just saying!  And then I try to fit my friends in which happens rarely anymore because everyone is so busy.

And now I’ve gone and decided to be more ambitious by putting together a list (one of my favorite things to do) of all the things I want to do in the next month.  In order to stick to it, I’m going to share it with you.  That way, I not only let myself down if I don’t get it all done, but you all will walk away shaking your heads feeling ashamed you stopped by my blog.  Okay, I’m sure it won’t be that drastic, but sometimes I need to trick myself into getting things done.

Here’s my list:

• Go through everything in the basement (i.e., everything I was too chicken to get rid of before the garage sale but am ready to purge now) and get rid of as much as possible.  Come up with a way to still keep the sentimental value of the things I’m giving away.
• Bring all the garage sale leftovers to a secondhand shop.
• Bring all the garage sale books to Half Price Books to get some extra cash.
• Get rid of old computer games.  Guys, growing up I loved computer games – I still play some from time to time – and now I have so many I don’t know what to do with!  This month I hope to figure out something because I can’t stand to look at them anymore.
• Scrapbook and put all pictures in albums.  Maybe even put all my parents’ pictures in albums.  I told you I was feeling ambitious!
• Organize my closet.
• Finish card storage binder.
• Start a filing system for all the random papers I have everywhere.
• Learn how to organize all the notes I leave around for myself.
• Take more photos.
• Lose 5 pounds.  You’d think working at Subway would make me healthier since I eat a healthy sub there almost every day, but you’d be wrong.  I think it was the last two weeks of the spring semester when I decided to live off double stuffed Oreos….

I think that’s it for now.  I plan to blog about most or all of these things, so stay tuned!  I’m really serious about making “Less is More” my mantra.  Who is with me?

I found some good comforters that would suit my needs, but were not very pretty.  I decided I wanted a comforter with pin tucks instead of the sewn in blocks, both of which are used to keep the filling evenly spaced.  After searching for a very long time, I found this beauty:

It is a Dream Oaks Wrinkle-Resistant Cotton Sateen Pin Tuck comforter.  I love the name enough on its own!  At a very affordable $49.66 (retails at $78), I couldn’t say no. Plus, the reviews won me over.  I decided if I didn’t absolutely adore it, I would send it back, since it was a little on the high end with my tiny budget.  When it arrived, I was isappointed because it was thin and very wrinkly.  However, I decided to wash it since it doesn’t come with a non-washable tag attached.  I’m so glad I did – it is stunning!  The wrinkles came out beautifully and it fluffed up nicely after hang drying for a few hours.

Here is the old comforter:

And here is the new comforter:

I didn’t even buy it specifically for this room, but for my apartment at school since I didn’t think it would go well in this room.  Well, boy was I wrong!  Everything is starting to make sense now that the colors have a nice foundation to contrast against.  It is even more comfortable than I imagined as well.  I couldn’t be happier with it.

What do you think – did I score big or did you like the old comforter better?  By the way, since I am living by my new “Less is More” mantra, I plan on using the old comforter in the future in a space bedroom, or maybe even using it with a duvet cover or making a new comforter out of it.

On a side note, I will be doing the Think About It posts sporadically.  I don’t like having them as a weekly installment anymore, but like them in general, so I will lessen the amount I post but still will keep them coming.

I have been dreaming of my first house my whole life, so I am incredibly excited to not only dream about it, but to know it will happen in the next ten years.  Even if I have no money, I will find a fixer-upper or a foreclosed home and make it happen.  I love DIY projects anyway and don’t think I would ever want to move into a house that was completely move-in ready.  I have pictures in my head of what my dream will look like, which you can check out here. 

I am hoping my first home will also be my first place to live with San once we are married.  I don’t believe in living together before marriage, so I want my first home to be special not only as the first place to call my own, but he first place to call our own.  I have been waiting for that for so long, so making it actually happen will fulfill one of my biggest dreams.  I am not rushing into anything, though, and want to make sure my life is in order before I start connecting it to someone else’s.

Once I am married, I am sure I will be having children not too far after.  I am probably young and crazy, but I want five children.  I grew up in a pretty quiet home.  My brother is fourteen years older than me, so he was in college and then on his own when I was still pretty young.  I enjoyed being the main child in my house growing up, but I think I want more kids.  I know it will keep me on my toes, but to think of all the love each child brings (I’m not dumb, I know they bring lots of responsibility as well) makes all the sacrifice seem worth it to me.  I’ll see once I have the first, though.  I’m pretty sure I’ll have at least one child in the next decade, however.

When it comes to having my first real job, not swiping cards at the cafeteria or waitressing, I am looking forward to putting myself out there.  I plan on becoming an English teacher and then having time in the summers to do other odd jobs or to stay at home with my imaginary children in the future.  I am still open to many things, however.  I don’t think I will give up on teaching, but I would not mind being a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling if I ever got the opportunity.  I also think I may dapple in other entrepreneur endeavors such as maybe opening a new business, flipping houses, becoming a photographer, or opening a bookstore.  I never want to lock myself into anything to the point that I will feel like I can’t get out if I hate it.  I only have this one life, so I don’t want to spend it doing something I despise.

Other than those few, but major, things, I don’t think I have anything else planned.  These next ten years will probably be the most dramatic but also the most exciting in my life.  I have my life completely open ahead of me and as scary as that is, I am so excited to try out new things, start a family, and make a name for myself.  I’d love any advice any of my wiser and more experienced readers could give me about this new phase in my life.  I’d also like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  I hope everyone reaches all of their goals and is able to focus on themselves and their loved ones more in the coming year.

   The decorations were simple but sweet.  My parent’s house is already filled with really warm and happy fall colors, so a little Thanksgiving decorating goes a long way.  Delicious pinwheels that will now be a staple for every Thanksgiving for years to come. This isn’t even a Thanksgiving decoration, but I love how elegant this wine bottle turned candle holder is.    See?  The decorations already fit in with Thanksgiving.

Turkey, cranberry sauce, corn with peppers, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, applesauce, dinner rolls, and squash.  There was pumpkin pie, but I was too full to lift my camera at that point.                

There were games, specifically Ticket To Ride, which you should buy if you love games.  We play this at every holiday gathering and never get sick of it.

And lastly, there was lounging.  Stewart sure had a long day.  Oh to be a dog with no responsibilities where every day is Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  It always goes by so fast, but that’s just life, I guess.  I’m excited for a few more days with my family and much more holiday cheer to come in the next month.  December packs a lot in for me.  Besides school, Christmas, and New Year’s, I have San’s birthday and our four year anniversary!  So much to look forward to and a lot to be thankful for even when it’s not Thanksgiving.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

     Now I can either staple, tack, or tape the fabric to the back.  I think I will add some ribbon in a criss-cross pattern so that I don’t have to tack everything on and ruin pictures.  However, all of this had me thinking.  What’s the point of a cork board if I don’t need to tack anything on to it?  Then one thought led to another and I was searching on craigslist for old mirrors with pretty frames so I can make my own chalkboard.  That way I can use magnets on any pictures and even add little notes and pictures on the chalkboard if I want.

But then what will I do with the corkboard?  Well, I think I will put the chalkboard on my desk where the corkboard was and I will hang the corkboard on my sliding closet doors.  I am thinking I will either use the corkboard for random pictures with the chalkboard as more of an inspiration board or use the corkboard for hanging jewelry and accessories.  I have a lot to think about and plan before I go on a date with San tomorrow to Cracker Barrel and then to buy lots of fun things!

Let me know what you think!  Also, does anyone know of anyone buying an ornate frame with glass instead of a mirror inside and painting the chalkboard paint on that?  I’m guessing there would be no difference, but I’ve never heard of anyone doing that.  Have a great weekend, everyone!