Wow!

My life has really turned into blogging about SHOWER CURTAINS!?  Oh well, I don't care BECAUSSSE this baby (click here) is freakin' CCCCUUUUUTTTTEEE!!

(Pottery Barn Photo)

I have been in a MAJORA decorating rut as of late.  Well, the last three years, really.  I do LOVE LOVE LOVE decorating but since we moved to the farm, enter "the rut."  The house has truly no character and honestly, how do you really shop and decorate with two toddlers?  Hint: you don't.

Farmhouses have tons of character, you say!?  Well, THAT farmhouse unfortunately burned to the ground circa 1960 or so (no one was hurt...or so Kurt's family tells me).  In it's place was built this fabulous 1960's three bedroom ranch.  You know the ones.  It's definitely well kept and updated-ish but I kind of like houses OLD or NEW, if I could choose...but I can't, obviously.  The in between years are no bueno for this chic.  That era is kind of like the JC Penney of housing.  It's not Sears but it's not Nordstrom either.  I can't really complain about the house too much because it comes with a lot of benefits such as being able to sit on the deck in the summer with my eyes closed and literally feel like I'm on vacation.  Paradise......{or it will be soon when I convince Kurt to build me that pool}.  :)

Anyway, my advice is:  move where you want, decorate and then think about getting a bun in the oven.  I moved here when I was pregnant (and not thinking clearly apparently) so I made some very bad decisions with paint colors.  I was feeling fall-ish since it was harvest time and oh my god, why did I pick PUMPKIN FOR THE LIVING ROOM.  If I never see that color again, it will be too soon.  And oh yeah, a brick red and brown bedroom sounds awesome (until you want to paint it white three years later).

Anyway, so my "resolution" per se, is to get out of this decor slump and revamp the entire house by Christmas 2013.  It's been three years - it's time for new.  And that gives me almost a year.

First on the agenda was ditch all of my bath decor and accessories which I loved dearly but it's been three years.  Time to hasta la vista!  I hung up wall items of cuteness so I now needed a new curtain and rugs.

Of course I started with the easy room first.  It's about the size of a shoebox.  Now I need to figure out what I'm going to do with these awful paint colors...they will need like 74 coats of primer before I can even consider going lighter!  Ahhh!   :)

Happy Weekend, Everyone!  Enjoy it and bundle up if you're in the Midwest!!  :)  :)  Mucho love to you all!

xoxo!!
Ann

Love.this.bag!

OK, I'll admit...I bought this fabulous, adorable, gorgeous little # last summer.  I loved it so much but I was kind of hoarding it, feeling it was too lovely to even USE!  However, I am back into my yoga obsession, as of late, so I am now using it every day as my yoga tote bag.

OMG, how SERIOUSLY cute is it!!!

(Photo from Lillie B Designs Facebook page)

You can find Lillie B's Facebook page here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lillie-B-Designs/183435168401742 or by clicking right here:  CLICK ME and then Like Me :)

Lillie is a sweet, darling teenager battling cancer.  She sews these beautiful designs and I believe her mama, Heather, helps her with the business side of things and runs the Facebook page.

Mine is adorable...I want all of them!  :)

Who is ready for the weekend!?  xoxo!!

Much love,
Ann :)  

Woo woo!!

"I hear that whistle blowin', it's comin' 'round the bend...  and I ain't seen the sunshine since I DON'T KNOW WHEN!"  -Johnny Cash

I'm currently in what my friend Nicole and I refer to as a Post-Nashville Depression (PND)!  Yes, it's true...we finally made it back to the promise land for a ROCKIN' girls trip with these other lovely chicas:  Gretchen, Molly and Cheryl!  Sooo much fun...omggggg...hence the "Wait...I'm back in Iowa and the windchill is -18??  Really?  And oh by the way, I miss Nashville so much I could cry right now...!" type of depression.  This is heavy stuff.  Nicole and I have suffered from PND a few other times in the past so a least this time we were expecting it instead of being blindsided like we were about nine years ago.

Anyway!!  In the weeks leading up to our pilgrimage, I was on the SHOP.  Ya know, because you really need the perfect outfits to hang out in honky tonks with a bunch of random strangers you don't know!  I am serious...  INCLUDING (but not limited to) some FABULOUS new boots that I am oh-so-I.L. with!

I.L. doesn't even begin to describe my love for them!  Love love la-la-la-love love love!!  They are AAAADORABLE with regular jeans and with skinny jeans.  Honestly, I am the bootcut queen (haha...I will never give them up), so I have to make sure everything looks good with bootcuts, too.  

OMG this color is adorable.  Worried about them being too tall?  No worries...I am the height of a 4th grader and they are perfect on me!  :)  :)  AND, I did recently confirm with my friend Craig that skinny jeans are staying around for awhile.  :)  

I will be back soon!!  :)  :)  

Happy Wednesday Night, Y'all!!!  

Much love!!  xoxo!!!

Ann