Hutch Before & After

So my dear old Uncle Ben was very dear to my heart. He was so much like my Nonno (italian for Grandpa) and one of the most easy going funny people i had the pleasure of knowing.
I helped take care of him the last year of his life, which was such a privilege.
right before he passed in October 2010, he gave me two beautiful record players. They're way cool, but i never knew what to do with them... until recently
i decided to switch up my entry way.
it's been the same since I got my own apartment. Wherever I moved, my entryway was always the same. Tiny coffee table stained dark with a large photo that looks like this

http://www.art.com/asp/View_HighZoomResPop.asp?apn=11682295&imgloc=10-1070-Z000LRM7.jpg&imgwidth=773&imgheight=775

which i LOVE, but got kinda sick of after the past 5 years....
so now, for your viewing pleasure is my new entry way.








the knobs are from anthropologie and i love them. i plan on changing what's on top a bit, but for now it'll do. i love it. so much brighter and thinner - not to take up too much space.
thanks for the present uncle ben. i hope you love it too.

Day #6

A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet:
well, as you know, we already have a pet. Millie. She's a 2 year old boxer who loves to snuggle, take naps & kiss babies. she's PERFECT. i'd never replace her or need to add to our pet family with her around.
however, lets say i didn't have millie - what would i like?? i know kenyon would want one of these little guys:

a red panda. he's obsessed. and i think i'd have to agree. they are quite adorable. i honestly can't think of ANYTHING i'd rather have than this little beauty:

Day #5

A photo of yourself 2 years ago:
wow February 2009... lets see, i was only married for 5 months at this time. lets see what i can find



This was on a trip to Oregon with my parents & siblings. Derek & I snuck away to go to the aquarium just ourselves one day. It was so much fun! I once dreamed of living in oregon, but then i met this boy named Derek, and the rest is history.
So much has changed since then. In just 2 years.
We bought a house, bought a puppy, have been on a cruise, several fun road trips, and fell even more in love.

Day #4

Your Favorite Photograph of your best friend:
okay so i know i posted a pic of us just last week, but here's my FAVORITE picture of my best friend,



that's jess. on the very far left. i look SICKY in this pic (pre-weight loss) but she's beautiful as ever. i'm so thankful i have this girl in my life. we've been friends since 2003, and have been through EVERYTHING together.

Day #3

Your Idea Of The Perfect First Date:

i'd say anything that gets you out of your shell & helps you get to know eachother. first dates can be awkward, so anything fun and different is good by me. I think going to a comedy club or a concert or something would be fun
Mine & Derek's first date was spent on Valentines 2006. (weird, i know, that we'd spend such a big day together not really knowing eachother that well). but we went to denny's and drank chocolate milk. we ripped up pictures of old boyfriends from my wallets and talked about music until 4 am. it was perfect.

Day #2

A Picture Of Something You Ate Today
geeze. we had a potluck at work, so i ate WAY too much. (still lost 1 pound though dont worry. hahaha)
my favorite of all the treats we had though is this little treat:

Day #1

"a photo of yourself and a description of how your day was."



well after searching my computer for a picture of JUST me, i've come to the realization i don't take that many pictures just by myself. This is me bored & work one day testing to see if my camera still had battery in it.
i dont wear glasses - except on days i dont want to take the time to put on eye make up.

today has been pretty good. I woke up early to go to work at 9 (which is early enough for me thank you)
went to lunch with my workfriend Julie, and a cute girl named Bri. we went to Cafe Rio mmmm
then i pretty much looked at decorating blogs all day at work, stopped by at red mango for a chocolate raspberry treat, and came home. i discovered my swimming suit from victorias secret came today which thrilled & terrified me. its so adorable but SO SMALL. hopefully i can pull it off by summer. :)

i kissed my hubby for a minute & sent him off to school, and here i am blogging. not a bad day in my book!!

30 Day Challenge

I'm going to be a copy cat & try to complete this fun challenge. I'm trying way hard to get into blogging, so this is a good way to start right?!

Day 1 - a photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in. A photo of the street you live on.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to. A favorite book you have read recently. (I am lame and don't watch TV because I am also a nerd and would rather read)
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently. A letter to someone I love, who I don't tell enough. (My resolution is to be positive... this wouldn't help)
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today & three good things that have happened in the past

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things:

Here's a few things i've been obsessed with lately:

red mango frozen yogurt. its perfect for those days i HAVE to have chocolate, or icecream. they have a dark chocolate flavor right now that is TO DIE FOR. i mix it with raspberries and its less than 100 calories.


It's a 10 hair stuff. i love the smell of it, its a great detangler, plus it does 9 other amazing things. i honestly dont know how i lived without it before.


Nail Polish. I always had my nails acrylic before, but lately i've been going all natural, and i'm having so much fun with the cool paint options. here's one i'm obsessed with


and of course - i'm obsessed with my weight loss journey i'm currently enjoying. of course i'm eating healthy and working out occasionally, but these pure essential oils from DoTerra truly do help raise my metabolism, & help me not overeat. so amazing, I take 24 drops/day either internally (mixed with water or in a capsule if you dont like the taste) or you can just rub it on your body. I'm down 47 pounds since September 2010 (even through the holidays, my bday, etc) i can't wait to hit my ultimate goal of 100 pounds lost!!!
http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/anzanawoodward/

Valentines Day

here's a cute video derek made as my present for valentines.
i sure do love this man.

i got crafty

after completing my bedroom, there was one wall that was bare and needed a little somethin' somethin' to spruce it up.
Kenyon - being the lovely man he is, gave me a huge wooden ornate frame he bought at D.I. there was a velvet trim inside the frame, and a large picture inside. after removing the velvet trim, i spray painted the whole thing white, spray painted some clothes pins bright yellow to match my new bedding, and went to town.
I love the finished product.

bedroom renovation (again)

as wel all know - i'm a FREAK about change. we redid our WHOLE kitchen over Christmas break, and its been a good 1 1/2 months, so its time to do something new right??
About a year after we bought our cute house, derek & I painted our bedroom. It was a very soothing and deep olive green. I loved it at first, but because our room is so tiny (which i hate), it always seemed too dark & depressing in there.
with the help of my contractors (derek, kenyon & jess) we repainted our bedroom & kenyon's an amazing grey called Porpoise from Behr. With only 2 coats in my room (to cover the olive green) and one coat in kenyon's room, it's complete.
I bought a yellow, grey & white bedspread for my birthday (thanks mom for your generous donation), and a lot of de-cluttering, here's the look now. sorry - but i forgot to take "before" pics.

best friend

wanna know how much i love my best friend?