please stay tuned....

Thursday Ten will be up a little bit late today SO.......

My Grown Up Christmas List

Dear Santa,
Here is my Christmas list

1. Endless seasons of Teen Mom



2. For Nicholas Cage to be locked up forever.

(I tried to find the creepiest picture....I was successful)

3. As well as The Situation.

4. Someone to pay my library fees.


5.  Coconut Water.  Lot's and lot's of coconut water.

6. Growing Pains, Life Unexpected, and Parenthood on DVD

7. For me to have gone back in time and written this book

8. An iPhone 4s (?....is that the newest one out?  someone help me with this)

The white one....and this is not a question about race ok?  Don't judge me!

9. And world peace!

Thank you!  I've been nice
kind of nice
mostly nice
.......well ya know what they say let's not live in the past!
xoxo,
Vanessa

• Landon Pigg - Little Darlin
• Amos Lee - Colors
• Bob Dylan - Forever Young
• Eels - In My Dreams
• Brett Dennen - Darlin Do Not Fear
• Lucy Schwartz - When We Were Young
• The Swell Season - In These Arms
• Hot Chelle Rae - Keep You With Me
• Damian Rice - Cannonball
• Amy Kuney - Blower's Daughter
• Melissa Etheridge - I Will Never Be The Same
• Jonathan Foreman & Mandy Moore - Someday We'll Know

Nice chill music to relax you while you're in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season!

xoxo

Weekend Collage

my weekend by vanessanelson featuring high heels

My life has become compartmentalized into "Day Vanessa" and "Night Vanessa".  I've been picking up a lot of shifts and working extended holiday hours....tis the season right?  Then I come home and put on my comfiest clothes and relax which is perfection.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
xoxo

Friday Letters

Yes I know.  I didn't post my Thursday Ten.  So I'll just let you take a moment and freak out.

I'll just sit here.


Yep ok you done?  So let's move on to FRIDAY LETTERS!

Dear Coconut Water,
If you were a man you would be Bradley Cooper.
Love Always,
Vanessa

Dear Bradley Cooper,
Marry me.
Love,
Vanessa

Dear Christmas Snuggie commericals,
You complete me.
Always and Forever,
Vanessa

Dear Salsa,
Why do you taste so good on EVERYTHING???  You are a wonder to me.  A strange and beautiful wonder.
Gracias,
Vanessa

Dear Bob Costas,
If you were my Dad I think I'd be ok with that.
Sorry Dad,
Vanessa

Dear Readers,
Thanks for sticking it out with me even though I'm psychologically unstable.  You are all the greatest!  Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!
xoxo,
Vanessa

I'm telling you a secret

I am about to share with you one of my most beloved and guarded secrets.

and this is ONLY because you have the graciousness to amuse me by reading this blog.

here it goes

Anthropologie puts it's stuff on sale on Tuesday mornings.  There!  I said it.

every Tuesday morning I remember this sweet fact and it's like Christmas morning...that you have to pay for but still!

It's not that I buy something every week but it's just really nice to know that it's happening.  Like minor holidays that you don't necessarily celebrate, but like to know that they're going on (here's looking at you President's Day and Columbus Day)

Imagine with me for a second: what if there was a National Anthropologie Day? We could all wear sweaters with buttons and vintage skirts.  Children would have assemblies at school where they would learn how to spell using polka dot and paisley fabric covered letters. Everybody would be required to wear either long dangly earrings or a chunky necklace and the whole world would smell like those big blue candles they sell!

So wait...what were we talking about again?  Oh yeah...the secret Tuesday sale.  Point is....what was my point exactly?  Sorry I was looking at their website so anyway....treat yo self is basically what I'm saying here.

(If next Tuesday everything sells out before my weekly check....I'm blaming every single one of you.)

ALSO one more (less selfish) secret to share!  There is this amazing website called sevenly.org and they design a T shirt each week for a different charitable cause and SEVEN (sensing a theme here?) dollars from each purchase goes to the charity that the design is for!  Each design/charity is around for ONE WEEK only.  It will tell you about the organization and what inspired the design.  I'm completely obsessed with this cause so head on over to sevenly.org RIGHT NOW to purchase your tee and make sure to read all about the organization here. This week they are bringing back one of their most popular designs each day for the "Sevenly Seven Days of Christmas" so don't miss out!

xoxo

• Fun. - We Are Young
• Battle Flags - Won't Come Around Here
• Yael Naim - New Soul
• Joni Mitchell - A Case Of You
• Elton John - Bennie And The Jets
• The Civil Wars - Dance Me To The End Of Love
• Kate Voegele - Might Have Been
• Lynyrd Skynrd - Tuesday's Gone
• Augustana - Wrong Side Of Love
• Miranda Lambert - Virginia Bluebell
• Bon Iver - Wash.
• Greg Laswell - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Weekend Collage - Thanksgiving Through Instagram

Instead of doing my usual Weekend Collage I thought I would share my Thanksgiving week with you all!!

Sis and Bub

Patiently waiting for dinner to be ready

Colt was ready for dinner to be ready too....

He's acting like he doesn't know we're in love

Little Bro and his "zombie eyes"

The famous turkey hat.  In our family...you must wear this hat as you tell 

everyone what you are grateful for.  Jealous?

Cranberry salad!  I made it so you know it was good...

Love me some cranberry sauce...

The BEST Greek cookies to ever exist

More zombie eyes...and the cutest scarf ever that my BFF Jen sent to me 

for my birthday

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a fabulous day of food, family, friends, football, and fun!  

I got a bad case of the stomach flu right before the big day so I didn't enjoy the 

food as much as I have in years past but oh well...there's always Christmas!

Then I had to work 8am - 6pm on Black Friday which was a nightmare.

You would not believe the craziness that happens.  It's like Armageddon.

And now Christmas season is in full swing and I couldn't be happier!  My very favorite time

of year!!!  

xoxo

Black Friday

Black Friday is truly the only day darker than the day the Casey Anthony trial verdict was read.

I think I have post traumatic stress syndrome.

I'll be back Monday after I've gone to see a therapist.


xoxo

What Thanksgiving Is To Me

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

xoxo

1. The National - Lucky You
2. Jillian Edwards - Songbird
3. Ok Sweetheart - Safe
4. Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes
5. Train - Drops Of Jupiter
6. Fleetwood Mac - Gold Dust Woman
7. Florence + The Machine - Only If For A Night
8. Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be
9. Kate York - Begin You
10. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
11. Olin & The Moon - Not In Love
12. Needtobreathe - Maybe They're On to Us
13. The Fray - Hundred

Weekend Collage

my weekend by vanessanelson featuring cluster drop earrings

I had a fantastic weekend!  I worked  (boo) but my family from Kentucky came to visit (yay!) and we had so much fun.  I'm so so grateful for wonderful family, friends, and YOU.

How was your weekend?
xoxo

Friday Letters

Dear Teen Mom 2 promos,
Watching Janelle sitting on her lawn with all her belongings around her embodies everything I'm feeling.
Sincerely,
Vanessa

Dear the word "frugal",
You give me the dry heaves.  Mostly because I don't want to be.
Sorry Mom.
Vanessa

Dear Diet Coke,
Our love has never been easy. Sorry for breaking up with you and then coming back just like your girlfriend in high school.  It wasn't you it was me.  I was just trying to "figure myself out".  I've always loved you.  There was never a day that went by that I didn't think of you.
I really do love you.  Forever.  For real this time.
Love,
Vanessa

Dear hippie mustache man who told me I was "stunning",
Being complimented by a bearded man who doesn't believe in social norms like showering.....has always been on my bucket list.
Thank you,
Vanessa

Dear first snowfall,
You are very pretty.  Until tomorrow morning....just like that girl that you probably shouldn't have brought home.
Regards,
Vanessa

Dear Readers,
I hope you have a fantastic weekend and if I forget to say it next week....HAPPY THANKSGIVING (to my U.S. readers....if you live anywhere else....HAPPY RANDOM THURSDAY!!!)
xoxo,
Vanessa

Thursday Ten

Simple but pretty

June and Johnny Cash - beautiful

Central Park - NYC

Peach/Champagne Sapphire....yes.

love

Kneader's Raspberry Bread Pudding - recipe here

With a cute cardigan and some great tights (have I mentioned I'm OBSESSED with tights right now??)

so pretty

Jillian Edwards - Songbird....beautiful

What are some of your favorites right now???
xoxo