Thursday Ten

 This bedroom....amazing

OPI - Baby It's Coal Outside

Use a sundress year round!  So cute!

Is there ever a time when Paris isn't beautiful??

Reminds me of a beautiful winter day...

Just perfect

Stunning

Hot chocolate bar....what a fun idea!

Florence + The Machine: Ceremonials....brilliant

Meet Me In St. Louis - Just about ready to pull this one out!

What are some of your current favorites???

xoxo

engaged

Don't get excited.....no Jon Hamm has not proposed to me yet.  Any day now though.  Don't worry y'all will be the first to know.
BUT  one of my very best friends in the entire world....

JENNA!

Got engaged last night!

Congrats Jenna and Josh!  Love you guys!!!

• Erik Hassle & Ellie Goulding - Be Mine
• Megan Nicole & Curtis Peoples - Poison & Wine
• Drew Tabor - Santa Monica
• Kid Cudi feat. MGMT - Pursuit of Happiness
• Florence + The Machine - Seven Devils
• Miranda Lambert - Nobody's Fool
• Band of Skulls - Friends
• Boyce Avenue - Broken Angel
• Coconut Records - Nighttiming
• Jewel - Hands
• Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
• Tracy Chapman - Fast Car

"Be Mine" is literally one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs I've ever heard.  And speaking of songs that will make you cry....Boyce Avenue "Broken Angel" chills and tears.  It was an acoustic type weekend for me.

Any current favorite songs of your right now?  Let me know!  I'm ALWAYS looking for new music 

xoxo

Weekend Collage

Weekend Collage by vanessanelson featuring disc jewelry

I worked all weekend so there wasn't much time for fun BUT I did discover the game Plants vs. Zombies so that's kind of the same thing right?
I'm so obsessed with patterened tights right now AND the show Once Upon a Time.  Are you all watching it?  If not head right over here and start!  And yes...I downloaded the Justin Bieber Christmas album.
It was super cold this week and I was in the mood for Christmas!

How was your weekend???
xoxo

Bucket List

So I received this comment from a lovely reader who said

So I promised that I would and so here it is!!!

Like most young girls I have had a "bucket" list since the movie "A Walk to Remember" was released where the girl had a list of things she wanted to do and dreamy dreamy Shane West promised to help her achieve all the things on her list before she did inevitably die (it is Nicholas Sparks people). So OBVIOUSLY if we all made a list then a dreamy dreamy Shane West would saunter into our lives and romantically help us achieve all of our things too....
Then the old men came along and less romantically and more bromanc-ally brought us "The Bucket List" and now that is our term.  So here it is...and I've checked off the ones I've already done.

My Bucket List

Get my college degree

Work as a Child Life Specialist

Go to all 50 states

*California, Indiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, Tennessee, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Missouri are all checked off

Play an entire game of Monopoly in one sitting

Dance in the rain

Visit the White House

Be in two places at once

Watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in one sitting (extended versions)

Plant a garden

Study Astronomy

See the Northern Lights

Visit the Grand Canyon

See Mt. Rushmore

See Niagra Falls

Live in Boston

See the lights of the Eiffel Tower

Eat pasta in Italy

Learn how to play the guitar

Eat the best pizza in the world

Catch fireflies

Work in a hospital

Meet one of my heroes

See a show at the Bluebird Cafe

I would LOVE to play there someday but that requires a couple other things to be checked off first

Go to Disney World

Meet the President

Participate in the New York Marathon

Volunteer for a good cause

I'm sure as I go about living and (hopefully) crossing more of these off, then this list will continue to grow.  

If you have any questions let me know!  I love getting comments! Have a great Sunday!

xoxo

Friday Letters

Dear Holiday Season,
I can feel you in the air already.  I'm so excited for the first snowflakes (flakes...not fall) and the Christmas movies (Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually etc...) and the sweaters and the Christmas lights....ahhh...be good to me this year.
Love,
Vanessa

Dear Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,
I wish I could quit you.
Sincerely,
Vanessa

Dear Future Husband,
I didn't shower today and instead of cleaning the bathroom like I was planning....I watched Ghostwriter for most of the day....
I'm just keeping it real.  Don't say I didn't warn you.
Vanessa

Dear Toddlers & Tiaras,
Can't wait to see y'all on 16 and Pregnant.
Regards,
Vanessa

Dear Abercrombie & Fitch,
Oh...I thought this was the place we purchased shirtless men?  No?  This is awkward....
Vanessa

Dear Readers,
Have a very wonderful first November weekend!!!
xoxo,
Vanessa

Thursday Ten

 What a great living/family room this palette would make

Love Alice in Wonderland

Digging the Matte nailpolish look...

Toms Ballet Flats - coming Spring 2012...can't wait

Lights - Peace Sign "when it's all a blur, you are the hard line"

Laura Mercier Lip Glace - Opal (a beautiful rose beige)

Josie Maran Argan Illuminator - I LOVE a great illuminator mixed with my foundation in the winter

Lancome 5 Pan Palette in Midnight Kiss....LOVE

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush - Blissful (a lovely warm peach)

It's from ModCloth!

What are some of your favorites right now???

*I know there's a lot of make up on this one but....is this really a surprise to you?

Family Update

I've been really bad at updating this blog on actual happenings of my life so for the sake of our family members and friends who actually care what we do....here is what's been happening.

March:
My mother threw away an entire unopened box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch while in one of her Ambien hazes....

April:
I FINALLY (after many years of trying) beat my Mom at Bejeweled Blitz.  I took a picture to commemorate the occasion

May:
My severely co-dependent dog laid in the bathroom while I was doing my make up.

June:
My BFF Jenna and I took pictures of ourselves at work missing our other BFF Kathryn

July:
This was a very bad month for me and my friends and I'd rather not talk about it.....

August:
My sister came to visit from Seattle!  And we took family pictures and I looked severely creepy in all of them (which is why I won't be posting any.....)

September:
I'm not sure what happened this month....does anyone remember?  Send me pictures would ya?

October:
Little brother had a birthday!

Little brother also had a few melt downs and night filled with no sleep while our parents were in Italy seeing amazing things....

This is Mt. Etna in Italy...

and finding me a boyfriend....

Bonus!  He tells fortunes and understands the value of a good burlap sack

Little brother and I also had a photo shoot where we were professionally good looking

Little sister had a birthday!

Cake Batter pancakes I made for her in the morning before school

Recipe HERE

Presents!

And I went to the grocery store in my sweatpants....

I had a birthday! (including flowers sent to me at work!)

And I had a cake that had so many candles I thought my cake topper was going to light on fire.

We went to Tooele to visit family....

And I was in none of the pictures so here's one of me looking like I don't comb my hair...but that's only because I don't comb my hair.

And that's pretty much all that's been going on in our lives.
Thankfully Glee is back to fill an obvious void.

xoxo

1. Sarah Blasko - Hey Ya
2. Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
3. Josh Kelley & Ryan Cabrera - Tell It Like It Is
4. Kelly Clarkson - Hello
5. Coldplay - Charlie Brown
6. Lights - Peace Sign
7. Tom Petty - Here Comes My Girl
8. Mat Kearney - Head Or Your Heart
9. The Pretty Reckless - You
10. Boyce Avenue - She Will Be Loved
11. Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out