oh what a night :)

My man is soooo sweet!
We had decided that since we got the washer and dryer for each other as our anniversary gift that we wouldn't make any other special plans.

The only thing we were going to do was get each other one small gift made of "paper." The traditional one year gift :)
I got Adam a year's subscription to PC Gamer magazine (his favorite) and he got me some stationary (my favorite).
It was perfect!
Then he precedes to tell me that he booked us a hotel room at the famous Moonrise Hotel, in Delmar, for the night :)
This hotel is amazing. It is totally mod and posh and everyone was beyond amazing!

Here are some shots of our room


we had an amazing view of the U-City Loop from our bed :)

We had the most amazing dinner and breakfast at the Eclipse, complete with moon pies :)
Then, this morning we went to Pin-up bowl and did a round of bowling.

After bowling we headed to Jilly's Cupcake Bar and picked up three amazing cupcakes (just in case the top layer of our wedding cake was nasty after being in the freezer for a year) :D
And speaking of the cake, it was amazing...

it tasted just like it did the night of our reception! Big thanks to my mom for freezing it perfectly and remembering it today :)
Now we are home and relaxing and counting our blessings :)
Tonight is the last night to enter my 400 followers giveaway!! If you haven't entered it yet, now is your chance!!! I will be drawing a winner tomorrow! I can't wait. This giveaway is insane!!
Ok, I love you all so much!
Thank you so much for all of the amazing anniversary wishes.
AND only 4 more days until I get to see my Blog friends!!!! Eeeek!
AND we are painting over the yellow bathroom and have decided on a pink bathroom now :) Which was totally Adam's idea by the way!!
Ha!
Ok, Im out.
xoxo
janel

one year.

One year ago today, I married Adam.
Just he and I, our very close family members, and God.
We weren't formal (the above picture shows what we wore), and the ceremony was dripping with personals touches just for us from our Pastor.
It was perfect.
I can not begin to tell you how blessed I am to have been the one chosen for him.
Seriously, there are no words.
There are looks, smiles, touches, kind thoughts, prayers, gifts, laughs, promises, acts, feelings...
I love him.
so much.
times two.
double.
Thank you so much Adam for choosing me.
Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for being you and loving me for me.

xxxo
janel

more journal pages :)

My journal and I are still going strong :)
I had so much great feedback from the last pages that I posted so I thought I would maybe post some more :) Some of these are older and some of these are new, and one is currently in progress.

This page describes my hopes for 2010:
My last conversation my grandma :) my favorite:
missing someone :)
Haven't finished this one yet:
The bathroom planning page. P.S. we painted it that color and HATE it....like a lot so I am going to get new paint tomorrow and will be re-painting it again this weekend :)
One of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets:
This is a funny one :) Catalina was actually given to me by an ex-waste of time so I sometimes tease Adam and say that Catalina loves me more because she is mine and he has to adopt her. So, during my Parent Teacher conferences I drew up this very professional legal adoption paper for him to fill out. It was accepted, signed, and Catalina even got her paw print stamped at the bottom. It's a done deal :)

I am also going to share my blessing with you for today :)

Here is the back story:

I have a cousin, Jason, who is in his 30's who has pretty severe cerebral palsy.

We unfortunately don't see him much because his mom and my uncle have been divorced for a long time, and actually my uncle passed away about 4 years ago.

He lives in an amazing group home that takes him everywhere and he has a job and goes to school and so on. Sooooo...my aunt (a different aunt) and I decided that it would be cool to do an "Extreme Makeover" type thing in his room.

So, today my aunt, my mom, Jason's mom, and I went and assessed the situation. You can tell that he hasn't had any new furniture or decor or anything in a really really really long time. It definitely needs a makeover.

So, we went shopping for all new furniture, paint, new bed coverings, and decor. Soooo much fun!!

I decided to take all of the furniture home with me and put it all together. So, I put 5 huge pieces of furniture together tonight...it took all night. It tested my patience big time but it felt good too. I actually really love doing projects like that where I can see things come together you know.

Tomorrow my sister, my aunt and I are going to paint everything and put it all together. I will be sure to post pictures tomorrow.

I am really excited that I get to be part of this makeover for him :)

Needless to say after four hours of drilling and screwing hammering I am ridiculously exhausted and am probably heading to bed really soon!

Have an awesome weekend friends!!

xo

janel

thursday.

So, I just noticed over there on the sidebar that someone just visited my blog from Radville, Canada. Seriously, Radville!! That is soooo cool, more than cool, it's rad. I wish I lived in a place called Radville :) I have been to a few different places in Canda and every single one of them could have been called Radville.
BTW- I heart Canada!
Sooo, this is the last day of my work week and I only have three classes too!
That is exciting.
Girl Scout cookies were delivered to me this morning....very exciting.
I can't wait to try the new flavor "Thank you Berry Much." yummmm.
Here are some pictures that I saw this morning on weheartit.
They were all right there when I opened the page, all right next to each other, all full of life and color and beauty.
Everything that I needed today!
Enjoy.




That last one is specifically dedicated to my sister's husband. He's a big fan :)
Ok, just tried the cookies, amazing :)
Have an awesome Thursday!!
xoxo
janel

p.s. did you enter the giveaway below??

the giveaway.

*** there is more added to this post now :)

Wow you guys!
You are sooooo amazing, you know it?
As a thank you to YOU I am going to have a giveaway!
This giveaway will include some hand made items from me:

* a vintage inspired pillow (like this one but cuter)
* an original painting by me
* and some fun crocheted goodies!

AND I will also include some fun little things created by some of my favorite bloggers as well :)
So far I have items from these amazing shops
* inspired mess
* Red Velvet Art
* Freckled Nest
* Twisted Tree
* xobellaaimox
* the sequined shoe
and there will definitely be more :)

** Also, I have had a few people email me because they wanted to donate an item from their Etsy shop for the giveaway!! What an amazing way to promote your Etsy shop and boost your sales!! If you are interested in sending me an item for the giveaway along with your Etsy info, I would be honored!! Just send me an email and we can set it up!! janel (dot) maclean (at) gmail (dot) com.

This is going to be a REALLY good giveaway and a fun one too!

Here is what you need to do:

* be a follower of my blog (that's why we are having this giveaway to celebrate YOU)
* If you blog about this giveaway or tweet about it, let me know so that I can give you an extra entry (or two)
* leave a comment on this post telling me something that you wish you had 400 of (can't wait to read these)!!

I will draw a winner on Monday, March 1 so start the commenting.
I love love love love you (times 400)!!!
xoxo
janel

399!

(image souce)
Are you kidding me 399 followers?
I am completely humbled :)
Have I told you lately that I love you?
I do.
400 followers calls for a giveaway don't you think?
xoxo
janel

oh monday :)

(image source)
Dear Monday,
Let's try to be friends.
Love, Janel
This weekend was wonderful. I feel like I got a lot accomplished :) I've been working on making our home extra cute for all of the special visitors that I will have in a couple of weeks!! I can't wait!! I will be sure to take pictures as I accomplish things.
I spent a lot of time in my journal this weekend too.
It's funny how sometimes inspiration hits on overload, and when that happens, my journal pages are flying.
I went through this lovelies Flickr stream and favorited about a million of her journal pages. Her pages are my favorite journal pages ever, seriously :) I think our style is a lot alike and that is probably why I love hers so much :)
Here are some of the pages that I did this weekend!








ok and this one was totally Elaine inspired:)




and many many more!
I am so happy that I find so much love in journaling this way. It is sooo much better for me.
Let's hope today is the fastest Monday in the history of Mondays. After a weekend full of spring time weather, I am seeing flurries float by my classroom window which makes this Monday even more yuck. Guess what winter? I am OVER IT!
This week is Parent Teacher conference week which means long nights but a very short week. Only three and 1/2 work days this week :)
and then....Adam and I's one year anniversary! soooo exciting :)
Ok, lots of love to all of you!
xoxo
janel

vintage inspired pillow :)

Hello loves!!
I have spent today making this lovely vintage inspired pillow :)
Technically I guess this pillow is pretty vintage because I used vintage materials to make it!
First, I took two different scraps of vintage fabric and sewed them together into four strips and then I chose my favorite doily to place in the middle.
I have been saving this doily for something really good.

I pinned down the doily and trimmed all of the edges so that it would work for my pillow :)

Next, I hand sewn the doily into the middle of the fabric:

I cut a backing out of white muslin the same size as my front

sewed them together on the sewing machine, flipped it right side out, stuffed it, and used a blind stitch to stitch up the little hole that I had left :)

The lighting was pretty bad with that last pic but hopefully you can get an idea as to how lovely this little pillow is :)
I love it!!
Now I am off to spackle, sand, prime, and paint my bathroom :)
have an amazing day friends!
xo
janel

glee!

I'm going to need to get this soundtrack :)

love love love this show :)

chess anyone?

I am really excited because I scored Adam this amazing crocheted chess set at an Anthro sale :)

Do you like I say I got it for Adam but you know it was totally for me :) I think that if I am going to learn how to play chess, I am going to need to do it on a cutie crocheted chess set.

He really does love it too!
And speaking of love...here are some Dear ___________, letters of appreciation that I wrote in my journal this morning :)

Yay!! I love all of you :)
Today, my man is working all day so I plan on doing a lot of reading, and maybe some sewing. I have a plan in my head about a pillow I want to make for our chair and I am excited to finish it.
We shall see!
Alright friends, have a blessed Saturday :)
xo
janel

seven things...

Here are seven things that you probably don't know about me :)
Katja just did a post like this on her blog and it was fun for me to learn some new things about her.
Hopefully it will be fun for you to learn some random things about me that you may not have known before!
and away we go:

1. In middle school and high school I played the guitar :) In eighth grade, I was such a little Kurt Cobain, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead loving girl! Ummm...hilarious :) I loved and still love music so my parents let me start taking guitar lessons. I have had 5 electric guitars in my time and now I own a Martin KOA Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar.

Isn't it lovely? I quit practicing in highschool so my parents stopped the lessons and my dad took them over. My dad plays the guitar too and has like 13 AMAZING guitars. He's so rad.
Maybe it is something that I will pick up again someday :)

2. If there is karaoke, you can bet I am singing "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin.

That is my go to karaoke song :) I am always really really nervous until my name gets called but then I get up there and I rock it.

3. Every single night before I fall asleep I rub my feet together. I don't know why I do it but I find that every night I rub them together as soon as I get under the covers :)


4. I carry my grandpa's fireman badge with me everywhere. It is one of my most treasured possessions.

5. I have never ever been on a roller coaster before and I most likely NEVER will. I get anxious just looking at one.


6. you know the movie Field of Dreams? Well, in elementary school, I actually went on vacation to the site where it was filmed.

It was, and is still, one of my favorite movies and we went as a family to see it in person. Oh yes, I have a little tub with dirt from left field and a corn husk from the corn field :)

7. I have always wanted a pair of ruby slippers. Like for real.

When I was really little I would always ask for them but there was no such thing in the stores. Now, you can go to any store and find red sparkly shoes for little girls but none for grown-ups :(
Truthfully, I still really really want a pair!! I wish that TOMS would come out with Red sparkles, I already have black, navy, and gold.

Ok, that is that. Did you know any of that about me?? What are some random facts about you that I may not know? If you decided to post some facts on your blog please be sure to let me know in the comments so that I can learn some fun things about you!
I am off to watch Monk :)
night loves <3
xoxo
janel