Friday loves

well now that Blogger has decided to stop being a douchebag, we can get on to the little list of things I'm loving this week... ya know... because you're all DYING to know! ;) 

• these garden markers (the post was actually from a year ago, but I found it via Pinterest this week), made from an old spoon and some creative labels. now that my herbs are planted, I might need to do this. 

• this post by Mandy (who obviously has the coolest name ever), reassuring everyone that she is not super woman, and that she, just like all parents, has daily struggles. I'm not a Mama, but it's comforting to me for some reason.
• the completed patio, courtesy of YHL. we want to demolish our existing deck and put in a patio of pavers, and the DIY experts have pretty much confirmed our wavering decision to NOT do it ourselves. it honestly just seems like a huge pain in the ass, and we don't have time for it. 
• marble chevron tile. 

• 40 handmade gifts from the kitchen - I am really considering going handmade for gifts this year, since we're trying to save up for the possibility of a babe in the future, and this post is full of SO many wonderful edible gifts.
• baskets in the fridge = organization genius.

• the handmade giveaway going on over at Rogue Poags! the only reason I didn't enter is because that little yellow pouch in the pictures already has my name on it - enter to win a custom handmade coin purse... with a Starbucks gift card inside! 
• these planters from West Elm. since we plan on repainting our shutters grey (they are currently hunter green and I hate them), these would look awesome on our front stoop.

• this recipe for grilled zucchini pizza looks delicious. I want to try it soon. 
• and as always, live kittens playing and cuddling and mewing. I may or may not be slightly obsessed with these guys.

have you discovered anything awesome this week? 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

giveaway winner!

I just wanted to thank you all for entering my giveaway this past week! I wish I could give you all a print from Vol25, but the truth is, MandeeFoFandee ain't rich! 

but we do have one lucky lady! 

and the winner is (drum roll please)...

Stephanie @ ... and baby makes five! she said: 

... which makes me think I will definitely be doing giveaways more often, if only for an ego boost!

and for proof of her earned winnings...

congratulations, Steph! 

I'll be emailing you tomorrow to get your address so I can send off a pretty print to you! thanks again to all my readers out there... you guys are awesome!

LAST CHANCE!

I will be closing The Bear Naked Truth's very first giveaway in a little less than TWO HOURS! I am absolutely blown away at the response you guys have shown! I may need to make giveaways a regular thing over here at my little corner of the web. ;)

if you haven't entered yet, head on over here to do so! I promise, you will fall in love with the prints in Vol25's Etsy shop, and you'll want to purchase your very own even if you don't win. 

GOOD LUCK!

reminder, crappy cell phone pictures, and a book review

hey sillies! I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day weekend! Mr. FoFandee and I had a date night Saturday, and it was wonderful to spend some alone time together. we spent the rest of our time off being extremely lazy, but I did manage to get in a good workout yesterday at the gym without my trainer. I was slightly surprised at how well I remembered each workout as it pertained to each muscle, and I'm pretty proud of myself.

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this is just a friendly little reminder that we gots an awesome fofawesome giveaway going on here at The Bear Naked Truth! you can click here to enter. it's simple - just follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you did. for a second entry, you can go to Vol25's Etsy Shop and tell me what your favorite print is. and for a THIRD entry, blog about it and let me know that you did in the comment section. told you - it's easy peasy!  

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and because you know I can't stand posts without pictures, here are some recent pictures from my cell phone. by the way, it's been almost a month since our beach vacation, and I STILL haven't uploaded pictures from my camera. I'm fucking worthless. 

[doggie isn't mine - he's my nephew, Diesel!] 

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oh, and also. 

I finished reading Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett last night. it was an excellent (and easy) read. 

here's an excerpt from the official website:

Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.

Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie’s fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.

Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.

and now my review:

it's about a young, troubled girl who starts a blog to chronicle all the crazy shit that goes on in her life. while it's written in blog format, it still reads like a story and flows really nicely. I haven't been a teenager for quite some time, but I immediately related to Katie's confused and disturbing thoughts as she writes about her everyday life. 

she changes the name of everyone she comes into contact with, including herself, which allows her to openly blog about the sex, drugs, and violence that occurs in her life. her life is dangerous and sexy and definitely unsettled, and she continues to spiral downward as the story leads on. 

the ending was quite the surprise, and I still find myself wondering what exactly happened. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and would recommend it for an easy read.

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Happy Tuesday!

50 followers + 100th post = GIVEAWAY!

[ this giveaway is now closed ] 

I'm so thankful that blogging has turned out to be such a good experience for me, and I'm absolutely flattered that there are actually 50 individuals who follow me! I know not all of you read my blog on a daily basis, but just knowing you're out there makes a girl feel special. 

also, because this is my 100th post, I figured I'd host a little giveaway here at The Bear Naked Truth - to thank all of you for sticking it out with me when I have bloggers block or have horrible poop stories to share. 

to show my gratitude to my readers, I'll be giving away one print from Vol25's Etsy shop ($20 value). I've purchased prints from this shop before (for my kitchen... which still isn't completed), and I gotta tell you... they are even more beautiful in person than they are on the Interwebz!

in case you want to know a little more about Jessica and how she began to create Vol25, here's a little excerpt from her profile on Etsy. you can also check out her blog for more information.  

With each piece of art I create, it is my hopes that it will give at least one person the warm fuzzies. I believe a heartfelt customer testimonial is just about the greatest payment you can receive. It is then that I truly feel like an artist.

Many people ask what the story is behind the name vol25. In January of 2008 when I opened the doors to my little shop (via etsy.com) I was 25 years old, and vol25 was like opening a new volume in my life, which in turn has created several new chapters for me.

I am a completely self taught artist, constantly inspired by every day moments. I have the most amazing thoughtful husband of 6 years, I am a mother to two sweet girls, 5 and 1 1/2 years old. They keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

there are many options to choose from, but I'll be quick and just show you a few of my favorites! I mean honestly, how can you not fall in love with the cute and quirkiness of this art?

music speaks

remember happiness - you can choose your own color!

i heart books

home is where our heart is

I'd rather have roses

bound to you

a smart person

you are beautiful

now, down to business. here are the rules and regulations and all that jazz for my first giveaway! 

• you must be a follower of The Bear Naked Truth to enter. remember, this whole giveaway is to thank my readers for being here! 

• this contest is open to everyone around the globe! although, if you live outside of the US and you win, please allow for extra shipping time. 

• each comment will count as one entry. duplicate comments will be deleted and not counted toward the prize. 

• you do not need to have a blog to enter, but please make sure you provide an email so that I can get in contact with you if you win. 

• only prints with $20 value can be selected as a prize.

and here's how you can win! 

1. follow my little blog and let me know in the comments. obviously, if you're already a follower, just comment here and tell me I'm pretty. 
2. for a second entry, head over to Vol25 and let me know which $20 print is your favorite. 
3. for one last entry, tell your friends! blog about this giveaway and let me know in the comments!

this giveaway will close one week from today (September 8th) at 4PM EST, and the winner will be chosen using random.org and announced the following day.

it is a happy Wednesday indeed!