So, I almost just missed my second time hosting the Carnival of Beauty. :-) Tonight I thought to myself, “Hmm, I know I’m hosting again sometime, I wonder when that is?” Good thing I checked!! This week’s topic is “The Beauty of Autumn”. This might be more applicable for those in the northern states; I know down here we haven’t quite gotten out of summer yet! But that’s okay, because fall is just around the corner.

You know the drill; it’s the same as last time. Send an email to ashley @ twentysixcats.com by Friday morning – let’s say, 9am eastern time. I’ll post the carnival sometime before noon I mean, on my lunch break on Friday. In your email, be sure to let me know:

1. Your first name
2. The name of your blog with the link
3. The name of your piece with the link
4. A brief one or two sentence description of your piece that will be in the listing of the Carnival submissions.

For other specifics on who can participate, go to the Carnival of Beauty page here. You can also join the Google Group where you can get updates and announcements about the CoB.

So, Beth tagged me for a messy desk meme… I have to write the 5 craziest things on my desk. I have been trying to think about what to say.

Right now, I am on the laptop. We keep our laptop on a little tray. Right now, there is… a TV remote… that is there because I am currently watching TV. When I’m done with this computer, then I’ll put the laptop and mouse and move the TV remote to the top of the TV. :-)

We also have a desktop computer. Actually, we have 3 – a PC, a Mac, and a Linux box. But that’s besides the point. We have all of those computers (only 2 monitors) on a small table, and there really isn’t much room to keep stuff other than the keyboard and mouse. Paul tries his best to keep post-it notes with his scribblings, but I usually dispose of those every time I use the computer. And since I was on that computer last night, the desk is clean. :-)

I also have a desk in my house that doesn’t have a computer on it. It’s fairly neat, but there are a few things:

1. A plastic storage container filled with keychains from my collection. I collect keychains from places I or friends have visited. I have a pretty cool collection. I actually plan on blogging about that later, and including some pictures of my favorites.

2. A package of dog training treats.

3. A library book that my dog chewed up. It’s due this week; we need to return it and pay the $35. (No, I couldn’t find the book any cheaper online…)

4. My Nikon D40x, because I was actually going to take pictures of my desks, but decided that this post would never get written if I waited for that.

5. The pieces of my grocery list for this week that my dog chewed up before I could get to the store. I was so frustrated that I still haven’t remade it and gone to the store.

Now on to my last desk, at work. I keep this one fairly neat as well. I can’t stand to work in a messy environment! So, nothing interesting there. Just specs for ads, two fake plants, a can of pens/pencils, and a beta fish. :-)

I got tagged by Laane for the middle name meme! I love my middle name, so this is fun.

The Rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give the facts.
2. You must list one fact that is relevant to your life for each letter in your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name then use a name that you like.
3. When you are tagged you must write a post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your post you must tag one person for each letter in your middle name.
5. Don’t forget to comment them telling that they are tagged and to read your post to get the rules.

And now, for my middle name, Elaine (which I share with my mother and hopefully will share with my daughter someday):

• E: Eyes. I have a unique eye color that changes depending on what I wear and my mood. (That’s a guess. I don’t know when it changes.) Sometimes my eyes look green, sometimes blue, and sometimes grey. For a long time, in high school, I wore green-colored contacts. I loved them!
• L: Late-night owl. This should come as no surprise. :-) When I was in college, I regularly stayed up until 3 or 4 am. I considered going to bed at 1 “very early”. Now, I go to bed much earlier since I have to get up for work, but I still stay up later on weekends. And it’s not too uncommon to see me still up and around at midnight or 1am. :-)
• A: Animals. I love animals. (Well, except for bugs. I don’t like them as much. And big animals that could hurt me can just keep their distance.) Getting a fish when I was in college really helped pull me out of the depression I was feeling at the time. I would love to get a gerbil, and a leopard gecko, but for now I need to be content with 2 kitties and a puppy. :-) And a fish.
• I: Impulse buying. My tragic flaw (one of them, anyways). I’m all for the instant-gratification! I’ve been trying to curb this, and I try to force myself to go through my shopping cart before I check out and put back impulse purchases.
• N: Napkins. At one point in my childhood, I collected napkins. I had a box of carefully folded napkins that I was saving. I remember when I finally threw them away – they were so wrinkled and some were torn!
• E: Excited. I get really excited over silly little things. When I was younger and in the States for the first time, people didn’t appreciate that side of me very much (people can be mean!). I’m over that now. :-) I think the secret is to know when it’s appropriate to show your excitement, and when you should control it from certain people.

And now, in the spirit of the game, I’m going to tag 6 people. However, if you don’t want to do it, please don’t feel obligated! This is just in good fun. :-)

Beth @ The Natural Mommy
Beth @ Onward & Upward
Jes @ HA HA Made You Look
Joanna @ Keeping Feet
Kristen @ A Glimpse Behind the Mask
Olivia @ Olivia’s Thoughts On All Kinds of Stuff