Too Much Information

Looking Back

2011-12-25T16:48:00.000-05:00

I've been going through pictures and getting organized and realizing just what a bad blogger I've been.

Since I (in theory) use my blog as a journal of sorts

I don't like it when I realize that I've left out all sorts of things.

So I'm going to take a few minutes and do a little looking back at some of the things I meant to write about

in the last few weeks!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Frank's parents and Aunt Judy here.

It was awesome having them here.

Judy and Janice were even up for getting crafty with me as I tried to duplicate an idea from one of my favorite DIYers from the internet addicted to decorating

We went to a football game to see Carter play in the marching band

My favorite people came to Thanksgiving dinner.

You will be able to easily see why they are my favorite people...

Then we had a lovely dinner enjoyed by all

and the teenagers managed to find a way to entertain themselves as well...

A great Thanksgiving for 2011!

Moving Day

2011-12-10T23:48:00.000-05:00

For quite awhile I've had two things going on around here

One blog here

and

Another gmail address for emails.

I have no idea how this came to be but it is super dee duper annoying.

I'm moving the blog.

I know!

What a pain.

But it's happening.

So from now on you'll need to go here to see my updates.

Just bookmark the new address

www.toomuchdebbie.blogspot.com

The first post will be up soon!

November 28th

2011-11-28T23:27:00.000-05:00

I've missed a few days of saying what I am thankful for.

I got a cold.

And I'm not feeling well at all.

And I am not thankful for this situation.

But

I am thankful for a lot of other things

I've just been dead tired, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, having a stuffy head and fever

And just not up to blogging

or much else.

I've also had relatives visiting for which I am grateful.

They probably aren't that grateful that Frank gave them the cold too.

So I've been doing my best to pretend that I'm ok

and taking some naps on the sly.

and sleeping in.

Grandaddy made us homemade Turkey soup tonight which was fabulous

I'm grateful for that today!

I'm grateful for friends and family here at Thanksgiving.

We had a nice day and meal

although it was served two hours later than I planned

We were really off on the timing of things!

I'm grateful for good, upbeat emails from my missionary son.

I also got a package in the mail with several SD cards with pictures!

YES!

I'm really grateful for that.

I love pictures.

I miss that kid.

Well that's about it for me.

I'm off to bed to try to recover some more.

Thankful: Friends

2011-11-21T22:19:00.000-05:00

I'm always thankful for my friends

But today I am specifically thankful for the kind of friend

who will come over

and clean your refrigerator

and dust

and (hopefully) not judge you and still be your friend afterwards

because you needed the help

and you needed to not be judged

and you need friends, even after they've seen what a slob you are

Thankful: Family

2011-11-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for Family

Because tomorrow my in-laws and Frank's Aunt Judy are coming for Thanksgiving!

We live far away from family so when we get some to come visit it is super exciting.

I love Frank's family as much as my own

so I am very very happy and excited that they will be here.

Now...

I just need to clean the bathroom.

This one might seem a little silly but...

2011-11-19T08:14:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for companies with a sense of humor.

It's a little thing but it can seriously make my day.

I love it when I see an ad that is funny

Or some little bit of humor on a website

...nothing over the top...

just enough to show that these people know how to be funny

and understand a good sense of humor

I enjoy a good sense of humor

For example:

I enjoy using Groupons

I don't buy every groupon that shows up in my inbox but I can't resist clicking on some of the links because at the bottom of the groupon site is some little funny bit of advice.

Here is today's:

The Groupon Guide to: Keeping a Secret

An old saying goes, "Three men can keep a secret, if they are best friends, and one of them is a cardboard dog." If you've been entrusted with a secret, consult this sure-fire guide to keeping it to yourself:

Think about the feelings of others. Especially their anger. You’ll likely avoid sharing their secret by considering your own predominant feeling: fear of their anger.

Seal your lips. Ideally with honey or room-temperature wax.

Find a healthy outlet. Some secrets are so juicy you just want to shout them from the rooftops. Instead, whisper your secret into a shallow vole's nest or speak it aloud at what would normally be an audible volume, were it not drowned out by a nearby car-crashing contest.

Share a secret of your own. Most modern friendships are based on a delicate balance of mutually assured destruction, hence the expression BFF, or Betrayer? Fairly foreseeable.

Thankful: blogs

2011-11-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for my friends and family who keep blogs.

That number has decreased a lot over the last couple of years

because, I think, of facebook.

Dang facebook.

I don't really like the one liner version of what is going on in someone's life.

I like the whole story

I like the pictures

I like details and jokes and getting to know someone a little better

I don't think facebook or twitter really do that

like a blog can.

So I'm thankful for blogs

And I think people should go back to telling their stories.

I, for one, find them darn interesting.

Thankful: email

2011-11-15T22:36:00.001-05:00

I'm supposed to get an email every week from my missionary

Aw, there he is.

It's amazing how much I wait and sort of live for these emails.

I don't realize it until Monday when I find myself checking and rechecking

and then if it doesn't come

well

my day is just not right!

It arrives sometime during the day on Monday... or Tuesday if it is transfer week.

This week I didn't get an email on Monday and it wasn't transfer week.

I fretted.

I wondered.

I figured it was nothing but I still wondered

Why didn't I get my email?

And then today it came.

It was late and there was no explanation

But there it was in my inbox

All was right with the world again.

Thankful: Pinterest!

2011-11-14T15:38:00.000-05:00

Before I joined Pinterest I thought

"I just don't need another time sucker in my life"

But it has turned out to be oh-so-fabulous

It's such a great way to organize ideas.

I've always been one to troll the internet for ideas.

I bookmark and I download and save things willy nilly on my computer

only to lose them or forget what they were for.

Now they are all organized and categorized

and I can go back and see what I liked

I can add

I can delete

And I am trying very hard to use the ideas that I save.

I have already used this idea:

How to paint like it looks sprayed on

And it totally works.

It has changed how I paint furniture.

And today I am working on this project:

Turning my ugly coffee table and end tables into something new!

Yep, I'm thankful for Pinterest.

Thankful: My hard working hubby

2011-11-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

My husband was out of town on a couple of big business trips recently.

He works hard at his job.

Comes home jet-lagged sometimes.

And then this week had to spend the entire day cleaning the yard from the massive storm we had.

(our yard still looks like a tornado hit it)

He literally spent all day Saturday working.

Sadly, I can hardly tell by looking at the yard!

But I did see this which shows evidence of his work:

This is the big wood pile that he is stacking with all the logs he's cut from the various branches that have fallen.

wowza.

I appreciate my hard-working hubby.

Thankful

2011-11-12T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for friends.

Girlfriends.

I need them.

My life would be in shambles without them.

The end.

Thankful

2011-11-11T19:57:00.001-05:00

I'm thankful for my dad who was in the Air Force for most of my life.

Air Force life shaped who I am today.

I'm thankful for my father-in-law who served in the Army.

I'm thankful for my nephew who just finished boot camp and plans to be a combat medic.

I'm thankful for my friend Polly's brother-in-law, Erik, who lost part of his leg serving in Iraq.

I'm thankful for two good friends' husbands who currently serve our country in the Army.

I'm thankful for soldiers known and unknown.

For their sacrifice.

For their families' sacrifice.

Thank You Veterans!

When I clean my house

2011-11-11T00:47:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for a clean house!

-----

I spent some time today cleaning my house in preparation for having Book Club here.

Here's a little news flash about me:

I'm not that clean.

Oh, I'm pretty organized.

And I don't like clutter.

But I don't like to clean

So things around here can get kinda dusty and grimy at times.

I'm not a pig (which seems to be the normal state for some of my children)

but I'm not homemaker of the year either.

But when I clean my house I am always amazed at just how easily it is accomplished.

It doesn't take that long.

And it makes me so darn happy to be in a clean house!

I always wonder why I don't keep it this way...

But next thing I know, it is back to its usual state of

not-quite-clean

So let's take a tour of my fabulously and recently cleaned house, shall we?

First the living room.

Here is the side table with a few things set up for the Book Club refreshments.

I went to Target with Carter and he talked me into buying these little hedgehogs. I'm so glad he did because they are just too darn cute!

The Family room

Wow.

All dusted, vacuumed and decluttered!!

Since we pretty much lived in here during the power outage, this room was in sad shape.

The entryway was a big mess of leaves, twigs and all the other junk people bring in on their feet.

Now it is clean as a whistle.

Dining room:

I've been sewing in here so it had some issues with thread bits and fabric pieces.

I've got my fall decorations out still...until after Thanksgiving.

But I've started thinking about what I want to do for my Christmas changes!

This little desk area is usually a cluttered disaster with mail and papers galore.

Why oh why can't I keep it clean?

It's my nemesis.

After cleaning I even managed to make some homemade zucchini bread mini muffins.

So scrumdiliumptious!

And finally, here I am with my "cleaning hair"

That means, hop out of the shower and stick it up in a clip.

Curly.

Sometimes I end up looking like Medusa by the end of the cleaning session!

Ignore the time on the post, this is my "thankful" post for 11/10. I just didn't manage to get it posted until after Book Club so it is now very late!

Book Club was fun, as usual.

The strangest thing

2011-11-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

I got a "nerve block" in my head a couple of days ago.

It's supposed to stop this blasted headache that is ruining my life.

the doctor injected my head in a couple of different places with numbing stuff and steroids

(yes, numbing stuff is a technical term!)

The entire right side of my head is numb

and it is super weird

My ear is numb too

And it has caused me to feel dizzy and nauseous.

Which is awesome.

All day yesterday I felt like I had an itch behind my ear

but whenever I would go to scratch it I would realize that I couldn't actually feel anything there

so for all I know I was scratching a freaking hole in my scalp!

So I had to constantly tell myself that I don't actually have an itch there

I can't feel anything.

It was the strangest thing.

And very hard to ignore.

The doctor also wrote on my head with a blue marker to know where to inject

Luckily with my dark hair I don't think its visible to people

But I woke up to a blue finger

So apparently I'm scratching the phantom itch in my sleep

And apparently the blue marker is still there somewhere even after shampoo.

Oh the experiences we just never knew we would get to have...

On another note:

Book club is at my house tonight.

It was supposed to be last week but we had the whole freaky-power-outage-trees-down storm instead.

The book is

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

I read it awhile ago and my memory for details in books just isn't that good.

I read too many and too fast I think.

(and my memory just plain stinks)

So I hope I can think of something intelligent to say and not just

"hmmm, I forgot about that"

I had big plans for cute refreshments and stuff

but I have done nothing but lay on the couch and feel sorry for myself for days now.

So, I think cleaning the bathroom will have to be a higher priority for tonight than refreshments.

Even if they don't know it, my guests should be grateful I'm making that choice.

Thankful

2011-11-09T17:30:00.001-05:00

I am thankful for consignment shops!

Kinda lame I guess but I find such fun stuff there and so cheap too.

Today I got these two matching gravy boats

and I've been wanting some gravy boats for awhile now

but they are never on the top of the list of things to buy.

Not really a necessity, ya know.

But when you find them at a consignment store for only $5

well then how can you not buy them?

and how awesome will they will on Thanksgiving?

yeah, baby.

Disaster zone

2011-11-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

My family has been wondering about the mess caused by the recent storms.

So I thought I would share a few pictures of the disaster zone that is my yard.

broken trees

check out the low hanging wires. This is along the driveway.

Our broken power pole. You should see how they fixed it! It looks silly. I"ll take a picture for you later.

Power lines on the ground. Nice.

More broken trees. many many broken trees

the back yard

Thankful

2011-11-08T08:09:00.002-05:00

Today I am thankful for my cute, sweet husband.

He's on a business trip in Spain.

Yes, he gets to go to fun places and I stay home and have headaches.

But while he's there he thinks of me.

He sent me an email yesterday and said

"Spain is known for leather and there are a lot of girls with boots."

I'm like "ok, whatever. weird email."

Later I get this:

"Here they are.

Your going to look great in them.

Frank"

How cute is he?

Thankful

2011-11-07T08:05:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for Vacuums

Is that spelled right? I can never remember.

When the power was out I couldn't vacuum my house. It was nasty.

You think your house gets gross when you have toddlers. They run around with crackers in their little hands and you feel like there are crumbs everywhere.

But, let me tell you, you have control over toddlers.

You can pick them up and move them back into the kitchen with their food.

You don't know messy until you come home to discover that your 18 year old has decided that he and his friends want nachos but they don't want to leave the tv to have them and so they have decided to

GRATE CHEESE

in your family room.

oy.

And then this child has the audacity to say something like "this carpet is disgusting"

That's when you are grateful for vacuums and the fact that you can shove the vacuum into his capable hands and say "then clean it up"

I actually did vacuum once during the power outage.

I had the generator going and decided that I just had to vacuum.

We were living in the one room and eating there and sleeping there and hauling wood in and it was just a mess

so I decided I couldn't take it anymore.

I started up the vacuum and everything that was going at the time turned off.

Guess that sucker used more power than I realized.

But the carpet looked better.

All was right with the world again.

I've been sewing lately and I'm a messy seamstress.

I throw scraps and bits of thread on the floor.

As I lay here on the couch with my throbbing head I'm looking at my messy, thread covered carpet and thinking:

I'm glad I have a vacuum.

Now where is a kid to do the actual vacuuming when I need one?

Thankful

2011-11-06T16:57:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for doctors.

I have my share of physical ailments that sometimes make me feel like my body is falling apart.

But the one ailment that plagues me the most is headaches: migraines and other awful headaches.

The worst kind I get are called cluster headaches and I have had one for a couple of days now.

I can usually handle it for about a day and then I start to feel like I'm going insane.

I start crying and whining and yelling and scaring the children.

I say things like "I want to jump off a bridge"

So off to the ER we went in the middle of the night last night.

I was lucky enough to get an ER doc that also suffers from this same ailment!

So he was very empathetic.

Sometimes they think you are just a drug seeking person or something...it is very annoying.

He actually told me that the incidence of suicide is quite high in people with these headaches.

(apparently it is nicknamed "suicide headache". who knew?)

So I decided I should stop saying I want to jump off a bridge.

I don't actually plan to do that.

The pain just makes you say crazy things.

Anyway, I was given a variety of medications and I am feeling

WAY better.

Not 100% but I can function again.

And I'm not scaring the children anymore.

Hurray for doctors!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-05T16:13:00.001-04:00

Lots of people are doing this thing where they list something they are thankful for every day in November.

Usually at this time of year I do my list of 100 things I'm thankful for

and I might still do that...

but I like this idea so I'm going to do it.

Since my electricity was out I am already behind by FIVE whole days!

So I'm not off to a very good start with the being thankful thing.

My Funny Cousin Emily has this super cute logo deal that she puts up when she does her thankful posts so since I want to be as cool as her I made one of my own.

I totally copied hers.

Hers is cuter.

But, hey, I followed through and made one...

So lets all just be happy about that, ok?

So without further ado my first thankful post:

November 5, 2011

I am thankful for

Preparedness

The last week without electricity wasn't as bad for me as it was for many other people.

Do you want to know why?

Because my husband has made it a mission to get our family prepared for just such emergencies.

We have a generator, which I used and appreciated very much.

We have a wood stove. Which kept us toasty warm at night when I wasn't running the generator.

And we have the proper fuel for both of the above items so that I wasn't worried about running out while making fires every day and running the generator for hours a day.

Something I didn't mention online was that my husband was out of town for the entire time that we had no power.

We had friends check in on us and people who care about us.

But I never felt worried or stressed.

I knew I had the tools necessary to deal with the emergency.

We were prepared.

That was a good feeling.

Back to School

2011-11-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

We ended up having one day of school this week...friday.

I actually loved the week off of school, probably as much as the kids did.

I love the freedom of no school! even with no electricity (though I'd rather have electricity of course)

So Friday morning I wake up at 7:40 and realize that we have slept in

I wake Carter up and tell him that he has to hurry because we slept in and he only has a few minutes to get ready

He gets up and eats and gets ready pretty fast

But we are both still pretty relaxed

I go into the bathroom to get ready and he calls through the door that we should go

I call out "Well get going!"

"I need you to drive me"

"Carter, walk up to the bus stop. If you miss it, I will drive you but hurry up and you will make it."
"Uh, mom, it's 8:00"

He usually catches the bus at 7:00

and the key here is that somehow I was thinking that is WAS 7:00 not 8:00

"What? You mean you have one day of school this week and you are an hour late???"
"yep."

"I thought it was 7:00, not 8:00"

"I was wondering why you weren't freaking out and telling me to hurry..."

So I drive the boy to school.

And I win mother of the year award, again!

I'm so awesome.

Seriously?

2011-10-27T21:31:00.000-04:00

October 27th

I step out my front door

I look to my right

I look to my left

Seriously?

Just this and that

2011-10-27T17:31:00.000-04:00

The weather here today is

hideous

There is just no other word for it

rainy, cold and chance of snow

Snow!

It's only October and I am just not ready for the idea of snow, I'm sorry.

In other news

I hurt my back.

I have no idea how I did it but it just started hurting.

It feels best when I stand up but you really can't sleep standing up

unfortunately

I've been feeling super dee duper crafty lately.

I just want to sew and paint and make stuff all the day long!

To heck with the bathrooms.

and the laundry.

and dinner.

My most recent craftiness has been these:

cloth napkins

Dear Hubby thinks I'm a little nuts

I think they are fun and cute and economical of me.

Here is what my kitchen counter currently looks like.

Green tomatoes.

I seriously have to do something about these.

and soon.

And here is the latest picture of my living room...

Ta Da!

My new curtains.

I'm in love with them.

They are exactly, perfectly what I wanted.

The colors seem to be a little off in picture...but you get the idea.

And now you can be happy because the gross looking chicken is off the main page of the blog!

Just call me Domestic Goddess

2011-10-17T00:29:00.000-04:00

I have been so domestic in the last few days that it is just crazy

I've canned chicken

lots and lots of chicken

Here Hubby is cutting chicken. What a trooper!

Somehow it looks less appetizing in this photo. It really doesn't look bad in real life.

I made more homemade tomato soup

Is it bad that I'm kind of wishing those plants would die now?

I'm tired of making stuff with tomatoes even though I know I'll be glad in the winter

when I have yummy homemade soup to eat

____

I sewed trim on my dining room curtains which were too short

And I have prepped and painted the first coat in my bedroom

I also did a couple of loads of laundry and cleaned a bathroom or two

I know.

Crazy stuff going on over here

Yard Sale!

2011-10-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

Yard sale!
Come all you local folks and see all the great merch at our multi-family yard sale this saturday from 9-2.
Sale will be located at 109 Lowell Road in Westford MA. This is near the Chelmsford/Westford line.
Hope to see you there!
I've been collecting all kinds of great stuff and hauling it over there so I know there will be a big selection from me...and I'm not the only one contributing.
Good times!

Find more garage sales in Westford onYard Sale Search.

Pinterest to the rescue!

2011-10-03T09:05:00.001-04:00

I know I'm not the only one who has discovered Pinterest

I wasn't sure I would like it

and I sure as heck didn't need another time suck in my life

But I have found it is a great place to find ideas and store them

My computer was (still is I guess) full of folder of ideas

and bookmarks to places I intended to go back to

and then often forgot about

Now the big question is...

Will I actually DO any of the great things I put on Pinterest?

the fun DIY projects

the awesome looking recipes

the photography tips and tutorials

or is it just another place to store stuff that I forget about?

Recently one of my friends pinned a tutorial that she titled:

How to paint so the result is really smooth, like it's sprayed on.

I was certainly interested

Because with all the furniture I've been painting this is one of my main issues!
I don't really want people to walk into my house and think

"oh, wow, she paints her own furniture"

ya know?

so I went to the blog that her pin referred me to

(I linked you to it also up there)

and read all about it.

The girl suggested the use of a certain paint:

This one

So I went looking for it post haste!

Guess what? It's being discontinued due to VOC laws or some such thing.

My store had a few cans but not the tint for the color I wanted.

Woe is me.

but the guy at the store recommended the replacement product:

Which I bought and have been using on my TV stand/dresser project.

My lands!

It has made such a difference.

So smooth.

So easy.

It really does look fantabulous!

I'm sold.

and want to know the bonus?

I don't have to put Polyurethane over it!

let the angels sing because I hate using Polyurethane

(but maybe I should look on Pinterest for tips on using it so then I'd hate it less...)

Pinterest saved the day on my painting project

I'm hooked.

Next Project: The Bedroom

2011-09-28T22:52:00.000-04:00

I had planned on painting and sort of redecorating my bedroom ages ago

Then Branden got engaged

and all of my project energy got shifted to the main floor of the house where we would be having the reception

But fall is here

and the kids are back in school

and I'm ready to get back to the idea of redoing my room

I know I want blue walls

but I can't seem to pick the exact color

so anyone with a favorite blue, feel free to share!

The one piece of furniture we needed for the room

was something to put the TV on

it used to be in an armoire but I repurposed that for my dining room awhile back as you may recall

Since then the TV has been sitting on my cedar chest

(which will also be getting a makeover soon)

I found a dresser on Craigslist with nice lines and some minor damage

(but I apparently didn't get a "before" picture)

and I used some ideas from other DIYers online to turn it into a TV cabinet

It's not done but I got the first coat of paint on it today and I'm feeling quite excited about it

here are some pathetic pictures taken with my phone:

I'm not sure you can tell, but its a fun yellow color

All the drawers lined up for painting/drying

this view shows the shelf I built in the top of it to hold the components

Drawers will go underneath and TV on top

I'm not sure what kind of hardware to put on it.

It needs to go with the rest of the room but I want it to be kinda fun too.

I also have a headboard idea or two running around in my head

I love this stuff.

So much fun.

There's a fungus amungus

2011-09-27T19:07:00.000-04:00

We've had quite a bit of rain here.

It has been wet wet wet.

and so on my way to the mailbox one day

I noticed that we had an inordinate amount of mushrooms and other such fungi growing along the edges of the yard.

tons of them

in all shapes and sizes and colors

So a couple of days later

(after another rainstorm had passed)

I ventured out and took a few pictures

These are all between my front door and my mailbox

cute, red

funky

fringy!

this one looked just like a rock! It was big too.

this tiny guy had fallen over but he was cute

this one was HUGE and full of pine needles

Growing on the tree trunk so not officially a mushroom I suppose...

Bright yellow twinsies

So gross! Black and scary looking

EW!

Totally funky but really bright yellow/orange

After looking at all the grody fungus I took a couple of shots of some nice looking plants just for fun

And in the process of getting these pictures

I also managed to get

seven mosquito bites!

argh.

I hate those little suckers.

Three on one foot

I killed that one at least.

Vegas, Baby!

2011-09-23T07:38:00.000-04:00

As you may know by now I recently went on a little vacation to Vegas

hubby had a conference to attend and I went along

It's funny because he travels a fair amount and almost always asks me to come along

of course he usually asks me a day or two in advance

nice advance notice, huh?

And I've got responsibilities like a job, and kids and mother guilt that hold me back from going

oh, and money

So I am rarely able to go

But this time he asked and I thought for a few minutes and said, ok I'll come

He was actually quite surprised!

But I figured I could probably find cheap tickets to Vegas

We had some nice friends willing to help out with the kids

and he had given me a couple of week's notice this time.

It was lovely.

We stayed at the Venetian.

In the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in in my life.

Seriously.

We had 3 tv's!

One of them was in the ginormous bathroom.

We saw the Bellagio fountains

that was one of the things I definitely wanted to do.

Frank was working a lot but we still enjoyed ourselves

(I REALLY needed my hair colored, don't judge)

For one of our dinners we ate at a hotel restaurant overlooking the fountains so that we could watch them at night.

While Frank worked during the day I walked around or shopped or read or sat by the pool

Fabulous!

I found a huge mall near our hotel which was awesome on the rainy day we had.

It was also kind of bad, if you know what I mean.

One day I took the car and drove up to the LDS (Mormon) Vegas Temple.

that was a nice escape from the strip, which is kind of overwhelming with the sleaze factor

We went to two shows.

The Blue Man Group, which was playing in our hotel

(I had never seen it, but Frank had)

And a One Republic concert which was part of Frank's work event

is it just me or does my forehead look huge here? Maybe I need bangs...

For our last meal of the week, we went to a restaurant off the strip that was recommended

I can't remember the name and it's driving me nuts!

it was a weird name

But anyway, I loved the industrial decor

We were there early for dinner, the place filled up before we left...

haha, looks totally empty in this picture!

It's known, apparently, for the food being good

And

for big portions.

OH MY HEAVENS!

Frank's plate was the size of a Turkey platter, no lie.

Frank is trying to show you how big this sandwich is.

ginormous, that's how big.

How in the world am I supposed to fit that into my mouth?

Not to mention, look at the amount of food...

I was very delicious.

I don't gamble and in general I find Vegas to be a sleazy sort of place.

not my favorite

But you can certainly find fun things to do there.

And I definitely had a good time!

When's that next business trip, honey?

sorry

2011-09-21T19:32:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad blogger

and I'm here to say

sorry

but today I'm not going to be fixing it

just apologizing

I'll be back later to actually fix it

thanks for sticking with me

smooches!

~me~

our house

2011-09-07T17:03:00.000-04:00

Our house has reached that age where stuff is starting to fall apart

piece

by piece

we have to replace our back door asap

rotten

our roof is looking iffy

can anyone say

$$$?

and we might have to replace our front door soon too.

If we do

I think I just might paint it

green

Don't tell Frank

Oh Irene

2011-08-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Irene just paid us a visit the other day

You might have heard something about it.

Frank and I are generally prepared for emergencies around here so we weren't feeling overly concerned and hadn't really done any specific preparations.

But as the people on the news and around us became more frantic we decided we should maybe, possibly, take this more seriously.

So Frank took care of what he considered the most important emergency preparedness issue for a hurricane.

He protected his tomatoes

All kinds of stakes and ropes held them in place in the hope that they would stay standing in the harsh wind and rain.

As the storm came it appeared to us that it wasn't going to be as bad as some had feared. Yes, the big trees swayed (always makes me nervous), lots of rain fell, and there was a lot of debris around. But no major damage was happening right around us and our power stayed on. We were lucky there...many many people lost power and still don't have it.

But at one point I looked out the window and gasped.

Of course that scared everyone and they came running.

And I pointed and said, "Your garden!"

Well, Frank had protected his tomatoes but had left the rest of the garden alone thinking it would be ok.

Not so much.

Here is what the bean plants looked like a few weeks ago:

But Irene took them down.

Flat.

Every pole was snapped.

We lifted it back up yesterday and the beans are probably ok.

But everything underneath was smooshed and broken. I don't think we'll be getting any more zucchini this season. Not sure what my sad, squashed cilantro will do...we'll see.

Now we have some cleanup to do

But overall we fared pretty well through Irene.

And, honestly, I don't care for zucchini anyway.

My cousin Emily

2011-08-24T23:00:00.000-04:00

Ok I'm going to do more than one post on my day in Boston with

my funny cousin Emily

because I just have to start out with this...

I love my cousin Emily.

She is funny.

I love to read her blog.

I find her to be very entertaining in every way.

But I haven't spent a whole lot of time with her in person, ya know?

She's quite a bit younger than me and I moved away from New Mexico when she was still fairly young.

So, when I made plans to spend the day with her I was wondering if we would really hit it off

Is she really that funny in person?

Will she think I'm a goofball?

(I can be...)

Are we enough alike to have fun together?

We began our day together and we were having a very enjoyable time

and seemed to be getting along just great.

Then

I remembered that I had brought her a present!

I had forgotten that it was in my purse all morning.

This:

You see, Emily had actually shown this super cute tea towel on her blog some time ago

and I bought it right away.

But knowing how much she loved it, I bought one for her also.

But I have never mailed it to her ALL THIS TIME.

So lucky for me, she finally made it out here to the East Coast so that I could give her this surprise.

~Anyway, back to the story~

So I say to her,

"OH! I have a present for you!"

And she responded with

"Well, give it!"

"I love presents!"

And in that one moment I knew that I just

loved this girl

How can you not love someone who says that?

I think that's something I would say

And I think everyone should love me after all.

Seriously I wanted to hug here right there and then as we stood at the sight of the Boston Massacre

So, Emily

Thanks for a fun day in Boston

You are as fun in person as you are in blogland

My Kitchen Floor

2011-08-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

My kitchen floor is enough to DO ME IN

It is huge.

I'm not exaggerating here.

It includes the kitchen prep area, the eating area and a long hallway leading to the family room and this entire area is tile.

We got this tile for two reasons:

to replace the hideous 80's linoleum

because it hides dirt well

Now I am not the worlds best housekeeper.

I admit that willingly.

I am a Flybaby and will probably never ever graduate to whatever the next level is.

I am, after all, a middle child.

the forgotten child.

I used this to my advantage, however.

I learned to slip through the cracks to get out of many a chore.

You can ask my sister, because the chores I was getting out of...she was doing.

Sorry, Doneen.

(But you know your a better person for it so, good job!)

So, since my tile hides dirt well, I have been going with the theory that I don't need to mop, well, ever.

You know, it hides dirt well.

Turns out, nothing hides dirt that well.

Eventually you have to mop.

And tile just has to be mopped with a rag and your hands.

-don't try to tell me otherwise, I will not believe you-

I have purchased just about every mop there is that promises to do a good job on tile and grout.

They all lie.

As I said, my kitchen floor is huge so I'm always looking for a way out of mopping it on my hands and knees.

So, today I decided the time had come to once again torture myself and mop at least a portion of my floor.

This happens every once in awhile, usually when I notice that I live with pigs.

I mean, why i the world would someone spill something disgusting like, say, yogurt and then just leave it there to congeal?

Or lets say you cut your foot (or finger or whatever) and then bleed all over the floor! Do you just leave it there for someone else to clean up? Apparently in this house the answer is "yes indeed".

But last night I bought a secret weapon in my war against my kitchen floor.

Here they are:

Yep, you are looking at some mighty fine knee pads there.

(and some super gorgeous old sweats as well)

Fashion is of the utmost importance to me as many of you know.

my floor now has a better chance of being a tad cleaner with these in my arsenal of products

well, maybe.

Guest room in progress

2011-08-12T12:47:00.000-04:00

After doing that last post it inspired me to take a couple of pictures of the guest room in progress.

I still have a lot to do but here it is so far:

My cute bedding (and pillows)

I really like them.

The refurbished desk with my computer on it

and one of my dining room chairs until I can get a chair for this space

Old crates from reclaimed barn wood to hold my computer stuff:

printer, laptop and probably hard drives.

The bottom is still empty since I'm undecided about what else I'm putting there.

Across the room is the antique dresser we got this summer.

Craiglist (free! Frank talked her into "throwing it in" with the buffet when we bought it)

Obviously I still need something on the walls as well as curtains.

I want to find or make a headboard too.

Lots of ideas in my head for that but we'll see.

I've got an old nightstand ready to be painted but also found some cute tables the other day that I liked for super cheap so now I'm torn.

One is easy and one takes work.

Both will probably look good.

Hmmmm

So dull

2011-08-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

I hate seeing the same post here forever and ever but I am just SO DULL right now.
I have nothing interesting to say.
It must be the time of year...
I'm busy cleaning and organizing
Needing to buy school clothes and supplies (but kids are still in denial so we haven't done it yet)

The bathrooms are dirty
The kitchen is dirty
Because I was gone to Girls Camp for a week and the house still hasn't recovered
Somehow it doesn't just "recover" on it's own...weird.

My car is in the shop with about twenty things wrong with it.
I can't wait for the bill!
just kidding

My most interesting news is that my hair is getting really long.
I just noticed that yesterday.
I keep it up in a clip almost all of the time because I'm lazy and it's easy.
But when I blew it out yesterday I was shocked to see how long it was.
Looked pretty good too.
Go me.

My third son leaves in only 2 weeks.
I think the stress of this is reeking havoc on my body.
I'm having headaches and stomach issues constantly.
I'm a world-class worrier.
It's genetic.

My guest room is coming along nicely.
It looks pretty but I have no ideas AT ALL for what to put on the walls.
My husband thinks the whole guest room thing is a little silly.
He said, "The room is looking nice. I can't wait til we have some guests so it actually gets used."
Little does he know I'll be sneaking in here to read and be alone.
haha! It's a Debbie retreat and a guest room.
I'm so sneaky.

That's it for today.
More stimulating blogging coming soon, I'm sure.

so much

2011-07-29T20:22:00.000-04:00

I've got so much to tell you (and show you) but the pictures are all on hubby's camera and I just haven't gotten around to getting them from there to here.

Lame excuse I realize. But there it is.

My latest pictures have all been taken with, get ready for this, my phone.

I know.

So today I have for you, the first project that I have finished for the guest room.

It was an old desk that was Frank's (or maybe his sister's) when he was a kid. Our boys have had it in their various rooms over the years and it has taken a beating,literally. I had hoped to just refinish the top but discovered that certain bad bad children had carved tic-tac-toe into it and also had apparently practiced with their scout knives on the top of this poor desk.

So, paint is had to be.

It's a turquoise color...it seems off here.

Its so cute.

The Big Move

2011-07-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

When I decided to move my scrapbooking room to the basement I knew it would be a big project.

____

I knew there would be lots of walking up and down stairs

I mean, I am going from the top floor to the basement.

2 flights of stairs down with a load

2 flights of stairs up to get the next load

____

I knew there would be lots of stuff to pack up

I have waaay too much stuff

____

I didn't expect to have so many little issues like:

screws that won't come out of the wall

Shelves that stay on the wall (very very stuck)

even after I have removed all of the screws.

Hmmm

I don't remember doing anything different when I put these up.

and

I didn't expect the bookshelves to be too tall for the room!

(yes I measured)

It should have been fine

But it wasn't.

So I had to disassemble all of the bookshelves

Cut them down

(no husbands were required for the use of these powertools)

drill new holes for all of the wood dowels and screws

you know how that Ikea stuff is with all the dowels...

Then reassemble them in the room

Yes, just the right height.

I still have TON of stuff to do but I'm making progress.

I now have two rooms in my house that look like a tornado has hit them instead of just one!

Go me.

Ryan at the wedding

2011-07-07T10:14:00.000-04:00

As you know, my second son Ryan is currently serving a mission for our church,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

As a matter of fact, he recently sent us a picture and told us that he won the award for the worst shoes in the mission.

Apparently he doesn't believe in shining his shoes since they get dusty immediately after...

Here is the picture he sent:

Anyway, his absence means that he couldn't physically be at the wedding.

But I wanted him there in some way

soooo

I made another version of him to have there

Introducing Cardboard Ryan

Not perfect but still...FUN.

We posed with Cardboard Ryan

Some kids were freaked out by Cardboard Ryan

Some kids had fun with Cardboard Ryan

Cardboard Ryan probably had more fun than Real Ryan would have...

He was irresistible

Real Ryan was missed.

Real Ryan was remembered.

Cardboard Ryan had a good time though.

The Day After

2011-07-03T01:03:00.000-04:00

I don't yet have any pictures taken by the photographer from the Open House that we had here for Branden and Amber so all I've got for you are a few photos I took this morning...the morning after the reception.

I had so much fun decorating and planning this reception. And it went well...perfect weather, great food, lovely bride and groom and wonderful guests.

I will have picture of the event soon but for now, here are some pics of how my yard and parts of my house looked. Even though its the day after, you get the general idea.

These signs were cuter and not curled the day of the reception.

Here they have endured a night of moisture/humidity.

I made tons of flower poms and hung them in the trees along with rice paper lanterns.

People thought I was nuts making the poms but it was something I just did whenever I was sitting around so it wasn't really overwhelming.

I think they turned out cute.

My bookshelf.

I put wedding photos of Amber and Branden's parents, grandparents and great grandparents on the shelves as well as a couple of shots from their wedding.

I loved how this looked in the room and since these people couldn't be there it was a fun way to include our family/ancestors in the occasion.

The deck/backyard

We had furniture on the deck during the party but it was put away already.

The entryway

I finally put my Pride and Prejudice towel to use.

View of the backyard from above.

Wedding Reception

2011-06-29T17:52:00.003-04:00

Dang

I have a lot to do

The end

They are married

2011-06-28T13:04:00.000-04:00

It's official!

Branden and Amber are married.

It doesn't feel as weird as I thought it would for me.

The day was wonderful and they were both relaxed and happy.

I was quite relaxed and happy as well.

The mother of the Bride probably has a lot more stress, so I had it good that way.

Here are a few pictures

(all taken by my buddy Annette ... I just enjoyed the day)

And Dion took this one as they left the reception...I love it.

I can't wait for the professional photos because he took some great shots!

So be prepared to see lots of wedding photos in the future.

I'm gonna want them all printed out and hanging up I just know it.

Not sure that's the decor hubby is hoping for around here though...

50th Anniversary party

2011-06-22T13:40:00.001-04:00

Last night we celebrated my parents 50th Anniversary.

Way to Go Mom and Dad!

It was a nice evening with lots of relatives, chatting, and good food.

We got my parents a cake that my sister decorated with roses.

Here are a few highlights:

Wedding decoration teaser

2011-06-16T20:23:00.000-04:00

My big room kinda looks like an ice cream parlor...or something sweet like that.

All sugary and pastely.

I know, not a word.

I'm pretty much ready for the open house here.

Except I'm sure I'll think of 2 or 3 or 100 things to do the day before.

Here are a few teasers of my decorations:

Oh, and my dress is done!

yay!

Now to get the squeeze-wear...

not so yay

Alas, my love of chocolate is haunting me now.

My grandparents

2011-06-14T21:03:00.000-04:00

I'm printing out pictures of various relatives' wedding pictures to put out at the reception here.

I love looking at old photos!

Here is a picture of my Dad's parents on their wedding day.

I think they look so great.

November 23, 1931

More things accomplished

2011-06-13T22:43:00.001-04:00

We actually get on the airplane to go to Utah in only 5 more days.

I can't believe it.

My frantic project work has not slowed just because I am leaving soon.

Oh no.

Why would it? I mean, I don't really have to pack until Friday. right?

So I finally finally finished my big mirror project.

I got the idea here.

It's a knock-off of a Pottery Barn mirror. This one:

And they made it look so easy.

um.

yeah.

It quickly turned into a nightmare when Michaels decided to stop carrying the mirrors after I had purchased almost half of what I needed!

But by that point I had quite a bit of time and not a small amount of money involved so no way was I stopping.

*little hint if you do this project--get all the mirrors before you start!*

So after visiting numerous different Michaels stores, many phone calls, a few emails and probably a few bad words I got all the mirrors I needed.

Then I discovered that when it says 8x8 it doesn't really mean 8x8.

Some are a little smaller, some a little bigger.

Mostly a little bigger.

Which was a problem, by the way.

So, I spent some time throwing a minor hissy fit and tearing my project partially apart before I came to my senses again and calmly thought of a solution.

Hubby helped out and we were able to fix it up.

I should have taken pictures during this process to help others who might find themselves in a similar situation and I even thought of it, but just couldn't bring myself to do it.

So no hissy fit pictures for you.

Just lovely finished product pictures.

Here is my finished mirror:

Here are Pottery Barn's rosettes:

and mine:

And here's how it looks in my room right now:

Let me tell you, this puppy is BIG and HEAVY.

Frank was not too excited about hanging it on the wall so he was pretty darn happy when we decided to just prop it up against the wall instead.

And I am pretty darn happy that it is done and out of the garage where it has been staring at me and mocking me for weeks on end.

Oh My Goodness

2011-06-09T12:14:00.000-04:00

I have just found my new favorite person on the internet

Her name is Karen

and her blog is

The Art of Doing Stuff

She's like a DIY genius

Funny

and

Cheap

Go to this post and watch the video.

Not only did I learn something but I laughed

Oh how I laughed.

Miraculous discovery

2011-06-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

I've been working for awhile (off and on) on a chair for my living room.

I got it at the thrift store for $9

I've removed all of the upholstery

Sanded it down

Painted it

and now I'm ready to re-upholster

But I'm honestly not loving it.

The style of it...and just how its coming out.

But whatever, I already had the paint and the fabric

and the chair cost 9 bucks, right?

Then yesterday I went out with my unofficial room designer Mary

•

She doesn't like that I call her that because it's too much pressure

But really she is

•

Anyway, we went to HomeGoods to find a few things for the mantel in the Big Room

Can't have a naked mantel at the reception

(even though it's been naked for, oh, six years? except at Christmas)

We walk in and what do we see?

This

Hey, does that fabric look familiar?

Why, yes, it does!

It's the exact same fabric on the chair in my living room!

So I pretty much had to buy it.

It was similar to the chair I've been working on, but nicer, with more personality.

It's already done (a serious bonus)

And it was a good deal.

Was it $9?

um, no.

But, I can't expect to get all of my furniture for under ten dollars I suppose...

And we did get a few things for the mantel too.

But I might have to wait for Mary to come over to help me arrange it.

Haaaaa!

New addition to my dining room and garage sale finds!

2011-06-07T23:13:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I did some garage sale-ing this weekend

(how do you write it? Garage saling?)

hmmm

we did some shopping at some garage sales.

Even though I have an entire attic FULL of crap and need to have my own garage sale,

we both managed to find some other people's crap that we wanted to buy.

Hubby bought a broken computer suitcase

Which he promptly brought home and fixed.

It is super nice and would normally cost over $100

So he's pretty happy with his purchase.

I think he paid $5 for it.

But inside the suitcase the people had left a few things

and one of the things was this lovely picture which now graces my dining room wall

It must have been a souvenir from a trip

It was rolled in a little tube and has a certificate that says its on Egyptian papyrus

Whatever it is, I think its pretty!

And the colors are just right for my dining room.

What a bonus for that $5 suitcase!

I found a little side table that I liked a lot.

I forgot to take a "before" picture but it was brown with some scrolly painting on the top.

Not really my thing.

Now its blue.

I haven't decided what to do with it but it was fun to paint!

It cost me a total of $17 including paint.

nice.

I also have one other addition to my dining room

which I believe is just about done now.

My new sunburst mirror

Whatcha think?

projects and jammies

2011-06-07T07:45:00.000-04:00

I worked on one of my projects until midnight last night.

Not because I had to but because I just really wanted to finish something yesterday.

It was one of those days where nothing got done.

So this morning I hopped out of bed, threw on some flip flops and ran out to the garage

to check on my project.

Hubby comes out there to go to work

Sees me and says

What are you doing?

You are obsessed.

Out here in your pajamas?

Well, duh.

Graduation

2011-06-06T08:44:00.000-04:00

It's true.

He's a graduate.

He pretty much hated the whole "graduation" thing.

But, really, who likes it?

As with all my boys so far, I think he only went to graduation for me.

Because I expected it and then I begged

and I used lines like
"I put 18 years of work into you, I deserve one night to celebrate!"

you know, no pressure.

The weather was perfect so we weren't too hot or too cold.

No rain.

No one talked for too long.

All in all you it was fab.

and

He is done.

The couch and chair

2011-05-31T22:23:00.000-04:00

I realized I never posted a picture of my new couch and chair.

So now I will.

You can also see my rug in the picture there.

The room is now very monochromatic so I need to add some color.

And the walls are still bare.

So I have a few things to do yet.

But I am happy with the couch and chair.

The couch is comfy.

Frank is not as thrilled with the chair but I think its comfy so whatevs.

The ottoman is in the works but I can't decide on a color!

Any ideas?

Portal Fans should appreciate this

2011-05-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

If you aren't a fan of the Portal game then you won't have a clue why this birthday cake is so darn cool.

But, trust me.

It is.

Carter inserted the off-center candle.

I refuse to take the blame for such an off-center candle.

I am just too...let's call it meticulous...for that.

I did look around for a nice big white candle to be more authentic but I came up empty.

darn.

Side view. For those gamers who need to see how it compares to the real thing.

Yes, mine is a bit off kilter.

but, hey, I'm human

The person who requested this cake.

And now, thanks to him, I am much more educated about all things Portal.

Milestones

2011-05-26T10:04:00.000-04:00

In the next few days the following milestones will take place (in the following order):

I will officially have been married for 23 years!

And we still like each other and everything.

*smile*

This baby

Will be 13 years old.

No more kids in my house. Just teenagers and adults.

Wow.

This baby

Will be 20 years old!

I know...it kills me too.

Accomplishing

2011-05-25T08:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I sewed.

I made the table runner for the food table at the reception.

I also made some squares of fabric for the center of each individual table.

I also finished up the fabric banners.

Simple, straight sewing...that's my favorite kind.

A friend of mine is making my dress.

That's the kind of sewing I leave to other people.

Prom

2011-05-21T20:45:00.000-04:00

Today was Austin's senior prom.

And he actually went!

He is such a non-conformist that for him to actually participate in this typical teen activity is such a shock.

But I'm happy to see him going and spending the time with his friends and, well, looking so darn handsome!

Check him out!

Here are all the guys.

They seriously DO NOT look this good when they come hang out at my house after school. haaa! Not to say that they aren't handsome in their own messy, hippy way.

But I gotta say that I do love the cleaned up, tuxedo look on them.

And here he is with his gorgeous date:

Her dress was amazing

One last pose before he leaves to go on the ginormous party bus.

The big paint project is DONE

2011-05-17T16:11:00.000-04:00

And boy will Frank be surprised!

Frank and I started the dreaded painting of the "big room" on Saturday.

I told him that he absolutely positively had to be involved because I simply don't do heights.

And this room has heights.

So we got all of the taping and trim work done on Saturday but that's it. Still a lot of work to do.

And then he left Sunday morning for a business trip.

sigh

Monday I got to work.

I painted most of the walls and even got on the regular ladder and did the moderately high places.

But I couldn't reach the super high places.

See the still yellow area above the window?

(I know its hard to see, the colors are quite similar)

The idea of painting while on a ladder frightens me.

But painting when on the really tall ladder is even worse!

But I decided I couldn't wait for him. I just wanted it done!

So up on the ladder I went.

Thanks to Carter, my photographer who made sure there was proof of my bravery

And now it is done.

Frank returns tonight and we'll see if it meets his high standards.

He is of course, welcome to get up on the ladder and redo but somehow I doubt he'll choose to do that...

It has arrived!

2011-05-15T14:43:00.000-04:00

My new couch arrived and it is oh so beautiful.

and the boys are even willing to admit that it's comfy.

(Austin fell asleep on it Saturday...covered in dust and dirt from gardening!)

I was surprised to see that I didn't take a picture of the front of the couch.

And today I'm a bit under the weather so I'm just uploading what I've got.

I'll take a good picture later.

Sorry for the teaser!

Frank was scaring us with the scissors as he whipped the plastic off.

Luckily no fabric was injured. I would have had to kill him.

No, that's not me in the photo...

friends were over helping with some wedding stuff and they got to see the great reveal!

A real photo coming soon.

Mystery Project Reveal

2011-05-12T06:48:00.000-04:00

Things always take longer than you think they will so I am finally here to reveal my mystery Armoire project!

As you recall,here is the before:

And then I set Frank to work with his saw

One thing that my local friends seemed confused about was that we sawed this in half lengthwise...meaning we made it less deep. Everyone seemed to be picturing us sawing it in half horizontally.

And here is the finished product!

I'm so happy with how it came out.

After Frank cut it, we hauled it to the garage where I added a new back (beadboard which I love!)

and painted it a nice creamy white.

After some distressing and wax it is all done.

I kept the same doors on the bottom and the same feet (but had to reposition 2 of them, obviously)

But cut some new shelves for the top half to make it a bookshelf rather than a TV armoire

Last night Frank had to help put in the shelves because I messed up when I was doing it and decided to leave it half done for him to fix.

I'm sometimes spaz with a drill, not gonna lie.

So, he fixed it right up and now I have my beautiful bookshelf that only cost me a few bucks.

•Paint•

•1x12 inch pine boards•

•shelf hooks•

And I feel like quite a good little recycler.

Welcome Spring!

2011-05-10T21:13:00.002-04:00

I am allergic to everything that is now budding and blooming and looking oh-so-beautiful

I am

sneezing

and

itching

and

sniffling

and

remembering

that I really really don't love spring after all

Project Day

2011-04-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I did a ton of work today. It was a gorgeous day. He gardened and helped me out with various projects. I worked on a bunch of things. I didn't finish one of them...but, hey, progress is good, right?

I worked on this

and this

and my husband's normally pristine garage now looks

like this:

Uh huh

New Chair

2011-04-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

I thought I put this here but I guess I only put it on Facebook. But I am not on facebook anymore so I'm putting it here now.

Here is the new chair for my living room.

this is the style:

This is the fabric:

And a closeup of the fabric:

So fun and pretty!

I can't wait til it comes to my house!

Gifts

2011-04-29T09:27:00.000-04:00

Frank has been doing some exotic traveling lately. He was on business travel to India for a week and then Hong Kong after that.

He was excited to bring me some gifts from India. He brought me these hand made bracelets from Hyderabad, India.

Two of them are silver and the rest are super glittery. It is a big box full of bracelets!

They came in several sizes and Frank got the medium size.

He picked them all out himself.

He was so sad when he saw this:

Yup. They don't fit.

Actually a couple of them do because apparently I got some smalls and a few mediums.

They aren't all the same size.

Not even close.

Most of them can't go over my hand.

He was like, "oh come on you can do it." And I'm thinking, "yeah, if I break a couple of bones!"

It's the thought that counts, right?

I'm impressed with his thoughtfulness.

He's just bummed.

New Shoes

2011-04-28T16:10:00.000-04:00

I went shopping for some new running shoes today. Yes, I'm going to attempt to at least get a little bit in shape before the wedding. I'm not promising to take part in a triathlon however...

Anyway, it just so happened that right next door to the shoe store was a furniture store.

and since I'm in full-fledged decorating mode I just had to go in.

Oh my heavens.

I loved everything in there and it was all super duper expensive.

There was a dresser that I wanted to marry.

It was yellow and big and I have no where to put it.

but I'm in love with it. Officially.

In the end I left with a couple of swatches of this rug:

It's super cool looking in real life and lucky lucky they have discontinued a few colors so they are

HALF PRICE

yep.

I have a grey, beige and green swatch here.

I love all three.

I love that yellow too but, alas, not half price.

Just have to see if the Frank-o likes any of them or if they go with the room and what-not.

And maybe I will have a new rug soon.

*smile*

Decisions

2011-04-26T09:31:00.000-04:00

I can't decide if I should even attempt to get in shape for the family triathlon this year.

I think they are having it the day after the wedding (although I haven't heard anything official)

I'm so out of shape it is just sad

And I only have 60 days

and about a million things to do before then

But, in past years it has been good motivation to get in shape

and I did look pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

But if I commit to exercising and getting in shape

what would I do with all this Easter candy?

Just kidding

sort of

You don't see this every day

2011-04-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

Do you know what this is?

This is called a clean scrapbook table.

It is not seen very often in my house so when I see it, I must take a moment to appreciate it.

It is also known as a blank slate.

Meaning it is not going to stay clean for long because a new project will be there very soon...

because why else would I clean it off after all.

•

Do you know what this is?

This is wedding invitations to-be

Can anyone say YIKES?

She's in her spot

2011-04-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

I know you are probably sick to death of hearing about my "projects" but, well, too bad for you.

my blog and all that

I talked Austin and a couple of his friends into moving my buffet up into the dining room where she belongs.

Yay!!

Here she is (undecorated on top and no pictures on the wall. That's how I roll)

This happened on the trip upstairs:

I'm telling myself it just gives the buffet more character because even though its just a small ding/scrape

when I think about my work and the fact that it got damaged on the trip upstairs it makes me want to cry.

Soooo.

Nope, not damaged.

Character.

I love it.

~So much~

I'm currently working on:

prepping the big room for paint

building an ottoman

The mystery armoire project

refurbishing/recovering this bad boy:

Got it for $9.99 at the local thrift store. Nice!

(yes, I'm addicted)

And there were right around a BILLION staples in this chair.

approximately

Oh, and I'm making 200 wedding invitations.

Give or Take

Keeping busy so I stay outta trouble dontcha know.

Opinions?

2011-04-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

Wedding reception decor

So, what is your opinion?

Cute?

Lame?

(Since I've only made one I can't show you the cuteness factor of more than one hung together, you'll just have to use your imagination on that)

What a mess

2011-04-14T23:35:00.000-04:00

I can't remember the last time I saw the top of my scrapbook table.

Here is what is currently on it:

2 photo lights (the big honkin' ones with the umbrella thingies that go over them)

one jewelry box (moved from my bedroom and never returned)

various bags from the scrapbook store

coupons

keys

scissors

adhesive

trash

ribbon

books

fabric

school papers (hmmm. I wonder if those are important?)

oh, and who knows what else that is peaking out underneath all of those things. Those things that I listed are just the top of the pile!

yikes.

Somehow cleaning the table off is not making it to the top of my priority list. And then when it finally does...gosh darnit that clean table just begs for creativity...and the cycle starts over.

Ready to see the Living Room?

2011-04-10T16:41:00.000-04:00

I want to remind you what the old living room looked like but I can't seem to find the pictures.
I know they exist because you all had fits over how ugly my couches were.
My feelings were totally hurt.
How dare you call my couches "grandma couches"

Anyway.

Here's the old wall color:

I have repainted the room in a nice beige.

and ALL the furniture is gone.

*smile*

Last but not least is a picture of the one piece of furniture that I have for the room.

The old dresser that I got from craigslist.

She is now all painted, antiqued and waiting in her spot.

The professional bloggers would have pretend decorated or "staged" this dresser so that you could see how great it will look with whatever fun things I plan to put on top.

But I either don't have those things yet or haven't decided what they will be.

So you just get the dresser and the wall.

Be happy.

The Buffet

2011-04-09T17:33:00.000-04:00

The Buffet is done.

Its still sitting in the basement surrounded by junk but it is done.

Here is the before (the picture from the Craigslist posting)

The after:

Ta Da!

I'm sooo happy with how it came out.

Here is my cute drawer liner. Aw.

and look at this gorgeous hardware.

It's the original hardware but I changed the color.

We do still have the issue of the warped wood piece which makes the first two drawers so that they don't work very well.

Frank has decided that since I worked so hard on this thing that he is going to fix it rather than have a buffet with wonky drawers.

So, that will mean some more work soon.

But for now, it is done.

Yay!

It's gonna look awesome in my dining room.

How Embarrassing!

2011-04-08T12:28:00.000-04:00

I arranged for a local consignment shop to come and take away my living room furniture. So of course I dusted everything. I took the cushions off the couches and vacuumed. Everything was ready to go.

They came and started hauling stuff out the door.

As they tipped my couch on its side to fit it out the door the was a loud sound and a huge pile of JUNK falls to the floor.

What the??

All this stuff came from underneath (the lining had come loose so it was able to fall out).

There was magazines, pens, a cell phone, toys, a comb, a Christmas window candle, various papers, a ruler and much more. It was a ton of junk!

I was nervous for what was inside the Love Seat! Luckily there was only a pen and a couple of papers.

Whew.

Later I mentioned how my kids were extremely attached to those couches and mad at me for getting rid of them and the guy said, "Yeah, we can tell! They like to hide stuff inside them!"

How embarrassing.

Now I'm worried that I left all kinds of junk in the drawers...

A little update on my insanity

2011-04-06T10:51:00.001-04:00

I've had a few crazy ideas in my time but this one just might take the cake.
At least Frank thinks so.
I happen to think I'm a genius. But whatever.

With the help of my handy dandy husband I started my biggest project yet last night. I know you are wondering why I haven't posted pictures of the other projects if I am starting another one, right?
Well, here's the rundown:

Project #1: mirror--waiting for mirrors to come in to Michaels. They carry like FOUR at a time in store which is so not helpful. I've asked them to order some for me since I need 28 mirrors (or something like that). So no pictures of this unfinished project yet.

Project #2: Dresser--done and painted but sitting in the wrong room waiting to be moved. I'll take pictures when I move it.

Project #3: Painting the living room--done. But the room is full of furniture all piled in a big messy pile in the center of the room so that's why I can't move the dresser in! The furniture leaves on Thursday! Then I move the dresser in and take a picture or two.

Project #4: The Buffet--almost done. Finished painting and glazing. The top needs to be stained and it will be done....so two days tops.

Project #5: Paint the Family Room--not started and not excited. So I'm in denial about that one.

So with all that stuff so close to being done I definitely needed a new project to start, right? Right.

I'm tempted to keep this one a total secret until its done except that I'm completely incapable of doing that. Oh, I can keep other people's secrets, just not my own. Blab blab blab.

Before:

An armoire in my bedroom that holds our TV. Or should I say held our TV.

And then here's what we did last night:

turned our room into a workroom

tore the back off

and marked it

Took the doors off

And sawed that puppy IN HALF! Yeah baby!

I know you are excited to see my finished product...

Me too.

Oh, and PS I made dinner last night.

Go me!

On Projects and being obsessive/compulsive

2011-04-04T08:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm not officially "obsessive/compulsive". I haven't been diagnosed and I don't have a pathological problem.

I don't think.

But I definitely have obsessive tendencies. We can all see it.

When I start a new project this issue tends to rear its ugly head. I can only obsess over one thing at a time and the rest of my life tends to fall apart.

Frank keeps saying I should obsess over New and Interesting Recipes or something along those lines.

The poor guy just wants dinner.

Right now he's getting paint.

Painted rooms. Painted furniture.

No dinner.

No laundry.

No cleaning.

No exercising.

I'm not even reading!!

(Now that is crazy)

I have to learn moderation somehow. I just don't seem to have that in me.

It's all or nothing with me.

And everyone lives in fear of me finding a new interest before I finish up with the last one.

In this case, that could be bad since my house is a shambles.

The Joke's On Us!

2011-04-01T17:35:00.000-04:00

Happy April Fool's Day!

We got a fine joke today by waking up to this:

Sorta makes you feel like Spring will never come.

Where are you Spring?

Of course, once it does come and I start sneezing and itching, I'll complain about that...

Just warning you.

He

2011-03-31T08:27:00.000-04:00

Had the pointiest head of all my babies

Was obsessed with vacuums and "trash trucks" forever

Loves motorcycles

Loves snakes

Likes to try new things

Is an Eagle Scout

Is used to having his picture taken at the most inopportune times

(although he does roll his eyes)

Loves the Lord

Is one handsome dude

Still loves motorcycles

(dangit)

Is engaged!

(but has yet to send me a really good picture of the two of them)

Is one of the people I cherish most in this world

Is Twenty-two today.

Happy Birthday to my first born son.

I love you.

What can I say?

2011-03-25T08:21:00.000-04:00

Frank has been on a business trip to one of those industry shows. You know, the kind where there are a bunch of booths with information and whatnot.

The other thing they usually have at these shows is that some of the booths give away little things to help you remember them or get you excited about their product.

Frank usually tries to get a couple of things for the kids because its always fun to get something when your Dad has been gone on a business trip. I occasionally get something as well, if he thinks they have something I'll enjoy...I've gotten little flashlights or flashdrives before.

This morning I got up to find this sitting on my keyboard:

A dark chocolate Godiva bar

(purchased or from the show, I don't know)

A Biscoff

(my favorite cookie that you get from the airplane)

and some coupons

(definitely from the show)

What can I say? The man knows me.

Have I mentioned?

2011-03-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

I'm busy with all of my projects around here. I think I currently have 5 going at once.

And have I mentioned that GRAY, yes the color GRAY, is difficult?

I painted my dining room a lovely gray, which I spent a lot of time choosing I might add.

And it promptly turned into a nice light blue after going on my walls.

I had every intention of repainting and have been investigating different grays (with much frustration) but Mary came over and told me to just wait a bit. Its a lovely color just not what I planned. So she thinks it might grow on me. I'm going to see about that...seems like a wise plan considering all the other projects I've got brewing.

So, I've gotten going on the lovely dresser that I got on Craig's List. Remember her?

I decided to do a very light gray and do some glazing to show off the details.

No, everything isn't going to be gray, I promise!

I'm working on it and I think its coming out just lovely!

It looks almost white to me but I'm working in the basement and I know it will be just the right color when I take it upstairs to me living room.

Austin comes downstairs and says, "Wow, that is looking really good. But why are you doing everything in light blue these days?"

WHAT??

"This is not blue!"

"uh, yes. it. is."

So he takes a drawer upstairs and shows his brother and his friend and compares it to the dining room walls and they all agree that they are the same color!

argh.

But I refuse to believe it.

I. Refuse.

Plus, I still have the glazing to do which will totally change the look anyway.

sheesh

They never fail to surprise me

2011-03-21T20:28:00.000-04:00

I came home today to find my fabric bin from the attic sitting in my living room.

Austin was there with a friend, as usual. Actually he usually brings home 4 or 5 friends so having just one was a little unusual I suppose.

I asked what was going on and he said that they wanted to sew some shirts but couldn't find my sewing machine.

"Thank heavens" I replied.

"Why?"

"Do you know how to sew?"

"No"

"Well, my sewing machine is NICE. I don't want you just messing around with it."

"Ok. So, are you going to show us how then?"

And his friend proceeds to hold up his "shirt" which is a piece of fabric, folded over with a head-hole cut out.

I got my sewing machine out and showed him how to do a straight stitch and how to figure out where to put the arm holes so they wouldn't be too small.

After he stitched up the sides he said, "Man that was easy! If its this easy I'm never buying clothes again!"

I then showed him how to zigzag the raw edges of his head-hole so it wouldn't fray.

When it was all done he put it on a looked like a very nice hippy. (Darn, no pictures of that)

The boys then proceeded to cut out all kinds of headbands and scarves and belts and who knows what and experimented with the "fancy" stitches on my machine. They were pros by the end.

I told the friend that when he went home with that get-up on his mother would tell him he was never allowed to come back!
But then again, if he finds out I blogged about this, he just might not come back anyway...
oops.

Through the looking glass?

2011-03-20T16:41:00.000-04:00

I have always been a person who likes color in my house. No beige rooms for me.

But I usually get my color by painting my walls.

I might paint them green

or red

or even orange!

but then, I have found, I have trouble figuring out what to do next. I'm just not good with the decorating. I never finish a room.

So I recently decided to paint my some of the rooms more neutral and add the color through the furniture and accessories.

I'm sick of boring furniture! (That's what I told Frank.)

So I've been painting all my old furniture and the walls are either painted or prepped.

I've got projects going in every room in the house.

and I'm a craigslist fanatic

I've put my entire living room up for sale at a local consignment store!

I'm having so much fun.

I bought a rug.

My first purchase in my new quest to be colorful and to decorate.

So my teenage son walks in the door after school and says, "Wow, it's getting more and more like Alice in Wonderland in here. I like it!"

Uh. Not sure Alice in Wonderland was exactly the look I was going for...

"Yeah, we have this crazy rug. Then I look to the right and there's a black and white table. I like it. Not sure what Dad will think."

So there you have it.

My son loves my new colorful, yet trippy, decorating style.

I am going to go have a moment of insecurity

...and then go back on craigslist.

First time

2011-03-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

Today I made my first ever Craigslist purchase! Yay!

I've been stalking Craigslist every single day for awhile now looking for a few different things.

I found one!

Craigslist...I'll be back!

It's a Win-Win!

2011-03-15T14:06:00.000-04:00

So, my question for today is Do you save your box tops for Education?

You know, the little tabs that you find on your General Mills, Pillsbury and Betty Crocker foods, Ziploc bags and other items?

Ok, so maybe your family doesn't go through a zillion boxes of Golden Grahams like my family does.

But I don't know of anyone who hasn't occasionally used a ziploc baggie.

And if you haven't bought some Pillsbury Crescent rolls and made these, well, you are seriously missing out on some of the yummy goodness in life!

Why do I ask?

Well, this last week I was lucky enough to go to a training for the Coordinators of Box Tops for Education.

And, WOW, these little scraps from your packaging have made huge differences in schools all over the country!

So...

You don't need an elementary or middle school child of your own to save the box tops

You just need:

Scissors or your little hands to cut or tear them out of the package

a baggie or junk drawer to keep them in until you turn them over

a local elementary or middle school or a neighborhood child to give them to!

(check your local grocery store for a drop box)

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

And, to get you motivated I will show you this:

This is a ginormous bag (ziploc of course) of goodies that all have box top labels on them.

Everything you see here has those little labels that you can save and give to help a local school.

And I'm going to GIVE IT AWAY...to one lucky duck.

Here's how you can win:

One entry-tell me two items that you normally use that have box tops

Second entry-promise to start saving and TURNING IN box tops (honor system here...follow through now!)

Third Entry-Blog or tell about this giveaway on Facebook

*and don't forget to leave an email so I can contact you if you win*

Winner will be drawn on Sunday, March 20th at 7:00 PM

Now go forth and make money for your schools, people!

Thinking

2011-03-13T15:09:00.000-04:00

Today I have been emotional.

Thinking about the people in Japan.

Things like this make you wonder how you thought the color of your living room was important, ya know?

I remember the day of my brother's funeral, as we were driving along toward the cemetery

I saw people driving their cars, talking on phones, eating in restaurants

and I couldn't imagine how they could go on with their normal everyday lives.

They didn't realize that something had gone terribly wrong in the world.

Of course they didn't.

And I knew this.

But it was a surreal sort of feeling. Like everyone should be feeling the pain I was feeling.

I have that sort of feeling whenever I read more about Japan.

How can any of us be going on with our normal lives when our fellow human beings are suffering so?

Yet, people all over the world are suffering every single day.

and I live my every day life...

oblivious for the most part.

Moments like this.

Like 9/11

Big natural disasters

Bring us together as human beings and for awhile we are almost "one" in spirit it seems

We reach out to help however we can.

It's too bad it takes a tragedy to do that for us.

The final reveal

2011-03-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

I'm finally done with my nightstand project.

I only have about 5 more projects in the works...

OY!

I'm happy with how they turned out though.

Are you ready?

Before:

And After:

(you will have to ignore all dusty fingerprints. This is straight from the garage where Frank drilled the holes for the hardware and I didn't notice the fingerprints until after I took the pictures. And, well, you know me well enough to know I'm waaay too lazy to retake the pictures now!)

You will be so surprised when you see one of my next projects!

It's a biggie...

New Project

2011-02-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

I'm out of control over here with the paint. Nothing is safe.

Here is the before and after of my nightstand.

I still have to add the drawer pulls (which will obviously be different than before).

I'm painting my room and moving some furniture around from other rooms so my bedroom will look (I hope) totally different.

For very little money.

Go me!

Snowflakes

2011-02-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

We had a really fluffy snowfall yesterday.

The kind where you just know you could get a glimpse of what each and every snowflake looked like if only you could figure out how to do it.

I took my camera out into the snow to do just that.

Man! It's hard.

I took several shots and none of them really showed off the flakes (off course everything is the same color).

So I finally stuck my finger into the snow to fluff them up and just see if I could get a few of them to stand out and I actually got a few of them to show up.

I still have goals for even better snowflake pictures in the future but these were fun!

And my finger was SOOOO cold even though I only had it in the snow for a few minutes.

I like this last one because, check out my fingerprint! So cool.

Plus you can see that my fingers are dirty from the painting I've been doing, although they don't actually look dirty to just look at them (unless you really look closely...obviously)

Kinda cool I thought.

Do I hear angels singing?

2011-02-18T14:27:00.000-05:00

I'm sure many of you have heard of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I have friends who have talked about this product as if it were brought down from heaven itself. I never really understood. I have used this product before and it didn't seem to be all that fabulous.

But I'm here to tell you that I was apparently using it on the wrong things!

Because it is indeed a truly fabulous thing.

When I did my canning last fall I did some damage to my stove top. I thought it was damaged forever...things overflowed and then it got overheated. The stove top was discolored. It looked awful.

Well today I decided to try to clean it the best that I could and I figured it would still look bad but maybe a bit better.

I used scrubbing pads.

I used comet.

I used sprays.

It looked the same.

Then I decided to try the magic eraser...why not.

Holy guacamole!

Now, some of the stubborn parts took some elbow grease, I'm not gonna lie. But many areas came off like it was nothing at all! Like....magic!

Do you see that reflection? That my friends is a miracle.

So then I started using it all over my kitchen. These door handles have never been white. Never. I moved in and the fridge was part of the house purchase. The handles were always kinda, well, grimy looking.

I have bleached them and scrubbed them and they never got white.

Until today.

Look at how fabulous they are now.

Mr. Clean I think I love you.

Day 13: routines

2011-02-15T12:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to focus on Austin for this one.

Sure I could have gotten Frank brushing his teeth or checking his email.

I could have gotten Carter playing the drums, eating breakfast or doing homework.

But instead I decided to go for this:

Austin.

Hanging out.

I tried to get him in his "bedroom" but he refused.

So instead he is in the chair in the basement where he spends a lot of time with his friends.

And he looks THRILLED, doesn't he?

Good thing I know he loves me deep down.

My latest project

2011-02-14T20:32:00.000-05:00

So I painted the dining room.

And now I am busy painting my dining room furniture! I'm almost done with the table and then it is on to the chairs (the chairs scare me though).

Here is my progress:

Removed legs, sanded and primed the table

First coat of paint

I scared Carter by making a bunch of noise. He came in to find me banging on the table with a hammer and then a chain. He was not happy to see me treating the table this way.

So, yes, I'm attempting to "distress" the table a bit.

With the leaf sort of in. Still one coat of paint...

That is the new dining room color in the background.

Here is the old dining room:

Day 11: Dreams

2011-02-14T06:36:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that my hubby loves to be on the sand and in the warmth. He dreams of it constantly. It is a dream he has already fulfilled but yet he still wants more.

He seems to need it like most of us need air or water. It keeps him sane.

So, since he can't go as often as he would like he has a little shelf in his office covered with shells and coral and sand. A reminder of things to come perhaps.

Joy of Love #9

2011-02-13T18:09:00.000-05:00

I'm obviously going out of order at this point but thought I'd go ahead and post these:

#9 Passions and Hobbies

For this assignment I chose to use Carter as my subject. He is passionate about drumming. He loves it and is very good, well usually very good, about practicing.

I liked the shadows of the drumsticks on the music.

Day 12: Eyes

2011-02-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so bad at posting!

I'm behind in life generally...

But here is my version of Day 12 of the Joy of Love project. And here is my brother's version.

I did two.

One of Carter. I liked it because of the shadow on one side.

He was standing by a window in the afternoon.

The other of Frank...I told him early in the day that I needed a picture of his eyes but he spent the whole day in the garage working on his tractor (that's another blog) so I finally went down and started taking pictures of him working. So these are his eyes as lit by his work light under his tractor. I kinda like it!

Photography

2011-02-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

I am doing the photo-a-day project again this year. I did it successfully in 2008 and I'm ready to try it again.
So far I would call my efforts "dedicated but uninspired".
I haven't missed any days but I just don't take the time to get good photos or stretch myself. I'm just getting snapshots. Which is ok for now. I'm documenting. But it isn't the goal in the long run.
I want to improve.

So, in that vein I signed up for this:

I chose it because my brother Dion is doing it and, well, I want to be as cool as him.

I've continued in the "dedicated but uninspired" track even with these assignments but its nice to have someone telling me what photos to take...considering how uninspired I'm feeling of late.

I'll be sharing some of my photos from these assignments in the next few posts.

One of the first assignments I did was for Day 4...I started late.

Day 4 What They Wear