and my most favorite...
Hope everyone has a great week!
9.21.2008
9.20.2008
a new friend!
Mike and Kelsey came over last Sunday for dinner along with Nick and Emily. Mike and Kelsey have one of the cutest babies ever! Jacob is 4 months old and William had such a good time trying to play with him.
William thought he needed to lie down like Jacob
"hhhmmmm... what is this thing?"
kisses for baby Jacob!
not for that price!
I had to run into Kroger the other day and grab something for dinner. As I approached the front door, I saw quite possible the cutest thinge E-VER:
A pumpkin chiminea!! Thought to myself, "must have this!" Really, how cute would this be on my front porch? (by the way, I am such a professional photographer that I captured my own shadow in the picture)
Anyway, I got closer and saw this:
Really?! the SALE price?! This made the whole thing quite unnatractive. I need to stick to Wal-Mart and SuperTarget...
a little piece of paradise?
well, not exactly. however, when the spot you call your own is only 4 ft x 8 ft and walls on only two sides, you try to make it look as pleasant as possible:
The large metal cabinets were too much for me. I stretched some fabric and ribbon around some canvases then glued magnets to the 4 corners. They stick up there quite nicely and I have some mini-clothespins to attach photos to the ribbon. The lamp on my desk cost me exactly $2! Michael's was clearing out all there summer deco. stuff and there it was. I added the ribbon but that is it! The little clock was $2 at Hobby Lobby on clearance - it used to be an ugly gray, but I have discovered the magic of black paint. The little white bird thingie was alongside my clock for $2 at Hobby Lobby and the black and white damask frame was $2.50 on clearance at Target. Desk deco. for less than $10... not bad!
I have a bunch of junk and people just don't have piles of junk lying around up there. I bought a cheap-o tension rod and SAFETY-PINNED the material around the top - it gets the job done :)
Also, please try to ignore the u-g-l-y green chair - ick!
Here are the birdie wall panels! This is the wall directly behind the computer - it was very blank and definitely needed something
The large metal cabinets were too much for me. I stretched some fabric and ribbon around some canvases then glued magnets to the 4 corners. They stick up there quite nicely and I have some mini-clothespins to attach photos to the ribbon. The lamp on my desk cost me exactly $2! Michael's was clearing out all there summer deco. stuff and there it was. I added the ribbon but that is it! The little clock was $2 at Hobby Lobby on clearance - it used to be an ugly gray, but I have discovered the magic of black paint. The little white bird thingie was alongside my clock for $2 at Hobby Lobby and the black and white damask frame was $2.50 on clearance at Target. Desk deco. for less than $10... not bad!
I have a bunch of junk and people just don't have piles of junk lying around up there. I bought a cheap-o tension rod and SAFETY-PINNED the material around the top - it gets the job done :)
Also, please try to ignore the u-g-l-y green chair - ick!
Here are the birdie wall panels! This is the wall directly behind the computer - it was very blank and definitely needed something
Well, there you have it - Aren't you jealous?!
9.16.2008
blah
So I haven't felt very "bloggy" lately. Just not a whole lot to say. And you can guess I feel about talking just to hear yourself talk... Anyhoo, I have some pictures of my office (well, mostly a cubicle; no I take that back - it is actually an extra-wide hallway with an L-shaped desk against one wall) that I will have to post tomorrow. Remember this project? It made its' way to my home-away-from-home.
Will is totally developing a sense of humor and is just plain F-U-N to be with (except when he is whiny - definitely NOT f-u-n). He finally put together a 2-word phrase (mas leche = more milk).
Mike is finally done with his spurt of 60-hour work weeks and boy, am I glad!
Work is blah. house cleaning, laundry, dishes, blah, blah, blah.
I have decided that my creative energy comes in spurts. frustrating, extremely frustrating.
bright spot (besides my crazy little man!): weather here this week is fabulous! low to mid-80s and sunshine, lots of sunshine. I actually rode around today with my windows down! If the temps crawl back into the 90s, I think I might just move to Colorado. hee hee
Can you believe that this...
... has turned into this in just 21 months?
9.09.2008
a good day
today was a good day:
1) my not-so-baby-anymore baby boy woke up cheerfully for his daddy (usually, like his mommy, he is quite crabby) and came running into our room shouting "Mama, mama!", so eager to find me - I love that!
2) visited 7-11 for my coffee on the way to work (for some background on this, please visit here); a very nice, older Indian man quietly said, "Good morning" to me as he brewed some more pots. No silly grins. no other comments. definitely no "M-dog". just a nice, simple, no-fuss "Good morning"
3) I did have to leave work mid-morning for a visit to my new OB. read the previous post for the complete story
4) Because my NEW OB is super-efficient, I had a little time to kill before I told work I would be back. Being the good little consumer that I am, I went to Sam Moon. Please tell me that all of you out there know about Sam Moon. If you are searching for quality, not really your place. However, if you are searching for super-cute and not expensive, then shop on!
I picked up this little treasure. And by treasure, I mean I really think it spoke to me. It wasn't even out of the box yet and I had to have it. It didn't even have a price on it yet, and I had to have it. I really don't ever carry a clutch, but I HAD to have it. I think I will start carrying a clutch. (note the paisley print, the green trim, and the big button - 3 of my most favorite things!)
5) Because I was getting back to work about lunchtime, I decided to stop and get something and take it back with me. Taco Delite (and yes, that is how they spell it) is perhaps one of my most favorite places. Super Salad and sweet tea - yum! (or as William would say, nyum!)
6) We got an updated phone list in our boxes this afternoon at work. Not a major occurrence, right? Oh, contraire! Previous phone list: printed on orange cardstock. New phone list: printed on pink cardstock!! I threw the old one away with quite a relish! (again, for background, visit here)
7) Almost every other person in my office was at a training today. I went last year so I didn't have to go again. It was very quiet :)
8) I actually like rainy weather, so the rain today didn't bother me one bit. something about the smell... And I had recently found my oh-so-fun black with polka dots umbrella that I thought I had lost
cheers for a Happy Tuesday and wishing for many more days just like it!
1) my not-so-baby-anymore baby boy woke up cheerfully for his daddy (usually, like his mommy, he is quite crabby) and came running into our room shouting "Mama, mama!", so eager to find me - I love that!
2) visited 7-11 for my coffee on the way to work (for some background on this, please visit here); a very nice, older Indian man quietly said, "Good morning" to me as he brewed some more pots. No silly grins. no other comments. definitely no "M-dog". just a nice, simple, no-fuss "Good morning"
3) I did have to leave work mid-morning for a visit to my new OB. read the previous post for the complete story
4) Because my NEW OB is super-efficient, I had a little time to kill before I told work I would be back. Being the good little consumer that I am, I went to Sam Moon. Please tell me that all of you out there know about Sam Moon. If you are searching for quality, not really your place. However, if you are searching for super-cute and not expensive, then shop on!
I picked up this little treasure. And by treasure, I mean I really think it spoke to me. It wasn't even out of the box yet and I had to have it. It didn't even have a price on it yet, and I had to have it. I really don't ever carry a clutch, but I HAD to have it. I think I will start carrying a clutch. (note the paisley print, the green trim, and the big button - 3 of my most favorite things!)
5) Because I was getting back to work about lunchtime, I decided to stop and get something and take it back with me. Taco Delite (and yes, that is how they spell it) is perhaps one of my most favorite places. Super Salad and sweet tea - yum! (or as William would say, nyum!)
6) We got an updated phone list in our boxes this afternoon at work. Not a major occurrence, right? Oh, contraire! Previous phone list: printed on orange cardstock. New phone list: printed on pink cardstock!! I threw the old one away with quite a relish! (again, for background, visit here)
7) Almost every other person in my office was at a training today. I went last year so I didn't have to go again. It was very quiet :)
8) I actually like rainy weather, so the rain today didn't bother me one bit. something about the smell... And I had recently found my oh-so-fun black with polka dots umbrella that I thought I had lost
cheers for a Happy Tuesday and wishing for many more days just like it!
a new doctor
I went to see Dr. Thurston at Walnut Hill OB/Gyn. Dr. Thurston was highly recommended by Emily and because she is a nurse and a law student AND because she doesn't mess around when seeking out quality services/products, I was already feeling comfortable.
For an exercise in contrasting, I will now present the differences between my former OB/Gyn and my new OB/Gyn:
former: office was in a hospital building and parking was a joke! unless you wanted to valet, of course (and yes, probably only in Plano would you find valet at the doctor's office/ hospital; and no, the valet was NOT complimentary)
new: office is across the street from the hospital with plenty of parking, right next to the front door!
former: crabby receptionist
new: super-sweet receptionist; no, not perky, just genuinely nice
former: waited for-ev-er in the reception area before the doctor could see me
new: waited, oh maybe, 15 minutes (including the time it took to fill out some new patient stuff)
former: always pee in a cup - and I mean always!, regardless of the purpose of the visit
new: no need to pee in the cup!
former: the nurses were always in a hurry
new: the nurse (whose name, by the way, was Princess!) sat with me for about 10 minutes to get some patient information and then even told me my blood pressure was excellent (former nurse never even acknowledged that she had even taken the blood pressure)
former: doctor was in and out, 10 minutes top; waited a l-o-n-g time between the nurse prep and actually seeing the doctor
new: nurse says to me, "Dr. Thurston likes to chat with all his new patients before any exam. Why don't you wait here in his office." what? he wants to talk with me? wow! and, as I walk into his office, he turns around from a little cart where he was filling out some paperwork and says, "I'll be there in just a minute." and he was! he asked a few medical questions and told me all about his background and his family. when the chat was over, he walked with me to the exam room
former: at least one lecture about monthly self-breast exams, weight, lack of exercise, or a combination
new: no lectures! yes, he realizes I AM a grown-up! and at this point in my life a lecture is not going to remedy those situations
former: no freebies
new: tried to get me a free sample of my prescription, but they were out - at least he tried :)
I was as close to happy as you can possibly get about going to the OB/Gyn without actually being happy about going to the OB/Gyn - ha!
a side note: because I have a new prescription, I can take it to SuperTarget. We are already there every other day so it will be super-convenient. And as a bonus: Target gives you a hefty gift card for every new/transferred prescription!
another side note: I wanted to take copies of all my med. records from my other doctor. They are about me, right? Shouldn't be a problem, right? Seriously, folks! This seemingly simple task took 2 weeks of phone calls, multiple faxes, me having to pick them up in person, the doctor still hadn't signed off on the copies, and the kicker? those jokers wanted $26.05 to make copies of all the papers that are about ME!!
have I mentioned that I am really glad I changed doctors?
For an exercise in contrasting, I will now present the differences between my former OB/Gyn and my new OB/Gyn:
former: office was in a hospital building and parking was a joke! unless you wanted to valet, of course (and yes, probably only in Plano would you find valet at the doctor's office/ hospital; and no, the valet was NOT complimentary)
new: office is across the street from the hospital with plenty of parking, right next to the front door!
former: crabby receptionist
new: super-sweet receptionist; no, not perky, just genuinely nice
former: waited for-ev-er in the reception area before the doctor could see me
new: waited, oh maybe, 15 minutes (including the time it took to fill out some new patient stuff)
former: always pee in a cup - and I mean always!, regardless of the purpose of the visit
new: no need to pee in the cup!
former: the nurses were always in a hurry
new: the nurse (whose name, by the way, was Princess!) sat with me for about 10 minutes to get some patient information and then even told me my blood pressure was excellent (former nurse never even acknowledged that she had even taken the blood pressure)
former: doctor was in and out, 10 minutes top; waited a l-o-n-g time between the nurse prep and actually seeing the doctor
new: nurse says to me, "Dr. Thurston likes to chat with all his new patients before any exam. Why don't you wait here in his office." what? he wants to talk with me? wow! and, as I walk into his office, he turns around from a little cart where he was filling out some paperwork and says, "I'll be there in just a minute." and he was! he asked a few medical questions and told me all about his background and his family. when the chat was over, he walked with me to the exam room
former: at least one lecture about monthly self-breast exams, weight, lack of exercise, or a combination
new: no lectures! yes, he realizes I AM a grown-up! and at this point in my life a lecture is not going to remedy those situations
former: no freebies
new: tried to get me a free sample of my prescription, but they were out - at least he tried :)
I was as close to happy as you can possibly get about going to the OB/Gyn without actually being happy about going to the OB/Gyn - ha!
a side note: because I have a new prescription, I can take it to SuperTarget. We are already there every other day so it will be super-convenient. And as a bonus: Target gives you a hefty gift card for every new/transferred prescription!
another side note: I wanted to take copies of all my med. records from my other doctor. They are about me, right? Shouldn't be a problem, right? Seriously, folks! This seemingly simple task took 2 weeks of phone calls, multiple faxes, me having to pick them up in person, the doctor still hadn't signed off on the copies, and the kicker? those jokers wanted $26.05 to make copies of all the papers that are about ME!!
have I mentioned that I am really glad I changed doctors?
9.07.2008
finally, there is SOMETHING on the wall!
No, it couldn't hang in the Met or even at MoMA, but I am proud of myself....
as a reminder, here is before:
now here is after:
(I even used a level to hang the crazy things - that is exactly how serious I was about this project!)
as a reminder, here is before:
now here is after:
(I even used a level to hang the crazy things - that is exactly how serious I was about this project!)
9.06.2008
sneak peek
So three and a half years in this house and there are still lots of blank walls. I have had enough. Here is a sneak peek of project #1 of Mission: No More Blank Walls
blank wall:
source of inspiration: a way-cool piece of scrapbook paper - I absolutely love paisley prints!
paper cut to scale in 3 pieces:
almost finished:
I still need to finish the middle panel and then the whole thing will get some sort of glaze or watered down brownish-coat. Hopefully tonight!
(By the way, I can't decide if I am am upset or not about the excitement of spending my Sat. night painting... hhhmmm...)
I'll post a finished picture after I get it up on the wall!
blank wall:
source of inspiration: a way-cool piece of scrapbook paper - I absolutely love paisley prints!
paper cut to scale in 3 pieces:
almost finished:
I still need to finish the middle panel and then the whole thing will get some sort of glaze or watered down brownish-coat. Hopefully tonight!
(By the way, I can't decide if I am am upset or not about the excitement of spending my Sat. night painting... hhhmmm...)
I'll post a finished picture after I get it up on the wall!
9.02.2008
love the idea, but...
Wow! There is no way it can already be fall. Apparently in Oregon, it is. Don't get me wrong, I am all about perusing the ideas out there and stashing a few away in my own brain. But I will NOT decorate for fall until we have at least one whole week where the temperature doesn't go above 90. Texas does not have fall. The seasonal changes go like this: hot, super-hot, hot, less hot, a couple of random freezes, then hot again. repeat
In all honesty, however, here are some super-cute ideas if you are ready for fall! I am impressed! How do people come up with all this cute stuff? And where can I find some of those white pumpkins so I don't have to have any orange ones?
In all honesty, however, here are some super-cute ideas if you are ready for fall! I am impressed! How do people come up with all this cute stuff? And where can I find some of those white pumpkins so I don't have to have any orange ones?
9.01.2008
wait! are those.... curtains?
why, yes, they are! (well, sort of)
this poor window is in the front room of our house and is now also our TV room. It lets in so much wonderful light that I never wanted to put blinds on it. Also, one end of the window is directly above the hearth so curtains would never be able to hang straight. So there it was. A lovely, but un-loved window. Enter the world of "mistreatments". Seriously, my life will never be the same! I do NOT have the patience, knowledge, time, or money for luxurious window treatments. And even if I did, the rest of my house would be so sad and jealous that I put that much time, effort, and money into window treatments. That said, I needed somthing homey, quick, and inexpensive.
I don't have a very good before picture, but here is a picture from Will's b-day party last year.
So I purchased two tablecloths (wait, did she just say tablecloths? yes, yes I did!). I folded them over lengthwise so a small flap was left hanging in the front and tacked those suckers up on the wall with upholstery tacks (uh huh, that's right, upholstery tacks). I "poofed" out the sections between the tacks so it wasn't completely flat against the wall. a little Hobby Lobby fringe that was on sale, and ta-da! window mistreatments!
I had wanted to do fringe on them when I first purchased them but I was NOT going to spend a lot of $$ to put fringe on a tablecloth so I waited for a big sale. In the mean time, they hung quite nicely for a couple of weeks without fringe. Then, being simply too lazy to take them down to glue the fringe on, I just stood on the back of the couch, hot glue gun in hand, and went to town! (actually, I was worried that if I took them down, I would never put them back up again)
next up - the dining room! here is a sneak peak "before" picture...
this poor window is in the front room of our house and is now also our TV room. It lets in so much wonderful light that I never wanted to put blinds on it. Also, one end of the window is directly above the hearth so curtains would never be able to hang straight. So there it was. A lovely, but un-loved window. Enter the world of "mistreatments". Seriously, my life will never be the same! I do NOT have the patience, knowledge, time, or money for luxurious window treatments. And even if I did, the rest of my house would be so sad and jealous that I put that much time, effort, and money into window treatments. That said, I needed somthing homey, quick, and inexpensive.
I don't have a very good before picture, but here is a picture from Will's b-day party last year.
So I purchased two tablecloths (wait, did she just say tablecloths? yes, yes I did!). I folded them over lengthwise so a small flap was left hanging in the front and tacked those suckers up on the wall with upholstery tacks (uh huh, that's right, upholstery tacks). I "poofed" out the sections between the tacks so it wasn't completely flat against the wall. a little Hobby Lobby fringe that was on sale, and ta-da! window mistreatments!
I had wanted to do fringe on them when I first purchased them but I was NOT going to spend a lot of $$ to put fringe on a tablecloth so I waited for a big sale. In the mean time, they hung quite nicely for a couple of weeks without fringe. Then, being simply too lazy to take them down to glue the fringe on, I just stood on the back of the couch, hot glue gun in hand, and went to town! (actually, I was worried that if I took them down, I would never put them back up again)
next up - the dining room! here is a sneak peak "before" picture...
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