Memoirs of a Domestic Southern Goddess

New blog is up and running. Head on over to Home as Hobby

2011-04-15T09:02:00.001-05:00

My new blog is in full effect! Mosey on over here and "follow" me! Jenn

New blog!

2011-04-07T15:14:00.006-05:00

I have been a bad blogger...shame on me...I have been too busy blogstalking, dealing with dead computers, crappy cameras, etc. So, after taking off for a little sabbatical, I am back. Can't promise daily posts or anything, but I have lots of ideas, projects & pictures that I am dying to share. Sooooo, in celebration of my new start, I am giving my blog a new start. Actually, I am starting a new one. You can now find me at www.homeashobby.blogspot.com . Let's face it, it's all about the home. That is where you make memories with your husband and your children. Home is where you laugh and cry with your family and friends. It is where you make your first Thanksgiving turkey and decorate your first Christmas tree. You snuggle with your kids in their beds and say nighttime prayers and hold them when they are sick. It all about the home....and home is my hobby. It is where I find my energy, it is where I find my mind going all the time and it is where my heart is. The Lord put this desire in my heart, and it and it's inhabitants are where I find my greatest joy. So, follow me on over to my "new home" and enjoy the ride. Many blessing to you and yours... Jenn

While You Were Fishing...what?

2010-11-24T21:46:00.004-06:00

Before I begin...Happy Thanksgiving! Do you have your stretchy pants on? I certainly do!

I printed this lovely little thing off and stuck it in a repurposed frame. It was gold, so I sprayed it black, sprayed the mat white, and printed off the Thanksgiving page (sooo sorry, I don't remember which blog I got it from, but whoever you are, if you read this, please let me know so I can give you props!) This is going on a blank wall in my dining room.

Okay, so if you know me, then you know that everytime my hubby goes out of town (which isn't all that often) I usually do some minor projects around the house. It was hard to choose my next victim, but the living room won out in the end because (1) we were having Thanksgiving at our house, so I wanted it to look all fancy (that's for my friend Carolyn...she loves it when I say it with my Texas twang..or maybe she's just making fun of me..not quite sure, but whatever) (2) it wasn't going to cost hardly a thing and (3) I knew that I could pull it off in less than 36 hours. Sooo, here it is. Sorry, I didn't get before pictures, but it was sad. Let me give you 3 words: blue, brown and blank. Now, I acutally have pictures on the walls! I think I am going to paint the "M" a brighter color, but other than that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The khaki fabric is an old skirt that got a stain on it that I couldn't bear to throw away because the color was amazing and it was linen for heaven's sake! Don't you just LOVE this wreath? In case you don't read any other blogs out there (you really don't get around much do you? I'm so sorry) this amazing piece of fluffiness is made out of ...wait for it...COFFEE FILTERS! Fo' realz yo! It cost me a grand total of $3.75. You read it right...$2 for 2 packs of natural coffee filters and $1.75 for the straw wreath it is attached to (used my 50% off coupon at Hobby Lobby) and about 543 sticks of glue and 12 burns on my fingers. I think I need hot glue lessons...or a remedial hot glue class. I would fail miserably. Here is a close up of her: Here is the view from above my t.v.. I do have some tweaking to do. I need to trade out some pictures. The large one had a funky size picture in it before, and I didn't realize it. I printed out an 11x 14 and it isn't big enough.

I am really happy with the way that everything turned out! It isn't perfect, but I can tweak it as I go. What do you think?

Fall mantle

2010-09-29T01:06:00.005-05:00

I love fall....

{...and I'm linking up to The Nesting Place today for their Fall Mantel (a.k.a. "Fantel") Party.}

Third time's the charm, right?

2010-09-24T22:43:00.005-05:00

If you can't tell from the ridiculously non-matching blog page, I am in the process of redoing it. One day I might invest a little moolah in having someone who has a clue what they are doing, do it for me and make it look RI-DONK-U-LOUS, but for now, I will just have to do it on my own and deal with it's non-perfect, non-custom and non-designer look. It kills me, but then so does the fact that my camera takes pictures just one step above a disposable. So, in order for me to take the plunge and get someone to design on for me, I must one or several of the following:

Have someone donate it to me because of my lack of blog design skills.

Blog more than once every couple of weeks.

Have pictures that don't look like they were taken by a 5-year-old, or by someone who is visually impaired, or by a very slow monkey.

Have something exciting to blog about. The extent of my days includes lots of picking up the toy trail that follows my 2 little ones everywhere, burning multiple batches of brownies, cleaning various body fluids off of the bathroom floor, sweeping under my kitchen table 13 times a day, and an occasional bandaid application to an imaginary boo-boo.

So, in conclusion, this blog, as well as my life, and every room in my house is a work in progress. Stay tuned...Oh yeah, and I painted my laundry room again...stripes!!! Here's a sneak peek...

Please ignore the fact that it isn't completely finished...I ran out of painter's tape right at the end.

Do you like how the stripes match my new blog background? Yeah, I am kind of going through a stripe phase. Also, this is the third time I have painted this room. It is my experimentation room. I like to try things out in here that I am not sure I want to do anywhere else. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. Not sure if I am 100% sold on the blue...might like it better khaki and cream. Hmmmm, we'll see how it goes, but I definitely like it better than the retina burning aqua that it once was. Anywho....have a great weekend!

In the ingenious words of Dr.Seuss...

2010-09-13T00:33:00.008-05:00

Hi y'all.
I sit here at well after midnight contemplating important issues like life, motherhood, time management, the pizza I ate for dinner tonight and how it is going to make me swell up like a big toad in the morning...you know, things like that, and I have decided many things:

1. There should be about 2 more of me to get the things done that I believe that I should get done on a daily basis. I can't decide if I am just too hard on myself and my expectations are ridiculous, or whether I have horrible time management. I would tend to think more of the first one, since I am notorious for beating myself up on a minute-to-minute basis and constantly feeling like I don't compare to other moms/wives/Christians out there (I am fairly certain it has something to do with my childhood and repressed memories and the fact that I ate peanut butter and miracle whip sandwiches growing up, but that is a moot point), but I am hoping it is the latter. I am bound and determined to get myself more organized, and it has to start now. Now, mind you, I am a fairly organized person already. The thought of baskets and pretty little tags tied onto those baskets, and clear glass jars with little stick on labels, and The Container Store and more baskets, and label makers, and more baskets makes my knees weak. The thought of making a list really gets my engine running. However, my follow through is rather lame. I have ideas of grandeur when it comes to my perfectly functioning home, with children who actually pick up what they get out and return it to their labelled bin, and a hubby (love you Babe!) who makes the long & tedious 15 foot trek to the hamper to put his dirty socks there, rather that the floor, and countertops that don't look like Office Depot threw up on them. However, I will be defeated no more! Hell hath no fury like a woman on a mission to organize her life! (Or maybe it is acutally "a woman scorned". Oh well, whatever.)

2. Oh wait, what was I listing...be right back...scrolling up...Okay, I'm back. So, I have also taken on some new responsibilites. I am helping a dear friend with her business. Yes, I am kinda working. I am her "assistant". You have to know that I am taking full liberty in making this as fun as possible, such as calling her "Boss", and texting her if I need to pick up her dry cleaning, or her half-caff-upside down-soy-latte with 2 Splenda with a shot of espresso. I have thought about getting her a "World's Best Boss" mug and wearing my hair in a bun and calling everyone "Toots". Hmmmm. Maybe not. Anyway, it is a small gig (only a couple of hours a week...for now) but it has given me something, other than mommyhood or wifehood (that IS a technical term, thankyouverymuch) or house related, to have pride in. I have also started helping my hubby with his business. So, needless to say, I have packed on even more things to keep me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Just what I needed, right?

3. I am on a spending freeze. Seriously...a freeze. I have to make do with what I have. Repurpose...rearrange...remove...rewind..oh wait, that doesn't really make sense, does it?

All of that being said, I am taking a sabbatical from blogging here. I love blogging, but unless I am up at an unGodly hour, I can't make the time. Honestly, I can't say that I have a lot to blog about anyway. I am not doing some amazing craft or painting my living room or baking from scratch or redoing my mantle everyday, so if I did blog, you would sleep through most of it, until I make some self-deprecating remark and then you might chuckle a bit and nod back off again while I show you the millionth picture I took of my daughter at her first soccer game. Oh yeah, I should have posted those before I vowed to take a sabbatical...crap!
Simply stated, I have to work on being a mom, wife and homemaker right now. I have to dedicate myself to those things, then when I get it all figured out, I'll be back. Then I'll write a book on how I did all these things, and make a million dollars, and have my own doll, and my own talk show and ...just kidding. I will get it figured out. I am too hard-headed and determined not to. I'll let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, in my freetime, which I don't foresee having too much of...I will be watching you and YOUR blogs...watching and waiting..MWAHAHAHA!!! Just kidding...I will be popping in on my favorites here and there to get a little inspiration and trying not to feel totally inadequate that I didn't go to the FLEA and refinish some amazing piece of "junk" to look like something out of a Parisian boutique, or reupholster my $5 thrifting treasure into something that even Ethan Allen himself would weep at, or whip up the most delictible meal that will later be shared on my blog with 20 beautiful and artful pictures that I took with my amazing thrifted antique camera. I will TRY not to feel inadequate, I didn't promise anything.
So, I will leave you a quote from one of my favorite poets...Dr. Seuss (seriously, he is a hoot)...

...when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun,
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done...
(from "Oh, The Places You'll Go)

My friends, I am in a Slump, and I am off to Un-slump myself. In the meantime, I will be charting my "self"progress on my Skinny Girl blog if you just miss me that much. If you do...I am so sorry for you.

See you on the other side!

Blessings,
Jenn

Amazing & cheap wall treatment

2010-08-30T13:42:00.004-05:00

Okay y'all, I have promised more posts, so here 'tis...

As you know, I have been blogstalking (which is totally legal, I might add) and I stumbled across the most glorious of "glory be" blogs ever in existance...or at least that I know about. It is called Jones Design Company. I am literally obsessed with her sense of style. It is PERFECT!!! So, when the hubby went away overnight, I had to copy her idea of the painted quatrefoil design. It looks like wallpaper, but only cost me...um nothing because I already had the paint!!!

Here is the before:

Yikes! Scary!!!

And here is the after:

Paint treatment looks great, pictures are a little too small, and not at all what I want, and that grodie chair (remember that little find?) against the wall needs some lipstick...but that is for another post :)

I did do it a little bit differently than the inspiration, but it was purely by accident. I used her template that she had on her blog, but instead of painting all of the pencil lines, I just went in between. I should have double checked the tutorial, I still think it looks great though. Thanks for the inspiration Emily!!! If you want to do the same in your space, head on over the Emily's amazing blog and check out how she did it. Oh, and take a gander at her nursery for her new baby girl too. You will have to pick yourself up off the floor...gorgeous!!!!!

Blogstalking

2010-08-25T14:44:00.005-05:00

Okay y'all. I don't know how many people actually read my blog, but I have not been a good blogger lately. I'll tell you a little secret...I have been blogstalking. There are so many amazing blogs out there that have some equally amazing ideas! Let me tell ya', I love blogging, but I feel a little inferior when I see what some of what these gals can do. I also thought I had a pretty good camera until I found out that, it in fact, was only about 2 steps up from a disposable. So...what do y'all use? I can only dream of a new one at this point, but I need to know what I am coveting. Hee hee.

So, not only do I feel incredibly inadequate in the photography department, but I was handcuffed to by desktop...until last week when I got a LAPTOP!!! Can you hear the angels singing, because I sure can!!!

Sooo, all of this to say, I will definitely be blogging on a regular basis about my fabulous life. I know that you are "literally dying" (Rachel Zoe reference) to see what's been going on here.

I have been a busy little bee...can't wait to share. Here is a sneaky peaky...

3 years ago...

2010-07-26T17:30:00.007-05:00

...this little man came into this world and stole my heart.

He drives his brother and sister crazy, but they love him anyway. Not just love...adore!

Irish twins!

Daddy and his twin. That is what everyone says. Maybe that is why my heart melts everytime I see him :)

Fun party!

Tasty cupcakes!

Cake balls too...

Don't forget the cake! (My first attempt at fondant.) Treats for the guests.

His little gap-toothed grin and chubby cheeks are just delicious! Thank you Lord for this precious bundle of joy and endless energy and giggles!!!

Where I've been...

2010-07-23T11:34:00.004-05:00

I have been in full fledged party planning mode for my littlest monkey, being a mom, organizing, doing a little crafting, and doing this.

Yeah, I have taken this workout thing by the horns and it is eating away major chunks of my time. Soooo, I have spent some of my free time (which is miniscule) checking out some other blogs and coming across way too many cute ideas that I need to try, but simply don't have the time for, so I am living vicariously through other bloggers at this point.

I'll have pics of little man's birthday party up next week.

Have a blessed weekend!

4

2010-06-21T01:16:00.007-05:00

Happy birthday my precious baby girl!

My most random post yet

2010-06-16T00:37:00.004-05:00

I love blogging...but I love reading blogs even more. That is why I don't blog often. That, and the fact that I barely have time to sleep, much less sit at my computer (yes, I don't even have a laptop...dark ages) while my kids are wreaking havoc in my peripheral. So...I do it when I have insomnia (also known as drinking a Coke at 8:00 PM).

This blog is particularly random because it is the second time this week that I have been up until, well, too late and up at the butt crack of dawn. Yes, I said butt crack. I blame the insomnia...or the coke...or both. Or the fact that I am from the country and I am uncouth.

I have been working like a dog...wait, I know my dog (see right side of my page) and she doesn't work. She just lays there all day and lifts her head when we walk by. Okay, let me rephrase... I have been working like a stay at home mom of 3 young children lately. There...much better and clearly more accurate. Since I got the thumbs down to install a pedestal sink in my upstairs bath because (and for the record...I completely agree) that in this house, you just never know what is lurking behind a wall, under a floor or under linoleum (and in the case of said bathroom, 3...yes 3 additional layers of linoleum...all the same color & pattern...don't ask me why). After seeing my visions of a cute little cottagey, yet rustic and boyish bathroom with a gorgeous square pedestal sink come to a screeching halt, I decided that my dad was right. In this house of surprises (and very questionable construction) I succumbed to the fact that the weird corner cabinet was going to remain intact & I had to deal with it. So, I painted it, added a new mirror, floors, and a few other things. Pictures to come soon...

I have also been party planning for my daughter's birthday. Here is what I have so far...

I have also been inspired by my blogfriend (I made that up...feel free to use it :) Jenni at Nest to Keep (holla!) to recover a lampshade. It started like this...

Now it looks like this...

I know exactly what I want it to look like, but I can't find the picture and I have searched on the internet forver (about 5 minutes) and have decided that a picture doesn't exist...or I'm just tired of looking. So, you will just have to see what it looks like when I'm done. Yet another teaser. Hmmm....

Since we are the subject of cute shoes (weren't we?) I picked these up at the greatest kid shoe store on the planet...otherwise known as Marshalls. I cannot even begin to tell you how in love I am with these. You can't tell in the picture (because of my super high-tech camera...did you note the sarcasm there...you should) but they are navy. I wish they sold them in my size...oh wait, they do.

And while we are talking about Target (weren't we?), looky what I saw today and could scream that I didn't grab it and run straight to the checkout line yelling, "MINE! MINE! MINE!"...well, maybe not the last part.

Oh my...with a burlap drumshade with navy grosgrain detail. Seriously, what was I thinking? Oh wait, I know...I wasn't...because I was up at the butt crack of dawn. Sorry y'all, you can take the girl out of the country, but, well, you know...nighty night!

Elegant Burlap...it does exist

2010-06-02T08:37:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite blogs to follow is Melanie over at My Sweet Savannah. She is having a great giveaway today, and I shouldn't be telling you because you will go over there and enter, then my chances will decrease on winning the goods, and, yet again, I won't win a giveaway..story of my life...but I am a nice person and decided to tell you...and it gives me another entry by posting it on my blog..but that is neither here, nor there and don't you want a nice person to win? So don't go there...okie dokie. Well, you can go there, but don't enter. Hee hee.

The winner (hopefully me) gets a $50 gift certificate to use at Bella Inspiration's etsy shop. I am a huge fan of burlap (which is why I should win) and her stuff is beautiful. It doesn't at all look like a potato sack either. Now, if you are looking for potato sack home couture, so sorry...don't suggest you enter. I am in LOVE with this ruffled table runner.

If I don't win (I hope I didn't just jinx it) then one of my adoring fans has my permission to buy one for me. I'm just sayin'...

P.S. Melanie...Pick me!!! (waving arm fanatically in the air)...PLEASE!!!! Pick me, pick me!!!!!!

I'm here, just busy

2010-05-31T02:10:00.002-05:00

Okay y'all, I have been super busy and haven't written in a while. It is 2:10 AM and I can't promise that this will be coherent.
A quick run down of activities that have kept me from posting (otherwise known as "life")...
I have been trying to wrap up Mother's Day Out for this year which had me crafting some pretty snazzy canvases (9 t0 be exact). That took a bit. Planning Little Miss's (Is that apostrophe right? I always get confused with the apostrophe before the s, or after the s, or is it apostrophe es...I'm confused...what's new, I know.) birthday party and Little man's birthday is quickly creeping up behind hers. I have also been trying to work on my meal planning, couponing (not going so well), coming up with some fun crafts for the kids for the summer, planning the summer schedules (camps, VBS, etc.), having my 11th wedding anniversary (whooo hoooo), among about 20 other things that I can't think about right now because I will have a mental breakdown.
I am also trying to save money on birthdays and I have been whipping up ribbon covered flip flops & hairbands for my daughter's birthday. (Note: Whipping up translates to: laboring over, hot glueing one's self, cursing under one's breath, and nearly taking off the tip of one's pinky finger)
Oh yeah, on top of that, I have been remodeling the boy's bathroom upstairs. I am laying the vinyl wood planks, repainting the vanity, adding a little artwork and doing some overall fluffing. Fluffing is not a good word for a boy's bathroom...let's say tweaking..yeah, that's better.
By the way, I have no pictures at this point. I will post some, but I am tired. I have also changed up the look of my blog and I am not thrilled with it, but I am tired. Do you see a recurring theme here? I don't care because I am tired. Hmmmm. I'll have pics, a new blog look and better grammar and spelling the next post. Sorry, but I am just...nevermind. Good night Blogland.

Polka dots

2010-03-29T12:12:00.014-05:00

So Little Miss decided she wanted a pink room with pink polka dots. Well, we are well on our way. As I said in my last post (I know it has been a while, but I have been super busy) the color on the walls is Chalk 1. I decided to go tone on tone for the polka dots and used Chalk 2. I know, I am a wild woman. I just took a good ol' soup can and traced around it in a random pattern and painted them in with a craft brush. I only got a tester can of paint from Lowe's (remember the paint debacle of February 2010?) and it is going to be more than enough.
(For some reason, it isn't letting me download the picture. I'll have to try later.)

On another note, I have put out a few of my spring decorations. Not much, nothing crafty, but it will have to do. I am feeling rather tired. P90X is killing me, and not softly (sorry Roberta Flack) I might add. Speaking of busting a gut, I have another blog if you are interested in complete self-deprecating humor & a good laugh....at me, not with me. :)

Happy spring y'all!

Julia Child would be proud...and I'm not talking cooking.

2010-02-17T14:58:00.005-06:00

Okay y'all. So, I will make this as short and sweet as is humanly possible for me. I know, that is a stretch, but so are the yoga pants that I have on...
Lowe's has truly disappointed me. My mother-in-law moved out this past weekend and we decided to give Caroline back her old room which was builder's beige, then pink, then beige/blue, and is now pink again. We turned her old room...old as in the one that she has been in for the past 6 months, not the old one as in her original one...oh, for Pete's sake, now I am even confused....Where was I? Oh yeah, it is now an office. Soooo, I go to one of the stores that I am sure they have at the strip mall in Heaven, "Lowe's", to get some paint (this mall will also include Hobby Lobby, Anthropologie and Chipotle in case you were wondering). Well, I decided upon a lovely pale pink, because if you know my daugther, she loves pink. I decided upon "Chalk Pink 1" by Laura Ashley. I asked for 1 gal. of primer tinted to match the paint & 1 gal. of satin paint. They sent me home, unknowingly (to me, that is) with 1 gallon of OIL-BASED Kilz primer and 1 gallon of LATEX paint. I didn't realize this little faux pas until I had already cut in the top half of the ceiling and around the doors (I didn't do the bottom because I was going to use that wainscotting wallpaper on the bottom half, but that is another disaster that I will go into detail about in a later post.), and was trying to clean out my brush with water. Ummm, yeah, that is when I realized that something was awry. I called Lowe's, told them my situation and they ("they" as in lady that was working the paint desk) told me that it was "fine". Apparently, I had nothing to worry about because it was primer and you can put latex paint over oil-based primer. That is what people do when they want to change from oil to latex. At least, that is what she said. Let me go ahead and say that I didn't believe her, but she is paint desk girl, and I am not. It isn't in my wheelhouse. Well, let's just say that it wasn't "fine" as paint desk girl said. It took twice as much paint (which equates to twice the time and four times the frustration) to get it to look right. (I have to add the disclaimer that the Lowe's manager confirmed my suspicions and discounted our next 2 gallons 50%...thank you very much.)

Needless to say, it isn't perfect, but my quest for paint perfection ended after the 45th coat of paint...and the realization that my husband was cutting in with my pastry brush.

Texas Weather

2010-02-12T08:58:00.004-06:00

You just never know about Texas weather. Those of you who don't live in Texas truly don't understand how true this is. This is what our house looks like this morning. From the way that the snow hit my snow boots this morning, I am going to bet that we had nearly a foot of snow....in Texas...I am serious. We are supposed to have temperatures in the 50s tomorrow. Goodbye snow. It was nice to have you, if only for a couple of days...

Snow ice cream:

1 gallon of fresh, clean snow

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 cups milk

Stir & enjoy right away.

'Cause I didn't have anything better to do...

2010-02-01T14:54:00.001-06:00

When you are stuck at home with 2 sick kids for what feels like an eternity (really only 6 days), it is amazing how productive you become. After about 4 days, I finally had enough. The retina burning turquoise walls and way too shiny and uneven stained cabinets had to go.

Here is the laundry room before I ever touched it...

Lovely 1990's oak cabinets. I will say, they were in great shape, are very sturdy & I love the raised panels.

After ripping out the matching 1990's linoleum, do you remember me putting these totally rad (oops, sorry, I have the 90s on the brain) peel and stick laminate flooring tiles in?Now, for those of you new to my blog, these are the same tags that I made to hang on the laundry sorter. ...and the same jars to hold various stuff that I use daily.

Now, here is my new old laundry room!

I wish I had the pictures of the retina burning color on the walls that came after my before pictures above...totally confused? Welcome to my world...Anywho, I think I was too embarrassed to keep the pictures. Here is the newest color. I mixed 3 different colors I had in my garage and came up with this lovely little blue-gray. I like it. It doesn't hurt my eyes and that is always a bonus. I also painted 1 layer of Kilz and a couple of coats of regular latex paint over the polyshades that was there before. I was shocked at how well it covered and at how durable it seems to be, because Heaven knows that I am flat out sick of this darn room and it wasn't going to be painted again no matter how horrifying it turned out.

Now, for just a little tweaking...I'll get back to ya' on that one.

Ugly, but has great personality

2010-01-25T12:43:00.008-06:00

I know, I know, the girls aren't much to look at. They are petite, have great arms (hey, wait a minute, I wanna be them!) and are very sturdy and well made. Trust me, the lady at the resale shop must have thought that I had too many cups of coffee the way I was "test driving" them...stand up, sit down, stand up again, sit down REALLY hard, take off the cushion, bang on the coils, lift up the skirt, turn it over...etc. I put on quite a show, I must say.
Guess how much I paid...just take a stab...$35 a piece! Yeah, I know!

I know that the fabric is less than, um, perfect (that's putting it mildly), but wouldn't it look amazing covered in this

or thisEven though I think I will end up reupholstering it a lot like this

(photo by cococozy.com ~ amazing blog & LOVE the contrasting piping!)

with this nestled against the back.

I say that because #1: I am totally chicken when it comes to upholstery. I am a neutral girl. It speaks volumes about my life, but we won't go there. #2: I don't know where to put them. I had the brilliant idea to nestle them in my living room in front of my huge windows, but they dwarfed my couch. Seriously, it was like looking at pair of Ryan Seacrests next to Wilt Chamberlain. Sad sad sad.
Sooooo, I have a feeling that they will end up with a neutral burlapish (meaning looks like, but is more hard-wearing) upholstery. If I am feeling really crazy I might pipe it in a chocolate brown or black. I know, I am simply out of control. What can I say, it was the $35 chairs that sent me over the edge.

No worries

2010-01-19T22:41:00.010-06:00

Our family travelled to Crested Butte, Colorado this past weekend. It was amazing! From the time that we stepped off of the plane and breathed in that brisk mountain air, the kids were adamant about "eating snow". I have to confess that we did brief our children about not eating "yellow snow" and our daughter proceeded to tell everyone within earshot of her new found knowledge....and yes, the aforementioned snow was not eaten by any of our kids.

This is an amazing view of the mountains outside of our balcony. Crested Butte is a charming little ski town nestled on all sides by gorgeous mountains like this.Here is our little spunky girl & her Bubba in the "igloo" enjoying a little hot chocolate after some inter tubing.BubbaThis was W's first snow. Our precious girl...this is a window into her big personality.

Pure bliss! The skiing lasted all of about 30 minutes...just long enough for our little spunkster to go down the hill a few times between her Daddy's legs, throw off her gloves, throw some 'tude, and get herself carted off back to the hotel room...but not until she had a little hot chocolate with Mommy at the cafe...shhhhhhh....don't tell! The skiing may have been a no-go, but the bungee trampoline was a big hit!

She couldn't fly high enough!

On our last day in CB, we went to the Children's Museum.

E says that he wants to be an architect when he grows up...he is well on his way.E's creation...looks like a church to me.

FashionistaOur budding little artist. He loved the paints.

We have so many amazing memories...the delicious pizza at The Avalanche, the Norman Rockwell-like downtown with all of it's kitchy shops, the wonderful (and incredibly friendly) people, Willy (the young Argentenian man who entertained my cranky, tired children) from the hotel (who, by the way, I seriously doubt is his real name), the snowfall that had my children running with their tongues hanging out so they could "taste" the snow, the time spent with family that we rarely see but dearly love, the giggles of our babies as they rolled in the snow for the first time, the "girl talk" that my precious daughter and I had over hot chocolate and pastries at the locally owned coffee shop, the proud look on my sweet E's face as he conquered his first day of ski school, and more than anything, the time that we spent together, as a family of 5, in an incredible town, with no work, no e-mails, no cleaning, no laundry, no responsibilities..."no worries".

Blessed Mama

This is what/who I want to be when I grow up

2010-01-13T08:48:00.005-06:00

I am obsessed with Sarah Richardson. Not in a creepy-stalker kind of way, but I am IN LOVE with her design aesthetic. My absolute favorite show on t.v. (yes, even above Chuck and The Office) is Sarah's House. Sarah takes sad little houses and transforms them into absolute masterpieces. She has incredible vision, and her style is timeless.

This is Sarah. Skinny, beautiful and an interior designer. Can I be you when I grow up?One of master bedrooms that she designed. Simple, clean, elegant & timeless. The living room on "Sarah's House"...part 2. The fireplace is genius!!! This great room is incredible. It looks so homey.

Another view. Yes, Sarah, I will move right in! I can't forget Tommy, Sarah's partner in design. She has a number of people that she works with, but Tommy is definitely my favorite. He has a great sense of style & a wicked sense of humor.

Can't wait to meet you....

2010-01-12T15:22:00.004-06:00

Crested Butte, Colorado

4 days to go...

Can't wait to meet you!

Eye candy

2010-01-10T15:23:00.007-06:00

This place really gets me all excited. It is amazing what will do it to you when you are a thirty...um, I mean twentyish-year-old mother of 3 young children...

I love their quirky doohickies and thingamajigs. They all look so comfortable, unique....something that might be handed down from generation to generation.

I think I'm in serious like with Anthropologie...

As the lovely Julie Andrews sang in one of the best movies ever, "These are a few of my favorite things..."

E would love this one! He loves maps and globes...

Vintage looking apron...I just know my food could taste better if I was wearing this while I cook!

Ohhhh, this is one of my favorites! I just know that with a little chicken wire, some cute little birdies from the floral section of Hobby Lobby & a bulb, I could semi-replicate this little jewel!

Penny candy jar...now THAT is old school!

Yummmm

I know just the place for 2 of these!

Mobiles should never be confined to a nursery.

Like something from Grandma's kitchen...

Numbered spice jars

Do you see the owls?

Precious lamp

Jack sculpture (Great bookends, don't you think?)

Favorites

2010-01-07T16:17:00.009-06:00

...some of my favorite moments of 2009.

Welcome new year.

I can't wait to see what moments we have to capture.

Resolutions

2010-01-06T16:42:00.004-06:00

New year...
New body
New goals
New aspirations
New adventures
New prayers to be prayed
New souls to be won
New friendships to make
New priorities
New passion
New running shoes
New lifestyle
Renewed spirit
Renewed love
Renewed hope

As I reflect on the past year, I am humbled and in awe of our Creator, His love, His provision, His grace, His providence and His mercies.

Here's to the beginning of an amazing year!

Blessed Mama

Excuse me...

2009-12-30T16:47:00.002-06:00

Hello Blogland! Please pardon my dust...I have to get all caught up, as if you couldn't tell from the header on my page. You little Sherlock Holmes you...speaking of, it is a great movie. Highly recommended from "she who dislikes spending 2 hours of her life sitting in an uncomfortable chair surrounded by obnoxious teenagers and overpaying for a (typically terrible) movie". So, saying that I like it is saying quite a lot.
So...a more festive & current blog will follow...be patient, please.

Jenn

...Martha Frightens Me

2009-10-09T15:00:00.007-05:00

Martha Stewart scares the heck out of me. Can I just tell you that this picture proves my point? She is holding a skull (glittered, of course) in her hands and is smiling. Why is she smiling? Knowing Martha's affinity for doing everything from scratch, where do you think she got the human skull? Just a question...think about that for a while. Martha, you can glue and glitter it, but that don't make it right!

I haven't crafted, or decorated myself (well, not myself in a literal way) in a bit, so I was trying to find something to post that would get me inspired. Here are a few fun things on the cheap...

Here are some black chandelier cutouts from the craft section used as napkin rings. Apparently the whole black & white thing is super chic for the season. I like it! These candy corn tissue paper crafts are from Martha Stewart Crafts. $14.99 for all of these!

I did something similar to this last year & I had several compliments on them. They cost me the cost of the paper. I made them curl around the glass instead of standing them up straight.

They used cheesecloth for the look of webs, but you could also make strings of glue from the hot glue gun (although that sounds a little messy and painful...hot glue guns and I don't get along very well).

I love the ghostly gourds...anyone can do this!

So pretty!

These vintage inspired invitations are from the Martha Stewart Craft line. $6.99 for 2 of each design. I LOVE these!

So, to sum it up, your decorations don't have to be pricey, or scary and Martha could turn you into a craft if you don't watch your back.

Happy decorating!

I'm a Hallowiener...

2009-10-07T16:08:00.008-05:00

I think that "Hallowiener" is my favorite made up word ever. Here is the Websters definition...if they ever ask me for one:

Hallowiener: { hal-oh-wee-ner}

- noun

a person who loves to decorate, make crafts, and bake for activities that occur around and on October 31st

(I may have to tweak it a bit, but that is neither here nor there...)

So, I have been doing a little decorating for Halloween. Let me go ahead and insert a disclaimer. * I am not necessarily a fan of Halloween, mind you. I think a large majority of it one of 3 things: scary, weird, or scary and weird. We have a house down the street that spares no expense in scaring the tiny little pants off of children of any age that dare approach their house on the evening of the 31st. That just isn't my idea of a good time...but to each his own. Soooo, back to being a Hallowiener...I might not be a fan of Halloween, but I do love to decorate with some cute little vintage decorations and dress my brood up in cute, age appropriate and not-at-all-embarrassing costumes and let them go to the Fall Festival at our local Chick-Fil-A or church or even the neighborhood hayride (with Dad in tote).

Okay, since we are on the subject (kind of...and like that has ever mattered to me) let me also go ahead and say that I am not a fan of the 6-year-old-boy walking around wearing a "Jason" mask carrying a fake machete (nor a real one for that matter) dripping with fake blood (again, nor a real), while his female counterpart is wearing stilettos and a mini skirt. I also made the vow, long ago, when my eldest was born 29 days before Halloween, that I would NEVER, EVER, EVER make my children wear a costume that would embarrass them when I am showing pictures to their best friend or future spouse, and I have kept that vow through 3 children. There would be none of this...

(yes, that is a gorilla.)

nor this...

(and a pink poodle)

Now, please don't be offended if this is what you are planning on putting your little one in. I think they are incredibly adorable, but is it worth the torture that you will have to endure once your children are reminded that this is what they wore and YOU picked it out? Maybe it is. Maybe you are a genius and are already thinking blackmail for the latter years...hmmm...maybe I am thinking about this all wrong!

Back to decorating...

Here is my mantle all decorated for the "howlidays" (oh, please stop me...seriously!).

(the left side)

(right side)

Here are my cute little fellas waiting for a home...hmmmm...where to put them...

Here is my front door. I am not in love with the placement of the letter "M", but haven't figured out a better option yet.

Still more to come...candy corns, pumpkins and bats, oh my!

"It's the Final Countdown"...isn't that a song?

2009-10-06T20:48:00.005-05:00

Okay ya'll. After some on-again-off-again postings, I am in full-throttle redecorating mode. I have completed the curtains and pillows in the living and dining rooms.

You likey? I do! I am in serious like with the blue. I moved the curtains up a good 18" to accentuate the tall ceilings, gave them a simple single pleat that folds to the back, and put them on drapery hooks so that we could slide them shut for those Sunday afternoon naps. I have to say, I am mighty pleased with the outcome. All of the pillows (besides the brown embroidered one below that I snatched from my bedroom) have a different front and back so I can switch them up. I also plan to embroider some monograms on several of them.

Now, let me say, I do have some more plans for this living room and this furniture. Our ginormous leather sectional is a hand-me-down from the in-laws. Let me also put the disclaimer that I LOVE it. It has been an amazing piece of furniture for a family of 5, including 3 very young, mischevious children who love ink pens. I know better than to even consider anything resembling "nice grown up furniture" at this point...but I can dream can't I. So, in the meantime, I am trying to dress up our "Big Bertha" (that's the couch's nickname since she is about 28 feet long...it is also the name of my Suburban...I tend to nickname anything "Big Bertha" that is very large...sorry if your name is "Bertha", you can blame the golf industry for that one).

Now, this is what you will find in my kitchen above the french doors (another disclaimer...the left "door" is actually stationary, so don't be too impressed) that go to our back patio. My eldest asked me why I had "EAT" in our kitchen, and I stated very simply, "To remind you of what you are supposed to do when you are in the kitchen...EAT". My children eat like birds, not vultures, but little hummingbirds. I can't imagine where they got their appetites because both T and I ...well, I'll just say that we love our food. So, back to the letters. These were $5 each at Hobby Lobby (with coupon, of course) and I just painted them "cadmium" orange. Yep, just in case you wanted to know what color the element cadmium was...it is THAT color. You just never know what you are going to learn when you visit my blog, do you?

Okie dokie. I have lots more to post in the next couple of days, but I will just leave this last little find. I am obsessed with trees & I found this canvas print for $20 at, um...let's just say my least favorite store on the planet, but a necessary evil nonetheless. Yes, it is WalMart. UGH, I hate even saying it. It is like Harry Potter saying "Valdemort". I will just call it "the store that shall not be named" from now on. I would say that it isn't anything personal, but it is. Anywho...I digress...

I have lots of fun Halloween decor to post...You'll have to peek at that next time.

2009-09-30T15:28:00.002-05:00

Okay y'all, so this thing called "life" has limited my postings lately, and I plan to get going again. You know, those normal events such as dinner, cleaning, working, Swine Flu, after dinner party, birthday party planning for a birthday party that will have to be postponed, gymnastic classes, etc...I haven't totally finished my living room "re-deaux" yet, but it is lookin' pretty good. I haven't taken pictures yet, and would do it now to tag onto my post, but E is in his skivvies and I think that there is some law about not posting stuff like that, so I will wait until my next post. I still need to visit IKEA for some picture frames, get my pillows monogrammed and have my Memom paint a trio of pictures for above my couch (she was an art teacher and fashion illustrator...AWESOME!). I just got the fabric in for my kitchen curtains, so I need to get my sewing machine out again. Not to mention, I don't have any of my fall decor out yet, so.....Okay, can't think about it, I am hyperventilating. Where is my paper bag?
So, all of this to say:

I will post pictures (skivvie free) soon.
I have been really busy.
I have way too much to do.
I need some coffee.

Jenn

The ugly side of decorating

2009-09-13T10:45:00.004-05:00

It may look like an F5 tornado hit my house, but this is called the ugly side of redecorating. Yes, I am crazy like that...I will show you my home amidst a vast array of disorganization, clutter and utter chaos. Just to let you know, I am a complete mess with my house looking like this. I am not a total neat freak, but I can't stand clutter. It makes me nauseous and gives me a little twitch in my right eye.

Yes, that is my precious T in the background with paint roller in hand just hoping that he can actually see football from the BACK of the t.v...hey honey, technology ain't quite there yet. By the way...paint the fireplace or not? I say yes (it feels as though it is slapping you in the face with it's not-so-pretty orangy-red hue), but I don't know if I can make that kind of commitment (more on my fear of commitment later in the post).

At this point, I feel like I am having an out of body experience. I simply cannot handle the wreckage...there goest that darn twitch!

On a happier and more sane note, the kitchen is painted. The color is Hubbell House Clayo. It looks more like melted chocolate to me. Yeah, just what I need in the kitchen, something to remind me of chocolate.

On a side note, I am trying to figure out how to declutter my counter tops. I need most of what is up there on a daily basis, but I simply can't stand to have that much stuff in plain sight.

P.S. Yes, I know that there is a big ugly white fridge in the middle of my kitchen. It does not match the rest of my stainless, but it is functional (well, kind of... the ice maker doesn't work) and I don't just have $2500 sitting around to replace an almost totally functional fridge. If the Fridge Fairy does exists, maybe she will pay me a visit, but I am not holding my breath.

So, we are still knee deep in fabric in Casa de Moore, but I can see the light at the end of this very long tunnel. The paint is now completed (thanks to lots of "This is the last time I am painting the living room and kitchen" from T...thanks for your enthusiasm) and the curtains are hung but are still to be hemmed. 3 of 6 pillows have zippers and the other three are here

waiting to be finished. Then, after all of it is completed, I still have to figure out what to put on these bare walls. I am the Queen of Indecisiveness...yes, you may bow. I am contemplating a bunch of family photos, and maybe a mirror from Lowe's from my new boyfriends, Allen and Roth (see previous post), although they might actually be each other's boyfriends...but I digress.

Once I get things completed, I will post some pictures and then see if I can get some opinions from my blogging peeps.

Okay, enough rambling...I am tired, stressed and hungry...maybe I'll go in the kitchen and have some chocolate..DARN YOU HUBBELL HOUSE CLAYO!!!

Jenn

I don't know who this Allen and Roth are, but I am in LOVE!

2009-08-21T09:38:00.014-05:00

I heart Lowe's!!! Let me start from the beginning, although I am fairly certain I will begin rambling at some point and it won't matter where I start...

I got the green light from T to start the redecorating. (NOTE: There is nothing like throwing an after dinner party with several couples that have never seen your home, AND are friends with your husband that will turn your hubby into a "yes man". So, I skip on into Lowe's today (yes, I was skipping...I was so giddy that I was skipping) and get my little paint sample that I color

matched with a Sherwin Williams color. It is called "Rainwashed". The paint sample was even on sale...I should have known that it was my lucky day! So pretty...the picture doesn't do it justice. It is a combo of robin's egg blue & dove gray.

Here is a test swatch on the wall...only one coat & not quite dry. I matched the SW color with a linen-like fabric that I will be making curtains out of for the living & dining room.
Anywho...as I was waiting for the paint lady to mix my color, I wandered (or rather chased my 2 and 3-year-olds) to the next aisle over. Then, right there next to the curtains, there they were...

Westaria mirror $68.88

I couldn't find this beauty online, so I had to take a pic with my phone (sorry 'bout that y'all). I don't remember the EXACT price, but I think it was less than $60. I know that I have seen this EXACT mirror somewhere before, but I can't track it down...all I know is that it looks a lot like

the Lavello mirror from Ballard Designs for $299.99.

Allen + Roth hovan arch frameless mirror $98.88A lot like Pottery Barn's Elise mirror for $189.99!

Allen + Roth pewter rectangular frameless mirror $89.88

Pottery Barn's Bevel Mirror ($179.99 - $279.00)
Allen + Roth windowpane mirror $78.97
A lot like the "Garden District Mirrors" from Ballard Designs (2 for $199.99)

Aren't they amazing? I also have to say that, yes Mr. Barker, the price is right!

I don't know who this Mr. Allen and Mr. Roth are, but I love you!!!

As time goes by...

2009-08-20T13:47:00.003-05:00

Okay, bear with me as I share the latest pictures of my little W. As a mom I must confess that my children are unbearable cute and I am not the least bit partial. Model quality if I do say so myself. Those eyes, those munchable cheeks, that slight little precious gap in the front of those teeth. Yum. I can't believe my baby is 2. He is no longer a baby, but a toddler. I can hardly breathe! Anyone have a paper bag I can breathe into? Okay, better now. It is just amazing how time flies. All of those "Mom types" that told you about 5, 429 times that "time flies when you have children" were right, darn them! Anyway, on to other things.

Well, on the heels of time flying, the end of summer is quickly approaching, as is my freedom. I will be teaching 2-year-olds at one of the local Mother's Day Out programs and my head is in a whirl as to all of the projects that I wanted to complete this summer, but have been too hot, tired, busy, needed, sleepy, hot, otherwise proccupied, procrastinatory (nice word, hu?) and hot to do. Yikes! So...here's some absolutely urgent projects that need my attention. Yes, the world might actually fall off of it's axis if I do not finish these in the next few weeks.

Okay, so remember my laundry room project that I embraced with such gusto? Well, upon my dislike for the room, I kind of let it just be. I have tried to allow the retina burning aqua walls prove themselves to me, and they may have won. I have decided that I must get that horrible finish off of the cabinets and FAST. So, sanding, priming and painting look to be in my near future. Also, I have been dying to paint 2 of the 3 bathrooms (including the master) cream as well. (Cabinets, not walls.) So, I think I will try out the laundry room first.

Next, I have to confess that I have a master plan with the remainder of the redecorating in the house. Okay, don't tell my secret, because it might just ruin the plan. T. if you are reading this #1, I am proud of you for taking a moment to read your wife's thought and #2, stop reading at this point...seriously. Now, here is the plan: I have several frames that I need to repaint and remat to put some pictures in. If you have ever been to my house and know me, you know I LOVE pictures. I love taking them and looking at them. However, I am completely non-commital when it comes to getting them on the wall. I am sure that is some sort of disorder that can be cured through years of therapy, but that would cut into my decorating budget, so I will have to cope. Anyway, my plan is to remat and paint some of the frames and get them up on the wall. Then, when T sees how the new frames clash with the current decor of the house, and the fact that we are having a dinner party with about 20 people over in a few weeks, he will have no choice but to fork over the dough to let me repaint and purchase curtain fabric. Is that a plan or what? That or my house will look uber hideous and I will hide the entire evening...or I could just pretend that it isn't my house. Either way, at least I will have some pictures on the walls. :)

What is your passion?

2009-08-13T12:48:00.003-05:00

When did you discover the love of your life? No, I don't mean that guy in the armchair watching football with a big bowl of Rocky Road in his lap, but your passion. The thing that makes your heart sing?
Those that follow my blog know that, among a few other things, I love being a wife & mom, and I LOVE design. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I really believe that the Lord put me on this earth to be a mom. I always thought that question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", was a tough one. I always had something to rattle off: Solid Gold dancer, Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, astronomer, teacher...etc. (Yes, I know Solid Gold Dancer and astronomer...wouldn't that have been a combo? Could you imagine me at parties? Hey look, that is the Big Bear constellation, oh snap, is that Justin Timberlake?... watch me boogie!) These are all things that I wanted to be as a child (well, I secretly still would love to be a dancer), but I always thought of "being a mom" as just a part of life, and not as a passion. I never even thought of being a designer (and I still couldn't imagine doing more that jotting down my thoughts on a blog and rearranging things in my house).
Now that I am all "grown up" (I hear you snickering!) I have become completely content with my lot in life. I love being a mom. I love everything about it. I do feel as though this is what I am here on earth for. God put me here to train up my children, give them a good foundation, show them how a wife loves her husband, show them how much God loves them, and teach them they can be anything and do anything that God puts on their heart. I want them to see the world as being full of amazing opportunities, I want to teach them that being nice DOES matter, and that nice guys and girls do finish first...in the things that truly matter. I want them to grow up full of joy and a sense of adventure. I want them to know that their mom loves them with all her heart, no matter what, forever and always. I want to raise up the most amazing wife and husbands that anyone could ever hope for in a spouse, and I pray daily that God is raising the perfect spouse for them. I think that is a pretty important job.
Now, my passion for design. HMMM. I have wondered why I love it so much. I think my home is what helps define me. It isn't so much what it looks like, but how it feels. I want it to feel like home. I want it to be cozy and warm and inviting to my family and friends and even total strangers. I want things to look nice, but even more importantly, to feel nice. As I browse my catalogs and magazines and other blogs, I am always looking for something that defines me and my desire for my home to be a refuge and a place to land that feels like a big ol' hug. Wow, I am going to make myself cry! Sheesh!
I wondered where my passion to make a home came from, and it started stirring up memories. I think I have always had it, but really didn't recognize it until lately. I remember cooking at my Memom's house. She would let me have free reign and I would learn to make the most delish hashbrowns, cream puffs, and anything else that I could imagine. I still, to this day, love my cream cheese stuffed strawberries topped with brown sugar that I created one day on a whim when I was just a kid playing "cook" in my mom's kitchen. I remember "decorating" my room as a teenager. I am embarrassed to even tell you about it, but it was teal with white sponge painting all over. I was going for the whole Southwestern theme and it was hideous, but my parents let me do it. Bless them! My first little house that I rented was full of little treasures that I would find here or there, and looking back, it was kind of hideous as well, but it was all mine. I loved it. Now that I have a family, and a full house, it means more to me now than ever. I like to think that my style has evolved and that it is becoming more about "home" than what is purdy.
What is your passion? What do you lie awake at night and think about until you fall asleep? What do you find true joy in? Well, whatever it is, whether it is design, or your kids, or teaching, or tinkering with vintage cars, the joy that you find is all yours. Soak it up!

Closet disaster and organizing our mess

2009-08-05T14:38:00.003-05:00

Well y'all. I have had 2 sick little birdies for the past few days, and they are just now to a point where I can peel them off of me and get to the computer for a bit. Oh, I have a boring story to tell, but it will 'splain the disaster below. One night, the hubs and I had just settled in for a long winter's nap, when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter...oh, wait, wrong story...sorry! T and I had gone to bed and were about to drift off to Neverland (no, not THAT Neverland...Michael wasn't anywhere around) when we heard a huge calamity in the hallway. It didn't take long to assess what had transpired. This had happened...

Well, it was worse than this. It has been a while since it happened, and I had to do a little cleaning up so I could get to my scrapbooking wares. So, I have been trying to figure out exactly what kind of configuration I need in my space. I need to make it very functional with lots of storage. It is a "coat closet", but it needs to function as scrapbook storage, vacuum cleaner storage, winter accessory storage, gift wrap storage and random junk storage as well. In light of this disaster, I have been perusing the newest IKEA catalog to get some ideas. Does anyone else have a multipurpose space like mine? I would love to see some of them or get some ideas to make it function well.

Okay, for the fun stuff.

This is right by my back door. Isn't it fun? Now we have a place to put all of our junk as we come and go. Please note: the green isn't staying. That is a whole other project in itself...I'll keep you posted.

On another note, I have considered adding baby bedding to my etsy shop. I think that there might be a need for vintage inspired, gender neutral and modern baby bedding sets. What do you think?

UMMM...not so much.

2009-08-03T19:38:00.008-05:00

Since I am having issues with my laundry room, I thought I would try to get some good ideas over at BHG.com. True to form, after my cyber trip to the magical land of Better Homes and Gardens, I left inspired, but feeling rather inadequate as to my decorating abilities (or lack thereof), but it was worth it to look at the eye-candy awaiting me. Yes, a 30ish-year-old mother of 3 just refered to pictures of laundry rooms as eye-candy.

Be still me heart...the subtle cream and sage green stripes, the cute little shelf and vintage sign! Seriously, where does this gal keep her giant tub of Gain, Oxiclean & Shout sticks? Even a dirty sock or a clump of dryer lint would have made me happy. Maybe they are hidden under the laundry in the basket. I am going to pretend like there is. It makes me feel better. Don't judge me.

I have 4 words for you RI-DIC-U-LOUS. Well, 4 syllables, but you know what I mean. We all talk slow in the South. Clear storage jars, coordinating baskets, neatly folded sheets and towels. This person must have OCD. Yes, the only logical explanation for such perfection is a mental health disorder. Not making fun because I have a touch of it myself, but just trying to get over the quasi-disaster in my own laundry room...I'll show you pics later.

OMGravy! I am going to be dreaming of those blue/gray cabinets tonight.

Sooo, mine is looking kinda, ummmm not so much. The cabinets are way too dark and the paint is way to bright (you can refer to the "burning my retinas" comment in the previous post). The shelf paint is peeling off (I thought it was primed when I bought it...apparently I was wrong). So, please tell me that I am not the only decorating hack that has no eye for color and has to do-over every now and then. Lie to me if you must...

:) Blessed Mama

Do-It-Yourself or Disaster-It-Yourself?

2009-07-30T18:19:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite blogger gals, Susie Harris, over at Bienvenue, had a little do-it-yourself project and it started me to thinkin' (no, I didn't hurt myself)...what little projects would I like to take on? I am always looking for a project that I can add to "Never-ending-list-o'-projects", so here are a few I would like to try from my new favorite store on the planet, Wisteria:I have a file folder like this except it is brown leather. Nice, but it's not fun. I think you could easily decoupage some fun scrapbook paper or even adhere some beautiful fabric and add some grosgrain ribbon to the top to get a similar look.
Okay, y'all know my thing for the beach and anything beachy such as sand, starfish, shells, shall I go on? I could make about 5, 345 of these with all of the shells that I have scavanged over my past 3 trips to the beach. By the way, if you go to South Padre, you won't find any shells on the beach. They are all gone. Every last one of them...sorry 'bout that.
Books. Love 'em. These are funtastical! If you just wanted something decorative for your IKEA bookcases (like me) or your full-walnut paneled library in the Hamptons (not like me), you could spend a fortune, or just cover some blocks of scrap wood (book-sized, please) and decoupage some fun scrapbook papers over them, sand & ink the edges, wipe on a glaze & tie them up with some thin leather or twine.

Here is another fun thing. Eggs are gorgeous. One of God's most beautiful gifts to us humans. There is little that can rival the beauty of a robin's egg, in my opinion. The soft blue with speckles of brown are the perfect color combination (who knew that God was a designer?). I think you could probably acheive the same effect by sandwiching (oooh, I am hungry, sorry...it's dinner time here) some faux eggs in a glass shadow box and adhering it to a taper candleholder & matching finial. You could even just leave the shadowbox, as is, and just call it a day....OR you could back it with some coordinating SCRAPBOOK PAPER (yeah, I have a thing for it, can you tell?) and put it in your IKEA bookshelf as well! No, IKEA doesn't pay me, but they should...Speaking of IKEA, I got their new catalog in the mail yesterday and don't think that I haven't already perused it 3 times and made little notes all over it. Okay, back to the subject at hand...Last but not least, yes, another marine inspired piece.

I call this "Big Whale on a Stick". I should write descriptions for catalogs, I know, but I am entirely too busy. Can anyone say wood & skill saw? Yep. Simple as that...I think...

Okay, now here are just a few fun little things from Wisteria that I can't make myself, but I still like anyway.Don't know why I like this little guy so much. Maybe it has to do with all of the deer heads that I had adorning the walls of my parent's living room as a child. Maybe I just like hamburgers a lot...don't know. By the way, I do love a good hamburger...sorry again, still haven't had dinner.

This little nugget is just about as purdy as they come. It just screams, "cottage" doesn't it? I think I might just have to save up for this little gem.

Have you done any fun copycatting lately?

Sneaky peeky...you know you want to look!

2009-07-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Just a little sneak peek of my laundry room.

Oh, F.Y.I., I know that my "Oxiclean" and "Clothespins" tags are on the wrong jars...I already fixed them thank you very much :)

The cutest little things ever! Just got some wooden tags (at Hobby Lobby - $.99 for a pack of 4), printed off the words on scrapbook paper, Modge Podged those puppies on there, inked the edges, put another layer of MP, drilled holes in them, and ran twine through and around the jars.

I think I will tag everything I can find!

Yes, quite shiny aren't they...yeah, still debating on these things. Way better than before, but just a little too...shiny. They are actually buring my retinas as we speak. Yikes! Maybe a coat of KILZ and some cream paint will help. Suggestions anyone? Look away, look away before it's too late!

New floral arrangement or giant sushi...it's your call

2009-07-28T08:00:00.004-05:00

Okay y'all...trying to figure out an arrangement for my dining room table has been the biggest thorn in my side! I will just tell you now that I adore design. I have an all out passion for it, but it doesn't necessarily come naturally. Some of my friends, acquaintances, family members, pets (well, maybe not pets) may say otherwise, but I can just tell you in all honesty...I am a good faker. A good faker and a great copycat. Soooo, when it came to an arrangement for my table, I tried to find someone to copycat and just couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I winged it...or is it "wang" it...no, that doesn't sound right, maybe I "wung" it...oh for heaven's sake, nevermind!

So, here is what I came up with:

This is what it started out as:

A glass hurricane vase, 4 bags of decorator's sand, 2 large silk leaves, one starfish, a silk orchid branch, and 5 candles.

First, I wrapped the leaves around the bottom of the vase. Then I poured in the sand, shoved the candles in, clipped off the orchids at the base of the stem, shoved them in the sand and put the starfish in the front. (Apparently, there was a lot of shoving involved...I think I was having a moment at that particular point in time.)

What do ya' think? I always love to hear what my peeps think (as long as it is adoration and praise, mind you).

By the way, the hubs said it looked like sushi. He also said he didn't like my silver seashells. Darn that man and his opinions! Can't he just not care like every other man on the planet? UUGGHHH!!

P.S. I will have some updated peeks into my laundry room reno tomorrow. Stay tuned!

A winner & another project on the neverending list o' projects

2009-07-27T10:08:00.005-05:00

Okay y'all, I know that I am a bit late in posting this (it was a long weekend), but congrats to Michelle at From House to Home (http://fromhousetocozyhome.blogspot.com/)! You get your choice of either a custom clipboard or picture frame. I'll contact you for the specifics. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Your blog is FAB! P.S. I am totally going to redo my pantry now. I am so inspired!

Okay, I have begun another overhaul. The decorating bug has taken over my laundry room. Some people think that decorating a laundry room is a total waste of time because it is such a utilitarian space, but I figure that I spend 95% of my day in there (well, maybe that is just a little exaggerated, but not much) so why not make it purdy. I began by "borrowing" an idea from another blogger and brushing Polyshades stain directly, yes, directly over my oak cabinets. I know, crazy isn't it? No sanding, nuthin'. It is definitely going to take 2 coats, but it already looks 10 times better than before. Now, the other thing that I have done is paint the walls and ceiling (first ceiling I have ever painted) a beautiful light turquiose color. It reminds me of a Tiffany's box (not sure if I am 100% sold on the color, but I will live with it for a while and see). I have lots of other little goodies happening, and I will post some "in process" pictures later (the hubs took the camera to E's soccer camp this morning).

My 100th Blog Post..and 2 Giveaways!

2009-07-20T17:25:00.009-05:00

Wow! I can't believe that I am 100. Man, I really look good! HA!So, for my 100th post, I am going to do a giveaway!

The lucky winner will win either a custom frame, or clipboard, made by their specifications (like the ones in my etsy shop: http://www.chicksinthesticks.etsy.com/) (some examples are above)

The winner will be chosen at random on Friday, July 24th, and I will contact the winner to get all of the specifics. All you have to do, my little birdies, is post the giveaway on your blog, tell them how amazeable my blog is (just kidding on that one), and leave me a comment on mine that you did so. For 2 extra entries, become a stalker, um, I mean follower of the Southern Domestic Goddess. As my Mama says, "You can't beat that with a stick!"

By the way, Wendy over at The Shabby Nest (http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/) is having her own giveaway from one of her sponsors (yes, she is fancy Nancy and has sponsors...she is FAB-U-LOUS!) Rosalynn at RHB Designs (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6021372). Roslynn creates gorgeous hand stamped jewelry and I am determined to get a little something for myself if I don't win. Sooooo, start a bloggin' ladies!

By the way, I think I will do a little shopping around my home to redo my mantle today. I will post pics tomorrow. Hey, maybe I will post some different options and let my adoring fans decide. Good luck y'all!!!

Beachy is just Peachy!

2009-07-20T16:49:00.005-05:00

Just back from a trip to South Padre Island with the hubs and our eldest son. This trip confirmed my love for the beach and everything "beachy". I don't live anywhere remotely "beachy", but can't I just surround myself with the memories?

I think that you know that I (when I say "I", I mean, my house...we are one in the same apparently) am in trasition from old world/cottage/lots of dark reds and browns to beachy/cottage/traditional/lots of light blues and creams. Yes, it is quite a change. I am still in prep & planning (P&P) mode since P&P mode is virtually free...well, aside from the goodies I find here and there, and the delicious things that I purchased from my trip to Market. Well, now I am just dying to paint and make draperies. Okay, not really dying to do the actual painting, but dying to get it finished and see the end product. Now, I just need the funds to do so. In the meantime, I will just dream about the hours spent hunting shells (and crabs) and lying on the beach with pina colada in hand.

Oh, by the way, I am playing around with different backgrounds. Whaddaya think? Still trying to jazz up the banner...on my own...not going so well. Any tips from you craft bloggers?

Patience is a virtue my little chickadees

2009-07-15T19:54:00.002-05:00

I am working on some changes for my blog, so please be patient with me. I am not a member of the Geek Squad, so know that it might take a little time. Banners, and backgrounds and buttons, OH MY!
Like my background? I think it is so SWEET! Not sure if it is staying, but it was free, so I can't complain.
If you sweet little birdies have any tips and tricks as to how you make your blogs look so fab, please fill me in (short of hiring someone...I'm not quite there yet).
THANKS!

Cheap is chic...or at least just darn cute!

2009-07-14T09:07:00.003-05:00

Okay y'all, the party is over. I am still working on my first jug o'coffee, so bear with me. My normal witty banter isn't all that witty this morning.

Here are a few pics of the cupcakes from my 2 littlest chirren's birthday party.

Are these the cutest things ever? I got the monkeys in a coin-operated machine at the Dollar Tree, put them on a bed of grass icing and added some banana candies. Simple can be cute!

Here is the entire family.

I have more pictures of the cakes that I did for each little munchkin, but I can't get their names cropped off (have to be careful...lots of crazies surfing the net!). I will continue to work on it, but until then, use your imagination.

All in all, the key to a successful birthday party is sugar and balloons. Lots and lots of balloons. Balloons are cheap and kids are obsessed with them.

T. went to pick them up and said that he could just read the faces of all the kids and parents on the way out of the store. I kindly asked for the, oh, 3 dozen balloons to be bagged so they wouldn't get tangled, and they unkindly "forgot", so imagine my poor hubs walking out with 3ish dozen balloons flailing wildly in the wind. The kids were googly-eyed wondering how he wasn't floating away like the guy in "UP", and the parents were mentally cursing him because he had set a ridiculously high bar for balloon purchases in the future. Sorry folks!

Needless to say, after my sweet Memom untangled the entire mess (she has the patience of Job mind you), we had balloons in every nook and cranny of our kitchen and porch.

Looking back at each of my kids, I remember their birth, each birthday, small little victories like potty training (2 down, 1 to go), giving up their thumb-sucking or pacifier, and speaking their first words. I can't believe that my "baby" is almost 2. With each day, I realize more and more how true the saying, "It goes by fast" really is. Soak up those babies! Take in every moment and don't worry about the fact that your kitchen floor is sticky, or your dishes are piled up, or there is laundry waiting to be folded. They can all wait. Just go sit on the floor and wrestle with your kids, or color, or just tell them how much you love then. Everything else can simply....wait.

Before you know it, your kids will be 1...

Then 2...

Then 3...

One day I will even miss this little face...

It all started out with a weird smell...

2009-07-10T01:06:00.008-05:00

Oh, Snap!

Sooo, I had a little accident. Well, I have to admit, it was kinda sorta an accident. Here is my story and I am sticking to it until I die:

I noticed that there was a weird malodorous smell coming from my laundry room (actually, you can call it a closet because I don't think a 6 x 6 area actually should count as a full-fledged "room", but that is neither here nor there...). So, industrious and burly as I am, I decided to move things around in my laundry nook. Although I found a couple of socks that had apparently jumped ship and hid behind the washer, and an entire colony of fuzz bunnies, I could not figure out that darn smell. In fact, now that I think about it, as soon as I started moving things around, it was gone. Weird...anywho, as I was moving back the washer, I heard a sound. I thought, "Houston, we have a problem." Although we had a couple of smallish tears in our ever-so-lovely 1994 vinyl floor, they were manageable, and didn't make me too crazy. Now, we had a gaping frisbee-sized window to our concrete. Oops! I can't say that I was sad really. In fact, I had to restrain myself from jumping for joy that I actually had a reason, a legitimate reason, to flex my handyman, um, handylady muscles! So, I bit the bullet. I decided to just start a rippin'. I popped up the quarter round and tore that sonofagun out of there. It felt so liberating! Once the demo was done, I looked around at my handiness and exclaimed, "Oh, crap (excuse the French), T is going to kill me...that or he will think I am the goddess of home repairs!"

Off to Lowe's I went and picked up this:

Vinyl, peel & stick wood flooring

I had been eyeballing it for months, and thought that it looked pretty nice (for the 98 cent per s/f price tag), and wanted to see it in an actual room. Well, here was my chance! I wasn't about to even attempt tile work on my own, and I was determined to get it done TODAY! So, off I went with 1 box of vinyl wood, 10 extra "planks", a scraper (to get all of that darn stubborn glue off of the tile) and a smile on my face. I am woman, hear me roar!

So, for the next 2 hours, I scraped, cut, peeled and stuck my way into pure bliss.

In progress...

Voila'! Ain't she puuuuurdy! Cost me less than $40!

By the way, totally random, but over at WalMart (Yes, I said WalMart. Where else could I have gone in Podunkville at 9:30 PM?), in the garden section, they have these amazing little lanterns in both black and COPPER! Yes, COPPER. Be still my heart! They look like these that you can find at Pottery Barn. They are $10 each. You read it right, $10 EACH for the small or the large, and the large is, well, pretty large!

They also had a big hurricane candle holder that had a black metal or COPPER base with a matching rim around the top. Again, $10! As my mama use to say, "You can't beat that with a stick!"

I think I have gone cocoNUTS!

2009-07-06T15:21:00.003-05:00

Okay y'all. I am in undeniable, full-fledged party planning mode. With my 2 youngest little hatchlings celebrating their birthdays together this year (yeah, I am brilliant, I know...well, that or just plain lazy...I'll take brilliant), I had a really hard time with the invitations. C wanted a "hula girl" theme, and I have to admit, I have always wanted to host a luau. I don't know what it is...the tropical feeling, the leis, the coconut bras (scratch that, after 3 kids, there will be none of those), but I have always wanted to go to one or have one. Since I won't be heading to Hawaii anytime soon, I said, "here is my chance"!

Since I always make the invitations by hand (it's more about not being able to find EXACTLY what I want and it is usually done out of necessity, than just wanting to spend hours of time laboring and stressing about making sure that the ribbons aren't going to fray and that the paper is perfectly even...OCD at it's finest!)), I went on a quest to come up with a way to incorporate W into the mix. This was where I really had to think. Since I call him "monkey", this is what I came up with after hours of scouring scrapbook and party supply stores:

I know...they are so cute!

I cannot tell you how I agonized over these darn things. Didn't want it too girly, hence the yellow, green and brown & I wanted to make sure that incorporated the monkeys too. Isn't that paper ridiculous? I hadn't planned on adding the tag, but I had to find a way to use that little monkey.

Before you all think I am crazy, let me tell you that you aren't the first. I do agonize over the smallest details, and obsess over the birthday parties just a smidge, but it is one way that I can release my inner Martha without therapy. Party planning is my therapy.

Okay, gotta run! I have so much to do! (breathe, breathe, breathe...where's my paper bag?)

Finished project and one giddy little girl

2009-07-02T14:49:00.008-05:00

I have finished one of my projects! The angels in heaven are singing and, yes, I think I just saw a pig fly by my window. Here 'tis y'all!

C's new "big girl bed"

Well, my precious little C turned the big "3" on the 19th and she got a "big girl bed" for her birthday. T and I sanded, stained, distressed and waxed our way into oblivion for 2 nights until the task was complete. We started out with an unfinished pine bed that we purchased for the rock bottom price of $100, and ended up with this. I sewed the big polka dotted pillow, the bedskirt and the duvet cover. C was so excited!

"Look, Mommy finished something...I am genuinely shocked...can't you tell?"

Night Night my little 3-year-old...(tear, tear, sniffle, blow)

I still can't believe the flash didn't wake her up. Sleeps like her Daddy!

I also went to "Market", thanks to my MIL, and picked up a few other little goodies. They are on order, so I have to look at the pictures and salivate until they arrive. I have until they get here to get my living room, dining room and kitchen painted. Wish me luck!

This is my most favorite place! I could have spent a million dollars there!

See those precious little chalkboards? One set for me, one set for some lucky dog at Christmas! Can't you just see a little "Merry Christmas" written on the front with some sprigs of greenery and a fun little plaid ribbon around the handle?

That sweet little bench will be in my faux-foyer. I don't acutally have a foyer because of the way my house is, but I figure that a few bruised legs and some tumbles over the bench is worth good design. (You can use that saying if you like...)

This little nugget is the piece de resistance! This glorious piece of mirrored deliciousness will be adorning my fireplace. I can hardle stand to look at it...it had me at "hello"!

Okay, this is just eye candy. I really, really, really, really, really, really wanted this amazing mirror, but it was by another dealer and I couldn't commit to the minimum purchase in order to bring this little slice of heaven home. My heart is still aching!

Well, I am on my way to the major decor overhaul. I'll keep y'all posted! Gotta run!

That green-eyed monster & coastal cottage decor

2009-05-18T22:26:00.009-05:00

I am always slightly envious of those bloggers that can post some fabulous and inspiring post on a daily basis with their latest, and marvelous,"trash to treasure" how-to, or the spoils from their weeked thrifting excursion, or even simply a few hints on how their perfectly coiffed homes became, well, perfectly coiffed. I would love for this to be one of those posts, but, alas, it is not. Shocking, I know, but my home is not perfectly decorated, my pillows have not been karate chopped, I still have fake flower arrangements (okay, some of you may need to pick yourselves off the floor after that last confession of a major faux pas), I have a menagerie of half-finished projects bursting forth from every closet in the house, my almost-3-year-old daughter still sleeps in her crib because I haven't completed (or even started) her "bed" project yet, my freshly painted walls (of which are about to be re-freshly painted) don't even match my curtains (gasp!), and frankly, I don't know when any of it will be done. Is anyone in the same boat? Do you have projects, rooms or even entire homes that are not only not finished (I mean, who ever really is FINISHED with decorating their home), but that you sit and stare at and go, "Will I ever get done?"

SIDEBAR: I did present my "designer's challenge" corkboard o' ideas to the hubs and nearly squeeled with glee that he like it. That being said it is simply a matter of $ that I am able to complete "the vision". Yes, I have named it.

So, all of that being said, since I do not have the funds for such extravagant things as curtains, paint and accessories, I have been scrubbing cabinets, trimming trees, baking, reorganizing like a maniac, and trying to come up with ways to repurpose some of my old things that are collecting dust. None of these things are blogworthy, therefore, I won't bore you with pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I have a real "thing" for picture frames. I love them. I love pictures. I don't even care of whom. Seriously, if you meet me for the first time, I am not even slightly annoyed when looking at the 42 pictures of your children that you have crammed in that insanely, ridiculously, ginormous wallet of yours. I will be thrilled, genuinely thrilled to look at them. It is even worse at people's homes. I will stare at a wall of pictures for hours and "oohhh" and "ahhhh" over little kids with crooked bangs and missing teeth. Anywho, this picture frame thing has me in a tizzy. I have way too many frames, way too many pictures, and nothing on the wall. I can't commit to hanging any of them. I don't know how or where to begin. It really is a problem.

Well, I have enclosed some gorgeous pictures of homes that I want mine to look like. I am not at all original. All of my friends know this. I steal every good idea I ever have. I guess it wouldn't really be "my idea", but you know what I mean. I can copy someone else like nobody's business, and I am proud of it. That is where all of the best ideas come from...somebody else. HA! Anyway, here goes... (sorry the pics are small..they all came from Coastal Living Idea Houses over at http://www.coastalliving.com/) This, as well as Traditional Home are my new faves since Country Home and Cottage Living bit the dust...may they rest in peace...I am still heartbroken...

My 2 newest obsessions...don't worry, they're legal.

2009-04-28T14:53:00.005-05:00

Finally...a finished project!!!

Yes, here is proof that I actually finished painting my bannister. Glory, glory, hallelujah!!! Much better than the old scratched up oak railing of old...One project down, about 723 more to go!

Okay y'all...I have to confess, I have been cheating...on my blog. I have discovered Facebook. Lord help me, I am truly addicted. Well, wait a sec...I haven't downloaded the app to my phone yet, but I do visit it quit often and get all tingly when I have a new "friend request" from someone I haven't seen, nor heard from in a bazillion years. Have you tried Facebook? If you haven't, you should. My sis says it is "lame" and that MySpace is the only legit social networking tool (well, she didn't say that last thingy, but I didn't know what else to call it and it made me sound kinda smart), but I bed to differ. You can block out the freak shows and pervs, all the while reconnecting with some people that you haven't thought about since 5th grade. All of a sudden, you are best buds again and know every time they have sushi, go to the mall, or have a baby. It is amazing!

Okay, second obsession, running. GASP!!! I know, it is the craziest thing. I was a "runner" in high school. Well, let me re-phrase that...I was a short runner in high school (both in stature, as well as distance). Nothing over a 400-meter-dash please, but I have become a crazy person with the running. I will go to the gym and bust out a 3, 4, 5 or 6 miles like I am on a mission. I am not boasting because I still jiggle WAY to much for my own taste, but have mercy y'all...this is a major accomplishment. I will say that when I get home, my routine involves lots of scrubbing, soaking and numerous applications of Aspercream. Okay, enough about that. I just thought I would let all of my peeps, that haven't totally given up on me and my pathetic lack of blogging, the reasons why you haven't heard from me in a while.

Okay, now to the good stuff...those of you who know me well, and know my husband at all, know that T. has an opinion on decorating. No, it isn't the opinion of, "whatever you think looks good, Honey" (I only can dream of these words ever coming out of his mouth). He actually has an opinion about what window treatments, fabrics and accessories we should use. So, I am pulling a "Designer's Challenge" up in here... I am desperately wanting to redo the decor of our little casa, and I think that bombarding him with everything at once will either (A) make him see the entire picture as a whole and fall in love with my ideas and inspired design, or (B) will completely overwhelm him and he will be totally helpless to make any decision, in which case he will turn over full design responsibility to me out of sheer anxiety. Either one is a viable and preferred option.

Right now, our decor is more "what is on sale, passed down or brown...we like brown". We have a little French Country, a little eclectic, a little old world...a little of everything and nothing really works in my opinion. I have thought long and hard about what I really want my house to feel like and I really like beach cottage-meets-Pottery Barn with a twist of country. Is that a style? Probably not, but here is a small sampling of what I have come up with...

The most glorious paint colors. The Antique will be in the living and dining room & the Beach House will be in the kitchen. "They" say that blue isn't good in the kitchen - it isn't an "appetizing color". First of all, I need less of an appetite and second of all, I don't care...I like it.

Great stripe for accent pillows.

Love this for the back of the slipcover for my parsons chair in the DR. I am going to do the rest in a neutral color and monogram the front in a chocolate brown.

The hubs hates zebra, but I think I can sneak it in on a couple of throw pillows and small pillows on the back of the DR chairs. GRRR Baby, GRRR!!!

I love, love, love this linen. It is super affordable, is an amazing color and would be great for some curtains and, maybe the slipcovered chairs.

I found these little napkin rings for $.80 at the Crate & Barrell outlet!

These will definitely be replacing my lampshades on the chandelier.

I love this for a side table between 2 chairs.

I have a ton more, but pictures take too long to download, and I have no patience when it comes to my computer. So, here it is...I will be giving my presentation soon...wish me luck!

I'm here!

2009-03-31T16:02:00.004-05:00

Okay y'all, I am here. I have taken a very long sabbatical and have tried to knock some things off of my "to do" list. I have almost completed the stair railing and a few other odds and ends, but we, again, have reworked the layout of our bedrooms. E has moved back upstairs (thank goodness) and that has allowed us to move little W into his own room. All this means that (A) I can "girlify" (yes, I made up that word...isn't is awesome!) C's room again (YES!!!!), butch up W's room (double YES!!!) and (2) I can finally get everything decorated how I really want to. The upstairs is being transformed from a computer/sewing/crafting/toy/play/t.v. watching/storage room into a magical (well, maybe not magical) 6-year-old's mega-cool suite. Needless to say, there has been more furniture moved around and things carried up and down the stairs and stuffed into new places, that I have had little time to do the things that I had on my list in the first place. Here is the new (and shorthand) version of "the list":

Finish de-junking E's room, make curtains, wallpaper the back wall & back of bookshelves then organize & accessorize bookshelves (there are a lot of them...a LOT..no, I don't think that you understand, A LOT)
Purchase & finish "big girl" bed & dresser for C's room (I think I am going to attempt to distress & stain some pine pieces)
Re-finish my Memom's old vanity to put in C's room (This is, by far, the best thing about C having her own room...we actually have room for this piece...I'll add pics later), make a ginormous fabric covered bulletin board for her room and find a bookrack that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and FINISH HER BEDDING! Oh, and girlify to my hearts content, of course!
Add wallpaper on focal wall in W's room (I will attach a picture when I get to Lowe's...I obviously have a specific one in mind), possibly repaint...yes, definitely repaint. By the way, with all of the painting that we do, you would think that we actually LIKE painting, but let me leave no room for speculation...I HATE PAINTING!!! I would rather do the following things than paint a room: burn my hand on a hot cookie sheet, stub my pinky toe on a piece of furniture, lose power in my house during the winter, eat steamed squash, step barefoot on a lego, clean up after Thanksgiving dinner and, last but certainly not least, have a piece of spinach stuck in between my front teeth ALL DAY LONG and noone tell me. (That was for my Mom by the way =P)
Oh yeah, and finish the stair railing while my children are still, well, children.

I could go on and on and on and on, but I am a smidge anxiety stricken at the thought of all that I have on my plate. So...off to paint! Wish me luck & it's good to be back.=)

Sabbatical...well, if that includes painting, sanding, sewing, etc.

2009-02-25T14:41:00.007-06:00

Okay y'all, I am taking a sabbatical from blogland after my next post. I know I have been a slacking for a while anyway, but I have some home renovations (mainly refinishing cabinets, repainting, getting some neverending projects completed) that need some finishing up. I will post some before pics tomorrow and when I'm done. At least I know that if I acutally post it, maybe you all will keep me on my toes and I will actually get around to completing them. I am the Queen of Unfinished Projects (yes, you may bow and kiss my ring).

Okay, so on the list...

Paint bannister

Touch up nursery (includes distressing and staining new bed & dresser) and finish decorating it

Repaint master bedroom, get new laps, finish up window treatments, hang painting

Completely overhaul laundry room (it is sad)

Possibly repaint kitchen & get pictures on the walls

Make some sense of our upstairs space (I am at a complete loss)

So a few other random sewing projects (finish bedding for nursery, cushion for porch swing, pillows, etc.)

That is it. Well, that I can think of at the moment. I have only had 2 cups of coffee so far today, so I am running a little on the slow side.

Watch for before pics next post & don't forget to visit my shop! 50% off of everything! Tell all your friends! Please...I have to finance all of these projects!

Blessings!

Super-mega-ginormous sale at my etsy shop....

2009-02-18T14:26:00.005-06:00

Yes, you heard it right folks, I am having a SUPER-MEGA-GINORMOUS SALE at my esty shop. I have too much stuff that I need to purge so that I can start on some new things. Yes, the spring cleaning bug has hit me like a Mack truck and it is even spilling over into my shop!

From now through the end of March, everything is...wait for it....HALF OFF! (Okay, imagine someone yelling, it echoing several times, fireworks going off, a huge inflatable gorilla blowing in the breeze and bright, colorful, yet annoying graphics saying "HALF-OFF!" flashing on your computer).

Go on over and check it out!

The plague has hit...again!

2009-02-16T13:24:00.005-06:00

I'll take 4 of these, please...

Oh heavens! It is flu central in our little casa! Not much time to post...not that I have been that on the ball lately anyway...

Regardless of said plague at our house, I still managed to squeeze in a little Valentine's Day fun. Whilst my brood was nauseated, sweating from every orifice, hacking, sneezing, snotting, among other disgusting and unmentionable bodily functions, I was trying to give them at least a wee bit of happiness to balance out their misery. The morning of Valentine's was a blur (Big Ma' had the bug too and was still in a fog of misery herself), but by late afternoon, we decided to whip out the homemade Valentine cards, candy, books, and other Valentine paraphernalia. Shortly after, we made heart-shaped pizzas (the kids loved them) and then baths, nail-trimming, hair drying, medicating and bedtimes ensued. Not much of a V-Day, but we can't complain about not being together. Oh, we have been together...all of us...for days on end...in this same house...sick...miserable...restless...bored...

Well, at least we love each other! Happy post Valentine's day y'all. Be well!!!

Rockin' the swing bob

2009-02-09T18:18:00.011-06:00

Oh yeah, we did it. We chopped our little lady's long locks off. Her newest 'do is the ever-so-stylish-and-easy-to-maintain swing bob. I am this close (since you can't see my fingers, let me tell you that they are about 1/2 inch apart) to doing the same. You know, the totally-not-psychotic-mother-daughter-matching-hairstyles! That might be a tad awkward if we wore matching pigtails, but I digress...
I made the appointment after tens of thousands of , "I am so sick of this hair...Leave that bow in!..If you rip that ponytail holder out one more time I'll chop it all off!...C. be still while I comb it!...It wouldn't hurt if you kept STILL!...Quit whining!" proclamations. I threatened to my husband every day that I was going to do it and he would look at me like I wanted to have rabid wolves gnaw her bald. He had "always wanted a little girl with long hair". (Imagine a man wanting a woman to have long hair...I have never heard of such a thing). These men don't fully understand the dedication and hard work that the upkeep of such flowing locks takes. I mean, we have to wash, rinse, repeat, condition, rinse, comb, blow it out, round brush it, back-comb it, tease it, spray it, mousse it (did I just date myself?), color it, highlight it, cut it, pin it, pull it back, push it forward, twist it, twirl it, you name it...then we have to do our make up and still get dressed! Anywho, I would always have my ammunition to rattle back about the mess it is to keep it out of her face, out of her food, out of her mouth, untangled and pulled back when her first instinct is to rip anything that resembles any sort of "hair device" out in the blink of an eye. After the last hair ripping episode in which she quickly took out a fistful of perfectly good hair from the left side and left a frizzy mess in said area, I said, that is it...I can take it no longer.....and the hubby said, "OK". What? I couldn't believe it. YES!!! Wait...NO!!! For the love of all things good...NOOOOO!!!! Now I had to go through with it. Oh crap (excuse the French), what did I just do? I swallowed hard, made the appointment, came very close to calling "Miss Ashley" back and cancelling, then decided, no, I can't wuss out now or I will never hear the end of it.

Oh gorgeous hair, if only thou couldst maintain thyself...

Well, suprisingly enough, after the first cut (what I call the "too-late-now" cut) it wasn't that bad. Well, I did get a little lump in my throat, I mean, it was her FIRST haircut for heaven's sake. After that first cut, I just kept telling her to keep going....shorter...shorter...shorter. I think she thought I had totally lost it. When it was all said and done, this is what it looked like.

Okay, almost there...

The big reveal!

Wait, this is only the 1st of 2 haircuts...keep on reading.

After we left and my hubby saw the results he said, "You chickened out, hu?". WHAT? "If you cut it, you should really cut it" he said. Then he rambled something about, "It's kinda like kissin' your sister". Oh really? Well, I had to agree. I did actually want it shorter, but I thought we could always go back. Here is a little confession on my part: I have absolutely no spine when it comes to hairstylists and haircuts, in general. I have had some horrible, and I mean horrible haircuts, styles & colors in my life. When the hairstylist says, "What do you think?", I inevidably say, "Great...thanks!", leave the salon in tears and sob all the way home never to return again. I don't know what it is. I am a pretty tough cookie, typically speak my mind, would rip someone's head clean off their neck if they mess with my family, when a waiter(ess) asks me how my meal was, I am always 100% honest, but if my hairdresser gave me a mullet, I would exclaim, "It is perfect, thank you, here is your 20% tip" and run home like my hair was on fire...when in reality, I would only wish my hair were actually on fire so I would have some reason as to why my hair looked like that...Anyway, today I went back in, told her how short I REALLY wanted it, and she came up with this masterpiece.
Are you kidding me? Why won't my hair do this? ...oh yeah, the 90's happened (perms, Aqua Net, gravity defying back-combing)...that's why!

First haircut down...next, potty training....BRING IT!!!

Yes, baking again...are you shocked? And making Valentines

2009-02-04T13:28:00.008-06:00

Okay, so here is the deal...I don't particularly like to cook, but I LOVE and I mean LOVE to bake. Don't know why, but that's my M.O. Anywho, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I whipped up (literally and figuratively) a batch of meringues. Super easy, super fast and super addictive.

Yeah, I know, soooo cute! Here is how to make them:

Beat together 4 egg whites, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp. powdered almond extract (I love this stuff & use is all the time), and 4 drops of red food coloring until very stiff. Add 1 cup of sugar very slowly and beat until it is fully encorporated.
Put the fluff in a pastry bag with a big ol' star tip & form hearts on a parchement lined cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 225 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours (for one cookie sheet or an extra 10 minutes for 2 cookie sheets), turn off oven & let them completely cool inside the oven. Store in an airtight container. It makes a ton of them (I only showed about half of what I actually made), it just depends on how big you make them.

This would be a great idea for any holiday. You could tint them green and make shamrocks instead of hearts for St. Patty's Day, you could crush up some peppermints and sprinkle on top (before cooking) for Christmas, or you could do the pink ones and crush up red hots for the top for a twist on the Valentine ones. There are endless possibilities!
Beware...they are extremely addictive! Not that I would know or anything, but I have heard that they are...

Just a little addition to this post. My friend "Marge" hosted a Valentine Making Party today and the little ones had all kinds of fun...(so did the moms). I have to say though, I had envisioned my darling little daughter to be so excited to make a little heartfelt Valentine for her Daddy adorned with little heart cutouts, stickers and massive amounts of glue, but alas, she decided that her bestest little friend "A.A." should receive her little masterpiece instead. Kids...what can you do? The cutest part though...her little friend did the same! I know, AAAWWWWWWW! Here is the evidence...

The girls crafting it up! One of my proudest moments...(tear, tear)

Sweet little "A.A." giving me the thumbs up, well, sort of...

W. had to get into the action too...never too early to learn!

The most delish cupcakes for your cupcakes

2009-01-28T15:12:00.003-06:00

Hi y'all! Well, we are "snowed in" (well, iced in...snow doesn't fall in my neck o' the woods, just icy mush and sleet). That means school was cancelled and my lovely little cupcakes & I were at home all day. Since I had nothing better to do but clean, I decided to make cupcakes instead. A better option in my opinion... here is what I did:

I was watching Martha Stewart the other day and she had a lady on there from some bakery (I know, my attention to detail is astounding) and she (bakery chick) cooked her cupcakes in 5 1/2 " square parchment paper. They were so cute & I thought I would try it...these are coconut! Didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. I put the parchment square in the muffin thingy (technical culinary term) and squished & twisted the parchment down into the thingy. It didn't stay in until I filled it with cupcake batter. I think I should have just filled them about 3/4ths full & they might have done a little better.

By the way, these are my secret (well, not any more) ingredients for quick and gourmet tasting cupcakes. Not pictured is my "Duncan Hines" box of cake mix. I always add about 1 tsp. of vanilla extract to my cake mix (good tip if you are taking notes). Then, I use the Wilton buttercream icing (make double what you would normally use), add about a teaspoon of vanilla (I am wild about Mexican vanilla...equal opportunity baker here...there is something about it that just beats the pants off of regular vanilla), a few shakes of almond powder, and use REAL BUTTER! I prefer it, as does my good friend Paula Deen (I taught her everything she knows).

Here is the finished product (note the cute pink bow and fancy frosting...it is pale pink...I do this with all of my cupcakes don't you know?). Purdy ain't it?

Here is it's ugly step-sister. Not so purdy, but she'll taste the same.

Voila'! Plop them on a cake stand, add a ribbon, and make your Valentine squeal with delight.

P.S. I am beginning to close in on my 100th post...get ready for a GIVEAWAY!!!

Some Valentine Inspiration

2009-01-21T13:27:00.014-06:00

Do you have VD on the brain?

Valentine's Day, of course...what did you think I meant? I am in full blow Valentine's Day mode. I am not necessarily a huge fan of said day (neither is the hubs), but I thought that my kids would get a kick out of me making a little fuss this year. I have a few ideas for all of the little loves of your life.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries...need I say more?
Okay y'all, this is a perennial favorite at my house. They look tough, but trust me, a monkey could do it...although I don't think you would want him to.

What y'all need:

toothpicks
16 ounces milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1 pound fresh strawberries with long stems
TOTALLY OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED FOR MAKING THESE REALLY LOOK AMAZING:

dark chocolate chips

white chocolate chips

peanut butter chips

finely chopped peanuts (unless your love is allergic, in that case, it is totally up to you whether or not you want to spend the evening in the ER)

anything else you want to drizzle on top, drag through, or dip your strawberries into

What y'all do:

Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
In a double boiler, melt the milk chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool (or if you don't care to be quite that fancy, just slap them down onto a piece of wax paper).

When they cool, melt your other chocolate chips, white chocolate, etc. and then just drizzle it on the top. You could even dip them half-way in. You could roll them in the peanuts. You can do whatever you darn well want to do. Go crazy you wild woman!

There is a picture above to give you a good idea of what glorious masterpiece you would wow your Valentine with.

Here is a super-cute craft idea from Veronica at Shabby Chic Crafts (link is below):

Cute, easy & cheap (sounds like one of the girls the hubs use to date....totally kidding...couldn't resist that one no matter how inappropriate...please excuse my humor!)
http://shabbychiccrafts.blogspot.com/2009/01/valentine-home-decor-free-download.html

Here is a fun idea for a little mood lighting for that gourmet meal that you will be whipping up (or the take out that you will be throwing on a plate to make it look like a gourmet meal that you whipped up).

The last little picture is for the men (you may go grab your man from in front of the t.v., snatch his hand out of the chip bag & and sit him in front of the screen now). Guys, we love you. We love you more than anything in this world, but, PLEASE DON'T GET US A BLENDER FOR VALENTINE'S DAY! No, that doesn't mean that a toaster oven is okay either. We don't want anything that we have to share or that we have to use to make other things for other people. We want something totally and completely selfish. Something unmistakably impractical. Flowers are a nice start. Not just the dozen roses from the grocery store. Go crazy man! Look at the picture above, hit print at the top of your computer screen, take it to your nearest florist and say, "Here, make this, please". You will be a hero in your little love's eyes. Better yet, do you know her favorite flower? If not, shame on you! If you do, go get those. Even better, get her like, 3 dozen of them! Yes, totally impractical, but that is the point. Don't wait in line at some fancy-schmancy restaurant on Valentine's Day, make her dinner. Trust me, even if you aren't a great cook & your pasta is a little too "al dente", your rolls are like rocks, and the souffle falls like the Hindenburg, she will gag it down with tears in her eyes and love you for eternity. Now listen, if you leave her a heaping mess of dishes, she will quickly turn on you, so for the love of Pete, please clean up after yourself as well. There, you may go back to your t.v. & bag of Doritos...

So, I hope this helped a little. If you have any great ideas, please pass them on...I can use all the help I can get. Oh, by the way...sorry about the weird spacing above...the computer hates me today.

Santa Clause has already come and gone to town

2009-01-15T14:56:00.010-06:00

No, this is not a picture from a magazine...this is my in-law's mantle at their house...sickening isn't it? Okay, I can't seem to locate the other pictures, but I will be vigilant and continue on my quest...I'll post more of them when I find them, so the one up top will have to do for now.

Well, I have been as busy as a bee lately with preps for my brother-in-laws wedding, painting the kitchen (yes, my beautiful red is long gone) and the living room. In it's place are a sort of sage green in the kitchen (it is still a little too light, so we are going to go a little darker) and a nice gray-blue in the living room. I LOVE the living room! I will have to get some pics up once I get back from the wedding.

Okay, where would be a good place to go for the hubs and my 10th anniversary? I'll take any suggestions that you might have. Haven't decided if beachy is the way to go unless I have a smokin' hot bod by the summer (still working on it...Jenny Craig is going full force!), or pretty scenery (i.e. mountains) or what. What do y'all think? Any personal faves?

Just to add some more randomness to this post, here are a few Christmas pics for the family & friends...unless you just like to see pictures of people that you don't know, and in that case, enjoy!

My super cute hubs & the littlest monkey in our zoo.

The littlest monkey & my favorite nephew...okay, so he is my only nephew but isn't he a doll! I know that W looks supersized next to him, but they are acutally the same size. Kind of like Heidi Klum & me...hmmmm strange how that works...

C. baking brownies...notice the chocolate residue around her little mouth...a girl after my own heart! Okay, so you know how there is that ONE toy that everyone loves & you just never know what it is going to be...well, this is it. No, it isn't a toy dumptruck, it is an awesome-four-wheeled-baby-mover...it is all the rage!

That face is too precious for words...don't let her fool you...under that sweet grin is a wild child! I couldn't ask for a more precious & spunky little lady!My one and only sis. Cute pic Bean (nickname that I won't bother explaining...no, she doesn't particularly like beans, just thought you might wonder)! One of my favorite pics of W. He is a tiny little guy, but his cheeks beg to differ.

Yes, I have been dissed...

2009-01-13T23:50:00.006-06:00

Well, I have officially offended someone. "Anonymous", if you are out there, I apologize. If I have offended you for being a "muffin top", or if it was your gangsta' graffiti, or possibly the UGGS and mini, I, from the depths of my heart, apologize. Seriously, I never mean to offend, only to laugh at the world around me. "Anonymous", I appreciate your honesty and will heed your heartfelt request to "look at myself in the mirror". Have a wonderful day!

Deep thoughts...don't get excited, I'm not talking Confucius here...

2009-01-07T21:53:00.000-06:00

This is the most random post because I am waiting to download my newest pics from Christmas onto my computer. I am a wealth of totally useless knowledge and observations and I thought that I would share. By the way, these are genuine thoughts that I ponder time to time...sad, but true...here goes...

Have you ever noticed that gang members have the coolest writing when they put graffiti on the underpasses? It is my theory that they use to be cheerleaders and that they were so ridiculed, that they threw themselves straight into "gangdom" where their "puffy" letters would be appreciated on a slab of concrete instead of a useless piece of white butcher paper that the football players will destroy anyway. That, or it is a class that they have to take upon initiation...Gangsta' Penmanship 101.

I am from Texas, born and raised, yet I do not do/have/own the following: ride a horse, own a pair of spurs, have a ten gallon hat, chew tobacco or stew possum. I do, however, use the words y'all, fixin' to and dangit.

Have you ever noticed that when they interview people on t.v. after some unfortunate incident, that they find the most ignorant, illiterate, gramatically incorrect person within 20 miles of the scene? Also, they have only 3 teeth and 2 of them are hanging by a nerve.

Has anyone else noticed that, to be on the news, if you are a woman, you have to look like Cindy Crawford? What happened to all of the homely reporters. I just can't take "Cindy" seriously...her hair is too poofy and her lips are too shiny! It is like a deer in headlights...I can't look away, but I am oblivious to everything around me.

Why is it that toy manufacturers feel that they have to package children's toys so that it is harder to get open than breaking out of Fort Knox? Why? Are they trying to make parents look like complete monkeys? That plastic must be made out of some mutated form of titanium...and what is up with the 423 twist ties? I think that they actually spend more money on the packaging than the toy itself. Merry Christmas kids...go grab the butcher knife, or better yet, a chainsaw to get your booty!

On the same note...who invented the plastic that goes on CD & DVDs? It is worse that Saran Wrap! Don't even get me started on Saran Wrap...I could go on for hours. All I will say is that I have wrestled more Saran Wrap than I care to admit.

Thongs. Okay ladies, I know that this is debatable, but I just have to say this...I spend a good portions of my day digging my drawers out of that crevice, and I don't want something up there permanently. Well, I only dig when noone is watching. I do the funny little booty shake where you kind of throw one hip out, tighten your cheek and dip and keep on going like noone knows what is going on down there. It is amazing how that works...anyway, no thongs here except the ones betwixt my toes.

Along the lines of fashion...let me go ahead a preface this with the fact that I am no fashionista. I have spent the last several years with a uniform of food encrusted tee shirt, workout capris and either Crocs or Teva flip flops (complete with pony tail and minimal make up). Although my wardrobe is not one to be envied, let me tell you what makes no sense to me...those big fuzzy UGG boots and miniskirts. Please tell me, specifically, on what part of Earth, that your feet, ankles & the better part of your calf are freezing, but from your knees to your buttcheeks is just a little toasty? Do these girls know how ridiculous they look? What is cute about looking like you have cankles? I have had them during all 3 pregnancies...THEY ARE NOT CUTE!

Okay, another fashion faux pas in my book. The muffin top. You know what I am talkin' about. It is the phenomenon that occurs when one wears pants that are too tight in the waist in combo with a shirt that is too tight as well. Again, not cute & I have one myself (muffin top that is)...but I don't go parading myself around in clothes that belong in the "junior miss" department. Buy clothes that fit ladies! Close your eyes when you look in the label & deal with it!

Last but certainly not least...this is one of my favorites & I know that some of you are guilty. Here is the scene...woman walks up to the fast food counter..."Hi there...UM, yeah, give me just a sec...okay, I'll take a Double Chubby's Cheeseburger Combo, please. Oh, and can you supersize that? To drink? Oh yeah, a diet coke. Seriously, a diet coke? You can't possibly like the taste of it...although, I do have a theory that diet coke actually is addictive. I mean, have you ever heard of someone that limits themself to 1 diet coke a day? I haven't. If they drink one, they drink 6 or 7. Only diet coke...HMMMM....

Well, know that you know what wanders aimlessly through my mind during the day, what are some of your weird observations? I am always looking for new things to poke fun at all day long...it keeps it interesting. Also, did you know that....flies take off backwards and poop on you every time they land, noone can sneeze with their eyes open, you can acutally become intoxicated from drinking too much water, if you put a piece of garlic between your toes, you will taste it in less than 30 minutes, you can't tickle yourself, the average person eats 8 spiders while sleeping during their lifetime, women blink nearly twice as much as men, only female mosquitoes bite, almonds are part of the peach family and the dot over the letter "i" is called a "tittle"...hee hee, I said tittle.

Have a blessed day & hey, while your at it, have a Big Mac & a Diet Coke for me...and pull up your pants, your muffin is hanging out!

I'm baaaaack!

2009-01-06T14:27:00.004-06:00

Glory, glory, glory! I have my blog fully operational again (knock on wood) and so you may commence in leaving comments again. I don't know how I managed to totally screw my layout up whilst on our glorious Christmas vacation (to West Texas...no, it isn't Maui, but it isn't home either...), but I did. Not surprising for those of you who know me and my lack of computer "skillz". Well, so what has happened in the world of the Southern Domestic Goddess or S.D.G. for all of you cool people? Not a lot. The hubs and I had a whole week to ourselves (well, we still had W. with us) while the eldest 2 were with their Grammy last week. It is amazing how, when you have three kids, and 2 of them are gone, you almost forget that the third one is there with you. Just to clarify, if you only have one kid...enjoy! The transition from 0 to 1 will rock your world. You can no longer sleep until noon and eat Cheetos for dinner any more. You have to actually THINK when you leave the house and prepare food, bottles, diapers, pack & plays, etc. If you go on vacation, you feel as though you are packing to leave for the entire month. Well, just wait until you have 3 little ones. I think after the 3rd, you finally figure out:
(1) Kids really don't need baths, do they?
(2) You can just prop them up on the table to eat instead of dragging the high chair along.
(3) Who needs pack & plays...just stick them in the bathtub with a couple of blankets for cushion and
(4) Children of all ages are entertained for hours if you just bring along some peanut butter to put on their noses for them to lick off...no wait, that is for dogs, right?
All kidding aside by the time that you have 3, you really wise up as to what is a necessecity vs. a niceity. Some things are just better left at home. Especially when you end up having to tote a small retail chain worth of toys back home in your cramped Suburban (yes, it is possible to be cramped in a mammoth of a vehicle...trust me...I know).
All of that being said, we had a blast. We ate until the elastic in our stretchy pants were stretched to within an inch of their lives, watched enough football that we were beginning to speak to each other in "plays" (Honey, run a slant route to the dip and bring back that bag of chips while you are at it, ready, set, HUT!), and unwrapped more gifts than an entire retail chain could possibly carry in one location. You know...the true meanings of Christmas! HA!
I am running out of time for this post, but tomorrow I will post some pictures of my father & mother-in-laws home at Christmas. It was gorgeous! They had 3 huge trees and 2 smaller trees (including an upside-down tree...yes, they do exist) and a small city worth of lights and greenery.
Okay, you may leave a comment now...really, I am needy like that....

Don't have a clue...

2009-01-04T21:58:00.002-06:00

Okay y'all,
It has been brought to my attention that my adoring fans are not able to comment. Let me first of all say...I am computer semi-illiterate. Secondly, I am tired...I will be working on this sometime tomorrow and will, hopefully, have some brilliant post that you may all comment on then. Until then, feel free to browse some old posts or check out my etsy shop (shameless plug...).
Blessings!

Merry CHRISTmas...

2008-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Luke 2:1-7
[2:1] In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. [2] (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) [3] And everyone went to his own town to register.
[4] So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. [5] He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. [6] While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, [7] and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

May your Christmas be filled with little miracles!

Tragedy has struck & so has the camera fairy!

2008-12-21T23:55:00.008-06:00

Let me begin my post on a tragic note...

R.I.P.

Kodak Easy Share Camera

(December 2006 - December 2008)

You were a good camera. We have had lots of good memories together. Births, birthday parties, holidays, soccer games. I am sad to see you slip out of my life. One day you are here, the next you are gone. (Tear...sniff...sniff)

Okay, good news....I GOT A NEW CAMERA!!! My poor family...they have been stalked for the past 2 days while I try to figure out my new slice of heaven. My Fuji Pinepix S1000 isn't your fancy-schmancy-high-dollar camera, but it sure takes purdy pictures. My sweet hubby saw my despair when the old one was terminally ill, and knew that I would just die without a real life camera. I had to begin our Christmas holdays with a ...gulp...disposable! Oh the humanity!!! I quickly realized that this wasn't going to work and was considering all of my money making options (you know, the regular stuff like plasma donation, surrogacy, celebrity blackmail, etc.) so that I could quickly buy the Easy Share's replacement. Lucky, T. pulled through and I have my newest form of torture (remember the stalking thing) in full swing. Okay, enough about that...

This was one of my gifts from my sis. You know what, this girl gets me. 7 rolls of gorgeous, drool-enducing, glorious wired ribbon are now in my possesion. I can hardly stand it. You see the really fat, oh, I mean "big boned" ribbon in the middle. It is fantabulously gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!! Have I ever told you that I am a ribbon whor*.

Okay Marge...if you are peeking at my blog...AVERT YOUR EYES!!!

This is my most favorite gift this season. I took a glass jar with that cute little black metal lid, put some vinyl letters on the front (this is their last name), sprinkled in some fake snow, and added some fun little goodies.

A little coffee...some Starbucks caramel sauce, and a few little treats for my coffee-addicted friend.

This one is for my in-laws. Same idea, a few different things. I made some cheese straws that taste like a really decadent goldfish cracker. I know, sounds like an oxymoron, but they are goooooood! I had something very similar from Neiman Marcus (or "Needless Markups" as my dear sweet Memom calls them) over 10 years ago and the memory of it stuck with me. Isn't it funny how food evokes memories from that far back?...maybe it is just me....I can't remember if I brushed my teeth this morning, but I can remember a snack I had 10 years ago...I smell a problem here....and it smells like cheese!!!! I digress....

Last, but by no means least, I have been waiting since October to get these canvases of my kids made and they are finally here! This is above my couch in the living room. I plan on "hanging" them with some pretty ribbon on some decorative hooks or picture hangers. I just couldn't stand not having them on the wall in the meantime...

Well, I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas with many blessings and miracles all around you and in the lives of you and your families.

Blessings!

Blessed Mama

I have Christmas fever...but don't worry, I'm not contagious.

2008-12-15T14:09:00.008-06:00

As I write, I can't help but realize 2 things. One, I have waaaaay to much to do to be sitting here typing away on my little ol' blog and B, my house looks like the Christmas fairy had a little too much nog and threw up all over my house. I have stuff everywhere! Boxes, random gifts, baking paraphernalia, glass jars (I am so pumped about my newest little crafy Christmas idea but I can't show you until next week because it might ruin the euphoric squeels that will happen when my giftees see their glorious homemade gift by yours truly), fake snow, ribbon, sacks, etc. are taking over our little house. HELP ME!!! I have to pull myself together and get to crack-a-lackin' on some wrapping & baking before I am swallowed in a sea of Christmas!
On another note, at E's school, we went to visit the Jolly One himself in person. I have to tell you, I think the one that was at said function was the real one. Seriously, take a looksie below and tell me what you think. Here is how the encounter with the Big "S" went down...
E. was off running around like a 6-year-old that had just eaten an entire gingerbread house, and couldn't care less about Santa, C. was terrified until he began reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". As he began to read, she crept closer and closer until she was practically in his lap. Okay, I am thinking, "Yes! I will actually get a picture with all three kids and SANTA!!! It truly is a Christmas miracle!!!". Well, what do you think happened? All three kids went up to the big guy, but C. would have none of it. Yes, she was within 1/2 inch of him 2 minutes earlier, but she wasn't going to get near that man unless he was made out of chocolate. W. and E. had no problem hopping up there...well...let me re-phrase that...W. had no problem hopping up there, but E. thought it was LAME, but did it to quiet his mother's desperate pleas to have at least one picture with Santa before he graduated from college. Anywho, here is the evidence that it actually happened...

Doesn't E. looked thrilled!

Don't worry, he is just getting a lump of coal this year...just kidding y'all. Have a merry week before Christmas! Remember, with enough caffeine and a few choice meds, we can all have a glorious Christmas!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours...

2008-12-11T10:49:00.008-06:00

GARLAND PEOPLE, GARLAND! What do you think that I mean? Over at The Nesting Place, we were asked to share our garland. I typically, don't like to share...I mean, don't touch my friggin' chocolate!!! But...I don't mind sharing my decor. I can't say that my garland is one to be adored by millions, but I like it. I already have an idea of how I am going to "pump it up" next year! Here are some pics...

I may have to take more pics later. It is the middle of the day and you really can't tell how fantabulous it is. Well, maybe that is stretching it...I am afraid to visit the other blogs listed because theirs will blow mine out of the water, but, like I said, we have had the bubonic plaque the past week...we are much better, by the way...thanks for asking!

One of my precious little birdies...aren't they adorable?My dining room chandelier. Very simple, but I love it.

My husband hates this guy. Don't know why, but he claims that it looks like a worship roosters. Whatever, he is fun to dress up & if you can't have fun in your own house, then where can you? Oh, now that I am looking at this picture, I would like to send out a big "Thank You" to my dear husband for getting the newspaper off of the top of the fridge. Seriously...if it is you or the rooster...I am going to have to think really hard about this one...

Addendum to post...My family is doing amazingly well. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. E. and C. are back at school. Yes, E. is in school. No more homeschooling for us. More on that another day. W. is still a little cranky, but definitely on the mend. I'm free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I am free at last!!!

Blog on speed...

2008-12-09T22:24:00.003-06:00

Okay y'all. Yes, it looks as though I have fallen off of the face of the earth, but I am here. Here is my life in a nutshell since, well, Thanksgiving. MY WHOLE HOUSE HAS THE BUBONIC PLAGUE!!! Well, maybe not the actual plague, but it feels that way. Here is the rundown from the eldest to the youngest. The hubby has pink eye, or "conjunctivitis". I like pink eye better. I think it sounds cuter and less gagaphoric (medical term). Conjunctivitis sounds like he has conjuncted something, and that just sounds nasty. Come to think about it, have you ever seen pink eye? It's rather icky. After deliberation, I think conjunctivitis actually fits. The eldest of our brood has bronchitis, our little C has...okay, brace yourself...pneumonia, an ear infection, and pink eye. Bless her heart! She is miserable. Little W man has a double ear infection and bronchitis. That's all. Of course, I am fine and able to play nurse, chef, maid, snot wiper, eye drop giver, vomit cleaner (from all of the phlegm and coughing), medicine administrator, eye goo cleaner, Purell gustapo and, last but certainly not least, the funnel for all whining, wimpering & crying (the hubby included). So, that has been my life for the past 10-ish days. I have officially been on lockdown and held hostage in my own house. HELP!
Seriously, if you are reading this, please, for my sake, for the sake of my dear snotty headed little children and gooey-eyed husband, say a little prayer of healing. I'll be back soon my dear friends...Adieu!

Happy 24 days until Christmas!

2008-12-01T13:47:00.001-06:00

So, did you all wear your stretchy pants at Thanksgiving? Darn that Jenny Craig! She wouldn't allow me to gorge myself into a semi food-induced coma like a normal person. I mean, you would think that Ms. Craig herself were stalking me the whole day. I mean, I had some serious restraint going on there! All of this to say that today is weigh-in day and, although I did well with my temptation, I still fear the scale. That horrible white piece of metal evil! I guess we will get a verdict here in about 5 hours...GULP!

Enough about that...lots to cover, so here is the Cliff's Notes version...and don't act like you don't know what Cliff's Notes are or that you didn't use them...I only wish they had them for more helpful things like cleaning, or cooking, or raising children...I digress...

Thanksgiving was great. The food was delish (what I got to eat anyway), our family had a great time, weather was AMAZING! The kids played outside all afternoon and we really enjoyed not having to listed to the moaning and yelling from our "guys" watching the football game with their bloated bellies.

My house is in mid-transformation for the holidays. No, I am not one of those people that throw everything up Thanksgiving night (I wish I were, but I am not). I string it out for at least a few weeks, then take it right down after New Years and wonder why I spend so many precious waking hours decking my halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la la...It sure is purdy though!

I am still trying to figure out some fun little crafts and goodies to make over the next few weeks with my babies. That is my pre-New Year's resolution. Spend more time with my kids and less time doing everything else that doesn't really matter (see last entry for more on my small epiphany).

Well, when my halls are decked, I will post some pics. I am sure that BH&G will be ringing my doorbell. HA!

Blessings my peeps!

P.S. We all sat last night and watched this flick. Wouldn't you give anything to be a kid again...well, for one night anyway...

I'm here...really....I haven't left you, nor forsaken you...

2008-11-26T15:04:00.004-06:00

Hello fellow bloggers! No, I have not been whisked away to a far off tropical place, nor have I been taken hostage by my children, well, in a way, I guess they kind of do that don't they, but I have just been busy as a little bee.

I had a sort of epiphany. In trying to educate my eldest little birdie, I came to the realization that I was semi-neglecting my 2 younger babies. By semi-neglect, I mean that all of their basic needs were being met (such as food, milk, juice, cleaning behind the ears, fashionable hairdos and outfits, medications, etc.) but that I wasn't holding them, or playing with them, or reading to them enough. So, I decided to take a few days and just be a kid with them. Of course, the motherly and wifely duties still had to be addressed, but I wanted to take lots of time to just love on them and let them know that they are important and precious. We have had so much fun. We have crafted (well, yes, they are MY children...so we must craft...), colored, played on the swingset and just sat and played with their toys more in the last week than in the last several months.

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed, strung out, stressed and flat-out flustered at the end of the day and feel like you have nothing to show for it, much less have anything crossed off of your "to-do" list? When you get to the end of said day, sit and think,"Does anything that I have done today matter to anyone but me? Does is please the Lord? Does is matter to my children? Does it make my life and my family's life better?" I only say this because at the end of a typical day for me, I don't ask these questions, but I should.

My kids won't grow up remembering that they had a clean house (well, because it isn't, but if it was, they wouldn't), or great looking house, or a nice lawn, or the cutest birthday invitations, or their mother had a great blog.

What do you remember about your childhood? I remember sitting with my Memom on my bed just talking. I remember making cornbread with my mom in the same yellow plastic bowl for years, and years and years. I think she still has it too! I remember my dad taking me hunting and fishing. I remember my mom taking me to the bookstore over and over because I was convinced that I had to read every Beverly Cleary book in the free world. I remember my Memom and mom teaching me how to sew. I remember my Memom letting me cook in her kitchen and she never worried that I made a mess. I remember my mom and I listening to records (okay kids, records are like much larger CDs that sounded kinda crackly when you play them...they are GREAT!!!) and dancing around and playing out the lyrics as we giggled until we collapsed on the floor. These are the things that I want my kids to remember. I don't want them to remember their mom always running around like a maniac cleaning, or mumbling under her breath about how the house is always a constant disaster, or sitting in front of this darn computer, or her being so focused on her next project that she doesn't have time to color a picture of Dora or play Kinex or just sit and tickle each other. I have a long way to go, but I think that I am on the right track.

I know, you are just waiting to finish this post so that you can go hug your kids...well...don't just sit there, DO IT!!!

Many blessings this Thanksgiving.....remember what you are thankful for tomorrow...and remember to tell them everyday how much you love them...

Blessing #1

Blessing #2

Blessing #3

My name is Big Ma'...and I am a craftaholic

2008-11-21T14:12:00.005-06:00

Lookie what Big Ma's been up to!

Okay, can you say "obsessed with crafts"? No matter where I am, I seem to find something else to make. It is truly an addiction. I need help. Is there a CA (Crafters Anonymous) that I can join? If there is...sign me up. Well, this fun little thing started out as an unfinished wooden plaque with beveled edges, a piece of scrapbook paper & a large unfinished clothespin. I sanded the plaque with a little 220 grit sandpaper, wiped it down, then spray painted the plaque with some dark brown paint. It was just some random paint that I had sitting around. Then, I took some gorgeous scrapbook paper (12 x 12) and adhered it with Modge Podge (my favorite crafting stuff of all time...this stuff is like water and oxygen... I MUST have it at all times!), inked the edges, applied another layer of Modge Podge, let it dry and hot glued the clothespin on. I did the same thing with the clothespin as I did with the plaque (minus the sanding)...paint, MP paper, ink, MP the top, then added the cute irridescent ribbon and a precious picture of a very adorable baby. I mean, could the kid get any cuter? (Wink, wink...that's my little "W", 15 months ago...tear, tear, sniffle, snort, tear, sob...)

So, off my little "baby" goes to my etsy shop. Okay, wait a minute, not my baby "W", my baby, the plaque...I don't want CPS to be calling...just had to clarify.

Have a fantabulous weekend my peeps!

How did BHG get into my house???

2008-11-18T20:46:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I am wondering how Better Homes and Gardens was able to get into my house and do a whole shoot without my knowledge...well, I smell a lawsuit, I can tell you that!

Seriously...I am cheesed off (as they say in the U.K.).

Didn't C's room turn out well?

...and my living room...don't I have an eye for design?

Oh yeah, the formal living area...

My third living room.

The chaise is my favorite place to curl up and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

The guest cottage living room.

My office

We have a winner!

2008-11-14T13:55:00.007-06:00

Congrats to Jenni at Nest to Keep (http://www.nesttokeep.com/)! You are the winner of a $20 "gift card" to my etsy shop! Now, don't fret my precious blogger friends, I will have another one closer to Christmas for a Christmas-themed goody. My creative juices are already flowin'...whoops, I leaked! HA! Anywho, Jenni, take a gander at my shop and let me know what tickles your fancy! Thanks to all of you who entered and put my giveaway on your blogs...you are awesome!

Oh yeah, don't forget to run over to http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/2008/10/moms-unite-shopping-guide.html (or click on the tag on my sidebar) and check out my listing (as well as other totally awesome crafty ladies) at the MOMS Unite website. Of course, you are welcome to browse, but if you buy something at another site, I won't be your friend anymore...Just kidding...or am I...HMMMMM...HA!
Have a fanfreakintabulous weekend my peeps!

Blessings,

It's GIVEAWAY time! (Can you hear the angels singing?)

2008-11-11T01:24:00.011-06:00

It's Giveaway Time!!!

Glorious, glorious, glorious day! Well chicks, my marathon sewing, tying, pinning, hot-gluing, serging, crafting days are over. Well, maybe not over, but I have come up for air! Pace myself, I KNOW, but with my OCD, anal retentiveness and a side of type "A" personality, I just can't help myself. I finished the open house, and I am still here. No, I am not in the fetal position. Yes, I am acutally upright and typing. This is an amazing feat considering I have lived on 1,200 calories (I am 5.7 pounds lighter by the way), Pibb Zero, and about 3 hours of sleep per night for the past week. Well, take a little looksie at my etsy site and see what I have been up to. Go ahead, I dare you. I know you want to look. You cheeky little monkey! Anywho...it is GIVEAWAY time!!! See....I didn't forget my peeps! Well, on the giveaway block is $20 towards anything in my esty shop!

(Pink & black tutu dress)

(Vintage brown floral altered clipboard)

(Retro Christmas picture frame)

These are just a few examples of what you, yes, you (that is, if you are the lucky winner) can have if you just do these 23 small steps. Just kidding! All you have to do is post my giveaway on your sweet little blog, leave me a comment on mine (so I know where to look...I can't read minds you know...well, maybe I can...oh, shame on you!) and one of my little unbiased offspring will choose (totally at random) a winner on Thursday. If you are the amazingly lucky winner, and I know that you are all sweating to think of what you will do with your glorious winnings, then I will contact you to see what your little bloggin' heart desires. So, get the word out. Blog 'til your fingers bleed (well, maybe that is a little much). Blog 'til your fingers blister and good luck my fellow bloggers! Let's make this a handcrafted Christmas this year!

Can't...blog...too...much...to...do...

2008-11-06T16:11:00.010-06:00

Okay y'all, this is a post on speed! I have been so busy sewing, painting, modge-podging, hemming and poking myself with needles (that last one was incedental, of course), that I don't/ won't have time to blog for a couple of days. I know, my millions of fans are crushed, but alas, I must craft! I have a "Holiday Open House" at a friend's house this weekend, and I am freaking out!!! I am trying to expand my little bid'ness, and I think I have undertaken way, let me emphasize that, WAY too much. I do this to myself all of the time. I will learn one day. Well, maybe when I fall asleep at the sewing machine and sew my hair into one my projects, then maybe I will learn. Well, off to work. Mama has to bring home some bacon (lowfat Jenny Craig turkey bacon, that is) & when I return, I will have all sorts of new goodies in my store & a GIVEAWAY!!!

I will not talk about the election...I will not talk about the election...I will not talk about the election...

2008-11-05T09:54:00.004-06:00

I promise, I will not get all worked up over the results of the election last night. I have just decided that, regardless of who won or lost, we need to pray for our country. That is all I have to say about that...

Well, I would be over-the-top excited about Thanksgiving, but I have a confession to make...I am on Jenny Craig and I am afraid that my turkey day will consist of a box of turkey and all of the sides (sounds rather depressing), but their food is actually really good! I may have to sneak a little goody on the big day, but I will be good. I never thought that these words would come out of my mouth, but...here goes...I want to look like Valerie Bertinelli.

Seriously, she is so cute & skinny. Not "scary-got-get-yourself-a-sandwich" skinny, but "I-have-been-on-Jenny-Craig-and-look-fab" skinny. Actually, I can think of a few other people that I would rather look like (e.g. Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, that scary trainer "Jillian" from the Biggest Loser, Jenny McCarthy, Reece Witherspoon, Gisele Bunchen, J.Lo., Victoria Beckham (without the sourpuss face, of course), that chick from "Chuck" (did you know she was Australia?), Tyra Banks (I am an equal opportunity gal), Cindy Crawford (now, or in her supermodel hayday), Elle MacPherson...should I continue?) but Valerie is my JC hero.
Anywho, I am going to be having a GIVEAWAY soon, so keep your peepers open & check back frequently...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T16:14:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween to all my favorite Halloweiners!

(Don't you think this kid will need some serious therapy in 30 years...bless his heart!)

What are you thankful for?

2008-10-30T15:42:00.005-05:00

Debbie over at http://ribbonwoodcottage.blogspot.com/ is having a fab giveaway! Please check out her website (click on link above or on the title of this posting) and give her a little shout. Her blog is wonderful and she is a pretty crafty little critter too! You know me and my love of crafty bloggers, especially ones that share their tips. Y'all, you know how I like to beg, borrow and steal!

Blessings & happy bloggin'!

Blessed Mama

What homemade gifts did you make for Christmas in years past?

2008-10-28T13:33:00.008-05:00

Over at one of my new faves, Tip Junkie (http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/), they posed the question as to what are some of your favorite Christmas gifts that you have made or have received? You have seen my previous post with the clipboards, and I have others, but I can't share just yet...

I don't have many other ideas from PAST Christmases because I haven't been too crafty in years past, or I didn't take a picture of it, or it turned out to be a big hot mess... Those are for another blog & another time...YIKES!

Anywho, I would love to hear about your favorite concoctions. I am always up for a crafty idea! I think we all could this year to save a little moolah...

Speaking of baking (well, that was a couple of paragraphs ago...), check these out.

I made these for C.'s class at Mother's Day Out this year.

Nothing like a little pre-trick-or-treating sugar! No need to thank me parents...

All family members, please step away from the screen!

2008-10-27T18:46:00.012-05:00

It is going to be a crafty Christmas...

Okay y'all, this is a short post. I have my littlest monkey on my lap and he is fascinated with the mouse. That, or the music that is playing on my blog. I like to think that the latter is true and that he has a special connection with the Big Guy (we were listening to Come Thou Fount). Anywho, look at what Big Ma whipped up in her spare time. I have a friend that had done one for me and I thought I would try my hand at it. Actually, this is my second one, so I had all the kinks worked out this time. Isn't it glorious? Also, if you are related to me, and your initials are DCM, Merry Christmas!

I am so excited about how darned cute this is, and I love me some fun scrapbook papers and ribbon (you all know my love/fascination/obsession/adoration for ribbon) and what a perfect way to feed my healthy addiction! Actually, I will be making some and putting them on my etsy website (http://www.chicksinthesticks.etsy.com/) soon. Also, when I have a chance, I think I will put some of these on there (please note, these are just some examples that I have found, these are not on my website)...

I love the long tutus with the big flower on the front.

...and some of these..

I love the simplicity of a pillowcase dress.

You can also wear them much longer because they are looser than a regular dress.

I already have the fabric for 4 pillowcase dresses. One is a robin's egg blue Waverly floral, one is the most gorgeous coral and cream print, one is very sophisticated toile, and the other is the most precious pink & red gingham with a floral overlay pattern.

I can't wait to get them done! Let's see...now where did I put my sewing machine?

My fabulous life...you will be so jealous (if you have no life)

2008-10-24T20:45:00.011-05:00

My dearest friend Jerri Lynn at http://southernsassiness.blogspot.com/ tagged me with this fun little nugget and I know that my adoring fans are breathless with anticipation to know what my fabulous life is like. Well, I will try to bring it down a notch so that all of you mere mortals will be able to grasp it...

A day in the life...

7:15 - 7:30: Roll my petite little derrier out of bed when I hear my youngest crying (because the poop fairy visits every night) and my darling daughter is yelling at him, "No! Stop!". They share a room...isn't that brilliant?.

7:30: Immediately begin with breakfast while they scream that they are STARVING...mind you, starving in my home means you haven't eaten within the past hour, so can you imagine after 10 hours of sleep? It is the perfect way to begin the morning...

8:00-ish: Clean half of their breakfast off of the floor (because they were all raised by a pack of wild dogs and don't know how to keep food on an actual table, much less a plate), and wash the dishes from breakfast.....and dinner the night before....don't judge me!

C. goes to Mother's Day Out (or as I like to call it, Mommy's mini-vacation) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so at this point we are throwing on clothes, licking down cowlicks and packing something nutritious for her lunch (you know, like a snicker bar, can of coke and some pork rinds...just kidding). Then I do my hour of yoga....HA HA HA HA HA...oh, I can't stop laughing!!!!! Seriously, I get her to school at 9:00, go home and do some hard core homeschooling (we have to get in the majority of it when she is gone) until noon. We do take a 30 minute break and go play when E. gets antsy. W. plays in our "classroom" with his toys & I try to entertain him when E. is doing independent study. At noon, we eat lunch and then either go run errands, or just hang out until we pick up C. at 2:00 (then we do naps, play, dinner, baths & bed).

Monday is homeschooling until about 11:00, then we all get ready and go to Spanish class from 12 - 1, come home, eat lunch and then C. & W. take naps from 1 - 3 or 4. E. and I do a little more school work, then I let him have free time.

Wednesday is Field Trip/Project Day, so we wing it. We do one or the other, and somewhere in the day, we eat and the kids nap.

Friday is E.'s homeschool co-op, so we get up, get dressed, have Bible Study, get there a little early so he can hang out with the other kids and play Bionicles, and has his Critical Thinking class from 11 - 12. I do my service hour in the playroom and keep the under control (which means chat with the other moms and make sure the kids don't mame each other). If we are bringing E.'s friend home to play at our house, we go and stop by Mc Donalds, grab lunch, then go home and put the little ones down for naps, or E. goes to his friend's house and I go home, feed the babies, put them down and then have an ice cold beer. Just kidding about that one, I need something a little stronger than that by Friday afternoon. Am I kidding? What do you think? HMMMMM.....

Our evenings aren't too bad:
On Monday, we just hang out as a family, on Tuesday we have a Bible Study so I give the kids a big snack, pack up dinner, take them to the sitter and enjoy a peaceful evening with adult conversation. We pack the kids back up at 9-ish, and put them to bed when we get home (they get their jammies on at the sitters). On Wednesday, I cram dinner down my E.'s throat, and drive him to Awanas at 6:00. I either run errands and the hubby tends to the other 2 (this is awesome by the way!!!) until I pick up E. at 8:00 (the kids are already in fed, bathed & in bed) or I just come back home and help Pa' with the evening routine. On Thursdays, my hubby has softball (watch the Sports Center highlights... they are the opposite of what you will see on there...no offense guys), so I am on my own with all 3. Curse you Thursdays!!! Fridays are usually family time, or I go scrapbooking. Well, let me make a little disclaimer: I "plan" to go scrapbooking every-now-and-then, but it actually only happens once every 6 months, so it usually ends up being family time with a night out to eat (or bringing food home to avoid complete meltdown...from me that is).

Now, whom do I tag? (Okay y'all, my blogging addiction is fairly new, so bear with me if you get tagged by me more than once...I don't have a ton of followers or people that I follow yet, and I am still learning the whole blogging protocol.)

Big Mama at http://thebigmamablog.com/. She is sure to have you rolling on the floor...

Joy at http://joysofhome.blogspot.com/. I think I just "awarded" her the other day, but she has finished some amazing projects and I just want y'all to look...

Tracey at http://polkadotpicketfence.blogspot.com/. She is a sweet fellow Texas who stopped by my blog the other day and she is a trip. Look at her pic and tell me if you REALLY think she is 38. No way! She has a really cute blog on top of being flippin' adorable...

JL passed this my direction too...I am doubly blessed...thanks girl!

I pass this on to....

Jenni at http://www.nesttokeep.com/

My sis, at http://jillmoffitt.blogspot.com/ (keep it clean Jilly Bean...love ya')

Sandy Toes at http://shellinyourpocket.blogspot.com/

and...

Baby Mama (I love her name!) at http://ofloveandababy.blogspot.com/
Oh yeah, one more...
Nessa at http://nessatxmom.blogspot.com/ (I love my Texans y'all!)

Here are the rules:
1. You may choose five people/blogs to give the award to.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.

3. One has to be a new follower of your blog or live in another part of the world.

Have a fantabulous weekend y'all & come back again! Anytime, seriously ANYTIME! I am needy like that!

No quirky title, this is just about random stuff...

2008-10-24T07:00:00.004-05:00

Okay y'all, which looks better...where does the little birdy need to nest? Here...

Or here?

Random pumpkin...I cut out a stencil for this one and painted it black. Quite messy, a little annoying, but it turned out okay. I think it needs a big fat mess of ribbon on top. Yeah...it needs a bow. Well, doesn't everything really need a bow?

I thought I would get smart and print C's initial on paper, cut it out and paste it on instead of cutting it out and then painting it. I am not a surgeon, as you can plainly see, so there is a little outline. It sure was quicker than the one above though. Still, I filled the white in with a little black sharpie (shhhh, don't tell) and it looks better. It is out on my porch now and I am too lazy to go take a picture, download it and post it. Well, it IS 1:34 AM, so that doesn't really classify as lazy, does it?

These are a few new pumpkins that I salivated over until they went on sale. GO ME! The picture doesn't do them justice. They are gorgeous in person (or in pumpkin, I guess you would say...sorry, I am sleepy).

More tutus!!! This one is for my friend's little girl "K". Just a pile of tulle and ribbon now, but...

SHAZAM!!! Here is the finished product. There are 2 shades of pink and cream. I'll post pics later of K. and her tutu. She is a doll!

You like me... you really like me!

2008-10-21T11:16:00.019-05:00

Yes, it is true, I actually won something. Well, I don't know if I truly "won" it, but Jenni over at Nest to Keep (http://www.nesttokeep.com/) passed this award on to me. I feel so giddy! Am I a total blogging nerd to feel that way? Well, if I am I DON'T CARE! So, thanks Jenni! I will, in turn, pass it on to 6 crafty little ladies whom I love to follow...

The rules are to pass this on to six other great crafting (some of mine are decorating) bloggers (please stop by and give them a little 'ello), and to list six things that make me happy! Well...here goes!

Joy at Joys of Home http://joysofhome.blogspot.com/ is wonderful! Her fall decor is simply magical!

Amy at Winterberry Creek http://winterberrycreek.blogspot.com/ has amazing recipes and be sure to check out her flower pumpkin. It is precious ( I will have to steal that one!).

Rachel at Made with Love and Glue http://eoberrys.blogspot.com/ is an A-MAZ-ING photographer (check out the pic for her son's birth announcement...baby in a pumpkin...what more can I say) & has fab taste!

Over at the Hostess with the Mostest http://www.hostessblog.com/ you can always find fun ideas to steal...um, borrow.

Carol at Raised in Cotton http://raisedincotton.typepad.com/raised_in_cotton/ is the uber-decorator. She has shabby chic down to a science! The fall decor on her site will have you weak in the knees...

Last but not least is Shabby Mama at http://shabbymama.blogspot.com/. She is a new addition to my blog list and I think she is fantabulous (it is a word, look it up...nevermind, I lied). Her blog is fun and has a little bit of everything.

Okay y'all, here is my happy list...

That the good Lord continues to keep me fed, warm and forgiven. A big shout out to you big J.C.!
When my son, E., tells me I am the best mommy in the world. His heart is bigger than Texas!

My precious babies and how the love one another. They are always hugging and looking after each other. I pray that they continue that for the rest of their lives.

When the kids are in bed and I can sit quietly with a good decorating magazine and a cup of Signature hot chocolate from Starbucks (it is freakin' ridiculously amazing!!!). I know, it isn't a warm and fuzzy like 1 through 3, but if you have 3 small children and are still able to pick yourself up off the floor, get out the door and go in, or at least, drive through Starbucks, have enough energy in your fingers to turn the pages of a magazine, and actually pull the cup to your lips, then you know how happy even the thought of the moment can make me. Can I get an "Amen"!

A clean house. Again, no warm fuzzies...well, for me their are, but maybe not you. A clean house puts me in a good mood, no matter how crazy my day is. On the flip side, a messy house can suck every bit of glee out of me. Am I the only one who has this syndrome? Help...I need a housekeeper...STAT!

Lastly, I would again like to thank the academy for the honor of this award....oh, sorry, wrong acceptance speech.
Now, go hire a maid for the afternoon, sit with a good cup of coffee/hot chocolate/tea/Jack Daniels (whatever toots your horn), grab a good mag and have a wonderful and happy day.

Who loves vintage Halloween? I do, I do!!!

2008-10-21T01:17:00.011-05:00

Okay y'all, like you know, I am not a huge Halloween fan. Call me crazy, but I think that scaring children senseless with corpses coming out of the ground and oozing blood on your front porch does not leave fond childhood memories. I have several friends who do not "celebrate" (although I don't know what there is to celebrate on Halloween...or as Martha would say, "All Hallow's Eve"...like, who else says that???) Halloween. I completely understand, accept and respect that. However, I can't stand the thought of missing the photo op of my precious little hatchlings in their costumes, nor the opportunity to "test" the candy that they receive at the Chick-fil-A trunk-or-treat. It is amazing that, as a parent, we are forced to do such horrible things! It is also unfathomable the amount of "unacceptable" candy that I must eat...oops, I mean test, so that my dear children will be safe. Well, I must endure for their sakes...sigh!

Also, I have been pondering the thought of giving the little trick-or-treaters those cute little bags of Cheetos or popcorn balls that I have been eyeballing at my neighborhood store. Is that lame-o? I don't want to be the weirdo neighbor that passes out the crummy treats and gets my house egged. So, what are your thoughts...cute little bags of Cheetos and possible drive by egging, or just plain ol' teeth-rotting and childhood-obesity-promoting candy? Yeah, I think it will have to be candy. Bless their little oversized hearts!

Okay, I have chased a rabbit trial... This is a real head-scratcher for me. Do I decorate for fall only and skip the pumpkin carving and black cats, or do I just make it as non-terrifying as possible? Here is what I have decided. I just LOVE vintage Halloween. Actually, I am a big fan of vintage anything. I have discovered some adorable decor from folk artist Johanna Parker. She does everything, not just Halloween, and it is super cute! (Click above to go directly to her link.) Here is some of her work:

Who can resist this smiling kitty?

Okay, so this little guy isn't necessarily for Halloween, but it could work & he is so cute!

Another happy little guy

Little ornaments for your Halloween tree. Doesn't everyone have one? I would just stick them in a glass jar full of candy corns or have the poking out of a fall wreath on the front door.

Okay ya'll, since the stores are already pulling out their garland and wreaths, here is a little tidbit to get you into the Christmas spirit a little early...

Oh, I can hardly wait!

The object of my desire...

2008-10-17T01:59:00.006-05:00

...you will be mine...

Okay y'all. I have a problem. I love zebra print. Actually, I love animal print. I am not obesessive about it, and my house doesn't look like an homage to an African safari or anything, but I just think that it is fun and sassy. GRRRR! Anywho, my problem is that my dear hubby (who won't admit that he likes HGTV, has just about the best eye for color and design than anyone I know, can arrange a room like nobody's business & has fantastic taste which irritates me because, as a man, and more specifically, as my husband, he shouldn't have any say in the decor of our home...much less the strong opinion that he thinks he has a right to...the nerve!!!) doesn't like it so much. Well, I'll show him! Here is what I have concocted to deviate from the animal print ban (well, not necessarily a ban, but a strong avoidance of) in our home. A HA! (Menacing music in the background)...

I decided to recover the mats on a couple of my favorite family pictures...when we were just a mere family of three.

This is how they began their journey.

I never was in love with them, but they worked at the time.

This was the carnage that awaited me as I began to dissect the poor thing.

Behold, glorious zebra print!

How I have longed for thee...Better, isn't it? I am thinking about taking the middle mat (the plain coffee colored one) and using either scrapbook paper, or a different fabric to add some aqua to match my bedroom.

Whatcha think?

Okay, do you see something wrong with this picture? Yes, I matted them with the fabric going in different directions. Well, I could lie to you and say that it was all in my master plan, but the truth is, I did it at midnight and I was just plain tired. I can either just hang them as is, or rotate the fabric. I will probably just deal with it. Maybe noone will notice...EXCEPT MY HUSBAND!!! Oh yeah, he will ladies. He is the one who walks into a room and within a nanosecond notices a new candleholder on the mantle, or a new picture frame. He also notices when a picture is a millimeter off-centered. Frightening, isn't it? Yes, it scares me too. Hey, maybe if I get that zebra print chair, he will never notice the pictures....HMM...I'll keep you posted....

Beg, Borrow and (Lord, please forgive me...) Steal, Honey!

2008-10-16T15:36:00.006-05:00

Alright my girlfriends...fall is now in full swing. Here in Texas the weather is...wait for it...cool. Yes, I said it. As I was picking up my little C. from Mother's Day Out, I looked at the temperature on my rear view mirror (oh yeah, I have the fancy 2001 Suburban, complete with matching dents on each side of my fenders...jealous aren't you?) and it said 65 degrees. I nearly veered off of the road during a moment of utter ecstasy and glee, but I pulled it together and simply announced it to my fellow passengers. Albeit, they are only 6 and 1, and couldn't have cared less, I was enthralled and had to pass on my new nugget of information. So, to pay homage to the beginning of fall, I have a few little ideas for holiday decor. Please, feel free to steal, uhm, I mean "be inspired" by them, and incorporate them into your own nests, because the Good Lord knows that I did the same....
Happy decorating my peeps!

Do you think that the little trick-or-treaters would appreciate the

cuteness of these little gourds? Well, of course!

Okay, tulle is like, a buck a yard. How cheap and adorable are these? If you didn't like black, you could always do orange or green. I think a little fall wreath hung by some beautiful ribbon would be adorable on the back (maybe with a few little berries mixed in).

How fun is this one? Just cut your flowers on an angle, put them in some wet floral foam and they should last at least a week. You can even find the flowers at your local grocery store!

These little pumpkins are so cute, but you could even use fake ones and reuse it every year.

We are now a family of 7!

2008-10-13T21:43:00.006-05:00

No, they aren't from my own uterus... I know what you are thinking, "Isn't about time you cranked out another one?" Well, no, these are adopted. The kids are so pumped up! You would think that they actually got to pick out their own siblings. Anywho, they are named "Tyler" and "Dora the Explorer". Actually, Tyler's full name is "Lazy Tyler" since he/she (this part is debateable...although since it is lazy, it is probably a male...AHEM). E. is so stressed out that his isn't doing laps around the habitat. C. named hers Dora the explorer because she can really hoof it around the habitat with the speed of a gazelle. It is amazing! I have decided that the ones that they picked out match their personality. I have heard that pets pick their owners...I guess that goes for hermit crabs too.

By the way, we bought these little critters at Earthbound Trading Company. Have you ever been in there? Okay y'all, there was so much incense burning in there that my lungs are literally petrified. I can't tell you how many people walked (or rather, stumbled) in there with eyes glazed over talking about crystals and swords. Back off DUUUUUDE.....

*Note to self...."Self, don't go within 1,000 feet of that place again".

This is "Lazy Tyler" before we discovered his laziness.

Look at him go! Actually, this is the first and only time that we actually saw his little face.

Dora the Explorer on the move

C. is so excited with her new pet

Tutus and Pumpkins

2008-10-13T15:41:00.007-05:00

Tutu Cute for Words!

I decided that I would create my own tutu for C. this year. We aren't big Halloweeners (or Halloweiners...whichever you prefer), but I do like for them to dress up and get candy. C. is going to just be a Fall princess/fairy/girl... whatever she deems herself to be. This is a preview of the tutu & how it all came together...

First, the green...

Then the purple...

Then the black...

I just tied each piece around the elastic waistband, then added a double-faced satin ribbon on the back. I am taking orders!!! =)

I had to bribe her (yes, I have to bribe sometimes...don't think less of me) to get the tutu on, then after I put it on her, she wouldn't take it off. Imagine that! Oh, the will of a 2-year-old!

The Arboretum

My Mom & Dad gave us Arboretum passes for the year for Christmas and I highly recommend doing the same for your family. We all get in, the entire year for free. Free y'all!! Even the parking is ....free!!! My favorite word!!!

Y'all the Arboretum is gorgeous this time of year. They had thousands of pumpkins, amazing flowers, a hay maze & a petting zoo. Mondays are Mommy & Me days where they have face-painting and other crafts for the kiddos. We had no idea that everyone else in Texas would be there for Columbus Day. My hubby had the day off, so we decided to use our passes for the first time. Although it was insanely crowded, I had plenty of good pictures at the end of the day (I mean, isn't that the whole reason you go anyway??? Hello!!!). Here are some of my faves...

W. loved the pumpkins! He had the best time of all...

Here are my boys. Aren't they precious!

W. at the petting zoo. He loves animals!

Picture perfect moment

Our little pumpkin

C. in the "tiny tiny" house

Look at all of the amazing pumpkins & gourds

Swing music, wine & food...yeah, baby!

2008-10-10T15:08:00.007-05:00

A few of my girlfriends and I went to the Arboretum to hear a great swing band last night (Tuxedo Junction). The male singer sounded like Michael Buble's brother (he was phenomenal) and the fact that he busted out a little Harry Connick, Jr. was even better. I love me some Harry Connick, Jr. Not necessarily the man, although from everything that I have heard on Access Hollywood, or seen in People (my go-to, hard-hitting news shows), he seems like a nice enough guy, but the voice is what I am refering too. I have an affection for his music since high school. When everyone else was jammin' to Tone Loc, the B-52s, or Paula Abdul (before she went crazy...by the way, did I just date myself or what?) I was swaying and toe-tapping to Harry. When Harry Met Sally (which is still one of my favorite movies) came out, I immediately snatched up the cassette (for those of you who don't know what a cassette is, get off my blog & go watch High School Musical 3) and listened to it until my ears bled. There is something about that old big band music and a mellow voice singing about love that beats out any song about drinkin', cheatin' and poppin' a cap in someone's derrier, or is it just me? Here are a few pics:

Our spread...delish!

The singer...he was fantastic!

Halloween treats for my sweets!

You've got mail!!

The kiddo's Grammy sent them this for Halloween. We don't do scary Halloween, so these little outfits were perfect. C. is getting a Halloween tutu ( I will post this later & let you know how it turned out) and big ol' bow in her hair with her outfit. We have no idea what E. will be, and W. will wear his I love my mummy" shirt for the big day.

I've been boo'd!

2008-10-07T21:51:00.003-05:00

This is what some little sneaky Halloweener (or should I say "Halloweiner"...hee hee hee) Dropped at my doorstep. What fun! I didn't have any fall towels (shame on me, I know, I know) and that cookie cutter...I must make cookies now. What a shame! The stickers are precious as well. What a fun little surprise!

Now...to pass it on...hmm, who will get the goodies below (I did steal the idea, by the way)?

This was the simplest thing to do! I had all but 50 cents (or as the young folk would say "fiddy cent") worth of ribbon, a dollar bucket from Wally World, a $2 bag of caramels and I had 4 apples and some sticks at home. A whopping total of $2.50! The goal is no more than $5. I think I did a pretty snazzy job if I do say so myself.

Maybe I will just "boo" myself...

I have a six-year-old!

2008-10-06T20:36:00.008-05:00

Isn't he gorgeous? I mean, I am not biased AT ALL, but I just can't stand it! Handsome, sweet and has the sweetest heart of any little kiddo I know. He is absolutely a blessing!!!

The big day...

The first pics are of his actual birthday. We try to take the kids out on their birthday for lunch or dinner and then they get their choice of dessert.

E.'s birthday has come and gone & let me tell you...the whole "drop-your-kid-off" birthday party rocks! We began this as a nod to other parents. You know...PULEEEZE consider doing the same because I can always use a couple of hours of peace! As the party thrower, I have to say that we benefitted as well. Let me 'splain...(1) No parents to feed (2) no chit-chat with adults while trying to keep 6 kids from tearing up the house...all hands were on deck (3) less of a mess! It was a win-win. I highly recommend it. Here are some highlights from the shindig.

Birthday pancakes (with chocolate chips). YUM-O!

Here's the booty!

At the hibachi.. the flaming volcano was good...Wow!!! Then the psycho drum bangers came......

Then gong-boy...not so much...then fried ice cream...again, not so much...Thanks but no thanks!

Thanks Dad! (and Mom)...It was great...even though I just ate the shrimp.

Sidenote: our hibachi dude was lame-o, but E. didn't care or notice. His only schtick was the volcano...nothing else.

Party time!!!

E. had a "Transformers" themed birthday. Here is my attempt at an autobot symbol...Grey icing..delish!

Here are a few festivities. Aren't the little munchkins adorable?

Time to go so big ma' can sleep for a few days...whew, it is over!

A Small Change

2008-10-03T01:18:00.007-05:00

Okay y'all, my website is back up and running. Yes, it is 1:20 AM... but I must press on. I wanted to do a few changes because I wasn't very happy about the appearance of my blog. It was soooo September 2008!
Well, I have for you, my list of Top 10 Frugal-Or-Fiscally-Challenged-Decorating-Tips-For-The-Decorating-Obsessed...Here goes...

Just add ribbon. Seriously, ribbon is like candy corn - you can never have too much. I put it around anything that doesn't run away from me. Above pictures, around candlesticks, etc. Any holiday is a perfect excuse to just tie a ribbon and bow around everything!
Declutter. Most people (you know who you are) have too much clutter. I am a clutterphobe and I still have too much junk. So, get rid of everything that isn't sentimental, beautiful or useful. Do you really need those 435 figurines? Does it bring you that much joy? If so, keep them, if not, I have 2 words...EBAY and Craigslist!!! Trust me, people get nervous in your home, parents cringe, and most importantly, they collect dust, or become nesting spots for other creatures.
Add vinyl wall letters. I love http://www.uppercaseliving.com/. They have an hugemongous (yes, a technical term again) selection, can do custom designs and fit any budget. They are also idiot proof, which is a plus. There are other sites too, but this one is my fave.
Stick a feather in it. Feathers really class things up. I don't mean your big fluffy wedding pen topper feather, or the feathers from your boa from your go-go girl stage, but beautiful feathers. You know the ones...pheasant, peacock...anything exotic and natural...like me...quit laughing!
Paint it black. Black is soooo sophisticated. Why do we wear a little black dress when we go out? Well for some of us, it helps those thunder thighs miraculously disappear (or so we think), so throw some black paint on it, baby!
Hire a designer for 1 hour. You will be amazed at what they can do. They can help with paint colors, furniture placement, organization, etc. Most of them won't even tell you that your home is hideous. A win-win, what can I say.
If you are at a complete loss, or are totally non-commital, go white. They say once you go white...oh, nevermind...Anywho, white is so calming. There are so many shades of white that you can't possibly screw up, unless you make your room/home/apartment/condo/townhome/mansion/duplex/cell look like a hospital room. The key to a white color palette is different shades of white and lots of textures. Look at me, it is like I am a designer or something. Too much HGTV I am afraid.
Add a little...mind you, I said LITTLE bit of animal print. Too much of this stuff is lethal! It will do one of 2 things: (1) PETA will be naked on your front porch throwing red paint in your face or (2) it will just look like some sort of cheap brothel. Now, if you are going for that look, knock yourself out, otherwise keep the cheetah contained to a couple of throw pillows or an ottoman.
Work in groups of odd numbers. Any decorator will tell you that, for some reason, odd numbered items are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Now, for those of you with OCD, you may find that symmetry is a better option and that having (a) pair(s) of objects with one extra floating around is too much for you too handle. In this case, ignore this rule, seek medical help, and please don't blog-stalk me.
Last but not least...join with me in my obsession...magazine browsing. I steal everything when it comes to decorating. I truly don't consider myself a creative person...I consider myself a good copy-cat. I am not proud of it, but I do what I have to do. I am slowly learning all of the tricks and my house is coming together, but it has taken a village. My village includes the following: HGTV, Fine Living (Sarah Richardson is divine), Cottage Living, Country Living, O at Home, Southern Living (what Southern gal doesn't subscribe?), Cottage Home, Better Homes and Gardens and many others of whom I cannot recall at 1:56 AM. To keep my house from becoming a fire hazard, I (gasp!) tear out the pages where I find inspiration and recycle my mags to my mom (who has the same magazine obsession, but benefits from mine through hand-me-downs).

Under construction...

2008-10-02T17:27:00.002-05:00

I am trying to change my schizo blog. I am soooo computer un-savvy! Bear with me!