Decorating Fanatic

My Latest Acquisition....

2009-04-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Did a month really slip on by me since I last posted? My sincerest apologies!

Anyway - since my time off from blogging mainly meant that I was being totally self indulgent and spending my time engrossed in a series of books that I wasn't even bothering to eat/shower/clean house, let alone fight with my antiquated computer & try to post anything new for you.

So after a few emails this morning - telling me to get off my arse and post something ;) I realized I haven't shown you this little item that I have had on layaway for a few months. Told you it's easier to explain (or not!) to the hubby when things are on a payment plan! and he has yet to notice anyway...sigh...gotta love him.

She's from the late 1800's and I just fell in love with her (my thanks goes to Vanna, of course who unknowingly got me started on a new frenzy searching out "busts" - nope, I still can't say that with a straight face!) She was purchased on RubyLane from a store called "DollMary". Mary is the owner and was so willing to let me do layaway. She has many beautiful things listed and is a real sweetheart, so click on the link and stop on by her store.

Isn't she pretty?.....

Okay - now that I am out of hibernation, I will be around to visit all of your blogs that I have missed these last few weeks. Happy Sunday!

A Little Tour of Washington, D.C......

2009-03-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

(my daughter on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial "holding" the Washington Monument in her hands)

Last week my daughter, Mother and I went to Washington! My daughter was attending the Jr. National Young Leaders Conference. After a 4 a.m. ride to the airport and two hectic flights, I left my daughter at the airport with a few chaperone's & about 25 other kids who were patiently waiting for all attendees to arrive. Then my Mother and I headed out to our hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. I wouldn't see my daughter until 6 days later at the airport for our return flight home.

With daily text messages & phone calls to my daughter, I knew she was doing well so it was time for my Mom & I to do our own sight seeing. We had a little rental car equipped with a GPS. our saving grace! we put almost 500 miles on it! The traffic is horrific, the freeways confusing and that wasn't even the commute hour! It would take us 60 minutes to go 12 miles! But we were footloose & fancy free, no schedules - so we went where we wanted to go.

Washington Monument in the distance....

555 ft. tall...

On to the Lincoln Memorial....

Walking up the huge steps...look at how tiny the people are! It's massive!

If you read my last post as I talked about my "unsuitable California wardrobe"...well, I packed all my sweaters, turtlenecks & wool coat only to be hit with temps in the 70's! haaa! Locals kept telling us how lucky we were to have the nice weather when the previous week there had been snow. I just wish I had known beforehand - our typical California wear would have been way more appropriate! Instead I was doomed to carry around my wool jacket expecting freezing weather at any moment!

Oops! ..how did that get in here?

We took a tour of how the money is made but they wouldn't allow us to take pictures of the process...
Show me the Money!!!!

A side view of the Jefferson Memorial....

And the front steps....(can you see him standing in the background waiting?...)

You mean that's not a "monument"?....

But it certainly was a sight to see..a full warehouse of antiques!

Oh, looky here! The White House door bell.. "Ding Dong! We're here!" (ha! yeah right!)

Vietnam War Memorial...

Women's Memorial ...

Korean War Memorial....

The Capitol Building...

Oh? did you think I wouldn't go antiquing??

(In Fredericksburg, a whole block of antique shops and yes, we had tea & a slice of pie in the "Tea Room"!!)

Arlington Cemetery.....

Something like 27 funerals a day...

Kennedy's Eternal Flame....

The Changing of the Guard at the unclaimed soldiers graves...

The Amphitheater at the cemetery......

We saw 4 of the 19 Smithsonian Museums...(they say you can't see everything in all 19 museums in your lifetime!)

But this Lincoln exhibit was really memorable....

Creepy head masks from their hangings....

It really was an amazing trip. We walked our feet off. As for my daughter's experience. She would be taken on field trips during the day and classes at night, not getting back to her dorm room until 10:30 pm and would have to be up by 6:00 am ready to go the next morning - all with a 3 hour (plus one hour daylight savings) time change! I kept asking "did you take a shower yet?" because I couldn't figure when they would have time!

(my daughter in front of the Supreme Court...)

She really enjoyed the experience, seeing the sights, making new friends and learning about the ups & downs, good & bad choices of past leaders. Needless to say she slept the entire first flight home!

(The goodies I had to carry back on the plane!)

(Cups & Tray purchased separately)

(A little needlepoint pillow...)

My mother and I really enjoyed the trip as well. These are only a few of the 300+ pictures I had taken. Though I wouldn't consider it a "vacation" (i.e. no beach chairs & cocktails were involved on this trip!) it was very educational and awe-inspiring, I just wished I had paid better attention in history class when I was younger! ;) As for the boys left at home, they survived...but my house didn't! (my husband was so eager to point out that he did the laundry but he can't multitask so everything else - i.e. putting AWAY the laundry or the dishes, vacuuming didn't get done and I don't know what happened but I have the most mismatched sheets on my bed!?)... sigh... :)

Going On A Trip!

2009-03-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

Helloooo Fellow Bloggers!!

Sorry! I have been a bit busy these last few weeks. I was in tax crunch H-E- (well you get the point). I am supposed to manage the books for my husband's landscape construction business..but whoops! time gets away from me (could be the blogging!) and I have to do in a few weeks time what I should be doing all year long.

Besides the oh-so-fun tax stuff - I have been getting ready to take my daughter to Washington, D.C. tomorrow! She is attending a Jr. National Young Leader's Conference. Our flight is at 6:20 a.m which means we have to leave around 4 to get to the airport. Yikes!

I basically have to hand my daughter over for 6 days and meet up with her again at the airport on the day we fly home. She will be staying in a dorm with other girls. She is ELEVEN (nearly 12), people! what was I thinking?! But I am dragging my Mother with us, so her and I will hit the historic sights and do our own tour.

But of course the weeks leading up to this time off for the "Woman of the House" means alot of preparation for "the boys" that will be left home alone! That's right, my boys are 9, 4 and 37! So I have been busy not only packing for myself, helping the daughter along with her suitcase (including a sleeping bag for an overnighter in a museum!) but laying out sets of clothing for my husband and two sons. You know men can't dress themselves, or use the washing machine either or cook anything other than Top Ramen noodle soup & scrambled eggs!

As I sat there admist my empty suitcase, miserably looking at my mound of unsuitable CALIFORNIA clothing to be headed into what they said was 12 degrees in D.C. last week - tieing up loose ends of school needs (juiceboxes for school party & independent study forms) trying to decipher the crumpled up, washed & dried receipts for our taxes - scrounging through the loose sock bin in search of enough pairs of socks to last "the boys" through the maids (i.e. ME) time off - it really hit me that I will have 6 days off of not doing ANYTHING for ANYONE but ME! YIPEE!! :)

So I will be enjoying this next week - whether the sun is shining or not in D.C. and will hopefully have pictures to post for you then!

The Cows Came Home...

2009-02-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here I am... without a thing in the world to post about. I haven't been out antiquing, refinishing, rearranging or any other "ing". As I browse around from blog to blog, oohing and aahing over the latest vignettes, tablescapes and flea market finds, all filled with such inspiration and here I am drawing a blank.

So until I can get out of this blogger's block...this is the best I can come up with....COWS. yep. cows.

We raise cattle and most days, I am oblivious to them as they just seem to become part of the landscape.

(whoops! How did those get in here?)

Other days I am most annoyed for they usually find an opening in the fencing to come eat our apple trees.

And alot of the time - I am REALLY mad for the wandering calf who causes his Mama to MOO all night long calling for him.

But I really don't pay any attention to them at all...

I mean, sure they are CUTE when they are little....

but I don't spend my free time thinking about them...

I mean just because we live on a ranch....

Doesn't make me a "COWgirl" or anything....

So nope, I never give them a second thought....

Or glance....

Just keeping my thoughts strictly on making my home as cozy as can be...

So until I can get past this mental block, forgive me the pictures of the bovine group. ;)

Have a great weekend!

ROAD TRIP

2009-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Did you miss me? We went on a little road trip a few weeks ago. Didn't want to announce it allover the internet before hand that I was leaving my house for a few days but we took the kids to DISNEYLAND!

We left our little town and headed out for the 5 hour drive south.

(Grandma got the lucky job of entertaining the four year old on the way!)

(the older two had 3 days worth of Independent Study to complete & movies to keep them entertained - which do you think they did more of?)

All month long we had been having 70-80 degree weather..only to arrive in Southern CA with storms looming on the forecast! The first day it was beautiful weather...

And then it wasn't so beautiful....

(I'll bet the most purchased "souvenir" that week from Disneyland was their ponchos!!)

But we made the most of our trip. It definitely made the park less crowded! And we even got to go on rides continuously without leaving our seats! What's a little water from Splash Mountain when you are getting poured on anyway right?

(Do you see the small patch of blue in front of my husband? that's the four year old! ha! )

And a little "Goofiness" from Goofy's Kitchen where we got to breakfast with many characters...

With the kids being older - we got to go on more of the main attractions, like Indiana Jones, Star Tours & crazy "California SCREAMING" rollercoaster over at the California Grand Adventure park. And SCREAM I did! While the kids begged for more, I would have to pop wads of peppermint gum in my mouth to counteract my queasy stomach. When the husband and I were off doing the "wild" rides with the older two kids, Grandma would take the youngest to the more tame side of the parks. After a while, "It's a Small World" was about all I could handle! When did I get old?

So while I only posted a few pictures ( I took 158!) to save me frustration of my antiquated dial up internet system (it takes me days to upload pictures!!!), this was the first time of many visits at Disneyland that we didn't want to leave the Magical Kingdom. We truly had a wonderful time, bad weather and all! :)

Motherhood Moment

2009-01-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

Can I brag for a moment...? This sweet, young girl is my 11 year old daughter. Today she is dressed up for GREEK Day at school. We had to sew up this costume and make a Greek food dish (we made Greek Almond Tea Cakes) to bring in. She also had to make a Greek mask and will be acting out a small skit with a few other classmates.

They will be doing Greek Olympics today - good luck with everyone dressed like this!

We had to set the alarm a little early today to manage the hairdo! Hard to see but the updo portion is braided and coiled into a loose bun.

The costume was simple enough to make but a bit more challenging when you have a houseful of sick patients and are stuffed up yourself! Yes, we have been hit with some virus that keeps circulating around the house.

But the bragging part of this post is not about the outfit but the special little girl wearing it. Not only is she smart, earning all A+'s, but her inner beauty just makes her shine (my husband and I like to "argue" on who she resembles most!) Her caring heart & compassion has given her many friendships (this little girl will draw a bath, lay out my pj's & make me a cup of tea just because she wants to pamper me - oh, I am welling up now!) and her quiet confidence & composure has allowed her to challenge herself and face any fears (she will be attending a Jr.Nat'l Young Leaders Conf. in Wash.D.C.) We feel truly blessed with our special girl.

So please indulge me...I am having a Proud Motherhood Moment! :)

I've been bad...

2009-01-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make....(gulp)..... I've Strayed!!..

I reposted pictures over at RMS. I feel like a traitor to Blogland! But hear me out... For over a year I had password trouble - no matter how many ways I had tried - I could not get access to my rooms. But now - for some reason, I was suddenly receiving emails of new comments on my spaces. It had been nearly a year since any comments had been emailed to me. When I went over to check them out, I was aghast at how outdated my rooms were! Even laughing at how "naked" they looked without all my current homey touches.

~Before~

(haa! Oh go ahead - you can laugh too, I won't hear you!)

So after a little playing around - got my password reinstated and I figured I would just update my rooms and be on my way, right? Welllllll, it took me two days to upload pictures (you remember my internet issues from before..) Then while on RMS, I noticed the whole style layout is completely different and now you can't use exclaimation points!!!!! (I mean really? that's supposed to stop the fighting?) But by then it was too late - I was in too deep.... there I was checking every 10 minutes to see if I had a new comment or a better rating. I am ashamed to admit I got SUCKED IN AGAIN!!

(before adding green checked trim to the curtains, raising the curtain rods or buying the red armchair & sisal rug - phew!)

~After~

I figured I had grown up enough to not care what anyone thought, to not be disappointed when I started to receive negative comments. I was beyond that, right? I mean, I decorate for myself & my family, not for some faceless person with a name of "9678011" right?...right?

~Before~

(before I even glazed my cabinets or added extra trim to them -see if you notice!)

~After~

Wrong! As much as I tried convincing myself that nobody elses opinion matters - it still hurts to hear (read) someone saying to "declutter" (did I title my room "Minimalist"..?? No!)...sigh... when will I ever learn? And don't even get me started on those ratings! To think someone hates your room so much that they would give you the lowest possible score so that you couldn't possibly rate even a "Good" room? To not even find one redeemable quality in your decorating?

~Before~

(no window benches & before my rooster plant died!)

~After~

Do those faceless people know the time & effort and hours of shopping (ok, that part was fun!) and the arranging & rearranging of furniture? The wrestling with my sewing machine? The dust & toxic fumes I inhaled while refinishing furniture? The arguments my husband and I had over building those window benches?.. But not everyone is bad on RMS. There were a few well wishers with some real compliments - but why do the bad remarks always erase those good ones?

~Before~

(before refinishing table & chairs or building window bench or even curtains!)

~After~

I think its perhaps I gained so much more acceptance from fellow bloggers that I thought RMS would somehow be different this time around....but some things never change...including the same kitchen posted on the main page under "Most Viewed". Come on people!

~Before~
(Look!.. No piano, screen or wingbacks!)

~After~

So while my rooms are still posted on RMS, (what are you crazy? it took me TWO DAYS to upload all those photos!?) I vow never to stray again...I found the comfort & reassurance I was looking for right here in BLOGLAND.

There are some good things that came out of RMS - I got to meet some of you there :)....and I never would have taken so many "BEFORE" pictures to laugh over now.

Now if you'll excuse me,...I am off to declutter my rooms....... Just Kidding! ;)

**P.S. - All of your comments mean the world to me! I know this subject hits a nerve and I really appreciate all of you taking the time to comment & boost my spirits! I will be by to visit with all of you & see those lovely blogs & pictures that are calling to me.... after I sew my daughter's Greek costume & make a food dish for school! ....sigh....can't wait for summer...remind me I said that when I start complaining then. :)

Giving The Husband A Hint....

2009-01-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

Do you think this is a subtle hint that Valentine's Day is coming? I know it's a bit early but I wanted to give my husband plenty of time to notice. Remember ~ he's a bit oblivious of his surroundings...but he's a good guy!

(this cherub was reg $49.99 - I paid $14.99 @ Jo-ann's After Holiday sale)

(I updated my "faux" flowers a bit for some "Luuuvvv" colors. Don't you just adore those little sparkly hearts!?.. & the candles smell sooo good!)

Sorry not too much to post.. started way too many "Spring Cleaning" projects all at once that now I am a bit overwhelmed!! Also the kids have been keeping me busy with their school projects ...speaking of kids, looky what I found as I was loading my pictures into the computer just now....

That's from the 4 year old. Sneaky little guy figured out how to turn on my new camera & take a picture faster than I did! Give him some time and I bet his pictures will turn out better than mine too. Have a great weekend! :) ~ P.S. - Bo at Blinks n Winks nicknamed my little guy "Cherub" I think that's so appropriate - not only because he loves to run around in his underwear with his little cherub belly hanging out but he does bring love & joy to all of us around him! Thanks Bo!~

A Little Project...

2009-01-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

I went looking for an armchair to use in our Dining & Living room. I found this one in an antique store for around $65. It had a pretty carved back and was nice & sturdy..but the finish was kind of worn, the upholstery a bit stained and the "fruit wood" tone wasn't what I had in mind..

Neither was hand-sanding for about an hour! But I had a burst of energy & sudden urge to start this project late on Saturday evening and didn't want to venture out in the dark in search of the electric sander. At about this point, I was questioning my sanity...Why did I want to do this again?

But after a coat of Mahogany stain, my faith was renewed in what I was doing....(*note to self - buy more latex gloves & hide them even better than the last time so kids don't find them and use them as balloons and you don't walk around with "mechanic's hands"* yes, I have pretty grimy fingers!)

Then on to the upholstery. I didn't want to take the time to undo 500 staples on the old fabric and I was a little leery of what I might find underneath in lieu of padding. (One antique bench I had reupholstered had horse hair in it! Ick!) Don't think this chair is all that old but I wasn't taking any chances! I just applied a new layer of cotton batting over the old upholstery.

And then my new fabric ...

After allowing the stain to dry in the sun the next morning (we had 70+ degree weather in CA this weekend!!) I re-attached the seat and Voila! My kind of project!

I have been playing around with its placement in the room and found it to be very versatile!

Over here by the window bench...

Or brought over for Piano enjoyment....

Or neatly tucked away....

What do you think......? Oh and since you are already here ;) let me show you just one or two little things that I added to combat the "No More Christmas Decor" blahs that I had previously mentioned in another post.

The black rectangular tray on the end is new. Who needs food on a buffet when you can "feast" your eyes on this? ;) (Doesn't work so well on my husband...)

And it's smaller companion on the piano...

And that cute little rose plate for $5!

That's it! Thanks for stopping by.....

Sibling Rivalry

2009-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

My older two children (daughter, 11 & son 9) fight & bicker terribly. They argue from the time we wake, all the way to school in the car, upon picking them up -we aren't even out of the school parking lot and the teachers are getting an earful - mainly from me hollering for them to "Knock it off!! I'm trying to drive!" It always made me wonder why car manufacturers don't make that "limo driver window" in minivans or suburbans so Mom's don't hear all the wracket from the backseat and can safely drive their brood home.

These two, when they were younger were like buddies. Only two years apart but little "Bubba" would run to "Sissy" for hugs if he got in trouble or hurt. She was his other mother. Now this fighting has become habitual & normal and I was envisioning them grown & having to divide up the holidays spent at home!

So this morning, when another explosive moment was happening and I am in the midst of tears, wails & moans of "He jumped on my bed when I was sleeping!" & "She kicked me in the stomach!" Inspiration struck!

I said in my most authoritive voice "That's it! Both of you hug each other right now & apologize!" and then "..but wait til I get my camera first!" (ha-ha!)

They both got this stunned look, kind of like "deer in headlights" expression. My daughters teary face actually started to laugh and we had to put up with gagging noises from the 9 year old boy.

Here are those tender moments....

My daughter is always eager to pose for pictures... 2 minutes before she was crying her eyes out!..go figure...

Eww! Cooties!

Owwww! So painful the 9 year old collapsed! My daughter looks like she is sniffing an odor...

Awww! The good ole' days!

But you know it worked...at least for the time being. After this, they actually AGREED to play a Wii game together and I could hear them "asking" each other for things instead of demanding or taking control. AMAZING! Now I know I have to wield this new found power carefully so as not to abuse it's use, only reserving it for those special times - but I saw a mini miracle today! So if any of you have bickering children whom you want to sell to the gypsies, try this tactic first & let me know if it works for you. We, Mothers have to stick together! ;)

Finally!!

2009-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

HOLY COW! This post was a week long in the making! Sure in the beginning, I was going to sheepishly apologize for taking so long on updating my blog. I had gotten caught up in the holidays and how wonderful it felt to be in pj's and to read a book! I lounged around, ate chocolate, read a few novels, ate some more chocolate.....(this week I started a Pilate's class to combat all that indulging and now can barely move my legs! :) But then when I finally stopped hibernating, I found that I couldn't post.. no matter how many ways I tried ! It literally took DAYS to upload a few photos. It would sit there for hours - sometimes I got lucky and it actually posted them and then others all that time was wasted and I would have to start over...agonizing frustration! Agh! was ready to tear my hair out! But anyway here I am...um, just don't expect another post from me too soon...;)

We so enjoyed our holidays and I really did like having the kids home - even with their bickering & squabbling, but they were "mine" for two weeks. Aside from a few Must Attend birthday parties and play dates, our schedule was pretty carefree (i.e. no homework or parent volunteering). But I foolishly thought that they would be entertained with all their new gadgets & gizmos from Santa. Whatever was I thinking...? They are back in school this week...I suspect there are a few "Hallelujah!" 's out there from THE MOM's. :)

My husband's a good guy...but he most often is clueless as to what to buy me for Christmas. He pretty much gives me free rein to buy what I need or want for the house. Even the time I was only going in to get an oil change and ended up coming home with a brand new car..um...surprise!! (well it was a good deal, we had just had our third child and needed more room..see how convincing I am?) But getting back to him, he knows I have specific taste in clothing (though I get the usual new pj's & robe for Christmas!) and of course I am particular about the house decor so I usually end up with a pretty pair of earrings or another gold watch (I mean sweetheart how many arms do I have!?) that I don't get dressed up & go out often enough to wear. I know, I know, my mother would be appalled that I would think JEWELERY wasn't very exciting and I do love jewelery but I usually don't wear these Beautiful Baubles unless it's Christmas. But this year was different...He got me a Camera!! I don't know what clued him in that I was in dire need of one. Maybe it was the tape holding the batteries in...?

Or maybe the fact that the symbols on the turn dial had completely worn off and it was always a gamble as to what function the camera was in..?

But the funny thing was, that I unknowingly WRAPPED MY OWN GIFT! Yep, the clever man hid the camera box inside of a another box with "Fuel Pump" or something equally uninteresting to me on the front and claimed it was a gift for his brother and would I mind wrapping it for him...? It's probably because the jewelery store does wrap jobs and my husband has never had to bother! Imagine my surprise as I went to open this package...I thought my husband had flipped his lid and was giving me something unromantic. Not that a camera typically exudes those warm, fuzzy feelings...but I was happy that he had paid attention! Yay honey!!

Anyway - he did good! It's got the simple 'point & shoot' or the more elaborate manual focus/shutter speed/aperture stuff on it that I still am trying to figure out but am having fun learning... but it's not too overboard for a beginner. As you may be aware of the difficulty I have had in years past of trying to get the kids to sit still long enough for pictures, I have been "staging" my home decor! They make much easier subjects! ;)

On New Years Eve, after going out for some Chinese food, I got in the mood to take down all the Christmas decor. Even had to send the husband out to Target at 8pm for some more storage tubs! There was some decorations you all didn't get to see as I got too busy to post those last few days before Christmas. We had another tree set up in the Study. But taking it all down was a good way to pass the time until midnight.

But then you know how empty your house looks after all the glitz is gone? Just so sad and lonely? Well I have a remedy for that. I always buy a little something and save it for after the holidays. Some new candles, maybe a new plant or a pretty plate to display to perk things up. So taking my new camera I went about the house snapping away. See if you spot anything new...Lord knows my husband doesn't! ;)

To fully grasp that my husband doesn't notice a whole lot...this little sofa table, was being stored under our bed - it comes apart. My husband watched me carry this piece by piece downstairs (he was laying on the bed watching tv at the time!) and it still took 3 days with me finally pointing it out for him to "notice" it!..see what I mean?

This heavy guy I hand carried back all the way from Paris.....Paris Hotel in Las Vegas that is! :) Took a real quick trip the first week in December and he caught my eye. It sort of shocked the airline security. They didn't know what it was, especially wrapped up for protection in my pink Pj's in a shopping bag! (hey, either my pj's or a hotel towel and my conscience wouldn't let me do that!)

No More Christmas Decor.....sigh....

Yes, it's a cake plate! But it was sooo cute! I like to keep my kitchen counters clear and this room is open to the kitchen so...why not?

Back at the front entry - no more garland or stockings...phew! that was hard work.

This little lady was inspired from "VANNA" at Delusions of Grandeur and her amazing "Bust" (can I keep a straight face?) collection. ;) If you haven't seen how beautiful they are & her home is...GO!

And looky here's another one.....just a little reproduction but she exudes romance! And those new candles (& holders) smell delicious and I haven't even lit them yet.

Well that's almost it..working on a little something that I picked up at an Antique shop for the dining room but that will be another post. Hopefully we won't have to wait as long though..thanks for being patient with me!

Frustration Part II

2009-01-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Again Friends...yes, I am still having trouble uploading pictures. I received an error message code. Now if you go to Blogger Help Center - you can input this code and see if anyone else is having the same problem and yep indeedy, there are quite a few! Blogger claims to be working on it.... So while this is still frustrating to me - at least I know it's not something I am doing wrong! But thank you everyone for leaving me little encouraging comments and helpful tips. It's nice knowing I am missed!! :) As soon as I can upload pictures - I will finally publish my post! So now I will just come around and visit all of you! ~ Laurie

FRUSTRATED!!

2009-01-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Fellow Blogger Friends:

I have been trying since Friday evening to upload pictures to blogger. It shows that it's uploading pictures but sits there...and sits there...and sits there. I have even gone to take a shower and come back to it still "claiming" to be uploading my pictures. I even tried to do it one picture at a time and it still won't work!

I was perusing 'Bloggers' help pages but can't get the page to open where I can complain! Do you feel my pain!? If anyone has any ideas or suggestions....(sniff, sniff) My blog is doomed to live in Christmas past forever!

Okay...I am here...waiting....for...help....:(

The Challenges of a Christmas Card

2008-12-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

The tradition started back 11 years ago with my 1st child. The Photo Christmas Card.

Two Christmases later she had to share the spotlight with her younger brother. A bit more challenging but still I found many ways to make our card unique each year.

........5 years later came the THIRD CHILD

2004....

First year - a piece of cake!

2005....
A bit more challenging.....

Can you tell my middle child looks thrilled that he's NOT the one causing my frustration as the youngest tries to sneak away...

Uh Oh! Youngest didn't like being plopped back down for the picture.

Had to distract him with the talking santa....

Just love that he looks thoroughly terrorized in the final picture...

2006.....

We had just moved into the new house....

Hey Look at Mama!

No, over here!

THIS WAY!!!

PERFECT!!!

(There are about a dozen more in this sequence but for uploading purposes, .....you get the idea. But if I scroll thru them on my computer it's like a darn movie. It's hilarious!)

2007.....

Playing the "shy boy" ha! yeah, right!

You have to take your picture for Santa!.. Good! Look at that angelic face...

(Glad "Pepito" the chihuahua looked good for this one...)

Now, take a good look at the expression & finger point on the youngest who was just 3...Doesn't his face just say " hey, right back at you babe!"

QUICK! Grab him in a headlock! SNAP!

2008...

Surprisingly!

Aside from a few frustrated moments and a few goofy grins, the issue wasn't with the youngest! More squawking came from the older two but you know, a few threats here and there certainly helped. :)

Merry Christmas!

Guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.....can you guess which one is me? ;)

A little sidebar here.....

I apologize for the slow post! My 11 year old darling daughter had a pretty good part in the school musical this past Friday evening. So all week, I had to play "stage mom" and put in my parent volunteer hours. Driving back and forth to the church for rehearsals, helping 3 different grades shimmy in & out of their costumes (boy did I ever get good at tying on the shepherd's head wraps!) She did a wonderful job at the performance. While I was biting my fingernails, she was the calm, collected one. She was so natural! and made us very proud! :)

Then of course we had a slight power outage this weekend. Don't even bring up the question of a generator. We have blown more electrical equipment and light bulbs trying to use it. I much preferred reading my mystery novel by candlelight last night. This didn't go over real well with the husband & kids who moaned & groaned over the lack of entertainment for the whole 2 hours it took for power to be restored. Sheesh!

I think I have a couple of goodies waiting for me! I will have to post those really soon - Thanks Gloria & Melissa! You are so sweet to think of me.... And I can't wait to get back to Blogland and catch up on all the wonderful posts that I have missed! I'll be stopping by really soon.....

.....And just one more little tree to show you later in the week and then I am officially DONE with Christmas decorating! Phew!!!

MORE Christmas Decor!!

2008-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Or should I say less...? Less is More? .. Well ~ whatever you call it, I took a different approach in our kitchen & sitting room area. This space is all open and the most used room so things couldn't be as fussy as the dining room.

Yes, a burning fire would be lovely! But..husband is home sick in bed (another reason my posts are taking so long! ha!) and I can't figure out how to work the propane! He shuts it down outside for the summer and we have had 80+ degree weather up until a week ago. So just PRETEND there is a roaring fire in there...but I still like looking at my fireplace screen!;)

A little tree in the corner....

Remember my $7 Santa from a thrift store?
(Sorry! hard to take pictures with the windows behind the table - glare)

Getting closer...;)

There he is!

Added some Christmas transferware plates that my Mother gave to me as a Christmas gift last year. I had to wait a whole year to use them!

The goblets too! I was so thrilled that I cried! :)

That's about it for this room! Thanks for looking and taking the time to leave me wonderful comments! I really do appreciate them and as soon as I am able (i.e. hubby gets better & gives me some peace!;) I will be coming by to visit all of you!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Decor!!

2008-12-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Phew!! I got one room done ( did I just say done? silly me, decorating fanatics don't have that word in their vocabulary!) so I thought I better jump on the bandwagon and start posting! I have to admit, I was really Intimidated! I have seen some Gorgeous Holiday Decorating out there! It has made me realize that I don't have enough "Stuff"! - Will have to hit those after season sales...

The Dining Room

Do you know it's hard to take a picture of a lighted tree?

(Sorry - these might seem redundant! It always takes an extremely Looonnng time to upload pictures that I tend to forget which ones I already did!)

On top of the piano....

A little village under glass with lighted houses, a moving train & music.

A peek into the entry - still fussing with that garland! I hang all the family stockings off the railing - including the extended family who stays overnight with us - don't have enough room on the mantle...

And that's it for now...still have a few more rooms to complete! Stay tuned.....

This post took me ALL day! Not because the kids were home but because the HUSBAND was! ;)

I NEEDED a BREAK from Christmas Decorating!

2008-11-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

Oh Goody!! I have been tagged by Melissa from Melissa's Heart & Home to name 6 unknown facts about myself. I, welcomed this opportunity to stop my Christmas disaster decorating. My whole house is in shambles and the family is complaining they are out of clean underwear! oops! I kind of let the laundry slide a bit... We have just had a busy week with a family birthday, a 5 girl sleepover, Thanksgiving and my all consuming need to decorate EARLY this year.

Okay let me see if I can get the rules right - I am cutting & pasting here!;)

~~ 6 Random Things About Myself.~~

Here are the rules.

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6)

3. Write 6 random things about yourself.

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.

5. Let each person know they been tagged and leave them a comment.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

~~~~~~Here are my 6 random things: ~~~~~~

(Oooh scary! how much do I want to reveal about myself!)

1. My Age - 35 - but I have a round,baby face so people tend to think I am a bit younger.. (Thank you Mom & Granny for the wonderful genes... but about our chubby knees - not so much!)

2. We all live on our family ranch. My Mom has a house about half a mile down the road with my Grandparents living above her in their separate quarters (i.e. own kitchen, entrance, etc) so we see one another daily - even if it's just to deliver the mail!

3. We host weddings out here on the ranch during the summer months. We have seen all sorts of brides & grooms with um...interesting.. ideas of how they want their wedding (i.e. Star Trek theme & a Disneyland/ Minnie & Mickey Mouse EVERYWHERE theme) Sometimes you get the feeling which ones will go the distance and which ones might not (i.e. the happy couple screaming at each other via cell phones 10 minutes before the ceremony!). It tends to take the romance out of weddings when we have seen so many!

4.We raise cattle! We have 7 horses, a donkey, several dogs and a few barn cats. Once upon a time we used to have about 80 goats! Now we don't even have a single one. Just ask Mr. Mt. Lion all about that! Not that he got all 80 but we weren't taking any chances. Small livestock just don't do well out here!

5. Our house before this one was around 900 sq.ft. with only 2 bedrooms! For 5 of us! It was an old cottage on our property that we fixed up when we got married over 12 years ago with the idea of building a new home shortly after. Hahahahahahahaha! Took us YEARS of struggles with the county to get our building permit for our current house even though no one can see our house from town. We just didn't see their reasoning of why we couldn't build, so through perseverance (and several visits to our county supervisors office for complaints) we finally got our permits.....Three kids later!

6.My husband is a Landscape Contractor and... we don't have a yard! Did you all catch that? My husband is one talented, hardworking guy (and I slug him for every arbor, gazebo, paver driveway or lawn that I have to print pictures of for his photo album) but he just hasn't had the time or the energy for our own.....sigh...someday....so in the meantime to make it easier for him (heh-heh!) I have been cutting & cropping pictures of my dream yard for when the time comes and boy will he ever be impressed with how much faith I have in his talent! (Think Winterthur, Butchart Gardens or the Chateau de Versailles Gardens....;)

That's about it! Nothing too shocking right?

Okay so now it's my turn to tag a few people and I am sorry if you've been through this before, but it just means you are a

VERY INTERESTING PERSON and we can't get enough of you! So go ahead and dig out those skeletons in your closets, recall that most embarassing moment or make something up if you have to! ;)

1. Laurie - Bargain Hunting with Laurie. (my longlost twin who not only has a beautiful home filled with toile, she can WRITE as well!; )

2. Cynthia - Creative Chaos (just only discovered her blog but she is so funny - I love hearing about her motherhood ups & downs!)

3. Heather - Hopscotch & Hydrangeas. (Busy Mom of 3- but has time for blogging & an etsy store - my hero!)

4. Dot - Picket's Place.(just the sweetest lady EVER...with the best posts!)

5. Kristen - Kristen's Creations.(someone who I could houseswap with and be perfectly content!)

6. Angie - The Happy Homebody (Amazing what this lady can do with some paint & garage sale finds!)

Okay Girls! It's your turn!.....

For me - it's back to decorating!

Am I excused?

2008-11-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

Please excuse Laurie (aka Decorating Fanatic) for the next few days from Blogland. The poor dear has had many family obligations (i.e. Mother's birthday weekend & 11 year's slumber party) that she will be unable to participate in her regular duties. She promises to keep up with her homework (christmas decorating) with a full report. She will return to her normal self within a few days. Any questions, please call 555-5555. Thank you.

Just a little post to excuse my absence for the next few days. We are having a full weekend celebrating my Mother's 62nd birthday. Yesterday, her and I went shopping in a little beach town about an hours drive and then had dinner with my sister & friend. Just girls roaming the streets, window shopping and burning off our dinner under all the christmas lights. It was lovely! Today we do the family birthday with kids & grandkids.

I've also promised my daughter a mini sleepover (4 little girls besides herself) on Tuesday evening so I've got to gather up the essentials (i.e. chips, soda, icecream & dvd's with Zac Effron in them!) and ship the two brothers off to Grandma's house for the night.

But seeing all the beautiful Christmas decor displayed by fellow bloggers is driving me insane!! I am so ready to start my decorating madness
beginning with this adorable Santa I picked up yesterday in a thrift store for $7!

I am sure everyone one is running around like a turkey with it's head cut off (sorry, couldn't resist!) with last minute details & plans but I do hope everyone has a chance to relax & enjoy their holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

A Roaring Fire...not yet!

2008-11-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

During the summer months, I was always bothered by the big, dark hole in the fireplace. Our fireplace is propane - (our city won't allow any wood burning fireplaces in new construction to help keep the air clean) and it already has a glass door on it. I didn't want an iron or mesh screen that I could still see through.

So after looking at all different types of screens...I came across this one in an antique shop. The wood carving reminded me of our mantle.

The store owner was kind enough to let me put it on Layaway for a few months. It's easier on the budget and on justifing it to the husband... ;)

So a few months later - it was mine! As beautiful as the needlepoint was ...it was a little old and a little stinky! and it just didn't go in the room I had intended to use it in....Please, no one shoot me for doing this but I carefully removed the old needlepoint and replaced it with a new fabric.

I know this picture is a little hard to see - open frame after removing old needlepoint. I was gluing up some joints so that's why it has cording tied around it - it was what I had handy!

Traced around the old fabric with chalk. I added a layer of batting and a back layer of plain fabric.

Now that I finally have the screen, and did all the work on it, I can't really enjoy it just yet, for I am anxious to start Holiday decorating and you can't do the holidays without a roaring fire and you can't see that fire behind this screen...(do I make any sense?.. I want the screen, I don't want the screen! ) So...sigh... the screen will go into the closet (that my husband hates because it is loaded with my stuff ) until the holidays are over. It will give me something to look forward to when the house looks "naked" after the holidays are over.

Before

After

As for the needlepoint piece - not sure if I can do anything with it. Even though it came off it one piece - it is pretty dusty & moldy smelling with a few hundred little tacks in it. Anyone got any suggestions?

P.S.- I laughed so hard at all of your comments on my mattress woes! I've been busy with the kid's school the last 2 days but I will be swinging by all of your blogs to catch up! I still haven't had a good night's rest but either the mattress IS softening up (and I would NEVER admit that to my husband!) or I am getting used to it (and I would NEVER EVER admit THAT to my husband either!);)

Who wants to buy a husband? - Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!

2008-11-18T18:30:00.000-08:00

My Grandmother (Granny) used to sing that to us when we were little, except she would insert "piggy" where I put "husband"...

Let me start at the begining....

We bought a new mattress two years ago. One of those plush, soft pillow top numbers....If any of you have bought a mattress in the past couple of years you know that you can't flip them & rotate them like you used to, to even them out. So our lovely new mattress ended up with mountains and valleys after only a few months . It didn't really bother me all that much, that mattress was meant for you to sink into and I felt it was doing it's job nicely! Well, my husband complained daily about his back - nag, nag, nag, complain, complain, complain!

Now supposedly our mattress came with a 10 year warranty. HA! Good luck trying to get them to own up to that part of the deal. You have to call an 800# and get out your ruler and measure your dips. They won't even talk to you if it isn't at least an inch. Doesn't sound so hard right..?

Try waiting on hold for 30 minutes while no one answers your call. So we hung up and life went on....

Finally after two years of hearing my husband's morning ritual of "oh, my aching back". We again call the 800# and after a long wait on hold, had to get down right angry with their agent, requesting their supervisor, etc. Then we get an appointment for a Mattress Inspector!

The Mattress Inspector came out to see our stripped down bed, while he pushed on it, peeked under it (one of my secret hiding places!) and asked us a few questions, he then pulled out two weighted cones with measurements on them which he placed in the valleys. He then pulled out a string with a weight at either end and draped it across the bed to see the mountains & valleys and get their measurements and takes a few pictures. He makes a report and turns it into the mattress company and they determine if we have a case. (Very nice man, I have to say. Anyone who removes their shoes before entering my home out of consideration for me is A-Ok in my book! But it was a little weird watching a strange man jump up and down on our bed!)

Yippee! We get the call a week later! Go on down to the store for a replacement mattress! My husband goes down to the store the next day - claiming he ain't sleeping on that mattress any longer than he has too, while I stay at home sick....do you see where this is going? I never should have told him about that phone call, I should have waited until I felt better to go jump around on a few mattress with him, but I seriously thought we would just get a replacement of the EXACT SAME KIND. Remember the kind it was? the soft, cushy pillow top number. DISCONTINUED! that gives my husband FREE REIN to pick out our new mattress. He comes home that Saturday THRILLED! - saying our mattress will be delivered on Monday.

Monday comes around, two guys pull up to the house, heft this HUGE mattress up the stairs (which I had to remove pictures, rugs while they struggled going up the stairs - I stood guard over my precious lamps in the foyer - willing to throw my body over them in case the mattress came flying over the railing!) They place the new mattress on the box spring and I go over to check it out. I carefully try to sit my tush on the edge of the bed. I couldn't reach it! hmmm.....okay, I turn around and have to heft myself up on this TABLE and nearly bounce right off of it, that's how HARD it is!

I immediately start in on my husband! What were you thinking?! He & the two delivery men (who probably just took pity on him) claim it would soften up after a couple of weeks.

Last night was our first night on the "piece of plywood". First off, this baby doesn't even move when you go to get up on it, it's so darn high you need a step stool (can't do the flying leap, you just go bouncing right off of it after feeling like you hit a brick wall) then once up there, you feel like you are laying on a hospital table. I could not fall asleep until well after midnight! About every hour, I would wake up in pain because my arms and legs would be numb, couldn't roll over on my tummy because the girls had no "valleys" in the mattress and were being squished! In fact, the bedroom floor would have been more cushiony because at least it has PADDING! I woke up this morning in such a foul mood, waking up the whole household, stomping down the stairs, slamming the kitchen doors & drawers!. My back hunched over, my hips numb, my eyeballs gritty...and down walks the husband....smiling...and ....SINGING!!!!!!!!

When did things change? when did I lose my control? I was ALWAYS the one who chose this or that for the house...WHAT WENT WRONG!?!

But now I am singing my own song..."Who wants to buy a husband? Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!"

Funny Things Kids Say...

2008-11-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

We have 3 children. An 11 year old daughter and 2 sons ages 9 & 4. Most of the time it's utter chaos, a few fleeting moments of bliss and then some moments where my mouth drops open and I don't know what to say.

Here are a few of those funny moments...

(Brotherly Love - at least half of the time anyway!)

A few weeks back the 4 year old threw our 9 year old's hand held video game device (i.e. Nintendo DS) and unfortunately it broke. This was just torture to my 9 year old because he likes to spend as much time on it as possible. My husband claims he can fix it.

So in the car the other day my 9 year old says to me "I wish Dad would hurry up and fix my DS!"

..and I say "no, I like you much better without it!"

To which the 4 year old pipes up in the backseat just seconds later "well, it's a good thing I broke it then!"

I tried really hard not to laugh on that one!

(My second born - about 3 years old)

(Our youngest when he was about 2 putting a bandaid on his "boo-bie")

When my 9 year old son was much younger, around 4 he was fighting something awful with his older sister who was about 6. So I turn to my son and say "Now you apologize to your sister and say you're sorry!"

So my son turns to his sister and without any emotion or remorse in his voice says in a sing song voice " Sor - ry"

And I turn again to him and say "oh no, you say it with feeling!"

So my son turns again to his sister to apologize and says in the same monotone sing song voice "with feel -ing!"

Oh that one still makes me laugh!

(Is it obvious he did NOT want to pose for this picture?)

My daughter was 2 years old when my second child was born. After about a week of us being home with the new baby and the changes that come with a sibling, my daughter turns to my husband and innocently asks "When do you take IT back to the hospital?" :)

(about the time frame that my daughter wanted to return her brother)

(My first two - posing with "Belle")

Another time that stands out in my mind was when my middle child was about 4. He came running into the room urgently trying to explain something to his Grandma and I, but wasn't getting to the point. You know alot of "ums..."

So I turn to him "What is it Gabe? Come on, Spit it out!" Do you know that my son took me literally and turned and spit on the floor?! Oh we laughed for he was only doing what his Mama told him to do!

(Our youngest and what 3 tiny M&M's can do on a long car ride.)

Just this morning my four year old and I were talking about Christmas and he told me that it came after Thanksgiving and after Grandma's birthday. He then said "I am going to get Grandma something breakable for her birthday!" For my son knows that pretty things are often "breakable"!

Those are just a few of the stories that make Motherhood memorable!

Using What My Mama Gave Me....

2008-11-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well, she only gave it to me after I hounded her a little bit. She had this old secretary desk that my Dad had given as a gift to her in the 80's.

And I had this big chair in my bedroom - only due to the fact it was about an inch too big to fit into the tv room, which as comfy as it was, just "bugged" me. I always felt like it had a neon flashing sign pointing right at it!

So after months of me politely asking (ha!) she agreed to give it to me. It was special to her and while she didn't really use it, she wasn't ready to part with it completely... Well, it needed a little work. I am not a fan of "golden oak" as testament to my dining room table and hutches that I restained & repainted (another gift from my Mama!)

So after a few weeks of it sitting in our garage - I finally got the husband and his brother to drag the chair out to our guest room and heft this HEAVY little lady up the stairs. Then I decided to refinish it IN OUR BEDROOM. Not such a good idea but with open windows and a tarp underneath, I went to work...

Which is probably why I have a cold now - we had to sleep with the windows open for a few nights for fresh air and two fans on! This little lady wouldn't dry with the colder weather.

And Ta Da!.....

(But I guess it's not such a shock since it's already been posted as picture no#2. Forgive me, I am on cold medicine!)

I picked up this chair in an antique store - I need to recover the bottom "cushion"

And again, I am happy I took pictures of this desk b/c no one had noticed that I had put 3 out of 4 handles on upside down! Of course I fixed it!

Cute little lamp from Homegoods. you can't see it but it has little birdies carved in it!

Just some other things around the room...
This painting was $29!

I saw this lovely high back victorian chair with velvet upholstery in an antique store that would look "STUNNING" in that corner but trying to convince the hubby that while we got rid of a "comfy" chair in the room to only replace it with one that I would be yelling for him to get out of! would go even beyond my persuasive skills! ...sigh..I can dream though....

The tv cabinet that was bought in the "nude" and has seen many shades of paint and as for the design - I first penciled in the stencil and then went back in with the gold paint. I like that it wasn't "perfect".

Many things around the house are "recycled" items. Hand me downs, curbside finds & garage sales. I think it's more fun to repaint, refinish or any other way to "rework" furniture than go out and buy it from a showroom (at least that's what I tell myself anyway! If I ever get the opportunity to compare the difference - I will let you know! ;)

Um...Another House Tour..?

2008-11-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hello again!...Welcome !..I wanted to show you one of my favorite rooms in the house.....Now quit dragging your feet and try to keep up...

It's not really a room at all..an entry,... a foyer,... a hallway...but it's one of my favorite places.

Perhaps it's because it is more muted than the rest of the house. The other rooms are filled with color but the walls here are a soft, creamy, vanilla. It's sort of soothing.... Did you HEAR me? I said it was SOOTHING! just making sure you were paying attention. Now then...

(She supposedly came from a church.... )

(I recovered the bench in this wonderful embroidered fabric I had found in an eBay auction. I don't know what the name or brand is but my heart goes pitty pat whenever I see it....)

It might also be that this room houses my most favorite possession. How can anyone have a love affair with lamps? But I do!.. and I always joke that in an emergency (aside from the family & pets of course ) that I would run back in for these lamps.

I think they were meant just for me.... (sigh)

Is all of this confusing you? Let me start at the begining of the house. Come on now, up off that bench! Try to keep up with the rest of the group...

If you walk in through the front doors...

You will see the Living / Dining room on the left...

And thru this little door on the right...

Is the office.....

If you venture up the stairs ......

(Another favorite of mine - Chandelier courtesy of the Kathy Ireland Collection - who knew a swimsuit model and I could have the same taste? )

You will come upon this sweet little corner chair....

But if you don't feel like hiking upstairs and you walk thru the entry......

You may or may not notice this....

(It's a raised plaster stencil. I wanted something there but nothing really jarring out at you.....)

Oh! you will see these too....

Then you will come across this little table....

(That I am trying to update seasonally....but even I have to admit it needs a little help! I'll be off to Michael's shortly!)

( I don't really know what you call this...it's some sort of framed "book"...)

(This little lady was $14.99! I am looking forward to filling the basket she carries on her back - currently with wheat - to suit the seasons. )

(These plaques were my Great Grandmothers....)

An opening into the dining room is on the left......Tea will be served later.

But if you turn to the right....

You can either dash into the kitchen on the left.....

(A little bit of a view on the way......)

Or continue down the hall to the sitting room....

....and if you turn around you are looking at the kitchen!

Confusing..? I know, I apologize. Did I mention there is a second set of stairs..? it's off of the kitchen...now if you follow me...hey wait! Where are you going? ..What?! You don't want to follow me on any more of my house tour?...well okay, you don't have to go running off screaming like that! But you might have to ask me for directions on how to get out of the house...and no refunds!

(I apologize if my posts lately are a little redundant and you are probably banging your head against your desk over me doing another house tour but I am just trying to stall until I can finish up my latest project : ) but it kind of involves the same thing - Decorating!)

The Kitchen.....

2008-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am not crazy about cooking. Seriously. It's one of my least favorite things to do - but I do enjoy it more when we have a crowd - isn't that strange? I've got a few picky eaters in the house but when you've got people over who enjoy eating what you cook, then it's a pleasure and not a chore.

But I LOVE to bake! Sweet muffins on a Saturday morning. Ooey Gooey Cinnamon rolls lulling you down the stairs on Sunday. That's more ME! All about the baked goods!

The kitchen is open to our sitting room (previous post) and as with any other room in my house it was an opportunity for decorating!

Let me give you a little tour....

The butcher block that makes it so convenient to pour yourself a glass of milk to go with those baked goods!

Over here is a glass front cabinet that stores my "pretty" dishes or as my 4 year old calls it "Show & Tell". Doesn't matter that I have to stoop down to the cabinet below to get our "everyday" dishes but as long as I have something nice to look at then I can deal with the back problems this causes....;)

To further enhance my "pretty view" -I lined the back of the cabinet with a subtle fruit & bird toile wallpaper. It makes the dishes stand out a bit more and it appears that I have more than I really do! another wink! ;)

Uh Oh! Do you spy another Rooster lamp...? Don't you just love HomeGoods!?......

Then to address the looming space above the cabinets (but I was the only one in the house to think this) I think I have made the most of the soffet..no Wasted decorating space in this house!

An old painting that I carried from room to room for months trying to find just the right spot for...how about above the pantry door?! I enjoy looking at when I am lounging on the couch in the adjacent room...and I do like to lounge!

A pretty antique platter above the stove.... it's mounted with a plate hanger attached with wire to a nail that I hammered into the cabinet -my hubby wasn't too happy with that part! - then I used that poster putty on the backside so it doesn't shift all around.

An iron bull's head that my kids get a kick out of!

I wish I had some exotic story about him being from a French Boucherie' as an advertising sign... but (sigh)... no... He was originally a towel rack with a huge ring through his nose! I would have used him in his original condition but I don't have wall space by the kitchen sink. So we hacksawed off the metal ring and I puttied up his rather large nose holes and dabbed on some paint. So now can I "fib" about his origins?

A little transferware here and there.....

And my sweet hubby brought me back those copper pots from a trip...Now he's finally getting the real me after 12 years of marriage!

The nook that my husband and I spent one loooonnng weekend building benches for....(can you say marriage counseling?)

Had to throw in my favorite pillow - there is a hen & chicks one down at the other side of the bench - the kids know NOT to wipe their grubby fingers on these! Still working on the husband...;)

And finally back around to the sitting room....

Oh! one more thing before you go - How many of you have stainless steel refrigerators? Then you know you can't attach any little notes or cute magnets to it right?

Well I applied a couple coats of magnetic paint & then chalkboard paint to the other side of the fridge cabinet (gasp! I know I had reservations at first too!) to make a sort of message center. Had my husband install some trim around it and I painted it to match the cabinets.

It looks like it was always there... I get a little more organization and the four year old usually doodles up the lower half and leaves us little masterpieces!

Well, I think that about concludes the tour - Now I've got some Baking to do! See you next time!

65 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2008-11-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight we celebrated my Grandparents 65th Wedding Anniversary!

A few months ago I posted a prayer request. My 90 year old Grandfather, whom we call "Poppy" had fallen and broken his hip. After surgery and a very long stay in a rehab center he has been home for awhile now and doing well. He can't walk without a walker but he still has his sense of humor and my dear Grandmother, "Granny" has been taking good care of him. He will be 91 in January and "Granny" will be 90 next June.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of them telling stories about the good ole' days and the ups & downs of married life. One involving my Grandmother throwing a glass baby bottle at my Grandfather's head when he once proclaimed "just because YOU had a baby doesn't mean I have to stay home" . Needless to say he didn't get to go out that night and I don't think he ever tried that again!

Another story that had us all laughing,was of them on their Honeymoon to Niagra Falls, when my Grandfather had awoken to the shadow of a man looming over the bed. He jumped up to defend his bride and tackled the "man" to the floor only to discover that he had defeated his coat hanging on the coat rack!

Yes, there have been many ups & downs in this couple's life but they are an inspiration to us and I see many similarities within my own marriage - except I haven't had to throw any baby bottles! But I only hope that my husband and I will make it to our 65th!

Please help us wish these Love Birds many more years of married bliss!

Welcome Changes!

2008-11-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

I am constantly changing things in my rooms, I add or subtract, decide the curtain rods need to be hung higher, find a new piece that I can't live without (well, in the moment with my heart pounding upon discovering a new treasure, I convince myself this is true!) that I can't keep any current pictures of the house. The rooms change daily. My husband is so used to this that he no longer notices. Still not sure if that's good or bad....

I've also found that if you take pictures of your rooms, you can see what works or not - things you might not ordinarily notice. I have caught things from seriously crooked pictures to cob webs dangling in the corners and nothing spurs on a cleaning spree like taking pictures for all to see! ;)

So here are a few recent pictures - things may or may not look the same in there tomorrow, but I think it keeps it interesting!

(Mommy didn't buy a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch this year, no siree - she was too busy digging through the gourd bins trying to find just the right ones for the mantle!)

Can you believe "HE" was a $15 clearance section find at Homegoods?! He had a small crack which I wood puttied (sp?) up and dabbed on some paint! I think he was regularly priced around $80. This was one treasure I was proud to show my husband - "Look honey, he was on sale!"

Struck gold again at Homegoods...this heavy wood carved table was $149. I still think that was a great deal! (you should have heard me rambling off like an auctioneer the reasons WHY this was such a good steal to my husband when I was trying to convince him to unload it from the car!)

That little corner of the room needed something ...so I found this little cabinet and thought it was perfect! .. and the bonus was that I could fill it with little treasures that were scattered all over the house...nice & tidy. Makes perfect sense to me....

My husband still hasn't noticed this and it's been several months now. I've learned to be self sufficient at hanging pictures, cabinets & curtain rods!

I retired my former rooster lamp when I found this dressed up version in a store closing sale. He's a little more "glammy" and the size and shape compliments the lamp on the other side of the room (see pic with little cabinet, if you don't take my word for it! ;)

And that concludes the tour of the sitting room - next week it might look different. I'm crossing my fingers that my Hubby never notices! :)

A Little Project....

2008-11-05T08:15:00.001-08:00

I know I have been promising this for a while but with Halloween, a few family birthdays, parent/teacher conferences, Oh and the FLU!.. have kept me otherwise engaged. It had also been so long I'm ashamed to admit that I had forgotten how to post! But on to the project...

In our dining room, there was this empty corner behind a wingback chair, I tried a palm tree (may he rest in peace), then a tall floor lamp but still this corner kept nagging at me, this HUGE empty space was just calling out for something....and I always welcome a decorating opportunity! Sadly, my husband doesn't share the same enthusiasim....

So I found myself at Lowe's and inspiration struck!!

I purchased two sets of plain bifold doors - think they were around $34 a set. Made my way over to the wood molding section and picked up some trim...

Then I had to sweet talk my husband and promise him the moon (i.e no omelets for dinner for a month!) to get him to "offer" his assistance. I have not yet mastered the miter saw or the nail gun...For those of you who know how, I am impressed! But for me, I had to beg!

So I sprayed the doors flat black, installed some raised, paintable wallpaper and got my handy husband to cut & nail the trim on...

Then onto the fun part! Painting, "golding" and then "antiquing" it to make it look old - this still confuses my husband ....

And....Ta Da!.....

And I never miss an opportunity to display plates!! :)

It was a bit labor intensive but it was just what that corner needed. Well, in my opinion anyway! Hope this will inspire you to try this out, the options are limitless and I am already scoping out the house to see if I can fit another one in.

This room has also had a few mini makeovers recently.....

I changed the rods from black iron to thicker "wood" ones and used rings.

And I recently acquired a new obsession (I have many!) - Majolica!

That's it for now! I'll be posting again real soon...I promise! :)

Time has flown by...

2008-09-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Oh My goodness!? Has it really been a MONTH since I last posted? Time has flown by....

The kids are all in school, including the now 4 year old, three times a week. Yay! Full days at his request! He first thought that nap time looked fun! Now, I don't think he is so sure....

I think the thrill of having some free time to myself has gone to my head. It's wonderful to just get in the car and GO! No cajoling, no threatening, just me, myself & my purse! I can actually browse while shopping and have had the peace & quiet to read two whole books! Amazing!

Now the family has been putting in their hints (well, more like demands!) for us to have a FOURTH child...(even the hubby got that baby envy from seeing the little ones at the preschool!)... but I am happy to finally rediscover ME for a while... I actually got myself a manicure & pedicure on a Monday morning! Wow!

All the things I thought I would do while the kids were in school (clean closets, have NO laundry whatsoever, etc)..haven't quite happened yet..hee-hee! This HAS been my vacation! Albeit, only 3 days a week, and only from 8:30 - 3:30 but for me to have the notion that I could take a bubble bath in the middle of the day, ALONE... had me running out and blowing 50 bucks on some delicious smelling stuff! It, of course hasn't happened yet because I would have to clean out all the bath toys from MY tub first but the knowledge that it could happen was such a thrill!

So forgive me dear friends...while I do have some new things to show you (did you think I didn't buy anything on my solo shopping excursions?!)I have been selfish...this is my first vacation in many years ....I might just be taking that long awaited bubble bath!

**Thanks Dot! For inspiring & reminding me to write something on my blog!**

And one more time....

2008-08-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Here it is again...my Gentleman's Study as I had once called it on RMS.... And then dear Miss Nikki Crumpet came popping over and wanted to know where were the men?.. and where did we study them? On the couch? Oh that made me laugh. So now I just call it The Study...

I know alot of you have probably seen this the 5 or 6 different times (or maybe it was 8 or 9 times?) I posted it on RMS....and my very first blog post was about the ottoman I had reupholstered in this room...

and then I even posted on my formerly pink deer head...

There also were alot of comments about my peacock feather wreath...

and my addiction to tole trays which I scatter all over the house...

This room sure does get alot of discussion.....but I am positive this will be the last time..(don't hold your breath!) But as a decorating fanatic and I know there's alot of you out there - DecFan's are never satisfied with our rooms. We like to keep shopping.

...and shopping... A new rug and a slipcover for my Dad's old wingback chair (courtesy of my Mother in-law - for the story on them read down a few posts). A few more doodad's here...

And there....

oh, and over here too....

Just HAD to get this houndstooth pillow with the leather buckles..it was calling to me...

And isn't this a sweet little old chair? My three year old's time out spot, reading chair, step stool and whatever else he can do with it. It's the rotating chair, moved all around the room, so forgive it's placement at the moment.

I have been taking pictures of my rooms since the day we moved in and the changes even make me laugh!

Before's

Do you think it looks "lived in" yet? :)

****Just a little note to all of you who have stopped by to read my last post about my Grandfather. I really appreciate all the kind words & prayers for his return home. I've got some wonderful friends out there in blogland and you've all touched my heart deeply!! Now, you've got me crying again....but really, I thank you for your support! ****

Say a little prayer...

2008-08-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I am hoping you all could maybe add my family into your prayers... My dear sweet 90 year old Grandfather is in the hospital, recovering from hip surgery which resulted from a fall about a week ago. He is now in a rehabilitation center for a few weeks undergoing therapy.

This sweet old man who was always singing and making silly jokes is now lying in a hospital bed, still wooing all the nurses with his charm, but is trying to cover up his pain with humor. My 89 year old Grandmother who still drives & cooks is lost without him. He really is the only Grandfather my children have known and he is lovingly called "Poppy". My Dad passed away when I was 21 so he didn't see me marry my husband, so my Grandfather has taken on the role of spoiling my children.

This was his 90th Birthday Celebration this past January....

The pictures below were taken last Christmas. Even though he is legally blind and has a titanium knee replacement, he still wanted to dance with his bride. I was lucky to capture the moment on camera......

Please say a little prayer for my dear, sweet, Italian Grandfather Louis, that he will return home to all of us. Many thanks.... ~ Laurie

The Boudoir

2008-08-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is our bedroom...still a work in progress but aren't all of us "decorating fanatics" always shopping, rearranging or otherwise "working" on rooms in our homes? We are always on the lookout for little trinkets to freshen up our spaces... much to our husband's annoyance. To a decorating fanatic ...a room is never DONE.

Oh there are a few things of this room that I am not fond of but I have to "make do" until the right item with the right price comes along! A few things in this room are castoffs from other rooms that my husband just doesn't see the logic in "it doesn't go".

To him a chair is a chair, a bed is a bed but a TV on the other hand is entirely different story. Thankfully we don't have a monster one in our "boudoir" . He does have his own space downstairs that I call the "Man Cave" with his lazyboy recliner that he ends up snoring in on Sunday afternoons.

The needlepoint chair & pictures above were a recent antiques faire find. I was THRILLED!

My darling Mother in-law ended up sewing the remaining four panels of draperies needed. I had only been able to accomplish two on my own (which took me days!) while she zipped out the remaining four panels in one day. (I got the job of hand sewing on the curtain rings which took me twice as long!) The headboard was a DIY project between my husband and I last winter in the garage. I am still begging the husband for crown molding but he won't settle for the fiberglass kind from the homecenter. No siree, he wants to put up real wood molding, problem is that we don't have the budget (oops! blame that on me!) nor the time to do that in the house. So nearly two years later of us building this home, I am still staring up at my "naked" ceilings!

But why is it that our "Boudoir's" are the last room to get attention? I stared at paper shades for a very long time before doing anything about it. Now when I wake up in the morning, I feel surrounded like I am in a cocoon and it's a very calming feeling provided that the kids aren't up first jumping up and down on the bed trying to wake us, which happens more often than not!

Just a few details....

Doesn't her expression just ooze patience with her 3 children climbing all over her? Either patience or defeat! :)

The cabinet was bought many years ago unfinished - I recently painted it this red color and penciled in a stencil before hand painting in the details with a few different colors. I didn't like the look of the stencil just dabbed on, when you do it by hand..well it just looks handpainted!

Next up...the bathroom!

Happy Dance...?

2008-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Would it be shameful of me to do the Happy Dance now that my in-laws are gone...? Even though there was a tearful goodbye at 5:45 this morning, I am relieved to be sitting here in my jammies typing this and not worried that we have to cook, clean or entertain a small army of extended family. Am I bad or evil for feeling this way...? Maybe I need to further explain how the past 8 weeks have been so you might just get a better understanding of why, though sad to see my darling mother in-law go (and father in-law, though I don't think I really know him any better than I did 12 years ago when I first met him)..of why I feel I can breathe a huge sigh of relief...

My mother in-law likes to cook...alot...and by alot I mean ALOT of food. To feed an army. She obviously knew there would be a small one coming on a regular basis to eat at our Farmhouse Diner. While I watched as my Mother in-law worked her magic in my kitchen, I (mistakenly) insisted that since she cooked, I would do clean up. Well, the first few weeks wasn't so bad...so what if I was still up at 11p.m. scrubbing pots and pans and vacuuming and mopping up the floor? Who cares that we would start all over again in about 8 hours? I diligently cleaned and stacked my pots and pans every night back in their neat little places so my kitchen looked picture perfect each morning.

After about the 3rd or 4th week of this it dawned on me to let my normal, neat freak fanatic slide a bit. Why was I torturing myself..? So I conceded and would only stack the clean pots and pans on top of the stove. Okay, I could give in and just ignore the mound-o-pots and pretend they weren't there. Now to do something about the floor...hmm...okay, well I won't mop every night...just lightly vacuum & spot mop. What about those counters?...so what if I could barely see them underneath the stacks of foreign ingredients and special herbs she used on a regular basis. She was cooking wonderful meals, right?

When she wasn't cooking, she was sewing at the kitchen table. She sewed alot. While I was also the receiver of most of these sewing projects my fingers were itching to toss the darn machine out the window! My kitchen table looked like an upholstery warehouse. Bits and pieces of fabric & thread that floated and traveled through the rest of the house as you walked by. But most of my anguish over my normally, quite orderly home, would be forgotten as she cranked out yet another wonderful pillow or finished my drapes for me.

My mother in-law is a wonderful, caring, generous person but she only has one pace....S L O W. There is no fast forward with her, there is only slow motion. Times & schedules don't really exist with her. Doesn't sound so bad, right? well, the only teeny problem with that, while her blood pressure maybe on an even keel, everyone around her is on overdrive trying to overcompensate. And I never thought I would say this but I HATED shopping... with her... and 3 kids. To her, the stores we take for granted and visit on a regular basis (Target, Walmart, Homegoods) were like treasure hunts for her. She would finger all the towels, read the backs of all the packages & stare for a good 10 minutes at one item while my 3 bored kids would be screaming & fighting, and with me about to cry and tear my hair out, would wait for her to make up her mind or catch up to us (yes, I would get so frustrated that I would walk away, do my shopping and come back while she was still fingering the towels.) I smartened up and would send my husband out with his Mama to do any shopping and then chuckle when he would return home, red faced & fully frustrated.

Now on to the extended family. My husband is the oldest of 12 kids. Some live here and some still live & attend school in Mexico (the youngest is 15). I was under the impression that my in-laws visit would be divided amongst the family so everyone would have their opportunity to visit. Wellll, that's not how it happened. My father inlaw is a farmer, raises cows & crops on his little ranch in Mexico. He doesn't like cities. Period. He refused to leave our ranch to visit with his other offspring. So guess what that meant..? Word of my in-laws visit spread like wildfire! Yep, everyone of the family came to our home with their families to visit and stay the weekends with us. There were people sleeping on the floor, on the couches, on blow up mattresses that some, I still don't know their names or how they were related but here they were!

...And don't think I didn't have private meltdowns in my room or hushed conversations with my husband that he better do something QUICK! Poor guy, he was more stressed out than I was. I got to fade into the background and secretly "cringe" at all the "darling" toddlers teetering toward my antique lamps/china/& other breakables, while I would try to redecorate my home with all my valuables up as high as I could place them.

Don't get the wrong idea...I love my Mother in-law. Absolutely. I had a lovely time with her. She cooked, she sewed, she prayed for us. I learned many things and got a new perspective on life & family and I think she did as well. My husband laughingly told me that his mother was voicing her opinion quite often with her husband to which the husband replied "I think you are hanging around Loraina (the spanish pronounciation of my name, Laurie)too much!" And I know she loves me too.

So while I am sad that they are gone, I am also relieved to get back to my normal, ordinary, neat freak fanatic self. The self that wants her house back to normal like Better Homes & Gardens might unexpectedly drop by begging for a photo shoot (one can dream, right?) or I might, by chance, win Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes (though I never enter, but you never know -could be a computer malfunction and it randomly picks my name from online shoppers data bases) and how horrible would it be if my house was a mess on live television!? :) (I apologize if this sounds superficial, but having a disorderly house overwhelms, stresses and other wise makes me feel claustrophobic)

I did come away with a new understanding and gratefulness of how wonderful my life is/was before my summer of in-laws. There's no place like being home...in my jammies, typing away on my computer , hiding & locking the front door and perhaps ordering take out...for the next month!
Can I do the Happy Dance..? Nah, I'm too tired! :)

**Once I get said house in order, I will post pics of all the lovely sewing bits courtesy of my Mother -inlaw.**

I'm Still Here....

2008-08-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hi! Remember me..? I apologize for my lack of new posts lately...sigh....Some of you might be aware that my inlaws are visiting - been 5 weeks now. Not that I am complaining, no siree, it's just that my "ME" time has been limited. With all the home cooking (imagine cooking Thanksgiving meal everyday) the sewing, the shopping, all the visits from extended family...I am totally wiped out.... depleted ....fresh out of ideas of what to write about, even if I had the time.

So anyway this little post was just to say hello to all of you who leave me lovely comments and stop by to visit with me, I appreciate it, I do!

With the help of my Mother - inlaw and her talent at the sewing machine, I've finally got all my bedroom curtains done! Now hanging them is another story (goodbye paper shades!) but I hope I can get them up with in the next day or so to show you.

So hang in there with me...

My Quiet Room

2008-07-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Even our 3 year old knows this as the "Quiet Room". There's something about my dining room that makes you want to speak in hushed tones.

This room is near the front of the house, just down a little hallway to the kitchen but for some reason whenever I am in this room (hiding out) my family can't find me! Ahhh! Bliss!... It could be that I stay perfectly still with my eyes closed - you know the "I can't see you, so you can't see me..." theory,....so far it works!

I've tried many times to capture the "essence" of this room with my outdated camera but to no avail. The pictures don't do it justice with it's harsh flash and untrue colors.

Oh, I know there are some things that need tweaking, adding, subtracting, etc. but for now I am going to focus on the positives of this space. Contrary to what you might be thinking with it's bold floral, it's a rather soothing room. It's filled with many collections that I have either hunted down (antique green transferware, tole trays) or was lucky enough to inherit (silver tea/coffee service). 90% of the furniture was refinished by me (including the antique piano!) except for the wingbacks and a few sidetables.

My husband and I built the window bench one weekend(that was one Looongg weekend!) and I painstakingly sewed up the curtains, cushions and most of the pillows. I even installed the dark blinds myself when my husband was on a trip (he still hasn't said anything about how they suddenly "appeared"). The black buffet (formerly a peeling,beat up brown finish) was a roadside find that I made him back up & load in the truck, hoping the neighbors weren't peeking out their windows at us! ha-ha! :)

Some might think a formal dining/living room that only gets used a few times a year is a wasted space...but not to me...I use this room daily, I just don't have a crowd of people with me. When the holidays arrive ,this room is anything but quiet with our family & friends gathered but during the other 360-some odd days of the year, it's become a sort of retreat where I can sit with my tea and look around at all my little bits & sparkly pieces and breathe deeply. You know the room that stays clean and things are exactly where you left them....

I steal a few minutes of peace & tranquility and then I am ready to face daily life again with my family, because you all know that once in a while you wish you could ship the little buggers off to boarding school (or camp, which we did for a week!)

So now I am going to stop talking and let you sit and relax...because that's what this room is all about. The Quiet.~ Enjoy! ~

My In-laws.....

2008-07-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

Some of you may remember that my inlaws are visiting... I didn't fully explain how their visits work...You see, my inlaws are from Mexico. My husband is a US Citizen but has been here working off and on since he was 14 to help support his 11 siblings and parents. Yes, he is the oldest of 12! Some of his siblings are almost like children to him, he has had a big hand in raising them here in California. Now getting back to my inlaws. Their visa had expired and it took nearly 2 years of paperwork & travels to the Texas/Mexico border to get their visas renewed. They live on a ranch about 3 hours from Guadalajara which is no where near the Texas border. Their ranch is like a tiny village with a few markets, a small school & a church. One member of the community goes weekly to the next town to collect any mail that might have arrived for this small ranch.

Up until about a year ago, the only way for my husband to contact his parents was to call the only phone in the village (inside one of these little markets) to send a message to his family (which of course is hand delivered) that he will be calling back in one hour, meaning for them to go to the only phone in the whole town. On his last visit, he updated them with a type of cell phone but the reception varies.

My mother in-law is a wonderful person, full of home remedies to cure your ailments and the ability to throw together a meal with minimal ingredients. Even with a language barrier (we do alot of "miming" and drawing!) we get along well. She has learned more English than I have Spanish. My father-inlaw is a shy, quiet farmer who either runs in the opposite direction to avoid having an awkward conversation with his American daughter-inlaw or "yells" at me in Spanish, thinking that I must be deaf and if he yells it at me, I will understand him much better! :)

When his parents come to visit, the rest of the family comes in droves to see them where ever they are. That means sometimes we will have 8 people sleeping in one room, scattered about, but happy to be near their family. It's very humbling.

My husband typically visits his parents once a year when his construction work slows down,usually bringing along our now 9 year old son. His mother would send back these sweet pancakes called "Gorditas" These were unlike anything I have ever tasted! I would "horde" them all to myself.

So the other night, I brought up the subject of Gorditas while we were having dinner. My husband said we needed a brick oven and you sort of "smoke" them. I figured, oh well, that was that...end of story.

I woke up the next day to my Mother-inlaw outside gathering left over bricks from our front porch and other projects... since my husband is in construction, we ALWAYS have leftover materials, mortar, etc. laying around.

There's my Mother in-law in a skirt and little pumps making this oven in 100 degree weather. She's shy and wouldn't pose for me.

We, "WOMEN",with some help from the kids, made this in a day while the "MEN" were gone. Later after returning home from work, my husband's contribution was to clear away any weeds with the tractor and spread gravel for safety. My husband thoroughly enjoyed seeing his wife covered in mortar and lugging a wheel barrow around. I think I saw a new respect in his eyes, his wife isn't such a prima donna after all ! :)

Now on to the recipe...

First we had to find some milking cows - seriously! We needed unpasturized milk. We live in an agricultural area so not too hard. We had to heat the milk on the stove and add an enzyme (I won't tell you where or what it's from, I had a hard time with this part myself!) to make our own cheese. I believe my mother-inlaw called this "Cuajada" and I did a little online research and it's similar to a "ricotta" cheese.

Told you she is shy - she wouldn't turn around for the picture.

Then we used "Maseca"corn meal, some flour, baking soda & powder, a different type of brown cane sugar called "Piloncillo" that we melted on the stove, cinnamon, melted butter, raisins & peanuts and of course this drained cheese mixture. You know how these old family recipes are, a little of this, alot of that...

Melted "Piloncillo"

After stoking up the little oven, we were ready ....

My mother -inlaw was outside until 10 pm baking these.

Being with my in-laws is like stepping back in time. Making do with only the bare necessities. On my only visit to their home, I was in awe of their lifestyle. Milk is delivered in buckets and a woman comes peddling a basket of eggs to sell. We washed the dishes outside on a rock with a bucket of water. That was something I won't forget! Laundry is washed in an old fashioned crank machine and air dried til it's so stiff it can stand up on it's own. Women iron daily to make the clothes more pliable and it's something they ENJOY. I am amazed at what my Mother in-law can do with a sewing machine (she will make young brides in their little village their wedding gowns!) and am in awe of her needlepoint, embroidery and crocheting. Lost forms of art.

Being around my Mother-inlaw has definitely humbled me and yet I think her crazy American daughter in-law has rubbed off on her as well. The first time she ever left Mexico was 12 years ago to attend our wedding.

In the years since, she traveled alone to visit us many times and the independence suits her. I try to pamper her and do all the girly things I sometimes take for granted. But my experience with her "building" our own little oven with found materials is something I won't easily forget, I felt like a true Pioneer Woman that day, breaking bricks and spreading mortar...And I know she was doing this all for ME. See? feelings & emotions can be expressed even without speaking the same language! :)

My Mother in-law and my husband dancing at our wedding.

Living Happily Ever After. The End!

Need Your Opinion...Please!

2008-06-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

This tray is a recent find of mine...it would look great as a side table on one of those tray stands (except I don't have one of those and I don't have room to put it anywhere as a table- did that stop me from buying it...? no!)

So I propped it up in front of the fireplace to act as a "fireplace screen" so to speak. Oh, I have been coveting a gorgeous screen in a catalog for at least 6 months - slight problem is that it is $400 plus additional $100 for shipping & handling. Now my hubby doesn't think spending that kind of money on something that will be purely decorative (he doesn't have the "vision" that I have but thank goodness he keeps me grounded...sigh...) being that our fireplace is gas and has a glass door on the front.

But my eye always go to the black hole that is there and this is Summer! - it needs some brightening up. So until I can "squirrel away" enough money (I am thinking of raiding the loose change jar! anyone feel like rolling pennies with me..? anyone...?) to buy the fireplace screen of my dreams - does this LOOK STUPID...?

Please feel free to offer suggestions!

What was I thinking...?

2008-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Did I really say I would have more time to "Blog" when my kids were home for the summer..? What was I thinking...? Must have had a momentary lapse of REALITY WITH MY KIDS!

I have been chained to my kitchen! When did they start acting like cavemen that haven't seen food in months..? I have become a short order cook. Oh and a referee too. Sheesh! Remind me again why I was so anxious for school to end?

Oh that's right - it was the loads of homework that I was complaining about...well, which is the lesser of the two evils now...a little homework or having 3 screaming, fighting, hungry, bored kids home ALL DAY with you..? and this is in between the dozen or so summer birthday parties since school has ended that they have attended, the many "can't miss Blockbuster" movies they've seen, the visits with Grandma and summer art classes...and they still have time to fight! and make messes!

Well, guess what I did..? I ran out and signed the older two kids up for CAMP! Yep, sleepaway camp for one week..hee-hee! I know, I felt so brave signing them up, now I am a little unsure. My 11 year old daughter is completely ecstatic! All her little friends are going. BUT, my now 9 year old son, is a bit more apprehensive. He's got two buddies from school signed up to be in his cabin but still...he is a mama's boy. I hope I don't cry when they get on the bus....what was I thinking!?

We've got the in laws flying in on Monday to spend the summer with us. I have been in Ultra Panic Cleaning Mode. And you all know that's really impossible with 3 kids home...you clean one room... dusting, vacuuming, artfully arranging your knick knacks. You leave the room to perhaps answer the phone, use the bathroom, refill your coffee cup and come back to complete and utter chaos...seriously. I don't know how they do it but they do.

So I am cleaning out closets, drawers, tackling my mound-o-laundry. You know, the stuff that you can "disguise" when someone comes to visit for an afternoon... but when you've got one staying a few months.....welllll, that's just a teeny bit different. You know eventually your houseguest will make their way to that closet that is jammed packed with everything from holiday decorations, abandoned sewing projects and extra toilet paper rolls that are strewn everywhere (oh? you don't have a closet like that...? I do!) and your cover is blown. Too risky for me...we aren't talking your best girlfriend from college - we are talking MOTHER IN LAW! (screams of horror follow!)

No, I do have great in laws - I would just prefer that they NOT see the messy side of me. No dirty laundry - literally. And I will have to IRON. my husband will be so happy! :)

So my dear blogger friends, I am still here - just buried under laundry and family obligations. I bid you Adieu!

Slumber Party Review

2008-06-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly! And I thought I was prepared!...... I was totally unaware of the emotional turmoil 10 little eleven year old girls dish out! We had lots of ups & downs this weekend but I am pretty sure all enjoyed themselves (once the pouting in the corner was over!)

We did the spa treatment which only took 45 minutes! I was anticipating a good hour and a half.... (only 8 girls at the salon - 2 were arriving later)

Decisions, decisions....

On to the pizza parlor...with me trying to S T R E T C H out the activities by dishing out quarters for the arcade games...

We got home and they played on the trampoline for a while, did a bit of dress up ("she got the good belt!.... How come she gets to wear the black high heels?!..... I want to wear the veil!")

Then me dashing out to KFC for some Popcorn Chicken to feed a small army.

That's my 3 year old (who dressed himself!) vacuuming up after those messy girls! :)

Cake, presents, crafts(remember my carefully thought out plan of constructing a simple tie fringe pillow? haaaaa! Well let's just say I think there was more pillow stuffing ALL OVER the room than in the pillows themselves!), popcorn, pillow fights, 1:30 am frantic call on walkie talkie because there was a spider in the bathtub (who was taking a shower at 1:30 in the morning?!), 6:15 am wake up call from outside our bedroom window - they were jumping on the trampoline!!.... only to fall back asleep until 9 am (for some this was the ONLY time they slept).

Then Breakfast with these Good Morning Merry Sunshine Girls.. (Not!).

With me glancing at the clock every 10 minutes - (tick, tick, tick...) the countdown until the parents arrival and claiming of their darlings... ..

We had a group of parents hanging out with us having coffee and chuckling over the details of the party.......Last child left at 1 p.m.....sigh...time to relax!...then my husband looks at me and says ...those dreaded words..."I'm hungry...." ....Can I kill him...? This is the man who slept in until 10:00 am while I was downstairs feeding a small army! But he never does that - he is the early riser, let's go to church type of guy so I guess I can allow him that one day to sleep in.

We had to gather up our middle child (8 year old son) from his cousin's house (remember he had been "banned" from the house?) so we decided to stop for lunch. But at the restaurant, I must have looked so haggard for the waitress asked me if I wanted a cocktail... Ding, ding ding!! Oh yes, you betcha!... I thoroughly enjoyed the largest Margarita I had ever seen!

So with a nice margarita & a thousand calorie meal consumed, I was nearly comatose (& drooling!) on the way home. Just what I needed!

Sorry - I meant to post this earlier this week but last minute school activities have kept me otherwise engaged, some family arrived from out of state unexpectedly and in the small snippets of time I was trying to post -I have been having a bit of trouble loading pictures..? Anyone else having that problem? Anyway Thanks so much for all the concerned comments on my welfare! Some had me saying "awww!" and others had me chuckling! But it was nice knowing my blogger friends were concerned! Only four more school days and then I will be free to visit with all of you! :)

Countdown to Slumber Party!!

2008-05-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday is the big sleepover for my now 11 year old daughter. I have been running around like crazy this week trying to get organized for the big day. I think I have been to the grocery store about 4 times! Her real birthday was yesterday, but in between me running around ordering cake and finalizing plans and calling back all the lovely Moms who left me questions on the answering machine, going to the school for an assembly only to realize that instead of 9 am- it's at 2 pm (agh!) and then to realize that I must have left the video camera turned on from the non-existent 9 a.m. showing so that it sat in the car until 2 pm. and died! Our little puppy, Daisy had her "girl surgery" this week and is quite upset with her new satellite dish collar and doesn't understand the term "limited activity" and wants to go out and play! So she sits and HOWLS all day!! All this and dragging the wonderful, temperamental 3 year old with me. I am wiped out and we haven't even had the party yet!

The big plan is to have the girls dropped off at a local salon for a "Princess" manicure & pedicure. Afterward on to pizza (good old standby - who doesn't like pizza?) and then home for the ice cream cake & sleepover.

BUT what to do with 10 little pre-teen girls who all feel they are sooooooo mature? Too grown up for American Girl dolls (what?! I really enjoyed buying all those cute little matching and oh so expensive clothes for my daughter & doll. I am not ready to tuck away her small collection of them just yet.)

So we have a few simple crafts....they can personalize their new pair of flipflops that I will present to them at the salon (can't ruin their newly painted toenails squeezing their feet back into tennis shoes!) with glitterglue, stickers and fuzzy tie on thingys. Also ready for them is to make a small- pink- camouflage- heart shaped -fleece- tie fringe pillow (did that make sense?) Then I have also on standby - 3 containers worth of costumes and wigs and highheels for them to doll themselves up with. Not to mention the 6 bags of chips, cookies, sodas and other misc sleepover junk food.

I did the parent lock on all the "adult" type of channels and I am not talking the Playboy channel - just the basic Showtimes & HBO's that play really explicit movies at 10 p.m. on weekends...(only according to the tv guide! haa-haa!)

Got the fridge stocked up with a myriad of breakfast foods. I'm making waffles!! got walkie talkies waiting ( my idea of a baby monitor in the room with them got vetoed!) for any middle of the night meltdowns...8 year old brother has been banished from the house for the night (sleeping over at his cousin's house) Can't do much about the 3 year old, who knows?.. maybe they will dress him up too - he doesn't mind the attention - he usually calls his big sister's friends "sweetie". Got the goodie bags waiting by the door to send the newly polished/painted/soda hangovers/sleep deprived little darlings on home with....

Am I forgetting anything..? Okay - seasoned Moms out there...am I leaving anything out...? mayday...mayday...I've only got 24 hours & counting....

Leave me a comment if you can think of anything! :)

TO DO LIST

2008-05-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like when you have so much to do......you don't know what to do, so you do nothing?

That's me today...a To Do List a mile long and I am running around here like a chicken with it's head cut off.

For example, after the usual hectic morning of taking the kids to school, I was of the mindset of tackling the dreaded To Do List. Started with something simple, still feeling optimistic at this point.

A new candle sconce is propped up against the wall in the hallway, just waiting for me to hang it but first I need screws...okay, so I go out to the garage, grab a handful and put them in my pocket for safe keeping. Turn to go back into house and see that the dogs have no water, so start filling the water bowl, then notice that my unplanted plants sitting there waiting for me to do something with them (another item on my list!), need watering..okay got the hose out already, spray those...oh look, here comes the 3 year old...shoot! can't hide, he already saw me... His Turn to water the flowers. Sigh...okay, not too much water. Good boy, let's go inside now.

Oh no! He spotted his battery operated monster truck in the garage! that means we have to open the garage door so he can back up and re-park it "just so" six times.

Okay enticed him back into the house with his favorite cartoons. Before he can be settled we have to get the tv tray set up with his favorite snack -cut strawberries. Sounds easy right? Told you before, he is a "hands on" kind of kid. He has to first inspect and select each strawberry before I am allowed to wash & cut for him. There! Now what was I going to do...? hmmm...

Oh ya!...take pictures of my recent projects for my blog...okay...where's the camera...? Go looking upstairs...oh look at all the laundry! sheesh I swear it looks like I TAKE IN laundry for business...gotta put a load in.

Where was I?...that's right ! I was going to finish sewing my bedroom curtains! Tired of looking at paper shades in our windows. Sewing machine has been set up on the kitchen table for about a week, mocking me. Okay...who took the scissors...? Now on mission hunting down my good scissors that were supposed to be in my sewing basket. Must be that other person "Not Me" who took them again...darn him!

Cell phone ringing...where'd I put it down? I hear it...where is it? Found it in my sweatshirt pocket along with...screws? what was I doing with screws in my pocket?... "Hello.?" oh, just the Husband calling me to say"don't forget I need.....and.......also....." sigh...... "Sure dear, good bye"...sigh.....now what's with the screws in my pocket?

Oh that's right, I was going to install the curtain tiebacks in the dining room! sheesh...I am so forgetful! Go into dining room and struggle for 5 minutes with tape measure...need a pencil to mark the wall before I start drilling. Measure twice...drill once? So as I walk into the office to find a pencil, congratulating myself on taking the extra "pre" steps so my projects turn out right, I notice I left my computer on...won't hurt to check it for a minute right?

A few emails and a game of solitare later (you know just to clear my head so I can focus) the 3 year old comes and finds me. My 22 minutes of uninterrupted time is over. Now we are on the hunt for "the toy"...you know the one I mean...the one that never gets "found". Upstairs in his room, I see his horribly messy closet...clothes and toys tossed everywhere, wait a second, I need to go get a garbage bag and donate some of this stuff to goodwill. Head downstairs to mudroom in search of garbage bags.

Find instead the camera! Oh! Yes, I need to go out to the outside guest room and take a picture of the little dresser I just finished to post on my neglected blog! Silly girl...I would lose my head if it wasn't attached...

A few snapshots later, I am back in the office loading them into my computer... Three year old finds me again...now he sets up his little Thomas The Train Computer right next to me so he can be like Momma and sits on my lap...we play many rounds of "what letter sounds like..."

Three year old wanders off to terrorize his big brother's room. I am just happy that I can refocus on my gigantic To Do List. Let's see...what to do...? Make Lunch!...yes fuel for the body & mind...Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets it is! hey...remember I've got a 3 year old here! it's alot better than his request of popcorn for lunch and that was a battle.

After lunch I pull out my best friend ... the vacuum. My saving grace in more ways than one...when you hear your name being called by either your 3 offspring or the GROWN man you've married - quickly turn it on to drown out their requests and do the "what? I can't HEAR YOU, I'm vacuuming!" Forcing them to be self sufficient or most likely to give up on what they were hunting you down for.

So after vacuuming and digging out the kids socks from under the couch, also scraping off from the wood floor, the little tiny stickers that I bribed the youngest with yesterday while shopping at Michael's, I was ready to tackle my To Do List once again.

Find or make costume for 8 year old's book report on civil war hero for next week....sigh...only 3 more weeks of school...can't...take....much...more....

Did I also mention that we are having guests over on Saturday? Or that the following weekend I am hosting a 10 girl sleepover/birthday party? Still need to organize crafts, food, cake, BUY PRESENTS for my daughter....What was it the husband had called for again...? completely slipped my mind..

Focus! Focus! That's right...have to clean house, finish curtains, hang the multitude of "things" that are currently propped up against the bottom portion of each wall, clean youngest's closet, make costume, order cake, go food shopping for Saturday in between cleaning & picking up daughter from another party, plant now disengrating plants into new pots,

clean up backyard, laundry,take Daisy to vet,

figure out what the husband wanted, make dinner,

organize guest room for inlaws visit,

buy presents for Teacher Appreciation week, find & fill out:

Field trip permission slip forms/year book order forms/

school game day t-shirts

and any other "forms"

clean, clean and oh! Clean!

etc.

So what did I accomplish today....? Well you're reading it!

**Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read and/or leave me a comment on this blog. I don't deserve all your kindness and patience but your comments keep me going! I promise in a few weeks I will be back to normal and can visit with all of you! Much love to you! ~ Laurie **

Spring Cleaning

2008-05-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hello!! Sorry, I have been neglecting my blog lately! I've been hit by the Spring Cleaning Bug, in the middle of a major heat wave hitting the 100's, go figure!

Well maybe you can call it spring cleaning but I think it's more of cleaning up the messes that have been accumulating while i've been blogging! But if sure does feel good to tackle those messes!

Stay tuned - once I finish, I will post a few of my decorating projects!

Thanks for checking back in.....:)

Mother's Day Addendum

2008-05-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

Just a little post script here....

My husband came home from work (he's in landscaping so that means Saturdays too, if it's a sunny day then it's a work day!) to gather up our brood to take them "out", a.k.a. - Mother's Day shopping.

Funny man, doesn't he know that taking ALL 3 of our children for a couple of hours, when I have had them ALL day, is present enough? To just sit with a cup of tea in utter silence and not yell up at the ceiling, to not make anyone a snack for the 12th time today or in the three year old's case, applaud his potty routine?

Maybe I can even take a bath BY MYSELF without the youngest one, who always finds out and brings his bath toys to join me. Oh, the possibilities are endless of what I can do for a few hours BY MYSELF! (even sit here and type this uninterrupted! Amazing! :)

But don't worry, I won't "spoil" his day with the children. If a lovely bouquet of roses or a nice shiny bauble comes with it, who am I to complain and ruin his fun? ;)

Mother's Day

2008-05-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me in an email recently, thought it was okay that I share it with all you Mom's....

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Author Unknown - I wish I knew who to give credit to!

A Doozy Of A Day!!

2008-05-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

Alarm goes off at 6:15 this morning and I roll over and hit the snooze..sigh...it's Wednesday and Pizza Day at school. That means I can sleep in an extra 9 minutes per my snooze alarm since I don't have to pack lunches...today is going to be a good day.

Uh oh...snag in my plan. Forgot it was field trip day for the eight year old and that means bag lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't remember this little detail until 3 minutes before we were supposed to be out the door. Okay, no big deal, tossed in some toast, go-gurt, apples, cheezits, Nugo bar (hey that's nutrition!)and a juice box. Okay, now we are ready to leave...let the dogs out...wait! What's wrong with Pepi's eye? It's huge! okay, quick! grab him and put him in the car, will call the vet on the way to school.

Head out the door...shoot! Where's the three year old's shoes?! In a dream world, they would be neatly tucked away in the shoe bench in the mudroom...oh, that's right! forgot that after bathtime last night, the three year old wanted to dress himself. That meant no clothes whatsoever but good thing he put on his winter hat and shoes! Okay, I'll just carry him to the car...45 pound 3 year old under one arm, 6 pound Chihuahua, open mug of coffee, juice cup, purse, keys under the other arm. No Problem! I can handle this...wait... "hey 8 year old...where's your jacket?! Yes, You NEED a jacket! take my keys and unlock the door, don't forget to turn off light and lock the door...and if you find three year old's shoes...."

Okay in car...rushing down our gravel road, to just get to main road which leads down hill, just to another road that takes us to town (yes, we live on a mountain!)...HIT EVERY SINGLE STOPLIGHT crossing town. @#$*!!!!

Pull into school parkinglot at 2 minutes before morning assembly - "Quick! out of the car!! I did too come to a complete stop! Loveyou-haveagoodday-bye!"

Call vet- no answer - leave urgent message about Pepito. Now at stoplight where train tracks are. Three year old pipes up in backseat (nearly forgot I had him!) "where's the train...? Is the train coming Mommy? I don't see the train Mommy! Is it coming?"

Now I read that we are supposed to answer our children's questions with clear explanations, so I try ..."No, the lights would be flashing and the red & white striped rails would be down if a train was coming."

"What?"

I try again..."if a train was coming the poles would be down and the lights would be flashing."

"What?"

sigh..."No, the lights aren't flashing."

"What?"

deep breath....."Train's Broken!"

"Why's it broken? is it gonna get fixed, Mommy? who's gonna fix it? who broke the train, Mommy....?" etc.

AGGHHHHH!!

Call vet again..get appointment for 11 a.m. Great! Ten minutes later vet calls to confirm that I CANCELED my 11:00 appt. WHat?! "we got your message on machine that you want to cancel your appt." What?! I didn't even have an appointment to cancel until 10 minutes ago! I need my appointment!"...sigh..things aren't looking good...

Get home to find 8 year old left all lights on and door unlocked...sigh...

Okay still have about 2 hours to do housework until vet appointment...Hahahahahahahaha! not so easy with a 6 pound chihuahua wrapped up in a baby blanket under one arm and a tempermental 3 year old insisting that it's okay to eat oreo's for breakfast...and lunch.

Take Pepi to vet - feel ridiculously claustrophobic in exam room. Could it be the sterile, entirely white, brick room with bars on windows? Now, if I was trying hard not to pass out - just in anticipation, can you imagine how the animals feel? Nearly cry while Vet removes obnoxiously large foxtail from my little Chihuahua's eye! Poor guy. Ointment 3x day for 10 days. No sunlight! My usually active dog is reduced to this little shivering baby who just wants to be cuddled all day.

Come home to give bath to other puppy, Daisy, to make sure no evil fox tails lurking in her longer, shaggier fur. Easily a 10 minute job, right?...BUT ...remember I have a three year old? I had no sooner removed the dog collar to find the three year old had moved a chair (now why is it that when you ask them to pick up their toys, get their shirt/shoes/jacket etc. on, that becomes an enormous task that takes 20 minutes that most likely YOU end up completeing -but in the blink of an eye, a three year old can somehow manuever a kitchen chair from across the room when he wants to get at hidden halloween candy in an upper cabinet or in this case "help" me wash the dog?) INSISTING that he be the one working the faucet hose....you already know how that must of turned out...will skip over details and just say I never knew washing a 5 pound puppy would require a mop, 4 bath towels and a change of clothes for both of us.

Oh, look! Time to get kids from school...hmm...Pepi's injured, Daisy just got a bath, don't want them rolling in dirt, can't trust them in house alone...I know! I will take them with us in the car! So pile in three year old and two dogs. Have to pull over enroute to school while Daisy our 5 month old puppy, throws up in the front seat........those baby wipes are so versatile!

Get kids, drive home slllooooowly avoiding all bumps in road in fear of upsetting puppy's stomach again, listening to kids day of "she said to so & so that so & so said..." (just picture Charlie Brown's teacher talking to him "wawa wa wawawaaa wa" ). ... doing my best '''umm...oh, I see...really..?"

No sooner had I removed my jacket, hung up my keys, took care of dogs AND carried in the now sleeping, 45 pound three year old, with the only thing keeping me going was me fantasizing about a gigantic cup of tea and a blankie when.....

"Moooommmmmmmm! I'm hungry!" "Moooommmm, what did YOU do with MY bookreport?" "Mooooooommmm he's hitting me!" "Mooommmmmm, She's in MY room!"

And it's only 4 p.m.....Can I cry yet..?

Mother's Day better be gooooood this year! :)

Friends

2008-05-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends....

Thank you so much for coming by, reading my rantings and leaving kind little comments that make me smile. I am so enjoying my time here in Blogland!

I've got good news....I got an award!!! It only took me about a week to figure out how to post it on here... but I am so honored nonetheless!

Dear Donna Lynn at Blushing Rose Antiques gave this to me! Isn't that sweet!? She has an amazing home that was featured in Country Sampler magazine this month...But besides her talent for decorating & transforming "Trash to Treasure", she has a great big heart to go along with it! Thanks sweetie for giving me my first award and helping me figure out how to post it too! ;)

Now the rules for the award are:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name of the link to the blog that gave it to her/him.

4. The award winner and the one who has given the prize has to show the link of "Arte y Pico", so that everyone knows the origin of this award.

5. To show these rules on the award page.

I hope this doesn't break any rules but I have Four Lovely Bloggers on my list instead of five....

First to Kim at Fluff Your Stuff - Kim has many talents! Not only is her beautiful, cozy home filled with all her creative touches but she has the talent to create little people from paper mache' which she sells on ebay. They truly are works of art! ...and she is just a sweetheart on top of all that!

Second to Dot at Picket's Place whose wonderful blog makes me laugh and uplifts my spirit. She has a wonderful way of making everyday life full of joy & happiness. Thanks Dot!

Third to Rue at Rue's Peanut Butter & Jelly Life whose beautiful home I long admired on RMS. She truly is all about family and her kitchen being the heart of the home! I have snagged some great recipes from her! I'm a hopin' & a prayin' for you sweetie with the farmhouse!

Fourth to Mary at Little Red House . Hers was the first blog I ever read, so she started me on this exciting little journey. Her photos of her lovely home, quaint little town & wonderful thrift store finds often make me gasp! They are so pretty - and I'm a'waitin' the time for when I can buy them on lovely notecards...hint, hint!

You Lovely Ladies Make My Day!

Now back to my little life...Oh wait, I hear my husband calling me.....

Yeah, right...more like this....

Hee-hee! But seriously, I have to get on the band wagon and do this...

Check back soon!

Birds & The Bees and Other Awkward Moments...

2008-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

The other day on a quick run into Homegoods, my 8 year old son needed to use the bathroom. So after asking a clerk, we were directed to the back of the store to the break room where we found the employee restroom...

My son was in there for quite a while. I had already browsed the closest three aisles to the bathroom and determined they had nothing of interest. I was getting impatient as we had to go pick up his older sister shortly. When he finally appeared, I started to rush through the store with him tagging along behind me making airplane sound effects, which I wasn't paying much attention to UNTIL he says "hey Mom, watch this!".....

......you know when something seems to be in slooooooow motion? That is the case here...I turn in time to see him.......(get ready) ..... shoot a feminine product through the air!!! ........

He was so thrilled with his new "toy" and was totally oblivious to it's intended purpose.. .. I quickly grabbed it from his hand and asked him where he got it. "Well, they had this little machine on the wall and it was for free!"

Oh boy, the saying "if it's free, it's for me" does not apply here! I didn't know what to say ! Glancing around to see if any fellow shoppers had witnessed this scene, I just whispered that those were for Employees Only! ...and hightailed it out of the store empty handed! A first for Homegoods!

Life is full of embarassing moments, right?

Even though we hate to go through them, we do have a good chuckle over them a few years down the road, right? Enough time has passed for me to be able to share a story that happened to someone I know...

To protect this person's privacy (ha?!) I won't reveal any names...This woman, had an important appointment scheduled. Being a bit on the shy side, this meeting had her stomach tied up in knots and she was nibbling on saltine crackers on the drive over to the appointment. After her meeting, happy that it was finally over, she gets up to leave and happens to look down at her chest to not only see a load of cracker crumbs left there but also that she FORGOT to remove the little round size sticker from her new top! So - she not only sat through this very serious appointment with a mass of cracker crumbs layered on her shirt but also a SIZE XL labeled on her womanly curves!!!

I am sure she will forgive me if she ever reads this! :)

Now getting back to my darling 8 year old son... a few months ago my 10 year old daughter got into the car after school to exclaim that they had had "The Talk" in class that day.... and when I say "The Talk" in quotes - that is exactly how she said it, with little fingers making quote marks in the air. So in the car besides Me was - my daughter, my Mother, the 3 and 8 year old boys. Being distracted as I always am with all of my offspring in the car competing for my attention, I didn't think to pause my daughter's ramblings...She went on to explain that the female teacher leading the discussion with the girls had her period at the age of 9.

My 8 year old son who was quiet up until now, pops up in the back seat and asks "what's a period?"

So while I am speechless trying to figure out what to say........My Mother quickly interjects with "at the end of a sentence!" to which my 8 year old son replies... "Oh i've been doing that since kindergarten!!" :)

The Birds & The Bee's will only be one discussion of many in the future... I will just have to take a deep breath, plaster a smile and a calm look on my face and muster through it.... hopefully that will conceal my inner shock, anxiety and total lack of knowledge!

Any stories you would like to share...? I would love to hear 'em!

Career Woman

2008-05-03T07:55:00.001-07:00

Hellooooo! Sorry I had to take a hiatus from Blogland for the week. You know my career I mentioned (Motherhood)? well, it was a particularly trying week, I had to put my skills to the test and really impress my boss (es)! I went above and beyond my regular 130 hour work week, let me tell you!...We had an important Presentation (Science Fair) that needed my full attention along with a mandatory Conference (School Assembly) for all employees and on top of all that we even had to schmooze after hours with fellow employees & clients! (Open House) phew!

But I am sure all that hard work really paid off...can't wait to see my paycheck! What?! I am an intern?! I VOLUNTARILY agreed to do this without pay?!..... Luckily, I have my moonlighting job as a house keeper & chef to fall back on...and my Nanny position of a 3 year old. Gee, didn't know I would be so well rounded career wise! :)

Seriously, I do apologize for not being able to keep up this week! I see I got a blog award!!! WOW! As soon as I figure out how to properly claim that I will post it officially! Thank you Donna Lynn! I am touched!

Stay tuned...in between my many careers ;) apparently, I am a Starving Artist as well! I have a few projects half finished all over the house. I will be posting those soon! Have a great weekend everyone! :)

2008-04-25T21:50:00.001-07:00

Having children is the greatest accomplishment ever, right? hmm...I think passing elementary school the second or third time around is pretty high up there too.

Never did I think I would be spending my friday nights in my 30's at home trying to smear paper mache' to a styrofoam ball to make the planet Mercury. Or trying to make a book report look like a pizza. Or even making a video book report? that's sort of an oxymoron right? But yep, here I am STRESSED OUT over science projects, required parent volunteering (explain that one to me..? thought Volunteering was well, voluntary!) and bringing in healthy snacks for the class party. Those always crack me up! For some reason I always get the hardest party dish to bring in. Do I ever get elected to bring in paper plates? Napkins? even juice boxes? No, I get 3 dozen deviled eggs and ham & cheese platter!

I am among young Mom's (not that I am old, in my mid 30's mind you!) but Mom's who sport color coordinating sweat (ha!) outfits that match their shoes and their cute little baseball caps. Mom's who MUST wake up extra early to apply a full face of makeup and a quick run to Starbucks before dropping kids off to school. How do they do it?

My morning is usually spent frantically looking for shoes, school sweatshirts, last nights scattered homework, tossing together a somewhat healthy lunch and coaxing the three year old into his car seat without 6 trucks, 3 books and 2 stuffed animals! Apply makeup? Well, only at the stoplights enroute to school... and as for the cute color coordinated sweat outfits? I am lucky If I remembered to remove (or conceal) my pajama's before jumping in the car. I know, I know, I hear the voice in my head, Got To Get More Organized but at the end of the evening between juggling homework, dinner, kitchen duty & bath time, I am lucky I make it up the stairs. (Thank goodness for Tivo & DVR!)

I hear people who moan about the newborn stage. What?! are they crazy? That's easy street! it's when they start walking, talking and going to school that really battles with the whole ideal vision in your pre-children head. Here I am in my 30's trying to pass the 5th grade!

Little did I know when I signed up (okay, so there was some wine involved!) that I would be this exhausted, perplexed, scared & scarred (stretchmarks!) when raising offspring......

But little did I know the pride, the joy and heart overflowing with LOVE when I look at my 3 beautiful, intelligent, caring kids. Granted - this feeling usually only overtakes me when the children are konked out, snoring in their beds :) but still the feeling is overwhelming. Those little beings are here because of me! oh and just a teeny bit of help from the husband....:)

So I am looking forward to some lazy days of summer when we haven't been up late the night before rewriting the history report or tying up Valentine goodie bags for 45 fellow students. Or making sure the family car is cleaned out enough to accomodate 5 rowdy boys on the class field trip along with a stressed out teacher asking you for advil. (Yes, those lovely young Room Moms I mentioned, always assign the teacher to ride along in my car). Those lazy days ahead of baking cookies and going for walks... playing in the park.....sigh...

After about two weeks of all this togetherness, reality sets in (and 18 hour days!)...and I start counting the days til school starts! aaahhh! Motherhood! :)

God Bless You & Your Families.

Is Cinderella Still Cleaning The Castle?

2008-04-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

I wonder, when the honeymoon was over, if Cinderella went back to mopping the floors and sweeping out the chimney?

I ask this because on Sunday afternoon I felt like Cinderella..the married version. I wasn't going to the ball looking for the handsome charming prince, he was at home with the three kids, but I was going out for an afternoon at the Opera with my Mother and then out to dinner with some friends.

Oh, it was lovely to get dressed up and teeter around on highheels ( I don't get too many opportunities to wear them on the ranch) carry a tiny handbag that didn't store a juice cup, antibacterial wipes, matchbox cars or those freebie crayons from family friendly restaurants. To apply my makeup while not looking in the car visor mirror and to dust off the curling iron and use it without leaving a lasting mark on my forehead.

So on to the Opera to see Mozart's The Magic Flute. It was an interesting story line and very different from any other I had seen before. In this version the actors spoke in English but sang in German. Thankfully I was able to keep up with the story line via the screen overhead translating who was who and why they were weeping over this or that. Then on to a lovely dinner with cloth napkins (no rolls of papertowels for kid spills here!) and real menu's that weren't part of the table decor. No needless trips to the Potty.... Aaaah! It was all about me!! ...and of course the company I was with.

After a leisurely and much enjoyed dinner, we bid farewell to our friends and made our way home...all in all I was gone from my castle about 8 hours.

As I floated in the door, with the notes of Mozart in my head, a smile on my face as I replayed the events of the evening over in my mind.....I stopped and saw this:

And This:

AND THIS:

My carefree night was over....the smile wiped from my face.... my happy balloon deflated as I turned to my no longer as Charming husband with the look of horror on my face and he had the audacity to ask innocently, "what...?"

So while my kitchen has been restored to it's former glory by someone other than me....

I have come to the conclusion that Cinderella wasn't cleaning up after her evil stepsisters....she was cleaning up after her children! and going to the ball wasn't to look for her prince Charming but was actually an appointment with a massage therapist! And as far as the fairy tale being told for all these years, it was just Cinderella's hallucinations while she was being treated with heavy antidepressant medication. Sorry to burst your bubble here ladies, but most fairy tales don't go into HOW they lived Happily Ever After. We just assume they do, and you know what they say about the word "Ass u me". Cinderella is still at her castle, sweeping, mopping and hallucinating! ; )

Trial & Error

2008-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when you go looking for something in particular - you never find it...? But then after the idea has gone out of your head or you've found a replacement for said item, you find what you were originally looking for?

Such is the case of my deer head. Yep, I have a faux deer head mounted on the wall in our Study. Our Study is a mixture of masculine sorts. It has equestrian artwork, a leather sofa, my Dad's old roll top desk.... A Gentleman's Study. I figured the rest of the house is so...well, feminine, that this room deserved to be richly textured and ...Manly!

After much fussing, sewing & shopping for this room, I realized it needed something different, a little something unusual (like a peacock feather wreathe wasn't enough!) it needed a Deer Head.

I did some online browsing but I didn't want spend the $$$ they were charging. So, I came across these little brass deer head candlestick holders in an antique shop. On sale for $100...okay, I bought them. I know, I know...but I figured this was what I was meant to have!

Mounted them to the wall...hmmm...they were okay, I guess. So I lived with them for a while.

Then one day while shopping at Homegoods with my sister in-law I saw this:

My sister in-law tried to convince me to buy it but I already had the candlesticks so I put it back.

A few weeks later, on a whim I ran into Homegoods again, I saw it tucked away on the shelf. I grabbed it and paid for it before I could change my mind! I paid $49 for it.

So I sneak him on home but he was a sickly pinky cream. Our walls are golden yellow, see where I am going with this?

So I thought, I'll spray him black, make him an artistic interpretation of a deer so no one thinks I would actually mount a beautiful deer on my wall.

Oh boy... He wasn't looking so good... yep, he needed some dimension, so I'll add some brown to him.

hmm...better but still needed something else... dug through my paints again. I mixed brown and gold paint and got a copper color. That's it! He'll be a BRONZE interpretation of a deer head.

So here he is mounted over my Dad's old roll top desk....

Now alot of people are probably thinking what the heck? or why would you want that? but I had a vision stuck in my head and those just stay there until I can figure out a way to get it right...and if that means, I am outside in my pj's spray painting before the kids wake up then that's what I will do!... my projects are alot of trial and error but I perservere for the sake of interior decorating! And besides...he kind of grows on you...;)

***Please go visit Kim at Fluff Your Stuff to see a creative way to accessorize your husband's trophies!!***

Time Stood Still....While I faux finished like crazy!

2008-04-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled when my husband gave me a clock for our Anniversary about 6 years ago. This was before we built our new home and moved in about 18 months ago. Anyway, my clock was having a hard time adjusting to it's new space, with the higher ceilings and more furniture, it just sort of blended in with the walls....

So after some thought and while the hubby was at work, I decided to give this little clock some character. Time stood still.... and so did every other household chore while I sanded, painted, glazed, stained, painted some more. I think I used every faux finishing technique I have ever read about!

So as the day turned into evening, my heart started to pound a bit and my stomach got a little twisted in knots. What would my dear husband think?He hasn't ever had a problem with my wild bursts of redecorating but this was different, this was a gift....from Him.

I grabbed his hand as he walked through the door and turned him in the right direction ( I sometimes have to do this, he doesn't notice a whole lot, including the blinds I hung in the dining room while he was on a trip about 6 months ago!) so I turned him to face the clock and I said"Look!"

thump, thump, thump..goes my heart....

And he said "Ohhhhh!"....and then asked where I got the stencil for the bottom since he knows I can't freehand anything to save my life :) But he truly did love it!

(please note - the paint isn't as GREEN as the photos show...a really nice aged sage green, I swear!)

So while this look might not work for everyone, it fits in really well (or should I say it stands out a bit more?) in our home. :)

Hope this inspires you to try a little heart pounding, what the heck am I doing?, project of your own. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results!

I didn't go into too much description here of how it was done, but if anyone wants to know, just ask! :)

My First Time

2008-04-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

I know that could be taken a multitude of ways....:) Just hoping it would pique your interest to have you reading a bit more! This is my First Post! I am a self described decorating fanatic....If it has something to do with decorating, I'm there!

Oh, I've tried HGTV's Rate My Space and while that was very exciting in the beginning, it leaves you a little deflated....that is, once you get hit with the haters, rate robbers and space trolls that come out at night to down rate your rooms! Anyone who has posted on there knows what I'm talking about, right? You log off with a smile on your face...hooray! 4 stars! You log back on in the morning to a whopping.....2.3!...huh? You scroll through your comments, looking for a reason why...a constructive critique that you hope you can accommodate, something of the person who despises your home that much. Sometimes, you get lucky, aha! ...You get a name, a snide remark which you can reply to...but alas, only on your own page.....sigh....do those evil raters ever come back to read your well thought out retort to their critique?...sigh...No. Do those people know or care that you spent many late nights sewing (and ripping out seams) on those curtains? Or that you've spent hours inhaling toxic vapors refinishing the family hand-me-downs? Sadly...No...All your hard efforts have been diminished to a 2.3 Fair rating that wounds your heart...sigh...Don't get me wrong, there are many more well wishers on there but once you get those negative posts, all those gracious, well meaning comments fade to the background.

So with that experience behind me, I started searching for something else...I found Blogs! So many wonderful, heartfelt, funny, touching pages of triumphs, recipes and beautiful vignettes that can make a heart soar! I thought ..hey! This is like RMS but only better...You get to share your decorating ideas, a personal story or two , you don't get rated or judged and you get to make new friends! Sold!...er...Upload! :)

So with that lengthy introduction...here is my first post!

My First Real Upholstery Project

This was my most recent little project. I wanted to include a few photos and some how-to's in here to save you some trouble and flesh wounds. yes, I got a few... I had been wanting to make an ottoman for our home office or study as I like to call it...sounds more appealing that way. I was trying to think of a way to put one together with minimal use of power tools. A few days later, driving through our downtown, I spot this outside on the sidewalk of an antique-thrift store.

I park the car, run over and purchase this for $30! I load it up and place it in it's new home. Hmmm... a big white elephant! But I was not discouraged, for I had a vision. A few days later, as the older two kids were off at school and I had the whole day to mys....wait, forgot about our three year old...let me rephrase that..had the whole day based on my three year old's every whim, I decided to tackle my project. So I gather my gear: electric screwdriver, pliers, flathead screwdriver (to help pry up the old staples), fabric & button cover kit, super large upholstery needle & twine and some leftover decorative upholstery tacks.

I started by dismantling the ottoman. Flipping it over and removing the screws to separate the top & bottom pieces...not so bad...Don't forget to cut the old cords to remove the buttons.

Started ripping off the cording....okay....

Cut a new piece of fabric for the top...I casually stapled one staple on each side just to hold the fabric while I started my tufting...I wanted to be able to adjust the fabric.

Cover your buttons with some scraps...I swear the hardest part! And tuft your first button. Mine were easier since this had already been tufted...it had holes drilled in the bottom for the needle to come through - although I had to use pliers to pull it completely through. I used a small scrap of fabric to brace my needle against the plier teeth. Caution! Keep your face clear ( I even closed my eyes! lol!) while pulling really hard on the pliers to pull the needle through all the layers.

can you see the needle coming through the wood..?

Okay, Pull Super TIGHT! pulling that needle all the way through. Remove the needle, tie a knot in the thread and staple the thread right in front of the knot ,down to the underside of the wood, staple, staple, staple along the string to keep this really tight. Can you see why there are no pictures for that step..? Gotta teach our 3 year old how to work the camera! :)

Three buttons down....four more to go! At this point I stop to work on the base....

I covered the base of the ottoman, cutting around the brackets that attaches the top.

Reused the old cording with new fabric, stapling that to the base of the ottoman.
At this point, I sort of stopped using the darn camera - sorry! But after you attach all your buttons (mine had 7 of them) wrap your top cushion like a present, pulling tautly and stapling, alternating sides...fold your corners in and staple everything underneath. Flip it over, lay the base on top of the cushion, reattach the screws and......

Taa Daa! You have a new ottoman!

I re stained the feet a bit darker, attached some nail head trim with the 3 year old sitting on my lap, "helping" me hammer and I was finished!

This is how it looks in the room.... Keep scrolling..... :)

What do you think..? Not bad for $30 and the cost of the material, button kit, new upholstery needle & heavy twine, gas, bandaids, advil...hmmm... but really "honey, I saved a TON of money!" :)