Live. Love. Laugh.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

2010-08-21T08:24:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, my best friend got married. She had a short and sweet wedding at a local hotel and then we went to various places around ES to party. I may post photos, but probably not. If you're my friend on Facebook, they are there.

Before we went down, we decided to take some time to ourselves (aka without Lily) and so we went down there and took some enjoying the sites. We took the trolley around town, did the Ghost Tour at the Crescent Hotel, walked around the whole town (yes, we WALKED in the crazy heat), and had a great time. I LOVE the buildings down there. The majority of the houses I took photos of are from the 1880's to early 1900's (maybe 1905 or so). They are beautiful!!

You'll want to click on the pictures and make them full size, especially of the first oen so you can see just how pretty this door is! I wish my house had this on the front porch.

Yard art was big down there. I have a lot of pictures of various ideas but I think this door frame/shape may be the best. It was either this one or a similar one that they had tried to have ivy grow on but it didn't work. How cool would be if it had worked though? Or a clematis? If I could find a good, fun, pretty door frame for Lily's garden, I have the perfect spot for it!!

I WANT THESE GATES! 'Nough said!

The next two are the same house (obviously) but I love it. However, I would NOT want to paint all those details. It's definitely pretty though.

The porch. Can you imagine sitting here?

Don't you love this pot? I'll take a few, please! I also like the rocks mixed with the hens n chicks.

Isn't this gorgeous? The house, the yard, the plants....

This fence section was about 4-5" tall. I WANTED it so bad. It was hidden on the property side of their fence, underneath a plant. I seriously thought about taking it, as it was so weirdly located that I doubt the owner knew about it. It would have made a great fairy gate for Lily's garden (or just a cute piece somewhere). But I didn't take it. It's one of things that I wish I had done though. Now I'm just going to be in search of the impossible - a teeny tiny little gate.

This, I guess, was their potting shed. They had it full of junk. Wouldn't it be great for a doll/play house for Lily? There were a lot of these little homes around the walk.

And finally, there were a lot of homes that backed up to this cliff/cave/rock wall and a lot of them had doors into it. One house for sale even advertised the size of the room. How cool would that be?!?!

Obsession

2010-06-29T16:33:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned my newest obsession?

It's plants. Yep. Plants. Especially lilies. (Of course!)

13 months ago, I had NO lilies. Then I gave birth to the best Lily of all! And as a gift for that Lily, I was given a lily named "Gordon Biggs". If you know me, you know why that is important. If not, it's just a really pretty lily.

We were given 5 lilies from my boss from his garden as a present for our Lily. It was a great gift. Unfortunately, it appears two of them have died. Maybe three.

This year, for Lily's birthday, we were given another lily. I forgot its name, but will find out soon.

Then we decided, after arranging the foundation stones, that we needed more lilies.

And then I bought 4 more.

But the garden seemed empty. I know a lot of it is because the path isn't in and neither are many plants. But it's still empty. And there was a sale at the local garden center. Half off all lilies. My pocketbook just cringed. So I bought one more.

One. That wasn't enough.

I went back and bought four more. I don't have pics of them as I accidently left them in my car a little too long and today's flowers died.

And that, everyone, is what started my newest obsession.

Rugby

2010-06-12T21:59:00.003-05:00

Ahh, Rugby. You're my baby boy! I couldn't find a more recent photo, so this will do.

Rugby will be 7 in October. Seven years old! For some reason, 7 has always been in my head as the age he will be when he passes away. I know that's stupid, but it's true. He's a huge dog and big dogs don't live that long (as compared to little dogs, like my Sugar who passed away in 2006). He's been worrying me a little lately... panting ALL the time and more recently, making a weird noise every once in awhile. I know I'm probably just making nothing into something.. he's panting because he's hot and we don't use our A/C all the time (it's broken, still haven't had it looked at, and we don't run our borrowed window units unless necessary), and he's a huge, BLACK dog. Of course he's going to pant. But we had to our bedroom's air on last night, I was finally chilly enough to use the big blanket (it takes a lot for that to happen) and the boy was still panting.

I guess you can say I'm worried. I love the big guy and although he can be annoying (mainly due to his size and large amounts of hair that is everywhere), I don't want him to suffer, and even worse, die. I know, I know, all things die. But I'm not ready for him to go.

This summer he'll be going to vet for check ups, so we'll see how much he really weighs and what they think. For now, I'll just keep making him happy and maybe a trip to the farm is in order...

Zoey

2010-06-10T15:31:00.001-05:00

Making herself comfortable.

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cardinals grooms cake

2010-06-05T17:07:00.003-05:00

I made this! what do you think?

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2009's Resolutions

2010-01-02T11:01:00.003-06:00

I realized I had made a list of resolutions last year... let's just see how I did.
1. Paint nursery. - DONE
2. Decorate nursery. - Not quite where I want it, but kind of there.
3. OK, just completely turn old office/storage room into nursery. Hopefully before May. Preferably before March. - DONE
4. Paint kitchen cabinets and walls. - DONE
5. Redo master bedroom. This means everything - pull out drywall, what insulation is there, frame in four walls, hire out the insulation, new sheet rock, paint, and then maybe, just maybe, decorate! I want this done before baby in May. At least the walls up and ready to paint. - NOT DONE!
6. Buy rug for dining room. - Not Done.
7. Finish paint removal on nursery door. May need help with this to prevent my pregnant self from inhaling bad fumes. - I painted it instead of stipping it to the wood.
8. Paint "hallway" (area between nursery, front bedroom, and bathroom). - Nope.
9. Paint stairwell to basement. Probably same color as "hallway." - Nope.
10. Buy new furniture for TV room. New love seat (to replace large couch) and maybe a nice recliner. And possibly TV unit and storage areas. Move furniture around to better suit baby's needs. - Nope, except I moved it around. So half way.
11. Sell books online. Or get rid of books. - Not sure what books, but nope, didn't sell any.
12. Buy baskets for shelves in TV room for dog toys, organizational needs. - Kind of.
13. Continue to de-clutter house. - Not really.

Resolutions

2010-01-02T10:54:00.003-06:00

I'm not a huge fan of resolutions only because I can't seem to keep them. But, I also have made some in the past that just aren't the easiest to keep.

This year, however, maybe I'll make some smaller ones...

1. Try to keep the house cleaner. I haven't let the dishes pile up, but I'm not the greatest with dusting. I could vacuum every day because of the dogs and cats, but it can be hard with Lily. However, she's now into everything and crawling, so this needs to be done at least every couple days or so.

2. Save some money. It's just a matter of time before something breaks in our house again and I'd like to have some money set aside so it's not always put on the credit card and slowly paid off.

3. Speaking of credit cards... I was doing a good job last year in paying them off. I have two now and although their limits aren't high, they are high enough that I don't like it when they are full. So, my job is to keep them cleaned off as much as possible.

4. Watch what we spend! This goes for eating out more than anything. We spend a lot (well, Doug spends a lot) going out because of his schedule. I'd really like to watch this.

5. But speaking of saving... I'd also like to do some spending... We really need a new couch/living room furniture. So I'd like to find something nice that will last.

6. We also really need to put a fence in our backyard. This would give the dogs somewhere to go when the weather is nice. And cut down on how much hair is in my house (obviously not much, but some!)

7. And the biggest one... HAVE THE UPSTAIRS OF MY HOUSE COMPLETED!!!!!!!!!!! This includes finishing the drywall, painting, cleaning, two doors being made (into our storage areas), and trim. I'm sure there's more on that list, but that's what the majority of it seems to be.

Where I am...

2009-06-04T15:51:00.002-05:00

... I haven't done much with this blog in awhile. But I am posting more on the baby blog, so feel free to check it out. I think that'll be where I update everything baby and family related and use this for when I do stuff that's creative, either art work or stuff to the house. But that'll be awhile until I have the time, energy and freedom. Someone has me busy, so my hands are full. But she's precious and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My Mother's Daughter

2009-05-02T19:08:00.005-05:00

That's me! She has been decorating her side/back yard with various conifers (dwarf, regular, odd, everything!) and has a few touches of Asian influence. I now want it all in my front yard! I have had a design scheme in my head for awhile, wanting the whole front yard to be done in white flowers with various shades of green plants. It'll happen some day. But as I look at her work as it progresses and changes seasons, I definitely think I want to add some dwarf conifers to my yard. They come in so many shapes, colors and kinds. If only I had a few hundred (or thousand) dollars, my front yard would be done.

Check out these pictures of some inspiration...

Our front yard is kind of small and we want to redo the sidewalks anyway, so this would be a GREAT way to add Asian inspiration. I wouldn't mind if our whole front yard would be free of grass. Some day I'll take a picture of it and show you just how small it is...

Wouldn't this be a fun way to do something with the gutter pipes? We've thought about doing things with them anyway to collect the water to use in our garden. This would just add a special touch, add in the Asian theme, and be fun.

And this is just a dwarf conifer that would be nice to have, as it grows out and not up. I really don't want to have a lot of plants grow up, except maybe a few. I like plants that spread out... this one would be great!

I'll keep adding inspiration photos... it takes a long time to go through Google images to find good ones. I need to photograph my mom's plants and those that I want from the local nursery.

Taz

2009-04-18T23:02:00.004-05:00

Our poor little kitty, Taz...

Here she is as a baby... notice the eye?

Here she was just a few days ago. She's a beautiful Tortie with really great eyes but they never photograph well...

We're pretty sure she's blind in one eye. We never really noticed it before we had Rocky but the difference between the two cats is like night and day. We knew Taz was always "special" - and in many ways! But we never knew about her eye sight. You have to know Taz to understand what I'm saying. She is not a typical cat. She's not sweet. She doesn't like attention. She has spent years avoiding human contact. She has spent the last 6 years avoiding us at all costs, unless it came to her food bowl, kitty litter or the occasional pork product (about the only "human" food she reacts to).

After moving to our new house, she started moving around the house more. She sleeps in our bed, but still doesn't like to be touched. Over time, she has allowed us to pet her, but HATES being picked up. You should hear and see her reaction to be held. That's something I should video tape.

But now that we have Rocky, we've seen a new side of Taz. She'll hang out with us, actually interact in a semi-normal way. She's still not a normal cat. I doubt she will ever be normal. I don't see it happening, I'm not holding my breath... but I am happy that she isn't trying to kill Rocky now and that she's becoming more cat like. And what do I mean? She now climbs on furniture more, sits on my legs (but I can't pet her!), comes into the kitchen with the others while we cook, and follows us around the house. You will hardly ever (as in 99.9%) hear her purr or meow in a normal way. She occasionally plays with the cat toys we have... and that's when we realized her problem. We bought a laser for Rocky to play with (he LOVES it!) but when you try to get Taz into it, she'll only respond if you put it on one side of her face. Her right side is fine. She'll look at the laser, join in on trying to get it and everything. Put it on her other side and she doesn't react AT ALL! We've tested her over and over.

Tonight, my mom saw what we see. The cats were both on the love seat in our front room and you could tell Taz was having issues trying to turn around on the back of it. She only turns in one way, it appears. And then when she was on the floor, she ran into Zoey because Zoey passed her on her "bad" side.

However, we aren't surprised with her eye sight issue. She gets along great, knows where her food and litter box are and doesn't have any trouble with anything. As a kitten, she had been hit or attacked and her face took the majority (if not all) of the abuse. Her eyes water a lot and you can tell by her pictures that she keeps one open wider than the other. This has gotten better over the years and is not as obvious as it once was. I feel sorry for the little thing. She was just an adorable kitty, who got hurt and I took her in. She's always been viewed as "healthy" at the vet and actually acts really well when she goes there. She's 6 years old now and I don't see her problems interfering with her life. If it does, we'll figure out what to do then. I had an older cat that we think had a stroke and went blind. Or partially blind at least, as she would run into things that were out of their normal place (or the dogs, which moved all the time).

The Rock Garden

2009-04-17T19:43:00.002-05:00

These are pictures from last year... but I wanted to say that the plants are outside! I probably just jinxed us and we'll get terrible weather, but they're out for now! They aren't in new pots, they still need new (and more) soil, and everything else that goes along with bring plants outside that have been slowly dying in our basement. We did have a grow light on them, but it's just not the same. Especially when we forget to turn it on for a few days here and there. I'm happy to have them outside. Our hens and chicks and a few other plants that wintered over and started to look GREAT! I can't wait to get everything back together and have new pictures, with new arrangements and a few new pots and plants this year!!

Baby Bed!

2009-04-01T20:44:00.004-05:00

Isn't this GORGEOUS! My great aunt sent us the blanket and I had picked up the carpet awhile ago. I can't wait for the rest of the bed (and room) to be decorated! Until then, you get this. :)

DIY - Memo Board

2009-03-20T21:01:00.003-05:00

I've always been interested in these types of memo boards but never wanted to buy one. When we moved from our old house, we took a bulletin board that was there with us. It has sat in a closet for almost two years, unused. But now it has a new purpose! And for very little money!!

Here's the plain bulletin board. Standard issue... boring. It was really old, and really heavy. But other than that, just the typical bulletin board.

I bought some 1" foam (actually made for seat cushions) from Wal-Mart. I used 1 1/2 of them (there were four in the bag). I laid them out and stapled the edges, just to help hold them in place.

I chose pink fabric (which turned out to match the rug perfectly!) and stapled it around the edges. The stapler wouldn't go all the way into the heavy wood, so I hammered it down. I didn't worry about it looking nice, as it was all on the back.

Then I used two colors of 1" wide ribbon in bright pink and green. I criss-crossed them and repeated the pattern.

And ta-da! There you have it. Yes, I could have been picky and made them cross in a pattern (you'll notice that some overlap some colors, but not all...). But I just randomly did it and wasn't thinking that much into it. I don't mind it. Once things are tucked inside, I don't see it being an issue visually. But if you want to do it your way, then do it! That's what's great about this project - there's so many options!

More remodel photos...

2009-03-20T18:05:00.003-05:00

The room has been cleaned up (some) and so, I thought I'd take some pictures in spots that will be easy to repeat throughout the rest of the process...And also some detailed photos to show.

This is the view from the East to the West. The East side of the room will be the TV area, the West is my closet area.

This is the view South, into our office. I was standing where our bed will be.

View from the top of the stairs, looking NorthEast.

The rafters. We took out the nails and pulled off the insulation (talk about NASTY!). Another problem was that when they re-roofed the house, part of the black stuff from shingles came down onto the insulation.... it's nasty stuff that falls through onto your head.

This is the North window. We're replacing all the windows with new, vinyl, double hung windows. I can't wait! This window sits right behind our bed, so it'll be nice to be open the top and let in a breeze.

This is the view North (where our bed will be).

This is the stuff we're working on pulling down. Left over insulation and random junk... it's the nasty part of the job, as the fiberglass insulation is ITCHY!

Another shot of the "leftovers" ...

Rocky

2009-03-20T17:19:00.003-05:00

I know I've mentioned him before but he has to be the sweetest cat.. EVER! Or maybe it's just compared to our other cat, Taz. But I believe he's just the sweetest cat. You can hold him, pet him, squeeze him, even pick him up, upside down and he is happy. He is just a happy-go-lucky cat and definitely knows how lucky he is. If I hadn't had bad luck with a previous animal (a dog) named Lucky, I might have considered that a name for Rocky.

How do I know he's sweet when he's picked up, upside down? We were upstairs and he tried going under the floor boards. I grabbed him as he was half way there, picked him up by his hips and held him up to my chest, then flipped him around. No meows. No hisses. Nothing. And when he got right side up? He purred. He let me play with him, hold him, do whatever I want.

As for our other cat... she sat on my legs while in the recliner earlier. Then she got mad when I tried to touch her head. Then she bit me. And then hissed, growled, and tried to hit Zoey. This is normal for her. She hardly ever purrs. However, she is *SLIGHTLY* getting a little better. She's not as quick to jump to the biting phase, she'll follow me around, she talks to me... but she is NO Rocky!

Upstairs

2009-03-19T20:57:00.003-05:00

I feel like an update but not like writing... so here's a list!

- I finished taking the nails out of the wood. There might be a few I missed, so that's my job this weekend.
- The office had screws holding up the thicker drywall, so those need taken out.
- The dumpster is gone.
- There's still trash up there.
- We think it won't take much to clean up. Especially with the help of my dad's shop vac.

My mom and dad came by the other day to discuss things they've looked into. It looks like it'll take a little bit more money than we originally planned, so let's hope we get the money back from taxes that I think we're due! A

And just what do we have planned for the upstairs, in case you're wondering...

- Four new walls. We're waiting for my parents to get back from their vacation in order to help build them.
- Possibly a new (slightly different, but not much) layout for our office. Nothing major - but there was an angled wall that was shared with Doug's closet and just didn't server a purpose in either one - so it'll most likely be straightened.
- Speaking of the office, we plan on building built in shelves instead of the small closet that was there. It'll be great to have storage for all of our books/notebooks!
- Insulation. The whole reason behind the remodel. We are getting blown in spray foam. It's supposed to be the best and will help soooo much. That's the plan at least. Anything has to be better than what we had.
- Drywall. (Duh!) New drywall for the walls and ceiling. Yep. Talk about a fun job - glad I have an excuse not to help! hehe!
- Paint! I've changed my mind numerous times on the color options... but I think I like the idea of a light, bright color that will make the space feel big (not that it needs help with that - it's a big space already!). I also want white trim, maybe with some natural wood as that's pretty and would match the rest of our house.
- New windows. Four of 'em. It'll help with the heat loss/gain (whatever the temp is outside, that's what that room is - so summers are miserable, winters are impossible!).
- And that's it! For now...

What are my long term plans for the space?
- Two leather recliners for the TV area.
- TV for the TV area
- All furniture for the TV area (TV stand, tables, whatnot)
- Office furniture and decorations (including a desk that would suit both of us!)
- Built in shelves for the TV area and office
- Decorations!
- Jewelry displays/storage for my closet area.
- And probably a lot of things I can't think of right now.

Oh, and then there's the bathroom. Don't get me started on it. We want to put a shower in there, as well as a toilet and sink back in the room. I don't know what the plans are right now, but I'll let you know. It may depend on if we have any left over money (which doesn't look like it).

I plan on taking pictures this weekend with my new camera. It's cleaner now, but not much else has changed.

New Camera

2009-03-16T22:43:00.004-05:00

I got myself a new camera!!! It's a Canon Power Shot SD790 IS (Digital Elph). It's the new version of my old one. I can't wait to take pictures! And it'll be great for baby shots as I can then blow up photos for gifts and whatnot! :)

Found, not Lost

2009-03-16T13:15:00.003-05:00

So the other day I asked Hubby if he still had my little camera. He had borrowed it to take pictures at his work. I asked if he had it with him or if it was at work yesterday to take pictures of the demo. Well, last night he found it. He had it in a pocket of some pants that he pulled out of the WASHING MACHINE! That I had washed. Yes, me. I forgot to check the pockets. I ALMOST always check the pockets! Especially since I was the one who washed a gift certificate to a local restaurant just a week ago (but that's ok because although we love the food there, we had a bug on our appetizer sampler once... ALIVE!).

So... I tried to let it dry out. But it's dead. I took the disk out, which I had just bought (thankfully they are cheap now and not expensive like back with my first digital camera) and the battery out too. Best Buy actually has the newer version of what I own on sale this week. I'm thinking about getting it - we have important things to take pictures of! And yes, I have my big camera and technically, older cameras too (my film Canon), but we have a baby on the way! I need a camera! And not a big, bulky camera. I need one to carry in my purse or pocket as we run around.

I just hope that if I do get this new one that it takes the same disk (if it's still working). I've washed disks before and they work again... so let's hope! It was a 4 GB!

Upstairs Remodel (Meta Monday AND Blue Monday)

2009-03-16T10:21:00.007-05:00

A Three in One!

These are the pictures I promised... as well as the beginning of what will be Meta Monday (we made a huge dent in the project yesterday, thanks to my parents!!!) and then, for Blue Monday, there is the ugly BLUE carpet. Luckily for us, it had already been pulled up and replaced but was still in pieces in our crawl space. Don't know why. We also found it's identical red/orange pair but only one little chunk. I'd hate to think of a whole room of either type...

Enjoy the pictures, more are to come as the next steps come!

There are a lot of pictures and so, I apologize for them not being in order. I'll work on that in the upcoming posts.

Doug tearing down the ceiling...

Rocky checking out the upstairs (an entire floor he has yet to really explore!)

Salvaged wood! There are some plans for a few pieces, none for the rest. But this was all in our crawl space. Future projects.. any ideas?

We threw the trash out the window so we didn't have to make the trip over and over.

This is the view from my closet area.

This is the peak of the roof. Old houses were made so differently than new ones!

My mom throwing trash out. It was kind of a game... the dumpster wasn't directly under the window, so you had to throw it out and hope the wind didn't catch it.

Taz, checking out the demolition... she did check it out more, but when people are around she stays back.

This is almost a before photo... our NW corner crawl space that's near my closet. We like the hidden door effect and are trying to figure out how to do that again.

NE Corner crawl space... this is for Blue Monday! ... check out the terrible carpet!

NE Corner again... check out the random pieces of wood for the floor. Those two pieces with the angled corners make a full size table!

My closet...or what's left of it.

The office demo! I was hammering out the shelves. Check out my belly!

A close up of a 7 month belly in a shirt that USED to fit...

I'm tearing down the ceiling!

Here's the east side of the room. Some day it'll have furniture and a TV. We're a long way from that.

Just another view of the above photo.

Doug doing some demo.

Ceiling demo...view from the stairs...

Ceiling demo again...

Upstairs...

2009-03-14T10:51:00.002-05:00

I'm working on cleaning it out for the remodel to begin! Unfortunately, being 7 months pregnant does not make it easy to carry things up and down the stairs. My mind is telling me I can do it, my body is telling me something different! And in this case, my body will win. Every time. No questions asked - I just have to take breaks. Which is why I'm writing now. I've taken 5 or 6 trips up and down the stairs already, carrying small loads of stuff from Hubby's office and random pieces from my closet. Yesterday saw 4 trips up and down just to carry my shoes. hehe. I love shoes.

There's a few more things I'll be able to carry down, but then I'm stuck. I can't carry down two dressers and a large night stand table. There's also the desk in hubby's office, but it seems to be falling apart and wasn't a good quality to begin with so it may end up the dumpster. And it's ugly. And since we'll be sharing that office, I want something different. It may be years until that office is the way I want it, but that's fine with me. We don't use it anyway.

I have four full bags of clothes, shoes and randomness to take to Good Will. I love getting rid of things. I could probably get rid of more, but I'm waiting to see what size I can squeeze into after baby! So there's a whole box of clothes I'm holding onto. However, I didn't really fit into them before the pregnancy, so we'll see. I might be asking friends what sizes they are and giving them away - they're all name brand jeans and tops. It's hard to part with them, knowing I (and my parents) spent so much money on them over the years! But like I said, it's good to get rid of things, so I can share the love.

I still do not have my little camera (as in my point and shoot), as hubby is using it. I hope he brings it home today. But I do have my big guy and the battery is charging. So hopefully it'll be done charging before demolition fully starts. The battery's been dead for over a year or so, which is sad because that means I haven't used that camera forever! But it'll take awhile for it charge.

Anyway... mini break #1 is over. Must go continue...

It's begun!

2009-03-11T15:59:00.004-05:00

The makeover of our entire upstairs! I'd take a picture and show you the sort of before but hubby has the camera. I say sort of because we got bored one day and started poking holes in the ceiling.

So, what's our plan??
- Tear down the drywall and insulation.
- Pull off the wood paneling.
- Frame three new walls (covering the nice brick that's there so we have more INSULATION!)
- Get new insulation
- Redo ALL the drywall
- Paint a cool new color!

What else do we HOPE to do?
- NEW WINDOWS! That's four for those that are curious.
- New skylight. This is really more of a NEED rather than HOPE but money is, as always, an issue. However, it leaks. So we'll have to make sure to squeeze this one into the budget!
- Built in book shelves on the short walls (the ceiling is angled, making us having random short walls and such... the picture will be nice to show you.. I'll try to do that this weekend!)
- Hopefully something in our bathroom. Not sure yet. I'll let you know.

The space is really large and we miss living there. Well, it isn't so much that we miss living there, but we miss the fact that we don't have a guest room. This isn't a major issue as most of our family (except my in-laws) are within 30 minutes of us. However, we have friends that haven't made it up in awhile and although that's okay for now, we miss them. And we need a room for them so they aren't bombarded with our pets. And of course, we have the BABY on the way, which will create visitors!

I kind of miss the room. It's nice. It'll be nice to have everything back together in a true Master Bedroom and not what we have now. I also miss my closet. It's huge. All of my clothes can fit. Right now my clothes are in the basement and in our guest room/bedroom. And Doug doesn't have room in our bedroom for his clothes right now, so all of his are in our basement (aka laundry room). Doug has his own closet too. Another plus of our master bedroom!

So... I can't wait to let you all see! I might even let you help pick out the colors... should I do a blue/grey color which I like, or more of a neutral? If I do a blue/grey, I'd want to do an accent wall behind our bed in silver. And an accent wall in my closet (it's open.. again, it'll help when I have pics) that's a deep chocolate brown. It'll be wear I make holders for my jewelry - earrings and necklaces and such...

My House

2009-03-06T15:30:00.004-06:00

This is my house. Some day I'll take a picture of the front porch, close up. I love the deep brick color, the matching grout, the black and white trim... but I don't like the plants. I also don't like the color of the front door. I'm thinking BLACK! I am also slightly upset with Moon Gardens (all white/silvery plants, etc)... and would like to rip out all of what's currently there and replace with shrubs and various plants. I REALLY want white irises and white calla lilies, among many others!

Yes, the house needs painted. We will also be replacing all the windows eventually (as in whenever we get money).... but for now, all the windows and front porch will be white.

What do you think of the black door idea?

Blue Monday - My First!

2009-03-01T20:33:00.005-06:00

Smiling Sally has Blue Mondays and since I don't have anything for Metamorphosis Monday, I decided to do this! :) And since I LOVE blue too, I figured this would be easy to do!

Those are chocolates I made for my brother's college graduation in his school colors - BLUE and white. Yummy!

So, click the link to the left and enjoy other blogs and their Blue Mondays!

Outdoor Wednesday - Bird's Nest

2009-02-24T19:11:00.004-06:00

As part of Outdoor Wednesday (check out the link on the left!), I decided to show you some birds that inhabited our upstairs window sill. We had an air conditioner sitting there, but moved it to shut the window entirely (we weren't using the upstairs - more on that later!). We also knew there was most likely birds there, as we could hear them and were afraid of them getting into our house. When Hubby moved the AC unit, he did so carefully, afraid of what might be under there. I was not expecting this! Look how tiny they are!!!

I'm not sure what happened to them afterwards. I don't think they lived, as I believe something had also happened to their mom. I was not about to adopt these babies, as I have tried adopting abandoned babies before and it turns out bad. But I'm not sure what happened, and I got busy enough and forgot to check on them after the first week or so. I'm choosing to pretend they lived and are now making their own babies! :)

Metamorphosis Monday - Nursery

2009-02-22T20:40:00.005-06:00

Welcome to my FOURTH Metamorphosis Monday! Unfortunately we didn't get this done for last week, but I have it all to show you now!

This is our baby's room NOW. Don't you love the green walls and off white trim?

Here's a good view of how the walls and trim look with the dark wood floors.

And here's our beautiful bed! My parents bought the bed and dresser/changing table combo and will be ordering the mattress soon.

THIS IS THE BEFORE!....
Check out the blue color... and the nasty baby poop brown trim color...Oh, and let's not forget the previous homeowner put stencils AND wallpaper on the wall. However, when I took this picture, the wallpaper had already been taken down (it was an easy job, luckily!)

Here's a close up of the wall stencil she put up. It was a bronze/gold color. YUCK.

Be sure to click on the link to the left to visit others who have posted their Metamorphosis Monday shots!

And stay tuned for upcoming Meta Mondays from me... I plan on having a closet makeover for one of the two closets in the baby room. I might have something in mind for the second one too, but we'll see how much I can do!

Outdoor Wednesday - The Creek

2009-02-18T06:54:00.007-06:00

This is my "big guy" Rugby when he was just a pup. This was his first trip out to my parents' farm and he LOVED it!

This was just a few months ago... the dogs are impossible to get good shots of now because of the two little ones never sit still. "Little" in my family means smaller than the two big guys (Rugby is pushing 130-150 and Pete is over 80). My "little one" Zoey, the brindle, runs probably 5 times more than the others, and my mom's dog, Wyatt (the Golden Retriever mix) does about the same.

This is one of my favorite shots from their farm. I love the creek, the rocks, the moss, and everything about it.

To see other Outdoor Wednesdays, be sure to click on the Outdoor Wednesday logo on the left column.

Nursery Update

2009-02-17T16:59:00.007-06:00

BEFORE...

Lily (this wall is where the bed will be)...

Corner pieces for the moulding...

Corner piece with moulding attached... there's still some work to do, but not much!

Daddy Doug working on the moulding!

For more photos, check out my baby blog...

Valentine's Day at a Bakery

2009-02-15T09:10:00.002-06:00

For years, through high school and college and after, I worked at a bakery. I started as Saturday help, just checking people out and stocking the shelves. It was enough to wet the appetite and perk my interest. When I finally quit the last time, and the bakery closed, I was doing it all - except paying the bills! I stocked shelves, did displays, helped order merchandise, and the exciting stuff - decorate, bake and help people decide on what they wanted their cakes to look like (wedding, party, etc.).

Valentine's Day was one of the biggest days of the year for us. We made endless amounts of chocolate covered strawberries, stuffed balloons (those giant balloons with stuffed animals and such inside), brownies and everything else. The chocolate covered strawberries were, of course, the biggest seller. And so delicious. When this time of year comes around, I find myself CRAVING them. I love strawberries. And I love chocolate. And how can you go wrong with the two?

Yesterday at the grocery store, I decided to get some and make them myself, something I've done the past few years. And you know what, my grocery store didn't even HAVE ANY STRAWBERRIES! Not even an empty spot for them! I was let down. Luckily, our small town has TWO stores, so I ran to the second. I had seen them there earlier, although expensive, so I ran over there and splurged. I don't think I'll cover all of them, except I might since I'm having company over.... hmmm... my mouth is watering at the thought!

If I do, I'll take pictures. I might do more than one type, as I can't remember my family's favorites. And I have left over chocolate from Christmas. I have a feeling that some day in the future, I will be buying chocolate by the case, not the pound. Luckily, I still have connections!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T10:44:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Last year, I made stuffed french toast and chocolate covered strawberries for hubby. It was yummy! This year I woke up by myself... well, no hubby but at point in the night I had all my "fur babies" with me. They like to cuddle. And no, hubby and I are not fighting. We're going great. He is a coach and this weekend is Districts for him. Which meant a late night last night and an early morning today. So he stayed with a friend last night so he wouldn't have to drive home late, get up extra early and so on.

This V-day has seen nothing romantic for or from either of us. Part of it is because he's busy, part is because I'm sick. And part of me just didn't feel like it this year. I love looking at everyone's decorations around the blog world but I just couldn't get the energy to do anything for us. Except one cheap little WM frame that I put some scrapbook paper and stickers in. Yes, just one little thing in our house. We really don't have V-day decorations. Maybe I'll check out some sales this week. IF I feel better.

So to all of you out there - have a great day! I will most likely be sitting on my butt, trying to get over my strep throat and my cold. I might work on the nursery if I have the energy. I'm to the point that I need help though (with the crown moulding).

Backyard Inspiration

2009-02-13T17:01:00.006-06:00

OK... so I was standing outside, checking out the weather (and letting the dogs out) this afternoon and started looking at my back yard. There is nothing inspirational about my yard. I would love to have a backyard that people are drawn to, that parties happen in. Sure, we have our little rock garden, but not much else. Unless you count our GIGANTIC concrete slab. Sure, it'd be good for a game of basketball (if we had a hoop) or to ride bikes on for when the time comes. But until then, it's just so BLAH.

Our plans have included seating, which would include a table for at least 6 (I don't see the purpose of smaller tables, unless I have more than one!) and some benches. My ideal bench would have planters on both sides. And I know a perfect person who can do this (my dad! - he's made at least one - and of course, hubby!). I think with adding the planters, it allows for so many options for plants. I love plants. Even if my thumb isn't always green.

Our plans also include a fire pit, which would be near some of the seating (oh, did I mention wanting some chairs and loungers that could be moved around - that one might just be for me!). So in one corner of our slab, we'd have the benches, some chairs, and our fire pit. One corner, the closest to our back door, would be kept empty so that the dogs wouldn't run into things as they go in and out. However, I do want to get rid of some of the dirt pile (nothing will grow in this space as my dogs play, pee, and run in it), so I want to add some pavers or something in place of dirt. There would also be a place for hubby's grill, possibly semi-built in so that we'd have a bar area. Have I mentioned how big this slab is? Some day, I'll get out there and measure.

Another part of the back yard would include the garden. We started our little, itty bitty garden (like 4 by 7 feet or so) off the edge of the slab, near the shed. Some day, we'll have more of a garden - including blueberries, raspberries, more veggies, and possibly some pumpkins (just because they're cool!), and of course, FLOWERS. I really want some sunflowers along the fence line. They'll do great in the part of our back yard that I want them in because it's all sun.

So these pictures (ARE NOT MINE) but are inspiration. This is not something that will happen soon, as there are more important things to do (as in our master bedroom, not to mention finishing the nursery!). Enjoy the inspiration!

I love the variations of rock in this first picture. I would love to see some of this incorporated into my backyard. Another reason why I love this shot is because our yard is not flat. It has a gradual slope and this would be a nice way to have a walk away from our slab to our shed (some day will probably hold gardening stuff and/or kid stuff). I also love the plants.

As mentioned in previous posts, I love this color blue in a garden. I also have a brick house, which would be nice with the brick too. I think it would be a fun thing to add to our shade part of the yard, and to add small touches of blue throughout the rest of the yard.

And although I don't see us touching our patio to do a nice design like this, where grass or another plant, could grow up between the areas, it would be nice to have this look. I do like the stone wall, which would be nice to incorporate some how.

And of course....

My backyard would not be complete without a FISH POND! Mine will, of course, be big enough (as in deep too) to house the fish through our Missouri winters. This, I believe, would make at least part of the pond be 3-4 feet deep in the end. I also want it large enough to enjoy, probably 2/3 of the slab length (I'm guessing between 16 and 20 feet). It would include a waterfall (or small creek, allowing for a shallow area - good for frogs and toads!), a shallow end for baby fish and plants, and the deep in for the adults. There would be a shelf around the entire pond for plants to rest (so they don't rot - I've done some research!). I also want a fountain in the deep side, so that it wouldn't freeze in the winter (keeping the water moving allows this to happen).

Hubby will think I'm crazy, but we've already discussed this (both me being crazy and the fish pond).

Yes, for those who will read this and say "Aren't you pregnant? You can't have a baby near water!" ... Of course, I know this! This will not be happening for a few years. Which, will, probably be put on hold for another few years after that for whenever baby #2 comes around. These are long term goals - especially the fish pond. Our children will be used to water by then, and if not, there is always the possibility of a small fence around the entire thing. And of course, not letting them outside without supervision - which is going to happen while they're young anyway.

Oh, and of course, none of this is possible until we fence in our yard. This keeps out the unwanted neighbor's children and kids. And privacy. We'll be doing privacy fence along the street side of our yard, and possibly down one whole side. The other two sides will probably just see something simple and cheap. Our backyard backs up to a neighbor's double lot and then to a local school - it's a nice view. We don't want to block it, for now at least.

So there you have it. There will be more pictures as I find them. I'm using my blog as a way to hold my images, instead of keeping them on my computer.

Outdoor Wednesday - Tomatoes

2009-02-10T18:14:00.006-06:00

These pictures were taken last year, just as our tomatoes were starting to turn red. We had a nice rain and I loved how the rain drops looked on the tomatoes and how all the tomatoes are different colors.

I can't wait to start gardening this year! And this year, we're going to try to include foods that can later be turned into BABY FOOD! If you have any recipes for making home made baby food, please share! Thanks!

Check out the link to the left for more Outdoor Wednesday posts by other bloggers!

Metamorphosis Monday - Rock Garden

2009-02-08T18:38:00.007-06:00

My third Metamorphosis Monday! Click the Meta Monday link to the left side to visit others who are doing Before and After shots!

This is the BEFORE shot of the garden. I'm sorry it's zoomed in, but the rest of the garden was rocks, concrete chunks, dirt and this overgrown Prickly Pear cactus...

This is the after shot. Much better, don't you think?

This is the post that is behind the Prickly Pear in the BEFORE shot. It's surrounded by concrete, so impossible to move. We made the best of it and hung plants on it!

My tall cactus. It's now twice the size it was when we bought it.

I love this curly grass.

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-02-03T18:20:00.008-06:00

I love the outdoors. I love anything that deals with the outdoors (well, except bugs). I cannot wait for SPRING! I love flowers, plants and nature-y things. So, with that all said, I am going to participate in my first Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by A Southern Daydreamer.

So here are some pics. I will enjoy these posts as I need help getting through the rest of Winter.

These are all from my mom and dad's place. They live in the country, on 80 some acres. Lucky! And even though they live in Mid-Missouri, we have lizards!

Isn't he a cute little guy? I actually found babies of this type, which are even cuter! I would have kept one, but I like to keep things in their natural habitat (and my frog would have ate the baby).

And then there are SKINKS! These guys are cool. And fast! This one was in a bucket of rocks my parents were working with, but it had rained so the little guy was either going to stay on the rock until something happened or drown. So we saved him.

I love this flower. Can someone tell me what it is?

Gorgeous Butterfly Bush. I want some. I especially want it in WHITE.

And I have to include a shot of a pretty butterfly!

*EDIT*
Everyone is leaving comments on the Skink. I do not know what kind this is but I know it's is larger than most that we have in the area. My favorite is the Blue Tail Skink, that has a very vivid blue tail. They are normally 6-8 inches, including tail. This one was probably 8-10 inches and much bigger around than the Blue Tail. My parents have quite a few lizards and such around their place - including the two pictured, plus a few others. I believe they have a legless lizard, which looks like a snake but isn't. If I'm lucky this summer, I will get more pictures. But no promises, as I will have my own little one to watch out for this summer while at "Grandma's".

Thanks for all the comments! :)

Welcome to my Kitchen!

2009-01-31T09:44:00.014-06:00

This is no more...

Same here...

Close up of the drawer. See the ugly green? The brown? The brass hardware? It was too much for my head!

Halfway through...

I love simplicity in busy rooms. The all black cabinets, even with the trim still on them, are so much nicer than the two tone. And since all the makeovers in my house are budget friendly (as in CHEAP!), I could NOT afford to replace the hardware. That'll be for the day (if ever) that we replace the ENTIRE KITCHEN....So. I had the black paint from my bathroom makeover and for the cost of a container of metallic spray paint in a dark, gun metal grey, I have myself a new kitchen.

It is not completely done. See the blinds? I like 'em. And of course, being budget conscious, I am going to simply try to dye them. Any suggestions? Types of dye I should do? I'm going black. Or as close to it as possible. I won't be too picky if it's not all the way black.

Yes, the green you are seeing is staying. I don't want to paint two windows, base board, three doors, and four door frames. So, for now, it'll stay green. Our long term plan is to take all the original wood back to wood. No paint. Except in a few rooms when I tried to do it already and the paint from previous homeowners had gotten into cracks and I didn't want to mess with it. So, some will be sanded down and repainted with ONE coat of paint... not EIGHT.

I kind of like the green in small doses. What do you think?

I'm also not done with decorating. I need at least two shelves (to go over the fish tank) and a few "touches" of something. When that happens, I'll post new pictures.

And here are the AFTER PICTURES!

Same drawers as above. All done. I even fixed the bottom drawer's handle (it is messed up on the inside, and fell off a long time ago).

Upper cabinets to the right of the window.

Detail of cabinet doors.

Upper cabinet to the left of window.

Detail of decoration left by previous homeowner. These are actually similar to others throughout my house. What do you think about painting them?

*Just to let you know, since some of you seem to think it's spray paint... it is not spray paint! I had to paint it all by hand (it kept the cost down because I already had the gallon of paint!)

Anniversary

2009-01-28T18:59:00.009-06:00

Nope, not mine. Well, not mine with my hubby.

Five years ago, in January, I adopted this little guy....

He was 19 lbs. "They" said he would be around 80 lbs. They were about 70 off. Yes. He's my big baby.

A year later, in January 2005, I adopted this sweetheart.

She was also 19 lbs. Luckily she only grew a little (probably 15-20, I haven't weighed either one in awhile). She's my baby.

In January 2006, I bought this guy...

This is Marty. He's never been that green since. But that's fine with me, as their color changes with heat and humidity.

In 2007, I didn't adopt any animals. Same with 2008. Unless there were a few fish, but nothing that I remember.

And nothing again this year, as I got Rocky right at the end of 2008.

So there you have it, my "anniversaries" with my babies.

Here they are now:

Marty

Rocky and Zoey

Rugby

And to not forget the others...

Taz

Freckles (a White's Tree Frog)

I have more pets but figured the majority of you don't want to see toads (two Fire Bellies) and my fish. I don't have pics of all of them anyway, as there are quite a few!

Meta Monday

2009-01-25T20:13:00.007-06:00

This is our main bath.

BEFORE...
A red textured ceiling with WALLPAPER glued on.

What is going on with the curtain?

Brick red ceiling, blue walls, red and white shell border. Need I say more? Oh, the curtain above - of course! How could I ever forget that?

THIS IS AFTER!

My black shower curtain. I wasn't sure about this purchase but I LOVE it. And then there are the mirrored hooks. Absolutely adorable.

Two of my black and white prints in simple black frames. Some day there will be more, possibly a black shelf and more art work. For now, I've moved onto other rooms (i.e. the nursery).

This shot shows the textured wallpaper. I decided to keep it up but to paint it. The photo, again in need of more decorations, is of my grandmother in a bathtub. It's great.

The light fixture stayed the same. This was a makeover on a budget!

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the cabinet. All the wood got painted - the majority of everything (all the trim) got painted the same cream as around the mirrors. The cabinet is painted black. Everything in this room got repainted.

Make sure you click on BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH to see more Before and Afters!
Between Naps on the Porch

I want...

2009-01-25T14:41:00.004-06:00

- To make my own baby food. I'm on the look out for good recipes using fresh fruit and veggies. I have researched some, so I think I need to go to a book store and look for some books. Any suggestions?

- To get a good sewing machine.

- To learn how to make homemade clothes. Specifically cute outfits for Lily, aprons for myself and friends (have you seen how cute they are now?!), and window treatments. Plus, sewing for any other purpose.

- To save more money. This actually is paired with TO STOP BUYING RANDOM STUFF! (Or things I "think" I need.)

- To find good pieces of furniture for cheap. So what if they need some TLC? I'd rather save the money and make it my own than have everything straight from the store or catalog and have it look like everyone else's.

- To use up what I have. This goes for the random types of food in my cabinets, the art supplies in my closet, and so on.

- To give more to Goodwill or similar stores. *I already took 7 bags of random stuff - clothes, books, household items!*

- To cherish the next 4 months while I can feel my baby kicking. I read a blog yesterday about how a girl gave birth to a 20-22 week old and how it lived for only 2 hours. It was smaller than what they predict Lily is now. It was incredibly sad and I feel for her. She mentioned how it took her and her hubby years and years to get pregnant and then they lost their son. We got pregnant without planning and although we are super excited, it definitely wasn't in our plans for another year or two at least. But I can't wait to meet Lily!

- To use my artistic ability more. I'm trying to start again, but it's hard too. I want photographs that I can frame and have them look like a professional did them. I want to make paintings for myself, my family and friends.

- I would like to be able to make/create something that others would actually want to buy. Whether that's art work, photography, or baked goods, I would like that.

- If I could sell homemade "goods," I would LOVE to be a stay at home mom. Especially whenever number 2 gets here before they go off to school. Talk about saving money from daycare.

- And of course, I want to be done with school. And have a real job. They go hand in hand. Need that teacher's certificate before I can make money! And then I'll have my Masters too. Wouldn't that just be a novel idea? A real job?!

Splash of Color

2009-01-25T08:43:00.004-06:00

I'm sick and tired of the cold. I need color. Lots of color and in the forms of natural ways. These are flowers from my yard and my mom's yard last year. Aren't they pretty?

This was from my mom's yard. I want some.

This butterfly was on one of many of my mom's butterfly bushes.

This is from my yard. Such a simple flower, but so pretty.

And another from my yard. I LOVE the purple. I hope this plant comes back (he got tangled with another plant and part of him had to come up to get the roots of other plants out).

Rocky

2009-01-24T22:32:00.004-06:00

Rocky and his daddy

and with his momma!

It's amazing how sweet he is. I don't think I've ever had a more loving cat. He actually jumps up on our laps, rubs his head on our chin, purrs constantly, kneads our bellies, plays with us.. normal kitty activity. And the EXACT OPPOSITE of Taz.

And then there's this image that will most likely NEVER happen again. As you can see, Taz is not happy. She HATES Rocky. Rocky wants to be buddies, and this happened one of those days he was trying hard and I luckily had my camera. He follows her throughout the house, tries to touch her, everything. She growls. And growls. And growls. I can always tell if they are next to each other, a room away, with her growling.

IT'S A GIRL!

2009-01-21T20:13:00.001-06:00

Go over to my baby blog to look at pictures! I would upload, but Blogger is being picky and taking FOREVER.

Also, I am officially over the COLD WEATHER. I'm sick of it. It would be one thing if it was snowy and pretty but no, it's just cold. Freezing cold. And of course, the heating bill I got today that was mega high (yet our house is still FREEZING!) doesn't help. Can't we just have weather between 50-75 degrees? And sunny. I want my succulents back outside in my rock garden!

Three Column Layout

2009-01-20T17:48:00.001-06:00

How do you do a three column layout? I feel as if I should be able to figure it out but I can't. At least not without looking into it... and well, maybe you (few) readers out there can help me! I'd really appreciate it.

Tomorrow's plan: DOCTOR APPOINTMENT TO SEE BABY! (And confirm the gender!)

The Wedding Show

2009-01-18T20:25:00.005-06:00

I helped my old boss today at a wedding show. I've helped for years but this was the first time I really noticed how rude some brides (and moms and families) can be. Nothing super out of the ordinary, just people's comments on how busy things were (which was good!) and that they couldn't get to where they wanted because of all the people. The eye rolls, the sighs, it just seemed a little much. A little rude. OK, more than a little. I HATE rudeness. I really hope I can raise children to not be this way. They need to know how to treat everyone with respect.

On the other hand (I don't want to continue just to rant), there was this GIGANTIC PINK HUMMER LIMO! I wanted to get a picture of it but didn't. So I looked online and found one for you. It was just like this one, minus the Playboy bunny sign. The thing was huge. I actually saw on the road a few weeks ago and was totally amazed. It costs hundreds to rent (I have no idea the cost of renting anything anymore), and I don't know many who'd want it. It's definitely more for the bachelorette party and not the wedding (what guy would ride in one?). It looked impossible to climb into, and I wasn't about to try when we had the chance to check it out. Then, once you get inside, you'd have to scoot around. Fun for a night, I guess, but not while you're prego like me.

And then there's the issue of wedding photographers. Every year there are newbies and the next year you never see them. As a photography person (I don't call myself a photographer normally because I don't do it as my job), I hope these photographers make money. However, I wonder if they really do. I would do it as a part time job. But I don't want to make the commitment right now. The photographers that have been in the business for years are having problems, as are many people in today's economy. And I don't like the whole asking for money thing. That's probably why I have never set up anything as to my own business - art, photography, cakes, whatever. I tried to sell a few things on etsy.com last year but nothing sold. There was one cool thing though from a newbie photographer.... I wish I had a picture! Their display was GREAT! Most of them get a little boring. Traditional photo albums, framed photos, collages, and so on are fine but old after awhile. Especially being one of 7 photographers in the show today (with only about 40 booths total). But I went over and commented on how well I liked their booth. What did it have? Well... it had old windows - glass, wood frame, hardware - the works, and inside the window they had MOD PODGED the photograph onto the glass! How cool is that? It was much prettier than it sounds, as you're probably reading this and thinking "Mod Podge? Pretty?" Yes. It was. The girl said that it worked the best out of what they tried and left brush strokes on the glass, which I thought added to the cool factor.

Yes, I'm crazy. I know this. But I'm thinking that it was a good idea and would work great with some of my black and white photos. So if any of you have an old window or two hanging around, let me know! And now I'm thinking that maybe whenever we get around to replacing our windows, I have a ton of "frames" to work with. One or two would be plenty for my house.

Anywho... that was my day.

Poor Rocky

2009-01-16T17:15:00.003-06:00

Last night Doug came to tell me that something might be wrong with Rocky because he's meowing when Doug touched his back end. I checked him out (from being neutered) and saw nothing wrong. I looked around at that "area" and couldn't see anything that would make him sore. So I figured he was a little sore from maybe jumping down wrong or being picked on by a dog, although they don't really bother him that much. He walked fine, sat fine, everything. But meowed when you touched his back end.

I just now picked him up and as I picked him up, I felt something wet. Not something I wanted to feel. I looked. It was a scab that he's had since we adopted him. He was a stray and he must have gotten into a fight with another animal, as he had two bad areas around his tail (as if something bit him). The one I checked yesterday was fine. It healed nice. I guess I didn't check his other side. And I don't know what happened to the scab, but it came off! Talk about an upset little guy! He hated when I put a napkin on it to soak up some of the drainage.

I'm going to have to be Nurse Momma this weekend while I'm home and check on him. Too bad you can't put BandAids on cats. He'd have a big one on his tail!

White Flowers

2009-01-11T22:06:00.002-06:00

Aren't these pretty?!?!?!

I want them!

They will be a part of my front yard some day. I've been looking up "Moon Gardens" online, which started my slight obsession with white flowers. My purchase plan for this summer is to find white irises. If anyone I know has some, can I have a chunk, please??? I'll trade!

Dreaming

2009-01-11T15:54:00.007-06:00

I'm officially ready for Spring. Once the threat of frost is gone, all of my succulents and cacti will be moved back outside to our rock garden. However, that leaves the front yard in need of something. I had a dream of doing all white flowers, as mentioned earlier. And yes, I know that this spring and summer will see me being busy to the point that I'll be lucky if the laundry or dishes are done, much less an entire front yard. But, I can dream, can't I? And some of my wishes may come true before the baby comes. Like at least buying some new containers (if money permits).

Last year Westlake's/ACE Hardware had CHEAP containers. If they have them again, I'm snatching up a few. At least four or five - especially the bright blue, large ones they had. They would look GREAT against the dark red bricks and white exterior of my home. Please, please have those again!

So, as I sit on my couch on my last weekend before homework begins, I am playing online. And I'm searching for container gardening and container gardening with WATER gardens. Especially considering my dream of a real water garden can't happen for awhile... if ever....

Except mine would have been bigger. More like 15-20 feet long, 8-10 feet across, and at least 3-4 deep on one end for the fish (koi, of course, and goldfish) could winter over. But things happen - like the baby, and no fence in our back yard (to keep annoying neighbor kid away), that prevent the building of my dream pond.

Until the days when I can build my own big fish pond, I will have one of these. .... They're nice. For now. I have a little corner of my front yard that may be calling for one of these this summer. The gutters drip (one of many things on the to do list), so it could drip into a small fish pond.

Makeover #2

2009-01-10T16:21:00.006-06:00

(Kitchen makeover is number one, but definitely not by priority - just because that's what happened first).

The nursery!

The nice wood floors. Probably the best in the house, seeing as this room hasn't been used much by us and most likely, the previous home owner. But the floors are another story... There will be a nice rug for this room eventually.

Notice the blue? The ugly stencils? It'll all be covered up by a nice, soft green (yet to be picked out). This is the door wall. I have a picture of the two closets (yes, two!), but Blogger is being weird when I upload a lot of photos. I will post more later, once the makeover is under progress.

I can't wait to start this project. I wish I had a picture of what it looked like a few weeks ago (a complete mess!), or a few months ago (when it was my office), but that's not the case. I need to go buy the paint and then comes the furniture (that needs to be bought as well), then the decorating! I can't wait!

2008 Recap

2009-01-07T18:19:00.003-06:00

2008 was a crazy year, good and bad. But overall, MUCH better than 2007 (one of the worst years in the past few - other than buying our house and getting a good job). So, due to enjoying 2008, I thought I'd share why.

Good Memories:

1. Number one would definitely be finding out I'm pregnant. I was scared you know what when it first happened, in complete shock, but it's worked out great!
2. Getting a new job in the town I live - no more driving 30 minutes when gas got crazy!
3. Being in my house for a year. It's beginning to be our house!
4. Celebrating 2 years of marriage with Doug.
5. Getting a new kitty.
6. Going back to school to work towards my teaching certificate.

Not so good reasons, but still memories:

1. One of my best friends dad died. Suddenly. It was terrible and I still feel for her.
2. My hubby's grandfather died right before Christmas.

There were more, but those are definitely some of the high points!

Sneak Peak

2009-01-04T00:11:00.004-06:00

The two green drawers are the last things that need painted. And a few touch ups. But check out the drawer above... the one below needs the handle (that's why it's sticking out). I'm loving the spray paint I used for the hardware. I'm thinking of using it on the top of the fan (I'll show a pic later) and then possibly for some accessories.

The wall color is a little lighter than I thought. It worked great for the ceiling but I want a shade or two darker for the walls. Which means I need at least one more gallon of paint.

I need to get a few things to decorate. I have a black and white poster print of a place in Paris, which would look great in a thick black frame. Then I was wanting a couple black shelves to display various other prints/pictures on. There's the wall above my fish tank that is pretty empty and would look good with the shelves and random things. I'll keep you updated on what happens!

Kitchen Makeover!

2009-01-03T12:31:00.007-06:00

I HATED our kitchen when we bought the house. Well, disliked extremely. I grew to hate it over time. I used to think I wanted tile in my kitchen. Anything had to be better than what we had previously, but tile is not it. Not for the countertops, backsplash AND floor. Yes. All of it. All an off white. With an off white grout. And I'm thinking it wasn't sealed (at least not properly). So now the grout is stained and ugly. And then there's the cabinets. And the walls. And the ceiling. Oh, the ceiling and walls. *shivers*

You don't believe me, do you? Well... here's the proof...

Look at the wallpaper. Yes. It "grew" up on the ceiling. And the door trim.

The ceiling wallpaper came down nicely (except for a few spots that the paint came too), except one piece. It's above my fish tank and has remained since (I fell off the ladder, hurting my foot trying to get it off). It's still up on the walls. For now. As in it will come down, or be painted over, ASAP!

But look at those cabinets? Green and brown? Seriously?!?!

NOT ANY MORE!!!!

Yes, the cabinets have changed and they look SO much better. I am currently working on painting each cabinet door with the THREE coats of paint it seems to take. This is a surprise for hubby! He's gone until tonight. I'm hoping LATE tonight so I have time to get them painted, dried, and back up in place. I would like to paint the walls and ceiling too. I don't even own the color of paint yet... that requires a trip to town. Which may happen later. I'm a pretty fast painter, so we'll see.

Oh, and to add a little shine to the room - the hinges and hardware have been painted too. A nice gunmetal grey. Much better than brass and matching green to the cabinets (previous homeowner must not have removed cabinets before painting).

So... part of my New Year's Resolutions are almost done! Go me!

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-01T21:24:00.004-06:00

So after reading another person's blog about her resolutions, I decided to do it, even though I had said I wouldn't. However, this is more of a list of things I WANT to do around my house. Some are already in the works to be done, but I figured I could put them on here for the whole world (well, two or three of you) to read.

1. Paint nursery.
2. Decorate nursery.
3. OK, just completely turn old office/storage room into nursery. Hopefully before May. Preferably before March.
4. Paint kitchen cabinets and walls.
5. Redo master bedroom. This means everything - pull out drywall, what insulation is there, frame in four walls, hire out the insulation, new sheet rock, paint, and then maybe, just maybe, decorate! I want this done before baby in May. At least the walls up and ready to paint.
6. Buy rug for dining room.
7. Finish paint removal on nursery door. May need help with this to prevent my pregnant self from inhaling bad fumes.
8. Paint "hallway" (area between nursery, front bedroom, and bathroom).
9. Paint stairwell to basement. Probably same color as "hallway."
10. Buy new furniture for TV room. New love seat (to replace large couch) and maybe a nice recliner. And possibly TV unit and storage areas. Move furniture around to better suit baby's needs.
11. Sell books online. Or get rid of books.
12. Buy baskets for shelves in TV room for dog toys, organizational needs.
13. Continue to de-clutter house.

OK... that's plenty. And I want that all done before baby in May. However, things such as #6, may be put off. Most of them require painting only, which is nice and easy. Except I don't have the paint. That'll be another to do - buy paint!

Oh, and did I mention that I work full time and will start school in less than two weeks? Yes, I don't see a lot of this happening for awhile. But then again, I am only taking one class that's eight weeks long (last session I did three classes). And part of this requires help from the family. Thankfully.

Rocky

2009-01-01T14:27:00.003-06:00

He's such a ham. I love it.

He's starting to come around. He's been running around the house, fighting (I believe it's more playing, but the other cat doesn't) with Taz, walking closer to Rugby and not paying him attention (Rug's doing great!), trying to climb the Christmas tree (luckily that hasn't happened and most ornaments are off now), and playing around the whole house. I hate thinking that in a few days he'll have his trip to the vet and have to be calm for a few days. But he'll be back to normal quickly, I'm sure.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:24:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's already 2009! This is the year of Seed! (Seed is our nickname for our baby). Come May, I will be a Momma! I am so excited and can't believe that today marks my halfway point. I have my next appointment in two weeks and can't wait to see the little seed and how big its grown.

Last night we went to my brother's and hung out with him, his girlfriend, and a few of their friends. It was nice. We even got a surprise visit by his friends who have a one week old. She's precious! I got to hold her, but Doug was nervous about her being "fragile."

Today I decided to think of any New Year's resolutions. I'm not big on them because I never stick to them or can't think of anything good. This year is definitely not one for "lose weight" one. Not until after baby. I think the biggest one that I've already started is to declutter my house. I am the type of person who some call a pack rat, collector, whatever. I normally just don't get rid of things that I need to. So I decided to start making bags for Good Will. I have four so far and need to start a fifth if I find enough. Most of the bags include clothes but one is all about household goods. So I believe that my resolution would be to continue cleaning the house and also prevent stuff from building up. Some of you out there may say "she's nesting!" and that may be, I don't care the reason - I just want to get rid of stuff!

But I'm off for now... gotta check on the new kitty and I believe I smell cat pee (I really hope it's just something my super sensitive nose is picking up from downstairs and not the living room ... on carpet...).

Rocky

2008-12-31T09:03:00.004-06:00

Surprise, surprise! I was out enjoying the 50 degree weather yesterday (so not normal for this time of year!) and saw my neighbor's kitty. As I was talking to it and it ran away, I called "here kitty kitty!" and all of a sudden I hear a pitiful little meow behind me. I knew that meow! I turn around and see nothing, so I call "Kitty!" and there it comes running, the same kitty as last week! He had come home. I grabbed him up, carried him inside and showed him to my oh-so-thrilled hubby. We went out to my parents' last night and took the kitty with us so that we didn't leave it at home. We were a little afraid of what he might do being left alone (well, with our other cat, Taz).

While at my parents' house, we found out that it was not a girl and was a boy. So there goes the name Angel (as in Christmas Angel since I found him around Christmas). We went through a ton of names but due to his boxing abilities on the dogs' noses, his name is Rocky. I tried to find something "manly" that may make my hubby like him.

Last night, we decided to put both cats in the basement and lock them in. Bad idea. Taz, our other cat, decided to try to attack the kitty. There's a big size difference between the two. Taz is a short legged but big, heavy cat (the vet has never called her fat or obese though). And Rocky is a stray, skinny kitty. The only benefit Rocky has is that he has his front claws still. For the time being, he won't get to keep them (sorry bud!).

The dogs are a little afraid of the little guy, as he hisses and makes more noise than Taz does. Taz just runs away. Rocky stays and fights, which tells me how he has some scraps on his body.

So wish me luck as we introduce this little guy into our house. Taz isn't happy, the dogs are worried. And now I need to call the vet to make an appointment!

Presents

2008-12-27T16:41:00.003-06:00

I love Christmas trees surrounded by presents...

This was taken before we took all of those presents to my parents' house. It reminds me of going to my grandmother's house and presents basically taking up half the floor. I can't wait for next year and the following years when our baby will be here to celebrate with!

Christmas

2008-12-26T12:47:00.003-06:00

Thought I'd share some pics...

Me and Hubby (you can kind of notice my bump)

Someone made Zoey festive. She actually didn't mind it that much.

Another cute one of me and hubby.

My mom's place. Isn't it nice?

Doug and Zoey enjoying the wood stove heat, the sunlight, and a nap.

The Season of Giving

2008-12-24T09:11:00.004-06:00

As some of you may know, my hubby is a coach. This year there has been a family in need due to a mom who is sick and no dad in the picture. There are three boys and they are great kids, well behaved, and are as sweet as can be. One of the other coaches had an idea to get us together and have a meal for the kids, making sure they have at least one good meal for the holidays. When the head coach heard about it, he got involved and got others involved too. Not only did we give them a nice meal that they enjoyed, we gave them gifts - some for fun, some that are needed. These boys are in three sports and all of their coaches were involved in giving money, some from their own pockets, some from the team. I think it's great. Not only did coaches get involved, but families (some who don't even know the kids!) got involved. So far, there's been over $1500 raised for the kids and their mom. This will help pay for rent, bills, and food. These boys are in high school, with a younger sister, they don't need to have the stress of paying bills, worrying about money and more "adult" things. But unfortunately, their mom has been sick and hasn't been able to deal with it. So hopefully now, she won't have to for awhile. And I don't think the giving is over with, as this has just happened in a few days (the large amount of money). I hope that when others hear about this, they will donate. Even a few dollars from everyone would be huge. I'm really surprised at how much they raised already, with just a few phone calls.

'Tis the season!

Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you find yourself giving more than receiving. :)

Kitty

2008-12-20T13:43:00.000-06:00

I WANT HER! (this is the kitty mentioned earlier)

A few of my Santas!

2008-12-20T09:24:00.005-06:00

I didn't realize I had already taken pics of my Santas....sorry some of the pictures are bad, but well, oh well. :)

My favorite Santa so far.

My second favorite. He's vintage. And really cool, yet kind of freaky.

And a beaded one. He's actually pretty cool too as he is completely covered with shiny beads.

I have a few more, but don't have pics of them yet. These were some of my favorites! :)

Ornaments

2008-12-13T11:55:00.004-06:00

This is a new ornament, made to look like vintage. It's one of my favs.

This one is a vintage ornament, from a flea market. Cheap!! And cute too!

We got this last year, as it was our first Christmas in our new house.

Another new one this year, for the hubby who loves hippos!

Froggie Prince. He's a clip on, which is kind of cool. He was given to me because of my real pet frogs.

Christmas!

2008-12-13T11:03:00.003-06:00

I love our tree. We decided we wanted a real tree and not a fake one (although we'll probably try to snag a fake on sale after Christmas for next year - the first year with baby!). We went to a local tree farm, picked it out, cut it down by ourselves, and brought it home. There's just something special about that and we think we'll do it as a family in years to come. We chose all white lights just to keep it simple and because I like the look of all white. The ornaments are a little sparse, as we had a fake 4' tree for the last 5 years. Our tree this year is 6 feet and about 5 feet wide at least. So, I need more ornaments! But I spread them out and between all the lights, garland and everything, I think it turned out good. The pic of the ornament is one my new vintage ornaments that I bought for a couple dollars (for 4, not just the one). I think in years to come I'll add more, as I love the vintage ornaments and their personality. Maybe some day I'll have completely vintage tree. That'll be for when baby is bigger.

I'm going to post more pictures but I have to take them first and before I do that, I have to delete photos of my memory card. I need a new one as mine has over 700 images on it. Yep. All from the last year and believe me, I've deleted as I went along. I just can't make myself delete them for some reason. So, it's a new card for me. Thankfully they're incredibly cheap now, and not like when I got my first digital camera 6 years ago.

Merry Christmas!

Why?

2008-12-09T21:30:00.003-06:00

I was on my way home today after work and something terrible happened. I haven't stopped thinking about it since and I doubt I'll be able to stop thinking about it for awhile. I was driving down a street I always drive down, stopped at a stop sign and waited for a kid to cross the street. I went through the intersection and hit something. I knew there wasn't a pothole there so I looked in my rear view mirror. I had hit a DOG! I panicked. I couldn't believe it. I freaked out, stopped my car, and ran back to where the dog was trying to make it way back to its house. As soon as I got there, so did the owners (who happened to see the whole thing). The noise the dog made as it tried to carry itself back to the sidewalk was one I will never forget. I wish I could but I know it won't happen. I rushed to the dog's side, right as one of my students (who I knew lived there) was there. I couldn't believe my terrible luck - I ran over a good kid's dog. By that point it obvious the dog wasn't well and the owners knew it. The girl, a young teen, was screaming. Exactly what I would have done. It was terrible. And you know what was worse? The fact that my student was trying to make ME feel better. I had just KILLED his dog. His mom came to pick it up and I could say was how sorry I was. I can't even put how bad I feel into words. At first we thought maybe it wasn't that bad, I thought maybe I had just a leg or something. But it was soon obvious. It was gone. She held it in her lap and her daughter just cried and screamed. I cried too. And my student kept trying to make me feel okay about it.

Why did it have to be their dog? Why did I have to kill a cute little dog? Why not a stray cat or a opossum, both animals I'd still feel awful about, but it wouldn't hit home so hard. I want to do something for the family, but what can I do? I try to think about what I would do if I lost my dog and saw the whole thing. Would I want that person to do anything for me? I honestly don't think so. I'd tell them the same thing the mom told me. That the dog was gone and nothing could be done. I wanted to call a vet, to do something, but there's nothing you can do. I just feel terrible. I can't get the image out of my head. Or the sound the dog made. It was pitiful. He was in so much pain. And I did it. Something I had always wanted not to do. I hate hurting any animal, but especially a dog. And with my car, to the point of death. I just want to curl up and have it all go away. But it won't. That's not how life works. But what will happen when I see this kid tomorrow? He's such a sweet kid and means no harm. He'll probably try to say something sweet. And then I'll just want to leave and cry again. I just want it out of my head. I hope it gets easier as days go by, but I feel awful for what I did. And for taking a loved one from a good family.

Christmas!

2008-11-25T19:19:00.005-06:00

It's ONE month away... can you believe that??? I still have Halloween decorations up! I know, I know. But I've been busy. Maybe this week will see the removal of the Halloween decorations and maybe, just maybe the introduction of Christmas. I love Christmas but I haven't even started thinking about gifts! But, since I'm in the mood.. I'm pulling out some old pictures of previous Christmases....

I know I posted this picture before but it's such a cute cake. And it has edible glitter on it!

My hubby, me and my brother at my parents' house in 2006.

Part of the family (my hubby, me, my brother's girlfriend, my bro, my cousin and her boyfriend).

Chicken Zoey!

2008-11-01T17:34:00.003-05:00

We used the same costume as last year due to her outgrowing them and most of the costumes available in the area. But she's still funny in it. We put her in it and took the pics then took it off. She's not a big fan of outfits, although she used to like sweaters. I should have just bought a child's costume. :)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T17:28:00.004-05:00

I know seashells aren't Halloween-y, but they're from Doug's grandmother and I loved them so they stayed.

Fireplace decorations

Bag of goodies

Skulls

Tablescape

Petting Zoo!

2008-11-01T15:10:00.005-05:00

Doug and I went to a local pumpkin farm last weekend and they had all kinds of animals. I loved it! Doug loves the goats, I enjoyed the crazy chickens. For more pictures, check out my Picasa Picture Site. :)

Chocolates

2008-10-24T21:36:00.003-05:00

I've been making chocolates for years. I love to make them, especially when I have really good chocolate. The first picture is from last year's Easter. I made a huge basket of assorted chocolates. The second picture is from my brother's college graduation. His name starts with a J and his school colors were white and blue.

Tonight I started working on some Halloween candy that I will be giving out to my co-workers and family. I dipped Oreos and pretzels and made a few molded chocolates. I'll get a picture when I'm done and make my bags.

Wow

2008-10-18T14:39:00.004-05:00

There's been a lot going on since I last posted. One thing would be that I AM PREGNANT. Which has affected the rest of my life, of course!

The big thing being is that due to how our house is right now (as in we don't have the money to remodel our master suite), we are now living in our guest room. Our guest room was supposed to be the future nursery. So yeah, that's obviously not going to happen. So, the only room available is my office. Which I knew would happen... eventually. In my mind, it would have been child #2's bedroom, not number one. And definitely not this soon. So now I'm working on getting it ready to be turned into a nursery. I almost want to take a picture of it. Almost. I just spent two hours in there and it looks 100% WORSE and also looks like I didn't do a thing, other than make a huge mess.

The problem? I was an art major. I also scrapbook, paint and have all my art supplies. Not to mention a bunch of stuff from the wedding, all of my books (art books and regular), two fish tanks and a bunch of random stuff. It's basically the catch all room. See my problem? I almost want to throw things away. Almost. Then I realize I should donate things. But to who? Then I thought about putting stuff online to sell, ebay or whatever. I don't know. It's just a bunch of random stuff...

art/scrapbook stuff:
TONS of scrapbook paper
various scrapbooks (12x12 and 8x8)
jewelry supplies
paints - oil and acrylic
paper making supplies
all kinds of art paper - bristol board, watercolor, etc.
markers

other stuff:
6" glass candle holder plates from Pier 1
lots of candles
other candle holders
round mirrors

and probably so many other things I can't even remember right now.

Charlotte Sometimes and Gavin Degraw

2008-09-21T20:15:00.004-05:00

I did not get a picture with Gavin due to the long line, the late night, and having to work the next day. Now I know that if I am going to a concert, I need to take the next day off. This way I can stay out late with friends, get pics, wait in line, whatever it may take... and be able to sleep in the next day.

Speaking of sleep, I have been EXHAUSTED these past couple weeks. I go to bed early, I take naps, everything. And I still feel tired. I have been having weird dreams and I know that they wake me up some, but I don't think they are the reason why I'm having that much trouble sleeping. I've also had a stomach ache for the past week, but other than that and the exhaustion I feel fine. Maybe it's the weather changing. The hubby isn't feeling well in his nose/head/throat. And the weather has changed a lot - cold, hot, humid, everything.

More cakes!

2008-09-08T18:03:00.003-05:00

More cakes!

Not the prettiest cake, but I liked the idea. This served a lot of people and I wish I could re-do it. But oh well, they were really happy and it did look pretty good.

Such a cute way to celebrate a Winter birthday. This little girl was soooo excited. And the best part? There's glitter on it (edible of course)

This was my friend's anniversary cake. She didn't have a wedding cake, so I made them an anniversary cake. Red velvet, cream cheese icing. Yummy!

One of my first big groom's cakes. The whole thing is cake, supported by boards and a lot of work. A lot. Cool though. Covered with fondant and painted by hand with food color. The groom was a pilot.

A simple, swirl anniversary cake. Fondant, pressed with the design and decorated with edible glitter. Cute. Yummy too. They really were happy with it. And that's always a plus!

Cakes

2008-09-08T17:55:00.004-05:00

I used to decorate cakes. I kind of miss it. Some days I do. Some days I don't. I miss playing with cakes, being creative, trying out new recipes. I just looked around the net for a new brownie recipe and I want to try it, but then I want someone to take them away. I could give them away, but it's fun to sell them and know someone WANTS them. In exchange for their money. But that's a different story. Here are some of the 'party' cakes I did while I worked at a cake shop...

This cake was a blast. A little kid's birthday cake and they had brought in the plastic sea creatures. I loved how they left everything to me. They absolutely loved this cake. I love when they leave it to me and are extremely happy. They make the best customers.

Isn't this the cutest baby shower cake? It was actually off an invitation. I airbrushed the background and then did the figure and writing in icing to build it up. Too cute!

Only my favorite Sesame Street character! And it's a shaped cake!

It's a pizza! It's a cake! No, it's a pizza cake! (Sorry, couldn't refuse). Yep, all cake and icing. Cute, huh?

Some days you need a 'Just Because' cake. I forgot the reason to this, but why do you need one? It's Just Because!

Rugby

2008-09-07T08:51:00.004-05:00

I realized I hadn't show Rugby since he was a puppy in his post. So here you go.

This was at my parents' lake. Yes, it's gross. They didn't 'nuke' it (to kill the algae) and of course, when my dogs run in from the sides, it gets muddy.
Here's a look I see almost every day, if not multiple times per day. I call it the 'oh mom' look. It was after about 20 pictures of him and his sacred toy.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-06T17:02:00.005-05:00

The past few birthdays have come and gone and I really don't seem to care. It's not that I am worried or stressed about being older, that has nothing to do with it. But they just aren't super fun. The last two have seen no partying, no huge celebration. I guess that's kind of sad. But I don't want to go out drinking, which seems to be about the only thing mid to late 20 year olds do. Ever since Summer 07, drinking and I do not get along. Long story. So what else is there to do? I would have had friends over to our house, but we're in the middle of remodeling parts of it and so I don't feel like having a big bunch of people over. Not to mention there's the whole thing of all but one of my friends living out of town by 2-3 hours at least. Maybe next year. I figured for my 30th, a few years away, I want a trip. I don't care if it's a big trip or a small trip. But I want a trip. Some where away from here.

But this year was a little special because of my hubby. He sent me flowers. To work. They came with this balloon...

And this teddy bear...
Here's the daisy (well, kind of, but I can't think of what this is really called)...
And here's a carnation...
And a beautiful rose....

There were other flowers and once I feel like working on my photos, I'll fix the one of the whole vase that I took but PhotoShop froze on me last night and I haven't felt like doing much with it today. So, for now, you get the five pics above!

Thanks hubby for the flowers!

2008-09-05T19:33:00.001-05:00

This was one of the plants I picked out (with the help of hubby) for my birthday. When he saw it, the bloom hadn't opened and was weighing down the stem (stalk?) of the plant. The next day it was fully open. And smelled AWFUL!

Beautiful flower. Just don't breathe near by.

If you smell it, it smells like dead bodies. Or death anyway. It's kind of gross. But it is pollenated by flies and I'm sure that has something to do with it.

Notice those little white-ish things in the top photo? Those were moving around and bigger ants (well, those really tiny, pesky ants) were picking them up and moving them. So I guess ants like the flower too, or did when it was at the nursery. I believed they moved on, but that might have been more of the two days of rain we received and not the new home...

Last but Not Least.... TAZ!

2008-08-29T23:06:00.005-05:00

Ahh, Taz. Tasmanian Devil. The Devil. The crazy cat. The bi-polar kitty. The one with head trauma. Head trauma you ask? Yes. Here's her little story...

When Doug and I first met, he lived in a little studio apartment. I would go over there to use his internet while he was at school (well, when I wasn't...) and saw a stray kitty. She was beautiful. She reminded me of my old kitty, Keymo, who had to be put down only a year before. I wanted her. But she seemed content with her life as a stray. Yet you could tell she loved people. So one day I really thought about taking her. Then I realized she was pregnant. Soon after that (and giving up hopes of getting a pregnant cat to come love with me and Doug and our new apartment across town), I saw that she had given birth. I saw one of the kitties and fell in love. She was absolutely beautiful. A beautiful black and cream Tortoise Shell kitty with big eyes. Momma had a total of four kitties that I saw with her, but this one stayed next to her most of the time. I loved her. But, being a stray, she was very skittish around people. Especially me, animal lover girl. I finally got my hands on her. I took her home. She went berserk! Absolutely crazy. She ran around our apartment, tried to scratch her way up the shower wall (completely slick like most showers). She was insane. When hubby came home, we made the decision this cat was just too crazy. So I took her back to Momma, who took her back with no problem.

A week or so went by and my hubby drove down by his old apartment where they all lived and called me to say that he thought 'my' cat was dying. This, of course, sent me into tears and I ran right over there to see what happened. Well, it appeared that someone (person or cat) or something (bike or car) had hurt the kitty. Momma had left her be and was tending to the other kitties. She had scratches over her face, she wasn't really eating, and she had an eye that was a little swollen. Enter Me, animal lover. I took her home and began to nurse her back to health.

Well, years later (this had happened in 2003), she has healed fine, except for the occasional eye watering problem and her breathing can be loud. She is not a sweet, loving cat, but she is house trained and has her very own, distinct personality. As in she hates most humans, didn't purr for the first three to four years of her life, and will let you know her feelings. She growls, bites, hisses, meows and gets all puffy. But she's still a pretty kitty who has a special piece of my heart. I can now pet her without the bad noises and I get the occasional purr if I rub her head in the right spot. I can hardly ever pick her up but she's getting better. She will talk to me, especially if there are no other people around, and she is finally beginning to realize the outside world (which she'll watch through a window) is not a terrible place. But we don't let her out unless one of us is watching because she's deathly afraid of noises, other animals, and anything weird and unknown.

Yes, she's a unique cat. But at times, she's perfect. Some people complain their cat is too needy and annoying. Mine is not. She likes her food bowl full and a good place to hide from the dogs (and people). She has no annoying traits - just a bad attitude that we are well aware of. And she'll be my crazy little kitty until she joins Keymo in Kitty Heaven.

Such a little thing. I wish I could find this red collar. We made her wear one with a bell because she was so little and she'd hide...

Here she is while at my mom's, with Colby (my parents' cat). They weren't that close - notice Colby with the eye open...

When she sleeps, she appears normal.

She likes boxes. This one happens to be a beer box.

And here she is, the only animal that ever stepped foot in our (old) dog house, that was built better than our old place.

Have Ya Met... Zoey?

2008-08-29T22:48:00.007-05:00

Zoey is my sweet heart. She's my girl. She was adopted January of 2005. I have a thing with January and pets. That's an entirely different blog topic though... But Zoey, she's special. I had decided I wanted another dog, but my hubby didn't think we should get one. I found this perfect little dog, a terrier mix who was just adorable (white with spots that were black and brown). Fifteen pounds tops. Totally different than Rugby, who by this time was reaching 100. I went to the pound to get this adorable girl and she was gone. She had been adopted. I was heart broken. I cried. I was pissy. I cried more. She was supposed to be mine.

A day or two later, I went to look at other dogs. I saw this...

She was something. She was part Weiner dog, part ... something. She was adorable. I had to have her. But she was held as a stray, which meant she was locked up for one more day to see if she had owners. I put my hand through the fence as much as I could (since it was locked) and would pet her and pet her and love her and love her. She was so sweet. She did this little scoot thing across the floor (not like she had worms, but more like scratching her side but not...it was weird but super cute). She wanted to get through the bars of the cage. I had to say good bye to her and it was extremely sad. I promised her I'd come back. And I did. The next day she was free for adoption. I went there, gave them my money and got her. She threw up in my car on the ride home. But that was ok because I knew she was just nervous. Who knew what kind of life she led before me?

She was also 19 pounds when I adopted her. She has only grown probably 20 pounds more, probably less. But she's all muscle. She's my baby. As she was growing up, there'd be times you'd look at her and wonder how she'd turn up. No one thought she'd be as relax, sweet and as cute as she is now. I did. I thought she could be all she is now, but others had doubts. I did for about one day. There was this photo I took of her and she looked crazy! But luckily, she didn't end up like that. Instead, she's:

When she first came home:

I love this photo of her. She actually sat still (and this was when she was really young!)

Happy Girl. This is the face you will see when you play with her. She's such a happy girl. Unless you scare her with a belt (we've never hit her), a vacuum, a broom, a loud male voice (we don't yell at them), or a few random things... but we don't do that. She must have had a troubled life.

This was taken only a month ago. She loves to ride in my car but I can't trust her with windows rolled down more than they are here. (Long story). She sniffs the air, breathes heavy, then snorts on my window, making it look like a little kid and their saliva ride in my car all the time!

She has a freakishly long tongue. Used for kissing. A lot. Oh, and she can jump about 6 feet in the air, so some times they are combined for a long distance kiss. Be aware when you entire our house. She'll love you to death.

She's my girl. We sleep together every night (joined by my hubby of course, and occasionally a cat - if it's cold). She'll cuddle with me all the time, unless it's raining really heavy and then she's hiding underneath the bed, where she can barely fit.

Have You Met... Rugby?

2008-08-29T22:35:00.007-05:00

(Said in a Barney like voice from How I Met Your Mother... love that show!)

Rugby. Ahh, Rugby. He's my boy. My dog boy. My big baby. I adopted him January 2004 when he was just a wee little thing. Well, 19 pounds. Sounds like a lot, but compared to him now, it's nothing. He lived with me and only me for 6 months or so. Well, Taz (my cat) was there too. But not really. I'll explain later. Rugby is my boy. He loves his momma and will do anything to protect me. And he looks really scary if need be.

Rug is a black lab/German Shepherd Mix. And probably some Great Dane. He's big. I believe he's around 140 but he needs to go to the vet, so some day within the next few months, we'll have him weighed. He was over 100 lbs by his 2nd birthday, possibly his 1st but I can't remember that long ago. Yes, I know it was just a few years....

I just love a puppy's face when they're sleeping. Kind of like people's obsessions with babies. He was just so little!

This might have been the first meeting with "Uncle Pete" (my mom's dog). That pink stuffed 'bone' didn't last more than a week. Or two, if we were lucky. We've gone through a lot of toys. Rugby loves squeaky toys. He'll squeak and squeak and well, you get the point.

This is in my top 5 favorite pictures of Rugby. Maybe my all time favorite, but I'd have to look at all of them together to decide.

See how he's "attacking" the bigger dog? That's my mom's dog, Pete. Pete now doesn't really like Rugby and hasn't ever since Rugby passed Pete in size. Pete is 85 lbs. Rugby is a good 4-6 inches taller than Pete. Pete's a good dog but he's kind of a sissy when it comes to playing. And Rugby is not. He matches his name (named for my hubby's all time favorite sport).

I feel the need for pictures....

2008-08-27T17:53:00.004-05:00

This one is another taken at my parents.

Another angle.

I will have a koi pond some day!

Filled with beautiful kois like these...

These little fellas were all over the place at the park. They'd come up to you and everything (something I've never witnessed before, even though I've been there a lot!). Too bad we didn't have food with us....

Sunday Funday

2008-08-21T16:55:00.005-05:00

My mom's grandmother came to visit this past weekend (she lives over 2 hours away) ... these are shots from the visit.

The reason for the lunch - my grandmother. She broke her hip a few months ago and was finally healed enough to drive over two hours to visit. She loved to drive before her hip and now she's enjoying it again. In her new car too. Lucky woman. Her drive to heal is amazing. And the fact that she did so well is fantastic. Can you believe she's in her 80's? She's in great shape (she works out!).

My mom's flowers are amazing. And the type of visitors are too. I can't think of the name of this butterfly (I kept wanting to call it Monarch, but I know it's not).

A zebra butterfly! I don't know if that's the true name, as I've mentioned before my memory for plants and animals is terrible, but it has zebra stripes and it's a butterfly. So yep, zebra butterfly.

This is the butterfly bush that is attracting so many visitors. I want one. I enjoy the purple, but I'm wondering if it comes in white...

This little guy, that I'm calling a Hummingbird Moth (for I believe that's what I heard, or at least that's what comes to mind), was cool! I have a whole sequence of shots as he buzzed around the bush that I want to combine and do something cool with. If I do, I'll post it. :)

Rock Garden

2008-08-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

This is our Rock Garden. It's just part of my new addiction. I'm becoming addicted to PLANTS! I want, want, WANT more plants. This is just the start. And only a small part of my yard....

Pictures

2008-07-31T10:45:00.006-05:00

I don't remember the name of this plant but helps put oxygen back in the water, which is great for the two fish in the pond. And it looks pretty cool. I walked out this morning and saw the dew on the leaves and liked how it formed little balls on the ends of the stick leaves. And I love reflections.

This hens and chicks (I believe it's a type of H&C) is cool. I don't know why I like the white stuff that grows on it, but it adds something to the pot that has these and a few other types of succulents/cacti in it. And it reproduces quickly, which is a bonus.

I love this red color. Just love it! And it reproduces quickly too, being that it's a H&C. I can't wait for this and the above style to take over the pot. Well, take over the pot to a point.. there's a large cacti in it.

More pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.sloan?pli=1

Harry Potter

2008-07-28T12:15:00.003-05:00

Such a weird subject to really blog about, but I came across the following quote in a blog while searching for container gardening (yes, totally unrelated!) ...

"initially, i jumped on the bandwagon that said these books were evil. they're really not if you ask me. it's fictional fantasy, which i'm finding that i really enjoy. i have never been much of a fiction reader in the past, but these books have opened up that world to me and i am so hooked now!"

Can you believe the quote? I mean come on! Read the books, decide for yourself and then go ahead and think they are evil or not. I, personally, love them. I thought all 7 were great books and look forward to the rest of the movies coming out. I did not read them as soon as they came out though, but never thought they were evil either. They're fiction. They're fun. Just because of it having wizards in it... come on, it's just fiction! Anyway though... I started reading them a few years ago after I ran out of other books I enjoyed. I used to read like crazy when I was younger. I was in love with books and even more so with the smell of a book store. A year and a half ago, I got bored so I picked up a Nicholas Sparks book. I loved it. I don't even remember which one I read first, but I know it wasn't either The Notebook or a Walk to Remember, which are his two famous ones. But I loved it. I eventually read every one I could get my hands on and look forward to his future books. After reading all of them (9 or 10 or so), I moved onto others, and eventually got into Harry Potter because I LOVE big books. And I have a friend who's obsessed with them, so her love kind of attracted me to the books more.

Anyway, this is a useless post but I can't stand when people jump to conclusions without finding out for themselves.

We're Back!

2008-07-21T15:27:00.008-05:00

And we did not want to come home. Well, okay, I was really starting to miss my little mutts. Especially the little one, knowing that she was probably hating being locked at the boarders. I wasn't worried about Rugby due to his easy going nature. But we just did not want to leave. There is something so relaxing about sitting on the water.

See what I mean? Gorgeous! And what's better, is that there were hardly any boats with us! Especially compared to the other lake.

The first night we had missed the sunset due to clouds and timing and the moon wasn't around due to the clouds either. But the second night, we got out in the water in perfect timing to see the sunset.

And then, after what seemed like hours, we saw the moon!

What a day!

The Lake

2008-07-17T17:39:00.005-05:00

When you say "I'm going to the Lake" in my area, everyone knows what you mean. However, when I say it, I mean a different lake. But if people think it's the popular lake, that's just fine with me. It keeps people off the lake I'm talking about, therefore keeping it a lot quieter than the other lake and that makes me happy. I love quiet lakes. I hate going to the lake (either one) when it's busy. It's unsafe, annoying and not fun at all. My family - my parents, brother, aunt, uncle, cousins and various other family members get together it's so much fun. It's been a yearly trip for the most part and we normally stay at the same cabin. I'll take pictures of it this year. It's the complete opposite of most lake places at the other lake. But I like it. I like the homey charm where each family/group has their own cabin, their own windows, and their own space. We can fill those little cabins in a heart beat and it is so nice to be surrounded by family. I have a few pictures of that, but they aren't flattering. So this trip will see me trying to get good pictures of people. And this time we have new people coming - my brother's girlfriend and my another cousin of mine. I will leave you with some pictures of previous trips....

30 Years

2008-07-09T09:44:00.005-05:00

My parents celebrated 30 years. They were supposed to celebrate by going up in a hot air balloon from their house, but the weather wasn't cooperating. My brother and I, along with our significant others, went out there and had dinner with them. We had burgers, potato salad, yogurt fruit salad, chips and my cheesecake for dessert. We had a lot of fun out there. My dad has a big garden and we helped pick blueberries, raspberries, and dig red potatoes. Yummy! I gave them the two gifts I made - a photo book using iPhoto (which they absolutely loved!) and a painting I did of an old barn on the old farm.

I need a different photo of it to show the true colors, but this is what I snapped before taking it over. So I'll get a new one next time I'm over there and think about it. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!!

Boom!

2008-07-07T12:24:00.005-05:00

I love fireworks. This was the beginning of the show here in town. Next year I will take my "big" camera (digital SLR) and my tripod in order to catch better photos, but my little digital didn't do too bad. And we couldn't have asked for a better night - the temperature was actually chilly! Who would have thought? July in Missouri is never that nice. I love it. But...I will say that it can get a little warmer in a few weeks so I can go swimming on our lake trip.

Tomorrow is my parents' 30th anniversary. I'll post what I did for them tomorrow. :)

It's done!

2008-06-30T14:46:00.004-05:00

The succulent garden is done for now. I'm sure we could add some more, and all will grow and the ground covers will spread and grow, which we're looking forward to. I posted the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.sloan/RockGarden

The Rock Garden

2008-06-28T23:43:00.005-05:00

Doug picked up another truck load of rock yesterday and today was spent working on the rock garden. We laid down the second load of rock, which covered the rest of the plastic we had already laid. Then we finally were able to place all of our plants. We then realized we didn't have enough to make it look good, so we made a quick trip to Vintage Hill. I love that place. And we were lucky, they were having a 50% off sale! I'll post pictures tomorrow. We're happy with the progress we made and are looking forward to adding some finishing touches, and of course, working on the entire rest of the yard. But that's another story.

This picture shows what it looked like before. Completely overgrown with Prickly Pear Cactus, a broken fence/trellis that had termites, random junk throughout the cactus, and a lot of weeds, dirt and junk. The cactus took about 1/3 of the garden up, which measures about 10 by 14 feet.

The Bathroom

2008-06-24T17:15:00.005-05:00

The previous homeowner loved to decorate. Some of it is fine and will stay for now. Some of it will go when we have the time and money. But then there's some of it that needed to go as soon as I owned the house. Those parts included the bathroom, the wallpaper in what is my office, and the wallpaper in the kitchen. But the bathroom came first because it was the most annoying and easiest to fix.

Yes, that's the picture of the BEFORE shot. Luckily, the wallpaper came down with water! I had to peel the top layer off, then wet the bottom layer with water, let it soak for a few minutes, then presto! It was easy. And I was happy. That was step one.

Step two was paint. Notice the ceiling? Yeah, it's red. A brick red. With bumps. And a weird glaze/texture on it. I'm sure it took awhile to do. I, for one, would have never thought of doing something like that. Especially on a ceiling. And then there's the whole red, white and blue thing this bathroom had going. And don't even get me started on the shower curtain. That came down first I guess, not the wallpaper. But as long as it all comes down, I won't care what order!

So I had to do something about the ceiling. There were a few patches where I pulled too hard on the wallpaper, which brought down the paint. So one thing was to figure out what type of texture she put in it. Unfortunately for us, that was the one thing paint related that was not left here! So I went and bought something. It worked for the time being. Then I had to figure out what color. I went boring and went with white. Good ol' white. Boring. Safe. It works for now. This bathroom has plans of being remodeled (I'm talking completely gutting the thing, moving the tub, toilet and sink!), so I'm not going to be too picky on everything.

So for the past 10 months or so, I've lived with a blue bathroom. I like blue. I'm not a big fan of blue bathrooms. If you knew our previous residence, you'd probably understand. That and we still had the red rug from the red, white and blue bathroom and due to it's length and my inability to replace it with something similar, we left it. And you've got to remember we don't have much money - we just bought a house! I decorated the bathroom a little too. Put some pictures (black and white that I took, in black frames) and one black and white picture of my grandmother (she's in a tub - very old, very cool, very personal). And blue just didn't go with that.

I then started thinking about what color would I want that won't be repeated throughout the house somewhere else (our house has a thing where every room is different and I'm thinking about keeping it that way - I love color!). I asked my dad if he had some left over paint from their house, like maybe their neutral color, and he said yes. He gave me almost a full gallon of paint. And so, today I started painting. It'll take at least two coats, which I don't think I have enough for. But I might do a little bit lighter tan on top 'cause it could be a little dark.

Oh, and did I mention this on top of a textured wallpaper? Yep. That's why it's taking extra paint. And the fact that it's on top of blue.

And did I also mention the trim is a pinkish tan? Yes. Yes, it is. I'm thinking it'll go white. Like the rest of the rooms around the bathroom.

My office is probably next. It would have been the guest bedroom but seeing as we've taken that over this summer while we redo our master suite, there's too much furniture to paint. But my office, that's a different story. I have NO idea what I want to do in there. Do I want black and white damask, which looks awesome, or go with colors similar to what's in there now - blue walls, white and natural wood, with a pretty rug from Pier 1 that I've been eyeing? Colors in my office, black and white damask in the bathroom?? Decisions, decisions!

Strawberry French Toast!

2008-02-18T11:35:00.005-06:00

This is the breakfast I cooked for the hubby this morning. French toast (plain) and stuffed french toast with a cream cheese/powdered sugar mix and fresh strawberries. I also dipped strawberries in a milk chocolate mixture. And then for an extra touch, I sliced one strawberry and put it on top (shown in bottom picture more).