miss mindless

party pics

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

on saturday night, my cousin and a group of her friends hosted a huge dress up party. it was a blast. the boy and i went with babysis and her new almost boyfriend. my babysis is so gorgeous, isn't she?

i had some last minute outfit drama. thankfully i found an old dress that fit.

we were all prettifed until journey came on.

there are so many shots of babysis and i over the years just like this. sitting still for pictures was never our strong suit.

dress up parties are so much fun.

especially when it means an occasion to pull out the fur!

a fashion miss and nail polish

2012-01-20T15:23:00.000-05:00

do you ever get dressed in the morning and realize that your idea of cute at 7am is not so cute at 10am? that happened to me yesterday when i put this on. it just looked granny and not cute. i can't win 'em all.

then, i spent about 10 minutes obsessing over which nail polish to pick. i rotate between three colors. i am so lame because the three colors are so similar. i am such a creature of habit. i wear the same nail polish and lip gloss colors every day. i am not adventurous there at all.

my three old faithful colors are ballet slippers, jazz and chinchilly.

what is your go to nail polish color?

faux fur and spray paint, a typical weekend around these parts!

2012-01-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

the boy and i went out to dinner with some friends on saturday night. it was restaurant week and we'd never been to zentan, so we were excited to try it. i was excited that zentan has faux fur pillows in their lobby. a perfect match for my vest. the food was delicious and so were the cocktails.

and it wouldn't be normal without another little project. this table, that i got from walmart 3 years ago for $15; started out black in the apartment. then, i spray painted it silver and it moved with us to the house.

after some measuring and cutting

and taping and painting

and a final coat of clear gloss, it turned out like this:

i wonder how many more coats of paint this table will have over its lifetime?

tuesday tulips

2012-01-10T06:47:00.006-05:00

i love how tulips gradually stretch themselves toward any light source even after they've been cut.

the boy noticed them and snapped a picture last night with my phone. the little things that he notices make me smile. i assume that he never pays attention my adventures in floral design.

this and that

2012-01-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

i hope everyone in blogland had a happy weekend. i was a busy bee, but had a blast. i had brunch at founding farmers on saturday morning with good friend and gabbed about her wedding planning, life, work and everything in between. sometimes, i do miss living with girls and having girl talk all the time. it is good to have those gabfests.

later on saturday, i went to a basketball game with my in laws. here i am with my MIL on take 5 of a picture, which was the least silly take, because we could not stop laughing. she is a character.

on sunday, i cleaned and cooked and cleaned some more from 10am until 8pm. i literally did not stop or sit down for more than 15 minutes the whole day. we've been little piggies all week and had a ton of cleaning to do before i could even start getting ready for the party. it was my aunt barbara's birthday and i hosted my dad's side of the family for dinner. i made chicken parm, eggplant parm lasagna and homemade foccacia. my stepmother brought her rum cake, which is the best rum cake on earth. there was not a BIT of cake left.

we haven't been doing much at the house lately. i did promise the boy that i would not bring anything new into the house for a while so that i can get a handle on all of my unfinished projects. thank goodness i agreed to this AFTER my mother in law and i hit up the columbia restoration hardware's going out of business sale on friday after work...we won't even mention that to him.

he is very happy with the most recent change to our living room. we actually removed an item instead of adding one! i pulled up the rug to clean it, and he thinks that the living room looked better without the rug. i'm going with it for now, he should have some input around the house too, right?

we are still rocking the naked windows/nasty blinds look because i still can't decide on what kind of curtain/shade situation is right for the space. why are curtains so tricky? they are so expensive, that you can't really afford to make a mistake. i may have to DIY the rest of the curtains.

here is the living room with old rug, which is now rolled up in the basement, aka the spot where all my projects go to die.

how much input does your husband/boyfriend have around the house?

good hair days

2012-01-05T19:31:00.000-05:00

today was a good hair day. why does that make everything better? work was busy, traffic was crazy, i'm tired. but my hair was behaving, so somehow that brightened things a bit.

am i a horrible, vain person? does a good hair day make you feel a little better all around too?

in case you are wondering what a good hair day looks like and means around these parts, here you go: curls not frizzed out nor too flat, side part perfectly tousled, appropriate body (usually i look like sideshow bob or a like drowned rat) and a smidge of shine.

small victories. today, success over the hair. tomorrow, who knows?

75 days...

2012-01-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

in 75 days i will turn 30. i've been dreading this birthday for a really long time and wallowing in a lot of self pity. one morning last week, when counting the gray hairs that are springing up at my temples faster than i would like, i was finally struck by the notion that turning 30 really isn't that bad. i will go into this next decade smarter, more content, with more common sense, and much more sure of myself.

10 years ago, i had no handle on where my life was going. i was on my 3rd major, wasn't sure that i would ever find my way and was frustrated about it. today, i have a plan, but also have accepted that life will take me places i do not expect and that it will be ok.

a 20 year old me. what horrible shoes, though i did love that dress. it was silk, i bought it on clearance at saks and i thought i was hot stuff. all that for a "cocktail party" in a fraternity basement :)

10 years ago, i did not know my husband and i was dating someone who would turn out to be a supremely bad idea. today, i am married to a wonderful person and feel very lucky to have him in my life.

at another college formal in 2002. i almost forgot there was a time when i didn't have a double chin!

10 years ago, i was far too concerned with what others thought of me. today, i still care, because i am human, but i've also learned that most of the time, it doesn't matter. i do what i want and what is right for me and let the peanut gallery chatter away.

with my dad in 2002. he will turn 60 a month after i turn 30. 2012 is a big year for us!

what will i have to say about myself when i turn 40? i have high hopes for this decade!

look, i used to have a forehead with no wrinkles.

80s edition ceiling fan update

2012-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

the two ceiling fans in our house are very dated, with terrible frosted glass light covers. the pull cords were also entirely too short for me too reach. i thought about replacing the entire fans, but really felt bad about tossing out something that was in perfectly good condition. (it also didn't hurt that the fans i prefer are $350 each).

the offending fan. gross frosted glass, 2 inch long pulls. who would like this?

so, i did a little home depot perusing and found a solution.

i swapped out the frosted glass light covers for clear ones that have a hand blown, slightly bubbled, beach glass-y effect and added pull cords that i can reach.

the finishing touch was swapping out the old bulbs for the vintage style filament bulbs that are trendy right now. tip: do not buy these bulbs at restoration hardware where they are $15 per bulb. they cost half that at home depot!

the bulbs don't photograph well with a phone camera; but in person, they look as cool as the restoration hardware bulbs.

with some home depot in store markdowns, this update was less than $50 and makes my boring, dated ceiling fan look more fresh and works with the rest of my room. i'm happy and the boy is happy that i did not bring home a $350 ceiling fan!

no resolutions around these parts...

2012-01-02T08:16:00.003-05:00

new year's day 2012, sandbridge, va

we spent the long weekend with some friends down in sandbridge beach, va. the weather was unbelievably wonderful, sunny and highs in the mid 60s. a fitting end to the year, especially since this week is going to be the first cold week of the season with lows below freezing.

we got up early every day to wog (walk+jog) on the beach. is is infinitely easier to exercise when the ocean is only inches away. maybe moving to the beach would solve my exercise problems...

he contemplated jumping in, but decided that it was not warm enough.

then, after a few too many beverages, the boys decided that a jump into the ocean after midnight on new year's eve (once the temperature had dropped to the low 40s) was in order.

what were they thinking?

happy new year!

latest home improvement project

2011-12-31T08:12:00.001-05:00

i've been wanting to do a striped room for a long time. i know i am about 3 years behind on this trend, but i had to wait until i had my own walls to mess with. there was a lonely wall in the bedroom just waiting for me to do something to it.

i had the perfect color in mind. london stone, by farrow and ball.

the budget boy struck again and was not allowing a $90 can of paint to enter the house for such a small job. so, off to home depot i went in search of the perfect khaki for our stripes.

i settled on a color called 'cabo' by behr. it turned out to be a pretty close match to my london stone paint chip. success!

so we taped and taped some more (thank goodness for a laser level!)

and got to painting

ta da...

we've got stripes!

i love that you can see the stripes when sitting on the couch from the living room. we'll ignore my clutter :)

now, let's just see how long it takes me to hang stuff on this wall.

holiday fun

2011-12-30T08:13:00.002-05:00

we had a wonderful christmas this year. i hosted my family for christmas eve lunch and we spent christmas day with the boy's family. we chose not to go big on presents this year and i am glad. we each got some small gifts that we are excited about. i can't wait to use my new staple gun for some diy projects i've got up my sleeve and i got some lovely emilie henry baking dishes. one of my favorite gifts is this nutcracker from MIL. i collect them and usually, they are not very diverse. leave it to MIL to track down the one black nutcracker on the scene. i love him! we'll also not notice in this picture that i had no idea where to hang my stockings this year and draped them over a lamp while looking for a more permanent place...that i never found.

on tuesday, the boy and i joined my grandmother at an annual holiday luncheon hosted by one of her clubs. babysis and dad went too.

it was an icky day, with lots of rain. hair disaster. half of the little old ladies did not take their hats off!

so far this has been a great holiday season.

today, we are headed down to sandbridge in virginia beach to ring in the new year with some friends. even though it will be too cold to swim, i am excited to be right on the ocean!

stuff and thangs

2011-12-19T09:59:00.000-05:00

there was a woman who worked at my college who whenever one asked what she was up to, responded, "oh, stuff and thangs." she had the best southwest virginia twang.

stuff and thangs is exactly what's been going on around these parts lately. nothing that really warrants a blog post. just a little bit of this, a little bit of that with work and sleep in between.

bff tiff got me an erin condren life planner. she swears by hers, as does the rest of the blogospere, i am excited to try it. i love calendars and planners and so far, this one seems to be a good fit for me.

the boy and i saw some deer on a wog (you know, when you are walking, but pretending to jog).

as usual, i continue to buy random things that i have no real use for. this month's winner: an old oil lamp that has been cleaned up and restored. i think it is pretty cool and i wanted to buy a pair. the boy said no. i still have the dealer's name and will be calling him to find another that matches. i've got no idea what i plan to do with it.

what stuff and thangs have been going on with you all lately?

girls afternoon!

2011-12-17T23:31:00.000-05:00

today was a perfect december day. it was cold, but not so cold that i couldn't walk outside. the boy and i got up early and took a ahort run/walk first thing. it was a great way to start the day. i'm trying to ward off that christmas creep of 5 pounds that usually hits me this time of year.

i needed the exercise because i had landlocked mermaid and her sweet baby girl and my friend a over for a girls holiday brunch. we ate way too much. i served blueberry pancakes, brie crostinis, a quiche/frittata hybrid and fresh berries.

i am a terrible napkin folder, but thanks to the instructions from my new martha book (thanks a!) i think my envelope fold turned out almost ok!

baby l is such a doll. we passed her around all afternoon. mermaid calls her little paris hilton because she likes to stay up and party hard all day and night and sometimes she throws up her food too. she is totally the life of the party. check out those cheeks.

happy saturday!

finished curtains

2011-12-16T06:04:00.010-05:00

i finished the curtains last night!

here, the boy is holding them up for your viewing pleasure:

the borders are even, but he is holding the rod funny.

and now what i see when i look up from my bed instead of an off center window!

the bed is not made right now,so i am not showing y'all my mess. only cleverly edited pictures.

martha fairy!

2011-12-15T19:03:00.000-05:00

i came home from work late last night, exhausted and cranky. my mood was immediately turned around when i opened a box from a delightful blogger who works for martha stewart. she sent me these two treats! what a way to turn around an ugly day.

i can't wait to dig in and try some new crafts!

so, i'm not a plumber...

2011-12-13T23:44:00.000-05:00

i did not finish the curtains tonight. i did go to home depot to pick up the new garbage disposal. john the plumber is coming tomorrow to fix the drain and replace the broken disposal. which, by the way, i totally caused. the boy is not too pleased with me.

the plumber has a wicked sense of humor. i told him what i put down the disposal and he started laughing and told me that i was pretty dumb. he said that i had to be a pretty big fool to put that [i am not even going to tell y'all because i am that embarrassed by my own stupidity] down the drain and that he was only coming to fix it once, because if i did it again, he wasn't coming back.

my wonderful father in law is coming tomorrow morning to sit at the house and let john the plumber in. fingers crossed that i get my sink back by the time i come home from work. we've been eating take out and using paper plates for now.

after the yard work over the weekend, the winterizing we need to do around the house and this latest fiasco, i am really second guessing how ready for home ownership i was!

time to stop whining and get creating!

2011-12-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

i've done a ton of whining and complaining this year about everything under the sun. i need to quit it. today was a great day at work where i got to help some people do new things and solve some problems and had a super productive planning session with some people on my team. there is a silver lining to every rain cloud, right? every day will bring a little bit of sorrow and stress and a little bit of joy and contentment. i need to focus on the good and put the bad behind me.

my day got even better when i came home to a package from lori of a time for everything! i won her homemade lip balm giveaway. she is one of my favorite bloggers. i've been following her for a long time and this month, she is doing a new craft project every day. she is really inspiring me right now. i never win giveaways, so this was a fun surprise. the lip balm is amazing!

i decided to clear my head by starting a new project. i was inspired by yet another super crafty blogger to make hand stenciled curtains.

i moved aside everything in the living room to lay out my fabric. i used a 6 x 9 drop cloth from home depot. i love the texture and color of the rough fabric. i think it is going to look really cool when it is all done!

now that the panel is finished, i am waiting for it to dry so that i can cut it in half and add a border to the bottom.

here's the stencil and the drop cloth i used.

hopefully i can finish this week and start the panels for the second window in our bedroom!

anxious

2011-12-11T07:07:00.002-05:00

this week has been a stressful one. with my grandmother getting sick (she did get discharged though and is resting at home!) and some really crazy things going down at work, i have not been sleeping and have been on edge. i sent this picture to my work bff:

totally sums up where i am mentally right now. i need to fast forward two weeks so i can have some time off. i need for work to get normal.

we spent our sunday raking leaves and working in the yard, only to have it look like we didn't rake anything. the boys swears there are 17 million leaves in our yard. and i pulled something in my back while raking. we need a leaf blower or we need to hire someone next time.

then, the garbage disposal decided to blow up. sink totally clogged, dishwasher full of dirty dishes but cannot run because of broken garbage disposal and sink clog. i see a good bit of takeout in our future.

priorities...

2011-12-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

this past weekend, i was stressing hard. like, actually for real exhausting serious mental energy; and upset because i had not yet ordered our christmas cards for this season. i couldn't find a picture i liked and was annoyed with myself for not taking enough pictures of the boy and i this year. and then things happen that put your priorities in perspective.

no matter how carefully you plan things, every now and again, those there are those reminders that you are not in charge. all we can do is roll with the changes and pray for the best. right now, my beloved grandmother is in the hospital. we're unsure exactly what is wrong with her other than pneumonia, but these things are always a bit more spotty for the 85+ set.

she is aging and slowing down. she won't always be here and it is so unsettling to accept. i talked to her on the phone today and she was trying to be her usual self, calling me "my precious" just like always and asking about my day. she wanted to know about my christmas cards, because she loves getting photo cards and wanted to make sure i was sending one this year.

at her urging, i just chose some photos for the card and placed my order. hers will be the first one in the mail this year. i just picked some pictures that were taken at moments this year when we were very happy. nothing glamorous or professional. just us, on vacation and in front of our new house.

it is so funny how priorities shift and change and we have to figure out how to hit the always moving target of the right thing to do.

sunday funday!

2011-12-05T06:26:00.001-05:00

yesterday, the boy and i babysat tiff's three children. babysis came over too. reinforcements were in order.

we had a blast. i also discovered how difficult it is to get three children to pose for a picture and get them all in the frame at the same time.

the girls made cookies while the boy took care of baby dylan. this series of shots cracks me up. i promise the baby was not harmed.

looking normal here:

dylan dives, and the boy expresses concern that baby cannot control his body. babysis and i crack up.

boy less concerned now that baby can stand up on his legs. baby looking happy, boy looking perplexed.

baby conked out after all the aerobic activity.

moments later, boy conked out too.

in all, we had a great time and went to bed very early after all that activity.

tree time

2011-12-04T02:54:00.000-05:00

we got the tree up today! this year, we needed a very slim tree because the spot for a tree in our living room is much smaller than the space we had for a tree in the old apartment. we were able to find a balsam fir that was just right for the bitty bungalow. i love real trees.

babysis came over to trim the tree with me and our helper, rhys, decided that the tree skirt was a perfect spot for a nap.

i went with a very simple, real wreath on the front door this year. only one bow, no bells and whistles. i'm digging it.

even if i don't make a dent in the rest of my to-do lists, at least we have a tree!

lately

2011-11-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

i am sort of running around directionless lately. there is so much to do i don't know where to start. i've got miles long to do lists, mountains of laundry, yard work (we still haven't raked a single leaf), holiday decorating to do, cookies to bake, craft projects to finish, presents to buy and wrap, volunteer commitments to fulfill, family and friends to visit, party menus to plan and that pesky thing called a JOB. i don't know how some women get it all done. it baffles me. i usually feel like i am one meeting/chore away from a meltdown.

i did a turkey trot on thanksgiving day with my sister, my cousin, the boy and his cousin. we had fun, even though i hate running. babysis was a doll and walked whenever i wanted to. it was cold that morning!

after the race, i had everyone over for breakfast. the boy did not let me make bacon and eggs since we were going to stuff ourselves at dinner. i served greek yogurt, fruit, granola, bagels and cream cheese. and mimosas. i also decided to use my china since i don't pull it out often enough. pretty dishes make the most basic meal seem a bit more exciting.

after thanksgiving dinner, i had an epic fall in my mother's kitchen and strained my achilles tendon. it was super embarrassing and super painful. i am still limping a bit. having to go in to work on black friday did not help. in all, even with the fall, thursday was a great kickoff to the holiday season!

new pillows, old chairs

2011-11-23T07:43:00.008-05:00

i made these pillows this week for my new (old) chairs. i know, i know, it is time for the pumpkins to go. we'll talk about that another day. since i got the new chairs, i started looking for bigger throw pillows because the tiny 12" square pillows that were perfect on the ghost chairs looked silly on the bigger replacements.

i hate how expensive throw pillows are. they are ridiculously easy to make and i think it is crazy that some stores charge upwards of $50 for one pillow. i'm looking at you, pottery barn.

i found some dinner napkins on clearance for $5 each in a pattern i loved, at the aforementioned retailer. i decided that those dinner napkins could certainly become throw pillows. 2 hours, 4 dinner napkins, 2 $6.99 ikea feather and down pillow forms and one ivory scrap of fabric later, and pillow success!

in all, i spent less than $35 on both pillows when i would have spent twice that on the pottery barn pillows i was considering (well, even more because i almost bought the pb version before they went on sale for 50% off). every little bit saved counts, right? i am also so much more satisfied when i am surrounded by things i've made with my own two hands.

kitschy holiday decor

2011-11-22T06:35:00.002-05:00

kitsch: art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but appreciated in an ironic way.

my grandmother recently gave me two items that definitely fall into the kitsch category. i am outrageously excited about these items and cannot wait to display them in the house as soon as i put up christmas decorations.

item #1, still in the original packaging

how adorably tacky is this little tree?

i remember this item being displayed in the den in my grandparents' house every year. i'm so excited to find a special place for it in my house.

item #2, also in its original packaging:

i will have to work at getting a better picture of this item, because i had some flash fail moments. it still lights up and is so tacky that it is precious. the orginal price tag from hutzler's (a now defunct, old baltimore department store) is still intact. it was $4.00 whenever my grandmother bought it. i cannot wait to surprise people with this as they walk down to my basement.

craftermath

2011-11-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

craftermath, aka the mess left from my crafting; is the norm around my house. usually, it drives me nuts, but when i start creating something really cool, i forget about all the messes.

right now, my "something really cool" is this pheasant and turkey feather wreath i am working on. this is only a mock-up, i usually pin and rearrange, start over, and rearrange some more before i permanently attach anything. i think i am finally ready to start glueing and stitching! the feathers in the middle are not going to stay there, they are just hanging out for now. i am going to make some sort of spray that i will attach to the side of the wreath, but i haven't figured that part out yet.

you can sort of see what my little table looks like when it isn't covered in crafty messes.

i won't be working on this tonight though...because i am going to a midnight showing of breaking dawn! yeah, i'm one of those twilight creepers :)

weekend in lexington

2011-11-16T07:06:00.001-05:00

last weekend, the boy and i did a lot! we started out with a big 11.11.11 birthday party for my friend e at the tabard inn. delicious everything. one of my favorite restaurants in dc. it is tiny, you will be practically touching the tables next to you, but it makes for some fabulous eavesdropping if you're ~~like me~~ into that sort of thing. i wore my new fur cape and drank too much champagne. a perfect party night in my book.

after the dinner, we headed down to lexington, va (our college town) in the middle of the night. we needed to be on campus for an alumni event at 9 am on saturday morning, and we couldn't miss the birthday party, so we left dc at midnight. we are crazy. i am tired again just writing it. on saturday, we got to see my favorite person in lexington. i miss working for the university and the life i had then. i love where we are now, but it is so nice to go back!

the weekend was somewhat sentimental for us. we realized on the way down that it was the 8th anniversary of our first real date.

we walked around town and visited all my favorite shops. i found some fun costume jewelry and dragged the boy to the two antique malls/junk shops in town. my absolute favorite places to visit!

we picked up some interesting old books, an old map of maryland, a refurbished oil lamp (whatever will i do with all the junk i bring into the house?) and i also found this:

its just silver plate, but was gorgeous after some polishing and a great price. a little elbow grease can turn almost any junk shop find into a treasure!

we rode back on sunday afternoon and i am already planning our next trip down.

it won't feel put together until i have curtains...

2011-11-06T23:00:00.001-05:00

piece by piece, our little house is coming together. i've dubbed it the bitty bungalow. i've slowed down on the major projects and crafting and we've been enjoying living in our space. that doesn't mean i didn't stop dreaming about projects.

i've been wanting to move the ghost chairs from the living room into the bedrooms. one day, i am going to have a perfect vanity table set up with a ghost chair. but, to move the ghost chairs out of the living room, i needed something fantastic to replace them.

i decided that the living room needed something a bit more masculine. the boy voted for leather. i agreed, but the kind of leather chairs i like are way out of my budget. i like leather that is good quality, but already a bit soft and distressed. paying an exorbitant sum for an artfully worn leather chair was not happening. especially because i needed two! i started looking at upholstered armless armchairs, because i like the look and they can be a bit more petite than traditional armchairs, and the living room in the bitty bungalow is quite bitty.

this pottery barn chair was what i settled on, though the boy was hoping i chose more masculine upholstery; aka, leather. where he thought i was going to make that magic happen, even with my bargain shopping prowess, i don't know..since he like to play master of the purse strings.

right before i decided to pull the trigger, i happened to be hanging out at my friend em's house and she had this chair from 5 years ago in DISTRESSED LEATHER. basically the EXACT chair i've been searching for (pottery barn no longer makes armless chairs in leather).

she happened to be getting ready to list them on craigslist to make room for a new piece. she was listing the pair for the price of ONE new cloth upholstered chair. one woman's trash is another woman's massive bargain find!

guess what is now living it up in the bitty bungalow?

they are perfect! the leather is soft and distressed, but with no tears. like a perfectly worn baseball glove. and very manly, according to the boy. i think they make the room a few notches less girly and a tad warmer. what do you think?

even though we're almost there, every time i look at those nasty blinds i cringe. one battle at a time. rome wasn't built in a day. and they had legions. its just me working on the bitty bungalow. on a bitty budget.

better late than never, the best present ever!

2011-11-04T07:15:00.003-04:00

sarah, one of my good friends from college, is a quilter. she promised the boy and i a quilt as a wedding present. because i am a quilter and know how long big projects can take, i figured it would take a long time. sarah and i have been friends since freshman year.

sarah is in the black and green dress. meg, in the blue and white, was my freshman year roommate and she is how sarah and i became friends.

she is one of those friends that no matter how busy we get, or how long we go without chatting, we pick up right where we left off. she is my free spirit, conservationist friend who spends most of her time out west doing things like this:

right now, she is living in jackson hole, wyoming. since we graduated, she has lived in california, idaho, montana, georgia, a dakota (i think) and pennsylvania.

imagine my surprise when this arrived in the mail yesterday!

a beautiful queen sized quilt, handmade by sarah in all whites and beiges, my favorite colors for bedding!

look at the beautiful quilting!

i love the handwritten label and our quilt's name. this is probably the best present we've EVER received! i am so excited to cherish it for years to come.

Is it really november?

2011-11-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

this fall has been busy. i'm having a great time though. i haven't been writing much, but i've been taking a lot of pictures.

this past week, i found some pretty and fun things everywhere.

even in the shipyards in norfolk

and in shadows, fall flowers and tarnished silver.

i broke out the uggs for the first time since last winter.

i went bowling

with my precious babysis

and my handsome husband.

and i found a fabulous faux fur vest, on super sale.

in all, this fall has gotten better every week. 22 days until thanksgiving and the looming 5k...hopefully the next 22 days of fall will be as good as the first part!

i can't resist a good bangle bracelet

2011-10-25T06:09:00.001-04:00

this fun neon bangle is a recent gift from bff tiff. she knows i am a sucker for any fun bangle bracelet and gave me this little treat.

bracelets and scarves are the two things i can't say no to. i am too ashamed to show a picture of my scarf collection. do you have any particular items that you can't stop buying, no matter how many you have in your collection? what is it?

fall, flowers and fur!

2011-10-23T23:34:00.000-04:00

we've had a pretty full weekend. here are the highlights:

i stopped by the boy's office and got to see him lawyering. he's only been there for 2 weeks and it is already messy.

we've been riding our bikes and trying to take advantage of the great fall weather. i am also training for a 5k. this is a major deal for me.

i added some baby's breath to the coffee table to complement my family of ducks. i think it was a perfect touch.

and i found a ridiculous mink cape at secondi and i had a credit to burn and it had to come home with me. i was having a ugly day and cropped my face out of the picture.

so far, i am loving this fall!

i finally got an iphone

2011-10-18T09:37:00.000-04:00

i couldn't resist this time. the new commercials, coupled with the slow, painful death of my droid 2 phone. now, i just have to figure out how to use it. i feel like the girl who showed up to the party 2 hours late in the wrong outfit. everyone else already has an iphone and knows how to use it!

sunday always sneaks up on me

2011-10-16T22:26:00.000-04:00

this sunday, i'm writing from a hotel in boston. i'd rather be writing from my bed at home. i am here for a quick meeting tomorrow morning and then i'll scoot back to dc for a work dinner in the early evening. the work travel is starting to wear on me. there is something about the fall that makes me want to settle in at home and get ready for winter. this does not match up with my work calendar. fall is my busiest time of year. boo hiss. in the fall, i like to catch up on reading, try new recipes and go to my mom's house every sunday afternoon. this october, i am traveling on 3 sundays in a row.

at least all the time on planes and trains gives me time to read. i am on track to finish 52 books this year (the goal i set for myself). here are the books i've enjoyed recently:

i hate sports books, but this was like freakonomics or malcolm gladwell, baseball edition. if you are not a sports person, you can still enjoy this book.

i sobbed through this one. in the past few years, i have gotten more emotional. the boy is still not used to discovering me crying under the covers with a good book.

i saw a few episodes of game of thrones and decided to read the books instead. i've made it through book 1 and i'm about halfway through book 2. when i read on my kindle, i have no clue how long books are. i realized at the end of book 1 that it is over 800 pages. that should count for 2 books in my challenge...but i suppose the 2 young adult novels i am counting in the 52 balance it out.

housekeeping

2011-10-10T14:55:00.002-04:00

i've got a new url:

you can now find me at www.missmindless.com

much shorter than the old one!

perfect fall weekend!

2011-10-10T06:11:00.003-04:00

on saturday, i went to homestead farms with tiff's family. we had a blast.

we went to target before our trip and the girls suckered me into buying them these pink sunglasses. i was wearing sunglasses and they wanted their own. these little divas really know how to work me.

the girls were the hit of our hayride. they make friends wherever they go.we picked pumpkins and apples and i brought home a bunch of decorative gourds. don't these four look like a family of swans marching across my coffee table? i love them.

on sunday morning, the boy competed in his second sprint triathlon. we got up very early and drove down to indian head, md for the event. his dad and i were the cheering crew.

the mattawoman bay. it looks like a nice body of water, but the swim was gross because of the seaweed and general muckiness of the water. the water was 61 degrees, which meant wetsuits. there were 3 brave souls out of the hundreds who chose not to wear a wetsuit. the boy was not one of them. here he is heading over to the water with his friend j.

he lost his swimcap a few moments into the swim because of all his hair.

off to the bike leg of the event.

and coming across the finish line after the run!

i was sleeping in a camp chair between each transition period and almost missed him come over the finish line. that is so us. him exercising while i sleep. we are so jack sprat and his fat wife.

now, if only the five days between now and the next weekend could go a little faster and we could be at friday again instead of monday...

another change for us

2011-10-06T06:13:00.001-04:00

the boy started his new job at a big law firm downtown yesterday. his mother is not too happy with me because i forgot to take a first day outfit picture. she is a trip. i take secret pictures of the boy all the time and send them to her so that she can always know what her firstborn is up to since the menfolk don't like to call their mothers too often.

while she and i chatted about his first day and what changes this new chapter in our lives will bring, she told me what she always tells me, every time we talk - "slow down". i know, i know, i just wrote about needing to chill out and quit the planning. i started to think about all the life that we've lived in the past few years and whoa, is she right! if you've been reading along for the past few years, you know what i've been up to. for all the new readers, here is what you missed.

us in 2007 at the boy's graduation party. we were so young!

we'd just gotten engaged, we moved from lexington, va to dc. we had an engagement party that summer.

dad and i at the engagement party. i loved that lilly dress.

i joined teach for america and spent the summer in philadelphia learning how to be a teacher. i started teaching and grad school in august and he started law school. i also started this little blog. that was a big year! i thought things would settle down for a bit after that. ha.

in 2008, these little people would leave an indelible mark on my life. i would spend every monday-thursday at school pretty much 7am-7pm. unless i was going to grad school at night. then i wouldn't get home until 10pm.

wedding planning also started to take over every waking moment that i was not in teaching or planning for my classroom.

that summer, the boy got his first taste of working for a law firm and spent 3 months with a firm downtown. he also made the moot court team and the law review. he's a smarty pants.

i also made my first blogging friends, who are still real life friends today.

2009 brought the end of my teaching career and saying goodbye to these faces. i still miss them today.

i had showers

and bachelorette party fun (i will always be a flip cup champion!).

i transitioned to a job at a nonprofit downtown. the boy had his second summer of working for a law firm. he worked for two different law firms this summer. his office mates from that summer still think i am weddings crazed weirdo.

we were married by the same priest who married my parents and baptized me and who gave me my first communion.

we had a ton of fun!

and i got my first real grown up lady dishes. a very, very, important event:)

2010 brought even more changes.

the boy graduated from law school and started a clerkship, working for a judge in the district.

i left the nonprofit world and started a job working for a big retail company. we moved out of the city to an apartment in arlington, va. we had our first christmas tree.

we thought 2011 would be a calm year, with the only big change being the boy starting at a law firm. haha. not quite, because then we bought a house and home renovations and decorating took over.

here's to a slow and change free remainder of 2011!

i think we'll need to take a break from life changes in 2012.

building the bed of my dreams

2011-10-04T06:37:00.001-04:00

i am obsessed with all white bedding. i feel the same way about beds that i do about bathrooms. i can't get enough bright, clean, white. i love way too many pillows and my favorite thing is to crash out with a pile of pillows on top of me. anyone else here sleep UNDER the pillows or am i the only weirdo? i used to totally creep out my college roommates. it looks like i am trying to smother myself when i sleep.

i love to mix different textures and cannot stand any synthetic fibers on my bed. right now, i've got my bed almost perfect. i found an irish linen duvet cover and shams for a song. it is divine. when i dive in, it feels like i've snuck into some super luxury hotel somewhere far too nice for me. i love the cool hand and the natural wrinkles. i have a new fluffy down comforter that is not too light and not too hot 'n heavy. i have some cute target toss pillows and we've even got a wee bit 'o monogram in there for good measure.

you don't notice the hummus container and solo cup on the boy's bedside table. because hummus is a normal bedside snack. goodness gracious. i can't win.

3 years ago, the boy brought home these little sheepskin rugs from ikea. i thought they were silly at first; but i have come to love stepping out of the bed onto this softness every morning.

i love the puckered throw at the foot of the bed. adds more texture for good measure. another ikea find that i've had for a few years.

i can't decide if i need a bedskirt or not. what do you think? i sort of like the clean lines of the platform bed without a bedskirt, but we could add a shorter one.

the only thing that will make the bed complete is real linen sheets. this set is on my christmas list because they are WAY beyond my budget. the bed is my favorite place in the house right now. i sure wish i could spend more time there!

stopping to live in the now

2011-10-03T18:58:00.000-04:00

i am incredibly type A. i'm planning and organizing obsessed and often focused more on outcomes than process. i want what i want, when i want it, which usually means now or 15 minutes ago. this leads my close friends and family to sometimes feel bulldozed by me. all. the. time.

i've always got tons of ideas brewing, and lists upon lists and project plans being drafted and redrafted. seriously, who makes project plans for stuff at home? i perpetually need to stop and smell the roses. this weekend sort of smacked me in the face in this department. we had a small party on saturday evening and our parents came over on saturday afternoon. i was so focused on pulling everything together for both events that on sunday, i could not even remember if i had FUN.

the only thing i remembered that was fun the whole day was when i retreated from the party with tiff, taylor and kennedy and read the girls a story and held baby dylan for a few moments. how many important moments do i miss while i am planning for next month and next quarter (oh yeah, i am that sick) and next year?

i am forcing myself to hold off on planning and doing right now and just hibernate a little bit. it is ok that i pulled the shutters off the house and they are sitting, waiting to be painted. the world will not end if i don't have a concrete plan for christmas and new year's and life will just go on if i don't know where the next few months are going to take me.

now let's just hope i can stick to my guns!

2011-09-30T06:52:00.008-04:00

today is not going to be fun. i have a broken tooth (long story) that is getting fixed at the dentist. i'll have to get the big, long scary numbing needle, which always makes me cry (kind of embarrassing for a grown woman) and the scraping noise also makes me cry. say some prayers for me at 2pm. i am such a wuss.

the one bright spot in my day is my new shoes! i was not able to go to a target when the missoni line came out because i had an 8am meeting that day. all i really wanted were the pumps. my friend margaret in san diego, went to 8 different targets, tracked down the pumps and sent them to me!

what kind of friend drives to every target in a city to find an item for you? i am lucky.

happy friday!

the honey bug strikes again!

2011-09-29T06:50:00.002-04:00

i've written before about my love for glacier county honey. oh my word, it is the most delicious honey you will ever taste. in life. i promise. after a few months of being lazy and forgetting to place an order and trying honey from the grocery store (even $12 honey from whole foods); i am back to glacier county honey only.

it doesn't hurt that the owners of the company are super friendly and provide really amazing personal customer service. and they keep a blog and have a really cute baby.

i placed an order last week and it arrived on monday and the boy officially thinks i am crazy.

yes, that is 12 bottles of honey. in my house. all for me. i may give away some as gifts, if i feel like being nice.

i can't wait to make some biscuits to eat with my honey!

unfinished projects

2011-09-28T07:08:00.006-04:00

i have a problem. it is called biting off more than i can chew or woman of the many unfinished projects. i am killing the boy right now with all the projects i've got going. i cannot finish one before starting another. every room in the house is home to at least 3 in progress projects. shoot me. i love making stuff, but this is out of control.

by the way, let's not talk about what the laundry pile looks like. and let's also not talk about the bags from the beach that we still haven't unpacked. i won't need those clothes until next june, so we won't worry about that at all. let's also not talk about the party we are having saturday night when the house is a hot mess and the grass grew a foot while we were at the beach. and we don't have a lawnmower yet. and i lost the name/number of the lawn man. hopefully he will drive by and notice the grass....

i'll just be happy about the small things. i've been wanting adirondack chairs for the back yard, but they are crazy expensive. i found a company that sells them dirt cheap, but unassembled and unfinished. oh yes, you read right. another project.

my poor, poor husband. i dragged him to home depot, where i hemmed and hawed about the perfect stain color for an hour. i debated colony blue v. williamsburg blue v. coastal spray or carbon gray v. light gray v. fog. very important issues.

then we started the project. i am happy to report that 4 of the 6 chairs are stained, 3 of the 6 chairs are completely assembled and 2 of the 3 side tables are stained and assembled. yes, this is yet ANOTHER unfinished project, but at least we are enjoying it along the way. the boy promises to finish staining and assembling this week. just in time to get set for our little party!

here is the much debated colony blue stain. light blue, with a smidge of gray.

and the chairs, around out new fire ~~bowl~~ pit, becasue a fire pit sounds more manly than a fire bowl.

boys love to play with fire. especially while drinking beer. not a great combination. he deserved a pass after all he's been through with me.

enjoying the new outdoor lounge spot in our yard, speckled with colony blue stain that does not seem to want to come off my feet. very nice for looking professional at work.

here's to another week of unfinished projects!

my goals this week

2011-09-19T09:12:00.000-04:00

1. collects lots of driftwood at the beach for some projects at home

2. ride my new bike. isn't she cute? her name is lucy.

i think i can handle that. i need a chill week so badly.

vacation again!

2011-09-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

i had no time for blogging the past seven days because i:

-worked five (yes i mean FIVE) 12 hour days
-went to philadelphia and wilmington, de
-went to the boy's family reunion
-stained a set of adirondack chairs and tables for the backyard
-baked five cakes for one of my dad's clients (he is a caterer)
-had 2 junior league meetings
- went to a wedding

i'm tired after typing it all!

we're in duck, nc for the week. we left early this morning and i am looking forward to a week of relaxation. i need it after the hectic pace of my summer. our house has wireless, so maybe i will be able to catch up on all my favorite blogs and books.

see you back next week!

is it really fall?

2011-09-09T08:28:00.018-04:00

i am not ready to give up my summer clothes. at least we usually have mild weather into october in the dc region. the only bright spot in the end of summer is the prospect of new clothes. i usually don't buy anything new for fall until mid october when things start to go on sale. this year, i've made a few fall purchases and i'm very excited to start wearing them.

i'm always a sucker for a good sweater dress. sleeveless sweater dresses always pose a problem. if it is cold enough for wool, it is cold enough to require sleeves. i think i will wear this one with a cream turtleneck, black tights and brown riding boots.

i finally fell victim to the menswear inspired shoe trend that has held over from last fall. i can't wait to wear these with slim pants and skinny jeans.

this pair will work with skinny pants and with tights and dresses.

one always needs a new bag for fall. this one isn't too big, but is small enough to prevent me from overloading it with too much junk. i couldn't wait for fall and started carrying it already!

i've also got my eye on a camel cape and some new boots... and my online shopping cart at ll bean is filled with some fall tartans and ragg wool sweaters and socks. it never ends!

what is on your list for fall?

i need a vacation from my vacation!

2011-09-08T06:07:00.000-04:00

our trip to yosemite and mammoth lakes was amazing. we hiked, biked, climbed and played hard! we are exhausted. in the future, i've decided that every day of adventure vacationing requires one day of beach or spa relaxation vacationing to recover. a very good rule, i think.

we loved the unforgettable views even though i'm a pansy and suffered from some altitude sickness.

the clear mountain skies and blue water was unforgettable. while i had been to california many times, neither of us had ever seen yosemite or the sierra nevada mountains. all the pictures and tv programs we've seen about this part of the country paled in comparison to the real deal. we can't wait to go back and spend some more time in that part of the county.

we saw devil's postpile

and rainbow falls (see the rainbow over my shoulder!)

we saw bears, real and fake

the fake ones are much nicer up close.

now, we are recovering and wishing that summer was not over.

mammoth lakes for the holiday weekend!

2011-09-01T19:21:00.000-04:00

the boy and i are off to mammoth lakes, california for a few days. we've never been before. one of his former bosses invited us to join them at their family house there. it should be really fun!

now, what to pack?

our hosts have advised us to bring "casual stuff and playing in the mountain stuff as we could do some walks/hikes"

i don't really do "playing in the mountains." i am more of a play at the shore or on a river type of girl. so, we'll see how this turns out. i am also a person who REFUSES to check a bag when flying, so i can't overpack.

what kinds of shoes would you pack? i do not own hiking boots.

an anniversary

2011-08-31T06:44:00.000-04:00

last night, tiff and i met up for dinner to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of our friendship. we met 15 years ago this week in mr. smouse's (what a name, right?) 9th grade biology class and initially bonded because we had the same purse. it was hideous. black velvet from delia's. it was called the wave bag and we both thought it was very cool. i suppose it was back in 1996?

we've been friends longer than we've known our husbands, and being in her wedding was so much fun.

it was really special to me that tiff and both of her daughters could be a part of my wedding too!

are these two not the most precious wee ones you've ever seen?

we used to spend hours pouring over the delia's catalog and dissecting every conversation we had with boys.

now, we spend hours laughing about how silly we were and how much fun her girls are

last night, after dinner, we celebrated with cupcakes. the girls has no clue why their mommy and i were so happy to be together. hopefully, one day they will understand.

holding tiff's baby boy (even though i made him cry),

having these two little munchkins call me "auntie" and give me hugs and kisses

and growing up with friends who cross over and become sisters

is what life is all about.

happy anniversary tiff, here's to 15 more years!

bathroom remodel

2011-08-30T07:18:00.000-04:00

the bathroom remodel is coming right along. i still need to replace the light fixture, medicine cabinet and ratty blinds; but the tub, new tile, floor and sink are complete!

here is the before picture:

what the before picture does not show is the 50s style pale pink bathtub. the black and white tile was in decent shape, but not my taste. who still uses wallpaper border anymore? it had to go. the floor was ratty vinyl and the vanity base was rotting in a few places and was impossible to get completely clean.

here are a few sneaks of what it looks like now. i am obsessed with my new sink! it is a bit taller than a normal sink, which is nice for someone as tall as the boy.

new bright white floors and new threshold:

i can't wait to finish it off and show you the rest!

seattle fun!

2011-08-29T07:51:00.002-04:00

my trip to seattle was great. i got to spend tons of time with my work bffs and do fun things. one night we went to belltown billiards where i lost a game of pool because i have no clue how to play. i guess i don't spend enough time in pool halls? my mother always said respectable girls don't go to pool halls, so we'll blame her for my lack of skill.

we had amazing food at red mill burgers, which according to oprah is one of the 20 burgers you must eat before you die. oprah is so right. we visited west seattle and saw alki beach. we walked down to pike place and did some shopping along the way.

i saw the fremont troll under the aurora bridge

and i spied this funny road sign. i wish people in other cities were as serious about keeping the streets clean.

i'm glad to be home, but it was a fun trip!

craft until the lights go out!

2011-08-28T21:51:00.000-04:00

there is no power at mindless manor. hurricane irene did a number on my neighborhood and power died saturday. no flooding or damage, just no lights. or air conditioning. according to pepco, we will be "incredibly lucky" if we have power by wednesday. i'm live blogging from starbucks so i can charge my phone. fun times.

i was solo for the storm since the boy is away, so i picked up bff b to ride out the storm together. we stopped for necessary provisions (wine, brownies, snack mix and chipotle) and put on pajamas. what else does one do while waiting for a storm? girl talk, watch tv and make things. we saw 6 episodes of my big fat gypsy wedding.

i made a decoupaged monogram for my pink palace out of cardboard letters and newspaper.

i love making things out of paper!

i also finally found a place to hang my paper wreath. i think i will use this room to display all of my paper crafts.

the beginning of my gallery wall

2011-08-24T10:11:00.000-04:00

as usual, i am having camera malfunctions. this time, i know where the camera to computer cord is, but now i've lost the camera battery charger. it is probably in a box in the basement.who knows when that will turn up. for now, all of my photos are low quality cell phone photos with yucky glare.

over the weekend, the boy and i got started on our gallery wall. i've got a few more things to pick up next weekend at the frame shop that will fill in the big holes but i am excited to see the wall grow and change over time.

one of my favorite things on the wall is our ork washington, dc poster. there are a bunch of other cities available. we are hoping that the makers create a baltimore poster sometime soon.

seattle bound!

2011-08-22T06:02:00.001-04:00

i'm headed to seattle until friday for work. i am very excited to have some time with my work besties. we have a list of fun restuarants we want to try. we also have a list of cupcake shops we will visit and we always start our mornings with a walk to top pot doughnuts!

any recommendations for fun things to do in seattle?

diy project of the weekend

2011-08-21T22:08:00.001-04:00

our bed used to look like this in the old apartment:

i decided that it was time for a change and i wanted a gold bed. so, 2ish cans of this stuff

and some strategically placed plastic sheets (we were too lazy to try to get the bed outside)

and it turned out like this!

now i need some new lampshades, since the old ones matched the black bed. for now, we are looking a little sad with bare bulbs.

i love how it turned out and we only got a little bit high from huffing spray paint. note to self: next time, don't be lazy and spray paint outside!

happies for the day

2011-08-19T07:35:00.002-04:00

i've been feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the work to do around the house. i know i can't get everything done all at once, so i am keeping myself happy with the little things around the house.

i love these coral napkins and crab weight. i've been collecting different weights and this crab is my favorite right now.

pretty hydrangea in a fun vase (housewarming gift to self)

an adorable housewarming gift from a friend. i can't wait to have our first cookout and use these!

the beginnings of my gallery wall laid out on the floor. i've got a few more items being framed this week and will start putting it together soon!

i painted my bedside tables and magazine rack gold. this weekend's project is painting my bed gold too! the tables turned out perfectly. you can't tell here, outside, in the dark, taken with a cell phone. i used regular paint for the tables, but i am spray painting the bed frame because it is metal. hopefully i'll have pictures of that after the weekend.

what small things are making you happy this week?

first home DIY blunder

2011-08-17T07:47:00.002-04:00

i decided to paint my front door after work yesterday. a reasonable project, right? i don't know what went wrong, but my brushstrokes turned out a hot mess, the paint is actually peeling right away and looks like it was done by a first grader. i might actually have to hire someone to fix it. i may post a picture later, but i am just plain mad about it right now.

at last i can be happy about our bathroom renovations that are starting next monday! right now, my little pink palace is holding all the pieces that will become our new bathroom.

soon, this horrible, ugly vinyl floor, complete with dents and some holes;

will be replaced with this beautiful marble tile that weighs a ton and almost broke my poor husband's back as he lugged it all into the house. marble is heavy! oh, the things he'll do to keep me happy. the tiles are perfect. they are primarily white with some silvery gray striations.

i'm quite excited about our new faucet.

the boy is not super jazzed about said faucet. he thinks that this kind of spigot is not very manly, but he'll live. he was also not very jazzed about the price of sinks, faucets, marble tile and the like. anyone want to convince him that i'm not crazy and these things really are that expensive?

next obsession

2011-08-16T07:09:00.002-04:00

i'm still on the hunt for a cable spool or two. a few readers gave me some good ideas for where to look, so hopefully i can make some headway soon. this week's obsession is khaki and ivory wide striped fabric. wide stripes like a rugby shirt.

nothing i can find has stripes that are big enough for me. these stripes are the biggest i've found and they are downright puny compared to a rugby shirt. i also don't want to pay $50 per yard.

i want to make a set of lumbar pillows for the pair of baseball glove colored leather armchairs that are coming to my living room. i am pretty jazzed about these chairs. they are this chair from pottery barn but upholstered in the most perfect distressed medium brown leather because they are a few years old and perfectly worn in.

the chairs are exactly what i was looking for and a friend happened to be selling hers because they don't fit in her space anymore and i scooped them up before she listed them on craigslist. lucky me!

i'm over the hill

2011-08-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

i had one of those moments at work today where i was reminded that i am getting old. here's a conversation that happened with a girl who works with me (she is under 25):

youngin: how was your weekend?
me: it was awesome!
youngin: what did you do?
me: i scored some sweet chairs for a deal on craigslist, cleaned my hardwood floors, painted my bedside tables, hung a pot rack, made frogmore stew, had dinner at a friend's house and helped her rearrange her nursery to make space for her au pair and then i found a set of leather armchairs i've been pining after for years for a great price! it was killer!

[dead silence]

youngin: um, are you like, kidding?
me: oh, and i watched the new true blood with some friends!
youngin: [laughing so hard she choked on her coffee]

i am so lame that it is not even funny anymore. but i love my lame life. i really, really do. i spend time putzing around the house, crafting, baking and cooking, i hang out with my husband and my family, i read a lot and spend some time with my girlfriends. my young colleagues make fun of me all the time for my crazy crafting adventures (like the past few weeks when the paint would not come out of my hair, so i just pretended it was a gray streak) and i love it!

i've wanted a hanging pot rack forever and we finally hung one over the weekend:

i'm working on a gallery wall for the living room and i have my first three items matted and framed and ready to go and have 6 more items on deck to be framed over the weekend, so i think the gallery wall will be off to a swell start. this is my favorite gallery wall right now.

ours will be somewhat similar. i'm doing all black frames as well. they are all different styles, but all black. it will take a while for it to be finished, but a gallery wall is always a work in progress. some of the items i am starting with are photos, some prints, a small painting and a quatrefoil mirror.

so, that's my lame weekend. pretty fabulous if you ask me.

cable spool hunt

2011-08-11T07:13:00.001-04:00

do you ever get an idea bug in your brain and can't shake it? i am obsessed with cable spools.

weird, i know.

but... i've seen some interesting tables created out of them and i am thinking that i could copy these ideas and make a really cool coffee table for our basement:

how fun is this?

or an outdoor table in our backyard

wouldn't it be fun painted a bright color in the yard? maybe yellow, green or turquoise.

so, where do i find these things? other than stealing them from a construction site (probably a bad idea), where can i find them? i am stuck and the internets are getting me nowhere. i even put out a wanted ad on craigslist for them. i am that desperate.

books that got me through july

2011-08-10T18:28:00.000-04:00

with all of my work travel in july, i spent a lot of time in airports and hotel rooms. a few great books helped me make it through! it was a rough month and i am definitely a literary escapist. whenever i find myself reading way more than usual, i have to remind myself it is because i am stressed and it is a coping mechanism for me. i suppose stress reading is way better than stress eating, although i probably do a little of that too :)

i usually read obsessively by genre or author. if i love a book, i will spend the next month or two reading anything similar. my selections lately have all been biographies written by muslim women from very different walks of life. a sudanese slave, a yemeni girl and a saudi princess.

this book was one of those biographies that i could not put down and spent the whole time wishing it was fiction and not a true story. it was written by a sudanese woman who was kidnapped in 1994 at age 12 and sold into slavery. she finally escaped in her 20s in london. the author and i are about the same age and i had a hard time with the subject matter. i have read a lot about the modern slave trade and it is horrifying to know that there are still enslaved people in 2011. this one is a must read. the topic is heavy, i cried a few times, but it was worth it.

this is another book that had me crying a lot. this little girl's story is remarkable and depressing at the same time. she was married off to an old man when she was 9 and was able to get help from a lawyer and get a divorce and go back to school.

the next two are written by a another author, in conjunction with the subject. she is a member of the saudi royal family and her identity is not revealed to protect her immediate family. i felt that these were a little less true to life than the other books, but still very interesting. there is a third book in this series that i am starting this week.

right now, i've switched genres and i'm working on the immortal life of henrietta lacks.

i am about 200 pages in and while it has been slow at times, it is a super interesting story, especially if you are from baltimore.

dining room

2011-08-03T07:08:00.001-04:00

we started with the dining room looking like this:

also, imagine ten thousand nail holes and other spots to be spackled and sanded. the walls in this room were in the worst shape of the whole house.

after all the spackling and painting and ripping out that weird island counter you see on the left side of the dining room, we got here:

i'm incredibly happy with how the navy and white turned out. after the first coat of blue paint, i was a little worried, but in the end, it was just right.

we already had the table and chairs and i bought the two glass door cabinets in both corners that are serving as china storage from ikea. the prints on either side of the window used to be in the bathroom at our old apartment. for now, they work perfectly in this room. they are just white and green floral photo prints.

the butcher block top cart also came from ikea.i keep my everyday dishes here to free up more cabinet space for things that aren't as pretty as my dishes. this also makes unloading the dishwasher a breeze!

one day we will get rid of the nasty linoleum floors in the kitchen!

i'm still alive and the beginnings of my pink palace!

2011-08-02T07:58:00.003-04:00

the past month has been a blur. the new house, and cleaning out our old apartment and having company a few times during a very, very busy time at work was not very fun. we still aren't finished. i suppose houses are always a work in progress. as i slowly make my way back into the blogging world, i will share a room at a time. we are 98% unpacked. the 2% that is still in boxes is all his stuff. of course.

here's a sneak peek at my wall of girly goodness in the pink palace (what i've been calling my office):

the pink is a little darker in real life. on the shelves, i've got my favorite books from children's books i had in my classroom to my favorite vintage etiquette books to pablo neruda. it is my perfect bookshelf. i've got lots of pictures of important people in my life. half of them are of babysis. of course!

the pink is closer to real life in this picture. my dress form is living in this room. on the top shelf, i've got what's left of my wedding bouquet. it has survived two moves thus far and since we aren't moving again for a while i think it can last a little longer!

the rest of the room is about 99% together, and i will take photos of the other half soon. here is a before pic of this room:

we ripped up that pink carpet and took down that nasty wallpaper border. guess how much fun that was? in addition to being my office, this room also serves as our guest bedroom. we've already had overnight company and they loved staying in this little room!

it would be nice to think about something OTHER than paint colors

2011-07-18T00:57:00.000-04:00

i've got nothing good to say. we've been painting up a storm and i've still got no pictures to share. here are the paint colors, because all i have been thinking about the past two weeks is these colors. seriously, they are in my dreams and by the time we move in, i will be sick of them.

kitchen and dining room:

behr black sapphire above the chair rail. this is the perfect navy. not too dark, not royal, no hints of purple.

we used behr white fur below the chair rail and as the trim color. paired with the navy and any other color, it reads as a bright, pure but creamy white. on its own, it is white with a drop on red, so it is a warm white. we used this color in a gloss finish as our trim color throughout the entire house.

figuring out the living room color was tough. i was stuck on two colors by farrow and ball.

dix blue

and oval room blue

i loved both and realized that neither was just right and that i wanted something in the middle.

luckily the benajmin moore paint store was able to deliver with atmospheric, which ended up exactly between the two farrow and ball colors. we ended up using the aura by benjamin moore paint and it was by far our favorite to apply. i guess being $66 per gallon does make a difference. one day i will try a $90 per gallon farrow and ball paint and see if that is any better than the benjamin moore aura.

i cannot wait to get my furniture in this room now. the color came out perfectly. in some lights it appears more blue and in others, more green.

the room i am most excited about is "my office." we are using the other bedroom on the main level as my crafting room/office/girly retreat. once i got my vision squared away for this room, i was on the quest for a perfect color. a paint color that did not really exist. i had my favorite ruffled shirt in mind. a perfect ballet slipper, peachy blush pink.

crossed with pink ground by farrow and ball

this exact color did not exist. so, i carried my shirt and farrow and ball paint chip to the hardware city in my new hometown and the paint guy was able to mix it up perfectly! the color has just enough peach to not be considered a pastel, baby pink.

i can't wait to show you all pictures next week once we get our furniture in!

we're homeowners!

2011-07-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

here we are in front of our house after settlement on friday! it was very exciting. we went to a celebratory dinner with my mom and made our first (of many) home depot trip.

then, it was business time. we've got our work cut out for us. my poor husband spackled and sanded until his fingers were almost raw. my feet are throbbing. we almost had a disaster with some paint thinner. we did accidentally melt a plastic cup with the paint thinner. did you know that paint thinner can liquefy a plastic cup in less than 10 seconds? i sure didn't. won't make that mistake twice.

we made lots of headway in the kitchen and dining room and i can't wait to show you before and after pictures. right now, we are in the "holy crap, what did we get ourselves into" stage and it always gets worse before it gets better. or at least that is what is getting me through.

i'm headed up to boston for work tomorrow morning on a 6am flight. another one of those moments when work gets in the way of life. although, my poor body probably does need a break from the manual labor!

2 days!

2011-07-06T12:47:00.000-04:00

until we close on the house! other than that, there isn't really anything exciting going on in my life. we are just putzing along, pretending like we don't need to pack everything up. we finally cleaned on monday night because the property manager at our building needed to show our apartment. so we only cleaned because strangers would be seeing our apartment. not because we currently live in a sty. how that for logical thinking?

i guess it is the same thing that motivates you to clean before the cleaning ladies come. did your mom make you do this too?

2011-07-05T01:03:00.000-04:00

this year, july really is one of those months where work is getting in the way of life. if only i could tell my boss, hold on and don't call me for about 3 weeks. ha!

we close on the house on friday, start painting and fixing things up on saturday/sunday and then i am out of town for most of next week. the lease on our apartment doesn't run out until the end of july, so we have some wiggle room to paint and do some work on the house before we have to move all of our stuff in, which is really nice. we will work on things for two weekends and then do the big move on the weekend of the 23rd. both sets of parents are coming to help, which means dads, brothers, sisters, the boy and i will be directed by both moms. we'll see who wins in the battle of the bossy. my mom and mil are both forces of nature when it comes to taking charge. it could be ugly.

so, instead of my usual obsession over some new bag or pair of shoes that i want, i am obsessed with questions like:

can i install a garbage disposal myself?
am i crazy for thinking we can paint an entire house on our own?
how do i remove nasty wallpaper border?
why did i find the perfect paint color for the living room, but it happens to be farrow & ball, which costs $100 per gallon? seriously. who knew paint that expensive existed. grr. the color that i want, in case you care, is dix blue.

i'm also kind of obsessed with oval room blue.

in addition to many other perfect paint colors, farrow & ball also makes the most amazing hand painted wallpapers. that cost an arm and a leg. only $245 for a 32 foot by 12 inch roll.

this is my favorite pattern:

a runner up: pink wallpaper with hand printed golden bumblebees. very, very cool.

now, back to reality and here's hoping benjamin moore can mix up something that will make me happy!

can it be the weekend every day?

2011-07-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

mommy and i started out the day with a 45 minute run walk. we felt pretty proud of ourselves because i do not run, but the boy has me signed up for a 5k, so i need to get this booty in gear. of course, he outdid us by running (without any walking breaks) and a long bike ride. he is training for a sprint triathlon in august.

we needed to start the day with a good calorie burn to compensate for the binging that will take place this evening. all the families on our dock do a dock crawl on the saturday of 4th of july weekend. everyone puts out a snack and a drink. this year we are doing a seven layer dip and sangria.

bff tiff and her husband tony are coming down with the 3 cutest minis around, taylor, kennedy and new baby dylan. i am so excited!

i hope everyone has a wonderful day!

happy independence day!

2011-06-30T23:05:00.000-04:00

i love 4th of july weekend. i love fireworks, barbecues, picnics and hot weather. pretty much everything i love about summer all rolled up into one long weekend.

as usual, we're headed down to the marina. i've got everything that matters packed into my bag.

jacks, sperrys, bathing suit, cover up, beach towel, hat, lilly p insulated cooler bag to sneak frosty beverages to the pool and three pairs of sunglasses, because i am crazy like that. i need black aviators, tortoise wayfarers and the giant chanel sunnies for when i want to feel a tidge fancy.

i don't think i will wear much else than whats in this picture all weekend.

and i can't forget my important summertime can't live without products that go with me everywhere. i love target brand sunscreen. it doesn't have an overpowering smell. it is just enough to remind me of the beach. california baby bug spray is a must to avoid mosquito bites and the caustic deet found in off. i love how this stuff smells. it feels like perfume to me. clarins ecran jour is what i use on my face every day in the summer.

what is your favorite sunblock?

counting down until we move

2011-06-25T00:38:00.000-04:00

how are your summers coming along? mine has been flying by. i can't believe june is almost over.

lately, i've been loving and wearing my white jeans almost every day. they are off white, not bright white, which i love because they don't get as dingy looking after a day of walking around the city. (am i the only one who can't keep bright white items bright white all day?)

work has been insanely busy, but at least it means my time in the office goes quickly. i'd much rather be busy and wonder where the day went than sit around bored.

we're just plugging along, still on the road to our little house. we will hopefully move mid-july. we want to paint and do a few things before we move our stuff in. i am so excited to finally be able to paint and do whatever we want to a place.

today, i've been thinking about the kitchen and dining room area (the part of the house that will need the most work).

currently, there is chair rail in the dining room. i am thinking about painting navy above the chair rail and white on the bottom. below, i've posted my current inspiration board. we already have the table and chairs, and i found the small china cabinet at ikea, my favorite store. everything i have in my current dining room will look amazing with navy walls.

the kitchen and the dining room are adjacent and i plan on painting the kitchen cabinets a bright high gloss white.

one of my favorite parts of this house is the old wood floors. i wish they extended into the kitchen. we'll be having to rip up linoleum at some point. but that's a topic for another post.

so, that's generally what i envision for the dining room. hopefully it will come together in real life!

jet set (i wish)

2011-06-16T23:09:00.000-04:00

i've been flying around on the company plane for the past 3 days with some of my favorites from work.

what a rough life i lead.

now, it's back to the grind (and flying commercial). how pedestrian.

if only i had the means to keep up with these champagne tastes of mine!

mish mash monday

2011-06-13T07:08:00.000-04:00

i am still out of whack from staying up all night on saturday with the baby. i am getting old. one night of missed sleep and i feel almost drunk. i slept most of yesterday, but i still feel behind.

the end of last week was a good one. i got to go to a luncheon on thursday and hear michelle obama speak. it was amazing. i was pretty giddy the entire day.

on friday, we had the inspection at the house (i still can't call it "our" house yet, don't want to jinx anything). everything went well. the seller agreed to fix the minor issues we discovered at the inspection. there were no major issues and we should be good to close in july. things are all falling into place. if all happens as planned, this little ~~cardboard box~~ brick house will be ours in 4 weeks!

we'll have a lot of work to do, but i can't wait. here's a taste of what's ahead:

the sellers have a cut of pink carpet on top of the original hardwood floors (this carpet is not tacked down, nor is is actually cut to fit the room. it is essentially an almost room sized area rug. the carpet matches the lovely pink floral wallpaper border. the same border that is in the bathroom.

happy monday!

new baby trumps blog photo challenges any day

2011-06-12T20:48:00.000-04:00

i've been mia this weekend because bff tiff (also mom to these cuties) went into labor. she was a little more than 2 weeks ahead of her due date, and we all dropped everything to dash to the hospital for the delivery.

baby d is healthy and perfect!

i had such a good time loving on a minutes old baby.

i held this little munchkin for hours. babysis and i were trading off back and forth for the most cuddle time. tiff and tony were exhausted, so they crashed while we rocked baby.

we are going to spoil him silly

so tiny in his daddy's hands

new life is so exciting!

photo challenge fail

2011-06-08T22:21:00.000-04:00

i missed sunset today, which is supposed to be day 8 of the photo challenge.

i left home at 6:30 this morning and got home at 7:30 this evening. i hate days like that. tomorrow should be better. i get to go to a very exciting luncheon hosted by someone very important. i'll write all about it afterwards.

we're plugging away at this whole home buying thing. the inspection is on friday. i think it will feel real after that.

my current freak outs/worries:

we can't buy a house because i don't know how to cut grass
we can't buy a house because i don't know to fix things when they break
what if our new neighbors don't like us?
we can't buy a house because we aren't real grown ups

tell me it will be ok.

day 7, high angle

2011-06-07T07:53:00.001-04:00

i had to figure out what a high angle was before taking the photo for this day. i am not a photography expert. in case you didn't know what a high angle shot was either, the camera looks down on the subject.

today's subject, my favorite shoes on the first day i pulled out my white jeans!

i wore them with my caylpso for target tunic, which has quickly become one of my favorite tops for the summer. i wish i could wear casual clothes to work!

one step closer

2011-06-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

the seller finally accepted our offer. after A LOT of back and forth quabbling, but we're there. so we are on the road to actually owning a little bitty cardboard box of our very own. in maryland! i still don't believe it is real. we have to get through the appraisal and inspection process, so i am doing a whole lot of hoping, wishing, praying and finger crossing.

grown up life is so stressful. if only my 19 year old self understood these things and slowed down to enjoy all the fleeting carefree, irresponsible moments!

day 6, books

2011-06-06T06:42:00.008-04:00

the books on my bedside table. at least the kindle affords a smidge of privacy. i am currently working on incidents in the life of a slave girl. if you've never read it, you must. if you have a kindle, it is only 99 cents. get it, asap!

yes, i am still obsessed with baby names even though there is no baby. nor will there be one for a while. i will probably always be obsessed with baby names.

day 4. clouds

2011-06-04T21:02:00.000-04:00

there weren't many clouds today, which made for some perfect tanning time! i am such a summer kind of girl.

day 3, hands

2011-06-03T07:05:00.002-04:00

my hands aren't very exciting. but, the gorgeous silk ikat fabric that i bought from an uzbek ebay seller is very exciting! yes, i am crazy. i ordered 4 pillowcases and fabric on ebay from uzbekistan.

it all began when i found this pillow on the calypso website, for $275. for ONE pillow. ikat prints have been all over the place the past few years and are easy enough to find, but can pretty expensive. if i find a cheap one, it usually looks cheap.

crazy me decides that i can cut out the western middleman markup and find authentic ikat items direct from the source. i found this ebay seller, uzcraft777 that carries amazing items. silk pillowcases for $25 a pair! way better than calypso's prices and in far more interesting colors and prints.

i had the hardest time choosing only a few things. if you end up buying anything from him, be warned; shipping takes forever. i thought the 6-8 week time frame quoted on the site was an exaggeration. notsomuch. i ordered in mid-april and everything arrived at the end of may.

i ended up choosing these pillowcases for the living room

and these for the bedroom

the fabric in the picture of my hands will be used for additional throw pillows for the bed.

i love to mix patterns. do you have any ikat items around your house, or is it a trend you bypassed?

day 2, my favorite shoes

2011-06-02T07:06:00.003-04:00

it is so hard to pick ONE pair of favorite shoes. now that it is officially summer, all of my favorite shoes live in my flip flop basket.

if i had to pick one pair as my absolute favorite, i couldn't, so here are my top 3 of summer:

1. as soon as i leave work, the black havianas come out of my bag and onto my feet. every day. they are hands down, the most comfortable rubber flip flops around. worth the price because they last a few seasons.

2. if my toes are ever covered between memorial day and labor day, the sperrys win out. i prefer the men's versions.

3. lime green jack rogers, scored at the dc sample sale in 2009 for $40. green is my favorite color. my metallic jack rogers are more practical and match more things, but i find myself looking for reasons to make the green go with every outfit.

what are your favorite summer shoes?

the house hunting continues

2011-06-01T07:55:00.000-04:00

we really loved the last ~~cardboard box~~ house that we went to see. it was actually all brick! in fact, we thought it was in fact, our cardboard box. i got that feeling about it. so we made an offer, and then they countered and we countered back and now we wait. if this box is meant to me, it will be. but that kind of thinking surely does not help an obsessive person like me.

day 1, self portrait

2011-06-01T06:49:00.003-04:00

30 day challenge, day 1

it is hard to do a self portrait when you feel icky. here is the best i could muster today. pitiful, i know. i need a nap or two. or three.

it was so bad that i had to cover up that ugly on the second try.

here's hoping for a better day 2.

june photo challenge

2011-05-31T21:49:00.001-04:00

i was thinking about doing a 30 day photo challenge in june since i've been feeling a little less inspired lately, and then, lisagh of grosgrain garage posted that she's doing one and i decided to go for it. i'm so glad she is back to blogging.

i can't wait to see what interesting photos other bloggers come up with this month!

the lowly carnation

2011-05-29T08:43:00.001-04:00

most people hate carnations. they are king of the grocery store flower department, cheap, hardy, and common. most brides i know would never have carnations anywhere near their wedding flowers. i love carnations. they are one of my favorite flowers (after peonies, tulips, hydrangea and calla lilies...hmm, i like a lot of flowers). i almost always have at least one carnation arrangement at home.

i found the most perfect pale pink carnations at harris teeter and decided to keep going with the pink flowers in my calypso for target elephant teapot. doesn't he look ready for a party? i think the flower in his trunk makes him look like he's carrying a parasol.

i think that a carnation is the most perfectly formed ruffle in nature. every ruffled item i own pales in comparison to the perfection of the carnation's ruffles.

if you usually turn your nose up at carnations, think about giving them a try the next time you're at the grocery store. my tips for carnation arrangements:

1. go monochromatic. the ruffled texture is best noticed when the blooms are all one color. it is also easier to arrange with only one color. less room for user error.

2. stick to the naturally occurring colors. i prefer pink and white carnations. if the color does not look natural, it probably isn't. stay away from the creepy blue ones.

3. get twice as many flowers as you think you'll need. carnations look best when tightly bunched together. they are usually so cheap that you can buy a very large quantity for less than $15 at any grocery store.

weekend plans

2011-05-27T18:09:00.000-04:00

usually, by this time on memorial day weekend, we are already camped out down at the marina,

with frosty cocktails in hand, mooching off of my parents hospitality at our summertime home away from home.

kicking up our feet,

watching the shoreline disappear,

or splashing in the pool with friends.

this memorial day weekend is going to be a little different and i am not sad in the least. my long lost friend, teacher love h, is returning from a year abroad in germany! i get to pick her up from the airport on saturday afternoon and she is staying with us for a week. hopefully, we will get in some pool time at the little pool on the building's roof and catch up in person about everything we've not put in email/skype conversations all year. the boy is going to be sick of the girl talk after a few hours.

and, the situation with my mother in law is really no better. today, over gchat, she got a little ridiculous on me again. guess what i told her?

"stop being passive aggressive"

and you know what? she did. bam. i am on a roll.

insert jazzy title here...

2011-05-26T15:18:00.000-04:00

i love my mother in law. i really do. but wow, sometimes, we rub one another the wrong way. in the past week, with this potential home buying drama, things have gotten heated, over a number of issues.

do you ever end up in a situation, saying words that you never thought you'd say to another person? welcome to my relationship with my mother in law. the words in question, this week:

"get out of my uterus"

yes, i uttered those words to her. if you've ever been pressured to have kids, you understand where i am coming from. i hit my ceiling and had to drop that comment on her.

so, how's your thursday going?

is it really monday again already?

2011-05-23T06:26:00.001-04:00

the weekend went by in a blink! how does that always happen once the weather gets warm? no fair.

we've been a wee bit stressed here. the boy and i spent the past week or so deciding if we should try to jump in to home ownership. we decided yes, and now, we just have to find THE house. which seems impossible. seriously. have you ever house hunted in the dc metropolitan area? cardboard boxes inside the beltway cost 600k, i swear. we are not mcmansion people, we are little house people. i just want something without crumbling walls. a reasonable request, right? we are going to become fixer upper people. eek! i have become a psycho, checking the trulia app on my phone every ten minutes to see what new hovels pop on to the market.

we're going to see another house with our agent today. fingers crossed that this cardboard box is OUR cardboard box. it is in a lovely neighborhood, close to the metro and zoned for a good elementary school (since we'll be living in this wee cardboard box for a very long time, such things matter, even though there is no mini miss mindless on the way).

grown up life is hard. wish us luck!

my last post was my 1,000th!

2011-05-17T18:55:00.000-04:00

wow. 1,000 blog posts. i never knew i'd keep writing this long, or that anyone would read. i love my little piece of the internet and all the people who make it so grand. thank you!

we're just trucking along here with stuff and thangs. trying to decide if we are ready for some big grown up things. pray for us, if you are into that sort of thing. we need prayers for peace and clarity and a wee bit o' luck too.

and on to less heavy things.

our new matching ll bean boat and tote bags arrived in the mail today! they are perfect. i think they are masculine enough for the boy carry, right?

my bag is on the left. i prefer his monogram to mine, since it is a bit more symmetrical. but if that is my biggest complaint of the day, i think i am sitting pretty.

happy tuesday!

i must be a little better, i'm back to crafting

2011-05-15T20:32:00.000-04:00

back in february, i made a little poinsettia pillow out of canvas and felt. the first one i made was for a blog swap and i liked the one i made for my swap partner so much that i wanted one for myself.

i wanted to make another pillow that was similar, but a little different for the other chair. i saw these pillows on craftgawker and knew i wanted to try one!

my version is not quite as cool as the orginal, but now that i've made one, i think i am going to try again to make it a little better.

i decided to do a button center to make the pillow "match" the other a little bit.

both pillowcases are natural cotton canvas duck and the flowers are felt.

next, i am going to try a giant one for the bed!

getting ready for summer

2011-05-12T12:26:00.000-04:00

i am still sick but feeling much better today. i'm staying cheery because it is almost summer!

the countdown is on. memorial day weekend is in 2 weeks and 2 days! i cannot wait for the pool at our building to open. big bad stepdaddy has been down at the marina, putzing around and getting things ready for the high season and the revolving door of freeloaders (me and my friends). we probably won't spend memorial day weekend on the boat this year because we'll have company in town, but i will certainly spend some time parked at the pool.

new swimsuits have been ordered. i finally got the boy to agree to a new pair of swim trunks. he has been wearing the same pair of orange hawaiian print board shorts since we met in 2003. they are terrible and he loves them. now that a new pair is on the way, the orange uglies just might disappear.

this summer, he will be sporting this pair:

and i will be sporting this top:

which goes with this assortment of lilly bottoms (that were on clearance for $3 each)

i've got a new lilly cover up tunic that also looks great with skinny jeans and white pants:

i was sick of the boy tossing his stuff in my bag, so i've ordered him his own boat and tote. in a manly blue. with his monogram. then he informed me that he thinks a monogrammed bag is too girly for him. tough cookies. he will carry it anyway.

i don't need any new sandals this season, but that doesn't mean i don't want any...hopefully a pair of turquoise jack rogers will make their way to my doorstep.

what is on your list for summer?

a little happy for the day

2011-05-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

i went to urgent care, got some meds and i'm now resting. i have an ear infection and a sinus infection. i haven't had an ear infection since i was a kid and i forgot how terrible it feels!

when i picked up my prescriptions, i spied some peonies at the grocery store that were a perfect deep pink.

i thought they would be perfect in my blue elephant teapot

lovely!

there was one lonely white peony, so i brought her home too.

how cute is the elephant tail handle?

even though i am sick as a dog, looking at these little flowers on my side table cheers me up!

sick day

2011-05-11T06:13:00.004-04:00

i was home sick from work yesterday. my head feels like it is swollen to twice its normal size and i am literally choking on mucus. sorry for the nasty details. it was a sick day where i actually didn't do anything except lay in bed and check/send work emails. usually on a sick day, i am sick, but i run a errand or two, clean/organize something, watch some tv, etc. this time, i was too sick to even go get medicine. i didn't watch any tv because i was posted up in bed and our one tv is in the living room. no fair. at least i wore cute pajamas while being sickly and lame. how does a sore throat turn into the plague in less than 36 hours? i think what started as allergies may be a sinus infection.

now, i am hoping my doctor can see me today to write me a prescription for some kind of drug to get rid of this sick.

ugh, you're sick of hearing about me being sick. i don't blame you.

the other topic i am currently obsessing over is when/where/how are we going to buy a house? it occupies my every waking moment. i spend most of my internet surfing time right now researching neighborhoods, school districts, commutes, real estate, the mortgage industry. (my how things change. this time last year i was freaking out about what to wear to a gala and spent all my internet hours looking at dresses). now i am trying to figure out how far of a commute we can handle without moving to west virginia. (yes, there are crazy people who commute to dc from west virginia!)

i hate that we are renting. i love our little apartment, but i would rather live in a little house. in maryland. not virginia. that we own. in the school district i like. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. that is all. i don't need a fancy updated kitchen or granite countertops. can someone make that happen? all i need now is a winning lotto ticket since teardowns in my neighborhood of choice are going for 500k.

i've got to stay out of target

2011-05-10T06:49:00.003-04:00

every time i go in, i find more things i need. (yes, i know need is a relative term) i've been wanting a piece of mirrored furniture for a long time, but it is always SO expensive. i spied this little side table for less than $100. i didn't buy it, because i don't have a place for it right now, but you can be sure that i spent about 10 minutes trying to rationalize tossing out a piece of furniture to fit it somewhere.

these lamps have screw off tops that you can fill with anything you want. i like the clear glass, but it is kind of cool that you could fill them with anything that would go with your decor or the season. i know i'd go overboard and fill them with christmas balls in december. i was good and left them on the shelf.

and i finally tracked down the lime target calypso pajamas. i will not divulge how many targets i have visited in attempts to avoid paying shipping costs. its all about the thrill of the find....right?

and in case we were tallying, my entire calypso for target haul. at least i can make myself feel better by noting that not all of these items are for me. some are gifts. i'm sick. i really, really am.

what have been your best target finds lately?

wrong side of the bed kind of day

2011-05-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

work up feeling kind of rotten today. no reason why. i started thinking about things that get on my nerves.

people who won't let you over when you're trying to get to an exit. what jerks. do they actually think you should miss your turn because they've got some aggressive driver ego thing going on?
people who give backhanded compliments. i've got one person in my life that does this regularly and i wonder if she thinks i'm too stupid to notice.
stubbing my toe. why does it hurt so much?
dry cake. it is the worst thing to get a piece of cake, get excited about it, dig in, and find out it is no good. i also feel the same way about cakelike v. fudgy brownies. brownies should not be cakelike. then you are eating cake. not a brownie.
people who act like their job is really hard. why can't some people admit that their job is easy? i guess its a self worth issue, but i encounter people all the time who have jobs that are totally easy, but they talk about the job/complain about things like they are atlas, holding the entire world on their shoulders. i know that while my job can be challenging, it certainly is not the most challenging job out there. and i don't feel bad about myself admitting it.

ok, rant over. i'm already starting to feel a little better!

happy mother's day!

2011-05-08T08:19:00.001-04:00

mommy and i on mother's day in 2010

today, i'll be celebrating my mother and grandmother. it should be a wonderful day. the boy and i are picking up babysis and then heading to baltimore for church and brunch with my grandmother and dad.

we don't go to our home church in baltimore very often since it is an hour drive from dc. even though things have changed (new priest, changing congregation) it still feels like home. it is a very small episcopalian parish. my grandparents worshipped there and were church leaders. my parents were married there. my sister and i were both baptized and confirmed there. my dad is still on the vestry every other year. it is our family church. babysis and i are still referred to as the {insert my maiden name} girls by most everyone there. we spent every sunday morning of our childhood there, in matching dresses and white tights. babysis was the cutest thing around, don't you think?

there is a picture in the basement, in the little room where the vestry counts the collection money after the service. that picture that has been there for almost thirty years (yikes, i'm getting old). in it, you can see me, as an infant, in the arms of my father, with my mother and grandparents close by. all of our church family is in the picture as well. every time i go back to that church, one of the first things i do i head to the basement and check for the picture. i will be so sad if it ever comes down. for some reason, that picture reminds me of where i come from. weird that one old picture means so much to me, but it does.

after church and brunch, we'll head back to mommy's for dinner. i generally dislike hallmark holiday's (valentine's day, mother's day, fathers day), but i will enjoy this day with my family and those who are dear to me.

and i'll be wearing one of my new target dresses :)

enjoy your day with your loved ones!

stuffed saturday

2011-05-07T21:53:00.000-04:00

i have been a busy bee. we had a delicious lunch at oohhs and aahhs. we were all in a food coma after overindulging. my mother in law came home with us after lunch and visited for a bit. the food coma may be been brought on by concluding my meal with this giant piece of cake. i could barely make a dent in it. this picture doesn't even come close to showing how large this cake was. it was the size of about 4 generous slices put together.

i dealt with the crazy pile of laundry from last week that was threatening to take over the bedroom. now, the hamper is empty and the smaller basket is filled with the last bits of winter clothing to go into storage.

remember the paper wreath i made at valentine's day for a giveaway? well, i finally got around to making one for myself last night. i hung it over the bed. it is a little small, and i may bite the bullet and make a giant one for this space. now that i've got my technique down pat and figured out some shortcuts, i was able to make this one in about 90 minutes. MIL wanted one too, so i whipped one up for her while we visited in about an hour.

now, we are sitting around, all chores finished, just being couch potatoes. it feels wonderful. we haven't eaten dinner because we are still full from lunch and we are also fasting in preparation for two big mother's day meals tomorrow. brunch with my grandmother and dinner with my mother. yikes, wish our waistlines luck!

happy weekend!

2011-05-06T17:54:00.000-04:00

this weekend, the boy and i will be showering our mothers (and grandmother) with love! tomorrow, his mother is coming to visit us because she rarely makes it to dc and wants to play in our apartment. we are going to take her to u street because she wants to go to oohhs and aahhs, a down home, soul food divey restaurant. she also wants to go to ben's chili bowl, so we will stop by there as well. on sunday, we are going to baltimore to attend church with my grandmother. then, we'll drive to mommy's for dinner. in all, a very busy weekend!

i am excited to wear my new calypso for target tunic. it is already a favorite!

What are you up to for mother's day!

make up biscuits

2011-05-05T08:32:00.005-04:00

i don't know about your husband/boyfriend/dad, but my boy is easily swayed by good home cooking. if i've been a pill, we've had a stupid fight, he's in a bad mood or otherwise irritable; these biscuits cure all. for real. these biscuits have magical powers. and i didn't say they were healthy.

make up biscuits

ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream*
1 tablespoon double acting baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese**

preheat oven to 400 and coat a muffin tin with cooking spray

1. mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal
3. stir in cheddar cheese
4. stir in cream, forming a soft sticky dough
5. spoon dough into muffin tins
6. bake 10-12 minutes or until tops begin to brown

serve and watch the drama melt away!

*ok, the magical powers=heavy cream. i have varied the milk product and if you want to be healthy, you can use skim milk. but, if you really want to impress, use the cream. trust me.they don't taste as rich and buttery with skim. if you really really won't use one cup of heavy cream, at the very least use whole milk. or fill the measuring cup with 2/3 to 3/4 cup cream and top off with water.

**use more or less cheese, depending on how savory you prefer your biscuits. i have used up to the 1/2 cup and still eaten them with jam. if you want to make the biscuits even more savory, and more dinner, less breakfast; two cloves of minced and sauteed garlic added at the end with the cream is delicious. if you are a ham biscuit lover, these also make for KILLER ham biscuits.

wednesday want list

2011-05-04T16:45:00.004-04:00

things that NEED to make it into my closet this month but won't, since i have champagne tastes and barely a beer budget:

1. i do not need this skirt. it will probably make me look like an oompa loompa. but, i still want it. badly.

2. doesn't this bag scream put together, grown up lady? it reminds me of bags my grandmother carries. in a good way.

3. this gorgeous valentino bow pump. not happening in any way shape or form for $645. but a girl can dream. and hunt for knockoffs.

what do you want this wednesday that you can't or won't buy?

keeping it real...i can be a big mess

2011-05-04T07:24:00.003-04:00

i've had a few posts of late about cute things in my house. surely you know that i do not lead a magazine ready, blog-perfect life. in case you were starting to think otherwise, here is some evidence to the contrary:

exhibit a

the GIANT, thigh deep laundry pile currently growing in our bedroom. it has exploded out of the hamper and the basket beside the hamper (you can't even see the basket anymore!) for the past month, the boy and i have been picking what we need out of the pile and washing small loads piecemeal. we've been so busy and stressed that that chore has been last on our minds. we promised to one another that we WILL tackle this by the end of the week. at least we make the bed (most days).

exhibit b

the 6 pairs of shoes that i regularly wear to work live on the floor of the passenger side of my car. when people ride with me, they have to wait for me to toss the shoes in the back before they hop in. and if i have more than 1 passenger, all bets are off. who knows what else is lurking in the backseat. no matter what, i have never in life been able to keep a neat car.

side note: my latest obsession is ivanka trump shoes. they are SO comfortable. i have terrible feet and have a really hard time wearing heels and her shoes are super comfy. i have this pair (a valentino knock off) and this haircalf pair (i'm a sucker for animal print). two of the shoes in this picture are jessica simpson shoes. why do i have a thing for celebrity collaborations?

are you hiding any mess, or is it just me?

brined roasted chicken

2011-05-03T07:04:00.001-04:00

lately, my favorite dinner has been roasted chicken. since there are only two of us, we can carve at the chicken for a couple of nights and have chicken sandwiches for lunch and once it is hacked to death, i toss the carcass in a pot for chicken soup. one bird becomes a good week's worth of dinners. no wonder my mom used to roast chickens all the time!

there is also something oddly satisfying about roasting a whole bird. somehow, pulling it out of the oven and serving it on a pretty platter makes me feel like a competent, grown up lady/wife. very weird and 1950s of me, right?

i've been using the brine recipe from the commonsense kitchen (basically, the best cookbook out there right now. for real. get it.) the brine is a combination of kosher salt, brown sugar, soy sauce and some spices. so much better than just soaking the bird in salt water overnight.

i let the bird soak in the brine for at least 24 hours. this last time, i soaked it for a solid 36 hours. the result is an outrageously tender bird that is deliciously juicy. i've even won my mom over. now that she's tasted my brined chicken, she won't go any other way.

i like to surround the bird with redskin potatoes, brussels sprouts, pearl onions, carrots and garlic (and of course a little butter). aren't the colors lovely? even after roasting, the colors are still nice and all the sides and meat are in ONE dish which = easier cleanup (i also added a green salad tonight, but that doesn't create too many extra dishes). here's the last bird i roasted.

wasn't she pretty?

i am woman, hear me roar!

a lot can change in 3 years

2011-05-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

here's what i was up to three years ago today, finishing up my first year as a teacher. it is so weird to think about how much life can change from year to year.

what were you doing this time one year ago? three years ago?