Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Dusty Systems.

1. If you've stopped by my house at any time in the past ten days, the kitchen counter has looked like this.
2. I hate all the paper that gets brought into this house.  
3. I have a system. I'm just tired of being in charge of it.
4. Throw in a major house project like taking down a wall, and scraping a ceiling, and then having Justin mud the ceiling, and sand the ceiling, and sand the wall, and you can't find a system to save yourself.
5. The system is covered in dust.
6. So don't come over.
7. Unless you're bringing Sonic Happy Hour drinks.
8. Then you're welcome from  from 2-4 pm tomorrow.
9. I'll be holding a paintbrush and listening to the Dolly Parton station on Pandora.
10. I can't wait.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Monday Morning Date

Bruce and I ran away for a date this morning. (He got home late last night from a business trip to California.)
Ella went on her way to school, and Talia went to daycare.
We went to the kind of place where you don't have to dress up.
Him with his bedhead and me in my cap.
Not really, but it sounded familiar, didn't it?
I had bedhead, too and didn't wear makeup.
We drove a few miles down the road to Main Street Cafe in Durham, Kansas.
I hear they specialize is sausage.
They also specialize in some of the best cinnamon rolls around.
How's that for a little pre-Ripped in 30 breakfast?
Uh, yeah, I'm guessing I need to cut this out.
And the bacon.

But not him. I'm keeping him and his cinnamon roll love language.
Which means that I'll probably never be able to give up cinnamon rolls completely.
And I'll never be forced to give up this place.
A Monday morning road trip date to Main Street Cafe...I think all the represented love languages were met.
I'm full.
What kind of date fills up your love tank?
Plan to do it this week!

Friday, March 25, 2011

WORD. {for the Weekend}

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior:
Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, 
then grab the initiative and do it for them.
Matthew 7:12
The Message

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Maureen O'Hara I am Not.

#1 The "Mom, what was with the really big red flower?"
Sort of spur of the moment, I asked Megan if she would take my picture when we were hanging out at her house taking pictures for Mr. Matthew Meade. (Is it okay to name drop on this blog? If it is, I also met George Clooney on my honeymoon, but that's another story.)

I told Megan that I wanted my kids to have a nice picture of their mom. (In other words, not in my usual yoga pants and hoodie.)

I love that scene in the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills where Sharon and Susan are just about to realize that they are actually sisters and twins. In their isolation tent, Sharon holds up an oval picture frame to reveal their gorgeous mother (Maureen O'Hara). So many times since becoming a mother, I've wished my girls would at least have a picture of their mother...trying to look nice.  While I might not fit into the "gorgeous" category, I undoubtedly fit into the "mother" category, and since Meg was happy to make my wish come true, I have three pictures to choose from.


Which one should I put in those oval frames?
#2 The "Strategic Neck Hide".
#3---"the Maggie". 
In the last year two people have said that I look like a famous Maggie.
Care to guess which one???

Thank you, Megan, for making one of my cinematic dreams come true.
Next up...building myself the beach house from Somethings Gotta Give.
I wish.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Random Tuesday

Justin is here working on the ceiling this morning. (yay!)
Talia and I are working on a plan to stay out of his way.
We'll see which one of us is the most successful at that.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Check out my fashionista niece, Maggie, on A Little Knitting today.
Maggie just turned two, and my sister hinted hard that she wanted a brim hat for her girl.
She also hinted hard that she wanted one for herself.
We'll see what we can do about that come September.{Wink}
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just in case you're wondering how I'm feeling after the Ripped in 30 preview workout...
My upper body is sore.
I ache, actually.
And the ache feels good.
It reminds me that I did something.
I'm also reminded that I am not alone.
Glad to have Carisa, Sara, Megan H..Tracy H. and Kimberly with me! (I'll be emailing you, guys like crazy!)
Our official start date is April 1.
You still have time to get your dvd.
I hear Amazon is out. OUT!
I didn't know that could happen.
We haven't been able to find it in stores at Wal-Mart, but Target has it.
So, if you need an excuse to go to Target (people who live in Kansas one hour away from Target sometimes need an excuse), now you have one.
You can thank me later.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Ripped in 30 {Edited}

I purchased this at Target over the weekend.
Amazon, $11.99
Because I am a big fan of The 30 Day Shred.
Because butter and I have gotten a little too friendly with each other.
Because our pool opens in 69 days.
Because Talia told me I felt "squishy" last week. 
I used to call my Mom "squishy Mama". What goes around comes around. So sorry, Mom.
Because I tried on swimsuits over the weekend.

My official start date is April 1st. I am planning to give it a run through today but will really commit to it daily, starting in April. Which is perfect, since there are 30 days in April.

Anyone want to join me? Leave me a "Because" list in the comments if you're ready to get ripped!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
9:40 am
Just finished my first Ripping...here are a few notes that I emailed to a couple of friends. Since we're all friends, I'd let you in on my thoughts, too.

1. I sweat...a lot. I'm not terribly surprised by this since I have been a slacker exerciser all winter.
2. I didn't find it as hard as I did the first time I did the Shred. That's good. I think. 

I'm not starting from square one then.
3. I think if anything hurts tomorrow it's going to be my triceps. I've got nothin' there and I think I may have been on the verge of them cramping.
4. Jillian only used the word "bad---" once. Another good thing.
5. I'm excited!
6. I am stinky.


Are you in, yet?

Saturday, March 19, 2011

White Flag

As it turns out, we don't know popcorn ceilings as well as we thought we did.
On Thursday we scraped the first layer (yes, I said first layer) and there was still texture. We hadn't seen this before, but after talking to a few professionals (including Justin, who we now have on speed dial) it turns out that the entire ceiling is going to need to be mudded for me to have a smooth ceiling in the living room.
Mud masks, I know.
Mud puddles, I know.
Mud on ceilings, heck to the no!
So....we are waving the white flag for the weekend and waiting for Justin to finish it out.
On the bright side, Grandma camp work weekend turns into....date weekend!
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Have you heard about the new blog Favorite Paint Colors ? I am LOVING it. Real people are posting pictures of their of favorite paint colors. This is a gift to me, and seriously delightful since there are still many rooms to paint at my house. I love the color search option, too. Looking for the perfect gray? You can weed out everything else and see what has been submitted. Behr, Sherwin Williams, Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart...they are all represented. La-la-la lovely!

Okay, gotta run.
My date is waiting.
Have a good one.



Thursday, March 17, 2011

Wall Gone

1. We did not take down the wall.
2. Our friend Justin, from church, did.
3. Justin is awesome.
4. Justin is married to Gail who is also very awesome.
5. Bruce and I eat cookie bars, we don't take down walls.
6. We know how to take down popcorn ceilings.
7. That's what we are doing today.
8. That's what we are doing tomorrow.
9. That's more than likely what we will be doing the day after that.
10. We are also watching the NCAA basketball tournament on our very old TV while we scrape and paint. 
11. I think my bracket is a mess.
12. So is our house.
13. Someday it will be better.
14. But not today.
15. And probably not tomorrow.
16. And probably not the day after that.
17. No one noticed that I didn't wear green today.
18. Molly will notice that I forgot to wear a mask.
19. Carisa noticed that my hair was darker when she brought us some yummy Sonic Happy Hour drinks.
20. Carisa is awesome.
21. And so is my husband for taking vacation days to do this for me during Grandma camp.
22. That may had something to do with getting to watch basketball all day, but I'm not completely sure.
23. Right now I am so very tired.
24. Happy, but tired.
25. And hungry. :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

I'd like to thank the Academy...
of Pediatricians.
Surely there has to be one.
And I'm sure ours is a member, and to him I am thankful.
Grandma Camp was nearly spoiled.
SPOILED!
After two separate trips to el Doctor we found out Tal has bronchitis.
And Ella has a sinus infection.
A fresh bath, a little Max and Ruby, and some prescription drugs go a long long way.
Almost 24 hours later, the girls are doing much better.
And Grandma Camp is still on!
WAHOOOOOOOO!
I'm not sure who is the most excited?!
Me?
Bruce?
Ella?
Talia?
It's got to be Grandma!
I love that lady.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Nell Hill's

On Thursday, my mother-in-law, Shirley, and I took a trip to Nell Hill's in Atchison, Kansas.
We've been to the three stores before (Nell Hill"s and Garrity's in Atchison and Nell Hill"s at Briarcliff in Kansas City), but we've never seen them "do" Spring.  We are big fans of Mary Carol's  Fall and Christmas ideas, so we were sure that another trip would not disappoint. And it didn't.

Here are a ton of pictures. FYI...I was looking for mantel ideas, so  you're not imagining it that there are more than a few mantels. Oh and everything is for sale so if you see something you like, you can always contact them or check their online store.

Oh, hello.
If you've never been to Nells, it is a true delight. Go see for yourself, and invite me with you, okay?
I'm thinking another trip may be in order when Mary Carol opens up her home on September 9-10 for her Fall Open House.

A big thank you to the Nell Hills staff who allowed me to photograph their beautiful store.

I would also like to thank the two women who not so quietly tried to guess which magazine I worked for as they shopped. You made my day.

Friday, March 11, 2011

One more thing...

Ten on Ten:: March 2011


Take a photo every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of each month. 
Document a day of your life and find beauty among the ordinary moments. 

I woke up early yesterday morning and road tripped it to Atchison, Kansas with my mother in law, Shirley. Here are a few of the pictures from our day together.
The Flint Hills at 6:45 am.
Shirley is putting together her very first quilt. See the cranes? It's going to be gorgeous. 
I'll take three of everything in this color, please.
I am ready to make my garden list.
I think I need some white dishes.
Lovely baubles.
"McCafe" cracks me up.
Love those frogs and ducks.
Chipotle vegetarian bowl.
A new friend. 

As you can see the day involved some shopping, and I came home completely ready to redecorate.
I'll show you on Monday what I'm talking about.
I can't wait!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I Believe in Yesterday

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. ---The Beatles

Okay, so that's not entirely true. That song is in my head since I'm thinking about yesterday.
We were stuck inside, not because of the rain, but because Talia was sick for the second day this week.
She was sick, but had more energy than anyone should have for being sick.

We went through many many activities.
She wanted to make me eggs for lunch because she loves cracking the eggs.
I don't love eggs for lunch, but I let her do it because she's already very good at it.
And it gave me a break for a bit.
No one ever told me that being a mom meant that there were times I was going to feel like a land locked cruise director. That was yesterday.
Insert a very distant fog horn here.
When I ran out of ideas, Talia helped me clean out the room where we throw all of the stuff that we don't know what to do with. Do you have one of those?
I came across this old birthday card from some good friends.
I really laughed this time around because I got this card long before I unleashed my inner crafter.
I'm guessing this is a craft most men wish women would make.

It's time to leave and go to the outside world today because Talia is well.
I have a list going a mile long of things to pick up.
Perhaps a little orange ribbon is in order.
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Ten on Ten is tomorrow!
Are you in?
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