Miss Priss

Brown Transferware

2010-01-23T10:40:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I have had a change to post anything. I totally dropped the ball on posting a few Christmas projects. I will save them for the 2010 holiday season! So, I decided it was time to share some of my other collections! I collect brown transferware! It all started with this set of brown transferware that my mom had when I was a kid! She passed it on to me! Funny thing is I hated it when I was a kid! I thought it was UGLY and know I appreciate it and value it like I never thought I would!

I have the transferware from my mom in the kitchen area! It is in the small hutch you saw in the first picture. The hutch belonged to my husband's grandmother. I also have some of the transferware behind a glass cabinet in the kitchen.

Here I have some of the serving pieces hanging on a wall in the kitchen. I love this stuff!

Here is a mixture of 2 pattens that hang in my bathroom. The small ones with more white on them are small bowls! Many of these came from The Gresham Barn Sale I am always talking about.

This pattern of transferware hangs over my magazine/book holder in my toilet area! These came from Roundtop!

This little trio came from the Barn Sale too many years ago! They hang to the left of a mirror in my bathroom!

These are 3 of my favorite and they hang above my nightstand. I have the same three handing above my husband's nightstand also! So, there you have it. . . another thing I like to collect and collects dust! :)

Vanity Trays And The Gresham Barn Sale

2009-10-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a small collection I just completed and finally hung up on a wall by my bathtub. For several months I have been looking for vanity trays of all shapes and sizes. This idea started in April of this year when I purchased my first several vanity trays at the biannual Gresham Barn Sale. I go to this sale twice a year and find lots of the treasures in my home there.

If you live in the East Texas area you will not want to miss the Gresham Barn Sal e. It's October 15-17. Be sure and click on Gresham Barn Sale or the picture above and see the blog for the sale and get more details! I can't wait to go and find my treasures for myself and others next week! Will I see you there?

YesterYear Festival 2009

2009-08-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here you have me and the YesterYear Festival Princess 2009. The princess is my husband's partner's daughter. Let's see if I can make a long story short. Basically this festival has a Princess every year and two Ladies in Waiting. Each girl has a royal court that consists of small children. Every year there is a new theme for the event. This year the theme was "Home For The Holidays" The Princess court represented Christmas, and one Lady In Waiting represented Valentine's Day, and the other, Halloween. This event took place in the heat of the summer and if you are wondering why Valentine's Day and Halloween for holidays to come home for, don't ask me. I didn't make these decisions :) Now here is where I get involved. The Princess needed someone to act as a court mom for her court and she also needed my help in getting everything ready for her because her mother was having health issues during this entire process. (March-August). One of my duties involved finding a seamstress to make 10 dresses total. 9 of the dresses basically mirrored the Princess dress. Along with overseeing the seamstress makign 10 dresses, I also had to make her 14 foot by 6 foot Christmas themed train for the back of her dress. So, that's the long and short of it and here are some of the pictures of the process.

I had the seamstress build the plain base of the train you see above. I had to enlist my sweet husband to help me steam it.

I had a sketch of what was wanted on the train so I had to figure out how to bring it to life. These are foam bolsters we used to make pillar candles for the train.

I had to cut the bolsters into half circles to make the candles look three dimensional on the train. I put spray adhesive on them and covered them with satin.

Here are the candles completed. They now have flames that are made out of several different textiles with wire in the middle of them and they appear to be sitting on a bed a gold lame and holly leaves.

Here is the completed 14 foot train in my bedroom. The holly leaves are all three dimensional. They alone took two people working on them. The hours in the holly leaves alone add up to 24 man hours. I quit clocking the time after that because I was very overwhelming.

Here is the Princess with the Ladies In Waiting doing an outdoor photo shoot for the newspaper a month before the festival.

Here are my two little ones that were on the royal court. The girls are called Maidens and the boys are called Pages. This is on dress rehearsal night.

Dress rehearsal night was very long. We had to have all the courts do group photos. The kids were worn out when it was all said and done.

Here is my attempt to get a photo of all three courts together and still stay out of the photographers way :)

After rehearsal night there is a big production the next night called The Review. After The Review, all the parents on each court have to go decorate the parade float. This picture above is the banner for in front of the float. At the last minute I was asked to whip up something to decorate the corners of the banner. Lucky for me Hobby Lobby had Christmas stuff out In August. :)

Parade day!

The train is pinned down to the back of the float to prevent it from blowing around and the wind taking the train and the Princess completley off the float.

After The Review night and the parade the next day, we get to have a Ball to celebrate and finally relax at the end of the festival weekend. So here are my little Page and Maiden with the Princess at the final event.

After the parade the trains of the dresses are put on display at the venue where the ball is held.
So, there you have it the short story of the YesterYear festival. I'm really wondering if I can turn my little Maidens dress into the Queen of Hearts costume from "Alice In Wonderland" for Halloween. I let you know if that ever happens :)

Beach Vacation

2009-08-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

So, this summer we took a family vacation to Navarre Beach, Fl with my husband's entire family! There were 14 of us, 8 adults and 6 kids! We stayed in a townhouse on the beach that was 2400 square feet 4 bedrooms 3.5 baths!

This is the view from my room!

We didn't eat out at all! My sister-in-law meal planned for us and cooked almost all of the meals!

Our room!

The kids loved the beach!

Looking for seashells!

Just what the doctor ordered for my husband!

The boys dug holes every single day!

Kite flying on the beach!

A visit to the Gulfarium near Destin!

We hired a photographer to take all of our pictures on the beach! So, I took a picture of him taking our pictures! :) Can't wait to get the pictures back from him they
turned out much better than mine!

The entire group waiting for our group shot!

Uncle Steve caught a shark off the shore where we were playing!

Simple sand castle!

Headed to the National Naval Aviation Museum! See the truck in the photo! Half of our group was in that truck! Notice the picture below. . .

. . . the entire group ended up in my car because my sister-in-law had her handgun in her truck. You can't take a handgun on a Naval base! So, we had to go park their truck down the street and then attempt to go on base to get to the museum! Never a dull moment with this crew!

Getting ready to watch the Blue Angels practice at Pensacola Beach!

To sum it all up! This was a great vacation! 7 days of doing pretty much nothing! It was one of our favorite trips ever and one of our cheapest ones ever! I think this should be a annual trip!

A Closer Look

2009-07-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, here we go. Let's take a closer looks at the vintage baby shower I shared with you the other day. These next few things have to be some of my favorite things. They can be used for baby showers, wedding showers, a girly luncheon, or whatever.

Notice the tall stack of plates behind the cake to your left. . . . .

I have been collecting dinner plates, salad plates, and dessert plates for nearly 2 years. They are all different patterns. My rule for collecting them is they have to be white/cream with pastel flower patterns on them. I have found them at Round Top, Canton, & Resale Shops. It's so much fun hunting for these treasures. This baby shower was my first opportunity to use them! It was so much fun! I have enough of each plate right now for 26 people. My goal is 30 so just a few more to go!

Rose growing is very popular this time of year where I live. People just sell them on the side of the road and it's only $2.50 a dozen. So, for my project I needed 9 dozen roses!

So, at the biannual Barn Sale one year I bought 3 candelabras like this one. I had a great idea a few weeks before the shower. I wanted to find pegged votive holders to put in the candle stick area. Easier said than done. Finally found enough online and had them sent to me.

Instead of putting a votive in the pegged votive holders, I had this idea to put roses in them. I think it turned out pretty cute! What do you think?

Vintage Baby Shower For Baby Ben

2009-07-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

So, It's been a while since I have posted anything! Summer has been so wild and crazy. Nothing has changed it's still wild and crazy but I've been dying to post. Let's go back to June! In June some of us girls threw Baby Momma a baby shower at my house. I love parties! I love planning them and having them at my house!

This is a small cradle my friend had and we put diapers in it and let the guest draw pictures, write comments on the diapers for Baby Momma to enjoy when diapering little Ben.

Kitchen table before vintage shower makeover . . .

Kitchen table after vintage shower makeover!

A closer look!

Even closer!

Vintage baby scale that belongs to my friend. It's been in her family for years!

Vintage baby scale with bread in it!

Vintage baby scale with real baby :)

Next post I hope to take a closer look at some of the details from the shower! I hope this will do for now! I miss you all! Hopefully I won't wait so long before the next post!

Warming Things Up

2009-06-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have posted anything, but I have been swamped with a project that I will not yet reveal to you until sometime in August. Here is a small task I took on recently. We have a traditional home and on the front porch we have 2 porch swings and 2 rockers. One of each on either side of the front door. One day I decided the furniture on the front porch could use some warming up, it needed pillows! So, I ran up to the attic and got down the some scrap fabric I had from another project, ran to Ross and bought some down decorative pillows to use for my pillow forms, and a then went to Hancock Fabrics for some zippers. One evening cut out all the fabric and the next evening during Grey's Anatomy sewed them all up! So, presto-change-o, we now have pillows we don't NEED for the front porch!

This week I decided the back porch needed warming up too. So, when I was at Canton on Sunday I bought some new wire plant stands to mix in with some other pots I already had. Took a trip to the plant farm south of town with the kids and again presto-change-o, a nice inviting back porch retreat. . . until the Texas sized mosquitoes come to make themselves at home there! :(

I really thing I could use a rug back here to finish warming things up! Haven't convinced the husband of that yet! In due time, my friend! :)

2009-05-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but Woman Interrupted tagged me with the prom queen award. I'm sure she thought I forgot about being tagged by now, but I didn't. Life has just been crazy lately! So, here it is... Prom 1995. I tried to find a picture with me and the husband in front of the cheesy background, but I guess that hidden treasure is in the Rubbermaid in the attic :) So, here is a picture of the pre-prom in the yard pictures.

I could over analyze this picture and point out all that is wrong with the fashion of the 90's, but I won't. You can form your own opinion :) Enjoy!

Now I will tag:

An American Girl In Tokyo

Liz's World

Girly Stuff

Cutie Patootie

Orlando

2009-05-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

The week before Easter this year, we decided to go to Orlando. We went 18 months ago and did the entire Disney thing. Stayed on the Disney property etc. This time the kids wanted to go to the Nickelodeon Hotel. Can I just say that this will be the last time they get a imput on where we stay. It was way over priced for what it is. Anyway, we all had a great time and I had to block out the fact that it was more like a La Quinta for the price we paid to stay on Disney property 18 months in a condo and the same price we payed to stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas in January! Don't get me wrong I stay at La Quinta's but for La Quinta price not 5 star price!

One of the pool/water slide areas at The Nickelodeon. My kids loved it!

E.T. and Baby Girl just as happy as can be playing in water for 8 hours straight!

Character breakfast at the Nickelodeon with Spongebob and other characters.

We spent two days at Universal Studios and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.

I think for our kids age we still prefer Disney hands down. The lines were not so great at Universal and standing in line for 80 minutes with two five year olds was not an option so we were forced to buy what they call an "Express Pass" to be able to go in a shorter line and only have to wait more like 30 minutes or less, which is more age appropriate for all of us :)

We love us some Mr. Grinch. Maybe this should be our Christmas card. What do you think? I think I am just kidding :)

Here are my Thing 1 and Thing 2! They are true to the storybook characters in many ways! :)

So, after an entire day swimming at the Nickelodeon and two days at Universal parks, we realized we couldn't come to Orlando and not at least go to Magic Kingdom for a day.

The kids loved Disney World so much 18 months earlier and all they ever talk about it wanting to go back. Being five and not really having any map skills, they were clueless that the Universal parks and The Nickelodeon were in the same town as Mickey Mouse. So, on the last day we surprised them with going to Magic Kingdom! We spend 16 hours there! It was the best day of all! And you can get a "Fast Pass" at no extra charge to be able to go in a shorter line unlike at Universal where they charge you $50 more per person each day for an "Express Pass" Can you tell at all that I was frustrated by that?????

It was a wonderful trip for just the four of us since this summer we are going with the my spouses entire family (14 of us) to Florida to stay in a beach house. The kids loved every minute of it even though there were a few things us adults were not thrilled with. I am really glad we ended it with Magic Kingdom. Disney just seems to be able to put a magical spin on things for this age and it is fun to just sit back and watch the kids. One day they will be adults doing these things for their kids and singing "When You Wish Upon A Star" to their children and making magical moments like this for them.

Birthday Week

2009-05-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Many years ago my husband started doing sweet things for me each day during my birthday week! Some years it is just small gifts or gestures each day and other years it has been quite large gifts or gestures! Each time is always unique and special in its on way.

On Monday, he started the week of with this beautiful ivy! I love ivy!

On Tuesday, he gave me a bag of Hot Tamales and made a little note to go with it that said "You Are My Hot Tamale."

On Wednesday day he picked me up a hot chocolate on his way home from work (I don't drink coffee.) He wrote on the jacket of the cup "You Are Like Hot Chocolate, Hot And Sweet!"

On Thursday, before he left for work at 6:40am, he put out my cereal bowl, spoon, cereal, and some trash magazines I love, People Magazine, and US Magazine. He is not crazy about me buying them periodically when I go through the grocery store line, so I don't do it often. This time he bought them for me! It's too sweet! Isn't it?

Next to the cereal bowl, the had this not. I think you can read it on here. . . if not, here it is "Always wonder if I am going to see you in one of these magazines. Your so beautiful, you would fit right in! Have a wonderful day!. . . ." Talk about melt your butter! He melts my butter when he writes stuff like this! You should read my four page handwritten love letter I got on Valentine's Day!

On Friday my surprise was a limo ride to a really yummy steakhouse between the town we live in and Dallas. I was totally shocked when I walked out the door and saw the limo waiting for us! He is so creative with the little things and the big things he does for me. Little did I know though, there was more surprise to come. I went to get into the limo and there were two of my sweetest friends and one of the husbands. The other husband had a conflict and sadly couldn't join us! There was also chilled wine, and some birthday gifts waiting for me! :)

This picture is blurry, but you can tell I was really surprised to see the girls when I got in the car! I was so not expecting that! My sweetheart really pulled one over on me! He is so good with surprises!

I think there is a photo of us sitting just like this in a limo almost 13 years ago when we got married! :)

O.K. today I am giving my husband another name besides Daddy. Let's call him Hot Stuff for obvious reasons! He is HOT! At least I think so! :)

The Girls: Reba (we call her that because of her red hair and singing voice), Miss Priss (me), & Mother Hen (she takes real good care of all her little chickens)

Yum!!! My favorite Strawberry Margarita! I figured I deserve the calories, it's my birthday!

Yummy cheesecake waiting for me to eat it! One candle, that's right! I am just mature for my age! :)

They always say "Make a wish!" I can't say I ever really do! I think all I am worried about usually is getting to the cake cutting part so I can have a bite! I honestly don't think I need to make a wish for something or to change anything. . . I am thankful to be who I am, where I am, and for what I have! Be is good, bad, ugly, challenging, heartbreaking, or whatever, I am thankful for it all! Everything up to this point in my 31 years has made me who I am! I love what Psalm 139:14 says "I will give thanks to You for I am fearful and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

On Saturday, the day before my actual birthday, we had plans to eat out with some of my family and my in-laws. My treat for that day was E.T. and Baby Girl helping Daddy make me a yummy birthday cake!

As I looked at my cake with 31 candles, I thought now might be a good time to get a fire extinguisher to keep on hand! It looks like these flames were too bright for Baby Girl's eyes. Poor thing she had to close them it looks like because the light was so bright! :)

I guess now you are wondering what did I get or do so fabulous on my actual birthday on Sunday! Well, I did nothing really! Went to church, ate lunch at the regular dive, came home and chilled by catching up on "Dancing With The Stars" and "Grey's Anatomy"! To me that is something! That's the simple life right there!

I just have to say give my man a round of applause! He is so creative and really knows how to make a girl feel special! I am so blessed to have him as my husband! If you only knew the garbage he puts up with! I don't deserve such a man, but I am going to thank God for him and enjoy every bit of him!

All in all it was a fabulous 31st birthday! Every day in life gets sweeter with my family and in my relationship with God! What more could a girl want or ask for!

My cyber mantle is filling up with all these awards!

2009-04-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

So, Girly Stuff bestowed two awards on to me this week! She said something about me deserving these awards because I have been quiet over here on my blog! I have had reason though, I have been busy! I do have a lot to blog about lately, but I haven't made the time! So come back later to see what I have been up too! Anyway. . .

Here are the rules: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

The Lemonade Stand Award is presented to people with a good attitude or sense of gratitude. However, it comes with a few rules. Recipients are asked to post the award on your blog, nominate 10 other blogs and link to them. Send some love back to the person who bestowed the award on you by telling them who you gave it to you and posting a link to their site. Let your nominees know that they've received the award.

So, just like my lovely Girly Stuff, I am rolling both awards into one post so I can save on time and get to posting what has been going in my prissy world lately!

8 Things I am looking forward too. . .

1. Working out

2. Hanging at the pool with E.T. & Baby Girl

3. Visiting San Antonio in May

4. E.T. & Baby Girl starting Kindergarten in the fall

5. Going to Florida for a week at the beach this summer

6. Playing in the yard with the kids daily

7. Watching Baby Girl at her dance recital in May
8. Watching E.T. at his Junior Olympics

8 Things I did yesterday. . .

1. Ate birthday cake (It was officially my birthday)

2. Ran in the neighborhood while the kids rode their bikes and my husband walked

3. Went to church

4. Ate lunch with friends

5. Hosted small group bible study

6. Watch "Dancing With The Stars" and "Greys Anatomy" on ABC.com while is laid in my bed.

7. Ate birthday cake again (Just because it was my birthday)

8. Thanked my husband properly for a great birthday week!

8 Things I wish I could do. . .

1. Make time for dancing lessons

2. Watch T.V. more (I average maybe 2 hours a week if I am lucky)

3. Go back to boot camp

4. Go to New York

5. Perfect the technique of making beautiful curls with my highly expensive flat iron (The people that sold it to me could do it in 5 min.)

6. See Beyonce in concert (Summer vacation conflicts with her tour dates near me.)

7. Read more

8. Get started making making pillows for my new porch swing and rockers

8 Shows I enjoy. . .

1. Grey's Anatomy

2. Private Practice

3. Sex and the City

4. Days of Our Lives

5. John and Kate Plus Eight

6. Anything on Discovery Health

7. The News (local & national)

8. What Not To Wear

8 Friends I am tagging for awards. . .

1. Girly Stuff (she can come up with 8 more of everything, I am sure of it!)

2. My Point of View

3. An American Girl In Tokyo

4. Woman Interrupted

6. Liz's World

7. Live, Laugh, Love

8. Cutie Patootie

The Gresham Barn Sale & Cookie Crumbs

2009-04-20T15:44:00.001-07:00

Time and time again I have referred to the "Barn Sale" when telling you where I have gotten some of my favorite home decor. The Gresham Barn Sale happens twice a year in this area. It is in the Spring and in the Fall. It only lasts for 3 days! I love it! This mom and daughter host it every time in their families barn! It's a ton of fun! Well, I went again. This time I found something for my sweet tooth.

These two ladies that host the sale in their barn, allow antique vendors to have a booth and also, a there are usually a few rare vendors that offer tasty treats! There is this lady locally that makes these fabulous cookies they are beautiful and not only are they beautiful, they are HUGE and soft too! If you like Cookie Bouquet, they put those cookies to shame. Here is the best part! These flower cookies you see above are only. . . $1.00 each! I know you are in shock! Pick your jaw up for this next info, most all of her custom cookies are under $2.00! They are all adorable! Check out her Cookie Crumbs designer cookies to see how cute they all are!

Oh, and maybe you are wondering if I found me any sassy treasures for my house. . . I sure did but maybe I will share them another time :)

T-Ball Couture

2009-04-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but take a picture of this at E.T. & Baby Girl's first t-ball game! In my opinion there are so many things wrong in this picture on so many different levels! First of all we live in a day and age where we do not travel by horse anymore everywhere we go! So, why would someone need to wear spurs in public anyway! Secondly, he has his pants tucked in his cute little decorative boots! Maybe someone forgot to tell him that he wasn't wearing UGGs! I guess he is wanting us to see the nice design on the top of them or maybe he's a little brokeback? Lastly, he is wearing them to a t-ball game for crying out loud! I know anything goes these days, but really??? So, what is your idea of t-ball couture? I guess you can tell mine is definitely not cowboy boots or at least not cowboy boots with spurs!!! All I can say is only in East Texas!!

Easter Decorating (Do I really have enough to even call it that?)

2009-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

I hate to disappoint you all, but this is it! This is all the Easter decorating I do! It's practically nonexistent!

Do you remember this scale from Christmas? It had red ornaments in it back then. Well, it has fake eggs in it for Easter! Orignal, right???

By my laundry room there are some cubbies that we put our shoes in and hang our backpacks, etc. in. Well above the hooks we have these little cubbies I have never put anything in yet. So, I put all of the cute little stuffed bunnies and chicks we have gotten from grandparents and other loved ones over the years.

It is all kinda tucked away from the world, yet the kids can enjoy all that the pastels have to offer during this holiday! Do you decorate for Easter and if so do you do a bunch?

Do you have the "Right Stuff" to be "Hangin Tough"?

2009-03-30T11:35:00.001-07:00

In early March I went to a New Kids On The Block concert! When I was a preteen, I was in LOVE with them! I had the posters, buttons, VHS, cassettes, t-shirts, sheets, and even a Jordan Knight doll!

Back in the day I went to two concerts and I looked back at my pictures from those concerts and let me just say digital cameras take way better photos than 110 film cameras! Do you remember those?

Still crazy as ever here! I remember every penny I used to get for birthdays, washing cars, etc. went to buying all my N.K.O.T.B. gear! These days I spend all my money on shoes, clothes, and house stuff! My how things have changed.

Here is a picture of Jordan Knight! He still sings he'll be loving me forever! Remember that song?

Where you a fan of N.K.O.T.B. Which one of the five was your favorite?

Masquerade

2009-03-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

We were invited to the Carnival of Venice Women's Symphony League Benefit Ball this past Friday night. People ware encouraged to wear Venetian masks. I decided to make my own to match my dress instead of buying one. So, I took a plain plastic mask from Hobby Lobby and went to work. I first started by gluing some scrap silk dupioni to the front of the mask. I had this in my fabric bucket from another project from years ago.

Then presto change-o. I added feathers, trim, sequins, ribbon, a stick and some beads and there you go!

I think it turned out nice for never having mad a mask before.

When I was a kid I used to craft things out of beads with my Maw Maw as a hobby. This is my Maw Maw that passed away last fall. When I went for a visit to see my Paw Paw the other day, I found these beads in here bead closet that is still just like it was. My mom said I could have some for my mask project. The beads added that special touch to it!

Who is that masked beauty?

There you have it my mask for the Symphony Ball. I wonder what the theme will be next year????

Pillow Parade

2009-03-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

So, Kari & Kijsa are hosting a pillow parade that I found out about on Girly Stuff's blog. So, I decided to join the parade.

I have a ton of pillows I really love in my house for many different reasons. I just picked a few to share with you today.

This is one of two pillows like this in my guest bedroom. The quilt on this bed was made by my husband and yours truly years ago. When we moved into this house we had a seamstress turn the quilts into duvet covers and in the process I had her tear apart two shams I had made with this center hidden star and make two new shams using scrap fabric from the drapes and bedskirt! I really love this one and I love that there is an identical one to it on the bed beside it! Twice the enjoyment! :)

Now this is one of the pillows on my couch in my living room! I love it too because it has scrap fabric from the shower curtain in my guest bathroom on the back side, scrap fabric from the curtains in that living room, scrap fabric from chairs I had reupholstered in my bedroom, and I ordered a yard of the fabric my couch was made out of and that fabric is on there too! I also like that it have our family monogram on it!

This one is in the living room too in a recliner and it has the same scrap fabrics on it just all arranged differently!

The big euro pillow in the back in this picture is on of Baby Girl's three euros. This one I like because it is different than the other two and it has her monogram on it! I also love the little rose flower pillow that was $6 at Ross! :)

I really like all of Baby Girl's pillows on her bed so here they all are for you to see! In case you are wondering my 5 year old is trained to put her pillows on her bed exactly like this! She is a natural!

Mulberry Transferware

2009-03-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have to say I absolutely love my Brown Transferware that I will share with you later, but I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, Love my Mulberry Transferware more! I don't have very much of it, but what I have I adore!

They call it Mulberry Transferware, but it is really a black color.

It all dates back to the late 1800's and it is harder to find than Brown Transferware and Flow Blue Transferware. I lucked out and found a lady that had downsized and needed to unload a few pieces of it! Five pieces to be exact :)

Pack Up

2009-02-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I posted. A while back I started sharing my collections with you. I showed you my globe collection and my tole tray collection. Here is my antique suitcase collection.

This collection of suitcases is on top of the cabinets in my utility.

These are on top of my entertainment center in my living room. There are so many that I love I can't decide on a favorite. What kinds of things do you collect?

Lending A Helping Hand

2009-01-30T21:11:00.000-08:00

So, I have a friend that needed a window in her bedroom treated. She has lived in her house for almost a year and is trying to finish up some final decorating loose ends. This was one of the things to do on her list. So, she asked me to help her make a fabric selection and I had my seamstress I use whip up a cornice board with swags and cascades for her bedroom window. I think it turned out very nice.

Before

After

Where In The World Did The Worlds Go?

2009-01-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Do you remember this piece of furniture from last weeks post? It has been now retired to the garage and will be going to the resale shop this weekend! Anyway, this post is not about the entertainment center! I want you to look at my globe collection on top of it! I didn't mention anything about these guys last week! Were you wondering where they went to????? Did you think maybe they went to the garage too????

Here they are! They are in our office on top of the cabinets in there! I always new that when we rearranged the game room, they would end up living in this room! I think they are just as much fun in here as they were in the game room! What do you think about them?

What's Your Favorite Game

2009-01-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we rearranged our game room in preparation for Santa bringing a Wii! So here is the before and after pictures. . .

BEFORE. . .I love Pottery Barn! However, I do not love the price! So, I met a man from Oklahoma that can build Potter Barn knockoff for a fraction of the price. I had him build these cubbies 2.5 years ago when we moved in this house. This wall has housed the cubbies all this time. Check out the picture below to see the AFTER of this wall. . .

AFTER. . .We found this all leather couch at Pier 1 to go on this wall and I found a few more game boards at our local biannual Barn Sale. We lacked seating in this room until now. The next picture below shows the BEFORE picture of the wall directly across from the new couch.

BEFORE. . .So, before this wall housed an entertainment center we bought early on in our marriage. It's been a good old faithful, but we have been ready for a change for quite some time. Check out the after of this wall below. . .

AFTER. . .So, after moving our old faithful entertainment center out, we moved the cubbies to that wall and reconfigured them for a flat screen T.V. to hang on the wall. I bet you were wondering if I had moved the cubbies out for good. . . nope. . . kept those multipurpose little friends! They have a lot of life left to give us over then next several years!

After our transformation of those two walls, I took some croquet sticks I had laying around and mounted them above the window in there.

Last spring we finally got rid of our 1st couch we ever bought and got these two chairs. The ladder over in the right corner is still on the bubble. I haven't decided to hang it, leave it like that, or pull it out of the room. What do you think about the ladder? This is one of my favorite rooms in the house because it is for my kids! I love all the old game boards I have found! What is your favorite game to play?

Tole Trays

2009-01-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

As we were cleaning out our attic this weekend, I went through tons of Rubbermaid's that were filled with things I have collected over the years. Most things were from childhood like old Cabbage Patch dolls, New Kids On The Block dolls, posters, VHS, trading cards, Care Bears, Annie dolls, and the list goes on and on! Don't ask me why I still have all this stuff because I won't have an answer for you. All I can say is that it is all organized nice and neat in a labeled Rubbermaid on a metal shelf in the attic! Now that I am all grown up (NOT) I collect things that are much different than the stuff in the Rubbermaid's upstairs. I collect things to decorate my house with. Today I want to share one of my collections with you. It is my collection of tole trays. . .

This collection of black tole trays was a gift on my 29th birthday form my sweet husband. Every single one of them came from eBay. He shopped for a month or more before my birthday to have all of these in time for the big day. One day I was home and it was a blank wall and then by that evening before I could get home, he had come home without me knowing and hung them all up for the big birthday surprise! This is my favorite collection of tole trays and I didn't even have a hand in hunting for them!

This tole tray came from our local biannual Barn Sale! This one is in Baby Girl's room! I think it is beautiful!

These two tole trays belong to Baby Girl too! The larger one came from the local Barn Sale and Daddy bought the small one for Baby Girl on eBay when he bought my birthday collection! He loves both of his girls :)

This collection of 4 small tole trays hang above Baby Girl's doorway! I found them for $8 at Canton! What a steal!

These two have to be my next favorites! They hang by the vanity in my guest bathroom! They were a find from Round Top!

This one is on the dresser in my bedroom and for the life of me I can't remember where it came from, but I do remember it was cheap!

Well, these are my tole trays! I really do enjoy them when I see them around the house! What kinds of things do you collect to decorate with????

My Bog Is Faboulous. . . Well, That's What Girly Stuff Said. . .

2009-01-10T12:18:00.001-08:00

Once again Girly Stuff gave me an award! She just loves me! Who doesn't?

DON'T answer that! :0

So, she tells me that there are some stipulations to holding this honor. I must list 5 addictions and then pass the award on to 5 blogs I love. Here we go. . .

1. I am addicted to discount retailers like Ross and Marshall's. My kids are in Mother's Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursday. I have to limit myself to going to those stores on those days only. Usually one on Tuesday and the other on Thursday. I usually go for no particular reason expect to see what was new since I was last in.

I love to hunt for hidden treasures there during my kid free time!

2. I am addicted to estate sales for the same reasons I love discount retailers. I love the hunt for treasures. I go to those usually only on Thursdays.

3. I am addicted to my iphone and facebook. I think this will pass though. . . it's still new to me.

4. I am addicted to organization. . . .if it can be purged, merged, rearranged, I am on it! I go to someones house and open a cabinet or closet and my mind instantly sees what needs to be done to organize it and make it better. . . .I draw the line there though, don't worry. . . .I don't touch any of it. . . . I just think about fixing it for my friends. . . . I just stick to

organizing my own stuff :)

5. I am ashamed to say it, but I am addicted to Sex And The City reruns at night. . . . never saw it when it was on the first time around, now I love it!

Well, time to pass the award on . . . and the winners are. . . .

An American Girl In Tokyo

My Point Of View

Cutie Patootie

Live, Laugh, Love

We Are That Family

Until next time. . . . .

It's Been A While. . .

2009-01-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

So, it has been a while since Miss Priss posted! I have good reasons for it!

Right after Christmas we headed out off to Keystone to go skiing for a week. This was E.T. and Baby Girl's first time to go! They loved and we loved it too because they were in ski school for 2 days. For us that meant adult skiing and it was a blast! Soon after our return from skiing we had a few more family members come and visit us for the New Year and do a little post Christmas celebrating with some we couldn't see closer to the holiday!

Next thing you know this week got started and before I was able to ease back into a routine of taking kids to school, working out, and blogging. . . .

I had the privilege of attending a Celine Dion concert in Dallas Monday night! It was a blast!

Our seats were so close I could have spit on her, but I seriously would never do that, that would be rude, but you get the idea of how close we were :)

This was my third time to see her in my lifetime. Who knows if it will be my last. . . I sure hope not! I saw her in 1999 in San Antonio, 2004 in Las Vegas (My first trip away from my then 9 month old twins.), and of course on January 5, 2009! Next break. . .Las Vegas to see Bette Middler live at Cesars Palace. Until then, I will try to be timely with my posting and not make you wait so long to hear from me. . . I hope you had a great holiday break! Are you back in the swing of a routine yet for this new year? I am sure trying to get there!

Holiday Round-Up

2008-12-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

Well, seems like a lot happened in the last few weeks before Christmas. We had a couple of more family gatherings in the days leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Christmas Eve we hosted lunch for my husband's brother and his family that live in the same town we live in. This year we had sick grandparents that couldn't make it for the holidays :(

In the late afternoon on Christmas Eve we went to our church's candlelight service.

Keeping with Christmas Eve tradition, E.T. and Baby Girl put on their coordinating Christmas pajamas as usual. My Mom and her husband came over for dinner that night too and then we opened our non-Santa gifts after dinner.

We also made our annual gingerbread baby cookies for Santa. My kids love the Jan Brett book Gingerbread Baby!

We had to decorate them too. . .

Yummy! Don't these just make you want to eat them, especially since two five year olds decorated them and had been licking the icing off their fingers the entire time they decorated them. . . poor Santa!

How did your Christmas holidays go? What are some traditions you have? Did you maybe start some new ones this year or revive some old ones? Whatever you did, I hope you were able to take this time and reflect on why we really celebrate Christmas. If it were not for Jesus' birth, we would have no reason to celebrate and because of his birth we can really celebrate the gift of Christmas in our lives every single day if we chose too. I hope you chose to celebrate the gift of Christmas and what it means to Christians every day of the year. That is my challenge to me and to you too. . .

Shallow But Classy

2008-12-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

I know this post has to be quite shallow. However, I just have to pay tribute and say goodbye to a classy store that I often enjoyed over the years. . .

With the recent economic crisis in America, we have had to say goodbye to many stores we have loved over the years. I am very sad to say, Harold's is one of those stores that is going out of business. This has been one of my favorite clothing stores over the years. For those of you that may not know, Harold's began in 1948 with only men's clothing and expanded over the years to offer women's clothing. It offered stylish updated classic clothing, for men and woman, that I enjoyed over the years (Only off the sale rack though!) I am sad to see it go, but over the weekend while I was out of town, I was able to visit a Harold's for one last time and grab a few bargains for myself to enjoy over the next several years! Farewell, Harold's! Are there any stores you have been sad to see go?

I Love This Fabric!

2008-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Remember this room. It's my Dad's room I showed you back in October. Well, this weekend I added some treatments to the windows in the sitting area off the bedroom.

In this photo you can see three of the four windows we needed to treat this weekend.

This weekend was the scheduled weekend to go to my Dad's to celebrate Christmas. So, knowing this was coming up, the seamstress and I worked really hard to get this job ready, so we could install this weekend.

So, here you have it. There were a total of four windows in this area. Two on either side of the fireplace and then two butted together. So, had four roman shades made and pleated valances to use as toppers to finish the roman shades off.

I think it turned out nice and my work there is done for a while. I will have to post the rest of the work I did in the house earlier this year, after the first of the year.

Christmas Pajama Party & Shots

2008-12-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night the Bunko girls all got together to enjoy each others company, good food, and celebrate the season. We used to all gather once a month to play Bunko. However, about 18 months ago we quit officially playing Bunko and we now just get together to catch up and hang out. (Shhh. . . don't tell our spouses that there is not really any Bunko going on!)

Forgive me for this small picture. I got it e-mailed to me on my iphone and sent the picture to my regular e-mail and this is the size it ended up. . .I stink at computer stuff! Anyway, let me introduce the gang from left to right going around the table. . .Miss Priss (me), Church Lady, Number Cruncher, Aggie Momma, Baby Momma, & Lady Raider. There were a few girls who couldn't make it, but were there in spirit! By the way the this was a pajama Christmas party, that's why we are all in our pajamas :)

If you noticed in the title of this post it mentioned "shots". I hate to disappoint you, but it wasn't those kind of "shots" at our party! The shot at the party was just as fun though because it was the mark of a day of celebration for our dear friend, Baby Momma. You see, Baby Momma has been trying for several years to become pregnant and just hours before our Christmas Pajama Party, she found out she was pregnant!!! We were all so excited. In the early stages of her pregnancy she has to have a nightly shot, and she needed a volunteer at the party to do it! I was the first one to volunteer! I have never given a shot before and it was an honor to do this for Baby Momma!

As our celebrating of the season and Baby Momma's news went on that night, several of us had brought small gifts for Baby Mama to congratulate her! Lady Raider bought this ornament for Baby Momma about two years ago and has been saving it for this day ever since. . .

I purchased this book in late January of this year when we thought that we were going to get the news that Baby Momma was pregnant then. However everything is in God's timing and not our own so, I didn't get to give it to her then! Yet, in God's perfect timing and plan, on Wednesday night, I was finally able to gift this book to her. . .

Aggie Momma brought her first package of diapers and froggy bath toys (One momma frog and two baby frogs. . . you never know, there could be two buns in the oven!) So, there you have it! This quite possibly could be the least fussy party I have been to all season and yet it turned out to be the most fun and memorable! Congratulations Baby Momma, we love you!

Let The Holiday Parties Begin!

2008-12-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year where you have more parties to host or attend in a two week period than you will the entire year. This past Saturday night we went to one of my favorite restaurants in town to have my husband's office party. We live in a small town, and for a small town, I think this restaurant is one of the best you will find without having to drive to the Metroplex. You can get a great food, enjoy a nice upscale setting, and have your car valet, and still only be 10 minutes from home! Also, if you are in the mood, latter in the evening, you can move out to the patio and enjoy local bands performing!

I have to admit, this time of year I like to EAT! I just gear myself up at Thanksgiving and keep on going until January 1st! Why fight it? After all if I work out all year long and can't enjoy one month out of the year (and vacations) then what's the point in working out 3-5 days a week? So, I knew when I went out this particular night to par-tay, I was going to put away my 8oz medium fillet! It was yummy. . .

See. . . told you I would put it away! I might be a frail looking woman, but I can eat like a grown man when I want to. (By the way, this wasn't really my plate, my plate had some yucky mushrooms :)-left on it so I just photographed my husbands!) Do you have a busy few weeks planned with parties and such?

Holiday Open House

2008-12-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

This is my first time to link up with Kimba! This open house stuff is fun! Here are some images of some stuff I haven't posted yet this year. Feel free to check out my other post on all of my Christmas decorating! Enjoy!

This my Lenox nativity! I just love cleaning of the buffet every year to put this out!

I line my china cabinet with some of my Lenox Holiday plates.

I wrap all of my presents in gold every year. It has been a tradition since 1996.

This is my favorite antique scale out of the many I have. During the year it holds many different things. Check back during other holidays to see what it might hold next.

Small arrangement and bowl of holiday balls on coffee table.

Arrangement on dining room table. This is an old one. It might be retired by next year.

Annual gingerbread house kit that the kids and I put together.

Twelve Tees Of Christmas: Day 12

2008-12-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

On the 12th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, an eclectic tartan plaid tree. . .

This tree is in the kid's game room. This tree has tartan plaid ribbon, red berry garland, and the base ornaments are red and green. . .

This tree has all the above listed as the base of the decorating, however this is the tree that all oddball and homemade ornaments go on. Since all of my other trees are themed, I had to provide some place for all of E.T. and Baby Girl's sweet ornaments to go. We also put vacation ornaments on this tree. Basically anything goes in here. . .

Well, there you have it. You have seen at least twelve trees I had the privilege of decorating this year. Hope you enjoyed them!

Twelve Trees Of Christmas: Day 11

2008-12-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

On the 11th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a precious little silverware tree. . .

This is a new tree to my tree family this year. I had some silverware pieces from my Maw's Maw's silverware she used for many years and I decided to build a tree just for them.

I made this tree all silver. I found the cutest little antique molds in Canton to put on the tree too. I even found a tree shape mold :) I have to say I love how this tree turned out. One week the idea was born in my head and a week later I had found the tree, brass bucket to paint silver, ribbon, picks, molds, mercury glass ornaments, and some old chandelier crystals, to hang with my 6 pieces of silverware! It's my favorite one this year :)

Twelve Trees of Christmas: Days 9 & 10

2008-12-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

On the 9th & 10th days of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, twin front door trees. . .

Maybe this is cheating, but there are two of them. . . they happen to be identical trees!

On each side of my front door I have my 9th & 10th trees. I bought these trees prelit at Big Lots last year and purchased the ribbon and ornaments at Hobby Lobby. The ribbon and ornaments are wired on and the bases of the trees are filled with rock so they wouldn't fall over. That didn't work so we now wire them to a small screw my husband screwed into the house! Now, they are blowing nowhere!

Garland Galore

2008-12-10T16:04:00.001-08:00

I have been working my way through posting my Twelve Trees of Christmas I have decorated this year and I think I am on tree 8. So, a few more to go. Let me take a break from the trees and share my garland with you.

All of my garlands you will see, I made myself 2 years ago. The garland on the front door has woodsy garland with berries on it mixed in it with red ribbon wired on.

The mantle garland has red berry garland mixed into it and gold berry picks wired in.

This garland on top of the entertainment center has the same stuff the mantle garland has, but I added red ribbon from the front door mixed with a gold mesh ribbon like I put on my Lenox tree.

This garland in the dining room on top of the hutch is identical to the one on the entertainment center. I think after looking at the Nester's garlands and some others, I might try adding some things to these next year. I think maybe they are missing something or maybe I am just better at decorating trees and should stick to that.

North Pole Express & Gaylord Texan "ICE"

2008-12-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

So, last Friday we took the kids to Grapevine, Texas to ride the North Pole Express. It was the cutest thing. They had all the train cars decorated for Christmas and played "Polar Express" music pretty much the entire time. They even had Santa show up on our train ride to the North Pole!

Our tickets were even punched by the conductor just like in the movie!

E.T. and Baby Girl loved every minute of our 30 minute North Pole Express ride!

After the North Pole Express we went on over to the Gaylord Texan Resort with some friends to see "ICE" .

Everything you see in this exhibit is made out of ice and the temperature in 9 degrees below zero. We had to wear parkas that they provided over our regular jackets. Baby Girl got lost from us for a few minutes and when we found her, she was crying and her tears were almost frozen :(

Twelve Trees Of Christmas: Day 8

2008-12-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

On the 8th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a tiny little gingerbread tree. . .

This tree is in the utility room. This little tree and its trimmings all came from Hobby Lobby.

I have litter gingerbread people ornaments and old fashioned candy ornaments on this tree. I put things like our gingerbread house we make and crafty things the kids make in here during the holidays.

Twelve Trees Of Christmas: Day 7

2008-12-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

On the 7th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a solid red office tree. . .

So, here we have a new tree this year. My husband asked me to do a new tree for the dental office. I had never done one for them before. This tree had a budget. :(

This is all from Hobby Lobby, even the tree! It was all either 50% off or 40% off and it came in about 60 cents under budget. My budget was $300. This tree is all red. Red garland, red ribbon, & red ornaments. It's not like any other tree I have done, so it was fun! I have to disclose to those of you that may be wondering. . . the mauve chairs, mauve mini blinds, and blue wall were not of my doing . . . so, don't hold it against me. I think those were the in colors 13 or so years ago. Hopefully an update will be in the future of this office. If so, I will for sure blog about it. Until then. . . .

Twelve Trees Of Christmas: Day 6

2008-12-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

On the 6th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a small gold and burgundy tree. . .

This is a table top tree in my room. We bought this tree the first year the twins were mobile and used it for our main tree instead of my Lenox tree. It was nice to have a small tree that year that was up high and that I didn't have to worry about the kids messing it up during the year of exploration.

This tree and most of the ornaments came from Target several years ago. It is not really one of my favorites, but it works in our room. Would really love a big tree done in in brown and gold someday for this room.

The Twelve Trees of Christmas: Day 5

2008-12-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

On the 5th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a cute transportation tree. . .

This is E.T.'s Christmas tree. His room is decorated in planes, trains, and automobiles.

Naturally, it was easy to decide what to decorate his tree with . . . planes, trains, and automobiles.

E.T. fell asleep looking at his Christmas tree! He loves it!

The Twelve Trees of Christmas: Day 4

2008-12-04T21:14:00.001-08:00

On the 4th day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a little pink girly tree. . .

This is Baby Girl's Christmas tree in her room. It is all girl!

This I found this pink tree at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. It wasn't prelit so I had to wrap each limb with white miniature lights. All the ornaments are tied on with a translucent pink ribbon. It is a very sweet tree.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. . ."

2008-12-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Here we have a picture of our mantle. I made all the garland inside and outside the house. I found these stockings a few years ago in a Pottery Barn catalogue. I think the stockings were my only full price purchase EVER from Pottery Barn. I really wanted them bad though!

My favorite thing about the mantle/fireplace is this huge picture of E.T. and Baby Girl. This picture was taken when they were 2 years old at Cutie Patootie's studio. We were there to get a family picture made for our Christmas cards and in the process of trying to get the kids to cooperate, Cutie Patootie snapped this photo and it was my favorite one of all! This picture looks like the perfect image of the innocence of Christmas morning with children. I just love it!

Christmas Everywhere

2008-12-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have a little bit of Christmas everywhere in my house. I even have touches of Christmas in the bathrooms.

This is my bathroom. These cute trees sitting by the bathtub were found at Hobby Lobby last year.

This stuff is sitting on Daddy's vanity. I found the cool snow globe at Target last year and the Santa at Marshall's.

This glass tiered tree sitting on my vanity was found at Marshall's last year and the little tea light holder that says noel was found at Target. I really don't have much in the bathrooms, but just enough to make it feel like Christmas in there too. Where all do you put touches of Christmas in your home?

The Twelve Trees of Christmas: Day 3

2008-12-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

On the 3rd day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a beautiful gold Lenox tree. . .

So, this tree is my first tree ever. It started 13 years ago when I started making the ornaments for it. . .

This tree has evolved over the years I have added ribbon and garland in most recent years.

Here are the snowflakes that I started making 13 years ago with the help of my Maw Maw that past away in October. She used to make things out of beads as a hobby and so I showed and interest in learning to make these and she helped me get started. When I was done I had made 50 of these for my first tree. Some people might think they are cheesy, but I love them and they have a special place in my heart.

Every year I add a dated Lenox snowflake to my tree. I think this is one of my favorite trees! I really enjoy it every year. We put it in our living room.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 106:1

Now that is something to be thankful for! How awesome is it that God's love endures forever!?! It is hard to wrap your mind around what exactly forever means! We have a hard time just enduring things for 30 minutes, and hour, or even a day. As I reflect on things to be thankful for this holiday season, I am thankful for the typical things, of course. Most of all I am thankful for God's love and grace in my life and the opportunity that He has given me to experience it this year in a real way like never before! What have you been thankful for this year?

Let me share quickly what we did on Thanksgiving Day. You already saw the post where we ran the 5K that morning. Here is what we did for our meal. We had 10 people for dinner. I decided to pull out dishes my mom gave me. She had them in her hope chest since she was a teenager and then had them on her hutch in her dining room over the years when I was growing up. Our family ate on them maybe 2 times (That might be stretching it. . . ) For dinner we had a ham, (no turkey) an attempt at cornbread dressing, broccoli with cheese, homemade mac and cheese, oriental salad, layered salad, rolls, pecan pies, and banana pudding. Some recipes were new and will never be used again and others were favorites that have been used year after year.

Here is a close up of a dinner plate in the set of dishes that were my Mom's. When I was growing up I thought these were ugly! As I have gotten older and started decorating my home, I have fallen in love with antique transfer ware, especially brown! So, now I have this set from my mom that I have used to decorate with in my kitchen and now I have actually served a meal on them! I totally appreciate them now and find them beautiful!

30 Years and 30 Minutes (My First 5k)

2008-11-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

My brother and his wife were planning on coming up for Thanksgiving this year, so I had this bright idea to sign Daddy, Bubby, Sister-in-law, and myself up for the 6th Annual 5k Turkey Trot. So, this morning we got up, put on our running shoes, and gave it our best. For the last six months I have been attending a boot camp for women and getting in shape. I have never run more than a mile or two at one time in my entire life. I thought, let's see if I can handle 3.2 miles without stopping and see how good of shape I am in. Amazingly enough, I ran the entire 5k and finished it in exactly 30 minutes 21 seconds! I amazed myself! I know some of you might think that's not very fast, but it was a good time for me :)

As I was running this morning, there were some moments that I thought I just can't do this, I need to stop and just walk the rest of the way. I would quickly pep talk myself and say "You can do this! You can persevere!" So, I would keep pressing forward. Sometimes I think our Christian walk is just like a race. At some point we let Satan tell us lies and try to convince us that we can't be disciplined to follow God and we should just quit, yet as Christians, we are so fortunate to have the Holy Spirit (if we allow it) to pep talk us and encourage us to pray, read, our Bible, & worship God. When we do these things, our relationship with God flourishes and we are able to persevere and stay in the race. So, when you feel like your Christian walk is too much of a trial and you want to give up, remember this scripture to help you finish the "race". . . "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

Here I am getting all excited about running my first 5k ever!

Sister-in-law, Bubby, Daddy, & Miss Priss, proudly wear their "I Survived The 6th Annual Turkey Trot" shirts.

The Twelve Trees of Christmas: Day 2

2008-11-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

On the 2nd day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a tiny little blue & white Delft tree. . .

This little tree is on a small round table in my guest bedroom. . .

This bedroom is yellow and blue with Delf accents. I will have to share pictures of the room with you sometime. This tree is decorated with blue and white ornaments from Gardent Ridge, blue and silver ribbon from Hobby Lobby, and little Delft shoes and a Delft tree topper.

The Twelve Trees Of Christmas: Day 1

2008-11-17T13:10:00.000-08:00

On the 1st day of Christmas the Tree Fairy gave to me, a tiny little teacup tree. . .

So, I know you will think I am crazy, but I put all of my Christmas up Halloween weekend. We still have our outside decorating to do, we actually wait until after Thanksgiving to do that (Don't want people to think we are weird or anything like that!). On Halloween we started getting all the stuff out of the attic and my kids thought that because the Christmas stuff was out that they had missed Halloween. They thought they were not going to get to trick-or-treat that night. I had to explain to them that it was actually still Halloween and that I was just getting a head start on Christmas. So, over the next month or so I am going to blog about the twelve trees of Christmas, and they will either be all from my house or others I have decorated other places. I started with my teacup tree that sits in the middle of my island because I have had several requests for it. Have you put any Christmas decorations up yet?

I would like to thank the academy for this honor!

2008-11-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

Girly Stuff has bestowed this award thingy on me.It is such an honor!

I am just beside myself! Ok, I have to stop right now! I am making myself laugh out loud :)

The rules for the award thingy:

1. List 5 things I love

2. Tag 5 other bloggers

3. Link back to the one who bestowed it upon you.

5 Things I Love:

1. Me (No Surprise there!)

2. My family (Daddy, E.T., Baby Girl, and the rest of the crazy people lucky enough to be related to me!)

3. Working out (Boot Camp kicks my rear 3 days a week and I love it! I can't get enough of it!)
4. Shopping for absolutely EVERYTHING!!!

5. Decorating for myself and others.

6. Organizing

7. Spending quiet time with God.

I know, that is 7 things I love! Sorry!

My Tags:

1. An American Girl In Tokyo

2. Cutie Patootie

3. ?

4. ?

5. ?

I can only come up with two tags :( Girly Stuff just might want to take my award thingy away from me.

Swatches Come To Life

2008-11-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Here is another room I worked on for my Dad. This is his step daughter's room. They gave me an idea of the colors they wanted in the room and we went from there. So, after collecting fabric swatches at the fabric store (Interior Fabrics), these in the picture above are what we narrowed down too. Then I picked a paint color for them to have the room painted and I took the fabric swatches to the seamstress to get a yardage estimate and labor estimate. Finally, ordered the fabric and about 6 weeks later. . . .

Presto-change-o! Here you see the life that has been breathed into the tiny little fabric swatches I started with. While the seamstress was working, I was shopping for pillow forms, accessories, etc. Look at the cute little bench I found at Ross and had the seamstress recover to match the headboard that she made. She made the duvet cover reversible. The reverse side is the same fabric we used for the shower curtain you will see later. . .

All accessories you see were found at Ross or Marshall's. To the left of the dresser, there is a bulletin board I covered with fabric scraps we had. To the right of the dresser there is a flat screen T.V. hanging on the wall. We used a brown cord cover from Hobby Lobby to cover the ugly wires hanging down from it.

We made the drapes out of a smooth silk. They are lined and interlined to add extra body to the fabric. There is also cute tassel trim on the inside edge of the panels.

Here is the bathroom shower curtain I had made out of the fabric from the reverse side of the duvet cover.

Here is a picture of the really pretty tassel trim we put at the top of the shower curtain to give it a little something special. This shower curtain hangs from a curtain rod just like we hung the drapes in her bedroom on. It really gives it a more elegant finish. So, there you have it. . . that is just one of the other rooms I did for my Dad this summer . . . more rooms to show you later.

Meet The Flintstones

2008-10-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last year we did The Wizzard of Oz for Halloween. This year we are the Flintstones with a borrowed Rubble (Bam Bam).

Do I make a pretty prissy Wilma Flintstone? Check out Fred and those sexy legs. . .

Bam Bam and Pebbles are sure proud of their costumes this year! What did you dress up as for Halloween?

53 Yards of Taffeta

2008-10-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Current project: My Dad's master bedroom 3.5 hours away from where I live. . .

Since May I have been working on decorating my Dad's house he bought in the spring. In July I went down and did the entire upstairs. This past weekend I went and worked on his master bedroom. Th e picture above is the before picture in July. They had bought bedding they liked and now it was my turn to customize the premade bedding they had found with the fabric swatches above. . .

This is the after. . . I had taffeta drapes made, a new bed skirt to fit the bed,. . . (Why is it premade bed skirts never fit right?) I had extra throw pillows made out of the old bed skirt, tassel trim added to all the premade shams, had roman shades made, a table skirt, and table topper. . . I think that's all. . .

Also had to go out and find lamps and accessories for the room. . . .

All the drapes you see required 53 yards of taffeta, 53 yards of lining, & 53 yards of interlining! The result was luscious and rich looking though. . . .

Most accessories came from Hobby Lobby or Ross. . . gotta love those places. . . .

There is a sitting room connected to the master bedroom. The drapes on either side of it are made to function on this 17ft wall. . . . So, if they want the room closed off they can. I still have roman shades that need to be made of the sitting/exercise area. That area is just not quite complete yet.

This door leads out to the backyard where the pool is. . .There you have it this is what I was up to this weekend. I will have to post some of the other rooms I did in July. . .

Scooby Doo Party

2008-10-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

So E.T. and Baby Girl turned "5" on the October 16th. I can't believe they are a whole hand old now :( They were born at 8:53am and 9:09am. E.T. was born first and 16 minutes later Baby Girl was born. This year they wanted a Scooby Doo party. So, come on in the front door and see what we did for our 5th birthday party.

So, when you got to the party, you were greeted by the front door with balloons mixed with our fall decor and a sign telling you to come on in and head to the backyard for the party fun.

Here is my antique buffet that displayed a cute photo of the kids, a copy of the party invitation, and two sign in sheets.

Every party we have I always have out two sign in sheets. There is one for each kid's scrapbook. I think it is fun to look back at the sign in sheets in their scrapbooks and see who came to their birthday party.

As you come through the entry and pass through the living room to go out to the party on the back porch, you can see all my balloon bouquets through the windows just inviting you to come on outside and check the party out.

Now that you are on the porch you see the snack table, cake table, and half of Ethan and Emma's head table.

Another view of the snack table, cake table, and head table.

Here is our Scooby Doo cake (yummy) I had it made at a favorite local bakery. Same place my 30th birthday cake came from this year.

Here is E.T. and Baby Girl's individual bone cakes. I like to give them little cakes of their own since they have to share a birthday. At least they don't have to share their cake.

Here is a cute little antique porcelain top table and bench that I pulled out of the garage to use for our gift table. To the right of the table are two baskets with party favors in them! Found the cutest Scooby Doo bubble bath to add to the party favor bags. I just love themed stuff!

As you step off the back porch and into the yard you see the guest tables set up with colored table cloths, mums covered with colored burlap and a balloon. I also had small little plates with graham cracker bone shaped Scooby Snacks to munch on. Off to the right of the picture we have a mystery machine Daddy helped me to make for kids to take photos behind.

Here is a closeup photo of the Mystery Machine and inside you find 4 of the gang members with a guest. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew dressed up as Scooby and part of the gang last year for Halloween, so I convinced them to pull out the costumes and be part of our entertainment. Not sure how many more years the kids will indulge me with a combined party, so every year could be our last, but no matter, it's always just as much fun for me planning it as it is for them the day of. Do you like to plan parties?

Maw Maw (1924 - 2008)

2008-10-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 31:28 Her children (grandchildren too) arise and call her blessed; . . .

She always leaned to watch for us.

Anxious if we were late,

In winter by the window,

In summer by the gate;

And though we mocked her tenderly,

Who has such foolish care,

The long way home would seem more safe

Because she waited there.

Here thoughts were full of us-

She never could forget!

And so I think that where she is

She must be watching yet,

Waiting till we come home to her,

Anxious if we are late-

Watching from heaven's window,

Leaning from heaven's gate.

-Author Unknown

This is my Maw Maw and me, just a few weeks after I was born.

My Maw Maw influenced my life in so many ways. More ways than I had actually realized until she passed away this past Friday.

Here are some of the many ways she influenced who I am today. . .

If it were not for her, I would still be biting my fingernails. When I was in middle school she told me she would pay me $1 for each fingernail I grew out to be about 2 centimeters long. The bribe worked, I grew them out, got paid $10, and never bit them again.

She taught me to work when I needed money to do fun things. She had me clean her house for money, wash her car, and even pull weeds in the flower bed.

She nurtured many of my domestic skills today. . .

She taught me how to sew straight lines. I started learning by making little throw pillows and pillowcases.

She taught me how to craft things out of beads when I was a little girl. Just wait till you see the ornaments she taught me to make for my very first Christmas tree when I got married 12 years ago. I still use them to this day and will forever!

Many of the sweets I make today are her recipe. . .mini pecan pies, pound cake, and banana pudding.

She bought me my first mixer and taught me how to use it. I still use it. She even gave me her mixer that was about 50 years old when it broke and now it is in my kitchen being used as a decoration. She used to make cakes around the clock to take to people when they were sick, had a death, needed cheering up, fellowships at church, and for bake sales. . .

She taught me meal planning very early on when I got married and moved away. I used to spend many hours on the phone with her discussing different meal ideas when I was planning for guests to come over for dinner.

She kept her house very clean, neat, and decorated. She passed those skill right on to me. (I have probably taken it to a more OCD level though.)

I know how to plan baby showers, wedding showers, and parties because of her and my Aunt Pam too. Just wait till you see my post on the Scooby Doo party we are having tomorrow for E.T. and Baby Girl.

The list of ways she influenced me can go on and on so I will stop with this last thing before I bore you to death! The most important thing in my life that she influenced me in was church. If it were not for my Maw Maw taking me to church as a small girl, I might not be the person I am today. She took me as a child during a time when my parents did not go. My parents eventually ended up taking me years later and it was a different denomination than that of my Maw Maw's church, but if it was not for her that seed would have never been planted early on in my life. So for that I am thankful. I have learned most recently that it's not all about going to "church" but it is more about your personal relationship with God that is important and how you influence the lives of others for His kingdom. On Sunday, at the funeral, I saw many people that my Maw Maw influenced of the years out of her love of serving God. I hope to influence people like that in my life someday.

This is Maw Maw, E.T., and Baby Girl just a few weeks after they were born.

This is E.T. and Baby Girl taking an nap in Daddy's car before Maw Maw's funeral.

Here are the beautiful flowers and plants sent by friends and family to show their love and appreciation for Maw Maw.

From Simple To Simply FALLbulous

2008-09-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday, was opening day for the local pumpkin farm. Daddy was going to be gone ALL day long doing his scuba certification, so I decided to embrace the Saturday with E.T. and Baby Girl! So, we loaded up and went on down to Moore Farms for a morning filled with a hayrides, pumpkin picking, corn mazes, hay mazes, and animal petting!

E.T. and Baby Girl had the best time searching for the perfect pumpkin.

Here is the front door to the house. This is what it looked like before we went to the pumpkin farm. Quite simple. . .

Here is the front door after our visit to the pumpkin farm simply FALLbulous. . .

E.T. and Baby Girl can't wait to carve these pumpkins when it gets closer to Halloween! Can't wait to see what they come up with for our pumpkin faces. . .Have you been to the pumpkin farm yet?

Last Visit To My Closet Retreat

2008-09-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Well, here is the last little bit to blog about in my closet retreat. . .

Yes, that is a McDreamy doll in his scrubs. Took him to the hospital with me when I had surgery last November. Everyone should have their own personal Dr. with them at all times! I also have my Oscar I recieved when I went to Hollywood this summer. . . it's for best all around woman (mistakes and all). Last, but not least, I have my tiara! Every princess needs one of these to remind herself that she is a child of the King.

Here we have pegboard. We have this mounted on either side of the window in our closet. We put pegboard hooks up to hang belts, scarves, hats, etc. You can find pegboard and pegboard hooks at Lowes or any other local hardware store.

Here I am showing you that I stuff all my purses that are not in use with paper before I store them on the shelf. This helps them to keep their shape just like it was when you first brought it home from the store.

I always keep a removable hamper bag in my closet for dirty dry cleaning clothes. When it fills up, off it goes to the cleaners. To the left of the hamper you see my extra ironing board. I keep one in the utility and one in my closet. Nice to have it handy when you need it. The extra iron is stored on a shelf above that is not pictured.

Yes, this is a steamer I purchased at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. There are some things that are just not meant for the iron to touch, I learned that the hard way. . . melted some really cool pants with an iron one Easter Sunday morning :-( Never gonna have that happen again now that I have my handy dandy steamer!

Valet hooks are a must have, This one is right by the door in my closet. I hang my clothes for the next day there. When I am packing for a trip I pile everything up there. When I bring home clothes from the cleaners I hang them there and sort them to their spots from there. I sometimes hang my coat there or even my purse or a bag. It has tons of uses. I got this cute one at Anthropologie.

This is a valet hook that I got at Lowes, It stores all my robs on it. It hangs on the side of my purse shelves. What is it Bugs Bunny would say?. . . That's all folks!!!

Beautiful Feet

2008-09-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

. . . "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:15

I would so love to use this scripture as a defense for having great shoes, but I am sure that is not what this scripture means! :) I am quite certain this scripture is talking about those people who spread the good news of Christ's great sacrifice and love for us. It doesn't mean that the beautiful feet are just the feet of missionaries, pastors, etc. It actually applies to everyday ordinary people like you and me. We can bring this good news to people at the grocery store, dry cleaners, beauty salon, post office, work, etc. So, as you ponder this thought about beautiful feet, let's go back to my closet retreat and see I organize the hardware for my "beautiful feet". . .

So, here is how is organize my shoes. I use boxes I have bought by the case at The Container Store. Most of our shoes are in boxes. Some people label the outside of their shoe boxes and some take polaroids to tape the the outside of the box. I just put the shoes in there and look at the end of the clear box to know what is in there. The reason I do not use the labeling or the photo labeling method is because I purge and merge every now and then, so the shoes end up changing boxes etc. I just find this is the way that works best for me.

In this photo towards the bottom you can see my husband has a larger shoebox for men's shoes. Above the athletic shoes are the women's shoe boxes. All of these can be bought individually or by the case at The Container Store.

Many of my boxes have more than one pair of shoes in them, especially if the shoes are not bulky like these. This particular box is an older box from The Container Store. This was the box they sold before they patented their very own box with their logo on it. This box is a tiny bit wider than the newer ones, however it is very easy to get more than one non bulky pair in the newer boxes.

On the bottom few shelves you can see my boot boxes from The Container Store. I am able to put two pair of short boots in 1 box together. In some of these photos you see shoes out of boxes and the reason is because it is time to purge and merge. In this photo you can see I have a shelf that has some personal photos, a cell phone charger plug, and an iHome. I have photos in several places in my closet and my I love to listen to music when I am in the closet/bathroom area. So, my iHome allows me to listen to my ipod or the radio and it also where I can charge my ipod when not in use. Well, there you have it. . . this is how I organize my shoes in my closet retreat. I have two questions for you. . . How do you organize your shoes and more importantly do you make the best use of your "beautiful feet" everywhere you go?

How do you organize your unmentionables?

2008-09-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, Hurricane Ike has come and gone. By the time Ike reached us, it was a tropical storm. We only had 2-4 hours of high winds and our electricity was out for about 2 hours.
Before the electricity went out I had started this post, but when the power went out I was shut down and had to take me a well deserved nap. Above you see a built in chest of drawers that is in my closet retreat. My husband can't believe that I am about to show you some of the stuff that I have in these draws. Let's see what I have hiding in here and how I chose to organize them . . .

My top drawer has my jewelry stored in it. I organize them in stackable sectioned jewelry trays.

I bought my trays years ago at The Container Store. You can also find these exact trays at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. If you go to Bed, Bath, & Beyond you can use those handy dandy 20% of coupons they send in the mail on a weekly basis.

Check out The Container Store's website for sizes and price ranges.

The next drawer house the bras and panties.

This drawer has all my socks in it.

I use these sox boxes and panty boxes for socks and panties. I do not use the bra boxes. You can find all of these things at The Container Store too. There you have it. This is how my unmentionables are organized. How do you organize yours?

Authentic or Imitation

2008-09-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Looks like I am going to have to take a break from posting about my closet retreat because Girly Stuff invited me to crash The Nester's P.O.O.P.I.E. party with her! I do love myself a good P.O.O.P.I.E. party!

Let's PARTY!!! So, in order to crash this party I have to show all my fake arrangements in the house right now. I really don't have a ton of them simply because I am OCD about the dust. I have to really like them to have them around.

I do love myself some fall colors. I found this one the other day at Ross for only $12.99. I thought it was not a bad price for the size of it. It is on my coffee table for this season.

I found this little pumpkin cutie at Marshalls this past weekend. It was only $9.99. It is on my buffet in the entry for this season. My 4 year old E.T. was with me and was helping me pick out some really great pumpkins that day and he latched onto this one because it was a pumpkin with flowers on it. He really liked it and because he liked it, I found a place in my heart and my house for it too.

This arrangement sits behind the couch on a sofa table. Someone I knew made it for me.

This little arrangement, I blogged about in an earlier post. It sits on E.T. and Baby Girl's vanity in their bathroom. The little box was a souvenir from vacation one year and someone I knew made the little arrangement for it.

This wreath has been in the family for 8 years. Yes, you read that right, 8 years and yes, it does have eucalyptus in it. I can't part with it! I still love it! There is a business called Always Unique that is at Canton, Dallas Market, and other shows. It's headquarters are in a town near where I live. These people are patients at my husband's office and this is the first piece I had them make for me. The next several pieces are more current works. Always Unique has moved way past the wreath arrangements in recent years. The owner even suggested I give it up, but I still like it!

A greenery arrangement made by Always Unique. This is on top of a cabinet in my

bathroom. Not a huge greenery fan, but this has brown tones in it like I like. Maybe it should call it brownery. . .

Made by Always Unique. This is on a round skirted table in my bedroom.

This is on my dining room table and it too was made by Always Unique.

Last one in the house. This sits on a small round barley twist table between two antique iron beds in my guest bedroom. Yes, this too was made by Always Unique. That is all I have for you. Maybe I will get back to my closet retreat for the next post. Until then. . .

Hanging Tough

2008-09-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

These are my clear plastic hangers. These are some of my very best closet friends. It has taken me two years to convert all of my hangers to these. I love the uniformity of having all the same hangers. I know you will think I am crazy, but I even swap out the hangers on the clothes when they come home from the cleaners. In my opinion they hang better when they are not on a wire hanger. I buy these wonderful friends in bulk at The Container Store. I have even recently converted E.T. and Baby Girl 's clothes to these hangers. Now the entire family's wardrobe hangs on these. There are many hangers out there on the market to buy. I chose these because they fit best in my budget and allowed me to unify the entire closet in a shorter amount of time, not like two years is a short amount of time, but it would have taken me 6 to get all wooden hangers.

I pretty much hang everything. There are very few things I do not hang, you will see these things in a later post. When you first walk into my closet, to the left is my side. The first two racks are short hang. The above photo shows the bottom rack. It starts with tank tops, sweatshirts, jogging suits, short, skirts. Each section is color coordinated. Going from light to dark.

This is the rack above the tanks, sweatshirts, etc. Up here you will find all tops coordinated from light to dark.

Still on the left side (my side) of the closet at the back, you will find one rack of long hang. Here I hang my jeans, capris, and dresses. Again, each section is color coordinated.

Above the long hang in the back of the closet, there is a short hang rack. This rack has blazers and coats that are used very little where I live.

On the right side of the closet at the back, is my husband's clothes. He has two racks of short hang. This rack has his shirts. He organizes them in two sections. He has short sleeve and long sleeve. Then he color coordinates them with in those sections.

My husbands second rack of short hang has his scrubs, sweatshirts, pants, and shorts.

We do hang his scrubs togeher as a set using the wire cardboard hanger for them. So, we use 8 wire cardboard hangers still.

Well, there you have it. That's how the hanging clothes are organized. The kids closets are pretty much the same. In my opinion there is not a right or wrong way. Just come up with a method that works for you or take one of my ideas. Either way, an organized closet makes daily life easier in many ways. I know some of you are thinking that my closet is maybe bigger than yours and so it is easier for me to keep organized. However, this is how my closets have always looked even when they were 1/8 of this size. When the closets were smaller, I had to purge more often than I do now and really just keep what I really wore on a regular basis in my closet. Things I hadn't touched in a year or two to my body always had to be tossed to the give away, garage sale, or Goodwill boxes. I also had to rotate fall/winter and spring/summer. I used to not be able to house it all at one time in my closet like I can now. Check out future posts for other ways I organize my closet retreat. How do you organize your hanging clothes?

Closet Retreat

2008-09-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God. . ."

Ever since I was a kid I have retreated to my closet. Sometimes, I was mad, sad, wanted to talk on the phone in private, sing a song, or even just be still and pray. It seemed as if my closet was the only place in the world I could get away and be alone during any of those instances. To this very day, I still retreat to my closet. To you it may look like a place where all my clothes, shoes, and accessories are neatly tucked away, but it is more than that to me. My closet is a place where I can actual y be still, quiet, undisturbed, and spend quality time with God and have my soul become refreshed and restored. You might have a place like that in your life, it might be your car, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, etc. For me it is my closet. This is my special retreat and I want to share it with you.

This is our his and hers closet. Unfortunately, it's not all my space to have to myself, I must share it with my husband! However, I definitely take up more space than he does. Over the next several posts I will share with you different areas in my closet and how I have chosen to organize them for my OCD personality. These are organization techniques that I have used for many years, even back when we lived in an apartment and other houses which had much smaller and practically nonexistent closets. No matter the size of the closet, over the years, these ideas have always worked for me.

I have to say I absolutely love decorating and sharing about it, but hands down organization is my gift! I love to purge, merge, reorganize, and restore order to things in my closets, cabinets, drawers, garage, and attic, at least 3-4 times a year. I love it so much it is like entertainment to me! You might think I am a little bit crazy. . . you are right! So, get on board the crazy train for the next few posts and see if you might want to get a little crazy like me in your closet and make it a place you want to retreat to.

Tag! I'm It!?!?

2008-09-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Girly Stuff to list 6 unimportant things about me! I sooooo don't play tag! I am going to give it my best effort though, just for her! Here I go. . .

1. I just recently got introduced to the T.V. show Arrested Development and I actually think it is funny!

2. I taught first grade for 4 years in public school system.

3. I love clipping gardenias out of my flower bed when they bloom and floating them in a crystal bowl filled with water.

4. My husband is a dentist and I STILL do not like to have my teeth cleaned, but I do it anyway because it would be bad advertisement if I didn't.

5. I love the Weight Watcher meals offered on the menu at Applebees's.

6. I actually like cleaning my house.

Now I am going to tag:

An American Girl In Tokyo
Cutie Patootie

Tub Time Continued...

2008-08-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last post I share several photos of ET and Baby Girl's bahtroom. I mentioned that there was more to tell about the ladybug are hanging above the potty. So, here it the rest of the story. . .

I found the perfect fabric for ET & Baby Girl's shower curtain. It it had frogs and ladybugs on it! I thought how perfect it would be for a shared boy/girl bathroom! Notice that the ladybugs are not your typical fire engine red color. They are more of a rusty red color. As I shopped for some kind of art or accessories that had ladybugs on it, all I could find where fire engine red lady bugs. The muted green frogs were easy to find. One day Daddy was picking ET & Baby Girl up at the church nursery and he noticed lady bug art made out of the children's thumb prints. So, we stole the idea and made our own ladybug art with a rust colored red paint that matched the shower curtain ladybugs perfectly! One frame has ET and Daddy's thumbprints in it and the other frame has mine and Baby Girl's! It was not only the perfect match for the room, but it was also something meaningful to decorate with and one of a kind! The frames the ladybug art are in were on sale for 12.50 each at Hobby Lobby. The lady bug art...priceless!

Girly Stuff asked me on my last post, how I hid the cord on the lamp sitting between the two sinks on the vanity. I have a friend that shortened the cords on all the lamps in my house that are on counters. They are all shortened just enough to where they can be plugged in with little or not slack left once the lamp is set in its place. Notice the little box that the flower arrangement is in to the right of the lamp. That little box was a souvenir I bought in Playa del Carmen. I bought it specifically to put an arrangement in for their bathroom. I love to be able to buy souvenirs that we will use, enjoy, and be reminded of a special place we visited all at the same time.

Tub Time

2008-08-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

So, Girly Stuff gave the low down on my shower treatments earlier this week. I figure it's time I at least show the rest of Baby Girl and ET's bathroom!

Starting where she left off, here again are the two panels that make up the shower curtain with a valance hanging on a separate rod above them.

Here we have a shelf. Not only is it a shelf for our little pretties, but it is our towel holder too! Instead of traditional hooks and rods you can get for hanging towels, I have tried to find unique and different ways to hang towels to dry. You will see more of those in future posts. This little shelf with glass knobs to hang Baby Girl and ET's towels came from Canton, which is like a flee market, trade days, craft show, antique smorgasbord wrapped all into one! This shelf/towel holder only set me back $20.00 and it has 2 functions for the price of one!

These are framed lady bug art that I will have to tell you more about later. You will definitely want to tune in next time for more details about this!

Here is ET & Baby Girl's double vanity. You can only see one sink in this photo, but there are two...one for each. The lamp on the vanity is an eight year old lamp that I freshened up with a new shade from Ross for $5.99. The cute little hook holding the towel is from Anthropologie! They have clothes and many other things that are very pricey, but I stick to getting cute knobs and hooks there that you can't find anywhere else, and in small quantities the price isn't too bad for those things. There is more to tell about this bathroom, so check out future posts to read more about "Tub Time"!

Rock or Sand?

2008-08-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is "Home Sweet Home"! We moved into this house in June 2006, it was Father's Day weekend. We hired a floor plan designer in January 2005 to help us with the floor plan. A floor plan designer is different from an architect. Once we came up with a final floor plan we liked, we took that to an architect to get an official blue print. Finally, we hired a builder of our choice and began construction in November 2005. This entire process was absolutely fun and challenging for me! I thoroughly enjoyed the process and challenge of staying on budget and finding beautiful things for my home that didn't break the bank! I look forward to sharing some of my bargains with you in future blogs.

I will say the only thing we went over budget on was our yard, but that was my husband's thing, not mine. After all I made most all the decisions on the inside, it was his turn to get involved on the part he takes pride in most. The yard was worth every penny! My husband enjoys doing yard work, my kids enjoy playing in the yard, and of course I like for it to look great! It has also provided a great back drop for photos of the kids. I have to say those day lilies were absolutely beautiful for our spring photos this year.

Baby Girl and ET have to be the best looking thing in our yard in this photo!!! As I sit here and type this blog and reflect back on building our house, I am reminded of the the scripture in Matthew 7:24 about the wise and foolish builders. The foolish builder builds his house on sand and the wise builder builds his house on a rock. The scripture is not talking about an actual "house" here. It is using "house" as metaphor to reference our "life". You can substitute the word "house" for "life" and discover its real meaning and how it relates to you. In the past year I have expecienced a storm in my "life" and becuase my "house"/"life" was built on a rock (Christ Jesus) I have been able to survive the storm. If I had built my "house"/"life" on sand, I would not be standing today, I would have been demolished by the storm. I will say, it hasn't been easy, but it has been worth the challenge and effort it took to build my "house" on a rock. Is your "house" built on rock or sand?

Thirty and Counting

2008-08-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

I turned "30" this year! My husband threw me a party! Of course, being the OCD party planner I am, I actually planned it myself. He just "glady" paid for it. Needless to say, it was the party of the year! I always get to plan parties for other people and they are always so cute and fun. I wanted to actually plan my own cute and fun party for once!

This year the black and white damask with a burst of pink accent has been everywhere I look. I have always loved black and white together and I love pink too. When I saw the combination of the three I knew that would be my theme for my party. My husband was even a good sport and went along with the theme and wore pink and black for me. He is always willing to take one for the team!

This is my friend "Girly Stuff" she just introduced me to blogging. We have been been freinds for 10 years. We share a lot of the same interests (spending time with God, family, decorating, shopping, crafting, fashion, and self preservation). She came to my party too! It was a great evening with an intimate gathering of 30 friends and family. I have learned a lot about life in my last 30 years. Looking back on my first 30 years, I wouldn't trade anything I have experienced (good or bad). It has all shaped who I am today! As I look ahead, I am looking forward to what the years ahead of me hold. Have you ever tried planning your own party?