The Undomesticated Wife

Thift store score

2012-02-02T15:24:00.003-06:00

I love a cozy quilt, don't you? Even better, a vintage handmade quilt. These are fairly expensive and aren't easy to come by unless you happen upon one at an antique store.

A few months back I was checking out a thrift store and saw this quilt. It has a beautiful star design and is in really good shape, minus the "age stains" that you see, which I should be able to remove. No matter, it was worth the $20 I spent on it (talked down from $35, which would have been a steal anyway)! It's entirely hand stitched. I just love it.

It's been a long time

2011-08-23T19:44:00.004-05:00

Lots of changes. Some good, some bad. Some happiness, a lot of sadness. Hoping to reconnect with wonderful blogger friends and get back into the groove of thrifting, crafting and creating!

Gooey goodness

2010-01-11T17:53:00.003-06:00

If you've ever looked for the perfect cookie recipe, this just might be it. It's super easy, so easy that I could do it, and it tastes like a little bite from heaven.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen:

Ingredients

* 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature (I used low fat)
* 1 stick butter, at room temperature
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

These are very good. They taste like chocolate doughnut holes, only not as heavy or rich and not too sweet. Just about perfect.

Photo courtesy of me. :)

Debbie Downer

2010-01-07T20:34:00.004-06:00

Well folks, I've been quite the Debbie Downer lately, been in a huge funk, so I've stayed away from the blogs as to not spread my funkiness. I'm so frustrated about not being able to find a job. There's so very few things out there for me apply to in my field. When I do find something fitting, I apply. Then I receive the dreaded "thanks but no thanks" emails. I just don't get it. Some of these jobs I could do in my sleep. What's frustrating is that it seems 10+ years of experience and an education mean nothing these days. *sigh* The stress of it all is weighing so heavily on me. I'm having trouble sleeping. I feel like I'm losing my sanity. It's creating tension between the hubs and me. I feel desperate and, sometimes, hopeless.

But then reality hits. I realize that as bad as I feel like things are, it's really nothing compared to the struggles others are going through. A sweet blogger friend, Lindsay, is having to deal with some major health scares right now, and yet her attitude and faith shine. My friend Diana lost her sweet 10 year old daughter this year to brain cancer. And so on...there are so many folks struggling out there, struggling with things that I can't even imagine. That's when I need to step back and thank God for blessing us. Times are tough for a lot of people. Some people share, others don't.

I know God has a plan for all of us. Sometimes it's realized sooner than later. Sometimes it's not. What's important is to keep in mind that there is a plan, have faith, and keep a shining attitude. I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned from others who are struggling. That alone is a huge blessing.

Another year closer to 40

2009-12-17T10:03:00.008-06:00

It's official: I'm closer to 40 than I am 30. *sigh*

I turned 36 on December 4. The night before, a group of my girlfriends and I went to one friend's house and hung out like we usually do. They surprised me with a great spread of food and a wonderful fruit tart cake. I love those girls! We had a great time sitting around, laughing, taking the stress off.

The celebrations continue though! Usually I'm alone on my birthday because hubs is playing a gig. And it gets depressing year after year. This year, my friends have gone above and beyond, and I'm so appreciative!

On the night of my birthday, a few friends and I went up to Winstar Casino (just across the Texas/Oklahoma state line) to see a favorite band. I'm not into casinos in general...they just aren't my thing. But that's where the band was playing, so that's where we headed. I did bring a few bucks to play the slots. Once I lost $3, I was done. Like I said, it's just not my thing.

The band was great though! That same night, Miranda Lambert was also playing at the casino. I love her, but my friends don't, so we didn't get to see her. But while we were hanging out, I saw Miranda and Aden (Miranda's bass player, he's the one with the mohawk) walk over to our area. They were talking with fans, taking pictures, etc. My hubs knows Aden since they were both in the same music program in college, so I went over and asked him to take a picture with me. I said "you and my hubs know each other!" haha

This weekend is the birthday celebration finale, and I'm so excited! A big group of friends and I are going to the Fort Worth Stockyards to one of my favorite places to see a band and dance. It's a true Texas honky tonk dance hall. I'm a true Texas girl, I love to two-step!

I'm so blessed to have such good friends!

Decking the halls

2009-12-13T23:19:00.016-06:00

Here's a quickie with some pix of just a few of my trees. While I did put up all 10 of my trees, my heart just wasn't in it, so I didn't put much else out. I'm just not feeling it this year. :( Which makes me sad, because I'm all about Christmas decorating. Maybe next year I'll really go all out. Because I took these pictures at night, they aren't coming out very well. Hey, I never claimed to be a photographer. :)

I just did the bare minimum for the mantel. Mine and my hub's stockings fell down, so it's just the dogs' stockings left.

This is my tree that I decorate only with vintage glass ornaments. I love it. I usually put this on the fireplace hearth, but this year decided to stick it in an old sap bucket that I found at a flea market years ago.

My cardinal tree, which is my very favorite. I use all cardinal ornaments, vintage chandelier crystals, clear glass icicles and red berry garland. It looks so much prettier in person than it does in pix.

The "drum tree" for the hubs. He thinks it looks too "blingy" with the crystal garland I added to it this year. :)

Of course I have a dog tree...doesn't everybody? :) It was looking skimpy this year, so I dug through my ribbon drawer and found this blue glittery mesh stuff that seemed fun, so I wound it around and was done. It actually does make it look better in person.

Our main tree is a hodgepodge of ornaments: those from our childhood, some that were given to us, others that we have collected while on vacations, etc. Earlier this year, I was at a fleatique store and saw this rusty metal "believe" sign. I had nowhere to put it, so I stuck it up at the top of the tree. And I kind of like it there. I also wound some red berry garland around it, and I like that too. I have a ton of that stuff.

This is the white bird tree I have in our bedroom. It's one of those skinny alpine trees that has pine cones on it. I use white birds, white poinsettias, white berries and clear glass icicles.

My dining room looks like a forest.

I found this at a garage sale a month or so ago for $2. It's a heavy ceramic serving plate, with an even heavier metal stand. I figured it was worth the $2 just for the stand, but I do love the plate.

When I was in Austin for Thanksgiving, I found this little wicker sleigh at a thrift store and thought it would be cute to use as a holder for our Christmas cards.

I have a few more trees and a little bit more holiday decor out, but it's not really blog worthy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another day with a long to-do list

2009-12-02T18:38:00.007-06:00

And I haven't gotten much done.

Why?

It snowed today. Hubs woke me up and told me to look outside, and this is what I saw. We got a little bit more than this, but not by much. And so when we have weather like this, I just want to curl up on the couch in a quilt and watch tv. So that's what I did.

Yesterday, I was busy picking tomatoes from my garden. On December 1st! Can you believe I still have veggies growing? I think I picked about 30+ tomatoes, a couple of bell peppers and 2 poblanos.

So in the meantime, I'm trying to climb Mt. Laundry and catch up on some other household odds and ends. I still haven't put up my Christmas trees, and honestly, I'm not feeling too guilty about it. Hubs keeps asking when I'll be getting to it (yes, he likes to see them but no, he doesn't want to help). My goal is to finish the holiday decor this weekend. We'll see.

For my anniversary, I got a pair of beautiful Lucchese boots! I saw these in a store on the square last year for a whopping $400+. While that isn't much for a pair of good cowboy boots, it's way more than this frugal girl likes to spend. The other day I happened to think about it, so I checked eBay, and they had one pair of them. And miracle of all miracles, they were in my size! I stalked the listing and won them! They were dirt cheap and had only been worn a couple of times. Obviously, that doesn't bother me at all.

{LOVE}

They make my heart go pitter-patter. I love the red/robin's egg blue color combo.

Not to be outdone, hubs got a pair at an antique store for dirt cheap. After some investigating, it turns out they are some pretty fancy schmancy vintage boots.

So all is good.

:)

13

2009-11-30T22:01:00.005-06:00

Thirteen years.

1996

2009

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

New addition to my collection

2009-11-25T11:09:00.006-06:00

I'm not much of a collector, but one thing I have always loved is vintage glass Christmas ornaments. I have one Christmas tree entirely dedicated to them.

This last week, I found a box of vintage Shiny Brite ornaments like I've never seen before. They are children's ornaments and have sweet little characters on them, such as lions, giraffes, bears, etc.

Though they aren't in the best of shape (a lot of the mica is flaking off), I love them nonetheless. And they were a good price at $8/box of 12. That's less than $1 each. Can't beat that.

Do you have a favorite ornament collection?

hodgepodge

2009-11-17T18:28:00.011-06:00

Hello internets! Things have been crazy around here lately. Still no luck with the job search. It's been exactly one year since I was laid off. I'm trying to have patience and know that God has a plan, but I'm really starting to wonder what the heck it is and why it's taking so long. :( I'm beginning to get a bit worried here.

Last week my hubs and I went to Indiana (him: business, me: visit family). We stopped in St. Louis along the way and visited with my inlaws. Hubs was able to catch up with some friends from high school. It was a nice visit! But I'm glad to be home. Driving through 5 states in one day, from 8am to midnight is just not my thing.

Isn't my grandma so cute? I stayed with her while hubs was down in Indy for his convention. She lives in a small town of about 2,000-3,000 people, and I swear I'm related to every single one of them somehow. Every time I am there, I meet people I'm related to that I've never met before.

My grandma now lives one block off the courthouse square in town. I had forgotten my hair dryer (yipes!), so it was nice to be able to walk two blocks and get to a CVS. My hubs took off for Indy with my make-up bag in the truck, so I was stuck there with no make-up for the duration (yipes). Not a good look for me. ;)

If you know me, you know I love thrifting. So while there, I walked the one block up from my grandma's house to the square to a little thrift store run by a local church. I didn't think I'd find anything good since it's such a small town out in the middle of the corn fields, but believe it or not, I did find a few scores!

I found two 4-serving snack sets (each has four plates and four cups). One was a pattern I already have. This one came in the original box! And the best part was that it was priced at $3!!!

I also found this snack set. I don't have this pattern yet. It was only $2!

{LOVE!!}

My grandma has always made quilts, and I used to love wrapping up in them when I was a kid. I have a couple of them (one she made for me when I was in school, the other she made for us for a wedding present). While visiting, I told her I'd like another one, so she let me pick one out. They aren't fancy by any means, but they are made with love, and she does all of the stitching by hand. She had a few with interesting patterns, but I chose a simple patchwork quilt. It reminds me of her, because when I was a kid, those are the ones we'd use. She uses any scraps of fabric she has, and I think that's really cool.

While we went to Indy, we took the two old dogs and my inlaws kept the two younger ones. I guess they were spoiled rotten, because when we drove back through St. Louis to pick them up, they didn't seem as excited to see us as we were to see them.

It was a nice trip, but I'm glad to be home, in my own bed. I'm not glad that I have about 8 loads of laundry to do, but I guess that comes with the territory. ;)

It was a dark and stormy night...

2009-10-26T09:16:00.002-05:00

You Have Been BOO'd!

The air is cool, the season is fall,

Soon Halloween will come to all.

Ghosts and goblins, spooks galore...

Tricky witches at your door.

The spooks are after things to do,

In fact, a spook brought this "BOO" to you.

The excitement comes when friends like you,

Copy this note and make it two.

We'll all have smiles on our faces,

When we see who Boo'd who's places.

I was Boo'd by Candy, the Junk Sophisticate

The following 4 ladies have been officially BOO'd...

Sunny at All Things Sunny Love Sunny's positive attitude even during difficult times..you are an inspiration!

Kendra at Domestic Princess in Training Another frugal girl like myself, Kendra is a thrifter like myself, always on the lookout for a good deal.

Carrie at Carrie's Little World Such a sweet girl with lots of cute ideas

Leah at Just Me, Leah My dear friend who I love very much!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This BOO party was started by Toni@The Tattered Cottage. Please keep the fun going by following these instructions.

1. You have 24 hours to work your spell

2. Copy and post the Halloween Boo Poem with the instructions for playing.

3. Pick 4 blogs you enjoying visiting and tell why you enjoy visiting them, with a link to
their blog and remember to link back to me.

4. Go to the original BOO Party post at the Tattered Cottage and add your MckLinky.

5. Let's see how fast and far this spreads between now and Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

Mirror, mirror on the wall (before and after)

2009-10-23T20:03:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago I shared this mirror I found at a garage sale for $5.

What I like about it is that it's an antique...meaning it's heavy duty with a real wood backing. This sucker probably weights at least 20 lbs.

However, I don't really need another plain old mirror. I wanted to jazz it up a bit.

I started with this F that I printed out from my computer. F being the first letter of my last name, though I guess it can stand for anything really, like friend, fabulous, freak... Then I cut it out with an X-acto knife.

I used a combination of redline and painter's tape to make frames around the monogram. I would have liked to have done something a little fancier, but I wanted this to be as quick and painless as possible, so straight lines it was.

After a few coats of Valspar Frosting spray, this is what I got.

Who knew it would be so difficult taking a picture of a mirror? The middle square is slightly tilted. Which really irritates me because I measured and measured again before spraying. Eh...I'm still fairly pleased with how it came out.

But since it's so heavy, hubs had to hang it with some sort of special toggle bolt. And he said he's not moving this thing EVER. So I guess it's here to stay. ha!

A quick little "crappy to happy" project

2009-10-21T12:01:00.007-05:00

I went to Ross the other day. I usually stay away from that place because the one here in town is sort of...well, gross. But sometimes I can find little treasures hidden on the back of a shelf somewhere, needing a new home.

On the clearance shelf, I found this little sign.

Because it had been roughed up somewhere along the way and had a little chunk missing from the top, I got it for $2.99.

And while I'm sure some of you would just take a brown marker to fill in the broken area, I'm far too ambitious for that. (ha!) Besides, while this bronze color is nice, it didn't really do anything for me. So I gave it a quick coat of white paint.

And added some raw umber glaze I had from previous art projects.

I like how it turned out, but...I don't know. It still doesn't feel right. It almost seems too "girly" for my tastes. Any suggestions?

Cissy and Sammi say hi!

Frugal beauty: dry shampoo

2009-10-18T13:07:00.004-05:00

You know how some people have combination skin? I seem to have combination hair. My scalp tends to get oily, yet the rest is dry. I've been making an effort to wash my hair every other day (instead of every day) to remedy the dryness, but then I get oiliness near my temples.

A friend of mine mentioned dry shampoo. She uses it on the days where she doesn't wash her hair. I tried it and liked it quite a bit, but at $25/small bottle, it's not something I can justify.

After doing a little research, I found that Sally Beauty Supply sells a brand called Batiste that retails for about $7/can. I've seen some good reviews and decided to try it out the other evening. I didn't have anywhere important to go, so I figured if it didn't work, I wouldn't be a huge embarrassment to myself. ;)

Since this comes in an aerosol can, it tends to come out heavily. The trick is to apply just a little at a time. Simply spray, wait a few minutes, massage in and then brush out.

Results: very pleased! My hair was instantly refreshed. So much so, that the next day I skipped washing my hair again (I had a lot of work to do around the house and was going to wait until the evening to wash) and yet it still seemed clean.

I think my friend's $25 version may have been a little bit better as far as results go, but for only $7/can, Batiste is worth it, especially if you are in a pinch and need a quick refresher.

A little bit of domestication thrown in for fun

2009-10-10T17:42:00.003-05:00

So I was a little inspired this week. I don't know why. I should check my temperature and make sure I don't have a fever. Because not only did I bake, but I baked from scratch. AND! I made enchiladas for dinner twice. From scratch. Go me!

But this is such a good, tasty recipe that is especially appropriate for this time of year. It all started with two mini muffin pans I found at a garage sale. I was going to use them for paint wells, but decided to try and use them for their intended purpose.

I saw a recipe online (complete with video with a crazy old lady) for mini pecan tarts. Here is the result.

And if you want to make them yourself (and I know you do!), here's the recipe. If I can do it, anyone can do it (this coming from the girl who caught her stove top on fire. Once.).

Shells:
*3 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free so there'd be less guilt as I shovel these into my mouth)
*1/3 cup butter
*1 cup flour

Mix and put in fridge for an hour. Make little balls and spread out to fit mini muffin tins.

Filling:
*1 egg
*dash of salt
*3/4 cup brown sugar
*1 tbsp soft butter
*1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Mix and fill shells (about a spoonful of filling each). Add a whole pecan to the top of each one for cuteness.

Bake at 325* for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 24 tarts.

This has been a good week for thrifty treasures

2009-10-05T22:51:00.013-05:00

(my good camera had dead batteries, so I had to use the little cheapy camera to take these pics. so you'll understand why they stink. not that I take great pictures with the good camera...)

Between hitting up a schmancy neighborhood community garage sale and a few thrift stores, I got a few cool things for almost no money.

Friday morning I hit up a few sales but didn't find much that I needed/wanted. I did see this pair of nesting tables and pounced on them, even though I knew hubs would roll his eyes and say that we don't have room for any more furniture (which is exactly what he said when he saw me unloading them from my truck).

But I loved them so, and they are solid wood and oh so cute. I couldn't pass them up for $10. I admit I stood there for the longest time debating on whether to bring them home, because I didn't know where I'd put them (it's true, we don't have any more room for furniture). Then I remembered there's a perfect spot in our master bathroom between the cabinets and the tub. I can put a basket with rolled up towels on the little table and it will be perfect.

Unfortunately, our master bathroom is halfway gutted right now, so until we finish that project, I put the nesting tables in the corner of my dining room with a couple of plants on them. It works for now.

I saw this mirror at a g-sale and it was half price, so I paid $5. It's hard to tell from my picture, but it's quite large and is one of those old mirrors...you know those heavy, wood-backed mirrors that would kill you if it fell on you.

I was lucky and found another piece of vintage Pyrex. This pattern is called Town & Country. It's a large sized bowl and was only $1. Yay! I've never seen this pattern in the thrift stores.

I found two cloches and another floral frog that I'll use to make my beaded wind chimes.

Even though I was out late on Friday night, I drug my sore, tired old bones out of bed at 7am to make the schmancy neighborhood garage sale on Saturday morning. They hold it twice a year (spring and fall).

My FAVORITE find is this pair of lamps. I thought they were so cool and funky. They are glass with a neat etched pattern. It's pretty difficult to photograph these, especially with a stinking cheapo camera. I have absolutely no idea where to put these, but I had to have them. They were only $3 each. I consider my style to be eclectic, but even so, I don't know how these will fit in with my decor. Eh, what do I care, I love them! And isn't that what really matters? :)

I was able to find another piece of Fiesta. I know some folks just collect them, but I use these as my every day dishes.

I love these ceramic candlesticks. There are actually three of them, but the small one had been broken and glued back together. It's still usable, but I don't need it right now.

Not pictured: a tripod for my camera, a linen table runner that is the perfect shade of green for fall ($2.50), a super cool pearly-type beaded scarf-style wrap necklace (love my description, don't you?), a Nordic Track that hubs has been wanting forever (got that for $10...he's used it twice, so I guess we've already gotten our money's worth..ha), a smaller camera bag for $1, and some really cute clothes...too many to take pics of...

Did you have any luck this week thrifting?

My new etsy shop!

2009-09-28T19:56:00.004-05:00

I love making art. I love crafting. It's in my blood and I've been doing it for years. And even though I'm not a shy person, I'm sort of timid when it comes to putting myself out there with these things. I know what I like, but I always think it's not going to be what other people like. I'm not a traditional art kind of girl. While I can appreciate a still life and the landscapes, I'm just more into bold colors, all things funky, crazy and whimsical.

While I've been on "hiatus" from the corporate world (which, by the way, doesn't look like it's going to be ending any time soon, and that's freaking me out), I've been able to spend more time in my craft room. And I've been enjoying it quite a bit!

So after much encouragement from my hubs, I'm putting myself out there. Maybe it will be good, maybe not, but at least it's giving me a reason to continue to do something I enjoy, which I'd put off for a very long time. :)

Take a peak if you have time!

My etsy shop

Time to dig that box of fall stuff from your attic

2009-09-22T09:55:00.005-05:00

My housework is done for the week, and since we've had a lot of rain the last two weeks (as in I'm-going-to-trade-my-xterra-in-for-a-boat kind of rain), I'm in the mood to pull out my fall stash. Something about dreary weather screams fall to me.

Here's some inspiration for you from Better Homes and Gardens as well as Pottery Barn. Everything here can be copied/made easily yourself for very little money.

How cute are these pillow cases? All you'd need is a stencil and some $.59 craft paint from Michael's. You could also do this on napkins, table runners, etc. If you wanted to decorate your bathroom with a touch of fall, how about taking an inexpensive white shower curtain and stenciling brown, orange or green leaves on it (or a brown shower curtain and white leaves)? Seriously, that would be so cute and super easy. I came up with that idea myself. :b

Little leaf buttons simply attached to plain white napkins.

I love this wreath. It's neither fancy nor colorful, but it's natural, and that's what I like about it. Wrap a styro foam form with ribbon, glue nuts and you're done.

Same idea as the acorn wreath, but with leaves. I think you can never have too many wreaths. I hang them all over...on the front door, from the pantry door, the back door, my windows....so get cracking and make a few to spruce up your space!

This little cutie could be easily made using one of those dollar store tin pails and a little paint. How cute!

I adore Halloween...it's my absolute favorite. This tray is awesome, however it's $25. Instead, buy a thrift store tray, spray paint it black and silver, then decoupage a skull (or other "character") to the top. Seal it up and it's ready to go!

Candy corn topiary...we all need one of these. Use paper, rick-rack and a dollar store pail.

A ribbon and leaf can really add just enough oomph to a simple napkin. Love this.

If you have any ideas, please share! Happy crafting and decorating!

A request

2009-09-20T21:57:00.004-05:00

My friend Diana's 10 year old daughter Regina passed away today from brain cancer. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.

Regina's Story

Vintage glass flower frog turned wind chime

2009-09-02T18:37:00.006-05:00

My mom and I have been collecting vintage glass flower frogs for several years now. We've made quite a few wind chimes from them. This is one I made one for my neighbor for her birthday.

I used glass beads and a ceramic "B" for the center since their last name begins with a "B."

It's so funky and charming, don't you think? I'm such a great neighbor to have. :b

I love the clinkety-clink sound it makes in the wind.

I used my secret spy ninja skills to creep into her backyard this morning to take these pictures. =) She wouldn't mind though. We are really close friends. ;)

Frugal beauty: face/foundation primer

2009-08-28T09:40:00.005-05:00

Girls, here's the secret bargain of the century!

I'm always on the lookout for a good deal. If a high end product I like has a dupe, I'll always check it out. Sometimes the dupes are just as good or better. Sometimes they stink. But I'm always willing to try.

I don't always use foundation primer. That's probably because the brand I had (Bare Escentuals) just didn't work well for me, and I just didn't want to waste the money on something else that may or may not work.

Lately I've been hearing people sing the praises of Smashbox Photo Finish primer. It's all over the internet as a "must have" and is listed as one of Sephora's top picks. However at $36 for a teensy bottle, I have to say no thanks.

Being in this crazy wicked southern heat, my already oily skin doesn't hold foundation well. So I did a little research on face primers and found a product that is said to be comparable to the Smashbox Photo Finish primer, but for mere pennies.

Behold the Monistat Chafing Relief Gel. I know what you're thinking. This is not a yeast infection cream for your va-jay-jay, even though it's from Monistat. It's actually a powder gel that you can use for your bra line, thighs, or anywhere you have problems with your clothes chafing your skin.

That being said, according to several articles, the ingredients for the chafing gel are very similar to that of the Smashbox primer. The secret ingredient is the silicone (dimethicone). This lets the product smooth over your skin, filling in smaller lines and pores.

I found the Monistat Chafing Gel at Target for about $5 or $6. The other morning, I put it on before applying my foundation. The texture of the gel is very smooth and glided easily over my skin. I did read that it's better not to rub it into your skin like you would a moisturizer, simply pat or smooth over the surface or your face. My skin instantly felt smoother and soft. I didn't find the product to be greasy at all. After a few minutes, I applied my make-up as usual.

I have to tell you, this product was amazing! My make-up stayed in place all day. The oiliness I usually experience was MUCH less. In fact, I didn't notice any oiliness until the very end of the day. I have a small smile line starting on the one side of my mouth, and my make-up usually creases in there. When using the chafing gel, it did not.

So all in all, I think this is a great primer. Before investing in an expensive brand, maybe give this one a try for yourself. It's a small investment at $5-$6 and if it works for you, you'll be thrilled!

Who let the dogs out?

2009-08-24T14:51:00.008-05:00

Woof woof woof woof.

That song is stuck in my head. And now, probably yours too.

This weekend we had a cold front come through (that's what the weatherman called it), and since it was a frosty 95 degrees outside, we figured it would be the perfect time to take Cissy to the newish dog park.

One of my missions for this year was to get my city to open a dog park. I know of the perfect place. I just need to get on that. {note to self}

There are a few dog parks within a reasonable distance, but honestly, they are almost far enough that it's a pain. A few months back, the suburb south of us opened up a dog park...in a shopping center parking lot. I know it sounds weird, but it's actually pretty ideal. It's only about 5 minutes from our house. And when they were planning it, they left a 2 acre patch of grass and trees in the parking lot for this park. There are lots of benches, clean up stations (dog poo bags, Purell for our hands), and did I mention, tons of trees? That alone makes it worth going to this one instead of the others where you're hot as blazes with no protection.

The dogs were so quick, it was hard to get a good picture of any of them. They were well behaved (except the one little mutt who wouldn't stop humping Cissy...and the owners didn't try to control him...that's the only thing that gets on my nerves at the dog park). Cissy was very good, too. I was proud of her. There was one creep of a guy who was ugly to a few teenagers, but they remained very respectful to him (though I'd have stood up and said something to him had I know they didn't know him). I think he might have had some mental issues, so it was best that I kept my trap shut.

I'll share some of my favorites from yesterday.

{handsome feller who knew lots of hand signals}

{hubs trying to get Cissy to chase her ball...she was really more interested in the other people and sniffing every tree in sight}

{this little 3-legged german shepherd was the fastest dog there!}

{"ready to go home momma"}

{"I got my exercise for the day"}

{"is it ok if I take a power nap back here?"}

*I just realized this is my 100th post. I've been blogging for almost a year. Just goes to show I can yap about a lot of crap! ha!*

Blog par-tay!

2009-08-18T16:31:00.012-05:00

Last Friday evening I met up with about 17 other ladies who are bloggers from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Nicole even came down from Oklahoma to join us!

{group picture without a couple of girls who had already left}

{me with Kendra}

Typical of Dallas (and of myself), I got stuck in rush hour traffic and arrived 30 minutes late. Which was fine, but unfortunately I came in on the tail end of the introductions. Too bad I didn't have a grand entrance planned! :)

{Elyse, Alicia, Jen, me and Dina}

We met up at the Golightly Antique store and tea room and chatted, ate wonderful food, sipped on some wine and got to know each other in person. Afterward, we shopped! If you are ever in the Fort Worth area, make a point to stop by the tea room and try the banana caramel pie. It is to. die. for.

{Kendra, Alyssa in her cute born to blog shirt and Jennifer}

We're going to plan on doing this at least once a quarter. I'm really excited about this, because at this stage in my life, it's so difficult to meet other ladies. When I was in college, it was no problem. But everyone has moved on in their lives. So this was a great opportunity to get to know some great women!

{Jen, Stacy, Alicia and Nicole}

If you ever get the chance, meet up with some fellow bloggers! Some people think it's a bit wacky to meet people you've only ever spoken to online, but it was great. None of us were pillaged or killed. ;) Thanks to Jennifer and Dina for hosting.

Doing the side table shuffle

2009-08-12T20:58:00.014-05:00

This is our guest room, which we call "Cissy's room" since that little beast always parks her butt on top of all of those pillows.

(note: yes, I know, the puke yellow walls...it's actually a pretty color in person, I SWEAR! Whenever I see the pictures I've posted online, it makes me cringe and want to repaint it all. Then I walk into the room and it looks really good. Maybe if I took pics during the day with natural light it would look better, but I never blog during the day. ;) So you'll just have to look at the wretched color since I took the picture just now..ha!)

When we first bought the house, I had a cute black iron day bed in there, and so that black iron side table matched it. Then a few years ago we bought a new bedroom set for our room, and we moved this wood bed into the guest room. (Isn't it gorgeous?! It's an antique from the 1800s. I love how the headboard is very tall. My parents bought this bed when *they* were first married in 1970. It was painted a horrible yellow color and my dad stripped it one summer and stained it. They used it for years, and then I got to use it when I was in high school. When I moved into my first apartment, my mom let me have it. Technically, I guess it's still "their" bed, but not really. You know how that goes.)

(note: ignore electrical wires and crap on the table, thanks..ha)

For a while now, I've been wanting to get something else to use as the side table. But hubs always thinks that's unnecessary when the thing we have is functional as is. The iron table is cute. I still like it. But it was just too small for that massive bed.

Then tonight an idea hit me. I have this antique tea cart that I'd been using as a TV stand in our bedroom (until I rehabbed this antique nightstand) to use instead. Since that rehab, the tea cart was relegated to the garage, where it's been collecting dust. I pulled it into the kitchen and cleaned it up. When I put it next to the bed, it seemed to fit the space perfectly.

This allowed me to put a couple of quilts on the shelf below, which will come in handy if guests get cold during the night (the pink quilt was made by my grandmother and the blue one was made by my mother and her quilting group. Both were given to us as wedding gifts, and they are very special).

The top of the tea cart was pretty gnarly and scratched up. Then I remembered I'd bought this rattan tray for $1 at a garage sale earlier this spring. It's been sitting in a pile on the floor of my craft room taking up space. I tried it out, and it was the exact size to fit the top of the tea cart and cover up all of the blemishes.

So, what do you think? Is the round iron table better, or the antique tea cart? Or is there too much wood in here now, because I have this armoire in the corner:

(ok, so this older photo makes the paint color look *slightly* less garish...slightly..it's closer to the "real" color....similar to that famous peanut something-or-other and tobacco road, but a smidge darker)

I know you bloggers always have good opinions!

Quick...help!

2009-08-11T14:20:00.001-05:00

I just opened up my dashboard and saw that all of the blogs that I follow have disappeared! It says "you don't follow any blogs." Ack!! Has something happened on blogger to cause this? Last night it was fine...I had about 50 blogs listed, and now they are all gone! :( :( :(

A shopaholic I am not

2009-08-08T22:25:00.017-05:00

But you probably wouldn't know it by the last few blog posts I've had. ha! Seriously, I'm not much of a shopper. But I am a thrifter, and I think there's a big difference! :) I'm frugal and like a good bargain. Who doesn't?! Besides that, it's not necessarily the "things" that make me happy. I enjoy the process. I love scouring obscure places or piles of junk for some sweet treasure. If I don't find one, that's ok. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

This last week, hub's band was in the studio in Ft. Worth recording a new album. On Wednesday I went with him, and after spending a little while in the studio, we hit the town. We spent some time doing some fun things (more about that another day), but we took the opportunity to hit up the Ft. Worth thrift stores!

Hubs found some really cool pearl snap shirts and vintage coats that he can wear to his gigs. We also found this vintage Samsonite suit case. It was only $5! He thought it would be a good case for a snare drum. Which it is, because those suitcases are nearly indestructible. When we got it home, I thought it might be too small for a snare drum, but it was a perfect fit. I think it's very retro and cool!

This time of year seems to be good for finding holiday items on the cheap. I guess people are cleaning out their closets and getting rid of stuff, not realizing they'll probably kick themselves come holiday time, wishing they'd kept everything!

I found a cute metal halloween cat, and a cute metal sleigh that I can think of a gazillion ways to use.

The little silver tray came from the Goodwill ($2) and I bought it with a specific project in mind (no, not a chalkboard project that is all the rage right now...you'll see!). The little cone shaped basket came from an antique mall in Ft. Worth. It was something like $.50.

At that same antique mall I found a metal wall basket, which I've been on the lookout for quite a while. But I never wanted to pay the high prices. This one was under $10. It's black with an ugly gold tone, but I've already taken care of that with a little black paint.

While in the antique mall, I saw a lady trying to move a big piece of furniture. She wasn't having much luck. There were several people, including some strong men, that walked right past her without offering to help. So I did. Turns out, she's a dealer at the store and was moving it from one of her booths to another. She was so thankful that she offered to give me some candles from one of her booths. I told her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted. She ended up giving me about 7 or 8 yummy cinnamon candles (my favorite!). While talking with her, I learned that she just went through chemo for breast cancer, had back surgery last year, and is about to have hip surgery. I told her whenever I burned the candles I'd think of her and say a prayer that she has good health. Very sweet lady!

Yesterday I went to a local antique mall to just walk around and look for ideas. I found a few things on sale: a cute little heart ornament for my valentine tree, some halloween mask floral picks for my halloween tree, a cute little felt halloween pillow and a metal "believe" sign for Christmas. In total I think I spent less than $7.

Here's my fave purchase. I saw this huge glass jar that just spoke to me. It's so funky and squatty and I needed it. And, I think it was only $10. I mean really, could you have passed that up? I'm not sure if I'll put it on top of one of the armoires or maybe on top of the cabinets in the kitchen. I think this sucker weighs about 50lbs. Not really, probably only 40. ha

It's almost bigger than Cissy!

I found these two gorgeous red silk pillows at a garage sale for $2/each. That same night, I saw some similar, if not identical, at Target for $18/each. *pats self on the back for finding such a good bargain* ;) (again with the puke yellow walls? I don't know why that keeps happening in my pictures!)

In an effort to get out of the house today (I finished my housework yesterday and wanted something to do), I went to our downtown courthouse square to look for inspiration. The little shops always have such great displays and are spilling over with ideas. And I found a couple of little things I couldn't leave behind because they were such a good price. One antique store is going out of business (the building was bought by a church and is being turned into a coffee house...never mind there are already THREE coffee houses on the square! I hate that all of the antique stores are being run out!) and everything was on sale. I got this plain window for $6 (I have a project in mind for it) and a "big bag of Christmas garland" for $5!! That alone made my day. If you know me, you know I *love* decorating for Christmas, and this bag of garland would have probably cost a TON brand new. I think the dealer used it for display purposes during the holidays. You can't really tell from the picture, but that bag is filled to the max with garland...tons of it.

The little nest on an old rusty spring is new (funky, I love it!), as is the metal saucer. The cloche is not.

I can't believe it's almost the middle of August. This year has flown by. I think school starts up in a couple of weeks, because hubs said parents are calling him to get their kids back into drum lessons again. It's hotter than the surface of the sun outside, too. Seriously, it's suffocating. The A/C in my Xterra seems to have gone caplooey. Well, it's still blowing air, but it's warm air. So hopefully hubs will have that fixed sometime this week. I need to get out in the yard to clean up some flower beds, but honestly, the heat is wearing me out. I can't exactly weed beds at 3am when it's finally cooled down to a frosty 90 degrees outside! Anything interesting going on with you this week? Before we know it, it will be time to pull out all of our fall decorations and start planting mums!

I'll be linking up with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality when she gets her "thrifty finds" post up later in the weekend. If you have anything to share, be sure to stop by her blog!

Here's the link...Join the fun on the Southern Hospitality blog! We're sharing our garage sale and thrifty finds!

Weekend roundup

2009-07-28T17:23:00.006-05:00

This last week and weekend I accomplished quite a bit, but nothing photo worthy. I made a "to do" list of things I wanted to get done in addition to my regular housework, and with the help of hubs on some projects, managed to finish them all. So I feel good about that. However, when I was going down my list, I noticed that my hubs, being the "funny" guy that he is, added something.

Do you see it? Mr. Smartypants. (do I tell him he put message instead of massage? ha!!)

I only went to two garage sales this weekend...one on my street, the other around the corner. I got hubs a new Krups espresso machine for $10, a new muffin tin for $1 and 3 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper for a quarter. That's it. Not too exciting. I just wasn't able to drag my bum out of bed to go to sales like I normally do.

I also helped my neighbors who live behind me paint their shed. I had no idea what I was getting into. I went over to say hello and managed to be put to work. That's ok. I don't mind...he's 77 and she's 66, and that's what neighbors are for after all. The funny thing is, it was about 9am, and when we got done with the shed, he offered me a beer. Then another. And another. (ha!) Since it was about a gazillion degrees outside in the Texas heat, a beer (or two or three) at 9am sounded good. ;) They also had an old heirloom tea rose bush that they said I could have if I dug it up. So I had hubs help with that, then we planted it out back in one of our flower beds. I hope it does well!

Their backyard is amazing. It's like a little resort. They are great gardeners and I love to just sit on their back patio and visit. They sent me home with some fresh veggies from their garden (okra, onions and eggplant) along with a few eggs from their chickens. Yes, chickens in the suburbs! They have a chicken coupe (coop?) built that's actually not bad on the eyes, so it doesn't seem out of place. Like I said, their yard is a little oasis. I'm sure they are breaking all sorts of city ordinances. :)

Tomorrow is my last watercolor class. I'm so sad! I've really enjoyed it, not only for the creative aspect, but also the socialization. They'll start up another one come September, and if I'm still not working yet, I think I may sign up for it.

I'm also thrilled that I won a blog giveaway recently! Cathe at Just Something I Made had a great giveaway that I managed to win! I had the choice of a few books, and while they all looked great, I chose 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse since it looks like it might be right up my alley! Thanks Cathe, I appreciate it! If you haven't been to her blog, go visit. She always has such great ideas and tutorials, and also features free downloads for art projects.

Also, Kelli tagged me in a fun little game. Please feel free to join in on your blog!

Here’s how it works: USE ONLY ONE WORD!
It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen
2. Your hair? rootsy
3. Your mother? crafty
4. Your father? tired
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? unknown
7. Your favorite drink? pepsi
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? art
11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
13. Where were you last night? Lowe's
14. Something that you aren’t? employed
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? floors
17. Where did you grow up? Austin
18. Last thing you did? laundry
19. What are you wearing? capris
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? barking
22. Friends? busy
23. Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? ok
25. Missing someone? hubs
26. Vehicle? dirty
27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? dunno
29. Your favorite color? depends
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? dunno
32. Your best friend? hubs
33. One place that I go to over and over? Caribbean
34. One person who emails me regularly? mother
35. Favorite place to eat? Aparicio's

Thrift store rehabs revealed

2009-07-22T18:44:00.009-05:00

We bought this house about 5 years ago and have slowly worked our way around the house redoing everything. Most of this was cosmetic, consisting of taking down wallpaper (kitchen and bathrooms), painting, redoing the floor, etc. We didn't get to the guest bath until about 2 or 3 years ago. We took down the wallpaper, pulled up not one but TWO layers of linoleum, smoothed out the walls, painted, put down ceramic tiles (hubs rocks) and changed out fixtures. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to put on the wall over the towel rack, so it's remained empty since that time. I thought about painting some canvases, but that never happened. I actually bought a piece of funky metal art at a Dallas art festival a year ago, but decided it didn't work for me in there.

Then last week I found these at the thrift store.

I loved them the minute I saw them. I knew I'd paint them silver....I could definitely see the potential. They reminded me of those retro midcentury modern starbursts from the 1960s (photos courtesy of etsy).

I originally thought I'd put them in the dining room, but tried them out in the guest bathroom and loved them there. (side note: I don't know why my wall colors always come out so funky on camera...the bathroom isn't apple green...the 2nd picture is more true to the actual color)

Not everyone's style, but I love a little funkiness in every room. Not bad for $4 thrift store find.

Remember this hideous gold mirror?

I love it now. It resides in our bedroom. (again, my wall color isn't Texas Longhorn orange..though I do love the Longhorns since I grew up in Austin :) , it's actually a pretty pumpkin color, though you wouldn't know it by these pictures!)

Then there's the $3 hook rack I found at Goodwill last week. This didn't need a rehab, it simply needed a lot of cajoling, prodding and begging for me to have hubs hang it up outside. It works out *perfectly* for hanging our towels by the pool! This eliminates the need to lay the towels on the ground, having ants crawl up in them and then doing an "ants in my pants" dance when drying off. Not that that's happened or anything. ;)

I feel like I've gotten quite a bit accomplished this week. My "to do" list is getting shorter. It feels good. But then I will have to make another "to do" list for next week. So the fun starts over again. :)

Patience and frugality pay off big time

2009-07-18T22:05:00.010-05:00

I'm so stoked I can hardly stand it! This week has been a great week for thrift stores and garage sales. I don't know what I did right this week, but it paid off. Yeah!

First, my BEST garage sale find EVER! I've been wanting a chimenea for years. But I could never justify spending $200-$300 for one, so I have waited patiently. Last night I was scouring Craigslist for local garage sales, and one of them had a chimenea listed. Even though I was dead tired, I got out of bed early, made a run for the coffee shop to get my chai tea latte and headed to that sale first. I had the address, and I had mapped it out. However when I got there, I didn't see any sign of life. There weren't any signs in front of the house, and I couldn't figure out how to get to their alley where the garage/driveway is located. I thought maybe I'd mistakenly written down the wrong address, so I started to leave the neighborhood, but decided to go back and park, walk into the alley and make sure I wasn't missing something. Sure enough, I found them. And the beautiful chimenea was sitting there. I asked the lady if it was still available, and she said yes. It was only $20! Twenty dollars people!!! I just about peed my pants. She said the only reason they were selling it was because they were having a built-in fire pit put in. Score for me! I walked back out front to get my SUV and pull around to load it in. When I pulled up out back, another couple of people were looking at it and asking her about it. So I got there in the nick of time! This fall we'll really enjoy sitting on the patio with a nice fire going.

At that same sale, I also got these cute pair of wedge sandals for a couple of bucks (LOVE wedges!). I don't think they've ever been worn. I also bought this adorable lamp for $2.

At another sale, I found these great leather boots for $2. I love the grommet detail at the top and on the toes. I don't think these had ever been worn either. I'm a boot junkie. Heck, I'm a shoe junkie, but I've noticed I have quite a "collection" of boots going on.

And lastly, I found this set of three ceramic jars. I don't know where I'm going to put them, but I set them temporarily on top of the chifferobe in the living room. I can't say that I love them there, but if they have a temporary home, Hubs won't complain as much. See, you have to be smarter than the average husband! ;)

Now, earlier in the week, I went to a couple of thrift stores because I needed to get out of the house. I found this brand new metal hook rack for $3. I plan on hanging it outside on the fence so we can use it to hang our pool towels.

These cool metal "things" were a dollar or two each. They remind me of those retro star bursts, don't you agree? I've painted them already and am just waiting for Hub's opinion on where to hang them. I'll show them next week, along with that ugly mirror rehab.

I found these fun denim espadrilles, a Union Bay long-sleeve shirt, a funky t-shirt and a cute Gap linen skirt. Not pictured is a pair of denim bermuda-length shorts, two gorgeous vintage rhinestone pins (one was $2, the other $4...I've seen these same kinds at antique stores for $30 each) and a $2 bag of beautiful shells to finish the wreath you all convinced me to make for my living room.

I've had a great thrifty week. The chimenea is my pride and joy though. I can't believe I found exactly what I was looking for, and at such a great price! Did you get any good deals with weekend? Do share! :)

Join the fun on the Southern Hospitality blog! We're sharing our garage sale and thrifty finds!

Recycle old pillows: no sew dog bed (or floor pillows for the kids)

2009-07-16T09:39:00.015-05:00

Remember the no sew fleece blankets that were all the range a few years ago (I still have mine and love them...the dogs even have smaller versions, too)? This project is a spin-off from those. Here's a great way to recycle some old pillows you may have, you know, the ones that are flat and have lost their shape. We all have them tucked away in a closet somewhere! I have to warn you, the pictures came out dark for some reason. I hope you can still see.

I started by throwing them in the washer and dryer to freshen them up and get them somewhat fluffy again.

Next, take a yard of fleece and fold it in half, cutting along the fold so you have two separate pieces. I'd have preferred to use brown fleece, but since this bed is for my 15-year old dachshund, and she's almost completely white now, I knew the brown wouldn't work as well because she sheds so much...I didn't want the bed to look like it had a fur coat on. ha!

Start by cutting a 4" square from each of the four corners.

Then cut 1" wide strips all the way around.

Once you've cut strips all the way around, begin tying knots from the back and front pieces. I doubled-knotted mine because I know my dogs will scratch and dig at the pillow to make it just the right degree of comfiness, but I'm sure a single knot would be fine, too.

Tie knots all the way around, leaving enough space to stuff your pillows inside. You have two options at this point. You can leave the knots showing on the outside. This looks nice, like fringe. Or, you can turn the fleece inside out so the knots are on the inside, then stuff your pillows. Knot the remaining strips, and tuck inside (if you aren't leaving fringe on the outside).

{Join the DIY party and share your latest projects at Kimba's!}

Quick and easy accent pillows

2009-07-14T16:46:00.018-05:00

Here's a project that will take maybe a half hour from start to finish. Longer if you are like me and do a lot of it in front of Law and Order. ;) If you can sew a straight line, you can do this.

I've seen this done many times over the years on tv and in magazines and always meant to try it, but never got around to it (you know how that goes, don't you?!). I was browsing the other day and saw it done most recently here. I've been wanting to make little lumbar shaped pillows for my kitchen chairs for, oh, I don't know, the last 4 or 5 years or so. When I saw this idea yet again, I knew it was the answer. Quick, easy and cheap.

I bought 4 place mats for $1.78/each at the W when grocery shopping last night. I love the woven cotton fabric for it's texture and durability. And the colors are bright and cheery, perfect for my kitchen.

I did mine slightly differently than Sarah did hers, though, but it's still very simple. Unlike Sarah's, my place mats are not doubled sided. No problem. I simply folded them in half (right sides facing each other) and sewed up the 3 open sides (leaving enough space on one side to turn the pillows right-side-out and stuff with fiberfill).

But before turning right-side-out, be sure to clip the extra fabric from the corners so the shape will be more natural. So far, this whole process has taken *maybe* a minute or two, tops.

Next, stuff the pillow. Here's a little tip: if you have a difficult time reaching down into the corners to stuff the pillow, use a skewer to push the filling down where you want it. Afterward, I just stitched up the hole using a basic "over and through" stitch.

And that's all there is to it!

{Join the DIY party and share your latest projects at Kimba's!}

Good week for bargains

2009-07-12T16:50:00.011-05:00

Garage sales really stunk this weekend, but I stopped by one of my favorite thrift stores and was so excited to find some vintage Pyrex! I have my late grandmother's Pyrex mixing bowls, and I use them all of the time. Those are a set of solid color bowls, each bowl being a different color. I love Pyrex. It's so sturdy and never goes out of style. I love all of the vintage patterns. A few years back I added to the set. Antique stores around here price them pretty high. I was excited to find these two finds:

Butterprint mixing bowl $2

And a Golden Tulip casserole dish for $1.50.

It still had the price sticker on it from an antique store.

While at that same store, I also found this hideous gold mirror. It was $4. More than I'd normally pay for a tiny thrift store mirror, but I liked the shape and saw the potential, so I got it. I painted it, and it's out back drying.

I also ran by Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies for another project, and saw these cute items in the 66% off aisle. A metal "Old Glory" sign, some glittered metal flag plant stakes and a wooden flag. I think they cost about $8 total. Now the only problem is remembering next year that I have them. ha!! I always do that...buy something at the end of season on sale, pack it away and then forget that I have it. Oh well.

Any good bargains for you this weekend? Join the fun on the Southern Hospitality blog! We're sharing our garage sale and thrifty finds!

Before and after: antique nightstand

2009-07-10T17:25:00.008-05:00

There's nothing better than finding a great project in the making, especially when it's unexpected and cheap. Several months back, hubs and I went for a drive one afternoon. We ended up at a junk/antique store in a small town. I happened to see this cute little nightstand in the back of the store covered up with lots of stuff. I liked the size and shape of it. It needed a lot of TLC, but it still appealed to me. But I didn't know what I'd do with it. I'm really out of space for furniture pieces. The price tag said $12. Sold. For that price, I'd find a place for it. When I told the shop owner I wanted it, she said I could have it for $5.

After sitting in the garage for a month or two, I brought it outside, gave it a good wipe down and sanding, then painted it a light cream color. The top of the table has a leather inlay with some gold design, but unfortunately, whoever owned this piece before me decided to STAIN THE LEATHER when they were refinishing the piece. Sinful! I thought about just painting over it, but decided to leave it as is. If I change my mind, I can paint over it later. Hubs tried to strip the stain from the leather, but it just didn't work.

The original handles on the drawer were broken, and they really weren't my style anyway. I suppose handle sizes have changed over the years because I haven't been able to find any new ones to fit the hole sizes. And I really don't feel like patching the holes and drilling new ones. Too much effort for a $5 table. So instead I found 4 cute ceramic knobs at Hobby Lobby (at 50% off) and I think they look great!

We decided to use this as a TV stand in the bedroom (I know! a TV in the bedroom!). It's a lot cuter than what we were using before.

Whatcha think? Nothing special or fancy, but I love how it looks now.

House funk

2009-07-07T20:53:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again. Everyone is lightening and brightening up their homes for the summer. And, as usual, I'm stuck for ideas.

My house is mainly earth tones. I love earth tones. I'm also not one to change out every piece of decor for the seasons. I like to add a few things here and there, but I don't change out my drapes or my rugs or my bedding. I just don't have the time, the extra cash or desire to do all of that. So, I feel stagnant on what I can do to summer things up in here. Because I have a lot of dark, rich, earthy colors, it seems silly to throw in a shell here or a flower there and hope it looks summery, you know? I think maybe I just need fresh eyes to look in and help out. Those eyes being yours!

Any grand, superb, smart ideas? :) I guess I could make pillow covers for the couch pillows. I hate that fabric anyway. I'm just stuck in a rut.

An ode to the ever-elusive sundress

2009-06-25T15:40:00.009-05:00

I don't know about you, but I have a heck of a time finding dresses. Not only am I short (5 ft) but I'm also short-waisted. And. AND! I have what's commonly known as the "J-Lo booty." I'd like to find a dress that doesn't make my butt look like a fabric shelf. It's torture trying to find a dress that's not only cute, but looks halfway decent on me. And without looking like I'm trying to be 14 again.

I generally have to shop in either the juniors dept or the petites. There's a downside to both. The juniors stuff is cute. I like cute. But almost everything has some sort of sparkle, glitter, ruffle, teenage saying or some other sort of curly-Q-rhinestone-whatchadoodle on it. And the petites...most of the time I find things with high waists, or worse yet, elastic waists. Or the pieces just look too old. I think the fashion gurus are really missing a mark here...the "I'm not a teen, but I'm not yet in a nursing home" crowd. Yep, that's me.

A few weeks ago I went to every store known to man to try to find a dress for my cousin's wedding. I just wanted something simple. A cute little sundress that I could wear with a cardigan. I couldn't find anything. Anywhere! After looking at high-end stores, low-end stores and everything in between, I finally found a cute little dress, at Burlington Coat Factory of all places. Let me say this. I've never been in a BCF before. And I doubt I'll ever go again. It was the nastiest, dirtiest, most unorganized store I've ever set foot in. However, due to my desperation, I did find a dress, and miracle of all miracles, it was on sale for $15. Good bargain aside, I felt like I needed to bathe when I left the store. Even the dressing rooms were covered in gum, and the doors were barely hanging on the hinges. *shudder* I think I literally said "ew!" out loud when I walked in to try on the dress.

I think it's cute. I wore it with a white shrug. I also have a black shrug and a coral shrug that would look great with it as well. Versatile. That's what I like.

So today I happened upon another cute summer dress at Walmart of all places. I'm not a fan of Walmart. In fact, hubs and I boycotted the W for probably 8 years, but I'll spare you the long story. Anyway, my favorite pool float had a hole in it, so I went up there a little while ago to get another float. And soy milk. I happened to pass by the clothing area and saw the ca-utest dresses! Who knew?! At Walmart! I found this one and tried it on. It actually looked really cute on me! Miracle! I love these flowy sundresses. They can hide a multitude of issues (JLo booty, menstrual bloat, anything!)...The one I really wanted was orange (one of my fave colors!), brown and white. But they didn't have it in my size. My second choice was this pink, white and black one.

I love that it's a halter dress. I love that it fits. I love the pattern. Girly without being too girly.

The best part...

I think it would look cute with a pair of sandals. Or, my black and white Lucchese cowboy boots for when we go honky-tonking (aka hub's gigs).

So today I feel victorious. I love you, sundress.

I need your opinion

2009-06-19T10:28:00.007-05:00

I'm out of ideas, so I need yours. :)

I have this glass candy dish (?) on a pedestal that my mother recently gave me. It was my grandmother's. She received it as a wedding present a gazillion years ago. At some point over the years, she broke the lid. I've been wanting this piece for a very long time, and finally wore my mother down and was able to get her to give it to me. ;) She doesn't part with family heirlooms often. So I'm happy to have this (though I still have my eye on my great-grandmother's cookie jar..my mom said I can have it once she dies...*rolling my eyes* ha).

So here's the problem...I don't know what to do with it anymore. During the Christmas season, it looks fantastic with colored glass balls. At one point, mom filled it with colored water and floating candles and used it as a centerpiece. But I'm stumped for ideas on what to put in it for every day use. It's very special to me, and I don't want to pack it up and pull it out only on special occasions. I want to display it every day. I currently have it on my kitchen table, though I had to put it on a wood table to take the pictures so you could see it. Everything I've tried with it just doesn't seem to work for me...seems too mundane, not quite special enough. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

And a little change with my garage sale candlesticks. I decided to use only green on them, and I wrapped the beaded garland around the candles instead of having it dangle. Hubs said he likes this better. And for him to say anything at all is highly unusual. He really doesn't care what I do with the decor. ha

Spent the morning walking around the square with hubs and Cissy, drinking coffee/tea from our favorite little coffee shop. Stopped by only one garage sale and found a pretty necklace and matching earrings ($2). Been home for about an hour. And it's only 10:30am. I've got a few errands to run, then some jewelry pieces I want to make. I'm hoping to squeeze a nap in somewhere. Also hoping to hit some g-sales tomorrow. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

Garage sale - before/after projects

2009-06-16T10:18:00.008-05:00

This weekend we saw that a neighbor was having a garage sale, so we stopped by to see if they had anything I couldn't live without. I found a couple of things...both are things that I'd been searching high and low for, but never wanted to pay full price. Patience paid off.

First I found this set of nesting wrought iron outdoor side tables. Aren't they cute? They match my patio furniture PERFECTLY. And at $10, I couldn't leave them behind. However, they were the wrong color and the paint was a bit rusted.

After a little bit of black spray paint, they now are the perfect partner to my patio furniture! (the morning light is not great for these pictures, but you'll get an idea of how they look)

I've also been on the hunt for a pair of chunky funky candlesticks. This is something that can be very pricey, and because I'm frugal, I haven't wanted to pay full price. Besides, I change my mind on decor so often, it doesn't make sense for me to pay full price for anything. And because I worked in advertising for so many years for a major retailer, I saw the enormous amount of mark-ups that were given, I just can't bring myself to pay for anything at full price EVER. ;)

So that same garage sale had this pair of chunky funky candlesticks that I've been dreaming of. They were a really tacky gold/brass/patina color. I love a nice patina as much as the next girl, but I am not much into the gold/brass look. At $4, these were a steal. It would have been a sin to leave them behind!

I couldn't decide if I wanted to paint them black or brushed nickel, but since I had the black paint already out for the tables, I just went ahead and painted them black. I also bought two pillar candles for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. Then I added these really funky beaded garlands. I've been saving these for a long time, just waiting for the right project.

Unfortunately, the pictures aren't great. The lighting in my house is terrible for picture taking. I wish I could get a good picture of these, because they turned out really cute.

I found the garlands in Salado, TX at one of the many cute shops. They were only $6.50 a strand. I bought one green, one "topaz" and one pearl. I decided to save the pearl for another project. Those shops in Salado have these in every color imaginable, and they use them in such cool ways. They string them on anything you can think of. The best way I saw was on a chandelier. I wish I'd gotten a picture of it to show you all. Here in my town, I did see a couple of strands of these garlands at a boutique on the square, but they only had one or two color choices, and they were $14 each! Insane!

I'm pretty pleased. I wish the photos would do them justice. But then I never claimed to be a photographer. ;)

Do you ever have days where you just don't want to get out of bed?

2009-06-13T15:25:00.007-05:00

Saturday morning ramblings...

Most days I'm feeling good. I feel blessed. God has truly taken care of us during these times where so many people are having struggles with finances, health and more. And I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I am grateful. I'm so very thankful to the Lord for watching out for us, keeping us under His wing. But sometimes I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I don't know what is in the future. For the first time in my life, I don't have a plan of action, a goal. And it's scary! The thought of going back to a corporate environment is so unappealing. I've been there and done that. I just want a simple life. My goal isn't (and never has been) to shoot up the corporate ladder. All I ever wanted was to do what I enjoy and be happy. However, after six months of being at home, I'm not quite sure what that is anymore. I've lost quite a bit of confidence in my abilities. Ideally, I'd love to find something creative that I could do from home, however, those opportunities seem to be few and far between, as are "regular" opportunities for that matter. I wish I didn't have this burden that I put on myself. I can't seem to find the motivation to do things I enjoy much less things I need to do because I'm a responsible adult. I don't know how to light my fire. So many other things I'd hoped for that can't or won't ever happen. But through it all, I still try to remain thankful. Sometimes I find it difficult not to be angry. I'm human, I can't help it. Then I try to remember that God is near, and His plan is better than any other I could have for myself. I just wish I had a little bit of guidance to show me the way...

Latest weekend garage sale finds

2009-06-01T16:19:00.010-05:00

Well, this weekend I went to a few sales with Cissy the garage-sale-loving rat terrier. She loves going to sales, but never seems to buy anything. Hubs had been out of town, so he stayed home and slept in.

I saw lots of really good things, but not much in the way of what I needed/wanted. I did manage to pick up a couple of things.

Technically, this isn't a garage sale or thrift store find, but I did get it for a good price, so I consider it a thrifty deal. I collect vintage stained glass windows. I don't know why. I just love 'em. I hang them in my windows around the house. I'm starting to run out of windows to hang them in! :) I found this one at a local antique store. I thought the design was so sweet. I even ignored the fact that there's a crack in one of the clear pieces of glass. It's from England. Since it did have a crack, I asked for a discount and got it. Usually, around here, these windows for for $90+, even with cracks. I got it for $32. For that price, the crack doesn't bother me that much. It's character.

Here's a canvas I found for $2 that I plan on recycling. If I'd bought a canvas this size for new at the store, it would have been at least $20. See, it's even already sitting on my crafting table, ready for some gesso and paint! :)

I found these really cool iron things...I assume they are drink holders, but could also be used for candle holders. She had 10 of them, but I only bought 5. They were $1 each. I stuck them in the Indian Hawthorne for the time being.

For $1 I found this wood/metal frame. I'm going to put it on the patio with a little pot filled with trailing flowers or ivy. Cute! (See my new glider? I've been on the hunt for one of those for several summers and have never been willing to pay the price. Found one this year for a good deal. Love it!)

And lastly, two metal plate/picture frame holders and a sweet little basket. Each was a quarter. I'm going to take the checked bow off the basket and put something more "me" on it, then hang it by the garage door and use for extra sets of keys. I also found a set of king sheets, but no pic.

Did you find any good deals this weekend? Join the fun on the Southern Hospitality blog! We're sharing our garage sale/thrifting finds!

This crazy busy life

2009-05-28T08:48:00.008-05:00

It's shameful, I've totally neglected my blog and blog friends lately. :( The last couple of weeks have been a world wind. First we had the Kenny Chesney make-up concert (it ROCKED!! He played for over 3 hours!...more on that later), my cousin's out of town wedding, my parents in town, my grandma and aunt in town, my inlaws in town, a summer cold and a found stray dog. Whew. I'm beat.

I had a great time seeing my grandma! She lives in Indiana and hates to fly, so we don't get to visit very often. She and one of my aunts flew down for my cousin's wedding. The wedding was about 3 hours away, so afterward, grandma and aunt came back to my house with my parents and spent the night. We had a lot of fun visiting!

Isn't my grandma cute?!

It was nice to spend time with the parents, too. Unfortunately, hubs couldn't make it to the wedding. He was on the road with out of town gigs.

Last weekend, while walking our dogs, my hubs found a little tiny scruffy poodle or bichon (or one of those types of breeds) running around the road, nearly getting hit by a few cars in the morning school traffic. He ran back to the house, told me to get my shoes on, and off we went. We were finally able to catch her. She had no collar, no tags and is not microchipped. Ugh! Cripes! I always find the dogs with no obvious sign of a home. Though she's definitely someone's pet. Though she's dirty from being outside, she's been groomed recently (short nails and hair) and is housebroken. I think she's been someone's little lap dog. She only has one tooth, and because she looks like a little blue-hair lady who forgot to put her teeth in, I've nicknamed her Hazel. She's sweet as can be, but she obviously is missing her family. She paces the house and cries. We've put up signs in the neighborhood and I've posted to several "lost and found" pet websites, but nothing. I'm hoping someone we know may want her, or hopefully a rescue friend can help (because I've definitely helped a lot of folks over the years...I may need to call in a favor!).

We had a round of storms the other night with some crazy lightning. I tried to get a couple of pictures, but it was difficult to get the lightning. Here's a couple before and during. You'll probably have to click on the pictures to really be able to see the lightning. The sky looks creepy over the house across the street!

I've been working on a couple of projects that I intend on showing you in a couple of days. One is a before/after and the other is a project using antique glass flower frogs.

Hubs and I went down to the square yesterday morning for coffee/tea and strolling. While down there, we passed one of the art galleries and found out they are having a watercolor class coming up soon. I am thinking of signing up for it. Anyone ever do watercolor? Is it enjoyable? I usually do "funky" type art, but I'm itching for something to do and think this may be nice.

Also, my beloved flat iron died a horrible death the other day, and I am needing to buy a new one, quick! I got the Solia last time because not only did it get better reviews than the Chi, but when you purchased the pink one, a portion of the $ went to breast cancer research, and I'm all about that. However, I'm wondering if I should go for the Chi this time, just to see if it works. The Solia was AWESOME. It worked wonderfully for over 2 years. I used it nearly every day. My stylist has the Chi, and it really does wonders on my hair too, but I've read the Chi shorts out and breaks down after a year for a lot of people. Opinions?

Also, if you've stopped by and left comments on my last few blog posts, I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to get back to you and comment on your blog. As you can see, things have been nuts and I'm trying to get back into my blog groove. I really appreciate you stopping by and visiting! Thank you! {much love}

Thank you

2009-05-25T09:51:00.003-05:00

To all of the men and women who have and are currently serving. I pray for your safety and quick return every day.

Chalkboard paint project (thrift store rehab)

2009-05-08T21:02:00.005-05:00

I scrambled to get my project done for Chrissie's Chalkboard Paint Party. And I do mean scrambled. Our weather has been really ugly lately, so I haven't been able to get outside to paint.

I had found this really blah plaque at the Goodwill.

It was simply a matter of peeling off the paper that was glued to the front, sanding off all the sticky residue and painting.

Eh, I'm not too thrilled with how it turned out. It looked much better in my mind's eye. That seems to happen a lot! I'll probably rehab this rehab eventually.

If you want to join the party, visit Chrissie's blog and see what cute projects all of these other creative gals have come up with. Mine really pales in comparison. I just don't have the knack for this one. But I had fun!

Chalkboard Paint Party

2009-05-08T13:56:00.007-05:00

Chrissie is having a party today! My project isn't finished yet, so I'll have to link up with it tomorrow. However, please go over and show everyone your creations using chalkboard paint!

Happy Friday!

Caption this....

2009-05-06T18:00:00.003-05:00

Thought this might be fun! Think of a caption for this photo and leave it in my comments. :) I love seeing everyone's sense of humor!

{Super soaked} at Kenny Chesney concert, but fun! *edited to add photos

2009-05-04T21:05:00.002-05:00

You have to hear how this went!

Holy moly, Saturday was unbelievable! My two girlfriends and I went to the KC concert in Frisco, TX. The venue is an outdoor soccer stadium. The weather was absolutely insane! I swear it was like a monsoon! Rain, thunder, lightning. But everyone was having such a good time!

I went two years ago and we had torrential rain as well, but no lightning. Last year, it was sunny and warm. This year...hurricane like weather. ;)

We sat in the rain and lightning, dressed in our tres chic ponchos, for about 4 hours. We saw Lady Antebellum (they rocked!...seriously, for a fairly new band, they were awesome live) and Miranda Lambert. She was excellent. Unfortunately, Sugarland canceled due to laryngitis.

Kenny got through about 5 songs and left the stage because of the lightning. All evening folks were using huge squeegies to clear the water off the stage. Then, over the loud speaker, the announcer said "we'll be back in 30 days for a reduced price ticket." What? Bummer!

Honestly, I can understand the safety issues because of the amount of electrical equipment they have up there. And an official statement said the integrity of the stage was threatened. However, if the show had gone on, everyone would have stayed. Despite the awful weather, it was still a blast.

Then today, on KC's website and on local stations (he himself called in)...we were told he'll be back in 2 weeks and everyone who had a ticket gets in free. Yay, I think it's awesome he's doing that, because he doesn't have to. It's the right thing to do by his fans, and I'm so glad he's doing it!

I just wonder how they'll work it out...the rain was so bad, many people's tickets were reduced to piles of wet mush. Fortunately, we still have ours. My friend had thrown hers away, but I dug in my trash and found it. Ha! The show will be general admission. That kind of stinks, because I know some folks paid big bucks for good seats, but I guess that's really the only way to do it logistically.

Here are a couple of pictures I found from the radio station website. KC was awesome...he came out and sang in the rain. Love that he was out there just like us. What a cool guy.

Look at that rain!

Yeah, I guess we're pretty crazy to stay out there, but it was fun! We were living in the moment and having a party. Loved it!

Here's a short clip from the last song he performed before running off stage. You'll see it lightning several times, and when it does, you can see how hard it was raining. But nobody cared! :)

Found on youtube:

Here's a really good one before the rain started up again..new single "Out Last Night". (from youtube)

And another! (from youtube)

I am so stoked that he's coming back to do right by us! Yay!

Here's a few of my pics. I didn't take my good camera because of the rain, so pics aren't great.

Before the show...

"Beer tent" a.k.a. waxed paper from pretzel used to cover beer so it wouldn't get filled with rain water. Genius, don't you think? ;)

Totally soaked to the bone!

Concert banner (it's tradition for me to get a pic of it every year)

KC

Weekend garage sale scores and being drenched at an outdoor concert

2009-05-04T08:59:00.011-05:00

This weekend I only hit one sale, but it was a big one. One of the schmancy neighborhoods in town was having their semi-annual garage sale. The prices were pretty decent, too. The neighborhood's lady's association puts it on every year. Each person selling rents a parking spot in a church's parking lot, so the sale is sort of flea market style. It costs $1 to shop (the money goes to charity).

The sale started at 8am. I got there around 8:15 and all of the parking lots were full. Police were directing traffic to a nearby school. Yes, that's how insane this was!

On to the loot...(bad pics, but you'll get the idea)...

Wooden tray for $1. In fact, as I was carrying it around to other booths, several ladies commented that they wished they'd seen it. :)

A plate/picture frame easel for $1. And I just bought one the night before at Michael's for $8. Doh! But I use these all over the house, so it will be put to good use. Also a little green metal "vase." I don't care for the flowers in it. Those will come out. But I really like the little vase. It's so sweet.

Plate stand. You can tell it used to be black and someone spray painted it white. I bet she's a blogger. ;) $3. I may paint it black again. We'll see. I will definitely be taking off those Christmas berries though.

A metal plant trellis for $1. Yay! It's not as big as I was needing for my jasmine plant, but I'll work it in somewhere else in the garden.

Metal (and very heavy) birdbath for $3. I am planning on using it inside, maybe in the bathroom with soaps in it.

A wood/grapevine doo-hickey. I think it will look cute on my fence outside, perhaps with some vines growing on it. $1.

And finally, a really cute pink corduroy American Eagle jacket for $1.

There were so many really cute things out there, lots of decor, furniture, clothes, baby stuff, everything. But I'm trying to only buy things that I know I'll have a specific purpose for in the house/yard.

Join the fun on the Southern Hospitality blog! We're sharing our garage sale finds!

And in the next couple of days, I'll have to tell you the story about Saturday night's outdoor Kenny Chesney concert in which we all sat in the rain and lightening for over 4 hours. Then partway through the show, it was canceled. Will post pics, too!

Artsy fartsy

2009-04-29T16:22:00.007-05:00

Ever since I was a child, I've enjoying doing art through many mediums...sewing, painting, clay, beading, etc. I took art classes in elementary, junior high and high school, and continued on in college. During the summer, I'd take the bus to the fabric shop and take a sewing class where we made hideous shorts and laundry bags. Even now as an adult, I really enjoy taking classes at bead shops, art stores and online. A couple of years ago I went to an art retreat and had a blast. I think it's good for my soul.

I was thinking the other day how it's been quite a while since I picked up a paint brush, plugged in the sewing machine or beaded a bracelet. And honestly, it makes me sad. I've been blaming my lack of interest on the fact that my craft room is such a disaster that I just can't go in there and create anything. I think that's true to some extent.

I think I enjoyed making arts and crafts more so when I was working, because it was a good creative outlet for me, a stress reliever after a long day at work. Now that I'm on "temporary hiatus" from the corporate world, I haven't really done a thing. It's kind of funny how you manage to get a heck of a lot more done when you are busy than when you aren't. That's true for me lately.

I've also noticed I go through stages. I'll be in an art making frenzy for a month or so, then won't touch it again for 6 months. I need to change that.

So in an attempt to motivate myself, I pulled out a few collages I made the last few years. I think when I feel the texture of the papers and see the bright colors of the paint, it starts to renew my love again. And I get excited. I thought I'd share a few of my funky, whimsical pieces with you. I think seeing them up on my blog will help to spark my interest again, if that makes sense. Because really, I have all the time in the world now, and there's no excuse not to use this time to do something productive, right? :)

Edited to add this little ray of sunshine from one of my posts from last fall: the proof is in the pudding as they say! ;)

Lots of sales, not much loot

2009-04-26T20:53:00.009-05:00

I was so anticipating this weekend. Several neighborhoods around town were having community garage sales. I went on both Friday and Saturday. But there just didn't seem too much out there, at least not for me. Tons of kids things, so people who were searching for those items scored big.

I've been looking for an old iron fence piece to use as a trellis in my flower bed. Every antique store I've been to has them priced ridiculously high, as in $100-$150 minimum for small pieces. So imagine my excitement when I saw this baby at one of the last sales I stopped at on Friday.

{LOVE!}

It was sitting off to the side leaning against a fence, so I wasn't sure if it was even for sale. It didn't have a price tag on it. I walked up to the lady ans asked her if she was selling it, and she said yes. She told me she'd bought it for $100 and wouldn't go any less than $50. So hubs and I were discussing it, trying to figure out where to put it and she said "It's a great piece, I won't go any lower than $40." ha! She haggled herself down $10. Love when that happens!

So we snatched that puppy up. Too bad we hadn't taken my Xterra that day. It was out of gas, so we took hub's car. Big mistake. Moral of the story: never take a car to a garage sale, because that's the day you'll find something huge you want to buy. This baby is just shy of 7 ft. long. Now picture in your mind the two of us trying to fit it into the car. Hilarious! We finally managed to put it in the trunk, but at least half of it was hanging out. We didn't have any rope (another big mistake), so the trunk lid was left open. About a mile down the road we hear a loud CRASH. Oh %&$#^!! I looked out the side mirror expecting it to be laying in the road or hitting the car behind us. Luckily, the loud crash was just the lid falling down.

I'm not sure where I'll put it. But I'd like to plant some morning glories or jasmine against it. Wouldn't that be cute?

I found this little metal watering can for 50 cents. I think it will be cute planted with petunias.

I also got a red vase for my neighbor (I got her addicted to making those glass garden totems, and she's been on the hunt for red glass pieces) and a bowling ball. What, a bowling ball you ask? Yes, for a future garden project. Stay tuned for that!

Join the fun on the Southern Hospitality blog! We're sharing our garage sale finds!

Also, a great arty giveaway at Lindsay's blog, check it out.

Happy Earth Day! A few simple ways an every day person like yourself can help to save the planet and your hard-earned $$

2009-04-22T07:15:00.010-05:00

My hubs and I have had the motto of "repurpose, reuse, recycle" for a long time. It's just a way of life for us. And it's not difficult at all. Here are a couple of ideas that will not only help the planet, but will also help your pocketbook.

Reusable grocery sacks. You can purchase them at many stores these days. Or better yet, use leftover fabric and make your own! My mother made me 10 of these. They are huge. And bonus: because they are fabric, you can really load those babies down. They take a lot of abuse and won't split like paper or plastic.

Rain barrel. I have seen them for sale online and in gardening catalogs for $100+ and the cost of shipping. Nope, not for this girl. Hubs found a local ag/feed store that sells 55 gallon drums for next to nothing (though you might be able to find them on freecycle or craigslist). The spigot was purchased for next to nothing as well from Lowe's. The barrel was bright blue, so we painted it a color that was close to our brick color for camo purposes. And to dress it up even more, we put faux lattice around it and plated honeysuckle. Eventually, the honeysuckle vines will grow up and around the lattice. The result: looks pretty, smells good and more importantly, free water!

And how much free water can you get? He's some info from ecologyactioncenter.org "For every inch of rain that falls on a catchment area of 1,000 square feet, you can expect to collect approximately 600 gallons of rainwater. Ten inches of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot catchment area will generate about 6,000 gallons of rainwater!" I can attest to this. After one rain, our barrel is full. It doesn't take long at all. And I've been watering my plants for FREE ever since.

Compost. It's so easy to recycle food and yard waste! You wouldn't believe how much healthier our outside plantings are since using our own compost. Why throw all of your yard and kitchen waste away when it can be used to keep your plants healthy? It also saves you money because you won't have to purchase this organic gold at the store.

You can find compost bins online, but like rain barrels, they are expensive. We built our own with leftover lumber from when we torn down our old fence (one less thing in the landfill!). It's on the side of the house near the garage. It's not fancy, but it works, and it was free. We cover it with a black trash bag, so in essence, it's "cooking" the compost, making it turn faster.

A healthy compost has one part green matter (i.e. fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, old flowers and garden prunings) to three parts brown matter (i.e. dry leaves, shredded brown paper, coffee grounds, egg shells and straw). I never really balance it out. I just throw whatever I have in there, and it works. However, never compost eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, mayonnaise or processed foods.

You can also just use coffee grounds in your garden as is. I pour Hub's used ground around my azalea bushes, and they've never been healthier. Compost can be used inside pots and holes dug for plants, but it can also be used as mulch.

Thrift stores. We must not forget thrifting! It's the ultimate in repurpose, reuse, recycle! I know most of you girls out there already know that. ;)

I hope everyone realizes how easy these few things are, and how much money you can save by doing so! It helps the planet, and it helps your wallet!

This little light of mine...

2009-04-20T18:43:00.005-05:00

I'm gonna let it shine!

Remember this little garage sale lamp from last week? I bought her to go on our foyer table because she is just short enough to fit under my black and white picture grouping.

She was cute as-is, but just a little too country for this girl's style.

So she got a make over yesterday.

Now she's brushed nickel with a red shade (which matches the red in the dining room (which is adjacent to the foyer) and the red in our couches. I may add some fringe or something to the shade later so that it hangs over that white bulb holder part, but we'll see.

Oh how I love her so!

i am second.

2009-04-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

i am second.

Beautiful, moving, powerful testimonials about Jesus. Watch videos from people you may recognize and others you may not.

Are you second?

Latest thrift store/garage sale deals

2009-04-16T11:21:00.010-05:00

Hubs and I have started a little tradition. We'll get up early on Friday morning, grab a coffee and chai tea latte and hit the garage sales. I used to always wonder why people had garage sales on Fridays, because I figured most people were working. Now that I'm on "forced vacation," I see the beauty of a Friday garage sale. We can get in there early and have first pick of all of the goodies before the working folk have a chance on Saturday! ;)

A few months back I'd found a chandelier at a thrift store for the kitchen. I've been really needing a new one for the dining room since it has the ugly builder chandelier up there..you know, that ugly faux brass number. This past Friday I found one! It was the last sale we stopped at for the morning. This lady had an awesome Pottery Barn chandelier that I knew would be perfect...not too fussy, very simple and straight-forward. She was asking $25, which you know, is a great deal for a PB chandelier (or any chandelier, really). Since we'd been to other sales that morning, we only had $21 left in cash. She took it. Yay!

I may or may not change the shades. I'll have to see what I think once it's hung up. They are currently a beige fabric. The chandelier also has removable crystals. I don't think I'll leave them on year-round, because my style is more casual, but I'll definitely put them on during the holidays. Do you think they'd look too fussy year-round?

That same day, I found the perfect little lamp to go on my foyer table. I've been having such a hard time finding something short enough. I have a grouping of black and white photos on that wall, and every lamp I tried covered up some of the photos. It's very cute as-is, but it's a little too country for my style. I'm planning on painting it silver and putting a dark red or black shade on it.

Yesterday I went to the Salvation Army thrift store. They always have nice things, and the store is very organized and clean. Wednesdays are half-price clothing days, but they also had half-price shoes. I scored this pair of adorable chocolate brown suede-like wedge boots. They looked brand new to me. I'm just afraid that come next fall when it's boot season again, wedges will be out of style. I hope not!

I have also been on the hunt for a basket or tray for my foyer table for a long time now. I just haven't found anything that I liked enough. Until yesterday. I found this little gem at the Salvation Army as well. The handles are wrought iron and it's nice solid wood. How cool is this?! I just need to clean it up and it's ready to go. I can't believe someone donated this. I could think of a zillion places to put it in my house! I guess some people don't have a vision. Or maybe they just have too much stuff. All I know is that their loss is my gain. :)

Hubs won't be able to join me tomorrow, but I think I'll still hit the Friday sales. Who knows what treasures are out there this week!

I impressed myself

2009-03-31T08:30:00.007-05:00

Seriously, I did. And you should be too! This is quite a feat for me. It all began when I saw this recipe in the Kraft Food and Family magazine.

It's for a seriously yummy lemon cake. The recipe calls for a lemon cake mix, 2 boxes of lemon pudding and cool whip. When I went to the store, I could not find a lemon cake mix. Apparently they didn't have any in stock...? So, like a true chef, I improvised! I bought a white cake mix. Aren't you already impressed with my mad skills?

The cake was actually pretty easy to make. It's just two round cakes with lemon pudding filling and cool whip (fat-free) instead of icing. It actually turned out really tasty! I think if I'd had a lemon cake mix, it would have been better, but it was tasty nonetheless.

But nobody said tasty had to be pretty.

I guess I need to work on my icing skills. Yikes. Hubs really liked it though, so it passed the test. I love lemon. It reminds me of spring and summer. Do you have any favorite summer recipes?

Oh! And my beautiful blog friend Brandi gave me this sweet award! Hers was one of the first blogs I started following. I just love her awesome attitude! She's a doll! I have met some wonderful gals through blogging. I just wish I could meet some women half as nice as you in the "real world." Y'all are awesome. Thank you Brandi!

A fine day

2009-03-26T19:36:00.007-05:00

Hubs' band played at the Texas Music Revolution at Southfork Ranch last weekend. We had a great time. His band was the only one that received an encore! I'm so proud of him. It was cool to see thousands of people in the crowd singing along with the songs and cheering the guys on. Everywhere I went, people were walking around wearing the band's t-shirts. It was awesome!

We also got to walk around the ranch and see the horses. I've been out to Southfork before, as my company Christmas party used to be held out there. It's a beautiful place.

Here's a little fun fact to bore your friends. Many people don't realize, the scene from the TV show Dallas that shows the ranch and the house from the air during the opening credits is actually NOT the real Southfork Ranch. It's actually Brinkman Ranch, which is about 30 minutes to the west of Southfork. I used to drive past Brinkman to and from work every day. They have a fake "skeleton" of a house that was built purely for the opening credits of the show. When you drive by, you can see that it's an open steel structure with a roof. This is because at the time, Brinkman Ranch was more rural and had less development around it, providing the huge expanse of land for the shot. The real Southfork Ranch has several buildings that are used for parties, weddings, etc. and has neighborhoods all around it. The actual property is very beautiful though.

And now you know! :)

Introducing Cinnamon

2009-03-21T16:25:00.008-05:00

This week, we have a temporary foster dog. I received an email on Tuesday from an animal rescue acquaintance of mine. She is a coordinator for a dachshund rescue. There was a doxie in a local shelter who was going to be euthanized due to lack of room at the shelter (as is always the case). This acquaintance of mine didn't have room herself (she has several dogs of her own along with several fosters). But she had a lady with a rescue in Abilene who had room. The catch was that the lady in Abilene couldn't get her until Monday. So I was asked if I could pull the dog and foster her until Monday.

Introducing Cinnamon.

Isn't she cute?! This little gal is one of the sweetest we've had come through here. She's very calm and sweet. She gets along famously with my dogs (which isn't always easy...my dogs aren't very accepting of new ones). She appears to be housebroken and has perfect house manners. She walks very well on the leash and loves to cuddle. She loves men, women, children and other animals. She's really the perfect dog. Someone will be lucky to have her.

She was an owner surrender. Animal Control told me that her owners claimed she escaped, and decided they didn't want to deal with it anymore. 1) I can't imagine that she escapes, because she's our shadow, has to follow us everywhere. Many times people will lie and come up with stupid excuses when surrendering an animal. Who knows what the truth is here. 2) Even if she did escape...fix the problem! Did they leave the front door open? Is there a loose panel on the fence? Does the gate work? All things that can be easily remedied. People just can't be bothered.

It's going to be difficult to say goodbye to her on Monday. However, she's safe and will be going to a rescue, and that's why I'm able to do this. Just like with the transports I do...I can easily hand them over because I know they are in no danger of euthanasia. I thank these angels like Lynn and Virginia who help out our furry little gifts from God!

And just as a friendly reminder, please spay and neuter your pets! Don't breed or buy while shelter pets die! 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year!

Signs of spring

2009-03-17T19:31:00.011-05:00

The temperature was 85 degrees today! So beautiful! Trees and flowers are beginning to sprout. Everything looks like it's waking up from a long winter.

Iris bulbs are starting to peak out. I just planted these 1-1/2 weeks ago! These bulbs were left over from the 100+ I planted in a flower bed outside the bay window. Unfortunately, those aren't sprouting yet.

My mums in a planter on the front porch from last fall never completely died, and now they are coming back in full force! Which is amazing, because they are annuals, not perennials.

The birdbath out front has been cleaned and filled, ready for new occupants.

Daffodils have been blooming for the last week. They don't last long here in our part of the state...maybe a week or two at the most.

I made another "flower bed sparkly" (glass totem) a few weeks ago.

Yesterday I made a glass bird bath. I had several small colored glass chunks that I put in the bowl since it's so deep. This way, the birds will have something to stand on. And, they really sparkle in the sun.

In the next week or two, I can start planting tomatoes.

Is spring making an appearance for you?

Saturday hodgepodge.

2009-03-14T12:01:00.008-05:00

Last week was extremely busy. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we cleaned out the garage and took about 5 carloads of stuff to the Goodwill. Then Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent building a cedar fence. Yes, that's right, I helped! And I'm very proud of myself! We hired two guys to help us pull out the old posts on Thursday. The remaining days were spent building up the new fence. By doing it ourselves, we saved about $3000. And while it was tedious, it wasn't difficult. It's been raining all week, but when it stops, I'm going to post up some pics because I'm so proud that not only did we build it ourselves, but we didn't kill each other in the process!

And today, I was up early anticipating the work I was about to do. At 10am, I went to ticketmaster.com to try for tickets to the Kenny Chesney/Sugarland/Miranda Lambert/Lady Antebellum concert in May. My girlfriend was at home on her computer doing the same. We stayed on the phone and whoever found the best tickets would order them. We did this last year as well. Unfortunately, the problem is that it's a crap shoot. You never know if you should buy the tickets you get, or throw them back and hope for better. Her computer was giving her trouble, so I found seats that were pretty decent and we decided to go ahead and get them. Wouldn't you know, as soon as I paid for them, she found better seats. They were $50 more each, and I'd have been willing to pay for them since they were right off the stage. However, we'd have to try to sell the ones I bought back, and there's no telling if that would happen. This year, we didn't get floor seats (like we did last year), but we are in row 5 in the stands, so it's practically on the floor.

Last year the husbands went with us. Neither of them are fans, but after a few adult beverages, they had a good time. With each other! ha! They were carrying on and making all of the ladies around us laugh.

The opening acts last year were LeAnn Rimes and Brooks & Dunn. They were all really good. I think the fun part though is not just the music, but just hanging out with friends and whooping it up.

Year before last, it was just hubs and I, and we got caught in a major downpour at the concert. Which I thought was fun! But he was miserable since he didn't want to be there to begin with. Last year he didn't mind too much since he had another hubs to commiserate with.

This year, hubs has a gig scheduled that night, so it's just the girls. I got my neighbor to come along as well, so the menfolk will not have to be subjected to such a miserable time. ;)

I've seen Sugarland before and they were excellent. This year's line-up should be good as well!

Sawing logs

2009-03-03T11:10:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was a big day for the chihuahua. We woke up early and went for a ride. She thought she was so special since her sisters didn't get to go with us. You could tell by the way she was sitting in the seat with her head held high. She's sort of selfish like that.

Then reality set in once we pulled in to the parking lot and got out of the car.

I opened up the door to the building, and she realized the true nature of our ride once the smell of antiseptic hit her in the face.

Unlike previous times, she did not try to run away. I picked her up and we signed in. She started shivering violently.

The assistant came out to get her while I signed all of the paperwork and releases.

On the list of grievances against the chihuahua were: a dental, a lump removal, anal gland draining and a pedicure.

We figured since she hates getting her nails clipped, it would be easy to do while she was under anesthetic. And the anal glands...that's just something I can't bring myself to do. It's worth the $10 or $20 to let the professionals handle it.

Around noon the vet's office called to say she was doing well and waking up nicely from the anesthesia. Around 4 pm I went to pick her up. On the drive home, she was still pretty doped up. She was falling asleep while sitting up. Then she'd fall over. This happened several times until she realized it would be easier to stop fighting it and lay down.

For the rest of the night, she slept. And snored. She's normally a snorer anyway, and rivals a grown man snoring.

I was able to catch it on video, though you have to turn it up to hear it. You can tell how doped up she is by the way her eyes don't fully close.

This morning she is almost back to her normal self. Though I can tell she is angry with me, because she refuses to give me kisses. I'm sure the next time we go for a ride, she'll be a little suspicious. :)

Thrifty Thursday

2009-02-26T23:19:00.005-06:00

More thrift store love....

A great wicker chair I found at a thrift store in Austin a few weeks ago. $10! It's hanging out in the guest room for now. May stay there permanently. (My paint really does not look like a baby poop yellow in real life! Swear!)

A chandelier I found yesterday for $15. Wasn't sure if it would look ok since our kitchen table has wicker and black iron accents, but I figured it would be fine since we have silver/stainless accents throughout the kitchen (your thoughts on the mix of black and silver? I see it on HGTV shows and it seems to work ok).

It sure beats the ugly ceiling fan the previous owners had up there!

Not a thrift store find, but since we put up the new chandelier, Hubs and I bought a new pendant light tonight to go over the sink. It just had the ugly builder-grade brass fixture with ugly plain globe. I hated it. I've been wanting a pendant light. Hubs picked out this new one. Wasn't my first choice, but I like it.

And just for grins...we took Cissy to the dog park today...

Heaven on earth

2009-02-24T08:52:00.018-06:00

While waiting not-so-patiently for spring, and since we've been having such weird weather lately (cold, then warm, then cold, then windy, then rainy), I think it's important to be reminded of perfection.

A.K.A. the USVI.

About 3 years ago, at my company Christmas party, I shockingly won the grand prize! Out of about 5,000 people, I won two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the continental US, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or Caribbean.

Yes! I was shocked, really, because I never win anything. Ever.

I've always said the storked dropped me off at the wrong house in the wrong part of the world, because I am a total beach hound. I could happily live the rest of my days on a beach, as long as it's warm.

I always felt gypped. So now, every chance I get, I go to the beach. Usually it's the gulf, which is fine by me, because we have a place that is special to us. San Diego was wonderful too. But nothing, NOTHING beats the Caribbean! And when I had the chance to go there with my free airfare, I jumped at the chance! I literally did jump up and down when I found out I'd won this prize! I jumped, danced, sang a giddy little song and went from cube to cube to share my excitement with my coworkers! ;)

Hubs had a passport at the time due to his worldly travels as a musician, but I didn't. And we needed to book our vacation fast (per the rules of the winnings, we were under a time limit). So under the advice of coworkers, we looked into the US Virgin Islands since no passport was needed.

We looked into St. Thomas and St. John, because we could visit both in one trip since they are just a short ferry ride from each other. We really wanted to stay on St. John since it appeared to be less crowded, but because of our short notice, we couldn't find anything available. So we booked a cute, funky resort on St. Thomas. We loved this place. Hubs and I are not 5 star kind of people. We aren't into stuffy, pomp and circumstance, hoity-toity. We are real, and even on vacation, we are real. The resort we booked was very cool by our standards. It had a neat history, and was very eclectic...totally our style! It was built to blend in with nature, and had the neatest gardens and nature trail.

There were a lot of beautiful, and "interesting" plants on the nature trail.

We had lots of visitors as well...tons of lizards, iguanas and stray cats. There were lots of cats. They just looked so sad and skinny and full of mange. Most of the cats were skittish, but one kitty was especially sweet and would come visit us every time we went out on our patio. She looked to be either pregnant or nursing, and we figured while we were there, she (and the other cats) would have a good week of eating. We went to the grocery and bought a bag of cat food. The day we left, we heard her meowing, and we looked up to the balcony above us and saw her with her kittens. It was almost as if she was saying "here are my babies, thanks for feeding us!"

On St. John, we saw lots of wild donkeys! That was probably one of the highlights for me. There's something to be said about sitting on the beach with a donkey next to you! ha!

Hubs and I love to try to blend in with locals no matter where we go, stateside or otherwise. I mean, what's the point of visiting somewhere if you want it to be exactly like "home?" So we asked around and went to eat at the places the locals recommended. We stood on the side of the road and caught a safari bus into town. Those are quite the experience! Pick-up trucks are outfitted with bench seats in the bed. You pay $1 and can ride the loop around the island. Scary at times, especially when driving on the side of the mountain and there's nothing to keep you in the truck, or to keep the truck on the road! We got to meet lots of locals that way, and they were awesome!

We also stayed away from the touristy beaches that are havens for cruise ship passengers and instead opted to go to the beach that we were told was a favorite with locals. Coki beach happened to be next door to our resort, so it was a quick 5 minute walk. I can vividly remember sitting in the sand, looking out onto the turquoise water, watching locals with their kids snorkeling, and hearing reggae music blaring behind us with the scent of "funny cigarettes" and food being grilled floating in the breeze.

We did do a few touristy things, like go into town, ride the cable car up the mountain, shopped at the millions of stores, visited Blackbeard's Castle, etc.

The local food was so good, as was the music. And I could sit for HOURS listening to the people talk! I love the accent!

Groceries were expensive, as would be expected on an island. However, rum was cheap. A gallon of milk cost more than a bottle of rum. A six-pack of pepsi cost more than a bottle of rum. So...you guessed it...we had lots of rum! ;) In fact, one morning, we sat out on our patio, eating cereal and drinking rum and coke at 7am. Good times. ;)

We did spend a day on St. John, and honestly, if I could, I'd sell my house and move there today. It was more our style as well. St. Thomas rocked, but it has a larger population (40,000 vs. St. John's 4,000) and is more metropolitan. Which is fine, we enjoyed the restaurants, art galleries and shops, but St. John had the natural flavor that is more our style. On the advice of the activities director from our resort, we snorkeled Waterlemon Cay (less of a touristy beach). Our safari bus driver was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. In his 70s, he told us he was one of the few residents on St. John that actually was born there and still lived there. The only time he ever left was when he was in the war.

The sugar mill ruins were beautiful.

Because Waterlemon Cay is not on the usually tourist route, it doesn't have a supply of taxis waiting to take tourists back to the ferry. So we made special arrangements with our driver, and he came back to get us at the end of the day. Since we were his only customers at this point, he stopped along the route, pointed out special things and gave us the story. He pulled over at the Trunk Bay overlook and let us take pictures. We really enjoyed the time with him.

When I die, if I don't go to heaven, I hope I go to the Caribbean! :)

A new project: glass garden totems

2009-02-20T20:37:00.007-06:00

*Linking up with DIY day on A Soft Place to Land since I have nothing craftworthy this week to share*

About 10 years ago, I started reading a garden forum. I've never claimed to have a green thumb, but I still try my best, and most of all, I love seeing pictures of everyone else's gardens. On this forum, there are some great folks with lots of ideas to make their gardens more fun. Some people are so keen and can whip up beautiful creations out of common household junk! So very inspiring!

One of my goals while being on this "paid vacation" has been to tackle some projects that I never had time to do before.

Starting with garden totems.

I love these. I think they are so funky and fun, and such a great way to recycle/repurpose/reuse (my motto). I mean, who doesn't have cabinets full of old vases, candles holders and such that you can't seem to get rid of, but have no intention of using?

And this is how we get garden totems! Fun "pretties" to sparkle among the flowers and shrubs. When the sunlight hits them, they shine.

Here are the four I made last week.

These are so much fun to make, and they go pretty quickly. I've hit a few thrift stores looking for more glass, so I'm hoping to make a few more this weekend. I'll try to get some pictures of these out in the yard if the sun decides to come out.

Also, I noticed I lost a follower. :(

I have more projects to share soon, once I can get some pictures taken. Happy weekend! :)

Good news and bad news

2009-02-16T20:29:00.004-06:00

Good news.

We took Sammi back to the vet this weekend to see how her heart medicine is working. It's doing it's job! Her heart murmur hasn't progressed any further, and the vet said she's doing well. Yay! I even got to listen to her heart with the stethoscope. Now I know what the heart murmur sounds like.

Bad news.

My parents had to put their dog down today. She's a german shepherd named Baby. I know my dad is probably taking it extremely hard, as she has been his side-kick for many years. As is typical with german shepherds, she has had hip dysplasia and her back legs haven't been working well. It's gotten bad lately. I was down in Austin last week visiting my folks, and it was so sad to see her struggle to get around. Other than her hips, she's seemed to be in good health. But today mom said she thinks Baby's kidneys are failing as well. Say a prayer for my parents if you can spare one. I'm sure my dad is feeling lost without her. She was like one if his kids. I took this picture of her this past week.

Lost....Spoilers. Questions. Answers?

2009-02-13T22:08:00.004-06:00

I'm a few days late regarding Lost, but I've been out of town this week (did LOTS of artsy crafty stuff...will share soon!). Who watches Lost? This is my one must-see tv show. I loved Wednesday's episode! But I have been pondering some things...maybe someone can help me out here. :)

Remember in an earlier season where Desmond turns the fail safe key? The sky lit up, and we heard that strange high-pitched sound. A thought just occurred to me...when Desmond has his "dreams" where he can see into the future, is he really moving through time, since he did something to cause the purple sky/high-pitched noise?

And, for that matter, in an earlier season (maybe it was 1 or 2), there was a scene were the losties were on the beach and saw the purple sky and heard the high-pitched noise. The door from the hatch went flying and landed on the beach. Did they move through time then as well, but just didn't know it?

When the people are moving through time, do the people who aren't moving through time wonder what the heck happened to them? Or is all of that gone from their memory once the losties have moved to another time?

When the main island moved, did the second, little island move with it?

And does the island actually move (since it seemed to disappear when the losties were in the helicopter) or do the people on the island move, but the island stays where it is? Because it appears the people are moving when the purple sky/high-pitched noise appears.

Are all of the losties being brought back to the island because of some other connection? Are they descendants of the original Dharma folks/Others (Jack's/Claire's father is somehow important for the island, Charlotte's parents were in Dharma, Daniel's mother is involved, etc.)? If so, is that why the island wants them there? Why?

Is that why there seems to be connections between the losties from their life off-island before the crash?

Why did we see the flight attendant (who ended up being in the tail section) in the Others' camp, looking like she was one of them instead of being held by them?

Does the entering of the numbers and pushing the button (in the hatch) somehow keep the island from moving through time? Because the one time they didn't push the button, everything went haywire (and isn't that how the plane came down anyway? Because we saw in an episode where Desmond was looking at the print outs and saw where the one time he didn't do it, it was the date the plane crashed).

And what's the deal with the foot statue? That never came back into play.

Who were Adam and Eve (from the cave)? Will we ever find out?

What was the point of the "movies" that the Others were showing to people Clockwork Orange-style, like Alex's boyfriend Carl? The movies were psychodelic and said "Jacob will love you as I do (or something like that).

Will we find out what terrible thing happens because Aaron is being "raised by another" (Kate)?

I have more. But this will do for now. ;)

Please, help a girl out! :)

Crime and punishment

2009-02-07T16:55:00.004-06:00

The crime.

The perpetrator.

Notice how she won't even look me in the eye.

Does this face say "guilty" or what?

The punishment: a heavy dose of scolding. It hurts her feelings (as you can see by picture #3).

Yuck.

I love Jesus but I drink a little

2009-02-06T22:19:00.001-06:00

I'm sure some people have already seen this, but it really brings me to tears every time I watch! So funny!

A fun little tag game

2009-02-05T20:18:00.003-06:00

Natalie tagged me for this round. I've always been one who has loved filling out surveys and such (honestly, is that weird?), so it's not surprise I love these sorts of things! :)

Here are the rules:
Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people

************************

What are you wearing now? jammies

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Kathy Reich's "Bones to Ashes" (I *love* forensic type mysteries)

Do you nap a lot? Now I do!

Who was the last person you hugged? Hubs

What’s your current obsession/addiction? Baskets...I've always loved baskets and have them all over my house

What was the last thing you said aloud? I can't remember, but I scolded one of the dogs

What websites do you always visit when you go online? blogger, yahoo, facebook, etsy, ezboard

What was the last thing you bought? a couple more aqua globes (they really do work!)

What are you listening to right now? nothing

If you could have any super power, what would it be? I would love to make the trees in my yard grow money. haha

What is your favorite weather, and why? I love warm weather because I love wearing shorts, tank tops and sandals and I love to swim

What time do you usually get up? Usually 7 or so

What is your most challenging goal right now? Having patience and faith while searching for a new job

Say something to the person who tagged you: I'm glad you worked things out on the job front and wish you luck if you decide to keep looking!

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? The Caribbean! I love the US Virgin Islands, and would {LOVE} to have a house on St. John!

Favorite vacation spot? The beach! Preferably the Caribbean, but I do love the Gulf too. Port Aransas is a fave of ours.

What is your favorite item of clothing? Jeans

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: Pepsi

Favorite pair of shoes you keep going back to over and over, even though your closet is overflowing with a zillion others: Anne Klein black slingbacks

Name one thing you cannot live without: my flat iron!!

*My added question*
What time is bed time? Usually anywhere from 10pm to 1am

I tag:

Ally

Candy

Sunny

Leah

Brandi

Mandi

Gwen

Lindsey

Hello lover...

2009-01-29T20:27:00.005-06:00

A few days back I went to the thrift store. I needed to get out of the house. I was going a bit stir crazy.

And be still my heart.

I found these great new sassy pair of kicks!

I fell in love instantly with these boots. A beautiful distressed red, perfect for boot-scooting when I go to Hub's gigs. They are Nine West...not as quality as my Luccheses, but cute nonetheless. And I love the color combo. I can see these paired with a denim skirt or jeans, a tank top and this cute little red vintage purse I got from Etsy last year. :)

I have never been one who enjoys shopping for clothes. I'm short, and unfortunately, I'm also short-waisted, so it's always difficult for me to find clothes that I feel look good on me. Everything is made for people who are tall and have long torsos. But shoes...now that's another story! I can always find shoes to fit. That's probably why, at last count, I have over 100 pairs.

I think panties are the same way, don't you? If you can't find a cute outfit, you can always find a cute pair of panties (I have lots of those, too).

In other news, I received the dreaded "rejection" email from the job I interviewed for about a month ago. It really would have been perfect. I have many years of experience doing everything they required the candidate to do. I guess that is why it feels so insulting to get the "we are impressed with your resume, but are looking for someone who's talents match our needs more...blah blah" email. Sure, I know it's the standard, stock rejection letter that they send out to everyone, but it still is bothersome when I know my skills were exactly (and maybe more) of what they were wanting.

Rescue transport and awards

2009-01-17T21:57:00.008-06:00

Last night I drove another rescue transport for three precious pups! There were two pittie pups and a boxer pup. They were so good on the drive. The two little ones shared a crate, and the larger pup sat shotgun. I didn't get to take any pics...it was so cold and dark outside by the time they were handed off to me, but fortunately, another driver who is overnighting the dogs sent them via email to the rest of us this evening!

Avery (white pittie pup, approx a few months old) and Rufus (boxer pup)

Rufus

Miley (pittie pup, just a few weeks old)

Miley's pic from the pound...she's a tiny little bugger!

These babies are so precious!

A few weeks back, I drove a transport for a sweet, beautiful German Shepherd named Hilde. Loved her. Wanted to sneak her back to my house.

And I'm so far behind, I am embarrassed. I was kindly given a couple of awards and want to thank these sweet girls!

Joanna and Brandi gave me the lemonade award.

This award is for showing great attitude or gratitude and making lemonade from lemons. I honestly don't know that I've done a good job with that lately, but I'm trying (in my own way!). :)

And sweet Ally gave me the Friends Award.

The Friends Award is given to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and to be friends.
The hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

Thank you girls! I appreciate you thinking of me! I've met so many sweet people via blogland, and I am thankful! You all are in my hearts!

Found out today: Sammi has a heart murmur

2009-01-15T21:27:00.004-06:00

:( And because of her age, it's very possible that it can progress very quickly. Right now it's a grade 2 (out of 6). We had no idea. She's not shown any signs (coughing, etc.). We just simply were at the vet for a routine visit, shots, anal gland draining, etc. and when she listened to Sammi's heart, she told us what she found.

I held it together pretty well. After all, I've seen and heard of lots of dogs having murmurs through my volunteer work. And it never seemed serious.

We received some medicine for it, and we are supposed to bring her back in a month to see if it's helped. She said it could progress in 3 weeks or 3 years, there's no way to really tell. But because of her advanced age (approx. 15 years), it's likely that it will lead to congestive heart failure quickly.

And that's when I started crying. Hubs even had tears in his eyes.

I hope and pray it doesn't progress quickly. You all probably already know how much I love my dogs...they are our children. And honestly, I really don't need any more upset right now.

I love that dog so much! We've had her for 14 years. And though I know she won't be around forever, I just simply can't imagine her not being here.

I went against my nature

2009-01-14T09:19:00.004-06:00

And cooked supper last night.

Oh! The horror! Or are you impressed? :)

Very easy mini pizzas.

Ciabatta rolls, cut in half
Pizza sauce
Mozz and parm cheese
Red pepper flakes, black pepper and garlic salt

Toast in a toaster oven for 6-8 minutes on about 400 degrees.

Easy peasy, and oh so good!

And to be honest, mine turned out much better than Hubs' mini pizzas. How does that happen?

The Beast

2009-01-12T08:46:00.004-06:00

Hubs and I jokingly call Cissy, our rat terrier, The Beast (she's also known as the "Rat Terriorist"). Because as sweet as she is, she's also a mess.

Case in point.

The dog has a love of destuffing toys. But wait, there's more! Not only does she destuff them, but she particularly enjoys tearing the heads off, starting with the faces. We have toy carcasses all over the house.

You may find a leg and torso.

Or a few faceless heads.

She's also obsessive about lights and shadows, and will chase every one she sees. We made the mistake of getting out the laser light on the level. Sure, it was funny watching her chase the light for the first 5 minutes, but it got old quickly when she stalked the house looking for it the rest of the day.

She hates going out into the grass when it's wet.

If you aren't careful and don't close the door to the closet, she'll sneak in and drag out dirty laundry from the laundry basket, chewing articles of clothing to pieces.

She'll even jump up onto the table to retrieve food when your back is turned.

But how can you resist a face this cute?

You can't. It's just impossible.

So my question is, is it bad that she now responds to "Beast" as if it was her name? We're bad dog parents, I know.

Songs from the past Saturday

2009-01-11T00:44:00.002-06:00

Who could forget the Major Tom?! My dad was a disc jockey when I was growing up, and I used to call him at the radio station all of the time and request this song back in good old 1983.

No news...is good news?

2009-01-09T07:59:00.004-06:00

I'm still hoping for a callback for "part 2" in the interview process. She did happen to mention that there were several people from my previous company applying for the position as well. *sigh* Hubs said maybe they are taking a week or two to do all of the interviews. At least I haven't received a rejection letter yet. So no news is good news.

The interview is all such a blur. Though in typical fashion, I'm second guessing myself and thinking of how I could have answered questions better. Ugh! I'd prepared for so many of the "typical" interview questions, and she didn't ask me any of those. So the ones I answered were really on the spot answers.

I had looked over their web site and asked many questions regarding that (since the position is related to the site). I wanted her to know I did my homework on them. I also prepared a list of 10 questions to ask her so that the interview would be interactive and so I'd look interested (which I was, of course). Weird thing...she didn't ask to see my portfolio. I had it sitting on her desk. And I was so wrapped up in all of the questions that I failed to ask "would you like to see my portfolio?" *sigh* Maybe that will come later in the interview process. Perhaps she uses the first round of interviews to simply get to know the candidates.

This is going to do me in. Seriously, I'm so stressed. I can't enjoy doing any of my home and craft projects because my mind is elsewhere. I continue to look for leads every day. And there is STILL nothing out there! I guess it would be too hopeful to wish that the economy would make a swift turn around overnight, wouldn't it? I do appreciate all of the well wishes! One of these days, I'll have a really upbeat positive blog entry! I promise! ;)

Good day today

2009-01-06T23:04:00.000-06:00

Job interview this morning. Hoping for a callback. The job would be PERFECT for me!

Guess what I got for Christmas

2008-12-28T00:09:00.004-06:00

A white hair.

Yes, my first one. If it were gray, I could say that it's a sign of wisdom and maturity (yeah, right).

But it's not even gray, it's pure white.

I noticed this because I was in the bathroom last night looking at my roots, contemplating my natural color (which hasn't existed since I was 15). I've been letting my hair got a little longer than I normally would since I'm not at work. I was looking at my awful roots when I noticed a shiny strand starting at the very top of my head. At first I thought that maybe it's blonde. Really blonde. But since I have 2 inches of roots, that wouldn't be possible.

I plucked that sucker out and called my mother, hoping for some kind of reassurance. Instead I received boisterous laughter on the phone. She said "It's a right of passage."

Look here lady, I'm not ready to pass through that door yet!

Songs from the past Saturday

2008-12-20T00:56:00.004-06:00

I'm takin' it back to the old skool, cuz I'm an old fool who's so kool.

Courtesy of 1988.

Ah yes, freshman year of high school. Back when hip-hop was "clean." Good times. I can still hear my parents yelling "turn down that stereo!!!"

What songs bring you back to the old school?

Is it possible to find some sort of peace?

2008-12-18T17:39:00.010-06:00

I'm having a very hard time with my anger and bitterness over this layoff situation. The more I learn about how things went down, the angrier I get. What makes it worse for me is that some of my "friends" from my job...people who I was very close with and did things with outside of the office...haven't shown any interest in maintaining our friendships.

I am sad and angry that a major life "thing" Hubs and I were working on now has to stop because of my job loss. A thing that wasn't coming easily on it's own as it was, but now it can't even be a consideration. It hurts when I see this particular thing come so easily to other people.

I read on blogs where people have something wonderful happen and they say "it was God's timing." The Christian in me believes that's true, but the human in me is screaming "was it God's timing for me to be put in this bad situation?" It's funny how people say "it was God's timing" only when something good has happened to them.

Praying and reading the Bible isn't helping me at all. It makes me very sad to say that, and in my heart I know God is here with me. But I'm being honest here. Every night I pray (in addition to my "regular" prayers), that not only that I can find something well suited to me, but that my friends who were put in the same position can find something as well. I also pray that I can have patience while waiting for this, and that I can have peace with what was dealt to me and let go of the anger.

It's not working.

I feel angry, sad, hurt and lost. I feel like I don't have a purpose. I'm frustrated.

I try to read my favorite scriptures.

It's not helping.

What can I do?

:(

Fossils I found at the farm

2008-12-14T12:31:00.013-06:00

Last year, a coworker invited my team to her family's farm/ranch in Blum, which is near Glen Rose, TX for a "team building" event. We ate, hiked, built a bonfire and just hung out, enjoying each others' company. If you don't know, Glen Rose is home to many fossils and dinosaur tracks.

We had a great time. So much so, that this past May, hubs and I rented one of the houses at the farm for the weekend. We had access to over 900 acres of beautiful farmland, creeks, hills and cliffs, which overlook the Brazos river.

Hubs fished from all of the ponds, we rode our mountain bikes all over the farm, hiked the cliffs and saw lots of wildlife, including hawks, snakes (including cotton mouths!), cows and roadrunners. We even had a near run-in with wild boar! Hubs had forgotten his fishing pole in the truck, so while he walked back up the hill to get it, I waited along the creek bed. All of a sudden I heard snorting and stomping. It was a "holy crap" moment, because we'd been warned of the wild boar that will "eat your teeth" if they get angry. It sounded as if the boar were within a few feet from me, behind the bushes. Fortunately, we never saw them.

This place is so amazing.

My friends' family farm is very rich in fossils. They welcome guests to scavenge for them and take them home.

Here is info and a photo of the many types of fossils can be found in the area.

The Glen Rose Limestone formation is part of the Trinity Group of Lower Cretaceous Rocks. The famous beds containing dinosaur tracks in the Glen Rose, Texas area are near the base of the Glen Rose formation, at or near the Aptian/Albian boundary, dated at approximately 110 million years. The Glen Rose formation was deposited during the periodic retreat and advancement of a large shallow sea, which may be considered the ancient gulf of Mexico. The deposits represent low subtidal to supratidal environments and typically exhibits alternating beds of hard limestone and softer marl (limy clays and shales).

A. Ammonites (coiled-shelled animals related to squid),
B. serpulid worm tubes, snail steinkerns (internal molds) such as
C. Tylostoma and
D. Anchura, bivalves such as
F. the oyster Texigryphea,
G. the scallop Neithea (left), and the clam Lima waconensis (right),
H. Various clam steinkerns, often called "deer hearts" by locals;
I. regular (round) urchins,
J. heart urchins, and
K. Porocystis, which looks like a ball with many small pores and a larger opening at one end. It has often been mistaken for a sponge, but is actually an algal fruiting body.

And here is what I found (everything from the above list except C, D and I)!! Be sure to click on the pics to see them enlarged. The fossils are so cool!

Check out the picture below. The fossil on the top left is a HUGE ammonite! HUGE! It's just a piece of one, and it's about 2 feet long! I found it on the banks of one of the fishing ponds. Hubs was fishing, and I was just walking around, making sure a snake didn't sneak up on me. There was a pile of rocks on the edge of the pond, and one looked different. It was C shaped. I picked it up, turned it over, and discovered the distinct markings of the ammonite! Score! I couldn't believe it! I had been hoping to find a whole ammonite, since several of my coworkers had on the farm trip last year, but this, while not whole, was so big, that I was thrilled!

I suspect the fossil on the top right may be a piece of dinosaur bone. The large weird fossil on the bottom right is a chunk of fossilized coral! Beside it are several small pieces of fossilized coral. But that huge chunk is a huge score! It's difficult to see in the picture, but embedded into the fossilized coral are small shell fossils.

As you can see, I found quite a few "heart" sea urchins. It took me quite a while, but once I spotted one, they seemed to pop up all over the place. They have a very distinct heart shape, and on the front, there is a similar "star" pattern that you find on a sand dollar. One area of the farm is even called "the sea urchin bed" because so many are found there.

I love searching for fossils. I'm the same way at the beach...I walk around with my head down, beach combing. I could spend hours and hours doing this. I know you aren't allowed to take fossils from the state parks in Glen Rose, but we are fortunate enough to know people who have property in the area.

The farm is absolutely amazing. It's a true testament to God's power and nature's beauty. It's very isolated and quiet and calming. I am hoping we can take another trip out there in the spring.

So what do you think of my fossils?

Unnecessary necessities

2008-12-13T22:22:00.008-06:00

Last Sunday afternoon, hubs and went for a drive since it was such a pretty afternoon. We ended up in a neighboring 'burb that is the county seat for that area, therefore they had a courthouse square. My favorite!

We went into an antique store and I found 4 snack sets on sale for a grand total of $5. So I bought them. Why? Because I need them? No, of course not. Because they were on sale for $5.

I also saw a set of Christmas china on sale. This particular dealer had four 4-pc. place settings for $20. Another dealer had the same thing for nearly the same price.

So I bought them. Why? Because I need them? No, of course not. Because they were on sale.

But, I had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket. And because, after 12 years of marriage, and never hosting a Christmas dinner at our house, Christmas china will come in handy, don't you think?

The story of 10 Christmas trees (trees 4-10)

2008-12-12T09:10:00.017-06:00

Now, after the pics of my larger trees, you may be disappointed in these. They aren't as big and full and pretty. But I love the nonetheless. And I still don't have my tree skirts out in these pics, so you'll have to overlook that faux pas.

Drum tree (for hubs, obviously). It's only about 4 feet tall.

White bird tree. I love this one. My mother gave me the tree several years ago, and it is one of those skinny trees with pine cones already on it...the perfect setting for bird ornaments.

Antique ornament tree. I love this one. Those vintage Shiny Bright ornaments are so cool! This tree is tiny. It's one of those small, skinny "alpine" trees. I have it sitting on the hearth this year. Last year, it housed the drum ornaments and was in the foyer.

This is the ornament that says "West Germany" on it. I got it at the antique store a week ago for $1.50!

Kitchen tree. Tiny tree, sits on the wine rack. I just realized there are only two bottles in the wine rack. Makes me look like a wino, and truly, I'm not. ;) Maybe it would look worse if the rack was full. ha

Guest room tree. Tiny tree, sits on the side table. Multi-colored lights make the walls look like they have a weird paint color!

Guest bath tree. Tiny tree with deer ornaments (didn't get close-ups of those). Deer ornaments are funny. Some are ice skating, some have presents in their hooves...all deer are doing something wintery or Christmas related.

Master bedroom tree. Tiny tree. I stuck it in
this thrift store urn that I painted white.

Oh, and just for fun....the "staging area." ha!! And that's not everything! I had more stuff packed away in the closet!

For those who were wondering, I keep all of my trees up in the attic. All of the ornaments are in plastic tubs inside of larger plastic tubs, and they are organized by kind (glass, handmade, wood, drum, dog, cardinal, etc.). I keep these tubs in the guest room closet. Most are so fragile, I don't want them up in the attic with the Texas heat, etc. Plus, I could easily see hubs drop a tub while getting it down. And then I'd have to kill him.

So now you can see why, after doing all of these, I don't have it in me to do more decorating around the house. I have a lot of stuff to use, but I'm tired. I did put a wreath on the front door and on my pantry door. So with the exception of one or two things out here and there, all we have this year is trees.

The story of 10 Christmas trees (starting with trees 1 through 3...warning: pic heavy)

2008-12-10T12:19:00.014-06:00

Yes, I am insane. So hubs says. He wonders why anyone needs 10 Christmas trees.

I don't know how this all started. I've always loved c-mas ornaments. At some point, one tree just won't do. I had too many ornaments to fit on it.

I'm now at the point where I just don't have anymore room, unless I want to rearrange furniture. Which I don't. I'm one of those people who, if I decorate for the holidays, the decorations must fit into my regular decor. I don't want my house changed just for the sake of hanging up some holiday delights. I like my house to be as normal as possible, but simply highlighted with holiday cheer.

Currently I have:

1. The main tree, which features a hodge-podge of ornaments: those I made as a child, ornies given to me in swaps or as gifts, ornies that were on our tree growing up (which when my mother purged, they all came home with me), ornies from our vacations (every time we go somewhere, I buy an ornament representative of where we went, and when I unpack them each year, I'm reminded of our special vacations). I have a clear glass finial-thing as the topper.

We bought it when we lived in our last house. We had a good spot for it. In this house, there isn't a good spot for it, so it is in one of the dining room corners. The dining room faces the street, so you can see it from outside. Our first year here, I moved the table so that I could put the tree directly in front of the window, but it was too difficult to navigate when vacuuming. Now it sits in the corner.

2. Cardinal tree. This tree is my favorite. I have a giant cardinal as the tree topper. I also have clear glass "icicles," antique chandelier prisms, some red glittery ornament things and some cardinals in nests.

3. Dog tree. As I received dog ornaments over the years, I had too many to fit, and as much as I love animals, a tree dedicated to dogs only made sense. For the topper, I use Booger's stocking (Booger was our dog who passed away in 2004 from cancer). Last year, the dog tree was smaller, but I had too many ornaments and had to use a larger tree.

4. Drum tree. For hubs. All drum and music related ornaments. My mother gave me some vintage foil light surrounds (foil shapes you put around the c-mas tree lights to make the lights brighter), so those are new this year. The drum tree was smaller last year, but it was to capacity, so the ornaments were moved to a larger tree this year. For the topper, I use two felted drums.

5. White bird tree. This tree came with pine cones already attached. It used to house the cardinal ornaments until I got too many of those to fit. Right now, it has white bird ornaments, white poinsettias, white berry sprigs, some white glittery glass ornaments and clear glass "icicles." I have a large white poinsettia as the topper. Hubs says this is his favorite tree. I like it quite a bit, too.

6. Antique ornament tree. This tree is new this year. The actual tree isn't new (it was the former drum tree), but my mother gave me several boxes of vintage Shiny Bright brand ornaments, and I had a few of my own as well. I bought one the other day at an antique store for $1.50!!! It's from West Germany. I use an old vintage tree topper.

7. Kitchen tree. I simply put cinnamon ornaments on it, as well as beaded candy canes that were on our tree when we were kids. I think my mother may have made the candy canes when I was a baby.

8. Guest bathroom tree. I have miniature deer ornaments on it. I bought them a couple of years ago at a sample sale at work.

9. Guest room tree. Very simple, just miniature ornaments. Nothing fancy.

10. Master bedroom tree. Again, very simple with miniature ornaments. I used only silver and green so it would coordinate with our bedroom.

So. On that note, be prepared for an overload of mediocre, blurry pictures. You may notice I don't have any of my tree skirts down yet. But I will. After I vacuum.

And why is it that trees can look so pretty in person, but so crappy in pictures?!

Main tree.

Fish ornament from Port Aransas beach trip.

Glass snowflake.

Glass bat. A friend bought this for me when she was vacationing in Lake Tahoe. It also resides on my halloween tree.

Painted ceramic ball from another Port Aransas beach trip.

Glass ball from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands trip. It was hand-painted by a local artist. It's a beautiful hibiscus.

Another fish from another Port Aransas beach trip. I also have a cute sea horse ornament somewhere on the tree from Port A, too. (Can you tell, we love going to Port A).

Cardinal tree. I wish I could take a pic of each and every cardinal ornaments because they are all so unique and beautiful. But that would take decades to do.

One of my many antique chandelier prisms. Over the years, I've bought a few, and this past thanksgiving, my mother gave me all of hers.

This one is new this year. It was one of my birthday gifts from hubs.

Dog tree.

Tomorrow I'll post the rest of the trees. Stay tuned! ;)

My anniversary surprise

2008-12-05T11:26:00.019-06:00

Hubs surprised me. Well, sort of. He told me that last Sunday (11/30/08) we were going to be spending the night somewhere and to pack a bag. Yay! But wait, what about our dogs?! He said he arranged for someone to take care of them. Hmmm...if you know me, you know my dogs are my children, and I don't trust just anyone to watch them. Especially old girl Sammi. She's 14+ years old, almost completely deaf and almost blind. I worry so much about something happening to her, especially when we aren't around. Not to worry, it was taken care of....

Hubs ended up telling me where we were going. He surprised me with a night at this very funky, eclectic hotel in Dallas called
Hotel Belmont. It's a fun place that was originally built in the 1940s. It was recently renovated in 2005 and has such a cool, funky vibe! Their motto is "modern luxury, local flavor and mid-century swank." While it still has it's retro charm, it also has modern details. And best of all, our room had a fantastic view of the Dallas skyline, both during the day and at night.

The sitting room. It had views of the skyline as well as some of the gardens below. I can imagine that in the summer the flowers are overflowing.

The bedroom was so lovely. Very simple, but very cozy. The bed was comfortable, and I don't know what they used for laundering the sheets, but they smelled so good.

A garden tub for two. Or four. Seriously, you could fit an entire family in there.

Some of the beautiful views.

We decided to stay at the hotel and eat at their restaurant. They really are into mood lighting. I totally had to lighten the picture up just so you could see us. ;)

We went to the lounge/bar area before dinner and then after. They feature artwork from local artists. Loved that.

Views from the bar patio.

Now, I know you can't see *us*, but you can see the skyline, and that's much nicer to look at. ;)

Roses were blooming and rosemary was going wild outside our door. In freezing weather. And they were gorgeous. I don't know how they were surviving!

The next day started off cloudy, but it did end up getting sunny when we left for breakfast. We went to Allgood Cafe in Deep Ellum. It was all good. And super yummy. Great pancakes.

The gardens were gorgeous. I wished I'd gotten photos, but since it's winter, they probably wouldn't be as nice as the ones on their website. The pool was fantastic. If you were in the pool, then you'd have an "infinity pool" view of the skyline. Awesome.

I loved this place. It was totally my style...I loved that it was a one-of-a-kind place, and not a chain like the Westin or Hyatt, etc. I loved the funky, eclectic style. I grew up in Austin, so that's probably why. :)

It was a fantastic night. And I only sent my neighbor one message asking about the dogs. :)