Life with a Lady

Hey Remember That Time

2010-05-17T21:37:00.000-04:00

Hey, remember that time when my favorite colors was pink and green? Hey, remember that month when I only ate boxes of tangerines... so sweet and JUICY!

Hey, remember that time when I blogged like all the time? It seems ages ago. My life has completely changed in the past couple of months. I used to have free time. Pretty much every weeknight, besides my small group twice a month. I had free time coming out of my ears. My house was clean. I went to bed early. I watched plenty of tv. I did art projects. I blogged. And I read others' blogs.

Not so much anymore.

So we got this puppy. This sweet, adorable, hilarious, rambunctious, mischievous, costly, time-consuming, mess-making (yes that kind of mess), chewing, energetic, loving, curious, happy, cute-as-a-button puppy. His name is Käse, and I love him to pieces. He's almost nine months old, and he came from a bad home. We're still having some issues with house-breaking. I'm sure we'll continue to have issues with chewing. And I can't wait until the puppy class where we learn how to "Stay" and "Come." Goodness. That should be taught in the first class. Regular words in our house right now are "Drop it," Leave it," and "ah-ah!" But there is also an enormous dose of "good boy!" thrown in there. He really is a good boy. I am so thankful for this little addition to our family.

So we volunteered for this thing. This complicated, time-consuming, exciting, God-lead, servant-hearted thing. My husband and I are now co-treasurers of our church. We pay bills, do payroll, balance accounts, send reports, pay taxes, transfer monies.... and all of this from the church office thirty five minutes from our house. After work. And after I drive 35 minutes home to let the dog out and drive 35 minutes back. It is VERY VERY hard, but VERY, VERY, VERY, EXTREMELY awesome. I love doing it. I tried so many different ways of serving in our church, but nothing felt like it fit. This does. Plus, doing it with my husband means that we get to serve together and spend more time together. And being in the middle of church finances reinforces our home finances, and we're more easily able to stay on track and remember what's important. I am so thankful for this opportunity.

So we opened up our home. A situation arose with my little sister, and I cleared out a bedroom in our house and helped her carry in boxes. And while it's been a little strange to have a third person in the house, it hasn't been as weird as I thought it would be. She spends a lot of nights with her friends, does random nice things like scraping frost off of my car in the morning, and is sometimes able to be home after work so I don't have to race home and let Käse out before going to the church office. Of course there are other things that aren't so good, but they are not important enough to mention. It's just part of having a roommate. And yesterday, we helped her move lots of her things into her new apartment. I thought it would take her six months or so to get on her feet, but it's only been about six weeks. I think she's planning on moving the rest of her things next weekend. I'm kind of sad to see her go, actually. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with her, getting to know her as an adult.

So we are blessed with large, ever-expanding families and a close-knit group of friends. Not that this has changed in the past few months, but I'm not kidding about the ever-expanding thing. Marriages and babies mean more reasons to celebrate, showers, birthday parties, weekends up North... with both Hubby and I having divorced and remarried parents, there are more than enough sides of families with their birthday parties and planned get-togethers to fill our weekends. Sometimes we have to say no, and I hate that. But there just aren't enough days. And this is only our parents, brothers, and sisters. And, of course, they are scattered throughout the state. My friends are also all having babies now. Adorable bundles to hold in our arms and celebrate life with. At more parties and showers and get-togethers. I am SO thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life.

So we're also, you know, normal people who go grocery shopping, need to buy clothes and rainboots sometimes, have to make repairs to our house, try to make improvements to our house, go to the doctor, eat dinner, sleep (what? just kidding, we don't sleep anymore), brush our teeth (when we remember) and try to do the dishes at least, oh, once every two weeks. : ) Oh, and mow the lawn and pay the bills and work full time and go to church and fold laundry and.........

So the blogging hasn't found a place in my newly busy life, yet. I'm not sure if it will. I really enjoy blogging. I'd like to have a little something to look back on and read about down the road when I wonder where the years went. But there are other priorities. Other FANTASTIC priorities.

Oh my gosh. When I have a baby, oh geez. I can't think about how busy I'll be then, k? But that will hopefully be soon. If I disappear, you'll know where to find me. I'll be the one in the pretty garden with my arms tied back, singing a song I made up, while the nice, young men in their clean, white coats whisper, "Such a shame she lost her mind."

Anyway.

Now you know where I've been. I miss you, my dear blog. And I miss you, my dear bloggy friends. But sometimes when I blog, I miss out on my life. Please be patient with me while I take my sweet time to adjust and figure out how blogging might ever fit into this life of mine again.

I love you all!

-Addie

Thankful Thursday, Live From the Couch

2010-03-25T12:04:00.000-04:00

Good morning (is it still morning? hmm, I guess I don't really care either way). Good day, bloggy friends. Long time, no see. Welcome to Thankful Thursday, the Couch Edition. Brought to you by Dr. Kim's orders.

Bronchitis and I are living it up on the couch for a few days, thanks to my doctor telling me not to go back to work until Friday. That was Tuesday. Yesssss. Not that I like being sick, but come on... mandatory time off? I'm in.

So today I'm thankful for...
*lazy days watching HGTV and blogging
*for the so far, so good healthy heart report for my friend Emily's new baby boy, Will. He was born Tuesday night at 10:30. I can't wait to meet him.
*for cozy blankets and the puppy asleep on my feet
*for the party/shower we had for Em and Bill and the time we all got to spend together
*for letting go of my own made-up standards for this blog and allowing myself to take a little break, not worrying for the past few weeks about whether I got the Thankful Thursday post up or not. It's just a blog. The world will survive, and so will I.
*for a whole lot more, but I need to take a nap now.

What are you thankful for this week?

Drop It

2010-03-15T18:37:00.001-04:00

"Drop it," is a phrase that's pretty common in my house right now.
Seriously, Pup? You want to chew on a rock? Drop it.

At work earlier today, I was wishing that I could gome home since I
had all my work work done, I had tons of stuff to do at home, and I
was (am) completely exhausted. But the work world doesn't work that
way. Ya gotta stay at work to get paid. Then it occurred to me to take
a few days off this week. I'm really at the end of my burn-out rope.
So I asked and got a big fat no. Too many other people out this week.
I went back to my desk and fought back tears.

While driving to Petsmart after work, I was thinking about how a
therapist or a tough-love, perky motivational speaker would tell me to
take a look at my week and drop half of the things I have to do. Just
drop it," she'd say.

So I thought about all of the things on my plate and realized that I
wasn't going to drop any of them.

Monday night: small group with my best friends. No way am I missing
this. Emily is about to have her baby, and I feel like these are that
last times we'll have before everything changes (for the better, I'm
sure, but still- it's going to be different). Plus, I LOVE these
girls, and I miss them and need them right now.

Tuesday night: having our friends Crystal and Brian over to meet the
puppy. I made these plans before I realized how crazy the week would
get.

Wednesday night: begin training for my new position at church...
definitely can't miss that. I made a commitment, and I need to follow
through.

Thursday night: go to my best friend's school play. She's a teacher
and volunteers to produce the play every year. I've never been able to
go before, and it's one night only. I really want to support my friend
and see her little fifth graders in action.

Friday night and Saturday day: clean like crazy and try to make the
house smell less like dog.

Saturday evening: Emily's baby shower at my house.

See? Nothing to drop. Nothing I can and/or want to drop.

Except.

I can drop reading blogs.

I can drop watching tv.

I can drop straightening my hair in the mornings.

I can drop trying to be Martha Stewart for this baby shower.

I could drop making the cake from scratch, but the jury is still out
on that one.

I can drop Facebook (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can).

What else can I drop? Help me think of things to lighten my load this week.

Anything you need to get off of you plate? Just drop it. :)

P.S. I wrote this whole post on my cell phone while waiting for my
small group to start. I kinda rock.

Stolen Moments

2010-03-14T22:33:00.000-04:00

Let me just steal a few little moments while my puppy is dreaming with his ears draped over my keyboard to tell you about the past eight days....

Driving, driving, driving

Dirty little backwoods breeder

Rescue the pup

Hotel, scared pup, nervous us

Driving, driving, my first Sonic experience, driving

No sleep

Vet, sickness, lots of meds, extra large vet bill

Puking, worms, clean the carpet

Cuddling, cuddling, cuddling

Bonding

Exhausted

Sick little pup

Breakdown and cry at work

Sweet, clingy little pup

Antibiotics working

The pup perks up

Playtime

So much playtime

Pup begins to eat and drink

Pup begins to pee and poo

All

Over

The

House

I hit the Googles

"How to Housebreak a Puppy"

"How to keep a puppy from biting"

"Crate Training"

Pup escapes from his pen while mama and dad are at work

Pup escapes from his modified pen while mama and dad are at work the next day

Pee, pee, pee

Clean, clean, clean

Walks and "Outside" and "Outside" and "Outside"

and "Outside" in the rain

and "Outside" in the wind

and play play play

and then....

He sleeps. Comfortably, apparently.

A proper introduction to the sweetest, cutest little puppy is in order as soon as I get a moment to put it together for you.

Thankful Thursday

2010-03-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

Do you feel different after consciously being grateful these past few months? I do. I really do. It's easier to stay in a good mood throughout the day. It's easier to forgive. It's easier to be happy. It's easier to give love. It's easier to be patient.

I'm liking it! What about you?

This week, I'm thankful... I'm thankful for the drawing that hangs in my dining room. It's a weird drawing of the bottom of a foot (it was actually an assignment in an art class I took), and you wouldn't think it has any place in a dining room. But it just works. There's something about the color, or the scale, or something. It really makes the space feel complete. So, yeah, it might be crazy to point that out as something to be thankful for, but I'm just thankful that it works so well and feels so cozy over there.

I'm thankful for the time I got to spend on Saturday with my family, celebrating birthdays. My little nephew, Garrett, turned three. Three! In some ways, I can't believe he's a three-year-old. But on the other hand, I feel like he's been around forever. Life is so much richer with him in it.

I'm thankful for the time I got to spend on Sunday with my best friends. We all went out to lunch, then we let the pregnant lady go home, and the rest of us went shopping for baby shower gifts! I treasure every moment I get to spend with these girls.

I'm thankful for how much the sun has shown itself this past week. The light has not matched the ground! And by that, I mean that the sunlight feels like late spring/early summer, but the mounds of snow beg to differ. You know what else comes with this spectacular sunlight? Spectacular sunrises and sunsets. This is the best time of year for them.

I'm thankful for my GPS, and knowin' where I'll be goin' on Saturday when I drive 502 miles to pick up my new puppy! I'm already singing- I'm gonna walk five hundred miles, and I'm gonna walk five hundred more...

What are you thankful for this week? Any blessings in the midst of the mundane?

B-2

2010-03-01T21:54:00.000-05:00

So remember how I told y'all in my very first Life with a Lady post ever how I still have my childhood blankie? Well, I don't anymore.

On New Year's Day this year, I did a very brave thing. I cut up my blankie.

It was a long process. I thought about how to do it for months beforehand. I bought supplies. I drew diagrams. I cried. A LOT.

And then I got to work (then I cried a little more), then I kept on working and kept on crying.

Then I came up with this.

{I recognize that 'wrinkled' doesn't even begin to describe this, but I will never get this post done if I have to iron before I take the pictures. It is what it is.}

I started by searching out fabric that felt a lot like my blankie does (did, aww). My husband had the genius idea of using soft pillowcases. We took a little trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond (right before Christmas- bad idea) and found some pillowcases that felt okay. It was all about the feel of it.

On assembly day (doom's day), I cut out the biggest piece of the top layer of the original blankie that could reasonably be salvaged. I ironed it out and backed it with lightweight interfacing. I made sure to use actual fusible webbing, not just iron-on adhesive, because the adhesive would have bled through the fabric, being that the fabric was so thin it was see-through.

Then, I quilted. Details are unnecessary. It involved pins, lots of pins. It involved delicately pulling out long lines of stitches after making several mistakes. It involved a giving up my perfectionist ways just a bit. It involved pins. Lots and lots of pins. It involved two very late nights. I don't think I ever want to quilt again.

ANYWAY,

I used a pretty little flowered flannel for the inside layer because I knew it would show through a little. The original fabric had some little flowers on it (faded with time except for in the seams), so this was a little ode to that.

Pin, pin, sew, sew, rip, rip, pin, pin, sew, sew, done. The new blanket (B-2, as my husband called it) doesn't feel the same. It's stiff. The corners are bulky. It has no fluff. It just isn't right.

And yet, I think I did the best I could to extend the life of my blankie for another 26 years.

Oh, THAT'S What I've Been Missing

2010-02-28T17:27:00.000-05:00

I used to participate in the Creative Cats party at Poppies at Play almost every Friday. I loved the quiet little bloggy link-up on the Poppies' quiet little unassuming blog. I haven't linked up (or even visited their site) in almost two months. First, I haven't done any projects worth blogging about, and second, I haven't been blogging much at all. Just winter doldrums, I guess. I come home and shovel the driveway. When I get inside, I keep the curtains closed because it'll just get dark in fifteen minutes anyway. I do the minimum of what needs to be done as far as housework, laundry, paying the bills, etc. Then I park my bottom on the couch and mindlessly absorb whatever is on tv that night.
Such has been my winter.

Winter isn't moving out of Michigan soon, but it is moving out of a lot of other states. Which means bloggers in other states are gettin' out their spring gear and posting all about it! I hopped over to Poppies at Play today and found- the Creative Cats party has exploded! 70 people are linked up to last Friday's party, as opposed to the 20 - 30 I was used to. Shew!

I started clicking through, and found a treasure chest of springy inspiration (and other inspiration that isn't necessarily springy but is inspiring nonetheless). Here are just some of the fantasmic posts that have set my little fix-it-up mind in motion:

I love the little tag on this cloche from Relatively Unique. Going to add some tags to my pretty jars now. I mean like right now.

A laundry room remodel at Remodelaholic. Can she come do this to my kitchen, pretty please?

Hmm, I think some branches need to be spray painted at my house. Fun.

It's time to get myself out of the winter blues and spruce things up for spring. Ready, set, go.

No, really. 1, 2, 3, Go. Get up off the couch, Addie. I mean it. Come on. Let's go.

Do. It. Now.

end-ginning

2010-02-25T21:53:00.000-05:00

So.

I am a married woman of almost five years. Five years seems like a long time at the beginning of a marriage (though I've noticed a gradual speeding up of time as the years go by).

I don't wake up in the mornings and think, "this is the beginning of my life! hooray!" I don't think anything with the word "hooray" in it at 5:00 in the morning. But I especially don't think about how this time in my life is just the start of my story.

But it is. {well, let's just operate on the premise that I won't be dying any time soon, and go from there, mm-kay?}

Yes, this is just the beginning of my life story. It's just my husband and me. No real responsibilities except to pay the bills on time. We pretty much live how we want to live.

I've been thinking about how close I am to the end of that time. We'll be picking up our new dog in nine days. We might be taking on a huge responsibility for our church in the next month or so. And sometime in the relatively near future (hopefully), we'll be adding an actual child (me? a parent?!) to our family.

As hard as it's been to wait over a month to be able to bring our puppy home, I'm glad I've had this time to think and adjust mentally. The process has been slow. It mostly consisted of me being discontent with the end of what IS. The end of choosing exactly what my evenings and weekends will look like. The end of getting out of bed with just enough time to get myself ready and get out the door. The end of going out to dinner on a whim after work. The end of spontaneity.

The end of being selfish.

I think I'm done being selfish. I think. I think maybe I'm excited to be done being selfish. A dog is going to require my presence and my time. I'm going to have to build in take-the-puppy-out-to-pee time, as well as clean-up-where-puppy-made-a-little-puppy-mess time every single morning. I have to count on that, just like I count on slippery roads and trains. I'll have to pad my getting ready time, just like I pad my commute time. I'll have to come home at the end of the work day to let the puppy out before I do anything else (and when you don't live in town, that's tricky).

But I'll also have to take the puppy for walks, think about him, plan for him, play with him, give him attention. And that'll be good. It will all be good.

So this end is really just a page turned, a chapter passed. There is SO MUCH MORE to come. A puppy, a baby, a way of serving my church. And, eventually, a dog, a child, and who knows what else?

The rest of my life - the whole rest of my life - is about to begin. I couldn't be happier.

Thankful Thursday Evening

2010-02-18T19:06:00.000-05:00

Hi y'all!

So it's Thursday... evening. This is the first time I've opened my computer since yesterday morning. Yesterday was all travel time, and today... well, today I was doing this:

Watching Olympians from the top of the long ski jump. Yeah. CURRENT Olympians. It's raining in Vancouver, and they needed more time to train, so they flew in to Park City for a couple of days. I happened to be touring the '02 Winter Olympic Park at EXACTLY the right time. EXACTLY. An hour earlier, or an hour later, and I would not have seen what I did.

We watched from the bottom for a few minutes, then we went to the top. SOOOO much cooler from the top.
And then, THEN we got to talk to them. Holy cow.

One of them was Johnny Spillane, and the other- I'll have to look it up. No time right now, so I'll write more later. I have to go to dinner at Robert Redford's restaurant, Zoom. This is such a cool day.

And the weekly Thankful List? Okay, Okay. Here you go. :)

I'm thankful that my husband carried my bag all over the airport yesterday. Man, it was heavy. What did I pack?

I'm thankful for the opportunity to be on vacation in Park City, Utah with my husband and his family (my family, too).

I'm thankful for the opportunity to see the Olympics as up close and personal as I will ever get.

I'm thankful for the set-up of this condo, allowing me peace and quiet when I need it.

I'm thankful for Airborne and Sudafed and bottled water (in a major way).

I'm thankful for being too short to "Kiss the Moose!" as is the tradition here. :)

What are you thankful for this week?

Focus

2010-02-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Do you ever try to do it all? Like on January 1st every year? All of your New Year's resolutions come together with everything you wish would change and fuels a list-making, adrenaline-fueled frenzy of motivation. No? Well it happens to me. And not just on January 1st. More like once every two months or so.

I was thinking about that today. In my small group, we're currently reading Walking with God by John Eldredge. In the section titled "Summer", Eldredge talks about listening for God's voice and how most people only try to listen when they're desperate. And then we can't hear because we haven't learned how to hear. We need to take it one step at a time and listen for the small things. Ask about the small things. We laughed in our group about his example of asking God about which day would be a good day to take his family to cut down that year's Christmas tree. I might not go that far. ha. But I do want to start listening for the little things and taking life (and change) one step at a time.

This is where my organized, list-making self stepped in. I decided to break things down into months this year. Months of focus. I can't do it all at once. It's too overwhelming. I can't change all the things about myself that need improvement just by declaring that I will.

So this month- this month that starts in the middle of February and will end in the middle of March- will be for focusing on spiritual practices. Specifically, starting each day with my Bible (and not just falling asleep on the couch, using my Bible as a pillow), and sprinkling so much prayer into my days that I have nothing left to pray about- at which point, maybe I'll stop and listen.

Because whatever else I want to do, whatever else needs to change about me, that needs to come first. I've been okay at it, but it's not okay for me to get into a rut of hitting the snooze button eight times every morning and skipping out on time with God. I think one thing is going to have to change about how I do it, though. I'm going to have to brush my teeth and wash my face first. And maybe sit at the table. The whole comfy couch thing puts me right back to sleep.

Thankful Thursday

2010-02-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them, the rest of us could not succeed." -Mark Twain

Happy Thursday, y'all! Let me start this right off and say that I am thankful that I had a great day today! I can't remember the last time I had a good day at work, but I did today! Nothing particularly good happened, but there was an obvious lack of bad things happening. We got almost a foot of snow last night, so lots of people called in, including the one woman who just gets on my nerves with every word that comes out of her mouth. I also finally feel like I'm getting caught up (not that that will last, but it feels good right now), and I had a chance to rearrange my desk today. That makes everything feel fresh and welcoming. So I am THANKFUL for my good day at work!

When I got home today, there was a big box on my front step. My doggie bed arrived! And it's priiiiity. I admired it for a while, then moved on and printed invitations for my friend Emily's baby shower. They're all addressed, stamped, and ready to put in the mailbox tomorrow. Then I made brownies and read blogs. So I had a great evening, too!

Photo (and bed) from fetchdog.com, and pssst. this is not my dog, but it is the bed I bought.

Have you had a great day lately?

And for the weekly rundown:

I am thankful for Monday nights with my friends. I have the best friends ever.

I am thankful for the opportunity to host a baby shower for one of those friends. I'm so excited.

I am thankful that my best friend is still with me on the not-being-pregnant-yet thing. The rest of our friends are, so it's good to have someone else still in the same boat as me!

I am thankful for the white, fuzzy blanket that my sister got me for Christmas. It makes mornings on the couch with my Bible quite cozy.

I am thankful that I had a true, two-day weekend this week. It was soooooo nice. I haven't had one of those in a long time.

I am thankful for the space heater in my studio downstairs. Without it, I would freeze my buns off and have paintings that look like they came from a kindergarten art class (well, who am I kidding, they still might look like that, but at least my fingers stay warm!).

What are you thankful for this week? Link up below!

It's German for Cheese

2010-02-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

He wants for nothing. He's satisfied with what he's got. He's so hard to shop for!!!

My husband is a content man. And that's a good thing, except for on his birthday or Christmas or any other time I want to give him a gift.

But there is one thing. One thing I never really considered because it certainly wasn't something I wanted. No way, Jose!

He wants a dog. A little puppy to love and play with (and clean up after).

I am not a dog person. I fear them. Especially the big ones. I don't like how dogs smell. I don't like how dogs shed. And bark. And chew things. And relieve themselves in the yard. And put their wet noses on your hands or your pants or you new white shirt. And stick their wet noses in... places they shouldn't. ha. I'm just not a dog person. Or an any-animal person.

But you know what? My husband is. He puts up with a lot from me. I'm very high-maintenance. But a few weeks ago, I decided to put all of that aside and give my husband a gift he really wants. For his 30th birthday, I'm getting him a puppy.

At first, I thought, "I'll get him a puppy, but it'll be the kind I want. A little Havanese pup that doesn't bark and doesn't shed and just sits on my lap being cute." But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I knew my husband didn't want that. He wanted a short-haired dog. One he could imagine playing fetch with. He just couldn't imagine playing fetch with this little puffball:

So instead of keeping the whole thing a surprise, I consulted him on it. And then I caved. I caved on everything. We found a dog online. He's a mix between a french bulldog and a mini dacshund. We're pretty sure he is a little "oops" puppy, as this is not a common mix. Even the vet said, "Well, that should be pretty interesting to see." He'll end up being about 12 - 15 pounds, which is twice the size I wanted. He's really not all that cute, in my opinion, anyway. He will shed a little. My only saving grace is that the breeder said that he has never barked.

Last week, I clicked the "Pay Now" button on Paypal and forked over the money for the little pup. I then had quite a few hours of buyer's remorse. What was I doing? I don't even like dogs! He's going to pee on my carpet!

But then I remembered something. This isn't about me. It's about giving my husband something he really, really wants. And it feels incredible to be doing that. Absolutely incredible.

So on March 6, we'll be driving about nine hours to southern Illinois to pick up our new puppy. We're naming him Kase (with two little dots over the 'a' that I can't figure out how to type). It's pronounced KAY-zuh, and it's German for 'cheese'. That's just fun. Don't you think?

Now that I've accepted that this really is happening, I'm actually getting pretty excited. March 6 seems so far away, and I can't wait to go pick up our new little family member!

What about you? Do you have pets? Have you always been a dog (or cat) person? What are the best and worst things about having pets?

Thankful Thursday!

2010-02-03T21:14:00.003-05:00

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. -Cynthia Ozick

I am still thankful for my job, even though it only gets harder every single day.

I am thankful for laughing with my husband about fetus lamps.

I am thankful that my husband is doing my laundry as I type this (yessssssss.)

I am thankful for.... oh, I don't know. I've been at work pretty much every waking moment this week. So, um. Haven't thought about much else.

I am thankful that my grandma turned 79 this week (as opposed to the alternative: not celebrating another birthday).

I am thankful for hot chocolate (which I am going to get up and make as soon as I get done writing this post).

Have you ever noticed how I am always thankful for some sort of food? hmm.

I am thankful for the internet (yes. Yes I am) because I was able to find and buy this little guy on it!!!! ....

Yeah, man. We're getting a puppy. And I think I'm thankful for that. I think. I'll share my opinions and all the other info about him in another post, but for now you can just savor in the excitement with me. :) We get him on March 6. Hip Hip Hooray!

What are you thankful for this week?

I'm linking my own party to the thankful party at Chatting at the Sky. Hey y'all. I do this every Thursday, so you can come back next week if you want!

Like a Little Fetus?

2010-01-28T17:42:00.001-05:00

Me: "I think for Emily's baby shower I'll put something baby-related in the lamp shade.

Husband: "Like a little fetus?"

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-28T06:56:00.000-05:00

I'm just so tired. I sit at work during the day and STRUGGLE to just function. Just focus. I try to pull motivation from the dark recesses of my mind. Why am I doing this? What am I here for? Why is client number A12345678 important? Am I going to be able to do the same process five more times in the next half hour without banging my head on my desk?

My boss asked us today if we were feeling caught up. Caught up? Caught up is relative. We will NEVER be caught up. And when we tried to tell her how we were doing, she just didn't get it. She has no clue.

I break down, pull a dollar fifty out of my purse, and get a diet pepsi from the vending machine. Caffeine might help. So would breakfast, but that didn't happen this morning. Ripping myself out of bed in the mornings has become increasingly difficult. I just want to stay where my covers are warm, my sheets are soft, and my dreams are like watching a funny movie. I don't want to get up only to go to a place where my opinion isn't valued, my years of experience no longer matter... where I'm just an expendable body filling a seat and processing 18 bajillion things at once.

But I do. I come. I sit. I work. I take years off of my life (I'm sure). And why?

Because I have a job. Because I am one of the lucky ones. I can count on a steady paycheck being deposited directly into my bank account every other Friday. I have vacation days and sick days and personal days stored up for use when I need them. I have health insurance. I get raises. Twice a year! Guaranteed!

I am one of the lucky ones. I spend the bulk of my week being abused by clients and unsupported by management. But I am one of the lucky ones. So many others just want a job. Any job at all. Anything to pay the bills. I've got that. So many others can't pay for medical bills. I don't have to worry about that.

So on days like today, I just have to take a few minutes and put my priorities in order. Count my blessings. Remember to be grateful.

I am thankful for my steady, secure job.

I am thankful for nights when I leave my job, have fantastic girl time with my amazing friends, and come home afterwards to find that my husband has power-cleaned the house for me.

I am thankful for scarves and sweaters and blankets and furnaces.

I am thankful (kind of) that I have weight to lose because it means I'm well-fed.

I am thankful for the opportunity to help others- with a phone call, a connection, a donation, a listening ear.

I am thankful for Panera's macaroni and cheese. MMMMmmmmm.

I am thankful for the crazy, mathematically improbable, awesome miracle of pregnancy (in my close friends, not in me- it'll be a bigger announcement than that! geez, I can't even believe you thought that). : )

I am thankful for the snow plow and the salt truck drivers working tirelessly to make our roads safer.

Home

2010-01-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

I grew up on a lake in a small tourist town in northern Michigan. My lake was very small, and there were very few homes on it at the time. But even in our tiny community in the boonies, I remember the Keeping Up with the Joneses scenario playing out.

My parents bought our house for a relatively small amount of money. It was outdated and unloved. Before we moved in, we had to clear trash and debris from the rooms. It was that bad. But, together as a family, we renovated and made improvements. And when we made an improvement, so did our neighbors. We built a deck, they built a deck. We built stairs down to the lake, they built stairs down to the lake. We built a two-story play structure, they built a raft with a diving board. Maybe it was just coincidence. It could have been. But 12-year old me remembers the neighbors doing each project soon after we did ours.

Last night, I was finishing up putting up some trim around my front door, and I was thinking about how I feel a little bit like a little girl playing house. It was an odd feeling. Like maybe what I was doing was a little pointless. Maybe all the time and effort and money I've spent improving my house since I moved in has just ended up making me look shallow, materialistic, and unapproachable.

But that's not what this is about. That's not what I'm about.

It isn't about show. Looking good to look successful or well-off. If you look closely and pay attention, you'll see that most everything is second-hand, cheap, repainted, handmade, or improvised. It isn't about show.

This is about creating a haven for myself, my husband, our family, and our friends. This is about coming home and getting cozy. This is about an island of peace and order in a sea of uncontrollable chaos. This is about creating a place where stress melts away and love flourishes. This is about welcoming friends. This is about long chats on the couch with friends about infertility, about fears, about successes and triumphs. This is about the sigh of relief that comes when I walk in the door after a long day at work and know that I am home.

Every little seemingly pointless thing I do adds to the cozy, familiar, peaceful environment of my home.

The Nester recently said, "Home should be the safest, most comforting, inviting, beautiful, invigorating, welcoming place here on earth. I feel like anything I do that enhances our experience at home is well worth the trouble. Time making our home beautiful and orderly is time well spent."

I couldn't agree more.

In a season of my life where we're about to add to our family life in numbers, I'm so glad I've spent time preparing a cozy home in which our life is taking place.

The end of what you'll see til I ever (if I ever) get done.

2010-01-24T15:02:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving Closet Project, say what?!

It's January 14. Is the closet done? No. Is it going to get done any time soon? Apparently not. It would if I could ever find the time to go to Ikea. But it seems that won't be soon.

But, take heart (all ye who are worried and distressed), my closet can hold its own in the cute department, even if it's not finished.

I caulked all of the cracks between the support pieces and the wall. I painted the wall blue and the trim and ceiling white. I know it sounds crazy to paint the ceiling of a closet, but it really can make all the difference in the finished product. I painted the top of the shelves brown, and the bottom of the shelves white. It's not something you really notice, but it keeps things from getting too dark in there. The edge of the shelves, however, were a problem.

Until I added ribbon.

Then I was happy.

After all the painting and the ribboning, I added accessories.
This closet has very little actual purpose right now, besides holding my make up. I know that in the coming months and years, it will fill up with baby goods. But for now, it can just be cute. A nice little start to my day. Most of the boxes are empty. I just have one for hair stuff like headbands, barrettes, and the ever-elusive bobby pin or two. You know, hair stuff. I labeled it "hair." Works for me.

Then I tried to think of any other little things in my house that might need a good home but didn't need to be accessed very often. I came up with one other thing- A (very) small collection of baby items. Two little stuffed animals I've been saving for years and the sweater and hat my grandma knitted for me when I was a baby. Those items needed a good place to sit around and wait for a new owner. So in the box they went.

I found a little drawer organizer at Meijer that works for my make up. Still using my Precious Moments Sister coffee mug for brushes and mascara and such.

And that's pretty much it. I have grand plans to putty the hole in the closet door, then paint the whole door white and switch out the knob from brassy gold to brushed nickel. The supplies have been bought, but the time hasn't. Which is why this post is coming to you now. If I wait until I get the door done (and the new trash basket found and bought and the basket for the pillows on the bottom found and bought), then I will never write this post.

You get the idea, though. Pretty closets make me smile. And a smile is a great way to start the day.

I'm linking up to Kimba's DIY day at A Soft Place to Land.

Overkill

2010-01-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you have nothing to say on Facebook, and other times, you have so much to say you could burst?

Well, I'm the bursting one right now. But I don't want to write fifty billion facebook status updates because that's just annoying. So here they are, all in one random blog post that really means nothing. Enjoy.

What is the difference between bear mace and people mace?

I just got on the treadmill after, oh, a three and a half month hiatus. My foot cried, my knee screamed (oddly enough), and my calves wondered what was up. But my lungs were fine! I ran a mile straight up {for a "fluffy" girl like me, that's great}. I wasn't even tired. If it weren't for my foot and my knee, I could have gone a lot longer. Yay!

I got new glasses today. I've been wearing glasses since I was in third grade (contacts since age 16), but I always forget about the weird transition time when you get a new prescription. The floor always looks crooked, and you marvel at how clear things are. It's great loopy fun.

Today a lady was very very rude to me on the phone at work. She made me cry. That doesn't happen very often. And I deal with the issue she was calling about all the time. I'm not sure what made this different, but her rudeness was unnecessary. I'm over it, though.

I have never been successful at gas station car washes. Today I was short on time, so I chose to fill up at a gas station that had a car wash. I paid the $5, got the little code, and drove around to the entrance of the car wash. I punched in the code and read the directions while waiting for the car in front of me to get done. The big garage door opened, the lights blinked green, and I drove in. I stopped where the other car had been before me. And nothing happened. Actually, something did happen. The big stupid maching that goes back and forth around the car did nothing while something else made an annoying beep. I sat there for ten minutes thinking surely a gas station employee would come out and push a button or something. But no. It just kept beeping. Ugh. So I drove away. Yes, a waste of five dollars. But I did not want to be the dumb chick who walks inside because she can't figure out the darn automatic car wash. Plus I needed to get home. So my car is dirty, my wallet is lighter, and I feel stupid. Please tell me I'm not the only one.

You know how I put the three wise men and their camel in my lamp shade for Christmas? Well, the other night I cut out some hearts and stuck them in. It's cute.

My closet is done, and I have the post mostly written. Maybe someday you'll get to read it.

My blanket is done, and I have the post mostly written. Maybe someday you'll get to read it. : )

Yesterday I suggested to my husband that we should adopt a child from Haiti. I was kind of kidding but kind of not.

I was thinking of maybe not going to church on Sunday. My husband is going out of town for the weekend, and I have to work on Saturday. So Sunday could be my day to just be home and relax. But then I thought about how I would miss Pastor Tom's sermon. And I'm going. I'm so glad he's our pastor now.

I stepped on a package of hot dog buns just now. Oops.

I put up two bookshelves in my dining room earlier this week. They are empty. But I will fill them. Don't you worry.

It's time for bed. Goodnight, y'all.

Thankful Thursday (Where I Am)

2010-01-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Hi people!

Did anyone notice something funny? Like maybe how there weren't any posts between last week's Thankful Thursday and this week's Thankful Thursday? : )

So, here's where I am.

I'm at the place where my husband is more important. I'm at the place where my family is more important. I'm at the place where my friends are more important. I'm at the place where my church is more important. I'm at the place where my days are adrenaline-fueled whirlwinds of work, and my evenings are precious, precious hours. I barely got on my computer all week last week.

And that's okay with me.

I'm enjoying living a very full and rich life, and it doesn't always include the blog. I'll still be posting, especially for Thankful Thursdays. But my priorities might just be in order for once, and it's a great feeling.

Who's grateful this week?! I am!!!!!

* I am thankful that my husband was validated in his job today by his boss offering him a raise.

* I am thankful for the woman who went out of her way to not waste my time. I applied for a job within my company, and she called to set up an interview, but she wanted to warn me first that the department is slated to be cut later this year. So even though they do need someone for the position now, I would most likely be facing a layoff before 2011. She didn't have to tell me this. And it's probably to her detriment that she did. I doubt that very many candidates still want to interview after hearing that news, so she's left with a position that can't be filled. I'm just so grateful that she was upfront about it. (I politely declined to interview)

* I am thankful for time spent with friends last night. They live within walking distance, we sit by them at church, but we barely ever SEE them. Last night was some really quality time, and it was just so sweet.

* I am thankful that the roads have been dry lately, making the drive to and from work less stressful.

* I am thankful that an Ikea was built near enough to my home to make going there fairly easy. I heart the big, blue box. And the curtains I got on Sunday.

* I am thankful that my parents and sisters are in relationships that make them happy. I like to see them all with their chosen partners making life work in their own special ways.

What are you thankful for this week? Leave your comments or links in the comment section. I have very little time left before bed, and MckLinky isn't making the cut this week.

2010-01-14T08:13:00.001-05:00

Praise the bridge that carried you over.
~George Colman

I have to just be honest and say I completely forgot about Thankful Thursday this week. It has been a not-so-good week, and thankfulness has been the last thing on my mind. But I know that it helps so much to just bring my mind and heart back to that place. To think of the smallest little things that I'm thankful for.

And then I couldn't think of any. I just wasn't in the mindset. So I asked my husband for help. Here were his suggestions...

* My supportive husband

* My ridiculous good looks

* Ummm, birdies.

* Paula Deen, y'all.

Then he got silent for a while. When I told him to keep going, he said, "Oh, sorry, I was cussing out the people at your job in my head." hahaha. Hmm, that's pretty much what's been keeping me from being thankful!

I'm telling myself to banish those thoughts! Ugh. They are no good. And even if the thoughts are justified, they're not helpful.

Back to being thankful.

* I'm thankful for the sunrise that was happening as I was sitting in the passenger seat writing this post.

* I'm thankful that I have a laptop and a husband who drives most of the way to work so that I'm able to write this post before work today.

* I'm thankful for the few extra minutes I have this morning so that I can stop at Panera and post this post before going to the doctor and going to work today.

* I'm thankful for my flex-spending health care account and the ability to get new glasses without the cost coming out of my regular budget

* I am really thankful for my supportive husband. On Monday, I got home from my small group, and he had cleaned the house. He's also been making dinner every night.

* I am thankful plans to spend time with my family this weekend. I've been looking forward to it all week, and it has kept me going each day.

What are you thankful for?

{A little bit of business}
1. Please link to your specific blog post, not your main blog page.
2. Please keep things clean and family-friendly.
3. Please link back to this post so that others can easily find their way back.
4. Include pictures if you can! I love pictures. : )

Signs of Mine

2010-01-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

So I was just blog-hopping today when I saw that the Nester had a giveaway for some purrrty signs from Danielson Design Studio. I decided to go for the super-bonus-extra-special-with-sprinkles-on-top giveaway. So I played around for a couple of minutes and came up with two signs of my own... the second one is especially close to my heart. Oh yeah.

You can enter, too. You could just comment on the Nester's post, or you could post some signs of your own and enter the extra-super-special-icious giveaway like I did.

Psst... Come back on Thursday to count your blessings at the Thankful Thursday party!

Little Victories

2010-01-11T22:25:00.001-05:00

This time
I'll be sailing.
No more bailing boats for me.
I'll be out here on the sea. Just my confidence and me.

And I'll be awful sometimes.
Weakened to my knees
But I'll learn to get by
on little victories.

This time
I'll have no fear
I'll be standing strong and tall
Turn my back toward them all
And I'll be awful sometimes.
Weakened to my knees
But I'll learn to get by
Yeah, I'll learn to get by
on little victories.

And if the world decides to catch up with me,
it's a little victory.

Matt Nathanson

Listen Here on Lala for a clear, non you-tube version.

Link-Diddly Love

2010-01-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

I've been trying to get in bed by 9. Even earlier when possible. Waking up at 5 AM is hard to do when I don't get to bed early.

But tonight, after I finished my Lazy Creative post, I was clicking around other blogs and got on a roll. I found oodles of good stuff. So it's 9:46, and I'm still at it. I want to share some of the goodies with you...

Photo by Seaside Souvenirs

Saucy's Sprinkles writes about building a better blog through commenting. Good point, Ms.Saucy. Good point. I'm always wishing for more comments here, but I never think to leave comments on others' blogs.

SNOMG. Even the title makes me laugh. I live in the Great, Frozen North, so it's nothing new to me, but Lindsay's post about snow in the South is a crack-up. The pictures are especially funny.

I know, I know. I do it, too... I put very little effort into folding fitted sheets. I once watched the mother of my first boyfriend fold a fitted sheet into a perfect square. I remember feeling inadequate. But Annie gives a great video tutorial on it, and her joke at the end made my day.

Now you can stay up late reading blogs, too. You're welcome.

Lazy Creative

2010-01-07T21:02:00.002-05:00

Poppies at Play is back after a little Christmas break, and today is the first Creative Cats Friday of the New Year. I've been looking forward to it... but not preparing for it.

I did plenty of creative things these past few weeks... I just haven't photographed them, yet. And I'm not a great enough writer do this without pictures. So I browsed through my saved photos and came up with ....drumroll, please....

Get Up and Walk

My latest slap-some-paint-on-a-canvas creation. And by latest, I mean I did this in October right before my foot surgery.

I love the part right near the beginning of Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightley version) where Lizzy walks the three miles to Netherfield Park. She feels compelled to go be with her sister, and she walks there, without asking permission, without an invitation. She just gets up and walks. And I think she might be just a little bit excited about who else she'll see there (even if she doesn't know it or wouldn't admit it). She's determined. She's head-strong. She's independent. I love it.

ALSO- just before I started the painting, I bought Bethany Dillon's new CD, Stop and Listen. I was immediately hooked on the first song, Get Up and Walk. I listened to it over and over while painting. You should download it on itunes. Because then you would know what I'm talking about. In fact, use that itunes gift card you got for Christmas and download the whole CD. It's fantastic.

Anyway.

It also occurred to me while I was painting that I was about to undergo a surgery that would prevent me from walking for six or seven weeks straight. So I felt it was utterly necessary to paint this picture. I'm so glad I did. It's the only painting I've done that I actually really love. It's a keeper.

So that wraps up the laziest creative post ever. I completed the painting three months ago, took the pictures weeks ago, and did nothing but sit on the couch and type this post. Funny since it was all about Get Up and Walk.

I'm also participating in Kimba's DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land.

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

So maybe Thankful THURSDAY wasn't the best idea. I should have done something like Thankful Sunday Afternoon or something. I always seem to be sooooo tired on Wednesday evenings when I sit down to write my Thankful Thursday posts. All I really want to do right now is curl up and watch Food Network Challenge: Disney Cakes.

I think I'll start writing my posts on Sunday and waiting til the next Thursday to post them. K? k.

But I'll still do it today. :) Just... maybe no linky. Just leave your links in the comments this week. K? k.

This week I'm thankful:

*for sweet, sweet moments spent with my nephews this weekend. Garrett, who is two years old, climbed up on my lap, threw his arms around my neck, and said, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!" about his Christmas presents. And my sister, Britney, and I followed Austin into his room when we could see he was getting frustrated with the other kids. I saw a package of glow-in-the-dark stars sitting on his nightstand and suggested we put them up together. Britney applied the putty, I hoisted Austin on my shoulder, and Austin stuck the stars to the ceiling. In less than ten minutes, we took his mood from down and dejected to happy and loved. And we did a little "decorating" in the meantime. Those two moments were the best part of my week.

*for multiple opportunities that are coming up- on the job front on and the volunteering front. More on those if they pan out.

*for feeling a little bit like I belong. Every morning on my way to work (and on my way home, I suppose-ha), I drive down a road that goes past the back of my friend, Emily's house. Her kitchen light is always on, and somehow, it comforts me. Just knowing that she is there, that she's my friend, that she's not far away, that I am loved, that this town is my home. All of that in a split second view of her kitchen window. But it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

*for the discovery of Planter's NUTritious nut mixes. Yummy.

*that the Serena and Lily catalog came on the same day as the Crate & Barrel catalog. Mailbox Love!

*for the hilarity found within Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. More on this book later. I think I'll write a post about it.

*for my husband for getting up to fetch the book for me. And for taking me out to sushi. And for putting up with my general high-maintenance-ness.

*for smiles that light up the room.

What are you thankful for???

About when I failed but didn't fail.

2010-01-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

So you know how I talked about making myself a new template?

Fail.

I can do many, many things, but I guess making a blog template is beyond me. I have this very clear picture in my head of what I want- I want it to feel like HOME. And I was going to take word and make it come alive. With a background that looked like a living room... with art on the walls as my header. With a chair and a lamp- can't you just see it? : ) No? Oh.

Well, I tried to make it happen, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough about html code. I couldn't make the picture fit, no matter what I did. So I gave up. For now. And I went back to the Googles and searched for "blogger templates" again.

I came up with some contenders, none of which felt like home. None of which felt like me. But then I saw one that looked like it had the potential to be at least good enough for now, with a little bit of tweaking. Tweaking I can do. So I did.

And even though this new layout is not what I had originally wanted, I'm thinking it'll do. And I'm pretty excited about being able to change the header picture so easily (without using the super-annoying blogger header picture changer thingy-ma-bob).

So yay for a new layout. Maybe someday I'll pay a professional to do it. Just not today.

Coming soon: How I extended the life of my blankie for hopefully another 26 years.

Big, Big Plans for 2010

2010-01-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

It's 2010! It's 2010! It's 2010!

Are you excited? I am! There is so much to look forward to this year!!!! I've never been more excited to head into a new year. Things are happening, there are plans, much is in store!

I'll try to list them in chronological order as much as possible.... Here goes-

Starting now (well starting a little while ago, but whatever)- I think I'm finally in the right frame of mind to be losing weight. I know that's very New Year's Resolution-ey, but it really has nothing to do with that. It has more to do with the other plans and goals I have for 2010 and how they'll be SO MUCH better if I'm not so... fluffy. I'm excited to have more energy, feel better, and look great!

February- Utah Trip! My in-laws have invited us to go with them to their time-share in Park City this February. I don't ski (flashbacks of that horrible, horrible day when I was 13 years old and went down a ski-hill on my bum. The people above me in the lift laughed at me). So yeah, I don't ski, but I DO get massages. Yessss. And I do read by the fire. And I do soak in hot tubs. And I do shop. So it's all good.

March- We'll be free of credit card debt! Wahoo! We made an infinite number of mistakes early on, but we're almost all done with that business!

April- my friend Emily is due to have her baby boy! She is my first close friend to have a child, and I'm beyond excited.

Spring-ish- I'll be planting a vegetable garden this year! Finally! I'm looking forward to, oh, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes- and I don't know what else. Ha. I haven't thought that far ahead, yet.

May- Marks five years of marriage! Holy cow. Time flies.

May- We're taking an anniversary mini-vacation. A hiking trip. Not exactly sure where to, but it will be mountainous. Appalachian-ous. Somewhere. I don't know why I haven't used any exclamation points in this one. It's the one I'm most excited about. Hiking is my friend.

All Year- Speaking of hiking, since I had foot surgery in October, I'll be all healed up and ready to cover miles and miles of trails. Hiking is my most-favorite-ist thing to do. : )

Summer to fall-ish- Some people aren't comfortable telling this to the world, but I don't really care if y'all know (I'm excited about it!)... my husband and I will be starting to try for a baby!

July/August- I'm going on a hiking trip with my mom to the Porcupine Mountains in the U.P. (northern Michigan). This will be a different experience for me since I usually hike solo or with just one other person. This trip will be with a whole group of people. I'm kind of nervous but super excited.

As soon as I get a free moment- I'll be taking on a little kitchen renovation! Or Cosmetic Upgrade, really. My pink counter-tops are going DOWN!

2010 is going to be full of spectacular things. I can't wait to get started!!!

Happy New Year to you! What are you plans? What does the start of this brand new decade have in store for you?

P.S. Are you of the twenty-ten sort? Or the two-thousand-ten sort? I like twenty-ten. I hope it catches on. I'm sick of saying two-thousand. Such a mouthful. ha ha ha

Thankful Thursday

2009-12-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.
~Benjamin Disraeli

Shew. Are you as tired as I am? I'm about to zonk out right here at the computer. What a crazy, busy, wonderful holiday season it has been! I don't think I even posted in between last week's Thankful Thursday and this week's Thankful Thursday. I just haven't been on the computer at all.

But things are winding down... my Christmas decorations are down (as of, oh, two minutes ago), I've got four days off from work, just one Christmas left to go, and guess what?! 2010 is going to be here very, very soon! I'll be posting about that on January 1. I've never been more excited for a new year to begin, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

For today, though... let's get to thankfulness. I am so gosh-darn blessed. Everywhere I turn, there is a new blessing. Let's get to 'em.

*I am thankful for my pastor, Tom. For the new life he has brought to my church since he came in July. For the learning. For the connections. For so much. I love that he's here.

*I am thankful for a quiet week at work.

*I am thankful for the generosity of my friends and family.

*I am thankful for impromptu dinners with friends.

*I am thankful that my foot is healing.

*I am thankful for the hope and excitement I have for 2010.

*I am thankful for steady income.

*I am thankful for orange juice and macaroni and cheese.

*I am thankful that even though my best friend is on vacation in Hawaii, she's still just a text message away.

*I am thankful for a soft bed, a pretty comforter, and a new pillow (which I am going to go use right now).

(Oh, and no pictures for me this week because I'm tired and I want to go to bed.)

What are you thankful for?

{A little bit of business}
1. Please link to your specific blog post, not your main blog page.
2. Please keep things clean and family-friendly.
3. Please link back to this post so that others can easily find their way back.
4. Include pictures if you can! I love pictures. : )

Thankful Thursday- Christmas Eve Edition

2009-12-23T21:57:00.001-05:00

Hi friends!

I considered canning Thankful Thursday this week, being that it's Christmas Eve and all. But what better day is there to be thankful?!

Immanuel! God is with us!

*I am thankful for this little guy- my newest nephew, Asher... and the time I got to spend with him and the rest of my family last Saturday.

*I am thankful for safe travels so far this season (and praying that the trend continues).

*I am thankful that my husband brought these flowers home for me when I had a bad day:

*I am thankful for diet sierra mist ruby splash. I mean, really... does it get any better than that?

*I am thankful for my church community. I love being a part of it.

*I am thankful for my job.

*I am thankful for union-negotiated holiday time-off.

*I am thankful for sweet, sweet Christmas Eve services. They're my favorite hours of the whole year.

What are you thankful for? Link up with your Thankful Thursday post and/or leave a comment letting everyone know what you are thankful for.

{A little bit of business}
1. Please link to your specific blog post, not your main blog page.
2. Please keep things clean and family-friendly.
3. Please link back to this post so that others can easily find their way back.
4. Include pictures if you can! I love pictures. : )

I'm stuck in a two-by-two closet.

2009-12-21T20:19:00.000-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to "organize" my closet. I conveniently forgot that when I set about organizing anything (especially a closet), I tend to go overboard.

So I emptied the closet, stripped the shelves, taped, painted, and searched high and low for ways to organize it. I've been doing all of this ever since. There will be a full blog post about it when it's done.

But for now, I'm stuck. It didn't come together how I envisioned (which is not surprising since I didn't really have a clear vision going into it). But now my creative spark has fizzled out, and everything is just sitting there waiting for me to finish.

I'm almost done. Really, I am. But nothing that belongs in the closet is actually IN the closet, yet. I haven't figured out how it will all work, where it will all go, and how it all should look.

I'm very picky about how it will look. I LOVE opening a closet and having it be pretty. Pretty is one of my favorite words. And this is a closet I open every morning to do my make up (yes, I do my make up in the hallway), so to be a little inspired by it would be just lovely.

Yes. I do really expect to be inspired by my closet. It's fun. You should try it.

Anyway, the point of all this is that I think I need something shiny in there. I have shopped my own house, looking for something that would work, but everything I see either already has its perfect place somewhere else, or just isn't what I'm going for for this closet. And the hard part is I'm not really sure what I'm going for. Candle sticks seem silly because it's a closet, and I won't be lighting candles in a closet. Same goes for a vase. No flowers in the closet. But I'm envisioning something like mercury glass, so what does that leave me with? I don't know. It doesn't help that I'm a cheap-o and won't pay much more than $5 for anything.

Update:
I saw some flameless candles in Target the other day, and I thought, "Ah-ha!" But they were $15 a piece. Um, no. But at least I know that's a possibility.
Then, just a few minutes ago, I picked up an old copy of "Home" magazine (June, 208, I just realized). Flipping through, I came across a photo of a workspace that I love.

Here, I took some pictures of the magazine for you...

So what I realized after looking at these photos again was that my little closet needs some pattern. Something interesting. Plain blue walls, plain brown shelves, plain white boxes, plain white potted (fake) plants. Pattern would be good, here. So I have a new mission- pattern and shine! I know, it's totally ambitious. And yes, I'm making fun of myself. And just so you know, I really do realize how trivial this is. I am not actually worried in the least about how this closet will turn out. But I enjoy the process, and I super-duper enjoy the end result.

And now that I've used "totally" and "super-duper" in the same paragraph. I'm going to stop blogging and start thinking about patterns.

Oh, one more thing. On the let's-make-over-Addie's-blog thing, I'm making progress, but I'm nowhere near done. I have a lot to learn about html, and I'm working with a slow computer and a slower internet connection. It's going to take some time. Patience, friends. : )

How, Lord?

2009-12-19T10:21:00.001-05:00

Most days, I think I am ready to become a mama. We have plans. A timeline for when to begin trying. I'm getting more excited about it all the time. And sometimes I want to start trying today. {But then I remember all of my years of patience of getting to this point and how a few more months will fly right by, and we'll be better off for the wait.}

I opened my Bible this morning expecting to be encouraged and uplifted. I've been reading Luke and Hebrews (Hebrews for my small group, and Luke just for me). This morning was Luke, chapter 12. I got to verses 51 through 53 and found myself saying, "Not me, though. Right, Lord? You couldn't possibly mean me."

51 "Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to bring strife and division! 52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against- or the other way around. 53 There will be a division between father and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."

Right now, I am a daughter and a daughter-in-law. I am not a father, a son, a mother, or a mother-in-law. But I found myself thinking about the mother-daughter relationship- as in me, the mother, and a future daughter of mine. We were actually talking about this during lunch at work yesterday. I work with a bunch of women in their fifties, and they were all reminiscing about how they would sneak out at night and get into trouble. The conversation got around to church and how they were forced to go and always tried to get out of it.

While listening to them, my thoughts wandered to how naiive I am. I was not the get-in-trouble type kid. It just didn't occur to me to want to do that kind of thing. Sneak out? What if my child is the type to try to sneak out? I am not prepared for that! Not want to go to church? I haven't even considered that it could be a battle.

Then, this morning to open up to Luke and read about such division. And I just thought, "No, you can't mean me and my daughter, Lord. Not us."

But he could.

Things aren't all butterflies and rainbows in this Bible thing. A lot of times it is. The message of Jesus Christ and the incredible thing he did for me. It's comforting and encouraging. Forgiveness and love.

Just not Luke 12: 51-53.

I wish I were (or had one around) a Bible scholar to decipher and give me background on where this all comes from. But it's just me sitting here with my thoughts.

This morning, I'm thinking about the ENORMOUS task of raising a child. Not the feeding and the clothing and the carting back and forth to school. Not that part. But the part where my child learns to be loving and forgiving. To be kind and gentle with others. The part where I hope my child has a heart on fire for God. The part that I hope it's a joyful thing to be a part of a church community.

How do I do that? How, Lord? I have so much to learn in the coming months and years. It's helpful that we don't birth six-year-olds. There's time to learn along the way. Time to pray and be prayed for. Time to be boosted up by my friends who will be walking this same path right along with me. Time to listen to the rich messages of my pastor. Time to refine and be corrected myself so that I can be a better example.

There is time. And I will not waste it.

That's just comment-tastic.

2009-12-18T19:09:00.001-05:00

My sister just informed me that my comments aren't working. Again. Boo. I was wondering why all of you all of a sudden stopped commenting! I thought maybe I was just being too dull (and maybe I was, so you didn't even try to comment, so you didn't know there was a commenting problem- ha!).

I just checked my comment settings, and everything looks good, so I'm guessing it has something to do with the html. Which has something to do with my current layout. Which has been giving me problems from the very beginning.

For starters, I think it's annoying that the comment and post feed links are right up at the top (and on there twice for some reason). And there's the wacky way that the top of the "notebook" thingy is not lined up. And the comment thing. Plus, I'm not sure I'm in love with the grunge-ified look. I have a really hard time finding blog backgrounds that I like. What would be awesome would be to have a blog custom-designed. But that costs money, and that's money I'm not willing to spend right now.

So I will spend some time this weekend making over my blog. Hopefully at the end, things will be prettier and more functional. And you'll be able to leave me a comment to tell me so.

In the meantime, why don't you hop on over to Anna See's blog, An Inch of Gray. Her posts are cracking me up lately. Especially this one. And this one.

Update: Let's do some math; a story problem, k?
I got up at 3:00 this morning. I worked for 14 hours. I then spent almost three hours searching for a blog theme that I even remotely liked. What percentage of me wants to give up?

The answer: 50%.

I want to give up searching for a pre-made blog theme that I like. But I think that maybe, just maybe, I can make one myself. I don't have photoshop. I don't have any other editing software. But I have an internet connection, and therefore, I have google. I can do this. ...on Sunday. Because right now I'm going to go to bed, and tomorrow I'm going to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family. So on Sunday, I will attempt what I previously thought to be impossible, given that I have no knowledge and no skills in this area. That's never stopped me before.

If you have any suggestions for how I should go about this, please email me at lifewithalady@gmail.com. Before Sunday.

Thank you and goodnight.

Thankful Thursday

2009-12-16T22:40:00.002-05:00

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.
~Gerald Good

Hi there, bloggy people! It's the second edition of Thankful Thursday!

A funny thing happened this past week. As soon as I posted my first Thankful Thursday, I was constantly bombarded with other things I was thankful for. I felt like I could do a thankful post every single day!

It wasn't a great week. Bad stuff happened. It was stressful. But in the midst of it all, I couldn't help but think of all the things I was thankful for. It left me feeling so blessed. It was almost comical the way I could see every little blessing for what it was and know that it was all the more sweet just for the recgonition of it.

So, without further ado, my list of thanks and praises:

*I am thankful for the prayers and support of my friends. This week was a particularly big week for that, and I could see and feel their prayers for me in a big way.

*I am thankful for my new tires- this wintry weather has already produced some very icy roads, and my new extra-grippy tires are up to the task.

*I am thankful for new opportunities to serve my church.

*I am thankful that I am a creative person. It's so fun to be inside my head!

*I am thankful that my husband is excitedly planning a trip to celebrate our five year anniversary.

*I am thankful for the way the light played with the clouds yesterday afternoon.

*I am thankful for modern medicine and how doctors are able to take care of me, my family, and my friends.

*I am thankful for the discovery of a new ice cream that I like- Mike brought home Edy's something or other (I really don't feel like getting up to check the name of it, ha) when I had a sore throat, and it is a great flavor!

*I am thankful that I am able to give Christmas gifts to others. It feels so good to give.

That's a pretty table you have there, Lady!

2009-12-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

Meet my dining room table. It doesn't see much dining. It just mostly sits there looking all pretty and occasionally collecting mail. For Christmas this year, I dressed it up with some of my favorite elements- a moss terrarium, green candles, a linen table runner, and some shiny things.

Want some nitty-gritty details? Okay!

The moss terrarium was something I put together at the end of the summer. I have three total. I bought the apothecary jar in Pentwater while shopping with my little sister, Britney, and my newest nephew, Asher. I picked up the moss on a hike. So fun.

The "linen" table runner is actually just a piece of scrap fabric from a pillow project. I folded it up and laid it down. I was planning on taking it back off and sewing it up right, but it ended up looking just fine, as is. The ends that hang off the table are frayed, but I like that look, so it works out.

The candles are less than two dollars each from Target. They're actually green, but they show like they're honey-colored here. But they're green. Trust me.

The glass candle stands are from Walmart, and I think they were $2 a piece. I snagged the last two, so too bad for you!

I already had the two larger silver ornaments from last year, as well as the star garland. I just stuck them in.

The small silver ornaments were the trickest part. I am a cheap-o, and apparently I didn't think they were worth as much as most of the stores thought they were. I ended up getting these ones at Walmart for four or five bucks. I still think it was too much for a few little plastic bulbs, but I had an image in my head of how this would come together. The silver bulbs were pretty key to the whole look.

So that's about it! Besides shopping around for all the elements (which I mostly did while also shopping for other things), throwing this look together took just a couple of minutes! I think it was the easiest thing I did this year, and it looks great!

What does your table look like? Piles of randomness like mine usually is? Covered in cheerios and dried up milk? Set for a fancy dinner party? Tell me all about it!

I've linked up to the Creative Cats party at Poppies at Play!

Pssst.... check out my post from yesterday. You could join in next week!

Thankful Thursday

2009-12-10T06:53:00.000-05:00

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you are on Facebook or Twitter, you most certainly could not have missed the barrage of "I'm Thankful" tweets and status updates during the days leading up to Thanksgiving. For the better part of a month, my friends and family (and random bloggy people I follow) were tweeting and updating, "Today I'm thankful for my wonderful husband and kids." "Today I'm thankful for the roof over my head." "Today I'm thankful for grilled cheese with the face of Mary, Mother of God, on it." Stuff like that.

I wonder how thankful I was this season. I didn't think much about it. Probably because I've been in kind of an emotional slump. Feeling a little depressed, feeling a little hopeless. But that is so not an accurate snapshot of my life!

I am so blessed!

Yes, there are troubles. No, nothing is perfect. Yes, there are things I want and things I question, and things I wish and hope and pray for. But I am so blessed! I have a job that pays well enough and has good health benefits. I have a roof over my head, and I am in no danger of not being able to pay my bills. I have a husband who loves me more than I deserve. I have a big, crazy family who make me laugh. I have the best friends I could ever imagine. And I have a personal relationship with the God who's mercies are new every morning.

There is so much more. I could write for a very long time about what I am blessed with and thankful for. And I believe that if I do that frequently- if I call to mind on a regular basis all of the things that make my life wonderful- I will be more worshipful. More full of praise. Better able to recall the good when the bad hits hard.

Every week here at Life with a Lady, I will host a Thankful Thursday party. Please link up and/or comment and share what you are thankful for this week. And keep your thankfulness in mind all week. Together, we can keep a spirit of gratefulness and thanksgiving year round.

This week I am thankful for the person who was kind enough to stop and leave a note on my car telling me I had a flat. I wouldn't have noticed until I started driving because I don't approach the car from that direction.

This week I am thankful that I had enough money set aside for emergencies to cover the purchase of four new, high quality tires.

This week I am thankful that I am strong enough and confident enough in myself to change a tire {Do you know how many people told me I couldn't do it?!}.

This week I am thankful that my foot is healing.

This week I am thankful that my church has hired a new worship leader!

This week I am thankful for Steel Magnolias, chocolate, and a cozy bed at the end of the day.

This week I am thankful for a supportive bra.

What are you thankful for? Link up with your Thankful Thursday post and/or leave a comment letting everyone know what you are thankful for.

{A little bit of business}
1. Please link to your specific blog post, not your main blog page.
2. Please keep things clean and family-friendly.
3. Please link back to this post so that others can easily find their way back.
4. Include pictures if you can! I love pictures. : )

We Three Kings

2009-11-27T19:38:00.001-05:00

Are you ready to see what I've been working on for my Christmas decorations?! I'm ready to show you.

The first Christmas-decorating thing I did this year was so simple. And fun. You should try it.

First, I found a silhouette-type graphic of the three wise men and a camel. I sized it how I wanted it on my computer, then printed it off onto black card stock. Yes. It was black ink on black card stock. A little hard to see, but it served its purpose.

Then I grabbed the scissors and got to work. I cut out all the little, intricate details. I even had to get out the craft knife (which I hate using) at the end for the really tight stuff.

After these little guys were all cut out (and a star, too!), I just put some scrapbooking adhesive on the front of them, reached up under the lamp shade, and stuck 'em up there!

When the lamp is off, nothing is visible. But at 7:00 PM, the timer turns on, and- MAGIC! Three wise men and their camel in my lampshade! Delightful.

You can go to Creative Cats Friday to see what other lovely ladies have been crating this week!

I Go Among Trees

2009-11-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

I go among trees and sit still.

All my stirring becomes quiet

around me like circles on water.

My tasks lie in their places

where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes

and lives a while in my sight.

What it fears in me leaves me,

and the fear of me leaves it.

It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes

I live for a while in its sight.

What I fear in it leaves it

and the fear of it leaves me.

It sings, and I hear its song.

After days of labor,

mute in my consternations,

I hear my song at last,

and I sing it. As we sing,

the day turns, the trees move.

Wendell Berry, Untitled, from The Sabbath Poems

Holiday Decorating Part Two- The Inspiration

2009-11-22T20:58:00.000-05:00

So, people. I've had some time to peruse a few Christmas home tours, thanks to BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes 2008. I think I might be able to really pull off this whole decorate-for-Christmas-without-a-tree-oh-and-also-without-exploding-santa's-workshop-in-my-living-room thing. Really, I might be able to do it.

Here is what I came up with for inspiration.

String ornaments from trees outside. Yeah, I could do that.

A Christmas tree in an apothecary jar works for me.

Oh yeah. I remember liking this one last year. I even have those same little birdies from Ikea.

The link for this picture no longer works, so I apologize to the lady (whoever you are) to whom I cannot give credit. I like the idea, though... little tags on a string-wrapped, spray painted tree. Nice.

There were some pictures on the tour of homes that sparked an idea for me, even though they weren't pictures of the actual ideas. So... some notes that I jotted down:

*Put things on cake stands.
*Use white feathers.
*Mercury Glass.
*Use sheet music.
*Make a burlap table runner with something Christmas-ey on the ends.
*Put shapes inside of a lamp shade.
*Use candles. Lots of candles
*Stars on sticks
*Card Hanging Ribbons

And the specific projects I'd like to do:
Natural colored linen pillows with cream Christmas tree appliques.
Table runner
Wreath or garland
Put shapes inside of a lamp shade.
Funky wrapped styrofoam trees.
Card Hanging Ribbons with minature clothespins with Christmas trees on them.

Stay tuned to see these projects come to fruition!

Remodeling Guy's Survey- And My Answers!

2009-11-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

Remodeling Guy just posted a little survey. He's gathering info for his blog so that he can better cater to his readers (including me, yeah). I read through the questions and decided that in addition to answering his survey, I would post my answers here. This is a new blog, and I think it's a great way for you to get to know me (or at least get to know my remodeling side. :) You can take his survey, too, at RemodelingGuy.net. He's not sharing your answers with anyone except himself. But if you want to share your answers here with me, I'd love to get to know you, too!

What's your first name? Addie!

Would you like to share your last name? No, but thank you for asking.

I'd like your email address. If you don't mind, enter it here: lifewithalady@gmail.com

Most of my readers live in the US, but not everyone. What country are you in? US

What city and/or state do you live in? Michigan

Are you married? Yes

Do you have kids? How many? What are their ages? Do you plan to have more? No kids, yet. Soon, maybe.

Does anyone in your house work from home? This includes you SAHMs! No.

Before I ask about your house, let me ask you this. If I were someone who came to your house to talk to you about your remodeling, what would you like for me to know about you and your family in order for me to really understand your needs, hopes, and dreams for your home?

I would really like to have a home that I am completely comfortable in, without having a bank account that bleeds. I am willing to do so much by myself to save money, but if I'm talking to a professional, it means it's a job that is too big for me. I need the professional to understand that I just want to make small improvements, but I want them to be done well. I need to be able to trust him or her to to a good job and charge a fair price.

About Your Home!

What type of house do you live in?

Single Family Home - Concrete Block Construction
Single Family Home - Brick Construction
Single Family Home - Frame Construction Check.
Multi-Family Home (duplex, apartment, etc)
Manufactured Home or Mobile Home
Other:

How many bedrooms are in your home? 4

Bathrooms? 1

One last "census type" question! What year was your house built? Approximately? 1978

The Heart of The Matter!!

Here are the questions that will really help me to better serve you!

What's your biggest remodeling or repair priority?

I want to be delighted at every turn.
In that pursuit, I try to find a balance between need and want. The needs (like our back deck) make me grumpy. The wants (like crown molding) excite me.

What, if anything, is keeping you from working on that priority right now?

Budget is always the biggest hurdle. After that, I find that I'm always doing projects on my own. My husband is not interested in home improvement. This makes bigger projects impossible most of the time.

When you do work on the house, who does the work? I'd love to know details. Will you and your spouse do it? Will you do some and get help for some? Or will you hire someone? If hiring, I have more questions next...

I do the work around the house. If a project needs more than I can give, it doesn't get done unless absolutely necessary (like repairing the refrigerator). Hiring a professional is very intimidating to me, and I am always scared of what they will tell me it will cost.

If you're hiring someone, will you seek a full-fledged remodeling construction company or will you look for more of a "handyman" type guy? How important is the "professional image" or outward appearance of professionalism to you? (I'm not sure how this applies to the blog... I may just be curious because I was a contractor for twenty years!)

Depends on the job. For most jobs, I'd probably hire a handyman type. I would only hire a company if it were something like an addition. The professional image is semi-important. I don't care how the person dresses, if they cut their hair or shave their beard. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that they don't smell (that matters A LOT if they're going to be spending time in my home), they're clean (no tracking in mud, getting oily fingerprints on the furniture, etc), and they are respectful. Also, I would say that smoking is not an option.

What is your biggest worry or fear about remodeling?

Do you ever watch that show on HGTV, Holmes on Homes? Well, I do. Mike Holmes does a fantastic job.... fixing everyone else's mistakes. What if I do it wrong? What if the person I hire because I don't know how to do it does it wrong? Are mistakes going to be made that are going to end up costing me thousands?

Are there other, lesser concerns too?

Is it worth it to make all these changes? Am I going to see a return on my investments when I go to sell in five or six years?

What's your "Dream Come True" scenario? Is it a new house? A remodel of the current house? Tell me all about it!

I would love to buy a piece of land that is not too far out of town but still secluded and quiet. I would like it to have a little stream. I would like to have a new house built that meets all of my needs. I would like to stay there for a very long time.

I feel like my questionnaire is getting too long! What I REALLY want to know (should have asked this first!) is what you really would love out of blogs online? Do you visit more for inspiration? For instruction? Coaching? Freindship? All of the above? Please share with me.

Well, yeah. All of the above. But most specifically, I visit your blog for instruction and encouragement. I was hooked as soon as you posted about spray painting cabinets. {That was for Remodeling Guy. For the rest of y'all, I like looking at your craft and decorating projects for inspiration. And I like the blogging community. Even though my last blog had to end, I would really love it if this blog had some faithful readers and commentors like my last blog did. Hopefully that will come in time.}

Order! Order! I bring this meeting to order!

2009-11-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

I interrupt your Monday morning to bring you some important bloggy business. Thank you for attending my impromptu meeting.

First, Old Business. Well, there is no Old Business since this is a new blog.

So- New Business.

1. I was informed that it was impossible to comment on my posts. So sad because I LOVE comments! I made some changes to my settings, so hopefully that situation is rectified. I also now allow everyone to comment without moderation, including anonymous bloggers. But please don't be anonymous! When you comment, I'd like to have the option of commenting back, going to your blog, making it a conversation, and getting to know you! Let's spread some comment love, shall we?!

2. I now have a "contact me" thingy over there on the right side of the page. See it? Now you can send me emails, too. .... What? You have nothing to send me an email about? Oh, c'mon. Sure you do. : )
"Dear Lady, Why don't you have a real name? Love, Blogger."
"Dear Lady, Could you please help me decide what color to paint my little girl's room? Love, Blogger."
"Dear Lady, Where is the best place to go hiking in Michigan? Love, Blogger."
"Dear Lady, I have a million dollars to send to you. What is your address? Love, Blogger."
See? There are lots of things to email me about.

3. I was thinking... I need a NAME! I used to have this great blog (well, I thought it was great). But someone else didn't think it was so great. And because I used my name a lot in it, they were able to really cause some trouble in my life. So when I started this new blog a few weeks ago, I decided to just be The Lady from Life With A Lady. But it's not really working for me. You know? Yeah, I like being The Lady, but I feel like I need a stronger identifier. I need real name. Just not my real name. Because even my first name is pretty unique. A stage name. A blog name. What should I be? Who should I be? Ideas? I need to decide soon.
I like Anna, but that is currently taken by multiple people in my life, so it's kind of off limits. I just feel like if I weren't *insert my real real name here*, I would certainly be an Anna.
So, not Anna. What else? Maybe I should look through a baby name book. Yeah? Okay. I'll just flip through and see what I see.
Ooh! Addie. That's cute! I think maybe there's an American Girl doll named Addie. Maybe.
Bella. That was my nickname growing up. But I didn't love Twilight enough to go that route, so no.
Ella. Taking the B off of Bella. That could work!
Frank. I think it'd be fun to be a girl named Frank. hehehe
Kate? Love it, but there are too many Kates.
Kendall. It means "Ruler of the Valley." That's Ruler of the Blog, to you!
Maren? I could be a Maren.
Molly. I could be a Molly, too.
Noelle? That's fun. I kinda want to name a baby girl Noelle, but I don't think I'd have the guts to do it.
Sadie. I just bought something from an Etsy shop called Sadie'sTheLady. Love it. But I don't want to copy.

So what do you think? I'm choosing soon, so get your two cents in before it's too late!

4. Guess what! My tissue paper bow tutorial was mini-featured on Poppies at Play! I'm so excited! Thanks, ladies! Poppies at Play is a collaborative blog, and they have a Creative Cats party every Friday so we can all show off what our creative sparks of genius have come up with lately. It's fun. I'm so honored that they liked my project!

I think that wraps up our little town hall meeting. Anything to add? No? Okay. Meeting adjourned. Thanks for coming!

Holiday Decorating (and how I do it without cringing)...

2009-11-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

Deck the halls with boughs of holly!

Just thought I'd start you off with a little song that will stay in your head all day *insert evil lady-laugh here*.

I've been thinking about holiday decorations for a few weeks, now. Last year, I didn't put up a tree (gasp!). I had multiple reasons for that. Number one- I wasn't in the mood. I just wasn't. Number two, I like how my house is without all of the extra clutter of holiday decor. And number three, my Christmas tree just wasn't {isn't} my style. I did bring out my old stand-by Christmas decorations, and managed to make my home look pretty festive.

Fast forward a year, and here we are. The only thing that has changed is that I am in the mood for Christmas decorating- and the first week of November hasn't even come to a close, yet.

But still, I like my house how it is. Adding more STUFF, especially hokey holiday stuff, will upset the balance of clutter vs. select pretty things being displayed. The clutter effect will win. So does that mean I put some of my other stuff away for the season? Hmmm.

Then, there is the issue of what holiday crap I can live with. The holiday section of any given store makes me shudder. It's just not ME. It's not. Forest green and blood red. Not my colors. Sparkles on everything or old-world santa. Puke. I do think blue and silver are okay, but they really really really don't go with my house. Can't they make neutral colored Christmas stuff?

So here I sit, trying to think of ways to incorporate Christmas into my home without getting a headache.

And I have an idea.

I'm going to go through old Christmas home tour blog parties {I think both BooMama and The Nester have hosted them in the past} and get some DIY ideas. Then I'm going to travel to DIY heaven and crank out some Christmas-ey stuff using neutral, natural colors and textures.

Stay tuned to see which ideas I find that inspire me to go Christmas crazy!

This won't be making the cut.

Disclaimer: I don't have kids, and my husband says he doesn't care, so I'm not ruining anyone's life by not having a Christmas tree. K? Maybe when I do have a child and he or she is old enough to care, then I will have a tree. And maybe by then I'll have thought of a style of tree that makes my heart happy.

Autumn Inspiration on Etsy

2009-10-22T16:58:00.009-04:00

One of my favorite places to look for inspiration is to the lovely ladies (and gents, I suppose) who post their wares on Etsy. Some days, I'll find a tee shirt embellished with ruffles or a wrap skirt with a little birdie on it. Other days I'll find a painting that would look great on my walls or a set of greeting cards that would be perfect to have on hand.

The eye candy at Etsy is delicious.

So today, I'm happy to share with you a cozy little collection of autumn items. Take a look, then feel free to click on the pictures to visit the Etsy shops and consider taking something home with you! Unless I buy it first. Race ya'.

Restful Blue Fabric Leaf Wreath by janejoss

This $13.50 wreath is so simple. So easy. So casual. So pretty on my front door...

Chasing Fallen Leaves by ktwigs81

This catchy little pair of earrings will bring a whisper of fall into your style for just $16.

Adorable Autumn Mary Janes by lovelylittleones

These little shoes pull at my heartstrings. I'd buy them right now (for $17) if I had a little girl to buy them for. Do you?

Pumpkin Pillow by allthingswhite

I'm all about being understated when it comes to holiday decorating. This pumpkin pillow is perfect at only $16.

Organic Cotton ALine Tote by aandvdesigns

At $65, this bag is a bit of a splurge, but well worth it. I'd love to carry this on my shoulder this fall!

Give Thanks Distressed Wood Sign by distresseddesign

I'm not usually one for signs and words, but this particular one for $18 is a subtle and pleasant reminder to give thanks not just during this season, but in every moment.

How about you? What are you doing to wrap yourself in cozy-warm colors and give thanks for the beauty of fall?

Bow Ingenuity

2009-10-22T11:21:00.005-04:00

What happens when you leave a lady alone with a plain gift, a spool of ribbon, and some tissue paper?

{Oh, and make sure she's in a hotel room the night before a wedding with no real resources.}

So what really happened was that we rushed to get out of town on Friday afternoon, drive to the Big City, pick up my husband's tux, and make it to the rehearsal on time. On the way there, we stopped at a Rite Aid to get a card and a bow for the top of the gift. But Rite Aid's bows were tragically insufficient for the super-fun bird cage and bird wrapping paper that I had used. So I picked out some coordinating tissue paper and ribbon. That evening, after the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, I set up shop in the hotel room. I realized at that point that I had no tape and no scissors.

That's okay.

I grabbed my husband's pocket knife and went to work. I pulled out my old homecoming-float-flower-making skills and delighted in creating something beautiful. The following is a tutorial so that you can duplicate the project when you find yourself in a similar jam (or when you just want to add something whimsical to the top of a gift).

Step 1: Cut your tissue paper down into manageable squares. I wanted large flowers, so I cut each layer of tissue paper into four pieces. They were large. I'd say an 8" by 8" square would be sufficient for a medium-size flower. Use at least six layers of tissue paper for a full flower.

Step 2: Fold up the squares (keeping the layers together) into an accordion. It doesn't have to be exact. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Step 3: Tie a length of ribbon around the center of the accordion. I used probably about 12" pieces of ribbon. Less is fine. More is fine, too.

Step 4: Make sure your ribbon is tight and your knot is secure. The knot will be on the bottom, so it doesn't need to be pretty.

Step 5: Take each layer of tissue, and start GENTLY pulling it toward the center of the flower. Depending on the quality of your tissue paper, it could tear quite easily. So be gentle!

This is what your flower will look like from the bottom.

Keep going. Why would one flower be enough?! I made three.

Step 6: Secure your flowers to the top of the gift. I just tied the ribbon from the back of the flower to the ribbon that was around the box. You could use tape if you're so organized that you have it on hand.

Step 7: Take pictures for all to see. You'll want to blog about it, of course. And you'll definitely want to let me know that you did. : )

Step 8: Proudly march your gift through the reception, and bask in the compliments as you make your way to the gift table.

Step 9: Enjoy the day. What a lovely couple.

See how other creative ladies are expressing themselves at the Creative Cats Friday party at Poppies at Play and DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.

One Less Quirk

2009-10-20T19:33:00.002-04:00

I have a friend who told me a story. She said that when she was eight years old, her mother came to her with some bad news.
   "Renee, I was doing laundry today, and the washer ate your blankie."
   Bad news, indeed. Renee was sad. Renee missed her blankie. But Renee got over it.
   She was telling me this story because just that weekend- and we were in ninth grade at this point- she had opened up a closet and found-

her blankie.
Neatly folded on a shelf.

   My mom never did such a thing. And thank you, Mom. What did happen, however, is that I kept my blankie. I kept it close. I have slept with it every night for my whole life. Except that one time when I was six, and we went to Grandma's house. I forgot it, and it was too far away to go back and get it. I didn't get any sleep that night, and the brown pipe-cleaner antennae on the butterflies my grandma had decorated with freaked me out. Then there was the time we visited my sister for the night. I was in college. I forgot it, and it was too far away to go back and get it (yeah, yeah, you've heard that before). Luckily, at that point in my life, I had discovered Tylenol PM, so I made it through the night.
   But other than those two nights, my blankie has seen me through every season of my entire life. All twenty-six years. All eleventy-million tears I've cried.

And it shows.

   My blankie is sadly becoming less of a blankie, and more of a set of strings, held together by sheer will to carry on.
   My mom used to ask me, "What will happen when you get married? You can't bring your blanket into bed with your husband!"
   My reply was simple. "If my husband doesn't want my blanket to sleep with us, then I married the wrong man."
   Apparently, I married the right man because he's just fine with it.

   But what do I do, now? How far do I let it go before there's nothing left of my blanket to tuck into my arm? What do I do with it when I decide (for the blankie's own good, of course) not to sleep with it anymore?
   I am sad. I don't like the idea of giving up this comfort.
   I suppose when that day comes, I will carry on. I will burrow into my husband's shoulder. I will find new independence. I will have one less thing to pack when I go on trips. And I will have one less quirk.

Contact The Lady

2009-10-10T10:41:00.001-04:00

Hi, y'all!

I can be contacted at lifewithalady (at) gmail {dot} com. No spam, please.