Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau

Friday, February 26, 2010

Marathon Day 2


First, just let me say...

building a house with your spouse


is risky business.

Very risky business.


I took this test

several years ago

and passed with 

flying colors.

Why , oh why

am I being asked

to take this test

again?


Today we are shopping again

for kitchen appliances

at the same stores where we spent all day
yesterday.

Then we are going to shop 

audio systems.

These items have to be decided on now
in order to proceed with the wiring 
that they will require.

Hubs has declared that we will do this 
again.
Tomorrow.
In the meantime
I am to study
the 1000 page catalogue
that we borrowed from the lighting store yesterday.

Oh and also check out the website
that the lighting ladies recommended
which boasts over
40,000 choices.


Just. Shoot. Me.

I know, I know,
I should not be complaining.
Shopping is fun, right?

I AM thankful, I really am.
I am blessed.
So blessed.
But.
My husband is very tired...
I am very tired.

We need some sunshine 
and some warm temps.
We need for stuff to stop breaking
at the rental houses.
We now have to rip up a house
because the tenant has complained
to the county about the mold problem.
This is going to be almost impossible
to address with people living there
and they are behind on the rent
to boot.
We will be selling this house
when it becomes empty,
not renting to these losers again.
Sorry, I digress.



Sometimes I just want to fast forward to
the Assisted Living Home
where someone will bring my food
on a tray 
and tuck me in at night
and 
let me read blogs all day.

But until that day,
I forge fearlessly
and cheerfully
and hopefully
into the fray.

Day 2 is about to begin.
If hubs doesn't stop and get me Coke
when I am dying of thirst 
and caffeine low,
You will hear the screaming
all the way from Joplin..

Im just sayin.





On a happy note,
Here is the buffet
we recently bought
at the Flea Market.

I have been watching out
for one that I could 
put in the entry hall.

I hope they didn't rip my head off
but we both felt like it was 
a good value.

Try to ignore the pink vases...
I didn't buy those!








Im not sure about the hardware,
but I don't have time to do anything about it right now...

It has some little 
wear signs here and there
and some chipped up places,
to proved that it has lived a good life
and been used well.

Like me, right?
Yep.





Now join me in
a little happy dance
because



It's Friday!


The next time I write 
there will be a lot of scratches 
on the BIG to-do list.

Amen.

Sunday, February 21, 2010




Happy Sunday morning everybody!







It's my hubby's birthday

and I should be baking him a cake

taking him coffee in bed

regaling him with praise.








Instead I am here 

with you 

so that I can tell you

about a lovely blog

for you to peruse

on this gloomy

gray

rainy

day

in February.






Let not your hearts be troubled

it is almost March!

Take a look at these yummy pictures

and learn.

This cool blog is like

flipping through a beautiful magazine

without having paid $7.99

and there are no advertisements,

no comments,

no giveaways,

no nothing.

Just lovely pictures.

I love it!

www.inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com


Enjoy!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

hope springs eternal



Spring....
She's coming~


And She's bringing
the girls.



 These beauties 

are out there 


lurking beneath


the soil.


Just waiting for


their turn 


in the sun.














And after that,


these darlings will


fill the air


with sweetness.


And pastels.














You will have to look closely 


to find this 


fragile imp!









and then, 


this one.






Lush.

Soothing

Comforting

Dependable.




Then,


Sassy 
Happy
and
Carefree

and all the cousins...








The world is brown right now.


But we have hope


for the future.


I am looking

forward

to

spring.

How 

about 

you?











































































Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Beam me up Scotty!


I am so blessed.

Just this morning

I was bemoaning once again about
something I wanted to put my hands on
but couldn't remember what box to look in.

I was feeling blue
because I have so many things to decide
in the next few days.

My bum still hurts.

I don't know what color tan/beige/kahaki
I want to look at for the rest of my life,
in this house.

This baby lives thousands of miles away
and I can't touch her.
I got to see her yesterday
on the miracle
called
Skype.

It is 76 degrees there 
and her mommie had her chubby bare legs
sticking out there for me to see.

I could hear her babbling away
and crying too.


Isn't life wonderful?

I am blessed.






Monday, February 15, 2010

Beigeness

It is coooooooold around here.

The brave men are building some interior walls for
the downstairs kitchen bar
and finishing some 
rough in plumbing.

Because that's where the heaters are.


I am here at home
staring at paint chips.

I remember writing a paint chip post
around a year ago,
pondering the qualities
of

Fireweed.

It's getting close to crunch time
and I am second guessing 
my ability to chose colors 

that I will love forever.

Does this beige look green in the sunlight?

Does this beige look too pinky?

Is this beige too dark?

Too gray?

I don't know why I am starting to freak out about this.
It's not like I've never done it before...

I don't think people ran
to their cars
shrieking

eeee gad!
What was she thinking??????


I'm pretty sure

Fireweed

is 

out.

I am looking for a more mellow

calming

deep

sensual

red,

like a fine wine.




Fireweed conjurs up

thoughts of indigestion,
and is a little too orange,

I picked Red Bay for my office last time.
I loved that color.
I loved it every time I looked at it.
That's what I'm looking for.

Simply

Quiet Warm Deep Luscious Not Too Harsh And Not Too Bright Red

and Soothing, Neutral Comforting, Yet Warm But Not Too Golden Tan.

That's all.

Oh, and Soft, Like Sea Glass, Barely There Slightly I'm Not Sure It's Really Aqua.


I guess that's why I'm still looking 

one year later! 

I can do this...I can do this...I can do this...


Thursday, February 11, 2010




Yesterday was an interesting day!
While on sabbatical from
my duties as an
electrician's assistant,
I decided to 

putter,
nest,
and 
decorate.

I am having the Saturday Brunch Girls
over for brunch on Saturday
(that's why we call ourselves the Saturday Brunch Girls)

and since it is almost Valentine's Day
why not decorate the tables with some really girly-girly stuff?

That meant moving some of the winter-snow-village stuff
out of the way.

We had some large ceramic tiles laying around
so that we could stare at them and
instead of moving them out of the kitchen
(also tiled)
I just lined them up out of the way.


I just needed to move the snow stuff over to the bookshelf
which just happened to be where the tiles
were lined up.

Anyhoo,
I stepped on one of the display tiles
and it went scooting.

Tiles on tiles can scoot really fast.
I did not scoot...

I went Down.
Fast.

In the process I knocked over a lamp,
broke one of the snow village boys,
and took the top off one of the little houses.

As I lay on the floor
clutching the broken boy,
I thought of that TV commercial
where the old lady is on the floor
crying,
"I've fallen and I can't get up!"


Dear Children:
Do not bother to get me one of those Lifeline gadgets.
I'm fine.
I spent the rest of the morning
setting up the table for the Brunch Girls
and 
mourning the broken boy's head
and 
feeling foolish.

All those days on ladders,
at the house,

up and down
down and up

working working working 
in hazardous cold conditions,
with nary a slip...

only to find myself
injured 
putting up 

Valentine's Day decorations!


Moral of this story:

Decorating can be hazardous to your health!

also:

Ceramic tile hurts when you fall down go boom on your bum!





Friday, February 5, 2010

wiring 101












Hello.  It's me.

I have been trying to decide

what to share with you
about wiring.

I've come a long way
in the wiring world.

I now know the difference 
between 12 guage, 14-2 and 14-3 wire...


I now know how to drill holes in the studs
for the wire to go through,
and I know how to 
shove that wire through the holes
from one outlet to another.

I now know what single boxes, double boxes and heavy duty fan/light boxes are.

I now know that climbing up and down ladders all day
makes your legs ache.
I now know that holding your arms up over your head all day
makes your shoulders ache.
I now know that being an electrician's assistant
is not for sissies.

One thing that has been hard for me to learn
is that my electrician wants me to learn.

He wants me to understand why he does things
the way he does.
He wants to teach me about electricity
so that I can anticipate what tool he will need next,
or what room we will move to next,
or where I will want to put the switches and plug-ins next.

He wants me to remember all the lingo
he taught me yesterday
so he won't have to explain it all again
day after day.

Every time I sit down to ponder whether to paint the
library Quiver Tan
or the bathroom Night Owl,

he hollers
bring me the small battery operated drill,
or 
bring me another box of staples,
or 
switch out these bits....

I now know that 
wiring is slow-
but it must be done,
and it must be done right.
You can work at it for days
and not see any progress.

Wiring in winter is cold business.
I now know that one must wear two pairs of everything
and you will still be cold.

Two gloves, two pants, two socks, two hats...
hot coffee in a thermos and lots of granola bars to keep
going






Sometimes 
there is a little lull in my duties
and I get to gaze out at this scene










and this,







and this.




Who could ask for more?







"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

About Me

My photo
Welcome to my happy place. A place where I can share ideas, projects, and dreams. I am a nester, a crafter, a creator and a dreamer I hope you will find inspiration and encouragement for the journey you are on. I am a Jesus follower, wife, mother and nana. Blessed beyond measure, just trying to live my life gracefully and make a difference in my small world. Join me!