Meredelicious

Football Season Bliss

2011-09-06T15:31:00.000-04:00

So we went up to Gainesville this past weekend for the first weekend of college football. Oh how I have missed football season. I absolutely love it! We took the whole set up for Game On Events and had a spectacular day!

This is our outdoor living room!

We decked the trailer out in Gator gear to show our support for our favorite local team!

We even had a nice little crowd gathered around watching the various games that were on during the day. Everyone was very impressed with our rig.

Hubby smoked all day and we dined on some amazing smoked chicken (that I injected with homemade creole butter) and some awesome tri-tip sirloin.

We had incredible seats for the game! The Gators have gotten smart and scheduled the first two games (i.e. the hottest games) at 7pm so the weather was perfect!

So all in all it was a pretty perfect day! I can't wait for more awesome games and events this fall. Did I mention that I love football season!

Two Little Monkeys

2011-07-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

Adorable little monkeys. Just as cute as they can be.

I was so lucky to be able to attend my sweet nephews' first birthday party. A couple of weeks ago my Sister-in-Law asked if I could make some cupcake toppers with the boys names on them. Of course, I got a little carried away. I started brainstorming about cute party ideas and I just kept going. Good thing my SIL and I work so well together, we were able to combine all of our ideas and come up with a pretty darn cute party! I had fun working on all of the graphic designs (finally making good use of my Adobe creative suite) and she, my mom, and me made a day of putting all of the favors, banners, and decorations together. The party went perfectly and I was so glad to be a part of it!

The theme was "monkeys" and my SIL purchased the plates, napkins, balloons, and stickers etc from www.1stbirthdayparty.com. I then created the more personalized signs, banners and such. I used the online images of the party decor to match the colors for the custom signage.

These two little boys are very well loved and there was a full house there to celebrate them turning one year old!

The cupcake table was my favorite!

It was all over too soon but it was fun while it lasted. Love my little nephews and I was so happy to share this special day with them! I miss them already and I hope the see them again soon!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!!!

Craft Shows and Such

2011-03-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

So I have been busy navigating the world of the Craft Show for the past month or so. It has been interesting and I have been learning the ropes with the help of some veteran crafters that I have been meeting.

My debut event was called "Pig on the Pond" and it is a local BBQ competition here in Clermont. So the "pig" part of the title is the BBQ and the "pond" is actually a lake (the next lake up the chain of lakes from "our" lake).

The weather on Friday night was horrible and there were 16mph winds coming right off the lake making the wind chill about 40 degrees. No fun at all since the event was from 5pm-10pm. Plus part of the event is a huge carnival with rides and games so it was teeny-bopper High School night. Needless to say the crowd was not interested in baby wipes cases, burp cloths, and taggy blankets. We did get quite an entertaining show of all that Clermont teenagers have to offer. The best (or worst) was the girls who were running around in short shorts and tank-tops as I am shivering in my wool boots, jeans, and huge fuzzy coat. It was ridiculous. I guess looking "cute" trumps physical discomfort for 16 year olds. Not this lady! It is comfort all the way! But I still looked cute in my boots, jeans, and coat anyway so whatever!

Saturday was much better! Sunshine, no wind, lots of young families - a much more condusive atmosphere for a successful day for a baby gift booth! The day went well and I pulled out my best sales woman personality! My Sister-in-Law and her family even came and helped for several hours. It was a great day to hang out, meet some people, drum up some interest in Coco Lemon and sell some cute baby gifts!

The next weekend we went to a small event at one of the local community colleges. It was a Wing Fest and Craft Show and it was only a few hours in the morning. It was mildly successful and again we met some nice people! Plus it was a few town over and the drive was very pretty so I can't complain about that!

Finally this past weekend I did a three day event at the local winery here in Clermont. This was more of an established crowd of crafters and my display needed to be bumped up a bit so I added some curtains and tried to make my tent look a little fancier than the general pop up that it is. Most people had the tall white tents with the fully enclosed sides. I will work up to that but for my third event ever I think I did pretty good! Again I met some awesome people and everyone is very encouraging. The lady whose tent was right next door to mine was also next door to me at Pig on the Pond, strangely enough. She was super nice and was my biggest cheerleader. She kept telling anyone with babies that they needed to check out my booth and would brag about how nice my stuff was. I really appreciated all of the encouragement! It was a nice weekend and again I was able to generate a good deal of interest in the company.

So that is what I have been doing. The weekends have been full with events and the weeks are spent replenishing inventory and getting ready for the next show! I also have been updating Etsy with new items so be sure to check it out! Now I am brainstorming on some things that I could add to the line that could appeal to everyone, not just new mothers. I am thinking iPad covers, camera straps, and several other options.

Any ideas? I would like to use most of the same fabric so that I can utilize odd cuts after I get the wipes case and burp cloth pieces cut out.

Bring the Rain

2011-01-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

I love a good rainstorm. It was one of the things I missed the most when I lived in Vegas. I good hard rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightening.

However, my dogs do not share in my sentiment.

They think the Thunder is a personal attack on them. An attack that needs to be answered with full out outrage and vocal retaliation.

It drives me crazy!

My calming rainstorm has been turned inside out!

What are you going to do though? You can't really reason with a dog and tell them things like you would a child. "Honey, it's just God bowling" doesn't really make K9s feel any better.

So I did the only thing I could do.

I sent them to a time out. They are now taking naps in there "sleepy-time" kennel. They are snuggly with blankets and they seem to have calmed down.

Peace has returned.

I will wake them from their naps soon, but for now Peace.

I know kids aren't any easier but hopefully I will not have any that bark and hopefully they will understand by age 4 or 5 that Thunder is not a personal attack on them.

Hopefully.

Teenage Dream & Just the way you are - Acapella Cover - Katy Perry - Bru...

2010-11-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

I am totally blown away by this guy!

I mean seriously! How cool is this guy. And super talented!

I admire his creativity and innovation.

Just thought I would share! Happy Monday!

A little Halloween

2010-10-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

I am not a big Halloween decorator usually. I love fall decorations and tend to rock them from September 30th to December 1st.

This year I decided to do a few little focus pieces for Halloween along with my Fall decor.

Hope you are enjoying the Halloween season!

P.S. Don't buy candy that you actually like WAY before Halloween! It is not "doin' a body good"! Just a tip!

Every Little Bit

2010-10-25T12:56:00.000-04:00

This is a common sight at our house.

Do you know what it is?

It is the window ledge above my sink. And those are the foil yogurt lids that my husband so sweetly leaves for me.

Why? Well, because I asked him too. After his morning Activia he rinses off the lids and sets them on the ledge to dry. After a few of them accumulate I collect them up and take them over to my laptop.

I log onto www.cupsofhope.com and enter in the code on the back of the lid. It is the least I can do. For each lid Dannon donates 10cents to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

So from now until 11/30/10 I will be frequenting this site.

Because every little bit helps right? I am not doing the 3day walk or anything nearly as profound but I feel like this is at least one little thing I can do. And I appreciate my husband for helping me by remembering to leave his lids. I also appreciate that my husband wore his pink shirt to work today. He even remembered that it wasn't clean and did a load of laundry at 9pm last night DURING A FOOTBALL GAME! He is trying to get it in the rotation as many times as possible during the month of October which, as you probably know, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I am very proud that he is so thoughtful.

So what are you doing to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Pumpkin Spice latte's make the world go round!

2010-10-20T10:02:00.000-04:00

Yum!

I am sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte (skim milk, no whip) right now and it is delish!!!

Nothing says Fall like a warm pumpkiny coffee drink.

Okay a few things do. That crisp breeze that keeps rushing in whenever someone opens the door. The guy across the street that is blowing leaves off the sidewalk. The pumpkins on the front porches of the houses in the neighborhood.

I love it!

Fall is my favorite season. Everything from buying school supplies (miss it) to the Thanksgiving dinner. Tie it up in a bow and give it to me please. Love it.

For me there is something fresh and new about Fall. Even more so than Spring. It just seems to waken up the senses. It says "get down to business". After all of the hot lazy days of Summer it is a breath of fresh air! Fresh, cool air. I love breaking out the boots and jackets. Pulling out my Indian corn, my glazed ceramic pumpkins, and my acorn adorned hand towels.

Oh and did I mention the Pumpkin Spice Latte? The glorious PSL!*

The days are getting shorter, the air cooler. The sun is a bright glowing ball of the deepest orange as it sets over the lake behind my house, turning the sky pink and the lake the most beautiful coral color. The windows are being opened and the air conditioner switched off. The environment and my energy bill are both better for it.

Even though I am way too old to do so, I start making a Christmas list. Football is a constant on the weekends (and some weekdays too). Halloween costumes are planned, and the list of all of the things needed to construct said costumes is made. It is a time for getting together with friends and family, watching a game and sitting down to a warm meal. Break out grandma's stuffing recipe cause its on!!!

What about you? What season gets you going?

*I do not frequent Starbucks on a daily basis. In fact I hardly ever do. I still love me some Pumpkin latte goodness.

Going Home

2010-10-19T11:52:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the simplest questions can be the hardest to answer.

What do you want for dinner? What's your favorite song? How are you doing today?

and for me this weekend... How do you like Florida?

Now for anyone out there that does not know I lived in Las Vegas for 5+ years and moved to Florida last November.

I was a bridesmaid for one of my good friends this weekend in Las Vegas. I became close with this special friend through the design firm that we both worked for. We worked on a job together for over four years, she being my project manager and I being the Interior Designer on the project. We bonded. She is fabulous. You might remember her from this post where we trained and ran a 1/2 marathon together.

So needless to say there were many friends at this wedding that are former co-workers of mine as well as just friends and acquaintances from my time living in Vegas. And of course the question that I was asked over and over again...

How do you like Florida?

So I tried to answer as honestly as possible.

"You know, it is different" "Its good" "I really enjoy being close to family"

All of it seemed to fall short of being able to clearly explain how I feel about Florida. I do like living in Florida, but I also miss almost everyone that I was speaking to and I was having an inner battle of emotions. I started to get kinda bummed when I thought of them all still working together or at least still working in the Las Vegas fun, fast paced design industry.

Plus this was the first time since moving that I felt decidedly on "the outside". These used to be my peeps! The distance was starting to show.

So anyway that brings me back to another hard question for me. Where is Home? For me Home is always Texas. It took me a long time for Vegas to be Home. And now it was strange leaving Vegas and saying I am going Home to Florida.

I feel like that guy on Sister Wives who doesn't have his own bedroom and just rotates between his 4 wives rooms. (Okay I don't really feel exactly like that but I love that show, so interesting!)

So how do I feel about Florida? I think time has still not answered that question. I feel like there are things to be accomplished, opportunities to be taken advantage of, and friends still to be made. I do like being close to family. I still wish that Dallas was only an hour away so that I could be close to my mom and my brother and his family but, yeah that isn't going to happen. I do miss Las Vegas though. I thought I was so ready to leave but now that I am gone I realize all of the things that I miss.

It was a bittersweet trip. The sweet was this...

The bitter was realizing that Home is a hard to define. That it always isn't one place. That with the people that you used to share everyday conversations you are trying to sum up the last year of your life and it is harder than you ever imagined.

So where do you call Home? Is it hard for you to define?

GAP

2010-10-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else profoundly relieved that GAP has realized they made a huge mistake and has decided to go back to their classic logo?

I am!

If you don't know what I am talking about, Gap North America, the often spoofed, yet beloved clothing store, tried to "update" their logo last week. It was less of an update and more of a "we just opened up a Word doc and typed in the word Gap and then added a little blue box with gradient shading". Seriously it looked like it was something out of a basic instruction manual for Windows 2000. Well they announced today, after a huge outcry from upset fans, that they are going back to the classic logo (the tall capital G A P in the navy blue box).

I am so relieved.

Why this tiny mishap in Gap's brand image campaign inspired me to plunk out a post? Well maybe it is just my small way of closing this huge GAP in time since I posted here.

It isn't that nothing interesting has happened in my life the last three months or so. On the contrary there has been lots going on in my life. Vacations on the beach, welcoming my adorable twin nephews into the world, trips to Dallas to help with said nephews (and getting a tiny glimpse of motherhood), football season starting!!!, first cruise ever, anniversaries, birthdays etc.

But along with all of that good stuff going on there has been a lot of uncertainty in my life in the last few months. Not knowing where my life is headed. Worrying about the future (sometimes even just the next day). Wondering if certain decisions we made a year ago were the right decisions. You know grown-up stuff.

I don't know why I haven't written about any of this. I guess I just haven't felt the urge to right it all down play by play. No need to worry about that now. A spade is a spade.

But here I am again!

I am back!

Like the Gap!

Green thumb anyone?

2010-07-08T16:46:00.000-04:00

I don't think I have a green thumb. Which is unfortunate because I love plants.

The only plant that I have managed to keep alive for any amount of time was a Mother-in-Law's tongue that lived on my desk for the 5+ years in Las Vegas. I think it liked the pretty much constant fluorescent light.

Which is funny because I pretty much hate fluorescent light.

I left it there in the care of a good friend so hopefully it is still soaking up the fluorescent light and getting the remaining contents of some water bottles from time to time.

Anyway I bought this really cool elephant ear plant and I am not doing to well with it.

I read online (so it must be true) that they need alot of water. Well I am giving it plenty of H2O but I keep losing leaves. They just dry up and droop all of a sudden. It is making me really sad.

Maybe it isn't getting enough light. It is pushed right up to the window sill and all, practically making out with the window, but maybe it isn't enough? I refuse to bust out any fluorescent light bulbs though so I am hoping this is not the problem.

I may resort to singing soon. "May" being the operative word.

I want you to live plant! You are so perfect for the corner of my breakfast room!

What are your favorite house plants. Any good ones that are easy to keep alive? What do you say green thumbs out there. Help a sister out!

Summer is slipping away

2010-07-01T22:41:00.000-04:00

and that is okay!

I mean it is going good! I am getting used to the downpours in the afternoons. Mostly because I have been cool and dry in my home when they have happened.

That is until today.

That is until I was held hostage in JoAnn's. Usually one of my favorite stores.

But not when I was going on hour 3 of being there!

I was with my darling niece at a super cool craft class. And we were all good for the first two hours. The first two hours were occupied with glueing, wrapping fabric around foam core, decorating a super cool "Memo Board" for her room.

Then the girls even painted some birdhouses. Gratis from JoAnn's because the class ended early and I was the only mom/aunt that stayed with her child, so there was an hour to kill before the other kids were picked up.

I could have left right then. I have a car and a license.

Oh how I should have left right then!!! But no, Miss Reilly wanted to go shopping. She had money burning a hole in her Hannah Montana coin purse. And since I was not in a hurry I said OK!

Big mistake.

Not five minutes into the shopping in the toy/craft aisle did I hear it... the thunder.

I should have said "let's go lady"!

But no, I am new to this rain thing, and I try to be the "cool" aunt, so I didn't pay much attention. Then I heard the drumming. The drumming, droning, very loud sound of rain on a tin box roof!!!

So for the next hour we shopped slowly. Went back to the craft room. Played hang man with the other two girls and the teacher. Watched the dynamic of three 7-8 year old girls, who otherwise did not know each other, play a game. Interaction at this age is interesting. A preclude to teenage years. But less straight forward. Realized that the teacher of the class was 19, which made me feel immediately ancient. It was a long hour. Complete with drumming, droning, sound of rain on a tin roof.

With the constant downpour not letting up at ALL, I decided to purchase an umbrella. A common item in all stores in this part of the country I have found. Thank the Lord.

We made a dash for it. With the help of the very helpful "education manager" to carry the memo board, painted birdhouse and various bags that we had with us. We made it! Wet but, in the car, and on the way HOME!!!

So in conclusion, if you hear the Thunder, and you think you might be able to escape before getting drenched, DO IT. It wasn't horrible, I did not suffer any pain or dismemberment, but it was a lesson to be learned.

Because no matter how much you like a store, being held there against your will for an hour, is still an hour that you keep thinking over and over again...

What else could I be doing right now?

Set up Shop

2010-06-10T18:35:00.000-04:00

I just finished setting up my Etsy shop! It was fairly painless.

Check out my shop cocolemon.

First I had to brainstorm on the name. I wanted something chic and stylish but also fresh. So CocoLemon it is! Plus that one wasn't taken as a few of my other combos were. Cocolime for example. Which I am actually glad about because I could not stop singing "You put the lime in da Coconut..." all night last night!

But I like CocoLemon! It is rich and juicy!

Here is a sample of what I am offering in my shop.

They are travel baby wipes cases that I have covered and embellished with hot fabrics and trims. I have seen these at baby boutiques and even purchased one in the past for one of my friends. She asked me if I made the one I gave her at my baby shower. I said no, I didn't, but I probably could. So I decided to make a few for my sister-in-law who is about to have twins. I had such a good time doing it I thought, what the heck, I am going to set up shop!

So I did! I love doing crafty creative things like this. It keeps me inspired! It is therapeutic sometimes. To just get lost it the craft and then voila! you end up with a gorgeous creation!

Not Me Monday

2010-06-07T09:05:00.000-04:00

So this week I did not come down with a wicked cold. I was not out of commission for two days. I did not lay on the couch and refuse to let anyone in the house except for my husband. My sister-in-law did not bring me a very much needed care package with medicine, magazines and orange juice and I did not have her leave it on my front porch. I did not hunker down and pretend I wasn't at home when our neighbors came by to buy our old fridge. Not me.

I did not have a "deadline" on Friday to get some shower decorations done for my brother and sister-in-law's baby shower 5 states away. I did not need to get the package in the mail by the end of the day. Of course I had not procrastinated on this until it was down to the wire. No. Not me. Never.

I did not set up shop at the kitchen table with my kleenex boxes, hand sanitizer and giant glass of fluids and work through the sickness.

I did not power through the day self-medicating with Sudafed non-drying sinus (the miracle pill), Mucinex, Zyrtec, nasel spray and alternating Tylenol and Advil.

Throughout the process I was not having fun even though I was ill. I do not find great joy in making things. Not me ever.

I did not break out my interior design drafting/model tools. They are now not being used for completely different purposes than they were originally purchased for. However I do not think this is wonderful. Why not?

These are not the first nephews on my side of the family. We are not all very excited.

I did not get the package in the mail on time. I was not super excited and happy to contribute even though I will not be able to attend the shower.

I did not go right back to the couch after I got back from the post office. Nope not me.

Apple Paltrow Move Aside

2010-05-26T10:15:00.002-04:00

I have a new love. It weighs next to nothing, measures a little over 13" wide and has skin of stainless steel.

Anyone guess yet?

Yes, it is my new Apple Macbook pro! I love it. It is exquisite. The day it arrived on my doorstep I rejoiced. I knew I could give it a happy home and that we would grow to be great friends.

Okay but seriously this thing is awesome. I am having so much fun getting to know the programs and I am super impressed so far. There are so many people that have always sworn by Macs and now I know why. I have hopped over to our HP a couple of times to download files to transfer and I am all disoriented on it now! Funny since I have used that computer every day for like four years!

The packaging was even exquisite. Minimal and crisp.

I just thought this was funny.

When I turned it on it was like watching HD television for the first time. You never knew that what you were watching (regular TV) was all that bad but just try and watch a football game now in non-HD. It drives me crazy! All blurry like there is dust on the camera lens.

But this screen is awesome. My pictures look better, movies look better, even this blog looks better! Just kidding. Oh and not that I need to disclose this because I have never been paid for anything that I have written - but no, the huge Apple co. did not pay for this endorsement of their computers! Just thought I would put that out there lest I be attacked by some blog police.

Oh and if you thought this was actually a blog post about Apple Martin-Paltrow I apologize, but here is a sweet picture of Gwen's daughter to appease you.

I love my Mac! Call me Apple Fuhrer! Now I just need an iPhone and an iPad. It seriously is an evil empire. Making you fall in love with their products. Damn you Steve Jobs!!!

Just kidding, Love you! Muah!

Not Me Monday - Hurley edition

2010-05-17T12:13:00.001-04:00

We do not have an extremely sweet pug-mix dog named Hurley. He is not a very loyal dog and he does not follow us around everywhere we go. He is not always by our side watching everything we do from brushing our teeth, to making dinner, to watching TV.

My husband and I did not go over to some friends' house this Saturday night and we did not get home very late in the night. We always come home at a reasonable hour and get to bed at a decent time! My sleepy husband and I did not go about our normal routine of going to bed and locking up the house.

We did not wake up late the next morning. We did not look around and realize that Hurley was no where to be found. This is not extremely unheard of and a strange occurrence in our house. We would not expect something like this from our other dog Roxy who is not more of an independent dog who is not known to sneak off to rooms to sleep all by herself. Roxy was not sitting in our bed acting like nothing was wrong.

We did not hop out of bed and frantically start calling Hurley's name. We did not open all of the doors in the house and we did not find Hurley in our front spare bedroom. He was not chilling on the futon wagging his tail. He did not follow my husband into that room the night before and my husband did not close the door not realizing that Hurley was still inside. We would never lock an animal in a room and not realize it.

We did not feel very guilty. I did not lavish him with attention for the rest of the day because I felt so guilty. He is not a dog and he was not safe and unharmed what-so-ever. He was absolutely not unaffected in any way. But I did not still feel horrible. Nope, I would never treat my dogs like they where actual children. No way. I know that they are not children! I know that Hurley will be fine and will not grow old with feelings of abandonment. Of course not.

Of course.

Cinco de My-OH!

2010-05-07T12:28:00.000-04:00

So I am sitting at the dinner table this Wednesday evening enjoying a delicious and creative meal with my husband. I was a little proud of my new creation for Cinco de Mayo. I had planned out the menu for the week and had Stuffed Bell Peppers on the menu for the evening. But being the ever-festive I wanted to make something Mexican. Opening the fridge and doing a quick assessment I found all the makings to create my wonderful creation.

Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers! I know the name isn't that creative but I was still proud.

I simply took some leftover taco meat from Monday and substituted it for ground beef in my normal Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe. I also subbed the salsa for the fresh tomatoes. Topped it with some taco sauce and cheddar cheese, whipped up a side of guacamole, and viola! I accomplished my Mexican feast and I was met with praise for my efforts.

So as I was sitting there I thought "I should write a blog about this, but no it isn't really design related, but who cares it is still creative, but I wanted to try and focus the blog more on being about design, but ya' know what? this is me, this is one of the things that I love to do, cook and be creative, break the rules a little, YA I am going to break my own rules and just be more myself in the blog! That is what I am going to do!"

So that was my Cinco de My-OH!

My life is what I want to write about. I think that who I am and all of the different things that I love is a huge part of what makes me a good designer. It is all the aspects of my life combined that fuel my creativity. I am not one dimensional. There are many things that I find inspiration in. So I am going to share all of those things.

Cooking, books, traveling, entertaining, preparing to be a mother someday, and of course design!

So from now on I will not tie myself down to one subject. It just doesn't work for me. I am multi-faceted and I want to share it!

Let me know if you want the recipe that sparked this epiphany!

Adios!

The joys of traveling

2010-04-20T11:39:00.000-04:00

This has probably been the longest stretch of time in the past 5 years that I have not traveled anywhere by plane. You really get out of practice. I used to travel, at least for a day trip, once a month or so. Weird. I am having a hard time packing.

Thank goodness for Southwest still letting you take two checked bags with no fee. Dear God tell me that has not changed in the last few days and I haven't heard about it yet.

Just checked - Bags still fly free! Thank you my sweet Dallas based company!

I have picked up a few things along the way that make flying more comfy for me. Here is a list of what is in my carry-on bag (which is pretty much always packed with the basics)

-1 large and snuggly blanket that never leaves the carry-on so it is dog hair free (this was especially important when I traveled for work and I was usually wearing black).
-neck pillow - I prefer the ones with the micro-beads from Brookstone. The cotton filled and (shiver) inflatable ones are just not acceptable. If the pillow is too firm my head ends up being pushed forward and I look like a chicken trying to get comfortable. A neck pillow needs to be soft enough that you can sink back into it but firm enough to offer support.
-ear plugs - a must for drowning out that child with the ill behaved parents who sat behind you.
-good book/magazine - because the emergency reference card can only hold your attention for so long.
-yummy smelling aromatherapy lotion - I sometimes just rub a little right below my nose for a soothing effect. It also helps when some rude person brings stinky food on the plane. Or there is just a stinky person near you. Smell violations are sometimes inevitable so be prepared!

Also essesential for traveling is a light weight jacket that is easily shedded and stuffed away if not needed. Slip on shoes for security line ease. If possible wear socks with those shoes so you don't have to walk on the dirty carpet.

And of course your photo ID. Which for some reason I always panic right when I get to the airport "do I have my license?" It has been ages and ages since I ever went anywhere without my license but I still have this fear that I have gotten all the way to the airport without it.

So what are your traveling secrets? Anything that I can use for my upcoming trip?

Bentley Brooks Design

2010-04-12T11:31:00.000-04:00

The website is finished! It will go "live" sometime today!

It is still a work in progress. I need some more pictures but it is at least completed.

So check out http://www.bentleybrooksdesign.com/

I will be anxious to hear what you think.

Not Me Monday

2010-03-29T16:37:00.000-04:00

It has not been raining here in Sunny Florida.

I do not have two small dogs that aren't particularly used to raindrops on there faces, backs, tails...

The smallest of my two dogs, the princess, is not extremely stubborn.

I did not take the dogs out and stand in the rain and demand from them that they go poop. You can not demand that a dog go poop on your command! I did not have a stare down with the princess who is not all of 8 pounds. I do not play mental mind game wars with my dogs. I do not believe that if I repeat my demands that the results will be different. I do not believe that I can stare her down and communicate the importance of her going outside.

My bathroom rug has not been the place of choice for said dog to take care of business if she does not go outside. I am not extremly disgusted and fed up with her using my bathroom rug as a toilet.

SO I have not alternated all day between taking them out and watching her like a psycho hawk. I have not put her in her kennel when I couldn't watch her like a hawk merely for the protection of my bathroom rug.

Nope not me. I would never go to such lengths just to win a mind game with a dog. An 8 pound princess of a dog. Not ever. Not me.

Oh I will win Roxy.... I will...

Easter Tree

2010-03-24T10:36:00.000-04:00

I have seen many variations of an Easter Egg Tree. This is my quick 5 minute version.

By simply placing a dozen paper mache eggs in an existing stick arrangement in my entryway I have created a fun and charming Easter decoration.

With St. Patrick's day decorations barely put away and Easter fast approaching something quick but with lots of character is perfect when the holidays are so close together.

Easy does it!

Happy Spring!

Choas Tamed

2010-03-16T11:33:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the new year I posted here about organizing. My main focus was the mud-room/laundry room that connects our garage to the kitchen.

Well it is done! And I love it.

I painted the peg board with yellow and white stripes and continued them onto the wall. I also painted the shelf yellow and I am still contemplating adding another yellow stripe at the shelf level.

Everything in its place!

Tools, cleaning products, cutting mat for projects...

Drink station complete with coozies, glasses, cups and straws. Even an old toothbrush holder that I used to hold different color Sharpies so that you can mark you name on you cup. There is a fridge just opposite this with beverages and a kegerator for parties so this is the perfect location for the Drink station!

Labels! Glorious labels!

Chris's tools! I haven't been asked once where a (insert various tools here) is since the organization has been complete! A miracle in itself.

It is marvelous!

And it is staying that way. It even makes the room look bigger and definitely brighter and cozier. So now I don't feel too bad if the door to the kitchen stays open all the time and people can look in. Before I felt like you were looking into a big ugly mess and I didn't like it. Now I feel like this is more of a room and a part of the house.

I love being organized!

The EMPRESS

2010-03-13T00:25:00.000-05:00

I am doing it!!!

I am building an Empire!

It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next week, but It Will Be...

A Design Empire...

This is all wishful thinking of course but To dream is To believe is To make reality...

I am the Empress...or so I have been told.

Not Me Monday

2010-03-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I did not go to a used book sale with my Sister-in-Law. The book sale was not over and we were not able to get hundreds of books for FREE! We were not there to get books for her book ministry and scooping up as many books as we could. We did not also scoop up lots of great FREE books for ourselves.

My Sister-in-Law and I were not spread out on her living room floor later looking at our loot. We were not divying up the books and deciding what books we were going to send to friends and family. My SIL did not pick up the wedding planning book that I was planning on girfting to my friend who is getting married in October.

My SIL did not start to read a "to do list" that was in the back of the book. One of the items on the to-do list was not "Take cousins to buy shirts, pants, and ties for the wedding. Try to explain why ties are necessary".

I did not burst out into hysterical laughter. She did not continue to read the list until I was crying. We did not make assumtions that this was a red-neck wedding. We did not continue to laugh and make fun of this bride and the ridiculous things on her to-do list. I did not have tears running down my face. I did not go home hours later and notice that I had mascara running down my face.

Nope not me.

Frogs and Snails...

2010-02-25T09:31:00.001-05:00

and Puppy Dog Tails!

Why puppy dog tails!!! Even as a child I thought this was a little gruesome sounding. Just the tails? Not the WHOLE PUPPY? Seriously boys are made of Frogs and Snails and bloody hacked off puppy dog tails? SICK!

So I had an over active imagination. Still do I guess.

So on a less horrific note, I have several very close friends and one SIL who are expecting little boys in the near future. I was helping one of them out and researching little boy nursery designs to give a little inspiration. She has great style so I can't wait to see what they end up doing.

I thought I would post my findings for the rest of my friends to see. I was all over the web so I apologize in advance for not giving credit to each photographer or designer and also for not getting links. I really wasn't being very Blog-minded when I was searching.

This is a beautiful design. The Alphabet wall is gorgeous although not easily achievable without the help of a talented professional painter. Even with a more simple pattern on that wall this nursery would be sweet.

What I love about this, besides the totally adorable "laundry line", is the colors! I love the pop of the orange against that perfect shade of aquay blue. I also love the modern flare of the rocker.

Another sweet boy room. The accent wall is great and probably pretty doable by most DIYers who aren't afraid of straight lines. I love the dark wood floor in contrast with all of the white furniture and especially that lambskin rug on it. My cousin had one of those as a child and he adored it. So cuddlely!

I don't usually think baby room = dark, bold colors. However these next few rooms pull of using deep saturated colors quite beautifully. I think this is my favorite. With the tall white wainscot the rich blue is exquisite. This room could easily be a sports or car theme instead of nautical. Love it!

Okay how freaking cute are the bird cages? I mean really, I love it. And the zebra rug is also super awesome.

I am not crazy about the color combo in this room but I like the idea of the striped wainscot with a picture ledge. Tons of possibilities with this idea.

The tone on tone of this beautiful tree mural is just divine. I found it over at SimpliedBee in this post about boy nurseries (thanks for letting me borrow this great image)! Of course I adore it because of the sweet bird and especially the little nest in the branches. This nursery design is perfect if you don't know the gender of the baby. Simply add the pops of color after the baby arrives! Very simple and pretty.

Another nice neutral palette. I love the vintage car theme for little boys. So cute.

This shot shows that the stripes are actually the same color paint in different sheens. The matte and glossy paints reflect the light differently making the glossy bands seem darker. Very polished and pretty. I would love to see it in a lighter color also. A nice cream perhaps.

I love babies and nurseries! It is such an exciting time, preparing for the arrival of your little bundle. I can't wait until it is my turn. My problem will be deciding on one design. I think it will have a bird in it though! What do you think?

Funny Florida Forecasts

2010-02-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

It is funny that one of the things that I was worried about when we made the decision to move to Florida is that I would lose my "seasons". Cold winters, warm springs, hot summers, leaves changing in the fall. I was under the illusion that it the weather would range from 70-100 degrees every day and it would split time between sunny and rainy all year long.

Well half of that statement is true. It has basically split time between rainy and sunny (actually more sunny than rainy) but it is frickin COLD. It is 30-sumtin right now and it will barely reach 60 today.

It makes it seem appropriate that I am watching the WINTER Olympics in Vancouver. I love the Olympics. From the opening ceremony to tracking how many gold medals the US can rack up! I am super pissed that I fell asleep last night before Shaun White won gold. I tried, tried, tried to stay awake but I fell asleep on the sofa. (Eastern time zone television broadcasts are also all new to me. Everything is on sooooo late!) Apparently he landed his McTwist thingy trick that he invented. I guess that is what you can accomplish when you have a private half-pipe in Colorado to practice on. (He gets there by helicopter!) But whatever I love him!!!

I did get to see Lindsey Vonn win gold in downhill skiing. She is amazing. And that event is super scary! I was nervous the whole time. I asked my husband to change the channel actually because it was making me all tense. There were ridiculously scary crashes almost every run. These women are going over 70mph and then they hit a bad edge or, the worst, there was a really huge jump at the very end that they would fly over and they just lose it in the air and crash and burn on rock hard icy snow. They would flail down the mountain looking like little rag dolls and then just slide and slide because the mountain is soooooo steep that even laying flat on their back they wouldn't stop.

And tonight is the men's figure skating long program. I just love that Johnny Weir! So...so...how does he put it EFFEMINATE. My description has more to do with the Olympic torch but whatever. He just puts everything out there and isn't afraid to piss some people off! But so fun to watch. I just can't wait to see what he is wearing. I will be routing for the other American skater also who is in second place right now behind Plancenko (no idea how to spell that and don't care to look it up right now) the reigning champ from Russia.

So GO TEAM USA! I love my country!

TOUCHDOWN!

2010-02-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

Success!

Peyton Manning may not be happy about the turn out of Super Bowl XLIV but I sure am!

The decorations turned out fabulous! There was soooo much food and lots of friends. The best thing about it is all of the decorations can be recycled to use for future football parties (which we are sure to have)!

Hope you had fun as well at your Super Bowl celebrations!

Update: the Big Game plans

2010-02-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

For future parties...things that you think will be easy to find like whistles, striped paper, little football characters etc. are not always that easy to find.

These are exactly the kinds of things that you can find when you are not looking but when you need them are NO WHERE TO BE FOUND.

That being said I did find some whistles at Party City but they are not the classic style that I would have liked. I also found black and white striped paper but the stripes are much larger than I would have liked also. I think the cupcakes will still be cute but not like I thought. I think they will look like the early 90s version of what I orignally posted.

Little football guys are my fault. I saw some at a classic toy store recently and I should have bought them. I might trek the 45 minutes over to said toy store tomorrow and see if they still have them. I MIGHT. I might just deal with my football field table cloth and forego the football men. We will see how I feel about that tomorrow.

It just makes me appreciate Oriental Trading Co that much more, as well as proper advanced planning.

I do think the party will be great!

Just thought I would share some party planning insight and lessons learned.

the Big Game ideas

2010-02-02T15:21:00.000-05:00

So I am not sure if I am hosting a Super Bowl party at my house as of yet or helping host at a friend's house. However, there will be football and there will be a party, somewhere, and it will be great! So I thought I would share what I was planning for menu and decorating ideas in hopes of inspiring stylish Super Bowl parties everywhere!

I myself am an avid football fan but I realize that a good deal of women are not. So if you aren't really all that interested in the game, at least you can make the party fun and interesting!

So my menu reads like this... starting with dessert!

Ref Cupcakes

I love this little cupcake! It is so cute! And simple! I am on a mission this afternoon to find some primary color whistles. Find out how to make your own here

Rotel Dip

No football party is complete without some good 'ol Rotel Dip. Some call it Queso, which is also acceptable, some call it cheese dip, which although on-the-nose just doesn't sound as appetizing to me. I call mine Rotel Dip, and I also call it delicious! It is super easy - 1 block of Velveeta cheese, 2 cans of Rotel brand tomatoes(there are varying levels of spice available to meet whatever your taste) - cut up cheese into smaller chucks, dump in rotel - either microwave in 3 minute increments, stirring in between until melted or put in crock pot on high until melted and then reduce to "keep warm" or lowest setting. Serve with your favorite chips! Yum! Sure to be a hit.

Mini Hotdogs

I am totally a sucker for mini food items. And I especially like to dip things. So these are perfect Super Bowl fare in my opinion. You can find the recipe at Rachel Ray 's website as well as some other really great recipe items that might float your boat.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

My husband and I have had a couple of football get togethers recently where we have attempted to make wings, and I am not really up for it again. I say attempted because for some reason the oil on the fryer has not been getting as hot as it should (350degrees) and the wings have turned out, well let's just say, not great. The first time we had a broken thermometer so my husband ended up just boiling the wings in the oil until they fell off the bone. Yummm mushy chicken that was boiled in oil, so healthy. We did still eat them but not my idea of a good eats. The second time I bought a new thermometer but the oil still didn't get above 310degrees so although the wings were able to be fried and not boiled they still weren't the super crispy delicious wings that I love and have come to expect. I mean if I am going to chow down on some chicken wings it better be worth the calorie count.

So that brings me to buffalo chicken pizza. This is a semi-homemade recipe so that you start with already made chicken tenders. (check one - no frying) It also satisfies the pizza craving (check two). And it is easy but unexpected (check three). Check it out at the Publix Aprons section of their website. If you live in FL you might have gotten this recipe in the mail along with a $5 off coupon!

The Decorations

I am planning on recreating something like this table top that I found over at hostesswiththemostess my FAVORITE event planning website. I always go to her site first when I am in need of inspiration. You can find some of the ideas and recipes that I have mentioned here on her website also.

Yellow napkins tied with ribbon will be reminiscent of the often thrown penalty flag. I will display my penalty flags dispersed around the table as well as in a central location near the plates and flatware. I am sure at least a few will be thrown as actual penalty flags, but that is okay, as long as the thrower uses the napkin after throwing it.

So I hope that the party, wherever it may be, will be a huge success! I will share pictures after the event to let you know how it turns out!

Not Me Monday

2010-02-01T15:15:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

This week I did not shirk many a responsibility to read the Twilight saga with reckless abandon. I did not stay up so late on Sunday night reading that I needed to sleep in on Monday only to wake up and continue reading. I did not justify my incessant reading by "in the mean time" also doing laundry. I would never abuse the 85 minutes that it takes for the washer to cycle through the whites to get that much closer to the Cullens! I would never claim that this was productive. I also did not just put a pee pad down so that I didn't have to take my dog out in the rain instead of continuing to read. This did not have more to do with the rain than the actually reading however. I am not almost finished with the last book even though I purchased it on Friday. Not me.

28th of January

2010-01-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday!

Happy Birthday Chris!

I am not going to recap his last 33 years or even the first time we met (because we all know that is when his life really began! LOL) but I will thank the Lord for bringing him into my life! He is a wonderful, strong, patient, funny, kind, and loving person.

I have learned so much from him and I am very thankful for him in my life.

So Happy Birthday Baby! I love you!

as I wait

2010-01-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

SO I am sitting here waiting for my husband to get home. Very weird for me. Going from professional crazy hectic hospitality design to being a "entrepreneur" - which right now means I just think about my business alot - is quite a change.

I am trying to put positive energy out there to drum up some business. I have ventured out of the house a little more. But there is still a HUGE difference to being at home all day versus the craziness of the office. I enjoy it the majority of the time but I do have my moments.

I keep thinking, what should I be doing right now - what could I be doing that is more productive - is there someone monitoring me - oh wait no, big brother is not looking over my shoulder - I am accountable to me, and my husband, and OH YAH my dogs who won't stop whining and watching the front door for their daddy to come home.

So as I wait...I make more lists.

It is weird. Not bad just different. I don't want it to be "comfortable" though because I need to stay motivated. Although I NEVER want to clock IN & OUT of a job ever again, there is still some times when this whole managing my own time thing gets a little tiring.

Just a few details...

2010-01-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

So since my time right now pretty much consists of designing my own home and getting adjusted I thought I would take some more photos of my handy work.

This is the bar/buffet area in my living room. This buffet was a wedding gift from my brother and sister-in-law. It was a neccessity in the Vegas house as we had a tiny kitchen with NO storage. I immediatly filled it up with wedding gifts, especially the large serving dishes. As soon as we moved in here I knew that it would be a great bar and would fit perfectly in the space next to the entertainment niche.

This stainless steel shelf is perfect for the bar effect. It reminds me of stainless steel bar/kitchen equipment. However it also is a nice contrast to the dark wood of the buffet.

This vase was a random Marshalls find. The colors are so great and they tie into all of the colors in my living room.

I have a new obsession with birds. I see them everywhere and they just draw me in. This cute little blown glass guy I just had to get. And since I am also big on texture and contrast I love how the mercury silver looks on top of the rustic white mantle and next to the organic vine ball.

I repurposed these mercury glass candle sticks and used them to balance some moss balls. It is a little unexpected but it gives nice heigth.

The house is turning out pretty well. I am at the point where I need to start doing some major shopping in order to move forward. But shopping takes money which until I get out there and start designing for other people I will have to wait. But I can dream.

P.S. I am not a master photographer so just know that mKAY.

Thankful and prayerful

2010-01-14T10:07:00.000-05:00

I don't have an extremely long or eloquent post today. (Have my posts ever been eloquent?) I just want to write about the tragedy in Haiti. I have been watching the news shows this morning and the devastation is amazing. Reporters like Anderson Cooper are speechless and dumbfounded by the wreckage. The people are terrified and mostly homeless. Even the ones who still have homes are too scared to stay inside their houses for fear of them collapsing in the aftershocks.

It makes me extremely thankful for what I have. It makes me thankful that people in this country, the USA, are already pouring out support. Even when our country is depressed, and many have less than they have had in the past, we are still willing to give. Because what little we think we have it is more than most of the people of Haiti have ever had and definitly more than they have now. Which for many is little more than their lives.

So if you have the means and feel inclined - reach out a helping hand. Lift up a prayer. Send support to the Red Cross etc.

I will do the same.

Cry, Celebrate, Rest, Repeat

2010-01-12T12:56:00.000-05:00

So I did turn thirty. I did watch P.S. I Love You at noon on my 30th birthday. I did ball my eyes out. It wasn't a good idea.

However I did celebrate, just fine, as well... thank you very much.

Here is the wonderful fire that my husband built me the last night of my twenties. Complete with Hurley my doggy's curly tail! (the picture not the fire) He was guarding me cause the fire kept popping and he is my constant and brave protector! We are loving our fire place and since it has been freezing (or PREEEEEZING as I like to say) in Florida we have been building alot of fires. The only problem is that the stores are all out of firewood because they were only carrying it for the Holidays I am pretty sure. Not that that has discouraged dear husband! He was soooo proud the other day because he had the great idea to go to Home Depot and buy up some scrap/mistake cuts of 2x4s and cut them up for firewood. I thought, sure, that is reusing and recycling. Pretty smart, and cheap. I just hope none of it was treated?!? There weren't any toxic smelling or looking fumes so...uh...I think we will live.

After my cry fest watching sad movies on my 30th birthday we went out to dinner. Just to a little Mexican restaurant next to the local grocery store. Nothing fancy but it was nice to go out to dinner with my husband. We don't really go out to dinner just the two of us, really, ever. Mostly because I prefer to cook and also for frugality. It was a nice birthday dinner.

The big celebration was on Saturday when we went to Epcot to Drink Around the World! This is a new concept to me as I have always just been on the "child-oriented, magical-wonderland, sweet and innocent" side of Disney. I never really knew that they served alcohol at Disney. Not to mention that you can have a cocktail at all 10 countries in the World Showcase at Epcot. Well yes... you... can. And yes I did. I doubled up in a few countries. For some reason I liked to take pictures in different hats at the different countries. Had I realized that there would be different hats in every country I would have made sure to do it in all the countries. However it just turns out that when I was scrolling through my pictures I am wearing alot of different hats! So here are a few!

To break it down, that is a sombrero in Mexico, a bottle cap hat in Germany - cause Germany, beer, uh-huh - and a fez in Morocco. (I think Morocco was my favorite country which was unexpected).

It was fun! It was ridiculous. It was a great way to ring in the next decade of my life. A decade that will most likely contain less and less of this debauchery so I LIVED IT UP! (proper grammar not necessary).

What do you do for your birthday? Is it a happy day, sad day or both?

Decades, count 'em 3

2010-01-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of my 20s. Tomorrow is the beginning of my 30s. So all of those things that I was putting off until I was "like - 30" are going to need to start happening.

But let's not get all worried about that right now.

I am 29 for one more day! Live it up! I should do something wild. I should do something carefree...go get a mani/pedi, go out to a fabulous lunch and have a glass of wine, go party it up downtown!!! Count down the seconds of blissful twenty-nine-year old youth!!!

Um ya, I will be putting away Christmas decorations today and having left over lasagna for dinner. My party posse consists off three dogs, my two and one named Fred who is visiting.

I do have plans for this weekend to celebrate my birthday with friends and it will be a rockin' time and I am looking forward to it. But no plans to kiss my twenties goodbye.

It is probably for the best. No reason dwelling. It is inevitable.

Oh well. It is just a number. Nothing much will change. But I still feel like digging in my heels and holding on...

for...

just...

one....

more...

day.

Taming the Chaos

2010-01-04T08:35:00.000-05:00

I don't do New Years Resolutions. I never have. I had a friend growing up that would write down her resolutions and her mother would seal them up for the year. At the beginning of the new year they would get out the list and see how many she had kept. I always thought this sounded fun but I still never adopted anything like that for myself.

My non-New-Years-resolution is to be more organized. And organized in an attractive way. A way I would love to show off. Not my usual, "I know this looks like a mess, but I know where everything is". Anyone that used to work with me in Vegas knows exactly what I mean. My desk was a wreck! Most of the time! But I could find anything, be it buried under a stack of fabric or spec binders, I knew where it was. It would amaze my "more organized" co-workers.

However since moving I don't know where anything is! And I am fed up! And my husband is fed up! So today I will move forward with Project Organize!!!

I think I will give my dogs a bath too because man they stink right now!

So I start with some magazine tear-outs that I have been collecting as well as some images I found online.

Like these care of BHG and Martha Stewart.

I love is this painted pegboard idea. I had high hopes of painting my laundry/storage room that connects the kitchen to the garage but since there is already an abundance of "stuff" in there, and I am done with painting (see previous post), I think this is a fabulous idea for both a splash of color as well as organization.

Since keys are often the topic of frustration and panic in our household I love, love, love this idea. Much more practical and attactive than multiple bundles of keys hung on two hooks like we have now. That is, if the keys get hung on the hooks. However, I believe, that we will be inspired to hang our keys on this adorable little peg board! Let's see if my husband agrees!

Seeing as I have three guest bedroom closets I think I will make one of them into an organized craft and wrapping station. I will need to modify this design slightly as the closets have bi-fold doors but I think that there are some fabulous ideas in this image.

Lastly I would love to incorporate some decorative elements as found in this image to all of the spaces that I am organizing. I love the vases on the top shelf and the painted tiles on the back wall. They complete the space and make it look as though it is meant to be seen and enjoyed.

I will keep you updated on how my ventures turn out! I can't wait to get started!

Here I go!

So do you have any New Years resolutions? Or non-New-Years-resolutions?

Goodbye 2009!

2009-12-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

The Christmas season has drawn to a close.

There are exciting things in store for the new year ahead.

I am excited to embark on many new adventures.

Adventures in design, in business and in a new home.

There is an abundance of different possibilities for the year ahead. I am ready to dive in! With the holidays behind me (almost) and January looking me in the eye... there is inspiration in the air.

Can you feel it?

Hello 2010!!!

Slowly but surely

2009-12-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

So I finally finished painting the master bedroom yesterday. It only took 3 weeks (if you count the week that I was out-of-town). That definitely sets the record for longest it has ever taken me to paint a room.

So that being said, I was super ready to get it done. I was more than ready to get it done. I couldn't wait to get it done and I was determined to get it done.

So determined, ready and couldn't wait, that I was hurried, rushed and therefore...careless.

So yesterday I am trying my darndest to get the bedroom painted so that A: My husband and I could "move into" our bedroom instead of sleeping in the guest bedroom and B: I could put my box full of shoes away (one really does not hinge on the other but for some reason I have made this the rule - no finished bedroom, no shoes).

The first mishap was pretty stupid. Messy and stupid. I had on the shelf of my handy dandy step ladder/stool, my trim cup, with the handle and the special slot for my paint brush. The trim cup, full of paint was just setting there minding its own business, when I decided to try and open the door. The door that the ladder/step stool was in front of. SO therefore the ladder/step stool has to move. But I forgot one simple, important thing...the trim cup.

Remember in the 80s/early 90s going to Micheal's and getting to pick out your super awesome hot pink t-shirt and two or three paint colors. The sweet employee would stretch your shirt over the board that went on the spinny thing and, voila!, a few minutes later you had a totally RAD splatter painted t-shirt. If you didn't have this exact experience then maybe you just splatter painted your room, your torn-up jeans, your trapper keeper.

Well I am bringing it back!!! Yes, when I moved the ladder/step stool, to open the door, the trim cup went spiraling off and made the "coolest" pattern all over the carpet and door trim and a little actually inside the closet!!!

Ya, not so cool. So my painting went on hold while I sprayed and dabbed and blotted and cleaned up the carpet and woodwork.

After that was all done, I went on with the painting for about 20 more minutes. I finished with the lighter color and switched to the darker accent color. Moving merrily along, seeing the finish line, only two more areas to trim out, across one ceiling and down one wall.

But darn it if that stinking ladder/step stool needed to be moved again. Just a little closer to the corner...

Unfortunately the can of the darker accent color happened to be on the floor right under the ladder. And the lid was ON TOP of the almost FULL GALLON of paint but not really TAPPED down and secure. And since it had taken me 3 weeks to finish this job the plastic that I had put all around the perimeter of the room had gotten moved and messed up and was not completely (read: not at all) protecting the carpet.

So caramel colored paint is pouring out of the can, I grab the can and as I scream some expletives, "Oh F*** Oh F***", I start scooping up the paint with my hands and dumping it back in the can. I start to envision replacing the carpet, feeling very dejected, I force back the tears and just start dabbing and blotting and spraying and cleaning up my mess. I mean really? Really!!! How the heck did I do this...again! I have never painted a room that has been this much of a pain in the arse. Usually I am pretty good at painting. I don't really mind it. It is the quickest, cheapest and easiest way to totally transform a room.

Until this one.

And I don't even really love the color.

Ugggggg. Oh well it is done. I got the half gallon of paint up out of my almost white carpet after a roll of paper towels and some pretty strong carpet cleaner and a wet dry vacuum.

And I will not be painting again any time soon.

It is my brain...and I will call it crazy if I want to

2009-12-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

~Why is my life governed by passwords. And how do I keep them all straight.

~No matter how hard I try, I usually say too much

~I love the Radioshack commercial with the Nutcracker who has a laptop and his singing sugar plum fairies. He makes music with his friends and has back-up singers.

~I want food but I neither want to make it, order it or go get it. Man I don't know how the Indians did it.

~Have you ever tried to stop thinking. Try it. I bet you can't do it.

~My dogs always bark at doorbells on the TV.

~I better win this fantasy football crap. Because it is my FANTASY so shouldn't I at least get to win at that?

~Why is Chick-fil-A closed on Sundays. God made CHIKIN we should get to enjoy it after church, right? (no I did not go to church today, should have but didn't)

~Where did the Orbits guy get that cool inflatable flying car thing? I want one!

~I wish I could get that "Christmas Light Glow" on my house all year.

~Diet Coke is the sweet nectar. It always makes me feel better.

~Why do female sports commentators usually speak like they are trying to sould like men?

~Seriously I am starving.

~And now I feel guilty because there are small childrens on the TV that ARE actually STARVING. I just ate a tupperware full of StoveTop I am by no means starving.

~Come on Roddy White. Or should I say Matt Ryan? Whatever.

It doesn't stop. It doesn't stop.

Does this shirt make my butt look faster?

2009-12-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

So recently I flew back to Las Vegas to run a 1/2 marathon to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis foundation in honor of my SIL Hurricane Rojo over at http://www.poopinmypocket.blogspot.com/. I was happy to do it of course.

So I trained for 16 weeks, the last two being interrupted by this pesky moving across the country thing. So just like my training the first 10 miles or so went great, on pace, everything was hunky dory.

See I am going so fast I am a blur!!!

The last 3 or so miles were rough. Probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. At the last .1 mile (a 1/2 marathon is 13.1 miles) I was balling. I am not sure if it was actual pain and exhaustion or the shear emotional release that I had completed it. I trained, I raised funds, I almost didn't get to run at all b/c I procrastinated registering, and I was finally running it and crossing the finish line. It was intense to say the very least! I definitely have to thank my running buddy Nicole who held my hand for that last .1 mile. I couldn't have done any of it without her.

I crossed the finish line and with a smile on my face but sobbing none the less. I barely even nodded when the announcer commented on my shirt that said "Does this shirt make my butt look faster?" He said it did. Although by the time I registered he was talking about me I was bent over, hands on knees, trying to recover from what I had just experienced. Tears of joy, tears of relief, a veritable hodge podge of emotions.

After it was all over with and the finish line was indeed behind me, the 1/2 marathon was one of the best things I have ever had done (had you asked me at mile 12.5 I would have said that it was horrible and could you please get out of my face). I was filled with so much joy that I had accomplished something like this. Dancing has always been more my style so this running thing was a huge switch for me. I do love it and I loved training and I loved running the race and I am soooooo glad that I did it. Throughout the entire race I just kept thinking "I am really doing this!" and after it was done I was ecstatic!

I was so glad to have a banana!

My sweet family even welcomed me home to Florida with a cake and a CONGRATULATIONS sign, handmade by my precious niece.

The best news is that 3.2 million dollars were raised to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation and I was glad that I could help in any small way.

So like any sane person (read: insane runner) I am already looking forward to my next race in March. This one is through Disney World. So from the Las Vegas strip to the Happiest Place on Earth! There should be some sort of commemorative medal for that one!!!

Back "Home"

2009-12-10T11:33:00.000-05:00

Whoooo. It has been a doozy of a few weeks. Packing, driving across country, moving into a house without any stuff, all of the stuff arriving the day before I flew back out of town to our old home town of Las Vegas, running the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon, saying farewell to Vegas again, and now back "home" to the new house!

I say "home" because I still feel a little out of place having been here and there and everywhere in the past few weeks. I know that once I hunker down and get this place more my style I will feel much better. I have so many ideas and so much to do that I feel a tad overwhelmed but I have to keep reminding myself that there is no "deadline" and to take one thing at a time.

First order of business is Christmas decorating. Priority because if I don't get it done soon then what is the point? I will have to take it right back down again. This holiday season has been more hectic than most so I want to be able to enjoy my tree and decorations for as long as possible.

Second is organizing...everything! I was trying soooo hard to organize on the front end of the move but alas there is still much to be done on that front. So dunt-da-ta-da...IKEA!!! Yay! I love IKEA. I am so glad that I have finally moved somewhere that it is an in-town trip and not a weekend event. Bring on the swedish meatballs! All of this will have to be carefully budgeted but I am ready!!!

And finally, I need to make this house a home. Our home. My dear husband did some decorating while I was away that I need to gently rearrange. Not that he didn't do a great job, but ya know, I am a designer and all, and therefore by nature need to do the decorating my way. Plus I want to mix things up, use things in different ways than I have before. In order to not go broke in the process of designing this home I am hell bent on repurposing the accessories that I own. Use a vase that previously was in our living room next to the garden tub maybe. Hanging the hallway art in the bedroom etc. By doing this I hope that the things that we have will be new and fresh to us and this home will be too and not just a different version of the last house.

I promise to post pictures soon. I know all of this wordiness is, well, wordy.

All in due time, all in due time!

Moving Day

2009-11-21T23:25:00.000-05:00

The truck is loaded. Our house is empty save the futon I am sitting on, one TV still playing college football, and a couple of mattresses and suitcases. Everyone is exhausted and there are still 4 long days of driving ahead with a few days in big D for me and the pups. Got to see a few friends today as they stopped by to say goodbye, to the shagren of my father-in-law who was feverishly trying to get as much possible done in the daylight hours as he could. Very focused that man. God bless him. We honestly COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT without him.

Blessing in disquise that I did not work this week. I can't even imagine how chaotic it would have been if I had been at work all week. With me constantly packing and the men constantly loading the trailer it really wouldn't have gotten done if I had come home at 6pm or later every night.

I look around and I am a little sad, but more excited. Considering I am gaining 1000 square feet and a HUGE yard is keeping me focused on the positive. I can't wait for my large kitchen and living room. I am already planning parties in my head. I am thinking about all of the baby and wedding showers (not for me but others), birthdays, chili cookoffs, college football watch parties, puppy parties, my name starts with a "M" and its Monday parties!!! So exciting! This is definitely the first "internet only" house I have ever moved into. My SIL did go check it out for me but it is always different doing the "walk-through" yourself and I have never moved somewhere where the walk-through was also move-in day.

So today on move-out day I am excited and full of expectation and anticipation. It will be different, I will miss my friends here, but I am gaining alot. Closeness to family, hopes of my own business or a new opportunity, new house, living close to water, etc.

I am excited, and tired. It has been a long week. Wish me luck on the long drive ahead.

Moving day, Moving on, Moving forward.

Just keep packing, just keep packing

2009-11-16T16:56:00.000-05:00

Why is it that when you start packing up your house for a move, then and only then, do you realize how much stuff you actually have accumulated. It is amazing how much two people can own. I had huge aspirations to give a bunch of stuff to Goodwill but I really don't have alot of extra stuff. 'Cause you know I NEED all of this stuff.

The wonderful thing is that I have been able to be organized thus far. I have wonderful visions of my new home being perfectly orderly. The move will be seamless, breathtakingly easy due to the painstaking efforts of my packing. This is my dream, not so sure it will be a reality. I know that I will get to a certain point and I will start to get to The Random Stuff.

This is the category that causes me agony and heartache. I tend to get to this point in packing and I find myself just staring at the huge array of randomness. Not knowing how to categorize it, it usually ends up all in one box. The sad thing is this one box usually never gets unpacked in the new home.

This will surely not happen this time. I vow to unpack everything and if a home cannot be found for The Random Stuff, then maybe I don't need it in the first place. Which begs the question, why I move it anyway. Usually it is out of frustration I think, because by the time I get to The Random Stuff I am too burnt out from all of the previous organization that I just give in.

I will just stand by the fact that all of the organized boxes offset the one (?) unorganized box!!!

So for now I will...just keep packing...just keep packing...(sung to the tune of Dori's song "Just Keep Swimming" on Finding Nemo). I love that movie!

Spoon full of Sugar

2009-11-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

The race is on till moving day. I have about 2.7 boxes packed. I don't know where to go from there. I just need to dive in but I am in full out procrastination mode.

Yesterday was my last day at work. I thought I had one more week but the man in the glass box said no. In light of my 2.7 boxes, this isn't necessarily a terrible thing.

Will someone come help me pack? The puppies are just staring at me!

I really need Mary Poppins right now. She could just whisk her hand and all of my belongings would start dancing around the room and into their respectable, perfectly organized, boxes. I've got a spoon full of sugar Mary, won't you come help?

Okay here I go I am going to go pack a box. I hate packing!

relocating

2009-11-11T01:23:00.000-05:00

So here is the thing about moving. There are good things and there are bad things. I will break them down for you as I have experienced them today.

Awesome phone call from my SIL (who so graciously) went over to the house that I would love to move to and checked it out for me, and confirmed my hopes that this was INDEED the house that my husband and I should move to. Granted I think she may just want to hang out there with me, which I totally don't blame her for, but her support is extremely appreciated and I love her and her husband for checkin' it out for us!

Then there are the people that are really sad. And I am really sad about leaving. The people that I love. The people that I am going to miss so much that it physically hurts. I haven't cried yet because I don't want to think that things will ever be any different than they are now. But alas I am moving ACROSS THE COUNTRY. These people are all very understanding and lovely and I hate to possibly hurt them and I hope that they know that if I could possibly pick them up and move them with ME, I would. Because, obviously, it is all about me.

But then again it is...about me...and my husband... and what is best for our future.

It is hard to admit that. But sometimes you just have to do "what you have to do".

Then there are the peeps that you never knew even cared until all the sudden you are leaving. These are the ones that perplex me. All the sudden my cubicle mate (sadly I do live/work in a semi-cubicle) has to listen to me tell the story over-and-over again about why and when I will be leaving. It isn't that I don't appreciate their concern, I just did not, for some reason, anticipate the inquiry. That is interesting. We will have to wait and see if that changes after the shock has worn off.

So to all of the people out there that are either excited or upset, numb or angry, happy, sad, anxious, or just plain excited &/or in shock, I just want to let you know that I am pretty much all of the same.

It is life, and therefore, by default, is a journey.

liberation

2009-11-10T00:08:00.000-05:00

A new chapter begins today. A renewed sense of liberation, creative license, and optimism encompasses me tonight. I am nervous, apprehensive, excited, sad, and reflective today. Now we anticipate, need to get organized, need to strategize, etc. More to come!!! Can't wait!

The day before the letter

2009-11-08T19:42:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will be handing in my resignation letter at work. I am extremely nervous about it. This is my first real resignation as this is my first career job. I have given two weeks notice at various jobs that I had in college, but that is way different than this. This is big. This is scary.

However, I am ready. It will be good to finally be able to tell my boss my plans. Plans to move across the country to be closer to family. To hopefully start a family of our own soon.

I haven't been very comfortable lately knowing that I would be leaving and not being able to talk about it. I am pretty good at keeping secrets but it is very hard. I talk, alot, and it is extremely difficult for me not to be honest. Probably to a fault. I am sure that I over-share frequently.

Tomorrow is the liberation. To get it all out there on the table will be good. Then maybe I will bring myself to pack a box! Because 2 weeks is going to creep up on us way fast.

Is it wrong that I even find it hard to publish this. I feel like I still need to keep it all hush hush. It isn't like my boss will read this. Ever. Especially not 12 hours before I tell them I am quitting. It just still makes me nervous!!!

...and so it goes

2009-11-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

The inaugural blog.
I have been thinking about doing this for awhile. I read blogs. I love them. I have an addiction to them. At my current job I find myself chained to my desk during my lunch hour, with my low calorie microwave lunch, reading through my favorites. The blogs I read inspire me. They have inspired me to write my own. I will try to be inspiring myself.

I plan to blog about design, about life, about the little things, about the big things. Where I have been, what I have seen and experienced, and the people and things that move me, will be the focus of this blog.

As I venture into unchartered territory, will you join me?