Last Week

The holidays have been busy!  Just like we like em.  However, this also means I'm wiped clean of energy and have about 12 batches of English Toffee to make now that Jude is down for the night, there is clean laundry waiting to be laid to rest in drawers but has sat in a laundry basket for the last 2 days, I have Thank You notes to write from my baby shower, and the list continues. 

We have had so much fun, though, and as excited as I am for my boys to open their Christmas presents in a week, I will be so sorry to see this season come to an end.

Now for a tiny recap:

We went to a White Elephant party hosted by our friends the Ords.  All the girls you see in this picture are pregnant and uncomfortable.   

I'm wearing a poncho smock that I probably will continue to wear for the next million days.  It's like wearing a blanket.  Can't hurt.

This is our 5th Christmas together; these 5 have been my favorites.

The baby's room is coming together.  This room used to be the precise color of a band-aid, and I hated it with a loathsome hate, strapped on my energy boots, and painted the room "cloud white" by Benjamin Moore all by my bad self.  On Saturday we picked up the crib, since I am leaving Jude in his own crib as long as he wants to be there/is unable to climb out.  This new crib was about 30 times easier and faster to assemble than Jude's.  So nice.  When the room is finished I will post pictures.  We must love our kids because our room is empty except for the bed and a headboard, but we do our best to fill the boys' rooms to make them cozy.

This is one of my favorite Jude pictures to date.  Brainfreeze!  Jude would marry smoothies if he could.

I had a somuchfun shower on Saturday!  I love these ladies that came on the busiest Saturday and so, so generously poured out gifts for me and my little boy.  I felt spoiled and loved.  Please note the blanket I'm wearing in this picture, too.  See?  I live in it.  I'll probably be wearing this in next year's Christmas card picture.

This boy is cracking me up.  He freaks out over every single Christmas lightbulb, every single car on the road, waves at every single person we pass (or that drives by), he squats down, arms up in the air, and war whoops when a delivery or garbage truck is close, gives me hugs and kisses like they're going out of style, comes and tickles me when he knows he's done something naughty and I'm about to begin my intervention/talking to/threatening time-out, feeds me bites of his food, sometimes holds my hand, and is the best pal.  We spend all our time together and while it can be a lot of work, he makes my heart sing a pile of songs an hour.

Things I'm Loving Lately

1. The Californians skits on SNL: Jeff and I can not stop watching them over and over and laughing our heads off.  Sometimes I talk to Jeff like Kristen Wigg's character.  What will we do without her?? Is she "off" SNL now???

2. Satellite Radio: With my car came a free 3 month trial of XM radio.  I am almost planning my errands around Dr. Laura's 11:00 a.m. show.  Mostly I love hearing her destroy her devout followers. I enjoy the dead silence after she pulverizes someone with a simple "Should you send your grandchildren birthday presents even though your daughter won't talk to you??  For goodness sake YES!  Sending birthday gifts is a nice thing to do!!  Why wouldn't you??" I also appreciate her traditional views and "No whining" attitude.

I also was listening to the Oprah radio channel the other day (it replays popular episodes) and found myself roped into an interview with an Indiana woman whose ex-abusive-husband tried to kill her, and nearly succeeded, and the officer who found her.  It was a very heroic and compelling story and just wrapping up when I returned home.  I had to know about the ex-husband's comeuppance.  At the time I was in the middle of refinishing a dresser in the garage, so I opened up all the car windows, cranked the volume, opened the garage door, and worked on the dresser a bit while I listened.  Unfortunately the officer went on and on about how to get out of an abusive relationship before depositing the story's final nugget.  I'm so glad all of our neighbors are at work all day or they'd probably assume Jeff beats me and that's why I was listening so faithfully.

3. This picture:

It popped up in my inbox the other day and I laughed big time.  Oh, engaged people.

4. This:

Actually, just kidding.  That's gross.  What is he, 60??  But I texted this screen shot to Jeff because when www.people.com deals with french no-lebrity news, he must be informed.  And I always love texting Jeff.

5. IKEA: We got 4 dining chairs and 2 barstools last Saturday for an Ikea price, and when Jude beats them to a pulp I won't pull my hair out.

6. I finally painted the back of the glass kitchen cabinets and am 150% pleased with the result.  It took very little time and $15 for the paint.  I just wanted the ceramics to not be lost in there.  Done and done.

BEFORE

AFTER

7. This is the dresser I refinished while listening to Oprah:  

Darn it, no "before" picture.  It had been the lightest wood with ghastly handles.  These handles aren't amazing either but the holes weren't spaced in a standard fashion and these fit.  "Anthro" is just not going into the budget for this.  It's going into Jude's room once we get the energy to haul it upstairs.  I have decided I'm not crafty but I love refinishing furniture and painting large surfaces :).  So if I ever have a daughter I'll have to buy her headbands but her furniture will be enhanced and fancified by moi. 

Hard Knocks

Ok this blog post is not about the serious tragedies going on in the world.

Loving my house as I do, I have been unable to either figure out what to do at all with a couple of spots, or feel that I am just a couple of switches away from really maximizing the look of a couple of other spots.

I know it's considered an upgrade to have some glass cabinets but I almost wish they weren't.  I can not figure out how to make them look right.  It's been 2 years, people.  I have switched things around so many times Jeff probably thinks I'm nuts.  Right now I have baskets at the top, which I'm happy with, then on the bottom shelf we have our glasses, some awesome mixing bowls from my MIL, then our plates and bowls, and on the middle shelf a jumble of my cook books, hurricanes, a wooden box, an embossing print from our friend Meredith, picture of me and Jeff, and a couple of other knick knacks.  I love the stuff in it, I just don't think it's meant to be and I should redistribute the stuff in there.  (I should mention I'm big on symmetry and this is not symmetrical.) Then I think to myself, "well, my eyes aren't fresh on this. I stare at these walls all day -- my perspective is skewed."  So maybe I have gone nuts :).

I have all these great white ceramic pitchers and serving bowls from our wedding I'd like to put in there, and it would make sense since it IS the kitchen, but with the white background they just seem to get lost.  It looks like nothing is in there.  I'm debating putting removable wallpaper up for some contrast, but then what color?  Printed or solid?  I'm so wishy washy with color and it's nearly impossible for me to pull the trigger.  I do want to keep it simple, that's all I know.  

Moving on to The Nook:

Just to the right of this picture, taken from almost halfway up the stairs, is our front door.  I think this nook is a cute idea, but I don't see how I can make the space useful, and aesthetically pleasing from this view. 

Who knows why this photo rotated this way, but here's the inside of the nook.  It's actually bigger than it looks.  Anyway, it's currently hiding our wreath (we have a wreath for Easter celebrations out there this minute), and the dry cleaning bag. :)

I'd thought about putting a desk in there where the kids can do homework (eventually...like when we have more than one child and they're actually scampering off to school...which sounds unfathomable to me right now but I'm quite sure that day will dawn before I know what's happened....).  But then this random desk chair would be sticking out from the view from the stairs and front hallway?  What should we do there?  I have a refinished dresser I could stick in there.  Again, I never said this blog post was dealing with tough problems.  :)

I took THIS style quiz, and I'm 33% Nantucket, 17% Cottage Chic, but mostly 

source

Rustic Revival

You can take kid out of the country but you can't take the country out of the kid... or is your theme "you can take the kid out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the kid?" Either way you play it, you are one of the unique individuals who loves a mix of modern and country. The clean lines of the modern softened by rustic /vintage elements is the perfect mix in your mind. And can we blame you? You've taken the best aspects of two popular designs and mixed them in a manner that appeals young and old alike. A subtle background of white or light colors provides a nice canvas for all the wonderful flea market, eBay or garage sale finds as well as the classic modern pieces that you love.

I would pretty much agree with this.  I even like rustic color schemes with very few pops of color.  I also gravitate toward:

*candles and hurricans.  I have a wee obsession there. 

*I prefer a big focal piece over knick knacks.  This is also applied to bedding pillows.  

*I like to use wall space up in symmetrical ways, but again, with fewer larger pieces rather than many small pieces.

*when it comes to indoor plants or flowers in a vase, I love arrangements that are packed and full and lush, and I love topiaries, shaped plants, or big, full plants.  

Basically what I need is for someone with decorating knowledge to just come and tell me what to DO.

And to conclude this gem of an internet contribution: 

My hair is up in a bun on the top of my head 99% of the time, and this has been my M.O. for years.  I do my hair some Sundays, if we are getting pictures taken, or if we go out on a date.  The other evening my hair looked like this as per usual.  Jeff asked as he joined me on the couch, 

"So is that how you're doing your hair now?" 

"What?"  

"Is this your new hairstyle of choice?"  

I love that guy. :)

1. Will someone explain to me why girls with long hair run with their hair down?  Lately I'm suddenly seeing all these women bounding around Ladera Ranch with their hair flouncing about their shoulders.  It's hard enough to run, period; we don't need hair billowing for added harassment!
2. We saw Man on a Ledge on Saturday night.  As my friend Matt Jensen would say, "You pay for the whole seat, but you only use the edge!"  I haven't been so in suspense in a LONG TIME. Go see it and see it now.
3. Suddenly Jude doesn't like sweet potatoes.  We're gettin all crazy and changing things up around here!

4. Photo:

This photo reveals:
- part of the new chair we got in the Office,
- the baby backpack carrier we got for our Anniversary/Valentine's Day/Jeff's bday/Jude's bday trip we are taking tooooo HAWAII in a week and a half!  We got it from a nice little family off craigslist last night, and I put Jude in it this morning to test it out.  He was laughing and squealing and patting my head.  One of my favorite things to do is hike, and hopefully with this we'll be doing plenty of that in Hawaii and other spots.
- the 4 Life magazines that I am in love with.  Jeff's grandmother kept some of her Life magazines.  They even have the little address tag that ensured their delivery to Grandpa Dick Lee in Idaho Falls!  We are lucky to have 4 in our home now.  Your top left has Louie Armstrong on the cover, and his quote is, "I never did want to be no Big Star."  Well, Louie, you are.  And Sandra Bullock named her baby after you.  Your bottom left has, "Tragedy at Kent State" -- the one Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young wrote a song about.  Sad.  It has a picture of one of the 4 dying students with others trying to help him.  Your bottom right is the Special Issue of Neil Armstrong and his adventures on the Moonsky.  And, my favorite, your Top Right, is PAUL.  Sir Paul McCartney, his beloved lost Linda, with Mary holding a cane and Stella as a wee babe.  It says, "The Case of the 'Missing' Beatle: Paul is Still With Us".  Yes he was!!  He was just in Scotland then, which I totally knew because I am a Beatles girl and I watched the Anthologies with rapt attention.  I also watched another biography where Mary interviewed him and he talked about, among other things, his time there, how he was just coming off the Beatles break-up, how he was depressed, money and royalties were being sorted out, and how Linda made him get off his bum and get to writing music again.  Thus Wings was formed (meh).  I love having these magazines in the house, they are sentimental on so many levels as reminders of history, Jeff's grandparents he loves so much, music, American achievements, and tragedy.
- me at 1:39 p.m.  No shower and no make up because there has been no run.
5) While I'm at it I'm going to show you the other corner of the Office:

See now you're going to think we're very depressing.  On 9/11 Jeff had the presence of mind to pick up some newspapers.  We had the cover of the New York Times matted and framed for Jeff's bday last year.  I promise we're happy people.  These are just things to remember, and we figured the Office was the best place for them; I wouldn't want to put them in Jude's room, and the bathroom seems disrespectful.
6) Confession: I know what happens at the end of this season of Downton.  I couldn't handle the agony of all the current and ongoing cliffhangers, so I read the episode summaries on wikipedia.  I did this with the 7th Harry Potter book too; I read the epilogue when I was about halfway through the book because there had been rumours J.K. was going to kill Harry to prevent some other dingbat author from writing a continuing (and inferior) story.  I am a total spoiler and I have come to terms with it.  I still enjoy the process just as much, but with less stress. :)
7) If you're going to Costco in the next 3 days, be prepared to gain 5 pounds!!  The week of the Superbowl they are always exploding, exPLOding I tell you, with samples.  You don't even have to wait, they are shelling them out at such speed.  And it's all glorious snacks.  My favorite.  Just be warned.

Quick update:

- We finished LOST last week. We don't know what to say besides "huh?" for so many reasons. I can't go further in the name of spoiler prevention. All in all, I don't regret the hours (and hours!) we spent watching it. I am satisfied, J. J. Abrams. And I haven't seen most of those actors in much else since, so I'm crossing my fingers they invested well/held onto their money for their sakes.

- My parents are in a "Kids -- get your crap out of the homestead" mode, and rightly so. It's time. Last Saturday Jeff and I helped them clear some of their stuff out, some of my stuff out, and they bequeathed some items in the process. Like the dresser and hutch that were in Sarah's room that nobody wanted. It needs a facelift. OMG -- DIY!!!! I wish this baby would hurry up and come so I could paint those wood chunks. Last night I removed the ugly hardware and tonight I might sand it. And then in February I'll be free to paint it...and then in March...or April...or May...or whenever I get out of baby hibernation mode, I'll finish it up and post AWESOME pictures of it. Stay tuned and on the edge of your seats!

- Eh, is it Christmas yet?

Do you read seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com?

And now I'm going to go jump off a bridge. Good thing I already returned my clock.

me, Me, ME:

- I already returned the clock and got 3 of these mirrors instead. Same price but more dreamy and wraps up the decorating in one fell swoop.



I'll put up a picture of the hung look so you can see how delightful it is.

- After getting the VERBAL offer last Friday, I got the OFFICIAL offer from Snell & Wilmer this morning. Consider me the happiest Paralegal Assistant west of the Mississippi. I am really stoked about this job and can't wait to get my hands dirty in the non-malpractice way.

- Since putting in my 2 weeks notice the banking universe has been out to punish me by weakening my coordination. I've only been at work 3 hours today and I already spilled 75% of my salad all over myself and the floor (goodbye lunch), and then 20 minutes later I spilled Diet Coke. Saints be praised that at least that dries in a fairly invisible hue.

- My phone officially punked out on me for good, and the new iPhone isn't unleashed for 8 more days. I'm feeling quite cut off from the world right now. (Right. There are at most 3 people who might text me while I'm at work. Mom, Jeff, or Lindsey.)

- After much consideration, we've decided that Us Weekly far out-entertains People. Why? Because in the midst of its frivolity, People does make attempts at dignity. Us Weekly just shamelessly goes for all out rock bottom. Because they love the pond scumm. Because this last week the cover had a picture of Kate Gosselin in a bathing suit on the beach and the words, 'Mommy, You're MEAN!' You saw it too, didn't you.

Oh where do I even begin? I watched an episode of that show over a year ago at Elizabeth's house. Didn't think too much of it. Then I've seen it mocked a bit on The Soup, which is of course nothing less than hilarity. Poor family. I can't imagine that whatever sort of a mire they're shlepping through is entirely the fault of husband or wife. BUT, I will say that of COURSE mommy is mean! Thank goodness her kids sometimes call her mean! Not that I've ever donned the Parent Hat, but if my mom had never done anything I considered mean at the time, I'd be an obese bump on a log. No sense of reality. I'd have mush for a noodle. I love it when parents say, "Oh I want my child to just choose his own way" when their child is oh, you know, in elementary school. Do you know what is a really fun thing to do? Get my sister Elizabeth talking about this. She'll invariably say in a very um, strong voice, "Oh, so then what am I here for?? Parents are supposed to PARENT." From my non-mommy/loving aunt and babysitter perch, I understand that kids' creativity and individuality needs to be nurtured, they need to be LOVED and SQUEEZED and KISSED and APPRECIATED and PRAISED, but don't they also need limits and guidance? I sure as hell did when I was growing up. And as one of the most snappy men around, Elder Holland, once said to parents everywhere, "Second only to your love, they need your boundaries."

Anyway, all I'm sayin is, whatever sort of hellish thing it is or isn't to be married to Kate OR Jon Gosselin, at least like my OWN mother she doesn't bow to her childrens' every wim and wish every single minute of the day. Maybe after all the therapy from the tabloid freak show is over, they've got some qualities in their mother that will give them a good shot at a happy life. Sometimes I thought my mom was mean; the story is even told I was 4 when the carpets had been shampooed and after I said, "Mom, remember when you wouldn't let us touch the carpet, and you were a mean old scary old witch??". Tough love and all, sheesh, look at how good I turned out!

Deco 411

I remember when my mom and I met Sarah in our London hotel, she was a little deflated. The place wasn't as bright and shiny as it had been 6 years earlier when she and Elizabeth were guests, and she wondered out loud if we should change to another hotel. "NO," said I. Not only did I not want to lug my wheel-deficient duffel bag (what was I thinking?!) one inch further, but it was a hotel we would only need for sleeping. I didn't plan on wasting one waking second of our Euro time in our boarding locale, be it a hostile or Gwyneth's.

So has been my life in Huntington. I haven't spent much time at home. Even when I was unemployed, I would sleep in and then go window shopping (glutton for punishment?) or bake cookies at my parents' house to keep from going crazy. My apartments in college and in Vegas were never decorated much because I suppose I didn't plan on staying that long, and didn't want to spend the money. Kapeesh?

After 1 month in Irvine at my beauteous parents', I'm at large in HB once again. I don't know what it is about this apartment, but I feel like I've got to at least make it something of my own. I went to TJ Maxx today in search of a wall hanging. What a disaster. I am nothing if not a yo-yo buyer, and it's the retail world's own fault for creating such generous return policies at every turn. I found a couple of things I might like but I couldn't picture liking them for the long-ish haul. I finally decided on something, waited in line about 3 years to pay for it, realized the price tag had fallen off it and it was the last one in the store, and I was already starting to hate it so I said, "Oh, that's ok, I think I'll just pass on it for now," and skeedaddled.

I went to Target and bought an awesome clock I've been eyeing for a few months. It's huge. And if I hate the way it looks in 2 weeks, I can't get rid of it because it's functional. I have this weird thing with clocks ever since I saw the movie Walk the Line. Yeah, this is totally mortifying what I'm about to say but at least I'm not saying it from the pulpit on the first Sunday of the month: You know that scene when Johnny Cash is trying to get his first record deal in that tiny studio? The producer isn't buying it and he cuts them off early. When Cash argues he didn't let them "bring it home," the producer just cuts in with,

"If you was hit by a truck and you was lying out there in that gutter dying, and you had time to sing one song. Huh? One song that people would remember before you're dirt. One song that would let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth. One song that would sum you up. You tellin' me that's the song you'd sing?"

Anyway, that was a good part of that movie. It beckoned us to the land of self-reflection. Yeah, I know, I know, lame.

Anyway, I bought a clock because I'm taking decorative baby steps.

Why do I blog again?

thar she bloweth.

This is the first piece of furniture I'm coveting.

I love dark wood, and I love being encased.

I believe this piece of furniture begs a new, properly functioning macbook, an "I Heart Jim" Office mug to herd my pens, my wire Eiffel Tower and Big Ben thingies from Target, a picture frame or two, and the smushiest office chair around.

It would be my small spot.

I covet, I dream.