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* Friday *

Making me smile today?  Friends.  You know who you are.

pillowcase from laeroport

This pretty little pillowcase is from Lori.  Evidently I won something one her blog a while back -- something to do with recycling and reusing things... I had completely forgotten.  Anyway, she surprised me the other day with the sweetest package. A little hand me down outfit for Fidget (so very cute but I didn't get a decent shot of it, so you'll have to take me at my word), this thrifted embroidered pillowcase, and a handmade pin from felted wool... What a prize!  Thank you, friend! 

(This reminds me, I owe a few of you something in the mail for your great suggestions on the settee...I haven't forgotten, I promise.)

Thank all of you for your kind words of support and friendship this week.  You don't know how much it means to me.  Have a happy weekend, all!  And keep smiling.  Life is beautiful.  xoxo


* Thursday *

making me smile today:

anniversary roses...
anniversary roses

A new to me summer-weight quilt, full of blues and tourquoises and a cool honeycomb fabric used generously in lieu of white.  More of a deal than I expected to find at an antique store.  (Which reminds me, I haven't given up on Fidget's quilt with all the embroidered girlies on it.  It's in progress, too.  Maybe I'll show it to you next week.  I need the motivation to do some cutting that scares me a bit.)

honeycomb quilt

and sweet sweet progress...  I sincerely hope we can wrap this project up soon. 
progress

Thanks for the anniversary wishes yesterday!  Hubs and I are hitting the Royals/Cardinals game tomorrow night.  We splurged on good seats so it looks like it's beer and hotdogs and pretzels for our anniversary dinner.  Which is fine by me. 

For now I'm going to try and get some kitchen painting  and take a shower before settling down to work.  Hopefully, a completed kitchen will soon be making me smile, too.  I've got some window treatments to make as well.  Don't you love the domino effect that making one small change can bring?  Life is funny that way.

Happy Thursday, friends.  Are you looking forward to something this weekend?


* Wednesday *

Thank you for all the kitchen love yesterday.  You all are so sweet.  Really.  You make me smile.  You do!  So I guess I could stop here and call it a post.  But I can't do that.  I stuff to share and I'm not ready to work just yet this morning.

So, here's another something 'that makes me smile'; this find from Saturday's antiquing excursion.

depression glassware

Multicolored depression glass tumblers with carrier.  They make this delicate tinkling sound when you pick them up.  I can't wait to serve up something tasty.  They scream Long Island Iced Tea, but I don't like those.  Mojitos would work nicely, too. ;)  My contractor brought over a gallon-size bag of fresh mint yesterday after I had shared some of my lemonade the day before.  What am I going to do with all that mint?

sip sip

Seriously, though.  I just like looking at them


i can't wait to serve something yummy in these.

Also making me smile? My sweet Fidget, who greets each day with such enthusiasm.  Hello mommy!  I go to school today!  I play with chalk.  5 more minutes!  Have a good day, Daddy!  Get your Lunch!  Okay, I drink my milk!  Okay, I clean up.  Okay!  Sure!  She is so willing to please and happy.  I want to bottle her joy and take sips every morning.  This morning she wanted pudding for breakfast.  It's so yummmmmy, mommy.  Okay, Fidge, okay.  I am weak.

fidget with chalk this morning.

And it's my wedding anniversary today.  So yay for me and hubs.  It wasn't that long ago that we exchanged vows on the beach in Sanibel Island, Florida, in front of our family.  Big Sis, then eight, stood with me and we gave her a necklace with a heart pendant.  A storm was blowing in, but we got some beautiful shots on the beach, laughing and pulling up our hems so they wouldn't get too wet.  The cloud cover helped out, so we weren't squinting or washed out with too much light in our photos.  And then the sun set and our merry little party continued in a private dining room at the resort.  It was small and sweet and oh-so delicious.  I wouldn't be able to take the cake home, so I continued to eat most of the top round on our honeymoon.  You know, for breakfast, for lunch.  For dessert.  

I do have one piece of advice for a bride-to-be who is planning her wedding out of town. Make sure you know what the minister is wearing.   Our minister wore the most ridiculous floral blazer and sweated profusely. 

But hubs, I love you.  And I'd do it all over again. 


* Tuesday *

There wasn't any baseball on, so I decided to roll the kitchen, he said.

surprise, he said.

I hadn't mentioned anything about how we are now on paint color three, and the guy at Lowe's is pretty sure I'm nuts, or how tired I am of trimming out these windows since it's been 4 times now (primer, and three paint colors), and how I still have to trim-out the ceiling, or how I had just let it slide this past week in light of other events around here.  Or how tired I am of seeing a gallon of paint and all the brushes and pans on my kitchen counter.  (And the tile dust from the bathroom reno that is creeping into the rest of the house.  Egads.)  But that's the story.  There you have it. 

And then last night, while my plans had me out of the house long past my normal weeknight bedtime, my husband got the roller brush out and painted the kitchen.   And suddenly it feels like we are closer to the After part.  Thank you, honey.  

Walking into my that-much-closer-kitchen is what made me smile this morning.  What is making you smile today?


*Monday*

Please bear with me, dear friends, as I am dealing with an unpleasant bit of something of a very personal nature.  I do believe time will make things right again, but there is no quick fix for that.  However, this is my happy place.  I'm not going to drag my friends down down down with me.  I'm going to, instead, share something every day that is making me smile.

We visited the farm again this weekend.  The farm where they don't grow or raise anything but kids and good times.   Liz and I were able to sneak away to an antique market for most of the afternoon.  (We stayed for almost 6 hours!  It's a good thing they had a mini cafe in the market so we didn't have to leave for refreshments...)  And I picked up several fun things.  It was different for me, going to an antique store where everything is clean and nice and in pretty good shape and you don't leave feeling like you have to go home NOW and take a shower, like I always do after hitting some of my favorite thrift shops.  The deals aren't as low as bargain basement digging either, but it was such a lovely time.

We kept bringing things up to the front for them to store for us, so we could go back for more.  One of the first things I picked up was this:

Vintage_cake_tin

I cannot tell you how much I love this thing.  I picked it up and instantly felt whisked away into some Leave it to Beaver episode where Wally gets in trouble for sneaking cake with Eddie Haskell before the church picnic.

Can you see the new color going up in the kitchen?  That project is still in progress, as is the bathroom.  But I think we will have 'after' photos before too long.  I hope.


The lake.

My parents bought our lake cabin when I was a junior in high school, twenty years ago. For someone who spent many years of early childhood moving every 2 years or so (for my dad's job with the public health service), having a place with this much family history and memories is a pretty big deal.

quiet spot

They still have have the house  -- although it is no longer a cabin; it's been remodeled and upgraded through the years -- but they've bought a home in Tampa where they will move in the fall, and they will sell this place in the spring.  We visited them last weekend and we were happy to be there, and a little sad knowing our window for enjoying this place is closing.  

The photo above is from the room that over looks the water down below.  It's a nice spot for morning coffee.  They can watch the birds and the squirrels in the trees.

our swim dock

We've logged a lot of hours on this swim dock. (which was replaced just this year...the old weathered one would have photographed so much better.)  It's where my eldest learned to fish.  And my girlfriends and I would sun ourselves silly during long hot Missouri summers.  Sometimes it's the quietest place on Earth and sometimes, when the jet skis and four wheelers are going, it's not.  But it's pretty.

walk carefully

The rain this spring has meant the docks were stranded out in the middle of the lake until recently.  You can only pull them in so far as the trees will let you.  You currently need a jerry-rigged ladder+planks outfit to get to the ramp, but we made it.  Schools of fish swim under and around the ramp.  The girls spotted a tiny turtle that had crawled out of the water onto a branch that was sunning itself.  (Sorry, no telephoto lens.  You'll have to take my word for it.) 

Big sis had brought a friend down with her and the two of them went for a paddle boat ride in the cove that morning.  Those paddle boats are so nice because there is no motor, just the sound of the water and birds and fish jumping...  It's a wonderful thing to do in the morning.  If you're lucky, you can spy a whole family of ducks swimming in a line.

Spiderwebs appear in an instant, given the opportunity.  You have to take a broom with you to the dock and wave it around like a crazy person to get all the webs that would otherwise get tangled in your hair or stuck to your swimsuit.   

webby dock

There are so many memories here.  Good ones.  A few weeks from now I'll bring some of my girlfriends down for a weekend of crafting and chick flicks while mom and dad visit their new house.  It will be a wonderful escape. We'll come down to the water after the sun sets and dip our toes in the water.  We'll get up and have coffee and breakfast with the birds and the squirrels.  We probably won't get out and do much, but we'll be nestled in a quiet little cove, just enjoying the time away.   I'm glad for the chance to carve out one more memory before we have to start packing up camp.

the cove at Hoot Owl Point

It's a wonderful place.  A little remote and a lot of charm.  We'll miss it for sure. 

(But Mom, don't read this and think you are doing the wrong thing. I was just sharing. I would totally move to Tampa and party with my friends on the golf course and enjoy warm weather year round, if I could, too!)


Schoolhouse Rocks.

FP Schoolhouse

FP schoolhouse pieces

Teacher's desk.

A recent ebay score and Fidget's latest obsession. My mom and I don't think I had one as a kid, but our neighbors the Moylans must have, because I remembered this schoolhouse like it was yesterday, down to the arithmetic on the 'chalkboard' and the George Washington's silhouette on the back 'bookshelves.'

We were are at the farm a couple weeks ago and Liz brought up the FP Parking Garage, with which we all played at some point over the weekend. Remember that one? With the car lift, elevator, gas pump and ramp? That was way cool, too. She also had the airport, with the baggage belt that suitcases would move on when you turned the handle. Remember that? There were so many good playsets... the Holiday Inn with the rotating door, a treehouse, a houseboat, the brown two-story house, barn, main street (with a jail, ha!) and more.  Good stuff.


Chaos Management, Inc.

Popping in to say I'm managing chaos over here.  Good stuff, mostly.  See, I had planned to start the Great Kitchen Repainting Job this week.  And I have.  When we first bought the house, hubs really really wanted to paint the kitchen deep red.  So we did, even though I was convinced it would turn our (dark wood floor + dark wood cabinets) into a deep dark cave.  And now, since he is no doubt tired of me complaining about the wall color and it is much cheaper to repaint than, say, to install new cabinetry and flooring, he has agreed to help me give this kitchen a much needed facelift.  We are 'doing her colors', you might say.

So I washed the walls this weekend, and dutifully sanded and wiped.  And removed all the stuff from the top of the cabinets. We bought some heavy duty primer and made sure we had enough roller pads.  Done and done.  Sweet.

And then the sweet contractor who did our basement called and said he could start our master bath on Monday morning.  And the entire Kansas City metro area got hit with like 300 inches of rain in 4 days and our (recently finished) basement flooded.  Ok then! 

So, a week ago our house looked completely normal.  A little messy with the kids' summer habits of flinging shoes and clothes and beach towels here and there.  But normal.  Fast forward one week.

This is my master bathroom:

_MG_4891

This is my kitchen.  Painting it in stages because nearly every weekend is packed and the only time we have to do this stuff is during the week.  Right now we are somewhere between primer and trimming out with the paint. 

_MG_4893

And this is our playroom.  (Remember when it looked all cute and cozy?)

_MG_4909

The carpet is all pulled back and that would be the shopvac my ILs gave us last year, newly out of package and getting a workout.  (Thanks, guys, it was a lifesaver.)  The carpet and pad are still drying.  All of the room's contents are scattered hither-nither outside the room, in the large space at the bottom of the stairs that opens to the guest room.  Which is also covered with toys.  And the stuff from our bathroom, because all that had to go somewhere.  That door behind the column that you can kind of see?  That leads to the bath hubs and I are sharing, for the duration of the upstairs reno.  Still following me?  100 bonus points for you!

_MG_4903

All of this, happening at once.  Woohoo!  And a foundation guy is on his way today to see if we need to do any major digging and refilling and whatever you do when the front hill of your property is eroding away and is causing your house to crack in two.  (update: It looks like we just need to add some fill dirt to encourage the water to drain away from the house.  cool.)

So if you don't hear from me for a couple days, don't worry.  I'm here, I'm just managing the chaos that has taken over.  :) 


Something Wonderful this Way Comes.

We're in the middle of a master bath remodel and a kitchen repainting job.  So when we weren't at the hardware store spending all our money, we made sure to get out and enjoy.  It was our town's 'Downtown Days' street festival this weekend. 

Fidget caught a ride on Daddy's shoulders.  Because we forgot the stroller.  Really?  Yes, we did. 

the best seat in the house

It was windy, but warm and perfect for getting out.  

 cotton candy, nachos or deep friend twinkies


 i won a pink inflated dolphin

I won a pink dolphin at skee ball.  I love skee ball. 

 curly fries and onions as big as two heads

This looks really good in a really bad way.  It's not ours.  The girl holding it let me take a picture, and then immediately said, It's not all for me, honest!

Clowns scare me. 

this creeped me out.

Our town still uses the originial depot.  It is smack-dab in the middle of our old downtown district (which is one of my very favorite places and where I would love to live someday) and there are several trains that come through daily.

 the old depot

We stopped to listen to some music and let Fidget cool off in the fountain.  She made a friend.  Isn't it wonderful how quickly kiddos make friends?

 Fidge made a friend

 downtown days

It was a lovely day.  Although I am not sure what that boy is doing with a basketball under his shirt.  See him?  That is not what I was looking at when I took this photo.  I was trying to show the grassy hill, a view of main street and the stage where local 'discovered talent' (um, ok) were singing and the fountain that Fidge was playing in.  And now all I can see is basketball boy.  Oh well.

Did you ever see the movie "Something Wicked This Way Comes"?  I can't go to carnivals at night because I'm a scared little girl again.  (Also, 'Watcher in the Woods', with Bette Davis.  A Disney movie that still fascinates and frightens me... I'm not sure why I always group those two movies together, maybe it was my age when I saw them...)

I also read Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day... and it is every bit as charming as I've heard it was.  Yay. 

I hope you weekend was fun, too.  Happy Monday, friends.


meme squared. Because it's Friday and I'm procrastinating.


flickr meme

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life? (I cheated here.)
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I stole it from Ali. You'll have to check the click through to flickr for my answers

=============================

Need more? Ok!  I was tagged last week by my dear friend, Liz...
The rules:
Rules are posted at the beginning. At the end the post the player tags six people, then posts their names. Then the player goes to each of the named people's blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. If you've been tagged, you do the same, letting the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. Your answer, of course, is the answer to the following questions:


1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I was 26 years old.  I had a two year old and was living in my first house as HomeOwner.  I was in Southern California.  I was a stay at home mommy, toying with the idea of going back to work.  My backyard had like 20 rose bushes, but I didn't take very good care of them.  They didn't mix well with toddlerhood.  This was the year before I got divorced, so I don't remember it being full of happiness... (Sorry for the buzzkill.)

2. Five things on my to-do list today

1) Strip the beds.  Wash the sheets. 
2) Make some progress on new shirt
3) Walk 2 miles
4) Check in with work
5) Remove kitchen window treatments (tried this, but hubs is going to have to put some muscle into it)


3. Snacks I enjoy

- Cheez-its.
- kettle corn
- muffins

4. Places I've lived

Baltimore, MD;  Portland, ME;  Baton Rouge, LA;  Natick, MA;  Rockville, MD;  Richardson, TX;  Springfield, MO;  Columbia, MO;  West Lafayette, IN;  Orange County (Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Orange, Aliso Viejo), CA;  Lees Summit, MO


5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

- Move somewhere close to the beach
- Travel
- Open a specialty store of my very very own
- Sends the kids to any college they want
- Buy hubs an RV to take to Mizzou football games
- Get boxes at Busch Stadium and Farout Field 

I am way too lazy to tag people.  So if you're running low on post ideas, consider yourself tagged!  xoxo