Funniest/Scariest Thing EVER

Now, I am not one to be afraid of clowns, but the second one made me laugh until I was bawling, while at the same time being the creepiest clown I have ever seen.  This is an awesome site, btw.

Homicidal Horned Boo-Boo

Those There are Some Keepers!

RED METAL CANDLEHOLDERS AND RUSTIC CANDLES

My mom spotted these candleholders at a store called Fant's in Guntersville where my grandparents live.  It is this old hardware store that was converted into a general-type store a long time ago under the name Hammer's.  There was this big uproar in town when they changed the name, but they have really updated their inventory since the switch.  My mom knew I would have to have them, and of course, I totally did!!  I got the candles from a big interior design place in town called Spice.  The best thing about the candleholders is that they are reversible and can be used as large vases for centerpieces, etc.  

CUPCAKE TREASURE BOXES

I got these four cupcake treasure boxes from Fant's, too.  They were only like $5.25!  I couldn't believe it, so I bought one of each kind.  The tops are made out of acrylic or something, so they are pretty sturdy.  At the moment I am displaying them in my Taste of Home cake stand (another reversible find) and dome in the middle of my dining room table.  Eventually they will be in a baby room, but until then I want to show them off!

 

OLD POTS

My dearest wish is that at some point David and I will get the inside of our house under control so we can focus on the yards.  The big copper pot was given to me by David's mother, and I found the little blue ceramic enamel pot while digging through my parents' storage unit last weekend.  Eventually they will both have beautiful plants in them in my backyard.

POLKA DOT VASE

Yesterday, in a separate trip from when I bought the candles, I went to Spice and the shops on the floor above and one of the booths was going out of business.  I don't think this vase was something she actually sold, I think it was a prop of some kind.  Anyway it was like $20 and I thought is was a little funky, but I have yet to find a home for it.

RUSTY OL' KETTLES

I don't know why, but I particularly love antique kettles and pots.  I have a really old enamel ware coffee pot that my mom got me at an estate sale, but the two below are recent finds.  The first one was purchased from an antique vendor from the shops yesterday, and it is really cool because the metal has this green sheen to it.  I suppose that is a sign that it could be toxic or something, but I am willing to wait it out.  The second one was a gift from my grandmother when we went to Alabama last month.  I think she is trying to get rid of some of the excess around their house, and knew I would love anything cast iron.  It is SUPER heavy but really cool.

ENAMEL WARE TUB

I saw this beauty and immediately knew I had to have it to display hand towels and wash cloths in my guest bathroom.  It will therefore serve two purposes: making some extra room in the extremely crowded linen closet and adding that touch of rustic that I love so much.

MY SPIFFY NEW HAT

Gotta save the best for last.  ALSO a find at the shops, it was just laying there on a table with other odds and ends, and I put it on and I was suddenly like Frosty the freakin' Snowman.  It just fit.  My head is really awkward shape and hats never fit me, but this was definitely love at first try-on.  And it happened to match the outfit I was wearing that day perfectly, so I had an excuse to wear it around all day.

A Conversation with My Mother on the Phone…

Mom: “Well, I think I have convinced your father to buy me a new light fixture for over the kitchen table. Do you think David would help him install it?”

Me: “Sure he can. I am excited! It will look so much better.”

Mom (with a smirk in her tone; we have been scheming about this for weeks): “Now all I have to do is convince him we need to replace that fluorescent light over the island.”

My Dad in the background: “What IDIOT suggested that?!?! That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. That will be so expensive! Only an IDIOT would suggest doing that!”

Mom: “Mary Beth suggested it.”

Silence in the background...

Me: “Tell Dad I dare him to read 30 issues of Country Living in a row and not come up with a better idea for that light over the island. If he can do it, he wins.”

If you want to piss my Dad off just mention the fluorescent light fixture over the kitchen island. If you want to piss me off read 30 issues of Country Living in a row and remain devoid of fabulous ideas for home improvement.

Looking Forward to a Vacation!

Well, it is official -- David and I booked our flight, car, and hotel for a trip to Gulf Shores! Gulf Shores may seem like kind of a weird choice, but the beaches are beautiful and it is where my family has always gone for beach vacations. It was really hard to make myself reserve everything because I normally am happy to only travel when it has to do with work or is a family vacation, and David and I spend our money on other things. The thing that really made me decide we need to make the commitment and go was that I realized we have never been on a vacation just the two of us in the history of our relationship! We didn't get to go on a honeymoon because we were both still in school, so this trip is definitely a long time coming. We are actually staying in a condo, not a hotel, and the pics below are of the actual unit we rented. AND I am super-excited because I remedied my previous gripe of not having a good camera today! I ordered an amazing Canon PowerShot that is exactly like Jennie's and it is great because I know I will love it since I have been coveting hers since she bought it and I know the picture quality is great. Although Dave laments spending money I think he was excited to get a really nice camera, too, since so much of our house is dedicated to pictures of family and friends. I absolutely love being surrounded by our memories!













Going back to my previous post, David and I did actually get a lot of good work done last weekend. I LOVE it when the house is clean, and I have been making some progress on getting the little decorating touches taken care of. I am really excited because I have some fun projects lined up for the next couple of weekends that are going to help put the house together even more. I am at my parents' house this weekend because it was my mom's birthday yesterday so we celebrated last night and then David's family is coming over tonight to celebrate. David and I bought my mom a new coffee maker for her birthday and we have been drinking the fancy new coffee made by the fancy new coffee pot all day long. It is so cool, I want one now, but if I got one it would bring my coffee maker count to three, which is a little embarrassing. While I am here this weekend I really had planned on going to Target to buy some picture frames since the Target in Waco, which I love but was lacking in this particular area this time, had the ones I want but I SWEAR every one was horribly scratched or dented. And they are black, so you can totally tell! Heights has a brand new fancy Target, but unfortunately this weekend is tax-free weekend and people are out in droves. This town is absolutely nuts.



Anyway, I am off to figure out what I am going to do for dinner since we are getting barbeque for everyone else. Perhaps I hear Subway calling my name?

Here Comes the Weekend!

Whew!  Today is Friday and we got back from the AL late Monday night.  I am so glad that as an adult I can really appreciate why we go to Alabama, and I had a fabulous time doing not much of anything!!  My sister's boyfriend Chris went with us, and despite them not having all that much in common, he and David got along really well and I think Dave appreciated not being harassed by a bunch of bossy southern women all weekend.  Not that he didn't get harassed anyway, but at least he had an ally.  The tally of the trip includes...

2 ~ four-mile walks by the lake

20 ~ Issues of Country Living Magazine read (twice as many new decorating ideas concocted, much to David's chagrin)

Who Knows ~ Cups of coffee!

2 ~ Fishing lines untangled

23 ~ Hands of cards

11 ~ Rows of knitting completed

112 ~ Pages read in my book

And untold delicious fresh vegetables from my grandfather's garden.  Even though I was upset because I didn't think I would be able to get good pictures, I used my mom's camera and it seemed to work out fine.  

I love going on vacation but I hate the way it makes me feel at work the week after.  I never feel motivated and I regretfully take too many breaks in the name of "recovering."  This week wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I am really glad it is the weekend, which brings with it the hope that I will magically become motivated to get some stuff done.  I think David and I are seriously going to take a trip for our birthdays and our two year wedding anniversary, so before we can do that I have got to get all the other birthday gifts figured out.  This time of year is always hard because EVERYONE'S birthdays are in August and September.  Jennie and I are going to do a little shopping tomorrow so I am hopeful I can make a dent in it.  

David messed up his thigh muscle playing softball last night, and he literally can barely walk.  He is loving the fact the he legitimately can't get up and switch 70's Show DVDs, give the dog more food, move just slightly to the left so he isn't taking his half of the bed out of the middle, you know, things that require movement.  Lounging is an art to him, and he is definitely getting some practice.  Right now he is beside me being hairy and snoring and trying not to move.  I have big plans for the weekend, so he better walk it off.  

I wish I were waking up tomorrow to a covered back porch with a view of the lake, but instead of pining away I will wake up early and make steps towards making my own house the haven I desperately want.  Wish me luck!!