Family Friday, 2.28.14

Well, I remembered Family Friday on Friday for a change! It's going to be a short one, though, as I'm spending time with my favorite youngest son. Yes, Little Man is home :)  We just realized that he hasn't been "home", as in this "home", since the new semester started at school- so almost 6 weeks. I hate that! But, that won't be happened too often anymore. It will be so much easier for him to see everyone  when we are all living within a few minutes of each other. I can't wait for that! The last marathon painting day is tomorrow and the carpet is being installed this coming Thursday, so we can move any time after that. Yay!!

So, while I was waiting for him to get here, I was able to finish up this pillow front. I should be able to get it sewn together and in the shop by Sunday afternoon since it looks like we'll be snowed in again for a day or so.

I'll be back here on Sunday :)  Juli

Sunday Scenes 2.23.14

Scenes from my Sunday :)

A new pillow in the works- gray wool with off white stitching. Lyrics from a Three Doors Down song. Love them!

Made a little progress here. A pretty large blanket that I lost interest in a while ago. But, I'm back at it!

And cleaning at the townhouse. Laminate floors are finished. Yay! Now just waiting on the carpet to be installed on the steps and bedrooms. This is the entry way...

Kitchen...

Living/Dining room...

And the loft. I can already tell that this will be my favorite place in the house.

 

 

Not sure if it will compare to this, though :)

 

 

And now,brushing up on some Renaissance works for my Art Appreciation kids tomorrow.

I hope you had a great weekend!  Till next time- Juli

Family Friday/Saturday 2.22.14

 I have no idea why I can't remember Family Friday. So sorry! I thought about it at 10:30 last night and it just wasn't happening then! So, once again, Family Friday on Saturday :)

I got to spend this morning with my Babycakes (aka- Peanut), so I thought it would only be appropriate to open this post with some pictures :

Trying to get a good shot at those awesome eyelashes.

Mr. Sober Face. I was taking picture after picture and I think he was getting sick of it! But he's cute even when he's not smiling :)

Well, I could go on and on about how much this kid inspires me (more than he will ever know, I'm sure), but I thought I'd let you in on some other things that inspire me- books. I'm not the novel reading type (every so often, yes, but a long time in between) but our house is FILLED with books. Most of them are M's-every kind you could possibly imagine- except inspirational, self-help, decorating and how-to books. But a good portion are mine- mostly inspirational, self-help, decorating and how-to books! Here are a few of my favorites and most used:

Perfect English Cottage 
A book of perfectly imperfect homes. My idea of dream homes are in this book.

The Gentle Art of Domesticity: Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art and the Comforts of Home
Celebrating making a home for your family. Love it!

My Heart Wanders
Beautiful photography and life stories.

Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted gifts
This book is heavily bookmarked! I've made four of the projects, and have bookmarked many more for the future.

The Crafter's Companion:Tips, Tales and Patterns from a Community of Creative Minds
and
Creative Time and Space: Making Room for Making Art
A glimpse into other artists and crafter's lives- where they work, how they work and what they make.


I could also go on and on about the books that inspire me, but these are the ones that I've had for years and continually refer to for inspiration. If you check them out, I hope you like them as much as I do!

I'll be back tomorrow. Hopefully with Sunday Scenes that are a little more interesting than the aisles at Home Depot!    Juli

Sunday Scenes, 2.16.14

Well, I have to say, it's Sunday, and I have no Sunday Scenes! Oh, no! haha  It's been a very busy weekend here with Valentine's Day on Friday, Eddie's birthday yesterday and driving Roxy to her new home today (2 1/2 hours each way!), so I really had many opportunities to take pictures, but basically just forgot. I hate it when I miss picture opportunities.

I did think to have Sister take this one about a half hour from home this afternoon.  Peanut was fast asleep after eating his chicken nuggets. (We even got to document that little bit of ketchup face!) This picture pretty much sums up what I wish I was doing right about now :)

Anyway, since I didn't take my Sunday Scenes photos, I'll show you a few places that, in my opinion, would make perfect Sunday Scenes:

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I've really been wanting a tent in the house. And a swing. Just sayin' :)

Have a great week!  Juli

Family Friday, 2.14.14

Well, Happy Valentine's Day! Did it catch anybody else off-guard? With everything else going on around here, as of about three hours ago, I was completely unprepared. Amazing what you can accomplish in a few hours, huh?! I always have very good intentions for Valentine's Day- to make hand made cards and make really thoughtful little gifts. But, I think it only happened twice in my lifetime! haha Oh, well. I've never entirely forgotten about it, so I guess I'm doing okay.

Since I waited till the last minute, I thought it was a perfect time to shop local. The Fudge Shoppe is a sweet little candy shop in Washington, MO that has been in business for quite a few years. I'm not sure exactly how long, but I know it's been at least ten years, as they made M's and my wedding cake almost ten years ago. Everything I've ever gotten from them is so good. So the kiddos are getting some sweets :)

And M. is getting his fave-alcohol! haha What else would you get a winemaker? Right?! Anywho, I splurged on what I hope is a really good bottle of champagne. I'm not an expert (other than being married to a winemaker!) so it's kind of a guessing game for me.

Basically, when I buy Valentine's Day gifts, I try to buy something small and thoughtful that the person wouldn't ordinarily go out and buy on there own. I don't want Valentine's Day to turn into another Christmas or birthday, so I keep it small. It's the thought that counts!

I'm also preparing to help my middle one, Eddie, celebrate his 26th birthday tomorrow. It's CRAZY how time flies! 

These pictures show him before he became the talkative, quick-witted, funny guy that he is now. But it didn't take him long. By the age of 2 1/2, he was already telling his stories! And he hasn't stopped since!

And, I'll leave you with a picture of the beautiful roses that M. sent to work for me today. I love them!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Juli

My Facebook "Fast"

Well, it's been a little over a week since I have been staying away from Facebook and I'm planning on going on with my "fast" indefinitely. I know there are many benefits of social networking, I even wrote a post about it here, but I really just felt like I was spending too much time reading about other people's lives when I could be getting things done in my own life. It was too easy to just "veg out" in front of the screen. Kind of like what I used to do with TV. But, since I don't watch TV much at all anymore, I basically replaced it with the computer screen.

I'm also not the type to think long and hard about what I post, so sometimes I regret what I've shared. Nothing dramatic or anything. Sometimes, though, I just think there is such a thing as sharing too much or, in some cases, sharing too fast. And I'm always worrying how that will affect my kids. I've never wanted my kids to be embarrassed of me. It's really one of my worst fears!

So, my conclusion after my Facebook Free Week- I think it would be good for anyone who has even a little inkling that they spend too much time on Facebook, to try stopping for a while. Even just a few days. I honestly think I was addicted to "checking in". It sounds weird, but I'm totally serious! The first few days I was really out of sorts and crabby. I kept thinking that I was probably missing something. It was really hard not to grab my computer several times a day to "check in". But that just lasted a few days, then I really started realizing how much more I was getting done in a day when I wasn't stopping what I was doing several times a day and getting caught up in the "web" of information. It would literally suck me in for hours sometimes, even though I meant to only be on there for a quick "check in". Again, it sounds weird, but it's true. And I know most people can relate to this, whether they admit it or not ;)

I am still checking and posting on my Olive and Ash page, as it has a purpose other than just sharing personal information.  I couldn't inactivate my main page without also inactivating Olive and Ash, so I'm just exercising some self control and staying away from it.

Except for one post today- to try to find a home for my little dog, Roxy. Since we're moving soon, to a place with no yard, we decided she would be much happier with another family. She's very sweet, two years old, housebroken, about 20-25 pounds, part beagle part terrier and very good with kids and other animals. Please leave a comment if you live in or around the St. Louis area and are interested.

Sunday Scenes

Well, I have to say my Sunday Scenes are not that exciting but, since it is Sunday, here they are!

My Sunday...

...consisted of wayyyy too many trips to Home Depot.

But we bought some awesome looking laminate floor, which I love!

Watching my mom trying to figure out how to remove the floor from behind the stove. She helped us all afternoon- removing staples and nails and ripping out more vinyl. I'm telling you, it is a FUN time around that townhouse lately! But, I soooo appreciate all of her help lately (and my dad's!).

And our Little Man, getting a crash course in home ownership :) Please don't mind the junk sitting around. This is before we bought trash bags! haha!

And now, I'm home- inhaling a gluten free turkey burger and chips. What a Sunday dinner, huh?!

And doing a little more stitching. This will be a pillow. The fabric is a tie-dye demonstration piece from my Fine Craft class. The colors turned out very vibrant, so I felt like it should be used for something. So, a pillow it will be!

I also got the loft painted, but I forgot to take pictures. By the time I finished I still had to clean up and help M. haul all of the flooring into the house. I have to say- I am completely exhausted at this point. And, I'm thinking I might actually have to go to work for a change, tomorrow, so I better get myself organized.  Till next time :)  Juli

2.7.14 Family Friday...

...again, on Saturday. I have to admit, I have not been really aware of the days of the week because we've had sooooo many snow days. I am completely out of my routine and am very ready to get back into it. And, since Family Friday is a new theme, I didn't even think about it until late last night. Sorry 'bout that!

So, this Family Friday is going to be dedicated to all of my family members who have been helping us get this townhouse ready to move into. Since I'm 40 minutes away (most days) and Little Man is even farther away all week, my mom and dad make regular visits to check things out and little by little, clean all of the disgusting carpet remnants out of the garage. My brother has a handy-man/carpentry business, so he is doing all things that we can't do like repairing sub-floors, fixing door frames and laying the laminate flooring. My brother in law helped us tear out the flooring. And my husband spent one whole afternoon on one of his very rare days off from work to remove staples and nails from the sub-floor. Fun times, huh?!
Yep, it's a lot of work. But it will be worth it. Especially after all of this snow and having to deal with our extremely steep driveway. I am very ready to have a garage to park INSIDE of and a very short, flat driveway that is cleared for us by the snow-plowing fairy, every time it snows. Yayyyyy!!! Oh, and it takes about 2 minutes to drive to the grocery store. Yayyyyy!! I haven't had that kind of convenience in about 30 years. I'm very ready for some convenience :)

Here are a few pictures of our progress. I spent the entire day on Thursday painting the main level.  I changed my mind on the lighter color, so I had to go back to Home Depot (which, did I mention, is also 2 minutes away?! Yayyyy!) for another 2 gallons of paint. So,  I now have 2 gallons of expensive Behr paint just sitting there, still in the can! Dang. I'll have to use it in the bathrooms or something.

And  a couple of my other snow days consisted of this:

A painting done for a grape-grower friend of my husband. The blue streaks in the sky will be where some lettering will go, but other than that- DONE. Another thing crossed off my checklist thanks to my seemingly, never-ending snow days!

And yet another snow day was spent doing this:

Adding more words to my banners before they're listed. All three are now complete. Finally!

And no week is complete until I spend a little time with my Peanut. Who, by the way, can recognize and recite the entire alphabet, count to 18 and draw perfect witches! I can brag, I'm his Bibi (grandma) :)

He still loves his groucho marx glasses!

And I can't not show off this latest, awesome picture of Peanut's little brother, Baby G. I think he has the cutest little profile!

Well, that's another Family Friday for you, on Saturday! I'll be back here tomorrow, so until then, have a great day!  Juli

Sunday Scenes 2.2.14

A few Sunday Scenes for you:

We've started painting the townhouse! The first picture here is the fireplace accent wall, which I painted a dark brown (Burough by Valspar, although I had the color mixed with Behr paint) The second picture shows the color I picked for the remaining walls in the room, again Behr paint but mixed from a swatch of Opera Glasses by Valspar.  I only painted a section, as I'm still deciding if it's right for this room. It a cross between a gray and a beige, but I'm thinking it might be too cool of a color. I'll let it sit for a couple of days then go back to look at it. I figure my first impression when I go back will tell me if it's right or not.

I used the Burough color behind the stove and refrigerator and on the other two small walls of the kitchen. I like it. It's a cozy color- just what I like for a kitchen area. But, since painting the brown above the counters, they look even more like the color of vomit (gross, right?!), so we decided we'll be replacing the counter tops and bar, too.

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And now, I'm back in my comfort zone. At home. In my stitching chair.

Getting ready to add a few more words to my banners.

Well, I promise this won't turn into a decorating blog, but there will probably be quite a few posts on our townhouse progress. I hope you don't mind!

Until next time, have a great week and I'll be back for Family Friday :)  Juli

Family Friday (on Saturday!)

Well, a slightly delayed Family Friday is here. Weather delay, really. We got home late last night after driving 30 miles per hour all the way home from Sister's house. We did have our "gender reveal" though. And... it's a boy! Best quote of the evening, from Sister, "I'm so excited to have "my boys"! I'm so happy for her. She has always loved being like a mother to her two brothers, always referring to them as "the boys". And now she'll have her own :)  Very cool.

Well, just like when we were expecting Peanut, this new baby has inspired me to get moving on some of the things that have just seemed to be going soooo slowly. It's funny how having grandkids makes you feel a sense of urgency to get things done. So, I'm on it. Today, since I'm iced in, I'm trying to get photos done for my new Etsy listings so I can get that shop opened up again. I just broke out the big lamps so I'll have enough light. It isn't as good as natural light, but natural light just isn't happening much around here lately. It will have to do :)

So here are a few photos from the gender reveal party:

Peanut couldn't figure out how Little Man got inside that phone. It was so cute. He would look at the phone, then the door, then behind the phone, then shrug his shoulders.  He could not figure it out! (We made sure to Facetime Little Man so he wouldn't miss the reveal.)

1.) Sister and Peanut open the box to reveal blue balloons :) 2.) A really good profile of our Baby G. 3.) And Grandpa's turn to "Facetime"- catching up with Little Man. I'm sure Grandpa (my dad) never would have thought he'd be doing anything like that in his lifetime!

It was a great night! Now I'm back to work on those photos, a little stitching and writing listings.