The Queen on her throne

I can't believe I am doing this.  A complete dog post.  I was laying on the couch the other day and Minnie was just chillin' on her perch.  I couldn't resist.  She really has it made.

Holy hemline, Batman

First admission - I don't know if I used that phrase correctly.  I have never actually seen the Batman TV show or stayed awake through an entire Batman movie.  I have no idea where that phrase comes from, but it just seemed appropriate.  Because...
I hemmed the dining room curtains!

To be honest, I don't have a lot to say about this.  It just should have happened a long time ago.  I got lazy, and it took me forever, but hey, now it is done.  I would show you a better picture, but the table is an absolute disaster right now.  So just imagine them in your mind.  They look the same as the living room.

Adding Number 30

I got it.  Forcing paper whites.  That's my number 30.  I have always wanted to do it, and I always get the urge when decorating for the holidays, but if I add it to my list, I guess I'll have to follow through now.

photo found here

The Grim Reaper is Near

I swear it was green just a couple of weeks ago when I brought it inside.  And I had kept it alive since spring!  Ay ay ay.  Can I revive my fern?

#14

I did it.  I got a rug.  I know what you are thinking, how the heck did she do that so fast?  She just posted her list? Well, let me back up just a bit.  I started thinking about my list a few weeks ago.  I carried it around with me, but I only ever got to item #22.  So I didn't post about it.  Then, last weekend, we were up in Minnesota.  So we went to West Elm, so I could feel some of my leading candidates in person.  I really wanted to make sure that if I purchased a rug that it wouldn't be scratchy.  And, like I expected, they were so soft.  So...uh...we bought one.  Tada!

I really like how it grounds the space, and Byron really likes how it makes the space feel more like a room of its own, even though we have a completely open floor plan.  It's always good when husband and wife can agree.

30 Before 30

Ah, yes.  Here it is.  The dreaded number that I am creeping up on.  So like I have seen others before me do, I have decided to create a list - the thirty things I want to accomplish before I turn thirty.  I have approximately sixteen months to accomplish this list.  I don't know if there are official rules for this type of list, but if so, I have modified them so that it will work for an indecisive person like me.  So without further ado, here is the list.


1.  Make a quilt for our bed.
2.  Sew something with French seams.
3.  Create a series for the blog.
4.  Get good at applying liquid eyeliner.
5.  Grow a kitchen herb garden.
6.  Refinish & recover my sewing chair.
7.  Apply wallpaper in the guest bedroom.
8.  Read Through Painted Deserts.  Done!
9.  Use one of my own photos for art in our house.
10.  Make my own pretty reusable grocery bags.
11.  Go a month without shopping.  Done!
12.  Get a fabulous haircut.
13.  Bake yummy bread at home.
14.  Finally settle on a rug!  Done!
15.  Lose 5 pounds.
16.  Quit at least one job.  Done!
17.  Learn how to make button holes on the sewing machine.
18.  Tile the kitchen backsplash.
19.  Sew a pair of shorts.
20.  Knit something from a pattern (and actually follow it).
21.  Redesign the blog.
22.  Read The Shack.
23.  Bake homemade baklava.
24.  Hem the bedroom curtains.  Done!
25.  Install bamboo blinds in our bedroom.
26.  Plant flowers in front of our porch.  Done!
27.  Build new laundry room shelves.
28.  Visit the sculpture garden.  Done!
29.  Make a jewelry storage board for my closet.
30.  Force paper whites.  Done!


So what do you think?  Am I too easy on myself?  Too ambitious?  Okay okay, I only came up with 29 things.  I will come up with the remaining one, I know, I just didn't want to think of something fast that I really didn't care about accomplishing.  So stay tuned for that.  I think I gave myself a good range of things to both expand on my current hobbies and also explore new territory.  I will update the blog with my progress along the way.  And then, I will be able to great 30 by the horns and say, "Now that wasn't so bad.  Bring on 40."  But I would be lying.  I still think 40 is really old.  No offense.

The Leaves are Changing

I remember writing about our trees the day they were planted.  October Glory is what they were called.  Well folks, it's now October, and our trees, er, tree, is seeing it's glory days.  First, let me show her off.  Then I'll fill you in on the back story.

Well, this tree certainly looks glorious, at least in a scaled down type of way.  The other one, or should I say the third one, looks healthy, but was only planted last week and had only about 5 leaves on it at the time.  The actual second tree died sometime over the summer.  Although we, being novice gardeners, thought it was possibly just dormant, since it was the first year it was planted.  If you are laughing right now, just think to yourself how much we have to learn.  About 5ish weeks ago, Byron bumped the tree and it flat out broke in half.  Actually there was only a 12-inch stub sticking out of the ground.  That's when we knew the tree was really dead.  4ish weeks ago, I called the warranty hotline to report this, which by the way wouldn't even let me leave a message but redirected me to send an email.  Seriously?  Why do you have a hotline?  Argh.  But anyway...I reported it, and 3 weeks later they FINALLY responded.  And I suppose the wait was worth it because mama talked her way from a 1 inch tree to a proper 3 inch one.  I'll take no leaves as long as it comes back to life this spring!

Just like the trees are in transition from summer green to winter bare, I feel like we are in a transition period, too.  This fall has been a busy one, and I am looking forward to a slimmer schedule where I can stop running around and get back to the place I love - home.