Resolution Update

A sub-resolution I forgot to mention under the main resolution of FOLLOW THRU:

Hook up the wireless dohickey my mother bought us for Christmas last year

I am happy to say that is accomplished! Yay! We only have ONE phone jack in our whole house and considering the previous owners concreted in the entire ceiling in the basement, running more would be problematic. To say the least. That one jack is in the dining room, behind my bakers cabinet. We have been sitting at the bakers cabinet to use the internet since July... Well, no more. I am currently sitting in my newly pink living room, in a comfy chair. HOORAH!!

Resolution

I don't usually "do" resolutions because I have a difficult time sticking with anything for more than a day or so. I have ADHD and I don't take any meds anymore and I am not going to use it as an excuse to be lazy and scatterbrained anymore. So I have one all-encompassing resolution:

FOLLOW THRU.

On anything, everything, whatever...

I need to finish the curtains for our kitchen.
Make the balloon shades for the dining room.
Put together another bookshelf for the bedroom.
Put together the Expedit for my "office/craft room".
Lose 20 pounds.
Exercise more.
Paint the bedroom.
Paint the "office/craft room".
Finally get all the prints and photos framed that I have been buying at art shows for the last 10 years.
STOP BUYING MORE CRAP until I finish all this stuff.

All of these things fit under the FOLLOW THRU header, because they are all things that should already be done and are not because I am a lazy bastard. So, we'll see how it goes.

On the plus side, I do have the dining room and the living room painted.

Monkey Love

I call my dogs "Monkey". Both of them, to their faces, when I want them to do something. I am sure it is quite confusing for them. Someday I will learn to call them by their names, until then welcome to Monkey Mondays!

See the wall in the background? That's a sneak peek of our new Living Room color! It looks so fab with the fireplace. I just have to wait for the curtain rods to arrive and the basic room with be all put together. Yay!

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas

We sure did!

We went to my brother and S-I-L's house for immediate family Christmas.

My 2.5-year-old niece.

My 6-year-old niece.

 

My brother wearing the LED headlamp my parents got all the boys.

My mom wearing Big Sisters headband.

My S-I-L's tree. 

We had Christmas at Misters parents house on Christmas Eve.

 

His mothers tree. 

 

And my grandmothers on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

 

My Oma's tree. 

 

On Christmas Eve we light the Firesangboulie(I have no idea how to spell that). 

You put cheap red wine in a punch bowl, balance a sugar cone at the top, pour Bacardi 151 over the sugar cone, and light that baby on fire! Tasty! I have a video, but my iPhoto doesn't want to load it. I also have a lot more pictures of various things, but they won't upload... Hm.

  

Website

I am not allowed to shop at Wal-Mart. My dad is/was union, worked for A-B for 30+ years, and my fiance is union, works for Missouri American Water for 12+ years. Apparently the unions have something against Wal-Mart for their refusal to pay decent wages, give good healthcare, allow humane sick time, etc.... Anywho, my cousin just directed me to the funniest website I have seen in a very long time: www.peopleofwalmart.com. I am not generally a judgmental person, but some of these people are just so ridiculous you wonder what they see when they look in the mirror.

I was/am not always the most normal person. I had guy friends in high school who wore skirts. But I am pretty sure none of them wore tails. Or high heels.

 

 

When I was about 12 or 13 I wanted to be a boy so I could cut crazy designs in my hair and my beard, ala  Sam from Clarissa Explains it All. Also know as "THE BEST SHOW OF ALL TIME", when I was younger, of course. But this lady really takes it about 120 steps TOO FAR! Maybe she didn't check her rearview before she left the "salon"?

Just "Wow". No other words are needed. I am sorry, but this wouldn't be appropriate if she was 13 or weighed 120 lbs. Daisy dukes, half a cheerleading costume, and socks with sandals? Never okay.

Check it out. Seriously. 

Design Sponge: Sneak Peek Jessica Helgerson

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

I love Design*Sponge. I think they juggle a great mix of topics; such as recipes, before & afters, and sneak peeks. And I love how organized and well-designed their site is!

Did you see the most recent Jessica Helgerson sneak peek? I think the first floor of this house, just the way it is, would be my absolute dream home, plus a bedroom or two. Those mirrors in the hallway? Fab. I just love the way the light dances around and makes your eye wander. I also like how she recessed that gorgeous armoire in the dead space next to the stairs. I think a lot of people struggle with what to do if they have a space like that. It never ceases to amaze me what brilliance you notice through the eyes of another that you may never have seen on your own.  The way she mixes the super-traditional space with the ultra-modern décor is seamless.

I know high design is pricey, be it décor or clothing, but do you realize those poufs in the living room cost approximately $1,000 - $2,200? For a pouf? In a “young family” home. I wish my mom knew how to knit with giant needles. Although, she creates and follows through at the rate I do, so I would probably never see the finished model. I do learn from the best!

And the velvet couch? It’s custom. I cannot even imagine how much a custom, tufted, velvet couch of that magnitude would cost. Insane. But absolutely gorgeous.  I would love to have the coffee table, but it is the size of my entire living room! Once again, very obvious in this room, is the beautiful mix of traditional and modern.

The abundance of white built-ins everywhere is great; functional and lovely. The charcoal (black?) on the dining room walls looks so fresh and unstuffy with the white trim, shelving, and chairs. I wish the trim in our house had been painted before we moved in. I could never bring myself to paint it now, nor would Mister EVER let me. These chairs are so fun, and I love them mixed with the traditional table. This is similar to what I would like to do if Mister ever finishes our table.  I also love the inset Roman shades and wish my trim was deep enough to pull it off.   

The dual-sided glass shelving units between the kitchen and the dining room are so fun and practical! Love those pendant lights and the absence of upper shelves. Once again, makes me wish my kitchen was larger than 40 sq. feet. {sniffle}  

 

That farmhouse sink is lovely, as well. I think the downstairs is remarkably more impressive that the upstairs, although the bathrooms and the laundry nook are pretty fabulous!

What do you think? Is it to stark for you taste, not enough clutter? Do you like the mix of modern and traditional? Do you feel the house flows well? Thoughts? 

Etsy Pillow Extravaganza!

I love Etsy! I love pillows! A match made in heaven, really... Where else can you find an eco-felt pillow with a tiger and a deer saying "omfg."? Why would a tiger be attacking a deer anyway... that just makes it more ironic, yes?

(mishima)

She also has a supercute skull pillow for all you pirate lovers! I, for one, love anything with a kitchy skull and crossbones... Especially if it's pink!!

(mishima)

I also love pretty, classic pillows. Aren't these just lovely? She has many more.

 

(dedeetsyshop)

These are for all you "modern traditionalists" out there. I love the colors she offers.

 

(PillowPallooza)

Who needs a last minute Christmas idea?

(allisajacobs)

A classy damask option...  Ellen has a great selection of beautiful items at very reasonable prices. This fab 16" pillow cover is only $16.00!

 

 (EllensDesigns)

 

Let's  finish things off with a bit of whimsy, shall we?

 

(FongStudio)

(LotusInteriors)

Obviously, I have eclectic/diverse tastes. That is making my home decor decisions VERY difficult. What kinds of pillows do you like? Do you think the style of your accessories, such as pillows, needs to "match" the style of your decor or do you find perfect coordination stifling?