A Fabulous Friday

First of all, I have to say that I'm getting really excited to interview my friend, Amy, this evening. We're meeting, as I've mentioned, at a wine bar. I guess it's a really great place with some live music. The guy I work for loves it and recommended it a long time ago.


Now....remember that old friend, Holly I ran into at the grocery store? First of all, we're getting together for coffee, so I'm really excited for that.
Second of all....remember that picture of "sick Holly"?

I've been like that.

In fact, there aren't very many alcoholic beverages I like to consume anymore.

And the last time I was like that was a few of years ago.

From wine.

I was sick for 5 days afterward.

So - while I'm looking forward to enjoying a flite of wine to taste the differences in a few of the wines, I won't be over-indulging tonight.

Speaking of wine, has anyone ever been to BIN 36 in Chicago? I was there with my dear friend (and Chicagoan), Peg, and it was awesome. They have the most amazing wines there. I had a glass of red wine with notes of smoky bacon! So cool!

But, I digress.......

I was going to tell you about my marvelous day yesterday.
Okay, so you know about that naughty Mocha I had....I drank it while I put on make-up (getting dolled-up is very rare) to get ready for a "business lunch" at my favorite delicatessen -

This place rocks. I had Matzo Ball Soup and shared their hummus platter with marinated tomatoes, capers and olives. You should know: I never share their hummus platter.
It's too good to share.
Everything was pure heaven. Afterwards, I got a black and white cookie as big as my freakin' head from the bakery.
I ate it in four sittings.
I'm not kidding.
I had to take a break from the cookie, people!
Ohhhhh, but I didn't give up, no sir!

Also, I got Zuddy a big pastrami sandwich on pumpernickel and brought it to work for him.

He was as happy as a lit-tle girrrrl.

Then, we went to the Great Estate. Its a place with wonderful furniture. New, antique, consignment - all of it shabby-hip and wonderful.
I almost bought an amoire for the Noodle. She needs new bedroom furniture and this one was gorgeous with a mirror on the door and only $700.

But, then, remember my divorce desk?..............Yeah, me too.

And remember the new countertops and the marmoleum floor I need so I can show you an "after" picture of my kitchen? ..............Yeah, me too.

Here's the funny thing: My friend and divorce desk accomplice, Kirsten, was there, shopping with me and egging me on. I think she may be a bad influence on me, no?

Anyhoo.....I hope you have a great day. I'll be posting my interview with Amy as soon as I can. I'm going to call her today and ask her to bring some pictures I can scan. I don't have a scanner so...........

NOTE TO DAWN B........could I use your scanner? :)

Ooops.....I did it again

Yeah, I know.

Well.....I'm celebrating! Come ON! I've lost 10 pounds!! My neighbor and I are trying to take off weight. Whoever loses the most weight each week gets $5.

I'm kicking some serious butt, people. I've won every week. I haven't talked to her today yet, but I've still lost a couple of pounds.

Hey.........rewarding myself with a large, chocolaty, sugary, caffeine-loaded beverage for losing weight isn't at all like an alcoholic rewarding their sobriety with a martini, is it?

Hmmmmm...............

No worries, I can quit anytime I want.

Busy Girl

Whew!

Okay, so I did my billing.....it was totally painless and took me only an hour. Why, oh why do I put that off?

It's not like I don't get anything out of it! I get money! I think the work I do is enjoyable - it gets me out of the house, I work for people that REALLY appreciate me and it doesn't feel like work to me. Maybe that's why. I don't feel like I'm owed anything? Hmmm....

So I got another recipe developing project and there's no way I could work in this:

So I spent 2-3 hours making our office/playroom looking like this:

Whew! Much better!

And it was my night out last night....I met my dear friends, Hilary and Kirsten, for dinner. It was Hilary's birthday at the beginning of the month and I forgot.
Because I'm a crappy friend.
But she loves me anyway.
How lucky am I?

Anyway, it was great to get out of the house and be with two people I'm so comfortable with. We are all recipe developers, so we have such a complete understanding of each other's lives. And they're both Moms, too.
We all met while working for a big cooking contest. Hilary and I were working as college interns and Kirsten was already a professional. I think that was almost 12 years ago!

Anyway, sometimes our job can be a tough gig. People can get competitive, mean and sneaky. You're only as good as your last project and it's a job that comes with so much criticism. I feel lucky to have met such dear friends!

So! Today I think I'm going to do one last coat of paint on the white doors. I was examining them in the basement and I decided that one more coat - just to be safe - would be a good idea.

I also need to go to Home Depot and get some shelf pegs for the one shelf I have left to put into place. After I put all but one of the shelves up, I was left with 3 broken shelf pegs.
I need four.
Preferably not broken.

Oooo! Check out Heather J's blog. She did a really cute project!

No Blogging Today......

until I get my billing done.

A client owes me money.

He hinted that he'd like me to bill him.
Twice.

That's pretty nice of him.
I'd better comply!

Have a great day!

Questions For Amy

So remember yesterday when I said I'm going to have a weekly interview in this blog?

Well, I've been trying to come up with some questions! Does anybody out there have a good question to ask Amy? If you do, please click on the comments section after this entry and let me know!

Here's what I've come up with so far:

• Tell me about your childhood.
• When you were a fresh-faced h.s. graduate, what did you think your life would be like?
• If your life isn't exactly like you thought it would be, how and when did you decide to make changes?
• If you could live/visit anywhere, where would it be?
• What kind of things do you want your children to remember about their childhood?
• What were your college years like?
• Which part of your life (besides now) would you want to go back and re-live (i.e.- what was the best time in your life besides right now?)?
• What kind of music do you like?
• Favorite Movies?
• Favorite Books/Authors?
• Hobbies?
• If you had a string of days to do whatever you wanted.....what would you do?
• Dream Job?
• What are your talents?
• What is a talent that you don't think you have, but would really like?
• What attracted you to your spouse/partner?
• Were you ever in love before your current relationship?
• What does your dream house look like?

Okay.....so there are some questions. What am I missing?

I still haven't emailed Amy, but I will right after I finish writing this. Hopefully she will read this blog today - when she's supposed to be working ! Ha! I was thinking we'd meet at a wine bar I've been dying to go to and then maybe we could have the other girls meet us later?!

So - yesterday I didn't do anything to the kitchen. It was so HOT outside (When I was watching the 5 pm news, the temp was 87 degrees! 45 would be normal this time of year.) that I took all the bedding off our beds and washed the sheets and hung them outside to dry. I love that.

But - you know it's not that easy. Because I threw away my old clothespins last fall. So I went to Super Target to get new ones (and I had to pick up some things for work today). Did they have clothespins? Of course not!!! Come ON! That would be too easy!

Do you know who does have clothespins?

My Mom!

LOTS of 'em!

I've heard from both of my sis-in-laws that my 2 brothers and I are weird about our clean sheets. And I can tell you that we got it from our Mother. I know that Joe likes to hang his sheets out and I'm nuts about it, too. In fact, I do believe Joe is NOT supposed to have an outdoor clothes line where he lives.

But he does.

Always the rebel.

Anyway.....my Mom was taking care of Sweet Angel:

Here she is at Christmas time with her Daddy (my brother Joe).

So, I just love talking to her. She will repeat anything, and you just never know what an almost 3 year old will say. Here is how our conversation went:
Martha: "Sweet Angel, where's your Daddy?"
Sweet Angel: "At woook!"
M: " Where does he work?"
She tells me.
M: "Where does Mommy work?"
SA: "Mr. Nassim"
M: "No.....does she work at the Hospital?"
SA: "Noooooooo..."
M: "Is your Mommy a Nurse?"
SA: "YES!"
M: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
SA: *jumping up and down* "A PIRATE!!!!"
So we start making pirate noises.

Gosh, I love her.

Have a great day! What are you doing today?

It Happened Again!

Dudes.

I lost 2 HUGE posts this weekend. One Saturday and one on Sunday. I was totally irritated on Sunday about this, but I did come up with a good idea: I'm going to blog about a friend or family member every weekend.

I got the idea when I was blogging about poor Amy who "didn't make the blog". I explained that the reason I didn't blog about her gorgeous and smart children is because I had decided after I put that picture of the Noodle and the Sparkplug in my blog that maybe putting someone else's kid in here for the whole crazy world to see wasn't a great idea. I blogged and blogged about it and then lost the post - twice.

Okay - so here's where I decided to blog about my friends and family. I was blogging about Amy and I realized that there's a big chunk of time where I have no real grasp on what her life was like! So I'm going to start with Amy. I'll give you just a little intro, but I'm going to email Amy and see if she can get together for a proper interview this week sometime.

Amy is part of my "girls" group. They're a group of friends from jr. high and high school that I'm still friends with. We try and get together about once a month, but that's getting harder and harder these days. We have a weekend at one of the girl's (Dawn's) lake cottages in the summer and I really enjoy that. Whenever I talk about the "girls" this is the group I'm talking about: Amy, Sal, Dawn, Liz, Lynnie, Dana, Tracy (we don't see Tracy much since she's moved, but she's still a member). They know me the best out of anyone, I think.
But, you know how you think you know someone because you've known them so long?? But what you really know about them is so deeply rooted in their past that you might think you know them better than you do? Your comfort with that person is so great that you forget to ask them important questions about themselves. You only know what they volunteer to tell you about!
Well, that's what I got to thinking about. I need to find out more about my loved ones! Starting with Amy! Sorry, Aim, but you're the logical place to start, sisterfriend!

Anyway - I did have a great, busy weekend. I hope everyone else did, too! It was so unseasonably warm here! I went for a bazillion walks....well, okay. Four. One with neighbor Gretchen, one with neighbor Pam and 3 big dogs (Gracie Mae, Nikita and Rufus), one with neighbor Jenny and her 2 little dogs (Chi chi and Mia), and one with the Noodle while she rode her bike.

After we walked Chi chi and Mia, neighbor Pam came over to see the cute little dogs and then neighbor Bob was in his back yard with a Scotchy-Scotch-Scotch (Ha! Have you seen Anchorman?), so we were all chatting and decided that next Friday we're going out to watch karoake at a local bar. I haven't been to bar in YEARS, people! I don't really like all the smoke, but I'm dying to watch people sing and I had no idea this place had karoake. I know I'm spelling that wrong, but I don't care. Yes, I do. Let me look that up. Karaoke. There.
So! Jenny hinted that if we got her all liquored-up, that she might sing. Game ON! I'm totally up for that challenge (*cracking my knuckles*). I'm gonna feed her a couple of cocktails before we go!

Okay, so the other fun thing that happened is that my sister in law, Dawn, dropped by with my niece, Sweet Angel! I asked her if I could post a picture of Sweet Angel (she said yes):
I can't get over how cute Sweet Angel is. I'm crazy about her. She is my brother and sis-in-law's (Joe and Dawn) little one. She's almost three and she is hilarious. Maybe I'll blog about Dawn after Amy.

Okay, since this blog is supposed to be about the kitchen.....I should say that we got the Xenon lighting on Friday. I was hoping Zuddy would install it this weekend, but he didn't.

I've got almost everything put back in the cupboards - we ran out of shelving. I bought more on Saturday and Zuddy cut it down to size, so I will finish putting things away today and take off some wallpaper.

This is going to take waaayyyy longer than I expected. I honestly thought we'd be done by now.

Have a great day, everybody!

xoxo,
Martha

SUCH A Great Day!

Wow. It really was.


First of all, the Noodle and I started off the day listening to a couple of selections from a borrowed CD set:

I LOVE this set. There is a mind-boggling amount of music. I think it's, like, 11 discs in all.

Zuddy and I have actually watched the infomercial selling these from beginning to end more than once. In fact, it started out that I was making fun of Zuddy for watching the infomercial. The guys from Air Supply narrate it while they're in a nursing home. Just kidding. ha. No nursing home.

Well, those wacky Aussies had me hooked! In the infomercial they never once mention the price. So you know it's not in the budget, right?

So last week Zuddy and were cat sitting (see Sammy, above) for his best pal while he was on vacation and WHAT is just SITTING THERE on his kitchen table??????

Yep! The whole freakin' set!!!! His lady love bought it for him! So now - and you know how nostalgic I've been - I'm listening to songs from the late 70's and early 80's. For some reason, I seem to be paricularily enamored of the ones from '78. Kenny Loggins, Ambrosia, Gino Vanelli (GINO VANELLI???? I know. I just can't explain it).

So anyway, the Noodle and I are listening to this music on the way to school. Then I "help" at her school, which I love. I'm crazy about her teacher, Sra. Ruth (remember, she goes to a Spanish Immersion school.). She is amazing. The children are amazing. They just love having a parent there and I get smothered with attention and hugs from them. They are only allowed to speak in Spanish, but since I don't know Spanish, the Noodle keeps double-checking with Sra. Ruth to make sure it's okay that everyone speaks to me in English. This is so sweet for 2 reasons:

1. She thinks I'm totally beneath her for only knowing English.

2. She is taking care of me and making sure I understand.

I get a big hug from Sra. Ruth. She's my "new best friend". (My old boss and friend, Kim, will laugh when she reads this: every time I encountered someone I liked and admired at work, they were, "my new best friend". )

Then I run errands: Smith and Hawken, Aveda, Pottery Barn, great antique shops. I only purchase hair products, but I love walking along and hitting all the shops.

Then I go to Super Target and I'm trying to pick out toothpaste. I hate this job. I never remember the last "flavor" we had and Zuddy - who is normally super easy-going - is not super easy-going about his toothpaste. So I'm standing there trying to remember and this sweet older gentleman gives me a coupon! Isn't that nice? He thought it would make it easier for me to decide!

So, then we start talking about toothpaste and he asks me if I've tried a certain one and I tell him, "Yes! I liked it! Do you like that one?" and he tells me, "I don't know! I've never tried it and I just got new teeth!" Ha ha!!!! Isn't that funny?

So then I'm trying to find doggie treats for the neighbor dogs and my hair stylist's dog. I have a hair appointment on Saturday and I'm out of treats. Her dog, Lily, will check my purse. I always forget her treats and I feel so bad. So....... who do I see next? My hair stylist, Diane! Crazy!

Then I ran into my sister in law, Pippi, and my niece, Allison! Crazy!

So, I go home, crack open my cheesy US weekly magazine, and remember that I need to take the self portrait challenge from my new best friend, Heather J. Of course, her picture is really cool and kind of artsy.

Heather J. : Girl. I swear I tried. They were all ugly. Here is the one of the 2 or three not-so-hideous ones I ended up with:

I look tired there. I really wanted to take a nap right then, but I had to meet the Noodle's bus.

So then I pick up the Noodle and later my dear friend Michelle (she was in a picture a couple of days ago) comes over to show me pictures from her trip to Ireland.

Then guess who calls? One of the local Policemen!

I'm a block club leader and his Mom lives next door, so he is always taking special care of us and he comes to our meetings. Anyway, he apologized for not coming to last night's meeting - which is fine because I cancelled it at the last minute (long story, but my tummy hasn't been good.) .

How nice is that?? By the way, he is known as "Officer Mc Hott" by the neighborhood ladies. He doesn't know this, but he's good eye-candy to have at our meetings. Keeps the membership numbers up, you know?

I mentioned a while ago that I live in the "hood", but we really do like it here. We bought the house while I was still in college and it's all we could afford. Our neighborhood is sooooo diverse. I mean, there are doctors living next door to gang members. Seriously. We have a really incredible Citizen's Organization and there are a lot of people who start their political careers at that organization. I'll walk around the neighborhood and take some pictures sometime.

So, that was my day! Just a great, happy day. No mean people. It was Zuddy's night out last night, so the Noodle and I hung out together and had girls' night. ( I get Wednesday nights out.)

Heather J. promised me some 80's big hair pictures on her blogspot. Ooo! You have to have shoulder pads on, too, okay? Ooo! Let's have an 80's picture challenge, huh?? C'mon everyone! Leave a note in my comments section with a link to your 80's picture on your blog! You get extra points if someone in the picture has a mullet! Ha! Game-on!!

I. Can't. Stop.

Reading other's blogs.......

I think it's a serious addiction! What is it? Do I feel I'm being voyeuristic? Deep deep down, do I feel like I'm reading somebody's diary? Well, of course I know I'm not! People are putting this stuff out there for everyone to read, right? I do love meeting new people, though. Maybe that's it? Plus, I'm kind of a commitment phobe. I don't want people to rely on me too much, so I can get to know people by lurking at their blogs and then I leave! I'm in control! Maybe that's it.

Anyway.....I was at Heather J's blog (she's got some fun projects going)and then, of course, I started to look at her favorites (Check out Inspire Co.'s blog and store.) and now it's 1 1/2 hours later!!

Anyway, I found the greatest thing for my sister in law there. I'll post about it after I buy it for her. It was her birthday last month and she was sick for her b-day dinner, so we all ate stir-fry while she was at home sick. Anyway, she comes from a HUGE family. 11 kids. Every one of the kids has a name that begins with "M". Her name is Myrna (and, yes, of course she has an older sister named Martha :).

So birthdays are a big deal because with 11 kids, there's only ONE day that's your special day and that's your birthday! Anyway, the month of February is her birthday celebration, so I found something perfect for her. We normally don't buy gifts for each other, but every once in a while you gotta do it, right? You find something perfect for someone and you've got to get it for them, Right?.....and I LOVE finding something perfect for someone. Doesn't happen often. Plus - did I tell you about my budget?

Oh, yeah.

After the "divorce desk" fiasco, Zuddy put me on budget.

I get $25o a week. That doesn't sound so bad until I tell you that it covers everything: groceries, gifts, clothing, dinner out......hair product. That's right. ladies. You saw it correctly. It seems so unfair! But it had to be done. So, fun little gifts that I used to buy people "just for the fun of it" are now a thing of the past.

It cuts into my hair care, people. And that just can't happen.

It also cuts into the Noodle's wardrobe. And THAT can't happen, either.

I love buying the Noodle clothes. Does anyone ever shop at MiniBoden?
I just love, LOVE their fun applique t-shirts for little girls. I always buy every one they offer. They're sweet and fun.

Oh! Look! One just happened to drop by for a visit!

Okay, I need to go now. I'm volunteering in the Noodle's classroom today. So I need to put on some real clothes and apply some make-up so I don't scare the first graders.

I hope everyone has a great day!!

I Ran Into an Old Friend!

Oh what fun!!

So, I was at the grocery store - in a big old hurry- shopping for work.

I pass by this woman with a baby in her cart and we look at each other....
and she was nice enough to ask me if my name was Martha.
At the same time, I was thinking, "boy, does she look familiar" and when she said something, I remembered her name immediately!
Holly!


I was so glad she said something! You know how you lose touch with someone that you really liked, but your lives get busy or someone moves or something? Well, that's what happened. She got married when I was still in college and then we just lost touch. I don't even remember the last time I saw her. I remember when she got married and I couldn't go to her wedding because it was out of town.

We worked together in high school (but went to different schools) and hung out the year we graduated from high school.......and, well, let's just say there was some alcohol involved.

All.
Summer.
Long.


Looking back on it, I'm suprised we came out of this relatively unscathed. There were never drugs of any kind, "only" drinking. But a whole lot of it.
And now that I'm a Mom, I wonder how my own Mother was able to let me grow out of this phase of my life without worrying herself sick. I don't know that I'd have the restraint to let the Noodle grow out of something like that without having a huge talk about it. And locking her in the basement for 5 years.

So now I've been walking down memory lane. I found some pictures of my time with Holly. I'm lucky there are some - I've never been very good about taking pictures.

Here is a photo from the summer of 1988 (click on the picture to make it bigger and blurrier):

Sorry for the photo of the photo, but I don't have a scanner. Holly is in the middle and I'm the one in the stripes. Biiiiig hair. Ready for a night of some serious drinking.

As a matter of fact, here is Holly after that night. Probably at noon the next day:

Soooooo sick! I mean head in the toilet for hours sick, people. She was one sick cookie. Boy, how things change!! Now she is married with 4 kids!
Oh, yes. We were party girls. Here is another photo I found of my friend Michelle (in the background) and me with my brother's friend. We were all totally sauced up, dude.
Oh, but I had the biggest crush on this guy. Everyone did. My brother is still friends with him. I never see him anymore, but I am still friends with Michelle.

So there's a blurry walk down memory lane, kids. And believe me, it's not nearly as blurry for you as it was for me at the time:)

By the way, I got the floor estimate back. Ouch. $1500.00

Zuddy will not be pleased. But that tile is all cracked and gross. Pony up the cash, Zuddy!

Have a great day and why don't you take a trip down memory lane yourselves? It's fun. I've been missing those care-free years.

Community Supported Agriculture

Good Morning everyone!

I have to go to work today, but I had to do a little research before I go. You see, some gals at work approached me about going in together on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. I've been wanting to do this for years, but a share by myself is a little spendy. Plus, I'd be the only one in my family eating the stuff, I'll bet. Anyway, there are three of us going in on a share together, so I'm really excited!

I found a farm that works with developmentally disabled adults and they have a bakery and meats available for sale as well. I hope they have some shares left!

So, go ahead! Google "Community Supported Agriculture" in your neck of the woods!

It's a good thing.

Boy. That was a shameless rip-off of the other Martha, wasn't it??

Bloggity Blog

Okay...I was sitting here thinking I had nothing to write worth reading.



So I took a break and drove the Noodle to school and now I still have nothing worth reading, but I have something to bellyache about. Are you ready?



To the parent in the Beemer SUV: I'm dying to know why you felt you didn't have to wait in line to drop your child off at school today. Are you more important than the rest of us parents? Why did you pass the entire line and then "budge" in line right behind me? Budger!!! Everything was courteous and calm before you came along. We were all getting along just fine: Everyone was giving their child a quick kiss before they left the car and then we were leaving in single file, waiting our turn, being "Minnesota Nice" and trying to start off the day following the rules. Then you had to come along and be all aggressive. You're lucky: I'm normally a fairly bitchy road-rager, but I'm gonna let this one pass and blog about when I get home. Asshole. Next time I'm taking a picture of you and posting it in my blog.



Whew! Sorry about the swearing. Sometimes it just makes me feel better. Wow! This blogging thing really makes me much more relaxed! Maybe I'll vent here more often! And I'll try not to swear, but you know, sometimes nothing makes you feel better like a nasty cuss word!



Okaaaayyyy. So! Friday the floor guy came, but just to measure. I will find out how much the floors going to cost on Wednesday, when my sales person is working again.



It's time to order the countertop. I can't do too much more until we get that installed. I talked to Zuddy about that, but if I know him, nothing will get done until I YELL at him about it.



Today I'm going to give the top cabinets one more coat of white and then I'm going to go get some shelving so Zuddy can cut it to fit and I can get stuff back in the cabinets. The doors can go on in about a month - I need to let them and the cabinets cure.



I'm going to start removing the wall paper. My neighbor Pam told me to use fabric softener mixed with hot water. I'll try a couple of walls today.



I have that block club meeting on Wednesday (I thought it was last week, but I was wrong. Which is a very good thing.) So hopefully things will be back in the cabinets by then. I need to do the "make this house look like nobody lives here" dance.



I'm working tomorrow, just for a few hours, which is good. Also, I took a job for the month of June. I really didn't want to work this summer, but with all of this kitchen stuff, it's probably a good idea. Plus, it's only for 4 weeks. And I'm working for my friend and I will get to see my old boss and dear friend, Kim.



Oh! Aren't you getting excited about spring??? I sure am! I can't wait to dig in the garden! I have so many things to do: I really need to level the borders on the front flower beds. I didn't know what I was doing when I made those beds, so now I need to make them look better. That's my first job. Maybe I will be able to do that next week.



Okay, sorry about the lack of pictures.......well.....here. I will include this one of our bedroom book shelf. It has all of the contents of the dining room hutch on it while I paint the kitchen cabinets. Something I've noticed: It never looks as bad in the photo as it does in real life. Why is that?

Arg!! I lost my entry!

So you're all going to get the "cliff's notes" version of the lost post:

• I was going to go with the black and white tiles, but there's an agreement with everyone that the tan would be better. THANK YOU! I needed that. I'm going with your suggestions!

• I'm scrapping the whole chandelier idea and I'm going with this fixture from Rejuvenation. It's $110 - way cheaper than any of the others. (Jen, all of the others are from Ballard Designs.)

• I got all of my stuff from Ballard Designs yesterday! I'm replacing this ugly fixture in my living room:

With this one:

• The Noodle and I have agreed on a wallpaper for the kitchen. It's a surprise! And I hope you are pleasantly surprised :)
• I'm waiting for my new favorite HBO series dvd to arrive from Netflix. It's called "Big Love" and I'm on the first season. It's about this man who owns 2 Home Depot-like home improvement stores and his polygamist personal life....he has 3 wives. It's not for the kiddies. And if you decide you need to see it, please forgive me if you are offended. But, you know, it's an HBO series, so there's a good chance its offensive to someone, right?

I really really really appreciate everybody's inputs on the floors and lighting!

Hey Jen! You can find Mrs. Meyer's products on Mrs. Meyers website or a lot of times at nicer grocery stores and gift shops. I'm seriously thinking about ordering online because I get really peaved when I get to the store and they're out of the Verbena scent. Chaps my hide, girl.

The Floor Guy Is Coming Today!

All right, friends. The floor guy is coming today. I have the samples above, with the cabinet door (see how green it looks? Remember, it's supposed to be charcoal gray.) and the counter top choices. I like the middle countertop piece the best.
As for the floor, what do you think about the black on the left and the tan tile together? Or should I go with white?

I was originally going for the classic black and white diamond pattern - similar to the picture of the white cabinets. The tan just seems a little warmer. I think either one would be fine, but what do YOU think?

And I want some answers here, people.

Here's a little progress photo comparison!

The floor will probably be installed in about 2 weeks.

Now I need to get the countertops ordered.

I should be getting wallpaper samples any day now.

Thanks to Janelle and Heather J for their comments about the chandelier! I still don't know what to do about that :) Janelle, time to update the ol' blog, sister. I check it every day. Heather, good job, soldier!

Okay, okay.......

So, I'm thinking by the deafening silence about the "when pigs fly" chandelier that it's a No-Go?
Did I cross the line from "whimsical" to "holy crap, is she nuts????"
I think I did. How about this one for an option? I just think it would be fun to have a chandelier in the kitchen. Is that way too stupid? You can tell me, I don't get offended very easily!



Here's the one I ordered yesterday for the living room. I'm afraid that things are getting too girly in this house. Well, I know they are. Maybe I should go plain in the kitchen?




The noodle had a breakdown yesterday before school. She's been "sick" every morning for a while, now. Yesterday it was full-on-drama-queen-ugly-cry-breakdown.

The reasons were many: "It's so hard being me", "the whole house will be different", and the real reason, I think: "we have a substitute teacher".

School hasn't been easy for her. She goes to a Spanish Immersion school, which she likes, but it's exhausting for her, I think. Luckily, she has the most incredible teacher - which is why it's so tough to have a substitute.

Okay, blah blah blah. I'm done complaining.

Have a great day!

No Painting Today

Dudes. I saw this picture on someone else's blog and totally stole it. I love it!

Well, I don't know that I can promise that I won't paint today. I'm kind of addicted at this point.

I never made it to the flooring store yesterday, so I need to do that and run some other errands.

I'm starting to look at lighting for the kitchen, now. I have to order the xenon and then a new main fixture for the room. I think I can keep the fixture above the sink. What do you think? Ha. There's a big splotch of primer on it. I tell ya, nothing in this house is safe from the wrath of my paint brush.

Okay, here are a couple of lighting ideas for the ugly fan I'm replacing:

You know, I l-l-l-l-looove the "when pigs fly" chandelier, but it's $200. And wouldn't it kind of be a bee-otch to clean?

I need to order the xenon lights, too. They will be about $200. As I said before, Zuddy isn't on board with the xenon. It doesn't give as much light as halogen. I'm okay with that because I don't need it to. I just want a little light bouncing off my countertops, dude. Does anyone out there have halogen? Does it really kick out that much heat? Halogen is half the price. Feedback, please!!

Hey - and Denise and Kim - tell your husbands that painting builds character, dammit! Ha! I'm right there with you girls....gotta have the paint color you want :)

Oh - I ordered a new ceiling fixture for my living room and then all of the wallpaper swatches from Ballards yesterday. They had added more wallpapers to their collection, so I got a bunch of swatches - 11 in all, I think.

Have a great day, everyone!! Time to check out my favorite blogs :)

Ta-Da!

So far, so good! I think I still have at least two more coats to put on (there are already two coats on there.) - maybe three for the gray. Which, by the way, looks more like a deep olive green than charcoal gray at this point.

Boy, that ugly stove really needs to be replaced, dontcha think? Unsightly.





I think I may go check on the flooring today. Just to get a ballpark figure.

If anyone is thinking about doing a little makeover like this and is wondering what it would cost, I'm trying to save receipts. I think I've spent about $150 on paint and supplies so far, maybe a little more.

Hey - guess what? Geez. I talk like someone is reading this.

Anyway, Guess what?

I was browsing through the latest Ballard Designs catalog the other day and I found this:




It's my desk. The exact same one I own. The one that I impulse-purchased while browsing at TJ Maxx. Here's how the shopping trip went (as best I can recall):

I see the desk. Oh my gosh. I love it. I must have it.

I should call Zuddy and talk to him about it.

I call Kirsten. (She's my dear friend from work. I've know her for 12 years. She's an excellent recipe developer, a really classy girl and a great Mom to twin boys. More on her another time.....this is about the desk, remember?? Gah! Stick with me here!).

I tell her about the desk.

She says, "Buy it right now."

I protest, "Zuddy will kill me. Can you please come over here and tell me what you think of it?" (This TJ's is really close to her house.)

"Yes, but I think you should at least put it on hold. You'll be sorry. You should just buy it. You can return it later if you want."

"I can't. No. No-no-no-no-no. Please don't make me buy it! (okay, that last sentence was a slight embellishment) But bring your big SUV. You know, just in case."

Kirsten hops in her car and drives up to TJ Maxx.

I'm waiting outside the front of the store leaning against my minivan with the desk already loaded up and ready to go.

It's called the "divorce desk" at my house.

You know why? I think you do! Zuddy didn't speak to me for two days after the purchase. That's never happened in the 13 years we've been together.

Here's the good news: It was $500 cheaper at TJ Maxx!!!!! Never underestimate the power of the Maxx, people! Totally worth it....er...I mean, I will NEVER do something like that again!

Uh-oh! Spaghetti-O!

So, as I'm painting and everything is getting fresh and bright with each coat of paint, my old wallpaper is looking really icky. It's faded and tattered in a lot of places and there are grease and food spots everywhere.



So......I'm thinking to myself, "Self? Maybe you should just paint the walls instead of wallpapering them. You love paint! It's so easy and it's much cheaper than wallpaper. Plus, you know you'll need help papering the walls and you can easily change the paint color all by yourself anytime you want for a whole new look! You can't do that easily with wallpaper. Let's paint, okay?"

Okay! Great! I love to paint. So easy!


Weeeelllllll, sometimes it's a good idea to discuss this with the "design team" member in charge of electrical wiring for under-cabinet task lighting. Because to get said "design team" member on board with this little project, he was told to, "go ahead and cut holes in the walls! Anything to make this less painful for you! You don't have to be careful patching them! I'm going to tile and wallpaper over everything! See? See how easy? Easy! Easy-peasy!"




So.....wallpaper!! I love wallpaper! Love it! You really can't get the same impact with paint as you can with wallpaper, can you? Of course not!

Better call and get those swatches!

I'm SO Excited!

No. I didn't get this beautiful new dual fuel convection range. But wouldn't that be great???

I'm excited because the first coat of paint is ON!!

I'm loving the color of the gray I chose. It's got some green and brown tones in it and it's very nice. And I just love gray.

But there is a problem: I couldn't get such a dark color in a semi-gloss. Because there's so much pigment in the color I had to get a high gloss and I really didn't want a high gloss. So help me, all of you people who know about this stuff - what do I do? Do I "knock down" the finish with a little steel wool? Should I put a coat of lower gloss poly over it? Discuss......

Our talented friend Kim mentioned poly earlier on in this project because I wanted to do a glaze over the creamy color and the poly would keep the glazing intact. I was thinking I'd go that route since I'm really hard on my kitchen, but now I want to be lazy and cut corners. It's my way. It's what I do. I'm lazy, remember?

Plus, I have a block club meeting at my house on Wednesday night and I'm really striving to have things back in the cupboards (without the doors on) by then.

I was going to cancel it, but ......we've had some "events" in the neighborhood the past week and I need to have the meeting.

See, we live in the "hood".

It's usually pretty quiet here and our neighborhood is considered "the next big thing", but it's been 11 years and it's still hasn't become "the next big thing". In fact, we've had a couple of shootings in the last week. Gang related. There's a big meeting with the Police Commander and the Mayor at our library on Monday (incidentally, the Mayor lives in our neighborhood.). So I really think I need to have this meeting. It's already scheduled, anyway.

We were at a family party on Saturday to meet my cousin's (who currently lives in Tennessee) new baby. Boy is he a cutie pie. 3 months old and absolutely gorgeous. And I forgot to take a picture. Anyway, my aunt told me that my cousin's family is moving back to the midwest and they looked at a house in my neighborhood, "but everything's so expensive here!" To which Zuddy says, "Well, have them check on it again - I'll bet the price just went down." Ha ha. So we had to tell them about the recent "events".

In other news, the Noodle has lost the second of her top two teeth!! How exciting!

I hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Do you like music?

Then you've got to check out this guy:

Michael Gulezian.

He's amazing.

Zuddy and I went to a small "house concert" last night - my friend MJ and her husband have known him for a long time and he and his wife were staying at their house, so he put on a little concert - but it was actually at MJ's church.

Okay. Here's the deal: I only wish you could've seen it.

I know for a fact that it was only him playing the guitar.

There wasn't a piano and he only has two hands. I checked. I only saw two and he'd be part of a freak show if he had more than two, right? RIGHT??

But I kept searching for more hands because it sounded like there was more going on than what I was seeing. Sometimes it sounded like there was a piano - but, like I said, it was only HIM! After he'd get done playing a song, he'd get this sheepish look on his face and crunch up his shoulders.....as if to say, "was it okay??"

Uhhhhh.....YEAH it was okay!

I was totally happy listening to him tuning his guitar. I'm not even joking, people. When he was tuning his guitar all of his fingers were going wild and it sounded like he had started another song.

Anyway. We thoroughly enjoyed his music. Very relaxing. Very nice. I'm listening to his cd right now. If you can attend one of his concerts, I urge you to do so. You'll fall in love with his sweet, gentle personality and it will make you appreciate him even more. Plus, you've got to see him play for yourself. Merely listening doesn't do him justice.

By the way....am I rockin' in the link usage department or what???

Thanks Janelle!!!

PS. I bought the paint yesterday. Those folks at Sherwin Williams are the BOMB.

Cleaning Day!

Oh, yeah. This house is driving me crazy.

My dear friend - the Lizard - left a comment about how it's about time I started on this kitchen thing.....so true.
But I really dislike chaos in my life. And THIS, my friend, is chaotic. I could never have chaos like this and have to go to work all week, too. Thank God I'm on a little working hiatus.

I need made beds. With clean sheets. Preferably dried on a clothes line (not gonna happen).

I need groceries in the fridge and some fresh produce.

I need all of my kitchen/dining room items happily at home in their rightful cupboards - not in my bedroom :)

I need to shower before 2pm and spend an ENTIRE day with makeup on and my hair fixed. And jeans on - no sweatpants.



I need a day with this gal:


Have you all met?


Everybody: this is Mrs. Meyer.

Mrs. Meyer: this is everybody!


I really think you're going to get along well.

Mrs. Meyer picks up after herself when she comes to visit. And she smells GREAT - especially when she comes to your house smelling like VERBENA.

Sure. She's a little pricier than the other cleaners. Especially when you're trying to use only vinegar to clean. But she's worth it. And she is a little more worried about the environment than that Mr. Clean guy. She's trying harder. She's more responsible.










Having gone through all of that, I think you should know this: I don't think I will be able to NOT paint today!!! I was really annoyed yesterday after my "work", but I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it and now I'm rarin' to go again!

First, I need to get some paint and some good brushes. The ones I've been using to prime are "chocolate".

Ha ha. Anything cheap and flimsy in our house is "made of chocolate". That's a Zuddy thing. You should meet my Zuddy. The dude cracks me up. And he ALWAYS has new material - rarely does he say the same funny thing twice.

And Oh! And we're having a date tonight!! We are going to see an acoustic guitarist. My friend, MJ (more on her another time) knows the dude and says he's FAB-U-LOUS. And believe-you-me, people - If MJ says he's fab, he IS. But I guess he's more folksie, which I'm not sure about.....but I'm really looking forward to it.




Cute Noodle alert!!! She LOVES American Idol. LOVES IT. All the kids at school are talking about it. So last night we watched it together and she really wanted to vote!! Isn't that hilarious?? Here's what's even better: It had to be the girl with the pink streaks in her hair that sang a rockin' Evenescense song. I just love watching my little pumpkin grow into a person.

Speaking of music.....do you all have the new(er) John Mayer cd, "Continuum"? No? Well go and get it, dammit!!! It's the best one yet. I've been listening to it while I paint and I can't get enough. It's definitely more bluesy than his other works, but - Oh! So good!

And I've never really taken to the blues, either. In fact, I was on a date once with a guy I REALLY liked and he took me to a blues club because it was his favorite music.

Guess what I did?






Fell asleep.

I'm a barrel of fun, oh yes I am!

Dirty Little Secrets

1. I had a DEEEEEElicious Mocha this morning. Whipped cream, full fat milk (I think) This is all thanks to my neighbor, Pam. She gave me a BIG FAT Caribou gift certificate for watching her television (Ooops! Did I just say that? I meant her DOGS!) for the weekend. Thanks, Pam! I also bought a pound of Espresso Roast coffee. Yum....which leads us to our next secret:

2. Nothing to eat at my house. We've been out of coffee for a week. We've been drinking the Folger's crystals that I would normally put to use in a recipe containing chocolate (punches up the chocolate flavor). I hope this is just because I'm in the midst of this kitchen thing. I have no desire to cook or grocery shop or anything else.



3. On that note: Look at this HOUSE!!!! Can you believe that someone lives here? It looks like a garbage house! It's making me nuts. I'm not even gonna show you a picture of my office.

4. I've been ignoring my Noodle. And it's all because of these blogs. But I can quit reading them anytime I want to.

One Woman's Cottage Life
Lost In Suburbia
The Decorated House

Oh. I think I just did a blogging no-no and didn't ask these people if I could share their blogs. But - I think everyone reading this already knows about them because most of you have found my site throught the One Woman's Cottage Life site. Love that site. She's amazing.

I have a BUNCH of other favorite sites that I will post in my favorites as soon as I set it up.

I'm doing a second coat of primer on my cabinets today!!!

Time To Prime!

I'm verrrry excited to get a coat of primer on today!! And you know what helps? PEOPLE ARE WATCHING!! I just can't let any of you down. There is pressure - a good thing for me.

Over the weekend I decided to fill some holes in the drawer fronts and cabinets - I didn't want to place the hardware in the same spot as the old stuff. So yesterday I sanded everything again and washed them with TSP substitute.

And good news!! Zuddy started drilling holes in the wall for undercabinet lighting!


Oh! And here's the chair that my Mom slipcovered for me - thanks Mom.




Over the weekend, I wasn't feeling so hot and the Noodle had an event to go to on Saturday (Destination Imagination - if anyone out there has ever heard of it) and our friends, Joel and Noel took her - thanks guys! The reason why I'm mentioning them is I think they need to document their current project in pictures and start a blog. Joel just gutted their bathroom and I think it's going to look so great! Noel is a great decorator and they have three of the cutest girls you will ever meet. Zuddy calls each one of them, "sparkplug". Here is a picture of the Noodle and one of their Sparkplugs.

Have a great day, everyone!

We're Going to the Depot Today, People!!

I want Zuddy to get the stuff for the undercabinet lighting today - at least the wiring. He's balking at the price of the xenon lighting, but I cannot compromise. I've heard halogen gets really hot and I'm not a fan of the color flourescent lighting gives off. Anyway, I took a kitchen design class from our community education system and xenon is what the local kitchen designer recommended.


Here are the cabinet colors I'm thinking about going with. Anybody who is reading this:
Do you think the charcoal gray for the bottom cabinets is a mistake?
Is it too dark?
The countertop sample I've been eyeing is in the middle. It's the HD laminate from Wilsonart. Does it look okay? (While I would love soapstone or something, my cabinets are JUNK. They'd probably crumble. This facelift is meant to last 5 to 10 years. Then I'd like to bump out the kitchen about 4-5 feet.)

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I want to give a shout out to Kim, Denise, Janelle, kjquilts and Mary.....hey! Thanks for visiting! I've been visiting each of your blogs and I'm loving them all!!! As a matter of fact, I'm addicted. I can't get enough. And the more home blogs I look at, the more hooked I am. It's like heroin. And you're all pushers.

Janelle, thanks so much for the direction on linking. I will follow this in my postings next week. Hey! And I see the sideways 8!! I see it! I see it!! Now, why don't you get a job explaining these things? See how simple you've made it?

The Noodle still isn't feeling so hot. Poor Pookaroo!!! Here's a picture of her in healthier times trimming the Christmas tree. Yes, it's fake. My Mom found it for me. It's really slim and it fits perfectly in our tiny 13x12 foot living room. If I had to go and - gasp! Cut one down or buy one every year, there would be no tree in my house. Because.....I'm really lazy.


Speaking of my Mom....she made a slipcover for my rocking chair and I need to pick it up today. You gotta love that woman. She made the roman shades, too. Here's another picture of the Noodle and the chair is right behind her. The green blanket is covering up a tear on the arm of the chair. I will post a picture of it - with it's new outfit - tomorrow.

Day @#$%*!

Okay. This blogging thing......well, I need to figure a few things out.

I tried to set up a guest book - which is kinda ridiculous, as only 2 people on this planet know this blog exists.

And, while I will say I can't do a thing without being interrupted by a sick Noodle (this is what we call our almost 7-year old), suffice it to say that the guest book isn't happening at this time. Also, I can't figure out how to show links. Honestly, the directions for linking is written in what looks like Greek to me.

I'll have to consult with my tech guy. Aka: Husband Zuddy.

Anyhoo, here are a bunch of wallpaper samples I'm considering:



I found them on the Ballard Designs website. Wouldn't it be handy if there was a link for the site? Yeah, dream on......

Here are the knobs & pulls. I got the single larger glass knob and the 4" bin pulls for the drawers.



And the floor:



What a great kitchen, huh? It's in a house that's for sale in a beautiful neighborhood near us. I know it's hard to see, but it looks like the floor is marmoleum, which is what I want.

By the way, I'm painting the bottoms of the cabinets a charcoal gray and the top a creamy white.

Unless I keep working on this blog. In which case , nothing will get done.