Friday free-for-all...

I have been kinda slackerish in the blogging world this week. My brain can't process much more than what I have done so far! :P Here's my week so far:

Sunday - Church, lunch with Britt&Tess, VERB.
Monday - Doc Appt, Work, Dinner at In-Laws.
Tuesday - Work, Murder Mystery practice.
Wednesday - Work, lunch with TT and Mr. B, *sigh* finally a break...a night at home with Husby and a friend, then the accident happened, long night in the hospital waiting room.
Thursday - In late to work, Work, Murder Mystery practice.
Friday - Slow day at work...yippee...another night at home...hopefully a little less eventful this time!
Saturday - All-day Murder Mystery practice...then??
Sunday - Start all over again basically with the same schedule!

So...I dunno, but I just haven't been into blogging this week. Sure I have had plenty of time...but oh well.

I am terribly excited for the Murder Mystery; and I can't believe it is already almost here. We have 3 more practices then it is D-day...May 1st! I am SO stinkin' nervous too...The students/actors have pleased me lately with getting their lines down...this Saturday's practice will be a defining moment for us! This years play is funny, I mean...it cracks me up. I really hope the actors GO-FOR-IT with their parts...just cut loose and make this years play a HUGE success...even if we may not have numbers like we want for the fundraiser itself!
PLUG - You can buy your tickets at the door or in the Ministry Center this weekend! TOTALLY...be there! :)

I have been enjoying Pandora.com this week...a little Matt Maher, Brandon Heath, Needtobreathe, Passion, Shawn McDonald and Chris Tomlin...just some chill music. If you haven't checked out Pandora...you totally should. It's pretty stinkin' sweet.

I don't have too much more to say for now...maybe I will get a spark of something a little later...I still have 5 hours of work left!!! :P

Until then...you better be anticipating...I have some GREAT stuff coming your way tomorrow for the I'm lovin' It series...!!!

Later Gators...

That was a long night...

She's ok...our pretty baby girl...

My Baby sister Bek was in a car accident last night with another friend. Talk about scary. For the first 30+ minutes after we heard about it we didn't know which hospital they were headed to...how they were...nothing!

Finally we caught up with Bek at Shock Trauma...and after about an hour+ Mom and Dad finally got to go back and see her.

They were lucky.

She made it out with a hairline fracture in her pelvis and a pretty stiff neck. She has to wear this "really gorgeous" (her words) neck brace till Wednesday.

I am so thankful that God kept them safe...this situation could have been much, much worse.

...and to all the friends that came to see her and support the families involved...and those of you who prayed from home...you are good people!! Bek may have been a little out of it, but she knew friends were there and supporting her!! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support!

p.s. - Bek you can't hate me for posting this pic...after all it's for posterity, right?! :) Besides, you look excellent for having just come from being cut out of a car! :) I am so glad you are ok! I love you Beks!

In a designing mood...

What?! I haven't been here since Saturday?? (even more technically specific...since FRIDAY...after all if you notice the time stamp on the Saturday posts it is before my weekend wake-up call...those puppies are scheduled in advance!)

Well...
*looking down, hands in my pocket...shuffling my right foot out to the front from side to side tracing a line on the ground...*

My bad.

I'm here now...and with some GOODIES to boot! So most of the bigger basement projects are on hold for the Spring and Summer months because we are headed outside!! The weather is nice, so I will have lots of Husby-help to get some much needed work done to our backyard!! Remember last Spring/Summer we spent most of our time creating our front planters!! Well it's time to head behind the gates this year...

So when you head into the backyard and past the house (on your right) you will see the right side of our yard...here:

Totally boring I know...but here are some initial ideas....

We will make a planter about 2 1/2 feet deep and take it all the way along the fence and around the big tree to the right. We will fill with colorful plants and hostas...there it will connect with the next space of the yard.

The shaded corner...the perfect spot for a nice relaxing retreat area (on a budget of course...can't go as grand as I would like to with this one!)

Again...pretty boring. And the white fence is there to keep Pickle from jumping over and annoying or having an untimely meeting with the neighbors dog; as well we will be putting our rain barrel back there...out of site; but here are our ideas...

We found this super cool swing at Lowe's last night...that is a seat AND can fold down to be a bed/hammock swing! LOVE IT! Here I will also put my ladder/trellis idea!

Now here, if you keep going around to the right you will be facing our house...and there is the gate you just walked through...

More snores...I heard them...don't worry, I am so not offended! So our ideas...

We are thinking maybe a DIY fountain here? Or something else? Who knows...we have space to fill in with plants as needed. We are thinking relatively low maintenance plants and just color!!

This is the whole Right side...

(click for larger image)

I am also really wanting to add a living wall (or two) around the yard!

So what do you think so far?? Ideas? Suggestions? Offering help?? heehee :P

I'm Lovin' It

So...I missed last weeks installment of I'm Lovin It...please accept my apologies I was happily enjoying my stay-cation! :) And please remember, you can click on any of the pictures to take you directly to the picture specific blog post, or the blog title below the picture to the Blog itself.

I will make this weeks, extra special!! Starting with this little sweet gems...

What ADORABLE aprons?! (and the Amy Butler fabric to boot!)

(images courtesy of Domestic Adventure)

I am lovin' these storage boxes made from cardboard scraps and the clock she covered in fabric!! She is showcasing her Craft Room and I can't wait to see how it unfolds each day!

(images courtesy of Make It and Love It)

I promise, I am not on an apron kick...I just ran across another cute one!

(image courtesy of Sew4Home)

This is a really cute Interchangable Zipper Necklace...I'm lovin' it!!!

(image courtesy of Craftaholics Anonymous)

I love this table refashion...

(image courtesy of Craft Nest)

I'm lovin' this cute little zippered pouch that she added a touch of ruffle to...

(image courtesy of The Pleated Poppy)

And to round out this weeks series...I am lovin' these guys...I am a sucker for cute fabrics and the only thing that can make cute fabrics better?? CHEAPER cute fabrics...check them out...it seems I can save $1+ on each yard of fabric...that's WORTH it for me!

So these are just a few of the things that I am lovin' this week! What are you lovin'??

Rain Barrels

I really want a couple Rain Barrels for my house/yard. I think they are a great ECO friendly way to water plants and save money.

So let's take a look at some of the good-oh-so-pretty options and the not-so-pretty options...

Here's the pretty...

This one is simply gorgeous I would even add this to my front yard!!! But at $219.00 a pop....sheesh, that is a hefty price tag. It's 70 gallons...that should be plenty of water for the yard for about two weeks don't you think?

This one isn't bad either. I think it would look decent up against our red brick home...and it's not bad at $139.00. That's doable to me. This has about a 50 gallon water capacity.

This one isn't bad...maybe too much white; but at least they thought about the design. The flower pot at the top is a nice touch. It runs about $239.00. This one holds about 40 gallons of water.

This one is nice, like the first wooden rectangular one. It's $219.00 as well and I think of the two, I prefer the rectangular one...and this one only holds about 67 gallons of water.

Now for the uglies...
These puppies run anywhere from $109-$299...yeah that ugly green one is $299. Ewww.

Which ever one you get...this is a great addition...the rainwater catcher/downspout attachment at $29.99. It allows the water to run the path of least resistance. Which simply means if your rain barrel is full no water will drain into it and that water will run out the end of your downspout...but if your rain barrel needs water the water will flow through the attachment until the barrel is full.

Or...when all else doesn't suit your fancy or you are just the DIY'er at heart...try making your own!





As much as I would love to have a pretty rain barrel...this may actually be my option. :)
Do any of you have rain barrels? What are your thoughts?!

Earth Day

EARTH DAY 2010

It's next Thursday; and I have decided that this day will be the day that I plant my wildflowers in the backyard! I am kind of excited about it. It will be my contribution to making this world a little more beautiful. I wish I had my Arbor Foundation trees delivered already, and I would plant them too.

What will you be doing?

No seriously...TGIF.

The first week back after a vacation is the worst isn't it?? It has been super slow...and to top it off...I slept through an hour of my alarm this morning...yeah, an hour. Not only did I sleep through hearing it, I slept through apparently snoozing it about 6 times too!

Not a great way to start the day.

Anywho...not much going on today; so I am going to head over to Google Reader and see what kind of trouble I can get into.

Be back soon?!

Things are changin' around here!

And it's ALL good!!

February 15th, 2009...

April 15th, 2010

I am not ashamed to say it...

I like the Hanson boys...and this song is SUPER fun!



Thinking 'Bout Somethin'

HANSON | MySpace Music Videos

Seriously! Tell me you don't feel like breaking on in a dance like the peeps in this video like RIGHT now!!! :)

...and yes...that's Weird Al on the tambourine...that's only semi-creepy :P

Going GREEN & yellow, pink, red, purple....

I want to garden like now; but I seemed to have misplaced the money for it. Well, ok; so I didn't misplace it...it's just allocated elsewhere...boo.

That doesn't mean I can't gaze longingly into the eyes of my Michigan Bulb Co. catalog with anticipation for the garden that my yard will ONE day have!!

Last year I dreamt of my garden plans...(some of the same plants are on this post!)
I got a jump on planning this year...

So why not keep the ball rolling...here are some of my favorites from the catalog:

Climbing Joseph's Coat Rose...

I think these would be gorgous in a garden! What I would love to do is find an old wooden ladder kinda like this one, but maybe white...

Then I would plant the roses all around it and let them climb and grow on it...*le sigh*

Oh and I love these too... Meadowsweet and Cloud Meadow Rue.

And one day...I WILL have my full, glorious Hydrangea bushes!

Here are some other cuties...Summer Cheer Daffodils, Rainbow Lewisia and Canterbury Bells.

I think these would make great unique additions...Oriental Poppies and Double Anemones.

Can we start...NOW?!?! :)

Dear Someone

I am taking a cue from ShortMama and trying something new...writing letters...very important ones! :)

-------------------------------

Dear CoWorker,

It seems to me that you like to come up to my desk, my area; my office and eat your breakfast or hold conversations with other co-workers or even with me about things we have talked about plenty of times before. I know it seems as though I sit in the front "lobby" of our office and it seems as though I am merely a robot greeter with no personal space...this is however, not the case.

Kindly take your banana and your polite conversation about whatever random topic you pull from your tookus and head back to your office...you know the one that has walls and privacy?!

kthxbai.
The happy-go-lucky-open-aired-office Receptionist

-------------------------------

Dear Husby,

It looks like you think it's funny to take pictures of the empty toilet paper roll to make your sweet little wifey feel guilty for leaving it empty in her rush to get out of the house this morning...and while it was remotely humorous...please remember I am going to be late for my own funeral...so when I am late for work, I don't have time for piddly things such as replacing the TP roll...sorry, even in all my remorse, I don't see this changing soon.

Love,
Your smart-mouthed Wifey

-------------------------------

Dear Passive-Aggressive Facebook Friends,

I am not sure I agree with your passive-aggressive ways on the Internet; nor do I think that FB is the best place to air your smiley comments under toned with sarcasm and spite...I think it's rude and un-called for...most of us are adults, let's try acting that way. If you have a problem, say so...although, don't do it like I did; by running off to your blog to write about it...when the majority of the PAFB-friends won't be reading it anytime soon. :)

Thanks,
From your apparently passive-aggressive in her own right Bloggy friend

-------------------------------

Dear Food Lion Deli Lady,

When asked if you will be serving any fresh rotisserie chickens anytime soon, please don't respond with "You don't see any running around here do ya? *chuckle, chuckle*" I don't so much find it funny, I just want my rotisserie chicken.

Got it?
Your very hungry patron

-------------------------------

That was quite liberating! Not sure how often I will do it...WELL, you should give it a try!!

Dishin' It

So I was reading over at Tatertots & Jello and she did a special "Dishin' It" post thanks to Serenity Now...

...so I wanted in on the action too! This will be a monthly special and this month Amanda wants to know about our blogs...so here goes!!

~How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging since late 2007. I can't even really remember why I started...I think it was because I wanted a place to share pictures and stories for my distant family and friends to see...plus to have it as a creative outlet!

~Why did you start blogging?

Ahh, fail. I answered this one already...to be creative and keep in touch with family and friends. Although it has grown into something much bigger than that...like cheap therapy!

~Tell me about your blog's title. Why did you choose it?

Well, It is connected to our last name...and we always have good times. Husby and I do alot of laughing and growing together! So I wanted the name to reflect that!

~What do you blog about?

I'd be lying if I didn't say...like everything. I mean I hit on the random, DIY, Home Improvement, Decorating, Arguments, Police Work, Clothes, Fashion, Dogs, Infertility, Photography, Food, etc. I try not to limit myself :) Nothing is off limits.

~What is your favorite thing about blogging?

I really love meeting new people and having a place to go to just get things out of my head. Plus all my memories and funny stories are in one location. One day I may even make a Blurb book from my blog...hmmm ideas!!!??

~If you had to choose one famous person to become your blog's next devoted reader, who would you pick?

I would love to know there are some semi-famous photographers that will random happen on my blog, see my photography potential and offer to give me the new camera I want...well, a girl can dream right?! :P

~What's the funniest comment you've ever received on a blog post?

I think it was somewhere near the beginning of my blogging journey and I had a random person come by and tell me that while she was reading the story I was writing about it made her spew milk from her nose all over her laptop...this in turn, made me laugh out loud nearly spitting out the water I was drinking!

Ok, so I guess that's all about me...now it's YOUR turn!!! Head over to Amanda's and get in on the action!!

The price you pay for getting fresh...

This is hilarious...hahaaa!

My first order!

I just had my first order placed in my OpenSky Shop!

Will you be my second order?!?!?

There are some GREAT items there for purchase!! Please drop by today!

Pups on a string

I spent about a half hour out in the yard with the pups on Saturday. (I think it was Saturday, my work week is already clouding my past weekend, sad)

Anywhooos...we had a great time. They are always longing to go out front and see what is new to them, since they are usually stuck in the backyard. I put them both on a run and let them have a ball. After about 20 minutes I sat in the grass with them to take some pictures...Pickle was more the willing participant than Olive...

she was more concerned with a loose piece of trash floating and blowing around our neighbors yard than willing to pose for pictures...I think she thought it was a butterfly...her favorite.

Here are some favorites in black and white...

Now for the rest...

Here are some cute shots of the pieces and part of my Pickle-Bear...

"Mom, what are you doing on the ground?"

"I don't really care what you are doing on the ground Mom, just get a picture of my good side..."

Then, they must have heard or smelled something...then started burying their noses and sniffing...there was even a bit of minor digging, before meal 'ol Mom put a stop to it...

My sweet pups...

Pretty girl in the sun...

My Bear getting a little scratchy-scratchy love...

Thanks for checking out the pics...Doesn't it look like he should be saying, "Oh tank you rerry mush for droppin' by...we wuv wou wong time."

??

I love it.