Pillow Talk

Over the weekend, I pumped out these charming pillows for a girlfriend's nursery. (Speaking of girlfriends, who else uses this term for their gal pals? Apparently no one in Southwest Michigan refers to their friends as girlfriends. Did I pick this up hanging out in Maryland? Hmm...)

 

Those bad boys? I made them myself. I'm pretty much a domestic goddess, actually. And? They were made without a pattern. Of course, Mommy helped with some measurements because I have the mathematical skills of a 3rd grader have difficulty figuring those things out. But I'd say we did a pretty bang up job! I'll be sure and snap some pictures once they are placed in the nursery. 

And, because I'm so excited to see this face tonight, I thought I'd throw her on here, too.

 

That's my little monster cuddling on Gram's couch. You may remember that dogs aren't allowed on Gram's couch, except my little Schmoopy. And yes, her nickname from me is Schmoopy... don't you dare judge.  

Shameless Plugs...

Started blogging with some crafty friends, sharing ideas... so I suppose it's only right that I plug that site, too. And, the cuz started a blog, ran out of ideas, and returned to blogging again, so I suppose I should plug her blog.

Sorry if you were hoping for substance today, I don't really have any. Just blogs.

The Knlog- a crafty bunch
...this girl's life...- my super cute cousin

Phew!

I'm exhausted. I was reading some blogs and came across this via Mrs. Mindless. Which was pretty cool, a ruffled tee at a fraction of the price. Plus, it's DIY so I instantly loved it.

Fast forward to today. I get the brilliant idea to consult Mommy dearest who happens to be a master seamstress. I share the idea with her and she instantly says she can do it (and I actually believe her!) and was literally walking into Tar-jay to get the goods as we were hanging up.

Then, I came across a neat idea using ribbon and thread to make "flowers" and thought that might add some visual interest for the ruffles on the tee. I looked through my materials and Viola! I had all that I needed to make it- a plain white tee, black ribbon, black thread, and a needle.

What do you think ladies? I'm thinking maybe one or two more bunches, but every time I added them... well... they just didn't look right. And, when I put it on... any down below the bottom one will get pretty close to the shelf. The last thing I need is something to add to the shelf.

Wow..

I heart days off.

Today I accomplished SO much and I actually feel rejuvenated. I had a wonderful weekend with my mom and her best friend (girls weekend!) up in Pittsburgh, so I was really thinking I wouldn't get much done today. Boy was I wrong!

I found something that actually motivates me to clean! Books on tape. I LOVE to read, but reading often means that I'm pretty lazy because I want to finish the book. Instead, if it's being read to me, I have to find something else to do because I can't just sit and have it read to me. I cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, folded 4 loads of laundry, swept and mopped.

I also think I'm going to start having a evening schedule for each night. I'm SUCH a routine-oriented person, so instead of having the routine of coming home and cooking dinner and vegging out, I'm going to come home, walk the dogs, cook dinner, and then tidy one room of the house. That way I'm not stuck doing it on my day off or the weekends.

How do you ladies keep up on the housework? It's never-ending.. I swear.

Domestic Diva?

Mmmm.. nothing like the smell of homemade pita pockets, homemade hummus, and cheesy broccoli and rice soup.

I'm pretty sure that automatically means I'm a domestic diva.

Plus, I rocked the KitchenAid Mixer. Seriously, is there anything better than that mixer? The only thing I need is the splash guard/pour spout. Then I think it would be perfect.

Grrrrrr...

My stupid washing machine is leaking AND I almost ruined a load of laundry because the bleach didn't dispense in the previous load.

AND

I want to get new dishes because the bowls don't fit very well in my dishwasher and it annoys me every.time.I.load.the.effing.dishwasher.

On a brighter note.. I've completed Day 2 of "Operation Tidy House".. which is at least one load of laundry a day and NO dishes in the sink/counter/table/etc. Only in the dishwasher.

Don't you dare judge me for not doing this previously. I'm turning a new leaf here.

Love, Love, Love..

Why hasn't anyone told me about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser?

It might be my new obsession.

Seriously, this thing cleans anything with very little effort. I keep walking around trying to find things to clean just to see if it will work. And it does.every.single.time.

Sigh.. I'm in love with a cleaning product. Please help me.

Bathroom Tour

Here I am tearing up the horrible flooring. You can't see it very well, but the top layer was peel and stick tile. The bottom two layers were the same puke green vinyl and yellow color.

Now I'm posing with the toilet in the bathtub. It was the only way to make it all work!

Here's a picture I framed using scrapbook paper and a matting from Michael's hung with brown and teal ribbon.

Now we're on to the good stuff! I forgot to take a before picture, so you'll have to pretend the P monogram is not there! And.. I promise my hangings are not crooked.. it was a little difficult taking the pictures in the small bathroom!

Look how they turned out! I wanted something masculine for hubby and feminine for me. The L is the same font we used for our wedding favors!
*Again, not crooked.. just the way I had to take the pictures.

The towels are mis-matched right now because I'm doing a load of towels as we speak-- don't judge!

Big Dog was *helping* me take pictures. She LOVES the bathtub (sans water, of course) and was playing around while I was taking pictures.

All in all, I think the bathroom remodel turned out well. I'm very happy with the vinyl letters-- I think they add just a hint of sophistication, while creating a personalized bathroom. Plus, they were super-easy to hang!

Another Blonde Moment..

A little bit of a cooking oops...

See this? It's the spaghetti squash. Apparently you're supposed to poke it more than three times when you cook it in the microwave or it will literally explode in your microwave.

A close up of the explosion....

The white "tumors" coming out of it? Just the pressure and the steam coming out of the poked holes.

The microwave after the explosion.

Oops. My bad.

But.. it was really good. And totally good for you! That's a double bonus!!

Menu Monday

I decided I'd hop on board with the ladies posting Menu Monday! Mine will be a tad different, as I'm vegetarian, but I'm hoping some of you will enjoy the menu! I think even those of you who eat meat will like some of the dishes, as my hubby (who is a meat-eater) enjoys them just the same!

Mom-- I don't think you'll find anything you'd like. Sorry!

Monday: Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti and salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Tuesday: Me- baked potato, Hubby- on the run

Wednesday: Fettuccine with Fresh Vegetables and salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Thursday: baked potatoes with all the fixin's, salad

Friday: Italian Zuchinni Bake with salad

Saturday: Out to eat

Sunday: Foil dinner (potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and any other veggies that need to be eaten up!) on the grill with asparagus

S--lacking...

I'm such a slacker today.

We had a "snow day" today. I use that term loosely because there is only about an inch of snow on the ground and it's covered by ice now. I'm iced in. No fun.

I have a million things I could and should be doing right now (cleaning my house? getting the taping done for painting this weekend?) but I'm slacking because I am lacking motivation!

Ugh.

And to make matters worse? I don't have any bread or milk in the house. I literally cannot get out of my cul-de-sac (neighbor tried-- it didn't work). I just ate a plate full of french fries for lunch. Oops.

Domestic Goddess?

I started with these hideous dresses. Compliments of Goodwill. The hunt for them was mildly annoying, but I was pleased with the outcome. (The hunt involved parents not watching their rollerskating kids in Goodwill, while one little jerk decided to sneeze on me and didn't even react when I said, "Bless you!". In my class, that wouldn't fly. We say thank you for that.)

Those ugly dresses? Turned into these lovelies:

Behold, Exhibit A....

And now, Exhibit B...

Exhibit C? Both of them together. Turned out nicely, if I do say so myself. And all of this for less than $15 and about 20 minutes of my time.

Don't worry, I'll be stopping by Goodwill again to find some other dresses to recycle. After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure*.

*I did feel guilty buying these perfectly good dresses, as someone needier than I may need a lovely flower dress. But, I figure I'm doing them a favor... I reduced the out-of-style and hideous items they had to dig through to find what they were looking for.

Domestic Goddess..

Yeah, pretty much that describes me lately.

Yesterday? Homemade Halloween costume. Today? These..

Check it out! Cute little personalized onesies. Made these for friends of ours who just had a baby.

The duck one is my FAVORITE!

The teacher in me just loves these. If you can't see them... it says E is for elephant and F is for frog. It's never too early to start teaching them!

You know you want to be my friend and have a baby!

Oh.. one random thing. I have this habit of locking the front door every time I walk out of it. Going to get the mail? Lock the door. Going to work? Lock the door. Throw out the trash? Lock.... the.... crap... hubby isn't home. It's definitely raining. I had no shoes on. You do the math.

Halloween Costume

Here it is, folks... and I made it all by myself. Well, except for the 12 phone calls to my mother.

I had a difficult time in the cutting stage... so I did not take any pictures of that part. It involved many curse words and a mini-fit.

Little dog is "helping" with the costume making. Of course, her idea of helping was to lay right where I needed to be.The finished product. I was pretty impressed with myself. It only took about two hours, 12 phone calls and one mini-temper tantrum to complete.
The red shoes are just perfect.

Now.. can you all tell who I'm supposed to be? Please tell me you know. The shoes should be a dead giveaway.