3 good things..(to increase optimism)

1. i have been holding on to a merchandise credit at rei for over a year. it was for $101, from returning a coat with a broken zipper. i have wanted gray cardi uggs for like, 3 years. (or 2 but it feels like 3). since i'm a "member" of the rei co-op i get a 20% coupon 3 or 4 times a year. i have been waiting and waiting in vain for the coupon to come, while at the same time waiting for the winter inventory to be gone when i need it. well, yesterday i decided that i would bite the bullet and pay the $40 out of pocket for the boots; still not a bad deal. well, weren't they on sale for $99.93? after tax they only cost me $4!!
2. i am more than halfway done with my stairway ballusters. i figured out that if i use a 1" craft brush the job is 4000 times easier. hopefully that job will be completed by friday.
3. last week i froze homemade chicken stock with a ton of chicken in it, and i am going to make a chicken potpie for dinner tonight.

babies, babies, babies

i didn't have a digital camera when any of my kids were babies. i was so happy that cousin kevin posted these on facebook the other day, so i could include them on my site. and now i want another one...

Something Blue

After finding and posting a photo of the Griswold Inn, which is where Tom and I spent our wedding night, I got to thinking how I didn't have any photos of it, or of The Lighthouse Inn in New London, CT, where we had our rehearsal dinner and I spent my last night as a singleton. It's a beautiful inn on Long Island Sound, and it was picture perfect for where I envisioned my wedding montage to begin. There is a long sweeping staircase at the entrance, perfect for pictures and Victorian kitch ad nauseum everywhere. I had to stay in the bridal suite. (alone, mind you) Here is a picture..

It's featured on the website, as it is the most grandiose and expensive room in the inn. It fit in perfectly with my "uptight newlywed phase" that I was in. Wedding obsessed. Registry obsessed. Like a kid in a candy store. Only a grown-up candy store filled with blue and yellow country checked and floral patterns.
I had the night of the rehearsal dinner choreographed (in my crazy bride brain) to every detail. I was wearing a blue silk shift from Ann Taylor (something blue) and reeeeeally high heels. (i don't wear heels - like, everrrr) We were in a rush to get to the church, and I shoved my feet in the shoes and quickly followed Tom down the stairs. Well, one shoe caught the other and..... wait for it....wait for it..... yup. I tumbled down the entire sweeping Scarlett O'Hara staircase. The last thing I heard while rolling feet over head was my sister saying "note to self..." (the bridesmaids were wearing the same shoes the next day). Needless to say, no pictures exist in my possession of the guilty party. Oh, and my dress ripped, right up the back. And I was crying hysterically and was starting to sweat, so my straightened hair was starting to curl and frizz.  We pulled up to the church and my friend Megan (good in a crisis) grabbed my honeymoon bag, found me a little black dress and set to work on me with someone else's makeup bag, and doctored me up in the basement of the chapel. Everything else, thank god, went as expected, less my bloody knees from the fall, and the wedding went off without a hitch. What is it they say, bad rehearsal, good performance, or something like that?

Wedding Night

I'm being a lazy blogger today, but finding lots of pictures of things that make me happy. I happened across this by accident.. it's where Tom and I stayed on our wedding night. The night was a blur and I was so exhausted that I barely remember it. I want to go back and remember.

green eyed monster

and this just makes me nauseated with envy and greed.... damn you restoration hardware.

modern family inspired hallway

ok, so i cleaned the balusters (is that what they are called, the spokes that go between the banister and the stairs?) so that i can prep the area with painters tape. i am promising myself that i will get this done this week.  they are so dingy and grimy and will be a step in the right direction for me to paint my front hall to mimic the hallway on Modern Family. it's tedious and painful but i can do it, right? it ticks me off that when we refinished the floors i asked for a dark stain on the stairs to match the banister, but it's an orangey-oaky color. one thing at a time i guess. and while i don't think there are any legal experts out there, i should cite that these photos are lifted from a blog called Reckless Bliss Modern Family Homes. they got the pictures courtesy of abc.

Get to work!

Here are some things I would love to do, and modify as need be. Look at this awesome backyard firepit area. We have a bunch of salvaged slate from removing our greenhouse -- how great would this be?

And as much as I am loathe to pay anything close to full price for anything at Pottery Barn or PBK, I think I must have this light fixture in my kitchen. It's actually reasonable, all things considered.