A Few Checkmarks

I got a few more things checked off my to-do list over the last week or so, and thought I'd share my completed project. I mentioned before that I'd finally gotten my Pottery Barn wall organizers up. The space I wanted to put them up in was too small to use their rail system that they insist you buy to hang them. So, I removed the rail pieces from them and attached picture hangers in their place. In addition to that I used 3M Command Strips for extra support, so now they hang great and look like they're just floating there. Above them I put an Ikea Ribba picture ledge to display several of my favorite cookbooks and I also framed one of my grandmother's recipes, for brownies, to put up next to it. I'm so pleased with how it came out!

For some reason I went wandering around etsy looking for trophies (honestly, I can't remember what gave me the idea, ha) and stumbled across these blue spray painted trophies and loved the idea. I have been trying to think of things to liven up our entertainment center and this was just perfect. My family was big into bowling, so I stopped by my mom's house to see what was laying around. I found an old bowling trophy of my Grandpa's from 1971, and she gave me the go ahead to remove the top portion for my project. All this idea cost me was a $3 can of spray paint. I love how it turned out and it's the perfect pop of blue on our shelves. Plus it has genuine family value to me!

And then this week I finally checked a huge to-do off my list- my family photo wall. I've been working on this for over a year and I was finally motivated to get off my duff after coming back from seeing all the family in Iowa. Again, instead of using nails to make a bunch of holes in my hall, I turned to those 3M Command Strips. For reals guys, I love these things. Josh helped me to try and make sure my arrangement looked good and everything was symmetrical and level. I'm going to change out two of the photos, but what is in there for now looks great. The frames I got from Pottery Barn. Not as cheap as the Ikea ones I usually opt for, but our hall is quite narrow and the PB frames were thinner. I really love how this turned out, and my only regret is it took me so long to get it done!

Hey Dude

What a crazy summer it's been! I managed to survive my summer classes, even making a 100 in Statistics (miracle), and an A in Film Appreciation. Fall semester starts Monday, and I have no clue how I'm going to get up for my 7:20 AM class. Last Wednesday, two of my uncles, my cousin, my mom, and I made the trek to Iowa for my cousin Jon Tumilson's funeral. Jon was one of the Navy SEALs killed in the August 6th helicopter crash in Afghanistan. It was very sad circumstances that took us there, but I am very glad that I went and got to see so much of my northern family that I hadn't seen in so long.

In the little time that hasn't been occupied by school I've been trying to take care of projects around the house. I purged my old Christmas boxes and wrap, which were still laying all over the guest bedroom floor. I got some new plants, finally made some progress on my spice storage, and put up my Pottery Barn daily system organizers (which involved some MacGyvering on my part). I'm working on a couple other projects that I hope to finish this weekend before it's back to the classrooms for me. I'll try to take some pics to share soon.

I'm also seriously considering hosting Thanksgiving for my family this year. By "seriously considering" I mean I've already been obsessively planning it, but I don't want to 100% commit just yet. :) That is in part what is spurring me to wrap up some of the household stuff. One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle that needs to be in place before I can commit to turkey day is a new oven. Our oven started smoking from between the unit and the wall when I started preheating it one day back in July. Our extinguisher was out, so I had to call the fire department. Luckily the oven shorted out before anything too bad happened. Josh's uncle came by a couple weeks later to inspect the damage and we realized it was the wiring to the oven that had caught, not the oven itself. We were very lucky the whole house didn't go up, especially when Uncle Gary discovered the firemen had turned off the wrong breaker and there was still a current available to the wiring. So, for now my old oven sits in the garage in pieces, and I fantasize about when I'll be able to have Gary install the new stainless steel double oven of my dreams.

A Room With A View

The weather here in North Texas has been freakin' fantastic lately. Warm, but not the sweltering temps of summer. Fall in Texas is sort of like the spring we were dreaming of 6 months ago. Except even better because sometimes you spy a tree full of autumn shades, or get to crunchily walk through some fallen leaves. I've been enjoying the weather even while I'm sick by throwing open the bedroom windows. While writing this post even, I'm sitting in bed feeling a slight breeze and just moments ago heard the sounds of wind chimes. There's nothing like an open window on a pleasant day, right? One of my favorite things about our house is my view out the window while laying in bed. Our yard full of Live Oaks makes for some pretty scenery.

Never Lacking in Ideas

As I have previously mentioned, I have a knack for mentally starting a new project before I've even really gotten under way on my current one. So, naturally, as I start school next Tuesday I have spent a good part of today thinking about redecorating my bathroom. I tell you, a dreamer's job is never done.



*Please note this bathroom is not my bathroom, and has barely anything in common with my bathroom. Other than, you know, a toilet and a bathtub. Photo here.

Gimme Money, That's What I Want

As I mentioned before we recently picked up a new car. We still kept our little troublemaker, the VW Bug, and after some repairs it is back at the casa. It's sitting in the driveway however because we had a bunch of junk in the garage in it's place. Our garage is actually pretty tidy, but it is lacking in cohesive organization. I got my mom to take back her shop vac, we bought a wall bike rack (don't ask about it though, turning out to be a pain in the behind), and I've been chucking stuff on Craigslist to try and get some more space. A side benefit is that from the stuff I sell, I get to put that cash back into the house decor. This week we got rid of the biggest piece we had sitting around, our old entertainment center. It was a nice piece, but we had no space and no need for it, since our new living room came with a whole wall of built-in storage. I almost got enough from the sale of it to get the two benches I want from IKEA. I didn't mention in that earlier post that I want two benches, but I do. Still patiently waiting for someone to take me up on a cheap metal bed frame that I myself picked up off Craigslist, but which turned out to be too small, along with a lamp, some curtains and other miscellaneous items that don't work in the new house. Anyway, looks like I'll get to make that trip to IKEA this weekend, because I also need to pick up a frame for one of the prints I'm preparing for an exhibition in August. Two chores killed with one hop, skip, and jump to IKEA! And then my dining room will be much closer to done and maybe I'll even share a picture or two.

Three Things

I think these three things would have my dining room nearly finished. Of course, I don't have any money for these three things, so only time (and scrimping) will tell.

Come On In

I reallyreallyreally want to paint our front door red. It's a big wish on my house project list. I have to figure out the right shade, if it's possible to protect it from sun fading (which is a current problem with our front door), and how you go about painting your front door without your house filling up with bugs. Young House Love has a tutorial on painting your front door red, which I'm sure I will rely on when I'm ready to take the leap.

How Does My Garden Grow?

I finally FINALLY got my veggies into some dirt yesterday evening. I planted my herbs a while back, but had been planning on getting some different planters for the veggies, which was the cause of the hold out. I can never find just what it is I'm picturing in my mind. But when I realized that my strawberry plant was actually growing tiny little strawberries I figured I'd better get them in some earth and I can transfer them to the bigger, better containers of my dreams as soon as I can hunt them down. I had a strawberry, a pepper, a tomato and, as it turns out, a cantaloupe plant to get arranged. The cantaloupe came as a surprise. I thought I had picked up a squash plant. Unfortunately it was an unwelcomed surprise because I hate cantaloupe. I stuck it in a pot all the same, but if it actually grows anything you can perhaps look forward to receiving a cantaloupe from me because I won't be eating it. I deadheaded my two rose bushes while I was outside too. Here are some pics I snapped!


Wee strawberries


Tomato tot


L'il pepper




Roses

The Incompleter

If I was a "New Character" on Conan I'd be "The Incompleter". I am terrible at finishing things I start. I always have a million ideas and never enough follow-through. I stopped by Lowe's yesterday after work, as I said I would. I picked up a couple packets of moonflower seeds, two basil plants, a cilantro, a small tomato, a strawberry, a dwarf pepper, and a squash plant. I also got some soil to mix with my regular soil and compost, and two planters which I've already decided I'm going to return. I'm going to go to Handley Feed Store on Saturday to find bigger ones. Anyway, I don't even have anything planted yet, and today my mind has already moved on to trying to figure out what I'd like to do with our bedroom. We never got around to painting it, since several straight weeks of painting had completely put me off doing any more when it came time to do the master and spare bedrooms. There's nothing wrong with our bedroom. It just isn't finished. The furniture is all taken care of. I'm fond of our bedding although it could use some finishing touches. I finally found bedside lamps awhile back that I liked and would work alright with our space. I dislike the wall color, although it's just a beige, so not technically offensive. We have nothing hanging on the walls. And there's the fact that I insist on watching television in the bedroom, which means I need my big black satellite/DVR and dvd player too, naturally. Hmm, I wonder how long I'll be pondering this one before I've moved on to my next purely-in-my-head project?

P.S. Don't worry, I'm totally gonna get those veggies and herbs planted. They may not live long while I'm off staring at paint samples and pillow shams, but at least I'll have half-finished the job. Which is a lot more than I can say for most things I take on, ha.

Garden Party

I'll be leaving work shortly and I'll be stopping by Lowe's before heading home. I've decided the time has come for me to start my plans for growing some herbs and veggies before we get too far into the season. Of course I would decide the time to do this is the week/weekend before we're throwing a party. A party which I will fill you in later, but I have done almost no real work on, aside from jotting down my to-do list. Luckily it's gonna be a loosey-goosey sort of hang out, but with my penchant for planning everything down to the last, itty-bitty detail I'll still manage to make it a monumental task.

Lowe's has some fruit and vegetable plants on sale and I already needed to go by there to look for some larger pavers to support our rain barrel. Hoping I'll find some decent tomato, pepper, and strawberry plants on sale. Oh, and some basil. My life just might be complete if I can manage to not kill some basil. Okay, maybe not complete, but certainly slightly more delicious. The list of projects inside the house has certainly not gotten that much smaller, but it's just the time of year when your mind wanders to the outdoors, isn't it?

Photo from Real Simple