Back From a Break

Hello Internets.I'm back. I hadn't intended on taking a break from blogging, but the end of the school year is always excessively busy. And I volunteered to help too many people. Yikes, I hate it when I do that. When I get too busy, the wheels come off in a big way.

It all snowballs, and then I start avoiding everything altogether.
Does anyone else have this problem?

How has your summer been so far?

$5 Southern Living Subscription

Photo from Southernliving.com

Melissa at 320 Sycamore posted a great deal on a subscription to Southern Living magazine. 1 year for $5.00!! Seriously. Go to Grandin Road websiteto get this, as well as enter to win their $25,000 giveaway. I just let my SL magazine expire, so I'm really excited. Thanks Melissa!

You can also stop by Southern Living's website to enter their Choose Your Home Giveaway(Don't go here for the $5 subscription though. You have to go to Grandin Road at the link above, for that.) You get to choose from 4 different homes. When you are done entering, you will have the opportunity to sign up for a daily reminder e-mail to remind you to enter this contest every day! After that, on the right side of the screen, you can get a bonus entry from MyHomeIdeas.

Happy Holidays

A while back, this wonderful friend sent me a gorgeous "Believe" garland, and I have been wanting to take a picture to show you all. But I suspect my camera's battery charger is stuck in the wall at the Nickelodeon hotel in Orlando.

Well, Mr. Jones and I had a deal that we wouldn't buy any gifts for each other this Christmas, but being the wonderful, sweet husband that he is, he bought me a new Nikon SLR camera. Yup, I was so shocked I actually gasped out loud. My husband is amazing that way ... it makes him completely happy to make sure everyone else gets what they want and he doesn't ask for a thing.

The garland looks just right on the white tree with the star fish. Appropriate since Lisa is so amazingly lucky that she lives right by the ocean. I have ocean envy. Anyway, thanks Lisa!

And here's a photo of the kiddos surveying their loot. Notice the Corgi butt in the middle of it all. Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Nice politics for a change

Food for Thought for Christian Voters

I have seen a lot of hatefulness in politics lately, and it makes me sad. Disagreement is ok; hate is not. What good are our religious convictions if we break the greatest commandment? Why even bother voting based on moral beliefs, if we are being mean while we are doing it? How can we judge whether someone else is truly a Christian? We should be passionate, but not forget to be compassionate. After all, isn't the bottom line of Christianity, the true message of Jesus, the real meaning of the Law ... What is in my heart?

So instead of pleading my political views, I will give some food for thought straight from the Bible.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

Galations 5:14 "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Romans 13:9 "The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Mark 12:33 "To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell."

Matthew 5:9 "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[t] how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Psalms 82:3 "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed."

Proverbs 29:7 "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern."

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(shirt from Rockthevote.com)

(Bag from Forever21.com)

(shirt from Americaneagle.com)

Find little ways . . .

. . . to beautify everyday life.

An Award and a Bedroom Re-do

This week, Sarah from Nesting in Pleasant View gave me these awards:

She and her sister, Christy, started their blogs because they moved away from each other and wanted to share their lives with each other through blogging. I started my blog for the same reason, when I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast. I, like them, was surprised when Internets started reading my blog, too, and they were actually nice, and shared my values, and they weren't freaky people from the internet, but really great people I call friends. That totally shocked me. They remind me about what's important, make me laugh, help me decorate my house, and inspire me. Honestly, I've never had one rude comment or had any obnoxious people cross my path. (Before blogging, I used to have a mom's group message board, and that group had people with no filters at all).

So Thank You for the nice awards Sarah, and I will bestow them on the following people:

Debbie at This is the Life, who is one funny mom, and we could all use a good laugh every day. It actually turns out that we are kinda' neighbors, and she spotted me at the store the other day! Wow, really small world.

Beautiful, amazing Sandy at For Reluctant Entertainers, who is the epitome of a generous hostess, and is teaching me what is important about entertaining and about being a mom and a homemaker.

Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage who is perhaps one of the funniest people I know, was my first blogging friend, she gives great house tours, and she picks out a mean dollhouse furniture ensemble.

One of my new favorite bloggers is Chris at Just a Girl. This will probably be a big surprise to her since I've just been blurking on her blog because I have been so busy this past week with vacation bible school. She has inspired me to get my picture frames on the wall, and I laughed hysterically when I saw her husband's contribution to decor because the EXACT same item has been added to my house. She's got great style and has done some really neat projects.

Melissa at The Inspired Room, not because she daily posts great photos of homes that I drool over and have no idea where she digs up all this stuff, but because she is an awesome chick. You'd think she'd be all snobby and everything because she has such a great blog, but nooooo, she is a really nice person!

And Kimba at A Soft Place to Land who shares my illness for painting furniture. My husband and my neighbors are always laughing at me because my hands and arms look like this:

But this is actually a picture of Kimba's hand, and when I saw it on her blog I knew we were soul sisters. I just love to see what this girlie is going to paint next.

And with that, I think I will just tag you all with these awards because you are all really cool, and I just wish I had an extra 24 hours in each day to read every blog and write to you all because you are all so nice, and your visits to my little blog are truly appreciated.

Your "official instructions" follow: Now go forth and share the love! To the recipients of the award... pick 5 blogs you consider deserving of this award, whether for creativity, design, interesting material, or contributions to the blogging community, no matter what language. Name each nominee and link to his/her blog. Show the award and include the name (and link to his/her blog) of whoever presented you with this award. Link to the Arte Y Pico blog so everyone knows the origin of this award. Post these rules

And now, some before and after pictures of my bedroom. I should be arrested for doing this to it:

And then, as evidenced by the paint splotches if you look closely, I tried to find the right neutral paint color to fix my mistake, with absolutely no success. Until one day, I read this post about Tobacco Road. And I actually printed the photo she took of the paint can and I marched down to Lowe's, and then I did this:

A little bit better? Oh, yeah. Then I took down those AWFUL curtains and mistreated the windows with some trusty toile. Toile is always good. And why do I have a love affair with fabric that has silly pictures of people on it? I have no clue. But I do.

I'm not finished, but I'm finished enough for the time being. I still need to paint the trim, as evidenced by the next photo:

I've also had piles of frames in my bedroom from when I moved 2 1/2 years ago. I couldn't quite bring myself to do anything with them, because the paint was dated and they had old studio photos of my kids. I wrestled with the guilt of not wanting to put dated pictures of my precious babies up. Then I realized ... I'm not throwing the kids away. I'm not even throwing the photos away. I'm just putting up different photos. So get over it. Out came the spray paint cans and a few photos downloaded to Target photo center later, we have some decorated walls in our house and one less pile.

I just love everyday photos of my kiddos. Some I did in black/white and others in sepia.

My next project in the room is to paint the furniture, but I just can't figure out what color to paint everything. This is cheap pine that we've had for a long time, and it is very scratched up. I love black, but I feel like I might have reached the legal limit of black furniture in my house. I just don't know. What do you think? Black, white, cream, some other color? I need your opinions.

I do love this color, and thanks to the Nester, my house is starting to shape up. So I think if anyone deserves those awards, she certainly does. Not only does she share all her fabulous ideas with us, but I'm so relieved that getting something done imperfectly is better than spending too much time making it perfect.

The Unfortunate News

Hi everyone! So here it is, the most unfortunate news: My computer croaked about 2 weeks ago. I think my family sabotaged it as a computer detox, if you will. Well, actually, the story is that Mr. Jones bought me an ipod for the plane ride to our vacation. Despite the fact that 4 other ipods have worked just fine on my computer, mine did not. The computer didn't recognize it at all. Mr. Jones spent a day trying to figure it out. The next day I called customer service, who had me uninstall and reinstall itunes and restart my computer, all of which wiped out my operating system. Oh, but Dell forgot to give me the disk with the drivers on it when they sent me my new computer 3 1/2 years ago, and they don't give those to customers anymore because that was SOOOOOOO long ago, so I need to download them. Well, you can't download anything without drivers, so I tried to sign up my kids' computer temporarily on a dial-up service so I could download those little drivers. That computer was a wee bit jealous of all the attention the other computer was getting, so it crashed. Yes, completely. I had to reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything. But after all that, could technical support get me hooked up to a dial-up service? Of course not! So today I went to my dear, sweet neighbor's house to download the file. Got it! Woooohoooo! Called technical support for the 50th time, and it turns out they told me to download the wrong file. Back to the neighbor's house. Got the file. Tomorrow morning, crossing my fingers, I might get something accomplished. I'm not EVEN entertaining the thought that I might actually get it working on the internet or anything. Baby steps.

I've actually been ok with it because I have gotten other things done, despite the fact that I'm clocking about 20 hours a week trying to figure this out. Mr. Jones even offered to buy a new computer, but I can't spend that much money for something that should work!

The sad thing is, what is really most upsetting to me, and is causing much despair, is that I can't online bank. I put my foot down and I will absolutely not, no way, not a chance, going to balance my check book with a statement and a phone. Uh, uh. No way sister, ain't gonna happen!

Anyway, this is why I have seemingly fallen off the planet and not been heard from. I have high jacked Mr. Jones' laptop tonight for a quick e-mail check and post to say "hi!"

Hope you're all doing well. I miss you. Sniff, sniff.

I stopped by Debbie's blog this morning, and saw her funny post on having sick kids and being trapped in the house, and what a girl needs to keep from going totally nuts. It made me think of this special vintage, just for moms with cabin fever . . .It's Mad Housewife wine, which I am saving for just the right occasion, like, say, Mr. Jones' next business trip, the night before a school project is due, or possibly when my kiddos get the stomach flu. Once, my kids had the stomach flu for an entire week each ~ that is 7 whole days of puking, folks, PER KID. And do they all have it the SAME 7 days? Of course not! Then, when everyone was better for about 2 weeks, they got it AGAIN! I could have used a little MH that month.
And here's what I call a "keeping it real" photo. This is what is behind my staged photo: All the junk that was on the table, which I dumped behind the table for the photo shoot, and the game someone left out on the love seat. I wouldn't want you guys to think I'm neat and tidy or anything.
And here's a photo of the sweet bouquet of flowers my in-laws sent me for my birthday 2 days ago. It is so festive and cheery, and I love the vase. I know I will be able to use it for all kinds of things. Thanks Jack and Betty!
Here's a picture of me and Betty on a visit with her a year or two ago. I don't think there is a more organized person on the face of the earth. I wish I had just an ounce of that.

Saturday Insanity

Good morning, girlfriends. What are you up to today? We have basketball playoffs, birthday parties, homework projects that I procrastinated on for an entire month and we're just starting 2 days before they're due, and a flat tire on Mr. Jones' truck (and 7 tire shops we went to yesterday don't stock F150 tires). I'm currently chugging down caffeinated beverages while the family sleeps in preparation for the Saturday Insanity that is about to ensue.

Am I making good use of my prep time?

Doing dishes? No.
Laundry? Nope.
Wrapping presents? Absolutely not (I like to save that for 5 minutes *after* we were supposed to leave the house).
Getting uniforms ready? Negative.
Taking a shower? No way.

I'm looking for new blogs. And I found a great one. So it was time well spent, right? I know you all agree, because we have our priorities straight!

I do love a blog that makes me laugh out loud while I'm sitting at my computer and everyone in the family thinks I've lost my mind (it's easy for them to believe, really). For my laughter fix, I always stop by Martha's because she is one funny girl. But today I have found another funny momma. So after you visit Martha, go check out The Country Doctor's Wife ~ you can start with this post.

What are you doing today?

I needed a change.

So I went to the salon, without telling my husband who loves long hair, and I chopped off about 10 inches. Ooops. Sorry honey. Didn't even give the guy one last look. But I knew if I told him ahead of time he would freak. He's doing ok, after coming home after a day at the office, seeing the back of my head, thinking I was a friend visiting, and then realizing that the short-haired woman was actually his wife. (What I love about this picture is that you get to see my bathroom in all its glory: Raised toilet seat, paint blotches on the wall, painters tape, and before editing, dirty laundry.)

I'm really lovin' it. It takes me about 10 minutes to style in the morning.

And it doesn't end up in a pony tail 30 minutes after I've styled it each day.

** I had to go back and fix this post because my pictures disappeared for some reason!! **

I've Come Back to My Senses ...

At least, temporarily. It was 6 degrees outside when I woke up this morning, to find my husband on the phone with the furnace repairman because our furnace died last night. What? You mean it has a FILTER in it that needs to be CHANGED, REGULARLY!??? Ooops. I'm from California, like, ok? Some people there don't even have and/or use heaters and air conditioners. But now I know. I also know, now, that home warranties don't cover repairs for lame homeowners who don't take care of their stuff. But here is a more positive tidbit that I learned, that you should know too, is even though the home warranty repair guy isn't covered, the home warranty company negotiates a seriously discounted rate, and we get to use that discounted rate even though we're not covered. So if you don't have a home warranty, it's really worth it. I'm really not bothered by the whole furnace drama today. We have a second furnace that works, space heaters, a fireplace and nice warm clothing. How many people don't have those things? I bet there is a family close to me right now that doesn't have any of that, maybe not even a home. So yeah, I'm appreciating everything I have right now.

So the repair guy will be here soon, my house is a wreck, and I finally have gotten my priorities straight. Yes, I'm posting on my blog after a serious dry spell. I should be cleaning. But all these nice blog friends have been stopping by to find out where the heck I am, and I think that is so cool. I have met the nicest people blogging, real friends.

So I thought I would share a few pictures from last month, and then I'll get back to cleaning. And then I have a hair appointment to make a few tweaks to the haircut I got last week. I have had long hair for about 4 years and I chopped it last week. I got a modified bob, and I absolutely *love* it. I'm going back today because I actually want the back a little shorter. I cut 10 inches off my hair people! And my poor honey, he really loves long hair. I didn't tell him I was doing it either. Anyway, I'll show you some pictures after I get it fixed just the way I want it today. I digress.

Here are some clipboards I made for teacher gifts at Christmas. I really love foam stamps lately, and I stamped their initials and some swirls with my set of Heidi Swapp foam stamps.

Here is a gift I made for my sweet mother-in-law Betty. I just used some scrapbook paper and Heidi Swapp rub-ons, and I distressed the edges of the photos. I threw a couple swirly stamps on this one, too. Betty is so wonderful. I need to send her so many more pictures than I do.
And here is a calendar I made Betty. It is on a clipboard, but it fits in the picture frame, too, which would be really cute. I got the templates for this from Shabby Miss Jenn. It was a tiny bit time consuming, but really pretty darn easy.
Here is January's page. Each month is different, and really cute.
I finished the curtains in the living room, and finally realized that curtain rods have no business being right above the window. I think there are a lot of people who don't know this, because most stores only sell 84" curtains. This is a crime! Anyway, I learn all these things the hard way, and my house has a lot of patchwork from holes I've drilled in the wrong place. The curtain hung just above the window just isn't quite as dramatic, and the one hung just below the molding makes the entire room look bigger. What a huge difference. Now I would like to get some bamboo blinds and hang them higher, too. No worries ... this isn't how my living room looks now. I just wanted to show you the difference and I snapped a pic before I fixed the other side.

You have got to do this ...

Ok, I'm back people. It's been a busy week, so I'm having no time to post or visit my bbf's (best-blogging-friends). And no bad jokes about my lame acronym.

Anyway, the kids had a 2 hour snow delay this morning, so I used my extra time wisely and played around on the internet. Hadn't planned on it, but a got an e-mail from Photojojo, and in this e-mail was a link to the most hilarious websites. You upload photos of yourself (in my case, Mr. Jones was the victim), and it makes a dancing scrooge video or a dancing elf video. Since Mr. Jones would not appreciate a scrooge video of himself on the internet, I have made new ones with dog pictures to share with you. Check them both out, and then for the love of all things good, put a picture of your spouse in the video and send it to his whole family (yes, folks, that's what I did).

Elfs:  http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1193815782


Scrooge:  http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=1193882543

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Look at what I found . . .

at Target Dollar Spot. They were putting their Christmas stuff out yesterday, and I snagged these cute rolls of wrapping paper for $1.00 each. That's 40 feet of paper in each roll, ladies. They are narrow, though, maybe just the perfect width to wrap a shirt box which is just fine with me because I'm always chopping off the sides and throwing the extra away. And I just love polka dots, don't you?

I've been tagged!

One of the sweetest ladies in the universe, Rhoda from Southern Hospitality, has tagged me to list 8 random things about myself, so here we go .....

1. I love my tv shows, and my 2 favorite shows that are airing right now are So You Think You Can Dance and Ice Road Truckers. I'm enjoying SYTYCD so much more than Dancing With The Stars because the dancers are *awesome* from day 1. I want to learn how to West Coast Swing now, but haven't been able to talk Mr. Jones into it yet. If you haven't seen Ice Road truckers, check it out. These guys drive big rigs over frozen lakes in Canada and sometimes they fall in!!!

2. I am very picky about hair cuts. I don't get babed out every day, and my hair is in a housewife ponytail or french twist a lot, but I want my hair cuts to be technically cut well. When the cut is great, you can do anything with your hair. And if I try a new stylist and she asks me how she should cut my hair, I run as fast as I can.

3. I love to be by water. The beach, a lake, the pool, whatever. I try to take my kids to the pool at least 4 or 5 times a week, and I even get in and swim with them. I can't justify spending the money, but have always wanted to have my own pool.

4. I love cake. I could live on cake alone.

5. I hate cats (although I have learned to love my neighbor's cat. She keeps my property pest-free, and she's a cool cat.)

6. I love guinea pigs. My daughter has 2, which I was strongly opposed to. They are sooooo cute, and they make the funniest little sounds. They also do things like popping up mid-air (there is actually a name for this .... it's called "popcorning"), and they speed around their cages (this is called "motorboating"). This is one of our pigs after a bath.


7. Blue is my favorite color, hands down.

8. I love, love, love Mexican food. The most perfect food ever is a fresh, hand-made tortilla.

Paris Flea Market

Well, I do have 2 baseball games, baseball pictures times two, riding lessons and movie night at the elementary school to attend, but I will give it my best shot to go to the Paris Flea Market this weekend at the Cottage. I know something very special is waiting to go home with me, like these neat things.