the grid over my couch in the office

Well I switched out the colorful frames with fonts with pictures of my nieces over the couch in my office. Sure they're cute and all but it's pretty blah in there with the silver frames and the pale wall. Maybe it would look better behind a green wall?

Trying to decide if I want to move out the girls and move the colorful frames back or add some art here of things that make me happy like flamingos, California, etc. etc. Something like what this girl has going on in her office. The more I see it the more I like the idea. Then I could have an excuse to buy those abstract paintings I've been eyeing.

Got new pillows. Think I might add a solid magenta pillow in there.

Or I could leave as is. Decisions decisions.

happy birthday mary!

It's been over a decade my dear.... we've gotten way hotter since.

Let's enjoy it while we still can. I hear in our 30s everything breaks down.

Happy 28th Love.

the purge

The purge in my closet resulted in a realization that I own a lot more dresses than I thought. And these are the dresses I'm keeping. Off to the right you can see that indeed I hang everything, even t-shirts. The only things I don't hang are PJs and underwear.

Nothing has a memory wrapped up in it like a dress. Christmas party dress, dress for cousin's baptism, dress for sister in-law's bridalarette, Alma'x XV, the trip to Boston, summer BBQ party, our anniversary. This is probably why it's hard to part with dresses you don't use and why dresses I wore for Prom, two film fests, and my wedding sit in a closet awaiting dress up playtime with my four nieces. Wow I just got majorly nostalgic. I love being a girl.

It's gotta hit you, that desire to toss stuff. I know I wouldn't have put the stuff in the donation pile that I did if I wasn't very strictly in the mood to purge. When it hits you take advantage, grab the stuff into a pile, stick it in a box, and get it out of sight so you don't have a chance to pull something out of it. I have so many empty hangers to fill with better stuff now! That's the point right?

I am really procrastinating the spring cleaning business around my house. You'd think with a week off I'd have accomplished so much but you'd be wrong bob. I feel as if I've made more of a mess. I will dust something eventually... will it be today?

living room in orange and teal

Next year we might be buying a house. Eeee for exciting. With the knowledge that home ownership is mother tucking expensive (mortgage, insurance, repairs) and the fact that I will be overcome with a desire to change everything with a new home, it is this little image I whipped up in no time at all that makes me feel safe:

I already own well, everything. The only thing I would have to buy will be the bookcase since the built ins at this house don't come with to the next one, maybe switch the side table that I have for a white one, maybe or maybe not add an orange rug, and obviously buy a gallon or so of paint. That's it. My fantasy future living room is almost identical to the one I have now only it's got a different paint color and a few more colors inspired by that print.

Which was what I was hoping for when I bought the pieces of furniture I bought. They stay, it's only accessories that change things up.

thoughts

(As I watch the birds outside munching on the bird seed I provide them)

"Wow, I take feed a lot of things, birds, cats, dogs, my husband, plants inside and out." -Me

"Yourself" -Matt

"Myself" -Me

"You should start eliminating things. LJ, you're the first to go. Our lives will be less ruined". -Matt

Did I mention our pet name for LJ is life ruiner?

now this is a post i can get behind

Have we talked about how much I LOVE nail polish? Well this little lady did us all a favor and chose good colors for your toes and great shoes for your feet.

I am such a girl. I better go to Home Depot and buy a power sander before it's too late.

more family pictures for the hallway

I finally ceased discrimination and put up pictures of my kids across from my sisters's kids.

Took down some art and put up pics of my brother's wedding.

Group shot of all the sisters.

And a picture of my brother and I at my wedding and at his. See how we're posed almost identically?

Added a few more pics to this place.

And the bottom level to this one with a pic of all the fam at Angie's first bday and my GFS lieuts.

 Doesn't look too cluttered right?

Right.

this is the kind of nerd that I am

I read a blog that's just pictures of products and their cool packaging. PACKAGING!

I totally buy things based on packaging sometimes like the Boots line at Target and one of the reasons I like fresh & easy's items better is because you're talking about this:

vs. this walmart branded stuff:

I mean come on, I don't care if the items are made with identical stuff, the Great Value might as well have a giant GENERIC I CAN'T AFFORD THE GOOD STUFF stamped on it. Just looking at that awful type and awful design depresses me. I'm willing to pay a few cents more to feel like I went all out for my family's food. Those people are thinking I know I'm poor and shop at Walmart but do I have to be reminded of it? Lie to me. Help me pretend I am getting more than what I paid for.

They need to step it up. Hear me Walmart? YOUR PACKAGING SUCKS!

did i say red? i meant purple and magenta

Since I saw this print and this room, it changed my plans for the guest room.

I went to homegoods after work and found this long pillow which worked.

 The tags are still on it 'til I can commit to this color scheme.

 Here's the print all framed and stuff. It's small but it's awesome.

I think I'll go with purple and magenta. I think it needs a lamp here though.

 And added smaller frames and pics of cute girls in stripes.

I have larger plans for the room but that's another time.

happiness that makes me want to change things

Well the lovely print I purchased came and I put it in between these two mirrored sconces.

It has bits of peach, yellow, teal, and orange. ORANGE. It makes me want to add orange to the living room. I want to paint the grey stools orange. I want to buy an orange tray.

The fact that the print is also very geometric made me move this guy over here instead of the boring picture of the plant that was here before. This wall has had so many changes, I can't even keep track.

But then again, what wall in my house hasn't?

carty mc cart

This guy is new and up on the Ikea website, not to mention super cheap, and my mind was full of possibilities for him. He could be a little bar cart. Store all your wine openers and whatnot in the drawer, hang some bar towels on there, get your liquors on the bottom shelf... 

I decided he should hold some herbs on him and sit in front of the window.

Mary thinks that drawer would make an excellent ice tray if you decided to go the bar cart route.

I mean at $30, he's just begging to be hacked and hacked to custom fit your life.

the new magnetic board

I bought the magnetic board for the office and regretted the white color. I was going to return it when I figured I could just wrap it in wrapping paper and change it up whenever I feel like it.

Still looked cluttered so I had to move a few things off the desktop.

Ha ha the $50 gym article. Like I'll actually do anything about it.

I love Joe Wright's version of Pride & Prejudice. It's like an artsy chick flick. Beautiful.

A few years ago we made contact with our grandfather in Texas who we'd never met. He sent us pictures of himself and he looks just like my dad. His pic's up to remind me to send him pictures back.

 I actually have a correspondence to do list. Who does that? NERDS like me who send mail.

striped sunday

Rainy.

my ocd goes to another city

This one:

 Is having another one of these:

So I went to visit her and helped her finish organizing her garage. You can now fit a car in there. As a bonus, we made a special man area for her wonderful hubby Seth Meyers Jonathan:

Clearly I was here:

And so was my label maker:

I never told her this but I cut my fingers moving stuff. That's how much I care for my friends. I bleed my own blood.

angie the crack up

Angelina Joy is truly a joy. I heard of pressure to live up to your name but this girl really steps it up. At a year and some change she's showing a lot of personality and is really interested and interesting.

She's really into books. I got a magazine in the mail and she wanted it. Presumably so she could find out if baby jeggings are acceptable but probably 'cause she wanted to be read to. She pulled tons of kid books off my shelf and kept bringing them to me. 

She thinks everything is a game. She started doing this thing where she hands you things, you say thank you, and she cracks up. Then repeats. And repeats. Until she's handed you all the TV shows from S-U. Oh and she thought it was HILARIOUS to feed me. I have never had so many gerber graduate cherry puffs in my life.

Not only does she like to laugh but she likes to make us laugh. She found this popcorn machine element on the floor and put it on her head. Since we laughed she kept it on.

Then she thought it would be fun to lean her head on the cat as a sign of affection.

She escaped the clutches of her mom and ran into the kitchen naked. What is more symbolic of freedom and youthful exuberance than running around naked.

We have no idea why but she decided to do a mind meld with the spinner thing.

Just listen to that laugh.

What a joy she brings to our lives.