Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad
to all my bloggy friends.

Behind the blue curtain...

Before :


During:

After:

This was a MESS.... but oh so worth it. Our family room had potentially the best view in the house... but there was only a small door in the room. Last week we had a wall of windows installed. Thank you... Santa Baby !!

Santa Baby

Santa Baby,
Just slip a sable under the tree
For me
Been an awful good girl
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby, a '54 convertible too
Light blue
I'll wait up for you, dear
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa Baby, I want a yacht and really thats not
Alot
Been an angel all year
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight


Too funny...
I laughed too when I read Corey's Christmas List.

For moi ? Santa Baby ( aka DH ) painted my bathroom for Christmas.
How about you what is on your Christmas list ?

Rockin around ...

Rocking around the Christmas Tree at the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see Ev'ry couple tries to stop

Got the mistletoe hung yet girls ???? Dont forget the mistletoe and holiday hugs.

You will get a sentimental feeling When you hear voices singing
"Let's be jolly; Deck the halls with boughs of holly" Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone's dancing merrily In a new old fashioned way

Done a little Christmas boogie yet girls? Dont' forget to sing and dance !

Rocking around the Christmas Tree Let the Christmas Spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie and we'll do some caroling

Ok... I am going to try not to eat so much pumpkin pie this year...

You will get a sentimental feeling When you hear voices singing
"Let's be jolly; Deck the halls with boughs of holly"
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Have a happy holiday


Note to self: Dont forget to enjoy the moments..... those are the memories.

Happy memories to my bloggy friends.

When you cant go to french flea markets...

"I can't believe you are painting something five days before you move" said my neighbor.

Yup, right before the move, DH and I were in the garage painting a hutch I had just bought from Craig's list .

"Dont you have other things you need to do ? " they asked.

Sure I did... but come on there are priorities here...and I had my straight...a girl has got to have a place to showcase her blue and white flea market finds....

So for $100.00 , a can of leftover paint, and new $4.00 knobs from Home Depot.... voila I had a cabinet to hold all my dishes.

I. heart. Craigs. List !

Ripples

Yesterday during my beautiful but chilly walk on the beach I thought about a post about ripples.

Tis so true our words send ripples out into the blogosphere. So today I am sending warm fuzzy ripples to my bloggy friends as we proceed into the holidays... now slow down girls so that you can feel a ripple or two !! Thank you to Annie for your comment and the ripple.

BLOGGY LUNCH

Yesterday it was 50 degrees in New England.

Today... snow and ice.
That would close down the hill country.

"You'd better not get out on the roads" said my neighbor. I did not listen to him... WHY??? because I had a lunch date with my blogging friend Susan . I manuevered slowly across the icy roads and made it to Rochester and Susans lovely art gallery. ARTSTREAM.

After touring her gallery and purchasing one of her awesome paperdoll calendars we went out to lunch and talked and talked... about teens, new england, blogging friends... and more . AND THEN after lunch we went back to the gallery and Susan taught me how to link. OMG friends.... this is BIG... I can link.... yipee !!

So much fun to meet a blogging friend. Thanks Susan for the gracious hospitality and the tutoring.

MAKEOVER

BEFORE


AFTER


The sunporch is my favorite room. We use it as the sunset sitting room as well as our 2nd dining area. The first photo was taken the day I toured the house when it was for sale and the last 2 were shot yesterday.

A Good Kick

"Mom... do you know what I would love to do this afternoon ? "

I am thinking she is going to say... put on our jammies and watch a movie together since I was out of town ALLLL day yesterday.

"I really really want to go to our favorite restaurant in our favorite little town in the hill country"

The restaurant is 65 miles away.

"How about we go to our favorite restaurant in town ?" I offer.

"Nooooo Mom"

"How about we wait for your Daddy and brother to get home first" I counter-offer.

"Nooo Mom... just you and me... it will be fun... we can play our favorite CDs and talk all the way... it will be fun."

So we sang to our favorite CDs and talked and talked as we drove thru the fall colored hill country. And while we ate at our favorite little restaurant in our favorite little town in the hill country... she said "See Mom.. sometimes you just need a good kick to get going and have a good time. "

As we drove back towards home with the moon and city lights in front of us she said,"This is my favorite part. when we drive over the bridge back into the city. Aren't you glad you went Mom ?"

Yes sweetie... I am very very glad I went.

picture: my Daddy's boots... he knew how to kick up his heels ..abit.

Yesterday

TODAY



SOUTHERN COMFORT

GRACIAS MI AMIGA

Thank you to my sweet bloggy friend Laura. Last summer I sent her a few things from the flea market in Maine after she had a major foot injury. Well Laura has been working on a secret project and over a week ago ( I know I am late) I received this lovely pincushion, seam ripper, and lavendar chocolate bar from her. I love the pincushion, I love reading Lauras blog bc she always makes me laugh, and I love the fact that the fabric she used to make the pincushion was from Lawrence Kansas ! Go Jayhawks !!

Notice my restraint ladies... I have waited over a week to eat the Lavendar chocolate bar ?? I was not gonna eat it til I took a picture...

Thank you Laura for your sweet friendship .

Little Brown Bag

"Mommy, are you sure you aren't hiding a little brown bag with a bottle in it ?" my darling College Princess asked me last week....

WHAAAAT?? I was stunned... no, I was sore... sore because I had just fallen... AGAIN. I have had 5 mishaps-falls in the last 6 months..no wait.6 mishaps if you count the stabbing.

Anyway... 8AM Friday Mom arrived... armed with black duct tape... and this is what she did with that duct tape:


She marked the steps in the kitchen.

And speaking of the kitchen... here are some more pictures. Pardon the dry vac and the plastic at the end of the room.... the Alvarado Brothers are at work on the laundry room.

GOOD NEWS !!

The news ????? fall is here.... and I am in the closet ! Look at those fall colors in the valley behind our house... ahhhhhhh love it !!

The biggest news in my life is this: DH and I moved our clothes into our NEW closet last week end. Seven weeks of living out of boxes and the hall closet....over ! The Alvarado brothers worked on this space for 2 weeks but oh it was worth it ! We still have to put something on the floor, but for now I have a rug in there over the concrete. Here is a peek into our new closet.




I am in heaven !! More pictures out of the closet tomorrow.
Thanks to each and every one of you for your encouragement these past few
weeks of chaos... hugs to you !!

Night Life

I heard from 4 bloggy friends today and those sweeties Amy, Corey, Alicia, and Laura each gave me a gentle nudge to post a few photos. Alicia took a night walk the other night and so in keeping with the nightime spirit, I went out tonight and shot a few pics. If you look closely into the front room pictures, you can see all of my master bathroom supplies on my piano....we are still living out of boxes here.. remodeling and moving furniture from room to room as we attack each new project. BUT.. at the end of each day are the fabulous sunsets out the back door...



I truly HEART our new home.... and now so do all of the teens who live with me.... and that my friends is BIG !!!

Crime and Punishment

Every Mom has been there.... the one final sibling tiff that sends her over the edge. For me... it was last night around 11 PM... 2 HS kids fighting.... I let DH handle it last night.... but that did not stop me from plotting....er I mean thinking about it.... until 3 AM... and by 7:30... I had my speech ready. What did I say ?

Well this morning I told my 2 HS kids that I was on strike and that I was not going to be there to pick them up from school.... they would have to walk home( it is less than 2 miles)... my daughter looked as if I had told her I was going to take away her straightening iron for the rest of the school year.

So did it work ? Well 45 minutes after school dismissal, Fred and Ethel ( as we affectionately call the 2 darlings ) came thru the door just laughing and chatting as if they had been to a party. " Oh Mom we had so much fun walking home...we want to do it all week... and you wouldnt believe how many people we saw and talked to on the way home"

hmmmmmmmmm I guess my punishment worked... they spent 45 minutes together... not fighting....

picture: the view from my car everyday at HS pickup

IN THE CRIB

Crib
all
gone now.
Teenson room
ipod, discs,cellphone
Hip teenson real crib for chilling

THINK PINK

Sweet
Girl
Loves PINK.
Pink, since birth.
No tomboy room here.
Sweet happy pink chic college room .

She-roes!

Babe
room
no more.
Princess zone.
Lillly double bed
She-roes pictures cover teen walls





she-roes= female heroes

No Time to Paint the Barn

The barn was finished by the time I made it up there.... Bob and Pam finished it the week-end after they took their first and only born daughter to college...so I was treated to a boatride up and down the coast. Ahhhhhhhhhh... it was a postcard perfect !!

Stabbed !!!

This morning as I was slugging my tired achy body out of the grocery store I ran into my mom.

"Whats wrong with your hand ?"she asked.

"I stabbed myself"

"What?"

"I stabbed myself as I was making salad for dinner last night"

In one split second my mom pushed her cart away and said "We are going to the hospital right this minute "
So 2 hours later.... I am all fixed up.....deep gash about 1 inch from the jugular... I will be packing boxes one handed.


PS yes i really did stab myself...it was the all american scene at our house that early evening... hubby outside grilling , I was inside chopping veggies for salad, and the teens upstairs doing homework... when all of a sudden I decided that my knife wasnt sharp enough... so I began sharpening the knife... and on one of the sharpening swings... the knife went into my wrist instead of onto the sharpener.... aghh.... blood everywhere... and suddenly the all american scene at our house looked like a murder scene instead.

Picture: Bouys in New England last week

Time to paint the barn

My friends Bob and Pam have been working on their new house and barn since last spring. I am off to New England to help them paint their barn...and do a few other things ! More to come !

LOOK!!

I love friends ! Look what my friend Linda does with her photos... she has a huge tray on her coffee table filled with snapshots.... current and old snapshots... for all of her family and friends to look at while they sit in her cozy family room and sip iced tea .... or perhaps margaritas! Great idea Linda.... I think I will copy it!

MY BOYFRIENDS BACK and....

I have been obsessing about my boyfriend lately..

It started the other day when my girlfriend Linda called me and asked me if the DH on my blog stood for Dumb Husband....

and I just started laughing...

then I said " no Linda... that would be DA"...and when we both stopped giggling.....

I told her that DH was blogese for Darling Hubby..... later that day I posted something on Andreas blog about our "boyfriends that we married years ago "...after that entry it came to me that during the next few years as my babies prepare to leave the nest and go off to college...maybe I just need to fill my time and thoughts with going on dates with my "boyfriend".... just like I did 20 years ago..

I wonder if he will still like me ?????


Picture: My boyfriend (DH)... 20 something years ago...

Clouds

Some moms are good at making creative breakfasts for their kids and others are....not.
I.am.not.

Last week my friend Pam-Sue was telling me how she had surprised her HS girls with"clouds" for breakfast....

on.a.school.day.

Well my HS princess has drooled over that story for a week... so voila.... today I made "clouds".

Clouds are made from refridgerated biscuit dough... filled with a chunk of cream cheese that has been dipped in melted butter, sugar , and cinnamon. The biscuit is pinched at the top and cooked in a muffin tin at 350 for 15 minutes. They smell heavenly !

Me ??? My favorite breakfast is Special K in my antique blue and white cafe-au-lait bowl.

I prefer to reserve my special culinary skills for dinner.... sometimes...
Thanks Pam-Sue for making me look like an awesome mom this AM !!!

I'M So Excited....

.... and I just cant hide it... (are you singing with me Capello ??) I think we have hit a growth spurt in my College Princess' life... she is NOT coming home next week-end.... WHY????? because she has a date to the midnight yell and then to Saturdays football game. This is BIG... not because she has a date... but because she wants to stay at the university and have FUN instead of coming home for the week end and do all of the things we did in high school. You see last year... my college princess was soooo homesick... she called several times a day crying,,,, sobbing... because she was sooooo homesick... it was heartwrenching...She has called a few times this year teary.... BUT nothing like last year. Sure I would like to wave my magic wand and rewind a few years... but in the meantime... I am gonna savor this moment !!!

BLESSINGS...

This last week I managed to work myself into a tizzy...the temperature has been over 100 for 2 weeks and the buyers of our house had 4 different inspections over the course of 2 days...so what does a girl do when she has worked herself into a tizzy???
She calls her MOM.... and after about 5 minutes of mom-talk.... I was fine... we concluded that all of the events of the past week had been a blessing.... but truthfully... the BIG BLESSING of the week was my MOM ! Thanks MOM !!!



Picture: Old French Armoire that my mom gave me when my parents made the move from their big house to their small house.

BIRTHDAY SON

My house smells good today... there is a cake in the oven... and the aroma of chocolate has spread thru the downstairs. HS son is another year older... wow ! When we returned to the hillcountry in August... I noticed that he was now a hair taller than my 6'3" DH... At 17 he has a big booming voice... but often slips and still calls me mommy... he is driving the car some... but still plays basketball with whomever comes into our yard, regardless of their age.... going to the movie theatre is still his most favorite treat...he's playing golf with his Dad on the weekends... no girls yet... he's still a little shy.... but I know that could change...any minute !! Happy Birthday HS son !
Now I better go get that cake out of the oven before a different aroma fills the house.... and by the way... where is the #*!@ box of kleenex ????

WHY ??? CHAPTER 2

TALK IN OUR HOUSE LAST MONDAY :

College Princes : Why are you selling our house ?

HS Princess : That doesnt look like the right house for us.

HS Son : I like the house we live in.

DH : Why are you kids torturing your Mom ?

Me: Maybe I am buying the new house for ME... and your daddy....

CAN YOU BELIEVE I SAID THAT ????? In the 19 years that I have had kids I have never uttered the words: maybe I am doing
it for ME.... reminds me of Toby Keiths song.... every once in awhile... I wanna talk about me me me me me ! (CAPELLO)

Things have calmed down quite a bit since monday... and one of the reasons is that our new house has one of these

WHY ???

My week in a nutshell :

7= number of nights we ate out
6= number of days the temp was over 100
5= number of times i threw up
4= number of BLOCKS i am moving
3= number of kids who started school this week
2= number of days it took to sell my house
1=number of times i went to the grocery store
0=number of times i slept thru the night.

WHY???? do women torture themselves so ???? This whole real estate move was a spur of the moment thing.... kind of...I love to look at houses... in magazines, on hgtv,on blogs, driving, walking, and in the newspaper. So when a realtor friend called me for the 3rd TIME about a house in our neighborhood that was for sale.... I acquiesed and went to see it...fell iin love... so I took a gamble and put our house on the market the next day . SOLD IN 2 DAYS.... so either I sold way too cheap or........... it was meant to be... I am going with......it was meant to be....serendipitious... I thought of you A. this week !

picture: my piano from childhood... in a room designed to be the dining room... but it is our piano room... and see the white bookshelves? They used to be 3 separate wood colored shelves...we screwed them together, added some trim and painted cream.... being on a budget forces creativity !!