Great Movie!

Last night we watched this movie and laughed and laughed. My husband enjoyed it too. I prefer comedies over anything else and I would highly recommend this one. We also watched "Eagle Eye" with Shia Labeouf the night before. It wasn't great, in fact it was quite tiresome.

More Changes In Our "New to Us" Home

It's so wonderful to have a handy husband! Chuck spent all day today checking off a list of home improvements for me. He replaced all of the bathroom faucets this morning. The old fixtures were the cheapest, ugliest, and would not come clean kind. They remind me of our first two years living in a trailer as newly-weds. Those were great times but I hope to never live in a mobile home again.
I thought I was going to have to spend $60-80.00 per faucet but I found these for $24.95 at Home Depot! They turned out great. Chuck also put up some molding around our guest bathroom mirror. It looks so much better. We had already replaced the gold Hollywood light fixture and painted the room pink. The color was not what I had envisioned but it is an improvement, so I can overlook it for now. Now that I see the "before" picture here the paint looks deceitfully neutral however it was a very strange purpley-brown color. Although my pink paint is really too much it does make people look good and not sickly.

Below is another project for me. Although the cabinets in my house are mostly wood they have the most unattractive grain I've ever seen. This photo does not exaggerate they're truly that ugly. I think you'll agree with me that they must be painted and that hardware must go!

Books on Style by Nina

I don't normally read so many self-help books but lately the library's new book isle has had some pretty good ones. I must tell you about Nina Garcia's from "Project Runway". They are all about achieving your own personal style. Her first book is "The Little Black Book of Style" which focuses on good taste and what to wear under any circumstance. It was fun but my favorite was "The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own". The illustrations were fun and her descriptions of each item are enlightening. Am I really going to own these 100 pieces? Like a Pucci dress. Below is a Pucci dress, it can be yours for $614 on clearance from $1,535!I'm too cheap for Pucci but I think might try a few she suggested like a clutch. I've never owned one but I could have picked up quite a quality one from a thrift store last weekend at Grandmas. It was snake skinned for $20! Why didn't I just listen to Nina?! That purse has been in my mind all week. I hope it's still there in 3 weeks when we go back for another visit.
I have completed Days 9, 10, and 11 on the 30 Day Shred. I'll be missing two days this week but hey it takes time to turn over a new leaf.

Great hair!

I managed to fix Katherine's hair following Jen's directions for Knot Pigs. We had lots of errands to run that day and she needed something cool and I needed a "do" that was pretty basic. It turned out pretty cute and she received several compliments on it. She slept in it and went to gymnastics and swim lessons it's great!
I must tell you how much I love this product. I found mine at Wal-mart. It has made my life so much easier. We use it to keep braids and other styles smooth. It also keeps Charlie's homegrown curly Mohawk looking tidy.

Altered Clothes

I've been fascinated for some time with the idea of altering an unloved clothing item into something useful. If you recall I purchased two adult sweaters with the intention of making a dress for my daughter. I spent an entire afternoon struggling with this sweater and gave up when it reached this point. The idea was good but the execution was full of flaws. Katherine was tired of repeatedly putting this garment on. The "dress" turned out too tight and the sleeve too long and poorly sewn. But onto another more successful project. I purchased a pair of denim Capri's for a quarter but they had a hole in them. Looking through my sewing box I ran across some patches I already had. It took 5 minutes to iron on these cuties and Wallah!
My next project was the cashmere blend sweater turned into leg warmers. I just love leg warmers but alas I am too old to wear them so Katherine must. This project takes no skill. I lopped the arms off with scissors and enticed my little model to step into them by telling her she looked like a fruit bat in all black.
I'm quite disappointed with my utter lack of skill and creativity in these projects. I think I'm done with the whole "altering, recycling" thing.

Weekend at Grandma's House

My grandmother's house has always been full of treasures. My favorite of her many collections is her two jewelry chests packed to the max with vintage jewelry. As a child I spent hours layering on whatever had the most rhinestones. As I got older she would let me pick out some pieces to wear for special events (prom, my wedding). Now I borrow pieces and keep them for a while. As time goes by my taste changes a little and I always find something new in those drawers. We couldn't resist wearing some for lunch. The dining room light makes everything sparkle so nicely.

An update on the 30 days of exercise. I did get up Friday morning before our trip and did the DVD. But I have failed to do the 30 Day Shred 2 days in a row. Make that 3 days, it's doubtful I will be doing it tonight. I won't think about it today, I'll think about it tomorrow.

Day 6&7

This post has nothing to do with Edward Cullen from Twilight. I was just thinking about my mother in-law and thought of her love, Edward. And I couldn't post without a picture.
This post is really to let you know that I haven't slacked off the exercising. I've made it through one week of the 30 Day Shred! Day 1 was difficult. Day 2 was even worse. But each day after I was able to do a little bit more. Jillian said you would feel a difference with endurance by the end of a week and she's right. Now I have only been doing Level 1 and following Anita for beginners. I might try Level 2 in the next few days just out of boredom. I can just about say Jillian's dialogue word for word. Only 23 more times to go!
For inspiration go to this woman's blog,365exercise.blogspot.com . She promised she would exercise everyday for an entire year. You must scroll down to June 1 to see her January-June photos. Way to go Melissa!

Another Makeover!

Another makeover? Yes! This time it's me. I ran across a pretty fabulous book, "How Not to Look Old" by Charla Krupp. It was written for women who are over 40 but I thought I'd get started not looking old early. I did take before and after photos and I'm sorry to say they're disappointing. I am not a photographer nor have I read the manual for my own camera. Back to the book, the author gives lots of ways to get a Y&H (young and hip look) but here's what I did:
1. Cut some bangs-my friend Emilie did a great job giving me a Y&H cut. Her hair is always Y&H.
2. Color your gray-thanks to mom and Revlon, I've got strawberry-blonde hair. Lighter hair is Y&H, severe dark and gray is OL (Old Lady).
3. Whiten your teeth- if you do this, go ahead and buy Sensodyne toothpaste it's a must have.
4. Wear a pink lipstick-I'm having trouble with this one, it's tricky with red hair.
5. Tame eyebrows
6. Great Y&H accessories- I bought a great large yellow purse with lots of sparkle. Mom also loaned me a great long necklace which is all the rage this season. I wore the necklace out to dinner and discovered why I don't own long necklaces. They always end up "lassoing" one of my breasts. That is definitely OL.
Overall I'm happy with the results. It did not take much effort or money. What is taking a great deal of effort is the 30 Day Shred DVD. 25 times more to go.

More Thrifting

My daughter just happens to have swim lessons across the street from a Salvation Army store. I'm forever hopeful that I'll run across something wonderful. I did find a few items this morning. A long pair of hot pink beads, I will use these as garland on Katherine's white Christmas tree. An old Boggle game for $.50. I'm collecting items with the alphabet so we can practice spelling and reading. I'll use this glass candy dish to hold the letters. I also snagged an old mayo jar with the lid. One of my favorite sites, Magpie Ethel has an inspirational picture of how she uses her old jars to corral all of her crafting knick-knacks. Magazines from the months of October and December are my favorites to read and snag decorating ideas from. The adorable table cloth is my mother's. I've yet to find any vintage item that wonderful.Good news on the exercise front. I was able to do the jumping jacks today, things are looking up. 26 more days to go.

America's Thrift Store

This past Saturday we visited this thrift store an hour's drive away that I've heard about. My mom and husband came along, they're so sweet to do so as they really don't enjoy thrifting. It was very busy and full of interesting characters. We witnessed a man pick up a musical recorder right off the shelf, put it into his mouth and give it a few noisy blows.
I was feeling disappointed after going down a few rows and not finding a single treasure until I came across this adorable metal egg basket ($1.33). I don't know what I'll do with it but something will come up.

Katherine found a bag full of knights and dragons but no princesses, ($1.33). And picked up a lone dinosaur off the floor that the cashier threw in for free. Katherine cannot go anywhere without picking up "treasures" from floors and parking lots. Trips to Michael's Craft Store and hardware stores are the worst. I've yet to come across a cashier who will tell her no.

My next finds were in the clothes. I've been looking for the perfect ladies sweater to alter into a dress for Katherine. I found two, ($3.88)! There were a few cute things in her size that Mom and I picked up, a twin set, and an adorable stripey hoodie. We also snagged two jean jackets. I just love jean jackets. I didn't pay more than $4 for each piece.Overall our trip was a success. Chuck picked up a barely used softball glove to play with Katherine,($14.88). I didn't think it was a bargain but he didn't care. Mom only purchased a cold drink after we had left the store and she'd washed her hands. But I'd like to go again!
If you're wondering if I did my workout today the answer is yes. But I did not do the jumping jacks as my calves felt like they would snap if I jumped up and down. Only 27 more times to go!

Day 2

Remember this?! Tyra was called fat by a gossip magazine some time ago and fought back. I'm not a fan of her shows but I am a fan of someone maintaining a "for real" figure. She looks great. I however did not look or feel great this morning. Yesterday's day 1 workout was a real workout. But I pushed through and completed Day 2. My 5 year old saw me struggling and said, "Mama I know why this is hard for you". I'm thinking, oh no she's going to call me fat. But she continued with, "It's all that baby weight". I felt better after that.
Only 28 days left!

Lose Up to 20 Pounds in 30 Days?

I'm challenging myself to exercise every day for the next 30 days. Jillian Michaels from "Biggest Loser" claims her 30 Day Shred DVD will give amazing results. We shall see if I achieve these AMAZING results. I'd like to tell you that I've lost the last of the baby weight by then. Today is day 1 and the DVD wasn't too bad, only 29 more times to go!

7 Months Old!

What a cutie! Charlie is 7 months old this week and charms just about everyone we see. He really enjoys eating baby food and putting anything within reach in his mouth. We're so lucky that he's so easy going and a great sleeper. His Marmie keeps looking for a tooth, she wants to celebrate a tooth!

Makeover and Birthday Party

The front porch makeover is done, for now. I painted the shutters and front door and added a fresh wreath and planter. It cost me just under $50. I'm happy to be rid of the 90's hunter green. I'm not pleased with the front door. Turns out it was too humid so the paint dried matte and with quite a collection of small bugs.

This weekend was my mother's birthday so we had a cookout. We had a great time with good food, good company, and a pinata.

Some Favorite Blogs

Finally I've found a blog for instructions and inspiration for my little girls hair! I'm so tired of the small to the side pony, simple braids, and pony tails. French braids are beyond my skills but this wonderful site, http://shedoeshair.blogspot.com/ has so much I CAN do. This week I've tried the "puffy braids" for gymnastics and the pool. It worked great! Katherine's hair looked pretty good even after getting wet. Sadly, no new posts will be added to this particular blog. However, another one of my hair favorites is http://www.girlydohairstyles.com/. We're having a party tomorrow night so I will be giving this cute do to the left a try.

Where are the bees?!

I brought home some non-fiction books this week from the library. The topics were; the disappearance of honey bees and Americans eating processed "foods". Neither had dry humor or a happy ending. Now I'm feeling paranoid and suspicious, I bet these were on Oprah's list.

Our official 1st day of summer

We ventured out to the "Y" for our first visit to the pool. My sweet Charlie had a great time in his float. It was quite busy and chairs were hard to come by. At one point me and my three friends and our 14 children were sharing 2 loungers. By the time everyone had slathered on sunscreen and gotten into the pool we were asked to get out quickly due to an "accident". Turned out to be vomit. Oh the joys of a public pool.

Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary!

Here are my adorable parents on their wedding day. I like how she is looking at him. I wonder what she was thinking. How wonderful it is that she still looks at him like that. I love these two people so much. They're the greatest parents and grandparents. I love you Mom and Dad! Congratulations!