Virtual painting

I really need to finalize my color choices for our new place. Help me, please!

For the family room, I want to keep our current pillows on our couches. Maybe even use the chocolate brown curtains, too. But I want to switch up the wall color for the new place. So hold the pillows, couches, and curtains in your mind.....

....and imagine them in this room. All of these virtual rooms are from Sherwin Williams "virtual color" and it's the bomb. Of course, the rooms aren't identical to what ours will look like but you get the idea.

1. A sandy brown:

2. A pale blue:

3. A fun green:

Then there is the dining room. Remember, it has the cool rectangular trim on the walls which I need to paint a different color. We'll probably only have a tiny table in there along with the wooden built-in cabinet.

1. A warm orange/yellow:

2. Or a red:

Onto our bedroom....we'll keep our duvet cover that Henry has barfed on multiple times. It's still good, right? Whose idea was it to register for a light-colored duvet?
1. A brighter green than the duvet [this one kind of looks like vomit to me]:

2. A steely blue [I want this color on SOME wall, SOME day. Love it.]:

3. A sage green that sort of matches the duvet.

Of course any other ideas are welcome. It's hard to guess before we move everything in, but I like to pre-plan things [duh.] Thoughts?

Potential big news...

...Nate called me at work today to inform me that we have fish on the hook. What does that mean, you ask? One of the eight people who have viewed our apartment is "seriously interested." Like, 95% sure that she wants to move in!!!! 

A few negatives? Her monthly rent will be $50 less than us because she needs one less parking space and won't have a dog. So we'd owe our landlord $250 to cover the difference between now and June [when our lease is up.]

Also, she wants to move in "soon." She closes on her current house March 1 and would like to be in here beforehand. Nate said we need until February 19 to pack everything we own and move it into the in-laws place. Why February 19, you ask? I have no idea because that is a Tuesday and I work both Saturday and Sunday before this date. I think Nate picked that date to give us three weekends to move but it won't be easy. He's working more and more lately and the thought of moving our stuff in the evenings give me the hives. We have a lot of stuff and nothing is packed since we weren't sure when we'd move. But regardless, we wanted to move out asap and now it might actually happen. It's finally sinking in: we're moving again!

But the good news: We are going to save hellified money from this point forward, we'll get our security deposit back [which will still be quite hefty even without the $250 we'll owe], and I'll have a brand new [free] place to decorate! Pretty exciting, and another transition. 

So let's all cross our fingers that the woman signs a lease. Our landlord is working out the details with her tonight, supposedly. I'm nervous! 

On another note, this was going to be my 99th post and I'm planning on doing something special for my 100th. But then I decided to delete a post from awhile ago because I didn't want to upset anyone and felt bad about some of my harsh comments. Sometimes I get a little carried away with my descriptive terms and I really shouldn't judge people I've never met. So I called myself out on that and deleted the post---I felt kind of sneaky, like it was a DD on The Knot. But then I realized that this is my blog and I get to decide what stays and what goes. 

So anyway, now I have two more posts to go before I hit 100. Pretty sweet, huh?

Miscellany

It's not a Monday but I have a ton of random things to blog about today. So let's get started:

1. I am SO sick of politics. It's only January and I swear it's saturating every minute of my TV time. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in October.

2. The in-laws house is coming right along! Nate and his dad have basically finished refinishing ALL of the electric in the upstairs unit. Oh, and all of the plumbing, too. So yeah, that took a little longer than expected.

They've begun to hang dry wall in the kitchen and even picked out the cabinets, counter tops and hardware without me. [very sneaky maneuver, eh?] So now we get to pick out the flooring and the wall colors. Now this is the part when my eyes perk up and I get really giddy. I'm thinking of a warm terracotta brownish color for the kitchen.

And remember how the ceilings are super cool and curved like this?
Well I was looking online at some of the other old homes in their area for ideas, and found this picture:
This proves that A. I can consider some bolder colors with the dark wood, because it doesn't look too bad at all, and B. If I paint a brighter color and leave the white curved part alone it could look very pimp. I don't like this cobalt blue at all, but it's just a good picture of color.

And remember how the dining room has this neat trim work, in the shape of rectangles?
This house has the same stuff and they did a great job, leaving the trim white and painting the wall a few shades darker. AND they have the same dark wood all over! Score!

This last picture just proves my "bright colors are okay with dark wood" theory. Again, not my favorite color in the world but it's a nice idea.

3. Tomorrow night I'm going to my second Dinner by Design session with work friends. It is so much fun, takes care of 8 meals for my little family, and is quite inexpensive. I HIGHLY suggest finding one in your area because if you are busy like me this can save you a ton of time.

Dinner by Design

4. While I'm at D.B.D., Nate will be showing our apartment to potential renters number 7 and number 8. Yep, two showings back-to-back. We've been very busy showing off our apartment while Henry growls from under the bed at the strangers. That always goes over well.

Last night the girl really liked it, and even snapped about a million pictures of each room. While I find that slightly creepy and weird, I can respect her love for photo documentation because I did the exact same thing when we looked at this place. I hope and pray one of these fools signs a freaking lease soon. And if I had my way, they'd sign for part of February and we can start saving money ASAP. I cannot handle the excitement. Wish us luck [yet again!].

5. Last night while falling asleep I stumbled upon the last episode of Sex and the City. Now, just to clarify, I was never one of the die hard fans for the show. I didn't watch it regularly and didn't compare my circle of friends to each character. Call me crazy, I know it's sacreligious for some.

Anywho....the last episode really got to me. Carrie in Paris, her true love coming to save her, the girls pushing to get her back to NY, the reunited clique of friends. It just tugged at my heart a little bit and I have no idea why.

I loved Carrie's hair, too. And the scene when Carrie and Big fall down. LOVED that.
So what does my ever-sensitive hubby say to me? "It's not real, you know. It's all false." No really? Thanks dear.

6. Speaking of my dear hubby, wanna hear some more of his lovely quotes?

• When talking about something unattainable: "It's like saying I want hair like Ryan Seacrest. He has a nice head of hair but it ain't gonna happen." [Aww, poor guy.]
• When discussing our work outs: "I don't want to be SWOLL anymore. Just "cut." But I don't think I'm physically capable of being cut. So I'm going to try and avoid being FAT."
  

7. Read this article on the weather and please explain to me what this phrase means: "The National Weather Service forecast warns of floods, gales, rain, thunderstorms, snow, near-blizzard conditions and brutal wind chills." Say what??

8. Have I mentioned how much I love Google Analytics? Apparently the world is reading my nonsense. Here are my numbers for the past 6 days:
And Monday is a very popular day to read blogs, with 165 visits yesterday. Damn, I should have posted something a a little better! It's also surprising to me that I still get just as many visits over the weekend (108-119) because I thought I had "work time readers."
Not only that, but my "motherly love" post has 201 views by itself. You did well, Mom!

9. I never posted about my fake bling. No, not my earrings. My "work rings." Here is every ring I own all stacked together. I try to resist the urge to wear them like this everyday:) Can you tell which are real and which are fake?


Wearing this many rings reminds me of Carmindy from "What Not to Wear." Have you ever noticed her freaking blinged out hand? I swear she has 10 bands stacked on there.Anyway, I digress. I bought this Diamonique band from QVC. I wear it all the time to work because I don't care if it gets completely banged up. And believe me, it does:
It was probably $40 and I just feel more relaxed when I wear it as opposed to my real set.

I also purchased a fake engagement ring set for when I'm feeling ridiculous. I use the word "ridiculous" because the 'simulated weight' of the center stone is freaking TWO CARATS.

It looks incredibly real due to the fact that I have man hands and I dwarf the 2 cts. Sometimes I'll wear the Diamonique e-ring with the Diamonique eternity band for extra spice:
Now the only problem with my fake sets? I don't have the guts to admit they are fake and I'm a horrible liar. I've been getting comments at work like, "Look at that rock! What is it, 1.2 carats?" I just grin and stutter around the subject, like "Oh I don't know, I didn't ask." When my conscience is saying, "It's totally fake but it's 2 carats. I'd pass out if my husband spent the tens of thousands of dollars on a real 2 carat ring. And it wouldn't be from happiness. It'd be from my money-spending-anxiety disorder." But I don't say any of that. Does that make me a bad person?

Here is my real set.
I love it so much that I can't bare to subject my diamonds to the nastiness that is a hospital. Between rubber gloves, hand washing, anti-bacterial gel, bodily fluids, and manual labor they'd be goners. And dirty as hell. So I bring the real set out to play on the weekends only. Nate is ever-so-pleased as you can imagine. Moral of the story? Go to QVC and search for "Epiphany Diamonique rings" and eat your heart out. You will die because they are so beautiful and cheap. Seriously.

10. This post was way too long. I went over my "computer time limit" imposed upon me by myself and my loving husband. Now I don't have time to proof read this for spelling errors and to add better grammar/more sarcasm. Hope I didn't lose you in this monster post!

V-day!

I know a lot of girls despise Valentines day, since it's a total Hallmark creation. I'm pretty much indifferent to the holiday, but I do love all things pink and girlie---and therefore V-day paraphernalia is okay by me. [Hence, my new blog face lift complete with pink, hearts, and lovey dovey stuff.]

I already featured Anahata Katkin on my blog awhile back for her pimptastic artwork. But her website Papayalicious deserves it's own post. Especially with her gorgeous V-day cards. Take a look!

[fabulously vintage and fun.]

[obviously I'm a fan of the cherry blossoms.]

[simple and cute.]

[not usually a fan of her 'faces' but this one I like.]

[Love it.]

[A big fan for the flaming heart and ribbon]

[Lately anything with our monogram catches my eye. I can imagine many uses for this charmer.]

[AND she has adorable envelopes. Who doesn't love envelopes?? In pink and green?]

[SWAK? Erin are you reading this?]

[Something about this one makes me happy.]

[And in honor of my loving mother, whose birthday just so happens to be on Valentines Day, what about these adorable pieces?]

[This one is very 'her' and 'me' for that matter:) ]

Anyway---if you are single and love the girlie stuff.....or married but your husband doesn't care about decor [lucky ducks!] I think you should invest in some of this stuff for sure. Then send me pictures, please. I *puffy heart* all of them.

Weekend Fun

-Lounging with my puppy on the weekends: $0

[I just noticed how pink his right eyelid is compared to the left!]

-New running shoes for myself and my husband: $260 [breaking out into a sweat over this!]

[note the cute swirlies on mine, even though the colors are blah. Same shoe I've bought for the last four purchases. Why mess with a good thing?]

[Nate's shoes. His first Sauconys. We'll see how great they are.]

-Buying six new bottles of wine from Trader Joes: $20. Seriously. They are all $3 or so:)

-My cool new centerpiece using our hurricane vase, expensive bottle of wine, and the ever-growing collection of wine corks: $0 [ the vase and wine were both gifts]

-Having "me" time to play on the computer while Nate works: priceless

-Having a whole Sunday ahead of us, without plans: priceless

-Setting up a fifth showing for our apartment: exciting, but not priceless. Someone needs to take the freaking plunge and sign a lease already! But it's great to have some interest in the place....cross your fingers!

Bonus Quotes

If you haven't read my below post, I suggest you do....or this one won't make any sense. I couldn't help it, I had to add some more quotes from me as a kid. Hopefully I didn't ruin a good thing by overdoing it...

"2-17-84: This morning Julia was on the big potty and had been sitting there quite awhile. She reached around and patted her rear and said 'I may have a sunburn.' When she jumped up, sure enough her legs were red from sitting on the toilet seat so long." 

~typical:)

"10-23-84: In the car Julia said out of the blue, 'My Daddy is never home and that's why I love him so much' Then later she said, 'You're home all the time and I don't love you so much.' "

~Ouch! How bratty of me! My Dad worked full time and Mom stayed home with me. Glad I was appreciative:)

"10-23-84: I called Nelson 'Daddy' the other day and Julia said, 'Don't call him Daddy, you call him Husband!' "

~Okay, bossy much?

"7-10-85: Tonight at supper she was in a strange mood and her prayer was, 'Thank you God for a rotten day. Amen.' "

~I'll have to remember this motto from now on!

"10-12-85: Tonight Nelson shared with me that Julia [4.5 yrs old] told him that she'd seen pictures of some rings in the back of the TV Guide. She said that he should buy me one of them for my birthday. Then added, 'when you get a job, not now.' Later when we were all in the family room she pointed out to Nelson the one she thought would be nice for me. It was lovely. When Nelson related this to me, I had to smile with tears in my eyes. How considerate, thoughtful, and loving she is becoming."

~1. I have great tastes in jewelry, I can't help it. 2. My Dad wasn't unemployed for long, just once  before we moved to Denver, but I guess it weighed heavily on my mind as a 4 year old!

"5-11-86: Mother's Day. After me saying, 'It's Mothers Day so you should do so and so....' a number of times, Julia says, 'You know Mom, just because it's Mother's Day doesn't mean daughters and boys have to do everything for their Moms.' "

~Way to call her out!

motherly love

We received a care package in the mail today. My Mother has always enjoyed sending me special things. In college, I'd get the best stress relieving packages ever right around finals---full of homemade cookies, funny quotes, and goof-off gear [ie squirt guns, silly hats, etc.]. She added little love notes to my lunch box every day in grade school. I'd find cute post-it notes applied to my mirrors saying things like, "Have a great day, babe. Love you, Mom."

Of course, there were years that I despised my Mother just because that is what teenagers do. We hate our parents for being so....dumb, lame, uncool. Ah, how I wish I could retract all of the horrendously mean things I said to my Mother when I was younger. I take it all back, Mom. You are the best.

Anyway, I digress. We got a care package today full of goodies. Items include: a bling-tastic charm for Henry's dog tag, a hand held game for Nate to play while I'm busy scrapbooking [or blogging, I suppose] and a snuggle dud blanket for my cold evenings, working on scrapbooks:
[note my very serious face in these pictures. The blanket is more like a poncho and it's the bomb. I haven't taken it off since it's arrival]

And the best gift ever? A handwritten journal by my Mom, begun two weeks after my birth and continuing until I was eight years old, dedicated to me. It's a fabulous shade of faded yellow corduroy with the 80's floral pattern splashed across:

Here is the first page, saying "Our Baby--Julia" and I took the liberty of adding my personal signature later in life. Hey, it was my book, right?
It's full of my Mom's pretty cursive handwriting. When she was really tired, in my newborn days, her scrawl gets harder to read. It's so interesting to see the progression of time through her script:

Then there was this cut out person. I can only assume that I drew this person, who is naked, and bearing some incredibly ugly private parts. Maybe I just learned about genitals and was fascinated?
Now that's what I call some junk in the trunk! No, that isn't a butterfly behind her, it's the butt. Talk about being confused when this thing fell from the pages of the journal. I was a true artiste, I suppose.

Anyway, I've spent most of my evening curled up in my poncho, pouring through the pages of my Mother's life with her daughter. My first thought? I'm TOTALLY doing this for my kids, but maybe by way of the internet. Lots of moms blog about their children, right? Mom was just ahead of her time.

Some of her early entries make me scared to have children. I know I will be every bit as neurotic as my loving mother. And I know it would be extremely hard, being a Type A, to let the baby set the schedule.

"11-11-81: I think I've been overdoing the perfect mother thing. I never leave her. I answer every peep. I think I need to be at this place right now so I can get a better perspective on things. I need to let myself leave her now and then , and not feel guilty!"

I know it was extremely hard on her, after being married for 6 years and being a whopping 27 years old to give up her career to be a Mom. Her journal is very descriptive about her struggle with going back to work versus staying home with me. I am so proud of her for staying home. And she didn't regret it for one second.

My Mom was always such a great mother. Always.

"6-2-81: Tonight after her 8:30 feeding I just wanted to hold her and hold her. She's such a doll. I love feeling close to her and holding her near me. I want to develop a really good relationship with her. I really love her. She smiled at me real big several times today."

Some things have not changed with me, in 26 years of life.

"Monday 5-11-81 she had her first medical exam and screamed. I think she was cold with no clothes on. She does not like her clothes off or to be cold."


And seriously, I was probably the funniest child ever. And very profound for being so young. I was born in April of 1981, in case you are wondering how old I am in these quotes:

"12-21-83: Cute sayings....Grandpa Baker says,'You sure tickle gently' and Julia says, 'I know, because I'm nice and I love you.'.....'I'm independent.'......To Daddy when she couldn't get her point across, 'You just don't understand me, Dad.'



"2-9-84: Two men were arguing on TV and she said,'That's not nice, is it Daddy?' Later she said, 'Mommy talks to you that way sometimes.' "



"6-29-84: Cute sayings...Julia wanted some Wintergreen mints and couldn't remember what to call it, so she asked for 'Snow Gum.' "



"10-23-84: The other day in McDonalds, Julia asked me where my happy face was as I sat in deep thought. Then she proceeded to ask me if I was sad, mad, depressed, happy, glad---Then she asked if I was scrunchy. I told her I didn't know what that meant and she replied, 'Scrunchy is when you feel healthy in your tummy.' "



"4-23-85: The other day Nelson was talking about work and how his boss was yelling at him. Julia, who didn't seem to be listening said, 'Daddy, next time your boss yells at you, just go into your office, close the door and ignore him.' Nelson laughed so hard he nearly split a gut."



"7-10-85: When we got home, Julia asked [as she always does] to have a friend over. I said she'd played with friends all morning and afternoon--why couldn't she just play by herself for awhile? She answered, 'Mom, I'm not like you. I'm a child.' "



"1-23-86: She was in the family room the other day and said,'Dad, now that you have a job, there's several things I've been wanting.' Ha! I chimed in, 'Me, too!' "



Some of my Mother's entries make my heart hurt. Make me miss her dearly, appreciate everything she did and does for me, and makes me yearn to be a mother myself. These are the type of things that would make it all worthwhile.

"3-9-85: Tonight I was washing Julia's hair as she was looking up at me and said, 'Mom, when I grow up I want to be a mother just like you.' Then coming home from the store she says, 'You're not being a very good Mommy today.' I asked why. 'Because you wouldn't let me have the candy and you're making me wear my coat.' "



"6-29-84: Today I talked to Julia's teachers at preschool and they gave a glowing report. They said Julia is very bright and she shows signs of leadership. She described Julia as kind and said that when a child was crying , Julia hugged her and tried to comfort her. Julia doesn't sit around, rather is involved and utilizes activities offered."



"9-29-85: Tonight on our way to bed she said, 'Mommy, when I grow up, I want to marry someone just like you.' She hugs REAL tight and says, 'and that's how much I love you.' Those things tug at my heart and I'll treasure them forever."


I am truly blessed to have such an amazing Mother. I cannot imagine life without her and can only hope to be half of the Mother she was to me.

Someday. Not now. After reading about my first year of life I think I need to wait a good 2 years before kids. It was quite frightening. Sleep deprivation can do mean things to your mind.

I love you, Mom. And to any other daughters and mothers out there, I hope you enjoyed a peek into my Mom's journal.