Is it hot enough for you?

Detailed Local Forecast

Today: Plenty of sunshine. Very hot. High 106F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Warm. Low 81F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow: A mainly sunny sky. Hot. High 104F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: Clear. Low 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

Wednesday: More sun than clouds. Highs 100 to 104F and lows in the low 80s.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs 98 to 102F and lows in the upper 70s.

Friday: Scattered thunderstorms possible. Highs in the mid 90s and lows in the mid 70s.

Just in case some of you in, I don't know.... anywhere but here, think it's hot outside. Thank Jesus you haven't lived in Texas the last few weeks. Or, for the next couple. It's freaking hot. Like, get-into-your-car-that-has-light-gray-upholstered-seats-and-still-burn-yer-ass-hot.

I know, I know, I live here. Have lived here for over 20 years. Shouldn't gripe - I know what's coming when summer rolls around. But I think this summer is one of the worst that I can remember. It's just brutal out there (and it's a Monday) and I just needed to gripe to somebody.
So, thank you.

You may go and enjoy your air-conditioning now.

P.S. - I like how today is described as "Very Hot", but tomorrow is only labeled regular ol' "Hot" because it's only going to be 104!!

Guess what??

I just got my first official (meaning "not family") decorating job!

On my mandatory day off from work yesterday I met with my new client "T" at her house, and I'm going to help her decorate her living room, dining room, study and entryway and kitchen. We're looking to paint, buy a few smaller pieces of furninture, some accessories, curtains and pillows.
Yesterday we came up with a color scheme and an initial, very loose, plan for what all we wanted to do.

I'm so excited abou this!

More details to come...

Bloggy Meme

I saw this Q & A over on Linda's site, and thought I'd steal away!!

1. How long have you been blogging? Since May '08.

2. Why did you start blogging? I started reading tons of blogs while planning my wedding, and wanted to join in the fun! Also, I started blogging over at Elizabeth Anne Designs Weddings around the same time.

3. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging? I've met some awesome people through this blog. I've been exposed to so many different ideas. I've been able to express myself so much better. (ditto!)

4. How many times a week do you post an entry? I try for at the very least twice a week. Sometimes I fail miserably, and sometimes I post more. It depends on my available time in front of a computer, and if I have anything interesting to share!

5. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis? About 5 to 10. On a regular basis.

6. Do you comment on other people’s blogs? Yes, I try to. Unless they have like 100 comments, and then only if I feel strongly about whatever it is. Generally I comment to stay in touch with my other blog-sisters out there.

7. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have? Is so, are you satisfied with your numbers?No, but Chris wants me to. I don't know how - seriously! But I probably wouldn't care about my numbers.

8. Do you ever regret a post that you wrote? No.

9. Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog? Maybe. I'm not sure. I'm probably a lot more "serious" in real-life.

10. Do you blog under your real name? I use my real first name. I try to avoid using my last name, but I think I've slipped before. (ditto!)

11. Are there topics that you would never blog about? Intentionally bad-mouthing somebody, the specifics of my work. And probably Michael Jackson.

12. What is the theme/topic of your blog? My life with some design bits thrown in along the way.

13. Do you have more than one blog? If so, why? I guest blog over at EAD Living. But I've been as lazy over there as I have been here! Time to get to work!!

*Oh, and you're welcome for the gratuitous picture of my dog Riley. Just in case you haven't seen enough of him.... Just thought this post needed a pic!

Happy July 7th

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July! After the *fun* event last week, we had a great and productive, albeit hot, weekend.

A new ceiling fan was purchased and hung up, mortar/grout/adhesive/trim were all purchased in preparation for new kitchen countertops, and paint was purchased and applied to my living room walls (plus one in my dining room).
My sister Jacque offered her help, and between the two of us we had the room painted in about 4 hours (including lunch). Jacque is about to move into an apartment in downtown Fort Worth after graduating with her MBA, and she is planning on doing some painting there. She offered to help because she doesn't have a lot of experience painting.... you heard me right. She wanted to learn and practice. I don't think she realized the fun she was signing up for, but nonetheless, she really helped me out and I greatly appreciate it!


I am really liking the new "Greige" color on the walls ("Windsor Greige" from Sherwin Williams). It's actually the same color as in our kitchen, and it brightens the room up quite a bit. The green color was nice, but it was just so dark.
Initially, I didn't want a "beige" , but I thought it would be nice to tie in with the kitchen since it is all very open. Also, I just couldn't find another color that coordinated with my big green leather chair!!!! This "greige" color allows me to bring in colorful accents.



Here is the new and old colors next to each other. Although it doesn't look like it's much darker in this picture, the new greige color is so much lighter and brighter than the green!

I'll post more "after" pics soon.

Chris is feeling much much better, although his new blood pressure medication is not really agreeing with him. He is pretty much feeling all of the side-effects, poor guy. So, he has a call into his doctor to switch meds to something that doesn't make him feel so crummy. But, we had a nice weekend together, and he is back to normal.

Our trip to the Emergency Room

Yesterday my sweetie woke up with chest pains, some pins and needles in his hands, and feeling woozy. Obviously we rushed to the ER, and after they were done with us they sent us to a cardiologist. Luckily, everyone feels like it was nothing heart related, although the cardiologist is going to run more tests Monday. Hubby DID come home with a prescription for blood pressure medication, though.
After this, we are both looking forward to a relaxing weekend!
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Our weekend adventure

This past weekend we drove out to Wilson, TX (pop. 562) for our niece's 2nd birthday party and to spend some time with Chris' side of the family.

Wilson is just about 20 miles outside of Lubbock, and is a good 5 hour drive for us from Dallas/Fort Worth area. What a drive!

Unfortch, I did not take out my camera to take pictures along the way because in all the previous times I've tried, they..... well, they sucked. So, these pictures are not from me (as if you couldn't tell because they are actually pretty good!).

To give you a better description of the area to an outsider, which I am to this part of Texas, I found this account on another blog that I thought really summed it up well:

Yesterday began southeast of Lubbock with a nice sunrise to the left and dense fields of cotton to the right. Smell was the dominant sense, though, as I passed through a long dusty cloud emanating from a compost factory. Whew. That was followed by long sulfur-y miles, apparently due to the petroleum being produced at closely spaced pump jacks.

This is not to say that it stinks out there - it really doesn't. It's just that you'll get these "whiffs" from time to time. It's a dry and pretty flat terrain, with cap rocks and wide valleys. You can see for miles and miles.

Along the way, just as you pass out of Abilene, you will start seeing and come across the "wind farms". Giant windmills to harness wind energy for electricity. Did you know that Texas produces the most wind power of any state?? This picture below doesn't do justice to the sheer size of these things!

This is ONE blade being transported.

All in all, we had a great - albeit HOT - weekend. It was nice to get out of town and see his family, and I can brag that my cooing/moving baby-doll present was a hit with our niece!

Picture credits: Photos 1 & 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photos 5 & 8, Photos 6 & 7

A little Wednesday shopping

They are having a sale on ABS Essentials (a new line from Allan Schwartz) over at Ideeli today, and I picked up these 2 cute dresses for under $80, including shipping!


The first dress is cotton (lined), and kind of has a cute suzani-like pattern going on. It looks really breezy and comfortable, but still cute. $29.

This dress is so cute - I don't really have a "need" for a dress quite this formal/dressy, but it was too cute and too good of a deal to pass up - $39! Personally, I think this would also make a cute bridesmaid dress. But I'm sure I'll find a place to wear it, even if I have to throw a wrap over it in the winter!

If you're interested, the sale lasts until tomorrow - but get there soon for the best selection of what's available!!!
You can use this link here to join (for free): http://www.ideeli.com/invite/rachel_wiley






I will hopefully be posting some more about our weekend tonight. Don't worry, nothing amazing happened, it's just that I forgot my camera at home today!!! We did put up some shelving in the garage, and had a nice barbeque for my dad on Sunday. The dogs sunbathed (have some cute pictures!) and we tried to stay as cool as possible!!


**UPDATE: I am obviously going for the world record for number of times the word "cute" can be used to describe something!!! OMG.
I left it all up in my original text for your reading pleasure.