It's amazing...

No, this isn't our finished office...
Actually, it isn't finished yet (it's getting better, though).
But! I think we have found a color! "Calke Green" from Farrow and Ball. Well, more accurately, a colormatch of "Calke Green" from another paint manufacturer because, you know, I just can't justify spending that much on paint right now.

Really, I just wanted to touch base here.

It's amazing how quickly two short weeks and a long holiday weekend have gone and how busy I've been.

It's amazing how many empty boxes and old junk paper we've cleared out of the office.

It's amazing how much we still have left to go in there.

It's amazing how soft THIS is! It makes the best dog beds (more on this to come). Soft and cushy like down, but more supportive. And it feels soft and silky-smooth like buttah, baby.

It's amazing that it's finally football season again! Yay!!

It's amazing how how irritated I get whenever I hear more about this story. Just move it.

It's amazing that we're going to New Orleans for Halloween. Sooo excited!

It's amazing how good my pillow shams for our bedroom turned out (pictures coming soon)! They make me a little proud and happy whenever I make our bed in the mornings.

It's amazing how many magazines I have. I'm slowly working through them, but of course, the Dominos and the Cottage Livings are all "keeps".

It's amazing how looking at paint for one room of your house makes you want to repaint other rooms. Right now I'm thinking a Churlish Green wasabi-like color for our guest bath...

It's amazing that it's the weekend (almost) again! Hope you have a good one!!

TGIF!

Sitting at home on a day off, trying to decide between staying at home and cleaning the house (which really needs it) or going out and doing a little shopping. I know, hard choice, huh?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

This was Texas, y'all

Last Tuesday it was my birthday (woo), so I took a couple days off from work and everything to veg and ostensibly get some things done around the house (which, surprise!...didn't happen). I was lazy, and it was nice.


Once I went back to work, I had some catching up to do, and then THIS all hit. 12.5-inches of snow in one day! In TEXAS! Fun fact: they don't carry snow shovels in the stores here. Oh, and snow plows? Nope. We have sand-trucks.

What was sad to see was all the beautiful large live oak trees breaking under the weight of the snow. Live oaks are evergreen, so the leaves allowed more snow to accumulate on them. We had so many towering trees splintering and bowing over, which then led to massive power outages and road blockages.

But, the snow was so pretty, and such an unusual sight here!!! It took about 3 days for it to really melt off. In fact, if you look, there are still a few very very small patches here and there that still haven't melted!

So, what to do when you're stuck at home with sometimes flickering power and a foot of snow on the ground?

And so now I'm playing catch-up again at work...

Still alive....

Promise to have a real post up soon!

Sick Day

I was out sick yesterday (boo!), and so I am playing catch up today at work.

I promise to be back with fun posts as soon as I can! I have a great white chili recipe to share, and somebody (me) recovered a lampshade with black fabric!

Gremlins!!

It was bath-time at the house last night.

From top to bottom: JJ, Charlie, Murphy, and Riley. Rascal got an exemption... until this weekend.

Dumpsville, USA

I normally try not to use this space as a venting ground, where I just take all my frustrations out on the world, but I'm going to make a little selfish exception today because I could use any good cheer that's sent my way. I'm kind of down in the dumps.

You know when you see something (like, say, a plaid piece of fabric used as a blanket?) that you really like, but try as you might, you can't find a stylish and affordable way to recreate it?? And, because you obsess, all you can think about is how much you wish you could just afford to go out and buy the object of your obsession?? (Did you know that plaid flannel sheets are a dying breed?? They are almost impossible to find.)

Does anybody else have pets (more specifically dogs) that do not like to go out when it's wet??? Cleaning up after your pets every single day, usually in a few places, is not fun.

And how frustrating that they need baths, but since it's supposed to be raining for the next couple of days it's useless to attempt to bathe them because they'll just go out and get all muddy!?!?! Of course, there's always the one that won't even go out on the back COVERED porch because it's wet outside...

There are like 4 bushes I'd like to transplant. But it was too hot, and now it's been too wet. Pretty soon it'll be too cold, and then I'll get frustrated because I can't finish what I'd like to get done out in the garden!

Does anyone else find it almost impossible to cram in errands and chores into the 4 or 5 hours you have after work and before bed?? Is it me, or does it seem like you come home, change and go run errands, and next thing you know it's 9:00 PM??? And you haven't even eaten dinner??

Which brings me to my next point: do you have these big chores that you just keep putting off because you know they will take a long time?? Does that depress you too, that you can't seem to find or make the time to tackle them?

Does anyone else's husband inadvertantly sabotage your drive to get things done on the weekend because they just want to "relax and watch TV"??? Relaxing and watching TV is all good and fine, but when Monday comes around and there's a bunch of things I didn't get done on the weekend that I really should have gotten done (like clean the office, clean the house), it just starts to pile up and bother me. Which then goes back to the fact that I am finding it impossible to accomplish much in the 4 to 5 hours after work.

Is anyone else out there feeling really fat? Just me?? How about dowdy?


Okay, okay, okay.... It's just hard to always be so damned perky all the time! ;-)
In all reality, I'm just having one of those days. You know, the days when you realize that you're not Martha Stewart, your house isn't perfect, you're kind of lazy, and you don't have all the money in the world?? Yeah, one of those days.

Tonight, though, I swear, I'm going to get the medicine cabinet all organized and put up. And that will make me feel a little better, one thing I can check off my list.

Go Go TCU!

Yes, I am a fighting Horned Frog! Probably one of the worst/weirdest mascots ever, but whatever... TCU is a great school. At least we're not the Ducks.

This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing my #11 TCU Horned Frogs cream the SMU Mustangs! Since TCU is in Fort Worth and SMU is in Dallas, we've got some cross town rivalry action going on which makes it fun (especially because I know we're going to win!) I'm going to go to the game with my sister and a couple friends, so it should be fun. Just hoping to not get rained on!

Oh, and for those of you still asking what exactly a Horned Frog is? It's a small lizard/reptile that's native to Texas (and probably other areas in the Southwest). It's about the size of your palm. Sometimes they're also called a Horny Frog or a Horny Toad. We don't really see a lot of them anymore, which is kind of sad, but I remember seeing them all the time when we lived in Abilene TX over 20 years ago (shut-up).

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Go TCU!!

Breather

I think I am finally kind of catching up. After last week furiously trying to get the guest bedroom finished, the entire house cleaned, and everything ready for guests to come in and stay - as well as get prepped to host a party Saturday night to watch the Texas Tech/Texas game - I think I'm finally catching my breath.

I had a wonderful time with my friends this weekend! The only spoilers?? Tech losing and my Cowboys (more specifically Tony Romo) delivering a less than stellar performance on their first regular season game at the new stadium. 4 turnovers?? Really?? Ugh.

I'm going to be trying to catch up with everyone soon. Our network at work has really been spotty and gone up and down this week. So frustrating! And at home I've had some errands and small things to do that have eaten up my nights. I'm sorry I haven't been around as much, but later tonight (after going over to my sister's for dinner) I'm looking forward to cozying up with the 5 dogs and my netbook and surfing around! Oh, and there may be some wine involved, too.

*I'm not sure where I got that picture of the boat dock, or even what lake it is, but wouldn't it be so nice to be there right now???

...to be better organized

I don't understand how some people do it. I just don't.
How can some of my fave bloggers work full-time, manage a couple blogs (I'm talking about you Ami and Bekah), keep them all up to date with the blog rolls and new designs, etc., and still find free time to do other stuff - like clean the house, give the dogs a bath, fold and put up laundry.... you know, all the boring things that I've been neglecting over the past week!

I am *kinda* done at my client's house. We still need to hang the curtains - which is a BIG part of the room, hence no "after" pics yet- but other than that, we have everything else arranged! It feels so good to have gone through this process and come out the other end with a sucess on our hands. Her budget was tiny - around $1000 to $1500 total - so we didn' t do the dream makeover you see in magazines, but I will say that I think it looks great! Big change from where she was before. And most importantly? She likes it.

So, now, from here, I am working on my sister's new appartment. So far we have walls painted and things moved in. This will be a much slower paced project as she's going to be buying things along the way instead of all at once. That's great because you can really take your time looking around. But it's bad because depending on how slow you take, by the time you're "done", you'll be ready to start over! Anyways, most importantly for her is a console table piece that we're going to use for her little bar. I'm so excited about her place - it's really going to be a fun and cool bachelorette pad!!

On top of that, I've been slowly pulling my own house together. And trying to get better at sewing, as well as come up with some creative ideas for a side business.

So I fear that my blogging has suffered. Last week I literally didn't have the mental brain power (or much free time, to be honest) to really come up with anything that I thought was interesting for EAD Living, and I so wanted to contribute. But the juices were dried up. With Chris out of town this week, I don't know how to gain access to our wedding photos which are stored on an external harddrive. Yes, he's shown me before, but I am a total novice with computers (I only look semi-smart on this blog). So a wedding recap being finished is out of the question for this week. Which also brings up my point that I've been thinking of updating the look of my own blog.... but how to incorporate the things I'd like?? And exactly what IS IT that I like, anyways???
There are so many beautiful and fun blogs out there that the writers put so much work into, and I just wonder sometimes how it is that they get it all done. Do they watch TV at all? Eat? Sleep? Go outside? I'd love for my blog to be that awesome, but I fear that sometimes my brain is simply empty of any unique or interesting ideas. Rather than just throwing stuff up that I feel like anyone could know ("Duh"), I would like to post on some interesting topics - or at least on something that's unique to me.

At least with the closing of this project, things will be slowing down for me. I'll have time to clean house tonight. I'm sure I'll only get part of it done, but at least the fur-bunnies will stop chasing me as I walk down the hall!

Any ideas from out there? How do all you super-women do it?

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!!

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.

To-do list:

1. Bathe and trim the dogs.

2. Spray paint the tops of my Ikea cannisters (currently silver) to an antiqued bronze-y black, like these from Pier 1.





3. Spray my new seagrass rug with Thompson's Water Seal. Yep. Maybe the little "accidents" that seem to frequently happen where this rug will be (which is close to the back door) won't be able to soak in now. That is a good thing (cuz' there's another 2 that aren't in this pic!).

4. Make a mini-blind roman shade. I found some fabric I like to use, and these directions from the Little Green Notebook make it sound fairly easy! I love roman shades, and I've been wanting one to go over my window in our kitchen forever. Couldn't quite find one that I liked and that we could afford. Enter a $19 sale window panel and these directions and *PRESTO*!!

Plus, all the usual still-trying-to-get-the-office-organized, fold up laundry, do something about our mail system, clean house, do dishes.... fun stuff.

Is there anything big on your to-do list??

A Make-under

If you haven't read her blog, or don't know what a "makeunder" is, you should go check out Jess' post over at Kelly+Olive today. Great idea for how to live your life.... or at least motivation to clean out that closet!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Only, can I have mine without salt, please?

Have you ever had one of those weeks?

You know, where you just feel like poo? And you're not sure where to start at to "fix" it?
I've been staring down a stack of unfinished Thank You notes. Yep, from my wedding. Almost 2 months ago. I've also become dissatisfied with a couple things around the house, namely the disorganized office, the stacks and stacks of old mail that needs to be sorted and filed, and the cheap and ugly bamboo shade I bought for the kitchen. Stupid, I know. But I needed something over the window to help block some of the drafts. We can't really afford a new window right now, so I thought this would help. Whether it does or not is up for debate. But I've come to really dislike it, and it really bothers me.
With Chris gone to Canada for business, and no wedding stuff to plan or think about, I'm finding my mind racing and my thoughts going all over the place! All of a sudden, the things that never really bothered me before are entering my thoughts. It's like, with nothing big or major to focus my attention on, I'm focusing it all over the place!
Well, I've come to the conclusion that I'm no Martha Stewart. I'm not some superwoman who can go about chores happily all the time. In fact, sometimes I'm downright lazy!!
So, I've decided to just try and take it one small step at a time. So I don't tackle the mounds of mail all at once tonight. I can catch up on laundry and Thank You notes (which really should be my first priority). So I don't go out and find some fabric and sew a new window shade for the kitchen. I'm not really sure what kind I really want anyways.
With work becoming busy again (hooray!), it's hard to cram everything that I'd like to accomplish into the evenings - from catching up on everyone's blog, to Thank You notes (yes, I've been putting them off).

Ugh. So please excuse this little mess of a post! I actually was going to post about the piles of mail and maybe do a before and after (you know, talking about organization and all that)... but the camera's batteries were dead. So it will wait for another evening. And maybe I'll finish those Thank You notes instead!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Sorry, I've been MIA. Just before Christmas, Chris' grandmother went into the hospital, so we've been tied up there, along with all the usual holiday fun. She is doing much better now, but is still in the hospital, at least for a couple more weeks.

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday, and that Santa was good to you this year!
More to come soon!