3/25/11 Friday Facts

- I'll start with decorating opinions/ideas needed as I've been mulling this over this week. I told you I gave DD the old couches in the study and so I put the old red recliners in there (I was shocked how closely the reds I picked separately matched...good thing I like certain colors...looks like I bought them for the room). Anyway, I think it will work OK, but need some thoughts/ideas. This room is my brightest...apple green, and I have a garden theme going with some botanical fabrics, prints, and garden antiques...good room to read/write in (it was an office and then the kids playroom before we finished those rooms/basement).
I need to move/recenter the old quilt on the wall (I love this quilt from DH's great-grandma...it reminds me that everyone makes mistakes...see if you can find them...there are two).I thought I'd just buy another garden plant stand to put the second lamp on. Yes, I told you I like funky lamps...I made these out of ugly foam urns I painted, filled with concrete and topped with moss (that I see I need to replace as it's faded over the years, and copper lamp tubing/parts).
Moved my father-in-laws old toy box (that I painted/was using for a coffee table in here) over to the wall where one couch was, and I'm thinking about just making a foam pad for extra seating with the extra red curtain fabric laying there?...The botanical pillows I made for the couches (that match the valances I made) could work along the back, maybe? Or maybe they're too low/small?

Yeah, it wouldn't be our house if every wall wasn't filled with furniture LOL...we're no minimalists.

I think I'll move the dresser (has all our extra photos in it) up to DD's empty room (DH brought a second one of these old maple dressers home from his parents...guess I'll have to paint/antique that one too now)...so what do I put between the windows here (I want to keep DH's childhood butterfly collection here). Any crazy ideas with a garden theme...anyone live on a farm?

- What else this week?...Erradicated the pink eye and then DS2 was home with just a fever Monday.
- First day of Spring! So, of course it snowed today, and we had tornados near Pittsburgh yesterday (amazing that no one was hurt).

- I haven't had a 'real' job in 15 years (and three houses and one apartment in between) ago and I just recycle binned/trashed two (large, sideload) file drawers full of the files I'd kept from my work life...I can't believe it's been that long. Spring cleaning...I felt lighter.

- We were down at DD's apartment on Sunday to do some more 'handy-person' jobs. Mine (all I had to do was spackle the holes in her wall from someone pulling off a curtain tie-back hook...the day after we installed them) are about done (I took down the duvet that I'd altered and she sent me home with a curtain that needs to be hemmed up LOL). Long list for Dad and new BF though (we love this guy, so helpful). She has at least 15' of closet rod space and needless to say the clothes didn't all fit...they were covering the sofa in her room. She told me that was my big job...to help her purge...so we did. We came home with the biggest black trash bag they make full of DD's clothing for charity (and 3 boxes of 'stuff' she didn't want). NSV for me...I pulled out about 5 tops that I like and they fit...or maybe that's not an NSV as she has bigger boobs than I do now.

*Portion of Blog Deleted for Book

- My 'Martha Moment' this week. My new wall saying finally arrived and I put it up! If you remember, my friend Diane sent me my favorite Dr. Suess saying for inspiration, so now I have them on both sides of the hall upstairs with the B&W family pics I put up. It took me awhile to figure out who/what I wanted my other inspiration to be...Walt, of course!

3/16/11 Re-evaluating Goal

*Post Deleted For Lap Band Book

3/14/11 WORD!

No more 'word verification' here for comments (thanks Joey for the heads up)...or at least I think I figured out how to turn it off (I'm sure you'll let me know if it's still on). As one sis told me this weekend 'I love you, but you're tech-challenged...You are SO right brained!' Let the celebrations begin ;-) ...and I expect 10x more comments now LOL.

It's a grumpy Monday morning here. 'Spring Ahead' (Daylight Savings Time) has gotten me again (I miss that extra hour for at least a week)...or perhaps it was the lovely early wake-up call I got this morning...

*Light flips on and a perfectly wonderful dream (that I can't remember, so maybe it was a nightmare) is over* 'Mom! Mom! ...MOM! ...Does this look like pink-eye?!!' *After peeling my head out from under my pillow...a bathroom break (and of course a weigh in)...and two cups of coffee later* 'Yep, it's pink-eye...you're home today.'

You're scratching your eye right now, aren't you? ...me too.

...Anyone know if kittens can get pink-eye?

*More...coffee...needed...*

I'm off to call the Doc...

3/8/11 The Boys Are Back In Town!

My baby-boy (DS1) came home from college for Spring Break on Friday (and his baby-boy kitten 'Beau' came too)! So nice to have him home for awhile...college is too far away and he doesn't get home often enough.

We were wondering what would happen when the two brothers (kittens, not my boys) were reunited. The Vet and their staff kept telling us that they would know each other, but we weren't sure. They were hysterical...the first half hour was spent tentatively sniffing, touching, and looking at each other as they shyly hid behind things. Then, it was suddenly like old times...they started the 'chase' and 'hide and seek' with first one being 'it', then the other one. In between there was the usual tussle where a ball of happy kittens rolled by...DS2 was worried they were tussling too much, but we reassured him this was all in play and exactly what they'd done before. Having had cats before, we certainly know what a cat fight looks like...growling, hissing, claws swiping, hair flying...it ain't pretty...there's a reason they call girls pulling hair and fighting a cat fight. The only problem was they kept us awake listening to their feet running all over the house and up and down the stairs that first night...it was kittenpalooza! They look even more alike now as Beau has grown into his long hair and the hair is shorter around his face. They went to the Vet yesterday and Tuck is still bigger...he weighs a full pound more than his brother.

DS2 is so excited to have DS1 home. I was pleased to see the first night that they'd pulled out the trundle in DS1's room and had stayed up late playing video games together (being 5 years younger he loves any attention from the older ones). DS2 went downtown with some friends on Saturday and they stayed overnight at DD's new apartment and had a great time. We're having a very busy week here and DD is coming to stay overnight tonight, so we'll have everyone home!

Hope your week is just as sunny!

3/2/11 Exercise Trainer

No, not for me...for the kitten...glad someone has been getting some aerobic exercise today (personally, I've been strength training, packing and moving bins and boxes in the basement again...uggh).

DS2 has been training his kitten. He'll already 'sit' on command and he's working on 'lay down' now. He's also been working on his jumping skills...like a cat needs help with jumping (I'm working on the 'Get down off the mantle!' command).

Thought you might enjoy some kitty pics to cheer you up...just because it's Wednesday... DD helping with the training...
Me thinks Tucker is part flying squirrel...
And here's one of my favorites...
Nope, not there...
There!
...and here's how Tucker spends 16 hours a day and is earning his name.