I am So Excited!

Tomorrow is my Guest Post over at Domestic Deadline!  Her Summer Lovin' series is in full bloom.  Come on over and make a new friend!




On the home front, here are my color choices for the Living Room - Any thoughts?

So now you understand why...I am so excited!

My Happy List

My Happy list for this week is filled with love.....

I am happy that my son is such a good person.  This weekend he helped out at my husband's church by digging out holes for signs and then painting them!  Later that day I received a phone call thank me for raising a good boy.  How happy that makes me!

My sister makes me happy.  Even thought her life is not always easy, she manages to stop by and make me smile or laugh over the goofy sister stuff.  We really all need that outlet in our lives.  I'd like to think it works both ways.

My Sister & I on our Cruise to Cozumel...we had such a great time!

I am happy to be losing weight.  Yes, I know that this is an ongoing theme, but with the dietary changes I have made and with the support of the family - it has been easier this time and I am seeing slow and steady progress.

Hope you have a Happy week!

Emotion Kayaks

What a great name, right?  I heard this and instantly thought about all of the emotion kayaks in my life. We know what a kayak is, right?

• "a type of small boat, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position; to use a kayak, to travel or race in a kayak; to traverse a body of water by kayak."

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kayak"

So how can can we define an "emotion kayak"?  Well, here are a few that popped right into my head.

Menopause - That's certainly an emotional kayak that you hope gets upright easily.  Moving through the hot and cold temperatures in your body, dealing with the raging hormones and carrying yourself in a dignified manner though the whole process

Marriage - When the ups and downs of marriage are certainly an one.  The issues here are almost too many to list - money, kids, toothpaste spits in the sink (oops, did I mention that?) But they all have there own emotional paddling that needs to be done.

Children - From birth until you send them off to college and even until they have children of their own, there is a ton of emotion kayaks going on with them.  Watching them learn to walk and not running to catch them when they fall all the way to letting them actually drive a car....it never ends.

And who doesn't think of kayaking without thinking about furious paddling?  Often upstream, right?  Money issues, changing jobs, deciding to have children - all are decisions we make (or are forced to make) while furiously paddling upstream.

Life really is a series of  "emotion Kayaks".  Learning how to navigate with them is a worthwhile struggle.

P.S. Here is the inspiration.....  

Random Thoughts - June 2011

A few of the musings of my mind....

1) Why do all television shows have commercials at the same time?  This is why I use the DVR and watch movies...ugh!

2) I am really liking the way my Living Room makeover is going.  We still need to pick rugs, wall color and a few minor things...but you can really see it coming together.

3) Who know Willie Nelson had such a hot looking son?  Have you seen Lukas Nelson....wow!

4) What has happens to RSVP's?  Did all people in the universe forget this common courtesy?  I notice it on evites, on FB, and on regular mail invitations - No one seems to RSVP anymore - until you have to call them and ask.  Tough planning seating, meals and more.

5)  My lovely car is fixed.  Yes, the engine had to be replaced.  Yes, it cost way less than a new car.  Yes, it comes with a 100K warranty.  Yes, I am thankful that we knew a really good service location that is trustworthy and reliable.  Need a place for your car work and are anywhere near Central NJ?  Let me know and I'll hook you up!

6)  Looking forward to spending some days down the shore - and not weekends!  My reduced schedule does open up the opportunity and I plan to take advantage.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Tip Me Tuesday - Hallway Makeover

Reposting a great project for "Tip me Tuesday" - Hope you like it!

I have been working on several projects around the house when I noticed just how dingy our upstairs hallway looked. We had some pictures hung but it was haphazard. The paint looked dull and there were some repairs needed.

So first we took all of the pictures down and wiped down the walls.


Then we made the needed repairs, this involved wire netting, sheet rock repair tools and lots of plaster. It took about two days for this to dry. Then we were able to paint. Dear Hubby did a rocking job with the repairs and the painting.   We were then able to paint - we had to redo the ceiling (ultra ceiling white) and then for the walls we went with Eldorado Tan (it's a nice light tan moving towards creme). Neither picture does the color justice - sorry...I then spent about a week laying out the picture frames on the living room floor to come up with a good layout. I wanted a nice demarcation in the middle - and I hung the majority of the pictures above the line and just a few below. I like how it looks when you first come into our home.

I left myself some room to add more pictures, yet keep it looking clean. On the opposite wall, I rehung a beautiful stained glass mirror that we had purchased at a local auction. Above it I hung a stone/resin piece that states "Like branches of a tree our lives may grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one". I though this tied in beautifully to the family pictures and with the mirror.I am very happy with how this turned out. I think the whole hallway looks brighter and more cleaned lined. The repairs are seemless and the colors all work together great.


Best of all it was a simple project, especially using a template for laying out and hanging the pictures.

Date Night...in Paris

Last night, my handsome hubby and I went out on a date.  We still like to date as much as possible and with the budget woes, our dates have been less often than we would like.  But when I we decided that it was time for us, well we decided to go to the movies.

Then it was time to look up the local theater and see what was playing these days.  While you certainly hear about big movies (well, those aimed at my son for example) what do you really hear about some of the other movies listed?

Thor?  No, not ready for that big action movie for a date....
The Hangover or Bridesmaids?  Nah, they are movies for guys or gals to go to...but not together!
Super 8?  Probably too scary for me...
Kung Fu Panda or Judy Moody?  Too young.
X-Men?  Getting old.

So what's left on the list?  Midnight in Paris, the new Woody Allen directed movie.  Now, anything with Paris in the title excites me to begin with, for you see that's where we spent our honeymoon and I have such a yen to go back.

And, that's what this movies did for me.  The opening is just a homage to all that is the beauty of the City of Lights...all the lovely countryside, the museums, the feel of the city was perfectly captured.  I felt this movie was a love story about the city more that a love story for the characters.  Paris was the lover and Owen Wilson was smitten.

So was I...with my hubby, on a Date night...in Paris.

Linking Up - Five Question Friday

I am excited this week to link up to Five question Friday and I hope I do it justice!

1. How close to your childhood dreams is your life now?

I'd like to think that I am very close - I have a wonderful husband and my son is the moon and the stars.  I always thought I would be a teacher, but I am happy with my multiple hat life - Cookie Lee Jewelry, Home Stager and Project Manager extraordinaire.  Thanks to these multiple hats, I have met the women of DPE, Women's League, my hubby's church and so much more.

2. What is one must have item for the summer?

A place to relax in the sun.  Whether to read a book, blog or enjoy some quiet time - the sun makes it all happier.  Inside or out - I am not encouraging tanning, but do wear that sunblock if outside! 

3. Do you have your kids stay up on school stuff during summer vacation? (Or, if you don't have kiddos, did your parents make you keep up on school stuff during summer?)

I try to encourage my son to do some reading over the summer, but now that he is in college, I have tried to get him to take a class or two to get ahead.  (However this summer - did not work.)  

4. Do you can or freeze fresh produce?

I will on occasion pick vegetable or fresh fruit and freeze the extra, but it's not a common practice for us. 

5. Do you get ready for the day first thing in the morning?

This answer depends on the day.  I do sleep poorly these days, so if I wake up before 6:00am, I putter in the robe until time for a shower to get to one of my various jobs.  I have been known on some mornings to not "get ready" until 10 ish....(ugh sounds bad, but I am doing things, just in my robe!)

Well, thanks for listening and please go visit Five Question Friday and consider joining up!  Have a great day everyone.

New Living Room Peek

Well, the Living Room redo is moving forward and I just wanted to share some of the pieces. We still need to paint, change the carpet, change the art, and think about furniture placement and more.

But I love my new sofa, and the new chairs will look even better when the room is repainted. The lamp behind the sofa I found at Home Goods for just $20....really fits the mid century modern idea of the room.

You can't really see it very well, but there is a really cute Monkey pillow that has a touch of animal print just for some fun.  Best part, I found it at a thrift shop for just $2.00!

So far I have done everything in cash, keeping to my promise to not buy on credit.  The lower cost finds are a plus to the overall budget.  And by donating our old sofa to my DH's church annual yard sale we were able to pay it forward as well.

Stay tuned for more updates over the summer!  Thoughts?

We Want to Know Wednesday - Linkup!

I am participating this week in "We want to know Wednesday" hosted by Janette, Shawn, Mamarazzi and Impulsive Addict and I hope everyone links up and enjoys!

{1} If the blogging world had a talent show, what would your act be?
I would be the funny (at least I think so), snarky lady in the corner.  I would be the one who made the side comments that had my girlfriend next to me laughing so hard she would pee herself.  Yeah, that's me.
{2} What's the most likely reason you might become famous?
Now, I always think in negative terms and from what I am reading these days, you are how you think...and well, that's not how I want to be remembered.  So, let's go with something good like finding a successful niche in the Home Staging world.  Or raising a great son....yeah, that's better.
 
{3} What question are you repeatedly asked that you are tired of hearing?
Why can't you go in the same car?  Well, you see, I have IBS and that causes anxiety issues and I don't really like to drive with ANYONE it's not you, really.  I'll meet you there. Okay....thanks.

{4} What's the last thing you broke?
A necklace.  I was redoing my Cookie Lee Jewelry display and I went to try on a necklace and it got stuck in the display case.  Lucky for me they have a full replacement policy, so in this case my klutzy way did not hurt too much.  Last year at this time, I was recovering from my torn MCL due to my klutzy ways!


{5} Finish this sentence. I can't believe I used to ________. have thighs that made Heidi Klum blush?   


Hope you have a great day, Now I am off to visit everyone else!