Goings Ons

Friends
A few weeks ago Jeff, Abbey, and Reed went to the beach with their friend, Bill. (Well, I guess we are all friends, but he was their friend first.) Like the good friend that I am I agreed to make sure their mail was collected, their flowers watered, their house remained standing, the fish didn't die (although one did...I think it drowned!), and even that the grass was mowed. Also like the good friend that I am, I told them to make sure to bring me back a present.

I think it speaks for its self....

Nothing says friendship like an air brush t-shirt!

House Update
If you have been keeping track, you know that I am supposed to close on my house tomorrow. Well, that is not going to happen. The closing has been moved until mid July. It has to due with the fact that I am applying for a FHA loan and there is a clause that states that the house has to be owned for a minimum of 90 days by the current owner. That will be the beginning of July, but my mortgage broker says that since all the paper work is already ready, I can close in 10 to 12 days.

So I'll be putting aside all my paint swatches, leather samples, and even the sample bedding aside for a while.

Apartment Life
Since I'll be staying a while, I decided to clean up today. One of my goals was to vacuum, which never did happen, but I did collect all these in preparation to do so.

I am my grandmother's granddaughter!!!

Make sure to check back over the weekend. I have agreed to participate in a challenge over the next two and half months...as part of it I will be blogging about it...I'll share the details on Saturday.

Disturbing Prodcuts

Tonight I was looking for some euro shams online during which I ran across the "Hug Me Pillow".

Which lead me to the "Desktop Butt Station Assistant Organizer".

And finally the "Ex 5 Piece Knife Set with Unique Holder".

I have no words.

Blogging Excuses

There are many I could make for my lack of blogging, but the truth is I have been a tad preoccupied with the upcoming closing on my first house. I have been planning, measuring, window shopping (both in person and online), and making a few purchases. Tonight I went to Lowe's were I grabbed lots of paint color cards. I have lists and sketches. I am such a visual person I keep going back and measuring walls and furniture...I even laid painters tap all over one room to see if my plans would actually work. I am sure I will get back to normal...it may take a while though!

My First Painting

I took a painting class on Friday night and then again on Saturday. I'll be honest and admit, I had no idea what to expect. It was an abstract painting class that used various mediums- paint, fabric, paper, and gloss. I'll spare you all the details and just share the final product!

This is an 18 x 20 Artist's Panel. It is canvas on top of a wooden surface. Apparently the gloss can make a typical canvas sag. I actually haven't glossed my painting yet. The class got back together on Tuesday for glossing, but I had to work. I actually am not sure if I will gloss because it requires a blow torch and mine is broken! ;)

You can see a little bit of the fabric that was layered in on Friday night. I think there are about four or five layers of paint over the fabric, but the texture is pretty neat.

You can see the fabric again here as well as some "stamping" that I did with some light brown paint.

The step before glossing was called drizzling. You drizzled paint on the canvas to highlight the edges of the design at to add some additional texture. It was frustrating because "mess ups" just had to be left alone.

Return of the Rain and Decorating Plans

I woke up during the night to more rain. It rained this morning when Abbey and I were supposed to be running. Then it stopped, but there were tornado warnings all afternoon. It is now thundering and lightening...I also think I hear rain, yet again.

Enough about the weather though! I thought I would share a couple of my idea for decorating my new house. I pointed out in yesterday's post that every wall is yellow. At this time I feel pretty certain the living room and guest room will remain yellow. The master bedroom will definitely change. I am still trying to decide about the office, bonus room, and kitchen/dining area. I want to paint my bedroom to go with the new bedding that I have picked out....well, at least I think I have picked this out.

Abbey thinks I should paint the walls green, but I am a little nervous as I have not actually seen the bedding in person. I have this "fear" that it may be a little more lime green than it appears online. I am going to order a sham in the next week to see if I really do like and if I want to paint the walls green or brown.

I really want to incorporate some red/burgundy in the living room, so I have picked out this rug for the floor that brings in some burgundy.

I am actually taking a painting class this weekend and hoping that the piece I finish tomorrow will go over the fireplace or some where in the living room. It's an abstract piece that will have pink, burgundy, green, yellow, and blue in it. At least that is my vision. I'll have to post pictures tomorrow. (If you don't see any posts this weekend, know that I am taking my computer in to the Mac store tomorrow. I have this funny feeling they may keep it a day or two...Since I work Sunday through Tuesday, it may be Wednesday before I can go pick it up.)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunshine!!!

After a week of rain, the sun finally made an appearance today!!! Abbey, Reed, and I took advantage of the beautiful day by taking a nice walk this afternoon. (Abbey and I working out regularly...alternating running and walking. She has decided that she would like to run a half marathon next year for her 30th birthday. Like a good friend, I am encouraging her, training with her, and will run the half marathon as well. Since her birthday was just last week, we have a whole year.) After our walk, we hung out on the deck until Jeff got home for work. I am sure there will be some pictures on their blog later today because I sure took some cute ones! When I left their house I took a drive by my new house to take a few pictures...or 80!!!

I am going to show some of my favorite things about the house.

The grass had been cut earlier in the afternoon, but I think the house has great curb appeal even when the grass is too tall. And with all the rain we have had, it was quite tall!!!


There is already landscaping in the front and back. I'll probably do a few things next spring, but at least there is a start.


I had already decided that one thing that was going to be a non-negotiable for me was a fireplace. This is a gas fireplace with a remote control start. There is wiring for a flat screen to be mounted above the fireplace, but for now this will just be living room and the tv will be upstairs in the bonus room.




One of the first thing I noticed in the master bedroom was the tray ceiling and the fan.


Then there is the master bath with the separate tub and shower.


Honestly the double vanity doesn't do much for me, but I figure it will be an advantage for resale value.


But the walk in closet...Definitely a plus for a girl with lots of clothes and shoes! :)


This little window connects the kitchen to the living room.


Oh how I LOVE the chandelier in the dining area!!! (For those of you who are wondering, I am serious. I don't think it would be something I would pick out, but it's very fun!)


The kitchen may be my absolute favorite part of the house. The hardwood floors extend throughout the kitchen. The appliances are very nice with a five burner stove and a bottom mount fridge.


The sink is and undermount with one side being larger than the other.





The granite is called blue eyed granite and the specks of blue don't even begin to photograph well.


The stair that lead to the bonus room are oak...I am so excited about not having to vacuum those!


There is also a good sized deck off the living area. The deck is even equipped with a gas hook up for a grill.


The view from the deck...where the property ends there is "green way" so there won't ever be a houses built there.

Thanks for coming along on my little tour of my future home. I am set to close on May 29th or 30th. Make sure you come back in the next few days because I will be sharing some of my decorating ideas. You might have noticed that every wall (including the garage) is painted yellow. I will leave some of the rooms yellow...mainly those with incredibly tall ceilings. I will definitely be painting the master bedroom though.

The following pictures are for my dad and his "daddy doo" list that I am working on for when he and my mom come in June!

Tough Week, Good God

Last week my family received some very upsetting news. My sister in law, Alisa, who is pregnant found out she has cervical cancer. Needless to say, it has taken us all by surprise. Today, she and my brother met with an oncologist to determine the best plan of treatment in this situation. It does not appear to be invasive so she will continue to see the oncologist throughout the pregnancy and treatment will begin after my niece/nephew is born.

While this news has been difficult to learn, as a family we are thankful. Thankful that the cancer has been diagnosed and caught rather early...there is no telling when it would have been discovered if Alisa was not pregnant.

I would appreciate each of you joining me in praying for Roger and Alisa:

• That Alisa would be healed
  
• That both Alisa and the baby will be healthy
• That Roger and Alisa will enjoy the pregnancy
• Wisdom for everyone involved- Roger, Alisa, doctors, etc.
  

Looking Up

I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121