Hey Up There!

This is our new, custom built, workbench.  My 6 foot 3 husband and his 6 foot 3 father built it.

Now notice that step stool in the picture?  That is for those of us in the family that are not 6' 3''.

A Beautiful Sight

Do you know what this is?

This is a pool all covered up for the winter.  A pool that doesn't need to have its skimmer cleaned of leaves, frogs, dead mice, or dead snakes, five times a day.  A pool that will be much more appreciated after the long winter ahead (ick), but had just lost its luster once Labor day weekend passed.  (Speaking of Labor Day, I had a dream last night that I was wearing white pants after Labor Day and wondered if that was okay.  Funny thing, I don't even own white pants)

This, my friends, is a beautiful sight.

Monday...again.

I'm not going to lie, Mondays are not my favorite day of the week.  I won't go so far as to say I hate them, but I sure don't love them.  For some reason my Monday to do list is 5 miles long and full of must dos.  I also find myself missing the relaxing pace of the weekend and having my better half home to have fun with us.

But, when I look at the week ahead I realize I have a lot to look forward to, making Monday much more bearable.  This week alone our family has 3 birthdays to celebrate (Big Uncle Jack, Little Uncle Jack, and UnclePaul), we'll see my whole family tonight for dinner, I get to take Willa to music class and I'm determined to try 2 new classes at the Y.

Plus, I get to play with this little peanut every day.

Ah, I guess Monday's aren't so bad after all!

Whew!

The neighbor across the cul-de-sac has his mailbox flag up today. Now I won't have to go out to our mailbox 15 times before noon to see if my PEOPLE has arrived yet.  Huge time saver.

Image here

Dinner for One

As I've mentioned before, I find great value in spending a little time each day doing something creative.  Yesterday that was starting to sand a thrift store picture frame.  The day before it was starting to experiment with some felt flowers for a pillow.  The day before that it was starting the pillow covers.  Hmmm...I'm noticing a pattern here.  I guess Mr. T was right when he made his "no offense but you have a craft room full of unfinished projects" comment.  Don't worry honey, none taken.  Its true.

Anyway, many days my creative endeavors involve cooking, and I always finish those projects.  A girl has got to eat, especially THIS girl!  Some times cooking can feel like a chore, but as I've learned from my mom and Uncle Jack, whipping up a delicious meal is a lot more fun when you put your own little twist on a recipe.  And the best kind of cooking is when you pull something amazing together with what you've got on hand.  UJ is really good at that.  I, on the other hand, seem to only be able to do this with pasta, for now.

Here is a little something I whipped up last night when I was flying solo for dinner.

I used:
2 apple walnut chicken sausages
1/2 leftover white onion
1/2 leftover red onion
1 apple
some spaghettti
a little veggie stock
a chunk of gouda, cubed

It turned out to be way more than enough for one, so guess what I'm having for breakfast today?  I love leftovers for breakfast!

Hey Mr. Postman

I love getting the mail.  Watching the neighbors little red flags to see if they've gone down, finding the nearest pair of shoes to slip on so I can shuffle down the driveway,  (The nearest pair is often men's size 12 so there is a lot of shuffling) holding my breath while opening that little door, and BAM, a little present just for me...or the Mr...or the people that used to live here...or 'our neighbor at,' but you get the idea.  Sure, sometimes its just junk, but the thrill of not knowing what I'm going to find each day keeps me going back for more.

Fridays are the best because that is when my PEOPLE magazine arrives.  I can always count on that.  Except when I can't, because sometimes it mysteriously doesn't show up until Saturday or (gasp!) MONDAY.  That really throws my weekend off.

Yep, the mail is one of those little things that may not seem like a big deal, but brings just a little joy every Monday thru Saturday.

My Finds

The junk sale was hoppin' Saturday with lots of vendors selling lots of junk, but I made a beeline for the Shabby Mamas, where I knew I would find some great goodies.  And I wasn't feeling so hot, so the thrill of the hunt was just not in me. 


Here are few of my treasures from Carrie's pre-sale on Thursday and the junk sale on Saturday.  Some of them have already found their home in our home.  Yipee!

The piano bench is now a night stand in the guest room and the sled is hanging out in the garage until it is time to put out the Christmas decorations (73 days, but who's counting?).  The frames and bowl (?) have lots of potential.  Right now they're in the dining room with the pumpkins.

This little display is a work in progress.  It feels like something is missing. hmmm.

This fun little window doesn't have a home yet.  Shall I put it in Willa's bathroom or the guest room?  What to do, what to do?  

I'm going to save my very favorite find for another day because I want to have it in its home first and showcase it in all its glory.  Please don't hold your breath though because I haven't quite figured out how to make the best use of it, so it may be a little while. :)