words of wisdoms

via renmeleon

and i love this one too:

Some people think that it's holding on that makes one strong. In reality, it's letting go. (via metrodad)

and my own words of wisdom:

don't eat a dove chocolate ice cream bar while doing laundry. (piece of chocolate fell off, hopefully not in the dryer)

on my mind thursday + some answers

via runardo

1. ok this image has nothing to do with today's post but its neat and beautiful. {click on the via______ above to see more}

2. this blog is under construction. trying to update and add new things. make it look purdy.

3. big HELLO'S and welcomes to:

amanda from those crazy robinson's. thanks for all the comments. check out how cute she and her husband are!

and to zaki from dance floor nightmare. looks like he just started his blog about techno/trance/dance music. me likey to dance much to everyone else's amusement. {think elaine from seinfield meets carlton from fresh prince of bel-air. for you young ones go to youtube.}

and to soccer fanatic from football fanatic (copied from the blog): For all football fanatics especially LIVERPOOL FC fans and to those who adores STEVEN GERRARD. i might have to start becoming a fan of steven gerrard. what a hottie!

4. jocelyn- i love the wii fit! i stopped when we were moving and just started up again yesterday. i felt it in my legs this morning and you do not feel like your working out at all but you end up sweating. the more you keep going, the harder the workouts can become.

5. mike is taking the next 10 days off. we're thinking of heading over to cedar point for a few days next week. definitely need a get away.

6. yeah! my friend is FINALLY coming home from scotland tomorrow.

7. craved a big mac so i went and ate one for lunch today. each and every time, i find them disgusting afterwards. must be why i don't eat them often.

8. craving arizona sweet tea with ice. has to have ice.

9. still haven't found a great chocolatini recipe yet.

10. still looking forward to seeing depeche mode. a week from tomorrow!

monday/tuesday

1. monday took wendy and payton to shipshewana to show them amish country. saw lots of overpriced antiques, crafty things and horse poo.

2. got introduced to chocolate gummy bears by wendy and payton which we can no longer be friends because of it. see #3.

3. i ate gummy bears with my chocolate covered macadamia nuts last night till i felt sick + gained 10 pounds in the process.

4. tried to play bartender monday night. sadly for me, my chocolatini's did not turn out like the one above nor did it taste anything close to chocolate no matter what we put in it. even used godiva chocolate liquor.

5. finally got to see confessions of a shopaholic. cute movie, seemed to have missed some of the story line. see #4.

6. took wendy to heart's desire early tuesday. found a thing or two for my swap partner and a big (&) sign. going to paint it a different color and will post it soon.

7. my guests left after lunch tuesday to head to the beach and finish out their vacation.

8. i did absolutely nothing after they left. seriously. read a book and finished it. making up for it today. {cleaning, laundry, dinner making etc...}

9. had a great time with wendy and payton- hope they come back soon!

10. finally got the wii out this morning and worked out for 30 minutes. feeling really good right now.

on my mind monday

via jennys bake shop

1. love this print and it totally belongs in my kitchen! even though i'm showing the blue, i'm thinking the green would look best.

2. my friend wendy from college and her daughter are here. we just hung out yesterday catching up, reminiscing, watched tales of desperaux and ate dinner at mad anthonys.

3. my mind is turning- needing some vegetarian foods. don't know what to make for my guests when my own fam is all about meat + potatoes.

4. hate that i cant find anything to wear without looking like an albino moo moo cow.

5. hate that i cant find that motivation needed to start exercising even though i have motivation {20 year reunion next year}

6. ham shared with me last night that him + his group of friends played tag. {i usually get a "nothing" when asked what he's been up too}

7. found out ham is a playa! he went to the fair and girls were asking his buddies what his name was. they didn't believe them when they told him it was ham.

8. found out that while ham is a playa! he's a very picky playa! and wont like/date or be interested in just anybody.

9. ham is going to chicago with us. while mike and i are at the concert, he will be hanging out with his uncle {on his dad's side} though i'm a little worried. his uncle is a big time playa!

10. sad that i was singing hanana montana while sleeping/dreaming

craving...

as i'm awaiting arrival of my sweet, college friend and her daughter, i'm so wanting to go to ikea to do some shopping!

blog +etsy love

found volume 25's etsy shop + blog last. and i am in love! i'm trying decide which prints to get and where they would go. a few would go in the half bath thats right by the garage door for inspiration to those that comes in to use it. {its mostly used by company}

this week

via young house love

1. this morning i saw this kitchen and while i like it, i love the bookcase turned buffet stand. i have plenty of empty spaces for something like this in my own kitchen/eatery area.

2. tuesday kaylee had her first dentist appointment. it was last minute and she did GREAT!

3. wednesday just when mike and i thought kaylee would never be one of those "smart" girls she surprised us by saying the numbers on her flashcards. still don't know if she knows 0-20 but its a start.

4. thursday kaylee went to her cousin's birthday party and i got to leave! went to heart's desire and bought a bench for my front entry. need to repaint it black to make it a little less country. pics to come later.

5. saturday my in-laws are coming over to hangout and for some of my famous pot roast.

6. sunday my wonderful friend from college is coming to stay with us for a few days with her daughter. whoo-hoo! can't believe the time has come already.

7. last night i finally saw a commercial for 500 days of summer. still waiting for it to be in a theatre near me.

8. last night started to cat sit for my friend who is still in scotland. told her she might have 3 cats when she returns. hope she doesn't think i was kidding.

9. this weekend going to get stuff around for a garage sale for next weekend.

10. yesterday took a video of kaylee singing hanana montana. will be posting it soon.

blog love +shopping

love this quilt found via sundance catalog. available only in a queen size now.

love this cute idea from ohdeedoh via pixels plus paper. hope they stock up before kaylee's first lost tooth.

ever since i was a little girl, i loved calligraphy. what talent by love, jenna

still loving dogeared jewelry.

having a hard time choosing just one.

on my mind wednesday

1. debating on painting my bathroom cabinets. cant make up my mind on what color. the knobs will be changed depending on the color of the cabinets. any suggestions?

2. i'm bored and in need of some retail therapy. i really need a king size comforter but can't seem to find one that i really really really love. plus, not sure what color to go with either. i like white but mike's stinky and dirty.

3. butthead #2 is currently $400+ short on his payments which means it comes out of our pockets. long story short- if we don't pay, it goes against mike's credit. {yeah, brilliant move on mike's part}

4. butthead #1 will be getting her money. 2 grand. i can't seem to come up with any proof that the 3rd party chump who got this whole mess started is lying.

5. with money coming out of our wazoos because of butthead #1 +2 means that i probably wont be able to go and see depeche mode. still going to figure something out. *mike says we will find a way. yeah!*

6. kaylee said that booah, our pesky cat, "blea-shooed" on her last night. (he sneezed)

7. the unauthorized billing i found on monday was returned to us. yeah! {boo! we couldn't find out who did it}

8. even though we're going to be low on cash, i think a road trip to ikea is in order. needing some frames for my 16x20 prints and couple of bookshelves. mike is taking the first week of august off. christine- the same week as tad :O)

9. still wanting to make a blueberry pie. never made one before. need to find an awesome recipe.

10. it rained pretty hard for 5 minutes. it needs to rain like that for a few more hours.

love it!

via alexandra hedin design

how cute are these? i love anything tiny and love the idea of using them as party favors.

on my mind monday

via: cookbook catchall

1. how cute are these little individual muffins to take on a picnic? lemon poppy seed with strawberry jam on the bottom- yum!

2. feeling a little frustrated this morning. found an unauthorized bill on my checking account for $275.28. went to my bank to get it taken care of and they said they might not be able to get it back. and i was on hold for 37 mins when i got back and called the 1-800# that i supposedly made this payment too.

3. thinking of changing banks. my current one is failing me and its aggravating.

4. went and applied for the photography job. i don't think i'm going to get it. i haven't worked in 5 years + they didn't ask if it was our hobby etc.. plus they ended doing interviews too. i was sort of dressed for an interview but would of liked to have worn something else so i told them i didn't have time to do one today. oh well. now i don't have to worry about what to do with the kaylee nugget.

5. ham- that kid! ate my last dove ice cream bar and put in an m+m's ice cream bar to trick me.

6. spent way too long over at the enshrinement festival saturday because we were waiting on mike to get his autographs. did get to eat a funnel cake. later we had kevin + holly come over for a cook out.

7. the weather's been perfect for fire in the fire pit. (friday and saturday)

8. today i got my shoes that i had ordered on-line. they fit and i love them! i would show them to you but i have a kazillion bug bites on feet. and i also got my 5 pictures that i had blown up to 16X20. i will show those once i get frames + they are on a wall somewhere.

9. sunday was spent being lazy besides buying some groceries. and it finally rained so now my brown spots on the lawn is turning green.

10. i am in serious need of a vacation! the husband told me to go away for a week by myself. he told me this after i sent him a copy of metrodad's blog about needing a break.

on my mind friday

1. went to the big mall today to get a racer back bra and undies. i also found these super cute shoes at the buckle. boo- they were all out of my size. yeah me! i found them on-line when i got home. i hope they fit.

2. question was asked "what is a swap partner?" awhile back i signed up to do my favorite things swap hosted by according to kelly. i love getting + sending goodies in the mail and i also get to meet a new blogger/blog.

3. i also like list blogging. it keeps me from rambling yet i get to say whats on my mind at that moment.

4. second guessing about the job. not that it wouldn't be perfect for me because it would be but its kaylee. what do i do with the little nugget?

5. tonight we had an impromptu fire pit and made hot pizza pockets-yummy!

6. tomorrow we are going to the enshrinement festival. mike is getting up at 3am to go and stand in line to sign up + pay so he can get some autographs by some football players. troy aikman and some other sports dudes will be there.

what a lame-o. kaylee + i wont be there till around 9am or so. {kidding about the husband being lame. sort of}

7. please send me some good karma vibes that we might be able to catch a certain person in a lie. details will be given later. just cross your fingers and send good karma!

8. excited that my wonderful friend and her daughter will be coming up to stay with us soon. never had overnight guest before. now i'm kinda nervous. she will get to see what a boring life i actually lead. *yikes*

9. finally found a place to send my camera lens too to see if they are repairable. bummed that i took so long in doing this.

10. still thinking about getting a pool for next year. finding ways in our budget to making this possible. {the rover will be payed for very soon}

a kate spade sale is still out of my league

remember this hat that was on my christmas list if i had a christmas list? its on sale. regular price $115.00. sale price $86.00 + 40% off + free shipping still = not in my budget.

on my mind thursday

via contented me

1. how brilliant is this? the green glass company recycles glass bottles and turns them into tumblers and goblets. i need to send them our never ending supply of sam adams to see if they can be recycled, would make for a nice christmas gift for the husband and a few of his bff's.

2. a big HELLO! to jocelyn from wingin'it- tales of a girl's attempt at life. she left me a sweet comment the other day and i'm still smiling. i haven't had a chance to check out her blog but just from the "cover", it looks like its right up my alley.

3. still cant wait to see depeche mode in a few weeks- might have to bail out on beastie boys, the killers and jane's addiction because of money issues caused by butthead #2.

4. hard to believe school starts in a little over a month. where has the summer gone?

5. having fun getting my favorite things around to send to my swap partner.

6. the sprinklers are fixed and it only cost us 60 bucks! i'm sure our electric bill will make up for it (LOL)

7. still cant wait to see 500 days of summer. nerdy me- i get butterflies each time i watch the trailer and hear the soundtrack and this is just me but i think joseph-gordan levitt looks a lot like the late heath ledger.

8. finally got my hair trimmed. loving it now that its a little longer.

9. my poor house has been neglected. bathrooms need a good scrubbing, floors need to be swept. i have been caught up on laundry though. and i'm trying to not to use the dryer as much. i've been hanging clothes to dry, not outside though. our hoa will probably freak out.

10. wasn't looking for a job but i think i found one. going to apply next monday. it has to do with photography and i love photography so why not?

metrodad

i know i raved about him before and i'm going to do it again. even if you're not a parent you must read his blog post from yesterday and the comments. i think everyone feels this way to a degree at some point in their lives. while i love nothing more than being a mother ,wife, housekeeper, accountant, doctor, family organizer etc etc... there are many times when i just want to chuck it all and fly to an unknown destination. i want to think on my own again. to be able to clear all those thoughts that's been secretly whispered in my ears by my parents, family, friends, spouse, kids, society and tv. thoughts on how i should be, what i should do, what i can or can not do. is it any wonder why i feel so tired, stressed and overwhelmed? that i have no sense of myself anymore.

blog love

found these on a little sussy. i love everything in the shop and the creator of pineapple seed is starting a camera bag/purse line called emera.

and how cute are these? found on a room somewhere. made by lala shoes.

and i really want this top from elements of style.

and i love this door from decorology.

the pioneer woman

I'm the wife of a rugged cowboy. I'm the mother of four spirited children. I have horse poop on my porch. I'm Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. You can read more about my adventures, my cooking, and my photography on my crazy website, ThePioneerWoman.com.

if you do not know the pioneer woman by now boy are you missing out. i think of her as oprah of the blogging world. i am not a country girl but after reading and viewing her adventures, boy do i want to be! this past weekend she hosted two contest giveaways. on her photography page she asked "what do you fight in your life?" you must read the comments section. while some of us wrote we fight clutter, whiny kids or have issues with weight, many others are struggling with cancer, ways to pay bills or just the will to go on with life. kinda put my own life into perspective. while i might have a case of the bad lucks- my family is healthy and my husband has a great job leaving me able to stay home and take care of the kids.

her other contest was a camera giveaway to help elden {aka fat cyclist} raise money for his wife who is battling breast cancer. donate $5.00 and you get one virtual ticket for the raffle. boy did this put my faith back into mankind. their goal was to raise $25, 000.00. i'm happy to report that they raised $37,273.00. { i wasn't surprised though being that it was pioneer woman who was raising the money. she has that kind of power}

while the contest is over, still go and check out fatty's blog, he's a pretty funny guy considering the circumstances and the lance armstrong foundation if you're still wanting to help and donate.

on my mind sunday

via: pretty good

1. been an emotional wreck for a few months now. hopefully it has come to an end. got a letter from butthead #2's lawyer yesterday stating she will not take our settlement and if we don't pony up the full amount in 10 days, we will go to court. this has been causing too much stress on us so we are going to find the money and pay her. she wins.

2. went over to my scentsy consultant's house for dinner friday night with some mutual "friends". had a great time, she has a beautiful house and the food was delish!

3. yesterday had two kids birthday parties to attend too. they were born 1 day apart. then mike had some guys come over for the ufc fight. mike pissed me off, again making a comment about hamilton. butthead.

4. still working on being a nicer person to everyone but its super hard to be nice to stupid people who thinks they are better than everyone else. {see #2 " "}

5. i miss my friend who is still in scotland

6. trying to find a way to go to lollapalooza. {see #1} got to see depeche mode before i die. of course they're playing friday night, beastie boys is on saturday night and the other bands i want to see is on sunday night :/

7. i miss taking pictures with my big camera. still needing a new lens or still wanting this one so i can take it to lollapalooza. they wont let the big camera's in.

8. kaylee can not make the "thir/th" sounds. thirty = firty, thirteen= firteen or kinda sounds like fourteen, thunder = funder, thirsty= firsty

9. kaylee is becoming less timid. she went to my brother and had this big conversation with him yesterday.

10. i did not give in to hamilton when he asked to stay later at a friends house last night to finish watching the fight. yeah me!

the price is right

i love this and want this for my dining room. found on cb2

plum pretty sugar

via: plum pretty sugar

i love plum pretty sugar. {her blog too!} so pretty, so soft and so feminine. first saw these on simplesong.

bummed/happy

bummed:

1. that this skateboard was already sold before i even got a chance to see it/buy it. found on three potato four

2. we haven't heard back from butthead #2 which most likely means she is going to take us to court.

3. that hamilton failed me.

4. that we will need someone to come out and check our sprinkler system. more $$ out

5. because we are waiting to hear back from butthead #2, i can't do any retail therapy

happy:

1. to find out that i have arthritis in my back to explain the achy pain + i don't need surgery

2. when kaylee belts out singing. {its the best of both worlds + hit me with your best shot......hanana montana}

3. the funny things ham has said or done

4. when kaylee tries to say new words. on our adventure on sunday kaylee asks me " do you understand? capoosh?" {trying to say capeesh}

5. i won these earrings from kahili creations by leaving a comment on her facebook. i *heart* her jewerly.

my dining room

this morning i noticed how nicely my dining room is coming together. the crazy thing is, i didn't realize i was even working on it! it all started with this cabinet. i wanted something totally different from the modern dining table. i think it gives the room a cottage-y feel. i painted it white- leftover paint from kaylee's room and added mustard yellow and black + white scrap booking paper to the back. each row has a different design. i really love how it turned out.

i ended up taking the doors off in the middle to hold my wine.

my next purchase ended up being the tea towel from this etsy shop. its simple like the table and the color matches the color inside the cabinet. then last tuesday i ended up with the curtains. yep, the same curtains that i loved from making it lovely. they were on hold for someone else but that someone else never returned to get them. so lucky me!

the curtains tie in all the colors nicely and it adds some unexpected flair. just a few other things need to be done before i can call it finished. {like moving my computer to the office, taking down the ugly ceiling fan and maybe adding some floating shelves or artwork. still want to keep it simple and uncluttered.