GETTING BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

I am finally getting back into the swing of things. Last week my house was turned upside down because painters were here. I was held hostage, didn't really feel like I could get out and do anything. I know the lady who paints for us, but she had two new helpers with her and if felt a little creepy leaving them in my  house. I don't know about you but when I  have strangers working in my  house I don't get anything I want  to do done. I ended up doing a lot of "spring laundry" and no blogging.  I washed bathroom rugs, shower curtains, mattress pads and so on. 

I also was sweating my paint colors and wanted to see them as they were going up. I LOVE color and choosing browns was hard for me to do. I know brown is a color and I like it, but I was having a hard time saying good-bye to my greens and reds. The family room and dining room were both painted. 

I really like how they both turned out. I am still working on windows and getting art work back on the walls. I am just trying to freshen up things without completely redoing. 

Here are a few pictures of the dining room:

I was totally sweating bullets about painting the ceiling. 

It is dark, but it isn't as top heavy as the pictures make it seem.

It just adds some drama.

I chose dark brown for the family room. 

It was the only color in the rug that I was interested in repeating.

There isn't a lot of wall space in this room either. 

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So what else is new here? I feel out of the loop and haven't kept up with blogging or blog friends. I have some catching up to do and can't wait to read what everyone has been up to. I also can't wait to read what everyone has been buying for spring. It has been painful "house sitting".  I hadn't stepped into a store in two weeks until yesterday. I had a few errands to run and actually got to see the inside of a Target! I just stood there and took it all in. 

I also went to Ulta. If you don't have one of these stores you are really missing out. It is like a Sophora, full of great make-up and perfume. But Ulta also carries just about every brand of hair product you can name. We were down to using hotel freebies the past couple of days and the hormones were all acting up in everyone, so we have been all cranky about our hair. Remember, this is house of four girls with lots and lots of hair, and we don't take our shampoos lightly. 

Do you have something you splurge on? I guess I would have to say that mine is my shampoo and other hair products. I use Pureology's Pure Volume Shampoo. It costs $28.99.

Isn't that awful! I promise, there is nothing else out there that works for me. I also don't use conditioner so that helps justifying the price a little.

 I have a lot of hair but it is super fine and heavy,  and if there is one thing that I cannot stand is my hair being flat. If I don't use this shampoo, my hair is completely lifeless and separates into strings in no time. I don't know about you, but if my hair is crappy, I am crabby! 

BAD HAIR DAY = BAD DAY 

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I feel better now that I've actually established contact with my blog. I have some "tags" that I need to get to and will do that tomorrow. Thank you, I am not ignoring them!  Sorry for the delay!

IF LOOKS COULD KILL

This is how my birthday started!!!

11:35 I get into bed. MOTH already asleep and snoring. I kindly nudge him to turn over. 

12:35 I'm still awake. MOTH still snoring. Nudge him, and it ain't kindly.

1:30'ish: MOTH gets up to use the restroom and I promise you he starts snoring before his                         head hits the pillow when he gets back in bed.

2:00 EARPLUGS!!! Me, not him!

3:30  I awake to........ a weird gurgling/snoring sound. Nudge.

4:00 Bubbles the cat is looking really ticked off by now and is contemplating attacking MOTH.             I egg him on. 

6:15 I am in the kitchen in a fog. Open and shut the fridge several times trying to remember               what I am looking for. Turn in circles, look in cabinets......MOTH just getting up.

6:35 MOTH comes into the kitchen.

         MOTH:" You look tired. You don't look like you slept well." (What gave it away, the                                       suitcases under my eyes?)

         ME: " I didn't. I didn't sleep well at all. "

         MOTH: " I know how you feel.  I didn't either."

         ME:  Silence....... if looks could kill!!!!!

(I tried to fix the spacing.....not sure what is going on????)

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Now I am off to the paint store to buy paint for my den and dining room because the painter is coming tomorrow.  I am undecided on my color in the dining room. I spent all last week going back and forth to paint store and I have painted  little swatches all over the walls in different shades of light brown. Anymore sampling and the walls would be completely covered like a quilt. I wish I would have called someone to help me. I have never had such a difficult time picking out a color. I LOVE color and am not afraid of putting it on the walls, but I am being held "hostage" by the colors that are in the rug.  I am very nervous!! I am going with a mocha color and am thinking about painting the ceiling darker for "drama". I'm worried that there isn't going to be any color in the room and that the furniture is just going to fade into the wall.  (Does that make since?) Oh well, it is just a can of paint and a afternoon! It can be fixed if I hate it! 

The green is 10 years old so it is time for it to go.

 It has never really matched the rug (3 years old) .

I just sort of faked it.

         

         new color... is it color???

I think it appears a little darker in this picture.

This is kind of the look I am trying for except all of my walls will be painted. 

PEEPING JUAN

How's your day going? 

Mine started off in an interesting way. 

We have a landscaper come and prune our Crape Myrtles (trees) and other taller trees once a year. It isn't something we couldn't do ourselves, but lets face it, we wouldn't get to it until June and they need to be pruned NOW. The yard crew was suppose to be here Wednesday. 

There is a big Crape Myrtle outside of our bedroom/bathroom. It is growing against our house. 

I was in the shower, minding my own business and had a head full of shampoo. 

The bathroom has shutters covering the lower half of the windows. The top of the windows are open. 

#3 is demonstrating my exact location

(this is her, three years ago, in my bathroom before we painted)

The tree is outside of the windows, against the house. 

Something moved and caught my eye, I thought it was Bob the Blue Bird that sits outside my window.

Bob 

Nope, it was a Juan.

Juan on a tall ladder!

I could see all of Juan so I know he could see all of me depending which way he was facing!

 Glad to see Juan's back was to me and not his front.

Good thing I had some caffeine in me. I was alert and not in a fog or slow moving. I hit the shower floor, turned off the water, cracked open the shower door, pulled a towel in through the tiny crack, wrapped the towel around me, waited for just the right moment..... and crawled out of the shower, across my bathroom floor and into my closet. 

It would have been alright if I didn't have a good lather still going on, on the top of my head. 

So now what?

I put on some sweats  (no undergarments and still wet...ick!!). After checking out Juan's location and position, I flew upstairs (undercover cop style) to the bathroom that has no windows and got back in the shower to rinse out my hair. 

Now, I am dressed and all the trees are pruned,

but I just discovered that I have one shaved leg and one fuzzy one. 

That will have to wait for tomorrow.

WINTERFEST

Just as I thought.... it was a circus! However, it was pouring rain outside and so all of the parents seemed to understand the lack of space and lack of organization. I had parents in my house that I didn't introduce myself to. I don't think I even spoke to them all. I feel rude, hopefully they all understood. I tried to wedge myself through all of the kids to get to the adults, but I know for sure I didn't.  

#2 looked beautiful and so did all of her friends!! I would love to be a fly on the wall at the dance!! No telling what goes on there. 

Here are some pictures:

getting ready.... look at all of that make-up 

 

look at the lump she still has on her ankle,

not sure how she is going to walk in those shoes...

yes, the oldest (#1)  is the shortest and she hates it 

 

These three went to preschool together and were in the same toddler class!!

The seniors of the group.

I love this picture!

TIME FLIES

Where did the week go? 

I haven't been still all week.

 My computer sat patiently waiting for me on the dining room table,

and I thought this morning I'd do some catching up.

Week in Review

#1 came home for spring break. We spent some time shopping for the things she needs for her sorority's bid week. She has to have a plain black sleeveless cocktail dress. We found and bought two at TJ Maxx because they were such good deals. One is a J Crew and it was all of  $20!!! She left Wednesday to go to the beach with a few friends. She will be back this afternoon. 

#2 had her 18th birthday! She went out to dinner one night with her friends and then the next night we had what we call our "Family Birthday". We went shopping, she opened gifts and then went to the restaurant of her choice. She chose The Angus Barn, which is a landmark here. It literally is a barn inside and out. 

(a family birthday tradition for us/ holding a sign of how old you are)

(they give you a Lemon Pound Cake for your b'day)

the cheddar cheese dip...

Tales From My Empty Nest, this picture is from you

The Crud! 

Sick of being sick! 

Someone has been sick constantly in this house all week long!!!! I was first to have a fever, headache and sore throat. BUT you know how it is when you are a mom, you just put your head down and keep on going. I just went to bed early and slept  in a few days. I drank a lot of hot tea and told everybody to stay away form me. Thank goodness it was a short lived virus. The bad part is you are left with a lot of crud. I feel fine now, just can't stop coughing. Guess who had a fever and headache in this picture!! I couldn't figure out why she kept rubbing and closing her eyes while I was trying to take a few birthday pictures. 

#2 has her Winter Formal tonight. If you live in the south you know that it is sooooo nasty outside this weekend. It is expected to rain all day and night. Yuck! I feel so sorry for all of the girls in their dresses and after spending so much time on their hair and makeup. I am afraid it is a lost cause. #2 asked me if their group could take pictures at our house before going to dinner. There are 22 people in her group and we are the only house that can acomodate that many plus parents. We have a big front porch and wide steps and the pictures always turn out nicely when we take them here. Well, with the weather being so cold and nasty we have to move things inside. I spent the whole day yesterday cleaning and moving furniture in the family room. No matter how I move the furniture around I don't think we will get everyone in the same picture. 

I don't know how I am going to pull this one off. I am guessing that most parents will come too so there is going to be a lot of people in one area. I have a horrible feeling it is going to be a chaotic mess! #2's date is coming early, so at least I will get some good pictures of them before the circus begins. On top of that, I am worried about all of the cars and people parking on my neighbor's grass. If it is raining....I'm not going out there!! (The Man of the House can't help, he is out of town with #3.)

I am missing #3's soccer tournament in South Carolina. (Actually I am glad I don't have to stand in the rain all weekend!) #3 and TMOTH left this morning and won't be home until Sunday night. I feel so bad for missing her play, but someone needed to stay home with #2 to help her get ready for the dance, and dad doesn't do hair and makeup!

I need to go wake up #2 and get her moving. We have few things to do to  the house to get it ready and we have to go pick up the boutonniere. 

After everyone leaves tonight, I will post pictures. Can't wait to see #2 all dressed up!!

TGIF

We are expecting some wonderful weather this weekend and I cannot wait. #3 will be coming home this weekend (sometime today) and it will be nice to get outside and enjoy the sun. Tonight The Man of the House and I have plans to go out to dinner with friends to a newer restaurant called Brio, Italian Grill. We've been there a few times and it is really good.

 After that, we are going to a  hockey game. Yes, believe it or not, NC has a professional hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes. "We" even won the Stanley Cup a few years ago. I was there for the game and it was one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced.

 What is really funny is that us southerners have turned the hockey games into a tailgating event. When the Canadian teams and their fans come here to play they are intrigued by the parties, grills, Cornhole games, matching tents, chairs and table clothes.....  The year that we won the Stanley Cup, the Edmonton fans were taking pictures and there were even reporters from Edmonton doing stories about tailgating. How funny!

I hope to get a little yard work done this weekend. I have got to cut my Knockout Roses back THIS WEEKEND. I am so glad that it is almost time to get out there and plant flowers. I love planting flower pots. I start out each year saying I am only going to plant a few and then I end up with too many.... too many to keep watered. I especially cannot wait to plant (and eat) my Basil and Cilantro. I plant them first so that I can start enjoying them as soon as possible. 

I guess I've got a little spring fever! 

I am so ready for it!!

I'm ready for...

I am meeting with a painter this morning. We are getting ready to do a some minor "redoing" to a couple of rooms. I am not getting furniture or anything, just changing the the colors of some rooms downstairs. It is amazing what changing the wall color will do for a room. The walls in my den are burgundy and I want to paint them a rich dark brown.

(this is suppose to be showing the walls, but it is really a picture of #3" rug surfing" at Christmas time!)

 Brown has been the "in" color for a while now and I am a little afraid it is too late to start putting it on the walls. What do you think? I am limited to new color choices because of the colors in my rug and I am not getting a new one. 

TGIF!!!

TODAY

I am so tired today. I could not sleep last night. I guess I should say I couldn't fall back asleep after I woke up at 2:00. Bubbles and I ended up on the couch.

 We have the best sleeping couch! It is very deep so it feels (almost) like a bed. I usually don't have any problems sleeping on the couch but last night was a nightmare. I am having some problems with my hip or upper thigh. I think I have pulled something in there. So much so, I cannot not lay on my left side because it hurts when I do. Sitting for a long time hurts too!  (That is why the long plane ride was so miserable.) I am a left side sleeper and I guess while I am asleep I roll onto my left side and it wakes me up. (growl!!) There is nothing more frustrating than tossing and turning at night. 

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#1 is coming home for spring break on Friday!!! It will be nice to have all of my little ducks under one roof for a week. 

my little ducks

At first she made plans to go to Clearwater Beach with some friends for spring break. The Man of the House and I sort of nixed the trip when we heard how many kids were going. The plans were for 28 of them to go and rent a house. There was no way we were going along with that! Nothing good can come from that many college kids under one roof for an entire week!! We also told her we wouldn't pay for the trip and she would have to take money out of her account for it. That was no big deal to her because the house was only going to be around $200 for each person and she worked all last summer and put most of her money in the bank. She was ready to spend it!  She didn't think about all of the other expenses that add up.  When we started listing the other things that she was going to have to pay for, her priorities suddenly changed. She hadn't thought about food, gas, the new clothes she would want....

Now she is coming home for most of the week. She and a few friends are going to the beach (NC) for a few days and stay at one of her friend's beach cottage. THAT I can handle. I might even pay for it!!! 

$$$ I am sure she already has shopping plans for us$$$

Her sorority has already decided on the matching outfits they will wear in the fall during bid week. They have "outfit checks" after spring break to make sure everyone is matching. (You wouldn't believe what they chose.) I think its just a ploy to get some new clothes out of all of the parents!  You gotta love those sorority girls! Ha Ha! 

"I went to college to get an education.

 I went to a sorority to get my bridesmaids."

*****OUR SNOW DAY*****

#3 threw snowballs against the house to get #2 to come outside

RED AND WHITE

We woke up to about three inches of snow this morning! #2 was thrilled that school was canceled. She missed the entire week while we were gone and she "needed" and snow day today? Senioritis had struck!!! I guess she has a right to  feel underwhelmed about school! While we were in Hawaii, she got good news. She was accepted into The School of Design at NC State! She went to interview and to present her portfolio mid February. (I'll have to post some pictures of her portfolio.) She felt like it went really well, but since the graphic design department  only accepts 24 students each year, it was still a long shot. All of her hard work has paid off! 

I am really missing Cleo today. She really loved the snow! Every time I glance out side and see something move I think it is her. It is sad to see #3 out there playing by herself. She looks lonely. I think I am going have to bundle up and get out there with her.

THE LAST ALOHA

I can't believe that our week is over in Hawaii and we are home. I am glad I am no longer sitting on an airplane, I've had enough of that for a while. It is good to be home. We came home to a cold pouring rain and are expecting snow tonight. 

 We chose to spend our last day climbing Diamond Head Crater, the inactive volcano on Oahu. We did not plan to do this until the last minute. We all would have had better walking shoes on if we would have known we were going on a major hike!

 #2 jokingly complained the entire time that she was ruining her cute shoes! 

This is at the bottom looking up. Look at the the paths we took!

I don't want to know how many steps we climbed!

THE VIEW WAS AMAZING!

After a easier hike down the mountain, we headed back to the hotel for quick showers and then we had to go to the airport. Our flight left Oahu as the sun was setting and landed in Dallas just before sunrise. I tried to sleep and got a few catnaps in. I wish I had a picture of #2 and #3 sleeping. They were sleeping on top of each other and looked like hamsters! (How do I turn this underline off?)