thinking out loud... for all to see...

Pretty much amazing...

My dad was the "handy man". He was a Pastor by calling and a tradesman by necessity. He was a skilled man in so many areas. He could fix almost anything (and did) and if you could think up a plan he could usually figure out a way to make it a reality. Some of my fondest memories of my dad are when he helped me with the first house we bought when we moved back to Nebraska. Seriously, I had to be careful about thinking out loud because in no time flat my dad would figure out the "plan" and we'd be off on another adventure. I laid a new floor in my kitchen of that house, painted cabinets, installed tongue and groove wainscoting in the basement, painted murals on the kids walls... it was a veritable Home Dec Show in progress the entire 15 months we lived there. (we have a tendency to move, ya know). His "handiness" and zest for a project are some of the things I miss most about him. Every once in a while I go to Lowes to ask a "how to" question and the little old guy in the tool department pretends he's my dad and gives me advice but it's not the same as having your own dad on call 24/7.

My boy that I married? Well, he's an amazing man too. In many many ways... but not in the handy way. He just doesn't think that way. Well, he does an AmAzInG drywall repair and he paints better than most men ever could hope... but he's just not home tech minded. That's ok. He's willing to assist or pay to have it done and that works.

Enter Garrett, Katie's boy. He's the real deal. He's handy. He's crafty (in a craftsmen sense) and he's just so darn agreeable. He's the first one in my family to listen to my schemes and jump into them and figure out ways to make them work. LOVE that about him. And kind of like my dad, I have to be careful about thinking out loud unless I'm willing to tackle the project because Garrett will always be able to come up with a workable plan. That's the way it was with my stools for the island (which still aren't complete! UGH! I have plans for them... too many plans. But that's for another post) He's come up with several thoughts on almost every project I've ever mentioned to him. Love that. And the kid's got skills too. He can do wood working (I have to show you the table he built for their dining area in the new house (if the glass ever arrives! Ugh again!)) He's electrically savvy. He's just darn handy to have around and always down for a project. When my lights arrived yesterday he graciously offered to stop by after work and hang them for me. I assisted for a bit until I had to leave for praise band rehearsal but I left him in charge of Roscoe and the lights and scooted out the door. When I arrived home, I found this.

(and the heavens parted and the angels sang. Cue heavenly harp sounds here!) I love them. They're light (duh!) and contemporary but not too harsh and they're perfect with the chandelier over the table. (what? you don't see the table?!??! um, well, you will. this weekend!) Perfection in a pendant light... installed in an afternoon by that handiest son-in-law ever. Thanks G! You're amazing. (my girl knows how to pick 'em!)
p.s. Does he look older in that photo? He should! We celebrated his birthday on Wednesday. Happy Birthday again, Garrett...

Hello Chippy Perfection...

I've been looking for a really narrow sofa table for behind my couch. It just felt like we needed a little "something" to finish off that back and so everywhere I go I've kept it in the back of my mind. The other day when I was bringing the "staging pieces" out to the lake from the other house, I was wondering where I was going to put my tool tote that I love. I couldn't think of a perfect spot for it so I brought it in and sat it behind the sofa while I put something else away. When I came back, I thought "hey, that might look pretty fun there if I had something cute to sit it on. And the wheels began to turn. This afternoon, I needed to run into Fremont to pick up a few things and while I was in town I had lunch with Becky and then proceed to my favorite Fremont vintage-y stores to see what was new and if there was anything I "needed". Dime Store Days is probably my favorite store there. It's just a fun place to wander through and I usually find a little something that's happy and not too hard on the budget. Today I had my tool tote in mind and decided to sleuth around and see if I could find anything. My first "tour" of the store turned up nothing. I headed down to the basement where all the "forgotten pieces" head and found a few interesting pieces but nothing perfect. One blue piece almost got drug up the stairs but I really don't have a need to introduce blue to the great room so I left it behind. Although I'm thinking someone who loves blue really should go pick it up. It was only $65 and 20% off... Anyway, I digress. I came up and decided to walk back through one more time just in case I missed it. As I was rounding the corner to go down the last aisle (for the 2nd time) I was feeling a bit defeated and telling myself that this is what I get for knowing exactly what I want. After all, you rarely find what you're looking for when you know what you want. Don't you agree? I glanced over and there, beneath a pile of pieces that held no appeal to me, was the perfect little piece.

It's cream and chippy and has just a hint of black paint on it. Pegs on the cross bar and square nails to hold it together. Chippy perfection... at a reasonable price. I'll take it. Oh, and I'll take that little birdhouse over there too... Holly might not like birds but I've got no aversion... :) Isn't it just the cutest piece? I spied a bookshelf on my way out that I'm thinking may have to come into my studio. I can just imagine it filled with fabric. Ah yes, gotta go and measure the room again and find a spot. :)

Developing a plan...

I love SO many different styles of decor. Seriously, I can find something to appreciate in almost any style... yes, even southwestern. Ugh. Maybe. ;) I'm anything but a "purist" and I love to mix and match and "make it work". So even when I found the chairs I posted about last week, I continued the search because I had a hunch that maybe I could find something else that I loved (for maybe entirely different reasons) that wouldn't put as much crunch in my budget. And so the quest began. The stack of decorating magazines came out and I perused each one hoping to find a glimmer of something that I could use as a jumping point. And then I saw it. A wonderful room right in front of me.

Not something I would normally be drawn to but I loved the mix of the shabby elements with the lines of the contemporary. So I searched the internet and found some chairs with those contemporary lines that I can mix in with my more traditional table and my bookcase that I love in that room. They're ordered and on their way. I've got some serious plans to make them "fit" in with our look and I can't wait to see it all come together. Fun. I love figuring out a way to make it work.

And while I wait for the chairs to come in, I'll be sketching out my plans for the studio. I want a guest bed in there but the space is SO awkward and I need a way to combine the desk and the bed into one smaller space. I have an idea... I just have to make sure that it can be done. We'll see. Fun times? Eh? I love a decorating challenge. Happy Tuesday. I'll be in the office, paying bills and sketching my studio space in my mind... :)

It's quiet here again...

Chase left for Michigan last night. I'm so excited to hear about his week this week. He'll have senior high kids and I know he's excited and nervous about it but he'll do well. He's grown up and changed so much in the last month. I'm so so proud of the man he's becoming. Such a sweet spirit with such a joy and love of life. After Scott and I dropped him off at the airport last night we popped downtown and shared a Greek Pizza at the Upstream. SO good. We sat outside because the weather was absolutely perfect and just chatted for a bit. It was a great way to wrap up a long and busy weekend. And now we're back to "reality" and the quiet house and hoping to clear some things off this list this week. Here's to Monday and the possibilities that a new week holds!
p.s. I needed my pic of the day so I shot this one while we waited for our yummy pizza last night. :) Such a willing model that husband of mine is... :)

God bless America...

please. Happy 4th. Long may she wave...

All elements from the Daily Digi Files 6! :) You're gonna love this new set of digital happiness for only $5. Seriously, a good deal.

I'm pretty sure...

that I "need" these chairs. Well, I know that "need" is a pretty extreme word... but I only have four chairs that match my table and we have five in our family now and quite often we have six for dinner. SO, I kind of "need" these chairs, right? The only question is... what color? I love the black. It's classic. Maybe too dark for the lake? Maybe not. I have a black table and chairs in there now and it looks pretty good. And the walls are creamy tan and I'm not sure that I want a room full of ivory furniture in there either. They have all kinds of fun "designer colors" but they're not inexpensive chairs and I'm pretty sure that they need to outlast my "color whims". I know, you didn't know that I had "color whims", did you? Well, I do. Pretty serious ones. Right now I'm in love with chartreuse green, black and hints of warm red. But I've got a thing on the side going with French blue and a lighter minty green. Sooooo hard to decide. The Mart carries these chairs in stock in black. Maybe that's a sign? Maybe not. I'm SO not the "order it and be patient" type. Ugh. Decisions...

In other news, Scott and I managed to hang up my tin piece from the "old house" above my fireplace today. I love the way it looks. It's just happy to me to take pieces from the old and reuse them in new spots here. It's that bit of continuity with a twist. Happy. I do have those black dotted chairs in the Great Room... maybe I should get the black dining chairs... Hmmmm...

We're half way there...

and if you're like me your mind has naturally supplied the rest of the phrase "ooooooooooh, we're living on a prayer"... ah yes, thank you Bon Jovi for such wonderful lyrics. :) Today marks the "half way point" of my photo a day for 2009 journey. Well, at least if you're tracking it by months. If you're keeping track by the number of days then I have a few more to go but let's call it half way for this post's purposes. Shall we? Thanks! It's been a happy 181 days. I feel like I've captured a little slice of life and I know my skills have improved behind the lens. I can tell and so can other people and that makes me happy. I won't ever be a "pro" but at least I know I can tell my story from behind the lens with relative accuracy and that's a happy thing. I'd love to be a photographer but I also know that I lack the patience to do it really well. I want to get in and get my shot and be done... but the best ones linger a bit, I think. And they are usually rewarded with the shots that come when everyone's relaxed and more themselves than the person they thought they should pretend to be when the camera first appeared. A bit too much photo philosophy for a Tuesday? Perhaps. Anyway.

Chase is home for a few days from camp. He got "broken" last week by a canoe (a big heavy metal tipped one that was dropped on his foot by his 7-8th grade campers!) and the Doctor felt like he needed to get off of it and take it easy. He was supposed to be home for a couple of days this coming weekend anyway so we just moved up his flight by a few days and brought him home to rest and mend. I'm not sure how the resting part is going but his foot seems to be much better and we're hoping he'll be ready to finish up his summer adventure at camp. He returns on Sunday. It's been an amazing experience so far and it's SO cool to hear him talk about what he's learning and what God's been teaching him while he's been away from his "normal" life. It's turned out to be an incredible adventure and I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer holds for him. I know he's mine and that makes me biased, but I think he's a pretty great kid. :)

Only two more weeks till the house closes so I've been getting out the "bits and pieces" that we left behind while it was showing and it feels good to be nearing the end of the adventure. I'm discovering "old" things and finding new spots for them in the lake house. It feels good to re-purpose things and have them feel new and different. I love that part of decorating. You can take the same things and use them in different ways and get a whole new outlook in a space. Cool. The piece in the picture is a tin piece that I bought at a craft fair years ago and had all but forgotten it since it hung unobtrusively in my hallway at the old house. I'm excited to put it in it's new space above the fireplace. Maybe today? I hope so. Scott's taking some time off this week and I have a few things on a list for him. Can't let him get too complacent can I?!??! :)

This week we're lunching instead of bageling and I'm looking forward to time to unwind and hang out with some of my favorite women today. I'm just loving life right now. It's SO good.

Questioning...

Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue.  Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.  ~Jules Feiffer

Do I dare to paint the sky red... or do I stick with the safer (albeit also boring) blue?
Just pondering tonight...

It's been a long one...

but it's been fun. It's very rare that Miley and I do anything that doesn't turn out to be an adventure. The scrapbook/junk emporium part deux has been just that. An adventure. Yesterday we rocked it out with TONS of shoppers in the very HOT garage. Seriously, I bet you it was at least 110* in the back corner where we were feverishly counting papers and bagging up purchases. But we had a record breaking day. Today, I thought I'd add in my home accessories from the "old" house and see what happened. I decided to put them outside to hopefully attract a few people driving by. It was cloudy but not supposed to rain until the wee hours of the morning tomorrow. Perfect. Right? Um, no. I went off to McDonald's for a quick breakfast/coke run and it started to rain. Miley & Scott pulled it all into the second garage and all was well. It cleared up and I dared to pull out a few things only to have it start raining yet again. Oh well. We had a quieter day but still good. Tomorrow's the "all out- blow out". I hear that additional discounts will be given. So if you're local, it might not hurt to pop over... There's still quite a bit of really GREAT stuff... including some home stuff I pulled out this afternoon. It's all gotta go. Really. :) 

The Scrapbook/Junk Emporium Part Deux...

Several years ago, Miley and I hosted the sale of all sales at my mom's house. It was, at the time, the largest scrapbook clearance between two individuals that had ever occurred, I am pretty sure. Since then, we have, alas, accumulated another mother-lode of scrapbooking goodness and are ready to share the booty with all our local friends and acquaintances. Seriously, I though the last one was unbelievable- and it was. But this one. Wow. Let me just say that this one makes the last one look like mere amateurs threw that party. And that, my friends, is saying something. If you'd like to join us and check out the madness that is Kelly and Miley in "if it ain't nailed down, then it's for sale", you really should contact me for the address (unless of course you already know where my "old" house is located). You can email me (click on the link in the left column) for details and I'll try to get back to you ASAP- but since I'm at the "old" house, my internet is sparse at best and therefore I cannot guarantee a speedy reply. But even if you can't come till tomorrow, you still should... because, seriously, we can sell like crazy used car salesmen all day and I'm pretty sure when we get there tomorrow it'll look like we just set it all up and are well stocked. Yep. There's THAT much stuff. Even if you don't need anything you might want to stop in and see the spectacle that is "kelly and miley in junk emporium mode". I hear that most people find us quite entertaining. But then you already knew that, didn't you? Happy Thursday. Bring me an ice cold can of Coke if you stop by... it's supposed to be 95* degrees out today and I'm pretty sure that I NEVER go outside when it's this hot. We might be at the pool down the street if the heat overtakes my sensibilities and I decided it's ok to be seen in public in less clothes than I normally sleep in... I'm just sayin'... 

p.s. the photo? totally random from my POTD this week. I love those letters and I found ALL of them at one time at the Walnut Sale. Fun, huh? I also found K&G's last name. It has TEN letters too so I considered that to be quite the amazing feat. It's the little things, people... the little things!