Yellow House

I read you should never start a blog post by mentioning how long it’s been since you last blogged.  Big fat lawl.  It’s been a l.o.n.g. time since my last post.  Don’t worry.  You didn’t miss anything.  

Okay.  You did miss one thing.  I did finally get a DSLR (Thanks, Dad!), but you probably don’t actually care about that.  For that reason, I figured I’d better start blogging again so as to not bombard all my Facebook friends and acquaintances with all my photos.  I’m sure it’s annoying.  I apologize.  If, for some reason however, you  would like to scroll though pages of mindless, self absorbed drivel, then, by all means!  Follow my blog!  I’m not here to judge.

Let the monotony begin (Warning: It’s about to get real random up in here):

I started my second quilt!  I’m thinking it will be a great picnic/beach blanket.  The top is nearly finished.  It’s quite crooked, but I like it anyway.  It’s got “character”.  It’s made mostly from vintage sheets.  I did have to supplement with new fabric from Joann.  Anyone else think batting prices are highway robbery?  It’s a bag of smushed together fluff.  Come on, people.

Speaking of the beach, I’ve been purchasing a lot of these lately.  I think this was our fifth pint this week.  They’ve been on sale for $1.88, and I could stand to put down the chocolate and drink a smoothie or two.  We currently have several of these and a few other fruits chopped up and baggied in the freezer waiting to be smoothified.  

This little girl of mine is so ready for summer to be here, and yet so sad at the same time.  She loves playing outside, catching bugs (and feeding them to other bugs), and running through the sprinkler.  She’s also a big fan of school.  She does not want the school year to end.  I hope she never loses her inquisitiveness.  We always find something educational to do when school’s out, but she loves her teacher and her friends.  She’ll be counting down the days until school begins again!

I don’t have anything to say about this except that I like my daylilies, and they’re almost here.

Mon chat, Olivia.  I’m not a cat person.  Really.  I do think mine is pretty cool though.  

I’ve been trying to challenge myself a little, and enter some of my photos in a few contests here and there.  I’m submitting this one to The Paper Mama’s Photo Challenge this week.  Wish me luck!

I don’t hate ya, Blog, but Facebook is so much faster.  Anyway…

Squid starts Kindergarten next month, and I needed to find her a backpack.  I don’t have anything against Walmart (Okay, I do.  Target, ftw!), but I didn’t want her to have a backpack that might end up getting mistaken for someone else’s.  I looked at the backpacks at Justice for Girls to try to find something more unique.  $50?  I’ll pass!  Luckily, Squid was more than happy to let me make her her own, unique backpack.  

We went to JoAnn to find our fabric.  This little girl knows what she wants, let me tell ya!  After perusing the quilting cotton for a few seconds, she says, “Mommy, you know that dress you made with the yellow fabric that had little white flowers with black dots in the middle?  That’s the fabric I want!”  It’s been months since she’s seen that fabric.  Photographic memory?  She has it!  

It took some arguing negotiating to get her to let me pick out a coordinating fabric (she was really stuck on the yellow fabric, and the yellow fabric only), but we finally agreed on one.  

Squid also requested buttons, but being the cheap lady I am, I wasn’t about to spend a kabajillion dollars on a pack of two buttons.  However, thanks to a certain someone (Thanks, Aunt Tonya!), I just happened to have a bag of daisy buttons that matched perfectly.  Nice.

Also, I’ve been in the process of redecorating.  The Americana/country thing just isn’t really me anymore.  So, this is now sitting in my living room as my end table.  Love it!

This is the previous occupant of that space.  I couldn’t stand to just get rid of it, and lose all that storage space.  

After a few coats of paint, it now sits in my room as a night stand.  I’m in love with it, to be honest.  

A word of advice - Make sure the bottoms of the legs are dry before placing any newly painted furniture on the carpet.  Unless you really hate the carpet, and have been begging to get wood flooring.  In that case, do it.  

Guess we’re gonna need to pull up that carpet now, aren’t we, Babe? ;)  My bad.

My daughter, like most children, can’t seem to find any means of entertainment that will keep her attention for more than 15 minutes.  So you will understand my excitement when, yesterday, upon receiving 60-70 Littlest Pet Shop toys from a cousin, Squid managed to keep herself occupied for five hours.  Five.  Glorious.  Hours.  Littlest Pet Shop, I think I love you.

The weather today?  Exceptional.  My rose colored sunglasses?  Wondrous.  My picnic packing skills?  Lame-o-lah.  In our grocery bag picnic basket, was cheese and crackers and a couple of prepackaged carbs.  Note that you typically do not see pictures of these things on my blog.  This is intentional.  

Good thing Squid doesn’t care that our lunch wasn’t magazine-photo-perfect.  She seems to have had fun anyway.

Let me begin this post by bragging on my spouse, a.k.a. The Best Husband of All Time.  Long story short, he surprised me by whisking me away to Louisville for the evening to see The Civil Wars in concert.  Aside from the annoying, drunk lady behind us, it was really a fun night.  It was the first official concert I’d been to in 10 years.  Here’s a snippet of it courtesy of Best Husband of All Time and his Droid.

Two of these were produced today for the freezer.

And here’s what’s been keeping me so busy lately.  This beast of a slipcover.

Yes, it’s wrinkly.  It was ironed, and then it was sat upon.  You’ll have to try to overlook that, and appreciate it for the grueling hours of work that was put into it.  I covered it with two packages of white drop cloth from Menard’s.  Hence, the seam down the middle.  It’s definitely not perfect, but I do think it’s a vast improvement on the torn, plaid upholstery it was donning previously.  Now all I need to do is make some funky throw pillows.  

A few things I’ve found while thrifting lately that make me beyond happy - 

A crazy, huge, garish skeleton key 

Spray painted it white and hung it up in my room.  It kind of reminds me of something that would be in Anthropologie…except this cost me a whopping $1.

This really scary owl pitcher was also $1.  

I’m definitely painting him too.  Just can’t decide whether he should be yellow or white.  I’m thinking white.  Something like this…

I actually like the cute little white owl better than mine.  You can purchase it in the Etsy shop Two Chicks & A Fancy Owl.  

And lastly, this one might be my favorite find this month.  This orange pitcher.  It’s also quite large, and shall also be used as a vase.  I had initially wanted to paint it yellow or white as well, but I’m growing kind of fond of the 70’s orange it’s sporting.  What do you think?  

- Cherry pies in jars

- Redecorating (a work in progress!)

- Deals.  Of both the chocolate and scented variety.

The candy and hair color up there?  Yeah…$0.57.  CVS deals on chocolate are dangerous. 

Currently I’m working on reconstructing two oversized dresses from Goodwill and something for the wall in my bedroom.  The dresses you probably won’t see as I’m sure they won’t come out right.  The wall art, however, seems a bit more promising.

Later!

Nikki

Paid off our first credit card.  

Found out I would not have to homeschool the Squid when she starts Kindergarten. (Thanks Dad!)  

Made that apron I mentioned.  Here be’s that.

Realizing that I will have time on my hands when Squid starts school has got me racking my brains to find something I can do from home for some extra coinage, because, you know…coinage is good.  I was thinking about maybe reopening my Etsy store and selling these and maybe a few other things.  What do you guys think?  Think there’s a market for it?  Be brutally honest.  I can take it.  :)

Some of the ladies from church are meeting at my house tonight to sew.  I decided a couple of kuchens were in order.  These are dangerously easy to make.  Especially if you’re a carbaholic like myself.  Some day, I’ll might just post the recipe with detailed step-by-step photographs.  I love me a good excuse to take and edit pictures.  :)

In other news, while perusing the DVDs at Goodwill the other day with my 5 year old, I stumbled across what might possibly be the most amazing item that’s ever been placed in that dreadful bin.  It was a nearly new, nary-a-scratch-in-sight copy of Demetri Martin: Person.  Look it up.  It’s crazy hilarious like whoa.  Be forewarned. There is a bit of language.  BUT, he actually is funny.  Unlike those disgusting Blue Collar Comedy Tour guys.  Ugh, don’t even get me started…

I’ll do my best to post the fruits of my labor after sewing night is over.  I’ve got a quilt I’m working on, but there’s an apron pattern sitting on my desk just begging to be sewn.  

Have a great one, peeps!

My attempts at bokeh with my point and shoot have proven unsuccessful at best.  Check out my derp!

Happy New Year, you’uns!