Saturday, August 23, 2008

...a little whimsy-decor

So, I have been in a decorating frenzy. The whole concept of having THREE ENTIRE rooms on the brink of decor-readiness, has been blowing my cranium. I have all of these design ideas from the past 3-4 years bubbling up...AND I CAN'T STOP MYSELF from visiting all of my favorite decor inspiring websites for hours. It was only fate that I was perusing urbanoutfitters.com this morning, (especially after I officially decided to paint one of the rooms light soft pink.) Check out the ADORABLE tapestry I discovered (below)...

When I was little, my mom had one of those Russian dolls on our livingroom bookshelves, and I would spend hours taking it apart, cuddling the tiny weenie baby inside in my palm, and then layering them back together. ..HOURS of entertainment. Anyhoo, I plan on making long drapery panels out the fabric for the forementioned light light light pink guest/sewing room. I can barely contain myself!!!!!!!!! (On a side note - was anyone aware of that fact that Ikea now sells fabric? NO CLUE.)

By the way, there were some really cool pillowcases available as well...I held off purchasing (for now). For ex: They have a guitar on one pillow, with the elect. cord flowing off of one case onto the other, hooking into an amp.

Tootles for now happy shoppers,
Kat

Friday, August 22, 2008

Chicken Little's Custom-Made Pad

Real quick post today...I had to upload pictures of the birthday present my parents commissioned for Chicken Little. Check out the cherry cradle and toddler chair they had made from one of their carpenter pals. Isn't it ADORABLE?!! (It should work as fashionable storage for toys, and other baby stuff after he grows out of it...(I am sure I will realize what that stuff consists of soon enough!) Plus, my sister sewed a custom fit cradle pad that will be perfect! I LOVE IT! Unfortunately, the items wouldn't fit in my compact car...I guess that means my parents will have to drive it down and make a visit sooner than later!



Sunday, August 17, 2008

Here's to wonderful friends!

Let me begin this post off by THANKING all of our wonderful friends again for this past weekend. Pj & I were blown away by their generousity and thoughtfulness. For the few people that I didn't tell, when Pj & I got back from our beach vacation, our wonderful friend Gary called to see what upcoming weekend would be open for some folks to come over to have a "workday" on our home! We sure did need the help, given Chicken Little is set to arrive in a few months...So it goes without saying that their timing was perfect-o. (Especially, since I haven't been much of the "stronghand" Pj has needed to finish the upstairs.)

Pj instantly got started on ripping down all of the plaster in the last bedroom upstairs in preparation. Once this room is complete, we can add our final essential element upstairs, a HVAC unit. (*That means heat and air for the nursery.)
*BEFORE pics of the guest room*

*AFTER Pj's Demo...*

*Maybe I am biased, but Pj IS STILL so handsome, even covered in coal dust and plaster.*


*Check out the bird's eye view of the lathe/plaster pile out of the demo-ed bedroom. Take a guess at how much poundage this represents,Just take a guess! (Answer below.)*

*Brad, Russ & the Peej discussing the new closet layout... *

*Nick and Gary inspecting their work thus far.*

*Check out the cool attic dormers...What were dormers originally for?..Ventilation?*

P-dub & I were in charge of installing baseboards in the nursery. Check out Patterson rocking the nail gun below! We didn't have such luck with the caulk gun (besides our constant cracking up over the SNL/HGTV skit about "caulk", we exploded the caulk container. Who knew a "caulk gun" was such a sophisticated tool.

*The boys cleaning up after a hard day's work. Eric totally hooked us up with his painting skillz on the back of the house (sorry, I don't have a pic to show off his hard work.)*

*No more bags of plaster! It took two trips to the dump and two big trucks to haul all of the rubbish away. If you took a guess at the poundage...look at the next pic for your answer...*

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!! 2 TONS for ONE midsized bedroom!!

The day was very productive, we have a room totally wired for electricity, installation installed, drywall hung on the entire ceiling and almost all of the walls, a couple of windows prepped for reglazing, a back outside house wall primed and ready for paint, and our new baby's nursery has all of its trim ready for a second coat of paint. PLUS - Brit and Alison came over with yummy goodies, pizza, soda, beer, watermelon, cookies...and the most refreshing drink I have ever had, Lime-Aid infused with fresh mint! Plus, Anya sent over some great baby items we will definitely put to use in the near future. Thank you again to everyone who organized & helped out yesterday! (Gary, Alison & Maisy, Nick, Brit & Ian, Russ, Anya, Anastasia & Virginia, Brad & Patterson and Eric.) It definitely gave us the boost in our baby preparations. What a mushy heart-warming moment!!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

...a little something warm and fuzzy...


OMG...I have to share this clip I just watched on one of my favorite sites, cuteoverload.com. The headline is titled, "He's not Heavey, He's my bunneh"...This little grey bun's mother perished just a week after it was born. Thankfully, this Marmalade Matron cat-dopted the bun as her own. I seriously cannot get enough of these type of stories...did you happen to see the one about the dachsund mom who took care of the kitten? (I would include, but I can't find the link.)


There Goes My Dreamy Petal Pink Room!

Pj and I went to visit the wonderful Dr.Yang last week for our 17 wk check up...and received very exciting news...WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!! (see illustrative pic below.) I knew it! Finally my maternal instinct has kicked in! I started crying and Pj was "white knucklin' it" on my arm, with a big cheesy grin and big eyes. We are so excited to know the sex... we can finally start thinking of names! Please, please, please feel free to offer any suggestions. Maybe, I should create an online sweeps...(hm, not a bad idea.)

Imagine looking up at the baby sitting on a glass table upon viewing this pic.
(...not that I have seen THAT many ding-dings! But I am pretty sure, this would trump them all!) We were pretty lucky to see the little guy's bits and pieces, given he was spinning and moving at about 4 g-forces (I am assuming that is a lot? hahahaha.) Let's just say he is very quick and agile with the limited space he has in there. Good thing our ultrasound Tech, Leigh was even quicker and was able to get these shots. (She should be a sports and/or nature photog.)

Lil' P's sweet sweet face.
He was rubbing his eyes and everything. Not sure why he was doing that...I didn't think they even opened their eyes yet. (Maybe, he had an itch.) Of course, we called family & friends afterwards, and spent most of that evening floating on air.
So I guess, there goes my dreamy petal pink room...Maybe, Matt & Marie will allow me to choose their nursery wall colors. I have a feeling they will be having a little girl. At least I hope for my sister, Tracey's sake. I think she needs her estrogen fix (with three little boys running around her house, I am sure it would be nice to purchase something with tiny flowers on it once in a while!)

I leave you with this 2D ultrasound pic. It reminds me of a happy baby buddha...I think the lines speak to my graphic preferences. He looks like the perfect cartoon baby! ENJOY!





Sunday, June 15, 2008

Family Secret Recipe...

So, I just made the most delicious lunch EVER...it was an eazy-bake version of my favorite Greek delicacy, spanokopita. I used a family secret ingredient. Maybe, you have used this product before...
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastries. They are these delicious pastry cups/shells that come frozen, (they are located in the frozen food section, next to the pies and cakes.) Anyhoo - when they come out of the box, they are flat little cookies...once they are in the oven for about 20 minutes they rise into these buttery flakey morsels of goodness. You can use them for anything. My mom fills them with her Chicken a'la King mixture. I have began to use them as the phyllo replacement in my spanakopita-esque creation. (I bet they would be wonderful with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce too ;) The options are endless. Okay, enough of my infomercial and back to my new recipe...(I cook to taste, so the measurements may be a bit off.)
_____________________
- 1 pckg of Pepperidge Farm Puff Shells (large or small, my store just recently started carrying the product...actually just the small ones. They are just as delicious, and would make perfect appetizers!)
- butter
- 1/2 c. garlic (chopped)
- 1/2 onion (chopped)
- 1/3 cucumber (chopped)
- 10 oz chopped spinach (frozen)
- salt & pepper
- 1 c. feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 egg
Go ahead and preheat your oven and place the pastry shells into the oven for the alloted 20 min. On the stove, saute the onions in the butter and garlic until clear. Then place the frozen spinach and cucumbers in with the onions. Once the spinach is thawed, Scramble the egg with a little bit of milk and pour while continually stirring the mixture. Add salt & pepper to taste. Continue to saute all ingredients until piping hot. Then you simply fill each of the pastry cups with your spinach concoction...VIOLA! It is delicious and much easier then layering phyllo leaves w. butter, I must add.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Did You Miss Us?

We're BACK!! Wow, a lot has happened since April so get ready for a doozy entry. Let me start by explaining the lack of postings...our home was robbed the day after my last post. Our digital cameras and camcorder were taken. With that said, I practiced a lesson I quickly learned at a young age, reading is much more entertaining when pictures are involved. Since we had no new pics...no new blogs. THEN it hit me! I have a photo scanner!(Thanks Mom & Dad.) DUH! Sorry, it took me awhile to come to that obvious solution.

So back to the day of the crime...I was on the phone with my dear childhood friend, Heather on my drive home from work. Checked the mailbox prior to entering and noticed that our house key was missing (the drywallers were supposed to come that day to finish up some last details.) The key was missing, so I assumed that they came. I walked in (still on the phone) and checked the back pantry area...nothing was done, and our back door was unbolted. Interesting enough, but I figured that the workmen just innocently forgot to lock it back up. I then walked into our life room, and noticed my pillow was LYING ON THE FLOOR, disgusting, when I went to pick it up I noticed that the pillowcase was missing, (luckily, it was a plain white one, not my darling 70's tiny-flower in fuschia/pale pink pillowcase which was also on the bed.) WTF? My first narcistic instinct was to think that I had a stalker and he stole my pillowcase to smell my hair...hahhahahaha (I guess I have watched way too many Lifetime cinemas). That is an embarrassing reveal but must be told...for those of you not up on the patterns of a habitual thief, they use your pillowcase as a convenient "insta-bag" to shove all of YOUR items into. They don't show you THAT in all of the mystery dramas on TV. Luckily, the cameras were the only thing taken and thank goodness we weren't here! I honestly think that the "perp" might have been in the house when I got home, and that is why the damage was so minimal. Anyhoo - the Knox City police and Crime lab were very helpful and thank goodness for my neighbor Kathy. Pj was out of town, and she stepped in with quite the gust-o and compassion. Okay, enough of the bad news...(check out the pic below.)
___
**WE ARE EXPECTING OUR FIRST BABY!**

(Notice my eyebrows - they looked awesome that day for some reason.)

We tried several times to get a photo of the "pregnant" reading on the test, but it never came out...but you get the point. Other than Pj's initial "intense" moment concerning having a baby in our death trap of a house - when he tried to sell it from right under my nose, we are over-the-top excited!! So far we have been blessed with a wonderful pregnancy. (Pj has moved past the freak-out stage, thankfully). I was exhausted the first 3 months and my boobs felt like punching bags, but other than that I wouldn't even know I was preggers! (Actually, I was a little weepy at work, which led my co-worker, Carrie a.k.a "Veronica Mars" to sniff out the trail very early on, probably before I even knew it myself. She has amazing super-senses and sometimes I actually believe she might be the Private Investigator version of a superhero....I am dead serious, a breathing lie-detector.) So, here are a few of our ultrasounds from our first two Dr. appts. Fyi* We have nicknamed him/her "Chicken Little" in honor of Pj's minor "episode" mentioned earlier...

*Chicken Little at 8 wks 4 days from the back* He was squirming all over the place!!

*13 Wks, 1 Day*


Here are the 3D shots! He looks a bit like Skeletor, but one must not forget, Skeletor was an extremely powerful wizard. I expect no less from our Chicken Little. It was pretty amazing, he was already playing with/swatting his umbilical cord and punching the air! I don't think he liked the ultrasound, I read somewhere that babies hear the ultrasound as a high pitch ringing. Dr. Yang mentioned that they do indeed hear it, but it is not proven that it is bothersome...ummm, someone should tell baby Chicken that.)


Well, I will leave you with these last images. These pics of our home were taken in 1915 (our home would have been about 16 yrs old.) A nice woman came knocking on our door last summer, and said that she had purchased the images at an antique store many moons ago. She made the connection after attending the auction sale here at the house after Mrs. Wilson (previous owner) had passed. She was kind enough to bring me the pics, and I was so overwhelmed with excitement, that I rudely forgot to get her name and number! Unfortunately, I was never able to send her a proper "thank you" gift. Anyhoo, Enjoy!



If you look closely to the right of the front stairs, you can see a climbing rose bush. We actually discovered that survivor after hacking down an overgrown bush when we first moved in! The maple tree to the left is still there, but the one to the right is long gone. I only wish I could tell what color the house was originally painted!

Monday, April 21, 2008

hang with me folks...

Okay, here is the trouble...the house computer is actually out of the house, along with all of my photos. So, please hang with me folks...I am about to reveal the most amazing bathroom tile EVER...I am not kidding, Home Depot better start reimbersing me for all the revenue they will be making off of my referral and tile discovery. Everyone loves the charming microtile, vintage homes feature in such publications as, This Old House (see below...)

(example)

...but if anyone has ever gone on the tile hunt, they will quickly discover that these "charming" tiles are not so charming when you go to price them out. Besides, trying to locate a retailer, they are very expensive (think $20 sq/ft or more.) So, somehow my computer google search was growing exhausted of my constant "vintage hexagonal tile" search...and on one late mysterious evening, the stars were aligned and my search retrieved this miraculous find. The most adorable, perfect mix of old and new penny-rounds I HAVE EVER SEEN...

($jack-pot$)

...it is like candy isn't it? They actually do resemble those candy covered sweethearts you can get at the movie theatre. I swear, I have feelings towards this tile similar to that I have for 8 week old puppies and anything dollhouse miniature. The best part is, that they are less than $6 a sq ft, (plus they come in different colors, such as cobalt blue and metallic gold! Merola Tile has actually expanded their offering since our purchase...I am planning our final bathroom remodel in my head as I type. METALLIC GOLD!? Should I dare?...)

Anyhoo, take note, Home Depot does not sell this in their stores, so you have to order it online. To avoid shipping charges, I recommend going to your nearest store. They can "special order" it, you just have to go pick it up....so WORTH avoiding the INSANE shipping charges associated with 50 or more lbs of ceramic boxes!

We decided to use this tile for a "rug" effect. We paired the micro tile with some 12x24 grey marble tile we also purchased super-dooper cheap at a local tile warehouse here in K-town. So far I am very pleased with our creativity...

(for some reason you can see the tile marks...it doesn't look like that in person)


(Check out our new mack-daddy tub, THAT I did not get a deal on, unfortunately)

(**Quick Flashback - this is the accompanying ebay vanity that will go in this room...)
Unfortunately, those are the only pics I have available to me at the moment...More tiling pics in the near future!! By the way, we are getting our Master Suite hardwoods refinished tomorrow...I will definitely update with pics of that part of our house soon...It is an amazing metamorphosis. I can't wait to share! Until then, enjoy The Hills tonight my friends, (I don't care what perezhilton.com says, there is NO FREAKIN' WAY those girls can act THAT WELL...no way freakin' way.)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Coffee Break...

Pj & I attended our friend Ian's first birthday party, I thought I would post some pics from the partee as a breather from the construction chaos!

Ian's Hungry Caterpillar Cookies, he was happy to share them with us

Scout tried to go for mine, good thing I have quick reflexes...

Dad, where's the cake, you said there would be cake, I don't see the cake...

um, seriously...where is my cccAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEEEE???

Yom, yom, yom ,yom, yom, yom. I think Ian loved his cake.

It was great seeing everybody, I feel like I have been out of the loop! Everyones' children are growing by leaps and bounds. Anya's mom was even here from the Ukraina for 6 months, and I didn't see her once, ugh. Luckily, I got to see her dad, Boris at the party. I don't speak Russian and he doesn't speak English...but friendships can break language barriers, right?
Anya's Dad, Boris and the James family littl-est, Virginia


The James family biggest, Anastastia

The James family craziest, Russ



Catching up with Alison, Gary & baby Maizie. She is getting so big!



Needless to say, everyone had a wonderful time. Ian mentioned it was the best birthday party he had ever had! Kudos to Nick and Britt for the delicious "sliders" and snacks!