A Glass Act

Winner!!

2011-04-14T08:34:00.000-04:00

Whoops, sorry guys!! Didn't mean to keep you waiting an extra day!! But sister-in-law had her baby yesterday so my phone and email were off the charts!! Then we went out with the family to celebrate (except poor husband who worked till 8). I'm so excited to have 4 beautiful nephews!! Although I don't think the 4 year old nephew will apprecite being called "beautiful".

To be fair, I went to Random.Org. I don't know how you other bloggers get the actual picture on here but this was my best shot:

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 5 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Lucky #5!!! Meredith over at And They're Off. Congrats girl!! Send me the initials you want monogrammed and I'll put that order in for you and hopefully will be able to give it to you at our lil dinner party we are having!

I'm a bit jealous of Meredith, I've never won anything from blogland =(

Meredith had asked me on my Flea Market post if I knew if Lexington had any type of Flea Market like the one I went to in Nashville.

Sadly I have never discovered one in Lexington like the one in Nashville. That Flea Market was SUPER CRAZY. But there are some alternatives in good ol' Lexvegas.

An Antique Affair takes place the 2nd weekend of every month on Manchester Street. Pro: They have lots of beautiful things Con: They are way pricey. I think all antique dealers in Lexington are way over priced. But you can always find a good deal on something there!! And don't forget to bargin with them...it's what junking is all about.

Here are some things I saw the last time I went to the Antique Affair: (and note, the pictures will be upside down because I am on my work computer and it's older than dirt...well maybe not quite that old...)

I have been DROOLING WITH MY MOUTH WIDE OPEN for this chair (actually there are 2 of them) for over a year now. Hubby has even commented that it's a great chair but we don't have any place for it. I even love the oriental rug it's on too.

They have lots and lots of silver goods and old china. Some are priced to the max and some are a steal! I can't get enough of silver goods! They NEVER go out of style...or if they have, I chosen to ignore that detail.

Grrr, sorry it's upside down. But there are like 4 things I love in this picture. The black planter box on the top shelf, the picture to the left (I actually bought that), the horse head book ends, and the silver lamp.

I really want these too, but they were $15 a piece =( and I think hubby would kill me if I came home with any more wine glasses (after the wedding, we have a ton!!)

I want this canvas of Scarlet soooo bad!! But have no where to put it. I think if I had a fancy smancy dressing room, it would be perfect there!!! As of last month, there were 2 of these canvases at the Antique Affair.

I want it! I want it!!! They have lots of beautiful lamps for sale!!

And tons of really pricey furniture too. It's pretty to look at, but I'm afraid that's all my wallet will allow me to do. The wallet ~~and hubby~~ keep me on a tight leash.

Of course you'll find a lil bit of everything at the Antique Affair on Manchester Street. I almost came home with this bad boy too:

Other ideas to find some thrifty goods are yard sales (they should be popping up pretty soon!!)
I know Greenbriar subdivision has a neighborhood yard sale one weekend in April. Also lots of church's have rummage sales in the summer as well. There is a new Peddlars Mall in Lexington off New Circle Road where I have had some success, but the only down fall is that you can't negotiate prices there. Takes the fun out of it.

Oh you might also try our "antique district" on Leestown Road. Compared to other town's antique districts, our is a bit shabby. Room Service, Scouts (or Scotts?) Antiques is also a good Saturday morning stroll.

Alright, well everyone have a great Thursday! And congrats again to Meredith!

Happy Birthday To Me!! And My First Giveaway!!

2011-04-08T08:57:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Ok, so it's technically not MY birthday (that's June 23rd if you want to go ahead and mark your calendars) but it's my BLOGS birthday.

I started my blog for 2 reasons. 1) It was tax season (and still is tax season right now) so it gave me something to do while Brian worked long hours and 2) it was a really good way for my friend MC and I to keep up with each others house projects.

Now 71 followers later, I'm meeting fellow bloggers, getting advice, feedback, compliments, and keeping up with new and old friends. It makes me wonder why I still need to be on Facebook?!? (j/j, I still love FB...just not as much as I used to).

Although I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to 100th post in my first year...I do have to remind myself that I planned a wedding by myself (with the help of my friends & hubby), adopted another furry child, rented my house out for the World Equestrian Games, was a bridesmaid TWICE and the BRIDE, traveled to Europe, worked 40 hours a week...you get the idea.

And since I looooooooovvvveeeee getting presents (it's sad how much I love presents), I'm going to give a lucky reader a present for my 1st year celebration.

It's one of my favorite things...besides, Brian, the cats, the color green and Houndstooth....

A Julep Cup - and it's just in time for horse racing season!

And YES, I wouldn't give a Julep Cup away without getting it monogrammed with YOUR initials.

I use Juelp cups all the time!! I use them for decoration

These are my Mississippi Julep Cups I got as wedding present - LOVE THEM.

Close up

I use them for flowers around the house

This is actually a pic of Julep Cups at my wedding that were on some of the tables (Revere Bowls were on the other tables, but that will be a separate post).

This is from MC's wedding

I have a Julep Cup in the bathroom...currently holding our toothbrushes and toothpaste (both items taken down for this picture)

I love them so much that hubby got me special Julep straws for Christmas

I even gave them as Bridesmaids presents. Get the idea?? I really LOVE Julep Cups.

So to win your VERY OWN MONOGRAMMED JULEP CUP you have to do 2 of my favorite things.

1) Be a follower

And

2) Leave a comment. If you wanted to leave a comment saying what your favorite project has been to read...I'd be down with that. Or if you just want to say Happy Birthday, or a super nice compliment - anything that would make me smile =)

Last day to enter will be Tuesday, April 12th and I'll announce the winner on the 13th!!! Good luck and have a great weekend!!
-Joy D.

P.S. Brian...since you are a follower, you can enter this too and win me another Julep Cup for my collection!!! Just a thought!

Spring Showers Brings...

2011-04-07T09:21:00.000-04:00

Lots of summer babies and weddings!! My weekends have been JAM packed with showers galore and I'm so happy to be included in all the festivities!!

First up, a baby shower for Mrs. Shalanta Gullett who is expecting TWIN BOYS this May! Phew, I'm already exhausted for her!!

(I don't know why the scanner cut off half the invite, sorry Shalanta)

She's absolutely beautiful!!! I can NOT wait to meet Ashton and Grayer!!

Ya'll know I love ALL the details for parties so here are some pics for ya.

I love presents, and watching people open them is my favorite part of the shower...besides the eating part.

The food was SO YUMMY!! I definitely went back for seconds!!

Of course no baby shower is complete without a diaper cake!!!

I made one diaper cake 2 years ago for my BFF's baby shower and I'm just dyin to make another one!!

And would you look at this cake!!!!!

The "ta ta's" were rice crispy treats.

I've been waiting for Shalanta to put this pic up on Facebook so I could steal it and put it on my blog.

Next up on the list was an engagement party for our friends Kevin and Emily. Kevin and Brian have been friends since they were wee little ones. We're so excited about their wedding but extremely sad that they will be moving to FLORIDA a month afterwards =( Not only are they our favorite couple to hang out with but Emily is my only "cat friend" in town - meaning she loves cats just as much...if not more. And we talk about them A LOT. It's OK to be a crazy cat lady around Emily.
(Sorry guys, the scanner kept scanning the invite in like several pieces because of the stripes)

They had a brunch at The Barrel House - we had never been there before so we were in for a real treat! It was great food and great music!

Brian had to work (stupid tax season) but he got to stop by for a lil bit.

As you can see, I NEVER win the battle over Brian tucking his shirt in...one day...

Emily & Kev with their beautiful hostesses

I feel very privileged because Emily turns to me for wedding advice =) Brian and I are hosting a party for them on April 30th and I'm soooo excited about it but a little nervous to be the host!!
And to conclude the March showers, my mother-in-law had a BEAUTIFUL bridal luncheon for the BEAUTIFUL Kristin Ford.
Kristin explains our relationship here. I've been VERY fortunate to marry into her family. Even though we are technically only related through in-laws, Kristin and her family have treated me JUST LIKE their own family member. They are too good to me and I couldn't have asked for a better extended family.

My mother-in-law and Mrs. Henley (the other host) had WAY too much fun dressing Kristin up for her shower...

We were welcomed at the front door by Kristin and this beautiful punch display...oh and a pic of Kristin rub a dub dubbing in the bath...

All the tables were decked out in green table cloths, silver, crystal, and china...only the finest for the Future Mrs. Milam

Lil spring hand sanitizers from The Bath and Body Shop were the cute favors.

All the beautiful table settings made me want to go home and play with all my new entertaining stuff!! It also made me think that I didn't register for enough crystal (hubby is probably rolling his eyes right now). I do need to be prepared for when I throw a beautiful luncheon...who knows...maybe a baby shower for Kristin is in my future...

And of course there was cake...delicious cake...

I was pretty pumped about my present for Kristin. I've had it for months!!!! In my defense, she DID register for snuggies...

But I couldn't just give her a plain snuggie so of course I had to get it monogrammed!! Luckily, Kristin likes monograms as much as I do.

And I didn't want her future hubby to feel left out...

Not sure if Robert likes monograms as much as Kristin and I do...oh well!! Now there will be absolutely NO confusion whose snuggie is who's.

I would have gotten a picture of me and the bride-to-be, but I had just had surgery, my tummy was super swollen and none of my cute dresses were fitting...in brief, it wasn't my finest moment.
Kristin got some BEAUTIFUL presents. I'm hoping as soon as the wedding is over, Kristin and Robert will have some free time to have some fun with us.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Happy Birthday Husband!!! And Thanks to The Talented Jamie!!

2011-03-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

Brian turned 28 this past Sunday. Tear. We're almost to our 30's. Poor Brian, we never get to do anything super fun for his birthday since it's right in the middle of tax season. Oh and he had to take care of me the entire weekend when he WASN'T working. Poor Brian.

So I wanted to get Brian a SUPER AWESOME GIFT. I don't know how, but I kept my mouth shut about his present for almost 3 months!!!! That's a record!!!! I tried to steer clear from anything "practical" (his Christmas request was that he didn't want any practical gifts since we had just gotten a ton of wedding presents...that were more to my fancy than to his). So here was his present:

Aren't they amazing?? Now our in home rivalry can continue!!

What I was the MOST excited about for this birthday present was that I got to call on an old acquaintance to do the painting. I've been dying to find something for Jamie Givens Schneider to paint.

Jamie is hands down one of THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET. NO JOKE.
She NEVER seizes to amaze me.

I had the privilege of having Jamie be my Jr. Pro cheerleading coach in elementary school. We all loved her. She was an amazing cheerleader and an even greater role model. She'd even come over to babysit lil brother and I and I'd always ask her to do a hair wrap for me. Do ya'll remember those?? Every time we'd go to her house for practice, her kitchen table would be COVERED with containers of beads and threads. She was always making jewelry. She was ALWAYS making something, picture collages, paintings, etc... She has been one of my FAVORITE people to follow on Facebook. She hands down has the funnest career to follow. But my favorite thing about Jamie is that she is no joke the sweetest and most genuine person you'll ever meet.

I could post A TON of pictures of things Jamie has done...but ya'll know it takes forever to upload pictures on here. (Sorry Jamie, I stole these off your facebook page.)

World Equestrian Horses

Offices

The Cradle Will Rock

Bedrooms

And the list goes on...

This is my favorite and I hope to have her do one for a lil girls room...sooner than later of course =)

Her website will ABSOLUTELY AMAZE YOU. Check it out here. It's SOOOO much fun to look at her pictures. You can also find her on Facebook here.

Happy Birthday to my sweet and hard working husband!!! My gift was a HUGE hit but I think the Cats making it to the Final Four definitely made this his best birthday yet!!!

And thanks again Jamie, we absolutely LOVE them!!!! I can't wait to call you again!!

If Your Looking For a Good Recipe...

2011-03-29T08:51:00.000-04:00

Then this is NOT the blog for you. I'm usually more into home decor, crafts, and party ideas. But after the marriage nuptials, I think all newlyweds wants to learn to cook/cook more.

This is an EASY PEASY recipe...well...more of a CONCOCTION I threw together awhile back to please the Mr. It takes NO time to prep and less than 30 minutes to cook ~~so I can spend more time crafting and less time in the kitchen.~~

What you'll need:
-2 bags of frozen stir fry veggies (I use the Kroger brand and they're usually on sale for $1 every other week)
-Rotini Noodles
-Teriyaki Sauce

Sorry, Brian peeled the label off the teriyaki sauce, but it's Kikoman's Teriyaki Sauce. We use this stuff ALL the time on pasta, chicken, etc... just remember it's the one with the purple top.

-Boil water and cook rotini.

-Cook vegetables in a pan. I pour a lil bit of Olive Oil on my veggies to get them going.

- Drain your noodles and make sure your veggies are COMPLETELY cooked. Then pour the noodles in your veggie pan and drench it in your sauce. And TA DA!!!!

Tonight I was feeling super Rachel Ray and added cashews. DARING!! I even tried a new sauce:

I had it on hand and wanted to switch things up a lil bit. I've even added precooked chicken strips to this dish before. I REALLY suck at cooking chicken so I use the precooked stuff you throw on salads, but it can be a bit pricey.

I'm sure if you follow me on twitter, you saw that I had a LIL surgery this past Thursday (I about had a Twitter breakdown on Friday morning, sorry Twitter followers). Since I had some time to catch up on daytime television (BORING), I got COMPLETELY MESMERIZED by the Food Network. Holy Pajamas!!! I'm officially addicted. I even started a Food Network account and started adding recipes to my recipe box. So far, I think the Barefoot Contessa is my favorite. Who knows, maybe this will spark the Ina Garten in me.

I did want to give a BIG THANK YOU to my BFF, Alyssa, for taking care of me this weekend while hubby was working and for CONSTANTLY checking up on me and putting up with me.

Thank You to Derrick and Sarah for the chocolate peanut butter and popcorn. Does anyone else like peanut butter with their popcorn?? Well just add chocolate peanut butter and it's HEAVENLY!!!! Thanks for thinking of me during your busy tax season!!

And thank you to Mrs. D for sharing some of your 12 layer chocolate cake. IT WAS AMAZING and I still can't believe you made it!!!! Lil "happys" on my front door step from Mr. and Mrs. D are my favorite =)

Keep On Truckin...

2011-03-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

I'm almost to my 100th post...gotta...keep...on...truckin....

Gees, blogging is exhausting but I'm almost there!!

Long weekend for me, so hoping to catch up on my lack-o-blogging.
Stay Tuned,
Joy D.

Everyone's Irish on March 17th

2011-03-17T08:55:00.002-04:00

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd take you on a tiny tour of Ireland via our honeymoon pics (don't worry, they are all G rated).

The fishing town of Kinsale

I came home with bundles of "flake" bars - my absolute fav. But there were tons of different candy bars to try!

Kensale

It really is good for you, I learned at the Guiness factory that it's only 140 calories a pint and contains mostly water so it's good for your belly!

The University where Dr. D (father-in-law) attended school

The Irish fam took EXTREMELY good care of us!!

I loved the train, and it was fun seeing my new last name displayed in red lights

Brian's cousin got us AMAZING tickets to the Rugby game: Ireland v. S. Africa

It was also the 1st game in the new arena in Dublin

Rugby anyone??

The Google building in Dublin

There were TONS of amazing old buildings in Dublin, if we had more time, we would have gone in all of them!

One of my fav pictures

The Dublin Castle

I spy Houndstooth!

The tile floor at Christ Church - we had a TON of other great pics from this church but they were on the camera I left on the plane =(

We NEVER got used to people driving on the wrong side of the road.

St. Parick's Statue at St. Peter's Church

The Guiness factory, Brian's favorite part beside the Rugby game.

Or you can do what I did and marry into Irish =)

The view of Dublin from the top of the Guiness factory

Do you see the Shamrock in the Guiness??

Traveling Ireland was exhausting!!! We got to sleep a lil on the train

The Aran Islands

It would rain for 15 mins then the sun would be out for 15 mins...needless to say I did not get a tan on my honeymoon.

The cliffs of Aran...Brian is afraid of heights so I got super up close and personal with my camera

I have soooo many great pictures but believe it or not...it took like an hour to upload all of these and I had to go to bed. I have a few more pics here

I'm heading to a St. Patrick's Day themed wedding tonight.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I think everyone should wear GREEN everyday!!
Joy D.

The Full Irish Breakfast

2011-03-16T21:15:00.001-04:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I loooooovvvveeee mail??? I think I like mail more than the average person.

For instance, I come home everyday on my lunch break just to see if we got any "good" mail. When i can't make it home on my lunch break, I get super eager on my drive home from work because I'm sooo excited to check the mail.

"Good" mail consist of invitations, cards from old/new friends, magazines, and unexpected packages.

So I was BEYOND excited when I came home from brunch a couple weeks ago and found a package from Ireland in my mail basket!!!

The family in Ireland sent me us a few St. Patrick's Day decorations for our home (Recap: Brian's dad is from Ireland and all of his family still lives there, we even had the opportunity to meet them all on our honeymoon)

Thank You SOOOOO much Aunt Brenda and the Irish Fam!!!! You definitely made my month!!!

During my dining room postings, I was informed by the in-laws that the family in Ireland were reading my blog ;)

And now that I'm "irish by marriage", I wanted to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by serving a full Irish breakfast for dinner - which became my favorite meal on our trip once I realized that a full Irish breakfast consisted of baked beans, MY FAVORITE.

We actually had to celebrate our St. Paddy's day on the 16th because I'm going to a wedding on the 17th.

A Full Irish Breakfast consist of:
-Bacon (bangers)
-Sausage (rashers)
-Black & White Pudding (I opted out of this one)
-Eggs
-Tomatoes
-Mushrooms
-Baked Beans!!!

And every meal in Ireland was served with Irish Brown Bread (I found that recipe here)

Our Feast:

I EVEN made a SPECIAL dessert!!! Irish Coffee Brownie Cupcakes (recipe here)

I may or may not have had 3 2 of these today.

The only thing missing was a pint of Guiness...however I had my fair share of Guiness this weekend celebrating St. Patrick's Day downtown Lexington.

THANKS AGAIN TO OUR FAMILY IN IRELAND FOR THINKING OF US THIS ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Which reminds me...I still owe you guys some wedding pictures!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!
Love, Joy D.

Happy FAT Tuesday!!

2011-03-08T09:06:00.001-05:00

Mardi Gras Parade

laissez les bon tempe roulle

For those fortunate enough to be further down South, I hope your day is full of these....

Beads...in the appropriate way

And your belly is full with these....

Crawfish

Crawfish is what I miss THE MOST about being further South...Nothing is better than a crawfish boil with some very cold beer. I NEVER miss a chance to get some crawfish when I'm in a location where it's a lil more accessible. (WARNING: OLD PICTURE COMING UP)

I've also used my baby brothers birthday today as an excuse to purchase one of these for his birthday cake:

King Cake

Brian has his fingers crossed that he gets the piece with the baby in it...

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!!!!

Cheers to Friendships New and Old

2011-03-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I've gotten tons of remarks that I haven't been crafting or blogging very much. Whoopsie.

Really what I've been up to is cleaning, reading, trying to figure out twitter, and meetin' and greein' with a new friend :) Actually, it's a friend I met through blogging, even better.

Being from Lexington, I feel like I get in a friend slump sometimes where I can't meet new people. A slump where your group of friends has already been labeled for the past X amount of years then when you try to meet other people...well your already labeled to another group. Make sense?? (This is my favorite blog post from Marquis dePinkus on friendship)

But I've NEVER played the rules of this game. I have always loved making new friends and keeping up with old friends. Hubby learned this REAL fast when he started accompanying me as a guest to weddings. We average about 8 weddings a year. The first year we dated, I had 10 to go to- see he learned very fast. And thanks to texting, facebook, twitter, and blogging, it's so much easier to keep up with old friends and make new friends. Thank you social networking!

Anywho, I'm so excited about the new friendship that I've made. So instead of getting home from work and crafting or writing a new blog post, the new friend and I have gone out to get ice cream...3 times. So can you really blame me for being sidetracked??

And since lent begins this week....a time where you work on your own personal relationship with the big man upstairs....I'm also going to concentrate on friendships. New and old. I've got 2 friends off the top of my head that I truly miss and I'm texting them asap to see if they'd like to get together sooner than later. I'm also opening up my stationery cabinet and sending old friends cards just so they know I'm thinking about them. And as for my new friend, I actually might cook and invite her over for dinner since her hubby is away.

Do you have friends you haven't talked to in awhile?? Well I think I should challenge YOU to touch base with someone you haven't talked to in a lil while, ask someone new to go on a walk or get some coffee (in our case dessert) and friends in your life right now...well everyone loves an unexpected sweet note or message.

Cheers to friendships...new and old.
Joy D.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

2011-03-02T08:32:00.001-05:00

And a VERY happy birthday to YOU Dr. Seuss!

I have ALL of my Dr.Seuss books saved for my little ones to someday read and enjoy.

Here is my favorite:

"I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful 100%"

Happy Wednesday,
Joy D.

Flea Market Madness

2011-02-28T20:44:00.000-05:00

I took a special trip to Nashville this weekend to visit my good friend Ivey (I wrote about her here, the way we met is prob one of my favorite stories ever). A girl couldn't ask for a better hostess!! I was greeted at the driveway with a glass of red wine (with ice in it of course). She spoils me rotten.

It just so happened that the Nashville flea market was going on during my visit. How convenient! Ivey had never been before so we thought we'd make an experience of it. We had NO clue what to expect or what we were getting ourselves into.

The insane line for parking should have probably been our first clue that the flea market was a lil bigger deal than we thought it was going to be.

When we first walked in, we saw what you'd see at any ordinary flea market...

Tons and Tons of Socks

Shoes

Lots and lots of shoes

Knives

Tons of fake sunglasses

But this was no ordinary flea market....it was a GIGANTIC flea market. With booths indoors and outdoors...as far as the eye can see. And the further we explored the market...the better the treasures!

Here are some of my faves that we saw

We saw lots of shabby chic old bed frames

LOVED THESE

The one and only Colonel Sanders

Ivey checking everything out

Isn't this neat?? They had sooooo many awesome old magazines and newspapers

One of the MANY outdoor spots with lots and lots of ~~junk~~ treasures

I loved these old hat pins. I have something similar to this in my office.

This would look great in my front hallway where it would welcome guest as they come in.

Lots of scones

I wish I had a place for one of these

I thought the mermaids were...ehhh...interesting to say the least.

And who wouldn't want this guy in their home?!?

We thought these would be cool to put magazines in

Of course when I no longer have the initials "JFG"...

Ivey REALLY wanted to purchase this lil guy, luckily her good friend talked her out of it...J/J.

Scary, right??

It took everything in my power NOT to purchase any blue plates...even though I have the perfect spot for them. I know there are other blue plates in the sea.

Of course, the flea market brought out Tennessee's finest. If you don't like to look for good deals at flea markets, at least go for the people watching. It's safe to say that Ivey was a bit overdressed with her fancy Tory Burch flats...

Ivey bought a huge urn from this guy. She told him it was for one of her plants. He immediately asked if it was for a marijuana plant. Yeah buddy. Does anyone else notice his Spiderman shirt??

And I scored a pair of antique staffordshire spaniel figurines. I was gonna pay $32 for them but Ivey talked the guy down to $30. What would I have done without her??

They are gonna go on my bookshelf in my office. I'd show you the bookshelf, but I'm not ready to reveal it yet.

Here are a couple of things I've learned from frequently visiting estate sales, antique shops, flea markets, etc...

1. ALWAYS BRING HAND SANITIZER.

2. Bring cash. It's a pain writing a check for $3.00 and for some reason, I never bring cash!

3. If your going with a friend, wear bright colors so it's easier to find one another.

4. Good.Walking.Shoes.Period.

5. Use the restroom and eat before you go.

6. Dealers are more willing to make a good deal at the END of the LAST day....it's just one less thing they have to pack.

7. And at least attempt to negotiate a price with them...it's the name of the game. I was too nervous to negotiate for my dog figurines. I was about to cash out when Ivey asked the guy if $32 was the best that they could do.

The Nashville Flea Market takes place on the last weekend of each month. But our spiderman friend told us the biggest months are April and October. It's hard to imagine that there will be 10 times as many vendors in April and October as we saw this weekend.

BIG THANK YOU TO IVEY FOR HAVING ME THIS WEEKEND. I've gotten so spoiled only having her live 3 hours away now. I love it. I was down most of the day today because I already missed her but fortunately she just became a 'FOLLOWER' and that cheered me right back up.

However, she has said that she won't leave a comment...she's too shy. I bet she'll give in soon enough...(insert evil laugh).

Keeneland Shout Out

2011-02-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

For all you Keeneland lovers,
I saw this today on the Southern Living website, click below to read the article.

Wish You Were Here: Keeneland and Georgetown Celebrate the famed Kentucky track’s 75th anniversary, then hoof it on over to a charming nearby town for arts and eats.

Hubby and I are ALWAYS wanting to go to nearby towns and try out new restaurants, bed and breakfasts or Inns. We went to Georgetown for the first time a few weeks ago (I was on a Craigslist hunch - but it was a disappointment) and it had the cutest main street with tons of historic ole houses that were screaming my name. We'll have to add this place in Georgetown to our "after tax season to-do list".

W.W.C.D.

2011-02-22T08:49:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been finding myself falling in love all over again with Charlotte...

Thanks to E!, I've watched Sex and the City almost everyday.

I know I've mentioned before, but I'm not the most fashionable person you've ever met.

So sometimes when I'm out shopping and I can' t decide on a certain item, I usually ask myself this question:

"What Would Charlotte Do"

It's a spin off of the W.W.J.D. bracelets

Remember these?? They were pretty hip in middle school (circa middle 90's). It was a friendly reminder "What Would Jesus Do" - I MAY or MAY NOT have had 3 of them... But unfortunately I did not wear them for the "spiritual" aspect but rather "it's the cool thing to do" aspect.

So when I'm in a bind and can't decide, I think "W.W.C.D.??"

This technique is good for other things too, not just fashion.

For instance, when I'm upset and I have a bad word that's just sitting on the tip of my tongue. I think W.W.C.D. and it saves me from having a potty mouth. Or purchasing gifts, would Charlotte give just a plain gift?? Oh no, she goes above and beyond!! Should I go walking today?? Charlotte would (but in her case, she'd go running).

And I love that she has brown hair - sometimes I think my brown hair holds me back from super cute outfits. But she definitely pulls everything off with 110% CLASS.

Thanks Charlotte for being such a great role model!! And thanks E! for letting me fall in love all over again!

Happy Tuesday!
Joy D.

Magazines Please

2011-02-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

So, I kinda get a lot of magazines. Maybe you've noticed a couple of spots for them around my house.

In my bedroom

In the "nice" living room

I think that's why I like reading blogs so much, it's like I get to read a whole bunch of magazine articles everyday!!

I found this picnic basket in our basement. It definitely came from a pile of stuff from my dad's house.

I'm sad to report that this picnic basket has NEVER been used for a picnic. It fact it was never used at all =( Poor basket. It was going to go in the trash. But now it is serving a purpose in my office.

This chair is 2nd in line to get reupholstered...when I get a lil more spending ching ching. Till then, it has a throw on it to make it blend in a lil more.

And then I was having a major problem with my magazines in the TV room.

They are usually scattered all over the floor, but I made a nice clean stack just for this pic. The chair on the right IS next in line to get reupholstered. I'm having my friend Beth's mom do it as soon as my fabric goes back on sale:

My friend dragged me out of my house during a "deep cleaning weekend" (I'm trying to get my spring cleaning done now so I can actually enjoy spring) and we went to our first estate sale.

Look at the beauty I found:

I think it looks like the bamboo style that's super in right now.

It had a price tag of $5.00 but the lady gave it to me for $3.00

So I painted it silver and I love the way it turned out.

Problem solved!

Now to get that chair recovered and I will be 91.9% happy with our TV room. Oh, and the table on the left is hopefully getting painted this weekend.

So far I get these magazines in the mail:
Good Housekeeping
Martha Stewart Living
Martha Stewart Everyday Food (even though I don't cook)
Veranda (my fav)
HouseBeautiful
Traditional Home
Southern Living
Southern Lady

I was watching Sex and the City 2 the other night (I know everyone hated it, but I kinda liked it - it had a happy ending) and I heard this quote from Carrie:
"I've been cheating on fashion with furniture"

I keep telling myself that this is the LAST winter where I am gonna STOP spending money on the house and invest more in a winter wardrobe. So far, I bought a new pea coat and that's it. I think the next magazine subscription I get will be InStyle - I certainly need all the help I can get!!

Happy Friday to YOU.
Joy D.

The Hogans

2011-02-16T19:40:00.001-05:00

I may or may not have publically admitted here that I own EVERY season of Hogan Knows Best

I LOVED the show and I LOVED the family (of course this was all before Terry's came crashing down).

They just looked so happy. Tear. I tried to watch Brooke's show, but it just wasn't the same.

Anywho. Home is Where the Hart is left me a comment (she is super sweet - I've never actually met her but she leaves me lots of comments that I love to read) and said that she used to live like 5 minutes away from them and would see them all the time!!! I'm super jealous. So I wanted to show her just how much I loved the Hogans.

I FOUND THEIR HOME!!! OH YEAH!

And just to prove I didn't just find these on the internet...

If I wasn't in front of their home, I would not show this picture to anybody!
Hogan's, I found your hood!

Don't worry, I'm not out searching for your house. I promise.

OK. Just wanted to share with HIWTHI - although she prob thinks I'm a creepy stalker now and has probably decided it should be best that we don't meet. Ever.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into??

2011-02-16T18:11:00.000-05:00

I can hardly figure out how to do anything on my blog, so I don't know what I am thinking joining Twitter. You'll have to find me cause I have NO idea how to find YOU. JoyD723. I hope Facebook doesn't think I'm cheating on it.

The "JFD" Bathroom Is Now Complete

2011-02-15T22:28:00.001-05:00

Before I start telling you about the bathroom, I just want to reflect on THIS moment right now. Hubby is at the ballgame with his dad, and my house is SILENT ~~except the sound of little paws running up and down the stairs.~~ I LOVE having the house to myself. And hubby will be excited that I blogged about the bathroom; he's asked me twice to post it so he can look at it at work ;)

Alright, now to the bathroom.

We have 2 full baths upstairs. One is in the master bedroom and the other one is in the hallway. And at one point, 3 college boys shared this one bath.

Stage 1: Trying to clean up the mess the last roommate left us.

Do you see how the laminate floor is ripped by the tub??

I'll give one of Brian's roommates credit, when he moved out, his mom came over and gave the bathroom a good scrub. But shortly after, B's twin moved in, quickly moved out, and didn't clean the bathroom before he left. And for the VERY short time that the twin lived here - the 3 of us lived togehter. It got a little cramped... I can joke about it now because the twin brought it up in his Best Man speech at our rehearsal dinner. I highly don't recommend living with 2 boys to anyone.

Stage 2: Trying to make it look decent for the time being

Notice the metal shower curtain rod, I'll bring that up later

We painted over the blue. The shower curtain and all the little accessories were hammy downs from my old apartment that my BFF and I had (I know for a fact that THIS BFF isn't a follower either). I tried to cover up the ripped laminate but it didn't work too well. The laminate floor was no longer white - it was more of a yellowish. I've scrubbed numerous times with bleach but it did nothin! The bathroom was better than what it was before but it still needed some work.

Step 3: Let hubby do the tile work.

See why the floor had to go??? I posted here a few shots of the floor in the beginning stages.

He glued down the wood transition strip on the floor, that's why the weight is there.

And the finished product

Brian works with a guy who is SUPER handy dandy and this guy started telling Brian that tiling was easy and he could do it himself. I DEFINITELY have this work buddy to thank for Brian's new talent. Brian's REALLY BIG project is the basement but I can't post pictures yet until we move some furniture around and decorate =) Maybe one day (after tax season), Brian can be a guest blogger and explain the step-by-step process of tiling.

And the rest of the bathroom for your viewing pleasure:

Now the shower curtain rod is white

For Christmas, my other BFF (ya know, the one who wasn't following, now she is following, but has only left 2 comments) got me the Pottery Barn shower curtain off my registry. The deal was if she got me my new shower curtain, she could have the old one and all the lil accessories that go along with it =) Thanks Following BFF

(A sweet sigh) I could never get sick of monograms.

I'd get so excited at every shower when I'd open up something for my bathroom. I had a vision of how this bathroom was going to look and feel and I'm so thrilled with the ending result!! It looks simple and clean, my favorite!

Some of my monogrammed shower gifts:

It's hard to see it, but the monogram is etched in there

I made my lil brother buy me this makeup mirror last year for x-mas, I highly recomend every girl put one in their bathroom.

I'm trying to convince myself that I really don't need the monogrammed bars of soap to put in this glass canister... but I think I need to try harder.

My sweet sister-in-law made me this towel cake for one of my showers, isn't it clever??

As you can see, I was really excited about this towel cake.

And now they are hanging up proudly in my new bathroom, thanks Ang!

I was going to buy a new toilet paper holder for the bathroom, but I painted it silver instead.

Brian thought it was silly and that I should just buy a new one...

Note: I don't normally have my toilet paper role this way.

But I saved some Ching-Ching instead. I even spray painted the metal shower curtain rod. Brian said I should just buy a new one, here's the convo:

Brian: "Why are you going to the trouble of spray painting it, just buy a new one"

Me: "Because a new one is $10"

Brian: "So, spray paint is $3"

EXACTLY. I saved $7 buddy. Put that towards my Derby Dress Fund please. Thanks!

Recognize this:

It was here:

I was sick of it and about to toss it out, then I decided to just paint it. I like it...for now.

OK, one more look:

It looks so nice and fresh =) And of course it would not look like this at all if it weren't for my amazing tiler, THANKS BRIAN!!!!

I should put a sign on the door that reads: "NO MESSY BOYS ALLOWED". I'm NOT revamping this bathroom again!

The funny thing about this bathroom is...I don't actually use this bathroom. It's a guest bathroom and why would I want to make 2 bathrooms messy?? That's just silly. But if you'd like to come over, you are more than welcome to use this bathroom...the guest bedroom is another story.

OUR master bathroom is next on the list. It is the ONLY room in the house that we haven't touched. It's pretty sad and embarassing. The laminate floor is even WORSE than this bathroom was, the sink is cracked, oh and I've been slowly peeling off the wall paper border that's on the wall. But for this bathroom, we are caving in and hiring someone.

Is it sad that I am so super duper excited about a bathroom???

Thanks for reading!!

Joy D.

Tweet, Tweet

2011-02-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

Do you tweet??
Should I tweet??
What do you tweet??
How often are you supposed to tweet??
Who would read my tweets??

I'm thinking about taking the plunge and joining Twitter. But I don't quite understand the concept yet. It's basically just updating your status update, right?? Would anyone even care what I have to tweet about?? Between Facebook and my blog, that's already a lot of work.

What do you think??? HELP!!

Happy Valentines Day!!

2011-02-14T08:49:00.000-05:00

The hubby and I actually DON'T celebrate Valentines day. Don't gasp. It's always been my decision. I wrote an article for the Kentucky Kernel ~~five years~~ a few years ago basically stating that I don't need someone to send me red roses and chocolates on February 14th. I prefer flowers, candy and presents on RANDOM days of ANY month. I think it's better to be surprised rather than marked on a calendar.

And just because I'm not a big February 14th person, I DO hope you and your loved one have a very good Valentine's day.

HOWEVER, these two want to show me just how much they love me ~~and show how thankful they are that I saved them from the streets.~~

My male models.

So they are having Brian take me to the store tonight to get me a new sewing machine =) Aren't they the sweetest??

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY,

Love,
Joy, Brian, Patterson and Halloween (Howie)

What To Do????

2011-02-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

I'm so confused and torn, I don't know what to do!!!!

My favorite interior designer, Carleton Varney, will be speaking at the 2011 Bluegrass Trusts Antique & Garden Show.

His mentor was Dorothy Draper who is known for her "Modern Baroque" design. But Dorothy holds a special place in my heart because my grandmother LOVED her books. "Decorating Is Fun" and "Entertaining is Fun". My grandmother could never quite break away from her "antique baroque" taste.

Anywho. I had a few of his coffee table books when I was much younger that I loved to look at on long car rides. I wish I had saved the books, cause now they are a bit pricey and I'm dying for them to become an exclusive member of my bookshelf. Only the real high class and fancy books make the cut ;)

So the problem?? He is speaking on Friday, March 11th at 11:30 a.m. And I work Monday thru Friday, 8-5 =(
Oh, and tickets are $60 a pop. I could get 2 of his books for that price! And who could I convince to go with me on a work day for $60?? It does include lunch. The disappointing thing about it is that I used to be on the planning committee for the Antique and Garden Show and I got to go to all the events for 0 dinero- I started working full-time and couldn't balance all my organizations, house keeping, and social life. My job is always getting in the way!

OK, I'm rather down about the situation. I did however cash out my Visa Rewards points and got a gift certificate to Amazon. I have a gigantic "wish list" of books and CV and Dorothy Draper books take up a majority of the list.

Why does my job have to get in the way of life's pleasures?? If you were me, what would you do??

It's A One Night Stand

2011-02-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

I should have been watching the Super Bowl but instead I took FULL advantage of my hubby being out of the house.

I have NO clue where this night stand came from. Brian brought it up for me when I first moved in. For all I know, he could have found this on the side of the curb as well (and it wouldn't surprise me).

This nightstand is like a Monet. From far away it's OK, but up close it's a big old mess. (Yes, another Clueless line)

I wake up to this every morning and it drives me bonkers!!! We had talked about buying new night stands but I'd rather put the money towards more important things ~~like new dresses, holiday decorations, lil knick knacks around the house, a puppy.~~ And in all honesty, I love this night stand. I love that it has a wide surface area so I can put more stuff on it without everything falling off of it.

So instead I painted it on Super Bowl Sunday. It took like a bazillion coats. But here is the final product:

I need to fill in the silver on the right side a lil more. My arms were getting all shaky so I stopped...and got distracted by Sex and the City that is now on E!.

Or I might just fill in the silver lining I did with more brown paint. I can't decide. I painted the old hardware with silver Leaf Paint. It looks like I have space to put some more picture frames up there (I love having pictures everywhere - it's the best kind of art you can have).

I wear the BIGGEST pearl earrings everyday (I never leave the house without them) but I can't sleep in them, so I usually place them in a small dish on my night stand. I'm looking for a fabulous antique tea cup and saucer to replace the lil dish to start putting my jewelry in at night.

OK, do you get the title??? I painted ONE NIGHT STAND. I've been giggling all day over this!!

Now I can wake up in peace. Sweet Dreams!!
Joy D.

Could I Pull This Off??

2011-02-10T09:11:00.001-05:00

I've been on a one shoulder kick for a year now (ever since I picked out my bridesmaids dresses LAST February). But I'm not sure how I feel about the long sleeve. I don't LOVE it and I don't hate it.

Yes, I still have a bad itch to get a new dress. I'm trying to tell myself if I lose the 5 pounds I've gained since the wedding (yes, I have completely gone off the rocker and I'm eating junk like 3-5 times a day) I'll treat myself to a new dress....and bathing suit...

However, I need to save all my peanuts and totally splurge on the biggest dress event of the year - the derby!!!! I have been giddy with JOY ever since I got tickets a few months ago. I've been trying to make plans but the hubby is telling me it's too early to be planning. BOO. I've been a natural born "planner" ever since I was teeny tiny. I plan everything. Way in advanced. In fact, I've already planned what my Christmas cards will look like for this year ;) And I've been planning my Halloween decorations as well.

I've even planned my first giveaway. But I have some more "preparing" to do before I announce it. Stay tuned!

Chair Makeover

2011-02-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

I had mentioned in this post that ~~Brian~~ we had found 3 chairs sitting on the side of the curb waiting for trash collection.

Alright, it was all Brian. Two of them were matching and are now in the dining room, but the other one has been sitting in the garage....waiting...just waiting...

The rattan back is in perfect condition.

I took the seat cushion off and completely cut off the old dingy blue fabric. Then I wrapped the foam cushion with cotton padding that I had left over from the bench.

I have always thought that fabric shopping is intimidating. I'm not quite sure why, I guess I'm afraid I'll have buyers remorse and once they cut that fabric, it's yours. So I've been visiting the fabric stores much more frequently. If I see something that I like, I've taken a picture of it. If I really REALLY like a fabric, I'll look at the picture a couple dozen times throughout the next few days. That's when I know if it's meant to be. I do the same thing with clothes.

I splurged on this fabric. It was half off so I got a yard for $17.

Do I dare say it??? I love it!!

The only problem is that for the first time EVER since I moved in, we have no place to put it =)

So the moral of the story is...go through your neighbors trash, ya never know what your gonna get.
Love it? Like it? Too girly (Brian thinks so) Leave a comment and give me your feedback!

"Hi Ya Barbie"

2011-02-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

"Hi Ken"
"Wanna go for a ride?"
"Sure Ken"
"Jump in"

Like most little girls, I was obsessed with Barbie.

The first time I ever saw this quote, I was in a lil boutique at Ole Miss still. I've always loved it. I think our sorority even used it for a t-shirt once (substituting the "Barbie" with "Kappa").

But thinking about what Barbie has and I don't...I guess I never aspired to what Barbie has. And I'm happy all the more.

-I don't have blond hair
-I never got a pink convertible
-Pink isn't my favorite color
-Her resume puts mine to shame. I mean how can I compete? She's been an astronaut, teacher, rock star, vet, and the list goes on!
-I never moved into a mansion with an elevator. Sad but true.

I did however find my Ken.

Do you see the resemblance??? They could be identical twin brothers.

So take that Barbie!!!Although my Ken doesn't let me dress him up =( He says I would dress him too preppy.

This is what Brian's actual twin brother looks like in case you were wondering. I'm sure you can tell they are not identical.

Happy Monday!
Joy D.

Tagged

2011-02-03T09:10:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was awarded with the Stylish Blogger Award by Mary Allison over at Southern Sober Girl Runs. Sorry I'm so late MA, it's been on my to-do list.

I'm supposed to:

1. Make a post + Link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. Share 7 things about yourself - I'm going from silly to serious.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers - ummm, might be more like 3 or 4 and calling others out who haven't revealed their 7 yet.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won

Alright, he we go.

1. I own every season of X-Files on DVD

Along with this collection includes: Newlyweds, Reba, The Girls Next Door and Hogan Knows Best. If I didnt' have DVR and Netflix, CSI and Dexter would also be in my possession.

2. I also own and LOVE High School Musical 1, 2, and 3...but 2 and 3 are my favorite. I even work out to some of the songs from the soundtrack.

3. I love red wine, but I only drink red wine if I have ice in it.

Yes, you should see the looks I get when we are in a nice restaurant and I start dropping ice cubes into my red wine. I'm very close to pouring diet coke into red wine too.

4. When I've had one too many glasses of red wine, I go home and watch my DVD's of Michael Jackson music videos. I study, dance and sing to them...by myself. Hmmm, that could be TMI.

5. The townhouse where we live backs up to my old elementary school. At recess, I used to play along the back fence line of my now home. If I were to get in a time machine, go back and tell the 8 year old Joy that one day she was going to live here, I definitely woulda said, "Uh, no way, I'm never moving out of my mommy's house".

6. My mom passed away 10 years ago from an extremely rare cancer that one out of every one million people get. On average, there are about 300 new patients each year. It puts a new meaning to the phrase, "she was one in a million". When people ask me what type of cancer my mom had, I have a hard time explaining it since they don't have an exact "name" for the type of cancer yet because of its rarity.

7. The thing I am the most proud of about myself is my name. I was named after my grandmother "Joy" and my great grandmother "Frances", I never had the chance to meet either women. I have always been so proud to be named after them that I couldn't drop my middle name when I got married. Instead I dropped my maiden name Glass, (hence the name "A Glass Act"). I hope my daughter will be just as proud to be named after her grandmothers as I have been.

Wow, I could go on but I'll leave you with these last 2:

-I should note that when Michael J. Fox passes away, I will lock myself in my room for a week. I'm a tad bit obsessed with him.

- I don't have a career bone in my body. My main goals in life are to be a good wife and a loving mother.

Hmmm, ok, I'm pretty sure My Life As A Dancologist and Sweet Expectations were tagged but haven't done theirs yet. Oh and Katherine at Just Lovely, I know your busy and all, but I'm tagging you again too.
And Life, Love and Polka Dots, I'm sure you've done like a million of these since you've been blogging for like 2 years, but I haven't had time to go back and read your older post.

Happy Wednesday!
Joy D.

Happy Groundhog Day!

2011-02-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

Start Thinking Positive Spring Thoughts,

Joy D.

It's the First of the Month

2011-02-01T21:55:00.000-05:00

And ya know what I do each first day of the month??

1. I wake up and say "Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit". According to Mary Kay Andrews (my favorite author), it's good luck.

2. I open up a new thing of contacts.

3. I pay my phone bill.

4. I change my decorative towels in the half bath.

Yup, the beginning of each month I change out the decorative towels in our half bath. Note; they aren't hand towels...I have a separate towel hanging up for that =) These are strictly for decoration.

Once again, this is free advertising for Pomegranate

Sorry, didn't mean to give you a complete glimpse of my toilet.

These were the towels last month:

I bet you certainly couldn't have guessed that my Christmas towels said "Joy" on them.

And these are what went up today:

Of course every month isn't holiday related. I have sea turtles, elephants, fishies, Fleur DE Li's, and the list goes on.

Hubby has never once noticed that I change these out every month. Unfortunately for me, he just peeked over my shoulder and asked, "Are those in my bathroom". I'm busted.

I'm not sure why, but I always look forward to changing these out. I think this is a sure sign that I'm kind of a domestic loser.

Once Upon A Time...

2011-01-31T22:11:00.000-05:00

...the door to this room was always shut.

Now don't be fooled by this picture...what USED to be behind this door was far far worse.

    Back in the day, before I ~~made my cleaning debut~~ moved in, this door was always closed. In fact, frequent visitors of the townhouse (mini recap: the house we live in now used to be Brian's college house that him and his friends totally trashed) didn't even realize there was a whole other room leading off of the main living room. Actually, there are 2 rooms, this room and a lil study to the right.

   This room used to be, what I called "The furniture and stereo graveyard". The ONLY things that occupied this room were broken pieces of furniture, tons of really really old stereo systems and speakers, a black leather couch that was as stiff as a board, and a Bob Marley tapestry hanging from the ceiling. The couch was given to my brother along with the tapestry.

No kidding, these guys would bring so much furniture into this house, then in a ~~drunken~~ late night state, furniture would get broken and they'd just ~~put~~ store it in this room for safe keeping. I took it upon myself one Sunday afternoon to clean the room out. I carried a HUGE coffee table - that had one leg dangling off of it with sharp splinter pieces jabbing into my skin- all the way to the dumpster behind our house. I even found a completely rotten orange lying in some super smelly metal canister. Yuck.

Though I don't have any pics of the "graveyard" room, I do have a pic of this air vent just to show you how neglected this room once was:

Look, even the dust has dreadlocks! Nasty!!!

Here's another pic of the room in it's early days (after I moved in). Oh look, you can see a stereo system sitting on the coffee table.

And now, this is my favorite room in the whole house.

The rug was my great grandmothers, I'm so happy to have something of hers. Brian and I rented a big ol' truck and drove all the way to Charlotte, North Carolina to pick it up.

The furniture came from my dad when he moved. My uncle had bought it for my mom and the minute my dad told me he was moving, I INSISTED that this furniture belonged to me.

This antique pie chest is my absolute FAVORITE piece of furniture. My mom got it prob 30 years ago from a thrift shop in the country. It used to be in my room when I was way younger then it was used in our computer room.

This lamp MAGICALLY appeared in our house one day. That seems to happen a lot in our home...things appear magically and it takes Brian a few weeks to notice it's even in the house. Funny how that happens. I have nothing to do with it....I'm completely innocent. Mmmm Hmmm.

I was sooo mad cause I went back to Homegoods to get the other matching lamp...uhhhh....I mean....I waited for the other lamp to magically appear as well, but I was told it wasn't going to happen...because Homegoods sold out of them. Rats.

This used to be my mom's reading chair and her favorite place to work. It's now my favorite reading nook and chair to cuddle up in. I think one day I will get it recovered...a white chair just isn't very practical for someone who wants 3 kids, a dog and 2 cats... the one dog plan is tentative. It could move up to 2.

My silver tea set my grandmother and I used to use for our tea parties =) And the cord cover my friend MC made for me.

Well that's my FAVORITE room in my home. Hope you enjoyed the tour.
Joy D.

I Know Your Lookin!! (And a cute project to see)

2011-01-30T22:03:00.004-05:00

Alright peeps, I'm no mathematician here but some numbers just aren't adding up. My blog has had 4,351 views (give or take ~~a couple hundred~~ that some of those views are my own) and I have 43 followers (and I love all 43 of you btw)... so what's the dealio???

Perhaps this is your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time visiting my blog - if you like my blog - would you be a doll and click "Follow" in the right column, please??? Besides, the more followers I have, the easier it is for me to convince Brian I HAVE to get my projects done - just joking...

Well kinda

OK, actually I'm not jokin.

And believe me, I have A TON of ideas that I can't wait to ~~start~~ share. Plus if I get more followers, I may have to break down and get a fancier lookin scroll at the top.

Have I lost you yet?? I promise, there's a cute project coming up.

Every good DIYer/crafter needs a good work area. I wrote this post back on April 30, 2009, about how I had been planning to turn my 4th bedroom into a craft room. Eight months later, I've finally started working on my craft room. Well... Better late than never!

Now don't judge me PLEASE, but here are some pics of the room BEFORE - when it was more of a ...uh...place to put our crap room??

Needless to say, the door to this bedroom stayed SHUT majority of the time.

This is the room a couple of weeks ago. It's not a total Betty but a vast improvement (my fav quote from Clueless btw) It started with the dresser...

Then the dresser reminded me that I had some light green window panels I had bought YEARS ago. They WERE in the yard sale pile, sooooo glad I pulled them out!

Then I needed a work table and I remembered I had this table

This was a retro table that was ~~imposed~~ given to us from my dad during his big move (along with the other junk you see around it). I tried to sell the table on Craigslist once. I got a couple of hits for it but no serious inquiries.

Still reading?? I promise, you are really really close to getting to the cute project. Hang on!

I found a cute green tablecloth from Homegoods for $6.99 and decided the table would be given a second shot in life.

And this is ONLY the beginning. I've painted the room a champagne pink. You'll see it when I post pics of the finished project.

OK, here is the cute project, thanks for reading my babble this far!

Today, with the help of Brian, WE made something to hold wrapping paper. I'd been ~~stalking~~ checking out other people's ideas for a "wrapping paper station". The first idea I had, Brian told me it would put too many holes in the wall. Psh. Whatevs. He cares about that stuff, definitely not me!

So he came up with a better solution.

We had some extra wood left over from where we had a new back door installed.

Hubby cut 2 even pieces for me

We bought 4 wooden rods from Home Depot ($.89 each)

I painted the 2 wooden strips Brian cut for me

Then Brian EVENLY put screw-in hooks (5 each) on both sides. These hooks are one of my favorite things to have around, I use them all the time.

Then he screwed both boards EVENLY onto the wall. The word EVEN is the key in this project.
Here it is...I am super giggily over how C-U-T-E this turned out.

EEEK!!! I think it turned out great! Now a pic a lil farther behind (and a better view of my ~~cleaned up for this pic~~ work table)

We bought 4 rods, and luckily I just so happend to have an extra lying around. And I can change the wrapping paper out super easily.

Well, I'm super pumped about this. And we only put 2 holes in the wall. Yay.

Step 1 of the craft room complete. Well actually cleaning it was step 1, then painting was step 2. So maybe this is step 3?? Either way, stay tuned for the rest of the completion of my craft room.

BTW ("By The Way" if anyone is as behind in the times as I am) if you ever have a child selling anything for his/her school, club, sports team, etc... PLEASE come to my door. I vowed NEVER to say no to ANY kid that is selling something for a fundraiser. All 5 wrapping papers above have been purchased from a school kid, I'm a pretty good customer if I do say so myself ;)

I hope everyone has a great week!
Joy D.

Linking up to:

Be Our Guest!!

2011-01-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest , Put Our Service to the Test

Need a place to relax?? Then come to our house and be our guest!!!

At casa Dineen, we don't want you to lift a finger - not even a foot.

That's why we've put the guest toilet in the guest bedroom, why spend all that energy walking to the bathroom??

Just jokin! I'd have a panic attack if you really wanted to "be our guest" right now. As you can see - I have stuff all over the guest bed, the room needs to be painted, oh, and there's a toilet in the room.

Brian started ripping up the old floor in "my" bathroom about 2 weeks ago

Two weeks later, the toilet is still in the guest bedroom. During this re-tiling project, we've decided to just purchase a new toilet all together, so now it's just pure laziness from BOTH of our parts why the toilet is STILL in the house. And I hate to admit it, but it's been ME who has been really, really lazy this week.

I will give Brian some snaps, he's saving us a TON of ching-ching tiling the bathroom floor himself. And he's almost done putting the new floor down.

I'll have to have him explain why he has to put this plastic floor down on top of the wood floor thats already there. There's a sheet of the new tile on the countertop if you want a visual affect of what it will look like after.

I can't WAIT to show you the finished project, becuase I, myself, can't wait to see it done!!! I have all kinds of cute new bathroom canisters and towels I'm itching to display. There's that itch again...

Oh, and if you DID want to be a guest in our house...which I hope you would...I have to warn you, you have to share a bed with him:

And he is a pillow hogger.
Happy Friday!
Joy D.

I've Got a BAD Craving...

2011-01-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

Craving, Urge, Desire, Itch...call it what you'd like....BUT I GOT IT BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. I'm trying full force NOT to purchase a New Lilly dress. I invest 0 dollars in winter attire and save all my peanuts for DRESSES, DRESSES, AND MORE DRESSES.

Brian does not understand this ITCH, CRAVING I get...especially since I pick the most expensive dresses. Oops. So I'm trying REALLY HARD to NOT get a new Lilly dress right now...but I don't know how much longer I can go!!!!!

Here are a few I'm head over heels for

See my problem??? They are so stinkin AMAZING!!!!

2. I've got an itch to paint my living room

I've tried really hard to have more of a modern taste...but traditional and plain jane just run deep in my blood. My dining room and formal living room are more traditional and I'm having a hard time jumping from one exterme to another.

3. I got puppy fever...bad.
These are the breeds I want (in no specific order)

King Charles

Shih Tzu

Golden Doodle

4. I'm dyin to use my china. But I have super bad anxiety over my house - meaning - if the house isn't just the way I want it, I don't have ANYONE over. Prob where Brian and I differ the most. If there are dirty dishes in the sink, dust bunnies on the stairs, or misplaced items around the house, I just can't do it. And until I finish the rest of my projects and winter cleaning (fingers crossed this weekend will be super productive), I'll wait to use the china and have ya over for a visit.

Okay, thats it for now. Stay warm!

Does it POP now??

2011-01-25T20:48:00.000-05:00

I received a ton of feedback over my bench I made. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

In case your just tuning in, here it is again:

I said in the post, and I quote:

"I need a smaller, more colorful pillow to put in front of the black pillows. Something that makes it POP".

Well...

I know a lot of people were expecting a green pillow but I chose red to go with this picture:

So does it make it POP now??

This was the front hall before:

I think the grey makes it feel much warmer.

So where did I get the pillow???

Well first, I received a "happy" in the mail from a dear friend.

I'm obsessed. I think it is a perfect decorative pillow and Brian thinks it is a perfect pillow to give his head and extra umph when watching tv. I liked the size so much so I thought it would be perfect for the bench.

For $15, I got the pillow, monogram AND shipping from Ballard Designs. SOLD!!!!

Such a perfect "happy" to get in the mail!!

I've been searching for the perfect fabric to go with this color for curtains for our bedroom (the color of my bedroom is Valspar's "Brisk Olive". I could paint every room in the house this color. Brian thinks it's hideous and that we will have to paint over it if we want to sell the house).

Look at the fabric I got for curtains from Hancocks

LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.LOVE. Brian thinks the only reason I got it is because it reminds me of my FAVORITE Lilly P dress; we call it "The Monkey Dress"

(There's a monkey right in the middle of the dress that you can't really see very well).

Not sure what kind of curtains I am going to do yet, but I'll certainly share as soon as I am done =)

Weekend Recap

2011-01-23T19:33:00.000-05:00

Wow - I had a VERY, very busy weekend. So busy that I didn't have a chance to get one project finished -but it's OK, I needed the weekend off.

Brian had sent me an email on Friday asking if I wanted to have a date night - I had been a lil stressed this past week with cleaning, organizing, the usual things that I go crazy over.

-First up on the weekend agenda: I was wined and dined at Dudley's.

We even received a dessert "on the house" - we weren't quite sure why, but I'm pretty sure one of the employees had something to do with it. He was someone I had gone to elementary and high school with who was aware of our recent nuptials and he came to the table to congratulate us. Thanks Ryan!!

-Then we went to see "The Green Hornet"

I have mixed reviews about the movie. I really can't decide if I liked it or not, I think the only thing holding me back from NOT liking it, is that I'm a pretty big fan of Seth Rogen.

-Saturday, I attended the baby shower of an old friend. Alison and John will be welcoming their first baby this April. It's so much fun to see people you've grown up with become grown ups themselves. I can't wait to meet Woods Douglas Randolph!!

I WISH I could claim credit for this adorable basket - it's now in my idea folder.

One of my New Years resolutions was to take the time and WRAP presents, not just stuffing them in a bag with some tissue. I have my friend, MC, who has helped inspire this.

I got Alison a bathtub - but there was NO WAY I could wrap this!! So instead, I tried to jazz up the appearance of the tub and recreate a bath scene.

I hope I made ya proud MC!

I LOOOOOVVVVVEEEE all details involved with showers and parties, here are a few pics for ya.

I'm kind of obsessed...ok I kinda LOOOOOVVVVEEEEE Julep Cups.

My friend Melissa makes the most beautiful flower arrangements!!

And Paul Revere bowls, I loooovvveee them. I will have a separate post dedicated to Julep Cups and Paul Revere bowls. They were the only things I requested from my florist for table arrangements at the wedding. They are also 2 of my favorite things to decorate with.

-Then we went to a friends house for a poker tournament.

I have and still have no idea how the heck to play this game. I went to the party only hoping to be Brian's arm candy and for some socializing, but somehow I got talked into playing. I was told I'd pick it up really fast - I definitely didn't pick it up AT ALL. I'm much better with card games like speed, go fish, spades, etc... but I am going to make an attempt to learn the game of poker so that I can bring a lil more competition to the table next year.

-Sunday, we had a VERY important event to attend in Louisville. I have been looking forward to this for weeks now!!

A pic from our wedding

This handsome stud turned one - our nephew - Paul Dineen Ford. Happy Birthday Paul!!!

I think he liked it

I sat at the kid table...just jokin!! They didn't want me to sit with them =(

I got some REALLY good advice for a present idea.

I think he liked it, THANKS MARKEY!!!

Oh yeah, he DEF liked our present!!

And last but not least on my weekend recap, I got 3 new followers =) I also got a lot of compliments from people about my blog.

A new mommy told me she reads my blog at 3 in the mornin while she is pumpin milk.

I even found out that I have a male viewer who likes my blog, thanks Robert =)

Every time I get a new follower or a new comment, it motivates me to keep blogging. SO THANK YOU EVERYONE SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! So, uh if your not following yet....will you follow me?? Pretty please?? With meatballs on top??

I Spy With My Lil Eye

2011-01-20T22:59:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, my wedding photographer had a vendor booth at the Jacki Allen Bridal Show. That's where her and I crossed paths for the first time...I knew from that moment, she'd be mine...j/j...kinda.

Mary went ALL OUT with her booth this year!!! Can you spot some of our wedding photos?? I'll give ya a few minutes to look around.

PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE CREDITED TO THE LOVELY AND TALENTED MARY LASHBROOK PHOTOGRAPHY.

Mary, if this message were to ever reach you...I hope you don't mind that I stole these photos off your blog.

Here is the first one...

Do you see it?? Do you see it?? The 2nd to bottom shelf!! That's us!! That is also Mary's FB profile pic =)

Here is the 2nd one...

Do you see it?? Do you see it??? Can you tell I am very excited about this....

And... Mary borrowed one of my veils for her super decked out booth too =) I was so honored!!

I actually had 2 veils ... I borrowed one from one of my good friends as my something borrowed.
The second one (the one above) my bestie made for me. You remember how I mentioned in one of my post that my best friend...who didn't follow my blog...well she is following now...and yet has only left me one comment.... strange.

Anyway, I was on a TIGHT dress budget and I decided to cut some corners, I wasn't going to purchase a veil. But then a few months before the big day, I had kind of forgot about the whole veil situation all together. I had a lot of people tell me to just wear my moms wedding veil ...but my mom didn't have a veil or a wedding dress for that matter. She wore a $25 sundress from Embry's.

So Alyssa said she would just make one...and she did. I wore it for my bridal portraits.

This photo was taken by my talented friend, Emily Faith Photograhy - I'd post some more of these pics, but I need to pick up the disk from her.

But the whites didn't match up very well, we HAD good intentions of dying the veil to match but we got a lil busy. So my friend, MC let me borrow her veil for the ceremony. Thanks MC!!!

Alyssa and I are still going to fix the veil before my daughter gets married because she WILL be wearing our veil...and my dress....oh yes... she will.

Thanks Mary for displaying us so proudly in your booth!!!!

I put a lot of thought into my "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue".

Something Old: I wore my grandmother Joy's pearl and diamond earrings

Something New: My bestie, Alyssa (the now follower but only one commenter) gave me a handkerchief with my initials (green of course). The handkerchief was one of her grandmothers - but it was new to me =)

The other diamond ring in the picture (my engagement ring is to the left) was my mothers - that was my constant reminder that she was with me on my wedding day.

Something Borrowed: MC's veil

And Something Blue: My other bestie, Stef (who follows my blog...but not sure she reads it...or else I think I would have heard her complain to me that I don't mention her enough when I write about the wedding - she slept LESS than anyone the week of the wedding...She will get her own "Ode to" soon). She got me a pair of blue Hanky Pankys...

MONOGRAMMED!!!!!!!!! How perfect is that?!?! For future reference, these would make a great bachelorette gift. You can get them here.

Alright, to bed I go!
Joy D.

Oh So BOARD

2011-01-18T23:02:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, I painted my office.

Do you want to take a guess what color I painted it??

I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with mean and bean.

Unfortunately the shade of Green I picked (did you guess it??) didn't match my bulletin board =(

I made this bulletin board in college - it was a cheap project to fill some space on a wall.

I still love this bulletin board. If I can't find a place for it here, then it's going to my "big girl" office.

I had decided a while back that putting invitations on the refrigerator made the room look too cluttered. So all the CUTE - ADORABLE invites from the past year, have been hanging out on this bulletin board, except for ONE particular Save-The-Date that stayed on the fridge. Our save-the-date, which Brian recently took off the fridge and threw it away =(. I LOOOOVVVVEEEE invitations. LOOVVVVEEEE THHEEEMMM.

Like Christmas cards, I don't throw any invitations away. I get a little saddened when I receive an Evite - this still has not stopped me from printing them off and hanging them up as well.

Anywho, so the bulletin board is down and I needed a new place to hang invitations and other important cards.

Most of my projects I post on here have actually been done for weeks. Like the hope chest - I did that Thanksgiving weekend, but just posted it two weeks ago. THIS project is HOT OFF THE PRESS. Like my fingers are still stuck together from the hot glue gun. I was SOOOO excited to get off work and start working on it and I just had to share it with you ASAP.

Ok, what is it??? I made a french memo board. I loooovvveee french memo boards (the 2nd thing I loooovveee in this post - there is one more coming up). I haven't made one since early dorm days.

See the purple one I did for my dorm?? It was gingham - I USED to love gingham. Now, my kids rooms will probably be decked out in it =)

French memo boards are so easy to make and look great in any room.
All you need is:
-Foam display board (like the kind you would use for a science project)
-padding
-fabric of your choosing
-buttons (optional)
-ribbon
-staple gun
-fabric glue (or hot glue gun, it can get rather messy though)

For my fabric, I chose Toile - the other fabric pattern I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE besides Houndstooth (OK, that's 3 loves - and 3 is my limit for one post).

I've been needle pointing a pillow with this design on it for -oh-about 2 years now.

I went to Hancock Fabrics where I found the fabric for $9.99 a yard. Technically it's outdoor fabric, but who is REALLY gonna know?? Well, besides you now.

Right now, all buttons at Hancock Fabrics are 50% off - which made each set of buttons $.89.
Ribbon was $2.29.
Foam Board was $4.49 - I could have shopped around for a better price, but CVS was on the way home and I was too excited to start this.
And the padding I already had leftover from the hope chest.

Measured and cut my board. Then placed padding on board from top to bottom and stapled.

I use TONS of sewing pins for every project to hold stuff in place for the time being. My favorite are the ones with the pearls on top

Placed my fabric in the exact spot I wanted it and stapled some more. Lots and lots of staples.

Alignment of ribbons is the hardest and most time consuming part. I cut a ton of different lengths of ribbon and pinned them onto the board. I might change my mind later and just use it without the ribbons.

No joke, this is a pain. I moved them around over and over - I even sat back in a chair and had Brian move them around to see better. We did one of these numbers, "Ummm, a lil to the left...now down..lower.....urrrrrr.....back up. Perfect."

JUST in case I change my mind about the ribbon...I stapled the ribbon to the back of the board instead of gluing it. It's much easier to take the staples out.

OK, here was my blank spot before...

And now....

From the front...

I loooovvveeee it!!!!! Oops, sorry. I actually was too ~~lazy~~ tired to put the buttons on, so I used the pearled pins in their spot. And I don't think I am going to take them out either =)

Ok, one more time....

Alright peeps, I'm ready to fill this memo board up with invites =)

Do you know what I LOOOOVVVVVEEEE just as much as I love invitations, memo boards, and toile??? YOUR COMMENTS. Every time I get a new one, I sit up really straight, give a big smile, and do 3 consecutive lil claps. I even do a lil happy squeal if I get a new follower. Eeek. I'm excited just thinking about it!!

Check out other projects here:

Dresser Update

2011-01-16T20:14:00.000-05:00

I get A LOT of comments when people come over about the dress I redid in this post. I had promised that I'd put a better picture of it up.

Sorry, I'm a tad bit late.

And the dressers lead to another project...my craft room. The whole scheme of the room is based around the dresser. I'm still working on the room. But don't worry, I'll post pictures ASAP.

Well If Kate Spade is Doin it...

2011-01-16T20:05:00.001-05:00

I was convinced by my good friend MC, NOT to get rid of the black and white checkered floors in my kitchen . Why??

Because Kate Spade has black and white checkered floors in her kitchen too. Yup, that definitely changed my mind.

NOTE: Don't be fooled by the green pillows, this is NOT my kitchen. But I have noted that my next house MUST have a window in the kitchen. Oh, and an island.

Kate Spade's Kitchen

If you remember from this post, I really wanted a yellow kitchen. But the yellow we had up wasn't quite the yellow I had in mind. It got to the point where Brian and I cringed every time we walked in the kitchen. Soooo, bye bye yellow. Maybe in my next house, we'll get the right yellow color scheme down.

And HELLO to tan...


See my lil boxwood tree?? I LOVES it! We picked that up one day in Midway for $25

I don't think I keep anything on these shelves the same way for more than a month. It's fun to change stuff around.

One of these weekends, I'm going to add another shelf to the right side to even this out a lil more. It's driving me BONKERS!

My house should be a Pomegranate advertisement - I'm a tad bit obsessed.

I can't wait to have fresh flowers from the garden around. Only a few more months, right??

Want to see my favorite cookbook?? (Of course those who know me surely know my cookbooks are for decoration ONLY).

Ok, don't know why that's sideways. Sorry Charlie!

And it's not my favorite because it has "Joy" in the title - trust me, I have A MILLION things that have "Joy" displayed proudly on them. This is my favorite cookbook because it's whats in the inside that makes me soooo happy...

The boys I watched for MANY years gave this to me one year for my birthday. I learned so much from them and their mom (Allison).

The boys (T and Donald) handed out programs at our wedding.

T insisted he had to see me before the ceremony - this made my heart melt and I had to have the photographer take a picture of the moment.

And then they kept themselves entertained during the ceremony with their moms ipad.

Whoops, got off subject. EVERY TIME the boys come up...I always get off subject and start talking about them. Can't help it.

One of the things their mom told me that will stay with me forever, is to ALWAYS write a lil message in the inside cover of a book if your giving it as a gift. It makes the gift much more personable and it brings back a sense of memory when you uncover the message. Every time I see this inscription in my "Joy of Cooking" book, I always picture the boys, their mom and I on their living room floor opening my bday presents. The boys were sooooo excited for me to open my presents and to eat the funfetti cake they made me (or at least helped make).

Alright, I've shown you my kitchen and given you a very valuable tip.

I will be taking it easy with the projects this week. I stayed up late last night painting (another room, not the kitchen) and Brian worked on removing my old bathroom floor today which means my stupid asthma is acting up =(
Fortunately, my asthma doctor serves as my father-in-law as well and him and Brian have gone to his office to get me some medicine.

Painting on Saturday nights, asthma, I know what your thinking, "Wow, this is one really cool kid".

Do you know what would make me feel like one really cool kid???? Leave a comment =) And if you want to be a follower too, I certainly wouldn't mind that either.
-Joy D.

Houndstooth - How I Love Thee

2011-01-13T10:49:00.001-05:00

As I was reading through my WONDERFUL AND AMAZING comments that I LOVE SO DEARLY - I read a comment from my cousin, Jana, that made me remember when I was telling her about my bench project - she didn't know what houndstooth was. GASP.

A better view for you.

So I googled it...I googled it a lot:

"Characterized by broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes, often in black and white, although other colours are used."

And boy, does it come in a lot of other colors. Some of my faves:

Of course I am going to put green first!

There are a ton of different pink shades

I really like this soft grey color.

"Houndstooth checks originated in woven wool cloth of the Scottish Lowlands"

I love it so much - it's such a classic look. Big Thank You to the Scottish!!

It's great for clothing

Ummmm, can I please get this????

In the home

This is adorable. I have a set of twin beds that I've been hoarding in my storage room. I've been looking for something to do with them. Perfect.

Accessories

This would motivate me to play golf with Brian this summer

Howie and Patterson could be stylin to the vet in this!

And let's not forget something for my puppy (any day now, Brian is gonna cave - I hope)

Houndstooth for my hound

Ok, you get it. I love Houndstooth. And I'm ALWAYS on the lookout for it.

Geez, It's About Time!

2011-01-12T16:54:00.001-05:00

I've had a basket sitting outside my door for 2 months now for the mail man/woman to place our mail during the winter.

I've taped our mail slot up to keep the cold draft from coming in. I've even stuffed it with a foam piece.

But somehow, everyday, he/she manages to STILL get the mail through the slot. I even taped an index card to the mail slot that read, "MAIL" and an arrow pointing down. That didn't work. And the card went missing.

FINALLY!!!

Oh look, the newest Martha is in, I know what I'll be doing tonight =)

And the January issue of the Junior League "Bloom" - which Junior League is one of my New Years Resolutions- to actually be involved and go to meetings. Please fellow Junior Leaguers, drag me even if I am kicking and screaming and saying that I feel a sudden flu coming on.

A Lil Hope

2011-01-11T21:43:00.001-05:00

I have an old hope chest that my mom used to store her winter sweaters.

It's cedar on the inside and a very sturdy piece of furniture. But the oak wood on the outside isn't my thang.

Brian wanted to put it on the curb, but I just couldn't let it go.


I got a lil slap happy and started painting BEFORE I got a good before pic. Sorry.

I bought the paint & primer from Home Depot. There was NO WAY I was sanding this!!

I stapled tons and tons of cushioning to the top. (By the way, a staple gun has probably been one of the best purchases ever).

I don't have a THANG for oak...but I have a BIG THANG for houndstooth. I LOOOVVVEEESSS IT!

I got 2 yards of some houndstooth fabric for $10 at JoAnn's. Stapled some more...

And made a bench! The pillows came from Garden Ridge for $9.99 each. I had good intentions of making these myself.

This was the space before...

And after...

No joke, Patterson tries to get in EVERY picture I take.

Can you tell I painted the front hall as well?? I'll blog about that a lil later though.

I need a smaller, more colorful pillow to put in front of the black pillows. Something that makes it POP!

Well thats my bench. We love it, on a normal basis, we throw our shoes in here when company is coming over... but I accidentally locked the keys inside the chest. Oops.

I LOOOVE comments almost as much as I LOOOVE houndstooth, hint hint...

Oh, and I was just informed by my best friend that she reads everyone of my blog posts but she has yet to leave a comment or become a follower. Shame on you! (pointing my finger in the air)

Happy Tuesday,
Joy D.

I've posted my project here, check out some other fantastic projects by others and get inspired!

One Man's Trash is...Now in my Dining Room

2011-01-06T19:35:00.001-05:00

Brian is ALWAYS on the prowl for a good deal. And he loooves looking for ~~junk~~ treasures.

Here is my analogy of it:

Facebook to Joy is Craigslist to Brian.

No joke, when I'm bored, I just hop on FB. When Brian surfs the internet...he goes straight to Craigslist.

Last week Brian showed me an ad for 30 Real Christmas trees that someone needed to get rid of. Brian thought there was an opportunity in this. I quickly shot it down. Brian can come up with some pretty crazy ideas....

So when he came home one day with a mischevious grin on his face and told me to jump in the car cause he said he had something to show me, I was nervous. And a lil scared.

We pulled up to a house down the street that looked like it had just done some fall cleaning. A huge pile of trash was piled on the curb and Brian had his eye on 3 chairs that laid in the rubbish. But this time, I didn't shoot down his enthusiasm.

Yes, we salvaged this chair (2 to be exact) from the trash, to the garage. Where it waited, and waited, and waited.

See where it was super frayed on the cushions??
The wood had leftover particles of dried up food on them, dust, grime, the works!!!!

The third chair has a rattan back that is somewhat similar to these guys. I haven't done anything with it yet so it's still in the garage just waiting...waiting...

With the same fabric I used for the dining room curtains, I used for the chairs.

I first CLEANED THE HECK out of the chairs and gave them a good polish. I love orange glo wood cleaner. I drown a paper towel in this stuff then wipe down the wood, making sure to leave a lil excess on the wood for it to soak up.

Only the top cushion popped off, NOT the base, so I measured the whole thing around, traced the top cushion onto the fabric and added a few inches to the trace.

I put padding in between the cushions so the fabric wouldn't hug into the crease.

And then I stapled the ba-geebers out of this thing to get the fabric to stay in place. Don't worry, we've tested it and nothing has ripped...so far.

With some extra fabric, I made a border to go along the bottom so it covers up the staples. This is a pic of the border pinned on.

Used some fabric glue...(still drying in the pic)

Total cost of the project: $12.99
I used 2 yards of fabric for $5.00 (it's usually $9.99 a yard but it was on sale) and $2.50 for fabric glue - I estimated the tax, I'm prob a lil low.

Without the new chairs on the side... oh and the super small dining room table we had before

And Now...

I have some leftover credit to the Keeneland Gift Shop, so I might go this weekend and see if they have any needlepoint pillows with horses on them.

Like my project?? Leave a comment - I promise, I get a BIG smile on my face everytime I see I have a new one =)

We Hope To See You Next Year!!

2011-01-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

There are 2 Christmas decorations still up that I have been completely procrastinating taking down. I love them both to pieces and don't want to see them go =(

I mentioned in this post how much I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE Christmas cards, well here is the Christmas Card Tree with all of your FABULOUS cards

I thought of this idea a few years ago, I loved getting Christmas cards, but I didn't have a good place to put them. So I bought a lil tree and started using the cards as the tree's decorations. Where do you display your Christmas cards?? Do you see your Christams card on our tree??

I love seeing the reminder of all the friends and families who thought of us during the holiday season. I'm such a pack rat too, I never throw Christmas cards away.

We had so many precious Christmas cards this year that Brian, and I quote, said,"We might just have to get a bigger tree next year." You heard it!! I got permission to get a bigger tree =) He'll regret it later when I actually go out and get a bigger one.

We hope we get to see you next year on my even bigger Christmas Card Tree!!! Looks like I'll be needing a few more cards to fill the tree, newcomers are ALWAYS welcomed and adored!

The next decoration I don't wanna take down (throwing a fit, kicking and screaming) is the Boxwood garland that is wrapped around all 3 sets of stairwells in my house.
With the lights on...

Now with the lights off...

ISN'T IT B--U--T--FULL (spell that out in your head very slowly, for the full affect of the way I'm saying it).

Do you think I could pull this off year round?? I'm a tad bit obsessed with Boxwoods. Really nice fake Boxwoods can be kind of pricey.

Our wedding reception site has a gorgeous stairwell in the front hallway. I couldn't just leave it bare for the reception, so I found this to be the PERFECT opportunity to buy some Boxwood garlands. I found some really reasonably priced ones here. I bought 5 of them and still have one in the packaging that wasn't used.

My florist did a great job sprucing these up:

Oh gosh, will you look at the time?!? It's getting awfully late, guess I'll just have to take down the tree and garland tomorrow. Darnit ;)

Joy D

P.S. I love reading comments almost as much as I love getting Christmas cards. So if you want to put a smile on my face, comments are greatly and happily appreciated.

Dining Room Project, Part 3: The Jockeys take their Mount

2011-01-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

We have tons of wall space and nothing to cover them with. And for Christmas, Brian specifically asked for Art. That didn't quite fit Santa's budget, but he improvised and ~~made~~ brought us some great stuff to hang on the walls.

I've had my heart set on these Jockey prints from Keeneland for the LONGEST time

There's about 5 of them, and at the time they were $132 EACH framed. That was def not in my budget. I check the Keeneland gift shop website about once a week for good sales, and finally a few weeks ago, the prints went on sale....to $80 a piece. This still was not in my budget. But the actual prints were on sale, for $12 each. That was a lot more in my price range. You can get them here but hurry, they are going fast!!!

I went to Michaels and got 4 wooden frames. They were $35.99 each, but every other week, Michaels picture frames go on sale for 50% off, so I got them for $18 each. I also picked up 2 sheets of background paper for $2.50 each.

Sorry, before pics were taken on my iphone before I found my camera charger.

Took the glass from the frame and traced along the paper

With lots of patience and strategic planning, we taped the prints EVENLY in the center of the background paper. Check the fellas out

I was so proud of these bad boys that I couldn't stop looking at them and getting super giddy.

Left Side

Right Side

And all together

I know, the China cabinet gets in the way of one side.

So 4 of these already framed from Keeneland would have cost me $320
Total Cost of my project: $125 and a super proud giddy feeling.

Project Dining Room, Round 2: A Silver Display

2011-01-03T21:20:00.001-05:00

I inherited a bunch of BEAUTIFUL antique silver trays. These bad boys are huge. I really wanted to find a way to display them but wasn't quite sure how.

The lil boy I used to nanny for had a white bookshelf that was mounted to his wall...it was almost like a nice wooden magazine rack. This is the best and most similar picture I could find to his bookshelf.

This was exactly what I wanted to display my silver trayson, the problem was that I searched EVERY.SINGLE.WEBSITE.POSSIBLE to find something like his bookshelf...but found nothing. (I actually just found this pic on Martha's Website).

While searching on my CraigsPro one day (Craigslist app for my iphone), I saw this...

We drove all the way out to Nicholasville to check it out. The previous owner had rooster plates displayed proudly on it. I told her what I was looking to use it for and she thought her plate rack might have been a lil to "red" for me, but it was just what I was looking for. It was also my first Craigslist purchase.

Well almost what I was looking for. It was still too small to hold the really big silver platters, but I have some up for display.

See my new dining room table? That was my 2nd Craigslist purchase. I'll show you a better pic when I unveil the dining room.

I love that I was able to display some of my horse themed items to it as well.

I'm still keeping an eye out for a bigger plate rack, but for now, I'm perfectly content!

Project Dining Room

2010-12-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

I've decided the best way to get my house into tip top shape is by going room-to-room. When I've got all the minor details and finishing touches done with one room, I'll move on to the next.

Right now, the dining room has my full attention.

This is what it looked like 2 years ago when I first started ~~taking over the townhouse~~ redoing the townhouse.

With a lil more TLC

And my final picture will be shown after I've shown you my step-by-step projects.

The first one...a curtain.

This is sad, I know.

I'm embarassed I went so long without any kind of drapery. Not to mention even replacing the blinds.

I put my big girl boots on and went to Jo-Ann's Fabrics Thanksgiving weekend. My partner in crime, Alyssa, was my back bone and helped me finalize all my fabric decisons.

Their home decor fabric was 50% off. So I got enough fabric to make curtains, reupholster 2 chairs, and to make seat covers for 6 dining room chairs. Pics to come...as soon as I finish them all!

It's a small window so I was having a hard time deciding what I should do with it. What do you think?

Look any better??

My window was exactly 46 x 46, and I made sure to leave 2 inches extra on each end to make my hem.

I don't have a sewing machine and I'm not sure Santa got my letter in time to put one under my tree. It might be a present to myself to keep me busy during tax season.

So I improvised and got some hemming tape. Ironed it on. Took some ribbon and made little loops and sewed them on the sides of the curtain. Purchased a super cheap curtain rod. Hubby placed little hooks along the inside window panel. Looped the loops around the hooks and done. Sorry I didn't take any step by step pics...but all I got right now is a camera phone. Boo.

I just got some prints in this week to frame and hang up next to the window. I can't wait to fill those walls up! The dining room is shaping up to be a horse themed room...too bad I got Derby tickets and can't host a Derby dinner in there ;)

On a few happy notes, I'm getting my new couch in today.
So out with the old

I REALLY wanted to put this couch in Brian's ManLand, but it won't fit in the spot where he wants it. Instead we have to move our 1980's couch with a slip cover down there instead. Oh well.

And in with the new...

The Ikea couch I have been dreaming of!!! Of course I will show you pics...after I finish the dining room and move into the living room. Hehe.

I also said goodbye to my super old maroon colored Jeep Grand Cherokee this week

After a 10 year streak of being a Jeep owner, I've moved along. I have to admit...I did shed a few tears saying my final goodbyes. So out with the old...

And hello to my new car!

Purty huh?? The car dealership just happend to be right next to Ikea in Ohio.

I'm also getting my wedding picture disk in the mail today. Woo Hoo!!
Merry Christmas to the Dineen Family!!
Happy Wednesday! No work the rest of the week for this lil lady!

RIP Nancy (AKA Ode to Ivey)

2010-12-21T23:09:00.000-05:00

This is my friend Ivey (aka Nancy Ivey Slaughter)

The story how Ivey and I became friends is one of my favorites!! And please let me go ahead and apologize to Ivey...she is the first friend who is going to get picked on now that I figured out how to work my scanner.

I remember it like it was just yesterday, (too bad it was almost 9 years ago). It was July, 2002 and I was at freshmen orientation with my dad at Ole Miss. My high school friend had just decided she wasn't going to attend Ole Miss with me in the fall and I was now short a roommate.

I already had my dorm assignment in Dorothy "Crosby" Hall and for orientation weekend, they had a model room open. My dad and I were in the model room taking measurements of the shelves, I took pictures with my disposable camera of the room and him and I were in a full depth conversation on what we needed to bring to get my dorm room situated. As other soon-to-be freshmen entered the room, I noticed one lady observing me counting how many book shelves there were in the room, I didn't think too much of it cause it seemed that everyone was looking at the crazy girl with the tape measure.
All of a sudden, the women came over and started to speak to me. I was so surprised and nervous and I had a hard time understanding what she was saying to me...finally I uttered something.

"I'm sorry??" The woman repeated...
"Do you have a roommate?"
"A roommate?" I thought. I'm bad on the spot. And I spit out the honest answer,
"No, I don't"
"Would you like to be my daughters roommate" and in that same sentence, she reached behind her and pushed her daughter in my direction. The shy girl was in just as much shock as I was and held up her hand to give me a little wave.
"Uh, sure" I said. The next thing I knew, my dad and I were on our way to the residency office to seal the deal. My dad had mentioned the option of just driving off and not showing up...school was only a few short weeks away and I'd have my own room to myself. I'm certainly glad I didn't take good ol dad's advice.

Our first picture together

My freshmen year experience would NOT have been the same without Ivey. She is STILL one of the most amazing people I've ever met and one of my great friends.

Of course I had a couple of stipulations if Ivey wanted to move in with me. I laid all my cards on the table, "So I'm obsessed with the color purple, everything I have is purple, you don't have to get purple stuff if you don't want to, but I'm not getting anything else". The sweet thing she is showed up with a purple comforter =)
And just to run down memory lane, here are a few pics of our dorm room:

My side is on the left.

My book shelf. My dad and I brought in a piece of ply wood so I'd have an extra shelf to put frames on. I still to this day LOVE picture frames and I love having pictures everywhere.

Ivey on her side.

But this blog post isn't to torture Ivey about freshmen year, it's to share her BEAUTIFUL wedding with you.

I was absolutely honored to be apart of Ivey's wedding. Some college roommates drift and go their seperate ways...we do our own thing, but still talk a hand full of times each week. I can always expect my phone to ring around 5:04 p.m. (just in time for me to be out of work and in my car) and see that Ivey is calling me. Even Brian knows if I don't answer my phone when I get off work, its because I'm on the other line with her. And now that she lives in Nashville, I get to see her a few times a year. Sometimes I get really really lucky and see her twice in one month or back to back months!

The wedding was in her hometown of Cartersville, Georgia and we started the weekend off with manis and pedis

Our adopted roomie, Lauren, is on the far left...but she will get her own Ode later ;)
Then we headed to the Bridesmaid Luncheon at her cute country club. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

Aren't these flowers beautiful??? Oh, and her bridesmaid invitations were Lilly, my fav

Ah rats, I don't know how to turn it the right way. Sorry Ivey!!

And how could I not post a pic of Ivey and her mama?? She was of course the ultimate match maker =)

My Roomies!! The first time we'd all been together in almost 3 years!

Ivey and her SIL, Lesley (sister-in-law). By the end of the week, Lesley was my new BFF.

I love this picture. One of the greatest parts of your wedding weekend is having some of the greatest friends a girl could ask for all in the same place. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did =)

Next up, the rehearsal.

I was trying really hard to concentrate and not mess anything up.

Ivey has the sweetest dad.

Lauren and I got to be roomies again for the weekend. It was just like old times...

And of course I had to give a speech!!! I just HAD to tell everyone how wonderful Ivey was, and how we met and I got to thank Martha (the MOB) for introducing me to such a great friendship that I wouldn't have had without her help. I do think the end of my speech consisted of me telling Luke if he ever did anything bad...I'd hunt him down. Sorry, that's just how I feel about my Nano, only the best for her.

We did what most people do after a rehearsal dinner

Get a few drinks at the local hang out

(The groom in a roomie sandwhich)

Find a stray kitten and sneak it back to your hotel...

That's my Howie, sleeping with Auntie Lauren. He was just so cute and so scared at the bar...I couldn't just leave him??? Now I will always have something to remember Luke and Ivey's special weekend....hence why Howie's middle name is Carter (the wedding was in Cartersville, get it??)

Ok...I'm getting kind of tired. I will finish the wedding pics tomorrow, but I'll leave Ivey hanging by a thread with this pic.

CAN WE SAY KNOCKOUT BRIDE, OR WHAT?????

Love ya Nano, aka, Nan, aka Roomie.

Grrrrrrrrr

2010-12-14T16:20:00.008-05:00

I still can't find my camera charger!!!! And I have so much stuff to share =(

This doesn't help with my stress factor

This hasn't helped my stress factor either...
(A pic of one of the MANY times we've had to get my car towed).

We have finally decided to call it quits on my Jeep. We tried so hard to hold off purchasing a new car...and I'm still trying to hold off. B and I have been carpooling. It's fun having front door service to work...but it's hard buying xmas presents for someone when they are driving you around to places. No car = No fun.

And car shopping when it's 9 degrees outside with snow everywhere isn't fun either.

Trying to think of happy thoughts...

(I should be getting my wedding pictures.ANY.DAY.NOW.TRYING.TO.WAIT.PATIENTLY.)

Getting a new Lilly dress would REALLY turn my mood around!

Getting presents ALWAYS makes me happy

Thinking of how much I am going to love my puppy I am going to get after April 15th always makes me happy (Brian hasn't caved in yet). I already have names picked out too.

What are your happy thoughts??
Joy D.

Ireland : Part One

2010-12-06T20:46:00.016-05:00

Brian and I were so fortunate to be able to go to Ireland for our honeymoon for 10 whole days. What a trip, huh??

Brian's dad is actually from Ireland and he came to Georgetown Hospital in D.C. for his residency in the early 70's. Dr. D met Mrs. D and he decided to make America his home. His ENTIRE family is still in Ireland, including his 95 year old mother (Brian's grandmother). Dr. D still visits home once a year but Brian hasn't been since the fifth grade. Can you imagine going 15 years without seeing your grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles?!?!

When we were thinking about Honeymoon places, I had Disney World and the Atlantis in mind, (Brian has NEVER been to Disney World!!) His dad had mentioned Europe and Brian and I jumped at the opportunity.

Our honeymoon was super special...because we certainly didn't travel alone...we brought Dr.D with us. It couldn't have been any better. He could drive on the left side of the road, drive a stick shift, knew directions, and could hold the camera and take pics of us =) The driving part was prob the most beneficial part for us. DRIVING IN EUROPE IS BONKERS!!!!!!!!!! He also was able to reacquaint Brian with his family members.

The first full day, his Uncle and Dad drove us through the countryside to the House of Muckross, sit back and enjoy the pics!

Admiring the View

The property had gardens everywhere, it reminded me a lot of Duke University

My only request for the trip was to see some castles. On the way home, Brian spotted a sign for Ross Castle.

All it needs is some electricity and it would be an amazing home!

I was mesmerized by the beautiful hydrangea's in Ireland.

I wish these were in my backyard

Part 2 will be up soon
Joy D

Christmas Cards

2010-12-03T09:22:00.005-05:00

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE receiving and sending Christmas Cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOOOVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEE it!!

I have a small Christmas tree (the same size as the Halloween tree) that I set up in the front hall. I put an angel on top and hang the Christmas cards that come in on the branches. So far, I haven't put the tree up, and I've only received one card.

In the past, I've always sent Christmas cards with "Joy" on them, clever, eh?

Brian has always told me that I couldn't send Christmas cards with a picture of us on it until we were married. I got creative last year and sent a card with characters that looked like us.

Soooo this year...I wrote my photographer an email BEGGING her to send me a picture I could use for a Christmas Card. She wrote back,laughed and sent me 8!! This was the winner:

This is the Christmas Card:

Praying they come in super soon!! I can't wait to start receiving Christmas cards, and if you want to send me a card, I'd be so thrilled and happy to place it on my tree =)

Joy D.

O' Halloween Tree

2010-11-23T21:13:00.006-05:00

I know, I'm a lil late to still be talking about Halloween...but I was a lil busy while everyone else was celebrating the All Hallows Eve holiday.

I made sure to take a better picture of my Halloween Christmas tree...I know what few followers I have are absolutely dying to see it

My wedding was the day before Halloween and since we didn't leave for Ireland till November 1st, I HAD to take a family picture in front of the tree
Brian looks suuupppppeeeeeeerrrrrrr thrilled doesn't he??? Actually, Brian was a cat person waaaayyy before I was. And I am wearing my Halloween pajama pants as well. Perfect.

This is Howie trying to hide from me on Halloween, he didn't like his costume very much.
I promise, I will get a dog soon.

And while I was absent from the blog world, Ole Miss got a new mascot, The Ole Miss Black Bears. Frustrating. So now all Colonel Reb memorabilia will soon be collector items and antiques. Grrr... I should have bought the Colonel Reb Tervis Tumblers when I had the chance, this is what I think about the situation:

I think next year for Halloween, I am going to dress like Colonel Reb and Brian will be a black bear, eh??

Alright, I'll stop talking about Halloween. Pics of Ireland to come soon (as soon as I find my camera cord), Christmas decor, and hopefully a new bench for my front hall.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

The Wedding is Over, Now What?!?

2010-11-22T12:42:00.002-05:00

Well, since my last post I've:

-spent a weekend in Nashville
-been a bridesmaid in Cartersville, Georgia
-found a new kitten and convinced Brian to let me keep him
-Rented my townhouse out for 10 whole days during the WEG games
-had 2 wedding showers (3 in total)
-planned a wedding (really wish I splurged and hired a wedding coordinator)
-had my dad and his family STAY at my townhouse for 7 whole days before the wedding
-still continued to work 40 hour work weeks
-GOT married
-went to Ireland for 10 days (and managed to lose my new Father-in-laws camera)

And now I am in the process of trying to get some sort of order back in my life. I'm really only going to try to start blogging cause my good friend MC has dropped a few hints about it.

Brian and I were married on Saturday, October 30th and we were on a plane to Ireland on Monday, November 2nd. And do you know what I did on the plane?? I started writing my project list of things to do when we get back. AS IF just finishing all wedding festivities wasn't enough to keep my mind busy for AT LEAST a month. Nope. Projects are ALREADY in the works. Here's just a few items that I have on my list:

-paint front room light grey
-turn a hope chest into a bench
-finish gold frames picture collage
-find fabric to make curtains and reupholster chairs in dining room
-paint kitchen from bright yellow to tan
-find fabric for curtains in the master bedroom
-put new sink and toilet in half bath and tile
-tile floor in my new "JFD" bathroom
-paint craft room light pink

These are just a few that I CAN NOT wait to get started on. We are going to be very very busy this winter =)

122 Days

2010-06-30T08:58:00.003-04:00

Oh my gosh!! Exactly 4 more months and 122 days left till I will be Mrs. Dineen. I have had butterflies in my stomach all morning!!

And I have so much to do! I'm going to look at invitations this afternoon and the big news is that my wedding dress came in. I can hardly control myself! I guess every bride LOVES their dress, but I REALLY LOVE my dress.

We have engagement pictures on Monday at Keeneland and I have no clue what on earth to wear. These next 4 months are going to be so busy, crazy and fun. Not to mention, I still have to get my house in tip top shape before October. Exhausted yet???

I think one of the main reasons I have still kept my facebook account is that I love looking at other peoples wedding pictures, shower pictures, etc. I love getting ideas. I also love being able to keep up with all my family members and far away friends =)

Anyway, this is an idea I am totally stealing! Brians #1 request is that he wants lots of candles - I think this would look great all around the back room that is all windows.

Alright, just a little idea I wanted to share. Lots to do!
Happy Hump Day!

The Boys in Blue

2010-06-25T09:22:00.013-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BOYS IN BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me first clarify that last night was the first time I have ever been more than willing and super eager to watch the NBA Draft. Brian wasn't even home and I watched it...and recorded it on DVR. Owwwww!!!!

I REALLY wanted to see if John Wall was going to be the #1 pick of the NBA Draft.

And sure enough

The kid no joke brought Kentucky basketball out of the slumps. I asked Brian if the "John Wall Dance" would follow him to the NBA. Recap for those who don't know... Oh yeah, the John Wall Dance definitley took off
He even does his dance in his new Reebox commercial - "The shoe that's like an energy drink for your feet"
Me and John Wall
I'm sooooooo glad Brian pushed me into him to take a picture - even though I look absolutely horrible, I'm wearing my glasses and I was wearing my Ole Miss sweatpants, but I hope he didn't notice! When we saw him, Brian basically told me I would be taking a picture with the next Michael Jordan. I was sold.

The #5 pick, DeMarcus Cousins. We saw Cousins playing basketball the same night we saw John Wall - I got a few pics of him but nothing super great, darnit! Awww Boogie! The SUPER UNCLASSY Mississippi State fans (I am biting my tongue soooooo hard to not type completely inappropriate remarks about Mississippi State...I.LOATHE.THEM.) somehow got ahold of his cell phone number before our game against them and poor Boogie got a million voicemails from dirty Mississippi State fans. So after he did a nasty slam dunk against them, he did this little number And said "Call Me". I would have given them another sign with my hands, but I'm trying to be appropriate.

#14 - Patrick PATTERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course we know who my favorite Patterson is...

We got a picture of me holding Patterson up to the TV when Patrick Patterson got announced, it didn't turn out as great as we wanted it. And he certainly didn't like it, I have the scratch marks to prove it. I'll have to upload the picture later. I know you guys are dyin to see it.

#18 - Eric Bledsoe Do you think he works out??

And #29 pick was Daniel Orton
I don't really know much about Daniel Orton but that he almost screwed us over cause he dropped out of school right after the tournament...almost making us lose the scholarship for next year. But Brian told me since John Wall got a 3.5 GPA, it somehow balanced the whole scholarship thingy out. Thank goodness for John Wall!

The 5 players were all picked in the first round of the draft...making Kentucky the first school EVER to have 5 PLAYERS GO TO THE NBA IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!!!!!! And it was the first year Kentucky had a player BE THE #1 PICK!!!!

3 out of the 5 players were freshman. Let's hope next years freshman class brings as much entertainment as last years.
CONGRATUALTIONS FELLAS!!!

This has been a terrific week, I'll have to recap everything on Sunday.

I Heart Candles

2010-06-22T08:56:00.009-04:00

The title says it all. I love candles. I love having candles lit. I love good smelling candles that make the house smell divine. I ESPECIALLY love fall and winter candles the most, I can't get enough of pumpkin, apple, and pine tree scents- (I REFUSE to get a real Christmas tree. We had ONE real tree growing up and it was SUCH A MESS that I have never wanted another real tree. EVER.)

Recently, due to my old age, I've started getting a huge crush on candlesticks and candle holders of all kinds. Especially crystal ones.
(This pic was taken from google, I wish they were mine!!)

One problem with candle holders...the wax! Unfortunatley this is the consequence you get when you actually lite the candles. My mom use to soak candleholders in hot water and scrape the remains off - NOT FUN - and I don't have the time.

So my secret...

Put the candle holders in the freezer.

I swear on it. I don't know the science explanation of it, but somehow the cold freezes and shrinks the wax. I leave it in there (or forget it's in there till I open the freezer back up), take it out when it's super frozen and the wax pops right off!! And it doesn't leave any leftover residue. Sweet!

Lately, we have been putting our actual candle jars in the freezer and reusing the jars.
My favorite are Woodwick candles
We don't have a fire place and the wooden wick (hence the name) sounds like a crackling fire. And it fragrances the entire house. And they come in pretty nice jars with wood tops.
(Sorry, this is a bad pic, I took it on my phone this morning before I left for work - Iphone cameras really aren't very good). See, it's a perfectly good jar. This one is pretty tall so I might start putting pens and pencils in it. Brian comes home with - no joke- 2 new pens everyday that he puts in his pocket at work and forgets about. Seriously, we have enough pens to donate to a college campus.

I put the jars in the freezer, leave/forget about them, take them out, then I take a knife and crack the middle of the hardened wax and they fall right out. Now I have extra jars for cat treats, matches, loose change, etc... (Yeah, had to throw the cat treats in there).

This really is one of my favorite little household tricks. I LOVE reading other people's little tips and tricks around the house.

And speaking of candles...

I have 26 to blow out tomorrow ;)

Backyard Bliss

2010-06-15T20:56:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to put these lights up for a REALLY LONG time... so glad I finally did!!

I loooovvvveee it and want to spend all my time out here!

I have one more side to do, but I'm hoping this will help motivate Brian to clean up the "grill area" a little more.

If your looking for me, I'll be on my back porch ;)

Reupholstering

2010-06-15T20:19:00.010-04:00

I had this in my yard sale pile
Someone had bought it for us cause they thought it would match our living room but it wasn't quite my style. It was SUPER close to being sold in my upcoming yard sale, however, I really liked it's function next to the couch. I've been storing magazine's, cat toys, and lots of other random treasures inside and out of eyesight. Plus, we love laying our laptops on top of it while they are charging.

So I decided to make it a little bit more my style.

I bought the same curtain fabric I have in my living room at Hobby Lobby for $22.00. I'm really trying to jazz up the brown with more "steel blue" (Brians definition of the color)
I measured the cube's height and width and made sure I put a little extra fabric on each side. I probably used about a hundred little sewing pins to hold the fabric in place. And then I stapled away.
I guess I could have done a little better getting the fabric to be even on each side, but whose REALLY going to see the bottom but me??

One half done, remind me to iron that crease out later.

I'm so glad I found this wooden rod to help prop this thing open! That made the project go by a lot faster!

More stapling to the top and Ta Da!
I'm sooo proud of it!! Now it can still house misc. items and it fits right in and I still have enough fabric to make some throw pillows.

My audience this time fell asleep on me, I guess he found it kind of boring
This WHITE chair is one of his favorite spots so I have to cover it with towels so he can still sleep here. This is a chair that needs a good upholstery job...one that is more Patterson friendly :) (CRAZY CAT LADY, I KNOW!!)

I'm certainly going to be on the lookout for cheap cubes from now on, I think they would be great in any room for some easy storage.

Since I finished this, I've been contemplating if I'm ready to upholster bigger things. I have TONS of chairs that need a change but I might want to practice on some more smaller things...things that are square and don't need so much detail.

Slacker

2010-06-14T15:19:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in over a week!! I really have been super productive, I just haven't uploaded pics from my camera to the computer yet. Can't wait to show you what we've been working on.

In the meantime, I did take this on my Iphone...maybe it's just me, but I think Patterson is really good at taking pictures!!

Seriously, who could resist this?
Have a great day!

Happy Friday!

2010-06-04T09:24:00.000-04:00

Couldn't Resist. HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Open Buffet

2010-06-04T09:03:00.003-04:00

So High on the Tide is working on her new buffet and I caaaannnn'tttt waaaaaiiiiittttt to see what she has done!!!! (check out her post on it here)

We inherited an old buffet from Brian's grandmother last summer and I loooovvvveeee switching up the decor on it! This is what I have goin on right now

Actually...this is what I had goin on 2 weeks ago. During my Memorial Day cleaning I rearranged some things. Derby Pattern table runner is off and actually I switched everything to the opposite side.

Brian: "So does the fruit really look that much different on the right side now?" (Sarcasm is VERY strong in this phrase).

Me: "Yes, it was getting old being on the left."

I love this buffet but I love that everytime Brian's mom comes over, she is so happy we have it, that it's a functioning piece of furniture in our house, and that I have have taken good care of it (I polish it about once a week). She always says that Brian's grandmother would be so happy - definitely makes me feel good.

I don't like the handles though - they are a bit too much for my Plain Jane taste. No luck at Hobby Lobby - so this is something else that has been added to my ongoing "look-out" list.

I'd LOOOOVVVEEE to have the dining room be horse themed with big racing pictures and horse decor, not in the budget right now, but one day!

Also, before I end this post, I'd just like to point out that Brian is VERY PROUD of how even he got these 4 pictures up. The laser leveler is one of our best friends. If you don't have one, it would make a GREAT stocking stuffer for the Mister. Wait, am I already thinking about Christmas????
Happy Friday,
Joy

Tis the Season

2010-06-02T21:07:00.006-04:00

Tis the season to post lots and lots of pictures of my garden right? Just think, when it is super cold, and snowing, and everything is dead and gloomy outside, you'll want to look at pictures of my garden and dream of spring and summer. Ok, maybe you won't, but I certainly will!!

I can't tell you how much I love basil! LOVE.IT.CAN'T.GET.ENOUGH.

So I had an old wooden box that I got from...wanna guess??? It came from my dad's house. I drilled holes on the bottom and threw some newspaper in there. I also found some random tin buckets that I didn't know what to do with either.

I think this is the greatest idea ever!!! Planter pots ready to be put in the ground. Less trash. Remember, I'm trying really hard to save the world...well, at least trying to decrease my carbon footprint.

I get to admire my lil herb garden every day when I walk to the front door.

I had Brian take a picture of my lil herb garden tonight, look how big everything has gotten, especially the lavender

I LOVE tomatoes and basil, basil pizza, pesto... I need some more recipes with basil.
I'm all ears!

On another note, Brian wants to paint the front door another color (get rid of the red) Any suggestions?

Eat Your Veggies

2010-06-02T20:43:00.007-04:00

Alright, drum roll please for the unveiling of my little veggie garden.

Before:

Building:

Let there be veggies!!

Brian has some little seedlings goin on
I'm a little hesitant to see if the seedlings produce anything but ya never know!

I have a little bit of space for a few other things, we have lots of tomatoes, squash, green bell peppers, carrots, onions, and lettuce (the last 3 are the little seedlings).
What else should I try to grow?
Joy

Happy Birthday To Me!

2010-06-02T15:59:00.003-04:00

Well not yet, but in 21 days. I'm usually really not excited about my birthday AT ALL! But Brian and I were in my favorite bookstore the other day and look what I saw on their event calendar:

Mary Kay Andrews
discussing and signing

The Fixer-Upper
Wednesday, June 23 at 7:00 pm

Now in paperback, Andrews's Southern charmer begins with junior lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew in the crosshairs of a political bribery investigation. Suddenly unemployed and the victim of a sleazy smear campaign by her former boss, Dempsey decides to take up her father's offer of flipping a recently inherited family home in Guthrie, Georgia. As it turns out, the house needs much more than a fresh coat of paint.

That's my birthday!!!!!! So guess what we will be doing the evening of my big 26?!?!?

Also, go pick up this months edition of "Better Homes and Gardens"

Mary Kay Andrew's super cute beach cottage on Tybee Island is featured (remember this is what I am saving up to rent one day for a girls trip). I think I'm going to bring it with me and have her sign it, teehee.

I'm going to write on her facebook wall and tell her how super excited I am! (I'm not joking at all on this one).

Happy Birthday To Me!
Joy

It's a Girl!

2010-05-28T13:28:00.004-04:00

Well.... not in that context.

Just came home on my lunch break and look what is blooming at the townhouse

My second hydrangea is blooming!! Is it just me or do ya'll see pink too??

Brian and his mom bought this plant last year and it didn't bloom once, granted, it lived in the plastic potting container for a little while till we got off our lazy bottoms and planted it. We weren't even sure it was going to bloom this year.
This is the pic of my 2nd hydrangea bush just in case ya'll forgot
This one has much greener leaf's than the other one, but I don't care. I love them both equally.
Happy 3 day weekend!

Antique Glass Bottles

2010-05-26T21:24:00.005-04:00

Another of the many many items I just emptied from a box from my Dad's house were these antique glass bottles that my grandmother held onto

I can't remember what my dad said they all were, but one is an old milk bottle, medicine bottle, cream bottle, water jug that used to be placed on the nightstand next to the guest bed (or so I'm told) and that's all I can remember.

I saw these antique bottles used in a TON of other blogs, so a little bit of water, bleach, and TLC and now they are my new favorite thing to place picked flowers in

One more thing that's not in a box taking up space but serving a new purpose!