Dresser Update

so I have this old dresser, a freebie from my college roommate. It was a freebie to her. Back then I got it and it was a wacky green with wooden handles. Very farmhouse.

I got the bright idea to paint it a crazy purple (i still love that color, i think it's very dramatic.), take off the hardware and...do nothing else with it for like 5 years. Here it sits, housing lots of sewing doo dads.



And here it is now, still housing sewing doo dads, but in a much more stylish way.


With minimal begging, BF installed some knobs and a fun little handle. Although I am sort of over decals, i still have an inner squeal every time I see this one.

Now here's where we talk a bit about a shift that I am seeing in many of my creative endeavors. You see, those handles are ever so slightly not perfectly aligned. And ya know what? That's okay. Because I have realized that the vision of perfection I have in my mind is the greatest reason why it takes me, oh, EONS to finish things. I am really finding it easy to accept Good Enough these days. Because Good Enough is better in about a thousand different ways than Half Finished.

It's Beginning...

I have started the decorating. We are in full, glittery, Fraser Fir-y (and furry) fresh, sparkly, ridiculous swing here at the Casa de Stupids. Some of what we have been digging out and enjoying:

My new wreath. I am pleased with it because it cost about $3. This is a sad, super fake looking, boring wreath that I found in our garage when we moved in. I yanked off the pitiful and wrinkly red bow and added lots of sparkly ornaments. I bought the ornaments at a yard sale a few months ago. This was the first thing to go up.


Leftover ornaments in the hurricane lamp from Thanksgiving. That and our red cushions make the dining room feel a bit more festive. And, I have realized that I really love shiny round ornaments anywhere but on a tree.
Our tree. this is the biggest tree I have ever gotten, about 8 feet tall. We were overtaken by holiday cheer while watching Christmas Vacation, and ran off to buy one. I just love seeing all my ornaments. I try to get a fun fancy new one every year and also make one. Usually mom buys the fun fancy over the top one for me, and those are memories in and of themselves. Then two years ago she realized that she doesn't Do Christmas anymore, so she let me have my pick of all my ornaments from my childhood. I LOVE seeing them. they just remind me of a different time, and a time when Christmas was exciting, waiting was excruciating, and I felt like there was magic and wonder and the potential for miracles all around. The only time I truly feel that way about the holiday anymore is decorating the tree. After that it's still fun, but you have to work harder to see the magic amidst the commercialism and over-scheduling. Anyway. The tree.

And finally, my adorable BF channeled the spirit of Clark Griswold and did up our lights while I was at work. I compromised and agreed to have big colored lights outside in exchange for little white lights inside. It turns out that I love our lights. Most especially, the fact that I randomly wished aloud for some white and green lights to do up our little baby palm tree out front. Can you tell? It's hard to see the green but you see the white on the trunk part. We ended up having to go back for another strand of green, and we have to fix them every other day, but oh! I love that lit up palm tree with all of my heart. I am sort of priming BF to let me leave it lit all year round. I figure after that it won't take much convincing for a few flamingos to pop up in the yard too.
In spite of ourselves, we are getting merry and bright.

TMI Tuesday

--Lilly is just fine. She is healing well, and is being super annoying as usual. She stays inside while we are at work, since playing with her sister is prohibited, and unavoidable when they are alone for even 5 minutes. She also ate a bunch of Halloween candy today, and Hershey's pumpkin pie spice kisses have not done anything to her but give her bad farts. Thusly, I conclude the obvious: American chocolate is total shit.

--the ductwork was replaced without a hitch. We did a great job just patching a new length of it in after cutting a destroyed section out. I feel like this could be a great fallback career in These Trying Times. the ease of replacing it, and building a trap door to keep her out has resulted in Maya resuming her place on the Good Girl List. She is not on the list with anyone else. See above.

--I am a cooking machine lately. I have been making all sorts of ethnic cuisines and baked this and thats. Perhaps it's my huge new kitchen. Perhaps it's the cooler weather. Perhaps it's my new healthier habits in an effort to look good for the Sisterly Wedding Extravaganza taking place in March. Perhaps I should start taking pics and sharing recipes? Tonight I am making low fat chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are made with corn meal, which is different, and the Chicken soupy part is made with apple juice and thyme. Strange, but so, so good.

--I've also gone and done something crazy. I have hauled off and joined a gym. I am going about 5 nights a week and LOVING it. Loving. Oh man, loving it. I am having lots of fun and really look forward to it most days. I am even getting over my hatred of sweating. However, I have a giant red zit on my back. I can't really see it, but I am told it's totally Unhot. Hey, TMI is right up there in the title. I didn't make you read this.

--I'm also feeling smug what with my Christmas Plan of Action. I have a list of who is a knitting recipient, a pattern picked out, and a tentative knitting schedule. If I can finish one thing a week (most are small projects- cowls and mitts and such) then I should be able to get it all done by christmas with a week to spare. That leaves the week days to knit for myself. Since I am so smug and prepared, it is just a matter of time till this blows up in my face.

--the house is coming along nicely. I am still on the $60 a week trip to Lowe's kick, and the yardwork on our tiny lot-- oh the yard work. I hate picking up crap. But hey, it's gotta be done. This weekend I have big plans for a few bits of furniture, stopping only to go see Zombieland and crank out a cowl. See above.

That's all that's fit to print. Soon, very soon, I should be showing finished things, for a change. I have my very own computer up and running after a long hiatus. Now I should be able to post pics more frequently since it isn't such a collossal pain in the ass. I hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

Finally!

I have found the USB cord! Hooray! (In case you are curious, it was in a laundry basket full of random bits of electronic gadgetry. Thank goodness that as i was packing, I would take cords and wind them up neatly, then put a rubber band around them. That saved me an extra 6 weeks of pretending I didn't see a basket full of scary tangled cords.)

So anyway. Let's look at my new house. I did not clean for this house tour. I didn't even try. It's like you've stopped by unannounced, and I answered the door in my underpants. Bet you'll call next time, won't you?

Okay. So:

Living Room, view from the hallway. I didn't try very hard, so while you are seeing the entry way, and the nice open kitchen, you are missing out on the gas fireplace (fireplaces are really just for show here) and the vaulted ceilings, and also- the New TV. BF bought it last weekend, and I hate to admit how much I am enjoying all the HD-ness of it all. Right now Planet Earth is playing on the Planet Green channel, and it's breathtaking to watch. And nice to see stuff like that on while I work in the kitchen. Also, remind me to tell you about the Couch Situation. That's a story for another post. But right now since I have no idea what works with this oddball brown color, I have just brought in all sorts of things, and am living among them- trying to decide what I like. I think the red curtains will stay, and so will the main blue color in the couch.
Here is the sunroom, which you enter from way off to the right of the above shot- near the fireplace you can't see. That sofa in the living room is moving out to the sunroom once the Couch Situation is cleared up. You can see our deck outside the french doors.

Part of the guest bath. The interesting part. You didn't really want to see a toilet, did you? I am so happy that the buddha is inside now. He's always been a garden buddha, but I smile everytime I pass by the bathroom and see him sitting there. I bought that Paris drawing the first time I went there. I love it in this ridiculous pink bathroom.


Okay so in the bedroom you get a bit of the vaulted ceilings and the fun lighting (I seriously love it- both the recessed lights and the lights on the fan are on dimmers, so we can have the room as bright or dark as we like. But just look at this crazy green! I am sort of loving it. Turns out the stuff I already have looks great in there, but I think that we might be replacing it soon anyway. The duvet is falling apart, and we need king bedding for a queen bed- it's the only way to please two cover hogs. Also, fun side note- the bed is still on wheels, and we have hardwoods throughout. The dogs like to wrestle on our bed for some reason, and after a loud BANG! and lots of little toenails clicking on the floor, i ran in to see the bed halfway across the room (not exaggerating for once) and the headboard laying on the ground. Ugh.
And finally, the master bath. I love it. It's got a dual sink counter, and the white beadboard and bright blue just make it feel so clean and cheerful. i like that in a bathroom.


Well, that's all the tour we have today. There are still two more bedrooms and a dining room, but I will save that for when they are more presentable. But! I am loving this place. We still have a ways to go, but I already feel at home here. It's been just a week and a half but I consider it home. Cute side story: I have been trying to get BF involved in decor decisions. I want him to love it here, and I want him to feel pride in his home, even if he doesn't care about things like throw pillows and stuff. But we were talking about all the wacky colors in the house, and he said "I like all the colors. It's like I have a different feeling in each room." YES! The light, it's coming on in his head! I am fine with the fact that he will NEVER care about some of the things that make me dizzy with delight, but knowing that he feels calm in our green room, and happy in the yellow sunroom- it's so fun.

More pics soon- for now I have to get back to my baking project, and see what sort of progress I can make on the Final Frontier- my office.

Have a great rest of the weekend! Since the goal is to have the office up and semi-functional today, I hope to be back more regularly with updates and such.