Vomit

Thinking about blogging just makes me want to throw up right now. I'll see you next year.

13 days of Christmas

1 pair BCBG black pointy-toe heels
1 pair of white heels worn in my wedding
1 pair of brown heels worn in Sully's wedding
1 pair black open-toed heels
1 pair red flats
5 tubes of chapstick
1 tin of Burt's Beeswax lip balm
2 pairs of sunglasses
2 pairs of jeans
8 window blind-pulls
1 dog collar
5 couch cushions
3 pairs of underwear

No, folks. That's not my christmas list. That's just a few of the things of mine that dear Elvis has chewed up recently. Ok, the first 3 were ruined over a year ago, but the BCBG heels still sting.

If you can guess what his most recent chew-up was, I will dedicate my next blog post to you! (Kennedy is not allowed to enter.)

I think the time has finally come for me to say that I hate Ross. I can't believe I just said that, but it is actually kind of true. Slowly over the years, without realizing, I have been losing the desire to hunt for a deal. More specifically, I have lost the desire to wade through a sea of 90% nylon 10% recycled plastic fabrics to find something that is worth buying. I have lost the desire to listen to women toting 6-10 children under the age of two screaming and crying across the store because they should probably be eating or sleeping right now. I have lost the desire to stand in the slowest-moving lines in the history of the universe, just to save a few bucks on last season's clothes.

I have lost the desire to receive half my change back in quarters. WHAT am I going to do with $4.00 worth of quarters floating around in my purse, and WHY can't I have that in bills?????????

Wow, that really sent me over the edge. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might be over Ross. Right after I buy those shoes I saw in there today.

I hate Wal-mart more, but I haven't come to grips with quitting it just yet.

Design is in the air!

I'm really enjoying doing web design, and something that goes hand-in-hand with it is blog design. I've been working on learning how to do this for a while now but finally hit my stride, thanks to this tutorial from KevinandAmanda.com.

Yesterday I got excited about this new knowledge and went ahead and made a blog design for Stephanie. Thank goodness she likes it.

Today I decided I needed one, so viola!

Whattayaknow

Well, I'm pretty disappointed in you all. Last post was my 50th post, and no one even noticed. That's why I didn't write in here for a couple of weeks. I was punishing you for your lack of noticing. I didn't even notice, which is just sad.

Anyway, that's not really true about why I didn't post. It's the holidays! Which means everything is crazy busy. Thanksgiving was such a fun time. Kennedy's mom, Jennifer, came and stayed with us for the week. It was great to have her around and made us excited to spend more time with her as well as the rest of Kennedy's family over Christmas in NJ!

Another thing that made me excited for Christmas in NJ: It snowed here yesterday. It's unthinkable in Texas for snow to fall in DECEMBER. It's usually an event reserved for every 4th year in February (to paint a picture of how often it snows.)

Now that we're not in South Dakota anymore, I can enjoy snow with the knowledge that it is going to melt as soon as it hits the ground. No getting stuck at the end of my driveway in a giant snowbank for me! (Anymore.)

Another thing I've been busy with is decorating for Christmas! Although we won't be at home this Christmas, I thought it a great security measure to put up a Christmas tree with lights. That way, burglars will think we're home and avoid our house (See: Home Alone.) Gee, I hope no burglars are reading my blog right now....

So I got a little carried away. I had so much fun putting up the first tree, that I just went for it, and now we have some full-on decorations. I'm going to wrap this up pretty quickly because 1) Dinner's ready, and 2) Kennedy just walked by and gave me a really dirty look because he thinks I'm always on the computer.

Here are some pictures!!!!

Here's what started it all....The "security" tree.

Then I moved to the front door and added a lighted garland and a hand-made ornament wreath! Notice my decaying pumpkins are still out.

 Here's a close-up of the wreath. It cost $11 to make. I bought the ornaments at the Dollar Tree (11 tubes of 5), used a pesky wire hanger we had lying around, and a glue gun that I had to dig out of some unpacked box in a spare bedroom. Here is a tutorial if you want to make one yourself!

I bet it would be really pretty with some peacock feather colors.

I have lovingly dubbed this the Santa Clause room, because the mantle is full of Santa figurines. Do you like how the bottom half of the tree is unlit? Good for me.

Oh hey, what's that? Another new iPhone cover!!!

Sadly, this one broke and I had to return it.

I've gotta go eat now.

Oh......My.......Word.

We're finished.

Well, kind of. Our bedroom is a disaster, but the guest quarters are complete! And might I say, beautiful. Hope that doesn't count as bragging.

I'm so excited about all the changes that were made this weekend! Our house is really transforming and coming together to feel like our home, and not you know who's ramshackle circus home. (In case you don't know who: you know who = previous owner.)

I can't concentrate on typing words as Kennedy sits behind me giggling at his iPhone and singing excerpts from one of his playlists in a really high pitched voice. Let's get down to the befores and afters.

Do you remember this?

Maybe you don't remember this. I don't think I ever posted pictures of this on the blog. Just on facebook.

OK, ready to have your mind blown????

Come stay with us!!!

Featured in this room is an antique bed frame that I bought off of craigslist (my best friend,) some side tables that Kennedy helped me make, and see that wreath? I made that! I like crafts.

Thanks Dad, for painting this room for me!

NEXT!

I'll miss you, truck-stop-bathroom...

In progress. Thanks Mom, for taking down the wall paper and texturing the walls!

These pictures are very dark because they're taken with my nice camera (the one I don't really know how  to use...) Not pictured: You could seriously eat off of any surface in this bathroom. It is like, the most disinfected something can possibly be.

Here's a framed piece of scrapbook paper!

Are you having fun? I know I am! Or maybe I'm delirious from working non-stop on this house. There's more...

This is our main living area. Also, a picture of the window that you can barely see on the left in the first picture.

In here, we painted. Everything. The walls. The window frame. Then we decided to leave the blinds off (not pictured above.) Then we hung some curtains and we looooove the curtains. How is it possible to love curtains? I still haven't figured out exactly how I like them to be styled, but oh well. We have yet to hang anything on the walls, but oh well. 

"Fireplace" room before.

"Fireplace" room after. What is Elvis doing????

What's next, you ask? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the master bedroom!!!!!

You make me feel like bloggin'

Fact: I woke up at 6:50 am this Saturday morning so I could be at work at 7:30 am.

Fact: When I came home, I worked for another 7 1/2 hours on our house to get it ready in time for Kennedy's mom's visit/Thanksgiving.

Myth: Shoe in-soles help to cushion your feet and absorb shock for a more comfortable step.

Fact: We are not finished.

Enough of that.

My parents came over bright and early this morning to help us get our house ready (at the last minute....why do we always do this???) They were here from, I'm guessing, 10 am until 8 pm, painting, texturing walls, etc etc.

You will NOT BELIEVE some of the transformations that were made in our home today. I am anticipating that we will have most everything in order tomorrow so I can share some fotografias con ellos.

Fact: A lot of my clothes smell like coffee these days, even after they have been through the laundry.

Official Webmaster!

Hey guys! I'm an official webmaster! My mother-in-law's website is finally complete and running! Go check it out:

http://www.prayinglife.org

CHEEEEEESE!

My one and only weakness!

Little Green Jug

Here is my dresser reveal! The make-over is complete, and I'm quite pleased with it!

Before:

Let's get it all out there. This is in our bedroom. I'm embarrassed by the dust, and clothes on the floor, but let's all just get over it and focus on the dresser.

Notice how the bottom left drawer pull is hanging askew. When I bought it off Craigslist, it was missing a screw. So anytime I pulled the drawer out, this pull would swing out to the side.

During:

I started off thinking I was really smart and efficient, and just bought a few cans of spray paint. That's how they always do it on HGTV. Well, unfortunately, spray paint should not be used on smooth surfaces. So, I wisened up after about 3 cans, and found some plain white interior paint on a shelf in our garage. I don't know how old this paint is....we inherited it with the house. But I think it's safe, because when I mixed it, it looked fine. I do believe there are some cans in there, though, that are "original" to the house. Meaning, 33 years old. So, we should probably discard of those soon to avoid any potential lead poisoning.

Friday night, Kennedy took me to Hobby Lobby to look at drawer pulls. DID YOU KNOW????? They have drawer pulls now! And lots of them. And really cute ones. Plus, they were all half-off.

I love Hobby Lobby.

Here is my selection:

Total cost for these knobs was $8. What a steal!!! I'll say it again.

I love Hobby Lobby.

The big reveal:

Wait for it.....

Wait for it.....

Wait for it.....

I'm hooked. I'm off to look on Craigslist for some more potential projects!

Friday the 13th!

Why are some people just so naturally abrasive and irritating? What is their purpose to this earth?

You know how spiders are all gross and creepy, but at least they eat flies and mosquitoes and things of that nature, so they're somewhat useful?

What is the use of a person with a pompous, completely frustrating personality?

Also, have you ever not actually met a person, but just by your knowledge of people you can tell that they will drive you insane?

Why, why, why??? And don't say "so you can learn patience." That's not WHY.

So, I've recently been inspired by this blog:

http://www.inthefunlane.com

The domain name is deceiving. It is the blog of a lady in Canada who refinishes furniture. Most of the time it is a very shabby chic look (which I happen to like.) I like to learn about ordinary people doing do-it-yourself projects. It makes me feel like I, too, can do these things.

So tonight, I will.

I will repaint a green dresser (I happen to love the green color, but Kennedy doesn't, and it it kind of beaten up, so I need to repaint it.) I will paint it ivory, and I will change the drawer pulls. I will display this small dresser in my entry way, so I can see it every day as I prepare to leave, or on my way up the stairs, and think to myself "I did that."

Also, who cares about run-on sentences? (Probably the people I was talking about at the top of my blog entry.)

I do not have pictures to share this time around, but I will soon. Very.....very......soon.........

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE!!!!

Hey Ladies...

How many articles of clothing must be sacrificed to my washing machine before I owe it no more debt????

Make sure to carefully place your spaghetti-strapped shirts and camisoles into the washing machine, away from the central spin mechanism (or whatever you might call that thing.)

And just a side-note, that I am not directing this post at ladies because it has to do with laundry, but because it has to do with spaghetti-strapped shirts. I know how offensive gender roles can be to some people these days. I'm offended that I even have to think about laundry. But such is life!

So I'm off the wagon. The food-poisoning wagon, that is. Friday night, Kennedy and I met up with Amy and Todd for some dinner at Joe T. Garcia's. Good food, great company! Those two make such a cute couple. I was digging the Joe T food experience - talk about some good rice and beans. I mean, most mexican food restaurants make that an afterthought, but I like to test my side dishes. It's the mark of an authentic dish.

Saturday morning I woke up with (I'll spare you the gruesome details) symptoms of food poisoning. (Which didn't stop me from dragging Kennedy all the way to Richardson and back for a Craigslist purchase - cramping all the way! Totally worth it, as I will share in a later post. Maybe.)

Anyway, curse that Joe T. Garcia's, right? But alas, neither Amy, Todd, or Kennedy were experiencing any of the pain I was feeling, and we all shared food. So what, then?

I thought back to Thursday night, which was the night Kennedy and I went to Macaroni Grill to redeem all those coupon's he gets from catering with them. I remember what I had. Shrimp Portofino. Shrimp with mushrooms and wilted spinach over capellini pasta, yadda yadda yadda.

So it HAD to be them. Also, it took our server about 7-10 minutes to come greet us and take our drink orders. So, bad service = bad food. So, gross.

All that to say, I was stuck in a horizontal position clutching my abdomen all weekend. And when I'm stuck lying down for an entire two days, apparently, this is what happens in the kitchen:

That's right. That trash can was up there allllll weekend. Although, in Kennedy's defense, I just got home from a meeting at work and the trash can was under the sink and had been emptied. I just put it up there to stage a scene out of reality. Another thing different is that the trash can was actually so full, that some of the trash was being set next to the can. Or on the coffee table.

But who can blame the poor man? I think he was depressed that I couldn't do anything. He was so good, just laid there too, next to me. Asking ever so often (but not too often that it was overwhelming) if I needed anything. Elvis, too. He mostly slept next to me all weekend. Then was a total monster today (due to stored up energy, I assume.)

Oh, weird. What's that thing?

Oh, hey! It's my new iPhone cover!!!!

Good for me.

Juvederm

Have you seen commercials for this product? It's an alternative to Botox. What a gross product. Who would ACTUALLY want to inject gel into their face just to get rid of a few wrinkles? I'm not judging...it just seems wrong. Like that Crystal-clear gravy commercial from Saturday Night Live.

Well, after my brief hiatus, I am back with a renewed energy to blog!

Let's start this off with a few pictures from Jaclyn's Halloween (Boo-yah Extravaganza.)

The theme was greek. Here we are in our homemade costumes. Sorry for the largeness of the photo, but otherwise, it looked really blurry.

I went as a golden greek goddess. Unfortunately, you can't tell in the picture that I spray painted my body with gold glitter.

Anyone want to guess what Kennedy is supposed to be? Ok, I'll just tell you. He was the very famous greek tennis player, Pete Sampras. Don't you think the eyebrows give it away? Or maybe the chest hair.

BOO!

I did the eyebrows. Kennedy did the chest hair.

Now, here's Elvis's costume!

My mom made Elvis an "Elvis Presley" costume for Halloween. Unfortunately, Elvis was sick all weekend and I felt a little guilty making him wear a costume when he was throwing up every hour. So I'm going to have to find another reason to have him wear this. Maybe Thanksgiving, since it has some sort of Indian-type eagle painted on the back. Man, my mom must have spent a lot of time on this thing.

Here's another one, just because I find him to be the cutest dog ever.

So then on Saturday, as I mentioned in my previous post, Kennedy and I re-made some end tables that I made last year. Here are the finished products!

The legs are made from some old stair rails. The top is a stamped tin ceiling tile. The brown spots are dirt and rust. Yeah, I haven't gotten around to cleaning the dirt off.

Here's the top of the table. We made 2 tables.

I'm thinking these will go in a guest bedroom, as they do not currently match our existing coffee table. I'll have to work on that....maybe I'll make another trip back to that antique store. The materials for these two tables cost me $32. However, I do feel I was ripped off for the stair rails, but I'm too much of a wimp to haggle.

So, in my final news, I am pleased to say I have learned how to create blog backgrounds and layouts! (Patting myself on the back.) I am amazed at how much I have learned in the past few months. I feel that it may be more than I learned in college....? No, that can't be true. Maybe about 2 years worth of college though.

Anyway, I know a couple of people out there reading this who should probably start a blog of their own.....

All Hallow's Eve

Dude, it's 9:50. Why are people still bringing their greedy little kids around for candy? Shouldn't they be in bed by now? We turned our lights off.

Kennedy and I are enjoying a delightful night in with home-made pizza and scary DVD rentals. We are currently watching Trick 'r' Treat, which doesn't look too promising at this point. Thus, I am blogging.

This is my last day of BEDIO! I'm glad. Also, I forgot to blog yesterday, but who am I kidding? I quit a long time ago.

Sick. The fat kid from Bad Santa just literally vomited his guts out. What is this movie you rented, Kennedy?

Today, I went to an antique store here in town. It was wonnnnnnnnnnnderful! There were so many things I wanted in there. I settled on some stamped tin and some old stair rails. With those items, Kennedy and I vamped up some side tables that I made last year out of old wood when we re-did our deck. So these tables are made of 100% recycled materials. Now I'm just waiting for the adhesive to dry.

Tomorrow, or maybe if I ever feel like blogging again, I will post pictures of the tables. Also, maybe I'll post picture of Kennedy dressed as Pete Sampras!

Halloween is in the air!

Each night gets scarier and scarier as Halloween quickly approaches.

Ok, not really. It's just a little colder. Also, DANGIT, I told myself I'd do laundry today and it's 10 and I still haven't done it. I need my Starbucks "outfit" washed. It smells like coffee. It's amazing how much the coffee aroma permeates clothing. It's just as bad as cigarettes, but I guess not quite as unpleasant.

I just typed out a lot of stuff on this blog, then re-read it, and it was just a lot of nothing. I don't care to write things that don't matter.

Elvis developed a new habit today. For some reason, he's really enjoying barking in my face. I'll just lay on the couch and watch, oh, I dunno, The Vampire Diaries. And then the next thing I know, he's sitting right in front of me, barking in my face. It's really very cute. I wish he would figure out how to whisper bark, because then it would almost be tolerable.

Anyway, he doesn't seem to want anything. Just feels like barking. In my face seems like a good place to direct it. So that's what he does.

Also, he's been chewing on the couch pillow corners. Not so cute.

Alright, I can't put this laundry off any longer. Also, I should probably quit putting showers off as well. It's been long enough.

Hooray!!!

I LOVE when I learn something new! Today, I learned about how to create my own blog background with Photoshop from KevinandAmanda.com. Guys, photoshop is CRAZY! You can do SO many things with it! If I wanted to, I could probably create my own alternate universe where everything goes my way. All I'd need to do was google some images that fit into my world and then arrange them in a visually pleasing way.

But that'd be kind of weird, I guess. To live inside my computer. Right?

SIGH, so here goes about Starbucks. It's OK. Everyone there is so nice, and they all seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs and each other (I'm certain it's a front for the new people.) But I just can't seem to get past the fact that I'm literally making minimum wage. It bothers me. You know what is NOT comforting to hear? "That it's just the way the economy is right now."

I KNOW what the economy is like, and I'm sure there are lots of people with my qualifications getting "real" jobs. And it's not that I necessarily want a real job anyway, but I just want my pay-rate to quit decreasing with each new job. Blaaaahhhhh.

On the good side of things, I will get to work morning shifts, so I can be done by noon or so. That will mean I don't have to leave Elvis locked up all day. He'll more than likely be locked up for a few hours at most. So...after my ridiculously low paychecks come in, I can start buying things for our house...apparantly one throw pillow at a time.

I'm going to start a petition. Kennedy keeps hinting at wanting to start a blog. I think he's nervous, or maybe thinks he doesn't have time. I'm trying to get him to start one, so he'll quit telling me "Make sure you write this on your blog today..." SO, what I need everyone who reads this to do is to leave a comment BEGGING him to start a blog. I'm certain this will work.

Oh, you know what? I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SICK OF SPORTS!

Is there ever a time when there's not a sporting event being covered? I've been waiting for it so I can dance for joy. But each year, it seems that there's only about one day that is sport-free. Usually it's like, that day between the end of basketball season and the beginning of...what comes after basketball? Maybe there is no day. Maybe I just blacked out from too much sports coverage.

All I want to do when I crawl into bed is watch HGTV, or a British comedy. Lately it's been baseball. Literally, as I type about it, I am infuriated with how annoying baseball is.

Screw throw pillows. I want to go shoe-shopping!!!

Meh.

Meh.

I'm not crazy.

Stop putting words into my mouth.

I'm not writing that.

Oh...are you still talking?

Quit being like this!

Sorry. I was just responding to Kennedy's antagonizations about my blog in the form of a blog. I'll let you fill in the blanks.

So, I was accosted by a crack-head tonight at Jimmy John's. (And by accosted, I mean definition #1 at Dictionary.com, and NOT #3.) She came in dripping wet from the rain, talking all crazy about needing a job, used the f-word in there somewhere and asked to see my wedding rings.

THEN, she held the door open for me as I left and politely offered to give me gas money to take her down the highway. I, of course, accepted.

Kidding. I told her I was in a hurry. No telling WHAT was hidden in that giant coat of hers. (I'm implying she was concealing a weapon.)

Tomorrow is the big day. I will be starting work. Booooooo!!! I don't want to work! I don't want to get dressed/shower each day! I don't want to leave Elvis. But I DO want free coffee and human interaction. Hmmm....decisions, decisions.

If I were a surgeon, I would begin every surgery with the phrase, "Hmmm....incisions, incisions."

I think it's about time I started work. I mean, the Lifetime channel has changed it's morning line-up and moved Reba to 7am instead of 9am, so I guess it's just a natural season change for all of us. I'm going to miss Reba. But mostly, I'm going to miss Barbara-Jean.

Ken & Sara plus 40

That's right, 40 people in our house yesterday! All of them my family, but this does not even represent 1/3 of my family. Crazy, right???

So, I forgot to blog yesterday. I didn't think it would happen and it happened. I was busy all day, cleaning the house for the party, hosting that party, cleaning up after the party, then watching Kennedy and John, then Kennedy and Patrick, then Patrick and Emily play video games. All the while, Laura and I were complaining about how boring it is to watch someone play video games. Come on, there are perfectly good reality shows on, people!

Anyway, the party was fun. To give you an idea of the crowd, here are a few pictures.

Some of the family sitting along the wall playing the newlywed game

Eating/Watching the newlyweds open gifts

Kennedy picking on small children.

*Fun fact!* Katelyn was one of the flower girls in our wedding!

The happy couple plus their baby, Heidi.

Well I just got back from a walk with Elvis. Sadly, on our walk, we discovered a deceased cat lying at the end of a neighborhood driveway. I looked closer and the cat had a collar, but that was as close as I wanted to get to it, as it had several flies already buzzing around.

I got Elvis a new harness the other day, and I feel very good about myself. Firstly, I bought a harness (at Wal-mart) on sale for $4.00. To make a long story short, I had to exchange it and ended up getting $4.12 back in return. Basically, I got it for free.

Best purchase I ever made!

How did I go so long without a harness for my poor dog? All this time, he's been choking and coughing, trying to pull on the leash. Now he can pull to his heart's content and I don't have to worry about hanging him.

Here's the new harness, (for all those on the edge of their seats?)

New harness, plus his big head and short legs. He's just so dang cute!

The view I have when walking him. Now everyone can feel like they're walking Elvis!

Sorry if this is turning into a Dog-Blog.

Here, let me make it up to you.

Ahhhh

Nothin' like the smell of swiffer wet-jet solution filling your house. It really makes you feel clean and fresh!

Elvis is lovin' it. He can't stop laying all over the floor!

Tomorrow we are hosting a little post-wedding shower for my bro, John, and his new wifey, Laura. There will be LOTS of family here. I'll try to remember to snap some pictures to put up. Kennedy and I have been cleaning like crazy all day. Where did all this dust come from? There were piles and piles of it in every nook/cranny (gross phrase by the way.)

I guess that's what happens when you live in an old house, the coils in your AC unit are dirty, and you don't have any air filters inside them. We should get on that!

Cleaning puts me in a good mood, because it doesn't feel like I'm living in such a hell-hole. I will probably look back on this time in about 5 years and think, "How did we live like that????"
Well, I hope that's what we're thinking. I hope we're not still living like this.

It's really not terrible, but there is SO MUCH I envision for this house, and it is frustrating to not be able to do those things yet.

For example, maybe I could do the floors something like this:

And then I could put up some wainscoting like this:

And I could someday get a washer/dryer like these:

Ooooooh, if I had those things, I bet I'd wash clothes that weren't even dirty! And when I ran out of clothes, I bet I would commandeer strangers and ask if I could do their laundry. Or I could just go shopping and wash NEW clothes!

I bet I'd spend all my time in that laundry room. Especially if it had this:

And this:

I can't wait!!!!

Liar liar

Guess what? I've been lying to myself all along. I don't want to fix up a house! I want it to be fixed up for me already. I want to just move in and everything is like 10x better than I could have imagined.

I don't want to paint every room and feel the satisfaction when I'm finished. I want someone else to paint it for me and I want them to say, "oh, no, don't worry about paying me."

Then I want someone on Craigslist to be giving away all brand new furniture in just my taste for free! And no one else will have emailed that person before I do.

I want to live in a fantasy land!

And I want to go shopping for new fall clothes.

And I want to be rich.

Sara M.D. Coincidence???

If I were a doctor, I'd be willing to bet that I have a slipped disc in my lower vertebrae.

Thankfully, I'm not a doctor.
Otherwise, I'd still be in school right now.
Otherwise, every time I tried to self-diagnose, I'd be right.
Otherwise, (if I was right all the time,) I'd have thyroid cancer /a blood clot in my left leg / a slipped disc in my vertebrae /kidney stones /exercise-induced asthma.

THANK GOD I'M NOT A DOCTOR WHO'S RIGHT ALL THE TIME!!!!

Ok, no lie, I literally spent 7 hours sitting at this very computer today doing "web design." There's no need to put it in quotes, I guess. So I'm redesigning my mother-in-law's webpage, and it's extensive.


She pretty much has a web empire. I hope I'm doing it right... Just kidding! I'm loving it. I get to put every single item in it's place and organize it and design it. I'm a huge fan of consistency. There has been a lot of tedious work, and I feel like I have found my higher calling. That calling being, to put things in their exact order and reference them to their proper places.

Elvis got out today.

And not like, right in front of my eyes out. But more like, we're sitting around wondering "where's Elvis?" out.

So, I'm sitting at the computer during hour 8 of my time here, and I hear him bark. But not the kind of bark where he's behind me in the back yard. It was the kind of bark where he was really close, like in front of me. Then I looked out the window and that little sucker was sitting out in the driveway, barking at the roof. Maybe a squirrel was up there, but it was raining out, so I think all the squirrels were inside of trees.

I immediately ran outside, and there he stayed. Just sitting in that spot, hangin' out. He's so freaking cute.

He was covered in huge brown leaves. How did they even stick to him that well? I called him in to eat dinner and he ran inside, but those leaves, they just kept on sticking to him.

The story I just told was very anti-climactic. I apologize.

So I lied yesterday when I said this was going to be the best blog entry of my life. But what do you expect from someone who was on the computer for 9 hours already today?

Also, I ate 5 cookies after dinner.

BOO!

Halloween is near and I'm scared in my house! My husband is growling and meowing from upstairs! SCARY!

And now, for a Halloween story:

In college, I volunteered at the Methodist Children's Home. I loved it. I spent every Wednesday night there. The kids were mostly junior high-high school age, and you know how the attitude goes there.

One Wednesday night, a group was making cards for a local nursing home as a service project. The assignment was to make Halloween cards, since that was the next holiday.

Later, while going through the cards, my friend (who was in charge of the group) found a particularly moving one.

The outside read "BOO!" with a picture of a ghost on it.

Inside, the card simply said "your old."

THE END.

Tomorrow, I think I'll blog THE BEST BLOG OF MY LIFE. It's gonna be huge. I can feel it.

Freedom, come to an end.

Web design is not necessarily new to me. When I was like 12 or 13, I started making my own webpage on tripod.com. I can't remember the address anymore, and it may have been deleted after all of these years. I just googled it and found my old blogs. That's right, this isn't my first time blogging, either. In fact, I held 2 previous blog addresses, each with hundreds of entries. I loved blogging. Mostly because I was a hermit and couldn't wait to tell about my day to the internet. Yeah, so I was a nerd too. Not that bloggers now are nerds.

I've just been reading my very first blog and laughing at how ridiculous my life was. It's fun to look back and see how much I've grown up, how different my priorities are compared to now. Well, I'm not going to link to my old blogs. They are not me anymore. I will, however, copy and paste all of the wonderful Jack Handy quotes from an old entry! I read these today, and they still make me laugh.

Jack Handey


#393: The day I met Marta was the happiest day of my life, because that was the day I screwed a friend of mine out of a bunch of money.

#157: I wish outer-space guys would conquer Earth and make people their pets, because I'd like to have one of those little basket-beds with my name on it.

#341: They were a proud people. In fact, some said they were too proud. If you asked them whey they were so proud, they'd just laugh and say, "We're not even going to answer that."

#209: You know what's probably a good thing to hang on your porch in the summertime, to keep mosquitoes away from you and your guests? Just a big bag full of blood.

#295: There's a world that we know nothing about, that we can only imagine. And that is the world of books.

#395: I remember one night I was walking past Mom and Dad's room when I heard them talking about how they might not have enough money to pay their bills that month. I knew what I had to do. I went and got my piggy bank and buried it in the backyard, where they couldn't get their mitts on it.

#298: People need to realize that every time they talk about how "fragile" our planet is, it's just like asking outer-space aliens to come invade us.

#282: If you lose your job, your marriage and your mind all in one week, try to lose your mind first, because then the other stuff won't matter that much.

#89: If you ever go temporarily insane, don't shoot somebody, like a lot of people do. Instead, try to get some weeding done, because you'd really be surprised.

#349: When I saw the old bum pushing his grocery cart down the street, at first I felt sorry for him. But then when I saw what was in his cart I thought, Well, no wonder you're a bum, look at the dumb things you bought.

#317: Instead of mousetraps, what about baby traps? Not to harm the babies, but just to hold them down until they can be removed.

#289: There is one question that probably drives just about every vampire crazy: "Oh, do you know Dracula?"

#249: It's funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating.
#380: For a while there, instead of calling Grandpa "Grandpa," I started calling him "Grandpappy." But he didn't like that, and asked me to go back to Grandpa. So I did, but I changed it a little. I put an "e" in instead of an "a," so it became "Grendpa." At first he didn't notice, but then he said, "What did you call me?" "Grandpa," I said. But then I went back to calling him Grendpa. Finally he just said to go ahead and call him Grandpappy, which I did, only I changed it a little bit to "Grendpeppy."
#99: Children need encouragement. So if a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way, he develops a good, lucky feeling.

I got a job today. At Starbucks. I think it might be all ok. I'm just gonna miss Elvis.

If I feel like it, I think I might write more later tonight!

Dead

Dead tired. I can hardly keep my eyes open as I write this. Probably because Dan spiked my Pomegranate juice. Thanks, Dan!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait til October is over. This blogging every day thing might not be for me. I'm loving blogging, but not when I really have nothing to say.

It's not easy being green

Hey! How about that last blog? I know I put the whole post in the subject line, because my iPhone wouldn't let me type in the text box. Kinda fun, kinda different. I like to shake things up, I guess!

I'm sure you're all wondering who Kevin is, too. He's a french bulldog. And hilarious and I told his owner he should have his own reality show. Believe it or not, Elvis is kind of a dud at the dog park. He just walks around and sniffs the fence and follows dogs who are playing, but doesn't join in. That's right, my kid is a nerd on the playground.

And for some reason right now, my mouse is not wanting to scroll down. It does that every once in a while...maybe when I've been scrolling too much? It's pretty annoying. I want a MacBook! Someone buy it for me for Christmas! Actually, what I think I'll start doing on here is keeping a Christmas list. Would anyone buy me stuff off of it? Maybe my mom would...I know she's reading this.

Ok. Guess what! I took some pictures of the green in the entry way (not that anyone is waiting around wringing their hands for these pictures, but it's been a while since I posted any before-after pictures. That's because we haven't done anything in a while!)

I'll quit blabbering and show them to you.

The day we moved in...

After I painted the risers...Notice the gaggy gray on the walls...

And the new pale green!

We love the green, but I will say it before anyone else gets the chance...it looks like the same color. Well, it's not. But, at night, when there isn't any natural light on the paint, it looks exactly the same as before. And I took this picture as the sun was going down. Also, the new paint is a flat finish, while the one before was a high-gloss. Maybe because high-gloss is easier to clean - not that they ever did any of that around here....I swear it's green!

Right now, the entry way is very unwelcoming. We have can lights in the ceiling. Literally, it looks like they made the lights out of tin cans. They're gross. Eventually, we are going to need to re-do the ceiling there and put a different lighting fixture in. Something with better lighting and a little more stylish.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!!!

Bye.

Blogging from the car! Blogger and my iPhone aren't so compatible. On my way to a wedding, so I don't know if I'll have time to blog before midnight. Saw Kevin at the dog park today. What a cutie. Alright I'm car-sick. Gotta go!

Chillz

It was like, 75 degrees today and then the sun went down and I'm shivering in my house! We should probably turn the heat on, but we're self-punishers that way. After getting an extremely low electric bill today, I wouldn't be surprised if we went through the entire winter without turning the heat on. Daring!

Starbucks interview today. I think it went well, but we'll see. Kennedy told me to "be prepared that you might not get the job..." Thanks, Kennedy. I think I will just laugh if I don't get it. Just laugh and laugh and laugh and then never try for a real job ever again.

While I'm thinking of it, or obsessing over it really, I want to talk about a new website at which I've been spending way too much time.

The Pioneer Woman

Recipes, photography, giveaways, home and garden, a neat chronicle of a house remodel! You can find all these things and so much more here. AND. It's completely run by one woman. I loooove it! Go read it, if you haven't already found it. That's where I'll be immediately after I finish typing this blog post.

Guess what? I didn't take a picture of the green yet. And it's dark again. I was literally either asleep or web designing all day today. Most of it was web-designing (I think.)

Kennedy gave Elvis a bath yesterday (followed by almost cutting one of his paws off with the nail clipper,) so now he is very, very fluffy and fat. If I put my hand on his fur, it will literally spring back from the amount of body and volume in his hair. And he's just more confident now that he's been groomed. Just thinking about him makes me want to squeeze him until his little eyes pop out!!! (I'm obsessed with Elvis.)

I love learning! Can we please take up a collection at the end of my post so I can go back to school? I finally decided. I don't want to study social work or some science. I want to study graphic art and web design. And I want to know everything about it so I can go to nerdy web design conferences (is there such a thing? I'm sure...) and learn even more!

Right now, like 4 minutes ago, I just learned how to add texture to a photo in Photoshop.

Uh-oh. What if I start doing this to every single photo I take? Also, while I'm thinking of it, I need to start taking more photos!

And let the collection begin.

"I think so..."

Starbucks called.

I'll back-track for a second and say that a few weeks ago, I applied at Starbucks. To my surprise, they said they were probably going to be hiring soon. So, woo-hoo?

The manager called me today to set up an interview. I was caught off guard. I've been looking for a job for....almost 6 months? wow. When I started looking for a job, I really had no idea it would take this long. And so far, I have received ZERO phone calls to schedule an interview.

Anyway. Like I said, I was caught off guard. I think he said something like "Are you still interested in working at Starbucks?" In my mind, I was saying "no! no! Nooooooo!" I don't really want a job. So, me being me and finding it hard to tell a white lie, I told him, "I think so..."

He quickly rebutted with "You think so???" Ugh. WHY did I say that? I should have lied. At any rate, we got past it and set up an interview for tomorrow. Let me go on record as saying I have mixed feelings about  this. No, I don't want to work at Starbucks. I want to work from home doing something fun and playing with my dog whenever I feel like it. But I want/need a job. I want/need a paycheck. I want/need to SHOP!

Do you think Starbucks would let me bring Elvis to work with me?

I don't know how the interview will go. If I don't get offered the job, well, then, I probably have no business having any job, right? But I don't know how it would go over that I'm going to be gone for 9 days over Christmas. We'll see...

I severely need to wash my face. And do a Hydroxy-mask.

SO!!!!! Kennedy and I painted like allll day. We did the front entry/downstairs hallway/stairwell/upstairs hallway. We are just about done but gave up with only a few corners and some edges along the ceiling to do. We were both in a bad mood and tired and ready to quit and Kennedy's face was swelling by the second from allergies.

We chose a green for all of these areas that were previously the worst shade of grey you can imagine. I haven't taken pictures yet, as we are not completely finished. I'll let you just imagine what shade of green we chose and if it's nice or not. Oooooh, the suspense!

The thing about painting is, it only creates more work for yourself. Now I have to go back and re-paint all the trim white so it looks as nice as the walls. Now I need to find things to hang on the walls that coordinate with the green. Sigh. What a burden I carry.

My mouth hurts. I have several canker sores sprinkled throughout my gum-line. I'm a little embarrassed typing that, but what's done's done, right? It hurts! I couldn't eat tomato soup tonight, and I am wincing at the thought of brushing my teeth tonight, (not that that will stop me!)

I'm feeling restless. Wish me luck (or maybe un-luck) on my interview tomorrow!

Luckiest

I'm so lucky! I got home from Bible study, and Kennedy had cleaned the house. How is it even possible that he cleaned so much in such a short amount of time? I mean, our house wasn't trashed, but I had let the place go the past couple of days.

I still can't keep up with the dishes. Or the trash. How are we so lazy that we can't open the cabinet to put something in the trash can? We have to just set it all on the counter? Geez...It didn't seem that bad until I just typed it out loud.

At any rate, what a wonderful husband I have!

Meanwhile, Elvis just somehow figured out how to unzip the cover from his dog bed, chew on the zipper until it is no longer zippable, and begin pulling the dog bed insert out of the cover. Anyone know where I can find a chew-proof cover?

Tomorrow is gonna be a fun day! Painting, painting, painting! We've decided on green, but not sure which shade. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'd be lying if I said this house hasn't been depressing me the past week or so. Everywhere I look, there's something that I want to fix, but don't have any of the materials to do so. OR, I don't want to really fix it because I just want to rip it out and start from scratch. The master bathroom is especially depressing.

1970s motif. Psychedelic wall paper that is peeling at every seam and corner. Overly-huge garden tub that I will never use because I'm afraid it leaks into the kitchen. Missing tile pieces on the shower stall.

I have never avoided a bathroom as much as I've avoided this one. One day, when we demolish it and remodel it, you will have to drag me out of there. I can't wait...to spend all my time in the bathroom.....huh? What?

So. Some of my favorite blogs have tons of pictures. Like, in every post. I love those kinds of blogs. I enjoy pictures. I'm a visual person. I feel as though, each time I don't add a picture to a blog post, that I have failed. That I was lazy and didn't plan ahead. The truth is, the blog has been an afterthought throughout the day. I enjoy sitting down and writing once I think about it, but it's not consuming my thoughts throughout the day. Probably a good thing. But, I like to share pictures. I think I'll just put some old ones up that are irrelevant to this blog post. It's kind of cheating, but still...better than nothing, right?

This photo was taken in Sioux Falls this past...February? It was the first time I got out and tried out the new fancy camera I got for Christmas. It is an old Orthodox Church near one of my favorite antique stores there in town. I don't know what kind of Orthodox Church it is. Sadly, the antique store burned down one day a few weeks before we moved away.

This is a cute picture of Elvis at Falls Park in Sioux Falls. I can't remember if I took this or if Kennedy did. I'll gamble and say I did.

Another Sioux Falls picture - stormy clouds. Maybe I'm feeling a little nostalgic about my time there...

Here's one of my favorite pictures. This is before my dad had any interest in Elvis. But Elvis knew. He knew they'd become best friends.

Me and Kennedy goofing off at Amy's birthday night out.

Random, but I can't stop thinking about web design. I think I'll go play with it right now.