3 Semi-Homemade Bedrooms - Ready, Set, Go!

I'm super excited to start decorating/designing three VERY different bedrooms, each with its own semi-homemade theme.  I'm hoping to have a super productive weekend of unpacking so that I don't have to hold these projects hostage any longer!  ;)

Bedroom #1:  the nursery

Semi-Homemade theme:  black & white with lots of lime green!  And modern elephants thrown in for fun

Details:  I'm working on some fun decals - just need to start contacting Etsy sellers.  Contemplating adding some fun Babar stuff. 

I got the bedding last week and I couldn't be happier!  Mellissa was so easy to work with.  I sent her my ideas and some fabric ideas... then she helped me pull it together.  Check out her shop:

Mellissa's Boutique

Here's the bumper...  stripes and mod elephants and lime green... love it!

And the inside of the bumper is black minky - won't Baby love that?

And the crib skirt... lime green with elephant trim at the bottom.  And a lime green sheet!

Bedroom #2:  Sissy's room
Semi-homemade theme:  A Madhatter's Tea Party
Details:  I have tons of ideas here, lots of them DIY... but I've got more work to do in this room, so it'll probably be the last one done.  I'm focusing on clocks, keys and custom decals.  :)

And here's a little taste of what's to come:  Sissy's Wonderland!

Bedroom #3:  G-man's big boy room
Semi-homemade theme:  Vintage trucks - because what boy doesn't love trucks?
Details:  G's room is pretty much bought - I just need a little time to pull it all together.  Only real project left to do is go through all the pics I took of mr. fix-it's dad's old truck and print and frame them.

A few of the details:

And a few more.  See, I told you I'm about done! :)

It's almost weekend, thank goodness!  It's been a long week and I've still got work to do tonight to prep for my big meeting tomorrow!
xoxo,

A few of my faves

Today started out with pink eye and an infection (poor Gman!) and ended with a 9hour work day AND the cancellation of Mrs. Everything's ornament party - boo!  (Poor thing had a sick kiddo, too.  AND she won the sweetest.friend.ever award when she gave me her daughter's earlier dr. appt so I could hurry to work!)  So... I'm calling it quits & crawling into bed with this:

Harry and David's Peppermint Moose Munch - to.die.for.

to watch this:

I'm the first to admit that it's ridiculous how obsessed I am with this show, Castle.  I just love it and I can't help it.  I watch very little tv in my life, especially WHOLE, ENTIRE shows.  But this one combines my love of the murder/mystery with my need for lightness and comedy.  Love, love!

G'night, y'all!  4 1/2 days til moving day! :)

Boo to CHANGE!

So today I visited my 'new' Starbucks.... not to be mistaken with my old one.  You know, the one I've gone to for 2.5 yrs.  (Not so frequently during that damn recession last year, but still.)  The one where the drive-thru lady knows me and my kids (remember when she surprised & delighted us?)  The one that's beautiful (this is it):

Nope, not that one.  I went to the one by the Summer House.  The one that has no drive-thru (WTH?)  The one that looks boring.  (And frankly, the people look more boring, too.)  Sometimes, change sucks!  But, luckily... the 'old' Starbucks isn't far from the kids' school and I'll be taking them most of the time while we're living in the summer.  Whew!  Change avoided, at least 80% of the time! 

How many of you read the title of this blog and thought I was going to complain about life in the apartment?  ;)  Ha..... Maybe later! 

Surprised & Delighted

It's no secret that I like my 'bucks.  I go once a week (unless it's a stressful wk, then twice!), to the same one, thru the driveway with the kids.  They call it the 'coffee store' and they love the woman that works the drive-thru.

Today when they said hi..... she waved and greeted them and said to me:

Today we're surprising and delighting our customers.  I'd like to give you this for the kids - have a great day!

And inside was all this:

The Starbucks Snack-Fulls - with organic apple slices (presliced apples have been my OBSESSION!), Annie's Grahams, string cheese and raisins.  And can I just tell you?  Those crackers were yummy!  ;)  I told the kids I wanted one thing and they could pick it... they wanted the cheese and raisins.

Starbucks, you did it... I was surprised AND delighted!  (And I was having a morning where I definitely needed a delight, if you know what I mean!)

Cheap Summer Stuff you Need!

Just a few (cheap!) things I'm loving right now that just say SUMMER!  :)

My beach-y read:  Raising the Perfect Child Through Guilt and Manipulation

Seriously, when I read the title, I knew I had to read it, lol.  And the recommendation came from a blogger who cracks me up (Liz at Mable's House), so it was a done deal.  You'll learn super important lessons like how to form your "team" and How to Scare the Crap Out of Your Child (But in a Positive Way.)  Seriously, I've already taken some of the advice to heart... like using everyday situations to guilt my kiddos into behaving.  Just kidding.  Kinda.  This book is just for fun.  (But hey, if you happen to find some of it helpful in raising your kids, I won't tell!)

This book is funny - and I'm looking at it right now on Amazon and it's only $6 - wow! 

The sweet smell of summer:  Bath & Body came out with their Summer Vanillas right before the big trip to Vegas.  I had an amazing coupon (AND a giftcard from Christmas!) so I bought all 3.  Except now I wish I would have just bought 3 of the Vanilla Lemon.  Can't get enough of it!  And I've got the girls at work addicted, too.  (Hey, if I'm gonna hang out with them, they need to smell good, right?)

A drink with an umbrella:  Ahhhh.... the latest yummy drink craze (at least around here!)  I don't even like sweet team (which I know is a blasphemy down here in TX!), but this stuff?  Mmm.... I love Sweet Tea Vodka mixed with just about ANY flavor of Crystal Light (because what's the good in all this running if I'm drinking tons of calories, right?)  Mrs. Everything and I soooo enjoyed it last Friday night that we didn't notice (until it was too late!) that our darling children had been pouring buckets of sand onto each other's head in the sandbox.  Four shampoos into the weekend and I was STILL finding some sand!

Spa day at work:  And then lastly... this is random, but it's the small things at work, sometimes, that get you through.  And I promise... even if work is going terribly wrong... if I've got this yummy cranberry chicken for lunch, at least I know I'll manage to have 10 min where things are going right! ;) 

I promise I'm working on a big blog that explains at least SOME of my mysterious ways lately, lol!  I'm hoping to have a little more information... but either way, I hope to finish it up by end of week. 

Today was supposed to be Jury Duty Day for me.. my first ever!  But when I checked my status online last night, I was dismissed before I even came!  I'm wondering how you get to be my age (lol!) and have never even showed up for jury duty!! :)  Happy Wednesday!

Vegas, baby!

What next?  I feel like that's been playing over and over in my head in the last few days...  All I can tell you at this point (sorry!) is that the number of things that are unknown are outnumbering the number of known things.... and it's getting more and more lopsided by the minute.

So, excuse me and my current panic attack.... and let's go back to a simpler time, a time when it didn't seem as if my whole world was up in the air.  You know, like last week.  And so I present to you (since so many of y'all asked!), the Semi-homemade/Everything Vegas trip!

Mr. Fix-It took this pic of us (seriously, I'm not that photogenic, so my best pics are usually these self portraits, ha!) in front of a fountain outside of Paris. 

We had just been to see the hypnotist Anthony Cools with the Everythings.... he was hil-arious! The only downside... was crying off 1/2 my party makeup in the first 5 min of the show, while I was laughing uncontrollably!  Here I am with Mrs. Everything, right after the show!

And with my sweet groom.... celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss.  (Okay, that sounds cheesy, but it's true!)

The Everythings!  I love Mrs. Everything's fun necklace - it says, Hello Summer of 2010!  (For those of you who are just joining us... Summer of 2010 has special meaning for the Semi-Homemades and Everythings! It's the first summer in ages when someone wasn't pregnant!  She was pregnant for summers of '09 and '07 - I was pregnant with G-man in '08... and back in '06, I was a first time mom and the Everythings were childless newlyweds!)

I picked our dinner location one night and this was it - our night at Tao!  YUMMY!  Don't the Everythings look sweet?

Another self portrait....  We went to Nobu for our anniversary and it was absolutely the.best.dining.experience.EVAH!  Loved it!  We picked a couple things from the cold menu, a couple from the hot menu, and some sushi... and these white wine Saki drinks... mmmm... I'd fly back to Vegas just for those!  I never thought the day would come when we'd go to a sushi place over a steak house for our anniversary - and mr. fix-it even ate raw fish!

Me and mr. fix-it at Tao.

This is the ONLY pic I ended up with from our cabana - bummer!  We had so much fun the first day (probably had nothing to do with the 2 bottles of bacardi we finished off!) that we booked a cabana for the next day, lol!  Here's Mr. Everything, kicking back...

And finally, my farewell to Carly.  Y'all, Carly has been my love.  Mr. fix-it got her for me a million Christmases ago and she's gone with me everywhere.. regardless of what Iwas wearing, where I was going.  I committed to her and there was no other bag for me.  (Okay, this is sounding dramatic to some of you... the rest of you are nodding your head in agreement!)  I loved this bag because it was big enough to be my "mom bag" but all that metallic trim and big hardware kept it from looking like a mom bag!

So, walking into the big Coach at Caesar's, I wasn't expecting to say goodbye to her.  I was simply there to look at shoes.  But... while talking to the (amazing!) salesperson, we ended up discussing how my Carly was one of the originals, which had issues ripping out at the top.  Coach was replacing them a couple yrs ago, but I couldn't ever find a replacement bag I loved.  But, the salesperson offered to replace my bag in Vegas, even though it was a few years old, and they gave me the allowance of the full price that was paid for that bag.  Wow, how could I pass that up?  Especially noticing that my bag had the wear & tear (dirt!!) that accumulates after a few years of being a busy momma.  So I said hello to Maggie... and here I am, saying goodbye... to Carly.

Ooh, got a few pics from Mrs. Everything! :)

We were joined at the cabana by a friend of the Everythings, and the 5 of us had so much fun!  (Seriously, can we go back?  Like tomorrow?)  :)

Thanks, Mrs. Everything!  You got lots of good pics!  And some funny ones (you & I will discuss those later!)

If I had $100...

I'd totally buy this (AND get a pedi! Hmmm... actually, I'm considering leaving work a little early tomorrow and getting a pedi before I pick up the kids. It's been months!!)

It's Urban Decay's newest set, the Alice in Wonderland palette (get it from Sephora - but it's sold out online!) And the colors look perfect for me! Lots of warm browns and bronzes... a couple smokey greys/blacks... then a couple 'out there' colors for when you're having fun! (The colors have fun names, too, like White Rabbit, Jabberwocky, etc!) It also comes with a couple of liners and their primer, which I.love.and.adore.

I have this set and totally wish I could justify another set. ;) There are great everyday colors in here... and I would have loved to have owned it last Halloween when I was trying to pull off some a glam witch look!

So, what's a girl to do when you're craving new makeup (BIG TIME!)? Go enter Sasha's giveaway and win a fab Too Faced Palette! You have until next Tues, but hurry!

Besides new makeup, what REALLY keeps me going is the awesome comments from y'all! I can't tell you how bright my day got when I read this on Monday (which was an especially craptastic day!):

.

Elaine- I have been following your blog for a while now and finally wanted to comment on this post. I dont have kids but am married and am trying to figure out how eventually I will balance everything. I read your blog and think you are an inspiration. Though sometimes it's tough, your kids seem really happy and your devotion to them is so clear. Even though you missed the meeting, your success in both work and family is an inspiration!

~ TheOwenOpus

.

Wow!!! Thanks for the love! I honestly read that 100 times... fwded it to my sister... and used it as a pick-me-up all day! Hugs to all my great readers - love y'all!

And for anyone who might be wanting an update on the meeting situation... it didn't go as it would have otherwise. The feedback I got ranged from "okay" to "bizarre." I feel awful for my buyer.... management focused on a few issues that were really non-issues and (had I been there) I could have squashed in 5 seconds. Not sure they learned anything by this.... but it's amazing what happened to the whole team's morale. And I hope that is the lesson to them.

Dear Coffee Mate,

Why do you torture me? I have seen ads for your 'seasonal flavors' for over a month now.... yummy flavors like Pumpkin Spice

and Caramel Apple. Both of which are seasonal RIGHT NOW. So, once you showed them off to me in the Sun paper... oh, about 5 wks ago.... I started looking for them in the stores. (Yes, stores plural... I've searched any store I've breezed thru!) But, as it turns out, you don't plan to have them in stores until Nov. Are you not aware that we have not only been to the pumpkin patch, purchased pumpkins and decorated our entire house with them, but that we have also already made caramel apples? What are you waiting for? Starbucks has been on the Pumpkin Spice bandwagon for weeks! (But with this damn recession, I was really hoping Coffee Mate would come thru for me while I limit my $4 coffee intake!)

Then there's my fav seasonal flavor... Peppermint Mocha. I would expect this one a little later than the other 2 flavors, but it comes out at the same time. Again, this doesn't calculate for me....

Please consider a change to the madness in 2010! And in the meantime, I'll continue to subject myself to the boringness that is sugar free vanilla. While I wait. And while Starbucks continues to call my name....

Thankssomuch, Elaine

I MUST have these

Once upon a time, I began my real world career in the shoe industry.... I was young and carefree and spent every spare $ on shoes.... (Seriously, I'd shop multiple times a wk for shoes.... bought I won't even tell you how many pairs a month!)

Fast forward to now.... it's been 6 years since I worked in shoes... I've had 2 awesome (and expensive!) kiddos.... and now it's rare that the shoe budget doesn't get eaten up by toddler sized mary janes and too expensive kicks from Stride Rite.

Therefore, I've been lusting over the idea of new boots for a few years... but haven't found anything that I just HAD to have (and that was also in that under $500 price range! I'd never spend that much, of course, it's just that the only really cool boots over the last couple yrs were insanely expensive!) ;)

Anyway, I'm currently rearranging my budget so I can afford these.... ahhhh, they make me happy!

So feast your eyes on them, while I start blogging about a semi-homemade monkey birthday party (and contemplate a part time job at Nordstrom.)

How smart is....

Smartfood popcorn if you eat the whole bag? Damn stressful job...

I'm hoping to finish enough work to get home and tuck the kids in... before I work from home. This job. is. killing me. Or maybe that's just all the calories from this yummy white cheddar popcorn! (Seriously, have you tried this? YUMMY! But I have to fight Big Sister for it.... hence, the reason I brought it to work where it's safe! LOL!)

Okay, my reports are done printing! How fast can I get outta here?!

Some New Etsy favorites!

It's been a long time since I showed y'all some of my fav recent finds on Etsy. And ohmigosh, that site never fails to amaze me!! I can't wait for Saturday's Etsy Dallas Bash!


Tonight, I was browsing the vinyl decals for birdies to finish Big Sis's room. Once I get those up, I'll reveal her room! ;) And I found lots of other cute birdie stuff - I'll share that soon!


I decided to also browse all things pirate, (can you tell Mr. Fix-It is away at the Rangers game tonight?) as I'm still trying to fill a big wall in G-man's Semi-Homemade Nursery AND his pirate-themed 1st birthday party is is only about 2 months away! Whoa!!


Just look at these cute cupcake toppers! They're so cute I can barely handle it!



And these pirate tags can be personalized and used a million ways. I think it woud be cute to use some for favor bags that say, Thanks for coming to my party! Love, G-man

They'd also be cute just stuck to plain paper cups....

And in pirate decor.... ;)

Isn't this cute? I can picture it with little G-man's name on it!

And here's a way to spice up the carseat! Hmmm..... (And she has tons of fabrics to pick from. Duh. Because she knows - and I do, too! - that not everyone shares my love of pirates.)

And look at these! I think I'm going to order these for G-man.... they're only $5 for the set of 3 soft blocks! And she has tons of fabrics, too. Love these!

Okay, I've still got to wash and fill bottles and get myself to bed! But before I do, let me show you this one other random! item I found on Etsy... where was this for my mother's day gift guide?

Here's what they say:

Decorate with the things that are the most important to you. We turn your digital photos of a person, pet, or object into custom silhouette vinyl decals applicable to artist canvas, walls, glass, plates, in picture frames, on cars, signs, inside, outside, anywhere!

So, for only $38, you email them the picture and they transform it into art! Here's their example:

Isn't that cool?

Good night, y'all.....

The Easter Bunny knows me so well...

Y'all, isn't the Easter Bunny the sweetest thing? I mean, he knows me so well.... And seriously, it was like Christmas morning if you saw all the stuff he brought for the kids. (And I want to give myself some credit... I usually go totally overboard for holidays, but with this damn recession, I didn't. And I tried to influence what the grandmothers bought, too, so that the kids got clothes!)

So, y'all know by now how easy I am to please. Seriously, if you ever want something from me, a Sonic gift card is all it takes to get in my good graces. (Wait, now I'm wondering... just what does the Easter Bunny want from me?!) ;)

I also got one of the Sweet Potato Queens novels. We all know I have no time to read.... but this author is SO funny that I'll find time somehow, even if it's in the wee hours of night. Start with The SPQ's Book of Love and God Save the SPQs - if you love Southern girly humor (and who doesn't?), you'll love, love these books!

And somehow the Easter Bunny must have known that after a seriously long obsession with foamy soap from Bath and Body Works... the recession has reduced us to using foam Dial or some other sort of soap that I most likely bought for super cheap at CVS. Because he got me some. Watch out, Mr. Fix-It, I might be in love with the Big Bunny by this point...

Oh, and one other thing of note. The Maclaren stroller organizer. I think it's totally lame that you don't just GET a cup holder with that hefty price tag. And honestly, if we would have been living in the recession then like we are now... I wouldn't even have asked for that stroller, even though it was a gift! But that's beside the point... the stroller IS orange, so... :)

We did continue with our tradition of the Easter Bunny bringing new swim suits for the kids. Neither of which are online (geez!) so I had to take a couple quick shots of them.

Won't Big Sis be too cute in the halter tankini? We got her a one piece for her 3rd birthday when we went to Great Wolf Lodge for her Semi-Homemade Birthday Party.

And because we're throwing G-man a pirate themed first birthday this summer at the beach club, he got these pirate trunks and matching hat!

He got quite a few pirate items, including this cute foam book.

Now..... I've got to run. We've got our HUGE LINE REVIEW today (yikes!)! And this morning Mr. Fix-It and I decided that we'd better head to OK tonight, instead of tomorrow morning as planned, because of the severe weather forecasted for tomorrow. So.... picture a re-do of the whirlwind that was the time we left for OK 3 wks ago. I haven't packed and had to throw in a load of laundry this morning on my way out the door. Work will run late for both of us tonight, so we'll be racing to see who can get the kids before daycare closes. And I hope that we can make it to my parents' house not long after midnight. You can say it, we are crazy. I know. But we have a fun weekend ahead - more on that later!