LUCKY ME, etc.

First on my sharing agenda today is my AWESOME giveaway win! Woo hoo!! You know some times when you enter random blog giveaways, and you really don't care if you win or lose? This was definitely NOT the case with this giveaway!! Have you been to PB&J Stories!? Pamela has an amazing blog, wonderful style, and is an all around sweet person! You definitely need to stop by her blog and check it out. You'll be hooked like I am, I know it!!
Anyway, here is what I won and I AM IN LOOOVE WITH IT!!! Like, for real in love with it!!

It is probably the most well made home-made sign I have ever seen! It is solid in construction, and all of the details are perfect! Look at the back: no glue blobs or any clues that this thing was handmade. I've seen way worse construction on items sold at places like home goods etc. Seriously awesome!

LOVE this detail!

Here is where my new "love" ended up :)

I love how it looks next to my new shower curtain too!

THANK YOU Pamela!!

My next lucky moment struck when the "jane of All Crafts" and I did some bartering. I traded her some of my Suzy Ultman prints in exchange for some "bling" for my laptop (which is named Harriet btw). See.....

My monogram and a swan = PERFECT!!!

Harriet is happy now :) YAY! Thanks Andi, you rock!

I also want to share a pic of our biggest tomato haul yet! Mmmmmm!

I also spent some time yesterday reworking my "gallery" in my living room. It takes some time to arrange it in a way that is pleasing to my eye, but I think I got it :)

I added a little map from my thrift store atlas. I seriously love maps :)

And lastly, this is where my canvas ended up. I wasn't feeling it over the mantle, but I am loving it here!!!

Ok folks, that's all for today :)
Happy Tuesday People!

Various What-have-yous.

If you're wondering about the title of this post, it's just a funny phrase my sis, hubby, and I use when we mean to say "random things." ha ha! I laugh because I picture my husband saying it in a funny voice. Crack up. Anyway, all of this is to say that you are in for another random post today :)

First, I have a couple questions for the universe. Some hypothetical/rhetorical, others that I would like an answer to but fear I will never get.

Questions:
1.WHY on Earth was my soda at the movies $4.75. Am I the only one that thinks that is robbery??
2. WHY do bad and sad things happen to really good people?? This should NEVER EVER happen! EVER!
3. When will my neighbors (the bratty neighbors as we like to call them) stop screaming at each other. They are ALWAYS yelling over there.
4. Why are all the things that I love love to eat and drink SO SO bad for me? Arg.

Ok, moving on.

A DIY?? Sure, why not!

So, I have had this outdoor urn style flower pot for about 6 years. Now, I am definitely a fan of the shabby chic style, but after being outside in the elements, this once pretty pot is definitely more shabby than chic. See for yourself:

See?? Pretty shabby, huh!? Nothing a little spray paint can't fix. BAM! Pretty!

Now it lives to the right of my front door with a pretty new shade dwelling plant. Actually, for the very first time, I picked out a plant that had exactly the right specifications on the tag. It said, morning sun only, mostly shade. That is the perfect description for this spot. We'll see how it goes. Ha ha! Hayden popped in to smell the only Gardenia bloom we've had all year. I think gardenias need more sun than this little spot gets.

Here's the big picture for you:

We are going to landscape our big dirt patches pretty soon, and eventually I plan to paint the door either black, or a fun color. Hmmmmm.

While I was plant shopping, I grabbed a new leafy green indoor plant because the one I had previously is dead deadskee. Ooooh, so pretty!

o.k., moving on. Can you guess what this is????

If you guessed that it was a lap top computer, you were right. BUT, it's not just any lap top. It's my very OWN lap top. NEW, PRETTY, and ALL MINE BABY!!! With help from a special friend (you know who you are), I have decided to name her Harriet! Yippppe! I have never had my own computer. Ever. My sis and I shared one through college. Then, Josh and I bought a "family" computer when we got married. After that, he got his own computer to bring to the fire station with him. Shortly after that, the "family" computer died. So, with some of the $$ from the flea market, I bought myself a shiny new computer. YAY!!! I am seriously SO excited to have it all to myself. YAY!

So, there you have it. My various what-have-yous for a sunny CA Tuesday :)
Bye.

Funny.

While I was at swimming lessons today with the kiddos, a woman sitting near by struck up a conversation with me. This is how it went:

Her: How old are your brother and sister?

Me: My sister is 32, and my brother is 29.

(She looked at me with a confused look on her face)

Her:"Oh, sorry, I meant your younger siblings."

(Now I had a confused look on my face. Then she gestured toward the pool)

Me: Oh, those aren't my younger siblings, those are my kids.

Her: No!!?? Really!!?? You must have been really young when you got started, huh??

Me: Um, well, no, not really. I think I was 27 when I had my son, and 30 with my daughter.

Her: Oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed. I totally thought you were like 23 years old, at the most.

LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!! Ha ha!
Happy Friday :)

A newbie and some YUM!

Happy Tuesday!
I just wanted to show a pic of my newest necklace for my Etsy shop :)

I love that Sinatra song so much, I thought I would make a necklace to go with it. I'm singing it in  my head as we speak :)

Also, remember these guys!?

Well look at 'em now!!!!

Look at these...

and these......

and these.......!!!!

OH YEAH baby, oh yeah!!!!
ok, that's it :)

2 Things (random things)

First of all, I'm not too sure if I'm in love with the spot my husband chose to put the things that have been taken away from our naughty 5 year old.

Hmmmmm. Not exactly the look I was going for (& if you're wondering, I think he was sticking things into the fan while it was on, after being told not to. And that's his blankie up there which is the thing most dear to his heart. Not too sure what he did to get that thing taken away, but it must have been bad).

Second random thing, I sold my first "eclectic" charm necklace on Etsy. Yay! I didn't specify what the packaging would be like in the Etsy listing, so I got creative and had some fun with it.

The girl who bought it lives in Australia and her name is Alison too. She spells it the same way I do (with only one "L"), which is kind of rare. I hope she thinks it's cute when it gets there :)

Ok. That's all of randomness for now :)

A little bit of this and that (& our summer list)

Happy Friday everyone!!! This is a bit of a random post, but I have a few furniture makeovers in the works so definitely stay tuned :)

First up (and by far the most random) is what happens when my hubby is at work and I have to feed myself. Let me start out by reminding you that I can't cook (& am resistant to learn, ha ha). I just feel like all of my creative energy is allocated elsewhere, and since I am in general a pretty picky eater, why bother!? Anyway, when my hubby is at work (he works 24 hour shifts as a firefighter), I let myself off the hook for dinner (aka I eat cereal). Last night, I felt like eating a salad for some reason so I threw some randomness in a bowl:

Romaine, croutons, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and yep...chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. Ha ha. Dinner of champs right there. Oh and that's a random hamburger bun toasted with butter. Mmmmm. Don't worry people, my kids eat well balanced meals :)

Next, I made some fun "American" pom poms for some fourth of July decor :)

I chose aqua instead of Navy because I can. And because it's WAY cuter like that :)

This one is mine, but if you want one you may see one or two in my Etsy shop :)

Last but not least, I got around to making my summer list. I was inspired by Meg's list, and Andi's too :)

I feel like it's hard to make my writing look pretty with chalk. Andi, where did you get your chalk pens???! I need some.

Noah is already super excited to start checking things off the list :)
Have a great weekend everyone!

Giddy-up!

Hi friends!! This past Saturday I went up to the hills of Los Angeles to go horseback riding for one of my BFF's 30th birthday! YAY! Happy birthday Susie!!!! Anyway, it was a wonderful experience and even though I am not really a fan of horses (I know, you may think I'm nuts, they just scare me), I had a blast. The scenery was gorgeous, and after the ride we had an amazingly beautiful and delicious dinner. Hooray for good friends, good food, and stepping outside the box for a fun adventure. Are you ready for picture mania???? The first one is of all the girls getting ready to ride :)

(from left to right: Natalie, Kimi, Lara, Susie, Catherine, Alana, Ali, Lisa)

Me, Kimi, Catherine, & Lisa.

I wore my cowgirl boots :)

Being goofy before the ride :)

Safety is for COOL people, duh! btw, my helmet hurt me SO bad. Practiacally gave me a migraine. Grrrr.

My sweet friend Alana :)

See that BIG gap between the horses. That is because my horse Tony was the SLOWEST horse in the world and held up the whole group. They guide kept telling me to keep kicking him to get him going, but he just wouldn't go any faster (that is until I said the words "giddy up Tony" to him and he bolted. I'm talking full on sprinted up a hill and I almost lost my grip. I have a huge bruise on my thigh to prove just how tight I was clenching. I was finally able to pull back hard and yell whoa to get him to stop....only after I screamed "I need help!' It was embarrassing. See...horses. are. scary).

Beautiful scenery from the ride (we didn't get too many pics on the ride because they don't let you bring your camera. The guide said that the insurance companies treat it like driving while texting so they won't insure the company unless they don't allow cameras on the ride. These few pics we got were from the guide using Susie's camera).

Here's the whole group. My sweet NEWLY PREGNANT sister didn't get to ride, but she hung out at the pretty stables and relaxed while she waited for us. See that cute horse in the back. His name was Noah. Cute!

After the ride we had a super yummy dinner! Burlap table cloths, fancy chairs, mismatched China, candles, {DREAMY}.

And here's the sweet birthday girl. Happy B-day Sooz, thanks for an amazing experience!!!  xo