Snow Day!

Winter gifted us a foot of snow this morning, which made for an official Snow Day for me and Terry.

It's amazing how much one can accomplish on a Snow Day.  

While Working From Home I answered emails, took phone calls, coordinated shipping arrangements for a lab I have next week in Atlanta (Atlanta, please get it together by Tuesday), drafted a couple documents, and even did some minor IT trouble-shooting.  

During my breaks I fixed us lunch, did 3 loads of laundry, ran and emptied the dishwasher, endured two rounds of shoveling resulting in clear sidewalks and a path to the driveway, and got a jump-start on dinner.  

After dinner I worked on 4 different projects in the basement which involved sanding, staining, and painting.

While I was doing all of the above, my beloved was doing this:

Meet Snow Kenny.  What began as simply digging a path in the backyard for the boys to go outside (the snow is taller than they are), Terry decided it was best to make them a backyard track so they could run around.

They're Chihuahuas and it's cold; they don't want to run around.

Please note Kenny, lower right corner.

 

A massive snow mound developed as a result of creating his dog track and what better to do with a massive snow mound than sculpt a massive Chihuahua.  Kenny, to be exact. 

Please note the red bow.

I need a Snow Day to recover from my Snow Day and judging by the snoring coming from the couch, I think Terry does too.

Exciting News!

YOU GUYS!!!  OMG!!!  

I FINISHED A TABLE!!!  

Meet Josephine!

Josephine is a gorgeous solid oak drop-leaf accent table in a grey stain.

I distressed the stain to give her a rustic finish, which helped in highlighting her natural wood grain.

I sealed her with wax.  I wanted to stay true to the rustic finish I was going for, and a satin poly just wouldn't have done the trick.  Josephine (Jo for short, we're close like that) is listed over in the Furniture for Sale section, and you can check out her Craigslist posting here.

Oh, and what's that hanging out with Jo?

It's my sweet little Lecky picture!  Remember this is what she looked like last week when I brought her home.

I wanted to punch up the frame a little bit to bring her beautiful colors to life.  And now here she is!

She's darling, and you can check her out under the Littles for Sale.  I am so happy with both pieces - I couldn't wait to share the exciting news!  

What?  Were you expecting an update on some other exciting news?

A Note From Kenny & Frito

Dear Momma,

We really don't understand what the big deal is.  Best as we can tell dad just gave you an empty box.  At least it was empty by the time Kenny got to it.

Not only that, but it didn't even taste that great.  It's not like he gave you cookies.

Now there's all this squealing and dancing and picture-taking.  You keep asking us if we want new bow-ties; how come you never ask us if we want new cookies?  

And then you made us pose next to this dumb chalkboard frame. 

It's strange and who knew picture frames could be so scary; why do we have to get so close to it?  You keep repeating things like "If planning this wedding is half as hard as taking this damn picture, I'm screwed" and we don't even know what that means, momma. 

Anyway, we just wanted to say that we don't know what the big deal is but next time Dad gives you a box, can you please make sure it has cookies in it?

Thanks, 
Kenny & Frito  

The Big Three-Two

In spite of waking up to a coating of ice and day 2 of an ear-ache, my birthday has been wonderful.  I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who go out of their way to make my day, which to them is just a cold Wednesday in February, special.  Thank you. 

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love food.  Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I love to eat.  One of the worst things that can happen in an office environment is Lunch Envy.  Working in a department that houses a microwave, Lunch Envy happens often in my neck of the woods.  The smell of someone else's chinese leftovers wafts into your office and suddenly your own pb&j lunch isn't looking too appetizing.  Today there was no Lunch Envy as I was given the gift of food.  Pot-luck to be exact.  Amazing tasty dishes were made and provided by some of my nearest and dearest at work.  Suffice it to say, it wasn't until after I'd inhaled everything that I realized I hadn't taken any pictures.  Don't perceive this as a slight on my behalf, it's truly not.  It's a result of genuine excitement and delicious food.  And my inability to come up for air long enough to photograph what I'm enjoying.  

Pancakes were the only thing that seemed appealing to me for my birthday dinner, so Terry and I ventured out into the cold all in the name of IHOP.

And of course, no birthday would be complete without paying a visit to my favorite store:

Luckily it was a quick trip, and I got to stay in the car.

We came home to celebrate with cake, which wasn't really cake.

 
It was Key Lime Pie!  I've been dreaming of this pie ever since Terry's birthday last March.  It is my comparison basis for every other Key Lime Pie I've eaten between then and now, and every other pie I've had has left me empty and disappointed.  I know he had help making it (or rather someone made it for him, from what I understand as an attempt to save their own kitchen from being taken over by Terry's baking skills).  I know what our kitchen looks like after the man makes toast - this was a smart move.  THANK YOU. 

Someone else was happy there was birthday pie too.

Don't worry - no puppies OR pie were harmed in the taking of these photos.

And with that said, I'm stuffed, I'm cold, I'm tired, and a recent hot shower has gifted me the ability to breathe through my nose.  I'm going to take full advantage and go to bed while I can.  

It's been a great birthday and I can't say thank you enough.

What I Thrifted This Weekend

In addition to my wonderful birthday celebration, I managed to sneak in not one but TWO thrifting expeditions.  I paid a visit to one of my regulars, and staked out a new (to me) thrift store thanks to my bff who was kind enough to indulge me on the way home from the nursery.

First up, and not pictured above, I scored a new mirror for our mirror collage.

I love the wood tones, especially in contrast to our other mirrors in the collage, which can be seen here.  The texture and shape make this mirror a great addition, I'm slowly filling in the holes!

Now on to the good stuff.  I've mentioned before I have a thing for pitchers.  I've actually tried to contain myself lately and only purchase pitchers that I absolutely love.  Well, I absolutely loved this guy:

And I didn't even find him - my mom did!  

He's my little vintage USA Pottery creamer pitcher and really, how stinking cute is he?!  He's such a bright, cheery turquoise, he'd make any kitchen happy.  He's listed over in my Littles!

From pitcher to picture, I found this at the new (to me) store.

There is just something about it that I love.  The colors, the sweet little kitty cat in the corner, the slightly unrefined and raw artistic talents of Lecky who signed this little gem.  Am I crazy?  Maybe it's just me, but I find this picture so quaint and endearing.  I want to try to jazz up the frame a little bit, the gold tone trim isn't doing anything for me.  Keep an eye out for this sweet little picture to be posted soon!

And lastly, a vintage Anchor Hocking juice glass.  

A little research has led me to believe this is from the Anchor Hocking Line and Laurel collection.  I can tell you right now if it weren't for the lines and it was just the laurel, I probably wouldn't have looked twice at this guy.  I love the stripes; it's a little vintage and a little modern.  I'm probably reading too much into an etched glass, but this glass was too charming to leave behind!      

Let the Celebrations Begin!

That sweet little journal was a birthday gift and I absolutely adore it.  Aside from being beautiful, it's so full of hope and serves as a great reminder.  I've taken to hand-writing my blog posts prior to typing them because I find I write better that way, so this journal is a perfect gift.  

Yesterday kicked off the first of my birthday celebrations, starting with Terry's family.  A mouth-watering meal of wings and ribs that were grilled which almost never happens in February.  I love cook-outs and I love cook-out food, so to be able to have one in conjunction with my birthday was a dream come true.  And of course, there was cake.  Three cakes to be exact.  

But even better than the cakes?  Sparkler candles.

Sure that might be a look of mild concern on his face, and there was some momentary fear over the dining room table catching fire, but it was worth it because my cakes were beyond awesome.  And everyone's eyebrows are still in tact.

Today wasn't technically a birthday celebration, although it felt like it because I had so much fun.  My bff and I went plant shopping.  Again.  You may remember my bff from this post back in August. We both admittedly have a plant problem, and this time was no different.  It was basically August Part 2: The Houseplant Edition.

The bigger box is totally hers.  Again, I'm pretty sure this is not how normal people shop for plants.

But I scored my highly-coveted Sedum Burro (or Sedum Burrito, if you're my mother)!

I had a new little pot at home that was craving some succulents, so I picked up these little guys too.

Ribs, cakes, sparklers, plants, and of course some thrifting - what more could a girl ask for on her pre-birthday weekend?  

Update tomorrow on my thrifting finds from this weekend!

Just a Quick Note...

... to say IT'S OFFICIALLY MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!  

While my actual birthday may not be for another couple days, February is the shortest month which means February birthdays are even more special.  It's tough to be born in February.  With only 28 days (sometimes 29) our birthday window of arrival is shorter than most.  That means you either have to be on time, or end up in January or March.

Clearly February birthdays should be celebrated all month long. 

Birthday Celebration #1 Update coming tomorrow!