Call Me Corny

...but I LOVE Abbott and Costello.  When I was little my parents and I would invite these two gentlemen to our weekly movie night and I've been hooked ever since.  They were BIG names in the 1940's and 50's and are perhaps most well-known for their comedic sketch "Who's On First". 

Just for fun today I'm sharing the movie trailer from one of my favs: Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
It puts a smile on my face. 

Needed: A New Look

After that last catfish picture I'm sure you're all thinking this means me...but you'd be wrong.  TSP needs a makeover worse than, well, Kirsty Alley needs Jenny Craig again.  {I don't watch DWTS but maybe that'll help too}.  I don't mean that in an ugly way {though I can see how it might come across like that}.  My point is this: blog is sad, pathetic, and in need of design help...I love her but it's true.  And since I have approximately 0 skills when it comes to HTML and all that other cyber brouhaha, it's time for a professional to step in.

I found a girl whose work I love and has really reasonable prices...but I'm still waiting to hear back from her.  If that doesn't work out though I don't know what I'll do or how long TSP will have to endure.  This is almost too painful to think about. 

If anyone has any helpful suggestions or resources to share I'm all ears, figuratively that is. {Don't want TSP to think she needs those babies pinned back or anything.}  I really need to find a format/style/look that mirrors what I want this place to be because, as we all know, cyber spaces are important too. 

So share and share alike people.  I'm new to the blog block and sister needs some help. 

The Piney Woods

My dad and step-mom, grandparents, and great-uncle each own several acres adjacent to one another deep in the piney woods of east Texas.  They live so far in the woods in fact that it took me over 3 years before being able to visit sans tears, frantic phone calls, or rescue missions.  {Sacajawea I'm not.}

It's always a joy to get to be with my family.  My grandparents {you remember them from last week} are precious and since their health doesn't allow them to do things like they once were able, I love being there to help them with projects like working in their garden, cleaning the gutters; hanging shelves.  This weekend was full of little projects like that. 

I wish I had time to share more about my sweet grandparents.  They live in a tiny 2-roomed, approximately 300 sq ft "cottage".  Before they bought the little place it had been used, in room #1, as a beauty shop and, in #2, an insurance business {the men and women's bathrooms were in the "entry".}  We're talking small, no real living room, no real kitchen, no real bathroom, no laundry; no closets.  Part of why my grandma's been giving me such wonderful treasures is because they have no where to put them.  It breaks my heart to see them live their golden years without even being able to eat dinner on a table because there's no room or having to take all of their laundry to my Dad's or great-uncle's because she has no ability to do it in her own home.  Oh and did I mention my grandpa has cancer?  Yea...I'm going to forcibly make myself stop now...I could go on and on about their situation and how desperately I wish I could change it, but I'll have to save it for another time. 

The adjoining family compound acreage makes a sweet visit even sweeter.  I can walk back and forth between Daddy's place and my grandparents.  We eat, laugh, and work together.  The visits are pure joy.  I love my family. 

Here's a little taste of this past weekend...the leisurely parts at least.  :) 

Dogwoods at my Grandparents.

Nigel, Sam, and my Grandparents dog, Kenzie, walking down the back driveway {leaving my Grandparents}

Nigel loves the woods.

My Dad calls his place Blackberry Hill.  When he bought the property several years ago, he discovered that wild blackberries ran across a bulk of the acreage.  {Sweet!} They are in bloom now and I'm already thinking about the kind of goodies I'll make with this year's crop. 

Every year since exposing this berry treasure {haha - get it?} there have been too many blackberries to harvest.  Soooooo, if anyone wants fresh, wild blackberries...well, you just give me a holler.  You can come pick to your heart's content. 

The dogwoods at Daddy's, overlooking his little lake.

Daddy's log house as seen through the trees.

I caught the first fish of the day.  {Hello Mr. Catfish} 

Are you enjoying the wild hair/lumberjack-hippie look as much as I?  Fashionista I am not...but listen it went from 80 degrees to 45 without notice and sister didn't bring her jacket. or socks. or anything with sleeves for that matter.  The result?  Grandpa loaned me his fleece-lined denim jacket {despite the fact that he didn't have anything as warm for himself...precious man}.  It was big, cozy, and warm...that was all that mattered. 

 Grandpa and Daddy with Grandpa's first catch of the day: a perch. 

{I love those men.}

Grandpa, D, and Daddy marveling over another good size catfish.  Daddy just put the lake in last year and they were pretty ecstatic about how well the fish are doing.  {Must be a dude thing.} 

What did you do this weekend?

Office Update #3

It's taking me forever to finish this room.  My project manager should be fired for her miserable lack of time management and follow-through.  For shame.    

 I didn't let her hold me up though.  I was busy this week.  This project?  The bulletin board {or, in non-8th grad speak... "message board" - yes, I am cool.} I found this picture from House Beautiful and wanted to create a similar look for my bulletin message board.

Lovely, no?

 

I'd hoped to find an old frame with some kind of ornate detail at the top...or at least a piece that I could install on top of a typical frame, but sadly I found neither.  I was at Hobby Lobby last week though and they were having a 50% off sale on their backless frames.   I scoured the aisles and found this one that I thought could really work. 

It's about 2.5 feet wide by 3.5 feet tall.  The perfect size...but not the finish.  My remedy?  Cheap acryllic paint {which I already had at home}. 

I picked this seafoam green as my main/base color and then added some hints of other colors to my sponge brush to give it some depth.

2 coats later I was done. 

The next step, however, was to build the cork inset.

I used a roll of cork, heavy cardboard, and the remaining scrap of shower curtain from the bookcase for this part. {reduse, reuse, recycle}

I cut a piece of cork larger than the open area of the frame but smaller than the outer edges.  I then traced this outline on a piece of heavy-duty cardboard and cut it out. {please ignore the skinny, white rabbit foot in the corner}

Then I mod podged the cork to the cardboard and secured it with staples around the edges. 

Once dry, I stapled my shower curtain fabric to the front of the cork and then attached the whole unit {cardboard + cork + shower curtain} to the frame with a heavy-duty stapler {actually those are husband's sausage fingers...I already broke one of his tools this week...he wasn't giving me this one}.

The finished bulletin board. 

Here it is in the room.  Things are still a bit in shambles...but you get the idea.   

 Clearly there is still MUCH work to be done.

I am playing around with different placements for the large art pieces.  Who knows if they'll stay this way.  

How's this for transparency?  You get to see my the piles of papers on my desk, the overflowing recycling bin, cords slithering all over the place; one-dimensional art. {Don't judge me.}

This final picture was included to prove the insufficiency {it's-6-years-old-and-dying} of our current picture-taking apparatus to one doubting Thomas commonly referred to as David. 

 

Cost breakdown: frame $25{orig. $50}, paint $0 {already had it}, shower curtain $30 {used twice in the room so far...it's going a long way...so really it's more like $15}, cork $5; cardboard $0 {scrap from the dealership where D works}

Happy Saturday!!

Neglected Areas

Ignorance is no excuse but I'm still claiming it anyway. 

When I started working out regularly last year I had no clue what I was doing...and didn't really care.  It was a big enough deal to show up at the gym everyday.  Lately, however, I've been thinking a lot about my gym routine.  I'm not training for Miss Cut Body of North America or anything but I definitely want to grow more in my understanding of how to train my body well.  I'm not after a certain number on the scale or a certain size jean...I just want to be healthy.  I know, I know...it's cliche...but still true.

All this thinking led me to realize that there were major areas I was neglecting.  One example was my weight lifting routine.  I typically lift between 3-5 days a week but I wasn't thinking about what I was doing.  For example, "arm day" would typically look like this:

• bicep curls
• tricep kickbacks
• hammer curls

Th-th-th-th-that's all folks.
{I have a degree in biology...there's no excuse for this.}
Pitiful.

What's more, I was ignoring other muscle groups entirely {"nice to meet you latissimus dorsi", "hello biceps femoris"}.  I was a muscle snob.  I had my favorites and completely forgot the rest. 

All that's changing now though.  Oh yes, and I'm loving it. 

Today was both a cardio and weight day.  Cardio was killer {per usual} but when I lifted I chose one of my previously forgotten muscle groups.  I snub no more. 

Here's what I did:

Zumba {cardio} 45 min

The class is usually one hour but I left early to get my weights in before I had to go. 

Weights {chest day}

yes ladies you need to work that out too mmmmkay?

• Bench Press (dumbbell)

• Push-Ups

• Seated Chest Press Machine

• Dumbbell flys

I'm now an equal opportunity exerciser.

My Grandma's Name is Eva...

Eva Louise to be exact...and she's precious.  I know everyone says that about their grandma, but really, mine is amazing.  In 1996 she and my Grandpa, Billy, moved from their dream home/farm in Ohio to Houston TX in order to provide live-in care for her parents, particularly her mom, Louise, who had Parkinson's.  My great-grandma passed away in 1998 {if I remember correctly}but my grandparents decided to stay in Houston to be near great-grandpa and the rest of the family. 

front row (l to r): Grandma {Eva}, Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma

back row (l to r): Grandpa {Billy} (if you're curious about the others they're Grandma's siblings and their spouses.)

{More recently}

Cass {step-mom}, Daddy, Me, Grandma, and Grandpa

{pitter patter <3}

A lot has changed since 1998.  Some of it good, some of it too painful to even begin...but when I got married in 2006 I was thrilled to have my sweet grandma pass down some of her family heirlooms.  I definitely inherited a love of old things...especially ones that have personal memories and stories attached to them.  And being the oldest of 7 grandkids and the first to get married,  Grandma's given me a lot over the years: the beautiful antique sofa in our bedroom and her Aunt Eva's china set and silver.  But there was one item, er...set of items, that I wasn't sure what to do with...until now. 

Yesterday I pulled out 4 old boxes.  I was so excited to dig in and look at these old treasures again. 

Box #1 was full of my great-grandma's crystal.  I'm not sure what you're feelings are about crystal...a few years ago mine weren't that great...but I'm totally converted now.  These antique crystal pieces are amazing {some aren't pictured here because I've already placed them around the house.}  I would probably love them on their own but knowing they were great-grandma's makes them especially dear to my heart. 



Boxes #2, 3, and 4 were full of old hankies, pillowcases, gloves, tablecloths, childrens clothes, lace, and other linens.  I've been wanting to find a way to display these for a long time...and finally have found the perfect spot: my office.  This room is full of inspiration and what better inspiration than to be surrounded by unique and personal family heirlooms.  Many of these pieces were made by my great-grandma and/or my grandma.  Others were gifts that they accumulated through the years. 

Here's about a tenth of what I actually have...just a few of my favorites.

 

My favorite piece though is one I've already framed.

Isn't she gorgeous?!  I died.

It was probably done by my great-grandma (need to confirm with Grands first) but it reminds me of this gorgeous picture taking of my Great-Grandparents back in the day. 

LOVE.

I can't wait to show you what I'm doing with the rest of them.  Maybe I'll post an office update later this week. 

More than anything beautiful I found in those old boxes though, was an overwhelming gratitude for my heritage.  It's a legacy rich in faithfulness, love, generosity, kindness, and {most importantly} a passionate affection for Christ.  While by-no-means perfect {or even close} my grandma has and continues to bless me with her love, encouragement, and unyielding loyalty.  She is a Proverbs 31 woman and my deepest prayer is to live a life that mirrors the example she's set. 

Oh My Curtains!!

So have I mentioned my strange habit of pseudo cyber-shopping?  Yea, it's weird.  I'll go to Anthro's website, peruse the goodies, add them to my virtual shopping bag....then choke and leave them in the bag indefinitely {no Visa for you!}  I know it's bizarre but sometimes I luck out and find forgotten treasures there. {"You're on sale now?!"}

You should try it.  It's retail-therapy you are likely NOT to get in trouble for. 

I was on just such a virtual trip today when I saw these:

dip-dyed draperies {in 4 color options too}.  These are my favs...although the blue and coral {not pictured} are equally lovely.

My favorite part = the doily-like pom-poms. 

Who doesn't love a good pom-pom?!! 

My least favorite part however = $$$. 

Seriously, I cannot justify spending $168/panel {84 in.} no matter how cute they are.

The cheap girl in me revolts! 

I just can't do it. 

I will instead admire from afar. 

And since we're just dreaming here, I would love to see either of the following sets of treasures in my home.  I'd put them in my reading room overlooking the gardens and the lake OR in the south wing library with an enchanting view of the English garden. Either one. 

I'm not picky. {We said we were dreaming right?}. 

Option #1

Settee

{plus} Chair

Those tufts get me everytime.

OR

Option #2

Sofa

tufts + leather = love forever

{plus} chair

unreal.

Good thing I won't ever have to make that tough decision. :)

Happy Dreaming!

Shower Curtain + Bookcase = ??

Well, friends I'm not an adventurous lady.  Nope, not so much.  But today I'm doing things a little unconventionally.  Ready? 

Here's my semi-custom storage solution brought to you courtesy of an inexpensive bookcase and shower curtain.  {Hello office!}



D put together the cheapo white bookcase from Target {leaving the back facing up and exposed}.  Then I took a fabric shower curtain and began to staple the curtain flush against the bookcase {print facing down}. 

Continued.

The length of the shower curtain was perfect and the finished edges fit perfectly on 3 of the 4 sides.  I used some small scissors to trim the excess fabric on one side {make sure you get it flush w/ the edge...no sticking out}.

{Nail cardboard backing behind shower curtain layer....stand-up....and...}  Ta-da!

Ok, not the best picture...and all the shelves aren't in yet...but not too shabby eh?  {Yep, I'm Canadian.}

Close-up.

Can't wait to show you the finished finished product in the office once it's done.  When will that be you ask?  Well no one knows...least of all me...but I'm making progress.  Slowly but surely.

Shower curtains aren't just for bathrooms anymore.

{Risk-taker}