Hang Tight . . .

I am working out some kinks -

Sorry Carrie, I liked that other layout too!

Construction Zone

Yeah, I am changing - - - AGAIN :)

I love to decorate - myself, my house, my BLOG -

Rain

Its been raining lightly here, all morning long. The dog is eagerly staring out the sliding glass door, watching the birds peck at the wet grass. I'd let him out, but then he'd want to come right back in again. The 'walk' sort of got lost in the midst of this sleepy starting day.

There's a stillness that creeps up to me right now, inviting me to feel its void with creativity, a skill that seems somewhat long lost to me right now. I am slowly trying to recapture this butterfly though. Time has made time for me to do so.

Maybe, this quest will just start simply - (really, why do I always think that creativity = writing poetry and painting in watercolor?)

Let's start with the basics, and then I will feel like I am making a little more progress in this department. Basics, eh? Like making the front porch more agreeable. We worked a lot on both the front and back yards these past weeks - if I can dig up the camera, I'll get a picture of that work's results.

I'm getting there

Pooch Pillow

UPDATE: This looked hopeful ;)

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Okay, to my dog-loving audience - (or, to those who love sewing things of this nature)

I have a little problem. He's my four-legged, adorable, BUT shedding monster who sleeps on our couch. I don't like this one bit. I always make sure that I have a protective sheet over the couch, but I am getting tired of spoiling him like this. Plus, I really want my couch back! And fur-free!

I want to make this pup his own place to plop. I am reluctant to throw down $60-100+ for a dog pillow, and I am feeling like it'd be fun to make a him cedar chip-filled pillow, just in time for Christmas. Strong fabric is a must - chew-proof would be nice too.

Any ideas? Thoughts? 'Amy-just go out and buy a dang dog pillow' s? ;)

What I've been up to lately . . .

Well, I finally got my camera back, and I had fresh batteries too. . . These are some pics of the house, in a new coat of color, some parts still have yet to be finished, but, you get the picture ;)
*(Some of these pics are a little bit blurry)

~Living room~

(I still need to hang my wrought iron candle sconce back above the fireplace);)

~Bedroom~

~Master Bath~

(for the 'Befores' go here)

Of days grown short

There doesn't seem a lot to tell of lately. I am working (undercover) on the house, and it is almost done. I am getting excited about how its looking too ;) I will post pictures, AFTER AFTER AFTER my love comes home ;)

And the countdown, yes, the countdown. But I suppose you probably don't really care as much as I do about that. Its 9 days, by the way. ;)

Hector just begged me to let him out so that he could chase a poor bunny dizzy around our yard. That dog is driving me insane. (My brother is convinced that its because we named him Hector.)

Is tonight a full moon night? Just wondering - he is turning into such a wolfy-beast.

Today, after church, I met with the family to go see the Bourne Ultimatum - go see it, its great! It was the best of the bunch so far, I think.

I spent the rest of the afternoon going through a big box full of pictures from all sorts of things; high school graduation, baby pictures, family reunions, college days, our old house in CA, my parents wedding pictures, my grandmother's wedding reception, the horse I had in high school, etc, etc. Such memories - I am hoping to scan a ton of these!

Well, I am waning, the dog is whining, and this post is whittling.
Goodnight :)

O Blah Dee O Blah Dah . . . Life Goes On

Despite this present funk that I am in (see post below/see my BLOG TEMPLATE), I am not going to let it screw up my weekend.

I just took Hectordoodle for a walk - it was more humid than I thought! I kind of wish I had my own kiddie pool ;)

It looks like we are going to get some more rain. . . I have a bug in my bonnet to get some weeds out of my front garden, and attempt to dissuade two little sparrows from building their nest in one of our front pillars. They have been going at this process for weeks now, only to drop most of the nesting materials (i.e., unidentifiable 'fluff' of some sort, twine, sticks and dried leaves and grass) all over my front patio. So it looks like I am the messy one.

Thanks birdies.

Well - I am off to do a fun project, following up on my sister's suggestions. I am so proud of myself, in my preparations, I figured out how to use my hubby's drill ;) Ta Ta!

Master Bath pics

Okay, finally time to post a couple of pics of the master bath (even though it is still not quite finished yet). I have some last things to do for the tub area ;)
I realize that the brown actually looks a little yellowish in this picture . . . ummm . . . it is darker, I promise-you-chocolate-brownie-coffee-brown.

Home Improvements

Well, remember this post?

We decided to paint the stairway wall Marmalade - very bright, cheerful

Now you see it . . .

Now you don't . . .

This past Saturday, we were finally able to get rid of our pool. Not that we were totally opposed to having a pool, but the upkeep and cost were a little looming.

With the pool out of the way, we have a better use in mind for this free space - a pave-stoned patio with an outdoor fireplace, and custom flower box bench seats (Hubby's idea :)

Another project in the works, to be continued . . . ;)

Color

I have a bug in my bonnet to paint this portion of our house - the staircase wall, which is bland and boringly white. I would eventually love to fill it with a line of pictures, but I haven't even gotten some from our wedding framed, so that could be a while. In the meantime, painting the wall some bright and cheerful color is very inspiring.

I found the greatest site in the world - COLR.ORG, where you can type in colors that you are looking for, and they will generate schemes and actual paint colors that you can buy :)

. . . To be continued. . .

Mural, mural, on the wall

So, I have this vision. The vision entails lots of vibrant colors, paintbrushes of many sizes, a whole lot of patience, creativity & and a certain scene yet to be seen.
Three bare, white bathroom walls are desperately in need of restoration. A large mirror with Grecian-looking decals greets you when you are, ahem, doing your business in our 1/2 bath downstairs.
Not that I mind the mirror all that much, but it would be nice to have a beautiful mural on the other walls (to be reflected in the mirror as well).

Anyway, I am eager to find Mediterranean-ish'oceany,Italian-villa-ish-overlooking-the-oceany sort of mural (ha, if that at all describes anything).

This will be a fun project. :)

*This is the mirror with the Grecian decals ;)


*I already started on a corner, sketching some trailing bougainvillea which creeps up over the door.

And the bare wall, in its nakedness