A Weekend of Proportions

This weekend was a sun-drenched one here in the south with highs in the upper sixties. It is crazy to believe that one weekend can be a winter wonderland and the next one a spring fling. Gotta love living way below that Mason Dixon line!

So we put all of our household projects on hold, and Saturday began with Husband purchasing one of these bad boys (or girls):


(L-O-V-E!!)


Which left us me a bit on the queasy side considering how many pennies we dropped in a matter of mere minutes. So, we indulged in all things greasy and salty by chowing down here:





I did a little window shopping here:



Then we went with some friends to have a few (or a few too many, depending on who you talk to...) of these:



Somehow that led to an impromptu party at our house which included this:


Notice: We do not discriminate against ANY type of beer. Thank you.

Drink much???

Because obviously we do.

And yes, that whole bag was full of beer cans and bottles...



Needless to say, my weekend ended with me doing not much more than this:




The End.

Going MIA

Well peeps, I guess it's been about two months since I took an impromptu break from this here blog. I definitely did not mean for it to be such an extended Christmas holiday, but hey, I don't call myself The Procrastinator for nothing. Anyhoo, a lot has happened, and honestly, I just didn't have the means of expressing it. I really am trying to weave my way in and around this blogging world, and I think my problem was I was expecting soooo much too soon. I am not sure exactly where or how I, or my ideas, will fit in with everyone else's, but I am determined just to keep at it, speak from the heart, and take it one day, one post, and one fabulous or not so fabulous project at a time.

Sooooo, here it goes......

As soon as the Christmas festivities had subsided and the last decoration was boxed up, I was off for my third surgery in three years to alleviate pain stemming from my Stage IV endometriosis. It was a long surgery with a few complications but it was well worth it to finally have some relief. After a speedy recovery we are ready for the next phase... a round of in-vitro fertilization. Three cheers and plenty of prayers for that!


This was obviously pre-op....I looked a thousand times worse when I woke up.


Then, this past Friday we awoke to a winter surprise for the second time this season....





SIX INCHES FOLKS!

That is like a record around these parts. Needless to say, it was a day of snowball fights, rubber boots, making snowmen and angels, and utter delight as we gave thanks for a beautiful winter day!!!

I would also like to take the time to thank all of the wonderful strangers whose comments have meant more than you know. I also never extended my gratitude to the fabulous Miss Mustard Seed for selecting my gun-cabinet-turned-hall-tree project as the winner of her Furniture Feature Friday. It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise! Another surprise was this sweet postcard from the people over at ColorInc Corp.



Sorry for the long post, but I felt the need the need for speed (Oops, I watched a little too much telly during my sojourn!) to put it all out there. Thanks for letting me vent and we will be back to our regularly scheduled program as soon as I can whip my butt into shape!

Santa can you hear me?

Dear Santa,

With Christmas just days away, and me in utter and complete panic mode, I really could use some elves' help. You see, awhile ago I opened my big fat mouth and offered to host Christmas at my house. Oh baby Jesus, WHATWASITHINKING?!?

Now I am just wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying that it will hurry up and go away. I know, bad Christmas spirit.

But if you would be so kind as to send some help, I am sure we can whip my house into holiday shape in no time. Even though you are the master of all things Christmas, I took the liberty of pulling a few ideas out of my hat.









Please, dear Santa, for the love of Mrs. Claus, HELP!

p.s. If it's not too much to ask, could you throw in some snow as well...

No? What about sleet?

Come on Santa, Bring.it.on!

All pics found here.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

This will be our third Christmas as a married couple and I am sad to say that this line from the classic Christmas story has never been fulfilled in our house. Alas, I was determined that this would be the year. It's not that I had never looked for stockings; it's just that I could never find any that suited my taste or my insanely cheap habits.

Tis the season to be merry...and thrifty, I say.

Below you will find my supply list:


I used what I had, except for the glitter and wooden letters which came from Hobby Lobby.

I started by lightly staining the sides of each letter, then modge-podged them, followed by a healthy shot of glitter.



Here they are all ready for their close-up:


Next, I took extra burlap that had been hanging around left over from this project and cut it following the line of an old stocking.



I had grand intentions of gluing them with a glue gun then hand-stitching them, but I got lazy and I also couldn't find my glue sticks.

Soooooooo....

I modge-podged them too.....and it worked!

Here they are all finished and oh-so-pretty.







To be honest, I could have skipped the staining step because you really couldn't see it after it was all together.

Are they perfect? No.

Will it stop Santa from stuffing them full of goodies? Absolutely not!

Thanks for looking and I am adding them to DIY Show Off Holiday Highlights and Kimba's DIY Day. Please check them out!

The Art of Christmas Cookies: 101

I have been on the hunt for the perfect Christmas cookie for well over half my life. Every year, my mom would make Christmas cookies and frost them with that 7 minute frosting. They always looked good, but the taste...well, it left much to be desired. I always felt bad for Santa having to eat those cookies and I vividly remember one year he FORGOT (gasp!) to eat them.

Yeah, that should have told me something.

Anyway this year, I decided to conquer the Christmas cookie world. I found a recipe that looked exactly like the cookies from my favorite local bakery and decided to give it a whirl.

Here is my inspiration:


And here is a brief pictorial of my steps:


As with all cooking in my house, start with a glass of your finest, cheapest wine.



Roll out your dough.


No cookie cutter? No problem. I found that an upside down wine glass worked splendidly.

I tell ya, wine+me = genius!




The recipe says that 8 minutes worked perfectly for their cookies. This was also true for mine. Absolutely perfect to be exact, not too hard or too soft.


Next up, Decorating! However, I would advise to wait until they are completely cool or at least move them off of the hot stove top.


Also, you have to let the bottom layer set, BEFORE applying your piping or else it will end up looking like this:


Be still my beating heart...


I don't know about you, but I think mine are a dead ringer for the original!
In all honesty, these are WAY better the next day and they really are the best cookie that I have ever made.

Try them, you'll like them...I promise!

Based on real life events

Every morning when I pull up to work, I am greeted by a certain valet guy.

Yes, we have valet parking.
Don't be jealous.

Anyway, this certain guy is (hmmm, how should I put this) has a very distinct feminine side. He always manages to make me smile in the mornings, which in itself is nothing short of miraculous before coffee, and he affectionately calls me Snow White, most often in a sing-songy kind of voice.

Well, this particular morning was no different.

I pulled up,

He sang...


And sang....



And sang some more.


(Snow whiiiite, Snow whhhhiiiitttttte, birds chirping in the air......)


Oh, please, make it stop!!

2.3 minutes later, he complimented me on my boots.

Thanks, I said.

Then he starts talking about how his favorite boots' soles came off, and whenever he wears boots he walks with a little more swagger in his step, and something about how he likes heels, do I know where he can find heels in a man's size 13, yada...yada...yada.......

Wait, back up?!? Did he just ask me where to find heels in a man's size 13? As in.....women's heels?

Oh yes. He did. He said that he has been looking for some because he likes to practice his walk, and the taller they were, the better. I just told him to look on the internet, because if you can't find it on the internet, then it probably doesn't exist.

So if you ever pull up for valet parking and a big, tall man in uniform walks up to the car wearing heels, just smile.

And tell him you like his shoes.

Boots found here

Sneaks and peaks