Stitched Placecards

Something about the cooler weather always makes me want to do needle crafts.  So strange, I know.  Every winter I pick up the crochet needle or start knitting.  I'm currently working on a needlepoint but when I ran across these patterns on Martha Stewart's website, I picked up my cross stitching supplies.

I didn't really have a plan when I started.  I just started mixing and matching the heads and bodies to create my family, or at least the ones I would be hosting for Thanksgiving.  My winter needle craft habit is evident by the fact that I had all these supplies in my possession. 

At first I thought I might put these in frames but then I wanted to add a take home treat element to the placecard.  Mason Jars!  Aren't they always the answer? 

I filled then with colorful M&M's...a family favorite, added a little stuffing behind each cross stitch and then created my lid.

A little corny, they added a fun little element to the table.  Hopefully I offended no family members with my rudimentary renderings. 

Not a bad little project and it only set me back about $10 for jars and M&M's....both of which I got to keep the leftovers.  Score!

I'm Published!

Well, self-published that is.  As a special One Year in the House Anniversary present to myself, I found a company that would turn your blog into a photo book.  I used SharedBook (blog2print.com).  It only took about a week to have my new coffee table book in my hands.

It looks great!  I'm really impressed with the quality of the cover and pages.  You can specify a date range of posts you want included and you can even go through and edit (removing posts, adding pictures, etc).  Sadly, I apparently didn't utilize the edit and proofing features enough.

My House Becomes a House?!?  What?  At first I thought it was their mistake but then I realized it was mine.  I had the blog title section in my settings reading this way by mistake.  Sigh.  If my house is no longer striving to be a home but rather merely a house, does this mean I'm done?  :)  Oh well.  This will just be one of those things I look back and laugh at.

The inside pages read just like the blog.  I think it will be fun to be able to flip through and see the changes I made in my first year at my first house. 

 I promise not to make all my visitors go through the book when they visit.  But I may offer you extra cupcakes if you do.

Air Plants

Back in December I bought a few Shane Power's glass bubbles from West Elm.  I gave a couple as a gift and then bought myself one.  They are open glass bubbles that you can grow air plants in.  It's like a terrarium minus the dirt.

Unfortunately I have never been able to locate the actual air plants that go in them.  I think I was out of season with my search.  This weekend I happen to swing by West Elm and they were actually selling air plants in the store!  I loaded up for my bubble and the two bubbles I gave my uncle Ken.  Here are my little plants.

They don't require dirt but you do need to water them and expose them to sunlight.  I'm very interested to see if I can keep these things alive.  I hung my bubble in the kitchen, tied to my curtain rod.

The plants just hang out.  I'm using a spray bottle to water them.

They are a little creepy looking or maybe just quirky, but I like having a little green in the kitchen.  I'm hoping I'm better at keeping air plants alive than I am at sustaining houseplants.  I've killed two of those since move-in day.

I would like to create some sort of succulent garden inside my house as well , but first I'll see how the air plants fair. 

Valentine's Day Flowers

You've got to give it to family.  No matter how many times you fail and fail and fail, they never stop believing that some day you'll succeed.  This is how I rationalize my family's decision to buy me flowering plants for Valentine's even though I seem to have killed almost every green item I've come in contact with since moving into the new house. 

I really hope their faith leads me to success because these cyclamen and primroses are beautiful!  I will be so sad if I kill them. 

I put them under the tree, in the mulch, where they will enjoy mostly shady with peeks of sun conditions. 

My ability to kill plants used to make me worried about my ability to ever be responsible for children.  I'm past that now.  You can bribe children.  Attempt to reason with them.  Lay down the law with them.  None of these will work for plants.  I think my future kids will be fine.  Pablo will vouch for me.  Let's just hope my luck with plants turns around.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cyclone Technology

If you know me, odds are I have told you that my Dyson upright changed my life.  I might have even convinced you to buy one. 

I swear my carpets never knew clean until the Dyson rolled into my life.  There is something so rewarding about seeing your dirt swirling before your eyes in the canisters.  A little gross at first, but you grow to appreciate it.  My love affair with the Dyson began one weekend while catsitting for the Rockenbachs.  Wanting to clean up some kitty litter, I grabbed their handheld Dyson in the laundry room.  It was instant attraction.  I was sold.  The next time I catsitted, they had left out the full sized Dyson.  You would have thought I won the lottery.  I vacuumed the whole main floor, enamored with the cyclone technology.  Within weeks, I would own my own Dyson upright and my whole concept of clean would be forever altered. 

Move forward a couple of years and I still love my Dyson, but I have not been able to get that handheld out of my mind.  How great would it be to have something for quick pick-ups?  To not have to drag out the vacuum, plug it in, and then feel obilgated to vacuum everything since I have it out?  Thanks to a little Christmas money from Santa, I was able to make that dream come true!

I found a refurbished model on Overstock.com and it came looking good as new.  I immediately tackled some tumbleweeds in the hallway.  It's perfect!  Now, this handheld only runs about 6 minutes on a charge but I only plan to use it on quick spot treatments in between full vacuums.

This weekend I will get it hung in my laundry room for easy access.  For now I'm just getting it charged so I can play with it some more! 

You Say It's Your Birthday

It's my birthday too,yeah!  I woke up this morning just a wee bit older.  I probably also woke up with a few more wrinkles and maybe a gray hair or two but let's focus on the positive!  I scored some fabulous birthday gifts over the weekend from my family that has me ready for springtime.

First up was this awesome book I've been wanting!  As I've mentioned before I'm hoping to add a garden to my backyard and attempt growing a few different veggies and fruits.  This book lays out a method of gardening that is explained best by Wikipedia, "the process of planning small but intensively planted gardens."  It uses raised beds which I will build myself.  How am I going to build it?  Well, this saw I got for my birthday is probably going to play a big part.

I'm so excited to have a power saw.  My arm thanks you, parents.  If only I had this guy when I built Giant Jenga.  My back yard will also be getting some patio landscaping thanks to Uncle Ken.

I'm going to have big pots around the patio furniture and hopefully I will be able to keep the plants alive.  It will help liven up the back patio view.

On top of all of these great gifts, I can't wait to start receiving my new subscription to HGTV Magazine!!!  I am going to be obsessed with these magazines as much as I am with the channel.

I better start reading my gardening books.  Spring will be here before I know it!

Tea Time

I have been using (and coveting) my company's Keurig machine for several years.  We are lucky to have this machine and its wide selection of drinks.

It is quite fancy and is connected to its own water line.  I don't drink coffee but the Keurig has tons of hot and cold teas that I love.  Thanks to some Christmas Cash, I was able to buy a smaller retail version of this awesome coffee machine.  Introducing my Keurig!

It is perfect for brewing a cup of tea for the drive to work.  And my green tea habit is probably a little better for me than my old morning Diet Coke habit.  [Don't get me wrong, I still drink Diet Coke in the afternoon.  I haven't lost my mind of anyting.]  This is also great for when I have guests stay at the house.  Before I could only offer them brewed coffee from a Folgers can that I've had for about 10 years or a ride to Starbucks.  Now I can keep a few flavors in stock at the house and my guests can create their own morning drinks!  As for me, I'm stocking English Breakfast Tea and Green Tea.  I meant to buy regular green tea but being a rookie I accidently bought a green tea blend.  It turned out to be fabulous with hints of lemongrass and mint.  I highly recommend it!

Now I can add my old coffee pot to the donation box I've started.  Don't worry, I'll throw out the 10 year old Folgers as well.

Officially a Homeowner

Now I know that I've been in the house for over six months, but thanks to a Christmas gift from my dad, I officially feel like a homeowner.

Yes, I have a rain gauge.  I can now put a numeric value on the showers and storms that pass overhead.  This makes me happy.  It will help me gauge how much water my lawn and flowers got and allow me to join into office water cooler chat the following day.  I'm pretty excited for it to rain now!


"We got 3 inches last night at my place.  It was a doozy!"

At my dad's suggestion I've hung it on the fence across from my bedroom window.  The thought being I can just peek out my window and see it!  Not sure if I'll actually be able to see that far but I can't wait to try it out.

Hard to see but it's right below my neighbor's red chair in this picture

Maybe I should put food coloring in it so the rain turns purple!  Or maybe I'll paint the slat of wood it's hanging on to give it some contrast.  Some many options.

My Cartoon Avatar

At the shower last weekend, Nikki presented the Hostesses with the sweetest gifts.  To Do list notepads with our own cartoon respresentation on them!  They are the cutest things and quite flattering.  I'm pretty sure Cartoon Thea is 5'10" and 115 lbs.

Seeing as though tomorrow I'm hosting my first-ever Thanksgiving for my family and today that involves baking 2 pies, I'm really hoping a pipe wrench and paint brush aren't necessary.  But once Thursday passes, I'm sure I'll be picking up my tools again and filling out a checklist!