My weekend

Nothing too exciting to share, really.  I am enjoying my last weekend of sanity (my last "free" weekend before Saturday classes start back up again).  *sigh*

So, what did I do this weekend?

- took down Christmas decorations and boxed them up

- put my living room back to order (looks kinda bare now)

- sat around in my pjs for a bit longer than usual

- went shopping with my mom at the mall.  i helped her pick out some cute outfits (always nice when your mother gets some newer clothing and lets you pick out things she'd never pick out for herself).  Everything we purchased was off the *extra 50%* rack...kinda nice getting a bargain!

- ate the best Bloomin' Onion I've had in years (I adore Outback Steakhouse)

- watched several movies from Netflix (not really great that I care to share)

- laughed along with Steven while he's been in back pain.  Some of his most recent nicknames were: crippled (he says he's crippled, not handicaped), crooked (he walked rather funny w/ an aching back), and this morning BUTLER (ha ha ha...his family's old, senile, slow, blind, kinda-deaf, OLD, and rather crochety dog).

What did YOU do this weekend?

A lil update

Happy New Year, ya'll!!!

Since Christmas, I have just been relaxing.  It feels so good to relax and not have a lot to do.  Sleeping in is one of my favorite things to do, and lately I've been taking FULL advantage of it!  Other than that, time has been spent with family members who have come in from out-of-town, both on Steven's side of the family and on mine.  It's been nice to play a few games, watch several movies, eat good food, and just laugh together. This year, we were only missing two--Beckie and Marlena.  Life is never quite the same around the holidays w/o everyone present, but I think we all did okay.  Maybe next year we'll get 100%!

Anyway, among my holiday favorites were: a string of unique/crafty holiday bells, Steven's chocolate mint cookies, a handmade shelf that will come in handy in the kitchen, watching all three LOTR movies while sewing ridiculously loud I'm sure, MP3 players, VideoFlip camera (which I'll have to debut here in the future), and of course.... (dun, dun, dun, DUN)....a new electric toothbrush!

Now, as I mentioned before, I've been sewing (again) on my break.  I really do need something to do when I have a long break from school, or else I get totally and utterly bored.  I'm one who always has to be doing something.  So, I decided to sew some cute curtains to match my new bed ensemble that is super duper comfy-cozy! (I just LOVE Overstock.com!!):  

So, off I went to Hobby Lobby & JoAnn fabric to find the essentials.  I found great fabric at a GREAT price (on sale, of course), and all the notions that went with it.  Each year, when we go to St. Charles with Steven's family I try to find a unique treasure to add to our home.  This year, I wanted to buy buttons to adorn the curtains I would make.  Having found 30 buttons at my favorite lil shop, the perfect fabric, and having lots of spare time, this is how it all turned out:

Up close at some of the buttons I bought.  They are all shades of creams & browns:

Here is the top of about 2/3 of the first panel once it was hung.  And yes, I had to stitch every single loop (that was very tedious) and finally got the hang of the buttonholes.  UGH...very frustrating, indeed!

With some of the extra fabric, I made matching tie-backs.  I was going to put the extra buttons I had on them, but when I placed them on top, it made it look extremely tacky, so I just decided to use the extra buttons somewhere else on a future sewing job.

Here's the completed curtains, right behind our lil TV.  

Ta-dah!

And...I even had a couple extra scraps laying around, so I decided to make some cute little ties for the spare bedroom windows.  That is where we decided to put the old curtains.  Doesn't really match much in that room, but it adds some funk to the curtains (in a good way, I think).

So...what do you think?  Should I quit my day job and go into the sewing business or WHAT? :)

Another Favorite...

(sorry Steven...this one isn't going to be about you, either...)

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time is to look at all the lights.  Steven's family has a neat tradition of all going in cars on Christmas Eve, going around town to various places of wonder to stare at the many streams of lights, and singing Carols in the car in perfect harmony (and let me tell you...they are wonderful singers, too).

Anyway, for those of you who are not from Columbia, here is a local favorite...and a true wonder.  It is done by a local man, around a normal crab apple tree in this front yard.  He even has a website that tells all about it.  But, if you don't have time to read about the endless hours it takes (150), the reason he even does this (3-fold), or the different color schemes he does every year, you can view the tree right here:

Isn't it amazing?

Christmas Tags

Well, I originally started this a few days after Mena posted it on her blog, BUT I totally forgot all about it until yesterday, while I was driving to St. Louis.  Better late than never...(at least it's BEFORE Christmas Day!)

My Christmas life...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping...with cute bows and curly ribbon!  Love it!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial...allergic to real ones.

3. When do you put up the tree? Day after Thanksgiving (but this year...it went up early...YEAH!)

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime before school starts back in January 

5. Do you like eggnog? Nasty

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Don't remember...but definitely NOT a new bed ensemble.  I remember in my class, we went around telling everyone our favorite gift, and I made something "cool" up (really embarassin)

7. Hardest person to buy for? Dad...very picky man

8. Easiest person to buy for?  mom...she loves everything

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I'd like to have one, but I'm picky about them.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail to family and close friends, and everyone  else gets emails if they're lucky.  Stamps are too expensive these days!  yikes...

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? anything that I can't use (aka...dust collectors)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation...haven't watched it this year yet, but I make the fam sit down every year and watch it.  Last year, it was just Steven who joined me...sad!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Early, but not in June!  Sale racks are wonderful, and I HATE long lines and crazy drivers all dualing for a front row parking spot!  

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, never regifted but I have been known to trash a couple

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Thanksgiving all over again!

16. Lights on the tree? LED lights this year...definitely NOT multicolored!

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home (of course...nothing is better than sleeping in your OWN bed waiting for Santa) 

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course...do I really have to, though?

20. Angel on the treetop or a star? Star, but currently I don't have one b/c I have yet to find the perfect one, and I can't settle for anything less than perfect! 

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning--if I start early, I can't stop.  It's better to just wait one more day...C'mon...we've waited a whole year, so why not wait just one more day? 

22. Favorite ornament theme or color? blue/silver--that is the current theme.  After I have kids, and a larger living space, I wanna family tree w/ all the trinkets and treasures kids love.

23. Favorite thing to eat for Christmas dinner? pumpkin roll, Sweet potatoes, dressing

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Something I'm sure to get: filing cabinet & electronic toothbrush. Prolly won't get: to see the nieces, nephews, and their folks this season (ugh!)

25. Who do you want to do this tag?Anyone left who hasn't done this one???

THERE'S NO DAY LIKE A...

*SNOW DAY*

(or should I say ice day)

I just love having an extra day off.  However, I usually don't know school is cancelled until after I get out of the shower.  (ugh!)  So, here I sit at the computer...in my bathrobe, drinking some Dr. Pepper and eating M&M's.  I know, not a very healthy breakfast, but I am enjoying my morning off, nonetheless.  My hair is almost dry, and I'm sure it'll look terrible later on when I actually care about fixing it or making it look descent.

But for now, I'm just enjoying listening to Christmas music, playing a game of Spider Solitare, and not having to be rushed going to school.  The tedious scraping of the car windlshields, warming up my car 5 or 10 minutes early, and trying to avoid all the crazy drivers...they'll just have to wait until tomorrow (or, can I get another snow day?).

What about you...if you had a snow day & didn't have to go to work, what would you be doing instead?

My best friend forever

Meet Braun-y...my electric toothbrush!

He is about 13 years old (I think, if I remember correctly, my brother gave him to me when I was 16 years old).  He was so bright and new when I first got him, and now...so tattered and worn.  If you look closely, you can even see a large CRACK on the side.  I'm surprised he's lasted this long, actually!

But he's been ever so faithful in keeping my *pearly* whites so fresh 'n so clean!  Thank you, Bruan-y for your many years of service!!

What about you...have you ever tried an electric toothbrush?  I swear..if you ever try it, you'll LOVE it.  Your teeth are so nice...squeaky clean, really!  You'll never go back to the 'ol manual kind EVER!

This year, all I want for Christmas (no...not my two front teeth...already got 'em, thank you) is a new one.  Out with the old, and in with the....new?  Could it be in any of these beautifully wrapped presents underneath my Christmas tree this year?

Word!

I've been tagged...only one word is allowed in my answers.

Here goes nuttin'...

ONE THING...

1. Where is your cell phone?charging

2. Your significant other?asleep

3. Your hair? messy

4. Your mother? prostitute

5. Your father? studying

6. Your favorite thing? shoes

7. Your dream last night? odd

8. Your favorite drink? Pepper

9. Your dream/goal? house

10. The room you're in? guestroom

11. Your fear? poverty

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mother

13. Where were you last night? shopping

14. What you're not? patient

15. Muffins/donuts? donuts

16. One of your wish list items? toothbrush

17. Where you grew up? KY

18. The last thing you did? Hardee's

19. What are you wearing? bathrobe

20. Your TV?small

21. Your pet? imaginary

22. Your computer? healthy

23. Your life? stressful

24. Your mood? wonderful

25. Missing someone? Marlena

26. Favorite pastime? sewing

27. Something you're not wearing? socks

28. Favorite Store? Wal-Mart

29. Your summer? humind

30. Your favorite color? sage

31. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday

32. Last time you cried? month :)

33. Who will re-post this? friends

FOUR THINGS

34. Four places I go over and over?home, school, restaraunt, crazy

35. Four people who e-mail me? Rachel (grad. instructor), Sherry (principal's secretary), Harold (obsessive parent), Sheila (forwards)

36. Four of my favorite foods? Mexican, salads, garlic bread, Hamburger

37. Four places I would like to be right now? in bed, Chile, Europe, hot tub

38. Four people I tag? Emily, Amber, Shelly (update, please!),Mary