I've been busy

Since you probably don't want to read about the paper I've been writing {although if you want to know about how grade 12 extended contructed-responce NEAP items correlate with NCTM process standards just let me know because I have an 8 page paper for you to read}, I will show you some of the other things I've been up to.

Inspiration: Bird Cage Light
via Pinterest

My Version: Butterflies with
amazing shadows 

We also painted our hallway, entry and living room. We used Valspar's Cincinnatian Hotel Nichols Taupe and I love it!

Hi John, I mean Jeremy

See how much warmer and better the walls
look wearing taupe than all that white

We also removed some cabinets in our kitchen. This opened up the space but also displaced an item or two. Our plan is to add shelving to the now freed up all to hold and display my Fiesta ware. We will also paint the "ceiling" part of the soffit some color {well I'm 98% sure it will be some shade of Navy} for a pop. 

In progress: it's hard to tell from the picture but this really
changed the feel of the kitchen. 

Before: Look at that amazing wife cooking dinner

In progress: Ignore the many items on the counter {they have since
 found homes}, but can you see how it is much more open? 

p.s. My husband is so awesome. He came home from work on Thursday and I said, "Hey, lets take out these cabinets" and he smiled and grabbed his tool box.

Treat Yo Self

So I'm watching Parks and Rec {Funny Show: I <3 Amy Poehler}, and it is Treat Yo'Self day on the show. I just realized I kind of had a Treat My'Self day. I got a flu shot  and had ice cream with my parents and 3 youngest siblings (ages 2, 5, and 6).  And by ice cream I mean frozen yogurt with strawberries.

Then my sister, Liv {Grace Olivia}, and I went to the Humane Society. As cat addicts with cat allergies who have a mother with severe cat allergies this is pretty near heaven for us. We saw kittens and cats and puppies and dogs and guinea pigs. I also was able to get some information about what to do to best help Inky. Speaking of that sweet kitty she is meowing at me  through the window as I type {so I keep taking breaks to go pet her}. I wish I could keep her because I love her. The best part though was spending time with my sister.

Liv and I also ran a few errands and I treated myself to 2 new nail polish colors. So whilst watching TV{now The Office} I am painting my toes Navy Baby and my fingers Stormy.

So today started out like an average day, but ended up spectacular.

Our Stalker Cat

This sweet kitty has been meowing outside our house for more than 2 days now. She is friendly and seems to have been a house cat at some point {she tries to get in the house, wants attention, etc}.

We think she has been on her own for a least a few months. She has some healed battle scars and we had been seeing her sporadically for several weeks - she was less trusting and more skittish then.
 I wish we could keep her, but even with her just outside my allergies are terrible {sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, }. So I put up an ad on craigslist to see if I can find her family.

She trots over when we come home and serenades us to sleep {ha}, she is there when we get up, and really just wants what every girl wants - attention. So for now we are calling her Inky and loosing sleep to her incessant meowing. I need to find some good allergy medication because I'm pretty sure she plans on staying or maybe I can find someone to take excellent care of our sweet stalker kitty.

Bedroom Mini Makeover

Our "master" bedroom has been in transition for a while. I started with a brown bedspread and red accents (curtains and pillows) from my days in Chicago. First, I transformed a "nightstand" that I found for free at an estate sale with some teal Rustoleum.

I also added a monogram applique to our basic brown bedspread. Hooray for finally breaking out my sewing machine.

 Then about a month ago I had a crazy idea and busted out my sewing machine for another bedroom project. (I did use my sewing machine several other times in the past year as well.)

Maybe I decided to sew an entire wall of curtains.  The idea was to unify a wall with the bathroom door and the closet. So we removed the bi-fold, too-orange doors, and hung two drop clothes that I had modified into 3 curtain panels. See me hanging them up? ... oh wait thats not me thats my wonderfully helpful husband!

It was subtly dramatic and pretty cool, BUT one day I was drinking OJ in the bathroom and spilled it and it splashed on one of the panels. So you just wash it ... right? But that panel shrunk up by about 14 inches ... YES 14 INCHES!! So I could have sewed another one, but instead I scrapped the whole plan.

And on monday I used these, put up new idea curtains,  recovered some pillows with ikea cases and ...

...did some of this. And it turned out like ...

... THIS!  Skeleton reading lamps, book shelves, more colors.  I love it! I still plan on painting the walls (and the closet doors), but I am happy with how it turned out.