Just Make Stuff

Herbs...

The original owners of our house left behind a few things when they moved to Oregon. One of those items was a turquoise wheelbarrow with a red wheel.

We have used it as a planter for years and it is looking pretty rusty and worn-out, but I still cannot bear to part with it. Therefore last weekend it was just filled with new little herb plants.

Sweet basil, mint, pineapple sage, rosemary and chocolate mint.

My plant care track record is not terribly promising...and the chocolate mint is already looking pretty sad, but hopefully in a few weeks the old wheelbarrow will start overflowing with a thriving little herb garden...hopefully.

Project time...

Summer vacation is fast approaching...filled with its seemingly endless opportunities for house projects. We have a couple planned already, but yesterday a huge idea started developing.

Switch the living room with the dinning room.

It's not exactly a new idea, we have done this before on an as-needed basis, and my mom has actually mentioned a couple of times that we should consider it as a more permanent option. Our dining room usually hosts a couple dozen parties each year...whether it's Mac's friends pumpkin carving, family art exibits or even sociological statistics.

Yesterday I took a few minutes to really start thinking of the possibilities. It would be amazingly helpful to open up our dining room table to it's full fourteen person capacity on a regular basis...even with eight it is a tight fit in our dining room. At the same time, though, a fair amount of parties we host need space for everyone to gather in numerous ways. To just have a sitting area confined to the dining room area could be a little problematic. Until the really crazy DIY idea came to me. 

Take out the banister dividing the rooms. 

Then my heart started beating much faster when it occurred to me that I could make the new, massive dining room an homage to the backyard on Parenthood. 

I sat Sean down last night to start mulling it over, since the prime project time of year starts in a few weeks.

He didn't say no. 

Stand up...

I decided months ago that I would rather stand when I am crafting things. So at the end of April I replaced the table in the closet of my craft room with a taller one. I bought a file cabinet off of Craigslist, which Sean spray painted green for me. 

The television set was mounted on the wall and one extra cord gave it the option to be a computer screen...because accessing ideas on Pinterest can be completely essential to the creative process.

I have made more stuff at this table in the last three weeks than I had made in the six months before it...maybe there is something to this whole standing up thing.

Command central...

One of the best organization items I have around this house are magnetic strips. I have one mounted under the cabinets in our kitchen to hold recipes up out of the way while we cook. I also have a couple on our "bar". This really used to be a wet bar with a never-used sink until my father-in-law took it out for us, but we still call it the bar for some reason. 

This is where we hang anything we don't want to forget...coupons, receipts for something we need to return, the bracket Sean totally beat me at this year, tickets for upcoming events, my brother-in-law's heating and air business cards, invitations, and a sheet with our neighbors phone numbers.

The neighbor list gets used a lot...for instance last week I called Mr. Kelly to let him know I had some homemade split pea soup for him and we called Todd to ask if we could borrow his ax.

In case you have your own command central somewhere in your house I put together a neighborhood contact sheet to download...

That way you can quickly get in touch for super important stuff like soup and axes.

The worst photos...

Today we had exactly five hours of spring break together before Mac left with his Dad on a week-long trip to Hawaii. We decided to spend it playing miniature golf and winning tickets in the arcade. 

The sun was really bright, it was super breezy, the course was pretty run down, the camera lens was way too zoomed in, the camera battery died, my phone said it was too full and I could not take more photos...it pretty much reached a comical level of impossible photo taking. 

Regardless of my incessant need for documentation, we had fun together and that was the whole point anyway.

We also went miniature golfing together six years ago, the day before he left for another trip to Hawaii...I cannot get over how little Mac looked then. I guess that's why I want photos of everything...time just goes so fast.

A few new details...

My small space has had a few little items added over the last couple of weeks. There's something about the change in season's that always has me wanting to fix things up.

Feather print from Snoogs and Wild//Succulent planter from the local hardware store//No. 3 from the Oh Hello Friend Shop//Pillows from HomeGoods

It was inevitable...

Considering I rearranged absolutely nothing after the holidays, that pent up organizational energy was bound to escape sometime soon. It occurred in one swift realization on Saturday morning. Move my growing collection of plants closer to the window and not mind that the open shelving partially blocks the exceptionally boring view of the side of my neighbors house fifteen feet away. 

Then move my standing work table to the wall where the bookcase previously was and spend $20 for two new shelves. Okay and maybe I bought just one more plant for the new shelf. And maybe I couldn't resist a little clip-on light too, but that's it. 

You can see the way the room looked before it just had to be moved around. A little rearranging is just the best thing ever. 

The joys of home ownership...

Thinking about our house tonight as one of the garage doors is stuck completely off it's track, it is kind of bent sideways and is stuck open about a foot off the ground until someone comes to fix it tomorrow. Instead of perseverating on that (and it's impending cost), I will instead concentrate on a part of house that thankfully isn't broken. Back in September I shared that a new couch had moved into our living room, but I haven't shared that Sean whipped a little something up to go with it.

We had two pieces of fence that we used as a headboard years ago in one version of a guest room. They have long been separated with one working as our picnic table in the backyard. The other piece of fence was still waiting for it's destiny until we decided that two very long couches required a much larger table.  Along with some extra wood from Mac's new bed frame and leftover gray paint, the fence became our new coffee table. 

Projects like this are the best part of having a home...especially when they cost nothing but a little resourcefulness and effort. If only garage calamities could be free too.

Fifteen years...

Sean and I had our first date on November 22, 1997. A couple weeks or so before that night my sister had driven out to visit me at school. Since he and I had numerous mutual friends, she got to meet Sean. 

Right after meeting him that night she was pretty insistent that I should "go for it" with Sean. So much so that she took matters into her own hands. As we gathered late at night to grab food after a party, my sister asked Sean where he planned on spending Thanksgiving. He said he wasn't sure, but he had been invited to go to the home of one of our friends. Peg said, "You should come home with Nora" and he instantly agreed.

A few days after that first date it was time for Thanksgiving break. By this point I really liked this Sean guy and we were spending hours and hours talking each night. The night before we were supposed to go home Sean asked if he could sleep on the couch at my little one bedroom cinder-block campus apartment because his very peculiar roommate had his girlfriend staying in their room. He came over and as I handed him a fourteen month old McIntosh to hold he told me that was his first time ever holding a baby. 

Every moment since that first night Sean has been a family with Mac and I. 

Over the years as we have gotten older and so much wiser it has really occurred to me how improbably fortunate our little family is. How could we have ever really known that at age 21 and 20 that this would be something with longevity? That this would be the first of many Thanksgivings together.

All I know is Sean has been one of my biggest blessings, that he is an endlessly dedicated parent, and that together we can crank out some pretty darn good roasted turkey and gravy. 

Thanks for being with me for the last 15 years Sean...love you to the moon and back.

Wood leaf garland...

How long does it take to make a fall garland? Apparently it takes about six weeks. I first painted the leaves with homemade woodstain and then couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted to do. Well until this past weekend when my jars of ribbon, some leftover scraps of fabric and a stapler finished up this little project...

It's hanging over my desk as a little last minute fall decorating with the holidays right around the corner.

Now it'd be cute to make one for Christmas...hmmmm wonder how long that'll take?

Couch camp out...

Years ago now we were talking with friends when they told us about some mutual acquaintances that had just gotten married after a brief courtship. This couple described newlywed life as amazing saying that sometimes they would just build a blanket fort in their living room and hang out all day.

At the time I joked with those friends that blanket forts were totally the secret to our happy marriage too. It wasn't until this weekend that I finally realized those acquaintances might be on to something...

Okay, we didn't exactly build a fort. When we were lucky enough to have a new couch become roommates with my grandma's couch, we moved the couch that was in our living room to our family room...and the couch that was in our family room moved off onto Craigslist. This past week it occurred to us that since this couch had a pull-out we could pile blankets and pillows on the bed, put a fire in the fireplace on a cool day, camp out with snacks and watch an evening of college football. 

This very well might become the secret to our happy marriage.

Style...

My friends have been calling our house "Hotel Griffin" since we purchased it way back in 2000. They ask to make reservations, they give us a hard time for not having a turn-down service for the guest bed, and not placing chocolate on their pillows. Because of these on going jokes I crafted up a sign in 2006 that hangs on our guest room door announced the hotel. Today I updated that sign...

As I switched out the frames, it was easy to see the differences between these two. That had me thinking about style...when it is consistent and when it is fleeting. Personally, I never have really gravitated towards the idea of having a specific style...a distinct and committed set of creative choices to rely on. I admire those who can thrive within those choices, when their creations can stand the test of time and clearly indicate a dependable theme of who they are.

I don't think my little crafting life has demonstrated that kind of commitment. I happily fall prey to trends. I usually make stuff based on a momentary whim. Sure some things have stayed the same, like my love for mixing colors and patterns. Yet everything else has a fluidity that I have decided to embrace. I guess instead of having a style, I end up with each project being a little time capsule of creativity. 

The Guest Wrap Gym...

The front room in our house is multipurpose, so we jokingly call it the "Guest Wrap Gym". It's primarily a guest room that also is home to my completely gratuitous gift wrapping area and has my old treadmill and Sean's weight bench.

We first put this room together a few years ago and recently decided that it could use a little update. A can of paint, a bedspread, and little rearranging did the trick...

The huge bed is actually the two twin beds we have pushed together. It has worked well over the years, to be able to switch them back and forth, depending on who is staying with us.

The "Staples" cabinet is on the side of the bed. We started calling it that because it holds every office, school, or mailing supply you could ever need...like we have our own little office supplies store. 

The boards hold magnets from our various travels over the last five years. Since our honeymoon Sean and I have been collecting Christmas ornaments at each destination, but when we went on our first long road trip in 2008 Mac started collecting magnets. They're in the guest room now, because Mac's way too cool to have silly travel magnets in his room. 

The wrapping area also ended up with a new place to hold some supplies. With these shelves in place I needed to rethink a favorite quote I had framed and hanging over my wrapping table. I put together a little 5x7 digital version and wanted to share it with you...

There are actually two different versions...one with each letter color mixed up like I have framed Download Love Giving Multi Print copy and also a little simpler one with each word in a different color Download Love Giving Print. 

Something old and something new...

Last weekend we worked on a tiny makeover of our guest room that's almost finished. The little pops of color are my favorite...

The something old is the "stay" canvas I made back in 2006. Then there's a new duvet cover, the tin can craft I mentioned the other night, and a little print I put together. Can't wait to share more when the room is all finished...

Welcome home...

My green couch came from my grandmother's living room in a northern suburb of Chicago. I coveted it since I was a teenager, so it is one of my most cherished possessions.

Since it came to our house nine years ago it has been hanging out with the couch Sean and I bought in college, hidden by a slipcover. However I just knew one day I would stumble upon a more suitable companion for it. I believed it was out there at a thrift store or maybe waiting for me on Craigslist.

It turns out it was waiting for me at my mom's best friend's mom's house...did you follow that? She is moving soon and working on cleaning out her house. When I was there last week I asked about the plans for her floral couch in pristine condition. She actually didn't think anyone would want it. Um, yes please... 

It came home with us today. To me it feels like these two couches can hang out in their retirement here...chatting and drinking tea together, surrounded by Ikea furniture and other random hand-me-downs. They just need to be willing to move around a little bit every once in awhile, because my obsessive rearranging habits do not seem to be going away anytime soon.  

But for now my living room and my vintage loving heart are very, very happy.

Please share yours...

Years and years ago now we decided to paint the back of the guest bathroom door with chalkboard paint.

Best. Decision. Ever.

It's fun to leave our guests a thematic message when we're hosting a party...like Mac's twelfth birthday. It is even more fun when friends and family write notes for us. Back in 2008 I shared one of my all-time favorite notes we received after hosting a sleepover..."I totally didn't realize this was here 'til my 3rd trip to the bathroom, but I saw the chalk and was like that's a weird place to keep it."

For awhile there was a frame hanging on the back of the door inviting people to write, but eventually it fell off and broke. Finally yesterday I took a few minutes to craft up something new...

I happened to have a 5x6 inch canvas waiting to be used for something, so I put together a digital print for it. I used the same idea from the frame we had hanging before, a list of the various possibilities of what people could share on the door...questions, comments, drawings, jokes, limericks, notes and so on. I printed out the design on card stock, trimmed it down, grabbed a glue stick, and adhered it to the canvas. Then I refilled the little basket of chalk so it's all ready for our next party. 

I have a PDF of the 5x6 inch print to download in case you would like to display a sign by a chalk board in your house... Download Bathroom Chalk Board Print

I'm guessing there aren't too many of you who are as crazy as we are to have a chalk board in the bathroom, but if you do have one I'd love to hear that we're not alone. 

The gigantic pinata with his face on it stayed...

Mac's bedroom was put together years ago now, so starting high school seemed like a good time for a little updating. Here's how it looked before...

And here it is now...

Fresh gray walls, a new desk, and a new simple bed frame (that Sean built). Then there's also the first piece of furniture Mac bought himself. A futon purchased with the inordinate amount of gift cards he had saved up.

The wall over his new seating area needed something, and Mac mentioned wanting to be able to display his favorite clothes (he has watched a few too many fashion blogger room tours) so a pack of wood hangers and some craft paint filled the space with a little colorful fun...

I think if you asked Mac what his favorite part of the room is, he'd probably say the lights strung over his desk and they're actually my favorite detail too. This room was a labor of love for both of us as we cleaned it out and discussed the various elements. For instance, if you scroll back up to the top you'll see super cool things like the huge "16" pinata his dad's family made for him this summer. Mac's is a sentimental guy and insisted that remain part of his new room (although they had to come down for a few minutes for me to take the room update photos). It's things like pinanta debates that remind me of the strong will and fierce love of creativity that we both share. Thankfully our collaboration worked and we ended up making a pretty darn good interior decorating partnership. 

A crafty public service announcement...

This is a cute emergency. At approximately 11:06am an idea to wrap washi tape around a tea light was discovered via Facebook. I immediately gathered supplies...

I don't want to alarm you, but my life has changed. My house will now be far more adorable throughout the fall and holidays. 

And a smattering of patterned tea lights will help make watching football all weekend very romantic. 

This now concludes the alert of the oh-my-goodness-is-that-so-cute emergency broadcast system.

Orange you happy with this new bathroom?

We decorated this bathroom in 2004 when we had an eight year and were getting ready for a second child. I decided on a gender neutral Americana theme and Mac didn't argue since he had yet to form opinions on much.

Today we have a sixteen year old who has strong opinions on everything, but he was kind to his mom when it came to redecorating this bathroom and let me get away with my "let's have an orange bathroom" idea...

The hand towels are what started this whole orange bathroom idea. Then they were joined by a bunch of other orange items including some cute prints and drawer knobs used as towel hooks.

Even the light switch wasn't safe from a coat of orange paint.

And the last orange detail was a little print I made for Mac with a saying I've seen in numerous Etsy shops. It went into this frame.

If you need a little orange in your bathroom (or anywhere else in your house) you can print out your own copy from here...Download Awesome 4x6 Print.

Do you make yours?

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support with yesterday's admissions about trying to refocus and find my way. With that in mind I have one other item to share that I made in an attempt to improve my outlook.

I made my bed.

As I'm sure you might have suspected from the joy that organizational projects bring me, I am pretty compulsive about keeping our house uncluttered. My deep, dark dirty secret in this whole "nice and neat" persona is that I rarely make our bed. Our comforter was way too heavy so we didn't sleep with it most of the time and it never fit well, I am an atrocious morning person so getting out of bed is hard enough sometimes, and it's been easier to leave it a mess if I ever need to crawl back into it with a migraine. 

Last week I discovered this information about making your bed and what a difference it can make in your whole day. Studies have shown it can help you be happier over all. People also have repeatedly sited making their bed everyday as a catalyst for other accomplishments in their life.

I need those small motivators right now, so I turned a couple graduation gift cards into a lightweight quilt that fit the bed easily, I cleaned out the storage box at the foot of the bed and dug out some shams I found months ago. 

It already feels so much better. I love that something so simple can help improve your outlook every day. 

Okay, now that I admitted that I've been remiss in my bed making over the years it's time to fess up with me...do you make your bed everyday?

For at least the next few minutes...

I have updated photos of my little craft room that I included in the new blog organization last week, so I thought I'd share them here before I inevitably rearrange again.

If you have been sticking around here for awhile, you are probably well-versed in my endless desire to move stuff around. It is a charming trait I seemed to have acquired in childhood...along with other random characteristics like a insatiable desire to consume a box of Cheez-It's in a hideously short period of time.

It is just that I love how a room can feel new and fresh after finding a different home for a few things. I don't think I will ever be able to resist getting out a measuring tape* several times a year around here. And it is guaranteed I'll occasionally succumb to the Cheeze-It cravings too.

So the space has already been changed twice in 2012, but here is what it is looking like recently...

Here is more about my dual computer screens.

My sister scoured Craigslist last year to find a tanker desk my brother-in-law wanted for their company office. They ended up finding someone trying to quickly sell eight or nine of them from an office. I am so super-duper lucky that they gave me one. You can see here how it hold a tons of stuff, but I've also found the drawers can be dangerous.

I have had the "beast" card catalog for years now...it's the best organizational tool imaginable as you can see here.

The metal shelves were the wonderful cause of the last room rearrange.

Thanks for looking around my little crafty space in it's current condition...we'll see how long it stays this way.

*Sean and I have a long standing debate whether the proper terminology is "measuring tape" as I call it or as he says, "tape measurer". Care to help us settle the argument? 

Little did I know...

I mentioned on Saturday that I was craving a little rearranging, but I promise I had absolutely no plans. Until I stumbled upon this shelving unit on Sunday morning. I figured out at least four places it could go in the house and somehow my little craft room won. Love seeing it all loaded up with books and various supplies... 

Having these shelves in here frees up just enough space for the Ikea cart I have been dreaming about. I have been stalking it on-line for a couple of months now and it's never in stock...fingers crossed that it shows up sometime soon.

The medal...

Although I am the worst morning person ever, I got up at 5:45am this Sunday morning. It was to drive an hour out to Redlands to see Sean run a half marathon.

We all know I make light of the bazillion miles he runs each month. He often completes a half marathon worth of running each Saturday, but all of them take place right in our neighborhood. Getting to see him out and about in the town where we met was extra fun. Seeing him place 18th out of 440 half marathon competitors was even more fun.

I joked with him that I deserved to wear his medal for getting up so early. 

Today reminded me how amazing it was to see him run his first marathon back in 2007 and it has me looking forward to whatever runs there are to come...if only they weren't so darn early in the morning.

You know what that means...

Sean's on spring break this week which means it's time for a little house project or two. This one has been on the list since we cleaned out the kitchen after Christmas...

We are thinking (or hoping) a coat of shiny white paint might help combat the black hole that is our pantry. I'll keep you updated...

Labeled...

A cute (free) digital label from Oh Hello Friend, some kraft cardstock, contact paper, wooden skewers and a little metal clips will help us keep all those tomato plants straight. Now they just need to grow...

Spring forward...

It took me just about a week to stop complaining about losing an hour with the time change. Now that I'm over it, I have to admit I am starting to crave all things spring...

Especially dinners out in the backyard...preferably barbecue..oh and with s'mores for dessert. 

2011 Favorites...

After digging through twelve months of archived blog posts tonight, I have been thoroughly reminded that this past year has been very good to me. Here are some of my favorites bits and memories from 2011...

Favorite Activity with Mac

Favorite Meal

Favorite Field Trip

Favorite Seasonal Decorations

Favorite Organizational Project

Favorite Dessert

Favorite Card

Favorite Crazy House Project

Favorite Layout

Favorite Restaurant Find

Favorite Moment with Our Nephew and Nieces

Favorite Craft

Favorite Photo

Favorite Post to Write

I feel incredibly fortunate to get to share so many of the big and little details of our family's life...thanks for being here for all of these 2011 memories. Happy New Year!

A little more...

I changed around the mantle a little last week to fill it a little more with fall now that it actually feels that way around here. I also added the light-up pumpkins I had to have last year...

Unlike when I first decorated the mantle in September it was finally chilly enough to turn on the fireplace this past week...I love this time of year.

Just like last year...

           

Do you feel the chill in the air? It's almost fall which means the temperatures here in Southern California dip down a little bit...just enough to make you believe we get seasons. Then fall officially starts and the temperature shoots back up higher than ever. It's just like last year...I wrote about it being nice and cool and putting out decorations to celebrate. Within a couple of weeks it was a record setting 113 degrees.

But the beauty of fall is you can make your own inside...although it may require air conditioning. So again just like last year I decorated the mantle, in fact it's pretty much the exact same. And wouldn't you know the TV weathermen are discussing the pending heatwave coming up this week. 

                         

The only change this year is a little felt leaf garland that I pinned and copied from here. I hand-cut little leaves and stitched them together with the sewing machine...

Now just imagine cuddling up with a blanket, maybe a warm cup of tea too and inhaling a cozy autumn scented candle. It's just like fall around here...just don't go outside into the 90 degree temperatures. 

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This project was shared at...
Sew Chatty 
Cherished Bliss
Somewhat Simple

What are we, 16?

When it comes to our house I've had what people would probably identify as questionable taste. I will hang chalkboards, want colorful squares or huge rectangles painted on the wall or move bedroom furniture into the dining room.

I've definitely had some crazy ideas, but I'm pretty sure the craziest came this past weekend in our bedroom. This image has been tucked into my head for months and then I saw this on Flickr on Friday morning. Within minutes I was tearing into vintage dictionaries, unfolding a map from 1976, gathering some old wallpaper pieces and various other scraps I've collected...even some of our family photo-strips. While I was digging around for items I also decided the few packs of vintage buttons that I've never had the heart to use up had to be on the wall too.

 

That's when the staple gun came out and Sean really thought I'd lost my mind. He teased that we were apparently 16 years old again and hanging random stuff up on the wall...he insisted he wanted his old Lakers posters included too. He was not a believer in this whole project up until Sunday afternoon when I asked him to help me tear out dictionary pages. Then he was all about the definitions and just how tawdry I'd let him get. I can't even tell you the words that now adorn the wall directly behind our bed.

Okay enough talking...ready to see the craziest project ever?

    

I have to admit I really love it. And please don't worry, you're welcome to let me know I'm a decorating lunatic. It wouldn't be the first time I have heard it.

A dozen...

So I have to finally admit it's been kind of a tough year for marriage in our family. I haven't shared that Sean's parents have separated after thirty-three years. Among the numerous changes that have occurred, it has given us a chance to examine how much care and concern a relationship needs to be handled with. 

Our anniversary this year feels kind of different. We don't have anyone in our family leading the way now. We have painfully learned how destructive a marriage falling apart can be. Most importantly, both Sean and I both know we are very committed to continuing to make ours work. 

So with that in mind, on our twelfth wedding anniversary today I am going to celebrate a dozen aspects of relationship that really work. Granted tomorrow I could tell you the 100 things we still struggle with, so please don't misconstrue this list as an indicator that we have it all together.   

1. We talk. And talk & talk...and then we talk some more. It's kind of impossible to be around me without that happening, but after all of these years thankfully Sean is right there with me.

2. We apologize. Okay if we numerically kept track Sean would beat me handily at this, but we both can be "I'm sorry" machines when we know we've screwed up.

3. We work well as a team. I think this is most apparent when we're in the kitchen...even though it can be a lot of work at times I love cranking out a meal or especially parties together.

4. We enjoy the same things. This continues to grow in our relationship. I fall deeper in love with sports and somehow his appreciation for crafting keeps expanding. I love that our individuals interests keep becoming mutual knowledge...and that we have found numerous things we enjoy to do together.

5. We get stronger. When our lives and our hearts have been put to the test we've been so fortunate to come out of our struggles with our connection strengthened. 

6. We go...we make plans. Sean counted last night that we'll have been out of the house three nights in a row off doing fun stuff (thanks to summer vacation). No matter if it's errands or a big trip I love getting out of the house with him.

7. We encourage each other. Sometimes Sean might not totally want to hear my version of "encouragement" and actually sometimes I blow his off too. However we are always there to be each other's biggest supporters.

8. We give each other credit. The joke is when I say "we" I mean "Sean". I try to always make sure I point out his hard work and he is so good about doing that for me...even when he doesn't have to.

9. We critique each other. Yes, this sometimes doesn't happen in the kindest, most loving, manner. We both mean well though and we're good about challenging each other to try to be the best versions of ourselves.

10. We're affectionate. Again, Sean is much better about this than I am, and it certainly ebbs and flows. However every minute of hand holding or quick kiss means so much.

11.  We laugh...I will laugh with him about things I would normally be mortified to share with anyone.

12. We balance each other well. I focused on this when we renewed our vows to each other two years ago...and it's even more true today.

Thank you Sean for the last dozen years...I love you to the moon and back.

G3: July

This month...

• We all went down the water slide on the 4th of July.
• Mac flew to Vegas.
• I graded my first papers ever.
• We tempted fate by heading out during Carmegeddon weekend.
• Mac got braces.
• We planned a dance party.
• Sean and Mac started summer school. 
• We checked a couple of things off of our summer fun list.
• And just when you think he couldn't run more, Sean ran 130.44 miles. 

{G3 is a end of the month wrap-up for our little family}

Sean-a-thon

I coined that term earlier this week when I mentioned to Sean that I have been remiss in sharing his recent accomplishments so I needed to catch up with a Sean-a-thon. Last weekend he ran in his third Pendleton Mud Run AND he got a haircut. Granted the second activity isn't really an accomplishment, but you might change your mind about that when you see how ridiculously long his hair had become. 

First things first, I made this mud run video for him last week. I looked for music to use from his iTune's collection. Please know Sean keeps up a good front that he only enjoys the narrow genre of heavy metal from the late 80's and early 90's. Yet I manged to find a sizable heap of pop and hip-hop in his music collection that has changed who is for me forever. I finally settled on an oldie but goody we both love. Okay last bit of commentary...the opening "scenes" of the video include him sewing on his race number since there was no way it was going to fall off like last year...

Mud Run from NDG blog on Vimeo.

Okay the haircut...like I said normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but he wanted to wait until his mom visited to get his haircut so it ended up about four months too long. He got his wish though as his mom cut his hair in our messy garage. I got my wish when we had a half-time mullet photo shoot...

That's his special look for when he really, really is annoyed with loves me. 

Okay now that I've thoroughly embarrassed him with this discussion of music and mullets I need to want to wish him a Happy Father's Day. Mac is celebrating with his dad so we are taking it easy today eating a late french toast brunch and watching golf, but Sean is the type of guy that still manages to wash dishes or iron the shirts he wore during his last week of school when he is supposed to be resting and relaxing. Sean works so hard for our family in every big and small way he can think of which is just one of the many reason Mac and I are so lucky to have him. And he likes songs like Pump Up the Jam which really makes him a perfect guy. Love you Sean...

The happiest our dining room table has ever been...

If our dining room table could speak it could tell you about a lot of parties from the last seven years it has sat in our house. It has been the happy home to Fondue and Friendsgivings. It has hosted numerous brunches. It has been taken over by crafting. And it was home to a box of peach jello shots a couple of weeks ago when I forgot I was not twenty-four years old like the rest of my graduate school cohort.

Even with all that fun and excitement, I'm fairly certain the best our table has ever had it was last week when my cousin and her husband came to visit. She's a professional Irish dancer who was in Southern California for a little tour. He is an oil painter from Ireland. We haven't been able to spend much time with our extended family over the last several years so to have dinner together was extra special. 

They had traveled with some of his prints to sell at her shows. My sister asked to see them, so they were quickly displayed on our entry table. But then he brought in the little box of oil paints, the tripod he travels with and the 5 small paintings he had done on their drive up from Del Mar to our house that day. Our dining room table became a gallery with paintings that weren't completely dry, propped up on our basket of napkins and empty wine glasses. 

Then my dear, sweet mother brought in her arsenal of musical instruments. Never in your life will you meet a more enthusiastic person than my mom...she consistently wants to try new things and for the last year or so that has been learning several instruments. She also gets very annoyed with me when she catches me quietly laughing at the look of determination she gets on her face when she is in a "jam session". She roped in just about everyone for well over an hour of music. When they got around to Peter, Paul and Mary I couldn't help but join in too...

So there was our dining room table amidst it all...oil paintings, empty glasses, a beer bottle next to a baby bottle and an impromptu concert...happy as ever.

G3: April

In April...

• Sean had spring break at the start of the month...Mac had his break at the end. 
• I got to have two 1/2 breaks with each of them.
• We hosted Sean's dad for the weekend.
• We did a bunch of Easter crafting.
• We made a "late night" trip to In & Out after Mac's karate class (where we took our photo for the month)
• I completed my "Run a 5K goal"
• The cordless phones we've had for a decade were retired for new, fancier versions.
• Mac became increasing enamoured with drawing.
• I survived the first draft of my research proposal.
• Sean ran 108.56 miles (aren't you glad he keeps track so carefully?)

{G3 is a end of the month wrap-up for our little family}

G3: March

In March...

• We celebrated being Irish.
• Mac worked on a big project for school.
• I also worked on a big project for school.
• We started going to the beach.
• Sean got to see Duke play in the Sweet 16.
• I figured out I'm 37.5% finished with grad school.
• Mac and I ate bacon.
• And Sean ran 113 miles...of course. 

Just in time...

I decorated our mantle yesterday just in time for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow...

I printed an 8x10 version of this (and changed the greens slightly)...

The wreath is from when I decorated the mantle last spring...

And I made shamrocks just like these...

I also made Mac a special snack for school and will be baking green cupcakes tonight...

Looking forward to celebrating a wee bit with tomorrow's dinner before I have to head off to class for the night. 

Ten on Tuesday...

1. I had a little too much fun with a date stamp when I was prepping my organizer for March...

2. Speaking of organizing, they gave our graduate cohort permission to go have our meetings to create the rest of our study plan. I'm really looking forward to planning out the next 15 months of my life.

3. I'm even more excited to think that I only have 15 months of school left to finish.

4. Yesterday when I was pulling out of the driveway to pick Mac up from school the mailman was at our next door neighbor's house. When I got home I saw he'd left a notice since I was supposed to sign for a package. I kind of chased him down in our neighborhood so that I could get this bag from him.

5. Now that I've had my longed-for grilled cheese, I'm onto dreaming about a Banana Cream Pie we saw on Best Thing I Ever Ate.

6. I mentioned that we used a can of paint around here last month (rumor has it that's it's color #37). It's a subtle gray on a couple of walls in the living & dining rooms...

7. Sean came home with a pedometer yesterday. Apparently the teachers at his school are having a contest to see who moves the most in 30 days. I'm thinking the guy who runs around a hundred miles a month has a decent chance of winning.

8. Ironically I took the Lord's name in vain several times tonight while taking an online test for my Sociology of Religion class.

9. I finally ordered our albums for 2011...our family album is green...Mac's is blue. Those American Crafts binders seem to be increasingly difficult to find, but they're here at a great price.

10. Tonight we had stoup for dinner. For some reason it's really fun to say, "stoup".

G3: February

This month...

• We really enjoyed two 3-day weekends.
• Mac and Sean went to see the Justin Bieber movie.
• Sean said Justin Bieber was really charasmatic and I've been laughing ever since.
• We bought and used up a can of paint. 
• Sean got better playing the guitar (he's practicing as I type this)
• Sean also ran 108 miles (you're going to get sick of me telling you about that, huh?)
• We ate a lot of cheese between a fondue party and a food truck.
• Mac started making plans for his 15th birthday (it's only five months away you know)
• I did a lot of Sociology and a little scrapbooking.
• We went to our nephew's construction themed 4th birthday party (and setup the tripod for a second before we went out the door)

I heart our mantle...

I keep a corner of our guest room closet filled with decorating details I like to switch out so I went digging and put together red stuff like an old window and vintage "G" (on top of a few of the antique textbooks Sean collects). Then I got together a branch in a bucket to hang the polka dot hearts that were sewn last year. Last thing was filling a frame with dictionary paper and handcut hearts to complete a little fireplace mantle love for Valentine's Day.

G3: January

Not to be confused...this is not "Like a G6"...a song that I still don't entirely understand which is probably not a good thing when you're parenting a teenager.

Okay moving on. I love this project and this project. So I would very much like my own monthly recap for our family in 2011...

This month...

• We all went back to school. Sean was the only person truly happy about that.
• Mac played three parts in "The Wiz".
• I did not get caught up on scrapbooking.
• Sean coached 8th grade boy's basketball.
• Mac's room was rearranged.
• I brainstormed new blog names with my sister.
• Mac and I had too much fun exchanging Christmas gifts at American Apparel...and thanks to a Groupon I got a cardigan that matches one of his.
• Sean went to class to learn how to properly prune roses.
• Mac was going to get braces, but then he didn't. (the orthodontist wants to wait a little longer)
• Mac was not happy about having to wait.
• I started "running" with Couch to 5K.
• Sean ran 103 miles. (I just sent him a text to ask and of course he knew the exact amount)
• Mac stretched a lot since his Physical Therapy check-up revealed his muscles are tightening up more than they should be.
• And I remembered on the very last day of the month that I wanted to do this "G3" thing...therefore a quick timer photo right before eating dinner was all we got.

Ten on Tuesday...

1. I'm going to start calling this post "Ten on Almost Wednesday" since I'm just starting it after 10pm.

2. We rearranged Mac's room this past weekend. He has wanted us to do it forever, but I couldn't figure out a new configuration.   

3. Having this sitting around since it didn't work for the wall finally inspired something...

4. Mac loves to save drawings and random bit of paper so the wire works perfectly for that...it also is a good place to leave him a note welcoming to his "new" room and reminding him to please put away those piles of laundry... 

5. I have officially entered week four of 5K training...which means I am shuffling for sixteen whole minutes...one day I hope to upgrade that shuffle to a jog and maybe even a run.

6. I'm enjoying the shuffling (and earning the check marks) so much that I've already downloaded a 5K to 10K bridge program. 

7. It's a possibility that I could get there by May 2nd, but a 30-10K doesn't have the same cheesy ring to it as my 35th birthday 30-5K did.

8. Tomorrow's the first day of school...yesterday I managed to do absolutely nothing whatsoever and today I did this...

9. Made a huge, productive mess. Right after I took this photo I immediately started cleaning because I couldn't handle it. 

10. Something is coming out of this crafty disaster tomorrow. 

27 days later...

I love house projects...love them with all my heart...love starting them...love finishing them.

It's the time in between starting and finishing that makes me an impatient lunatic. This living room wall took 27 days which I think is a record for the longest project ever around here. We started...and we worked...and worked some more...I obsessed on details...and now it's finally done.

I'm not 100% in love quite yet, but I'll take 92%.

It's the last thing I had in mind that was a major delay. I really wanted a wire to hang random bits on...something to change out and play around with. I was really inspired by this, but wanted something that seemed a little more anchored considering everything else going on with the wall. We had an extra picket from Sean building a fence years ago...and a good green paint we used in the nursery pretty much a lifetime ago.

The wire plans didn't work out exactly, but thankfully Sean had given me these in my Christmas stocking. They're perfect for clipping photo booth strips, an old drawing of Mac's, and this handsome basketball player (even at his young age in his beloved green and gold)...

 

Okay maybe 94% in love.

Getting there...

I'm hoping this week has been the adjustment week or something because I need to figure out a way to pick up the pace and really squeeze every possibility out of each day before I head back for grad school part two.

I'll have a new Starred post tomorrow (those holidays got in the way the last couple weeks)...there will be new stamp projects on Monday...and hopefully next week I'll have new valances to show too since I'm finally getting around to using a huge piece of fabric I picked up at a flea market this summer.

The wall is still not completely done...trying to get some paint colors just right for a couple more frames...but something else was hit with spray paint...a plant holder has a whole new (cuter) life...

At 1:11pm on 1/1/11...

I stopped to take a photo...

The iPod was playing a little too loud and I was slapping brown paper up on the newly painted wall so we could get a sense of how to hang the random collage of stuff that has found a new home over my grandmother's green couch.

Some spray painting and frame filling needs to take place and then it'll be all done.

Here goes nothing...

After Christmastime is rolling right along and don't forget I warned you that I might do something crazy this week...

Of course painting over the big red rectangle may not be as crazy as painting it in the first place...it's been a good four years, but we're excited for something new.

I also made my first scrapbook page in a long while...I made one this fall and that's it...so I decided I'd take some index photos from what I recently got printed and warm up with a page about not scrapbooking for months...

And the thank you notes went to comment  #20...

Jennifer said...gorgeous!! :)December 29, 2010 at 02:20 PM

Jennifer please e-mail me your address.

Hopefully I'll be showing you the new wall by 2011...

That didn't last long...

So I mentioned on Tuesday that I bought light-up pumpkins for the front porch...pretty sure I had decided to bring them inside before the blog post even published.

The living room needed them...

I decided to use the simple banner I made last year on the chalkboard so we could write what we're thankful for on there...

For example, I am thankful for cute glowing pumpkins...

This is where the party's at...

It was a busy week...but we have managed to pull together a semblence of Halloween decor just in time for Mac's pumpkin carving party tonight and our annual trick-or-treat party on Sunday...

Spiders and webs (that didn't go on the banisters very well)...

Here are the lanterns and a trick-or-treat banner I made...

This print and a frame of bats...oh and you'll never guess how so much candy corn ended up in those jars...

Looking forward to a weekend full of Halloween!

In the swing of things...

Is it bad that I love fake pumpkins? I love the real ones too and look forward to Sean maximizing our purchase of them in the coming weeks (just like last year)

So it's Sunday night which I said I detested about three million times last school year. Thankfully this year has been different. Towards the end of the summer Sean and I analyzed our weekend productivity and developed a schedule that would leave us with a free Sunday afternoon and evening.

Miraculously (knock on wood) it has completely worked.  We get everything done and we don't start the week stressed out. We're hoping this will continue for the rest of the school year. Who am I kidding, hopefully the rest of forever. No more stressful Sundays!

Hiding out...

Since it was over a hundred degrees here today we hid inside in the air conditioning.

Sean and I were basically in pajamas and Mac had a tie-on...typical weekend dress code, right?

 

We were trying to make these.

And we succeeded, but were too busy eating them to take any more photos.