A Junk Bar From The Curb!

So- in the popular home catalogs they always show swanky home bars.

Hubs and I don't really have the need for one...

and we definitely don't have the space...

Or do we?

This is the area over by that stupid window that I now love...

It is off of the dining room, at the bottom of our stairs.

It isn't a room, it doesn't belong to a room...

it's just there.

I normally just have a bunch of pictures there...

(someone needs to paint that wall!)

Hubs had a few buddies over for a drink before they attended an event.

I decided to turn the area into a little bar for them.

I grabbed a few things out of the garage and basement...

Mugs, matches in an apothecary jar, liquor (of course)

Golf balls...

Some old jugs that I've thrifted over the years...

The gold/rusted stand is from the curb. 

It normally holds plants during the summer.

The galvanized box is from the curb.

The big picture is of my Hubs, his best friend, and my Dad...

...golfing in their tuxes...

The day of our wedding reception.

I love our photographer!

Hubs thought it was pretty cool. 

I loved it because it kept the idiots out of my kitchen! 

I am thinking about a girls night...

... change this and SASS it up!

Cheers!

~Amy

Linking up to:

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for her wonderful Met Monday!

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special!

Cindy at Cottage Instincts for Make It For Monday!

Cheri at It's So Very Cheri for It's So Very Creative!

Barb at Grits and Glamour for Tabletop Tuesday!

Kimm at Reinvented for Trash to Treasure Tuesday!

Let Them Eat Cake???

Have you ever encountered those moments where you stop and think-
Holy Cow!  I'm a parent.
???
I remember the first time we took Monkey out to Trick-or-Treat.
I felt like I was out of my body looking down on us...
It really hit me that I was 'the mom' now.
Yikes.

Over the past 4 years, there have been other 'I'm the mom now' moments...
and I just encountered one of them.

Monkey had his very first birthday party that included his little friends.
Until now, its just been family.
Oh...
we were so excited.
He debated over his cake...
Batman?  Spiderman? 
Decisions, decisions.
Here is what he ended up with...

Didn't I do a good job?
...ordering the cake from our local bakery, that is.
I was a little concerned about the gray/silver icing.
It reminded me of the 'Steel Magnolia's'...
the armadillo groom's cake...
Anyway-

So the party was in full force.
Kids were running around, having a grand time.
Presents were opened.
It was time for the cake.
Took the picture of Monkey with his cake, lit the candle, sang the song...

Time to cut the cake.
No big deal.
Cut the cake.
Put a piece of cake on the plate.
Put some ice cream on the plate.
Put a spoon on the plate.
Give to kiddo.

Right.  Not so easy.
Turns out, I have no clue how to cut a cake. 
Um... my mom has always done it.
And Monkey has had cupcakes at his previous birthday parties...
But here I was...
it was my show now.

Oh, how I failed.
Some pieces were big, some were small...
What a mess.
Another mistake---
I gave the kids choices....
chocolate or white cake?
strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla ice cream?
STUPID.
From now on, its white cake/vanilla ice cream.

Oh the pressure.
The kids were crowding around me, tugging on my shirt
there were other moms there (probably laughing at me)
My mom and dad were there... NOT helping
Poor Hubs was scooping the ice cream, and trying to keep me calm.

Fortunately, the kids loved the cake
everyone survived...

Party number two was rolling around... the one for family.
This time, we just got a simple little cake from the bakery.

Several family members ended up sick, party postponed.

Now what to do with the cake???
I sat and looked at this stupid cake.
I probably even swore at it.
Know what I did???
I cut it up.
Yes I did.
I cut it up.

Even without the pressure, I still couldn't get the pieces to end up in equal sizes...

AUGH!

Oh well, we ate it anyway.

We finally got to have the family birthday party last weekend...

what to know how the cake turned out?

Forget it, we went to the local pizza parlor!

On a sidenote--- I was so frazzled after the cake incident at the friends party,

that I forgot to hand out the goody bags.

Real nice.

Note to self-

Cupcakes for Monkey's Birthday party next year.

~Amy

Just a test post

Test post.  And a picture of a bee going in on one of my dahlias. 

Vanilla With Red Sprinkles!

So you know that Hubs painted for me...
a nice, lovely shade of...
vanilla!

I know!
I know...
But here is the thing-
I've been doing some decorative soul searching
I checked books out of the library
I poured through magazines
I stalked your blogs


It finally dawned on me.
I LOVE color.
I do.
I am easily seduced by it
HOWEVER-
and this is a big one---
I get bored easily.


I like to change things...
OFTEN
So, when I'm seduced by a color and paint it on a wall...
I get stuck.
I will love it
...for awhile
then, when I get bored and want to change things around...
I can't
It won't flow with my wall color.


I was so proud of myself for coming to this conclusion
until
my mom spelled it out for me...
As I was getting ready to tell HER...
SHE told me
"Amy, you should paint your walls a light neutral.  You have all your pretty things that you like to put out and change all the time."
Um....


Of course Mother knows best...
Gosh Mom...
Why didn't you tell me this before?
(how about 4 wall colors ago)


Wonder when she's going to tell me what I should be when I grow up?

So, the last time I painted,
I went with a light blue...
loved the whole blue/brown look...

Today, I'm feeling RED
Perhaps in honor of Valentines Day.
Give me a month, and I'll be bored again...
But for now-
I'm going with this---

Do you see Hub's Vintage golf clubs?

Homemade apothecary jar with buttons.

The whole vignette.

Forgive the magnetic letters.

Monkey is learning how to spell and when he discovered

this metal box was magnetic, he took it over!

Oh look, I made something!

The blue was lovely for the first two months...

Same spot- I brought out my crusty window. 

I forgot how much I love this window!

My little red and white chippy chair from when I was younger.

And the picture hanging is Monkey

 when he was about 5 weeks old. 

So... there it is.

My new, vanilla walls with red sprinkles.

This girl couldn't be happier!

I'm linking up to Funky Junk Donna's Saturday Nite Special over at Funky Junk Interiors!

And to Susan at Between Naps on The Porch for Met Monday!

Also, to Cindy at Cottage Instincts for Make It Monday!

And to Barb at Grits and Glamour for her first Tabletop Tuesday!

Also to Kimba at A Soft Place To Land for DIY Day!

~Amy

She Must Be Stopped

Oh, she is a beauty.
Mother Nature, that is...

(Taken in my backyard tonight)

But, she sure is wicked.

Somebody (probably a man) has really ticked her off.

I sure hope he apologizes soon...

~Amy

We Interrupt This Blog

I am a football fan.
HUGE football fan.
I even understand the game.
I do.
I could give a tutorial on football...
Important things all women should know about football.
Don't worry, I won't.
 Oh, but wait-
You should know this...
The cute guy on the team is usually the quarterback.
No, really.
It's like a pre-requisite or something.
Must. Be. Cute. To. Be. The. Quarterback.


Elway, Marino, Brady, Farve, Montana
See---
Told you so.


Anyway, love football.
And REALLY love Iowa Hawkeye Football.
So tonight my dear bloggy friends I will be away.
My Hawkeyes are playing in the Orange Bowl.
Can I get a, "Go Hawkeyes"???

Monkey in Aug. '09

Patiently waiting for football season!

Really, don't be sad that I'm gone tonight.
You wouldn't want to be around me.
I yell.
I kick.
I have been known to throw stuff. 
Our poor doggies hide when we watch the games at home. 
They do.
They run upstairs and hide in the closets.

I think Monkey's first words might have had something to do with the Hawkeyes...
I won't repeat them.
They aren't nice.
And would definitely get us a phone call from his teacher if he ever said them at Preschool!
It's not his fault.

Monkey 8 Months Old

So you see, you don't want me around tonight.
Unless, you are an Iowa Hawkeye fan...
In that case---


See you tomorrow.
Wish my Iowa Hawkeyes luck.
Unless you are a Georgia Tech fan...
in that case, YOU are the enemy today. 


~Amy

Hubby's Gift

It worked!

Pictures soon!

~Amy