Show Us Where You Live - Children's Rooms Edition

So this week over at Kelly's Korner we're touring nurseries/children's rooms. Miss Taylor was SO EXCITED that her room would be featured this week and, luckily, I had already taken pictures as she got "big girl furniture" last fall so I'm actually posting on Friday. Shocker, right?

Also, since Mr. Linky misbehaved a bit last week, you can click here to see my dining room (which has a bonus of the kitchen) if you'd like.

Looking up from the foot of the bed...we've since had to take the flowers down because, even though they were super cute, they didn't adhere properly and always looked like drooping flowers. Also, instead of the globe on the right side table, she now has a purple lava lamp.

A fairy my grandmother bought Tay when she was very little. It's now hanging in the middle of the window, which you'll see in the next pic. In its place? A disco ball - every 9-year-old needs a disco ball and lava lamp, right?

This guy's name is Gatorade because I bought him for her while she had the flu last year and I was pushing Gatorade down her every hour :-)

Her dresser

Her closet door is where she hangs her Baylor traditions poster. Training her early, my friends!

View of her bed in its entirety. She originally had the lavender gingham quilt you see at the foot of the bed on her smaller bed. Because I imagine we're getting close to the "I must have a room with many bright colors that don't match at all" stage, we just bought a new down comforter in yellow and used the original bedding as an accent to tie everything together.

Sleeping in her new bed for the first time!

Thanks for visiting, virtual friends. We'll see you next week for the Home Office Edition!

Journey to the Center of the Earth - Sort Of

Last Tuesday, Tay and her many third grade classmates set off for an adventure. The third grade field trip was a journey to the center of the Earth, or as far down as Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown actually goes...whichever came first!

She had her trusty class t-shirt (each class in each grade has a different color so the teachers can keep up with them; Grande sponsors them so there's no cost either - I thought that was an awesome idea when we moved here) and shorts laid out for days before the BIG day. She planned what she would pack in her backpack as they had been encouraged to bring books, electronics and games to keep them occupied during the trip.

She took her iPod, DS, a stuffed lemur (they all look alike so I can't remember exactly which one this was but, trust me, they all have names) and a few other toys so she was set. She even had a bag of Baked Lay's Southwestern Ranch chips and an orange Gatorade to go along with her PB&J sandwich and carrots. Life was good, I'm here to tell you!

She also had a disposable camera to capture moments from this special day (I've been a bit under the weather this week so I haven't gotten them developed yet). So as not to use one of her pictures, she brought me my camera as soon as she was dressed and requested that I take a "before" picture. I kid you not. Couldn't even make that up if I tried.

Cracked me up to no end but I, of course, obliged. Even took two. See for yourself.

Can you tell the child was a wee bit excited?

She had a blast and, while I had offered her $5 for the "reasonable priced gift shop" we'd been made aware of, she decided a trip of this magnitude called for some extra effort. So she picked up a few extra chores and scored an additional $3. Nothing like a whole $8 to make a 9-year-old's day, right?

I must say that the gift shop actually WAS reasonably priced. They also allowed the children to "pan for gold" and they each brought home a pouch of rocks. Unfortunately, none of them found actual gold...

We got home and she showed me what she purchased from the gift shop. She didn't have a penny left over but she did get a rather large keepsake. See for yourself. 

Her spoils from panning for gold on the left and her big purchase on the right. Isn't it cool?

And, yes, she also asked me to take an "after" picture to document her joy. So, of course, I took two. Because if one's good, two is great! At least in my economy :-)

This brings us to the conclusion of the photographic evidence I currently have about field trip day. Next up - Field Day, at which Tug of War is apparently the signature event.

Who knew? Well, not me...at least until last Friday...and, yes, Tay will be wearing the same trusty class t-shirt but I promise I washed it. And even dried it. 

Memorial Day

This year the Memorial Day holiday brought us time to do something we don't usually have time for during a regular 2-day weekend. We actually did a whole lot of nothing, ate really well and got some good ol' fashion R&R.

Saturday and Sunday were the usual - golf, gym, zumba (my new exercise addiction), grocery shopping, house cleaning, church, a second t

rip to the Y and lots of laundry. Once Monday rolled around we were excited that Dave was actually off (no small feat when you are a healthcare worker) and we set out to just enjoy our day together.

We cooked a giant breakfast, grilled turkey dogs for lunch and wrapped up our culinary experiences with country style pork ribs for dinner...complete with homemade potato salad, baked beans and toasted french bread. It was delicioso!

Just ask Miss Taylor...

During the middle part of the day, Tay and I attacked her pig sty - I mean room - and used our organizational skills, along with the cute new fuzzy baskets we picked up at Ross, to transform her room and closet (heaven help me!) into usable space.

I am proud to announce that we were successful in that endeavor and it only took four hours. Yes, I said FOUR HOURS...but it was totally worth it. She's so excited that I've offered her 50 cents per week if she keeps it all spic and span without any intervention from the parental unit. Along with her regular chores, this nets her 50 cents per week. We don't pay for the others - it's just part of helping around the house - but this one I'm willing to go out on a limb for because it was ROUGH!!

Bo and Prissy weren't even in the room and look how worn out they ended up!

Of course, they also got some wrestling time in with Dave. It's a puppy posse tradition, after all. And, again, Perkie was too scared of the flash to hang out for long...

I also began reading The Shack, which I highly recommend to any and everyone. We spent the evening grazing on the BBQ and watching a Deadliest Catch marathon. I could liken cleaning Tay's room to this deadly job but we didn't earn over $1 million for our troubles so I won't...

Besides, holidays are measured by the number of good meals you eat and how long you stay in your jammies, right? In that case - we totally scored!
And I hope your family did as well :-)

Show Us Where You Live - Dining Room Edition

Yes, I know I'm quite late getting our dining room up but, because I was such a slacker over the holiday weekend, I have a surprise for you...stay tuned...

But first, here's the dining room...when we moved from our house in Belton, we downsized from two eating areas (formal and informal) to one. Once Tay finishes elementary school, we're planning to buy a home that has both but, for now, you'll just get the nickel tour.

I kept our formal table because the other one was on its way to the furniture graveyard but took the center leaf out. There are only three of us so using only 4 of the chairs gives us each nice elbow room. And we have the additional chairs and center leaf handy if we need if...

This is the fabric I bought a few weeks ago so I could recover our chairs. Seems purchasing ones with a white fabric wasn't such a good idea after all...

There's our commemorative 'hey, the Astros went to the World Series' piece...

Since we don't formally entertain much, I keep some of our crystal on display...I can at least look at it on a daily basis, right?

The wall o' copper...

My mom gave me this candelabra. Remember, I heart candles so they're in every room...

Because I got in late on the whole 'Show us where you live' blog carnival, I'm also going to include my kitchen on this post because, really, they're in the same space so it just made sense.

The little one couldn't decide if she wanted to be in the photo or not so you're getting a sliver of a 'hello.'

The Holy Grail of the kitchen - soda, an old fashion gumball machine and homemade pound cake...m'mm m'mm good :-)

The sink...obviously...

Another angle...Dave opened the drawer in the corner the other day and the front came off...any bets on how long he'll take it fix it?

The often used, seldom scrubbed on the inside stove...

Miracle gadget of the room - the microwave!

We drink coffee so often (not!) that we only have a two-cup machine...

These were my man's brainchild and, I must admit, it was a great idea. We store our dishwashing liquid in these so it's always available but is also quite attractive...

I may or may not have accidentally ripped the front off of this drawer when I was a wee bit angry. Obviously it was on its last leg anyway, right?

A close-up of an old window my sister-in-law painted for Dave...I love it!

There you have it, my virtual friends, our dining room AND kitchen. It's a two for the price of one kind of deal :-)

Houdini - Captured

Who's that sneaking out of the woods? 

Making her bed in the bushes? 

Running like a flash when her parents come home so as not to get caught running the streets?

That would be the ever-elusive dachshund/terrier we initially called Perkie. While she still answers to that name, we have affectionately dubbed her Houdini for his blood is obviously running through her veins.

Not sure how but it must be possible somehow.

For, you see, this dog climbs any type of fence you put in front of her, destroys cages in a single afternoon setting, shreds the carpet of any room you lock her up in because she apparently thinks digging through the foundation of the house is an option, and outsmarts any type of restrictive device (muzzle, harness, etc.) you can buy.

What, might you ask, would a terror like this look like? You're thinking giant, right?

Nope.

This is the precious one I'm speaking of and can I just tell you it was quite the feat to capture her on film.

Why, you ask?

Because, while she's not afraid of anything that she believes in her mind to be constrictive, she is deathly afraid of the flash on my camera.

Seriously.

Runs every time I pick it up.

She was a shelter dog and was apparently beaten regularly since she is only now warming up to us and we've had her for TWO YEARS! The only one she interacts with regularly is Taylor. Of course, I can't blame her for not wanting to hang with Dave since he decided she resembles Templeton the rat from Charlotte's Web and truly wanted to change her name. What kind of girl would take nicely to that, right?

When I came out of the house yesterday evening to pick Tay up from gymnastics, she was just hanging out in the shade. The pics aren't very good quality because I had to use my Blackberry. Guess the flash on it doesn't bother her quite so much.

So, the moral of the story?

Love your animals like they are part of the family. Because they are. And it takes years for them to recover from a bad situation.

Stepping down from the Bob Barker soapbox right about now....

Have a fabulous Friday eve!

Life Imitating Art or Something Like That

While the real excitement of the week is that I not only survived Body Shaping class last night but also (dare I say?) enjoyed it - gasp - and can walk correctly today, I feel it's only right to let you know the little one had a fabulous time on her field trip to Inner Space Cavern yesterday as well.

She took her own camera so I'll have to wait for those to do a full-fledged post as the only ones I have on my camera are a 'before' and 'after' shot. That were requested by Miss Thang herself. 

Because I knew you were going through withdrawals by now, I thought I'd give you a few more of the many faces of Taylorbug. Not sure where this kid gets her material but she makes me laugh every single day - in a good way - so I'm not complaining. 

For instance, she has recently really perfected her puppy noises. Yes, you read that correctly. I said puppy noises. She does a great growl and usually grabs the sleeve of my shirt with her teeth when doing it and shakes her head back and forth...kind of a tug of war. It's absolutely hysterical! While I have not yet captured that on film, I do have this darling gem of her pretending to be a pup.

And, no, I have not given a single bit of thought to the fact that this might be due to her hanging with the pups so much that perhaps she's just trying to fit in....

This brings us to 'I'm pretending to be asleep.' Oh, how I wish this was actually a photo of her taking an afternoon nap. Alas, 'tis not. In fact, we have several completely posed sleeping shots lately. 

Looks like she's finally gotten to the self-conscious tween stage. Oh, childhood, where have you gone?


And, finally, because this child constantly has a smile on her face and is absolutely the light of my life, I'll give you a fun close-up. 

Stay tuned because I know you're just chomping at the bit to see how our dining room is decorated on Friday!

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Last week was LONG and provided so many Not Me! moments that I've whittled it down for your reading pleasure. I hope you're not as embarrassed reading these things as I was experiencing them...

I did not wake up last Tuesday to find that our smallest dog, Perkie, had been ill throughout the night...to the tune of more than 10 areas on my carpet that needed to be scrubbed. I'm talking on my hands and knees scrubbing.

I certainly did not tackle this task during my lunch hour and then get back to my office and wonder 'What's that smell?' Thankfully, it was cleaning solution and not the other alternative.

Upon waking Wednesday morning, I most assuredly DID NOT encounter the same scene. And I did not use any colorful language when I made this discovery.

When I woke to a (still) clean carpet on Thursday morning, I did not skip to my office. In stilettos.

And when I returned that evening to find that the boxer had raided the pantry (two entire shelves worth), I did not just sit down on the couch and cry. He had NOT eaten 10 FIBER bars, another 5 plain cereal bars and assorted raw pasta was not all over my kitchen floor. 

Given that fiber and cereal bars are sticky, I did not crawl around the floor in the living room picking tiny pieces out of the rug. Nor did I send my hubby a rather colorful text message about the scene I'd encountered.

My husband DID NOT kill yet another poisonous snake while mowing last week. This time it most certainly was not a water moccasin. I also did not finally break down and call Animal Control only to hear 'yep, we've had a huge increase in snake calls.' 

 

Thanks for making me feel so much better! NOT!

After telling them about the latest discovery, the guy absolutely did not have the audacity to say, 'Really? A water moccasin? Next time you find one of those, can you call us so we can see one? That would be really awesome!'

Sure, buddy, next time we'll just instruct the snake to hang out for a few minutes while we call the police. I have NO doubt that he'll gladly oblige.

I also did not attend my first aerobics class at the local YMCA and learn that, although I've been working out very regularly for the past 5 months, I'm still a long way from being able to hang. I did not stand in Spinning class for all of 30 seconds before sneaking - out of fear - out the side door. 

I did not then proceed to Body Sculpting class and have the tar beat out of me by the instructor. For the rest of the week, I did not wince or cry when trying to get into or out of a chair. Because that would be pathetic.

My battle cry most definitely did not become 'My quads are crying tears of lactic acid, people!' And I did not skip out on Thursday's torture session because I didn't want to break into a sob in front of the other 40 people in the class. Nope - not me!

Of course, I also did not blog about the entire ordeal so the rest of the world could laugh at my pain either.

And finally, I did not finally get my family to Sunday School yesterday a YEAR after we first began attending this church. I also did not threaten bodily harm to my husband after he told Tay (as we were walking in), 'I wanted to take you to Ft. Worth Zoo today but your mom said we had to go to church instead.' Nope, not me! Because that just wouldn't be right walking into a house of worship and all.

Praying, begging and pleading with the Lord for a more calm week,

Casi

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Guest Room Edition

This week we're touring guest rooms over at Kelly's Korner. I must admit this is probably the most boring room in our home but, because we live so close to our families, it is rarely ever used by anyone except Bo, our boxer. In fact, when referring to it, we call it Bo's room.

Dave's son, Logan, used to frequent it but he's 16 now so you know what that means...job, driving and way too busy to hang out with fuddy duddies on the weekends! My grandmother lives in Louisiana but stays with my mom when she visits. She has a very small dog, Bailey, who would be a Scooby snack for our pups so it's just safer that way.

Hope you enjoy a glimpse into Bo's room :-)

The television is actually sitting on a table that houses a sewing machine. Obviously I don't now how to use it or it wouldn't be used as an entertainment stand.

These only got hung recently because they're kind of difficult so they definitely deserved a picture.

These are hanging over the bed.

Love the beaded lamp shade. I mean, who doesn't love beads, right?

The nightstand matched my parents old bedroom suite and was given to us when they got more modern furniture. Luckily, all of these random pieces are the same wood color so they work pretty well.


The picture is an ode to Texas bluebonnets. I have candlesticks in every room of my home, which you will see over the coming weeks. I LOVE them, MUST have them and - therefore - receive them as gifts all the time. The largest candlestick is a crystal one I received as a Christmas present from Drayton McLane, who owns the Houston Astros, when I did

his personal PR. (Was a good time to be there...remind me to tell you about the All-Star Game and World Series some time...)

This dresser matches my baby crib, which was also Tay's crib and was in her nursery. Love the sentimental value!

This rocking chair was my mom's and then mine and then Tay's...

Random pictures and Logan's handmade bat to take up some wall space.

There is actually a really awesome valance that needs to be hung on this window. I attempted to finish it out a couple of weeks ago but the rod and I got into a rather heated argument. I won but, by the time we finished, he was bent beyond recognition.

Looking in from the hallway.

Looking into the room from the hallway (a different angle).

This bedding was in my room at my mom's house and I absolutely loved it. So when she redecorated I gladly accepted the leftovers. It's kind of like going back in time.

Thanks for visiting - see you next week for the dining room!