Busy

I have been so busy the last few weeks. And yet I feel as though nothing has really been accomplished. Oh well.
*My brother is officially graduated and his party is this Saturday. I've been busy with getting things ready for that. I still have to make a slide show of his Sr. pics and the pics from Graduation night.
*We found out that Phil will not be teaching summer school after all. I'm excited though because that means we get to have somewhat of a summer together. There is a possibility he'll be doing another job though.
*June 16th is our 2 year anniversary! I can't believe it. Should 2 years have passed so quickly? Should I also feel like we've spent a lifetime together already?
*I finally found a great Doctor! Some of the health issues I've been having should be resolved soon. I'm getting blood work done today to rule out a few things. I'm so glad to finally have a Dr. who cares and is doing everything to help me. That's what health care is supposed to be like, right?
*I thought I would have more time to keep the house clean and orderly. Not so. Or maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. It's not like the house is really that messy. I guess part of me thought the house would be like immaculate? I guess if you live in the said house, that's not possible though. And a man lives here. haha...
*I never do bullet posts. Maybe I should do them more often. I don't think I ramble so much. Hehehe.
*The living room update has been postponed. The area rug and entertainment center made such a difference in the room! I had ordered a couch cover and chair cover but neither of them worked out. So we have an area rug with a simple floral pattern and then our chair and couch have a very busy floral pattern. They clash. I'm not sure what to do? The money I would have spent on the covers is now in a "fund" and I think we might just start saving towards a new couch & or chair. Also, I'm not painting until I know for sure what color scheme we will have. That too has changed since the covers didn't work out.
*We're working on the guest room and hobby room in June. They will be our focus anyway. I've been throwing out a lot of junk and the garage sale pile is getting bigger.
*I found a dress for my brother's-in-law wedding. I'm really not a dress kind of girl, but since it's a special occasion I thought I should wear one. I haven't been able to find anything decent. (The people who make plus-size clothes must not be plus-sized. I mean, I kind of knew that anyway, but still. I don't want to flaunt anything. I just want a simple cut shirt, dress, skirt etc... It doesn't have to have horrible bling on it, cut really low, or cut short. Just the basics. If I wanted to dress like I was some little thing, I would probably be a little thing. I want coverage and comfort. Sorry for my rant, but it's truly ridiculous!) So yeah, I found a dress for like $24! I am so pleased!
*I have nothing else to say.
Toodles.

Adventures in Photography

So I've been really interested in photography. I would love to get a really good camera and take a class or two. The thing is I don't want to spend that much money if it's not going to be something I will really enjoy and want to pursue further. So I took my brother's Sr. Pics to see how I'd do and then be able to get a response from people on what they really thought. I have a Sony Cyber-shot point-and-shoot right now. I think the pictures turned out really well though. Here they are:

I have a lot to learn, especially about angles & then editing the photos afterwards. But I'm kind of proud of myself. ;o)

Claire loves Pie

I love Claire like she is my child. She has so much personality. Anyway... today I helped with a minister's luncheon at the church and there was some left over pie. I got to bring it home. Yum! So after dinner I got it out and just ate a few bites right off the plate. I was full so I just put it on the end table next to me.
For an hour Claire has been trying to get close enough to just smell it. I know, I shouldn't let it sit out, right? I've been reading blogs, geez. So she has now climbed up behind me and is sitting on the top of the chair, with her head resting on her little paws staring intently at the pie, CRYING! Awe... it's so sad but so funny. Poor baby. I might just take a swipe of the whip cream and let her lick it off my finger. Then I'll put it in the fridge, I promise. Claire loves pie. hehe.

Antique Shopping

Last Tuesday my Dad and I went on a small trip to some antique stores. Wow! It was so much fun! I only wish I had lots of money. I only took pictures of a few things. There was just so much to look at, I forgot to take pictures of some of the most wonderful things! Oh well. I'm sure I'll be going back!

This was a tri-fold mirror that I saw. It was $200! It would be perfect for my vanity. Of course I would never spend that much on a mirror, or a vanity for that matter. I loved the shape of it though.

This coffee table was just beautiful. Not my usual style, but the etching on it was amazing. I think the price listed was just under $400. Yeah, wouldn't pay that much for a coffee table either. It sure was pretty though.

I just loved the detail.

The green love seat was only $140. It was a rocker too! I'm not usually a fan of that color green, but I would have brought it home for that price and it was SO comfortable. I'm sure I could have gotten a cover for it or just made it work.

The grey chair was in great shape. It was $70 I think. I love the lines of it and that color grey just really catches my eye.

There were several hutches I wanted to take home and of course other pieces of large furniture that my heart skipped a beat over. Naturally I don't need anything. But I just love old furniture, especially if there's a story behind it. There were a lot of little trinkets and knick knacks I would have loved to bring home too, but I'm really trying to simplify the home right now. I did bring home just one item. I spent $1.50. It was an old ice cream sundae dish, which is now being used to hold my rings. It's clear glass, and the rim is rippled. Very cute and just right for my rings. Not sure why I didn't take a picture? Oh well.

I will say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly that day looking at so many wonderful things. And my Dad, being a man with a knowledge of like, everything, was a pleasure to be with. It's amazing how he can look at things and tell me when it was probably made, manufactured, where it came from, how and why it was used, etc... I'm so glad we share a love for antiques and vintage things. ;o)

Well, that is all for now. Tomorrow I have a very full day. I better get rested. Night!

Our Peoria Trip

So this is like 3 weeks late. So much took place in the last 3 weeks and now, it's May! Anyway we went to Peoria for the weekend of Easter. We were there for just Thursday - Saturday. It was so nice to just get away for a couple days. We stayed with Phil's grandparent's. They are awesome. I love spending time with them. The pics below are of our trip home. We stopped at Jubelt's in Litchfield, to get some sugar cookies. Phil loves Jubelt's. He got the bunny, I got the butterfly.

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While we were in E. Peoria, we went to Menard's. I'd never been to Menard's, but I loved it! We ended up finding a tv stand and an area rug, all for under $300!! We've been looking for a corner tv stand to replace the beast, and we found it! The rug you see in the pic below was just under $200. It's like 8' x 11' or something. It works great in our living room! It was surely a pain to have in our car with us though. It came up in between Phil and I. I'm so glad we had the Equinox, we wouldn't have been able to take it home!

These next pics are just silly ones...

We had such a nice time. I am ready for another trip! I'd love to go somewhere new though. I guess I will just have to wait. ;o(

I've been thinking about our Honeymoon and our 1st anniversary vacation a lot lately. I think that's why I'm ready for a trip. Unfortunately we aren't going anywhere this year. Phil has to teach summer school until July 22! So that stinks. But we do get to go on a trip in August. So I'm trying to remember that.

In other news, I've shaved Claire again. Only this time it was really short! I bought Phil a beard trimmer a few years ago and he didn't like the attachments on it, so he never used it. I thought I could turn it into Claire's trimmer. The biggest attachment would have left her hair too long, so I used the next one down. Bad idea. You could see her skin! It's already grown a little so it's not so bad. She so cute though and she doesn't get smelly as quickly with her hair short.

Our weekend was a very busy one. We spent the entire day Saturday working in the yard. I have progress pictures to post soon. Tomorrow and Tuesday are Clean-Up days in our town, so everyone puts their junk out on the curb to be picked up. Phil cleaned out the garage and we put the contents of our yard work yesterday out on the curb too. I feel bad for the guys who will be loading the trucks!

I've been fighting my allergies. I was outside a lot this week and so it made them even worse. Wednesday I was outside taking my brother's Senior pics and then of course yesterday. I am on some meds, but it seems like they're not really working just yet. Hopefully by tomorrow they will. I hate these "attacks" that I get in the Spring. Everything else about Spring is lovely!

Well, I better get to bed. I plan on posting about my antique shopping tomorrow!

Tootles!