A Most Fortuitous Discovery

The bad thing about cleaning out the "junk basket" in the kitchen sideboard is that it takes away from the time I could be doing something more important, like watching Project Runway on DVR.

But every so often, my hard work yields important results.

Exhibit A:

An anniversary card, circa 2005. From T. To me.

It reads, "Yadda Yadda Yadda...Present this card to redeem 1 room's worth of fancy crown molding (labor and materials included)."

Oh, really?

Exhibit B:

Dining room, circa March, 2010. Fancy crown molding suspiciously absent. (Avert your eyes from the hideous popcorn ceiling. I know.)

I seem to recall a recent argument in which I insisted that he did indeed promise me crown molding in the dining room as an anniversary gift one year.

Now I have the evidence. And I have wisely hidden it so that it does not fall into the wrong hands or the sticky fingered clutches of a two year with a crayon. I know that T forces some of the poor guys at work to read this blog (hi, Travis and Mike) as spies to see what I am up to. I don't suppose I need to say much more.

Except to say that anniversary #9 is coming up in August. I want crown molding. And something shiny.

The End.

My Retirement Plan

Many people pay financial counselors to help than plan for retirement. After a recent conversation with my four year old, I've decided to tell IRAs, Cds, and the stock market to kiss my grits.

We were discussing the future, and I asked Natalie what she wants to be when she grows up.

Her reply?

A doctor "what helps mommies' babies pop out of their tummies."

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Cha-Ching!

She'll be busy with her kids "Davey, Adam, and Emily," and her dog "Buster," but she's promised to make time to visit me and build me a house next door to live in.

I think I'm pretty much set, huh? If she throws in a weekly trip to Starbucks, I will have lived a good life.

The Waste Land

I can see grass again in my yard. 


I had almost forgotten what it looks like, and was planning on purchasing mukluks and wearing them 24/7 with my grandmother's fur coat. But God in His infinite wisdom melted the snow so that I would not have to commit that fashion sin.


I don't care much for T.S. Eliot, but my yard does currently resemble a barren, desolate, empty land. Unless you count the snowman yard stake hiding in the flower bed behind the azaleas.


My other problem? 

 

Although it would indeed appear that I have a green thumb, I do not. This was simply a marker accident in preparation for today's post.


My thumb has not been helpful at all in my gardening efforts. In fact, none of my fingers have been helpful. 


All of the fun new projects popping up around Blogland have me dreaming about Spring, flowers, and outdoor entertaining. I have visions of hydrangeas, peonies, roses, and marigolds. 


So that my future guests don't have to stare at a jungle of weeds, I thought it would be wise to plan ahead and start thinking about what types of plants I'd like to have this year, finances permitting.


Last year, I took a couple of days to chart the sunny/shady areas in the backyard. It was really helpful when choosing a plant to know which areas of my yard were full sun vs. partial shade, etc. I lost that chart, so here is a new version, which I'll be working on this week. I keep it on the counter next to the kitchen sink. It overlooks the back yard, making it easy for me to remember to fill it in.

I made a very rough sketch of the back of my house and the back yard. 

Clearly, it's not to scale. The scribbles that look like clouds are large bushes. I know you're shocked I don't have an art degree.


I assigned different letters/colors to certain areas of the yard and then wrote down what kind of sunlight each area had at different points in the day. 

For example, section D (blue) is full sun most of the day, and was the perfect spot to grow tomatoes. I only had three plants last year, but they more than quadrupled in size. Section E (red) is mostly shade, and was a terrific spot for my hydrangea bush that T accidentally fried with too much fertilizer.

This might seem really boring, and it totally is. 


But I am learning that planning is essential to gardening. I wish I'd known that when I planted my daffodil bulbs a few years ago. It looks like someone just came and threw fistfuls of daffodils in my front flower beds. I may not have the resources to grow my dream garden this year, but I can take steps in the right direction.


...Beginning with finding something to get the green marker off my thumb.


{What's your favorite thing to plant, come Spring?}


Linking to Kimba's DIY Day party over at A Soft Place to Land. 

Friday Favorites Feature ::Weekend Bloggy Reading::

Happy Friday, friends!

I'm wishing you a happy day because Friday is pretty much the same as any other day around here (except there's no church and nothing good on TV....is it sad that I judge a good day by what my DVR will be recording?)

If you're look for some good reading this weekend, here's a list of some of my favorite posts from around Blogland this week:

~I'm in love with this new (to me) site: How Does She? The tagline reads "Uniting Inspirational Women Sharing Inspirational Ideas." Sounds good to me!

~Britt's Prettified solution to plain old office labels

~Looove Morning T's twist on a popular bloggy craft project! (And I love Frappucino!)

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~Lindsay reminded us that Real People Don't Live in Magazine Spreads. Boy, can I attest to that!

~Beth's Family Rules Window-- a great take on a popular project. She really made hers unique.

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~Tidy Mom's recipe for The Perfect Snickerdoodle...yum! Her photos will have you drooling too.

~If Kate wasn't such a sweetheart, I'd be super jealous of her gorgeous kitchen's new look. Swoon-worthy!

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~Rachel from Perfectly Imperfect gave her readers some great tips for using the FlyLady system. I enjoyed reading how Rachel created a housekeeping routine for herself, and if I can get over being called a "flybaby" I might just see if I can tweak some of these ideas for myself.

~Richella shared a wonderful tutorial for anyone who's interested in trying their hand at Upholstered Headboards.

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Not much planned on the homefront this weekend. Natalie's little friend A is coming over this morning, and A's mom will stay to have coffee with me. I love playdates like that! I'd love to do a little thrifting on Saturday morning...I am on the hunt for a buffet to make over. Wish me luck!

{What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it's a good one!}

Step Aside, Julie Andrews

If you've been reading this blog for some length of time, you've been subjected to had the pleasure of the Judy Garland-esque musical stylings of Natalie, my oldest.

A friend commented on my personal Facebook account yesterday that I have been holding out on my blog's audience and you all are due for another performance. I think she might have been drinking when she listened to the song in the link above and/or left me the comment, but just in case she wasn't and Natalie truly is destined for Broadway, I requested and was granted an exclusive performance.

By both girls.

I should seriously be invoking a cover charge here, because the talent you are about to witness is going to blow your mind. I predict that Hollywood agents will be begging me not to post on YouTube anymore to bring the girls out for auditions with George Clooney.

(Also, their hair looks this way because they just woke up from their naps and also it's part of their stage look. And yes, Michaela Byrd is wearing a man's dress shirt wrapped around her shoulders. It's called a costume, for those of you not familiar with showbiz.)

Here is Natalie singing her version of a preschool classic:


This is Michaela Byrd singing "Edelweiss", which is "our" song that I sing to her every night. You'll notice that someone else doesn't like to share the stage and makes frequent interruptions:


I realize you are probably overwhelmed by the terribly awesome talent you've witnessed today.

It's okay. It took Natalie nearly 4 years to grow her talent to this level. And I must say that Michaela Byrd's grasp of the lyrics could be daunting to those of you who are just starting out on your musical careers.

Sometimes stars are born. Sometimes they are made. And sometimes they just want a straw cup and some crackers.

Call me, and we'll do lunch, dahling.

February Chick Flick Club Night

Sometimes a table to myself at Panera is just what I need (albeit, not such a large one):

And then there are other times, like when Chick Flick Club night rolls around, that this is a sight for sore eyes:

A table full of friends ready for a good chat, some good coffee, and a trip over to the movie theater for a good Chick Flick.


The Chick Flick Club stuck with Panera Bread for our pre-movie refreshments. No waiting, no reservations (hard when you don't always know who will show up), no big bill, no tips. I settled on my favorite cafe mocha and a pecan roll, while a few other girls chose to go the dinner route. We had over an hour to catch up, laugh, and have some girl talk before Panera closed its doors.


It was perfection.


A few more friends met up with us at the movie.

I bet the people behind us loved my camera's flash and my enthusiasm over the Sex and the City 2 trailer.


I'm not sorry.


Our pick for February?


Valentine's Day, of course! It reminded me a lot of Love Actually, which is a fave of mine (Hugh Grant dancing across the Prime Minister's home??! Priceless).


Valentine's Day isn't as smooth as Love Actually, but it has some sweet and funny moments. It's also packed with star power: Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper, and so on.


I've only seen Ashton Kutcher in That 70s Show and in a small part in Cheaper By the Dozen. He does physical comedy pretty well, but I wasn't expecting much from him in this role. I was pleasantly surprised! He was very likeable, especially in his scenes with his on-screen pal, Jennifer Garner.


Several of the storylines were very touching...I won't give away any details. There were also a few hilarious outtakes at the end. Worth staying in your seat for an extra minute or two!


A good pick!



I don't have the slightest clue what we'll be seeing in March, but here are some trailers of movies I want to see soon!



And of course this one!!



And this will require its own separate post, of course:

{Have you seen any good movies lately?}

House of Pancakes

It was one of those nights last night. 


When it came time to plan dinner, I had nuthin' left. In a last ditch attempt to get the girls to clean up the destruction in the Addition, I promised them pancakes. This seemed to speed the process up substantially, and even Michaela Byrd paused from her gleefully frantic efforts to empty the dress-up box of all 457 plastic necklaces to help her big sister clean. 


They aren't beautiful, but they sure taste good. No Bisquick required! 


Here's my favorite EASY recipe (I double it):


Pancakes
from Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book


Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 T cooking oil


In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and set aside. In another medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, and cooking oil. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture and stir until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown.


I served mine with fresh strawberries last night. Even Natalie agreed that it was worth the drudgery of picking up all of her toys. Maybe we should have pancakes every day.

{Do you have a "fall-back" meal for those nights that you are feeling uninspired in the Kitchen?}

Linking to Jen's Tasty Tuesday party at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.