Some Scary Photos...

This is what the bedroom looks like today....

Pretty scary, huh?

Happy Halloween!!!!

Mama Cleans House AND...

It's been a long few days around my house.  We found someone who could do the taping and mudding of the drywall in the master bedroom at a price that didn't make you scream.  He was speedy and efficient and he cleaned up after himself (even vacuumed the carpet).  So, now we get to prime the room to prepare for the paint.  That of course, brings me to a new dilemma.  Paint colors.  Yikes!!!  My bedroom in my previous house was done in all chocolate brown with accents of taupe and blue and cream.  But, that was a HUGE bedroom.  This room?  About the size of my old closet, but location - location - location.  So, rather than cry about what I don't have, I prefer to feel joy in what I do have.  So, I'm trying to make the most of this room.  So, I broke out all the paint samples and got down to business.  I took several larger pieces of left over drywall, taped off sections and got busy.  Finally, I was able to pick just the right two colors for the room.  I'm really quite excited about them.  I've never done a house in light and neutral colors, so this will be new for me.  I've chosen 2 shades of cream and I'm going to do them in a horizontal stripe that I have seen on a few different blogs and it is also featured in Cottage Living.  I hesitated about going for this idea, but I was instantly attracted to this look, so I've decided to just go for it.  

So, I bet you're asking yourself...What bedding did she choose?  Well, you're going to have to wait and see...

So, I've been painting, cleaning, organizing, working, running back and forth to Home Depot, dealing with repair men for my phone, internet, and car and trying to get myself motivated for this room mom sponsored Halloween party on Friday (remember all the mama drama?)  Thankfully this is the shortest party of the year (due to a school-wide Halloween Parade), so I'm just going to jump in with both feet and be the "fun" mom (I'm usually the wackiest one there anyways).  Then it's trick or treating with my sister, niece and of course Mr. Big.  Then we'll hurry home so we can hand out candy to trick or treaters and everyone is invited to my house for my annual open house.  I make a huge pot of chili and a huge pot of sloppy joe and it's a come on by, help yourself to some food, and stay and visit a while situation.  I've done it for a few years and it works out great.  The bigger kids and their friends stop in to visit and head back out, friends and relatives come by to see the kids and to let me see theirs and I've got the food in crock-pots all warm and ready so it's completely stress free.

Then it's back to painting for me and moving back in to the bedroom.  Then I have to get the room all decked out and take some photos.  But, I have been informed that if the weather permits, we may be taking down a tree or two in the backyard this weekend (we've got a couple of dead / dying ones and they're getting dangerous).  I will be doing my best to head out to the flea market this weekend to see what goodies I can find.

Tomorrow and Thursday I have to work all day long (yuck) and Friday is full of fests and frights, so it's a busy week here.

How about you?  A busy week for you too?

Psalm 46:10a 

Be still, and know that I am God....

AND THE WINNER IS...

Good Morning!  I went through all the posts for the give-away, entered them into Random.Org, shut my eyes, hit the button and viola!  KIMBA from A Soft Place to Land is our WINNER!!!  

This was so exciting for me (yes, I'm a dork) and I definitely had fun and loved how many people signed up to win this book.  I wish I could give one to each of you.

Thanks for participating.

OOPS...

Well, I was trying to do a couple of changes to the blog and then something, somehow got very messed up and I ended up losing my last couple of posts.  

Don't forget...The give-away ends at midnight!!

Book Tag - I'm IT. LOL.

Okay, here we go. This is fun!  Erin at Old Grain Sacks and Lavender

who has one of the nicest blogs around and she is just as sweet as can be (can ya tell I adore her and her blog??) tagged me and of course I wanted to play along, so...

The rules are grab the nearest book by you, go to page 56, find the 5th sentence, post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences on your blog then tag 5 other people to do it.

"As we neared our hotel, we turned toward each other and kissed.  We couldn't hold back any longer.  

It was our first kiss, and it was long, passionate, and deep.  It was wonderful, too, though as we continued to kiss and press against each other so closely that we could feel each other's body heat, a part of me-a tiny part, admittedly-said to myself, "Oh my God! I'm kidding my brother.  What am I doing?"

I didn't care.

I knew exactly what I was doing.  Barry was a good kisser.  Lloyd Schwartz may have regretted it later on when he spotted us in the back of the hotel."

And no, I'm not reading some book about an incestuous relationship.  Although, I'm a little freaked out that of all the parts of the book that I could have had to have opened to, I opened to this one.  YIKES.  This is from the book closest to me right now, by Maureen McCormick 'Here's The Story  Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice'.  Yes, it's a complete book filled with non-literature, but I indulged myself this purchase because, well I'm a Brady Bunch kinda kid.  Grew up with the stuff, so I had to buy it.  

Simply becuase I cannot figure out WHO to tag for this, here's what I'm doing.  IF you read my blog AND you read books, go ahead and consider yourself "IT" (no, not scary IT from Stephen King - they'll be no raincoats and boots and paper boats) but, "IT" as in the game of tag.  

Enjoy!!!  

LOUD and PROUD

She did it!!  Who is SHE and what did she DO?  Well, SHE is my daughter and what she DID is make JV Cheerleading!  I'm so proud of her.  She is so excited she can hardly stand it.  How huge to be a CHEERLEADER in High School!  Okay, well, maybe not to everyone, but I always had that secret desire to be one, but I never ever even tried out - way to nervous I'd fail.  So, you know what this means?  CAMPS!  more GYMNASTICS!  COMPETITIONS!  mama needs more MONEY!  LOL - okay for now, I'm going to bask in the sunshine of her smile and let the rest take care of itself.

Want to Get Something for Nothing?

Ready for my first Give-Away???

Here We go!!!

All you have to do is leave a comment under THIS post and please make sure that I can either access your blog or e-mail you (it's kinda sad if you win and I can't tell you about it).

I'm giving away a copy of Amy Butler's book - Midwest Modern.  This book is truly eye candy for the soul!!  

I will be drawing the winner on Saturday (October 25th).

Coffee Anyone?

I found this very cool Coffee Blog/Website (see my side bar too) and they are having a give away.

Please give them a visit and a shout!!  Love to see people living the dream.

GET THE BEAN!

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Linda from Lime in the Coconut  to show you five things to love about my state, the state of Illinois.

I've never lived anywhere but Illinois.  I have considered moving to these three places at some point of my life; Las Vegas, Florida, and Texas.  My heart belongs in Chicago though because it has so much to offer. (plus all my family is here - hmmm... is that a good thing? )

I've decided to share some unusual facts (stuff ya might not now or want to know) just because I'm kookie that way.

1. The  ice cream "sundae" was named in Evanston. The piety of the town resented the dissipating influences of the soda fountain on Sunday and the good town fathers, yielding to this churchly influence, passed an ordinance prohibiting the retailing of ice cream sodas on Sunday. Ingenious confectioners and drug store operators obeying the law, served ice cream with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Objections then was made to christening a dish after the Sabbath. So the spelling of "sunday" was changed. It became an established dish and an established word and finally the "sundae".

2.  Metropolis the home of Superman really exists in Southern Illinois.

3.  The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through.

4.  Des Plaines is home to the first McDonald’s. (And everyone certainly celebrates that historic happening!)

5.  The World's Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago World's Fair), a World's Fair, was held in Chicago in 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World. Chicago bested New York City, Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, Missouri, for the honor of hosting the fair. The fair had a profound effect on architecture, the arts, Chicago's self-image, and American industrial optimism.

Notable firsts at the fair

Cracker Jack

Congress of Mathematicians, precursor to International Congress of Mathematicians

Elongated coins

Frederick Jackson Turner lectured on his Frontier thesis.

Ferris wheel

John T. Shayne & Company, the local Chicago furrier helped America gain respect on the world stage of manufacturing

Juicy Fruit gum

Quaker Oats

Cream of Wheat

Shredded Wheat

Aunt Jemima pancake mix

The hamburger was introduced to the United States

Milton Hershey bought a European exhibitor's chocolate manufacturing equipment and added chocolate products to his caramel manufacturing business.

The United States Post Office Department produced its first: Picture postcards and Commemorative stamp set.

United States Mint offered its first commemorative coins: a quarter and half dollar.

The term "midway" came into common use to define an area where park rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated at parks and fairs, after the area of that type located on Chicago's Midway Plaisance at the World Columbian Exposition.

Contribution to Chicago's nickname, the "Windy City". Some argue that Charles Anderson Dana of the New York Sun coined the term related to the hype of the city's promoters. Other evidence, however, suggests the term was used as early as 1881 in relation to either Chicago's "windbag" politicians or to its weather. See Windy City.

Scott Joplin's performance at the Exposition introduces ragtime to new audiences.[11] The Exposition attracted attention to the Chicago ragtime scene, led by patriarch Plunk Henry and exemplified in performance at the Exposition by Johnny Seymour.[12]

Violinist Joseph Douglass achieved wide recognition after his performance there, and became the first African-American violinist to conduct a transcontinental tour, and the first to tour as a concert violinist.[13][14]

The first Indonesian music performance in the United States was at the Exposition.[15]

The ensemble of musicians with a dancer known as Little Egypt was the first exposure to Middle Eastern culture for many Americans.[16]

A group of hula dancers led to increased awareness of Hawaiian music among Americans throughout the country.[17]

Stoughton Musical Society, the oldest choral society in the United States, presented the first concerts of early American music at the Exposition.

As an added bonus, here are some fun factual informational things about the city in Illinois that I live in - Schaumburg.

The Village of Schaumburg was incorporated on March 7, 1956, but the heritage of Schaumburg dates back to the much earlier times when the first inhabitants of the area were members of the Sauk, Fox, Pottawatomie, and Kickapoo Indian tribes. By the mid-nineteenth century, settlers first began to arrive from Germany and the eastern United States. Legend has it that the earliest settler was Trumball Kent from Oswego, New York. Kent, a "Yankee," as settlers from New England were called in the west, founded a settlement in 1835 not far from what is now called Olde Schaumburg Centre, formerly known as Sarah's Grove. However, the first recorded settler of Schaumburg Township was German born Johann Sunderlage. According to legend, Sunderlage was a member of a survey team that divided Cook County into townships around 1833. He liked the area so much that, upon completion of the project, he brought his family from Germany and settled in the area around 1836.

Sunderlage and his family occupied their land in the Township until the federal land sale of 1842 allowed them to purchase the property and obtain the deed. Sunderlage and Kent represented the predominant groups that settled Schaumburg Township in its early days. In 1840, 56 percent of the Township households originated from the eastern United States, while 28 percent were German-born. By the 1850s, the population mix had settled to 28 percent “Yankee” and 48 percent German.

By 1870, Schaumburg Township had become completely German. Land records show that all the property in the Township was owned by German immigrants or their descendants. This pattern emerged as many Yankee settlers continued to travel west for the promise of newly opened lands on the Great Plains. The land they occupied in Schaumburg was then purchased by German-born immigrants.

Schaumburg Township remained almost exclusively under German ownership until the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression caused the foreclosure on some German-owned farms which were then purchased by non-German individuals and companies. Nonetheless, German heritage remained important in the area. German was the first language of the majority of households until the 1950s. St. Peter Lutheran Church, the community's oldest church which was constructed in 1847, held services in German as late as 1970.

Now, I have to tag 5 People who can share about THEIR fabulous states.

Tanya ~ The Honeysuckle Tree

Mary Kathryn ~ e-Handcrafts Stitching Room

Nikki ~ Blah, Blah, Blah Blog

Cindy ~ My Romantic Home

meme ~ ScreaminMeme

A final note...thanks again to EVERYONE who has been so compassionate about my whinin'.  Valuable lesson learned...

Don't sweat the petty stuff...

Pet the sweaty stuff!

It is What it is

Thank you to everyone who offered such kind and amazing words of advice and empathy for my recent experience with fellow mommies.  

I decided that this had to be dealt with head on.  Although I am not surprised by the outcome, I am disappointed, and I shared my feelings.  

The mommy that threw me under the bus won't leave her position and that's her prerogative.   

I feel better knowing that I confronted her, was honest, and I attempted to resolve the situation.  I've opted to continue being a room mom because, let's me honest, my kid loves it and that's all that matters.  Did the situation get resolved?  Nope.  But, I tried and that's all that I can do.  I will proceed through the year the the shadows just doing.

Tomorrow?  Back to the bedroom to talk closets!!  

Now?  Off to bed - I'm wiped out!

I NEED to Whine

Okay, I don't like to whine.  I don't like to complain.  It's not my style.  But, I've just got to get this off my chest.  

I'm not certain if you do this where you live, but here, the children in grades K-6 get parties for Halloween, "Winter" (to be politically correct, but in MY house we call it the CHRISTmas party), and the end of the year.  These parties are handled by mom's of the children in each class.  These moms are called Room Moms.  Basically, there are 4 moms per room that volunteer (and then are chosen) to plan the class parties, purchase the teacher gifts, etc.  Other parents have the opportunity to send it items needed for the parties and bake goodies.  

I have been a room mom since my oldest was in 3-year-old preschool.  That gives me 15 years experience.  I have never ever complained.  Not once.  Until now.

First, there is a "tea" for the room moms to meet the teacher, go over her specific do's and don'ts for the classroom and to get to know each other.  Two of the four of us showed up and the "other mom" acted like a child with ADHD and kept changing the subject from the class and parties to other stuff.  This woman was already on my "list" as the rules specifically state, no children and guess what, she brought hers.  

So, the teacher's number one rule this year was no younger siblings at the parties.  Well, her class - her rules.  Two other mothers had a complete and total melt-down.  I'm talking vicious here.  They wanted their wee ones to be at the parties and they weren't taking no for an answer.  The other mom and I both bit our lips and hoped the storm would pass.  Fast forward to our first official "room-mom meeting".  I planned the meeting (no one else stepped up) in a public place, hoping that the atmosphere would eliminate any outrageous behavior by the two overly outspoken moms.  WRONG.  One mom used the f-word so often and so loudly that I was actually embarrassed (and I do not embarrass easily).  

Fast forward again to the party plan.  Of all 20 students, 1 parent volunteered to help out with the parties.  She is willing to buy items or bake things that we might need.  Of the 20 students, only 15 paid their fee of $5.00 for the year of parties.  This puts a serious "ouch" in planning.  So, I being the frugal mom that I am, suggested that we seriously cut back on some of the plans because although I don't ask to be reimbursed for the monies I spend on the parties, two of the other moms made it clear that they do.  This blew up into an insane e-mail argument and I was made to be the bad guy - they claimed that I was trying to spoil the fun of the children and that we should go after parents and demand they contribute to the parties.  Okay, not to be rude, but if I filled out a form that said I was not willing to send in anything for class parties nor was I willing to bake good for said parties, I would be a bit ticked if I was being badgered by some mom about this.  I also know that you can't chase these people down for money - it doesn't work and you just end up looking ridiculous.  

After careful consideration, I decided that I would not be labeled as the bi*** mom who wouldn't work with the other moms and sent them an e-mail stating that I would not be held responsible for the success or failure of the parties due to funds or parental participation.  I would be turning the money over to the three of them and they could choose who would be in charge of that.  I even said that I thought this was all quite ridiculous and I would not be sucked in to this attitude and behavior.  The party is for the kids and the focus of this fact has been lost.  

Somehow I ended up not only being attacked by these other women, but now some of them are making it a point to not speak to me and they are being quite obvious about it.  So, although my heart says just back out and let these other moms do the party, I won't do that because my son loves that his mama is a room mom.  But, what on earth should I do!?  This seems like high school all over again and I'm just completely confused and blown away by this behavior.  So, maybe I'm wrong and I should have kept my mouth shut and just let the party plan proceed and deal with running out of money if it happened rather than be concerned that we split the funds we did have and not allow anything additional to be spent.  Maybe I should have done something different.?  I desperately want to confront this one mom who talked to me on the slide and then stabbed me in the back, but I'm not a confrontational kind of person, so I'm not sure.  

But, I'm happy to have this off my chest and although these other 3 women haven't heard my rant, I at least have said it and despite the fact that I still feel like crying, I do feel a tiny bit better.

Any advice?

Happy Happy Birthday Baby...

Eighteen is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. Eighteen is the first inverted square-prime of the form p.q2 . .

It is a heptagonal number, and as the sum of the first three pentagonal numbers, it is a pentagonal pyramidal number. It is also the sum of the totient function for the first seven integers.

Eighteen is the second abundant number with the aliquot sum of 21 (117% in abundance) in the aliquot sequence (18,21,11,1,0) thus being the first composite number in the 11-aliquot tree. Eighteen is the aliquot sum of only one number the square 289.

In base 10 it is a Harshad number.

18, aside from 0, is the only number that equals twice the sum of its decimal digits.

18 = eighteen

Okay, let's start out by saying that I am in no way old enough to be the parent of an 18 year old. I was 18 just yesterday! I swear I was. I was just sitting on the sofa with my little booger and he was being silly and showing me his ribs and asking me to read him one more story. Wasn't he just in 2nd grade? It was just yesterday I tell ya! I want a do-over. Turn back the clocks please, I missed a whole bunch of stuff!!! I made some mistakes, I want to spend more time enjoying bedtime stories and laughing at his silly antics. He can't be 18, he just can't!! I'm not ready. I'm just not ready.

Okay, I admit, I'm a complete sap. I have cried on each and every birthday for as long as I can recall. And I recall them all. I remember his first birthday and how exciting it was. I recall his 2nd birthday and how small and intimate it was. His 3rd birthday I was pregnant and we were building our very first house, we would be moving in just a few weeks afterwards. Now my little booger stands over 6 feet tall and is 18 years old. Just typing those words makes me cry.

The tears now flow rapidly and silently over my cheeks as I think to the past and all that was and to the future and all it holds. My heart is breaking, he can't be this old, he just can't be.

His story is long and difficult and nothing with him has been simple or easy, but he means more to me than words could ever express. I will try to share this with you all dear bloggers, but bear with me as I can hardly see the screen through the flowing tears.

Once upon a time, in a land not far away at all, there lived a girl.  This girl met a boy and fell madly in love.  She had found her happily ever after, her prince charming.  Then one day the girl found out she was going to have a baby.  Prince Charming wasn't quite charming and the girl was all alone.  

One night the girl awoken to find she was very very sick and was rushed to the hospital.  The doctors told her that she was hemorrhaging and in labor, but the baby wasn't due for 3 more months.  The doctors were blessed, the girl was blessed, the baby was blessed as so many people lifted them up in prayer.  The girl remained in the hospital for a week and then went home, but was forced to stay in bed all the live long day.  Her mom took very good care of her and the girl listened to the doctors and all was well.

Finally the doctors said it would be okay to have the baby, so the girl was allowed to get out of bed and be relatively active.  That was Thursday afternoon.  On Friday the girl went into labor.  The girl was blessed by the many people who loved her and she did not need pain medicine for she never felt any pain.  The baby was born 6 hours after arriving at the hospital, weighing in at 7 lbs. 2 oz., he was 6 weeks early, and was born on 10-19-90 at 10:19 p.m.

The girl loved her baby and the baby boy loved his mama.  

Today that little boy is 18 years old and his mama is so sad to see him becoming an adult because it means he doesn't need his mama anymore and soon some other girl will fill up his heart in all the places that his mama did.

So, there is my story.  Yes, I'm still crying.  In fact, I've been crying for days.  I guess I'm not good at this letting go part, but I'm trying.  I'm trying, it's not easy, and my heart is breaking.

Join Me In The Bedroom??

While hanging drywall in the bedroom today, I took a moment, sat back and just looked at the room.  In all it's stud glory with poof of insulation hanging out here and there, it hit me.  It hit me like a ton a bricks on the head.  But, then again, most of my best ideas seem to fly out of nowhere. So, now the question was..."Do we or Don't we let the hubby in on our *idea*"?  

You've got to understand, this is our 4th house.  Yup, you read that right.  AND we've rented 3 places as well.  Now, granted this may not seem much to you, but we've only been married 13 years and you're talkin' to a gal who lived in the same house from age 6 on; in fact, my parents STILL live there.   So, I get these kookie ideas and sometimes I just run with them.  This was one of those ideas.

So, I live in your basic 70's track house.  You know the kind, builder comes in with say 7 models and up goes a subdivision where there used to be a farm and they build it up in a matter of months.  No style, no character all the homes seem the same.  So, since I'm all about the character, this just does not sit well with me.  

Anyhow...So I'm looking at the closet (which I completely redesigned) and then I'm looking at the bedroom door.  Hmmmm...we're lacking some symmetry here.  So, for kicks, I blurt out my idea.  Hubby looks at me with absolutely no amount of concern or confusion on his face.  So, I'm wondering if he even heard me.  Now, the guy likes to humor, well torture me when I make a bad decorating decision (like when I wanted to paint my daughter's room the palest shade of yellow and it looked like a school bus exploded on her walls and he laughed and said you wanted yellow, you got yellow) so I was a bit nervous.

A moment later, armed with hammer, he did it.  He took out the drywall into the hallway which was just about the opening for the door.  It was amazing!  I can't believe I will have them in MY house.  The difference just ONE made in the hallway was so wonderful I almost cried.  (okay, not really, but I'm painting a picture here - LOL)  I can't wait until all the doors have them.  

What you ask?  Well...

Transom (architectural), the horizontal lintel or beam across a window, dividing it into stages or heights. In the U.S. it also can refer to a fixed window over a door or another window

Now, obviously, although I could show you mine, it ain't pretty yet people.  So, here are some wonderful transoms I found via the wonderful internet.

And for some snuggle up nights and yet more bedding dilemmas, I found this bedding and cannot get it out of my mind. I'm all about the neutral. Why? Because I love change. I don't do astrology, but I am a Gemini and I do have that twin thing going on sometimes. You know, I'm a little bit country AND I'm a little bit rock and roll. OR do you prefer, I like both kinds of music - country and western. I'm loving all the input I'm getting on the bedding and wow have I thought about all your advice and opinions a ton! Thank you!!! So, while you take a gander at this little number, here's why it struck me. It's completely neutral. I could layer it with some amazing and luscious sheets in a wide array of colors. Chocolate? Robin's Egg Blue? The options are endless. Patterns, solids, mix and match. I could layer with a quilt or a wonderful faux fur throw. Completely versatile. I could change weekly, monthly, seasonally, heck even for the holidays if I wanted to. In fact, I was picturing this with a rich pumpkin colored throw pillow (or two) and maybe a bamboo throw blanket to match for the Fall. Then I could do a silvery gray or a rich red or even a coppery color for the christmas holidays? A romantic red for Valentine's? A lime green for the spring? OR maybe Pottery Barn will introduce me to a brand new favorite! Plum? Cobalt Blue? Lavender? As you can see, I've been really giving this some thought. NOW I'd like to hear YOUR thoughts.





OH! And don't forget...check back about mid-week for my very first blog give away.

So, my very talented and gifted blog buddies...whatcha thinkin'?

Saturday Stitching...Stacy Style

Today is a very busy day for me (in all honesty, this entire weekend is over the top busy) so I've decided to post a little stitching eye candy today. So, while I'm rushing near and far today with drywall, decorating, homecoming, shopping, laundry, and dinner - why don't you take a moment an look at some of these amazing vintage ( "prim" or "primitive" ) cross stitch designs by the very talented Stacy Nash.
















Stacy Nash that is. Here are some seasonally appropriate designs I have been eyeing this week. I really like the simplicity of Stacy's designs. They adorable, simple, and a quick stitch. I love how they seem so vintage to me too.

I have stitched her Winter Woolens and I have her Skeleton Key design in my basket right now, just waiting for me to get into my cozy chair and stitch a bit.

If you'd like to see more of Stacy's designs and finishes, please visit her website...

http://www.stacynashprimitives.com/

If you are already a fan of Stacy Nash designs, I know of an amazing on-line group of stitchers that you could join. Visit the group HERE.