Toast with peanut butter and jelly

This is what I had for a snack tonight after work. It conjures up a lot of good after-school memories! When my siblings and I would come home starving from school my mom would instruct us to have toast instead of less nutritious fare. So, that's exactly what I'm doing. Now, if only Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers was playing on TV...

A little slice of good memories

Ch-ch-ch-Chip 'n Dale!

Jessica from Atlanta

If you'd like me to buy your artwork, you must be named Jessica and live in Atlanta, or so it would seem. The three prints I've bought for my living room came from two different etsy sellers named Jessica who both happen to live in Atlanta. Weird, huh?

Wallpaper Thin by Jessica Ritter

Diamond Tree and This is the Moment by Jessica Gonacha

Time for you to get a clock

I'm down to just two alarms: my shake-awake clock and cell phone. My Timex clock-radio isn't working properly. I hit snooze and it resets itself to midnight on Saturday, Jan. 1 (year unknown), which really isn't such a bad time to be. But, when I have a bus to catch, I need the actual time, not make-believe.

This is my second Timex clock-radio, I got my first one when I was heading off to college. I was drawn to them because of their useless features: nature noises, bell and chime alarms, color-changing digital display. I don't think I'll buy another. They didn't last very long. Three to four years. Seems to me they should last much longer than that, especially since they're Timex. Aren't they supposed to keep on ticking?

Good grief. And people wonder why I'm late.

My computer also messes with me time-wise. It's chronically 7-9 minutes behind. I'll synchronize the time, but the next day, it's off again. Do I need some kind of patch?

Curtain call

One more project done (almost)! My large living room window is now sporting new drapes. Out with the mini-blinds and in with the linen! My vision in this room is to have a neutral base (furniture, walls, curtains) with lively accessories.

Since I've decided to live with my living room color for awhile, I've been moving forward with my other projects. New window treatments topped that list. I found some tall linen panels from Overstock for a pleasing price of $24.99 for two. I also ordered some white sheers from JcPenney to go with the curtains, but I don't think I'm going to hang them anymore. I might do Roman shades instead, or I might change my mind.

I love IKEA's wooden curtain rod (both the price and the look), but since I'm not going to IKEA anytime soon, I settled for an inexpensive set from Wal-Mart - actually two sets combined together to make one extra long rod.

So, voila, new window dressing.

Before.

After. Four panels staggered.

After. Four panels wide open to seize the day!

Counting down the days

I took the bait from How about Orange? and downloaded Mibo's birdie calendar for 2009. Then, I printed it, clipped it to a clipboard and tacked it to my kitchen wall. A cheap and cheerful way to count down to 2010.

2009. woot!

How's it hanging, taskmaster?

My taskmaster brother should be resting easy tonight. As part of Operation-Whip-My-House-Into-Shape, I created a to do list of all the projects I want to complete before Easter. Brian had taken special, almost unnatural, interest in one of the tasks - getting the pictures behind my couch hung.

He wanted to hang them before the living room was painted and before I even knew what additional prints I wanted to purchase (still haven't made that purchase, but I know what I want). Then, he set a deadline of this Friday to have the pictures hung...or else!

This evening, his dreams came true. We hung the pictures.

Brian - so joyous. I'll post pictures of the completed wall once I order and receive the actual prints. The one in the frame right now is just a test run.

Lukewarm Living

Welp. My living room is painted. I wanted a soothing gray and I got it (Behr's Manhattan Mist). But I have my moments of doubt whether I picked the right color. Oh, the agony!

I love the cool hue, but at times it seems a little too cool and a little too blue for my space. I want my house to feel warm and cozy (hello, orange kitchen!). Now I'm worried my living room is going to end up feeling lukewarm.

I do like the color better than the dirty yellow it was rocking, so that's one small victory. I also feel I'm warming up to it a bit as I get my art and curtains hung.

Before.

After - one side of the room. I should take photos during the daylight for more accurate colors.

After - another side of the room

Loving on the edge

I would like to take a moment to profess my love for Shur-Line's Edge Like a Pro. This piece of painting paraphernalia has changed my life and all for a mere $6! I used it for edging in my living room and it made the entire painting process so much faster.

Taping sucks (sucks, sucks, sucks). With the edger, I didn't have to use any tape and the results were awesome. It took a little bit of practice to perfect my technique, but once I hit my stride, edging was a breeze. I daresay my lines were even straighter than they are with tape. Plus, tape isn't any cheaper. A roll of 1.5" blue painters tape costs $6 too. Time-saving + better results + same price = no-brainer.

A sure thing, if you ask me.

P.S. More to come on my living room redo soon (part of Operation-Whip-My-House-into-Shape)!