Thursday? Really?

Ok, i totally stole this from Angela...Pickles on Pizza!  i have no idea how it got to be thursday this quick and without any blog posts?  here's a quickie (that's what she said!)

A. Age: 42, but only until February

B. Bed size: Queen.
C. Chore that you hate: dusting and the never ending chore of taking care of this dog...
D. Dogs: Theodore Winston, AKA: Teddy

E. Essential start to your day: just some time... time to wake up! i like to have a single cup of coffee also, but if i don't get it, i can survive!

F. Favorite color: i love all things pink, but turquoise has a spot in my heart also...
G. Gold or Silver: silver or rather... platinum :)
H. Height: 4'11-3/4" -just can't hit that 5' mark without shoes.
I. Instruments you play: i don't play anything anymore. when i was a kid my parents made me take piano and i played the flute in school. i never really wanted to do it, so as soon as i could i quit. i'm just not into music so much.
J. Job title: Mom, Mrs., Head Goofball-video proof below (yes, you have to talk your head to the left to see this.)

K. Kids: 1 sweetie-pie adopted from China in 2004. i wanted a little girl from China since i was 8 or 9!!
L. Live: Michigan
M. Mother’s name: Barb, a name which she does NOT like. do you know the name Barb means "strange"?  It does, something else she is not so thrilled about :)
N. Nicknames: Miss... i don't ever use my real name on my blog. a couple years back i got an email from this site saying "someone is searching for you" but they wouldn't tell me who, you know, trying to get me to join their site. well, they give you 3 "clues" trying to lure you in and by the clues they gave i knew it was a member of my ex husbands family, so.... i try to do what i can to make myself not overly visible online- weird?
O. Overnight hospital stays: Nope, not since i was born, thank GOODNESS!P. 
Pet peeves: liars!!

Q. Quote from a movie:  Uncle Rico: "Yeah, If coach would've put me in fourth quarter, we'd have been state champions, no doubt. No doubt in my mind. You better believe things would have been different. I'd have gone pro in a heartbeat. I'd be makin' millions of dollars and livin' in a big ol' mansion somewhere. You know, soakin' it up in a hot tub with my soul mate."
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Yes, 2 younger brothers. both live in different states than i do.
T. Talents: pole dancing and peeling tomatoes with my toes.  just kidding!! the list i stole didn't even have a "T", so i just added this in. ok, my real talents:  i'm pretty artsy :) and have been told i have a good eye for color and i can run without getting a side ache-top that!
U. Underwear: yes please!
V. Vegetable you hate: i LOVE veggies. i don't like mushrooms, i hate them.
W. What makes you run late: myself: living for the adrenaline rush of waiting till the last moment. you should have seen how i looked this morning when i went to the dentist... 10 min. before i had to leave i was just starting to dry my hair...nice!
X. X-Rays you’ve had: dental x-rays just today
Y. Yummy food that you make: potato hash (no, you can't smoke it) and this ginger shrimp dish i got out of the newspaper. i think i've shared it here on the blog before... it is amazing!
Z. Zoo animal: i'd love to see Pandas again, i saw them in China in 1991 and 2004.

 seriously? this has got to be a boy, no lady would lay like that!

if you do this on your blog, add the link to the comments!

10 Random Things Friday...

Oh geeesh, i have so much to get done today!!!....

1. i am off to the mall to pick up my packet for the Koman Race for the Cure. 5k tomorrow morning at 8:30.  i love to run these races. what's not to love about waking up at 6 on a saturday, eating a power bar, having the nervous poops, worrying about having to pee (just a little bit) while you run, and race t-shirts! 

2. i watched the movie "As Good As It Gets" yesterday and could NOT quit laughing!! the movie quotes from this movie are PRICELESS!

~ You're a disgrace to depression.~

  ~ You people who talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch.~

                              ~ I'm drowning here, and you're describing the water!~

       ~ Come on in, and try not to ruin everything by being you.~

           ~ I can't do this without you. I'm afraid he might pull the stiff one-eye on me.~

If you haven't seen this movie, get it! but don't watch it with your kids!

3. for $3.74 i changed this (lame table) from this:

 to this:

 4. can you believe i took this picture? i <3 it!!

5. does this happen to you?

 we have this basket right outside our door (in the garage) and seriously, who has time to dig thru that mess to find 2 that match?  ok, i have the time, so perhaps the question should have been "who is too lazy to dig thru this mess to find 2 matching flip flops?"

6. i love these boots

am i too old for these? i think so!

 i LOVE this color! (below)

i believe these are more age appropriate than boots #1.

7. i love this!!!

find it (and other good stuff) here:

snottub

8.

most amazing cupcake EVEAH!

source (it's in DUTCH)

9. cute tutorial from a glove!!

cute, hun?

source: motherbabyearth

10. HAT DRIVE for the kids in China!!

I will be collecting $$ (donate button on TOP left of this blog-ALL $$ goes to hats!) AND hats: handmade or store bought winter hats (NEW only please!!) until 10-31-11

please, please, please consider donating! even a $1 is appreciated!!

Have a great weekend!!

New Fabric Brooches by chinamommy on etsy!

yes, yes... i'm finally listing these whimsical fabric brooches in my etsy store!

chinamommy

 yeah, i "PUT A BIRD ON IT"

 ~Happy Thursday!~

Hand painted wallpaper adventure!

let me start with the fact that i have done NOTHING for days... Ok, i've got Darling on and off the bus and i have used the bathroom but other than that a big fat NOTHIN'!  i haven't even had any coffee because i have no 1/2 and 1/2 and i'm too lazy to go to the store!! yesterday i was feeling like such a slug that i pulled a ladder inside and got started on a PURE CRAZY project: hand painted wallpaper!  

Source: jonesdesigncompany

the picture above is from the lady who is kind enough to show you how to do this AND give you a free template.  she did all 4 walls of her office with double lines...i'm just doing a single line because i know myself and myself is a slacker!

So, here's what i've got going on...

you do NOT even want to know how long that took me!  i'm only doing the wall behind our bed-there is NO WAY i could do all our walls and it would be too much!  i'm going to use silver paint to paint the design, i think it will be nice with this lamp

(next up: i need to revamp the little side table i got from my gram)

so, needless to say, i will be spending many hours on my nice green ladder.... it's one of those projects you can't just leave, it's a little obvious and it's too late to turn back now!

**don't forget: the countdown for the baby hat drive is coming FAST**

see all the information in the tab above or just hit the donate button at the top- every $1 helps!

Random Friday...

Oh my, is it Friday already?!

1. Artprize is back in Grand Rapids, MI!! 

If there is anyway you can get here, DO IT!! go here for all the info: artprize

2. I'm running a 5k tomorrow morning.  i've only run twice in the last 4 weeks thanks to the ragweed trying to KILL ME! my mister ran a 5k last saturday and i should have, there were VERY few runners and i would have got a medal, and you all know how i LOVE the medals (and Range Rovers) 

really the only reason to run, right?  well, that and a nice butt! 

3.      Aren't these beautiful?

                 from HERE: annabellearts

4. i love her

5. my vintage find, $7!!

6. i may or may not be obsessed with this scarf i found at the GAP outlet.
don't be surprised when i am wearing it every time we meet!

7. I had a customer order this week!!!
from my paper cuts are cute etsy shop!

 here


8. MORE new fabric pins, waiting for pin backs and then headed to my other etsy shop
chinamommy

 (Yes, Mel and Funny-i put a bird on it!!)
        
9. tried to buy these 2 for darling yesterday....

she was having NONE of it... she kept saying "i don't like that "mission" stuff".  i am destined to live with a sweat-suit-wearin'-cutie with NO sense of style... i can't even imagine my mom offering to buy me designer duds as a kid, let alone me turning her down?!?!?!

10. PLEASE please, please don't forget about the hat drive for the kids in China!!!  

the deadline to send those hats to me is 10/31/11.  this year they are going to the kids at the Chengdu City Children Welfare Center.  IF you do not want to make or buy hats, please donate using the DONATE button on the top of the blog, top-left. EVERY SINGLE PENNY is used for the drive!!  Please consider donating $1 today!

(all info in the above TAB)

           have a GREAT weekend!!    

Crazy Quilted fashion pins on etsy!

Lucky for you i've calmed down after a morning of fashion frustration! let me just say: if i threw all my daughter's clothes out and replaced them with sweatsuits from walmart, there would be morning peace in my home.  let me also say "this ain't happening!".  i've had 2 cups of coffee, taken several deep cleansing breaths and am willing to let the wardrobe debacle of earlier blow right out the door..... this girl has a wardrobe i would die for!

apparently cute does not equal comfy to this 8 year old!  moving on....

i got a bug up my bootie and wanted to make something with ALL the cute fabric i have in my stash (plus my poor etsy store has been totally neglected ALL summer).  if you don't know, i can't really sew but think i can.  well, i have no idea how to follow a pattern or what the right words are for anything to do with sewing, but i can kind of sit down and just make stuff up and hope the machine follows my brain.  i have a sewing/embroidery machine that i am so NOT worthy of!!  seriously, the only machine i am truly worthy of would be the broken one in the goodwill dumpster (that  ANGELA may have just picked-hee, hee!)  so, here is what my brain came up with and my machine was willing...

So what do you think? "i likey-like" or "quit wasting your time"

I need to go buy some new pin backs but they'll be in the shop soon!

Have a fabulous Thursday and go put on something CUTE!

Candy Colored Front Porch Remodel!

last summer the Mister tore the railing off of our front porch.  one of the best things we've ever done to this house!!  since the railing is off we've used the front porch more than we ever have.  honestly, before the railing came down i don't know if we'd ever sat out there; the railing hit me right in the eyes so it was a lovely view...  we got crazy lucky this summer with some adirondack chairs so it was time to pretty up the porch!!  Here's what we started with: 2 white chairs and 1 red chair (and 1 red table, that may STILL be in the box waiting for a super handy man...).

me being me, i couldn't leave these chairs alone....

 oh yeah, and a ugly dark brown bench that i power washed to some shabby ugliness...

 i grabbed my tools of choice

and got this: 1 gorgeous turquoise, 1 original red color and...

 my gosh, who called in hunter orange? 

and ummm.... this was suppose to be lime, not day-glo yellowy/green

(notice i was smart enough to NOT finish this!!)

so now i have turquoise (which i LOVE), red, (which i like but yet something isn't right), orange (which i hate) and a yellowy green neon bench (which i also HATE!).  i don't want to tell the mister (i tend to paint and regret and re-paint and agonize and...). i just wasn't happy with my pallet, not 1 bit, it was better than nothing, but who wants "better than nothin'"?  the last 2 months every time i drive in our driveway i cringe, it's just NOT RIGHT!! so.... today i am on pinterest doing some "research" (you girls on there know what i mean. researching DIY's that i pin but am so busy pinning i never have time to do).  so anyway, i see this 

source

and the angels sang and the light from heaven shone down on my spray paint obsession collection!!

i ran outside, grabbed the safety cone orange chair and the red one.  red, i loved you but you just don't go with my vision...goodbye!  don't worry turquoise, you and i are in a truly committed relationship.

★was orange★

★was red★

★was just plain old GROSS★

(i know the green kinda looks the same, but trust me, it is less yellow than it was...it's gonna work!)

by george, i think i've GOT IT!!  i'm off to get 1 more can of pink (mister, i promise...just 1 more can is all it's going to take....) and then... i need to get the porch back together before everyone gets home so they can both do their eye roll!  i also repainted our front doors and will do a big reveal of the whole thing. ( i need to get my trim around the door painted and then it will be READY!!!)  and just so ya know...i only painted the doors once!  got that baby right the very 1st time.  please tell me i'm not alone!!! i am someone that just can't get it together until i've done it wrong... story of my life!

paint horror stories? do tell!