Happy Birthday Grumpy Girl, Happy Birthday 2-U!

I love when the morning, especially a SATURDAY morning starts this way: 7:32 am, puppy awake crying to go out, his owner also crying because she has to take him out. Stomping into rubber boots (wet dew in grass where the dog "toilet" is), whining into jacket (Michigan does not realize it's JULY- with record low temps yesterday!), swinging arms, giant tears running down one little face (yes.... mine!) as she heads out. Door slams they're back in with darling daughter still crying & exclaiming: he didn't have to go!! Yeah, right- all night in his kennel (in her room) & he doesn't have to go to the bathroom?! So what's a mom to do? Today is her party and she is a MESS! PUT HER BACK IN BED! I don't hear anymore cryi...oh crap, it's because she's up! Ok, we've picked a DVD & she's back in my bed. Just when i thought she was blissfully sleeping & putting on her "happy face", she was instead plotting her escape from bed! As a child i was often sent to my room & ordered to stay there until i had my "happy face on"- my parents never did appreciate the brooding artist i was as a child...

So, i got my artsy self on this week & made this shirt for Darling's birthday.Remember i forgot to order a cake? Well, I was going to make these originally, so we went with it. Darling had so much fun making them & said "i LOVE them" when they were finished. She was more excited about these cupcakes then she ever is... I just never know what's going to really work for this kid!i got the idea from this cutie (Amber) :

http://amberzimm.blogspot.com/

they are pretty cute, hun? I like how hers turned out better, i should have trimmed the cupcake liner edge off the top "bun"... & definitely bought frosting in a can! Target didn't have the pre-colored frosting cans so we mixed our own & they just didn't come out as bright. Oh well. Speaking of TARGET... we got the cutest shoes there for nothing! Ok, next to nothing! I went to the Target site so i could just copy their professionals pictures and do you know they won't let me copy them?! Boo, they're on to me! 4 pairs of shoes for less than $30!

Ok, i guess we're taking darling (who is now UP &... has her happy face on) out to Breakfast!

Happy Saturday! We're headed out to Indiana tonight for GG's party on Sunday (PAR-TAYyyyyy). Imagine it: 40+ people 75 and up partying like ROCK STARS... I'll have pictures on Monday!

Entry way make-over, almost...

i really wanted to wait till it was totally done to post my entry but I'm tired of waiting & since everyone is begging (Ok, ONLY in my dreams-where people hang on my every word, & live & breath to see what i do next...).

Here is a little recap of what i was working with: UGLY color... grey/green, oak trim (which i personally do NOT like), banister, which i also didn't like. I'm not crazy about the chandelier, it's ok. BUT...i REALLY want to make my own like the fabulously talented Danielle Thompson ( http://thompsonfamily.typepad.com/thompson_familylife/ ) Something more along the lines of what she did here: i am all about whimsical!You can see more beautiful photography on her flickr sight- there is a link from her blog!

Another shot of the entry... Yes, that is a picnic table, don't ask! For the record, this is when the mister was still single!Here's when we started:i did a little bit of a "oops" with the paint color, so we decided to add a Venetian Plaster over the top. It definitely toned the yellow down. I only put one coat on, but may go back & do another coat of it, i wanted a thicker plaster look than i got with only the single coat... We still have the light switch covers to put on & the edge of the trim on the new stairway needs painted (oops). The biggest change that isn't done yet & will take some time: the doors! We're going to replace every door with an old vintage door painted white. No, they aren't all going to match- eclectic cottage is what I'm going for. The front door may get painted white on the inside until we decide exactly what it is we want there... BUT- MUCH BETTER!i think i found this old door at my old house, not sure where it's going yet, but somewhere in the entry.

Didn't the mister do a great job? After this is totally done, we need to get our bedroom painted. I'm all set on colors & bedding for that room, but... the great room, not so much! It's right off of this entry & has to be all one color- there isn't a good cut off to do a couple colors between the kitchen & living area. The end wall where the fireplace is will probably be an accent wall, so i can have another color on that end. Not sure I want to do a SUPER bold color in that much space, but then again...? Anyone have any ideas? It's dark olive green now. I'm not afraid of color & would never paint white... My colors are:

Yellow

Grass Green

Red

Turquoise

Black

Anyway I'm open to suggestions!!!

I'm off running, this is the last day before darling daughter's party & i forgot about THE CAKE! Oh yes i did!

Happy Friday.... can't believe it's Friday...

~m

The Bachlorette recap & more...

Ok, i know it's Wed. & The Bachlorette was Monday but what can i say...? So they (Jillian, Ed, Reid, & Kiptyn) are in HAWAII, my favorite place on EARTH & they're on Maui- which i LOVE LOVE LOVE- darling daughter & i were scoping it out to see if we recognized anything & low & behold Jillian & Ed were on the same boat we took for Whale watching- The Trilogy (Hi Capt. Kevin... like he's reading this, duh!). So Ed has some catching up to do... he bring his parents to meet Jillian since he took off before the home town visits to go back to work but now has returned. Bet that was a hard sell: "hey Mom & Dad would you like to go to Maui & meet this chick I have the hots for? You'll do an hour at most & have the rest of the time to hang out in HAWAII?!!" Now, i don't get this whole "overnight drama" that occurred with Ed... Were they not feelin' each other or were they not "FEELIN" each other? Did Ed need a Viagra & an old fashioned claw-footed tub overlooking some Mountains? and... are those tubs full of water or do you just sit in them naked looking at mountains waiting for "something to happen"? (you know the commercial). AND is the overnight date to fool around & then pick? If so that totally grosses me out...

I would like to point out that while i liked the grey & yellow t-shirt style dress she was wearing on her date with Reid, it more than showed off the fact she was wearing a thong as she got on the helicopter! Am i the only one that noticed this? I have nothing against a thong, but the whole showing it off... seriously ladies? I realize in a t-shirt dress you're going to have some of that. I better move on before i start on my whole "what is up with girls in low rise jeans thinking they're plumbers!". Have i mentioned before i have a crush on Reid? I know i'm like totally "cougaring out" on that & like he wants a 40 year old, but i still find him enjoyable, not that i would enjoy him- i am happily married. So anyway he is just so cute & totally reminds me of Chandler from the show "Friends" mixed with my HS pal Kevin (not to be confused with Capt. Kevin of the Trilogy!). Reid doesn't confess his undying love & in the end get's the boot... I have a feeling this is not the last we see of Reid... hooked on a feelin' whoa, whoaaa..

Ok, my recap is boring me, so let's skip Kip- he doesn't float my boat anyway.

Yesterday i had an eye appt. at 1:15 in the afternoon (like it would be in the AM?!), i left late. It's at Costco, do i have my Costco card?- of course not. i call Costco to tell them i have an open head wound & this makes me stupid, they'll let me in but i am not allowed to buy anything... really? i call the mister to tell him to bring home a tool that will remove my head from my butt. As we are chatting on the phone i see the giant arrow on the back of a truck pointing left & the sign that reads "Right Lane CLOSED Ahead". Well, i'm going 57 MPH & i'm talking to mister & daughter is watching a "Brady Bunch" DVD in the backseat & Rush is on the radio & I have an open head wound... I NEED to go RIGHT!! I see it's the lane that's closed, but not the TURN lane so i get in the turn lane but realize it's the turn lane to turn into the gas station & i don't have time to stop!!! I figure i'll just stay in that lane that doesn't really exist all the way to the road where i have to turn right, so i'm driving in a lane i've just made up & men are filling pot holes on my left (hello it's MICHIGAN- the land of the giant pot holes!!) & i'm looking away from them saying "don't look at me, i have an open head wound & I know i shouldn't be driving in this pretend lane, but have you SEEN MY HEAD WOUND??" Don't worry when i said "oh this isn't a real lane" the mister & i hung up!

As we pull onto the road where Costco is i start yelling directions to darling daughter like we're going down in a burning plane: Get the DVD turned off, put it on the seat, remove all items from your carseat, when the car stops unhook your seat & unload as quickly as possible... i HATE being late, i really do! BUT... i think i am an adrenaline junkie! i am always pushing everything to the last second & arriving with sweat rings under my arms. maybe i should take up skydiving & get it out of my system?

I can't sew, so i bought these patterns off of etsy, i'm off to tear my hair out while trying to sew whilst i can't...

Happy Hump Day!

&

WELCOME NEW FOLLOWERS!!

Tell a friend, become a cult-free follower... well, not a cult YET!

You say it's your birthday...

So this week is INSANE, you know, with dying those ponies pink & applying the rhinestone stars around their eyes and all... We have a birthday party to go to on Tuesday (& went to one this past Saturday), then darling daughter's party is this Saturday (hence, the pink ponies) and... My Grandma's 100th birthday is this Sunday! Yep, 100 & all her own teeth & hair! Amazing, am i right?! These are some pictures of her from this past Christmas:
apparently you have an itchy spot on your head when you're almost 100 this is her spot she's getting after right here:This is her typical "i'm not impressed" look. See the pursed lips & the "really? you got me prunes for Christmas? look"and here she is in her "snuggy", she was nice enough to call my mom & tell her it fit... Ummm, Gram, i think they are 1 size fits all... She's excited for a gift other than prunes or she thinks it's some kind of trophy she won. She's pretty sure it's a trophy for her hair as she once told me "I have the most beautiful silver hair in all of Huntington, people tell me that ALL the time". No, she wasn't kidding & yes, she believes this with ALL her heart! My Grandma is... FULL of herself! I remember we took her someplace to eat for her birthday several years ago & as they were singing "Happy Birthday" to her she was directing them! She loves the center of attention, this one does... gee, who does that remind you of? Perhaps a person that would post a picture like this of themselves?

So, Florence Pauline, here's to YOU! I love ya bunches even if you did yell at me as a child "get off my railing" 100 times an hour.

Ok, cupcake & birthday yumminess:

this little chocolate number by suite106cupcakery (on etsy). i bet there are NO calories in this goody, doesn't it look FABULOUS!!!
i ♥ this t-shirt by: planetpudge (also etsy, as is everything else i'm showing). Ist this C*U*T*E or what?? do you think i could get one with 40 candles?

cupcake toppers by sevencupcakes. do you think she has 7 kids? if so, how in the world would she have time to dress let alone make these cuties?
well, you can see on the picture where this came from! PatterofLittleFeet on etsy! a Hello Kitty cupcake scarf- you know how i love me the cute stuff!!! Cupcakes AND Hello Kitty... GET OUT! i ♥ it!!the food scarf's kill me, this one is by a fellow michigander:

kellyzkreationz. she has so many cute things in her shop- check her out & tell her chinamommy sent you!

and the frosting on this one? Genius!! So cute! You can find this in the shop called: FiercePixie - even the shop name is GREAT!!there is no more perfect advice than this... Mom? are you reading??!!

this is available from: jennysbakeshop

and this from: drinacat, need i say more? this is so cute i want to wear it everyday, you know just around the house & to Target... Ok, i have GOT to get going, it's 11:02 and i'm not even dressed... well, i'm DRESSED, but just in PJ's...

Happy Monday & don't forget:

become 1 of my followers & i PROMISE to never give you tainted Kool-Aide! see the button on your left ♥

Excuse me while i spazzzzz out...

so i woke up yesterday at 5 am... i remember in college i slept till 5 PM one time... it was overcast & every time i woke up i thought it was "too early" to get up... Guess i could sleep because i didn't have a kid or a puppy & i wasn't 40! So anyway, i woke up at 5 AM because i just realized it is darling daughters 6th birthday on July 19th & i had nothing, zero, nada, zip, planned! Yes, me, Martha Steward wanna-be (kinda)! i immediately set to planning a party in my mind full of ponies painted pink with rhinestone stars over 1 eye, a castle made entirely of candy that has a slide that slides down into the hand tiled pool i have the mister dig. Of course i've mosaic'd a cupcake of iridescent pink tile in the shallow end! We'll fly in the Princess characters from Disney & maybe some of the other guys as well. Daughter & puppy are wearing matching hand embroidered outfits trimmed in marabou feathers & i've got on a little number by Betsy Johnson with Manolo Blahnik sandals.

you know, something simple & understated... thank goodness for my mister who shook me violently & saved me from my crack-like party hallucinations!

So instead we're doing a party in the park & taking the girls to the local ice cream shoppe, whewwww! thanks honey for talking me down off the ledge!

But... this post must be short because we're off to find a t-shirt & rhinestones & tulle for a custom "6" t-shirt... come on, i have to! Yes, yes, the Yorkie puppy (dear little Teddy) will be wearing a party outfit- photo overload on it's way!

and because i no longer have to beg for votes, i'll just encourage you to check out my store on etsy: chinamommy. you can just hit the link on the side. Cutie~Cupcakes now have a lower price!

have a great day & i'll post pics of the outfits when they're done (which is usually 3 min. before the start of the party). i haven't forgotten to post pictures of my NEW entry, but i'm on the hunt for 5 vintage doors to replace the cheap-o nasty oak ones currently installed. i just want to post the finished work & not ruin it with the ugly doors!

~m

Good-bye wes, ya weasel!

Please tell me you're as into the Bachelorette as i am? Seriously, could wes be anymore of an *&$&%$ ???? IF i liked country music i wouldn't listen to his "music" on principles alone! Here is my breakdown of the dates in SPAIN, IF you want to know & then i will move on to cuter craftier things now that the ding-dang funniest contest is over (thanks to those that voted, i was in the bottom 5 i'm quite sure!!). The pressure to be funny was killing me, i couldn't sleep at night!

Ok:

Kiptyn

ummm, personally i don't know why she thinks he's so "perfect", yeah, whatever, he's ok. they take a dance lesson & his pants are so tight you can tell the year of the quarter in his pocket... Ewww! Off on a scooter for dinner & he runs them into the curb, which reminds me of a childhood memory, may i share? My mom who is the world's best volunteer (or was when we were kids) use to deliver "meals on wheels" every week to old people that couldn't cook for themselves. So EVERY week we would head to the hospital to pick up that nasty institution food & they would load it into whatever ugly car she was driving at the time- perhaps it was the school-bus yellow Vega? as we left the parking lot we would take a right turn and she would HIT THE CURB EVERY SINGLE WEEK! No joke, she NEVER missed a week... & again i digress with my bachlorette throw down. Kiptyn- sorry dude, no "fantasy suite". Good girl Jillian!

Ed

while cute (he has dark hair, what can i say: i loves me that dark hair) & successful he is a yawn fest! Glad he came back but he's someone i would want someone else to date, not me (& since i am married, that's a plus). Jillian couldn't keep her lips off him & that's probably a good thing since he is NOT funny & really didn't have anything interesting to say. Ed talks her into the "fantasy suite" but only for "time together fully dressed"! Thank you people for not making this some slutty "get it on" show!... Reed/Reid

whatever, he's CUTE! R & Jillian shopped for food, giggled like school girls & slaughtered the language of Spain which would be Spanish, i believe. Jillian begs for an "i love you Jillian, i can't live without you" & gets: we're similar, you smell good, & i'm slow to open up with my feelings- blah, blah, blah" Sorry Reed/Reid- no fantasy suite for you either, my man! & is it just me, or does he remind you of Chandler from "Friends"? i like him, he's funny AND cute...

wes... whose name i will NOT capitalize nor will i color it to make it match his shirt like i did for the other boys!

he sucks! he is a cold hearted, selfish, attention seeking, narcissistic ___ (fill in the blank).

when Jillian FINALLY sent him packing i wept tears of joy.
My fav part... well, i can't decide, is it: a) the fact he took the free trip to Spain knowing full well he was there to promote his sucky music (fav comment: some song of his is #1 in Spain so he is "at home with the people there", b) the picnic lunch where she asks if he'd move to Canada & he says "that would be crazy" & then she says "well how would it work if i pick you & he says..."that bird has no foot" & spills his beer, c) at the rose ceremony where he tells the other guys "he's going" & they can think of him back home having tons of sex (really wes?) or d) when he gets in the limo & proves once again what a HUGE creep he is...

If you're NOT watching the show, sorry for that...but i feel much better!

Ok, i'm off to do "show prep" for tomorrow when i get back to craftier endeavors, until i get side tracked again! :)
~m

Kawaii=Cute in Japan

KAWAII
~*♥cute♥*~

by: BetsyEtsy (on etsy)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kawaii.
Since the 1970s, cuteness (可愛さ, kawaisa) has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms.[1] Foreign observers often find this cuteness intriguing, revolting or even childish because the Japanese employ it in a vast array of situations and demographics where, in other cultures, it would be considered incongruously juvenile or frivolous (for example, in government publications, public service warnings, office environments, military advertisements, and commercial airliners, among many others) don't ya love that, even the govt is cute?

(Pendant by Kimora Lee Simmons)

(from abracadabulle's photostream on flickr)

I've been a fan of "kawaii" ever since i was a small girl, but just heard this word for it in the last couple years. I use to collect Hello Kitty & have a box full of "stuff" that i bought in the 80's. There was a Sanrio store in Ft. Wayne, IN at the mall, i would save my allowance & when we went to visit my Grandma we'd make "the stop". I'm sure i drove my family nuts carefully pondering each & every item!

i made this pillow when i was in 7th grade home ec. My friend drew the picture for me & i did the embroidery. The poor pillow even survived a flood in my parents basement, see the lovely water stains?

http://www.sanrio.com/

check out the above link for Hello Kitty overload!!
Personally, i don't want to be all kawaii (i AM 40, after all!), i don't want my house decorated in hello kitty, nor do i want to dress like i'm 4, but i do like some bits&pieces of it, i ♥ cute, what can i say? My art room has kinda become MY Neverland (RIP MJ). It's the place i can put all my cute stuff without feeling like a dork! i have a daughter now, so i can always blame it on her!

Print by character designer: Silvia Portella. You can find her work on etsy under the name: bukubuku

this is my Blythe doll, she was here waiting for me when we got home from our cruise. i HAD to have her 'cause everyone else wants one, right? i don't think i understand the whole Blythe phenomenon... i don't buy clothes for her, don't take pictures of her (ok, i took the one above) & don't take her with me on vacation, but i do think she's cute & she is in my art room.

Do you know of Danielle Thompson, the super talented blogger/artist/momma? (& Blythe LOVER) There is a link to her blog above & if you're also into kawaii AND crafts, check her out at: http://www.kitschydigitals.com/

She has the cutest digital scrapbooking kits, paper goods & embroidery patterns (i have the cupcake patterns).

Hope you enjoyed the sweetness, now go brush your teeth & after that... come on, you know i have to... VOTE FOR ME!! July 6th is the last day to vote... So ELLIE & the rest of you.... please with a kawaii cherry on top?!