I'm A Mess!

Laura's Birthday party was a success! I think everyone had a great time on the Woodinville Wine Tour not the Potted Meat Product Plant as I had thought we would be doing when I blogged about her upcoming birthday events. The Party at my house afterwards was fun, I think everyone had a good time and left with full bellies. I know 30 people who probably did a lot of NOTHING yesterday.

My house still looks like a party just took place, because I was one of those people who did nothing yesterday. I have dishes stacked up, laundry that needs to be done, the dog stinks, the sun room now stinks like party garbage, and the worst part...................MY CAMERA IS MIA! That's right Missing In Action. Lost during the wine tour and party. With ALL MY PICTURES. DAMN! What does this mean for you? It means I won't be doing a post of Laura's Birthday until I find my damn camera!

The Hubs woke me up at 4 am this morning to let me know he couldn't get to the coffee maker on the counter because the dirty dishes are stacked so high in front of it. His words to me while I was still in bed half asleep "is that something we can get rectified today?" of course I said "yes, it is. " I'll make sure I do this morning"

Well TOUGH SHIT! My camera is lost and a girl has to have her priorities.

Today is Laura's actual birthday so go on over to her blog and wish her a happy 40th birthday. It will be a nice surprise for her when she gets back from helping me find my camera today instead of the nice girly lunch I promised her.

As soon as I find my camera I'll be doing posts on;

Laura's party

My up coming surprise trip to New York

Up coming concert I'm attending with the The WSU's (Laura and Hubs)

My Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

My eBay inventory I'm liquidating. Great Gifts!

What I filled my huge urns with for the holidays that cost me NOTHING and they look fabulous

And..........a fabulous new cookbook I found that is all about cookies written by a local woman that has an amazing story as to why she wrote the book.

With that said...........I need to find that camera! It's going to be a busy next couple weeks so stay tuned!

One more thing...............

Lisgh at Grosgrain Garage is having one of the best give aways EVER! I wanted to post a picture of my Stephan Bonanno's Sandals that I love but..........I don't have a camera! Go check out her give away, you won't be disappointed.

Have a great day!

SOMEONE IS HAVING A BIRTHDAY

So this last Monday was the kick off of WSU Laura's Birthday Week. You know, the week where you get to do nothing, shop all week, order everyone around, and attend social functions in your honor all because ........It's Your Birthday! This coming weekend, Saturday to be exact, there will be a big Hootinannie in her honor. It's a surprise and she knows something is happening in her honor, but she doesn't know what...AND IT'S KILLING HER! I thought I would share with you and her (she's a regular reader) a little of what's going on. Some of the planning and non planning that's been happening.

This was the cake she had featured on her blog with wishful thinking that it was going to be presented to her on her 40th birthday.

Her Hubs (WSU Hubs) called me and wanted some help in the planning.

I said "SURE I would love to help!"

He had all these great ideas to do something fun and classy for her because you know WSU Laura is the queen of classy fantastic parties. She makes Martha Stewart look like a freakin slacker.

My response to him............HELL NO! It's her 40th! This should be something embarrassing and memorable. I'm thinking tacky, educational, and down right "what the hell" worthy!

After my suggestions on what I thought we should do, WSU Hubs quickly told me that my help was only needed on a limited level. Oh, OK.

So with what seemed to be a little hesitation, I was put in charge of the cake.

After reading WSU Laura's blog on Monday I know she has an idea about what she would like her cake to look like but.........(Me)Princess Lazy Ass isn't that creative. Yes, I could have called some professional fancy place like Mike's Amazing Cakes to do something fabulous or something totally different like

The Erotic Bakery. (You need to check this one out!)

Not only is Pricess Lazy Ass not creative but I'm L A Z Y and a huge procrastinator. I started to think about it today, which is 2 days before the big day. I no longer have time for ordering something! With that said, I'm going to try and make it myself. It's the thought that counts right?

Here are a few cakes I found on line that sparked some ideas of what I could create;

How about a Lego cake? That looks easy enough. Maybe make it pink?

I don't know what the hell this is but I would bet a million bucks that the cake I create looks a lot like it!

This just made me laugh. I don't think I'll try to copy this cake because it looks a little beyond my skill level. However.......I'm so going to save this picture so I can have it made in the event WSU Laura decides to have a SWINGERS theme for her 50th birthday. Seeeeeeee thinkin ahead!

WHAT? You never know?

Oprah says you could have swingers livin right next door to you! I'm not going to pooh pooh anyone for lifestyle choices. I don't care. I'll make them a cake too!

WSU Laura would love this! I know Kit Kats are her favorite. DAMN! Again too bad I didn't think ahead!

Would you like me to tell you about my ideas that got me voted off the WSU Laura Birthday Planning Committee? OR DID THEY??????? We won't know for sure until Sunday will we. WSU Laura..........are ya scared???

I suggested to WSU Hubs for Laura's birthday, I was thinking a tour of a potted meat product plant.

How interesting?????? Memorable and Educational

Then from there we could go to an Imitation Crab Meat manufacturing plant for a tour. I've always wondered what the hell that is and why it tastes like crap.

Again..........educational, and thought provoking.

We can get all dolled up in the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE as it's know in the industry) to tour the plants. Complete with rubber boots, hairnets, and lab coats. It will be a little hard to chit chat with one another wearing resperators, but it doesn't matter. I suggested we invite a bunch of people that Laura doesn't know to mix things up a little. Hell with the family and friends! You see them all the time! I know that's what she would like but that's soooooooo EXPECTED don't you think?

These would be our tour guides. Explaining how they scrape the floors and put the crap off the floors in cans and plastic bags and sell it. Now I don't know if that is how they do it for sure but that's what my Dad told me.

He also told me that soy sauce was made with all the flies collected off the window sill, then put in a blender with water or if they were really fresh they would just squish them through the window screens so you would get the flavors of the other bugs stuck to the screens. The Chinese Food place we went to when I was a little kid (there was only one in town) had a bit of a fly problem. It's my Dad! Why would he lie to me??????

From the tours we can go have hamburgers and maybe a crab salad. Then we can watch Vin Diesel movies over and over again. While we watch Laura lick her eyebrows and drool all over herself.

Hey Laura! I have been watching you. Is it your birthday baby? I got a little "somethin-somethin" for ya.

I've been so sad that we haven't seen each other in a while. (It's because my movie career is in the crapper right now.)

Hey Laura Baby, you want to put a little more sun block on your Vinny Baby? Try not to touch my big bulging biceps. They are sore from my work out today.

Maybe I invited him????? Maybe that's what I've been so busy doing this week?????????? Who knows???? LAURA DOESN'T!

My other idea was to have a party at the local laundromat. On a Saturday it should be busy and everyone loves cake right? Again not with family and friends, but with strangers. More fun, unexpected, and........we can get our laundry ALL done at once while we are there.

Laura knows something is going on but she doesn't know what. Frankly neither do I because I got voted off the island. Creative people are often misunderstood ya know? So stay tuned............The party is on Saturday I'm hoping to have some fantastic pictures of the Birthday.

Have a great weekend!

Let The Holiday Season Begin!

I love this movie! The Grinch That Stole Christmas has been on of my favorites since I was little. This picture represents how my holiday season has been kicked off.
This picture has nothing to do with the post. It just cracks me up and I had to share it with you. Charlie hating the holidays. This always reminds me of Max the dog from the Grinch That Stole Christmas. Beat down, miserable, hatin the holidays. Sometimes it's just how you feel during the holidays.

OK, Back to the real scheduled post..............

I ventured out to Jo Ann's yesterday to shop for some mirrors and a couple other items. When I got there it was crazy busy. Big sale, no school, and apparently the holiday season has begun with or without me.

In true retail fashion there were only a few checkers on hand so the line was probably about 30 people deep waiting to check out. I waited in line 20 minutes to check out with my $10 worth of stuff. I contemplated several times just laying my stuff down and leaving. I decided what the hell, I'm here. I've waited this long. I might as well wait it out.

About 7 or 8 people in front of me in line was a woman with 2 shopping carts full of cut yardage. When I say full I mean heaping. It took the poor checker forever to get that all bagged up for her. You could see the frustration on both the ladies faces. When they were done the woman rolled both carts out of the store even more heaped then when she started. Now all that fabric was in slippery plastic bags. There were more then 5 or 6 people who left through that same door after that woman.

Stay with me this does have something to do with my story..................

So I pay for my stuff and head out the door. On the floor going out the door to the parking lot were bags of fabric laying on the ground. I picked them up and took them back in to the checker right by the door and let her know that I had picked them up outside the door. We both agreed that it must have been the woman with the two carts of fabric and she would be back. So I left it with her. On my way to my car in the parking lot I could see on the other side of the parking lot (totally opposite of where I parked) that the woman with the 2 carts of fabric was still unloading her fabric in to her car. So I hurried over to catch her before she was done.

This is how my good deed/trying to be helpful went;

Me: Excuse me, did you buy some pink and white stripped fabric and some solid pink fabrics?

She turned and looked at me like........what the F is it to you?

Her: Yeah, why?


Me: You dropped some bags back there and.............

Interrupted before I could finish and she shot a look like I was crap on her shoe.

Her: Well, go get them!

This said with a tone that was so rude and demanding all I could do is look at her stunned. I was thinking "are you kidding me?"

***Note about Timi*** my eyes don't hide my feelings. If I'm pissed, your going to know it. It's a genetic defect. My whole family has eyes that need no words. I have stopped the naughtiest kids in their tracks and looking for their mothers with just one look and not saying a thing. Sometimes it's a gift sometimes its a detriment.


Me: No, I can't go get it for you. It's right in side the door............

cut off again

Her: Well what did you do with it? Is it just laying on the ground?


Now I'm just pissed!

Me: No! When you go back in to get it yourself, it will be at the first checker in the door. She is expecting you.


I turned around and walked off. Half way to my car I heard her finally yell thank you to me. I said your welcome without turning around. Probably rude on my part but what I really wanted to do is flip her off as I was walking away.

As I was sitting in my car steaming I kept seeing a scene from Roadhouse with Patrick Swayze as Dalton. The part where he ripped the throat out of the bad guy with his two fingers.

I wanted to go Roadhouse on her ass!

Then I asked myself these questions..........

Is this how the holidays are going to go this year?


What the hell is wrong with people? By doing a good deed or being courteous to others does that make me weak and a target to be treated so rudely?


Are people so self absorbed that they can't think of anyone but themselves? After all, lots of people walked out that door, stepped over the fabric and never took the time to stop and pick up her fabric. I was the only one who stopped and picked it up AND returned to the counter. Someone could have picked up all those bags and just gone home with them. Thank you bitchy lady for buying dishonest lady some fabric!

Do you think her mother raised her that way?


I wonder if she talks to her kids and husband that way?


I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she just had the shopping trip from hell at JoAnn's and was all bent out of shape and just ready to go.


You know what.............


Too F*&^% BAD! We all just had the shopping trip from hell in there!

Now go out and practice some kindness today to prepare for the holidays. Open the door for someone, turn away when you cough, Say hi to someone, help a little Grammy get something off the high shelf at the store, help a Grandpa read Grammies list in the grocery store and point him in the right direction or better yet just go get it for him. It's not hard people!

For those of you who practice this year round........

Thank you!

Keep up the good work!

Happy Veterans Day

Thank you to all our Veterans and all men and women currently serving. We appreciate your service, dedication, and sacrifice.

This day has special meaning for us here at The House of B's.

The Hubs is a veteran, 21 years of service in the Navy.

Thank you Hubs!

Here are a few of my favorite Veteran pictures

Our 3 favorite Veterans here at The House of B's

Left... Captain Rob US Army currently serving. Leaving soon to Iraq
Middle... Chief Jay "The Hubs" 21 years US Navy. Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom
Right.... Chief Bob US Navy WWII and Korea.
Thank you guys!

Chief Bob and Captain Rob. I Love this photo!

Bob is The Hubs step dad and Rob is The Hub's step brother.The Hubs at his retirement ceremony.

Princess Spoiled Brat with The Hubs. They were pretending to fly the plane.

All 3 arrived safely. Princess Spoiled Brat leading the big Y E A H!

You have to end every celebration with cake!

Bake your favorite Veteran a cake, pie, cookies, or cupcakes today.

They will appreciate it.

Happy Veterans Day

Suzy Orman Would Be So

Disappointed In Us

With the economic state the country is in, we here at The House of B's have been trying not to spend money just like everyone else, cutting back and taking Suzy Orman's money advice. Well..... I am trying to take her advice, The Hubs gets tired of me quoting her. Then I see something I think I can't live without and totally forget the advice. The last couple weeks that whole cutting back thing has gone right in the shitter! As most of you know we did a little room updating and with all that money spending it all leads to more money spending. Example.........................

The Hubs got the stairs and railings all lacqure-finished this weekend (another $50 trip to the hardware store) and when it was all done they were beautiful and ..........slicker than snot! Poor Charlie and Franklin were having a terrible time getting up and down the stairs. It was just a matter of time before one of us took a spill or worse yet.........a guest.

So off to town to find a solution to the problem. I found this great runner for the stairs at Bed Bath and Beyond and the colors are so P E R F E C T! Beige, browns, blues, and a little green. I'm lovin it! I had a 20% off coupon so the price wasn't too bad. Still a little more expensive than I would have liked but if you love it, you love it. We got home, put it on the stairs and it was THE ONE! Then it was decided we needed another one for in front of the French doors. I like how it adds a little more color.

On our second trip back to Bed Bath and Beyond to get another runner, we also picked up a Gel Pro Mat for the kitchen. I've been looking at these for years online. They used to only be available online and I was scared to spend that much money for something I couldn't touch first and see the colors up close. Bed Bath and Beyond now carries them and I was so excited. They don't have the color and style range that they have on the Gel Pro website, but now I can try one and see if they are everything I hoped they would be.

I have Plantar Fasciitis along with an obscene amount of bone spurs so standing on the hard wood floors for a long period of time kills me. Which means baking/ cooking for long periods of time or just standing and chatting while someone is sitting at the counter requires days of icing and Advil afterwards. I have high hopes of this being the answer to all my problems.

Dark brown basket weave pattern.
I got the small rug to start with for in front of my cook top, where I end up standing most of the time. I'm thinking now I need to get the longer runner to go in front of the sink.

Next stop...............

With a stop by the stove store and some more money spent, the gas stove is hooked up and working! I love it! It looks so much better.

This is so cozy now. It makes it hard to get up and do anything. I want to sit here 24/7 reading and blogging. We are soooooooo enjoying our new updated downstairs. It's wonderful!

I spent a little time hanging some stuff on the walls and decided I hated all the old stuff that was on the walls. I kept two things and hung them up.

I think I might hate this clock now. Or maybe it just needs something else up there on the wall with it????? Any ideas???

I bought this Tole painted wall hanging a couple years ago at my favorite antique store Annie's. I love this, it's been hung up in a corner where it didn't get much attention. Now I think it's time to bring it out and hang it on the big blank wall. I'm thinking two long mirrors on either side of it would be great. Then it would reflect the light off the French doors from the sun room. Another trip to town to spend money I guess.

I also went to some holiday bazaars this weekend too. I didn't find much. Unfortunately the holiday bazaars in my area are tried, the same ole same ole and nothing really new and exciting. There is a church near me who started having holiday bazaars last year and they do a great job. Their bazaar usually has great fresh new stuff. I could have bought them out (I had Suzy Orman on one shoulder saying "don't do it", and my subconscious on the other shoulder saying "buy it! They only have one sale a year!") but I settled on these bunches of dried hydrangea.

I love this look. I know it's old school and a big decorating NO NO but dried hydrangea is still one of my favorites. Now I need to find something else to put in the other crock.

The colors in these hydrangea are great. I love them.

So remember back on August 13 when I showed you all my messes around the house? I aired my dirt so to speak . By doing that I had hoped it would motivate me to get crackin and I WOULD HAVE TO clean them up. The plan was to get it all done immediately and then show you pictures. Well it didn't happen immediately but I have been working on it.

This was our guest room. It looked like a bomb went off. Mostly Franklin the cat was happy in here because he could sleep and not be seen. EVER! This room was covered with cat hair! It was not only messy but nasty dirty. Giant cat bed.

BEFORE

After

I spent half a day in here cleaning up, putting away and doing laundry. You can see the bed and floor. It's a miracle!

This closet lost it's doors when we moved in. They had been painted purple (the room was bubble gum pink with purple trim) when we moved in so we just took them off and threw them away. I needed to find something to hang on them until we can find closet doors to fit. I found these smocked curtains at Walmart a couple years ago and never used them for what I bought them for. So today........they are hanging in place of closet doors.

I layered my bed skirt with a chenille bedspread because the skirt was is too long for the bed (I bought bigger for a longer drop) and I'm out of room in the closet where I store my chenille bedspread collection. Which needs to be cleaned out one day soon.

I got all 3 boxes of linens and all the linens off the floor put away in this dresser I took out of my bedroom when I rearranged it a month or so ago.

I cleaned and dusted the perfume bottles and took some of them away. I had too many and it was so cluttered. I boxed some up and put them away.

I also made a trip downtown Seattle this last weekend to get some more tea. I had some other errands to run while down there but this was the most important. Seattle Tea Cup is suppose to be opening a big new store across the street. I'm so excited for that and I was hoping it would be open this time. It wasn't but never the less this stop makes me super happy. I got my usual order as well as a couple samples of other teas. Winter 2008 which smells very holidayish. vanilla, cinnamon and carmel are the flavors I picked up on. Then the Imperial tea is just a nice mild goes with everything tea.

Well that concludes this weekends spending spree. Totally not Suzy Orman approved!

I have been really behind on my blogging, reading and getting back to people. I apologize to all of you for that. I've been super busy and it's going to continue into this next week as well. BUT I promise............Next week is going to be a blogging extravaganza. Consider yourself notified that your going to need to stock up on coffee, treats, whores breakfast, whatever you like when reading blogs. It's also possible you will need a lot of time for my upcoming blogs. I have a couple things I'm working on that are totally Blog Worthy!

Stay Tuned............

The Furniture Is In

Because I know you all are holding your breath waiting for me to get the pictures up of the furniture back in the room (well Laurie Ann might be) I'm doing a quick post.

Last night and this morning we got the furniture back in the downstairs family room. It was nice to be able to move stuff around and try it different ways with out trying to move that BIG ASS TV. I have been begging The Hubs to buy a new flat screen. I think he's thinking about it, but I think he's also thinking about me getting a job!

The room is long with doors or an entrance on almost every wall. I think we came up with a configuration we can live with. We're going to try it out for a while. We moved the furniture up closer to the stove and TV (even with glasses we can't always read the writing across the bottom) and out of the way of the French doors. I also took out some furniture and used some different furniture from other rooms that wasn't really being used.

I used a side table that I had up in one of the bedrooms for between the chair and love seat. Then I took the milk glass lamp out of the computer room that I bought at a year or so ago and didn't know what to do with. It's kind of Grandmaie, but I'm kind of likin it. We will see, I change my mind often.

I think I don't like the lamp shade on that lamp.

The French Doors that open up to the sunroom. I like the new traffic flow between doors and stairs. It just seems to flow better.

The chairs might be a little too close to the stove. I might claim that chair right next to it. The Hubs hasn't hooked it up yet. Still waiting on a part. He better do it fast we are expecting the first rain and wind storm tonight. Which means.............No Power!

Charlie's treadmill is going to have to find a new home I think or The Hubs and I are going to have to get off our ass and use it. I have those 2 crocks that I have had for years and have never put anything in. I need to find something for them that will spiff up that corner. Any suggestions other then flowers?

Now I need to find stuff for the walls. Something fabulous.

Thanks for following along.

Have a great day

Timi

HGTV

Don't Bother

Returning My Calls!

3 years ago this month when we moved in to this house and I was over whelmed with ugliness. I wrote to HGTV (every show that had an e-mail address) and BEGGED them to come help me. I had no idea what to do with the red walls, wallpapered walls, dark brown dirty carpet, 1970's bathrooms, Brady Bunch wrought iron railings, bubble gum pink and purple walls, and 1980's country decor light fixtures.

Well it's slowly coming room by room. I have muddled through the remodeling process. We have been through a couple contractors and have stories to tell.

As most of you know this last week and this week we have been overhauling our ugly downstairs family room where we live most of the time. It's been a big fat mess, there has been a lot of cussing and swearing going on and the checkbook thinks it's a movie star it's been out so much.

BEFORE

What the room normally looks like. It's where we spend most of our time. Laundry, magazines, computer, dog and cat stuff, shoes, and the general catch all room. It's also the room that has 3 entries in it that get used all the time.

From the TV wall looking up the stairs in to the entry way and kitchen.

I hated this the most! This brick wall that was dirty, it smelled, and was just a huge eye sore.

The wall that Charlie's treadmill is on. Beautiful cedar paneling. When the dust bunnies feel off the kitchen floor they hung on for dear life to the cedar paneling. It was usually covered with big huge dust bunnies.

Open stairs that housed the biggest dust bunny nest you have ever seen. Like real bunnies they multiply quickly. I think the ones that survived the paneling fall found homes under here and started breeding.

So today was the day.........

New carpet day.

We ordered our carpet from Remnant King Carpets in Everett. Go see John, he is super helpful and they are very reasonably priced.

When they ripped out the old carpet that pretty vinyl was all the way through the room. Why would anyone want to cover that beauty up? I bet in the day it was lovely!

Carpet being installed. These guys did a great job. We will be having them back for our future flooring needs.

AFTER

So it's almost done! I have a little touch up painting to do, door knobs, new white outlets, and floor molding. I can't even tell you how excited we are. Especially with the holiday party season coming up. We have something planned and it's going to be nice to have this done.

The old TV wall and laundry room door. Charlie wasted no time getting doggy nose prints on the new glass door.

Sunroom door wall. It's going to be beautiful opened up for parties. It will be great this spring and summer too.

The new stairs and railing.

The old cedar paneling wall that had Charlie's treadmill on it. Not sure the tread mill is going to go back over there.

Sooooooooooooo here it is! The new tile and stove. In and finished. The stove pipe painted, the carpet laid around the tile. It looks fabulous! Thank you Lisa at Coastal Nest for suggesting keeping it simple and all the same color. I love it!

I'm so excited to get furniture moved back in. Waiting for The Hubs to get home from work so he can have the honors of helping me move furniture back in. Not to mention I thought he would want to see it empty and all done.

So here's my painting dilemma

I can't decide if the walls look odd with the colors divided. It only looks odd when you get down to the wainscoting. I went a head and took Laurie Ann's advice and painted the whole room blue to see how I liked it. Not to mention, it was a lot easier then painting the whole room over back to the off white.

Let me know what you think about the walls. I'm going to live with them a while and see what I think, but I'm undecided on how weird it looks.

Thanks for following along in our construction project. It was fun to get to show you what was going on.

Have a great day

Timi