Coffee Table Trays

Tonight I went to Target to get laundry soap. I was going down the home decor aisle and saw this woven tray. I picked it up and they were on clearance for $8 bucks. A light bulb went off...these would be perfect for the coffee table to hold magazines. I bought them and they look awesome under the coffee table!!!!

Bow Pin

I got an idea last night to try to make a bow like Alexis from Made By Lex. I am not convinced I love it 100%. Something needs to be done with the edges. I thought it did add a lot to my sweater though. It's satin so I am not sure that I want to sew the edges. Work in progress.

If this isn't the truth!

New Wreath

I bought this twig/vine wreath probably 3-4 years ago. It's been in the garage sitting on a shelf. I never could figure out what to do. I saw a post on Samster's Mommy about a wreath she just made, and I got an idea. I had left over glitter silver spray paint from my wedding. I bought a roll of ribbon and walla I have a new wreath for the front door.

Libby

Last weekend I got to babysit for little Miss Libby. Her parents had an engagement party to attend. She was soooo adorable! She was talking like crazy. I think I tired her out with all the pictures I took of her that evening. She is such a good baby!

Rain Rain and more Rain

Today I was walking to work and I thought maybe I should start building an ark. I might need it to get from the Bart station to my office building. It's been raining like crazy the last couple of days. Yesterday I was sitting in my office looking out the window and there were sheets of water blowing. It was crazy to see the rain being blown. I don't mind rain or wind, but I do NOT like them mixed together.

Bedding

I am in LOVE with this new Devut set by Nate Berkus on HSN. I think I might have to get this for when we get a house. It's BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love the color.

Chicken Gyros

I made these for dinner tonight. They are sooo yummy!


Chicken Gyros
Serves 4

1.25 lbs. chicken pieces
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 batch of tzatziki
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
4 (pocketless) pitas

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in.
Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat the broiler (or grill, or pan on the stove). Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until
cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Meanwhile, heat your pitas. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions. Roll up and eat!

I made the mistake of buying pocket pitas. They folded in half and the stuff all fell out. lol They were still yummy!

Rocking Chair

I will soon have pictures of the rocking chair I bought at good will. I paid $12 for the glider rocking chair. It's in really good shape. Just needs to be cleaned up and cushions. I was going to make cushions. I started checking out prices of fabric and cushions. It was going to be $30-40 bucks just to make them. I found some cushions at JCPenney's online last night. I ordered them for $35 bucks. Today I went back online and saw they were $24.99. JCPenney's cancelled my order, so I could order the same cushions cheaper. Since the cushions are on clearance they can't do a price adjustment.

I should have my cushions this week. I am sooo excited. Everything all together will be about $45 bucks. I love a good deal!

Spray Paint Project #2

Here is the lamp I bought at Good Will last Sunday. I spent $4 on the lamp and $5.99 on the lamp shade plus spray paint.

BEFORE

AFTER

Two coats of primer and 2 coats of white gloss spray paint. I LOVE IT!!!! Now I need to find a new night stand for beside my side of the bed.

Jury Duty

Juror #8 you are dismissed!!! The sweetest words to my ears! I was questioned for about 15 minutes by 4 attorneys. I was let off the jury because of my husband, grandfather, and my job. Sweet!!!

Yesterday was interesting, but also sooo incredibly boring. It was a little brutal sitting through 7 hours of questions. The same questions over and over and over again. These people say the STUPIDEST things!!!!!!!! GET TO THE POINT!!!!!!!

The Vikings Prayer

The Vikings Prayer... "Our Favre-ther who art from Mississippi, hallowed be thy name. Thy Bowl will come, it will be won, in Miami as it is in the Metrodome, Give us this Sunday our weekly win. Give us touchdown passes, but do not let others pass against us. Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us to the Super Bowl. For thine is the MVP, the best of the NFC, and the glory of the Purple People Eaters".AMEN!

Bakeware!!!!!

My mom bought me these Rachael Ray bakeware for Christmas. They are my FAVORITE pans EVER!!!! They are soooo easy to clean. Best money you could spend on bakeware. I love all my Rachael Ray items. She makes the best kitchen stuff!!!!!

Jury Duty

Today I had to report for jury duty. I have such mixed emotions about not being released today. I had to fill out a questionnaire about the train and have to report back on Thursday at 9am. On Thursday they will then make their jury selection. I can't discuss the case, but I don't think I will be picked. I might have a conflict of interest. It was an interesting day!

Ikea Purchases

Remember this post? I made a trip to Ikea to find the frame I was in love with and guess what....they had a TON of them. I was sooo excited. I am the proud owner of this beauty!
I also found this beautiful chandelier to hang in our bedroom.
I can't wait to find a house, so I can hand these items up. I think it's going to add a TON to our bedroom.

1st Spray Paint Project

Today Art and I went to a couple of thrift stores. I was so excited to find some bargains. I found 2 dressers that I wanted SUPER bad, but we have no room for them right now. I did buy a rocking chair for $12. The rocking chair is missing the cushions, but I figured I will make some to match the living room. The rocking chairs with cushions were $39 and I would have recovered the cushions. I bought a lamp for $4, picture frame below for .99 and a lamp shade for $6.

When Art saw the picture frame he asked why I was buying a 1970 gold picture frame. I told him I was going to spray paint it white. He thought I was crazy. I also bought the lamp to spray paint.

BEFORE

AFTER

I think it turned out great! I can't wait to spray paint more stuff!!!!

Winter-proof your car!

Here are some tips I read from Womans World November edition.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar!
Frost on it's way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spritz it on all your car windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess! How does it work? Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water-preventing water from freezing! Wake up to an already frozen car? Just spray the mixture on your windows and watch it melt!

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol!
Windshield wipers squeaking, or leaving streaks that make it hard to see? Wipe them with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. "These are solvents that can cut the buildup of grease and grime, the main culprit that prevents wipers from working properly," says Sinclair. "This one trick can make badly streaking wipers change to near perfect clarity!"

Wedding Planning Bio

Here is the link to my wedding planning bio.
http://sites.google.com/site/postwedding08/becky%26art

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

This is one of our favorites

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Directions
1.Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2.In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

In Love

I am sooooooooooo in love with this frame!!!! It's Ikea UNG DRILL Frame.
I am going to see if we can purchase this beauty this weekend! I would LOVE it for our bedroom. I need it I dont just want it, but I NEED it. :)

North Dakota

The Bachelor

Ah ha!!! Look what starts tonight. The Bachelor with Jake!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! I will be glued to Monda night TV seeing which bimbo he picks! I hope he doesn't pick someone stupid! He was my favorite last season.

Back to Work

Back to work I went today. I only worked 4 hours since the end of business on Decemebr 23. I thought I would do some work over the holidays...try to keep up with emails. Ummmm no such luck! I only came back to 212 emails. That wasn't bad at all. Usually on a good day I get 50+ emails. I am still trying to play catch up with the emails.

It felt good to get up and get ready for work today. Getting out of bed was the hardest part! Once I started to get ready it felt nice to dress up. I packed my new work bag last night, wore my new red coat and packed my new shoes! I think this is the first time I have worn heels to work in 8+ months. Lacey got on my case that I am starting to act like an old married woman. I have to step it up!

I have been at work now for over 5 hours and I am not ready to jump out the window. =)
I am thankful I have a job to come to in this economy. I have one of the best bosses!!!! I came into the office to show my parents where I worked. She asked me a question and then said you have more important things to do than worry about this go enjoy your family. WHAT!!!! I have been thinking about my wonderful boss the past few days. She honestly is a great boss!

Well back to work for me.

House Hunting Week 5

I can't believe we have been house hunting for 5 weeks. Week 1 & 2 we put in offers. Week 3 we took off because we were waiting on an offer. Week 4 we found nothing. Week 5 we found 2. One of the houses has been flipped and is all up to date. It's a super cute little house. Down side no garage. If there isn't a garage it's a no deal for Art. Going into house hunting we had a list of things we wanted in a house. Some of our list has been negotiated. You have to negotiate when a budget is involved.

We are putting in an offer on another house. It needs some mirror work. It looks like the people were told to leave in an hour. They left a ton of stuff. The realtor told us they might not be able to come back for any of the stuff. I am not sure I want all that junk. There was some antique sewing machines. There is a nice finished shed in the back that was used as an office. One ad says the shed is not staying. Not sure how they plan to get the shed out. lol

This brings me to the 3rd to last house we looked at. OMG!!!!! When we pulled up the yard was FULL of junk. I said "THIS HOUSE"? It's awful! When we get to the door there are 2 dogs running around. The guy yells come in. We walked in and HOLY COW! These people were hoarders. The kitchen was packed full of stuff, stove full of junk, living room there was only room to sit down, the guy was packing I don't know what. A woman came out of a back bedroom. She said sorry for the mess, but we are trying to pack. This was BEYOND just packing. The floor had cardboard thrown down. I went into the bathroom and the bathtub was LOADED with clothes. Art couldn't get down the hallway to the bedrooms. At this point I walked out of the house.

Every week is an adventure. I am really tired of looking at houses. Yes, I know it's only been 5 weeks. I just feel week after week it's full of disappointments. Our house is out there and we will get one eventually. Although when we are done with our search I will miss some of the insane houses we walk through. Always an adventure. I just bust up laughing now when I see somethings.

We will be house hunting on week 6. We already have some houses lined up to look at next week. We figured we will keep looking since we have no idea if our offer will be accepted.

2009 in Pictures

January - New Years with my parents

February - Lance Armstrong Tour of California Race
March - Nana trying out Guitar Hero

April - One Year of Marriage

May - Art's 41st Birthday also received his military retirement papers!

June - Amber bbq us hamburgers!

July - Krystal came to visit

August - Cindy's baby shower

September - Libby entered into the World!

October - Breast Cancer Marathon

November - my 29th birthday

December - Christmas!!!