I Don’t Know What to Title this Post.

For the first time in a while, my husband had the weekend off. So you know what that means, don’t you? I got nothing done. No spray painting, no hot gluing, and no decorating. Sorry.

In an effort to save face, I did do a couple of things. Namely, laundry. See? I’ve got baskets to prove it.

So here’s a dilemma. I washed a couple loads of whites, and these are all the socks I washed for my kids.

And here’s what I washed for myself. If you refer back to exhibit A (otherwise known as the first photo), you’ll notice that there are only three baskets for a 4-basket family. I don’t get a basket. Who needs a basket for a sock?

In addition to some laundry, I did end up decorating for Easter. Yes, that’s it. Don’t hate.

And lest we forget, I’m always cleaning up after this guy. This is how I found him yesterday morning. He finally found a dog bigger than him…and sat on him.

Between parent/teacher conferences, baseball and softball practices, and an out-of-town husband, posts may be harder to come by this week. Anyone have any Calgon?

Poppies at Play Parade of Homes

Welcome to stop #11! Poppies at Play is hosting her annual Parade of Homes and asked yours truly to be a part of it. Knowing how much I love a good house tour, I had to jump at the offer! If you’re a new reader today—welcome!

I don’t show a lot of exterior shots simply ‘cause you never know what kind of weather you’re going to get in Michigan. But…here it is in the spring! Yes, that’s my husband getting ready to make out with his dog. They love each other.

The hub of the house is most definitely this space. There’s usually a huge dog plopped in the middle of the floor and Star Wars action figures on the island, but I think you get the idea.

In a moment of insanity creativity, I decided to painted the end of our cabinets with chalkboard paint. The kids love it, and I love it. My husband probably doesn’t even know it’s there. :)

We did a lot of work to the dining room last spring, and it’s certainly one of my favorite rooms. Again, you’ll usually see an action figure hanging from the chandelier. It’s one of the first rooms that our guests see, so I’m glad it’s finished. Now our local Girl Scout stopping by or the vacuum salesman will believe that we actually eat dinner.

My son’s room is going through a MAJOR overhaul this summer. He’ll be turning 12 in July, and as he so subtly reminded me, he’s “gonna be a man soon, Mom”. Uhhh ok. Regardless, the room is starting to look a bit young for him.

We’re kind of obsessed with the Detroit Tigers at this house. I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to incorporate that into his new “manly” looking bedroom. Hmmm….wheels turning.

And lastly, the craft room. Because it is literally going through a transformation as I write this post, I’ll just show you some snippets. I reupholstered this chair and painted the dresser to feminize the room.

I guess you’ll just have to come back if you want to see what direction I’m going with it. FYI—craft rooms have a LOT of stuff in them! I wouldn’t recommend changing them if you’re not prepared for some work. Gees!

Oh, in case you’re wondering, the dog does have his own room as well. It’s generally wherever we are.

The next stop on the tour is Melissa from 320 Sycamore! Just click on over to see the tour of her home! Have fun and thanks for stopping by!

If you’d like to see a full list of the participants, you can find them here! As a bonus, go back to Poppies at Play on Saturday for a house tour link-up! I’ll be there!

Guess Who’s Back? Back Again.

T-H-A-N-K  Y-O-U for every kind word, comment, message, e-mail, card, and prayer that was sent my way since we last “spoke”. I truly can’t tell you how much it means to me. More importantly, it all  impressed my sweet grandpa—and that’s not easy to do.

I’ve had family here from all over the country, so you can imagine how much my creative time has been squelched. However, an ice storm on our 2nd day of spring (this is Michigan, after all) allowed me to do some much needed inspiration shopping.

Wanna see what I’ve got on the brain? Here are some snippets (click on pictures for the link)…

I KNOW, right? This neutral girl feels like she’s gonna break out into hives every time I think about buying these. But I’m drawn to them. Like a moth to the flame…

No, I won’t be doing this. I don’t think. It’s an absolute favorite of mine. I could look at it all day.

Couldn’t get a larger picture of it, but you get the idea. I’m pretty sure this cabinet is a couple thousand dollars. Uhhh…I won’t be spending that much.

She will be mine. And she will be mine soon. Do I really need to explain why? Dreamy.

And finally…my daughter wants a puppy for her birthday (in August!). Luckily, she wants one that tops out at 7 inches tall—the size of this guy’s ear.

Stuff is startin’ to happen around here, so I’ll be back to “normal” next week! Thank you for your patience!

A Guest Post by Maximus

It is me. Maximus. You may know me as The Nemesis, but privately my mom calls me Bubbers, Bubbaloo, Bubber-bears, or Dummy. It just depends on the moment.

I thought it would be a good idea to write about my favorite moment of the day. Oh sure..I love when Dad wrestles with me or when I sit on Mom snuggle by Mom in front of the fire, but this? This is the big one.

Mom comes home, let’s me outside, and I sit. I know what’s coming. Well, I think I do. There are days when I wonder if she’s letting me out in the hopes I just keep walking, but I’m simply too lazy for that.

I think I smell something, but I quickly realize it’s just me. Alright, so “quickly” might be a bit of an exaggeration. Mom says the only thing I do quickly is scarf down a whole birthday cake.

I resume the wait. My buttocks are cold, but if I walk around, I risk missing it. My ears stand on the ready.

Do you see my ears? They’re on the ready. That’s dog talk, by the way.

Wha..wait. Something’s going on. It’s either them or that mangy cat that beat me up last summer. Don’t make fun. This cat is tough.

Hold…..hold….stay calm…

Here it is! It’s the moment!

Alert! Alert! Danger! Stand down...it’s just a 9-year old neighbor. Whew. Thought it might be the cat.

 

Love and adore me, kids. I’ve waited all. day. for this.

 

 

Thanks for letting me guest post today. Mom keeps saying stuff like “Gotta cook dinner!” and “Why isn’t this house ever clean?” Really wish I could help her with that. As you can see, this blogging thing has worn me out. How does she do it?

A Girl and Her Dog

It’s no secret that Maximus gets the most attention from our daughter around here. Perhaps more attention than he wants.

The worry of getting a big dog while she was little quickly subsided one day when Maximus ate one of my daughter’s toys. She walked right up to him, opened up his mouth, and reached in there with her hand to get it back. At that point, we realized he was probably gonna do just fine in this family.

Here she is (in her prison attire) playing doctor. He tends to be the best patient. 

Of course, he also tends to be the best butt of jokes. Broo ha ha. He has no idea.

She reads to him when they’re bored…

and she showers him with kisses—even when he’s just not that into it.

It’s not all her, however. He makes sure to stand guard whenever she eats. 

     

Don’t judge this picture. The point is Maximus, remember?

And when she’s had enough, he just waits—hoping that she’ll look his way, and he can thump his tail loud enough to attract her over.

Of course, if he waits long enough, maybe she’ll take a nap—which means he also gets to nap. With a buddy.

Or on a buddy, as the case may be.

He’s been known to get a little jealous if someone takes his place for the night.

But she always comes back to him.

While I could do without this big lump of slobber on most days, I have a feeling she couldn’t.

 Looks like he stays.