Day 4 of 30 Day Gratitude Photo Challenge

Day 4:  Clothing

My closet ... not very exciting but it's where all my clothes are.  But we are lucky.  We have a home and power and food.  There are a lot of people out there who don't right now.  So I am very grateful for all I have.

Day 3 of 30 Day Gratitude Photo Challenge

Day 3: Nature

We went to dinner at my mom and step dad's house tonight and they have such a beautiful backyard and it was such a pretty day today that I had to use it for the nature picture.  We are so luck to have them so close!

Day 2 of 30-Day Gratitude Photo Challenge

Day 2: Technology

This is my favorite app RecipeBook on my iPad!  I now only use this app to cook.  It's rendered my traditional cook books obsolete! Just today I got asked for my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and instead of having to type into an email all I had to do was select the recipe hit share and then email and bang it was done!  Plus it imports recipes from any online site like allrecipes.com.

Day 1 of 30 Day Photo Challenge Gratitude 2012

I'M BACK!!!!!  Sorry I abandoned all 3 of you loyal readers for the last couple of months.  There is no excuse really.  It's just life and it's been crazy busy.  BUT when I saw the 30 Day Gratitude Photo Challenge was back on this blog.  I just had to do it again because I loved it so much last year.

So here you go.  Day 1 Words:

This is a shot of my laptop and it's open to the virtual edition of this months Wrightsville Beach Magazine.  I am one of 4 artists being featured in an article this month.  I am beyond grateful that I was chosen!!  So if you would like to head over and check it out please go here!

Catching up & custom orders

Sorry for the posts so few and far between.  I've had a lot going on with day job work and a two custom orders I've been hard at work on.  I just finished a custom star mobile this week.  It's pretty cool how it all came about.  I have a bunch of pieces at a local salon Rockin' Roller that has a boutique attached and a woman who gets her hair done there saw my star mobile and loved it.  She wanted to buy the one there but she said the colors didn't match anything in her house.  So her daughter said wouldn't it be nice in my room colors for my room.  So the idea hit and they got my name and number from the salon.  She called me up and we agreed on paper color choices.  She wanted to get a mobile as a surprise for her daughter for her birthday in her room colors, which are hot pink, orange, turquoise, lime green & purple.  It came out so great! I wasn't so sure about the color combos but it was spectacular all together!

The one downside though was the paper I used turned my fingers pink!  So I think I will try to use different paper next time!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Do you prefer fabric or plastic plasters? (or Band-Aids if American)
I like the fabric ones better.  They stay on longer especially if they get wet.

2. Do you prefer gel pens, biro or fine liners for everyday writing?
I like gel pens best but honestly I'm not picky at all.

3. Do you have a fear or needles/dentists/blood (if all three, which is the worst) and is there a story behind it?
Nope I don't have a fear of any of those. 

4. Do you like jelly?  Do you eat it at any time other than when poorly?
I love jelly.  My favorite is on an English muffin with a little butter.

5. What are your Easter traditions? (if not Christian, insert your own meaningful festival here and tell us about that instead)
Well the Easter bunny visits my kids and leaves baskets and eggs to find.  Then we usually head to my mom's house and have dinner.

6. What’s your favourite book that you have read so far this year?
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey.

7. Do you have any magazine subscriptions or recommendations that we should know about?
I love Everyday Food by Martha Stewart.  It's full of great recipes and ideas.

8. Favourite etsy store (if you know the owner IRL, also include your favourite that you didn’t originally know IRL)?
Other than my Etsy shop???  Just kidding I have a few I love.  My favorite jewelery Etsy shop is Simplish and I discovered my favorite perfume at a shop called Theme Fragrance.  But I don't know either of these owners IRL.

9. If you had play money (£100/$150) that could only be used on shoes, what shoes would you buy?
I would go get some new flip flops and new summer sandals.

10. If you were going pet shopping tomorrow, what would you choose?
In all honesty I wouldn't get another pet right now.  1 dog and 1 cat is more than enough with 2 children, a husband, a teaching job and an Etsy shop.

Ten on Tuesday

1. How do you feel about April Fool’s Day?
It's kinda fun.  I never can trick James but it's still fun to try.

2. Do you like birds?
No.  When I was little we bird sat for someone and that stupid bird hated me.  It loved my brother but was nasty to me.  Then later when I first met James his parents had at least a dozen birds and they were loud and one in particular was down right nasty.  He would lure you over to his cage and then try like hell to bite you.  So in my experience they are mean little creatures.

3. How often do you wear your hair in a ponytail?
My hair more often than not ends up in a ponytail by the end of the day.  It's just easier and stays out of my way.

4. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Not love but attraction yes.

5. What is your favorite appetizer?
I don't think I have one.  I pretty much love any appetizer.

6. What is your favorite brand of heels?
I don't wear heels often meaning hardly ever.  It makes me taller than my husband and I don't find them comfortable.

7. Are you a picky eater?
Nope not at all.

8. Is there a TV show you like that nobody ever talks about?
Only one I can think of is Drop Dead Diva.  I don't know anyone besides me who watches it and I've yet to hear anyone mention it.  But it's a great show!

9. Do you prefer hot tea or cold tea?
I honestly like both.  But I really only drink hot tea in the winter or when I think I am getting sick.  But I drink iced tea all year round.

10. Gayle or Peeta? (If you don’t know how to answer, read The Hunger Games.)
PEETA!  Was Gayle ever really an option???  I think not!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Ikea: over-hyped and confusing or genius furniture company?
Totally genius furniture company! I love Ikea.  I like their styles and their prices plus their stuff holds up nicely.  I have a book case and a small chest of drawers from when I was like 11 that I still have and are still in great condition!

2. Your favorite interior-decorator-type person wants to makeover one room in your house. Which room do you choose and why?
Kitchen. I hate the white melamine cabinets in my kitchen and the laminate counter tops.

3. Describe the furniture in your childhood bedroom. Did you like it? Where is that furniture now?\
It was all dark stained wood stuff that was nice.  I had the dresser and desk for a long time and then as I got older I got pieces from Ikea and my dad made me a loft bed.  I even got a futon type couch for under it.

4. When you’re done with furniture, what do you do with it? Donate it to Goodwill OR Sell it on Craigslist OR Put it by the curb and hope the trash guys take it?
It depends on what kind of shape it's in.  We just recently threw away our couch because it was broken and Marley kept having accidents on it so it smelled.  But if it's in decent condition we sell it first or give it away.

5. My Pinterest furniture style could best be described as
funky/eclectic
antique/shabby chic
modern/minimalist
so random and varied it’s undefinable
I don't think I've pinned much furniture on Pinterest but if I have or will I'm sure it will be funky/eclectic.

6. Name the most important furniture/toy in a toddler’s playroom. And why?
Storage.  You have to have good storage for toys and books other wise the room will just be a constant mess.

7. Your parents (or grandparents or other relative) are giving away all their furniture. Which piece do you really want?
I would love my mom's desk that was my great aunt's desk.  It's sort of like a roll top but instead of rolling it's an old fold down type and it's really beautiful and has hidden compartments on the inside!

8. Your biggest furniture buying or home decorating regret?
We bought a couch off Craigslist a few years back and that was the couch we just threw away.  It didn't cost a lot but we only had it for like 3 years before it pretty much crapped out.  It was cheap to begin with and having small children is hard on couches.

9. $1000 gift card! Do you want it to Ethan Allen, ikea, Pottery Barn Kids?
Of course Ikea!! I could get a really decent amount of stuff there for $1000. And I could get something for pretty much every room too. 

10. Bunk beds, loft beds, trundle beds, or canopy beds?
Noa has bunk beds and they are nice to have simply for guests but I grew up with a loft bed and loved it.  So loft bed!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Should we keep doing Ten on Tuesday?
I happen to like Ten on Tuesday so it would be nice for it to keep running.  But I understand if it doesn't.

2. How do you pick out your sunglasses?
I go to Target and pick out a pair that I think looks good and isn't over $25.  I don't have great luck with sunglasses so I don't want to pay much for them.

3. Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
Not really.  I wear green and my mom makes corned beef and cabbage and that's about it.

4. Name 5 movies that you will never get sick of.
Say Anything...., Bridget Jones' Diary, Star Wars: A New Hope, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club

5. Name 1 book that you will never get sick of.
Harry Potter (any of them).  I could read them over and over and never get tired of them.

6. Do you know any sign language?
I know a little.  I am actually working on learning more.  I have a non-verbal student who knows sign language but doesn't use it much, so I am learning it to try and get him to use it more.

7. What is your favorite kind of Girl Scout cookie?
Thin Mints and the Lemonades.

8. Are you handy? (Can you fix or build anything?)
Sort of.  I can put an Ikea piece of furniture together and fix some basic broken things.  Could I build a bookcase from scratch?? Nope it would not turn out well .... I don't measure and do math that well.

9. In what form do you prefer your potatoes? (Baked, mashed, au gratin, hashbrowns, twice baked, etc.)
Twice baked or plain old baked is my favorite!

10. Do you believe the saying “actions speak louder than words”?
Yes, it usually tells more about a person than what they actually say.

Ten on Tuesday

1. What are your designated chores in your home?
I do 90% of the cooking, 80% of the dishes, 100% of the laundry, and I'd say 75% of the cleaning up and putting away of things.

2. What is your least favorite chore to do around the house?
I HATE doing dishes and cleaning the bathroom.

3. What was your designated chore growing up?
I was responsible for doing dishes and my brother and I would take turns emptying the clean dishes.  I also had to clean my room

4. Did you get paid to do chores or was your allowance connected to you completing your chores?
My allowance was connected to finishing my chores.

5. If you had a bit of extra money, would you hire a cleaning person or would you save the money for something else?
If we could afford a cleaning lady I would so totally do it!!

6. What chores will you make your kids do around the house?
They already pick up their rooms and the messes they make in the family room.  My son is old enough that he can feed the cat and the dog so that's one of his chores.  I know my husband can't wait until he's  old enough to mow the lawn.  I'm ready for them to be able to help with dishes or do dishes.

7. How frequently do you do laundry? Wash your sheets? Dust?
I do the laundry once a week.  It takes me about 4-5 loads to wash every one's clothes then I also do the towels/sheets once a week too and that is usually 2-3 loads.  I dust when I can't stand the dust any longer or my children leave hand prints in things.

8. Do you have a designated “chore day” during the week?
No, not really.  I just do things as they need them or the day before someone is supposed to come over.

9. What is your favorite chore–if such a thing exists?
I actually don't mind doing laundry. 

10. Do you do anything to help pass the time while doing chores (music, TV, etc.)?
I should.  I have found that when I put on my iPod and listen to music it makes cleaning much more bearable but I just forget to do that most days.