Wrapping Up December: 2016

Ok, so I know it's 4 days into the New Year but......

December was way too busy and waaaaay too much fun to not wrap up 😁 This post is long and picture-heavy, and I have so much to discuss that I'm not even going to waste time on an introduction. Let's go!

That first picture is the garden on December 1st. The marigolds had finally had it, and so had pretty much everything else. I've still got some rosemary and some thyme alive, but that's it. The cold weather we had in Kentucky while the hubby and I were in Oregon even got my parsley. Darn it. 

2016: By The Numbers

Summer 2016; Wine in the garden

Well, well, well. Here it is the first day of 2017 and I'm going to wrap-up the year of 2016 before I even wrap up the month of December 2016. Why? Because I want to. Because I'm a rebel. But mostly because, as per usual this year, I'm running behind. The story of my life 😄

Now that the holidays are almost over and the hubby and I are tucked back into our own house again, it's time to make it a better year. I mean, there's no election this year so we already know it's got to be a superior year, right? 😉 Right. I'm going to save my New Year's goals (and 2016's learning experiences) for another day, and simply talk numbers. Here's 2016 by the numbers-

6 Years

Warning- Picture heavy post.

Home Decor: Coffee Bar

It's finally time to unveil my latest project, the coffee bar!

I have been wanting a coffee bar since before I had a house. Since before I even knew one would work in my house. Since the day I joined Pinterest, basically. An idea for a coffee bar was one of the first pins I ever "pinned". And now I have one!

I'm really happy with how it turned out. The hubby and I have been talking for over a year about doing this, we just kept putting it off. Well, now that my brother is coming to visit (did I mention my brother will be here in about a week and a half???) the hubby really wanted to get this put in. I put up a half-hearted argument, that we didn't need the coffee bar right now. But I just so happened to be at the now-unnamed craft store that I should be boycotting but I can't seem to stay away from, and I saw that shelf. The shelf ruined all my self-control and frugalness. I saw it, and I went nuts. I had to have it, and before we knew it, we had a coffee bar. Thankfully, the shelf was on sale and the buffet table was actually fairly economical. I picked up a few decor items to complete the bar, but we already owned both coffee machines and all the cups. Lets take a closer look, shall we?

One thing I love about the coffee bar is how much extra storage we've obtained. We've obtained counter space, where the machines used to be. I've gained storage space in my cupboards, where all the miscellaneous coffee items were, and where all the coffee cups used to be. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with the extra space, but something tells I won't have empty space long!

I picked up these cute containers at the previously unmentioned craft store, and found the coffee cutting board on Amazon.

Same with these items. I picked up the tea container at the craft store, and found this cute teapot on Amazon as well.

If you know me, you know I love word art. You can find it all over my house.

I've got an eclectic mix of coffee cups, which I think makes the shelf look more interesting.

I couldn't decide on just one dish towel. I picked up this colorful one, and...

A couple of less colorful, more standard dish towels that still scream, "COFFEE!!!" A towel for every mood, if you will.

As you can see, lots more storage! I haven't even filled the baskets at the bottom yet, which is even more storage. I've got plenty of room to add more coffee cups to my collection.

And there you have it! I'm so thrilled with my latest addition. I've already gotten to the point where I can't remember what that corner of the dining room looked like without it. I also still find myself gravitating that way to stare at it. Pretty, pretty!

Something tells me when my dad comes to visit, the coffee bar is where you'll find him :)

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend! 

New Playlist: 8/10/13

I'm loving summer music right now! I think this summer has been one of the top summers for music. There hasn't been summer music this good since Katy Perry's "California Girls". That was the same summer that Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie", Usher's "OMG", Ke$ha's "Tik Tok", Travie McCoy's "Billionare", and B.o.B's "Magic" hit the airwaves.

I know what you are thinking. How do I know that? I'm obsessed with music. Every song on my iPod reminds me of something. A memory is attached to every one. Seriously. Play a song on my iPod, and I can tell you what it reminds me off. All the songs I listed above, I remember for one reason. That was the summer that the company I used to work for sent me on my first business trip. It was to Jacksonville, Florida in June of 2010. It was my first time flying by myself, renting a car by myself, staying in a hotel by myself, etc. After meetings and classes all day, I would return to my hotel room, open a bottle of wine, settle down with a tabloid, and put on my iPod. Hence, listening to all of my summer music that year.

I can already tell this summer's music is going to be around for quite a while for me. I am still freakin' obsessed with "Blurred Lines", in all of its controversary-causing glory. Well, yesterday I stumbled on Flo Rida's "Can't Believe It". I cannot get enough, that song is on repeat around here! It's been great fun bumping that song in the new car. Speaking of that song, it's time to go get my run on :)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Flying Into Chicago

It was a long weekend for me!

The hubby had Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off, so we finally got to spend some time together since we've been back. It was a movies, snacks, and lots of wine kind of weekend. And we had a great time!

But, back to reality. In house news, all the trim, doors, cabinets, and the porch were installed yesterday! After the workers left yesterday (an Amish crew from Cleveland- they were very interesting) I was left pretty much speechless. An incredible amount of work was done, it was unbelievable. Pictures will be up tomorrow. I'm that technologically challenged girl that never syncs her iPhone to her computer because it always deletes her playlists, so I email pics from my iPhone to my computer. This process takes forever, so they should be there by tomorrow :) And if anyone knows why my playlists always get deleted, please tell me! I've spent hours trying to fix whatever it is that does that. I always appreciate technology tips!

So, the hubby and I had one of the scariest experiences I've ever had on our travels back from Portland to Chicago, our layover city. We flew out of PDX in clear weather, which, unbeknownst to us, was soon to change. I snapped this cool pic right after leaving PDX:

It's kind of hard to see, but you can just make out the red and yellow ring in the middle. It's apparently called a glory, and is a visual optical illusion that's pretty rare to see.

But, back to my story. We ran into a major thunderstorm while descending into Chicago. I've never felt turbulence like that before, I was scared out of my mind! At some point, I feel the plane pulling up instead of descending. The captain's voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that the Chicago airport had closed when we were in the middle of our descent, and we were going into a holding pattern. A holding pattern is where the plane just circles above the airport. In a thunderstorm. It was basically pure turbulence for 20 minutes while we circled around in center of a storm. I completely lost my sense of direction, so that when the plane sped up (a ton!) I couldn't tell if we were going up or down. All I knew was that the plane sounded like planes do in movies when they are plummeting from the sky. I was gripping my seat so hard, my whole body was tensed. The guy sitting next to the hubby was saying the Lord's Prayer. The whole plane was silent. It was beyond creepy.

The extreme speed only lasted a few minutes, because soon we were above the storm and the captain was announcing we were diverting to Indianapolis. The hubby and I were uneasy about this, because the flight had already been delayed about 45 minutes due to this storm, and our layover in Chicago was only 2 hours. We really didn't want to miss our flight to Columbus. But... miss our flight to Columbus we did. We sat on the tarmac in Indy for 2 hours before taking to the sky and finally landing in Chicago. Along with thousands of other delayed and diverted passengers. The airport was. a. disaster. We waited in a seemingly endless line to reschedule our flight, but finally managed to get it changed. Unfortunately, there were no flights leaving that night, and we had to stay the night in the airport.

I will mention that by this time it was midnight, the dogs desperately needed a potty break, and the hubby and I hadn't eaten all day. We had planned on eating in Chicago hours earlier. We were so exhausted we couldn't see straight, but we had to leave security, let the dogs potty, and then go back through security to scour the airport for any food venue that might be open. We were lucky to find a venue to purchase sandwiches, fruit, and water. The dogs dined on turkey, bread, and melon, which I personally don't think they minded :) The airport was nice enough to distribute cots, blankets, and pillows to the thousands of people who were stranded in the airport, so we settled down for the night.

The boys behaved surprisingly well that night. They both went to sleep on and/or next to the hubby. I could not sleep, so I read a book and kept watch over the hubby, boys, and bags.

By morning, the storm had passed and we had no doubt we would make it to Columbus with no trouble.

The sunrise over Illinois

Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted when we finally reached Ohio, and even more so after our two and half hour drive back to Kentucky. It took about 2 days for me to recover (rest-wise) from this ordeal.

If I could manage to avoid airplanes for the rest of my life, I would. But, I can't do that. Sigh.

I'll be posting all the pics of the trim tomorrow! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

http://everydaypr.net/

Tomorrow is the big day! Yes, I'm excited. Nervous, but ultimately excited. Today is going to be a lot of organizing, packing, planning, and checking things off my list to make sure we don't forget anything. And oh yes, snapping some pictures of the insulation being installed over at the house. It's hard to believe the house may be done by the time we get back. Yes, please! Anyways, I'm off to get started on my busy day. I'll be on a plane this time tomorrow!

Construction Update: 9/28/12

We are having a pretty good week in home construction. Things started to turn around because... we got a new project manager on our home. The hubby had had it up to here with the previous project manager's shenanigans i.e. no communication, no organization, not doing what he said he would, etc. He wrote an email to the Schumacher bigwigs, as well as calling and complaining to this guy's boss. Long story short? As of this week, we have someone new on the project.

I like this new guy already. He always calls the hubby back when the hubby leaves him messages. He seems to know what he is doing. On Monday, he told the hubby that the siding would be put installed on Wednesday. Lo and behold, the siding was installed yesterday! This was the first time that something happened early on our home. I told the hubby that during this whole process, everything had been about a week late (sometimes longer). Now, something was done early! I'm pretty stoked about this new guy's potential. He also told the hubby that insulation is being installed on Thursday, and sheet-rocking will be installed on Friday. He said he saw no reason the house shouldn't be done by the time we get back from Oregon. I about died and went to heaven when the hubby told me this. If that does happen, I'm liable to actually look forward to coming home at the end of my trip to Oregon. We'll see on that one :)

We are about 2 full days from leaving for Oregon. I've got today and tomorrow to finish up packing, and organizing our stuff. The hubby and I are leaving his aunt's house Friday at 2 am to leave for the airport. Our flight is at 6:30 am! Wowsers, it's going to a long day! Can't wait till it's over!

As always, here are some pictures of the progress on the home. I have to say, I'm in total love with the color we chose for the siding. Love, love, LOVE it! Couldn't be happier with the exterior of the home.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Wednesday!

Siding being installed.

Finished siding in the front.

Insulation around the main bath.

Insulation in the garage.

Siding being installed on the back of the house.

Siding around our French doors.

Almost Time

We're almost there! T-5 days until the hubby and I leave for Oregon. I'm a nervous bundle of energy right now. So ready to go, but sooooo anxious about the travel day. I know once it's done, that I'll feel better, and the trip home won't be so bad because I will know what to expect. But until then...

We had to order special carriers for the dogs. We needed cloth ones, not hard ones and the dogs need to fit in the bags, but the bags have to fit under the seat in front of us. They arrived in the mail this week, and we introduced both the dogs to their new carriers. I've got a never-ending worry that they won't let Haloti on the plane because he's too fat. The hubby assures me that this will not be the case, but once again, until that day is over, I won't know. He does look awfully cute in his little carrier though :)

I'm also still worried how Gizmo is going to react to all this. Gizmo has plenty of room to move around in his carrier, and also plenty of room for us to put his Blue Monkey in with him. The inside of the carriers has a clip where you can clip their harness's in, and then zip down the top so they can stick their heads out. We'll probably be doing this at both the airports (we're flying out of Columbus, OH with layover in Denver, CO, before heading to Portland). I'm afraid I'm going to be that dog-owner, the one who's dog whines during the whole flight. Oh, I hope not!

I love this picture of Gizmo peeping out from the top. We gave the dogs a bath, a brushing, and haircuts, so they are ready to rock-n-roll! I just wish I was ready to rock-n-roll :)

Have Cheech's, Will Fly

Our vacation that starts in 16 days? Turns out we are flying. I'm super excited about the vacation, and a little nervous about flying with the dogs. We were going to rent a car and drive, but after we worked on the budget we discovered driving would cost twice as much. Thus, we bought plane tickets yesterday and reserved 2 doggy spots. I'm more worried about Gizmo than Haloti. Gizzie gets scared very easily, and I think could whine and/or bark more. I think Haloti will behave. Besides scaring them, I'm also worried that cabin pressure and altitude changes will hurt their ears or something. I've been doing a considerable amount of Internet research since I found out we are flying yesterday, and everything I've read so far says that air travel is fine for dogs. I'm feeling very fortunate the little guys are little, so that they can fly in the cabin under our feet. If they were big dogs, this would all be out of the question. I would never fly my dog in the cargo hold. So here I am, trying not to get too worked up about this. I'm guessing the whole thing will turn out just fine. Plus, all the travel for the trip will be done in 2 days, instead of 6. Can't beat that.

In house news, plumbing was put in over the weekend and HVAC people are there working this week. We are anxiously awaiting the electrician, because as soon the electricity is done, we can pour the basement floor and drywall/sheetrock can get started. That guy better turn up soon :) I didn't find the plumbing pictures scintillating enough to post a bunch of pictures of. Drywall/sheetrock? Definitely some exciting stuff. Also, I believe the county is coming out to inspect the plumbing today, so fingers crossed that that goes well! I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

I'm still on "Operation Lose 11 lbs", so I'm off to get a long workout in. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Oregon Trip 2011

It has been awhile since my last post but with good reason! I took 9 days off to travel 2700 miles back to Oregon to visit my family and friends. I must say that while the weather was awful, my time spent there was not. I did the worst job taking pictures, I think my camera remained at the bottom of my purse for the entire trip. When I arrived home I discovered I took a whopping total of 16 pictures! Wow, that is a new record of awfulnes! Pictures aside, it was a jam packed trip!
The trip did not have a smooth start. My travel day to Oregon was stressful. My flight schedule was Huntington, WV to Charlotte, NC, have a 3 hour layover, and then a flight from Charlotte to Portland landing in Portland at around 10:30 pm. First off, the flight to Charlotte was diverted due to a tornado warning. We were diverted to an express airport that only flies to Charlotte. Stuck there for almost 2 hours, the airlines loaded people back on the planes with clearance to land in Charlotte and I made it to Charlotte with 10 minutes to make my connecting flight! And on the wrong side of the airport! I sprinted to the other side of the airport and made my flight with no time to spare! While I may have made the plane, my suitcase did not. When I arrived in Portland, I found my suitcase was in Phoenix and went home empty-handed. The suitcase finally showed up at about 8 pm the next day.
The next couple of days were action packed! My first day in Oregon my mom treated me to lunch out and a pedicure at a salon in downtown Albany. The following day, Friday, I spent in Portland. I visited my old workplace and was able to visit with old coworkers, and then went to lunch with my old boss. After spending an afternoon shopping, it was dinner and drinks with one of my little sis's from my sorority, Kristin. It was great catching up! Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion and I am seriously wishing I had taken some pictures! Sunday my parents had a barbeque at their house, which happens to be the only day I took some pictures, shared below.

My brother Jeff, my Dad, my Mom, and me

My brother's girlfriend Katie, Jeff, and me

Dad and me

Mom and me

Good friends Sean and Kim and me. Kim is an old sorority sister of mine and Sean is her fiance, a good friend of Jerame's. Sean and Kim actually are the ones who introduced Jerame and I.

Jeff, Sean, Kim, and me

Kim, Mom, and Me. All alum's of Alpha Chi Omega.

Dad, Mom, and me

On Monday, I headed south to Eugene to visit one of my oldest friends, Megan. I got a tour of the new place she is working at and then we headed to the Duck Store because as I explained to her, it is impossible to find Oregon Ducks stuff in Kentucky. Go figure, lol. After the Duck Store we had dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Torito. I devoured my whole plate along with 2 margaritas and a truckload of chips and salsa.

Me and Megan outside El Torito

The next couple of days were relaxing, without activities planned. There was one beautiful day when I was there, which was Wednesday, the day before I flew back home. Figures! My dad and I were able to make good use of this nice day, taking my parent's dog on a 3-4 mile walk.

My dad and my parent's dog, LB. It was such a gorgeous day, I wish the weather had been this nice the entire trip!

Later that night, my mom treated me to after-dinner drinks at a martini bar in downtown Albany, the Vault. A surprisingly nice bar for the Albany scene!

Me and Mom at the Vault

A picture of our delicious drinks, Pom-Tini's!

It was a great trip and went way to fast! 9 days were gone before I knew it. I love where I live now, but there is nothing like being with family :)