The next 30 Years..

30 years ago on Sept. 29, 1980, Builder was born into this world.  Since then the world has been graced with his patience, love, passion, and strength.  Happy Birthday to my best friend in the whole wide world.  I look forward to celebrating the next 30+ years with you!!

Where Have I been....

It has been a very busy last few weeks.  Fall has arrived.  The air is crisp, the leaves are crunching, the mornings and nights are cool (already hit 44), mums are everywhere, and pumpkins are starting to appear on porches.  The football season is in full swing and we can't wait for the Tigers to play a Big 12 team.  These first few games have been fun but after a while 45 to 0 is not exciting.  I am ready for a BIG game.  If you know me I love college football and follow it all.  Football =Fall in our house.

This weeks game was a day game!  We welcome visitors all fall and this week was no exception.  The royalty came to visit, King, Queen, and princess.  Oh Bother was so excited to have Princess come visit.  Let me tell you they were busy and tired.  I have to write this memory so I never forget...I am laughing as I type.  Queen was asleep on the couch when I noticed Volpi acting as if she was going to go the bathroom.  Of course me not being a huge dog person I was sure I was over reacting.  Oh no...as she moved to the kitchen I scream and Queen flies up off the couch ready to take action.  We run to the door and thank goodness no accident.  Queen sure wakes up ready to go!  We had so much fun welcoming fall with windows open and the cool air coming in!

Football has not been all that has made things busy.  Project time has been in full swing.  Here is a recap of what we have been up doing (some pictures will have to come in the next post)
*We have completed the hardwood floor upstairs in the office and guest bedroom...it looks soooo good! Love it!
*We now have 4 rooms to go with popcorn...next few weeks it will be down to 3 and then by spring down to 2
*Builder has moved his office cabinet into his new office.  Builder worked very hard on this piece and it turned out better than anything we could have bought.
*We have started putting together the decorating pieces to Builder's office, my favorite part (decorating and change!).  We moved the zebra rug from my office into Builders.  It looks great in its new spot.

*The rug moved sparked a few changes in my office.  Completely unplanned project. Ever since I added the pink touches I wanted to change them to my original thought of purple.  Purple is a richer color and ties in better with my inspiration piece in the room.  So a little lunch project and $4 in spray paint..my chandelier and lamp are now purple.  I have a new rug coming from Ikea via my B-more friend (gotta love good friends that will run out on shopping errands when you can't buy online).  I am so excited to tie in the black and white rug with my black furniture.  I am currently working on the baskets for my shelves.  I changed the window treatments..of my fave spot for curtains JCP...for $20 I have deep purple velvet curtains.  Funny thing is I had purchased these drapes when we first moved in for my office and they were not on sale so I returned them.  The look is coming together.

    

*Kitchen Updates:  We ordered what we thought was going to be the perfect light.  It was a lampshade chandelier, black and white stripped.  It arrived and looks like a saucer...not at all the size we thought.  Of course there is quite a complicated return policy but it is on its way back.

 Worn out after nonstop fun!

Little Update

A quick update on where we are with the house...always a project

1. I updated last weekend that we are working on hard wood floors upstairs!  This week we will scrap the popcorn ceiling from the guest room ....it will be so nice when we have no more popcorn.  After this room we will have 2 rooms and 2 bathrooms to go.

2. Almost done with the chalkboard wall in the kitchen--Fun touch!  The new lights are in and by newest purchase has been orders.  I love it and can't wait to see it over the table.   I had to make a deal with builder on the chairs for around the table but its worth it!!

3.Sofa Table (no idea what you would call it!) I added a touch of color.  I like it...not love and will keep my eyes pealed for fabric I love.  Easy to update.

4. Builder's Office Book Shelves - Builder is quite the wood worker.  His recent work is unbelievable ( I may be biased but it is just awesome!) He has not missed any detail on this master piece.  I can't wait to see his office all put together...I promise I won't move it!

Few other things on my list:
*I am stuck on the idea that I want a slate gray rug in the basement.  Needs the fuzzy, cozy feel.  Builder and I are going to price this out this week.  I would like to get a piece of carpet and have it bound so I can get the strange size and exactly the look I want.  Maybe even get it cheap!

*This is a far off idea but my neighbor just painted her daughter's bathroom concrete floor and I LOVE it!  I stopped and saw it Friday am after my walk with Otto....all day I was imaging my office with a fun floor.  I hate carpet so why should I sit for 8+ hours a day in a room with carpet....my mind was on it!!

#2 having so much fun!

Cyclone #1 visits and Cheer on the Tigers!

Always a project and always a Tiger Game is the September motto.  We cheered on Tigers this weekend as they played San Diego State (we are ready for Big 12 play but this team proved to be no joke).  The rain started coming down and we decided to head out early but the Tigers gave everyone a run for it...I was told this today..Luck is better than a Loss...and we will take it.

 

Missouri football comes back to beat San Diego State 27-24

With his teammates and coaches celebrating behind him, T.J. Moe runs in the winning touchdown during the last minute of the fourth quarter of the San Diego State game on Saturday. The Tigers beat the Aztecs 27-24.   ¦  

A 68-yard touchdown reception by T.J. Moe with 51 seconds left in the game put Missouri back on top, 27-24.

PINK

The back of our T-shirts

Front of the shirt--Too early and wet for pics at the race

Weather forecast for Sunday morning.....

81° F | 67° F
Chance of T-storms 40% chance of precipitation  It was the first ever Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure day in CoMO, rain or shine.  It was also super early on a Sunday morning, 7am meet at the Mandas for the Bunco group.  Someone had this crazy idea and said she would have muffins and coffee.  Arriving home wet from the MU game last night, I was not in the cooking mood.  So bright an early this morning I whipped up some muffins, must say the Fiber One blueberry muffins are fabulous! We make them often.  The table was set with pink and the sky was looking dark when the sun should have been rising.  Everyone rallies and we load up to head to the race.  The cracks for thunder and light show on the way to the stadium was a little intimidating...there was a lot of 'I melt in the rain', 'I hate getting wet', 'I am not interested in running in the rain'....we all did!   There was rain but it was light until the end of the race.  Then it was POURING!!  We all were so happy to have completed the race for such a great cause.  Of course headed to Starbucks and then back home to bed on this rainy Sunday.   Nerdy moment but this morning I really loved people and I have to reflect on the power of people...as I entered the MU Football Stadium for the last lap of the race it was a great moment.  There were moms, dads, kids, friends all cheering (soaking wet!), the MUcheerleaders with pink pom-poms, Truman in pink, Golden Girls in pink outfits and I was running around a field that I have a huge sense of pride in.  It was a proud moment.  I have to say I did for a minute picture the stands full all cheering for me...not the case for this 5K but still a great feeling.  Always a proud TIGER and also proud of the Bunco ladies for supporting this great cause!!

not my first idea of fun

So we kicked off the weekend with a garage sale.  I have never been the garage sale type, no real reason I just can never pull it together. With the move last year I had a good amount of stuff that was worth selling.  Grandma Jeanie was having her seasonal garage sale and suggest I have one...with all her marketing I knew there would be a crowd.  Grandma Jeanie is a serious garage seller, she has sneak peaks and tags everything with those tags with the strings.  Her set up was the Neimans and mine (and my neighbors) was the Walmart.  I started Friday night (after going through taco bell, yes terrible, but placed the whole order and got to the pickup window and had no wallet....no checks at taco bell!) and with the southern help went with a color coding sticker system.  It worked well.  Builder informed me that garage sales start at 6:30-7am according to Grandma Jeanie...seriously.  Yes there were people waiting at 7am.  Builder was the cashier and I pushed the sales.  Really no pushing was needed, we had crowds for our little sale.  Of course are prices were priced to sell but things were selling.  The clothes especially.  I was so happy to sell the rugs that Otto had made holes in...I say happy..bittersweet to spend 200 on a rug from pottery barn and sell it with a hole for $15.  Builder reminded me all am that there was no profit as we had spent way more to get the stuff...depends how you look at it right. haha!  I got great use out of most (not all) of the stuff,better to get a few dollars back and have a clean storage room, right?!  Again we did not have a ton of stuff so after around 150 look through it all, by 10:30am we were done!  2 bags to goodwill and napping by 11!!  Getting ready for the 1st Tiger tailgate.  Not an overly exciting game since McKneese State is not division 1 but we love the new seats (oh Angela in your event staff shirt, we do not miss you)!  MIZZOU RAH!

I hate...

Carpet....yes this is true.  Let me be a little more specific,  I like rugs but not carpet.  I know many people love it, in my house it just doesn't work.  Why because...
1. It always looks dirty  2. It wears horrible in the high traffic spots  3. All the dirt that gets down into the pad and stays there  4. Spills or dog vomit are hard to get out  5.  You can't take the whole rug to the cleaners  6. when you vacuum you see the lines  7. Just doesn't ever feel clean ...it just is not for me.  So we are back at it....

Hardwood is here for the whole second level.  Oh builder how I love you and your patience!  We have moved his office 3 times since we moved in...the desk is super heavy.  And yes the fabulous guest room that was complete has been emptied out.  While taking that room apart I did say "Who was the crazy with this idea".  But oh how nice it will be to have the dark wood surface upstairs.  Yes it will get dirty but nothing a mop and swifer can't handle!!

sums it up...

The text from me to start the day...

me: 'First pumpkin spice latte of the season in a cardigan, welcome fall! Next up corn stalks and pumpkins then fires.  Enjoy the day!'

louie: 'Ah yes, time to slip into those slippers, let the dog lay at the feet and browse pier 1's fall line, sipping your favorite latte.  We won't forget you summer; you provided veggie treats, household chores that kept the nest neat, family and friends, good times indeed but fall is here and I must say the haven is hard to beat.'  

 That pretty much says it all... An ode from louie, I think louie is in the wrong field.  I'm ready for fall!

Thirty more...

Dirty 30 Club!

Game Day Baby...in so many ways at our house this weekend.  After a fun week of preparation, we were ready to celebrate the builder turning 30 (a little early but with home MU games in Sept. this was the free weekend) and MU Tiger Football kickoff. 

We welcomed A on Friday night.  So happy to have her in CoMO.  S, builder, and I all went out to Murrays, A's first taste of fried green peppers(they are to die for!).  We then headed home to finish all the fun details!  Builder of course cooking and us ladies working on all the details.  I so enjoy the preparation for a party!!

 Saturday morning could not have been more perfect...woke up to windows open and crisp morning air.  Quiet house....have I ever told you I love the peacefulness of a house in the morning.  The birds chirping, the sun coming up, the water making small ripples...and my coffee (I may have just aged myself with that tangent but its true!)  The high for the day was around 74, sun and a breeze all day.  The Tigers took the field at 11:30am and the party began.  Builder had the old big screen set up outside on the patio and we had all the tailgate chairs set up for all of us to enjoy the game.  It was just perfect!!  The food was a hit...the neighbor kids informed me, I have great taste!  Thank goodness for parents, they really helped out with the food.  Lunch was sandwiches, Gus' Pretzels w/cheese, taco dip, chicken fingers, fruit, chips.  We did a candy bar with cupcakes and brownies so we could snack all day!  The Tigers had a rough first half so it was perfect the food was so good.  Then things looked up in the 2nd half and we pulled off our first win of the season...MIZZOU RAH!  The party continued with lots of washers, laughs, paddle boat rides, fishing, football, and beer.  After a second beer run it was time for the fire, our friend Gordo was all over that.  The fun continued and builder decided it was time for grilling.  The smell from this grilling was fabulous and everyone became very hungry.  Meal #2 was under way....beef tenderloin, hot dogs for the kids, cheesy mashed potatoes, corn casserole ....the food was GONE FAST!  The air was crisp and it we were all soaking in the joys of fall weather.  Sitting around a fire with sweatshirts on was a great way to end the day.... We had 10+ hours of family, friends, and fun.

Chick Flick

But it's a book....this is a great read for all ladies!  I love the messages...no it is not a self help book (it says that right from the start) or a book of answers.  It is all about reality, they cover real situations with the real results/thoughts/outcomes discussed.  Its witty, I love to laugh! Its a simple read and enjoyable.  You can skip all over the place and it all flows.  We found this book at Anthropologie while in Dallas, A & S got the 2 copies they had.  I was fine with this because I had bought so much...need that money tree!  Once I heard about A & S late night couch chats over quotes in the book, of course I could not be left out.  I am not finished yet but I would recommend it to all.  If you don't like the read, it is a neat book and would look good on any shelf...always thinking! 

Sneak Peek...I got one of pillows!!  Thanks plush studio!  Check out her great things!!