Do We Really Read All These Books?

I've got a problem and I'm afraid it's one that could end with me on an episode of Hoarders.  I can't get rid of books!  I don't know if seeing them around makes me feel smart or maybe I'm trying to convince myself that I really will need a refresher course on Marshall McLuhan's "the medium is the message" ...err, probably not that.  So where am I going with this?  Well, I've got this pair of shelves in the living room (got them years ago off craigslist, think they're from Crate & Barrel. Score!) and they've been filled (overflowing really) with books ever since we moved in two years ago.  With all the painting we've got planned, the books needed some place to go temporarily. And that's how our shelves ended up looking like this:

No before pic, I was too excited to move the books.

And I thought, "Well that just looks so much more lovely than a bunch of books," so then the books needed a new permanent home.  And THAT is how our master bedroom ended up looking like this:

And now I'm embarrassed. And yes, I totally do own the Twilight books... among other awkward things.

Er, yeah, that's no good.  A headboard (yep, that's the Ikea Expedit) filled with random crap does not make for a restful retreat.  I still wanted the books to be accesible, just not THAT accesible.  So the plan was to head back to Ikea for some of their storage bins that fit nicely into the Expedit shelf.  We decided on the Knipsa seagrass basket:

We had to get a bunch of them so this was a pricier fix than I'd planned but man, it sure made a difference:

Yeah, books are hidden away!

Sooo much better.  A word of warning about the baskets though, they are STINKY.  Plan on purchasing them when the weather is nice so you can keep the windows open for a few days.  This is also why you can see some wet spots on the bookshelf, I was febreezing the hell out of it.

After staring at the (much more organized) shelf for a few minutes, I decided I needed to add something to lighten up the space and fill in the empty spot on top of the shelves.  That's where my gigantic collection of milk glass comes into play (all left over from our DIY wedding centerpieces - a story for another day).

Voila!  I like the way they compliment the curtain rods and the wrinkly pillow shams on the bed.  Oh pillow sham, how did you become so disheveled?  Anyway, vases... I kinda like them up there... maybe not forever but they make me happy right now so they get to stay.

So what's the verdict?  I think it's at least an improvement... well besides the wrinkly pillows and curtains.  Time to get the steamer out!


***Update*** So my mom suggested that I plant some nice flowers to stick in the vases.  Great idea except this is what happened the last time I tried to grow something.

I'm afraid I was born with two black thumbs.  Also, there is currently a lizard loose in my house so if no one hears from me for a while it's probably because I've been eaten.

Special Delivery

Guess what landed on my front porch this morning?

Insert celebratory air horn here.  Bwaaaaaaaaa!

It's the Asthma/Allergy friendly paint that I won from Valspar's Facebook Giveaway.  Thanks, Valspar!  And let me tell you, I was so excited, I may have taken all of these pictures straight out of the shower, still wrapped in a towel.  I'm so modest.  Thank goodness Josh was home to answer the door and stop the dog from eating the delivery guy.

Look! They even sent along some helpful painting advice!

Why is it when a sign says not to do something, I have the urge to do only that?  I've never wanted to throw two gallons of paint before but suddenly, all I want to do is chuck this box across the room.

Now let me tell you what I'm not excited about: a busy weekend that will not allow for any painting time.  Wah wah.  It's just going to sit there and tempt me for a couple weeks.  I can, however, share the color now.  We picked out Valspar's Metropolis in flat and it's going to be gracing our living room walls.

It's not the best pic but it's going to look different in different lighting anyway.  I like it because it's not a super dark gray.  We still want our room to be light and airy but with a little more mood.  And I think this color does that for me.  It will be even better once I get that charcoal gray couch I'm still searching for.  I've had my eye on this baby for a few weeks:

More views here: Alcoa Gray Sectional

I like the fact that it's completely modular and would give me the option to moves pieces anywhere in the room and I enjoy its sort of modern yet retro look.  But of course there must be a deal-breaker - it's not carried in any stores so it's not possible to sit on or see in person.  Daaaaaaaang.  I just don't think I'm quite ready to buy furniture online.  Oh well, plenty more places to look!  What do you think?  Have you ever made a BIG purchase online without seeing it in person?

Oh Na Na... What's My Name?

Things looking a little different around here?  As my Wisconsin kin would say, "You Betcha!" (It's true, last time I was home, a restaurant hostess said "You Betcha" when I thanked her on my way out.  Adorable, right?)  But anyway... Yes, new name, new look.  The name will stay, the look... well that will probably continue to evolve.  So why the change?  A few reasons.

1. I'm new here and still figuring it all out.  And heck, when you're new and no one knows you, isn't that the best time to change things up?  It's kinda like starting at a new school.  New friends, new you.  Hopefully no one will stick gum in my hair on the school bus this time.

2. Josh's gift really inspired me.  I didn't share all the details of the anniversary/birthday prezzie the other day but now I am!  See that little key up at the top of the page?  Well, that's what's on my new necklace.  Josh's last name means "little key"... and mine will too as soon as I get around to "officially" changing it (err, has it been a year already?   Why is it so much work to be a girl?).  So it has a special meaning to both of us and since my main focus here is going to be about making our house a home, I also thought the idea of a key was a more fitting title.

3. I don't think Josh is all that interested in blogging anymore.  I think he'll stay on as a contributor but I have a feeling he'll probably only weigh in every once in a while.  Perhaps when we tackle the big projects.

So there you have it.  And now that we've had a delicious breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, it's time to tackle a few things around the house.  We've got guests coming in about a month and some big things we need to take care of: An office re-org (we need that space for a guest room) and a light fixture moved/rewired (the placement has been bothering us for two years, it's right in the path of a walkway and one of our guests is very tall.  Since we love him and don't want him to leave with a head injury, this is the perfect motivation to finally take care of it).  I'm guessing we might hire a pro for that one.  Not sure I trust myself with electrical just yet.

Oh and I've been looking for fabrics for my cheap-o thrift chair and found a couple that are getting me all excited to finally tackle that project.  Check out these babies from Spoonflower:

Source: spoonflower.com via BaseballFury on Pinterest

Source: spoonflower.com via BaseballFury on Pinterest

I love them both but as they might be considered a bit pricey, I think I'll still hit up some local places in hopes of scoring an awesome deal.

The Birthday Week is Over

Well that went faster than expected - birthday week days 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all in the past.  Time really does fly when you're having fun or maybe just when you're getting older.  I don't think I could have asked for a better birthday week though - it was so much fun!  A trip to Milwaukee, a wedding with good friends and watching the Brewers sweep the Cubs at Miller park were all just part of the excitement.  I know there are a couple people out there who actually read this and are curious what the final birthday surprises were.  So here we go!

DAY 4 - SURPRISE!

Err... glad I had SOME makeup on.

Day 4 was literally a surprise... a surprise party!  Thrown by my mom, sister and hubby.  And I was genuinely surprised.  So surprised in fact that, in my shock, I called all of the guests something that starts with A and ends with Holes.  Sorry about that, grandpa.  The fact that they were actually able to surprise me is a miracle.  I have ruined pretty much every surprise ever attempted on me.  I like to consider it my superpower.  Angela, Ruiner of Surprises.  I don't think that will be coming to a comic stand near you any time soon.

Want to know what was in the boxes?  It was brown, furry, talkative and a total blast from the past.

Teddy Ruxpin AND his pal, Grubby!  Seriously, Mom?  I think someone's been spending quite a bit of time on the interwebs.  I couldn't believe it.  My old Teddy Ruxpin had been destroyed by a younger sibling... no need to name names.  Poor Teddy had his head stomped on until his eyeballs popped out. And for those of you who think Teddy's scary, you should have seem with empty eye sockets.  And now here he is, returned to me, in all his creepy, animatronic loveliness.

And check out the awesome gift from my super creative pals, Kati & Kelly.

A dollar for each year of my life with a pop culture or personal reference on the back of each one.  Kind of like an I Love the 80's, 90's and 2000's Ang edition.  How sweet and thoughtful is that?  I guess I won't be making it rain with these.  Oh and the best part?  They colored George Washington's hair red on every bill to match mine.  Ha!  (Dear Secret Service - please don't prosecute my friends for defacing U.S. currency... George looks good as a redhead.)

DAY 5 - Sentimental and Sparkly (this was also part anniversary gift)

Josh woke me up Saturday morning with a little box... let's just say the box was the color that I would like to paint my guest bathroom.  I had mentioned how I absolutely needed a little box in that color so I could get the perfect paint match (here's another hint - I've been looking at colors in the blue family).  And lucky me, he decided to make sure there was a necklace inside of it as well.  I'm not going to share all the sappy details because some will groan and others (Mom) might get all teary again.  But it was super sweet, sentimental and beautiful and a nod to our last name without being a big K on a chain.

And I got to wear it to the wedding of one of our good friends from college that night.

What a great time it was - kind of like a college reunion.  They wrote their own vows and they were the sweetest I've ever heard at a wedding.  There were sports references, Star Wars references and so many sweet moments... it was so easy to see the love they have for each other. We had such a great time celebrating and even found out that another good friend, who was also at the wedding, got engaged the weekend before.  So big congrats Emery & Brian AND Jon & Lana!

DAY 6 - I'm Famous, Y'all!

We left the wedding locale super early Sunday morning to make it back to Milwaukee for a Brewers tailgate.  We do it up right in Milwaukee - besides my family, I think I miss tailgating the most.  It's just not the same here.  We partied before first pitch with mimosas, brats & burgers on the grill and some icy cold Spotted Cow... oh, maybe that's what I miss the most... Spotted Cow.  Yum.

You would have thought seeing the Brewers sweep the Cubs would be enough of a present (thanks for arranging that, Josh) but he took things a step further.

I'm Famous, Y'all!

Hey, that's me!  Up on the scoreboard... Rad!

DAY 7 - Nom Nom Nom

Being the Top Chef nerds and wannabe foodies that we are, we hit up Top Chef Masters' contestant (and now Top Chef judge), Hugh Acheson's Empire State South. It was oh so good and the service was great as well.  Might I recommend to you the In Jars to start along with a Personality Crisis to wash it down... Check it out, seriously!

I guess now that the official celebration is over, it's time for me to get on with kicking 30's ass.