Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Tonight we had the pleasure of meeting the architect and original owner of our house, Harry G. Rowe. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, Steve and I actually know his daughter but never made the connection. Harry called this morning and said he’d be in town and wondered if he could stop by. Of course! He brought all the blueprints of the house, photos and stories of how he’d built it. He pointed out what was still original (the countertops and sink in the master bath, most of the lighting, and the floors) and showed us pictures of things that were gone (a killer built-in buffet and panels along the fireplace). It was fascinating hearing about how he built it, what materials he used, his inspirations and what he paid for it (that was scary!). The best part was that his daughter, Susan, had scanned all the photos and put them on a CD for us to enjoy. The minute we saw the original siding we knew we had to find a way to restore it to it’s original finish. Here’s the front of the house:

Here’s the side:

Although the pictures are sepia toned, it’s obvious the siding is wood and we love the effect. Harry thought the front doors were originally orange, but photos show they were wood. He must have painted them later. We’re planning to paint them orange this spring. I also love the brown trim. The garage door was also brown. I think the house looks so much warmer than it does now. All in good time. This house will be restored all in good time.

Today I decided to tackle a project I’ve been meaning to do since we moved. I organized my album collection. I also culled the herd, so to speak, and kept only the LPs that had the most meaning. I started off by putting all the records in one place. Then I divided them into two groups: records to play and records for art. Here’s what the floor was beginning to look like during the process:

Not too bad, but it was still a little overwhelming. Not as overwhelming as the day Valerie reorganized her record collection. It took her 10 hours to do it. Yep, 10 hours to organize all her albums. She has a stack of rejects almost as large as my entire collection. Looks like we’ll be having a garage sale again this year. But I digress. Once I had my two stacks it was time for sub- categories. First I took the artwork only albums and put them together by genre, color, artist or theme. Then I discarded the duplicates or ones I’d changed my mind about. Things were looking better:

Steve helped by taking these stacks upstairs so I could store my artwork albums in the game room and have the albums I play near the stereo. I divided those up into categories of rock, soundtracks, easy listening and jazz. Once that was done it was easy to alphabetize everything and put them away. I feel so organized now!

I don’t think it’s any real mystery that I love to shop. For just about anything. I’ve been known to pay too much for some things and get incredible bargains for others. The real joy in shopping, for me anyway, is scoring a great bargain on something I love.

My friend Valerie has recently started collecting old cassettes and VHS tapes. This means that whenever we go flea marketing, we usually have to stop at the Goodwill or Salvation Army Thrift Store to see if they have any of these things. I don’t mind thrift stores, I actually find them fun, but some are far and away better than others. Yesterday, Valerie and I headed to Ozark for some flea marketing and she said she wanted to stop at the Ozark Goodwill. Fine by me. We’d been there before and I liked the store. It’s clean, organized and doesn’t smell like b.o. and sweat socks. When we walked in we saw a rack of colorful men’s shirts that had just arrived. I couldn’t believe my eyes. These were Windsor Lake shirts I’d seen at Town and County (a local upscale clothing store) for over $100. The entire rack of shirts were new with the tags still on them and all of them were priced at…$5.93. Seriously. I immediately called Steve to see what size he wore in that brand since we’d bought him some one sale at T & C several years ago. They run big so I bought a size down. Although they were a huge bargain, I only bought him one shirt to see if he’d like it and told him to stop at the Goodwill on his way home and get another one or two. Heck, for $5.93 he could practically start an entire new shirt wardrobe for less than $100. But he doesn’t need to do that!

So there’s one of the shopping secrets I’m willing to share. Next time you’re in the area, stop by the Ozark Goodwill and see what’s new. You just never know what kind of great bargain you’ll find!

I first saw this on my friend [Cindy’s blog](http://herethereandback.blogspot.com/) and threatened to steal it for mine since it made me laugh so hard. Because I’m pressed for time today (and feeling a bit uninspired) I thought I’d share it with those of you who might not have seen it. Enjoy!

Wm. Shakespeare’s Five and Twenty Random Things Abovt Me

1 Sometimes I Feele so trapp’d by iambic pentameter … Does that make me a Freake?

2 I haue been Knowne to cry at Bear-baiting.

3 I am not uery ticklish. I am Not. So prithee, do not euen try. Waste. Of. Time.

4 I cannot keep Lice, and know not why.

5 Sometimes I thinke plays are all Talke, Talke Talke, and wish for a cart-chase scene. I tried one in The Merry Wives, but it looked like Shitte, so I cut it. The men playing the horses were so Pissed at me.

6 I once threw vp on a man’s head, from a high Windowe. I was so fvcking Sicke that Daye.

7 I hate to wear a Ruff, for I haue such a pleasing Necke.

8 As a player, I am painful-slow to learn my part. Once whilst playing Edward I, I used the prompter so ouermuch that a groundling yell’d ~ Stop interrupting, Will! And it was my Dadde. (Kydding!)

9 Sometimes when I am Stvck for a rhyme, I new-mint a Worde because I jvst want to get the Damned script ovt the fvcking doore.

10 I play the Flute yet poorly, but I can make any crumhorn beg for Mercy.

11 When I am happy I call Anne my Kicky-wicky. When I am cross I call her “Olde Fun Killer Hag-Ass.”

12 I keepe my Stashe hidden in our seconde best bedde. Shhh. Don’t tell the Fyve-Oh.

13 The people that loue my Wordes the best are always the most disappointed vpon meeting me. Is thisse List ouer yet?

14 On the topic of dating, my daughter Susanna loues to remind me: ~Jvliet was only thirteen! And I remind her that i) she was Italian, an impulsive race ii), she was actually played by a middle-aged Eunuch named Ned, and iii) she died. That always shvts her right vp.

15 I deteste it when the Low-Comedians improuise the scenes I writ them… becavse they always make them so mvch fvnnier.

16 I haue, on occasion, thovght abovt hiring a Boy to fixe my Latin.

17 When I was sixe, my Goode-Friend Charles brovght to Schoole a wood-cut of his mother, qvite naked. After that we called him Charles Nudie-Mummy, whiche did make him Crye.

18 I take my eggs ouer-medium. If I get them O’er-Easily, I tell my Porter, ~You may thinke this is what I ordered, but it’s snot. I thinke that one is a real Slap-A-Th’Knee.

19 I work ovt my calues thrice weekly, usvally three pyramid sets of Calf-Rises whilst holding a flagon of Meade. I knowe I should stretch afterwards, but it Bores me so I do it not.

20 As a boy in my Bed, I would shriek i’the night that Witches wovld come to eat me. My Mother (bless her) wovld smooth my Hair and whispr ~ Be not afear’d, the Witches onlie eat the Jews.

21 Whitsuntide has become so commercial.

22 Nobody euer forgets where they were the moment they heard that Thomas Kyd died. I was shopping for codpieces in West Cheape. I came ovt of the Change-room and the proprietress was i’tears. I said ~What is it, now?~Kyd is dead. There was a melancholy qviet, and then she said ~And that Piece is a mite too small on ye.

23 Euery time we do the Taming of the Shrew, some pvnter wants his Money backe, because we don’t actually show a shrew getting tamed.

24 I do not vnderstand all the Fvss over Currants. Sure, they are both sweet and Small, but must they bee added to EUERY FVCKING MEAL these days? Yestermonth, found I currants in a Tarte of Spinnedge. I meane come on, People. Seriovsly.

25 When I am feeling Melancholic, I console myselfe with the Knowledge that, aboue all else, I will be remembered for my Musick. 

– Credit to Mike McPhaden

I’ve rediscovered sewing and am having quite a bit of fun creating some new things for our house. About a month ago we were over at Mick and [Carrie’s](http://chickletandducky.wordpress.com/) and I went crazy over a stuffed ottoman (or poof or Gumdrop Pillow as the pattern calls it) that was in their living room. I asked Carrie if she’d bought it at Ikea and was floored when she told me she made it. Of course I had to make one too because it’s just so darned cute! Carrie generously offered to share her [Amy Butler pattern](http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/mainmenu.php?fl=1) and I couldn’t wait to make it. Carrie and I went material shopping a couple of weekends ago and I’ve been waiting for some time to devote to the piece. It’s super easy, but it takes a ton of stuffing! 7.5 pounds to be exact. Luckily, the stuffing was on sale so the entire thing cost less than $30 to make. It’s 24″ wide and about 20″ tall. What do you think? The fabric isn’t as shiny as it looks. I used an upholstery weight fabric and the ovals are a chenille texture. The color is more burnt orange than the pictures. Dang flash making everything look crappy! Next up is the smaller version for my nieces playroom. I just have to get my sister to approve the material.

Happy Birthday, Lydia! My youngest niece turns three today and she’s already annoyed her mother by waking her up at 6 a.m. I called and got to talk to her on the phone. When I asked her how old she was today she kept insisting she was two until her mom told her she was three today. Then I could hear the grin in her voice as she announced she was three today. I got to hear her say, “I love you Aunt Tammy” which is the best way to start the day. They were on their way to pick up cookies for Lydia to take to school in celebration of her birthday. That’s one of the things Ralph and I missed when we were kids since our birthdays were in the summer. I did go to summer school one year and got to bring cupcakes with smiley faces on them for the class. I think it must have been the highlight of my elementary years because I still remember it!

Happy Birthday to Lydia! I hope you have a wonderful third birthday.

It was a whirlwind weekend here as we entertained 3/4 of the Smith family. My sister and the girls made the trek from Iowa to visit and have me help her with some paint ideas for the new house. Suddenly I’ve become the family interior decorator. While my sister and I have similar tastes in many areas, her paint ideas tend to be a little more subdued than mine, but I had a good idea of what she wanted so it took no time to work out all the colors for the rooms. I even found the perfect material for her dining room chairs. She seemed really impressed that I was able to quickly find what she wanted in the fabric store, but I’d seen it a couple of weeks before and liked it myself so it was an easy suggestion for her.

Of course the highlight of the trip was seeing my two adorable nieces. Although I chose not to have children, I love spending time with Lydia and Julia. They are so funny, cute and sweet. I never grow tired of them exclaiming, “Aunt Tammy” whenever they see me. I got to read them bedtime stories, help with bath night (at our house which was a real treat for them), play outside and listen to Lydia “read” her new books. They are such a delight. I do have to laugh at the way Lydia mimics her sister because I know that won’t last. I hope they grow up to be best friends like Ralph and I are.

Friday, Ralph and I discovered some disturbing information about our mom. She’s never flown a kite. I actually had to help her put the thing together. Ralph said, “Aren’t you a member of Mensa?” which sent me into gales of laughter. Nope, the woman hadn’t flown a kite. However, with the help of an almost-three year old and her big sister, she did great. It was so windy here that the string broke but they still had a great time. Thanks to some babysitting help from Grammie and Uncle Steve, Ralph and I got to spend some quality time together. We ran some errands on Friday then ended the day with some wine and television here at our house.

Saturday was the big birthday celebration for Lydia and Burl’s birthdays. Because Burl is a good sport (and can’t bear to crush the feelings of a 3 year-old) the theme of the party was Hello Kitty. We had party hats,plates, napkins and even a cake with Lydia’s favorite feline. Burl’s daughter-in-law, Annie, was here with her little boy Devin and it was really good to see them. Devin is now quite a big boy who just learned to walk this past week. However, his grandpa, Woodrow, wasn’t about to let him go very far. It is obvious Devin is the only grandchild in Annie’s family! Mom fixed her awesome lasagna and we enjoyed some libations from Burl’s birthday gift, a margarita machine. I have the feeling it will be getting a lot of use once the summer gets here.

Today Steve and I tied up all the loose ends of the weekend and getting ready for the week ahead. We’re still enjoying warm weather here so we had a few windows open today and the house really smells fresh. I prepped some pieces in my studio, cut out two sewing projects, did laundry and basically got organized. Steve spent most of the day fixing our laptop, which was no small feat. It took him about 5 hours, but it works perfectly. I’m so glad I married a computer guy! Later in the afternoon we did some food comparison shopping at Sam’s and bought some items in bulk. We were amazed at the savings and it felt good to know we were shopping smarter. Ever since we started our financial class we’ve been trying to make better money decisions. Today it felt like we were winning. After our Sam’s trip we headed to the regular grocery store to finish the list. Then we went home and made Spaghetti Bolognese with a fresh salad. Yum! We watched some mindless tv and are now headed for bed.

The forecast for tomorrow is rain so I’ll be staying at home and getting some work done. The good news is that it will still be warm!

Recently on Facebook, a list of 25 Things About Me has been floating around. I made mine and, since I’m feeling lazy, decided to do the same here. For those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook, please note that this is a different list.

1. My two least favorite movies are The Wizard of Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life.

2. I am not a fan of either Jimmy Buffett or Bruce Springsteen. (Hmm, I may actually not be an American).

3. If life had a uniform I think I could live in a white cotton shirt or black turtleneck, faded jeans and cowboy boots. Oh wait, I already do.

4. I think God knew what he was doing by giving me the body I have. If I had a better figure I’d just spend much more money on clothes!

5. My husband and I got engaged after knowing each other for only two months and got married six months later. The night we got engaged I got appendicitis.

6. It took me almost 30 years to listen to my gut instincts. I still ignore them sometimes, but they are right 99% of the time.

7. I never thought I’d be an artist. I actually have a degree in Communication.

8. I will rent a comedy over a drama almost any day. I like to be entertained.

9. After a 20 year daily Diet Coke habit, I quit cold turkey and haven’t had any for almost 1 1/2 years.

10. I have a horrible sweet tooth! Perhaps that’s why I can’t lose these 10 extra pounds.

11. I have never wanted children.

12. I’m a cat person, not a dog person. Dogs are too needy!

13. I had a music scholarship to college and used to sing regularly. I could never do that now because I’m horribly out of practice!

14. I have never had hair longer than my shoulders. I grew it out over a three year period then cut it all off right before my 40th birthday. I look better in short hair anyway.

15. I tend to have a mouth like a sailor. 

16. I have an amazing sense of smell and can flavor almost any dish by smell alone.

17. If I had to give up cheese or chocolate, I’d pick chocolate. There’s just no substitute for cheese. Mmmm, cheese.

18. I act very confident and can talk to almost anyone, but I’m really quite insecure.

19. I’m an open, honest person and I expect others to be that way with me. Especially if they are my friends.

20. I was married before I met Steve. To a man who’s now gay. Well, he was always gay but now he’s out!

21. If I wasn’t an artist and had the talent, I’d be a stand up comedienne.

22. My favorite color is orange and I have touches of it in every room of my house. However, I don’t wear it.

23. I still have the toy I received for my very first Christmas. It’s a pull toy called Wacky Melon and I love it. All the kids who have been to my house play with it.

24. I once starred in an Infomercial for an inflatable, massaging chair. I even got paid for it.

25. My very favorite song is Hey Jude and has been since I was three years old. I know this because my mom wrote it in my baby book.

Whew! It’s been a crazy week and I just haven’t taken the time to blog. I have a new drug, called Facebook, that keeps me high most of the time. Ok, not really, but it is a bit addictive. It’s fast and easy to post and I feel like I’m connecting with friends. Not like here where I have no idea if anyone is reading this unless they leave a comment! So, obviously Steve and I survived our snow day together last Tuesday. He worked and I got some pieces started in the studio. Nothing earth-shattering, but I am granulating again and that feels good.

I was so excited by my pillow-making success that I decided another project was in order so Saturday, Carrie and I ventured out to Hancock Fabrics, [She’s Crafty](http://bringingcraftyback.com/) and the FM Store to look at patterns and material. I knew I wanted to make a tote bag and an ottoman (the pattern calls it a gumdrop pillow) but I wasn’t sure what materials I wanted. I was also still looking for material to use for pillows in the coffee nook area. Fortunately, Carrie and I have very similar taste so it was easy for both of us to find material we liked and get excited about making something out of it. I fell in love with a very cool black and white material printed with what looks like [George Nelson Bubble Lamps](http://hivemodern.com/products/?view=sub_product&sid=343&cid=78&cid2=271) but wasn’t sure if it would be right for the pillows. Carrie and I ooo’d and ahhh’d over it for so long that I knew I was going to buy some regardless of what I did with it! Fortunately, I figured out that the pattern would allow me to make a 14″ square without disturbing the design. I’m planning to use yellow or mustard-colored piping around the edges.

The day continued with a delicious dinner, compliments of Duane and Prudy, at Ocean Zen. Prudy and I had the Sea Bass and determined it was a bit salty this time, but still quite good. As usual, the meal was peppered with lots of laughter and talk of dream vacations. After the meal we were stuffed, but the guys wanted dessert and coffee so we went downtown to Bruno’s Ristorante for the best Key Lime Cheesecake in town. It was a great end of the day. Or so we thought…

The day wasn’t over for us. Earlier our striped Tabby, Tidbit, had been vomiting around the house – ewwww! It was unusual for him to throw up that many times and we were keeping an eye on him but weren’t worried. When we returned home after dinner, we discovered more barf and Tidbit was huddled under the ledge. We knew he was sick but had no idea what could have caused it. We discussed riding it out overnight, but worried that if he got really bad during the night we’d never forgive ourselves. So we bundled him up and took him to the Emergency Vet Clinic. I knew things were bad when he didn’t object and even let the vet handle him without a fuss. She ruled out any bowel or throat obstructions but wanted to get some bloodwork to see if he had kidney problems or diabetes. After a short discussion, we decided to leave him in their care overnight. They took blood and found nothing abnormal so they gave him some fluids and watched for signs of more vomiting. Apparently after a few hours he was feeling better because he let the vet have it verbally and decided he wasn’t going to play nice any more. Fortunately, she found the whole thing amusing. We picked him up on Sunday and were given instructions to watch him for signs of vomiting and give him a bland diet for 24 hours. He seems normal and we may never know what caused the problems. We may be $225 poorer, but at least we don’t have a dead cat!

All that overnight excitement and lack of sleep meant that I was extremely tired the next day. I went to another indoor garage sale with Valerie and Kevin late Sunday morning. It wasn’t as good as the other one, but I did get some more LPs and a cool planter. Then Valerie and I did a little flea marketing before I decided to call it a day. I was going to nap but knew it would probably keep me up that night so I stayed awake. Steve and I spent a quiet evening at home watching the Superbowl until I went to bed around 9 p.m. My favorite ad was the one with Alec Baldwin because I’m such a big fan of his. I also liked the Pepsi and Doritos ads. Still, none of them were exciting enough that I remember what they were advertising.

I’m working my “real” job Monday-Wednesday this week and my sister and adorable nieces come in on Thursday so I have a lot on my plate! Hope you’re not too disappointed if I don’t blog again for another week!

We don’t get snow here in Springfield. We get ice, sleet, freezing rain and sometimes all three in the same day. That’s what started late yesterday afternoon and is continuing today. The city is closed. Drury University and Missouri State have cancelled classes and closed offices – something that rarely happens. Steve works in Branson and it started getting slick there early yesterday afternoon so he planned ahead and is working from home today. Which means he’ll be in my way. I’m kidding (sort of)! I do like having him around on the weekends, but I’m used to my time alone during the week. Still, it was nice to have some coffee together this morning and I know he has work to do which means we won’t need to entertain each other.

I spent all day yesterday waiting for the cable guys to arrive. They said they’d be here between noon and 5 p.m. They arrived closer to 6 p.m. and took almost 1.5 hours to get us going. Apparently, the cable wiring for our house is really outdated and they had more work than they anticipated. It took three of them to get us up and running. Good news is that we got free installation and didn’t have to pay for it. Bad new is that since they arrived so late we missed some of our favorite show, House. Oh well, that’s what re-runs are for. Because I had to stay home all afternoon, I decided to do some sewing, which I haven’t done in probably 12 years or more. I had taken my machine in last fall for a tune-up but hadn’t used it. A few weeks ago I decided to get back into the sewing game with a simple pillow project. I figured I’d start out easy and work my way up to some clothes. Here’s what I made:

It was pretty easy, except the applique was hard to get perfectly square. Since the cable guys were so late, I even had time to make a second one. It was easier but I still didn’t get the applique perfect. Oh well, not bad for someone who hasn’t sewn in years. Unfortunately, I don’t have any material to make something else today and I’m iced in so I can’t go out and start another project. Guess I’ll be spending the day in the studio which I really need to do anyway. Hope it’s warm and ice/snow-free where you are. I’m just glad the ice hasn’t taken our electricity!