Really....

Why can't I finish a project before I start another? Ugh!! Doh! Can I add that to my list of New Year's resolutions? Lol! Yes, I have now started another project. Trying to crochet flowers. Hmmm...I have an idea in mind. However, I WILL finish my egg carton project this week!

Hope you all had a good weekend. So sorry for the lack of posts. It was a busy one!

Friday Cuteness

TGIF! Quincy, the little ham. He loves the camera. Every time I take a photo of Emma or Mocha, right when I snap, they walk away...so don't think I'm ignoring them. They are just too snobby for the camera but Quincy, nah....he thinks he's a star! I think I see that Cheshire Cat thing happening.

Remember that egg carton?

Let the transformation begin....

An Award!

First of all, hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Second, it's been awhile but I received a lovely award, The Lemonade Award, from Teresa over at (and I bet you didn't all know this) the first blog I ever laid eyes on, Life, Homesteading and Everything! Thank you Teresa!! I love getting awards...it means you still think of me. Awwwww! Teresa is just the sweetest. I notice the small stuff...she acknowledges each and everyone's post when they comment on her blog....her kids are extra smart because she's a smart mom and is a wonderful wife, she keeps a great garden, makes wonderful food out of the great veggies she grows and is an awesome crafter on top of that! I want to be like her when I grow up. LOL Yea, that's right! I am so not grown up yet. ;)

And to thank Teresa, Quincy said he would pose with my favorite candy of all time to make him look even hotter (he really was hot sitting in front of that fireplace). He's saying "Teresa...I lure you with my DOTS....and bedroom eyes." :) I grabbed that box and downed those Dots like there was no tomorrow and Quincy went and used the litter box. That was a quick session.

Have a great Sunday!

Egg-cellent Affirmations!

Okay so what did I do with the eggs from the egg carton below? I boiled them! I like to boil a handful of eggs at the beginning of the week to eat for breakfast in the mornings. :) Well, as I was getting ready to bag one up, I thought of a quick and brilliant idea to get my mornings going. Write an affirmation on each one. I couldn't find any pretty color pens or anything...because they're still packed away. Maybe that should have been one of my affirmations. Lol! Excuse the sloppy writing....I did it on a whim and decided later I was going to show you.

Wouldn't it just be too cute if you were packing lunch for your kids and you wrote sweet nothings on their hard boiled eggs?

Recycled Jewelry Holder

Okay, so I didn't get around to cooking. Well, wait, yea I did! I cooked a dozen boiled eggs for the week. I had planned on baking, and I do have all my stuff for what I'll be baking but I got so tired after cleaning and running around that I was too exhausted when all was said and done. HOWEVER, I did create something out of a recycled egg carton. I think we did this in kindergarten or grade school, didn't we? Still works for me! I guess I could have prettied it up but I got so excited I had to show you guys. :)

Voila!

TGIF!

From the king of relaxation. :) Cooking alert! Mommy is even feeling like cooking this weekend. Watch out!

I have an outfit in mind....

This jacket......(when I can afford it)....

These adorable boots I just bought...

And of course with some thick winter tights and a cute top. I haven't figured those out yet. To top it off....a romantic messy bun. :)

What do you think? :)

Last Minute Getaway

I was whisked away to the coast for a weekend getaway which was perfect after my bubble bath post. :) I had so much fun! It had been so long since my feet met the coastal waters of Oregon. So, like that Sea Cottage gal and her cute feet...I decided to take a couple of photos of my own feet. :)

Before putting on my rubber boots...

Putting on my rubber boots and searching for shells...

Doggy paw prints in the sand...

Sea spray...

Seagulls just hangin' around...

Peeking around the corner

Walking on the seashore...



It was a refreshing weekend. I have more to share so stay tuned! Hope you all had a great weekend. :)

Friday = Relax

Ahhh...thank God it's Friday. :) Now this is how I relax.

Start with a bottle of olive oil bubble bath. Olive oil is WONDERFUL for the skin but you knew that....

Pour ever so gently into steaming hot water....

Have a few soaps and smelly things waiting on the sidelines....

Hypnotize yourself while the bubbles speak to you in their own bubbly language...

And now Mr. Quincy will demonstrate how one should feel after a bath.....

Happy Friday! Apologies for the grainy photos. I can't find batteries for my digital camera so my phone's camera will have to do for now. :)

Who's the tough cowgirl now?

Yea, that's right. It's me. Uh huh. I rode bareback tonight for the first time. Yee haw! Even trotted and loped a bit in the arena. No, it wasn't Cimara. I will have to tell you more about Cimara a little later but I rode the barn owner's horse (while Cimara was being trained a bit). I hopped on bareback and off we went. Okay, so I slipped and did a little sliding which was followed by uncontrollable laughter and giggling. Lol! Then we all laughed.

It's small things like this that make life enjoyable. Yes, even the smallest and silliest of things. Laughter IS the best medicine. Always remember that. :)

This and That.....

Hello everyone! I am feeling a bit more together these days, although I still haven't peeked in the garage nor have I unpacked. BUT, that aside, I have gotten some decorating done. Not much but some. One of the bathrooms is done and only because I want to enjoy a nice bathroom while I'm taking my baths. :) Here's a few little pictures to share.

This bathroom is my mermaid bathroom. Can you tell? See that beautiful bottle with the seashells on top? My stepfather got that for me, for Christmas. I adore it and I will be putting sea salt in it. :)

The little table with my candle and drinks...cold drinks necessary when taking a nice hot bath. (That's grapefruit juice).

My new $20.00 eyelet curtain from Kmart completes this sweet, small bathroom that will be my oasis every night after a long day's work.

My mermaid picture and my sign that says "At the beach, time you enjoyed wasting, is not time wasted at all." I love that saying.

Also, I know this is going to sound really strange but while I was home for Christmas we hardly took any pictures. Crazy, isn't it? I think we were all so caught up in visiting and enjoying our company that we completely forgot to take those obligatory Christmas pictures! Lol! I did, however, take a few while I stayed with my brother. My brother lives on the beach in Southern California in this beautiful 1940's (perfect for me, huh?) art deco high rise complete with doorman and everything! I loved it! My brother and his significant other live in the penthouse and oh my gosh, the VIEW! Can you see the Queen Mary in the distance?

This was what I woke up to from the guest bedroom.

Walking to breakfast. My brother is closest to me and his significant other, Dennis (who is such a sweetheart) up ahead. The weather was perfect. 70 degrees with a light beachy breeze.

Harley...my brother's beautiful Bengal.

Good 'ol Cooper. :)

Can you tell they hate each other? Lol!

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the start of 2010. Anyone make any New Years resolutions? I usually don't but I'm finding as I go along that that's probably why I'm still a disorganized mess. So, this year I did make a resolution. I am getting ORGANIZED! Yay! Okay, we'll cheer when I prove it to you all. :)

Real quick...I saw the movie Avatar tonight. Oh my gosh....I LOVED it. I cried, laughed a little...and it kept me on the edge of my seat....but it brought up some real concerns I think our society needs to really think about.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

Stopping in to say Happy New Year! Just got back from sunny Southern California...in time for a snowstorm to sweep through our city last night....and a lovely 4 hour commute home (and I am surprised I didn't hurt anyone). Christmas in California was one of the best and of course being with family made it so special!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday but if any of you are like me I am SO glad 2010 is coming upon us. I have a strange feeling 2010 has a lot of goodies planned for all of us!

Here's a sneak peak at my treat for 2010. :) This is Cimara....if all goes as planned, as of next month I will be leasing this lovely girl! We've already started to get to know one another. :) She's a 12 year old Missouri Fox Trotter. Wait, my leg looks fat. Waiiiit a minute. I lost weight. Whaaaaa!

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR. Look up at the sky....we are in for a Blue Moon and a Lunar Eclipse tomorrow evening. No wonder 2010 will already be special. :)

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! I just wanted to say this since time has gotten away with me the last week or so...okay a month or so. :) Just wanted to give you a quick update. I am still in a bit of a "state of confusion" since moving. Threw me off completely. I hate to say this but I am looking forward more to the New Year and getting a fresh start on all aspects of my life. Next year I have a small wish list. I want to be more creative, take more time out to appreciate the things that make me happy, crafting, cooking, baking, my kitties. Life is so precious and I am beginning to realize that each second, each minute, each day that passes is time I will never get back...so I must enjoy each and every minute! Make the most of life, you know? And not to let things get me down as easily as they have recently. I need to look ahead to better days, days spent taking time out to smell the roses. That's what I intend to do. A New Year, a new life, a better life every year. :)

One other quick thing. I don't usually like to say anything too early (because of past experiences) but I have been trying out a new horse (for a possible lease with the owner). A few visits out to a wonderful barn...with wonderful owners who are so kind, warm and friendly to me. I have been going out to the barn to visit a sweet mare. Her name is Cimara. I will have pictures soon. She's a beautiful buckskin Missouri Fox Trotter and after several visits, we finally connected this weekend and she's a sweetie! She's even been in parades here in town! I have also made wonderful new friends at this barn as well (I love my ever growing circle of horsey friends!) and hope to join them on trail rides next summer (along with my regular horsey friends I have been riding with, of course). This is the first place I have truly felt comfortable at and I'm so excited! I've never ridden a Fox Trotter so I had a trainer out this past weekend who was so, so impressive and she gave me some great pointers.

Anyhoo.....we'll wait until after the New Year for all this exciting stuff, right? In the meantime, if I don't get around to visiting you all have a wonderful, wonderful holiday season and most importantly, cherish each moment you spend with those you love.

xoxo

Michelle, Mocha, Quincy and Emma

P.S. The kids are being watched by the "other" Michelle...their trusty pet sitter. She stays here at my place (sleeps here) so they will be well taken care of!

We're Settled and We Survived!

But barely, for me! Ugh. I think I have decided I'm going to retire here. Never move again. Just live vicariously through everyone else for anything that I am missing in my life. This move nearly killed me (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating). Even though it was twenty steps away it takes a lot packing up a whole household! Then the cleaning. Oh yea..and those stairs I mentioned earlier? I hate them! I despise them! On the last day of the move I was spitting on them. Lol! I counted the steps. Thirty-two steps to get to the top floor where the bedrooms are at. I can't tell you how sore I was at the end of the move. I was sore in places I never knew could GET sore! I gotta say, though, the cats are loving it. Quincy had one of his spaz moments and ran down the stairs so fast I was sure he would be tumbling, a big orange fur ball tumbling, towards the bottom. I don't think he realized how fast he was going. Lol!

BUT, despite the two days that I was near death....I am feeling good these days. A little different to be in a three story place....not knowing what's downstairs when I'm upstairs. Hearing more sounds at night. But my boy Quincy will protect me. Yep...my fireball of a handsome boy. Who am I kidding? He'll be the first to run under the covers. Lol! Hmm..come to think of it no different than the men I've been with in my life (but I digress). Oh yes and all of a sudden the kitties have a new fun habit. Oh it's so fun you can't even imagine. Ask mom! In the middle of the night I'll hear a faint...bang, bang, bang. I lay in bed motionless. First I'm trying to figure out what floor it's coming from. Second, trying to figure out which cupboard someone is trying to open with their sweet little paws; and third, deciding if I need to get up to traipse down the thirty steps just to scold someone. So, I choose the fourth, turn over, whip the blankets over my head and go to sleep. :)

Here are a few pictures. I warn you not much decorating yet! I'll post more later! Thank you all for your well wishes. I was a bit burned out the past few days to post. I'm now getting ready to fly home next week. I will be more active after the holidays as I've said before. It's been one crazy year-end. However, I will be by to visit you all the next few days....promise!!

My new enemy...

A few small touches in the kitchen...

Quincy: Oh mom...that was way too much work watching you go up and down those stairs. Next time can you do it where I can't see because it just exhausts me and kinda hurts my neck.

A warm fireplace for sore feet.

Let's see.....the nightstand is the same, the bed feels the same. What just happened?We're all good. The cat bed is still here.

My canopy bed. Not decorated the way I want but had to throw a few things together quickly to feel somewhat at home. I picture more and more billowy sheers all around and above me.

Hi mom!

You can't see the other side of this big room in the picture but there is a place perfect for a vintage vanity. :) I think I will go for the elegant 1940's look with that. Oh but ONLY after I get rid of at least thirty things! Two things you never realize until you move. How much junk...woops...things you have and how you failed to dust in certain places!

One more day...

My dream is to have this kind of vanity in my bedroom...

Just one more day in my abode of only a year and tomorrow....another day...another new day in my new home. I'm anxious and can't wait to get it all over with. There's something so exhausting about packing up all your belongings to move again and yet something thrilling about a new place (even if it is 20 steps away).

I just wanted to drop a quick note to say hello and hopefully this weekend, preferably Sunday evening sitting next to a warm fire by the fireplace with my kitties, things will be back to normal once again.

I'm a little excited actually. I may change up the decor again. I am thinking adding a bit more vintage in the mix. I am breaking out the canopy bed to put in the master bedroom with white shears...my new room is much bigger than the room I have now. Maybe setting up a vanity area where I can do my hair and makeup instead of the bathroom (using the furniture I already have, of course). A little more romantic white in the bedroom. Oh I don't know...we'll see. I just wanna get in and settled before the holiday!

Once I'm in this weekend I will take a few pictures and let you all see the new place.

The cats are all doing well. Emma is still struggling a bit on the prednisolone..upsets her tummy. Mocha has gained some healthy weight and Quincy is just....well Quincy. Lol! He always seems to be so happy go lucky!

Hang in there all...I will be by to visit very soon and to show off some wonderful gifts that came in the mail to me.

xoxo

Vanity picture courtesy of Bella Cottage (one of my favorite online shops).

This is how I'm feeling these days

But I WILL survive! Packing, packing, packing, a little horse fix here and there.....bringing Emma into the vet for another asthma attack because we couldn't control it at home. *sigh* Oh yes....cleaning, ironing...ugh. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Sorry I haven't been around guys! My life has been turned upside down and there always seems to be something around the corner ready to wreak havoc! I will be back though! One more week in this condo. :) Miss you all!

Update: Dawn over at Vanilla Sugar asked a good question in her comment about Emma being on prednisone. She is actually on prednisolone (apparently this is the same as prednisone but easily breaks down for pets better than prednisone). She was on it once every other day so apparently that wasn't enough. Now we are having her take prednisone twice a day until she is a little more stabilized then we will go down to once a day. I hate the side effects though. She has gained 1/3 of a lb in one month. We also have her inhaler and a better breathing tube now so she can take more of the albuterol in when she has an attack.

Quincy has been a wonderful buddy and sits next to her when she is having one of her episodes. He knows something isn't right and comforts her by staying near. Sooo adorable! They love each other. Also, Mocha is doing much better. She still needs to put on some weight but she's eating and drinking normally and much happier now that the sickness is gone!

Comforts of a Sunday

A relaxing drive in the country....and spying some cute little piggies eating leftover pumpkins.....

A healthy and happy cat....

And a little stitching for the winter....

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

P.S. I received a giveaway in the mail...it will be on my next post! :)