Girls Trip!

August 26, 2010

Tomorrow I leave for my friend Diane's Birthday weekend in Napa.  There's 11 of us going from the 'hood and it will be F-U-N fun.  Since we are going to the wine country and specifically several wineries there, I made these little personalized wine charms for all the wine glasses we will be using at the rental house.
This is the one I made for Diane ("50") and a letter for everyone else.  The only duplicates were two K's for two Karens.  Ha! Go figure!  And since I will not be drinking wine at the house (I'm strictly beer these days) we should be good.

I even got these cute little boxes from my favorite store, The Container Store, to "gift wrap" them.

And since I'm getting all Martha-y, I stopped by a scrap booking store to get my supplies for this Happy Birthday banner:

Not too bad for my first solo foray into chipboard and glitter.  Although, the nice gal at Melrose Vintage set me up with every thing so I didn't really do a thing except pick the shape and colors.  Fancy!

I'll update when I return from the weekend celebration!

Question:  What was your favorite birthday celebration?
Mine would have to be my 40th birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth with the entire family.  I'm hinting for DisneyWORLD for #45.

What the Heck?!

August 23, 2010

I let Grace spend the night with one of her best friends, Alex, whose mom is also one of my best friends and look what happened...

They dressed her up in these awful clothes and tried to brainwash her.  Lucky for Nikki & Rich U of A is 2 hours away or we would be kidnapping Alex and taking her to a Cats game.

That's Some School Spirit!

August 20, 2010

Today is Spirit Day at Grace's school.  She went full-out, head-to-toe.  Bless her little heart, but my oh my she has very "unique" style.  

Question of the Day:  What school activities did you participate in?

My answer: Student government and cheer.

Glue + Cork + Burlap = Lovely

August 13, 2010

I am not the craftiest person I know, so I am pretty pleased with myself today.
I bought this ugly "decor" at my favorite neighborhood consignment store, Smarty Pants for $7.  Really I paid nothing because I had clothes that I had consigned.

The painted flower pot is not at all cute, but I liked the use of the cabinet door as a hanging decoration.

It sat in my guest room for months while I thought about what color I might paint it.  Then I had an "aha" moment.  I had recently bought some cork for a coaster and thought I could make a cork board where the lovely flower painting is.  

Then I got even more clever and thought about Mod Podge-ing some scrapbook paper onto the cork so it would be prettier.  My friend, Nikki, saw me starting this project and said, "Hey, burlap would look good over the cork."   And, what do you know? I happened to have some burlap I  picked up as a remnant when I had new pillow cases made.  

So I glued (spray adhesived actually) the burlap to the cork and then to the frame, and . . .

A new old jewelry organizer for my room.

Some straight pins to hold my earrings and the hooks (those were already there) for some necklaces.

And this sweet sign my friend Jeannette gave me.  

I think it looks pretty good for a non-crafty person.

Karen

P.S.  I have been forgetting my questions....

What are your hobbies?  Mine are reading and the occasional craft.  I guess I have no "real" hobbies.

Nirvana!

August 12,  2010

I experienced a little slice of heaven on earth today.  I went to The Container Store today.  Oh my!
They have cute bins, jars, boxes, and gadgets for every possible organizational idea you could ever come up with!
I got a an acrylic shelf to put on the wall next to Grace's bed for her water glass and book,
a sock drawer organizer because I am jealous of the one I got Tom (and I highly doubt he appreciates it like I do);
a jewelry organizer for my closet because I can't stop buying cute little purchases as the cheap jewelry stores in the mall;
and this storage thing-y to put my growing collection of hats in.  I can't figure out a cute way to display them.  Besides, I would feel like a big fat hypocrite since when we first moved into this house, I forbid Tom from displaying hit seventy-million baseball caps.  There's also that Ollie hair that ends up everywhere, so I wanted them covered.
I want to go work there.  Or redo my kitchen with all the cute matching, stacking, nesting, ingenious things they sell there.  I can dream.

Karen

P.S.  Someone let me know if the links I put in show up in blue or gray.  When I preview it's gray, but the set up says blue??

Last First Days!

August 9, 2010

Today is the first day of school.  Because in Scottsdale, we like to start school in the middle of summer when it's literally 112 degrees and everyone is lethargic and cranky from the heat.
Why not crank up those huge school A/C units in the hottest month of the year?

This year is a big one in the Halterhome.  Grace is in her last year of elementary school and Tommy is in his last year of middle school.  So it is the last first day for each of them at these schools.  Since Tommy is a teenager AND in middle school, I did not follow him around this morning with my camera.  I just got a picture before he left for the bus.  Aren't I a cool mom?  Ha!

Grace is still at Hopi, so I felt like one of the crowd following her around snapping shots despite her whining that I don't have to take a picture of "everything she does."

Grace & Alex, buddies since they were infants....

A very clever mom brought this fun sign for the picture-happy moms....

The last classroom shot....ever.  : (

I still have this week off, so I'm off to do fun stuff . . . and nap.  

Karen

Happy Birthday Tommy!

August 9, 2010

Thirteen years ago Tommy was born.  I am having a hard time getting used to saying I have a "teenager." I just am not ready for all that comes with THAT.  Lucky for me, he is a pretty darn good kid.  For example, I asked him on Saturday night if he had clean golf clothes for Sunday or did I need to wash something.  He said, "I have clean clothes, Thank you."  An unsolicited thank you from a sometimes surly teen.  I just smiled ear to ear.  And then complimented him on his good manners.
P.S.  Look at those cute little freckles on his nose...they appeared after summer camp in California.

Happy Birthday Tommy.  I am blessed beyond measure.

Here we are at his birthday dinner which we had last night because today was, ugh, the first day of school.  (see next post).
Karen

Last Day of Summer Vacation

August 6, 2010

School starts on Monday.  That means today is the last day of summer vacation (weekends don't count because everyone has those off).  Grace is in the pool with Grace Riley (aka GR at the Halterhome).  Their play date started at 9 am.  Except they are too big to call them play dates, so we just say "hangin' out."

Tommy is at the golf course.  It was only 93 degrees when I dropped him off at 9 this morning.  I hope it doesn't heat up too fast for him.

Don't you just love summer?  I just wish it wasn't so blazing hot!!  Off to Hopi to Meet the Teacher at 1:30 this afternoon.  Why do they plan this event for the hottest time of day?  I've wondered that every year since my first time with Tommy in 2002.

Question of the Day:  What did you do to pass time in the summer when you were a kid?
My Answer:  Swam in our pool.  It seems to me we swam all day & night.  Especially because the A/C would go out regularly in the summers.  I also remember playing Atari a lot.