Tag...I'm IT!!!!!!!!!

You can not believe how CRAZY happy I am to be tagged by my friend , Happy Nester.

I am soooo doing the spastic dance right now!!!!!!

I'm supposed to tell you ten things about myself  and then tag ten more bloggers in return.

Here goes.....I'm so excited I'm about to pee!!!!!! 

 (little spastic arm jerking and squealing)

#1. Vintage, Vintage, Vintage. If it's old and chippy, I LURVE IT!!!! Especially if it's white or aqua.

#2. Aprons...especially vintage aprons. I have been wearing an apron since I was a child. I feel naked in the kitchen without it.

#3. A good cup of tea. There is nothing better. I love Starbucks like the next gal, but for me tea is so soothing (especially with a little milk.)

#4.  I looooong for my own hideaway.

I have this picture on my inspiration wall. Mr. M is currently on the hunt for one as we speak. 

It will be filled with lots of #1 and #3 for sure.

#5. I was a beauty queen (like I really WON).

I know...I know.

#6. My favorite shoe is a good high heel.

There is nothing more comfortable in this world to me.

Came in really hand for #5.

#7. I'm a classical pianist.

I started playing when I was seven.

I think it helped me get #5.

#8. There's TWO of me!!!

I'm the oldest of the set by six minutes.

My sis is also amazing.

I'm trying to convince her to get her own blog too.

#9. I have tattoos....lots of them.

Not to the extent of this pic but enough.

#10. I love ALL things french.

My grandmother was from Provence.

I love it so much  I married a frenchman.

Soooooooooooooo.......

Without further adieu, here are my ten friends that I am tagging.

You're It!!!!!

The Shabby Chic Cottage

I'm No Martha

Raising Normal Kids

Reinvented

Small Home in the Country

Talking Trash

The Coolest Mom on the Block

The Treat Girl

Twice Remembered

Thrifty and Chic Motif

  Check out these FABU ladies and see what they have to share!!!!!

Once Again....

It's the first day of school.

The first day of school has always signified change for me.

An opportunity to learn and grow with new teachers and classmates.

Today dawns a new era for me.

My oldest son is a senior in high school.

This will be the year of prom and senior trips, photos, class rings, and graduation.

This is the year my son makes the transition from boy to man and will be on his own in a year.

My youngest son , who is autistic, started junior high.

This is the first year of different teachers and lockers and pep rallies and football games.

This is the first year where I can no longer keep him under my wing at all times.

This is the year my son will learn to adjust in the world without his mother by his side.

My oldest daughter started the third grade.

She's learning cliques and girly talk and fashion is now important.

Soon there will be boys and high heels....I see it coming.

My youngest daughter starts the first grade this year.

This is the first year of true academic learning beyond the joy of kindergarten.

Today is such an eventful day, even if my children never notice it.

Today is the first day that my house has been completely quiet.

Today is the first day that I can enjoy a cup of tea all alone.

Today is the first day that I can have some peace and get to work on those projects I have waiting.

Whoo Hoo!!!!!

Let's get this party started!!!!

The Summer of '69...forty years later

I wasn't a child of the sixties.




A child of the seventies....yes.


A child of the sixties...no.


I have my own nightmares about macrame and courdorouy that will blow your mind.


So imagine when my kiddos saw this at Joann's and begged to have it.....

my skin crawled but after looking at six sets of big puppy dog eyes and hearing, "please, please, pleeeeeze" I couldn't help but cave in.

So, after tarping my dining room table and choosing colors and designs, we set to work.

My son chose camoflouage. I didn't even know that you could tie dye camo?

Ahhh...summer crafts.

(Notice the looming bag of school supplies in the corner)

What you can't see is me cringing when allowing 8 year-olds to have free reign with a bottle of dye.

My children immediately wanted to know if this was going on the blog...of course!

They couldn't wait to take pictures of their new creations.

Since this was the last weekened of summer break, I decided to go all out and give them their very own photo shoot.  Hair..makeup..the whole works.  This is high fashion people!!!

"Summer of '69"

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We started with a look of "Rebel without a Cause."
Tori ,my six year-old, started off the shoot with her pink and blue tie dye that featured her iron on.
She was truly a natural in front of the camera.

"Summer of '69"

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Taylor, my eight year-old, did her creation in lime green with her iron on.
She photographs beautifully! She didn't have a single bad frame.

"Summer of '69"

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Daviss, my eleven year-old is definitely the strong,quiet type.
Telling an autistic child to "act natural" in front of the camera is a little harder than it seems.
His camoflouge came out amazing!

"Picnik Show"

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Even the Divine Mr. M got in on the action with his black and white tie dye that he did himself.
Doesn't he look good by my bike? (yes, it's really mine.)
You can see why he's my rockstar.



My girls wanted something very hippy to tie dye, so they made another set of shirts which prompted another photo shoot.....The Summer of '69.

"Picnik Show"

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For around thirty dollars, my children had a blast!!!

It's not about the money you spend as much as the time you share with your children.

At the end of the day, I was exhausted and my back was sore from trying to get really great angles but it was all worth it to have them hug my neck, kiss my cheek and say

" That was so cool. "

I don't think that they will forget the summer of '69 anytime soon.

Please Go Away....

(The Divine Mr.M and I on our wedding day)

It's raining here...again.
I love the rain....most days.
Today I want it to stop raining.
I have too much to do and thunder and lightning are putting a damper to my plans.

I once told Mr. M that I had always wished to be kissed in the rain (like on "The Notebook".)
One day it was STORMING outside.
Mr. M came home and pulled me out into our backyard.
I thought Mr. M had lost his mind and that I was surely going to be struck by lightning.
Mr. M pulled me close and gave me the biggest kiss ever.
I was stunned.
(See why I love him so?)

He just stood there smiling.
I ran in the house. (Still afraid of being struck by lightning.)

I kinda hope he doesn't come home and pull that stunt again.
I love him but I don't want to be electrocuted.

So have a great (and hopefully dry ) day.
I'm going to put my raincoat on .....just in case :)

A Rose By Any Other Name...

"The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.”

Today is the two month wedding anniversary for the divine Mr. M and me.

Mr. M told me to close my eyes and placed the flowers above in my hand (all dressed up in a long rose box and everything!)

The box held one yellow rose and two white ones.

Mr. M is a soft spoken man and he's not the most eloquent of speakers but today he spoke volumes to my heart.

He said, "The yellow one is for our wedding day and the white ones are for each month we've shared since then."

I almost melted.

On our second date, Mr. M presented me with one of the most beautiful yellow roses I have ever seen in my life without even knowing that yellow roses are my all time favorite flower.

I truly thought that he had asked my best friend about my favorite flower but he just commented, "Nope. I didn't ask nobody. It just looked like...you."

Words could not express my love for this man. He is my touchstone. He is my rockstar and country boy all rolled into one. I am so blessed that he is a part of my life.

As I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, I looked up at Mr. M who had the sweetest smile on his face and said....

"This is sooooo going on my blog." (sniff, sniff)

Price My $pace

I am linking up with the Nester for a Price My Space party. Let me tell you, I love a good party. I thought that I would share my living room space with ya'll. So here it is.

1. The couch and loveseat were my husband's before we married and they were given to him by his parents so the cost was free. They are a deep burgundy and although they suffice for now, they will be gone by the end of the year and replaced with a nice, deep sectional.

2.I purchased the clock several years ago for $100. It does keep time (when the batteries are not dead.) It's always been a great focal and conversation piece.


3. The shelves are made from a scaffolding plank and mounted to the wall with some brackets that we already had=free! The frames are from Walmart and cost a total of $15.


4. The typography on the wall was from an old taco restaurant sign that I saw on the side of the road so once again the price is free!


5. The coffee table is a trunk that I purchased at Hob Lob about five years ago. I got it on clearance for around $40. I found the tray at GW along with the asian tea set for a total of $6. The pinecones are from our wedding in Colorado. I simply added the fabric from my stash to pull it together.

6. Each of the lamps are from GW that I simply spraypainted in black. Most of the accessories are GW finds totaling around $30 total.
(BTW, supa sweet MIL bought us the rug....fuh-reeee!)

7. One of my crown jewels of thrifting. I bought this mirror at a resale shop for $20. She's now spraypainted with oil rubbed bronze. I love her!

8.My newest find is this buddha candleholder for $30 from Target.

9. The fleur de lis finial is from Hob Lob on clearance for $4. The fleur de lis bookends are a GW find for $5.

10. My supa sweet MIL bought the candleholder in my fireplace (since it's capped off) so it was fuhreeee!!! I purchased the candles at Hob Lob for $8.

11. The pillows came with the couch except for the square one in the previous pic. It was also a GW find at $3.

12. I forgot about the curtains..I got these at Lowes for 100.00...sorry.

So, all in all, my living room came to approximately $361 with perhaps the purchase of spray paint. The overall look to the room is a little masculine for my taste, but it is something that Mr. M and I can both agree on and live with.

It's Good to be Queen

Even if it only exsists in my head.
Actually, I am a queen.
I am queen of my own castle (even if it doesn happen to be on a corner lot.)

I have a king who loves and adores me (although he leaves his socks on the floor.)

There are two handsome princes who are training to take over our rule and be valiant knights (on Playstation 2.)

There are two beautiful princesses who are the fairest in the land and have suitors at their doorstep at every turn
(they happen to be a pig and a frog but it's what's on the inside that counts.)

I have a lady in waiting who is with me at every step I make (even though she has four legs and is actually waiting for me to accidentally drop some food on the floor.)

I ride in the finest carriages and wear only the finest of clothes
(that just happen to be my truck and my work scrubs about 90% of the time.)

Above all, I live in the finest kingdom in the land and I wouldn't trade it for all of the world's riches.

What are you queen of?