Friday Funnies

Another Quiz

Let me start off by saying Happy Thanksgiving!!! Our family arrived last night. It's going to be a fun, yet really busy weekend. Soooo, I'm going to leave you with another quiz.

Mindy emailed me the quiz with her answers. To that, I say, go ahead, copy and paste it in to an email. Answer the questions, send it to me and I'll feature YOU on my blog!

This picture pretty much sums up Mindy!!

1. What is your usual Starbucks order?

 Trenta iced black/green tea unsweetened with two stevia

2. What does your workstation look like right now?

Pretty minimalistic except for lots of notepads and post-it’s— call me “old school” but when I’m working on something hard I like to physically write my notes down!

3. All-time favorite food?

Mom’s spaghetti sauce, chips+salsa/queso

4. Favorite author?

N/A

5. What do you think of open relationships?

Nope

6. Favorite video game?

Super Mario Brothers 3

7. Guilty pleasure treat?

Gummi Bears or Cheez-its 

8. Favorite film?

Grease, Face/Off, Love Actually, The Fast and the Furious

9. Favorite book?

I like personal development books so I guess “Girl, wash your face”

10. Twitter or Instagram?

Instagram.

11. Desktop or laptop?

Technically I have a laptop but it has a docking station and displays on two desk-top screens so really there is no difference. 

12. Best advice you’ve ever received?

don’t borrow trouble and, from “Girl, wash your face”: “never break a promise to yourself”

13. What project are you working on right now?

Needlepoint sampler from years ago

14. Favorite color?

Red

15. Did you get good grades at school?
Yes! Except for pre-calculus and accounting— or really anything with numbers. And you know what? I can safely say that I’ve never ONCE in my adult life needed anything that I learned in those classes! Now that we have computers that are smarter than humans, isn’t math a little antiquated and unnecessary? Ok #rantover

16. Dream job?

News Anchor—preferably on GMA!

17. Played any sports?

Cross Country, track, basketball, cheerleading

18. Do you have a degree?

Yep! BA— yet somehow found myself working in IT

19. Nationality?
American of Italian and German descent.

20. What is your favorite kind of blog post to do?

When I used to blog I liked to write funny stories about my life— I feel like funny things are always happening to me or around me!

21. What do you like to collect?

I used to collect music boxes. And Mom- I have said repeatedly that I would love your faberge eggs! I would actually wear them on a necklace!

22. Describe yourself in 3 words?

Adventurous, independent, fun (I think?)

23. If you were a rapper what would your rapper name be?

Mindy Beats

24. Who was the last person you dmed?

No idea

25. What’s on the top of your wishlist right now?

A Tory Burch purse (that I casually hinted to Justin about for my bday)

26. Hogwarts House?

I hated the Harry Potter movies. There. I said it. But I guess “slytherin”— aren’t they the bad guys? I love a good villain!

27. How many tattoos do you have?

One— on the bottom of my foot. I thought that was so smart of me— got it in a place that doesn’t really “Age” and would eventually wear off!

28. What are you most grateful for this year?

My trip to England with Justin and my parents

29. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this month?

Passing my Epic 5-year re-certification exam! Phew! Nothing like an exam about material you learned 5 years ago with your job literally on the line and your boss gets emailed your results!

30. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you today?

I guess eating Calypso Cafe black bean salad for lunch!

31. What’s the best thing ever?

Husband and family

32. Favorite season?

Summer! I love getting to wear dresses every day! Also, having lived in Nashville and New Orleans, the heat and humidity don’t bother me!

33. Favorite holiday?

Christmas, Mardi Gras, my birthday

34. Which fictional character do you relate to most?
Karen Walker and Jack McFarland from Will & Grace- they’re always up to something (as am I!)

35. Do you like surprises?

No! I’m waaaaay too nosey for surprises!

36. What’s the biggest surprise you ever got?
A pony on Christmas morning! Literally every little girls’ dream!

37. What’s a surprise that’s made you cry?
? I guess my engagement?

38. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever given anyone?
Rented out laser tag for Justin’s bday and took mom on a surprise “date” to meet Martina McBride!

39. Do you like muffins?

Yes! Poppyseed or blueberry are my favorites!

40. Do you cook often?
Yes! Several times a week.

41. What’s your favorite dessert?

Red velvet cake or a really good chocolate chip cookie (especially if it’s hot out of the oven!)

42. Is there a dessert you don’t like?

I don’t really like pies or any dessert that has warm fruit involved

43. Cake or pie?
Cake!

44. What’s your least favorite food?

Mayonnaise, cottage cheese, pork/ham, blue cheese, any gland or atypical part of an animal (re: tongue, liver, etc)

45. What’s your favorite condiment?
Yellow mustard or ketchup and of course hot sauce! Fun fact: Justin and I have a tradition that any time we travel we buy a bottle of local hot sauce! We have been doing that since our first trip to Charleston back when we were dating!

46. It’s 4 pm on a Saturday night, what would you eat?

Chips and salsa or pizza

47. If you could teach a college class what would it be called?

Pop Culture and Reality TV 101

48. Best animated film?
Probably something Pixar: Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Wreck-it Ralph are all super cute

49. What has a guy done or said to impress you?

Always impressed with a guy who can cook and knows a lot about food/beverage

50. The best thing to do on a first date?

A nice dinner— the way to my heart is through my stomach!

51. The worst thing to do on a first date?

If it’s the right person, nothing could be the “worst”

52. What’s the funniest pickup line a guy can use on a girl?

“Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only 10 I see!”

53. Best comic book character?
Garfield: hates Mondays, annoyed by dogs, loves food. I couldn’t relate more!

54. What are the three things that are always in your bag?

Chapstick, ice breakers mints, wallet

55. Favorite drink?

Diet Coke, or a good manhattan

56. If you could play a historical character who would it be?
Annie Oakley! 

57. Kittens or puppies?

Kittens- my parents turned me against dogs at a young age

58. Favorite sushi roll?

Veggie roll or anything without a mayonnaise-based sauce

59. What kind of lipstick do you use?
Clinique chubbystick

60. What kind of foundation do you use? 

Revision skincare tinted SPF- clinical-grade moisturizer, SPF, and foundation all in one!

61. Blow-dry or air dry?

Blow dry— though doing my hair is my absolute least favorite part of getting ready

62. Who is your fashion icon?

Blake Lively

63. What are you doing tomorrow?

Packing for Boston/Maine while probably watching a festive movie

64. Movie you laughed the hardest through?

Christmas Vacation or Step Brothers

65. Movie that made you cry?

The Notebook, About a Boy

66. If you could sing a duet with someone who would it be?

Jamiroquai, Paul McCartney, or Reba McIntyre 

67. If your life was a song what would the title be?
Virtual Insanity!

68. The person you want to have coffee with?
Donnie Wahlburg! He can sing, dance, and act and has such a big personality—I’d love to meet him in person!

69. What’s the country you wish to visit?
Brazil— even though everyone keeps telling me “no.” I am just DYING to go there!

70. Best way to decompress?

Wine and re-runs of “Friends,” “How I Met Your Mother,” or “Will & Grace”

Get to Know Me Quiz

As if you don't know me already! 

I love these kinds of things! They make me think and take stock! I found it on Snaps and Snippets some time ago. Thanks Deb, for posting this!

1. What is your usual Starbucks order?

Venti, iced black tea, shaken with two Equals, no cane!

2. What does your workstation look like right now?

Looks good. After our scrapbook retreat, I cleaned it all up!

3. All-time favorite food?
Wow, that's hard. I have a lot of all time favorite foods. If I can only pick one, it would be grilled cheese and tomato soup.

4. Favorite author?

Another tough one. I would have to pick Jodi Picoult with Lianne Moriarty a close second.

5. What do you think of open relationships?

Is that even still a "thing?" 

6. Favorite video game?

In the 80's it was Tetris.

7. Guilty pleasure treat?

Hot chocolate with Bailey's.

8. Favorite film?

My Foolish Heart.

9. Favorite book?

Wuthering Heights

10. Twitter or Instagram?

Instagram. Don't really know anything about Twitter.

11. Desktop or laptop?

I have both, but my desktop is so outdated, I really only keep it because it has old pictures on it. I can't even use a printer with it anymore. I've had a MacBook Air for years now and won't go back to a desktop.

12. Best advice you’ve ever received?

My grandma said, "Take care of your babies in the day and your husband at night!" Must have worked---we've been together 48 years and counting!

13. What project are you working on right now?

"It Takes a Village" needlepoint. Christmas snow globes next week.

14. Favorite color?

Pink.

15. Did you get good grades at school?
Yes, I did---not straight A's, but a good mix with B's!  

16. Dream job?
Decorating on someone else's dime.

17. Played any sports?

Played 3rd base for 11 years.

18. Do you have a degree?

Only if you count my "Master Gardener" degree!

19. Nationality?
American of Italian and German descent.

20. What is your favorite kind of blog post to do?

Any that lead me to tell a story.

21. What do you like to collect?

I have many collections over the years: stamps, mini Faberge Eggs, tons of books, Norman Rockwell figurines, Lenox Princesses, ornaments, gold charms, etc.---none of which my kids want. Currently, I collect Starbucks mugs when I travel.

22. Describe yourself in 3 words?

Energetic, organized, fun (at least I think so).

23. If you were a rapper what would your rapper name be?

Babbling Barbtender

24. Who was the last person you dmed?

I think this is on Facebook. If so, it was an old friend from grade school. Is this the same as "instant messaged?"

25. What’s on the top of your wishlist right now?

A brand new house (even though we've decided to stay put and have remodeled a lot---still, I'd love to build from scratch and pick out every little detail).

26. Hogwarts House?

I think is something from Harry Potter, but don't know what.

27. How many tattoos do you have?

None--although I considered letting my grandkids pick out one for me when I turned 60. That ship has sailed.

28. What are you most grateful for this year?

Connie playing duplicate bridge with me. 

29. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this month?

Stephanie introducing me to the grocery list on my phone. OMGosh! Life changing.

30. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you today?

Butch helped me get the house back in order from the recent remodeling.

31. What’s the best thing ever?

It seems obvious, husband and girls other family and friends---that sounds so cliche, but it's the truth.

32. Favorite season?

Winter---love the holidays, the snow we never get and fires in the fireplace for stitching and reading.

33. Favorite holiday?

Christmas

34. Which fictional character do you relate to most?
Hmmm??? I'd say Amelia Bedelia because she seems so confused most of the time!

35. Do you like surprises?

Of course, who doesn't?

36. What’s the biggest surprise you ever got?
My best surprise was the year Butch and the girls turned Father's Day in to Mother's Day!

37. What’s a surprise that’s made you cry?
I was certain I was getting an Ozark rock for my garden for Christmas. When I was handed the heavy bag, I started to cry (thinking of the trouble Butch had to go to to get it), When he and the family looked at me all funny, I blurted, "It's my rock!" Then I opened it and it was brass knobs for the kitchen. A surprise that really wasn't after all!

38. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever given anyone?
When Butch turned 40, I gave him a red 63 Chevy that I had rebuilt. He loves classic cars, but until then had not purchased one for himself.

39. Do you like muffins?

You name it, I love them!! I can't even name a favorite, but cranberry orange is right up there.

40. Do you cook often?
Well, now that Mitchell is here, I'm cooking more. Probably twice as much as I did when it was just the two of us.

41. What’s your favorite dessert?

Just about any kind of cake. But my all time favorite is bread pudding with a custard sauce---no raisins.

42. Is there a dessert you don’t like?

Anything with raisins. Also, I'm not a big pie lover, but wouldn't turn it down.  

43. Cake or pie?
Cake, absolutely.

44. What’s your least favorite food?

Liver.

45. What’s your favorite condiment?
Mayonnaise. Hellman's please!

46. It’s 4 pm on a Saturday night, what would you eat?

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, potato chips and a big glass of milk. That would be dinner.

47. If you could teach a college class what would it be called?

Storytelling.

48. Best animated film?
Dumbo!

49. What has a guy done or said to impress you?

I love a guy who likes to dance---and has a sense of humor.

50. The best thing to do on a first date?

Hang out with mutual friends.

51. The worst thing to do on a first date?

Go to the airport to watch the planes fly in. (Yes, this really happened! It was also the last date).

52. What’s the funniest pickup line a guy can use on a girl?

I married so young that I didn't hear too many pick up lines.

53. Best comic book character?
Archie

54. What are the three things that are always in your bag?

Wallet, glasses and Epi pens.

55. Favorite drink?

Gin or vodka martinis and bloody Mary's.

56. If you could play a historical character who would it be?
A flapper from the roaring 20's.

57. Kittens or puppies?

Kittens because they don't smell.

58. Favorite sushi roll?

California roll

59. What kind of lipstick do you use?
Thrive Causematics

60. What kind of foundation do you use? 

Thrive Causematics (I used Estee Lauder everything for nearly 50 years. Then I discovered Thrive--I'm "all in" with that)

61. Blow-dry or air dry?

Air dry half way then blow dry--if I have the time.

62. Who is your fashion icon?

Princess Meghan

63. What are you doing tomorrow?

It's Movie Monday for me.

64. Movie you laughed the hardest through?

Vacation

65. Movie that made you cry?

So many, but the one that can get me every time---even though I've seen it at least 50 times is My Foolish Heart. Penny Serenade is a close second. But then, I cry during Survivor (those family scenes) and some commercials!

66. If you could sing a duet with someone who would it be?

Mick Jagger in the style of Bette Midler when they did "Beast of Burden."

67. If your life was a song what would the title be?
You Can't Always Get What You Want (but if you try, sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what need!)

68. The person you want to have coffee with?
That is so easy! Ellen DeGeneres--hands down!

69. What’s the country you wish to visit?
England, over and over and over.

70. Best way to decompress?

Bubble bath with a book and music. I'd say wine too, but I always forget that.

Friday Funnies

I'm so mad...

...and that's an understatement to how I really feel. I really think I might blow a gasket!

I can’t believe it. And you won’t believe it either. 

I planned to get tickets for the Bluebird Cafe on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Now the Bluebird is a very famous place here where you can see country music songwriters and stars perform. Many get their start here. There is always a long line outside, so getting tickets is really a necessity. I was particularly excited because being the night before Thanksgiving, you just never know which stars are in town and might show up. A couple weeks ago, Taylor Swift popped in.

The tickets weren’t going to be available until today (November 20). I put it on my calendar. You are only allowed to get 6 tickets and you only have ONE minute to make the transaction. Yep, ONE minute! To say I was nervous about this is an understatement.

I set my alarm for 11:45 p.m. on the 19th. At midnight, I went on the website only to realize that the tickets aren’t available until 8 a.m. I reset my alarm and went back to bed.

I got on the website at 7:55 a.m. and was waiting. I got some sort of message that my place in line was noted. At exactly 8 a.m. I got another message saying that my wait time would be 10 minutes.  What?? That number changed a couple of times. My stomach was all nervous. I’m just not good at timed things like this. Plus I knew I’d need to maneuver a website I knew nothing about and had never been to---all in a single minute.

Then I got this message:

It’s now your turn. You will be redirected to the website shortly. There was a little person walking. I waited and waited. That took another 3 minutes. By the time I got to the website, it was 8:16 and everything is SOLD OUT!! 

However, don’t be discouraged—“we invite you to stand in line at the Bluebird to get

the 10 church pew seats we have and any “no shows” seats!"

 OMGosh! There is always a line down the sidewalk at the Bluebird. I pass it just about every day!! We would be waiting for hours! Not happening!

This makes me so mad. Had I known you actually needed to log on to the website early to get a place in the virtual line, I would have done that. It's so darn frustrating. Now I'll never know if I could have completed the transaction in a minute!

Well, now our plans for Wednesday night are wide open. I guess it will be family games.

The place is little--in a small strip center. It's iconic Nashville. We've been there before, but it's probably been 25 years. 

What I Buy Wednesday

All my buying has been focused on Christmas right now. I have gotten a few new things for the house which I'll share once I get everything back in order. The only thing left in to be done in the entry is the wallpaper, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen before Thanksgiving. I'm pretty disappointed---mostly because I never dreamed a project this small would take 6 weeks and still not  be completed. What I hate the most is having to put everything back for our family Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating only to have to move it all out again when the wallpaper is ready to be installed! I was so hoping that Christy (my designer) could pull it off for me. But not this time.

Oh well, back to my purchases. I can't really go in to details about my "buys" since they are gifts, but...

...it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! Love online shopping. No wasting gas, trying to find a place to park and lugging countless bags around the mall.

Even though I can't share much about my purchases, here's a bit of an interesting story: 

We got one of those notices that our mailman tried to deliver something that needed to be signed for. We weren't home, so Butch went to the post office the next day. They didn't have the package as they said it was going to be delivered that day. It wasn't. He went back the next day, only to be told that they had sent the package to the wrong post office. Soooo, I went today.

I HATE the post office!! The line was out the door. They never have enough people working. There were three. Plus, they move very slowly. One of the guys even sauntered to the back where I could hear him cavorting with his fellow employees. He never did come back out.

After you have finished your business, they have this little kiosk thing with buttons starting with smiley faces to frown faces for you to press to register your experience. I couldn't wait to press that frown face to show my dissatisfaction with our post office. 

When it was finally my turn, I approached the counter---surely with a scowl on my face---only to have the female (thank God) postal clerk, lean forward in a conspirational manner. She whispered, "Ma'am, your blouse is unbuttoned!" OMGosh! That took the wind right out of my sails! I quickly buttoned up and said, "well, I'm so happy this is my first stop!" I would have been mortified to know I   had been walking around like that for too long! Luckily, I did have my coat on. I'm sure that what happened was that when I was dressing, I got side-tracking and forgot to finish buttoning. After that, I  didn't press the frown button---after all, the clerk did save me from further embarrassment! I just didn't have the heart to press that button.

Okay, I'll admit, this sort of thing worries me. The next thing will be forgetting to take off my pajamas and putting my clothes over them. Truly scary. I really am hoping this was just a fluke. I'm just always so busy and in a hurry. Still, I'm going to write down any instances like this to see if there's a pattern emerging---or if I really need to be concerned. I think I'm still okay so far. 

Oh well, at least I can laugh at myself!! 

Travel Tuesday

Well, I'm a little late getting this posted.

On Saturday, Connie, Amanda, Analise and I met Sandy and Elizabeth in Chattanooga for lunch and a little shopping. We thought it might be a fun, new tradition to start so that the girls can get together.

We met at Polly Claire's Tea Room.

 The tea room was in an old, historic house.

Amanda, Connie, Analise, me, Elizabeth and Sandy.

After lunch, we went to the Hamilton Place Mall for a few hours. Elizabeth and Analise went off on their own. They bought Christmas gifts for their boyfriends and some make up.

We all had a good time. I love seeing the girls (including Amanda and Sandy) having a good time together. Now that Sandy is so much closer, we can do things like this a little easier.

Monday Mystery

First off, I have to start with a retraction. After posting this installment of "Mitchell on Monday," he was quick to text me to say that he had no idea what that was either! Now I was really puzzled. Turns out, Butch picked it up as a "Friday freebie" at Kroger. Mystery solved. But the mystery remains---what am I going to do with it?

Yesterday, we were putting some things back in the hall closet since the flooring is finished. While cleaning off the shelves, Butch discovered something stuck to one. He got the step stool and pulled this down.

I guess Mindy really wanted to keep this report from the 5th grade! She hid it so well, that it's 25 years later and we're just finding it. She's been wondering where it was!! I'm going to surprise her and give it to her for Christmas! She was actually pretty clever. She used a spring from a ball point pen (do they even make those any more?) for the spinal cord. The column was clay--a bit dried out and crumbly. She's going to be so happy to have this back!!

Speaking of the hall closet...

It's a mystery to me as to why Butch needs/wants to keep this gigantic sombrero he's only worn once at Mindy's high school graduation party---17 years ago. It's even too big for the shelf. Maybe has a plan for it! (Also, now you know why I have a hard time cleaning out---he likes to keep a lot of useless stuff).

This is not a mystery at all.

My favorite thing about my induction stove is how nothing sticks to it. Even spilled milk won't burn or stick. Clean up is a breeze!! Wipes right up.

On Friday, while Butch and I were out running errands, we stopped by Nashville Needleworks. I needed a particular silk to finish my Halloween project. The place was hopping. I was told a class was going on. The teacher invited me to come in and see what they were working on. It was this:

"The Old South"---Belle Meade Mansion is in the middle, Graceland on the upper right, Churchill Downs on the left, Georgia peach trees, magnolia trees and camellias. In the lower right corner you can see the Peabody ducks on the red carpet. This is so darn cute!! But it's what they were doing that was the mystery to me. These gals from all over the country were on a stitching bus trip that started in Atlanta. They'd already been to Montgomery and Birmingham, AL. Then, Memphis, Nashville and will end in Louisville. I had no idea that these trips existed!

It's a mystery to me that I've never heard about this before. I've been stitching for 48 years! I told that teacher that I would love to do something like this. She added me to her mailing list. Next spring they are going to London and Paris! OMGosh! I really want to go. Of course there is plenty of sightseeing involved. There's another trip through Sanoma. I have a couple of friends and a daughter (or three) who might want to go. It will all depend on what the project is.

Now that we're talking needlepoint, I was distressed to learn that someone stole this pillow I made for Jordan in 2013.

On her Christmas list, she put that she wanted me to make her another needlepoint Christmas pillow since this one was stolen during her recent move. That's how I found out. It's a mystery to me as to why some big, burly movers would want it. But on the other hand, there was a boyfriend in the family who scored a needlepoint pillow in one of our family "rob your neighbor" games. When he and a granddaughter broke up, he kept it!! He did win it fair and square. He always complimented my work and seemed interested, but I thought he was just sucking up!! I guess he was sincere. Now that I think about it, I really liked that boy after all!

That's about it for today's mysteries! What's got you scratching your head?

The Remodeling

I don't know what it is about remodeling, but it's never simple. It seems like it should be, but it's not.

This time we are finishing the last two things on my list for our house. That's it. The end. Finished. Well, except for the garage and some outside stuff. But the inside will be complete.

Those two things are the pool bath and the entry to our house. Innocently, I thought it would take two weeks MAX! OMGosh! It's been 6 weeks and we're still not done!! Of course, it never goes smoothly. There's always a hitch. One thing leads to another. And it's one hold up after another. 

Hold ups like:

1. When gutting the bathroom, Steve (our amazing go to guy---he's done all of our remodeling for the last 20 years) discovered we had a leak. So, he had to track that down. He checked the roof and gutters. He went under the house. Finally, he decided that it was from the old toilet and probably had been leaking for a long time. We don't use that bathroom much--mostly in the summer--so we never noticed

2. The leak lead to replacing the base flooring.

3. Part of the wall had to be replaced where the water leached upwards into the drywall.

4. According to the girls, the shower also leaked. That, too, took a while to track down. Turns out it wasn't anything a LOT of caulk and sealer couldn't solve. The girls wanted the shower replaced. Not happening. It's just not used enough to warrant that expense. Plus, I like the shower doors which are irreplaceable. And I mean irreplaceable because they are so out of style that you can't even buy them anymore. Believe me, we found that out when we remodeled our bathroom about 4 years ago. About all you can find now is the clear glass that you are supposed to squeegee after every shower. No way.

5. The toilet was delivered, but the water tank was the wrong one. A week later, the new one arrived which was exactly like the first one. It didn't fit either. Finally, the right one arrived earlier this week. Turns out, they did not include the bolts to attach it. That took another 3 days. 

6. The new mirror I ordered arrived broken. Luckily all I had to do was send a picture to have it replaced. Still, that took a week.

7. The vanity, once installed had a strip of wood at the bottom which I didn't like. The picture didn't show that. Plus, I didn't remember that in the store. I knew it would be a hassle to unhook all the plumbing and take it apart, but I asked Steve anyway. I want what I want! Could that strip of wood be removed? He said,"no." I especially didn't like that it left about an inch gap between the bottom and the floor. I knew it would be nearly impossible to clean under there and not cleaning under there would bug the hell out of me!! I can be a little fanatical. Luckily, my "miracle man" came up with a solution for me. He added a strip of quarter round to make it meet the floor and then painted it.

As of yesterday, it's finally finished! Not the entry, but we're close on that too. Another couple days. But in the meantime, here's the pool bath results!

Before:

 We gutted everything but the shower. The vanity was so outdated and really seemed to crowd the room---it's not that big to begin with. I wanted to open it up and make is seem a little airier.

You can see the old tile floor and vanity with hinges. We also removed the large mirror. And, I hate towel racks on the wall. I was happy to see this go.

The only thing I was keeping besides the shower was the window treatment. I've always loved it---a colorful flip flop print. Christy, my friend/designer used a striped tablecloth to make the awning with ball fringe added.

After:

It definitely seems more open to me. Wall mirror gone---replaced by a round beveled mirror. Tile floor gone---replaced by an arabesque ceramic tile. New, larger lamp to replace the little one I had before. The vanity is updated. The paint color is the same as I have on my ceilings in the sunroom and kitchen. In fact, there was enough of this paint left that we didn't even have to buy more. It's funny how different it looks on the wall than the ceiling.

I decided to change out the turquoise rug with a coral one after 25 years. I kept the vintage sandpail as a decoration, but got rid of a lot of things I had before.

 I had this colorful painting reframed and got rid of the dated, gold frame.

This frame had a shell-like, mother of pearl look to it which I liked.

Here are the shower doors that I still like. Slightly frosty and don't need any special cleaning. I swapped out towel bars for hooks.

 Same window treatment---still love that even after 20+ years. It still seems so playful.

 I kept the white wicker basket to hold the colorful beach towels. There isn't enough room under the vanity for them all. I've always joked that the reason we have pool parties is to replenish out beach towel supply because invariably, some are left behind!

In the details. I was happy with the new faucet with white ceramic handles--pretty inexpensive. 

I don't know yet what the final cost of this bathroom will be with the labor. But we did get most things (vanity, faucet, hooks) from Lowes. I got the lamp from Wayfair. The rug is from Target. All the towels are what we already had. The toilet came from Ferguson. We spent more on that because I wanted it to match the others in the house. Now, all 6 toilets have been replaced! Arabesque tile---not quite sure. When I told Christy I wanted something like this, she came back to me with this one. That could be a surprise! 

We're happy with the results. It's exactly what I was looking for--something new, updated and fresh!!

Next up will be the entry. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of this week. 

If you need any help updating, I have lots of ideas!!! 

Friday Funnies

What I Buy Wednesday

I've been buying Christmas gifts and a few new things for the house. Hoping the renovation work will be finished this week. Once I get everything back to normal, I'll take some pictures.

Soooo, I'm going to share a few things I learned on our river cruise.

1. I always thought porridge was oatmeal. But when I encountered both on the menu, I asked about the difference. Oatmeal is made with hot milk and porridge is made with water. So, all my life when I thought I was eating oatmeal, I was actually eating porridge. I tried the oatmeal. Of course it was better---made with milk---definitely richer! I was better off not knowing.

2. I learned the difference between a "burg" and a "berg." When a city ends in either of these spellings, it means that it's based on what's there. For example, "burg" like Hamburg or Salzburg---were based near a defensive castle which was a fortification. Other cities like Nuremberg and Heidelberg were built at the base of mountains. Both provided some defense in medieval times. Interesting.

3. I learned that "Shit" is a readily accepted and used word in Germany. The first time I heard a tour guide use it, I was surprised. Then I realized that it wasn't shocking after all---just common usage. Apparently, my German family (Zimmermann) has been using in properly all along!

4. Speaking of Zimmermann---I saw a couple buses with our name on the side. I wasn't quick enough in traffic to get a picture. I'll bet if I'd found a phone book (if such a thing even exists anymore in Germany), Zimmermanns would have been like Smith or Jones here. One of these days, I'd like to track down some distant relatives. Heck, who am I kidding. I have plenty of relatives right here who are distant!

5. Another thing I learned. These cruises have a lot of OLD people. I thought it might bother Stephanie and Nicky since they were the youngest by about 25 years!! What bothered me the most was most people's lack of technological skills. We downloaded an app to our phone that we used for all the tours. Every time, the first 15 minutes were spent trying to get people up and running! I learned that we're not that old after all!

Travel Tuesday

So, last weekend, Pam, Nancy and I met Janet at the Memory Make Inn for a weekend of scrapbooking. We were disappointed that Jeanne wasn't with us, but she had to be out of the country for work.

OMGosh! We had the BEST time!!

The Memory Make Inn is located in historic, Lebanon, Illinois. It's on St. Louis Ave. in the heart of the little town---cobblestone streets and cute shops.

We met at the Cobblestone Eatery for lunch before unloading. We had the house to ourselves on Thursday. We decided that since we had a late lunch, we would not go out for dinner. Instead, we had appetizers at happy hour. We went out to lunch at an old fashioned soda fountain down the street on Friday. The meals don't start until Friday night.

The set-up was great. We had our own room. We each had a table, light with a usb built in for charging phones and Gypsies. There was also another outlet tower that we didn't even need.

 The menu greeted us. The food was delicious. Chris was happy to share the recipes.

They had so many tools---you didn't need to bring a thing. There were 3 Circuits with dozens of cartridges---plus they worked with our Gypsies. There were stamps and punches galore. There was a sewing machine too, but we didn't use that. No way is this inexperienced gal going to risk messing up someone's machine!

 I did use this punch several times---and now I want one! It's Michael's brand, but I think it's really old because I couldn't find it on their website. Another reason to go back!

 The attention to detail was unbelievable. There was a drink holder on your table with a fabric coaster inside to absorb condensation. This also held a trash bag that was magically emptied throughout the weekend.

 Pam is the queen of the Circut. I used to know it inside and out, but not anymore. I just don't use it enough. Still, there are some glitches now and then---by the user, not the machine. Pam cut out "Magical" for the Disney album she was working on. Instead of making it 2" tall, she made it 2" wide. We were actually impressed that it could cut this small!

 The trees were beautiful around town.

 We had visions of sitting on the front porch for happy hour, but it was a little too chilly for that.

Look at that old car in the background. This town really does take you back!

 Across the street from the inn, someone carved this stack of books from a tree trunk.

The beverage center was stocked with everything you could imagine. The water machine on the left had hot or ice water. I want one of these for home!

 The place was spotless! That's my main requirement!

 This was the coffee/tea/hot chocolate cart.

 There is a paper rack should you need some cardstock throughout the weekend.

This was the Cricut station. There were TV trays to expand your space (I didn't need it). There were also some lap trays you could use on your table to take advantage of some vertical space. I did use that. It's nice to have a place to keep your paper trimmer handy.

There were 3 bedrooms upstairs and one down. Janet and I shared the one downstairs. The beds were so comfortable. Again, the details---we each had a nightstand with a light, extension cord for plugging in phones, a bottle of water, a box of Kleenex and a little dish to put your jewelry in. 

We had such a good time that we've already signed up to go back in February If you'd like to join us, just click on the Memory Make Inn link above! You won't regret it!