Spring has sprung...

February should not look like this.

Our Meyer Lemon tree is loving all the sunshine.

 In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.  ~Mark Twain

I wonder if he was in Texas when he said that?

The Lady Banks roses are already blooming.

   And the antique roses couldn't be happier.

It's too warm for February,

but I do appreciate the beauty of an early spring.

I'm off on another cape wearing adventure tomorrow.

No complaining...

there are too many fun stops along the way.

And I get to love on my baby boy.

My humanitarian effort to bring food to the eternally hungry.

That's a fancy way of saying I'm making a Costco run and driving it up to party town school for my son.

After my mission is accomplished, me and my flip flops will fly into somewhere fun.

Stopping to smell the roses- 

on the road or in my own yard.

I'm stopping.  I'm smelling.  I'm smiling.

I hope you're doing the same.

My embroidered stool...

I first titled this post "my bathroom stool".

(I hear the giggling and snorting)

 It then occurred to me that you fine ladies and gents

 might think I was going to be talking shiz.

  I quickly reconsidered.

Because surely- you can't think that even I would

 embroider the shiz.

 Dark chocolate and caramel animal print chenille with turquoise embroidery.

And yes, those are chocolate walls back there.

I know, I have a condition.

Chocolate is my little friend.

This is what I sit on to squint gaze into the 

Magnifying Mirror of Horror.

Yeah, you know the one.

I bought this little cutie a few years ago,

 so I thought I'd better confess to that

before some of you start squawking that 

you can't find it.

This was a Tar-jay stool, but I hated the fabric.

 So, I was compelled (yes, compelled!) to 

recover it with this swanky monogram 

and wild woman fabric.

The letters are large -

the "t" is 5 inches tall.

No paint, no distressing.  

Just a quick cushion recover and all is right with my world.

Tar-jay is good.  So good.

Hope you have a great weekend~

Yesterday...

Those are bug guts on my windshield, he didn't run over anything.
This time.

My day was all planned out.  

My husband, better known as Mr. Magoo, was out of town on business.

I had my coffee and was planning to paint all day.

But, no.

He was ready to leave for home around lunchtime.

The phone rang and the dreaded 

"you will not believe what happened"

was spoken.

What now???

Can I not have one day without a crisis to manage?

We don't have small problems in this family- it's always big.  But not today.

All I had to do was drive the extra key to him.

He'd just lost his car key.

Just drive.

For 6 hours.

I ask you...

Did I not burn my super hero cape?

I burned that sucker, I know I did.

Who wants to bet that I'll find that key when I look thru his bags ?

Cheese and crackers....sigh.

That man needs a keeper.

Oh, yeah.  That's my job. ;)

It's a good thing he's cute.

 I followed him home.  

He stayed between the lines and everything.

Gotta love him.

aka Mrs. Magoo

Gwen Wants To Know

I know, I know!  It's Tuesday and another post already.

Gwen The Amazing Chimpanzee over at The Bold Abode has tagged me- so without further ado, here are her questions and my answers.

No throwing rotten tomatoes or any of that hooey, either.

This is your official warning that you may learn very disturbing information about me in this post.

Read at your own risk.

Go on...read.  Don't be a scarebaby.

Gwen wants to know~

1.  What’s on your iPod/Mp3 player right now?

I don't use an iPod - I am too busy iPadding and iPhoning.  

Every once in awhile I will play the music on my iPad or plug my iPhone into the car, but not much.  I'm too busy singing Prince songs on Sirius 80's channel.

2.  What do you do when you get stressed?

Do you mean things like panic attacks, meltdowns or binge drinking?  Or how I avoid those things?

I have been properly trained in the fine art of avoiding Le Freak Out.

Breathe in, breathe out.  

Watch the trees blow in the wind.  

Margarita.  

Not necessarily in that order.

3.  E-reader or good, ole, printed book?

I don't care for reading books on my iPad.  I am old school about my books. 

You guessed it- I'm a member of the Book Smeller Club.  

4.  If you could cure ONE disease, what would it be?

I have all kinds of thoughts on this. 

My family has been terribly affected by some doozies. 

However,

 I think I'll go with Stupidity.  

IMO, more people are afflicted with stupidity than anything else.   

If that doesn't count, I choose Epilepsy or Autism. 

 I realize that Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders and Autism are not diseases.  

It's my choice to color outside the line here on this question. 

Both have affected my family.  

5.  What is your earliest memory?

I don't know.  I remember eating a bottle of orange baby aspirin and having to get my stomach pumped.  I assured my GrannyBelle that I'd shared with my brother.  I didn't want her to think I was stingy.  I did have nice manners for a little girl that had just poisoned her younger brother. 

 Gosh, if only it had worked.

6.  Has a movie made you want to get up and walk out of the theatre?

Yes, The American. 

I like my Clooney a la Ocean's Eleven.

I wish I had walked out of Underworld Imax 3D. 

I wore my glasses to the movie and got sick as a dog.  No more 3D for me.  

Unless there's Clooney 3D.  ClooneyVision?  I'm there.

via web

7.  If you could have a private conversation with Madonna, what would you tell her?

Oh, Madge.

I used to love you, but I don't understand why you speak in that ridiculous British accent one minute and then switch to a completely unidentifiable one in the next. 

I'm too ashamed to wear my rubber bracelets and lace headband now.

What happened to you, M?  

You are too old to be dressing like that and way too old to be acting like a pretentious little brat.

(I think this is where she would pop me in the mouth.)

You "loathe hydrangeas" ???  You are dead to me.

Just look at you...You used to be so cool.

via web

8.  If you could have a do-over on your wedding, what would you change?

 I was going to say "the groom",

but now that George Clooney has malaria, I'll keep mine.

via web

9.  What would you do if Publisher’s Clearing House showed up 

on your front step with that super-huge check?

Take it! 

And I hope I wouldn't be wearing my pajamas, but that would be against nature, so....

Then I'd move to...well, I can't tell you because I'd be rich and people do stalk winners.  

Although if I were to be in my pajamas when presented with my big fat check, 

I'm pretty sure no one would feel inclined to look me up.

10. What is your biggest flop to date?

What kind of flop?  Belly flop?  I think I was 10.

Project flop? 

 It would most likely be some expensive linen that I ruined when I was first learning to embroider.  

A very time consuming, 75 thread change pattern that I ruined on the last color.  

I'm talented like that.

and last, but not least...

11.  What's the BOLDEST thing you've ever done?

Either skydiving or marching up to the house of a boy that was picking on my son.  

Mama Lion Syndrome.  

I'd probably be arrested for that now, because I told him a few things 

that made him want to move far, far away. 

 In the end, he apologized and became Ty's bodyguard,

 so I didn't have to go all "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" on him.

Don't mess with my child.  

I will hurt you.

So, there is my "Eleven questions you wish you didn't have the answers to" post.

Cue the wah wah wah...you may be next.

Valentine Keeps

 My little Valentine boys are grown, but I have kept so many of their sweet creations.  

Going through the keeps chest this morning was so much fun.

  I thought I'd share a few.

Little hands and feet grew to be big hands and size 13 feet.

I thought some of you Moms of little peeps might want to do this project.

Hands for flower petals and feet for leaves- I love it!

This is my oldest's work.  Yes, it says '89. 

 Geez, time flies.

I found these in the chest, too. 

 I had started a project with them years ago and never finished.

Mm hmm, back in the dinosaur age before all of our tech-y stuff.

I tried to find photos that depicted us at the same age.

Think I'll do an updated version of these and actually finish them.

Attention to detail makes a mom proud.  

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

My signature colors...

Remember that line from Steel Magnolias where Shelby says her signature colors are Blush and Bashful?

I don't know how many times I've repeated that line during my marriage, but it's around a zillion.

Just guessing.

Why does he think I will like a purple couch?

Hence, his nickname of Mr. Magoo.

I have stuck to a general color theme with revolving pops of color forever.

 Brown, green, cream, blue, orange.

I don't do red.

I tried, really I did.

And yes, the Steiff donkey bridle disturbs me, but I can't bring myself to change it.

(Did I just hear Lisa scream?  She found him up in Tennessee and blogged about him.  He's the sweetest and I love my Steiff animals, so I snagged him.  Donkey is hard to come by!)

I won't do it, Lisa.  Promise. ;)

In my next life, I think I'd like to come back as a forest sprite.

The colors of the forest are the hues that calm me.

My  home has various shades of these colors through out, and as someone who likes changing things around constantly from time to time,

this works well for me.

 Even during the holidays, the color scheme remains.

Very complimentary to Henry's fur, don't you think?

That's Dan.  The Deer.

So far, I have refused to remove his scarf and juniper wreath.

I like him all cheeky like that.

He may have come from the country,

but he's got flair.

These embroidered towels were made into curtains for our side door.  I love them there. 

Every October- March, they hang here.

Yes, I realize lots of these are Christmas photos...

I was too busy making/eating cookies to post very many during the holidays.

Well, I was!

But remember- we are looking at my signa- cha cuhluhs.

That's Nemesis hanging on the hall tree.

Sophie's nemesis.

She wants him and she wants him bad.

She's got short legs but that girl can jump.

He must remain up high and unreachable or he will meet a most unsavory end.

You didn't think my pajamas or my dogs were out of the mix, did you?

 I'll do a separate post on the painted tables.

 I love my painted tables.  I have collected a large amount of painted pieces over the years.

They are still some of my very favorite pieces of furniture.

I'll leave you with a photo I had some fun doing in Picnik.

So sad.

I'm unhappy with  you, Google.

Too many changes.

Please stop making things difficult.

Hope you have a great week!

And a big hug to all the new peeps that are following on Linky.
I'm so looking forward to seeing what y'all have in store for us this year.

I'll be introducing a new color into the mix upstairs soon.

Pink!

Stay tuned.  : )

Until next time,

Linking up with these ladies:

Cowgirl Up! Tuesdays