Ordy's Surprise

Since I reminded you guys I am dating an amazing guy :) I know in the midst of all the decorating and redecorating and crafts and projects, it's easy to forget

1. I'm a full time student
2. I have a bf

Ha- but I promise, i find a way to make crafts work while juggling the above two priorities... 

Ordy has been so amazing this past weekend with my dad in town- meaning 24/7 family time. It's been confirmed this week that my family likes Ordy Boy more than they like me... other than the fact I can't walk in the house without them hounding me where he is or when he'll get there- he spent the ENTIRE DAY Monday (early afternoon-LATE) hanging out with my family. Sans Me. Whattttt. While I was responsible and headed off to class after my long but fun weekend at Sher's Monday afternoon, my bf stayed. Until 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. unreal. i never thought i would be so lucky to have family + bf get along so well! i mean my dad was genuinely talking with him and laughing, it wasn't forced or anything... i love it. 

I love how respectful he is and how i don't have to worry about what he says next to embarrass me, or make me cringe. i can walk away and know he is OK. we had a lot of fun at Sher and Frankie's and i never laugh so hard as i do when we're all four together. {think: cupcake fights wars, bean bag battles, etc} instead of couples against couples it's usually boys against girls... 

This Sunday, one of the family outings {after breakfast at the oh so delish Flying Biscuit}, we {all 10 of us} headed to the auction. 

mmm. french toast and veggie scramble. amazing. 

I loved going, i thought it was a guy thing Ordy and Frankie would do every sunday, but this sunday we tagged along and i might make Ordy take me from now on! They were actually filming a show, Auction Kings, there and we had to sign waivers and get our picture taken and stuff just to get in... they even interviewed the boys! i'll have to figure out when it'll be on the discovery channel to catch em. 

Check OUT those chandeliers! 

film crew

64 1/2 mustang!!! and chandeliers

two of my favorite things: old mustang and chandeliers

the birthday boy

It was around 2 pm (Kian's naptime) and it was hard to get comfy with him trying to nap so we decided to leave the boys and head to my house... which is a great thing we did because of the disaster that was waiting for me when i got there... well, while i did damage control for 6+ hours- Ordy was STILL at the auction! i was getting annoyed because i was sad he didn't care that i was stuck with no car, no mop, and left to clean up old sewage from my floors. they finally came at 7:30 p.m. to pick me up and take me to my car and Ordy Boy had a surprise for me...

Venetian  Crystal Chandelier

the prettiest chandelier i have ever seen... seriously. i was shocked. i didn't know if it was a joke or what... i'm obsessed with chandeliers and have been looking online for years. i want my future house to have a chandelier in every room {i'm not joking, even the closet AND kitchen} and I KNOW that these bad boys aren't easy to come by.... I can't believe he got me one, and one so amazing at that... i'm still in shock and feel guilty, even tho there's nothing TO feel guilty about. i just feel bad he spoils me so much...  i promise i didn't drop hints or anything, he just knows me. i asked him why he would do that and where the heck i would put it and he said he hadn't gotten me a surprise lately, and decided this would be a good one. um, yeah it is. i can't believe it! i don't think you get me and chandeliers... 

Thank you Ordy Boy for being so good to me {and my family} and for putting up with all of the madness. I am so thankful for you!!! <-- with or without an incredible chandelier!

Big Top Weekend

It's been a busy weekend preparing for Kian's Circus/Carnival {what's the difference anyway??} 3rd Birthday Party!!! My sister Sher had the idea for a while, and i'm not gonna lie- she would send me loads of pics and i would think 'great! but we can't do that...' well, I WAS WRONG. we can. we did.

It was awesome to see her ideas executed so well! i was seriously worrying all weekend as she ran around metro atlanta looking for gold fish and cotton candy... this could be a potential flop... i was crossing my fingers {and toes} that she wouldn't have a mental breakdown at 3 am the morning of and call everyone invited canceling. she's kind of crazy like that... {love you Sher, but ya are}

It's just cuz she wants everything PERFECT. well, guess what? Today, everything was perfect. it really was. I don't have time to upload all the pics, but i'll upload a few of my favorite. I had so much fun watching all of Kian's little friends. I'm jealous, all his friends are ADORABLE and have cute names!!! what a fun bunch... it was great to meet everyone that i've only heard so much of!

I made the cupcakes for the party:

popcorn looking cupcakes

these are some of my favorite random shots (there's a TON more but it's late...)

Dad was SUCH a good sport and hilarious. he was cracking us up. he was the first to break the ice with the face painter for all the kids to feel comfortable, and he was the first to show the kids how to use the photobooth. I think deep down he was really having a blast :)

And finally, some of the birthday boy:

Kian, 


I love you so so so so {x a milli} much! you are the cutest, sweetest 3 year old anyone could ever dream to have as a nephew. i'm not good at gushy sweet words, but you know you mean the world to me! you're my favorite nephew ever and that will never change! you are so full of adventure and love. you're all things boyish and i love how inquisitive you are! I love your million, "but why?"s and i hope you never ever stop asking! you bring so much joy to this world i can't imagine a life without you. i get sad at nights when i'm all the way at home and can't hear your voice or play with your amazing hair and have to wait until sunday til i see you again... i love your goofiness, i love your shy embarrassed look when you stare at the ceiling from the corner of your eyes... you are the best and i'm so happy and blessed to be your aunt! everyone that meets you loves you--- Happy Birthday!!!

and last but NOT least... the amazing, wonderful, gorgeous, talented PARTY PLANNER!!!

a true mommy...workin' overtime

Sher,

i'm so jealous i'm your sister and not your daughter! you are the BEST MOM in the whole entire world! i thought you were the best sister until you had your first born on October 17, 2007- then you became the best mom ever. you are so attentive to your kids. when you think no one is watching you- we are. we see how patient you are, treating both of your kids like humans and never yelling at them. you are so compassionate and caring. your full time job of juggling two kids under 2 (now 3!) is harder than ANY 9-5 out there. i can't imagine how hard it is to have a 24/7 job, and you do it so gracefully. I've been around you for 24 years and i'm still amazed at how second nature this whole mommy thing is to you- i mean, am i really surprised??? you raised me! (good thing you ditched the bossy act tho... jk). i can't wait to have kids and let you raise them! hahah jk (only slightly...) please have more of your adorable children- the world needs more {adorable} well behaved children! thank you for all you do! you're the best!!!!


P.s. for all you moms reading this- sher has her own amazing blog 
and if you like it as much as i do you will vote for her! 

Creepy Sisters

This past weekend at Lake Shankie's, I walked passed my sister's laundry room and had to do a double take... it was that bad ... Don't believe me? Here, I'll prove it- (Sher, don't murder me...)

Told you so... it's bad. 

But...that just makes the challenge more fun for me. I can't wait to get in there and redo it! It's weird. I have been thinking about it for a while now... BUT, back to the story....

Sunday night, I asked her husband to take her out one day for at least 4-6 hours (so I could sneak in there and surprise her by doing it)... we agreed to have her out Friday afternoon to redo her hair. He agreed to babysit and keep her away... Well...

Monday afternoon- I got a text from Sher that said, "I'm so overwhelmed with my laundry room. It needs to be redone SO bad. It's a mess and I hate going in there, i think it needs a makeover. will you help me?"

............................... I. Was. Livid. I promptly texted Frankie accusing him of blabbing to her and ruining the surprise. Honestly, call me stupid- but I started crying! I hated that the surprise was robbed of me! I already had an SUV full of stuff for the redo- and every bone in my body wanted to return every little thing. I was so upset. Something I wanted to do out of the 'kindness of my heart' seemed forced now. I was soooo upset and overreacted. My response to her text: "yeah. you should."

yeah, yeah, yeah, i get it. i'm a brat. but still. it reminded me of being a kid and wanting to surprise my mom and do the dishes and on my way to the kitchen my step-dad would ask me to... I'd be sooo mad and snap, "I WAS GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY!!" (i'm shuddering at how big of a brat i am...) I'd do it with the worst attitude and so forced it's a wonder how the dishes didn't break...

**Side note: Frankie didn't tell Sher, in fact- he completely forgot about it... So... this is why i say, "creepy sisters"...

All our lives we'd either "jinx" each other (say something at the same time), or I'd pick up the phone to text her something that she was JUST about to text me... i mean, just the weirdest most random 'sister vibes'. This event definitely tops the list because she's never mentioned the laundry room or wanting to redo it, it was just something i picked up on while being there...and then to want to surprise her- and her text me the next day- creepy. 

Moving on...

Wednesday I spent the entire day off running around town picking up things that would go in her "new" laundry room. I can't go into much detail since I know she reads the blog, but I will say, I got 80% of the stuff yesterday and couldn't be happier!

This particular project sparked from a website that talked about making your own cake stands. In all honesty, you know if i saw/remembered the link i would credit them, so if you know what it is please let me know so i can give that person credit where credit is deserved!!!! That being said... here's what I did:

I bought these glass vases and fishbowl from Goodwill...as well as 4 crystal candlesticks (.77-1.99 each)

I took some glass glue ($3 Home Depot)

...And attached the candlestick to the glass piece

and held on for 45 seconds-1 minute. I didn't really trust the glue so I kinda just held as long as I felt a little comfortable with letting go...

That's it! You're done... a fancy 'thing'. i guess it's a version of an apothecary jar minus the lid. How cute would a bunch of these on a table with candy be? At a birthday or shower? So cute. 




more pics...

Please excuse me... I like being comfy while crafting... no organized craft room here :(

I did 3 last night. I would have done more but I wanted to save my last matching base (candlestick) on a tall vase i saw at the dollar store (and should have gotten) and regret not buying it... in my defense tho, I knew my car was full of tons of glass items and didn't think i'd need it... guess i was wrong!


That's that. It was a fun, easy craft- and i love the end results! let me know if you try it! 
--check back this weekend to see the "After" for Sher's laundry room... I'd tell you the theme but Sher reads and i don't feel like hearing her input if it's not what she has in mind! she's such a difficult "client"... hah

This Weekend... (Both of the Boys in My Life Were Sent to the ER....)

Weekend Part One

I spent the entire weekend (Friday afternoon - Sunday night) at my sisters house. I love hanging out at "Lake Frankie's Shankie's". We are always grilling out, hanging out, fishing, crafting, etc. My favorite part? The kids. I love hanging out with them- they're the cutest!!

Friday, I spent all morning "thrifting". I went out and about to find things I could breathe a second breath of life into. I'm pretty disappointed in most of the thrift stores I hit up- SO overpriced. I can't believe they charge so much for USED items. I can find better, brand new stuff at Homegoods or Ross for WAY cheaper!!! I was looking at $45 mirrors and up. Coffee tables for around $75 and up. I just wish there was a hole-in-the-wall thrift store around me that doesn't sell crap (or for so much!) I want to educate some people that are shopping there that they can get BRAND NEW stuff (even clothes) for way cheaper. I mean a nasty old tshirt was $6 and I just got 3 shirts from Old Navy for $6! Nuts. They need to reevaluate themselves. haha.

I found this, and YES, I KNOW-i already bought a coffee table last weekend- but i could NOT turn away from this coffee table!!!! It was so me. the geometric shapes and stuff. something about it was even so "tory burch" about it- obviously not in my house, but my FUTURE bigger house (???) haha, I would paint it a HIGH GLOSS Lacquer finish in WHITE.... It has true potential... trust me. 

What would i do without Heff??? 

I LOVE my mirror. I saw it from SO FAR away, and practically ran to it- I guess I was threatened by the man walking to the bathroom near it? You'll see, it may look nasty now, with it's K-Swiss stickers... but YOU'LL SEE!!!!

Saturday, we spent all morning at Estate Sales and yard sales. I scored a real Louis Vuitton speedy for $10 $8. Pretty pumped about cleaning it up and putting a new zipper in there! (For the 14th time- since everyone asks how i knew it was real- i was carrying my speedy and compared it... so it was pretty obvious, other than the $8 one being REALLY "vintage" aka old...)

$8...seriously?

How cute is this kid?

so excited to ride with Ordy Boy

Weekend Part Two

Saturday night, we were all doing our normal weekend evening: the boys were manning the grill while the girls did something "artsy fartsy" and all of a sudden we hear Bandit shrieking like his tail was caught in the door or something... Sher and I looked at each other but figured that's all it was- then we heard Ordy Boy scream (not like a girly scream, but a manly, "UGH!" more than a dainty, "Ah!"  (just to make sure you guys knew I wasn't dating a softie...haha)

Well- my little brother brought out the pole to go fishing when Bandit didn't even give him a chance to do anything- and BIT the line/hook. It wasn't anyone's fault... My brother didn't know Bandit had the propensity to chase after the hook like a fish- and Bandit... well, he's just an idiot sometimes. He got the hook good and stuck on his lip/gum and when Ordy Boy went to help him- he shook his head getting the OTHER hook in Ordy's hand! (imagine his index and thumb joined by the hook...)

It was a mess. a catastrophe of sorts. We were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off panicking about what to do. I'm an awful girlfriend. I was all over Bandit- whimpering when he'd whimper and want to throw up for him just looking at his new lip ring. Poor Ordy definitely had it bad, but I guess his "tough man" attitude of just sitting around directing me to get the hook out of bandit's lip made me look over his hand/pain/dilemma...

I will add pics of the ordeal at the end of the post, in case you have a weak stomach- stop reading. don't look at them!

After an hour of trying to get the hook out of both of the boys, we gave up. Ordy Boy went to the Emergency Room and had his finger numbed to get the hook out and Sunday afternoon Bandit went to Emergency Animal Care to get sedated to get his hook out. Such an ordeal!

When we got bandit back Sunday afternoon- he was pathetic. Running into walls, drooling uncontrollably, and had the worst depth perception. He kept plopping down and it sounded like 10 books hitting the floor since he's so heavy. (BTW, the vet put down his actual weight on the charts: 87.3 lbs... my baby isn't a baby anymore...)

poor wittle guy

close up of the damage

so. gross. (if ordy's mom is reading this- he's OK!! and was smiling the whole time. typical.)

being a manly man and yanking it out himself.

He didn't yank the other one out because if he pulled it through, the hook would've gotten stuck since it was so short and had a long ways to go through his finger. (in case you were wondering)...

ookkk, now that everyone's stomach is tight and queasy- I am off to bed! 

Random Thoughts...

I'm so so thankful for Ordy. I worked him to death this weekend. Bring this couch here. Take that couch there. Hang this. Take it down. Hang it back. Spray paint this. Screw in this. Nail that... you get the point. I was coming up with all these design ideas, and he was the one that had to execute them. **NOT FAIR**. I wish I could do half the things he can do- but realistically, I know it would take me a LOT longer and I would risk doing it wrong. So, it's easier just to make ask him. The poor guy had the longest work day Friday, and I called him on his lunch break to tell him my weekend plans (after he texted me that morning all he wants to do is "relax and enjoy a quiet friday evening together") whoops. there goes that idea... I begged, and pleaded, for him to help me out before Tuesday (girl's night) and begged some more. He didn't disappoint. He left work, went home in friday traffic, grabbed his trailer and headed over to haul some furniture. He's the best. I'm the worst. I appreciate him so much. I robbed him of another Friday evening, but I tried justifying it saying I only do it twice a year... but to him, I'm always redecorating... ahhh. if it's not one room, it's another I guess! 

out with the old... (if anyone wants these i'm selling them-let me know, great condition)

My little helper

the new additions to the crazy madness i call home

i. love. ordy boy.