Life in the Fast Lane-Post 1

Advising this is a long post.. since I haven't had time to blog..playing catch up! So grab a cup of joe before reading!

So last friday Blogger was down. I wanted to upload my blooming graden! I woke up to these beauties. The hibiscus is a hybrid that is cold hardy so it dies every windter and comes back from the root ball. The blooms measure 6-12 inches across and I have pink, white with pink centers and yellow along one fence mixed with cana and hawaiian irises. The hibiscus plants get large really fast as well as the cana and provide a lush privacy wall so people can't look thru our fence which we like. I know not everyone likes a lush tropical garden but I love it. My front yard is manicure and perfect though.

Also Friday, I went to a wine glass painting party. It was blast! I made a tropical Hawaiian glass. One of my gf's painted hers leopard (didn't get a pic) and the other gf painted hers irish. Here is Kelly with her beautiful glass-

Here are pictures of both sides of my wine glass.. I think it is adorable.

This side has an island with two coconut palm trees and our wedding date in the center 7-11-10.

This side says ALOHA with a pink hibiscus in the center ( I love pink and hibiscus). I blinged it out too!! These were so easy to make, you use glass paint and bake the glass after wards and I know mine isn't as stunning as Lolita but the total cost of the glass was 13 bucks versus 40-50 for a lolita glass. But I am still a sucker for lolita.

Than this weekend Nate went to Lake Charles for a day and night to celebrate Jon (his best man) and Marty's birthday. I spent the whole day Saturday trying to clean and organize our house in preparation for my mother in law. I love my mother in law but it stresses me out that she is coming while we are still in school and the busiest time of the year (end of the school year). I feel like I haven't had a moment this month to just breath!

Sunday continued the preparation on the house. Monday was a busy day at work- prepping for my class field trip and trying to finish a paper for my masters class. Nate finished cleaning the other side of our two car garage so we could move the books shelves down stairs.

We have three bedrooms upstairs (including the master) and an office downstairs that could function as a fourth room. But Nate uses the office upstairs and was storing books for his side business in the 3rd room and the garage. Also the cat's litter boxes are in the 3rd room. Nate installed the kitty door over spring break but we had the mechanism to stop the cat's from going into the garage until we cleaned it and made sure nothing poisnous was in their reach.

I wish I took a picture of the before of the room. But here is a pic of the cat door and the cat's chilling in the garage- I think they are psyched to have a huge garage to their selves. Plus it the garage has windows on the top of the doors so the cats loved basking in the sun in the heat! Plus for all of us.. cat litter is out of the house (which is great because smell but a plus for toodlers too) and the cats are happy with thier new space.

Smokey the fat tabby doesn't like the flap on the cat door but he can't go hungary so he got the hang of it fast. Bella figured it out immediately.

Post Continued..

Backyard Updates & Mother's Day Basket

(click on images to enlarge in new page)

If you notice in this picture there are purple flowers on the hot tub edge and now in the hanging baskets! Previously I had purple flowers in the hanging basket only & pink flowers on the hot tub edge.. Well that is because my original petunia hanging baskets got dropped from their hanging hooks during a wind storm. With the bottoms busted out and roots exposed I had to plant them fast. I thought the flowers would look amazing draping over the edges of the pots on the hot tub. So I transfered the pink flowers to the back of the garden and repotted the hanging baskets. Than this weekend we went to NOLA and every where there they had ferns growing. I wanted to add ferns to our yard too but I looked everywhere for them and couldn't find baskets. Plus I think it might be a little too much green and I love flowers and color in my yard.

So last night I went to Walmart to get some relaxation items for my mother's day basket (don't worry my mom doesn't check the blog- or I don't think so) and a birthday present for Jake's Fifth Spider Man Bday! While I was there I couldn't help but pick up two new baskets! They are confetti petnias that bloom summer to fall and are full sun! Perfect for hot houston summers! To solve the issue of falling off the hook I used chain to loop thru the basket tops and hang on to the hook on the gazebo. Here is a close up:

Sorry Don't mind the pool floats..some of them will blow with the wind and take off across the yard so we store them in the gazebo during summer while not in use (in fall & winter they go in the pool shed on the side yard). Oh and we love signs! We have a sign collection on the fence- but the TIKI BAR sign my mom gave us from our Hawaii trip.. I know the chain isn't as attractive but it helps stabilize the heavy baskets especially during storms when they are heavier from rain water. Plus this way another basket isn't broken..
Seriously aren't those flowers gorgeous?!

Here are a couple other backyard pics..what is happening in the E Garden.

These are our pepper plants- we have already cooked with 2 of our own home grown bell peppers and there is another one on there! The bell peppers were awesome in Turkey Spaghetti

Four tom. are almost ready for picking.. we have harvested 2 already too! The flowers seem to deter the bugs too as well as making it pretty. Oh our tom. plants are container plants which produce smaller tomatoes but do well in pots. Which perfect since our garden space is limited due to the pool.

Hibiscus Rosharon tree which blooms so beautiful. This is the second summer I have had it and I think I am going to plant it in the back corner of the back yard where one of the palms died so that it can grow larger. I saw a beautiful Rosharon tree in a NOLA courtyard.

This is a cold hardy hibiscus. It is not the typical hibiscus- it will bloom till fall and then die back and come back each year. The blooms measure dinner plate size and are gorgeous. I bought these online from HG channel.

Happy Mother's Day to all these lovely Ladies in my life!!

(Pic From Wedding-Left to Right: Cindy (MIL), Arnold (stepFIL), Nate, Me, Shay, Mom, Grandpa Cates (Biological Father's Parents), Grandma Cates, Nana (Shay's Mother))

In other news- my mom is going to be published nationally for research she is performing. She recieved a grant even to perform her research in her facility. She is studing air mattress and seeing if another air matress would provide the same health benefits regardless that it is a lower price air mattress. The study will be about patient care as well as finance and administration.  I am super proud of her!

This weekend is also mother's day! In my class we are making mother's day stepping stones (the plaster is taking forever to dry). Well in NOLA I found the perfect wine glass for my madre. I collect the Lolita hand painted series and last year I gave my mom and sisters one with flipflops on it for the wedding. This one I found had martini glasses, purse, nail polish, handbags..etc and at the top it reads "MOM'S DAY OFF".  I loved it and had to get it. Than it gave me the idea to give her a relaxation basket- I bought a Better Homes & Garden Basket, BH matching frame and scented candle. Plus makeup, nail polish, nail tools, bath puff, lotion, body scrub and body spray. In addition I put in a mini blueberry tree for her to plant (which she'll love probably more than the girly stuff). Ha my mom taught me to pamper myself but sometimes I think I am more girly than she is.  My sis Michelle left for her bday trip back to Germany and totally forgot about Mother's Day this weekend (so being such a nice big sis)..so the basket will be from Nate, Michelle & I.

I really hope she enjoys the basket. We are going to brunch Saturday at Mia Bella- an italian rest. I figure we will beat the crowds by going Saturday and Sunday my mom and Shay will be in Sealy with his family. So this way I get to see her with just us and she can have a nice visit Sunday with Shay's fam. We sent flowers & mailed a card to Nate's mom. I hope the card gets there in time. I also bought her a wine glass that says MOTHER, which I will give to her when she visits in a week. I also sent a card to my grandma- even though she is out of town and it won't get to her in time!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week. I am almost caught back up on sleep (seriously how do new mothers do this) and testing week is almost over thank god! I haven't caught up on washing and folding clothes.. the house is a diaster. Luckily, my fridays are a half day so after work a nap and cleaning is going to happen! Nate will be glfing so prime time to!

Tonight I get to have a wine night with my DHHC GFs and I can't wait. I'll post pics of mom and her basket as well as brunch after sunday!

DIY Weekend- Project 16

     Friday I went out with some girlfriends and had a great time chatting about all our nerves about Education and our plans for next year. I have been having alot of anxiety about job security and my family's plans for the future due to the economic state of what is happening in America right now with Education. I'm sure you have heard it is not looking good for teachers everywhere and Texas has been spared mostly during these bad economic times but this is hitting us hard. Originally, my plan was to try to get into public school this year so I could recieve benefits and pay increase due to my Masters, but there is no way I can when public schools are laying off teachers. With that said,  I AM SO THANKFUL I HAVE A TEACHING JOB. Teaching is my passion- so I am glad I can continue to get experience to put on my resume and not be forced to go back into accounting due to the economy. Nate and I have talked and prayed about what to do next year... Luckily, Nate's job is very secure- so we will just have to deal with my pay cut of private school salary and no benefits till things start to look up again for teachers. It is a short term issue and we can survive! So after my lunch with girlfriends I was so mentally exhausted from the week and stress that I went home and vegged out in front of the TV and was asleep by 8pm (insert Lame here).
    Saturday Nate and I walked Scout and than picked up around the house. I was feeling kinda low in energy so I didn't want to start any large projects. Finally my Pottery Barn Rug came for the kitchen. Remember I slip covered the chairs to break up all the pine in the kitchen (pine table, pine chairs and pine cabinets). But with the new rug it just didn't look right. Below is a pic of the slipcovers.. Under the slip covers the cushions were covered in a striped dark red, brown and green material I had done two years ago to cover the western materail on them originally. The kitchen table and chairs were given to us by my mom and bought at Star Furniture. They are lovely so I have tried not to do anything to them.

Slip covers..

Here is the before with the old cushions and new PB rug. Not matching and hating the dark colors on the chair.. I wanted to make the house lighter- airy feeling that was fun and young. Traditional yet casaul..old cushions had to go.. Insert lightbulb moment here!

Well remember my rocker I had upholstered by Simple Matters in that fun paisley fabric? I loved the browns, greens and blues in it and  I just so happened to have 3 extra yards of fabric (free) and I was thinking of adding them to curtains panels at the bottom for the nursery. But than I thought instead of doing boring linen covers step outside your box and do something fun and different (thanks Inspired Room for the shove on mixing prints and fabrics). I asked Nate what he thought of the material against the rug. He said 'well it is kinda busy but I trust you'.  I thought what is the harm in covering them..if I hate em I can redo them and plus this is a free project!! I searched and searched for my staple gun and went to work on recovering. I was going to pull off the old material but I left them on due to the plushness of the seats and laziness on my part with pulling out a million and one staples.

Here is the after-SWOON!

Take in mind I don't usually have a ton of candles or a pedestal with eggs on the table (easter hello). Aren't the chairs and rug fabulous? I love the way the paisley picks up the colors in the rug but isn't too matchy matchy. I also love how playful and colorful it is. I'm still considering painting the chairs white or blue to break up the pine (insert Nate shacking head here- he dispises painted wood..we battled it out on the banster and than he gave in and now says he loves it..lol) and I would love to still put up bead board over our back splash like Nester to pick up the whites on the other side of the kitchen. Nester just put it over her tile so that if she wanted to remove she could when she left her house. I think that is my next project in the near future (if I get to it).  I adore the PB rug (suppose to be indoor/outdoor rug-which equals bonus since it is right off the pool) it is so soft feeling. The cats are loving laying on it's softness and beautiful brightness in the sunlight. Now with the covers it is fabulous. I saw a post on Better After yesterday a blogger covered her cushions and added vinyl to keep them kid safe. I thought Brillant..Here is the transformation of her chairs (http://yellowgiantgiraffes2.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-new-dining-chairs.html). 

I am considering this since they get wet and faded during summer pool months due to wet butts sitting on them to chow down (yes we have a gazebo with a table to eat at too- but when that table is full they come inside ;) and ruined by our friends kiddos  insert our kiddos soon..lol(who I adore but not their messes)! My gf did this a while back and keeps telling me no no.. don't do it. But I don't want my beautiful Paisley to be ruined. I went to JoAnn's to buy the vinyl but they sell it by the bolt and at 75.99 I won't be buying it. I than found it only for 7 bucks a yard and it is in the mail. Once I add the vinyl I will share the pics.. still to decide if I should paint or not paint.. ugh.

I am just so pleased how the rug and chairs work now in the kitchen. I have to say I am in love. I walk into the kitchen and I smile. That is what I wanted. I can see many happy memories being formed around this table with our friends and family members. So perfect. I hope you adore them also. (insert happy dance here)

Here is a link to where I purchased the fabric for the rocker and chairs. I am going to purchase additional yardage so that I can complete the panels I want in the nursery!

http://warehousefabricsinc.com/PAYCHL.html

Now I am on the hunt for vinyl to protect those beauties. Any comments on whether I should paint the chairs I would love to hear!

My other project this weekend was  hanging my PB knock off mirrors. I have been lusting over mirrors from Ballard's and PB- but with their step price tages I don't think it's in our budget. I found a tutorial from Layla at the lettered cottage, but it involved some wood work.. so I took the easy way out of purchasing mirrors. I purchased 3 beautiful mirrors and planned on hanging them above the firplace.. man was it a chore to get them straight and all aligned. The one on the right still looks off but Nate swears it is fine! The mantel is still decorated with Spring/Easter items with the Bunny Garland, Moss Bunnies (PB knockoffs also) and my Spring Blocks. After Easter is over, I will leave the hydrangeas in the milkglass vases up and have to find something for the opposite side that represents coastal summer to me.. still brain storming. I am loving all the sea/nautical stuff in the last PB catalog. Just dont want to splurge on anything yet and the mantel is only 6 inches wide (not alot to play with there). I also want to keep it simple.

Lastly,  I wanted to post some pics of my lovely springy back yard. My flowers are doing superb, the cana is starting to bloom and we have one ripe tomato! Plus look at those gorgeous irises that popped up from nowwhere?? We think the squirrels who continue to steal my bulbs and my neighbors must have burried her bulbs here and they took root.. too funny! But she now has some of my lilies and I have some of her irises! Here's to sharing flowers due to the squirrels.. nice suprise!

Busy busy week so we'll see what I get done.. here is a look at my week-

I have a hair appt this week to get my highlights done I am loving the brown with the light blonde in it now.. get my wedding band back Wed :). I'm taking my mom to the oncylogist Thursday, Nate is seeing the specialist about his ear mass Thursday also. I have a major paper due Thursday with my Masters. My school's science festival is Saturday, which means Friday long day of set up and ful day at school Saturday working the festival.

Thankfully I have Monday off to recoup!! Have a great week and please keep my family in your prayers as my mom and hubby see the doctors!

Please excuse the weeds..lol. Someone needs to weed (Nate).

DIY Makeover-Weekend Project 15

Let me vent first and than on to DIY..

Here is a recent pic of my lovely nails and beautiful wedding rings. I love love my engagement ring because it is modeled after my great grandmothers. It has a modern yet traditional setting. My band I also love because it's added bling. The diamonds go around 75% of the band leaving some band just platinum for underside of the ring. Everyday when I take a shower I put my jewelry in a dish by the sink, last night after my shower I put my band and ring back on and one diamond was jiggling. GASP! I have had my engagement ring for two years but my wedding band has been worn a whole 9 months and it is already loose!! Where we bought the ring was Robbins Brothers which was bought out by another company. That company has no stores in Houston. They do have a store in Dallas and I could mail my wedding band to Dallas- but I don't trust UPS or mail service. Are they really goin to replace my band-maybe but  they can't replace the meaning behind it. So now I am stuck with having to find a jeweler here. Nate went to Zales to purchase my diamond tennis bracelet for my birthday and my white gold Two Hearts as One  necklace that he gave me after the miscarriage. I think I will take it there since they have a jeweler on site who does repairs. But I am sad I am a one ring wearer and not two.. not that I don't love my engagement ring I just love both!

Anyways I have been behind on updating you on my DIY projects so here it is. I have a swingy bench that is like 40 years old with a matching chair. I am sure lots of you have a similar set. My set was originally black and than later painted hunter green which we keep since it matched the trim on the house. But recently it is chipping and starting to rust in certain places.. it needed a little TLC.

above is the original pic of the bench and chair

Here is the pics of in progress of bench and chair. And Yes I sprayed right next to the pool deck and on the grass. I have that good of skills. No not really. I just didn't have enough cardboard to place under the swing and grass will be cut next week and you won't even know I sprayed there once it is cut. I know some people would be offended.. I pay the morgage so get over it. LOL

I sprayed the chairs in Rustoleom White Rust free primer first. I let dry between the two coats of primer and than I added a shiny top gloss of Rustoleom. For about $12 buck for both I think it is stellar results.

The finished products! I love the bright white. I feel it is much fresher and definately giving off the summer pool/beach feel I am looking for. I added new pillows also from Walmart (cheap) and I love the fresh colors and stripes of course. The throw pillows have coordinating colors with flowers (all pillows are Better Homes and Gardens.) I think it looks lovely with bright pink flowers and white on the chairs. Love.. I orifinally was going to do Colbalt Blue to match the tile on the pool, but I like the classic white better. I think Nate likes the traditional side of the white versus the blue. He said glad they aren't blue! LOL.

I also planted a few more flowers this weekend. Take a look:

 This planter stand was built for us by Arnold, Nate's Stepdad. I keep it in the garage during the winter since nothing would survive the cold. I added new bright pool colored pots and added mounding flowers. It is right infront of the electrical boxes so it hides them well and adds a pop of color thru the kitchen eating area window. Bella enjoys sitting on the sunny window looking out.

My potted hibiscus didn't make it in this pot so I bought and new one and it is already blooming! Beautiful. I added trailing flowers in the front too. Sorry this pic is a back view but you might see the lil pop of pink in front.

Scout helped me work this weekend too and decided he needed a little break..first swim of the season!

I spoke about my little subway art I had made previously in a livingroom post. I love that it has beach words and our wedding date. I orginally planned to put it on the mantel, than decided I could put it in the gallery wall on the stairs.. than I decided I just wanted photos or art up there. So I have found a new home for it. I will share as soon as it is up. I am sure once summer is here I will move it maybe into the entryway area and change it out for the chalkboard. But until than...I plan on putting it in the water closet in our master bath. Our master bath is a bright sky blue and I feel the beachy vibes of this will look stellar in there.

Also I am assembling a new gallery wall in the stairs as soon as it is completed I will share. Plus I  have beautiful mirrors to hang above the mantel(pics soon). I really have lusted after PB and Billard's mirrors.. but can't afford the price tag. I found knock offs and debated buying two or three. I bought two and I plan on puttin our new sailboat model infront of it soon. 

 Til than enjoy the weather.