more discoveries

The mister likes to blame everything in the house on poor Gladys, the lady we bought the house from. The weird side room? Gladys's fault. Paint on the ceiling? Gladys. Copious amounts of pink flowering bushes? Darn you Gladys! It is unfair but kind of funny. And I'm going to do a little bit of it now.

I've been doing a little digging around in the junk room today and found an old iron, a shower head, and electric scissors all in their original packaging! As a keeper of packaging myself, I really appreciate the fact that old Gladys hung on to this stuff. Look at that, a spraying mechanism on an iron! Exclusive spray control (and scandalous nakedness) on the shower head! And, well, nothing quite as exciting on the electric scissors but it's neat nonetheless. 

Think anyone would want to buy this stuff?

shiny and new!

Can you believe this

and this

could turn back into this?

Impressive. Polka Dot Robot tells you how. I can think of a few things around this house that could use that kind of treatment. And if there are any great fixes for getting really old paint off of stained wood without messing it up, I would love to hear it. Whoever painted the inside of this house before us clearly did not care what the heck they were doing. It's sad.

I don't like anything on the internet today

It could be because I woke up at 4:30am this morning for work and know I have to wake up at 3:30am tomorrow morning. 

So here's a photo I took while I was waiting for my other opener to get to the store this morning. Old Town Alexandria before sunrise. At least it's pretty.

floor envy

I dream of the day we can afford to put new floors in the house. But until then, feast your eyes upon this beautiful wood flooring from Bolefloor. The planks have natural curves that follow the actual tree trunk growth, efficiently using more of the tree resulting in less waste and more amazing flooring.

That second picture with the orange ottoman and the book? In love.

just sing

Source: vi.sualize.us via Melissa on Pinterest

The complete library of housewifery

The time has finally come to start sorting through all of the crazy unusual things that were left behind in this house when we moved in. The old mattresses and disgusting couch were taken away yesterday (thank you mister!) and I can now get to some of the stuff we've been storing in that side room all winter. Other than some long expired canned food and National Geographics, I really had no idea what I would find out there. I was surprised and delighted by some of the things I discovered this morning and it makes me want to spend all day out there. The mister might be dismayed at how much I want to keep instead of putting it in the yard sale we're planning. Ooops! But it really is like the complete library of housewifery in there! Knitting and sewing and lace making, in both English and what I assume to be Hungarian. Cooking. Children's books (I think. Again, Hungarian). Even a "Furniture You Can Build" book with sketches but no explanation of how to make it. Many of these books deserve their own posts. Today you get cooking.

 

This lady clearly bought anything Better Homes and Gardens sold her. I love it.

But here's what really stuck out in the collection.

Microwave cooking! Gourmet microwave cooking! The Exciting World of microwave cooking! 

There is everything you could possibly ask for here. Hot dogs, sandwiches, casseroles? Yes. Meat loaf, lobster tails, bread, apple pie? Yes. It wasn't a true American household in the late 70's and 80's unless you were cooking in your microwave and loving it. Also, there is some fantastic kitchen inspiration to be found in these books. The pictures are amazing!

Now how could I be asked to part with this?

Oh, and one more thing. Definitely keeping this one. Published in 1969.

the cutest Easter project there ever was

Go ahead and whip up some of these little cuties from Not Martha... if you are so inclined.

Like an Easter egg and a pinata in one. Destruction and treats. Smiles all around.

dreaming of a tropical vacation

Our next vacation is due to be my choice, and we all know that my choice is laying around on a beach somewhere doing nothing. No question. I will choose this every time. Don't get me wrong I love the mountains, and the city is great and all, but we're talking beaches people!

So. With that settled, here are some lovely bathing suits to get you in the mood.

 

1. Anthropologie 2. J. Crew 3. J. Crew 4. Anthropologie

making a conscious effort to do more of this

Source: lostbirdfound.typepad.com via Chantra on Pinterest

almost ready!

First of all, this little bundle is like my own little baby. We have been working on them for months, getting ideas and inspiration, designing, gathering materials, and much trial and error in the production process. But they are finished. And I love them so much more for everything we put into them. For those of you who will be receiving them in the mail, I hope you love them as much as we do!

And it's all happening!

We got the first draft of our ceremony from the officiant the other day and  reading through it is so surreal. Yeah making plans to get pretty and have a big party is fun and all, but this is what it's all about. It's huge and serious and exciting and amazing! I'm still a little bit nervous about all the attention and everything, so I'm trying to consciously think less about all that and more about the marriage that comes after. That's my goal.

:)