My mom turned 70 this weekend, and she still acts and looks phenomenal! She goes to the gym each day to keep her body and spirit in good health. One of the things I love most about my mom is her unwaving optimism about the good in people. She smiles, cheers, and keeps it moving. Her energy is really infectious and people can't help by smile, laugh, and be uplifted when they are around her. Perhaps because they don't understand her, but they can tell by her energy that she is always through the roof! Pretty amazing for 70! My mom raised me by herself, and I never have heard my mom complain about my childbirth and delivery. I asked her yesterday how long her labor was with me and she told me she didn't have labor that she "pooped" me out. hahahaha! Funny!



Waiting at the airport we got a little bored.





On Friday night, I was surfing the web and found a DIY project that I loved by Sandra from Inglewood Ramblings that was featured on Remodelaholic. There are some higher-end salvage stores in Kansas City, MO, but I thought I would check out Habitat Restore (Waldo) since it opened just this month a few blocks from our new house. Many contractors donate their unused and left-over materials from job sites and many home-owners donate gently used items as well. I wondered if Habitat Restore would carry such an old-item such as a 5-panel door.

Yesterday, we went out shopping and to lunch to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday. Sometime along the way we stopped at Habitat Restore, a place where people donate building materials that benefit Habitat for Humanity. (Think thrift store for building materials). Imagine my surprise when I found exactly what I was looking for, a 5-panel door! They were only asking $10! I tried explaining how I wanted to try and make the door into a headboard, but Patrick seemed cranky and frustrated with me. I asked him to pull up Sandra's website from his phone, for further details, because he wasn't understanding the transformation that I wanted to do with this treasure! He finally reluctantly agreed to help me with this project, and we went and made our purchase.

We've got plenty of projects to do at our fixer-upper, but hopefully this project will get done before we move in.

Before & After of Ingewood Rambling's 5-panel door headboard:















































































Thanks for all of the inspiration, Sandra!
Hopefully, I'll be able to do this project, half as great as you and your husband!

I've been gone a while, busy with working on the new house, going on vacation, and helping out where needed with Patrick's business. Within the last year, the main focus of my life has switched several times. At first it was planning weddings, then honeymoon planning, then house search, and now house design. With the purchase of our first home, it falls perfectly in line with Nate Berkus and the launch of his new television show, everyday I get a little shot of design.

There is so much that has inspired me this week, and here are the Top 10 Things I'm Obsessed with This Week.


10. I'm not sure where I heard this song first, but I LOVE it!
Yolanda Be Cool Vrs DCup - We No Speak Americano



9. Lauren from Purse Style Home has started my new obsession this week has been, hedge apples or as Lauren calls them, "osage oranges".
I asked everyone, but found out that my co-worker has a hedge apple tree in her back yard.
She brought me a hedge apple yesterday and it smells wonderfully and very citrus!
My coworker dispises the smell, but I love it!

Image from Pure Style Home


8. This stunning before and after kitchen remodel by A Well Dressed Home. The designer's budget tips for her kitchen remodel can be found at Emily A. Clark.


Image by A Well Dressed Home




7. This staircase redo from Centsational Girl is so lovely. Hoping to redo my hardwood floors from it's current orange color to more of a brown.




6. I found this totally adorable and modern wreath over by See Kate Sew at Craft Gossip.




Image by See Kate Sew


5. I've recently developed an adiction to Mason jars. With the weather changing, and my mom wanting chili, I totally swooned when I saw Chili and Cornbread in a jar by Giver's Log at Craft. The butter and drizzled honey looks so ridiculously yummy!





Images by Giver's Log

4. I love the clean lines of this traditional modern great room by NancyR5 at Rate My Space.




3. How genius! DIY Penny top desk by Epbot and Nickle bathroom floor featured on Apartment Therapy!



Image by Epbot



Image by Epbot


Image by Epbot
Images by Apartment Therapy


2. My elle silverworks dangly earrings from Holiday Mart.


1. Ana-White at Knock Off Wood
This kick-ass chick makes her own high-style furniture! She includes plans and easy-to-follow directions for all the DIYers like myself. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time surfing her website and trying to figure out which project I want to try first. Mr. 451 will be super-surprised when he realizes I have a new found interest in power-tools. I think my biggest problem has been trying to try figure out which of her projects to post below. I am blown away by Ana's website. Is it silly to think I'm in love with a website?









I can't wait to start my first furniture project!.... Who am I kidding?!?! I can't wait to figure out which project to do first! The 2 best parts of projects for me are the dreaming phase and the finished project!

I am so thrilled that Patrick and I were able to get a house last week. I can't believe we found a house and bought it in 2 weeks, when we weren't exactly actively searching for homes. We closed on Wednesday and have been over at the new house every spare moment we have. It's a fixer-upper and needs a lot of "love", but I'm so excited that every second we work, we are increasing our equity.

Patrick at the closing at Chicago Title


First time opening the door as home-owners.



Before leaving the house, here's a picture that I took of Patrick. I had no idea what he was doing at the time, but I later found out on Facebook. You can see his photo directly below my photo.



Our first project as home owners.


Our first guest, Joy.


We celebrated that first night by getting 5 Guys as they recently moved into Ward Parkway.
Joy & Patrick wore matching shirts that we got at the Finao party in Vegas during WPPI.



This first week has had it's share of ups and downs. The house has not been lived in for at least 2 years. The man who lived in the home went into a nursing home and left the water on and the pipes froze. A handyman warned us that when you fix one burst pipe, it puts stress on other weakened sections and 10 new leaks will spring up. That's exactly what we've been experiencing.

Patrick has been doing all the plumbing work by himself, but Friday night, one of the goonies (what I named his group of guy friends), Marco, came by and helped out. Yesterday Keith came and helped. Last night, my gal pal, Lann came and helped me rip vines off the wall. We had a fun time swinging from the wall. LeAnn was even doing kick-offs! Dan & LaShanda dropped by. Patrick mentioned wanting to call them to invite them over. It was weird that LaShanda told me she ran into Patrick at Home Depot. They were buying fencing to help with their new chickens. Lann and I were cleaning and all of a sudden I heard the door bell ring. I thought, perhaps it is a Binder or a Goonie, but no... it was my sister, who drove all the way from Olathe to bring by buckets. She lent a helping hand wiping down walls and sweeping the walls and floors. It aggrevated her allergies, and I felt so horrible. Looking at her red and itchy face was like looking into a mirror. I gave her a claritin and she fleeted to her house.

Here's a pic of me abusing my friend and putting her to work.



Today's list of projects that we need to accomplish is much larger than 10, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. We are trying to get as much stuff done before Patrick leaves to go to Chicago for a convention for work.

1. Tape paper down on hardwood floors with painter's tape
2. Remove floor trim on West side of Master Bedroom
3. Remove wood paneling from west side of master bedroom
4. Remove wallpaper from west and east side of master bedroom
5. Remove take strips from back room
6. Remove vines from east side of house
7. Remove take strips from basement
8. Remove tack strips from basement steps
9. Make room in garage for trash from basement
10. Sweep garage
11. Sweep basement
12. Wash bar in basement
13. Shop vac basement
14. Install lightbulb in garage
15. Measure kitchen.

I have been looking for the "perfect" house for 5 years now in a 4 block by 1 block radius. We have looked at 11 homes in this area, and not until yesterday did Patrick & I submit an offer. We were asked to put a 2nd offer because our 1st was too low. When we submitted the 2nd bid, another offer was put on the table from another buyer. The house went on the market last Friday, and there has been a lot of buzz generated so far. I am suffering from a great deal of inner-turmoil. Logically, I know that I shouldn't, but emotionally, I can't help my nerves.

10 Reasons Why My Stomach Shouldn't Be Tied In Knots:
1. I won't lose any money if the deal doesn't go through
2. They say not to get emotionally attached to a home.
3. No one died, and this is not a life & death situation
4. It seems like most people don't get the house on the first bid they place.
5. If it was meant to be, then it will be.
6. The house needs quite a bit of work.
7. Everything happens for a reason.
8. I should leave it in God's hand & trust his will.
9. If it doesn't work out then it doesn't mean that we will NEVER find a home.
10. I am meant to be where I am.

There's all kinds of quotes, sayings, mantras, & mottos.
Who's to say what is wrong & what is right?
Here are my current top 10.


10 rules I live by:
1. Live in the moment.
2. Everyone wears an invisible sign that says 'notice me'.
3. Never leave the house mad
4. If you love someone, let them know.
5. Be the friend that you want to have.
6. I can do bad all by myself.
7. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to be with them.
8. Toxic people leads to a toxic life. Dump those toxicities, even if they are family.
9. When you allow yourself to be abused, you become your abuser.
10. Life is short, live for right now.

On one of her trips to Kansas City, Krissy told me that she was having wonderful late night talks with him into the early morning. He would tell her how much he cared for me. I told myself that this was just infatuation. Every man in my life has been short term, even my father.

For me, it started with the poems he'd write me. I would get to work and open my inbox to find a beautifully composed poem or note on a stunning landscape image. He made me feel so special and loved. He'd stop by after work occasionally just to hang out. We would do nothing exciting but being with him was all the excitement I needed. After months of friendship, we took a trip to Wal-mart in his old blue Cadillac. He reached over and gently grasped my hand. It was so sweet and so quiet, and I gripped his hand back. I was finally ready to let him in. In that moment, I knew something was really special about this person, who would 1 day become my husband.


"....
Forever holding your hand in the back of my mind/
Watching the morning rise with a kiss of sunshine/
Behind me I want you helping push my life along/
Keep me sane while I try to live the words in this song/"
- ment99 07/23/02


10 reasons why I am so lucky to have you in my life:
1.) You're gentle.
2.) You're always up on your tech game.
3.) You always support me even when you don't agree with my decisions.
4.) You are always by my side even when you have to fly to get there.
5.) You're so giving with others
6.) You make me feel special
7.) You were willing to wait for me to emotionally catch up with you
8.) You supported Vinh when she went to the hospital.
9.) You love me enough to go to Walmart with me, even though you hate it.
10.) You love me enough to go my favorite restauarant even though you don't like it.


Happy 9 month anniversary! I love him more with each moment, Husband! I am a better person because of you and the love you give me.

I love typography. I have a sick obsession with it. I love letters and numbers and the combinations that can be made from them. I've been in the process of making a series of paintings with my favorite letter and combinations to put up in my house, but there seems to always be something more important that comes up. Until I get the time to finish my project, I'll have to settle on the top 10 combinations that mean the most to me.



10 THINGS WITH LETTERS AND NUMBERS
1. V (Mom's first initial)
2. P (Husband's first initial)
3. 2505 (Street address)
4. 79 (Street name)
5. 4512 (Phone number)
6. 64132 (Zip code)
7. H (My first initial)
8. Kansas City (My city)
9. 816 (My area code)
10. 1996 (Year I graduated high school)

I haven't seen much of the sun for the last 4 weeks. Amsterdam was cool and wet, Rome was cool and wet, and when I returned, Kansas City last week, it, too, was cold and wet. The most sun I saw was when I was flying over Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. Spring is one of my favorite seasons because it is warm enough to enjoy the weather, but there are no mosquitos. A few moments ago, the sun just peaked out from behind the clouds and it renewed my energy and excitement for the all of the wonderful things to come this weekend.

I have 2 weddings this weekend, an engagement party tomorrow, and on Sunday I get to watch the final episode of Lost.

I'm so excited that the weekend is finally here. I just know that the sun knew it was my TIME TO SHINE!
I hope you get out and enjoy the sun this weekend!... I know I will be!


TOP 10 REASONS I MISS SUNSHINE
1. I have hope again.
2. Filling up on my Vitamin D
3. I get to go outside
4. My umbrella is broke
5. My backyard sounds like a sponge when I walk in it.
6. Difficult to tend to my garden while lightning and thunder is all around me
7. My yard looks like a hay field
8. Make-up doesn't look that good when it's running down my face
9. I can't drive with my windows rolled down.
10. My cats rub up against my legs when they come inside to dry off.