to-dos

I seem to have two different kinds of to-do lists right now – one for home and one for work. But, because I'm not officially back at work yet, I'm hitting the home to-dos. We are pretty much finished with our bathroom work. We have a few more little projects that need some professional help so once that is done and I'm able to add a little décor, we can really stamp done on the bathrooms! In the meantime, I am working to get the house back to normal, while trying not to add on any additional projects. Because I feel like there are a few big things I want to accomplish before work begins (and before we have visitors next week), I decided to create a to-do list.

Clean all bathroom blindsClean all bathroom windowsWash master bedroom curtainsWash master bedroom beddingClean mop boards in molding – all of it
Clean doors – all of them

Transfer herbs to new planter

Paint laundry room
Touch up paint in living room
Hang curtains in living room
Well, I'm getting there. I actually got quite a bit done today, which feels great. I'll keep chipping away at the others!

summer weekend ~ part 5

A trip to Nebraska was necessary this past weekend ~ girls weekend! We had a lot to do and see. Both BFs moved into new homes so we managed to do a little tour of homes, tour of excellent NE eating establishments as well as a housewarming/dance party. I had a great time and am reminded how lucky I am to have such two wonderful friends!

My girls!

Dance party in the basement! Thriller!!!

The sweetest pitbull you ever met and his crazy owner.

sneak peak

Our (2nd) shower door came today. It's all pretty and clean! The rest of the house, not so much.

Tonight's agenda: finish sanding new patched dry wall, begin the final paint touch ups, (deep) clean, install towel bars.

Here is a sneak peak of our shower. Sorry about the closeness of the pictures. It's quite a small area for full picture shots!

budding

Something pretty for the bathroom, perhaps?

summer weekend ~ part 4

Once again, we were gone for the weekend. And yet again, I was glad to be gone - away from the mess and the non-working bathrooms! This weekend took us back home for a family reunion on my mother's side of the family. It was the 25th year of the reunion - most all family members were present and it's amazing how our family has grown and expanded over 25 years!

Back at the parents' home, we took advantage of the beautiful weather to play some yard games and the guys even enjoyed a morning on the lake. Unfortunately, no pictures of those activities - it's not good when you forget your camera!

Below are some pictures from the reunion minus the photos of the 4th generation. You cannot expect a handful of children ages 4 and under to sit still for too long - we missed the shot!

1st generation

2nd generation

3rd generation

unexpected road blocks

Seriously? After pics will have to wait, I guess.

Unexpected work of the plumbers.

i heart paper

I'm not sure when it started ~ maybe through the gift of stationary from my grandmother or through the many cards, letters, and invitations I have kept and cherished over the years but I have a thing for paper. I love it. A lot. So much so that I enjoy decorating with it and simply looking at it. Here are some pretties I picked up (at Michael's) today...soon to be on display!

let there be light

We've finally made a lighting decision. Or initial light thoughts had to take a turn due to the placement of electrical wires. Considering neither Hubby or I are electricians nor do we feel like working with one at this point, we opted to choose another light.

The light for the master and guest bathrooms:
The light for the half bathroom:

We are working hard to have some after pics soon!

surprises

I got a very nice surprise from Hubby today:

The flower deliverer was lucky - I was just coming down the stairs with rollers and brushes full of paint and wasn't going to answer but I saw the blooms through the door, risked a drip, and answered!

I also received some fun and surprising news from two friends. I'm so happy for both of them! It's been a good day!

summer week(end) ~ part 3

What a great past week and weekend! We were busy with guests and activities and saw a lot of the city as well.

My sister visited us earlier in the week and we were able to take in a ball game with her, my brother, and some friends. The game was long fun and you just can't beat that bird's eye view and nachos! It's always fun to have her visit - very laid back with many good laughs!

Over the weekend, Hubby's brother and sister-in-law visited from Dallas. With this being their first visit since we have lived here, we packed the agenda tight! Lots of stops - one of our favorite local restaurants, a tour (and taste) of the Boulevard Brewery, a Royals game, some 4^th of July grilling, a trip to the Plaza, (lots of wine) and some late nights – great times and we can't wait for our next get-together. Dallas, here we come!

We were also excited by the news that two good friends (my old roomie) had a healthy baby girl on Sunday. We got to meet her, hold her, and check in on her new parents!

This coming weekend – not projected to be as fun. Wrapping up bathroom projects. After pics should hopefully be coming very soon!

freshening up

For quite some time I've been trying to figure out a way to change up my blog. I like the simple look of it and was yearning for something a little different. After several unsuccessful browse sessions on different template sites and even experimenting (and failing) with a few tentative templates, I had given up all hope. Then last week, as I was reading up on my blog roll, I noticed a post from D over at All Things G & D. She recently gave her blog a new look using a template from Our Blogger Templates and ta-da ~ I found a new, simple blog look that I love.

I'm still playing around with it a bit - trying to figure out the content and design - but I'm excited to be blogging with a fresh new look.

summer ~ it's finally here!

My summer has officially started! My days spent teaching summer school are finally over and I can begin to focus on what is important ~ enjoying some time off! Of course we are still in the midst of our big bathroom renovation but hubby and I have taken a week off from working (followed by nonstop work next week...) and savoring a nice break. We have also spent some time with family and friends and look forward to the visit from more family this weekend! Baseball games, shopping, outdoor movies, patios...it has been and will truly be a great holiday!

Image from pirate johnny