Honoring Our Veterans

While we were visiting DC on Monday, this group of Veterans were gathered around the book that lists the fallen soldiers from Vietnam. They were looking for the names of those that they served with and as such solidified their unity for a lifetime and were coming to pay their respects.



It's sobering. And honorable.

Today at Jon's school they are having an assembly for Veterans Day- there are 7 faculty members who are veterans. My sweet hubby is one of them.

For him and for all of those who serve and have served to protect our freedom....

Thank You.

Kitchen- work in progress

When I sent Layla at The Lettered Cottage my living room "after" post, I figured she'd say thank you, nice job and that would be that. Her reaction blew me away- she was so excited for me and asked if I would mind if she did a post on her blog.

I could barely contain myself! And after I finished being shocked, I asked her to give me a few more days to see whether I could make even more changes happen. She was so gracious and said yes.

I am absolutely thrilled with the way the room looks now- it feels finished (even though there are still some changes to be made) and I love to walk into the house and glance in.

With one down, I wanted to get started right away on the kitchen. That however is a little bit more labor and money intense. There was one change that I was able to implement right away- a simple fix to mask the fact that I was missing a plate in my current arrangement (it got knocked off the wall in a rare episode of actually dusting!)

Here is the picture that I sent her before- just to give an idea of what I was currently working with- see the missing plate behind the lamp.



Here is what she sent to me-



And here is what it looks like tonight!



She also gave me a suggestion for adding a mirror to my eating area- which I love. I had planned to use the same mirror that I removed from over a chest in the living room, but then I ended up using it to finish the living room. Hmmm- no other mirrors in the house that will work....perhaps I can add that to my Christmas list!

Here is the before...



and Layla's suggestion (I can't get it to post larger).



Still a work in progress....along with the other fabulous suggestions so sent along.

Thanks again Layla- you're genius!!

Fall

The weather this weekend was fabulous and a perfect reason for a little fun in the leaves.



I'm not sure who had more fun....Cooper or Gypsy!





It may be a toss up.

Oddly, while fall is clearly in full swing, there is a corner of our yard that seems to be having trouble letting go of summer.



I think I may be in that camp too....although I'm anxious about the holidays and planting fall pansies makes me smile.



Something else that makes me smile....seeing that little kid have so much fun....



And finding a picture among the hundreds that I took that make my heart flutter just a bit! I love the colors on this one, but most of all- how his tongue is filling the giant void of his missing 2 front teeth!!



Hope your weekend was full of fun too!

Transformation

I'm a big fan of The Lettered Cottage. Layla lives in an adorable cottage in Alabama and her blog is full of design fun and stories of how she and her hubby have tackled crazy & fabulous projects to make their house a home. I enjoy visiting her blog because she's got skills that I wish I had and she puts ideas into my head that make me smile. She's also sort of a goof and isn't afraid to laugh at herself which ranks high in my book.

My friend Denise re-did her kitchen and dining room on Layla's advice and they both look fabulous. Anyway- late this spring she celebrated her 1 year blog-anniversary and had a special on her design consultations. I'm all about a special, so I bought a photo consultation and decided to ask for her help with my living room.

I didn't have a ton of money to spend, but I thought that some paint and a few tweaks would make a huge difference- I just couldn't figure it out on my own.

I sent some pictures to Layla and told her a little about my style, things I like and where my struggles were. Basically, there are lots of family pieces in the room that I want to continue to use and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what to do with the huge gaping expanse of white wall in the room. I was happy-ish with the furniture arrangement but was open to something different and I realized that the sofa and chair/ottoman weren't made for each other but that I couldn't help that so could she help me tie them together.

These are the pictures that I sent-

(looking in from the front hall)


(view from the dining room)


(the view that best captures the nightmare wall that has been stressing me out)

Oh, the other thing to note is that although I bought the consultation in the spring, I didn't send her the pictures until August....and in the meantime- she was inundated with business. No worries- I was happy to wait.

And so, when I opened my in-box on Friday and saw that she sent me a message- I was over the moon.

This is what I saw-



In addition to the picture, she gave me a ton of written suggestions-

*Try a mirror over the mantle (larger than the picture that's currently there)
*Swap out the sofa table and the large chest
*The picture over the chest may be a tad low
*If you add a mirror, you may want to try a grouping of 4 pictures over the piece of furniture next to the fireplace.
*I'd suggest a gallery wall in the open space- I've included an example, but if the sea theme isn't your thing, swap it out for something else.

I cannot tell you how excited I was!
I spent some time (and a little cash) over the weekend and have implemented a few of the changes that Layla suggestion. The only thing that I bought was the large mirror over the mantle. My friend Sallie (a design guru herself) braved the terrible weather and helped me with the selection. Thanks Sallo!!!

The other changes were swaps from elsewhere in my house and made me look at things with a different lens. I don't love the picture next to the corner cabinet (Layla suggested another mirror and the one that I took down is too small I think)- but it will work for now- it's larger than the picture I had there originally.

I also don't love the dragonfly pillow on the sofa(I do love it- but not here) but I needed something and why not try free first. I moved those pillows from the porch and Layla was right- it makes a huge difference. The old pillows found a new home in the guest room. Who would have thought! I've still got the huge blank wall- but it's something to work on and now I've got inspiration.

I do love the coffee table (so does Jon)- which was in my guest room serving no purpose. I'm also crazy about the wooden chair with the round side table and floor lamp. I think that may be my favorite thing so far. It wasn't something that Layla called out specifically, she just made the changes and as I looked at them I thought- hey- I can do that! She did suggest using an initial pillow in the chair- which, as luck would have it, I happened to have in our bedroom. Now it gets showcased.

I'm happy with it so far although it's still a work in progress...the paint will come, as will a different pillow on the sofa and a little handy work from Jon to hang the mirror rather than just having it propped up and of course, filling the wall. I'm also on a mission to find things to fill the corner cabinet. I made a few changes, but nothing drastic.

Here is the view now!


(This is the same view as the photo that Layla designed)


(another view- see the swapped sofa table and raised picture?)

Isn't it great when you see things from a different perspective?
Go check Layla out- hope she makes you smile too!

Thanks Layla!

Giggle

Um, is that chocolate on your cheek?


Hold still, I think I can get it.


Almost there....


If I stretch my tongue a little bit more....


Hold still, you're moving too much...


Seriously, it's right there. Get a hold of yourself kid, you're killing me.


Can we invite him more often? He's a riot!

1st Time Out (sort of)

Cooper has some sort of aversion to trick or treating.
When he was little, we'd take him to 3 or 4 neighbors and basically show him off. Then we'd go back home to wait for the 6 regulars that knocked on our door. Clearly, not a huge trick or treat population in our neighborhood. When we moved, I had high hopes for a bigger crowd, but alas no luck. And I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Here is our Halloween History-
Years 1-3 were for show
Year 4 was canceled due to illness
Year 5 was a test run of the new neighborhood and included 5 houses before he called it quits (despite our clarification that more houses meant more candy)
Year 6 was spent giving out candy (despite our coaxing that "it will be fun")

So year 7 approached and I had really low expectations. Truthfully, I was sort of looking forward to it. But, this year things were different.

Cooper was invited to trick or treat with his friend P.
He adores P.
Adores.
We were all invited to attend the festivities.
"Come for dinner, then we'll take the boys out to trick or treat."
Perfect!

And it was!!
Here are a few memories of his 1st time trick or treating....in the real sense of the words.




They were both bounty hunters from Star Wars. Cooper was Boba Fett- I can't spell who P was (Boba=old skool Star Wars....P's guy- new episodes!)


I'm pretty sure that's a smile that says..."cut out the photo ops, would 'ja?"


And they're off...

House #1....either Cooper's standing at attention ready for battle, or he's scared to death!




This picture is terrible, but I love it because it shows 1) how crazy people get about Halloween here and 2) Cooper loving it all...he's 1st in line!

After about 90 minutes, we returned to our starting place. The boys were sweaty, exhausted and in need some candy to boost their energy!


We had such fun....
Tons o' thanks to the W's for their hospitality and for helping us to create some wonderful memories!


Hope you had a fantastic Halloween too-

Thankful Thursday

10 Things to be Thankful for-

1) Honey crisp apples
2) Strangers who offer help from 1/2way around the world. Thanks Cheryl (that is her real name!!)
3) Puppies who come through surgery with flying colors....just with a few less parts
4) Flexibility at work to take care of my family....and my pet
5) Surprise packages from sweet Aunts with "the biggest rice krispy treat you've ever seen, Daddy"
6) E-mail messages with crazy messages...what did we do without e-mail?
7) Weekends chock filled with time to do nothing!
8) Babysitters and dinner out with friends on a "school night"
9) Laughing...
10)Crisp fall weather and leaves that dance in the wind

What are you thankful for?

International Incident?

These are my parents.....taken last year with Coop at the pumpkin patch.



My parents are delightful....and I adore them. Truth be told, they are a bit technology challenged. And when my mother reads this post, she may be a tad miffed. Thankfully, she's the best mother in the universe and has a pretty good sense of humor, so I'm hoping that she'll find the comical in the story that follows and the fact that I'm posting it here.

They left for Turkey a few weeks ago and before they went, they reviewed my e-mail address about 12 times. Literally, I sent them an e-mail from my home account, told them the address, spelled the address and then verified receipt of a practice message that they sent to me. I figured there was no way that I'd hear from them while they were gone.

Imagine my surprise when a message popped into my inbox at work from a woman that I didn't know with a subject that said-

From Dad- we're ok, read on

So, I read on.

The message said-

Carolyn, we are fine but have lost a credit card and need to cancel the card. We cannot contact XXX (credit card company) by phone. For security I'll send the number in a next message and further security info in another message.

Clearly, from this I surmise that he wants me to manage cancelling his credit card for him. Only, that's not possible......for security reasons (but I'm pretty sure that this hasn't occurred to him).

The next message from him contains both the credit card number and the 3 digit security code.

The 3rd message contains the important detail that the credit card is actually my mothers and just in case I need it, also her social security number.

At this point I'm starting to wonder- is this a joke? Have Turkish terrorists somehow obtained access to someone named Nancy Schlatamer's (not her real name) e-mail account AND my parents credit card details and is this going to become an international incident??

And my dad's messages are coming to me fast and furiously.......

Please cancel (credit card company) Visa More in a next message.

Love,
Pappy

Ok, so now he's using his alias.......is that a sign that he's really ok? Or more mind games from the terrorists?

So I write back with some details (because we use the same credit card company and because I know he knows this, and that's why he wants me to call- because he thinks i've got some pull)-

pap- from outside the US, you're supposed to call collect.... xxx-xxx-xxxx can you do that? and tell them that you lost your card??
and in response to his next message (because he tells me that when he calls that number he gets a busy signal)

daddy- are you ok, do you need money? they won't let me cancel for you for security reasons. can you get someone at the hotel to help you make the international call?

About 6 e-mails later....during which I thank Nancy Schlatamer for her kindness, send my parents hugs & kisses, assure them that all will be ok, I find out that they were able to reach the international number to cancel the card AND I get this message-


Carolyn -
Your Dad has had 2 beers and has retired much relieved. It is 9:30 p.m. We're up at 6 am tomorrow & the bus leaves for Istanbul at 7:30 a.m. This is not a pace for the weak!

I'll give your parents your xoxo's in the morning.

Glad to help your folks!

Good afternoon/good night,
Nancy (not her real name)


Thank God to the person who got my father some beer- probably my sweet mother.
Poor woman (she's the one who needed the beer).
For them to somehow remember my WORK e-mail, which we didn't even practice on, you know that it must have been a total disaster and they were frantic.

It's not Thursday, but you can be sure that Nancy Schlatamer will be getting a huge shout out from me because I sure am thankful for her and the help that she offered to my parents who are 1/2way across the globe! I cannot wait to hear my mothers version of this story.

I'm SO thankful that my parents are ok and the news from Nancy was something completely manageable- they are healthy and safe and there are no shady characters in sight. Whew!!

You know, this incident reminds me of the time that my dad called the police to report that his car had been stolen from our driveway......so they came to take a report and go through the normal drill for grand theft auto.

Only a few hours later, someone kindly pointed out that he had actually parked the car in the neighbors driveway.... Rut-roh!

I love you Dad!!!! So, so much!!!!

Hair Conditioning

Last week before he got sick, Cooper and I were watching tv on the sofa and I happened to sniff his hair. It smelled wonderful. We had new shampoo and I figured that somehow it just smelled extra good on his baby fine hair.

So I said-

You know, your hair smells really good.

And he said-

Thanks, I put air conditioning on it in the bathroom.

HUH??

Me: What do you mean? You used some conditioner in the bathtub?

Him: No- you know that stuff in the bathroom at school that goes pfist...and then smells really good?

Me: Are you talking about air freshener??

Him: Yeah, is that what it's called?

Me: (trying hard to hold it in) So, you put air freshener in your hair?

Him: Yeah, and see, it worked. (this in all seriousness)

Where does he get this stuff?

Not Swine!!

We got the call this morning- the strep test came back positive!! They called in an antibiotic and the Coop is on the mend!!

No flu!

I'm so relieved and SOO thankful.

And despite the fact that this weekend was full of cold, rain & sick....it ended up being fabulous- just the 3 of us.

To add some fun, each of us chose a movie to watch with Cooper...accompanied by ice cream.

While Jon was at homecoming on Friday night, Cooper and I watched the Wizard of Oz. I call that a classic, must-see flick. It's wholesome and iconic with a tiny bit of scary for good measure.

While I went to get the prescription filled and grab some groceries, Cooper and Jon watched Jurassic Park. He calls that a classic, must-see....with the same criteria mentioned above.

Interesting how we see things differently!
Cooper loved them both.

The rest of the weekend was spent laughing, snoozing, eating great food, making incredible lego creations, reading a tall stack of books and magazines and concentrating on making a sick little kid forget how bad he actually felt.

Hoping that Monday will bring a full recovery!


PS- Mom, if you happen to be reading...don't worry a bit!! We're all fine. I promise. Hope you guys are loving your trip. xoxoxo

We've Been Boo'd!!

When we woke up today and it promised to be a repeat of the past two days- cold, rainy, sad & sick. It started out that way, but when Jon opened the door to run to get coffee there was something waiting on the front steps.

We were Boo'd!

I had no idea where it came from (although I have a few guesses), but it was exactly what Cooper needed. A little blessing from above!

The premise is that someone makes a treat bag for you, sneaks it onto your front porch and then runs away....then you have to put the sign in your window and do the same thing for 3 other kids. The sign goes up so that you aren't continuously "boo-ing" throughout the Halloween season.

You can see how sick he is in this picture, but he's smiling (sort of) and that's huge!



Once he read the note, he checked to see whether anyone was in view....



No luck!



The treats took his mind off of being sick and of not being able to go to Indian Guides (a casualty of being sick was having to bail on the Annual Father/Son Weekend). The thought of putting together some treats and surprising someone else? Well, that gives him something to look forward to when he's better.

I think I'm a fan of being boo'd!!!

Swine Not?

Ughh. I'm so over the flu. The media and the hype...and the frenzy about swine.

Cooper woke up on Thursday with a 101.4 temperature so no school for him. I was hoping for a quick 24 hour bug.

Then he said that his throat hurt and I couldn't get his fever to break.
We headed to the doctor.

I'm a bit of a freak in general about all things flu. So along with not getting the flu shot, I'm also not a fan of the test that they do to prove if you have the flu. You know, the giant swab jammed into your brain and rolled around up there for 4 of the longest seconds ever??? I cannot imagine anything worse (well I can, but you get the idea).

I promised Cooper that I wouldn't let them give him the flu test- but I told him that he'd probably have to get his throat swabbed (also a violent test- but one I'm ok with because a positive result brings an actual cure).

I actually wasn't sure that I could pull it off- but I figured it was worth a try. Before we got to the doctor I talked to a bunch of people, all who relayed horror stories of friends of friends or media stories about healthy children who have died from the swine flu.

I. was. a wreck.

We get to the doctor and they were having a flu shot clinic. It was a complete disaster. Oddly, the office thought that it was a good idea to give flu shots to small children in a wide open cubby with 3 walls. The 4th wall opened into the hallway that runs beside the waiting room. Any guesses what the result was?

Pandemonium.
Complete and total bedlam.
Kid screaming bloody murder.
Chaos.

They took entire families into the cubby at 1 time....and lined them up for shots. Cooper's eyes were as big as saucers and he knows that I'm against the shot so there was a pretty good chance he wasn't getting one. Every other kid in the waiting room was petrified. Mothers were frantic trying to keep the peace.

When they called us for our appointment, we walked through the flu shot carnage to a room with a door.

He got the strep test.....and it came back negative. Rats.
Which based on his other symptoms meant that what he had was probably the flu. UGH.

She said that she wouldn't test (whew) him since there wasn't anything that they could do if it was the flu (great).

So, we went home....to wait and to dose up on ibuprofen.
I went back to worrying.

He was so sad, and so pitiful....and so sick.
I'm sure the saga will continue.

5 Ingredient Masterpiece!

I have a stack of magazines that I've never read. It's terrible, but such a treat when I have some free time to flip through and discover new things (even if they are from last years issues!).

Sweet Rachael, who does sometimes annoy me because she's always yelling on her talk show, has a feature in her magazine called Take 5. The recipes use only 5 ingredients. That's about as easy as it gets.

Last year she did one for French Onion Soup. It seemed simple and I had some swiss cheese that I needed to use, so this was perfect.

I swapped a loaf of crusty bread for the croutons and added 1 can of water because I couldn't figure out of it meant- 2 cans of broth AND the water or just the broth. I also went liberally on the salt and pepper.



It was yummy- the verdict from Jon was a thumbs up. Even Cooper was intrigued but opted instead for just bread and cheese.

Easy, delish and perfect for a cool fall Sunday night!

In Search Of...

The perfect pumpkin.


It's very serious business.


And can require some top notch decision making skills- which at 7 means eeny meeny....


There are so many choices....




But only 1 rule-


You must carry it to the wagon yourself.


In the end....maybe 2 mediums are better than 1 large.




Mission accomplished!

Ever Heard of Composition?

The one issue with always being behind the camera? There is no proof that I'm actually in attendance at any given event.

Unless I pass it to someone else. Sometimes that can have fantastic results- and other times, not so much.

For instance, our trip to the pumpkin patch today. In my head I have 2 goals- pumpkins and some family shots. I haven't yet perfected the timer feature, so I rely on my sweet hubby to do the deed. And quite frankly, he's a bit composition challenged.

And these are but a few of the results.


Hello hair?????


I cropped this one.....which doesn't help because Cooper's not looking at the camera!


Good, now Cooper's looking but I'm clearly not paying attention. Have the words "say cheese" ever crossed his mind??


Ok, I'm good here....but what about the most important feature??? These are supposed to be family shots. Wait for the kid!!


Honestly, where is the focal point for this shot??

I give up!

Here are the only 2 that actually make the cut- sort of.





Oh well, at least I can prove I was there!

And we really did have fun- which is all that really matters in the end anyway.