the house. part four: the living room.

if ever there was a room that severely needed a makeover, this is it!
i'd love to do it, but i don't have a couple thousand to throw at it just yet. also, since it is shared space and i have no go ahead to destroy the man cave, i have to settle for the bedroom remodel for now. that's good enough.

i can keep it clean and dream for now . . .


apparently, i'm destined to always live with wood paneling - 3 out of 5 residences now.



judge doesn't seem to be too happy with the style, either.

below is my proof that this truly is a house for men.
the drum set and electric guitar in the front room is another indicator.




no, the fireplace isn't safe to use - yet.





these pictures are my only attempt at beautification. also, they remind me of utah.
thanks dad, for rescuing them!

i've been off the map.

i really have.
we've been a little busy this week. we've also had a bad internet connection. not pleasant.
anyway, it's a rainy day and i'm finally alone.

we've started a workout routine together. so far we've done five days in a row - which definitely beats our one day in a row record. it's fun and good for us and winter (as usual) has sucked much of our time into watching television. all we have to do is cut out one or two of the stupid shows that we aren't really watching anyway to move around.

we've also started work on our bedroom and bathroom. it's an endless endeavor but i'm excited. we have to finish removing wallpaper, mud up the walls and smooth them out, paint - and that's just the very, very beginning.

my sweet husband did one great thing that automatically cleaned up and modernized the room:
(although the rain has made it so dark that the pictures didn't turn out so well . . .)

before:

our lovely, shiny green, shower-curtain-looking thermal curtains with wrinkles that would never come out.
i'll do them justice - they did keep us warmer.



after:

blinds! hooray! i can actually let light into the room instead of living like anne frank!




we're also looking at paint colors for the room. we both like green, but not too bright and not too cool and not too . . . green. we're thinking a green so faint it is just a wash of green. right now the walls are a peeling creamy yellow, so anything's an improvement.


oh, and if you're wondering what a dog does on a rainy day, it's this: he curls up behind me in the chair and snores the day away.

Utah is unique . . .

. . . in more ways than one.


However, one thing about Utah culture that I never realized until now is YOUTH.

First of all, there are children all over the place in Utah. Maybe I don't notice because I don't really know any children here, but it seems like I don't see as many children out and about. I don't see the minivans with the stickers in the back window telling me the names of all the kids in the family (Sarah, you'd love it). Then again, I'm pretty sure I live in an old neighborhood and we are pretty far away from schools and parks. Maybe I'll change my mind in the summer.

Besides the children, it's the younger adults that I don't see. Athens is a college town, just like Provo. It seemed as though almost every business in Provo (or even the Valley itself) employed a large number of twenty-somethings. Here, I go to Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, WalMart or even the grocery store and I mainly see ages 35+ working. Again, maybe I'm not going the right places but I feel like the young people are missing in action.

One very probable theory is that the college scene is a real college scene. Kids here drink, club, get crazy . . . and that just doesn't happen in Provo. Sure, people drink and do drugs and what have you but it's mostly done behind closed doors. There isn't an entire section of Provo devoted to legal partying. Downtown here is lined with bars. When I'm at work on the weekends, I spend most of my time helping girls find outfits to wear out partying.

I'm not condemning anything here. I am saying that being young here and being young in Utah means something entirely different. Because they don't party, kids in Provo do a lot of other things to have fun. They are out in the world, carving in, starting life off. They get jobs, work hard in the community, become part of networks, etc. I think that being in your twenties here means putting off life until you somehow end up with a career or married or you hit your thirties (whichever happens first) - and that's where the young people are: putting off being citizens and hiding on campus.

I just don't see the widespread family-orientation, school zones every few blocks, kids running around in the neighborhoods or the absolute inundation with youth. Maybe I just don't know enough about Georgia yet, but for now it is my opinion that Georgia is old and Utah is young. I'm not sure where to fit.

fixin' to bloom!

i told you my friendly plant was about to start poppin' some blossoms!


uhhh, p.s. - i LOVE my camera. i can't help but take pictures of EVERYTHING these days.
indulge me. i don't have a whole lot to do right now.

my hubby bubby.

yes, i saw this on facebook.
i read the first question and i did okay. i read the second question and i did even better. then i thought about challenging myself (out of boredom) to not look at the rest of the quiz before doing it . . . so i blindly copied and pasted and here goes!

1. he's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

most likely anything ufc, vs channel (we just started getting it again), the daily show/colbert report. he's not picky, though.

2. you're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

he doesn't really like dressing. he prefers it to have a good flavor all its own.

3. what's one food he doesn't like?

pudding. i don't know why.

4. you go out to eat and have a drink. what does he order?

we both love cherry coke. he tries to be good and have water, usually. he also loves lemonade.

5. where did he go to high school?

clarke central, right here in athens.

6. what size shoe does he wear?

ooo. i think i 9 usually. he tries on a 9 first and then, depending on the shoe, goes up or down.

7. if he was to collect anything, what would it be?

records, music, and books.

8. what is his favorite type of sandwich?

he likes ham.

9. what would he eat every day if he could?

a big fat steak.

10. what is his favorite cereal?

he actually likes raisin bran and cornflakes.

11. what would he never wear?

skinny jeans or jewelry (except his ring).

12. what is his favorite sports team?

um, we don't really watch sports too often. he likes the braves. i know he likes fyodor, the mixed martial arts fighter.

13. who did he vote for?

we didn't vote. we had just moved and we really couldn't.

14. who is his best friend?

we're pretty much as best as it gets.

15. what is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?

i complain too much. sometimes i don't realize i'm even complaining.

16. what is his heritage?

english. some czech. some cherokee.

17. you bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?

"if it isn't chocolate i don't want any." so chocolate. maybe some apple pie.

18. did he play sports in high school?

he talks about his little league days. there was mostly mischief in high school.

19. what could he spend hours doing?

almost anything. reading, listening to music, learning about music, working out.

20. what is one unique talent he has?

he's the most likeable person i know. he can be silly, shocking, kind, frustrated, whatever and still, everyone likes him. he's also a good judge of character and my voice of reason.



um, i think i passed!

hate to love!

this is an absolutely belated valentine's post.

i had a great weekend. i got the cutest package and all sorts of valentines in the mail from my family and friends.


i felt a little negative in my last few posts, so i decided i'd do the opposite of my last tag - instead of things i love to hate, things i hate to love! here it is, a list of (a few) of my guiltiest pleasures. they're unhealthy or unnecessary or just plain stupid things that i love.
i'm just going to say this: "i know. i know!"


1. little debbies. any little debbies.
2. unsolved mysteries, the show.
3. picking scabs.
4. youtube.
5. coloring books.
6. excessive amounts of throw pillows.
7. magazines.
8. candy corn.
9. sleeping in.
10. making desserts.
11. avoiding conflict by any means.
12. screening calls.
13. walking around really loud when i'm home alone.
14. putting things off.
15. wearing pajamas all day.
16. candy. soda. desserts. loving them more than actual food.
17. walking around with nowhere to go.
18. getting snail mail.
19. when my checkout line goes faster than the other checkout line(s).
20. days off.
21. sleeping with the t.v. on.
22. texting.
23. facebooking.
24. snacking constantly.
25. being lazy . . . :)

today isn't really my day.

that main reason being . . .

it looks like this outside:


and i feel like this inside:


get the picture? sick. sick. sick.

i took some nyquil and, instead of letting me sleep, judge decided to jump around and dance around and cry and get into things all morning. i tried putting him in his room and he barked and barked. i tried to let him play outside in the nice weather and he barked. sometimes he'll cry until someone comes and sits in the same room with him while he sleeps in the sun. oh man.

i feel like my head is exploding.

i ate some food, even though i'm not hungry, and i'm going to shower, even though i don't feel like standing up. hopefully that'll get me through the afternoon and i can get something done . . . or at least i'll enjoy the nice day a little more.

when i feel sick like this i also feel sick in my head. i'm bothered about everything and cranky. it doesn't help that i was already fighting crankiness before i felt sick.

for example,

my brother-in-law just asked me: "soooo, what are you up to today?"

i wanted to scream: "what does it look like i'm up to? i'm up to feeling like CRAP, obviously! i'm up to watching t.v. and sleeping on the couch! i'm up to a fever and aches! i'm up to chicken noodle soup! what i am not up to is acting like i've got some sort of huge plan for today when i'm wearing a bathrobe and smelling/feeling/looking like a mess!"

but instead i said: "oh, nothing really," and tried to smile.

if i'm going to be sick, can't it be on a rainy day when i'm home alone and i can just sleep through it?

too much to ask?

love to hate . . .

I was already in a hater mood today, so when I saw my

Aunt Shanna's list I couldn't help myself. so, in no particular order, I present to you . . .

25 things I love to hate:

1. car repairs.
2. when I've spent a lot of time cleaning just to watch it get ruined IMMEDIATELY.
3. rude customers, whether I'm at work or just out shopping or eating.
4. rude employees. they create rude customers for the rest of us!
5. driving in bad traffic.
6. bikini girl on american idol and anyone like unto her.
7. misspellings. i'm not trying to judge anyone. i just can't figure out how spelling a word wrong doesn't make everyone else as CRAZY as it makes me.
8. people who have perfect, smooth, hairless, unblemished skin without trying.
9. when people ask for my opinion even though they don't want to hear it.
10. loud eaters.
11. when all the dishes are dirty and, instead of just washing one, someone uses some stupid alternative - like a pan or something.
12. along those same lines, when someone uses a new cup for every single drink even if the liquid is the same. just rinse out the cup! why make more dishes?!
13. pretty much, dishes.
14. having dental work done.
15. when i'm in the car with someone and they channel surf on the radio. it's okay to channel surf alone, but come on!
16. saying a blessing over "the refreshments" - unless i'm wrong and i should be saying a prayer every time i eat a candy bar or drink a soda. i mean, blessing it sure isn't going to keep it from making me fat. let's just call it a closing prayer before we go crazy on the treats.
17. waking up cold.
18. tailgaters. oooo.
19. closed minds.
20. political talk shows. mostly just ann coulter. mostly just anybody who tries to shove their opinions down my throat. i'm not going to debate. i'm just going to ignore you and keep thinking what i already think.
21. slow internet. gggghhhh.
22. people who don't know when to not be so dramatic.
23. when clothes i like start to "go" . . . it makes me so sad.
24. bad hair/skin/body days.
25. being awkward (which is how i am almost all the time).

my favorite chores.

there are two chores i really love: yard work and furniture rearranging.

it's a lovely 70 degrees outside right now (we actually have the air conditioning on) and i don't have any furniture to rearrange so i grubbed around the yard today. i can't wait for spring to come and stay.

i only got one thing done . . . mostly. i didn't have a ladder, so i didn't get the top. it probably needs some clearing up to let the light in. the bush was actually full of prickly vines that were choking out the real plant. you know maleficent's castle in sleeping beauty? that's pretty much what i was pulling on all day. ouch!

i forgot to take a before, but i cropped an old picture:



and after (it looks even better than the before picture because it is so sunny!):




and the pile of branches and prickles (i put some of the budding branches in water - maybe they'll bloom?):



and judge watching me destroy one of his favorite hiding places:



it's a big flowering bush and there are tons of buds waiting to explode (or, as we say down south, "it's fixin' to bloom"), so i'll post more pictures of the plant in its glory soon.

all props go to my dad on this one - i watched him perfect our yard year after year and i can't allow myself to let a yard look anything but its best.

CAUTION: GRAPHIC CONTENT.

This morning I woke Judge up and let him out to do his thing. When he goes out early in the morning, sometimes he'll take one of his ratty little toys out with him and leave them on the patio while he goes. It's like a little kid dragging his blanket around. When I let him back in, he'll bring in his toy.

Anyway, this morning he brought back a weird, gnarled root and left it on the step outside the door. I thought it was kind of cute that he was finding his own toys outside. Later this evening, when I let him out again, he brought the weird root with him when he came back in. I allowed it because he'd been relentlessly begging for attention all afternoon and he was finally content chewing on the root. I just planned on vacuuming later.

When he left the root in the middle of the floor, I picked it up and was about to throw it back outside when I finally noticed that the root was not a root. It was a grisly something gross with hair and muscle and bone. I was horrified. There were little pieces of nasty hide all over the carpet. Blugh. UGH. Bluckugh.

How is my little buddy so DISGUSTING?
Needless to say, I threw it out and vacuumed immediately.

Oh, and I took a couple of pictures. Of course.