annie blog

Pure Randomness
Forgive me, y’all, for this randomness, but it is Friday of Vacation Bible School week and my house looks like a tornado hit and I’m tired and did I mention that it looks like a tornado hit, etc.

So, of no particular importance and in no particular order:

— Jon and I have been watching Mad Men lately. Usually I don’t have dreams that I can trace to reality, however, the other night I dreamt about doing some abstract painting and also about spending my last 2 dollars on the *perfect* red lipstick. It was sort of a good dream because I would like to be a painter of any kind and the red lipstick part wasn’t so bad — just not accurate for me. I’d be more likely to spend my last 2 dollars on a cup of coffee or something like that. I’m glad that it wasn’t a dream about having to wear a girdle. No, wait, that would be a nightmare. Perhaps too much Mad Men viewing?

— My youngest son divests himself of pants at the first opportunity. You know how some people kick off shoes when coming home? For him it is shoes closely followed by pants. And that, dear readers, is evidence of how far an apple can fall from his genetic tree, since his father loves wearing clothes and cannot truly think well unless his feet are in shoes. So it is amusing. I suppose having a laid-back mother who has let him vacillate between pjs and a swimsuit all summer long hasn’t helped.

— I have observed that the size of my fiction reading pile on my nightstand is directly proportional to how Annie is doing emotionally. Right now, I would need a yardstick to measure it properly.

Why? I don’t know why it is, but late July is the time of the year when my courage just ebbs away. It doesn’t make sense, since this summer, when compared to past summers, has really been more tolerable, emotionally speaking. So why my optimism is flagging right now…..I just don’t know. And I’m not talking about little o optimism but Big O optimism. Maybe I shouldn’t try to figure it out and instead just omit late July from my calendar altogether. Somehow I don’t think that would help.

— I have been having the most yummy sandwich every day this week for lunch. It is my twist on the classic egg and olive. Instead of boiling eggs (they are stinky, I am lazy) I mayo some toast, put a bunch of chopped olives on one side and slide a freshly scrambled egg inside as filling. So it is a hot sandwich that takes 2 minutes to make and fills me up without stinking up the house. Score. Delicious.

I must clear away the debris from the indoor tornado.
Onward, right?

Have a good weekend, everybody!

Pure Randomness
Forgive me, y’all, for this randomness, but it is Friday of Vacation Bible School week and my house looks like a tornado hit and I’m tired and did I mention that it looks like a tornado hit, etc.

So, of no particular importance and in no particular order:

— Jon and I have been watching Mad Men lately. Usually I don’t have dreams that I can trace to reality, however, the other night I dreamt about doing some abstract painting and also about spending my last 2 dollars on the *perfect* red lipstick. It was sort of a good dream because I would like to be a painter of any kind and the red lipstick part wasn’t so bad — just not accurate for me. I’d be more likely to spend my last 2 dollars on a cup of coffee or something like that. I’m glad that it wasn’t a dream about having to wear a girdle. No, wait, that would be a nightmare. Perhaps too much Mad Men viewing?

— My youngest son divests himself of pants at the first opportunity. You know how some people kick off shoes when coming home? For him it is shoes closely followed by pants. And that, dear readers, is evidence of how far an apple can fall from his genetic tree, since his father loves wearing clothes and cannot truly think well unless his feet are in shoes. So it is amusing. I suppose having a laid-back mother who has let him vacillate between pjs and a swimsuit all summer long hasn’t helped.

— I have observed that the size of my fiction reading pile on my nightstand is directly proportional to how Annie is doing emotionally. Right now, I would need a yardstick to measure it properly.

Why? I don’t know why it is, but late July is the time of the year when my courage just ebbs away. It doesn’t make sense, since this summer, when compared to past summers, has really been more tolerable, emotionally speaking. So why my optimism is flagging right now…..I just don’t know. And I’m not talking about little o optimism but Big O optimism. Maybe I shouldn’t try to figure it out and instead just omit late July from my calendar altogether. Somehow I don’t think that would help.

— I have been having the most yummy sandwich every day this week for lunch. It is my twist on the classic egg and olive. Instead of boiling eggs (they are stinky, I am lazy) I mayo some toast, put a bunch of chopped olives on one side and slide a freshly scrambled egg inside as filling. So it is a hot sandwich that takes 2 minutes to make and fills me up without stinking up the house. Score. Delicious.

I must clear away the debris from the indoor tornado.
Onward, right?

Have a good weekend, everybody!

Pure Randomness
Forgive me, y’all, for this randomness, but it is Friday of Vacation Bible School week and my house looks like a tornado hit and I’m tired and did I mention that it looks like a tornado hit, etc.

So, of no particular importance and in no particular order:

— Jon and I have been watching Mad Men lately. Usually I don’t have dreams that I can trace to reality, however, the other night I dreamt about doing some abstract painting and also about spending my last 2 dollars on the *perfect* red lipstick. It was sort of a good dream because I would like to be a painter of any kind and the red lipstick part wasn’t so bad — just not accurate for me. I’d be more likely to spend my last 2 dollars on a cup of coffee or something like that. I’m glad that it wasn’t a dream about having to wear a girdle. No, wait, that would be a nightmare. Perhaps too much Mad Men viewing?

— My youngest son divests himself of pants at the first opportunity. You know how some people kick off shoes when coming home? For him it is shoes closely followed by pants. And that, dear readers, is evidence of how far an apple can fall from his genetic tree, since his father loves wearing clothes and cannot truly think well unless his feet are in shoes. So it is amusing. I suppose having a laid-back mother who has let him vacillate between pjs and a swimsuit all summer long hasn’t helped.

— I have observed that the size of my fiction reading pile on my nightstand is directly proportional to how Annie is doing emotionally. Right now, I would need a yardstick to measure it properly.

Why? I don’t know why it is, but late July is the time of the year when my courage just ebbs away. It doesn’t make sense, since this summer, when compared to past summers, has really been more tolerable, emotionally speaking. So why my optimism is flagging right now…..I just don’t know. And I’m not talking about little o optimism but Big O optimism. Maybe I shouldn’t try to figure it out and instead just omit late July from my calendar altogether. Somehow I don’t think that would help.

— I have been having the most yummy sandwich every day this week for lunch. It is my twist on the classic egg and olive. Instead of boiling eggs (they are stinky, I am lazy) I mayo some toast, put a bunch of chopped olives on one side and slide a freshly scrambled egg inside as filling. So it is a hot sandwich that takes 2 minutes to make and fills me up without stinking up the house. Score. Delicious.

I must clear away the debris from the indoor tornado.
Onward, right?

Have a good weekend, everybody!

What Every Busy Chair Needs….
is a Union Jack pillow in pink and orange. Don’t you think?

Don’t worry, I’m not this crazy all by myself. I got the idea for the pillow from Jonathan Adler. My version didn’t cost me a hundred bucks though….I made it from scraps.

Happy Friday, everybody!

What Every Busy Chair Needs….
is a Union Jack pillow in pink and orange. Don’t you think?

Don’t worry, I’m not this crazy all by myself. I got the idea for the pillow from Jonathan Adler. My version didn’t cost me a hundred bucks though….I made it from scraps.

Happy Friday, everybody!

What Every Busy Chair Needs….
is a Union Jack pillow in pink and orange. Don’t you think?

Don’t worry, I’m not this crazy all by myself. I got the idea for the pillow from Jonathan Adler. My version didn’t cost me a hundred bucks though….I made it from scraps.

Happy Friday, everybody!

Mama Needs a Project
Sometimes, we just need to get things done. As in finished, forever, unlike many of the other things on our list like children and housework and all of the always-yet-to-be-done, etc.

That is what this post is about.

It is also about leftover fabric and a wild idea to make a wild looking chair from a few scant yards.

But, to understand just how wild this is you must understand my design druthers.

When it comes to design/interior decorating, I have a few preferences.
I like certain colors.
I like sparseness.
I like mid-century modern furniture with some antiques thrown in for good measure.
I like texture.

For example, a good example of what I like is this plate:

Sparseness, check.
Colors, check.

Likewise, this checkerboard art done by Jon and N for the living room has all of my favorite colors.

Some more examples of designs that I like:

But when it comes to my kitchen, I have other priorities. Like how I love to have red, whether it be my Kitchen Aid mixer or my

mantra, or my

kid art.

This is the space where Wedgewood has to share counter space with rustic pottery….

and where 6 people and a dog have to live and get along.

So, when I was considering slipcovering a little chair that I have in front on my kitchen window I did some serious thinking. It had to be durable. So I thought about oilcloth. And I fell in love with some. But, then I remembered that I’m way too frugal for that and I thought about some really busy fabric that I had in my meager little fabric stash.

So I sallied forth and made the thing. Just do it, right?

Thus ends the story of my crazy chair. I love it. I think that it would look right at home in the Weasley kitchen.

And so that makes me love it even more.

Mama Needs a Project
Sometimes, we just need to get things done. As in finished, forever, unlike many of the other things on our list like children and housework and all of the always-yet-to-be-done, etc.

That is what this post is about.

It is also about leftover fabric and a wild idea to make a wild looking chair from a few scant yards.

But, to understand just how wild this is you must understand my design druthers.

When it comes to design/interior decorating, I have a few preferences.
I like certain colors.
I like sparseness.
I like mid-century modern furniture with some antiques thrown in for good measure.
I like texture.

For example, a good example of what I like is this plate:

Sparseness, check.
Colors, check.

Likewise, this checkerboard art done by Jon and N for the living room has all of my favorite colors.

Some more examples of designs that I like:

But when it comes to my kitchen, I have other priorities. Like how I love to have red, whether it be my Kitchen Aid mixer or my

mantra, or my

kid art.

This is the space where Wedgewood has to share counter space with rustic pottery….

and where 6 people and a dog have to live and get along.

So, when I was considering slipcovering a little chair that I have in front on my kitchen window I did some serious thinking. It had to be durable. So I thought about oilcloth. And I fell in love with some. But, then I remembered that I’m way too frugal for that and I thought about some really busy fabric that I had in my meager little fabric stash.

So I sallied forth and made the thing. Just do it, right?

Thus ends the story of my crazy chair. I love it. I think that it would look right at home in the Weasley kitchen.

And so that makes me love it even more.

Mama Needs a Project
Sometimes, we just need to get things done. As in finished, forever, unlike many of the other things on our list like children and housework and all of the always-yet-to-be-done, etc.

That is what this post is about.

It is also about leftover fabric and a wild idea to make a wild looking chair from a few scant yards.

But, to understand just how wild this is you must understand my design druthers.

When it comes to design/interior decorating, I have a few preferences.
I like certain colors.
I like sparseness.
I like mid-century modern furniture with some antiques thrown in for good measure.
I like texture.

For example, a good example of what I like is this plate:

Sparseness, check.
Colors, check.

Likewise, this checkerboard art done by Jon and N for the living room has all of my favorite colors.

Some more examples of designs that I like:

But when it comes to my kitchen, I have other priorities. Like how I love to have red, whether it be my Kitchen Aid mixer or my

mantra, or my

kid art.

This is the space where Wedgewood has to share counter space with rustic pottery….

and where 6 people and a dog have to live and get along.

So, when I was considering slipcovering a little chair that I have in front on my kitchen window I did some serious thinking. It had to be durable. So I thought about oilcloth. And I fell in love with some. But, then I remembered that I’m way too frugal for that and I thought about some really busy fabric that I had in my meager little fabric stash.

So I sallied forth and made the thing. Just do it, right?

Thus ends the story of my crazy chair. I love it. I think that it would look right at home in the Weasley kitchen.

And so that makes me love it even more.

Joan Collins, Not
Well, of course, summer is here and we Barlows have been hitting the pool every single day. This has helped my sanity, mostly. Of course, there was that one day when the lifeguards had to go all Baywatch on my oldest son. He was fine.

The moral to that story is not to pack all of your panic away for later. Let that stuff out as soon as you get home and have a glass of wine…or two. This is what wine is for, y’all.

Okay, but the thing I wanted to talk about here was hats. Actually, one hat. See, I know that I may have mentioned it here before, but I have quite a few freckles. Now, if you go out in the sun a lot, you get even more freckles. This happens through a high spf sunscreen, too. Freckles will not be stymied, truly. They come no matter what. So, the only solution besides slathering yourself with pancake makeup (this method works, I know because I tried it in high school) is to get a good hat.

So I tried. Now, baseball caps will not work. Do you know why? Because the lower half of the face gets more freckles than the upper. Why is this a problem?

Two words….freckle beard. Not a good look.

Earlier this summer, I thought that I had found the hat. It had a wide brim. It was on sale. It was the same color as my bathing suit.

Here it is:

Now, after trying it, several problems emerged.

First off, the brim was floppy — very, very I-have-to-tilt-my-head-in-order-to-see floppy.

Secondly, the hat was actually too big. This is amazing for me since it was the first hat that I had ever put on my head that was too large. I come from large cranium-ed people. Except for my Mom…she has a dainty little head and dainty little ears, too. After I had my large-headed oldest son (15 inches was his head circumference!) my prayers regarding my second while in utero went something like, “And, please, Dear Lord, let him get his head size from Mama Suzie…”

Thirdly, the hat, when worn with my suit, sort of throws off a bit of a glamorous image that I’ll have to admit just doesn’t fit with me. You know, sort of Joan Collins minus the diamonds and red lipstick and the Joan Collins and well, you get the picture.

So, the hat went back. My plan now is to sit under a tree.

But, before I retuned it, we had some fun called put on Mommy’s hat and say cheese.

Here you go.

I just love this one with the Xbox controller. Really sets the whole thing off, don’t you think?

While I snapped this shot he was saying, “Mommy, I just love dis hat!” Okay.

Finally,

this one turned away from the computer so that I could take his picture. He’s used to the craziness he gets from me, poor thing, and so he just went with it.

And, that is the saga of the hat, 2009. The search has not been abandoned, but I sort of don’t care if I find one now.

What are a few thousand more freckles, anyway?