Face Melter

This makes my entire body melt into mush... The sweetest thing I have ever seen! :)

Forget Me Not

I did get the most amazing pillow yesterday night! I was so excited I took a picture of myself holding it in the parking lot. :)

I must say, that after sleeping on it all night last night, it did not disappoint! I am very excited to go to bed tonight. I could fall asleep right now actually...

Anyways, when I walked into the store, the SAME sales guy was there! I told him I was back for my pillow because I was so excited to get the Groupon!

He stared at me blankly.

I reminded him that my husband and I were just in and bought a mattress and I really loved the pillow and that he was the one that was trying to get me to buy it and everything ... and he still stared at me blankly.

I am not reaching here, but this sales guy and I talked at LENGTH about this pillow, we spent close to $2,500 in his store, we were the only ones in there, and supposedly his only sale of the day. We talked about how he just graduated from college, he told us what his favorite mattress was, his favorite pillow - I mean, we talked for about an hour with this guy less than a week ago... and he had no clue who I was.

Even when I told him that we were the ones who ordered the California King that needed to be special delivered... still.no.clue.

I would say this guy does not have a bright future in sales. I know it is a mattress store, but that was a bit incredible, especially for a young fella!

Apparently I am old now and I call people "fellas." Or young bucks. :)

Back to the pillow - I love it.

Pillow Talk

I about died when I saw the price tag of the pillow I was laying on at the mattress store. I just fell in LOVE with it! But not the $129.99 price tag. So, we left with our new mattress purchased, but still thinking about the Coconut Bliss Pillow by YuMe.

I haven't been actively search for a pillow, but I really haven't been happy with my pillow for a long time now. I even tried to replace it recently, but that pillow ended up in our guest room, and although nice, it just wasn't for me, and that is why I was so excited to find one I loved! It is just so expensive so I had to think about it...

Well, guess what?!? I found a Groupon in my email this morning giving you $80 to spend on accessories at Mattress Firm (where I found the pillow) for a $20 purchase from Groupon! I bought it. Almost immediately. I can't wait to head there tonight for my new pillow! When all is said and done it will cost me $70 instead of $130. Happy Day! :)

Unspoken Brain Activity

7:51am

Damn Jo, you were supposed to get a 25’ HDMI cord for the presentation today… ugh and you are already running late! Of course you are, if you would just get up 15 minutes earlier, this wouldn’t happen, but noooo…

Oooh, Kmart is much closer, I’ll give them a try even though they were totally dirty last time, and strange people go there, even more so than Walmart it seems, but this will give them a chance to redeem themselves. Plus they ARE much closer, see? You are already here. Awesome idea, Jo.

Wow, not many people stop at Kmart on Monday mornings? Where are all the cars? Nice, got a good parking spot. Next to a creeper sitting in his van with the engine running… this can’t be good for me. Why did I park next to a VAN with no windows that is RUNNING?!? Jo, you are such an idiot, just walk to the front door, everything will be fine.

Why didn’t this automatic door open for me? What? They don’t open ‘til 8?!? Who the F#$% doesn’t open ‘til 8? What kind of people do they expect to get in here after 8 when everyone I know has to be to work by that time?!? UGH… always when I am running late.

Kmart is a constant disappointment, off to the 24 hour Walmart I go…

Btw… the presentation got cancelled. Awesome Monday so far.

Sketchy Frenchie

My cutie sent through a photoshop filter. Love this dog!

Ninja Time!

I would like to think that I am not easily fooled and you cannot "pull the wool over my eyes," so to speak. I am pretty down to earth, level-headed, and every other word that you can use to say that I am not an idiot, and I hope that this is the case with my latest impulse purchase! I watched an infomercial this past weekend for literally 15 minutes and ended up spending an exorbitant amount of money on this Ninja Cooking System.

We had just visited with some friends who admitted that their crock pot I had complimented (from Williams Sonoma) was about $250, so I think I had that number in my head... I didn't spend that much (I found a coupon online), but it was still quite pricey. Our crock pot also broke down about a month ago, so I've been in the market for one...

Well, I haven't gotten it yet, but this is the most excited I have been about a kitchen appliance in a long time! I am always looking for fast ways to make healthy food with little clean-up. Sound too good to be true? I am hoping not! You get a free in-home trial, so it is still returnable but I am praying that this thing actually lives up to the infomercial. Those salesmen are amazing.

Supposedly, with the steam cooking, you can bake in it using half the butter and oil required because it will be moist because of the steam. It will also decrease your cooking times (because it cooks from all sides) and require less cleanup (one recipe was to put water, spaghetti sauce, uncooked spaghetti noodles, and frozen meatballs all together in the system, turn it on, and 20 minutes later it is done - with one pan).

I can't wait to try it out! I will be sure to let you know how it goes...

Bathroom Design - Sneak Peek

This page of finishes is what we are looking at for our bathroom re-design. We had a water leak that ruined pretty much anything touching the ground so this is our attempt at putting the pieces back together under-budget and still stylish. [While also staying neutral enough that if we put our house on the market, we won't scare anyone. :) It is a delicate balance!]


- Ashland Vanity from Home Depot - $299 (includes countertop)
This vanity is on super special! It is has modern lines, but nothing too out of the box. The color is a little light for my taste, but will go well with the wood floor that we chose for the rest of the house (top pic).

- Interceramic Linen Smoke Tile - 16x24 (about $ 1.50/ square foot)
This is a great way to cover a lot of area at a good price. Adding an accent tile ($10/ square foot) like you see in the top picture will add that pop of color and design without a huge cost increase. I have done a lot of research on using glass tile on the floor and have summed it that you shouldn't do it, but if you do install it, keep it just for an accent. We're gonna try it. Make sure you use un-sanded grout with a latex modifier so you don't scratch your glass with the sand and the latex helps with stains.

- Widespread Peerless Faucet from Lowe's - $106 (clearance)
I love satin nickel finish and will usually go toward this metal's look. It was the best one on clearance and we are sticking to a budget! Notice the word "widespread" in front of the faucet name. It is important to check the holes on your coutertop to know if you need widespread or centerset faucet design. Widespread is a bit more money, but it is the only faucet that will work with our pre-drilled holes.

- Paint, 'Baking Stone' from Lowe's
It is SO important to look at your paint with all your finishes like you see above. What may look good with one item might not look good with another. I started with my head set on one color, but after getting all my materials together, I completely warmed up the gray I had originally chosen and 15 color swatches later, here with are with "Baking Stone."



I can't wait to see it all put together! :)

Harbaugh Face-Off

So it is the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl, and they are coached by brothers! Very cool. We are cheering for the Niners in our house - my husband is a huge fan. Can't wait for the big game!

Shipping Fail

Dangit!

This was the state of 3 out of 4 corners on the desktop I ordered from Ikea... don't worry, they are shipping me another, but what a waste!

Sit, Minnie, sit. Good girl.

"I don't care if you are an architect with 'good taste,' I happen to like this couch."

Oh, Poppycock.

Here is my new craving... I have tried and tried to crave carrots but it just ain't happenin.'

And apparently, while re-reading my text from above, I have also become a lot slightly more southern. I do love that name though. Poppycock.

Sustainable? or Cheap?

Ok... I am a big advocate of sustainability and "green" living and all, but now, after living in a sustainable hotel for over a week, I can't help but think that from a business perspective, it might just be a buzzword for hotels to operate more cheaply.

There is whole pamphlet about how our hotel is sustainable (seen above), and here is my take on the whole thing:

• For starters, I have added at least 5 minutes to my shower time. The restrictor on the shower head (used to reduce water) has made the water pressure so slow that I take nearly twice as long to rinse off. I am positive that I am using the exact same amount of water, but wasting minutes that I could use to do something else.

• Secondly, it says "recycle" on one of the containers in the hallways near the ice machine, but the bags are black and identical to the ones used in the trash receptacle. I have a sneaking suspicion that they end up in the same place - the landfill. Recycling is not rocket science, but it does take some effort.

• Also, they do this housekeeping thing with a light clean every day, heavy clean every 5 days, and no cleaning on the weekends... I didn't know that cleaning was bad for the environment? I agree, washing linens that don't need to be washed is a waste, but wiping down counters is not. I wonder if they employ less people because of it? That can't be good for the economy.

• The CFLs used for lighting are much better for the environment, but the color temperature is not as "homey." I find myself turning on more than one lamp because of this.

• The bulk dispensers are just OK in the shower for the shampoo and body wash. Long gone are the days of the little mouthwashes, conditioners, and lotions though. I wonder if this will affect the homeless shelters I donate them to?

All in all, the hotel is great. I appreciate the effort and especially the awareness it gives people about saving the environment. 2012 was the warmest year to date and that is pretty incredible when you think about all the people that think global warming is a hoax.

Settling into Hotel Life

So, we had a major water leak in our house while we were on vacation... and props so far to Allstate, they have been awesome! We are slowly but surely getting used to hotel life until our home can be repaired.

 
I never realized how much I do not use an oven until now... I didn't even notice we did not have one for two days! I can pretty much whip up anything in a microwave thanks to many late hours in the architecture studio in college.

I think this is the hardest on Minnie if you couldn't tell... yeah right! She couldn't be more comfortable here if they put a mint on her pillow every night.

Hopefully more updates will come soon with our house slowly but surely getting put back together again.

Happy First Birthday, Shelby Lynn!

My darling niece turned one on December 21st, but we were in Colorado and so consumed by travels and Christmastime that we nearly forgot. We wished her a happy birthday, but come on, she is one and didn't really get it...

We had her party today and it was so fun! I took some time with her and really noticed how much she has changed over the past year. Having three older siblings actually makes her the quiet one. She is such a blessing to have and so happy that most of the time she will smile at you without any effort from your end. She loves to bop to pop music, crawls like a champion, and her new favorite food is birthday cake. ;)

I love you baby Shelby!

Pick me up!

Please?

Happy 2013!

Amazing friends, food, beaches, and bottles (plus a welcomed respite from our water-logged home).
Here's to an amazing 2013!