My Little Home, Part 4

This is a grand shot of the living room.  If you were looking into the room like this, you would be standing in kitchen.  The little metal table beside the recliner I've recently replaced, but didn't feel like taking new pictures since my Christmas stuff is down now.  This gives you an idea of the lay out.

After I graduate from SIU I finally got a new couch and chair, which I still think are great.  The recliner sits beside this great vintage cabinet that I got for $50.  On top are a spotlight from a flea market, my glitter reindeer (oh how I heart that reindeer) and one of my many sets of trees.  Close up..

Now you get to see just a few of my books, and my glitter JESUS!!!  The bottom two shelves hold my first paint palette, a few art books and giant chess piece.  Random art/sculpture is of my favorite.  I have a collection of sculpted noses too.  Great stuff!

This is a shot of the beautiful little table my Mom got me off of one of her friends.  I adore the chippy green two-tone paint and the stamped tin front.  I don't think I will ever get tired of this little table.  Underneath it is a basket that stores books and magazines and is generally packed full.  The painting is by me... Maggie makes fun of the blue chair, for obvious reasons, but I've never gotten around to changing its profile with black paint.  It makes me happy, regardless.  I also love my silver winter pillows and the multicolored, wool, patchwork quilt I got at Third Sunday Market in Bloomington that act as their backdrop.

The next two pics are ugly.  The first is our giant TV.  Did I ever mention that Zac is a home theater installer?  Oh, and his addiction is movies.  It's absurd I know.  He was really annoyed that I put decorations on his stand.  He kept moving the nativity like it was blocking the surround sound.  He's ridiculous.  I know the decor is a little random, but I love that the Santa and the Snowman are center stage in the room.  They are faboo!  All scratched and pale from all their years on glistening snow. They make my heart smile.

The last picture is of my two small scale chairs.  Both were picked up at thrift stores.  The white one is from Catholic Charities, the green was originally peach.  Each cost me $35, and then the cost of fabric for recovering.  I know I've mentioned that I like clean lines and little legs and that's what makes these two chairs perfect!

This is the inside of the cabinet.  Of course, there are more books, travel and design.  I also dig my glassware.  I like that a glass lamp provides plenty of task lighting without any visual bulk.  The glass head is filled with vintage ornaments.

So that's the living room.  I will show the tree and the kitchen soon. There were just too many pictures to put it all on together!

My Little Home, Part 5

So you've seen my bedroom, bathroom, and office.  I was going to do the living room today, but instead am doing both the living room and dining room/kitchen.  I have to put them as two separate posts because I'm writing them at two different times and...well, I decided to get my house pictures done today :)  When you walk into my front (side actually) door you are standing right in the middle of the largest front room with the kitchen on your left and living room on your right.  The tree is right ahead of you, but this picture gives you an idea of the layout.

Shocking that I have a white glittery tree right.  It's a little sparse this year, but don't worry.  I went the day after Christmas to Walmart and bought half-priced ornaments to make sure it's dripping with bulbs next year.   The cabinet on the left is extra kitchen storage.  I didn't take a picture of all my cabinets because, well, they aren't that great to look at.

This is how things look standing in the kitchen. You get to see the jewelry tree that I made one year as my Christmas craft (this year was a felt tree skirt covered in sequins and last year was a wreath) and a hideously wonderful poinsettia painting.  Both are hung next to my giant paintbrush which gets shifted around at random.   The first close up of the cabinet..

I filled up my first aid box with vinage bulbs and set up another collection of Christmas trees.  I think I had 4 out this year.  They are really stiff bottle brush trees and I LOVE them.  I especially like the colors of these.  You also see a picture from a couple Christmases ago when Mag got a faboo deer bust.  We were rubbing noses with him.  I'm pretty sure he liked it.    Then, of course, Aubrie Grace, all set for a good cooking session in Annie's kitchen.

Oh, I take it back, 5 sets of trees.  These pictures are of Nolan, my nephew, Me and Grandpa Howard, Me and Annie.  (By the way Annie, thanks so much again for using the name Everett.  You could have had a Howard Reid and it would be cute.  I can't name a baby Howard Ballard.  You bastard.)  I adore these little foil trees.  The best part is that even though they are a little fragile, you can easily bend them back into shape so there's no real concern with packing them up each year.  Also, more books!   The little wire basket is nice for hauling them around though.  I have another wire basket just like it in my bathroom.  One weird thing you should know about me....I HATE toilet paper holders.  Just hate refilling, it's a pain.  So both Maggie and I say no to them.  Instead, mine stays all piled up in a cute wire basket.

I really love this table cloth.  It was my grandmas and is so funky and ugly.  It is super long and wide, but because it's always folded has those funny white crease lines fabrics get over the years and it therefore stays folded.  In the middle is a ridiculous candle stick holder that's a combo of garland, metal leaves, ornaments, and pine cones.  All are sprayed white, and all are covered in glitter.  Bet you could've guessed that.  It all sets on top of a green and yellow table that has just the perfect amount of chippy old paint.  Around it are two barrel chairs, which are shockingly comfortable, especially with a pillow in the seat.

This is the only decent looking counter space I have.  Yet another collection of bottle brush trees.  This time gold and sparkly.  You may have noticed that I have quite a few lamps.  Mom ruined me.  I'm not much for overhead lighting.  I prefer task lighting, even when it's on top of my microwave.  There's also the much loved picture of the last supper.  It's too cool.

This is a picture of my most prized Christmas posession.  A vintage Santa face that lights up.  His eyes border on creepy but I still love him!

So that's my house.  What little there is of it.  Hope you all enjoyed it.  I will post new pictures of the replacement dresser and other things soon!

My Little Home, Part 3

After Zac and I moved into the trailer park I realized how awesome it would be to have a big bathroom.  As of yet, we've had no such luck.  When we moved from #47 to #18, we really down graded in the bathroom department.  Our last place had been destroyed by the renter to the point where we literally had to rip out everything.  It was a pain for sure, but I did get a new tub and surround, new wood laminate floors, new vanity and sink and a new toilet (complete with a new toilet seat.  Necessary as the last woman to live there stole not only the appliances, but the light bulbs and toilet seat as well.)  This is a picture from the hallway.  

We've repainted the bad old cabinets which really does clean them up.  The countertop are still very yellow, but the sinks are new and there are TWO!  I don't know if Zac and I will ever be able to go back to just one.  It's so much more convenient.  Zac would always get pissy when I crowded him in the bathroom trying to brush our teeth at the same time :)

This is Zac's sink.  (Unfortunately the picture is close enough that you can see where I need to touch up the cabinet paint.)  He likes mouthwash so I always keep it stocked in the vintage decanter labeled scotch on a little gold plate on the front.  I figure its fitting considering all the alcohol in mouthwash.  I also love my two hands.  I've had the peach glass hand for years and years.  I think Mom gave it to me in junior high.  Perhaps having a place for my rings is what fed my passion for them.....anyway.  The porcelain hand is actually a glove form.  It says Latex, XL on the bottom in blue print.  I dig it.  The only problem is that the fingers are too large so my rings just teeter precariously on the tips, threatening always to bounce down the sink. (ps...i just realized when I viewed my blog that you can't really even see the hands unless you click on the picture to make it big.  I guess making the picture large wasn't the best option.  thanks blogger.)

This cabinet around the toilet provides lots of storage for me.  It's better than underneath the sink, which has absolutely no shelves.  I like for a house to be clean and organized, but also lived in.  I don't mind having out the things I use everyday.  For that reason, I display my pretty perfume bottles and think that my makeup brushes in a glittery votive holder are kind of glamorous.  I also keep my soap unwrapped and in a glass jar.  I usually keep a few different types of  Dove (which I love) and Zac's favorite, pull every drop of natural oils and moisture off your skin soap, Irish Spring.  I always hated when I would get in the shower and realize I was out of soap, so this solution keeps me squeaky clean without having to get out of a warm shower and leave drippy footprints across the floor.  I also love my shower curtain.  I got it at Old World Pottery for $8.  It's a cute pattern and full of wonderful color.

Now these beauties are oil paintings I picked up at a flea market.  One cost $11 and the other $6.  I couldn't believe it, frames and all! I love their saturated colors and the contrast of the all gold with the almost all blue.  Can't get enough of that serious expression on that little girls face, or her brother's socks.  I also like that they are unexpected in a bathroom.  In my previous homes they've lived in the dining room.  I thought they were fun and was a play on the idea of a "formal" dining room in a one bedroom apartment.

That's all for today. Tomorrow, the living room, complete with an all glitter Santa, reindeer, AND nativity!

My Little Home, Part 2

As you may have guessed...trailers are no the biggest, most spacious homes in the world.  They are generally for efficiency and not really they eye candy I hope for my home to be.  None the less...I love my little bedroom.  There is literally just enough room for the bed, a couple small tables and the dresser.  I love my bedding.  I picked it out at World Market and my aunt bought it for me as a wedding present.  I love the colors, orange, red, blues and brown.  I could paint my walls so many colors....if it weren't a trailer that we will eventually have to rent to someone else.  I also dig my vintage side table.  the one on the right just rocks my socks off.  There's plenty of space for all my books and easy access to them all the time.  The one on the left, I bought off of a stranger in St. Louis.  

This is a close up of the table on the left.  It has peely layers and underneath the top you can see someone's scrawly handwriting.  Its not peeled back enough to see what they were writing, but I love that kind of used, worn feeling I get from knowing that someone else owned this once.  That it had a story before it became mine.  I think that is really why I love thrift shops, Catholic Charities, junk stores and flea markets.  You just know you are gonna find something loved, but outgrown.

This is a view of the west side of the bedroom.  I did finally put up some wedding pictures....6 months later.  I love the one that I got printed.  My sisters and I are lucky that our county has really pretty, fancy wedding certificates, so that's what you see framed along with the pictures.  Some day I will post pictures of my wedding... in a one room chapel, in the country, surrounded by trees.  It was beautiful...but anyway, that's for a different post.  You also get to see a piece of abstract art.  For me, that picture has no soul.  I painted it to match the colors of some old bedding I have.  People seem to like it though, so I guess that's why I haven't changed it.  (It was supposed to be the 4 grandpa's with funny long necks for Maggie, but instead, abstract circles...sorry Gig)

The one thing that makes me love my little trailer bedroom is the closets.   That's right, plural, closetS!  Zac and I each get one.  There is a sort of funny little cubby in between.  Just wide enough to fit a storage ottoman that desperately need recovered and is therefore hidden by a throw (another must when you live in a drafty trailer).  Above that is my jewelry box, which has recently been turned into storage for my nail polishes as Zac bought me a fantastic new one for christmas.  Beside that is my jewelry tree, the monogramed candle I bought for my wedding ceremony and a mirror that will soon be replaced with, well, probably a different mirror I like better.

We Fox girls are nothing if not creative and that's how my jewelry tree was born.  Below is a close up.  This used to be a tree-topper and I bought it on sale at Walmart for $7.  I cut a chunk of wood, spray painted it, depressed the coiled spring thing that formed the base of the topper and screwed it flat to the wood.  The wood made it heavy so it stopped falling over and voila!

Last but not least, well probably least, is my dresser.  I hate it, and it is soon to be replaced by a piece of furniture I'm in the process of refinishing.  Its just not me.  I like vintage, mid-century modern.  Furniture with clean lines up on funny little legs, not this brown boxy thing.  Anyway, there are a couple more pictures from the wedding and a hideous old tv because Zac insists he can't fall asleep without the noise. (Which, by the way, is complete BS.  If Zac gets anywhere close to horizontal, regardless of he time of day, he's got max 5 minutes before he's snoring like the big man that he is.)

That's my little bedroom, in a very tan colored nutshell.  Tomorrow, I'm thinking bathroom, then we will get into the good stuff....the living room complete with my Christmas decorations.  I've taken them down already, but still love their look!

My Little Home, Part 1

Our trailer only has 4 rooms, the bedroom, the bathroom, the office and the kitchen/living room that are open to each other.  I figured since my sisters have both blogged pictures of their houses, and we have the shop (Ethel Edith), a few might be interested to know what my humble abode looks like.  I took quite a few pictures, so I will break this up into different parts.

This is the office.  It's quite small, but adequate for what we need.

  

I really like all kinds of art. Cubism, impressionism, still life, Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, love it. You will see in the next few blogs all kinds of art.  Most of it I've painted myself, like the two in this picture.  I really don't care for the two girls anymore, but I've not decided what to paint over it with.
Beside that is a little shelf Zac built for me.  It holds our records, my design, and his home theater magazines.  Under that are old marquis letters that I bough on ebay.  I also bought a & sign that I love.  I l like them together, A & Z, but there just wasn't room.  That rather unattractive piece of furniture is an adjusting table.  It is really all I need to treat patients (and plenty of family) at home.  I try to ignore it as best I can.  (Please feel free to do the same)

This is the opposite side of the room.  That bookcase is absolutely packed.  So much so that we stack books in all our other rooms and the tops of about any flat surface.  I really love this bust of Abe Lincoln..and the painting next to it I like to call Gabe Lincoln.  And of course, no adjusting room is complete without a couple of spines, one adult and one child.

Just a little sneak peak into the trailer. Nothing too shocking or out of the ordinary, but also no the most beautiful space in my home.  Hope you liked it!

The Vest Christmas Ever!

This picture is of the living room at Mom and Dad's house.  Just like last year it was packed with presents....lots of presents and there was not much room to walk around.  We like a good theme for our Christmas celebration.  We've had bad Christmas sweaters, bad hats and this year...well, it was vests.  I picked them all up at our local thrift store for a whopping $3.  I wrapped them all up and they got to be everyone's first present.  They are perfect!  Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures of our very vestifive Christmas celebration!

All the sisters and husbands (Abbie, Zac, Annie, Jade, Maggie and Kylie)

Notice how excited Kylie is!

.

Kylie and Maggie

Annie and Jade

Mom and Dad

The babies, Aubrie and Caroline.  (Everett wouldn't keep his vest on, or sit down for a picture.) How funny is Caroline's jean vest?!

This is one of my favorite pictures from Christmas.  I really like to paint and draw, even though I rarely seem to accomplish either.  I made each sister and my Mom paintings as presents.  By looking at them, you'd think I have no real artistic talent, but I promise I do.  They are bad folk art and that's what makes them so good!  The picture is of us three girls.  At first I hated it, but the more I looked at it, the more I loved it!  Those long necks just make me laugh every time. I hope you also love it!

Hope everyone reading had a fabulous Christmas.  As you already know, mine was the VEST Christmas ever!!!

CHRISTMAS!

I'm up late tonight.  Late enough for there to be the subtle shift from one day to the next.  And, today happens to be Christmas.  I am super excited.  I absolutely love Christmas.  It is one of my most favorite days of the whole year.  My family goes totally overboard.  This is the picture of your living room last year.

Notice the lack of room to walk.  My sisters and I agreed not to do presents for each other this year with all the big changes (Mag's baby and Jade's new business) taking up lots of money.  But of course, we ended up just not getting presents for each others husbands.   Sorry boys.  I can't wait until this afternoon when we all get together so I can give Mom, Annie, and Maggie their presents.  I will post pictures of the family Christmas and some great gifts.  I think this Christmas is gonna be the vest, I mean best.

My Favorite Things

Every year Oprah does her "favorite things" show.  I never watch it.  I do however, really like the idea of it.  So, I figured I would put up some of my very favorite things.  

Rings

I am a ring girl through and through.  Part of this is because I have ridiculously big wrists (yet again, the nearly-man-sizedness) and boobs, so bracelets are out and both chokers and long necklaces aren't great on me.  Part is because of the sparkliness of the rings.  I have all types, but the bigger and more over the top, the better.  (I will post a picture sometime so you can see what I'm talking about).  My favorite of all of my rings though, is my wedding ring.  The solitaire belonged to Zac's grandma. It's absolutely beautiful...and big.  We picked out out bands at Jared and I was really surprized at my pick.  I really love that I can drop my solitaire into the band and I didn't have to get it soldered, so there was no risk of wrecking up the ring.  I've yet to see another ring that I like more.  I just think it's really special and I LOVE it!

Bic Soleil 

These razors make shaving tolerable.  Not only do they do a great job, I never get razor burn or cut myself, but they are fairly long lasting for a disposable.  Plus there is always a coupon inside for a dollar or two off you next razor purchase.  

Ugg Slippers

My mama picked these bad boys up for me at Wal-Mart and I swear there is not a day that goes by that I dont wear them.  I wore out my pair from last year.  They are fuzzy and SO warm, but not so much that they make your feet sweat, which, lets be honest, is unattractive.  Probably my favorite thing about them is that you can throw them right in the washing machine and dryer and they puff back up inside and it's like having brand new slippers.  Awesome!

Gallery Leather Day Planners

I buy one of these every year.  They come in great colors and patterns.  Red, pink, purple, black, snake-skin, all are just perfect.  They have the little ribbon inside to keep your spot.  For some reason, it just makes me feel a little fancier.  I almost feel bad whenever I mess up and have to scribble something out.  I generally pick mine up at Marshall's or TJMaxx for $10.  It's totally worth it. 

Chapstick

What can I say, I'm addicted to Chapstick like it's crack.  I have two tubes in my purse, one in my car, one by my bed, one in my makeup kit, and one (at least) at work.  I don't really dig on the flavored stuff, I prefer the blue tube.  I really can't go a day without it.  I get all Napolean Dynamite, "my lips really hurt."  Seriously, its bad.  I would be lying if I said I had never used a co-workers chap without their permission (sorry Connie).  

Mustard Seed Necklaces

My mom got me my first mustard seed necklace when I was in high school.  I wear mine literally every day, it goes with everything.  It has the verse from Matthew "if you have faith as a grain of mustard, nothing shall be impossible unto you" engraved on the back.  I feel like it protects me and I find that I tend to rub it when I am thinking.  I forgot it today and kept grabbing for it the whole time I was at work.  I have always loved this necklace, so much so that I bought all of the mustard seed charms my mom's friend had and I keep them in my jewelry box to give to my future daughters.  I really do cherish it.  

Old and New Books

My family will vouch for me on this one.  I have always loved to read, but I also love old books.  I just think the spines are so beautiful especially the ones that are silver or gold leafed.  I have a few that continually move with me.  My very favorite is a collection of short stories and poems called One Thousand Beautiful Things.  It has a tan, aged cover and a red spine with gold leaf.  I also love my collection of coffee table and design books.  I never hesitate to drop 20 bucks on a book, when I would seriously debate 20 on a shirt or more home decor.  

Glitter (not to steal from Annie's obsessions)

I bought this glitter Jesus a year ago to add to my Christmas decor.  I also have a full on glitter reindeer too and I bought 5 all glitter ornaments.  I swear, I just can't resist it.  I always joke that my mom, sisters, and I are like racoons, if we see something shiny, we have to stop and look at it and pick it up.  I just love this Jesus....I kind hope when I eventually get to meet the real deal, he has glitter in his robes :)

My computer

This very day one year ago Zac gave me a laptop.  It's a MacBook and I couldn't be happier with it.  I had told him not to buy one because of the expense, but from the moment I opened it I loved it.  This is the 3rd Mac Zac and I have owned, and they are all up and running and fully updated.   Not to be snobby, I would never go back to a PC.  I dig my computer that much, and I'm not even a techie.....which is another reason why I put of starting my blog.  


Hahahaha.....there is no picture here because I just tried to cut and paste two pictures from the internet and it kept sending me to a different web page when I pasted them into my blog...so I gave up.  This is what I mean.  I'm not that computer savvy.  


And last, but certainly not least TRAVEL!!


Zac and I have been very fortunate to have friends and family in wonderful places.  Better yet, they let us stay with them for free.  For that reason, I've been to Florida many times, the Virgin Islands, New York, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and all over Europe.  I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.  You only have to see the pictures to know why.  The first is a picture of one of the patients I saw on my mission trip to the Dominican.  The second is one of the thousands of narrow streets in Venice.  The third is s Zacman on our honeymoon.   The fourth is Zac and I at Emerald Beach in St. Thomas. 

These are my favorite things....my truly truly favorite things.

My Best Friend (and possible soul-mate)

My best friend is named Courtney Kramer.  Regardless of the fact that she's now married and is not Kramer anymore, she's still Kramer.  We didn't really become friends until about 6th or 7th grade.  She invited me over to her house and we ate the most fantastic frozen pizza I've ever had to this day.  It was stuffed crust and perfectly done.  If there's one thing Courtney knows, its delicious treats.  Since then, we pretty much never found anyone as good as each other.  I have said more than once, and I know my sisters think its ridiculous, that Courtney may well be my soul-mate.  The sisters are convinced that your soul-mate is your husband, and that's that.  I don't think this is the case.  While

I do believe that Zac is who I'm meant to be with, I don't believe that there is just ONE person.  I believe I could have a great marriage with another man, if my life had taken another course.  If you read my blog about my journey to Zac, I think it's pretty clear that God always intended for us to be together.  But at the same time, I think that a soulmates love is unconditional, and I believe marriages are conditional. To say that mine is not, would be a lie.  I expect Zac to be faithful, and if he ever faultered, that would be the condition that would end what we have, or at least severely damage it.  I know that sounds harsh and may make it seem as if I don't value our relationship, but on the contrary, it makes it more valuable to me.  To know that Zac and I both are equals, our expectations for each other are the same, that some days we have to work at it, but we never lose that dedication to our imperfect other, makes me feel more connected to him. Make no mistake, I'm very dedicated to my husband, and I love him an incredible amount.  He will always be first in my life, before Courtney, before my family, but, for this reason, I believe that Courtney may win the title as "soulmate."  She has proven to me time and time again that there's nothing I can do that will make her love me less.  Even when I thought for sure what I was going to tell her may cause an irreparable riff, it never has.  I recently told her my deepest darkest secret and she just hugged me, and then we drank too much wine together.

After that tangent, back to Courtney.  She is ridiculous, spunky, emotional and quite funny.  Growing up Courtney spent a lot of time at my house.  This had a lot to do with the fact that it was always warm and we always had food.  Also, I have a very functional family, which I can't say for Courtkins.  She grew up with her closest family 4 hours away (they do speak, and it's getting better, but still not close), she has no contact with her Dad's parents, and her mom can be a little Mommie Dearest (the Joan Crawford movie....remember NO MORE WIRE HANGERS, anyway, love the person, not always their actions).  So Courtney came over a lot, generally headed straight for the fridge and came back with a Coke and any manner of Little Debbie treats snagged from Dad's stash.  Believe me, Dad always knew when Courtney was over.

We had an annual Gore-a-thon where we stayed up late and watched bad horror movies.  We drove around not noticing how nearly dilapidated our vehicles were because we had decorated them with fringe pinned to the ceiling.  We went to Catholic Charities and the Senior Citizen's Center in search of pre-owned t-shirts that may or may not have pit stains.  We made stupid home movies (complete with Courtney peeing her pants laughing) and tried unsuccessfully to eat an entire cake.  We always had a good time, even if it meant making our own fun.  For years this went on.....

We went through many stages together, short hair, bad thrift store clothes, drinking and smoking pot (which I will never live down).  I always imagined we would go to college together, but we were split up by fate.  Court started at EIU and started a new chapter in her life as a born-again Christian.  I really didn't expect that it would stick, which sounds awful, but Courtney's family was in no way religious.  Ever.  And, they were in no way supportive of her choice.  I still remember some of the awful things they said, and it takes a lot for me not to set them straight, but that's not my place.  Courtney's got it under control.  She's persistent and patient and her faith gets stronger each year.  It's something that makes me very proud.  Not only did she make the hard choices, she stuck with her convictions even in the face of opposition which is what I think defines a Christian.  It has never been about the title for Courtney.  It's always been about where your heart truly is.

Courtney met and married a great Christian boy and together I watch them grow up and figure out what marriage is about and how love endures.  I got to give the speech at their wedding, and everything I said then is still true a few years later.  I feel fortunate to have a best friend like Courtney.  We are not always the most consistent about visiting or calling, but that seems to be improving with closer proximity.  It's just nice to know that I've got a person to call to ask "is it unreasonable that I just yelled at Zac for not paying attention because he dried my brand new Victorias Secret cotton bras?" and for her to say "yeah, it is, he doesn't know about bras."