Updates from moi

Yesterday I reported that Ruby chewed a lovely hole in our brand new bedding. Well, my momma came to the rescue and fixed it and you can't even tell there was a hole. Bless her heart she sewed it all by hand and even made a pin tuck where there was a small hole. It's on the side near the seam so you won't even be able to tell!!

I now have a new job for the summer. I am going to be teaching pre-school to some wonderful 3 & 4 year olds. My job at the high school isn't during the summer, so I thought since we don't have any kiddos yet I should be working.

We rearranged our living room and I think it looks so much better! Not like a long hotdog! Here are a few pics I snapped after the move.

Lastly, our cutie little niece Zoe and her parents are coming to visit this weekend and we are so excited! We haven't seen her since she was born in November and she's growing like a weed!

I'm seriously flaming mad!

Today I am home sick, so Ruby and I are just hanging out. Well this afternoon I thought I would get my rear end out of bed and check my email. Well I gave Ruby her Kong with a frozen banana in it. She took it back to our bedroom where she usually sits and looks out the sliding glass doors. Well the blinds were shut because I hadn't gotten around to opening them. Anyway, I go back there not 5 minutes after she went back there and found this.....

This is our BRAND STINKING NEW bedding from West Elm. I am seriously irrate right now! Luckily it's close to the seam and my momma is coming to get it tonight so she can take it home and repair it. Seriously, we've had this bedding for less than a week! Ruby knows she's in trouble because after I said Ruby NO!! In my harsh voice, she ran to our purple chair and as I'm typing she hasn't moved or made a sound. So all in all, I thought I wasn't going to post today due to my lack of drama or anything interesting to say. Low and behold Ruby created the post today!

Maternity clothing boards

I was asked by a couple of mommies-to-be on the Nest that they would like some fashion help when they start to show. I was thrilled, you know I'm always up for an excuse to induldge myself in some fashion! Anyway, I first went to Polyvore and that site wouldn't allow my to upload, so I had to save each piece to my computer, upload it to scrapblog and then create the boards, export them as jpeg's then email them....PHEW, that was a process. You'll notice they aren't as detailed as the ones I make on Polyvore, but I thought the gals could get the idea, and Target.com doesn't show a lot of accessories online! So enough of my ramblings here they are. Enjoy!

This one is specifically for one of the gals that is a teacher and lives in the south. I thought these pieces would keep her cook and fashionable during the school year.

I love all these pieces for a hot day out or family outting

Another board for the working mommies-to-be


Casual pieces to keep the gals cool and comfortable in the hot summer

Both gals live in southern states, so by June they are going to need shorts, skirts and t-shirts to avoid sweating to death.

A casual or work day outfit
We all know summer is wedding season and these gals will still look fabulous in get-ups like these!
I did the wedge heel because I find them more comfy than a pump yet still fashionable.


I did mostly flats due to them both being 6-8 months in the summer, and I thought flip flops could easily be inserted where flats are.

Re-organization 102

Last week I posted about organizing under our kitchen sink and out entertainment center. If you don't remember, here is a reminder! Well, today I continued on my quest for re-organization casa de B&A! It started out by going to Wal-Mart and getting 2 more storage totes, clips to fix our shelf in the linen closet and some drawer organizers. Then I was armed and dangrous with my labeler and my determination to organize. I don't have before pics but here are the afters.

I first started with our cupboards above the washer and dryer. We keep our laundry stuff and Ruby's odd and end's along with her bones and raw hides here. Here's how it turned out.

I labeled our stain removers, Ruby's treats and Ruby's medications.
Next up is underneath B's bathroom vanity. Although he is a very clean hubbs it could use some help. So I went to work and here's the end product.

One container has all our sunscreen and the other is all the extra products B could ever need for his bathroom. On the other side I am storing extra t-pee, kleenex and my travel makeup bag. I don't have room in my bathroom.

Next is our linen closet that has given me trouble since day 1. We have tons of extra towels, travel size bottles, medicines, etc. So I purchased totes from Wal-Mart and Bed, Bath & Beyond and here's how she ended up. Please excuse the fact that I couldn't get the whole closet in one picture. I sitting on the sink to take these. The linen closet is literally right behind the door.

Thanks for looking! Have a great week! Cheers, Abby

Winter blues...

So it's the middle of winter in Iowa and I need a vacation! Well that's not going to happen anytime soon. We are going to see Padre and Margie in Ohio I think in March, but it will still probably be cooolllddddd. So the next best thing is looking at pictures from our cruise in August 2007. We traveled with B's fam to Italy, Sicily, Turkey and a slew of Greek islands. So I thought I would post some beautiful pics from that vacation to warm everyone up and cure the winter blues. Have a wonderful weekend!

Mykonos, Greece

Athens, Greece

Santorini, Greece



Rhodes, Greece
Amalfi Coast in Italy





Enjoy your weekend!

Reorganization 101

So I've started to re-organize our entire house, and I mean ENTIRE!! So last weekend B and I made a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I scored some totes and organizational gear to clean up our humble abode. I started with underneath the sink in the kitchen. Oh and also the tv stand. So here are the before and afters! Enjoy!

The tv stand in the living room...A hot mess before...

After

Totes from BB&B for $5.99 and basket from Pier 1 $10.

Up next, underneath the kitchen sink...

Before....ooohhhh scary!

After= much better!

2 layer rack from BB&B $14.99

Next up....labeling!!

I'm honest??

The awesome Chelsie awarded me this award and I am beyond flattered!!

Here are the rules:
01. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
02. Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
03. List at least 10 honest things about yourself:

Here goes nothing!!
01. I amd in love with Coke. As in good old Coca-cola. I have one a day...mmmmmm
02. I am compulsive about my clothes. They have to fit perfectly and look just the way I want them to.
03. I look more and more like my older sister as we get older. Not a bad thing in my mind.
04. I have an insane number of collector Barbies. I started collecting them when I was young and most are still in their boxes and worth some dough...although I will never sell them and if B and I never have a daughter my niece Stella will inherit them.
05. I am overly passionate about kids that are less fortunate than I was. I want them to get the best chance at life and can't stand it when they aren't motivated to do so.
06. I treat our dog Ruby like she's a person. I talk to her like she's our daughter and as if she's going to understand me.
07. I am not a big breakfast eater at breakfast. However I love breakfast for lunch and dinner.
08. I am midly addicted to green tea and champagne, if I could drink champagne everyday, I would.
09. I hate fish, the smell, the taste, swimming with them, just dislike everything about them all together.
10. I am terrified that I won't be a good mother. I know I can take care of a child, but in this world it scares me to death that I won't raise my child to be the best they can be.

Now here are the lovely ladies that I am passing this on to!
Leslie, Holly, Sarah, Abbie, Erin, Katie, & Marialena

I am sick to my stomach

As I watched the Presidential inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, I was proud to be an American, I was proud to call this my home country and I was sick to my stomach with the odasity of ome people......As the former President Bush took off in the helicopter, I heard booing, I heard NA NA hey, hey , hey goodbye.... My proud feeling immediately left me and I could not believe that a grown adult would stoop to that level.

I it my true belief that we live in the greatest country in the world and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, we have the freedom of speech, but seriously people have a sensor. You may not be a Bush supporter, you may not like the guy, you may even hate him. But the pure fact is, he has kept you and your loved ones out of harms way for 7 years. You may not agree with his policies, you may want him out of office quicker than you can say Abby, but there is a level of respect that I think each and every President deserves. I am not an Obama supporter, HOWEVER, I would NEVER boo my President, NEVER!! To me that shows a lack of class that we as a country should be ashamed of, it show truly how thankless they are for the job he has done. To take on the job of the President is a thankless job and each of these 44 men that have been sworn in deserve our respect as a country. Again, even though I am not an Obama supporter, he is now my president and like it or not, he is working his tail off to keep me safe, to make this country better than it has been before.

Lastly, it is my true belief that until you step in someone's shoes, you should not judge. So until you want a thankless, stessful, and painful job, then it is not your position to judge. It is your position to have class, dignity and respect for the leader of our free world. I do hope and pray that President Obama leads us to a better economy, but if not, I will still and always have the utt most respect for the man. He after all is OUR PRESIDENT.

Now, I am not going off on my faithful blog readers, and I couldn't sit by the wayside and let this go unnoticed. Have a wonderful Tuesday..... I will back to my regualr blogging schedule tomorrow. Cheers!

Our new bedding

This past week our new little baby arrived in the mail. I was so impressed with it and I've already fallen in love! So this past Sunday B and I made a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond. We were scowering the aisles looking for the perfect bedskirt and throw pillow, but to no avail, we left without accomplishing our list of to do's. However he did walk out the door with some of these....

The Shamwow....It's so good you'll be saying WOW!!

We then headed to Target and hit the JACKPOT!! I seriously would have never thought Target would be able to accomidate all our bedding needs. Not to diss Target, cause we all know I love me some Target. I really thought Bed, Bath and Beyond was going to be THE place. Anway, we found a bedskirt, 2 throw pillows and I scored a free one from my sister who's pregnant going through her nesting phase. She wants to get rid of the fabulous pearl pillow.....I'll take your hand me downs.... So here she is....

So there you have it ladies....the new bedding!! Now All I need to do is paint the frame above the bed black.......Happy Monday!

Our guest room for your viewing pleasure...

So our guest room has been the bane of my exsistence since we moved in September 2008. I just don't know what to do with it, I don't love it, we rent so I don't want to paint, the list goes one. Well I have now come to drastly like our guest bedroom and it only needs a few more little touches and VIOLA!! We will have a room that I just might love. Now I wil l preface this with I am decor challenged, however give me a potato sack and I can make you a divine get-up. Anyway, here's the little lady as she stands right now... Sorry the bedding is wrinkled, Ruby was laying up there.

Ruby thought she needed to make an apperance.

So now on to the details...

These are pics B and I took on our trip to Greece & Italy

The infamous bubble lamp from Target

I love my new boxes from Hobby Lobby

Pillow also from Hobby Lobby

Got these babies for 50% off

Vase from Target

Mirror, free from my sister

Shelf..free from my mom

Green desk=free, chair redone by my momma, boxes were an xmas gift, wreath was from our wedding, the mail sorter I will get to..

So now all I need are some window treatments and then I think I will call it a day!
Oh forgot bedding is from smart bargains

On to this eye sore....well I am taking care of that this weekend...It will still be in it's same place on the green desk, but it will be drastly different....Any guesses what my weekend project is???

I'm keeping it becuase it has great storage and I think it will look pretty snazzy when I get done with it!

Hello 1990 called and they want their fugly mail sorter back!

Have a wonderful weekend!