uwharrie. i have loved loved loved uwharrie chairs since i first saw them in a store window ten years ago. i couldn't pronounce the unusual name then, but i have learned and dreamed of someday having a big porch to put them on. well, this is the year, my friends! and the timing couldn't be more perfect - right now they are at discount prices and free shipping at adirondack-furniture-direct.com. i can't decide between the original and the nantucket styles, or the white and the island green colors. any opinions out there? help! the sale ends friday!

my aunt e-mailed me a few days ago. (i have a really neat aunt, everyone should have a really neat aunt, don't you think?) she wrote to tell me about the jibbitz website, because she knows how i love my crocs. in her e-mail she also managed to sneak in some encouraging words to me. i forget exactly what she said, but she made me feel talented and special. i love people like that, so generous with their words. it reminds me that i need to give like that to others too. just words can make a big difference.

i have posted three times today. i have noticed some bloggers post faithfully every single day. i am more like a here and there poster and then boom, three times in two hours. what does that say about me? ummm...don't answer that. :)

have a great weekend!

so you know how i am taking the year to remember class with heidi swapp? i am really enjoying it and think it is going really well. this month we had to make a page with the people we love and our next project is to take pictures of all the things in our life we are grateful for - love that! but i am a little behind with my pages. heidi is very inspiring, she is upbeat, fun and likable. but i am a little mad at her. instead of being inspired to document my year, she inspires me to eat chocolate and drink diet coke! seriously! i never drink diet coke, i think it is so bad for me. but heidi drinks it and talks about it, and she makes me want it. and if you know heidi, you know that she also is a chocolate chip cookie fanatic, which as you may know, so am i. again, kind of pushing me down the wrong road. so i am starting to wonder if this is going to be a year to remember because i gain 50lbs? oh my goodness!

we had inspections at the beach villa last week and they found a lot of mold in one of the walls. the inspector said that the way the place was designed, mold grows in the same spot in all of the units with that same floorplan. i can change some kitchen cabinets, but mold kind of scares me. so we canceled our contract. whenever we write up an offer, i always make sure we put something in writing that says we can refuse the property if repairs exceed $xx. i learned in my real estate working days to keep that number small. that way you always have the power to deny a place if you choose to during the escrow period. there have been a few fleeting moments when i get sad about having to let this one go, but really i believe there is something better out there for us (like maybe the house pictured above?). and besides, the hunt is kind of fun :).

we went to the beach for the extended weekend. it was lovely, but it was FREEZING! when we got back yesterday, i was so mad that it was still winter i went directly to the closest grocery store and bought every spring flower i could find. so now, it is spring in my house. who says you have to wait? :)

today kellie wrote:

"It's here! It's here!
Thank you, thank you!
I love my treats! The box arrived last night and was filled with so many wonderful pretty and yummy things. It was a warm and welcome ending to a very cold and busy day!
Thanks again -- you are so sweet!"

i am so glad you like it, kellie! it was my pleasure :)

are you feeling crafty today? there is something about this holiday that just makes me want to sit at a table all day long and glue stuff together. really, i could do that any day. my husband and i exchanged gifts yesterday. we are really impatient around here! he got me a new pair of crocs and a karaoke attachment for my ipod. i know, totally not 'romantic,' but the man knows me - isn't that love? :) i got him a dual purpose orange golf shirt. orange is not a color he has in his closet and all hokie fans need a little orange for those 'wear orange' games! he loved it. i hope you all have a special something to share with your sweetie today! if not, start getting crafty!

happy valentine's day!

pay no attention to my sidebars for awhile, my blog is in a re-do mode, sort of.
:) i am going to post kellie's gift, but i don't want to ruin her surprise, so i will wait until she receives it. she should get it tomorrow! it is raining here. we have a metal roof, so i love the sound of the rain. hope you are having a happy week!

well, in a sunny side up sort of way! i still need to paint the bottom :) someone asked me how i can paint a table so quickly, do i sand? the answer is, yes, but only sometimes. i do not paint like those people on home television shows that make this a twelve step process. i've got carpool! and i like things done yesterday...so i work with a need-based system. which means, sometimes i paint backwards. my first step - slap on the paint. i only use primer if i must, and this piece didn't seem to need it. so after i paint a coat, if i then need to sand, i will. this piece has two coats on it and will need one more with maybe a light sand. because we will use it for eating, i am going to finish it off with a clear matte polyeurethane finish. and you want to know what else? i paint my furniture in the house(the garage is so cold and unfriendly). this table got painted right there where i plopped it. i put an old vinyl tablecloth underneath it and opened the window while i worked. you see, i try to make this as easy on myself as possible :) have a great weekend!

i drive a suburban. sometimes i wish i didn't. like when i have to parallel park. you see, we got it because we drive everywhere we go as a family and we always bring our golden retriever. but when it is just me scooting around town, i think, did we have to get such a big car? but yesterday, i was reminded why i am really glad we did.

yup, spontaneous purchasing.

just before i picked up my daughter from kindergarten i ran into my favorite (oh, it's just the dearest) little antique shop. the kind of place where you say, "hello, bonnie," to the store owner when you enter and she says, "how are the kids?" yes, these places are rare, but they still exist and they are such a treat. dear bonnie always decorates her front windows. she uses antique postcards and items that match the color of the current holiday. yesterday, she had old lawn flamingos smack in the center in all their pinkness with red wagons and red toy cars scattered all about. an outdoor valentine theme. i don't think bonnie realizes her talent. i always try to tell her how much i appreciate her thoughtful windows. anyway, i had only a few minutes yesterday, it is a fairly small store, so i can get through it quickly if i need to. i was thinking i would just get a few vintage valentines for my own valentine decor...but that ended when i saw the perfect table. the one i have been looking for. the table that needed to have at least one drop leaf, that had to sit 2 when in closed position, but at least 4 when opened. the one that had to be rectangular. the one that had to have character. there she was. right there. my little valentine. you see, with a small sedan i would have only been able to fit the vintage cards(and maybe a lamp), but with the suburban....

she's home sweet home.

and yes, i will be painting her this afternoon :)

good morning! my husband picked a name out of the pink hard hat this morning while i held it in high in the sky...and the winner is...

congratulations, kellie! please post a comment here (i will not publish your information)with your address, and i will send your big pink package on its way to meet you!

i will post a picture of the package for everyone to see before it leaves me. happy thursday!

here she is, ladies! all shiny and prepped for the occasion! i can't wait to see who the winner will be :) i am glad you entered, i have been visiting your blogs all afternoon - lots of new friends out there! if you haven't entered yet, you have until midnight. good luck! :)

i have been so grateful for the kind words i get here, i wanted to give something back.

remember this cute little girl? i am making a valentine package with her pink sister in it. if you post a comment here, i will put your name into my big pink hard hat (i'm serious!) and the lucky winner will get a big pink present in the mail to celebrate valentine's day! you gotta post by this wednesday at midnight. i wish i could send one to all of you!

please play along, i am going to be generous.
i think you will love it:)

:)bethy

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? on a farm in pennsylvania
2.What's your favorite article of clothing? my collection of little cotton hooded jackets
3.Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? smile, and stephen, yours is the best:)
4.What's the last CD that you bought? alan jackson, precious memories. i buy it for everyone.
5.Where's your favorite place to be? at home
6. Where is your least favorite place to be? in a crowd
7.What's your favorite place to be massaged? my back and this is a weird question.
8.Strong in mind or strong in body? neither, but it is okay. i am doing fine. :)
9.What time do you wake up in the morning? 6:30
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance? the coffee maker
11.What makes you really angry? ignorance
12.If you could play any instrument, what would it be? the guitar and i would sing really loud
13. Favorite color? pink, blue, and ivory
14.Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV? an suv monday - friday/a sportscar saturday and sunday.
15. Do you believe in an afterlife? absolutely, but not like reincarnation, like heaven
16.Favorite children's book? oh, so many! miss rumphius, the watsons go to birmingham, any romona book by beverly cleary...and i love jamie lee curtis and kevin henkes books too.
17. What is your favorite season? spring
18. Your least favorite household chore? putting the clothes away
19.If you could have one super power, what would it be? i have always wanted to be able to twinkle my nose like samantha on bewitched...if i had his power, i would use it to make all the beds in the morning.
20.If you have a tattoo, what is it? i do not.
21.Can you juggle? i don't think so.
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to? laurel
23. What's your favorite day? tuesdays - today!
24. What's in the trunk of your car? i don't even want to think about it...a big mess i'm sure
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? burgers, well done with just lots of ketchup

i tag my mom. do you have a blog yet, mom? come on, mom!!

i came across these pictures the other day. they are from the first home my husband and i bought together. the first picture is of our kitchen the way it was when we moved in (minus a very floral wallpaper that i had already removed before the picture was taken) and the second picture was after we did some small improvements. ooh, ooh this could be a game! how many changes can you spy?

here she is! our LITTLE piece of paradise :) we finally agreed on a price (you gotta be tough with a flip!). we will close at the end of march if the inspections go well. the place has some good features on the inside, high ceilings, an open floorplan, a decent kitchen to start with...but it is the outside that makes it special. it sits right at the 18th hole and it is a simple walk to the club and to the ocean. the island is a gated equestrian community where you can use golf carts as your transportation! i am not sure i will want to give this baby up! but there is a lot of work to be done, bathrooms gutted and redone, kitchen cabinets replaced, some new lighting, some new flooring...but i look at it this way...i get to pack my hammer and my beach towel. not bad!

1. mean people aren't "mean," they have problems. when you look at it this way, you have sympathy toward them, not anger.
2. every accomplishment deserves a party. with cake.
3. sing. read. play games.
4. always look at the big picture. in every frustrating situation, pause and ask, what matters here?
5. don't do your make-up while driving.
6. balance is key. don't drink too much, don't eat too much, don't do anything too much.
7. find the right friends.
8. be responsible.
9. pray.
10. little things mean a lot.
11. it's nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.
12. love to learn.
13. appreciate the old.
14. get a lot of sleep and drink orange juice.
15. work hard and with a smile on your face.
16. tell your children stories about when you were a little kid.
17. cut out the nonsense. get off the phone, stop the gossip, quit complaining, no wallowing in the past. just get up and get cracking. there is way too much to do to have time for nonsense.