And...it's Friday

Let’s go with a solid cliché here. TGIF! This has been a long, challenging week. Not a Silver Lining, so I won’t go into to the details. This picture pretty much sums up my feelings today. I feel like a cross-eyed baby.

Onto some positive notes. This weekend we don’t have any plans! I am so excited about this. I think I am just now recovering from last weekend and the whirlwind bachelorette party in Chicago. What a weekend that was! Memorable and awesome. But now, I’m ready for some R&R. Jay and I plan to spend a lot of time at home this weekend. And we’re talking about dinner and a movie on Saturday. A pretty typical date, but we haven’t had a typical date, pretty much all summer. So here we go, the movie choices. This cracks me up. I want to see Midnight in Paris.  

Jay wants to see Cowboys & Aliens. Hmmmm, I wonder how this is going to go down.

This is an age old dilemma. I think we may have to flip a coin. Although, I wouldn't mind seeing his choice. I mean who doesn't like Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig? I can gaurantee we can agree on a restaurant though. We never have problems with that.

The Time Has Come

Jay and I have reached a point where a shared a calendar is necessary. We are having trouble keeping up with each other’s schedules. Sometimes, we can’t even seem to keep up with all the conversations we need to have.  So, time for a cool kitchen calendar! I’m hoping this calendar will be a place where we can keep lists, dates, occasions, and invitations. I’ve found this calendar on Etsy. This seems to fit the bill. It’s a functional calendar. And bonus, it has a paisley patterned cork board at the top for invitations or photos. I love paisley patterns. And the price is pretty good. $60 bucks. Not bad but not cheap…and cheap is usually better. And, will this fit on the wall we have available in the kitchen? Hmmm.

Or this one. Also an Etsy find. This one is cheaper ($25), smaller, and lacking the cork board but it is magnetic. We can also get our names customized on it. I can see "Jay & Gudrun" fitting nicely along the top! Or we could wait until we're married and get "The Ellsworths" on top, but we'd have to await awhile to do that. Decisions, decisions.

Even cheaper, at the Container store. They have this $11.99 magnetic, dry erase calendar. Another one to ponder. And should we get the lavendar or the lime?

And back to Etsy. This one seems pretty cool. The Calendar is under glass, so you’re writing on the glass as if it were a dry erase board. This one is $30 and seems pretty charming. There are so many choices!

They also have it in turquoise...

Just from beginning my search, I’m getting the feeling there are a million varieties out there. Anyone like any of these? Anyone know where I should look for a functional yet stylish kitchen calendar? I'm going to keep browsing. I'll let you know where we end up!

Karaoke

I’ve always loved music and singing in the car. So I think it’s only natural that the Karaoke bar has become one of my favorite places to go for a good time on a Saturday night. I think the main reason I love karaoke bars so much is basically because, the karaoke bar is just like singing in my car; only better because they serve drinks and instead of the people beside you giving you looks, the people beside you give you a high five and sing along!

This past weekend, at my college roommate’s bachelorette party in Chicago, we ventured out to the Blue Frog. The Blue Frog was nothing short of phenomenal. Far more incriminating photos were taken, but for the sake of everyone involved here are the ones that won't get anyone in trouble! ;)

The Blue Frog is one of those great dive bars. Not a single soul in this bar was close to sober. Not one person. Which made for great Karaoke. And every person was singing every song at the top of their lungs whether they had the mic or not. And it didn't matter if you were on key, sounded great, or even knew all the words. It was amazing. The whole bar was united. Everyone was enthusiastic. The 4 bridesmaids and the soon-to-be bride were having a blast.  

And Dorothy is also a bit of a talent. She killed some Karaoke. I cannot sing, but I love it and did it anyway. 

Mega Friday Post!

Lots going on today people. First up. No biggie. It’s my 29th birthday! This will be my last year in my twenties and my last year as a single girl. So, yay. That’s worth celebrating! In honor of the occasion, Jay my constant encourager and #1 fan sent me flowers at work yesterday. If any men read this blog, take note, girls really do love flowers! Below is a picture of the arrangement he sent. For some reason, blogger does not like the photo I took...so here’s the picture from the ProPlants website. Actually, he didn't get me flowers, he got me a plant! A rose bush, which I took home with me in hopes that it will continue to grow at our house! I’m thinking office lighting would kill this pretty plant.

Second. I've got a condo update! Last Sunday, I spent the entire day from 10:00am until 11:58 pm working on the condo. I was exhausted the next day, but it felt great to get some things done. It would be super if everything could be done after a day like that, but sadly we're somewhere in the middle. But I did get the bathroom cabinets painted! That’s a big item off the to-do list. Here is the before snap shot. Notice the wood paneling, rust around the handles, and the smattering of paint blobs from the previous owners. Lovely, no?  

Here’s the after. Ta-da: white cabinets and new door knobs! Looks much better. It took me 4 coats, plus a coat of primer to get the coverage right. That wood paneling did not want to go away.

Annnnnd, this weekend I’m heading to Chicago to celebrate one of my college roommates upcoming wedding! We’ve got a great little weekend line-up! And celebrating anything with these girls and having them in my life is a real JOY and blessing! We are forever friends and always there for each other and anytime we are together, it’s like not one day has passed since college. And that, my friends, is priceless!!!

I'm sure I'll be throwing more crazy looking hand signs this weekend. And I bet there will be a few photos with my mouth open and my eyes closed. Or maybe we've matured? But my guess is it's going to be pretty typical and that means a good time to be had be all!

Cupcakes!

It’s my birthday on Friday, which I can't believe and I also can’t believe summer is half way over! In an effort to help celebrate, a little perk to working in a big law firm, you get gourmet cupcakes on your birthday.  These seem sweet, but really they are baaaad.  So I’ll have one and give the rest away (or to Jay). But really, no one should eat 6 cupcakes! This is insanity. But they are pretty!

Also, you can see a little of my exciting work space. Whoop?

More posts to come! Forgive the lack of posts this week! Blah blah, I've been busy, Blah, blah. But it's true! And this weekend I'm off to Chicago! More on that soon....

O.M.G.

So I have posted this room before as one of my favorites for inspiration. I blogged about it here! I just love everything about it:

And today, I found the owner of the room. Look! It’s totally that room being lived in! With a dog! And the owner has a blog. Sweet! http://www.isuwannee.com/ Even crazier, she lives in Raleigh, NC. And she has a store in Raleigh called Furbish Studio. Totally checking it out next time I'm home.  She's descirbed as having" a rare combination of good taste and accesibility that could only be born in the south"! It's a small world. 

Just thought I would share. This is cool. Maybe I'll pick up some useful tips from her blog. And maybe if I visit her store I could chat with her and try not to look like a total stalker. And also, apparently, her room always looks this good.

Happy Friday!

It’s the weekend and that last post was not very exciting. I think this is more fitting for a Friday!

This guy reminds me of my one-eyed hamster I had in college. College roomies, you remember Hamdu?!?!

Have a good weekend everybody!

Posting with Hope

I posted our to-do list several weeks ago. We've made some progess, but obviously still have some work to do. Maybe this weekend we'll cross a couple more things off. I am in the middle of finishing our book shelves and almost done with a DIY project to our medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Look for a post on that next week. And maybe I can paint the bathroom cabinets this weekend? And I did end up with some cute door knobs! Whoop. But for now  I'm posting this in hopes of motivating myself and refreshing this list in my mind. Anyone else love lists like I do?

Entry Hall

TO DO	TO BUY
Finish cleaning floor	Accent table
Finish painting doors	Art arrangement for above table
Organize closet	Overhead light
Hang artwork	Umbrella Stand
	Shoe holder (?)

Hallways

TO DO	TO BUY
Hang artwork	Rug for hallway (?)
Replace overhead light	Art for wall
Go over trim work and ceiling	Light fixtures

Kitchen

TO DO	TO BUY
Paint Cabinets	Calendar/Cork Board
Replace Hardware	Paint
Organize cabinets	Hardware
Consider new flooring	Flooring
Consider new counter tops	Counter tops
Consider new appliances	Appliances

Living Room/Dining Area

TO DO	TO BUY
Clean up ceiling	Dining room table/chairs
Remove boxes	Overhead light fixture
Organize books, decorative items	Entertainment center
Hang mirror over couch	TV
Hang artwork	Floor Lamp
	End tables
	Coffee Table

Bathroom

TO DO	TO BUY
Paint bathroom	Mirror
Replace Mirror	Over toilet storage
Replace lighting	Medicine cabinet replacement (almost done)!
Organize cabinets and storage	Lighting
	Bath mats

Guest room

TO DO	TO BUY
Organize furniture in room	TV
Organize closet	Creative storage for the closet
Hang artwork	Rug
	Curtain
	Floor lamp

Master Bedroom

TO DO	TO BUY
Organize closets	End tables
Organize clothing	TV
Take down closet doors	Matching table lamps
Hang curtains
Find dresser
Hang artwork