The Party's over...

in more ways than one.

Did I mention I was going on vacation with my entire family (yes, that's my parents and siblings and my family and their families) we were a party of 15.

These family vacations always sound like a great idea in theory - and it was a pretty fun time but you know sooner or later someone was going to get crabby. Yesterday was my day. I got some news Tuesday which could drastically change life as I know it, all in the context of one email. I can't say much more right now as I don't have the full details but I'll give you this hint - right now you can color me BLUE.

And speaking of blue - swimming pictures - there is a lot of blue. Hey I know it's a stretch but I had to find some segway to moving on...

SOOOO - all in all it was fun. There was sun. There were water sports and sandy beaches and cool breezes off the lake. There was shopping. There was nothing that resembled camping. The vacation was good - most of the time - except for those crabby moments - but really other than that - it was good - seriously.

I had intended to write more but I'm still in a fuzzy vacation brain state of mind. Tomorrow there is laundry and getting back to the real world. The party's over - SERIOUSLY :-)

Well, maybe I am a little bit like her...

I think I have mentioned this before - and if you know my mother you know it is true - but my mom can't stand things being the same for too long. She will wake up in the morning and decide that a room that was perfectly fine the day before needs to be repainted, or redecorated or rearranged or rewhatever. Seriously, she will decide to paint and have the job done before she has changed out of her pajamas. Me, I like to sit on things a little while. I HATE it when I don't think I have made the most perfect choice. That there may have been a better choice. That if I had it to do again I'd have made a different choice. Never mind that nothing has to be permanent, in my mind there is only chance - get it right or you're out (I know I know - it explains a lot). BUT sometimes, just sometimes I will do a major thing on a minor whim. Today was one of the days. I started out with the intention of REALLY cleaning the downstairs bathroom, as this is primarily the "guys" bathroom I usually let them do the cleaning - but their idea of clean and my idea of clean - vastly different. So while Alex and the HotY went to see some World War II B52 Bombers which were being showcased at our local airport I decided to tackle their bathroom. As I was spraying and wiping and disinfecting I noticed that the wallpaper was peeling in a corner. This is wallpaper which has been in place for approximately eight years. It's nice tasteful wallpaper - but wallpaper none-the-less and really, I was tired of it. So I started picking at that little corner and before you know it I had torn off an entire strip of wall paper. So I started on the next little corner - and BAM another strip of wallpaper gone. I was methodically working my way around the room, truly not thinking that much about what I was doing when the phone rang - it was the HotY wondering if I thought it was worth $850 to take a ride in a B52 Bomber - well of course it is not - Holy Bananas you had to call to ask THAT question??? So we got that business straight, I hung up the phone, took a step back and looked around the room. WOW, I had almost completely stripped all the wallpaper. And I did it on a whim. There was no pre-meditated thought involved. No second guessing. No wondering what the right color for the walls will be once the paper is removed. Nope, just tearing and admiring how much bigger the room looked without that green paper on the walls. This is just the kind of thing my mother would do, maybe I am a little bit like her after all - DO NOT TELL ANYONE!

TTFN... if you need me I'll be at Benjamin Moore trying to decide on paint - don't look for me anytime in the near future this could take awhile :-)

I'm glad THAT wasn't my mistake...

So that concert to be given by David Garrett in a small community near me - not so much. There is a theater by the same name in St. Louis which is where the concert is REALLY being held. Many of the on-line ticket vendors incorrectly listed the concert. OOPS! And I thought I could screw things up :-)

My girlies are with my parents for the next few days. I miss them. I always think I want a little peace and quiet but when that happens - it is not all that. We had a girls night out last Friday and I got a few cute pictures of them while we were eating.





I love those sweet faces!

Crazy busy with signs, and work and getting ready for vacation. Maybe that is why I can't write. I have too much to do :-) But you know this blog thing - it's a great procrastination device - but don't tell anyone :-)

TTFN...

Oh, and I'm on Twitter now (amgrimm1). I KNOW. I have so little to say - but it has to do with Etsy. I can't explain it but really the Twitter thing - it wasn't my idea - REALLY! Trust me. And I'm not advising you to follow me because if you think this blog thing is lame I won't even get into the banality of the Twitter...

How much is too much???

So I am not really a concert going girl - unless it is an outdoor concert. There is something about listening to good music under a clear sky with a warm breeze. But there IS a concert I'd really like to see - David Garrett - have you heard of this guy? I hadn't until just a short time ago and now I'm very intrigued. I love the violin - and the way he plays is beautiful. Look him up - even if you don't like the violin you'll be glad you did (well if you are a female anyway). Here's a nice clip of him giving a little background on his life. Anyway he is coming to a smaller community near me - but the tickets are almost $400 each. WHAT? WOW! That might just be too much - even for a girl who doesn't get that caught up about money. Oh and just for listening pleasure - listen to this. It is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.

So in other news, I've been out of sorts - I just can't get into a writing mode. I know it's all been a little flat lately - sorry. I'm trying I really am. Don't give up on me 'cuz you know that's my biggest fear (well after that fire thing anyway) - people giving up on me - seriously :-) Now you know my secret...

TTFN...

What about the tinker the tailor and the candlestick maker…

So I’ve been checking out wedding blogs lately (hey I never get tired of looking at pretty dresses and gorgeous jewelry) and I’ve noticed something - these weddings are over the top gorgeous, fully coordinated and EXPENSIVE. Doesn’t anyone throw together a wedding with six months and five thousand dollars anymore? Sure, the new wedding look is simple and understated yet elegant – but, trust me – not so simple or understated or cheap (but definitely elegant).

It takes a lot of time and money to put your initials on every solid surface within spitting distance, to pull a few flowers from the garden to make an “informal” wedding bouquet and to stand on the corner of a city street so a journalistic photographer can take a cool picture for your wedding album (I won’t even get into the goodie bag deal – lets just say the only goodie I ever took home from my wedding going single days was the best man).

(image provided by Zinke Design)

Don’t get me wrong. I love looking at these weddings. I love seeing the gorgeous brides in their Vera Wang wedding gowns and three carat diamond wedding bands showing off their custom designed table centerpieces and the candy counter treat table. BUT, where is reality? Where is the college loan debt? The rusting car and studio apartment? The borrowed veil and quarter carat diamond? The pimple on the chin and smeary mascara? The REAL people REAL wedding? Does it no longer exist? Is everyone marrying a doctor, a lawyer, a swindler or a saver? What happened to the tinkers, the tailors and the candlestick makers??? Seriously. I want to know. Where have all the real weddings gone???

TTFN…

Disclaimer: This blog was not written to offend any brides that have held or will be holding an awesome wedding. Seriously I love you - it gives me something pretty to look at. This blog was written in jest – and a little envy - but mostly it was written in wonder. How can there be so many fabulous weddings when there is so little fabulous money????

And if my reference to the doctor, lawyer, tinker and tailor sound familiar – well of course it’s all in a song

Say it with pictures...

we had a nice 4th of July weekend with my family at my parents. Swimming, s'mores, fireworks, camp fires, sun and fun all with running water and indoor plumbing. Please explain to me the allure of camping when you really can have it all in your own backyard :-) Seriously...

Here are some pictures to enjoy. Can't think creatively tonight. Stimulation overload ;-)