I'm Sorry.....So Sorry

We have been planning to go with Stephanie and Lance to Blue Man Group for over a month now. Tickets were a little pricey, but I heard that it is an amazing show, so we have been really looking forward to it.

Then after my visit with Austin Police, Michaela broke her brand new glasses, and with Christmas - I started to feel a little overwhelmed. Considering Blue Man Group is going to be a $300 night, I thought it might be the responsible thing to not go. So I told Steph, against Steve's wishes, to see if there was somebody that would want to go in our place.

She has been stressed this week too with all these appraisers coming to her house, not feeling good, ect. I call her everyday to ask her questions about Saturday, in which she has not had a single answer. This morning, after enduring a little heated commentary with my husband, I called her to ask the same questions that I have been trying to get from her since Monday. Still, not a clue, exec pt for she finally had a price on the tickets.

I guess I came down on her a little hard.! Oops. We are always meanest to the ones we love...I told her that I had to know, ya know? And a few other things, that I will not go into. After getting off the phone with her, I thought, "now I probably just came across really rude!" I called her again to apologize and she sounded like she was scared to answer the phone.

SO SORRY! She got the brunt end of Steve and I's conversation, AKA argument. I send my most sincere apology. As I was walking through the mall tonight, waiting for Michaela new glasses, I saw this T-Shirt. It said, "I saw a therapist for my schizophrenia, we are doing fine now." I thought that I might buy that and wear it to the show. It is a wonder I have friends, really.

Give Dylan a SHOUT out...

So the big "D" turns 7 tomorrow! I can't believe it. The time has flown so fast. And even though Michaela and Dylan were a painful 15 months apart, the pain must have subsided; because we all thought Dylan was turning 6! I mean, I really knew he was going to be 7, but it took me a minute to remember. My side of the family thought it was the 6th b-day and so did Steve, Shh!

Anyways, he took his 2 dozen Krispy Kremes to school today to share with his class. He is such a good boy. I thought I would list 7 of my favorite things about Dylan.

1. He is articulate and very smart. He memorizes really useless information!

2. He has one of the best smiles I have ever seen.

3. He isn't a "wild" little boy, he is pretty mello.

4. He is very very responsible, always keeping me informed of important dates and times.

5. He still loves to cuddle with his mom and will get me a diet coke whenever I am in need.

6. He says very sweet prayers, always asking for us to have fun (repeating that part about 3 times.)

7. He is a great artist for his age! Holy Cow, I need to start a blog just for that...

Love ya Buddy!

A Sneak Peak!

Oh, for the love of all that exists!~ Peach lady doesn't like the green. I hired my friend Lorena to paint this room, and now she wants it redone. Good heavens, how did she notice the color over the PLUM couches? Or, rather, the PLUM chairs that are the size of Wisconsin...

So it ain't over. I am still working on the Gameroom. Waiting for the install of the new fan, and for my Roman Shades to come in. I love this room. The greatest part is the curtains, which you can't see in this pic. Guess you will have to come back to see the update next week. Bye Bye to the Wheat Grass, I guess. I will shed a tear...

We Found It!

So Steve has broken out in some "mistery" rash 3 times since we have lived in this house, 2 of them in the past month. This time he got these blistering rashes around his wasteline, behind his ears, on his neck, and arms. It was just nasty! The weather cleared up enough for us to search the yard yesterday for poison ivy, and hold the phone - we found it!Very clear that no one in this house has his Eagle Scout! There are all sorts of poison ivy, but this one looked exactly like the picture on the internet. Not the typical "3 leafed" plant that I always keep my eye out for! So after being on steroids 3 times, it is good to know that you haven't lost your mind! There is something causing this. Question is now, how do we get rid of it? It is in our flower beds!

"Peach Lady" Gameroom

Oh, I am so ALMOST done with this house. I have some great things on the backburner that I can not wait to get started on, which makes finishing this job even more painful! I know I always am sounding like I am complaining, and maybe I just need to shut my piehole, but I really need an outlet here - and for my blogging friends, they are kind getting pooped on. Sorry...

So here is the room that I will be working on this week. Today I am painting it a color called Wheat Grass by Sherwin Williams. I love this color. It is green, but has a lot of brown in it, so it makes it really nice and subtle. Plus it is light, so it doesn't weigh down a room like an olive green would do.

But first things first, rug and couch are going BYE BYE! I actually didn't think the couch was that bad, it kind of goes with the rest of the furnishings. But she was insistent! Unfortunately, she picked out her own couches and, as Stephanie put it, they look like they belong in Willy Wonkas Factory. They are plum in color! I am just going to close my eyes and decorate around them. I found a really whimsical rug to bring in all our colors though. I like it for the price and the fact that this is a gameroom and shes wanted to keep it pretty contemporary.

Disclosure: if I sound mean when I talk about other peoples taste, it is not really because I go through peoples houses and judge their choices. It is because she is paying me money to help her, but she is not receiving the help all too well. Maybe I am the one with bad taste. I think my mother in law tried to tell me that over Thanksgiving. (That is another blog all together~)

Christmas Candles are HERE!

This year, I decided to do Christmas Candle tins and sell them already gift wrapped. I am keeping the cost as low as possible - you can get a 12 ouncer, gift wrapped for $10! What can you buy anymore worth anything for $10? I will tell you, a Christmas Candle from Candice!~

Great gifts for friends, neighbors, and if you are really feeling nice, your brother or sister.

I am taking orders, first come first serve. I intend on running out!

Available Scents:

Apple Cider

Pumpkin Harvest

Pear Berry

Gingerbread

Cinnamon

Cinnabun

Vanilla

Candy Cane

Ah, a day at the Spa

Addison had her little friend Maya over for a playdate the other day. They had a blast! They watched Elf, which I have now had to listen to about 18 times! And Steve and I took them to McDonalds for some luncho! Natalie tells me that it is a criteria now for them to eat lunch together there everytime they play. Ought Oh! All the dress up clothes came out, they must have changed 50 times...so fun.

Addison asked if we could go to Build a Bear with Maya too. I think I may be the only one in America that feels this way, but I feel that $60 to buy a bear, pick out clothes, and bathe it is a bit steep! I really just wont do it! What is wrong with me? I am such a mean mom.


So then she asked, well can we get a pedicure then? Holy crap, only 4 and asking for pedi's. We are just breading little high maintenance girls. But it is so fun to watch them. They felt so special and looked so cute on those little massage chairs. I hope that this will not become "criteria" for their playdates too!

Sad Day

My day started off so brilliantly! I took peach lady shopping and finally found a rug that she agreed upon! Yay!~ With happiness showing all over my face, I got in the car and promptly started my trip to order her Roman Shades...

Even more, I checked my voice mail and had a message from a real estate agent that wants me to work for him on one of his Sellers house's. I love more work. As we discussed if I could fit him in before the new year, I passed a police officer right on Slaughter. Agh! I was driving Steve's car, and the feel is so much different than the Suburban, so I guess I was speeding a little.

He pulled me over, and the short is : 10 miles over the speed limit, old address on Drivers License, & couldn't find where Steve kept the insurance card. 3 citations fool! I was so mad. He didn't let up even a little. I checked the dollar figure on each one and it looks like I am in $450~

Merry Friggen Christmas to you too - PIG!

Sorry, I just feel like I am running around with my head cut off trying to make ends meet and have a good holiday with my family and then I get hit with that. Not that I was not responsible for some of that, but he could have been a little more lenient. It is the holidays, after all. And not to sound shallow, but I really don't think the fact that I was in a Mercedes helped. I think that gave him even more reason to write out those tickets. If I had been in my Suburban, he may have shown more grace. So it's really Steve's fault for insisting that he have that car. If only mine didn't smell of 3 day old Jack in the Box this morning, I would have been driving mine. The cost of making clients happy! Oh well!

ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

My aunt did this with her family, I thought it was cute...

ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

SYTYCD Matrix Dance

How could I forget this dance - one of my all time faves.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Oh the Holiday Season is fast approaching! Steve and I are going to try and get all our Christmas Shopping done together this Monday and Tuesday while the kids are in school. We have never done it this way, I am always the one that does it, and I am looking forward to spending the time with him!

Today, after my Sunday nap, I asked Addison what she wanted for Christmas. I expected her to reply, "a barbie, or doll." But she quicky stated she wanted a Pony! Oh dear me! I said, "A pony?", and she said , "yeah, her name is Butterscotch, let me go get the picture for you." She then ran and got the target ad. I told her I didn't know if OUR Santa brought $300 ponies for Christmas, but she has assured me that he does. I am thinking "a negative" on this Christmas treasure. Don't you think she will be sick of it in a week?

Quite the deal though, for the low low price of $248, you get the pony and the carrot and brush!

Make Use out of Old Frames

Peach lady had a plethora of old pictures stacked up in closets throughout her house. I felt that maybe accenting our peach bathroom with some shades of brown, might help it a tad. I found these old animal prints and took them in to good ol' Hobby Lobby. Within a week, I had new custom pictures that were very cost friendly. We did all 3 for like $65, prints included! What a deal...Unless you like the animals!

"Peach Lady" Master Bath

So everytime I faux finish a room, it takes a good year off my life. Especially in bathrooms and kitchens! Cheese and Rice - it is sooo tedius! But faux finishing in peach, that is another story. I think this bathroom took at least 3 years off my sweet little life! I saw peach for days after...kind of like after you have your picture taken, and you see the flash for a few minutes after. Yeah! You know what I am saying.


I tryed in every way to talk my client out of Peach. Not that there are not some nice peach shade out there! Because there are. But this is not it. Originally she wanted me to plaster her bathroom in peach. I thought that that might just kill me. Plus shave about 15k right off the value of her home. So I talked her into this patina finish. For peach, "that'll do pig."

Border removal! Even if I had not been blessed with the oppurtunity to paint this bathroom peach, removing the 1980's ivy border was a must and only took about 30 minutes!

Towel Bars are not only for your drying towels. Infact, I prefer a good hook for that, hidden somewhere! Like in the room where your "pooper" is. Put some nice towels just for decor on those towel bars! Even if they are peach and have little cute bows on them. Something!

Get rid of the brass! For all the Love! Spray paint it brown or something if you can't afford to replace it. But my peach lady loves brass, so she would have none of that. Instead I replaced the nasty cheap glass with prettier glass from lowes. It did update it quite a bit. And "hold the phone", they had it in peach!

I realize that bathrooms need to be functional, but get rid of your plastic soap dishes and at least have something decent. Especially if you make over 50k a year. Come on friends! They don't break the bank and it is so bad looking. And for your cotton balls and q-tips, if you must have them on the counter, put them in something decent. I would feel so much better about that. Really...

"Peach Lady" Guest Bedroom

This furniture is maybe one of the few antiques that I can appreciate! I really enjoyed doing this room, even though it is a little "over furnished". I only spent a couple hundred on accessories, since it was not originally in the budget. But I felt as though it was a MUST, considering some of the things that she had in there. I painted the room in "Restrained Gold" by Sherwin Williams. This is a no fail color! I also carried that into the guest bathroom.

Big hint - don't save something just to have it fill a space. If it looks this bad, it belongs in the Garbage or at Grandma's house! A simple space unfilled is much prettier until you have the right thing to put in it's place! And if it has sentimental value: that is what attics were made for!

This is NOT Okay!

Please destroy these type of frames if you have them. They have such great frames available without breaking the bank. Hobby Lobby is my favorite place to buy them. They put them 1/2 off all the time, so you are getting the amazing picture frame for like $10. Puts Walmart to shame!

One of the Nicer pieces of art was hidden behind her bed, as shown above I took it from behind the bed corner and hung it between to sconces to make it the focal point in the room. Love it!

"Peach Lady" Bathroom

Ahhhhh, I am so almost done with Peach Lady. So other than replacing the cabinet in here, I am done wwth this bathroom. She pretty much gave me free reign, since it is only a bathroom. Then, when I was done, she added a very expensive shower door with BRASS! What do you do for these people - as I have said before, "If you call 911 for help, you don't argue with the paramedic!" I am here to save you from very bad designer choices, and she didn't listen. Stephanie took the after pictures and didn't include a picture of the brass door. I think it is a must see and I will update this post with it soon.

Favorite Hip Hop Dance

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Favorite Group Dance

Heidi and Travis

Still my favorite dance from last season:

Roller Scraping

The kids have been looking forward to Natalie's 30th B-day party for the last 2 weeks. Since 1 late night was enough for my sickness this week, Steve decided to take them. They had a bit of trouble getting to their feet, but had a blast! For some reason the camera wasn't working too well, but you get the gist! Good Times...Happy 30th Nat - sorry I missed it.

So You Think You Can Dance

What a night! I was sicker than a dog with a fever and was throwing up today. So what better night to have my most coveted tickets to So You Think You Can Dance. Don't think that I was missin' that show. We have been waiting since Summer!

We drove to San Antonio and dropped Addison and Dylan off at the Grandparents. We decided to get a bite to eat before going to the show. We stopped off for some Chinese at Full House. Michaela was very excited about the show and was being very expressive. All the sudden, she was freaking out, holding her hand saying that something cut her. I couldn't see anything at all in her finger, so I ran her to the bathroom - we had everyone's attention in the restaurant. There didn't appear to be anything in her finger at all! We went back to sit down and I looked under my chair and there was a Bee! It had stung her when she put her had on the table. Little Jerk. She said over and over it was the worst night of her life!

We continued on, doing our best. We got to the show and 3 huge screen came on with Nigel, the host of the show. He was talking on the screen and showing some of his favorite "bloopers" from the show. Michaela had her popcorn and soda and sat back. I think she thought that this was it. We were here to watch a movie about the show. Then, they came. I thought she had lost her mind. She went crazy. She couldn't believe that they were really there! Check out the video - you can hear the screams. I did a terrible film job, mostly because there were no cameras aloud and I didn't want to get busted.