and then i got Mono. good times, right? well, i think it didn't help me that i could barely move, so at times i didn't even feel like holding my book for very long. i've watched plenty of tv, completely read 2 novels, read 4 magazines cover to cover, read probably close to 400 blog entries--all in the last 9 days since i got sick.

finally on friday (the day after my birthday--which was spent in bed--joy), i couldn't take it anymore. i was bored. it was a strange feeling.

i started cleaning out the drawers and cabinets in our wet bar. i rearranged all of the odds and ends, repackaged some of the Christmas china that was still out loose, rearranged the 18,000 margarita and wine glasses we have, and organized my recipes. this is quite comical, you see, as i don't cook. like, ever. :)

please enjoy the photos from my day of severe boredom.

here is my lovely recipe binder, given to me by clint's aunt carol at my bridal shower. look, i'm actually putting it to use!

I took all my loose recipes and labeled, cut and pasted them onto these loose leaf recipe pages. YAY organization!

I decided to keep the original recipe cards from family members and simply dropped them into a sheet protector that sits in the front of my recipe binder. I love the vintage recipe cards and beautiful handwriting! We just don't write in cursive like the older generations did. I call my own handwriting "prinsive," a random combination of print and cursive letters. It seems that's what most people use these days. Oh well, it's unique if nothing else. :)

here's my newly reorganized nook above the wet bar. i'm still not sure i love it, but i like it better than what was there before (margarita glasses with that same fiesta pitcher--too many glasses with the hanging ones).

now that i moved the cookbooks up top, it makes the counter a lot less cluttered, as seen here, with a lovely framed photo from one my musicals and a lovely crystal bowl filled with wine corks. the crystal bowl was a wedding gift, and i figured since i don't have a china cabinet, why leave it hidden in my cabinets? i need to drink some more wine, though...

here is the "new" left side of my mantle. i'm really liking this side. it seems balanced to me. i like the platter, but i'm constantly afraid it's going to come crashing down at some point (most likely in the middle of the night, waking a frightened yours truly to the faux sounds of an intruder).

here's the right side of the mantle, which just doesn't look right to me. i can never figure out what is wrong with my mantle groupings. i rearrange things a thousand times, i've read advice about it on several blogs, i've shopped the house and tried out new things (enter everything on this side now apart from the brown vase). i'm at a loss. oh well. it'll do for now! :)

here is the whole mantle (terrible photo, i know). what can you do? the problem is that i can't get too rustic-vintage in this room, even though i love it, because the living room is done in a new, mod version of the 60's flower power, including a chocolate brown shag rug, and pillows with large flowers in burnt orange, avocado, and red. we have an avocado accent wall to the left of the fireplace. what's a newbie decorator to do? :) just keep trying different things!

thanks for stopping by!

i thought i'd post a little about the books i'm currently/soon to be reading. :) there is not a day in my life that i don't have a book in progress. as soon as i finish one, i pick out a new one to start the next day.

next up on my Kindle is Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot. Cabot is the author of all the Princess Diary books and writes chick lit for teens and for adults. i find her voice very fun to read. she has good comic timing. not sure if any of this makes sense, but she really is an enjoyable author to read. i think i must have read the original Queen of Babble book last summer, so hopefully i'll enjoy this one as well. there is a 3rd, also: Queen of Babble Gets Hitched. i love series!

HA! i am such the sneaky one, n'est pas?

anywho.

#1: Electric staple gun: too costly for my taste, but the cheaper one only got 2-3 stars. Meh.

#2: Fire Pit: for my backyard parties, yes? YES! not too shabby for $79!

#3: Electric sander: are we sensing a trend here? that i'm lazy, perhaps? YES. Would you like to know that the Lowes' website did NOT offer what I was looking for?? And I would be shocked if they didn't HAVE an electric sander, but I sure couldn't find one!!! So I had to resort to Home Depot!

OK, moving down my list to things that can't (alas, sigh) be purchased with hubby's stolen shared (what's mine is yours, and so on, right?) ...gift cards.

#4: Paint from Restoration Hardware: for my newly redone kitchen walls (to be). Cappuccino, please.

YAY for home improvement!

well. i wait. tested negative for strept but the doctor thinks i may have Mono. GREAT. unfortunately, i can't get tested for Mono until at least the end of the week (assuming i'm still sick). so i wait. and pray it's not Mono!

in the meantime, of course my birthday AND Open House are Thursday, i have a huge joint birthday party Saturday night, and I'm supposed to be at rehearsal tomorrow night, Thursday night, AND Saturday.

Seriously? Could this come at a worse time?

Waiting and praying...