oh dear lord. i am SO behind on blogging, on keeping up with the blogs i subscribe to, on DIY projects, on learning my lines for the show, on sleep, on pretty much everything i can think of right now. although i did go to the grocery store last night, which was a start.

rehearsal tomorrow & poster distribution for advertisement; should be fun. we finished blocking the rest of the show last night, so we can start run-thrus soon i think! that's always where it starts to get to be the most fun. it's funny; as tired as i am doing a show during the school year, i really love having that creative outlet and that SOCIAL outlet, spending that time with my theater friends! it is something that not only keeps me sane but adds something to my life, making it richer. so i'm thankful for the talent i've been given and for those who've encouraged and taught me and molded me along the way and to those to have given me the chance to discover what i can do. yay! ok, enough of the sappiness.

can we talk about how emotionally and physically exhausted i am after this first week back to school with the kids? i can't really get into details here since it's such a public arena that's connected to many of my fellow teachers, but suffice it to say that i am dealing with a lot of situations in my classroom/building right now that i was NOT dealing with the past 2 years i've taught here. and it doesn't help that i have 22 students. they barely FIT in the freaking classroom! i mean, you should see us trying to do calendar math together. one of the special ed. teachers came in my room the other day and didn't even see me, because in order to show them the calendar, i have to back myself into this tiny corner in the back of the room and reach my hand, and only my hand, out with the vis-a-vis pen! if only i could take a video; it would be comical. it's kind of like the clowns in the car at the circus. just saying.

also: where's the joy? cuz it ain't lurking anywhere in my hallway, that's fo sho! it's been a rough start to the year, what with pretty much everything technological being broken in pretty much every classroom, being the new campus technology rep, and having some kids with special needs that take up most of my day in energy. it always turns out that the kids you have to work the hardest for are the ones you end up loving the most, though, doesn't it?

a good note is that my class this year is filled with some truly compassionate, caring, and beautiful little kiddos. i think once we get into the swing of things, it's going to be an amazing year of learning for us (including me; i'm already learning so much). so i guess beyond the exhaustion, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

i am hoping to start back going to the gym next week. i also really miss thrifting! i haven't been shopping at goodwill or my thrift stores in like a month! must get back into the swing of things once the show dies down some. maybe the week after we open...

i will try to get back to blogging on a regular basis, because i miss it!

happy weekend, all!

How freaking cute are these curtains? The color and fabric, not so me, but I love the idea of having privacy that still brings in plenty of light and also boasts a beautiful window treatment.







I saw this last image of an eat-in kitchen on The Gypsy's Corner and loved it. This is exactly what I have pictured in the corner of our kitchen but have not come across anywhere. I love that what would normally be a wooden bench is comfortable upholstery, and the black chairs would be perfect for my fiesta ware/tuscan themed kitchen.

OK, so be looking for all of these wonderful things to happen in my house...when the lotto-fairy visits me.

Whoo hoo! Check out the end result:




Perfectly complements the new necklace hanger I made last week! From far away, the earrings almost look as if they're floating!

the aforementioned hemp...and a few tools. The frame I got at Goodwill last week for a whopping $4.00, and it was already this color!!

First I measured where I wanted my holes on the back of the frame and marked the spots with a pencil. OK, these eye hooks were SO tiny, I could barely keep them in my fingers, so I needed to use a nail to hammer my holes rather than just try to screw the hooks in from scratch. This helped a lot. I screwed them into their holes (heh heh) as much as I could, then used my trusty pliers to wind them all the way in. Then I just tied the hemp to each end and voila!


Tip: I left the long ends on the hemp and simply taped them down to the frame to hide them (just in case I need to re-tie the knots down the road).



Wow, this one tiny corner of our bedroom is starting to have a little life of its own, huh? It must be time to tackle the bedroom hand-me-down furniture. Wonder if I can make that happen before I go back to work in 2 weeks...ugh. I really want an electric sander before I tackle that!

I guess I probably need to paint the jewelry table thing, too, huh? Are we in Heirloom White overload yet? Be honest, I can take it.


I'll leave you with this picture of Jessie, who is spoiled rotten, and has taken to sleeping on our ottoman.

Linking up for Make Your Monday; thank you, to Kim at Twice Remembered. Be sure to stop by and check out what everyone else is making!

Thanks to Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality for hosting the blog party again. Please take a few minutes to head over there and check out everyone else's thrifty finds!

Also stop by Between Naps on the Porch, another great blog, for her Metamorphosis Monday link party. Good times; I love getting inspired by you creative bloggers out there!

Let's just start off this post with a picture of a gorgeous child, our niece, who is about to turn 1 year old. I mean, is she gorgeous, or is she gorgeous?


Moving on, when I say extravaganza, it's because I have been a tad obsessed with thrifting lately, so of course i've come across many great finds that just needed a little extra love (spray paint) to enhance their inner bling. Ahem. God, how I love spray paint.

Well, this is going to be long, so get comfortable.


Do you see that white, empty spot on the wall behind these thrifted candlesticks? Doesn't that look like a perfect spot to install a few shelves to hold my arsenal of spray paint and various supplies? Yes, I thought so, too; I'm glad you agree! Anyway, these guys became chocolate brown and now live on our mantel (is mantel spelled -el or -le?).