Sunday, December 27, 2009

Less than 5 Months

So what do we have done:
  • Venue? Check.
  • Dress? Check.
  • My shoes? Of course, that's a check...I actually have 2 pair already.
  • .

Sadly - those checks are the only ones..

  • Save the Dates?
  • Invites?
  • Guest List?
  • Decor?
  • Flowers?
  • Rentals?
  • DJ?
  • Band?
  • Matt's clothes?
  • Gifts for our "helpers"?
  • Registry?
  • "Rehearsal" dinner?
  • Hotel blocks for out of towners?

Oh. My. God.

Didn't I hire a wedding planner for a reason?

Quick Update

So here's what we've been up to lately:

Thanksgiving:


Ridiculous Hat Party:

Ridiculous hat required for entry.

Christmas:



All family photos taken at our New Madrid home away from home, Rosie's Bar and Grill.

Wild Life in East Nash

No, seriously...it was wild life. And not just wild cats, East Nashville is notorious for wild cats.
Today Matt was taking out the recycling, he came walking back up to the house and he hears something.
Looks to his right and sees this:

This is a Cooper's hawk tearing into the pigeon he just caught in our backyard.
WHAT?!
So of course, the only thing he could do is run out and try to get closer pics, while trying not to be attacked.


Once Matt got too close the hawk took the pigeon and flew off. He left us some feathers and that's it.

So ends another beautiful afternoon in the city.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Random Stuff about Me

Well, I thought since I hadn't posted in a while I might as well give you a long one to tide you over....
Here are 50 fun things to know about me. Written in February 2009 for a facebook thing...yes, I know I'm not on facebook. We kinda got into it at work so I did it via email with a few peeps.
This was written before the engagement, before we moved to Nashville...a lot has happened this year.
Enjoy.

1. I’m 28 and I’m afraid of the dark. There is a seriously scary cowboy that lives in the corner of my bedroom when the lights go off.
2. I sleep with the TV on and the remote under my pillow. Matt just had to adapt to that.
3. I’m the spooner in this relationship, he’s the spoonee….his arm is just too heavy and I can’t breathe when he’s the spooner.
4. I can’t sleep right without him in the bed with me.
5. I had imaginary friends when I was a child. 2 of them. Peacock and Pagan. Don’t ask where the names came from, I have NO idea.
6. Peacock used to beat me up.
7. My younger brother had an imaginary friend too, BIG imagination runs in the family.
8. My grandmother turned 90 this year and after her party she went out to the local bar with everyone until about 1a. She’s my hero.
9. She said the next day that for her 95th, she wanted to skip the fancy party and just go to bar with everyone.
10. I want a big family but pregnancy scares the shit out of me. I think Rent-A-Uterus is the way I’m gonna go to make this happen.
11. I want a marriage not a wedding. The more I think about weddings the more I want to elope and just throw a party to celebrate with everyone. I only need Matt there for the ceremony.
12. I would love to start a non-profit for the right organization.
13. I give away 5% of my income to various causes b/c even though I’m saving money for a Nashville house, it makes me feel better about the world.
14. I want to be a dog trainer. Victoria Stillwell (“It’s Me or the Dog”) is awesome.
15. My kindergarten classes only lasted ½ day, we went home right before lunch time.
16. I’ve had bad ankles my whole life. I jumped out of a tree, more like a little sapling, when I was 5 and sprained my ankle, Mom had to carry me to school on her back.
17. My knees ache when it rains or I sit still too long. Movies at the theater kill me.
18. I love, love, love taking a shower then getting into a clean, just been made bed with wet hair.
19. Cooking as well as my mom is something I’m still striving to achieve.
20. Matt and I extended our patio, tiled it, and built a pergola with only the help of Mike and Sam. We’re extremely proud, if you’d like to see pictures.
21. We also built a killer dog house, with windows, carpet, and siding.
22. I never want to live in a brand new house, I want something with character that I can turn into my own, East Nashville is very appealing to me for that reason.
23. I’m from Parsons, TN, on the TN river. I’ve been on and around boats my entire life and would be considered a “River Rat.”
24. I’ve lived in Omaha, Nebraska and Minot, North Dakota.
25. I want to learn to speak Portuguese and visit Rio to see Corcovado.
26. I was a cheerleader in high school.
27. The cheerleaders sponsored the dances after the football games, one time I showed up stoned and hid in the corner b/c I was so paranoid. Yea, I was that kind of cheerleader. Rah, rah, rah.
28. Early in our relationship, Matt wrote me a poem that ended with the line, “I even like her dumb thumbs.” I’ve been made fun of for these fat, mis-formed appendages my entire life. **Thumbs Up!**
29. I have a thing for turtles. Just love them.
30. I’d like to own a Rottweiler….or any big dog (as long as there isn’t a drool issue.) I also wouldn’t mind having something small too for portability reasons.
31. I love the grey cats with blue eyes….Russian Blues I think they’re called.
32. I’m a country girl at heart. While I do like the city and all the opportunities to go out, I need a certain amount of grass in my life, whether it’s alive or not, it’s still nice to have around.
33. To that end, I hate suburbia. Goes against everything I’ve ever known and really, how can your house have character if every house in a ½ mile radius has the exact same character.
34. I am really happy when I’m planning an event or a party….things like the time and date may slip through the cracks but the food and guests are a top priority.
35. I had a dog named Gretchen when I was little, she was a black lab and TERRIFIED of thunder. Pokey is my dog that is really my parents’ dog now, she’s the same way. I think it must be a curse on the family, we will forever have dogs terrified of thunder.
36. Back when I used to go to the babysitter, my mom would pick us up and I would wish with every fiber of my being that she’d surprise me with a horse when we got home. It never happened.
37. I still want a horse but I know that’s a bit impractical now just as it was back then.
38. I believe in aliens. I think it’s awfully lofty of us to assume that we’re the only ones floating around out there.
39. I rarely drink soda and when I do it burns my tongue.
40. I have a thing for good strong coffee. Like really good coffee, CafĂ© Du Monde style good coffee. It makes me happy and if I could afford it I’d buy a “good coffee” every day.
41. Sushi is one of my favorite foods and Sakura in M’boro is one of the best. Once I move, I’ll still drive out there to eat at Sakura. Totally worth it.
42. Tattoos. Love them. Want more. But not in very visible places, like my arms, more like my sides or my back. I’m thinking Moravian star next….or maybe the lilies….
43. If I’m not challenged, I’m not happy. Boredom and monotony do not serve me well in my work life.
44. I truly believe that Champagne will rain from the sky when Matt and I move to Nashville.
45. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals are the only artists that I pay to see every time they’re in Nashville.
46. I like cars and knowing how they work. I’d like to know how to do engine work but the grime that is permanently under mechanics’ fingernails has always deterred me from trying to learn.
47. I like flowers too. Too bad I have the brownest thumb in all the land. Who can kill evergreen trees and holly bushes in a single season…..I CAN.
48. Once I had killed the evergreen trees, we left them for a whole year and talked about them as if they were “veeerry expensive golden spruces from Japan….Veerry expensive.”
49. I name almost everything I plant. 2 trees in the back yard = Brad and Yoshi. 2 hibiscus on the front porch = Edward and Edwin. 2 hydrangea plants on the side of the house = Hazel and Jewel. I named the 2 potato vines growing on the pergola too, they were redneck names = Peggy and Pete.
50. In 2008, Matt and I both forgot our anniversary. We moved it back a month so we could celebrate. It’s a made-up day anyway.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Yea, that's just Creepy.

So this estate sale thing generally works in our favor. We've gotten some really "good stuff" (that is an original Sue term).
Quite a few pieces of furniture, some lamps and other decor items, etc.

This one is Matt's absolute favorite:

Of course, sitting atop Matt's other favorite piece...the late 1800s roll top desk, with a drawer locking system that we still haven't figured out.

I'm not completely convinced yet. It looks creepy to me....like at any moment the giant Egg lamp will hatch an alien to suck out our brains. Matt will be safe, of course, because he only has good thoughts about aliens, since they can read our minds and all.

One Down??

One room down about 15 to go.
Our 2nd living room is an office. Now that Matt has found the perfect roll top desk (thank you Bernice Denton Estate Sales) and we spent way too much money at Target in one trip.

We've got this to show for it:





Of course our definition of "Done," may be quite a bit different from yours.

The Kitchen

So we needed a kitchen. We needed it cheap. We needed it fast.
We got it.

Yes, that IS the debauchery fridge in our kitchen. Why yes, it was half filled with condiments so that real food wouldn't really fit.

As you can see, the kitchen is small. The dishwasher is across from the fridge and when open you're trapped in front of the sink...putting away the dishes in the huge built-in cabinet that you can't see here is really fun.


The picture above was all before the new fridge.

Enter singing Angels and heavenly light from above.


She's a monster and I love her. She's big and beautiful and white and CLEAN. And we can store much, much more than condiments now.
We thought the kitchen was small before. Ha.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The First Dinner

So the microwave is the only appliance that has really seen any use since we moved in, no dishwasher or running water in the kitchen kept me from actually cooking a meal.
Last night all that changed - we finally got to turn on the oven and cook.

I'm sure you're DYING to know what my culinary talents produced for our first real meal in our new house........
Tony's Frozen 4-Cheese Pizza.

A true classic.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I know, I know....

I haven't posted in a while. Here is your pictureless update.

Yes,
  • we now have counter tops,
  • the appalling issue with the basement and plumbing that I won't re-cap here has been fixed,
  • I DO have a back lit shoe rack (although no other type of closet at the moment, you see where my loyalties lie),
  • the shuTTer on the 2nd story was put back up (of course it fell down again but it was up for a week or two, we're calling that success),
  • the kitchen built-in shelving has been painted and the shelves lined (that took a whole damn Saturday!),
  • hardware has been added/changed on the kitchen cabinets,
  • most of the kitchen boxes are unpacked,
  • our 4 rocking chairs for the front porch have been sanded, primed, and painted,
  • the room of lamps is still FULL of lamps but much of the other stuff has been put away,
  • we did buy a roll-top desk b/c otherwise our "office" would be the dining room table (how's a girl to throw lavish dinner parties if the dining table is covered in computer and file boxes - that sounds like me doesn't it),
  • and the best part.....we FINALLY took up the paper that was covering the hard woods to protect it from all these people traipsing in and out (and I realized just how many rugs we'll have to buy.)

I'll follow-up with some pictures later.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Counter Tops - Today?

Cross your fingers but don't hold your breath....
We should have countertops installed this afternoon at 3p.

Here's to hoping the torrential down pour and thunderstorm warning don't stop the cabinet installer from working.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Everyone knows that Mary Jane is the smart one and Doobie is.....just Doobie.
Well, she's too smart for her own good sometimes. And she just wasn't content staying and sniffing around a back yard 3x the size of her last one. Nooo, she had to go and escape.

Yesterday, I woke up to Matt yelling. "Laura - she's gone. I can't find Mary Jane." Good Morning everyone....why yes, I would love to run around East Nashville chasing after a stupid fast dog.

Finally, I found her across the street and down about a block sniffing the bushes in between 2 houses. When I got to her, she looks up at me all waggly and happy like "Oh hey, where have you been?" She had no idea that we'd been running around the neighborhood yelling and whistling and shaking the bag of treats.

Later that night Matt was still upset about it. Not because he was afraid she'd be lost forever, but rather because she won. She beat him in a foot race.

Finally - The Long Awaited Pictures

They're here! They're here! You can all stop holding your breath. And be as awed and appalled as I am.

Yes, I know, we're missing a shutter upstairs on the left. Apparently, NO ONE took it down, it just happened to be laying in the front room upstairs with a crow bar sitting on top of it. But no one took it down.

Yep, those beautiful 1984 Aztec print couches made the move with us. Yay.



I call this the lamp room. Lovely, isn't it?



And the dining room - I just love that the chandelier is hung so high that you can't even see it in this picture. Ahhh, contractors.


Ok, so this one is a bit dark, but it's a bathroom and there is some really cool tile in the top of the shower.


The best room in the house. My favorite spot to cook a nice meal with a glass of wine...Except that THERE ARE NO COUNTER TOPS. I hate Lowe's and that's all I'll say about it.



After walking around my house and snapping room after room of boxes and ugly couches, I decided I should probably get some pics of why we bought this house....Otherwise, I'm sure you would start to wonder.





Love, love, love this light fixture.


This is the tree in our back yard. Effing amazing. Buck looks like a little Tonka Truck.

And this is the tree in our front yard. Yes, I know, I know, I'm a hippy at heart.


The window in the breakfast room. Details, it's all in the details.


We have 2 of these windows. One in each of the front rooms. Love them both. Please make note of the beautiful yellow, lace window sheers. Gag. One would think that one room of these sheers would be enough....oh no, one would be wrong. These sheers cover every room in the house.

Well, now you've seen some of it. We've got 3200 square feet and 4 bathrooms to deal with, each having what looks like original piping. Home built in 1925. Today we got the news that one of the bathroom drain pipes that is built into the block foundation is leaking into the basement. This is almost comical at this point.

I don't think I'll ever be able to take the key holder off the door.

Congratulations Homeowner.

The First Piece

We got through one box last week. One. It's hard to go through boxes when nothing in your house is finished!

Our first box was linens and this was safely tucked inside.



We must be home now.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Clampetts Move Out

We finally live in our house.
Buck may make us look like a couple of red necks...but he sure was helpful driving back and forth from Lester and Dooze's to our house with all our stuff.




Pictures of the current Mataura bomb that exploded in our house to follow.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Do you Hula?

Yay, my birfday was yesterday. After spending the morning sleeping in (Thank Jebus, I needed that)and the afternoon running house errands (b/c you can't go a full day without doing that...apparently), I expected a nice dinner at home courtesy of Lester and a super awesome, dance party courtesy of Lester, Dooze, and Matt.
What I got was all that and MORE....

Words cannot explain the supery, awesomeness that occurred when the rest of the family surprised me and showed up around 7p. Who knew a hula hoop could provide hours of ridiculous joy...Yea Birthday.









And with all that ridiculocity going on, the puppies had a lovely evening of sleep.

I believe the night was summed up best by Lester this afternoon, "It's not a good party unless someone gets hurt."
Poor Amy, may have broken her foot. Yea Hula Hoop.

Friday, September 18, 2009

A Planner

I wouldn't call myself a planner...not at all really. I will admit that I love being organized and knowing that everything has a home and I can always find things because they always go back to their home. Period.
Given all this organization, I'm not a planner. I can't do it. I have no thoughts about how to make things happen, linear pattern - nope, that's not me. I'm more of a fantasy, "wouldn't it be nice if we..." kind of person.
It's hard being this self aware. But nice too. I know my limits and planning is outside my limit.
We have a wedding planner and as cheesy and stupid and expensive as that sounds, I'm soo glad we did it. I only have to dress myself now. I get to pass all of our ideas through to her and she will just make it happen.
This is as close to jeans and a courthouse as I'm gonna get.

One Week

We're down to one week.
Next Friday everyone will be out of OUR house. It will no longer be a construction zone, it will finally be where we live. Our mail might actually be delivered there since right now it's being returned to sender. Really, US postal service, really? Like we don't know our own address....
But I digress, one week. THAT is the point, one week.

**I promise once we are actually able to see the house after work (no electrcity at the moment) there will be some pictures.**

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Week 4.

It's week 4 and we're still homeless...Gypsy does sound cooler but homeless is closer to the truth. Apparently, I'm supposed to be planning a wedding and buying a dress and worrying about the guest list and all that cripe, instead I'm concerned with when we'll actually be moved in and how the smallest kitchen on the face of the planet is actually gonna work and how in Jebus' name will we get the wood floors clean after all this dusty mess of renovation is over.
Well, I guess this whole wedding thing may be nothing more than me and Matt dressed in nothing more important than a new pair of jeans...I might get my wedding way afterall.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Obsession.


My boy Doobie has a new obsession... He's madly in love. She's tall and brown and lovely. She's a tree. This wonderful "woman" lives in the back yard of Dooze and Lester's house.

Doobie lives and breathes every moment of his days here for this tree.


He stares out the window and pines for her.


He stands at the back fence and stares at her.


And this is the only view he gets...She never gives him anymore than this.
She's quite the prude really.


And you thought this was gonna be a tree hugger post.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Gypsy Status Revoked

1407 Eastland Avenue
We have a new address.

Much quicker than we thought possible. Our original close date was Sept. 9th, our mortgage broker really wanted this commission in August so guess what happened....
We closed August 31st.

However, it is a renovation loan and the home has no HVAC, no kitchen, no working baths...The plumber and electrician started today.

Lester and Dooze only have to deal with us for a couple more weeks now.

Pics coming later. I promise.

To 'da Beach Boyeee!

Vacation is a wonderful thing.
We've been out of pocket since August 21st at the Hippy Farm beach house in Mexico Beach Florida.
Love. That's all there is to it.

Since we are still gypsies, our permanent address for those 9 days was 418 Nutmeg Street, Mexico Beach, FL. Lovely.


And since we are still gypsies, I have no idea where my actual camera is located. This butterfly is the only pic I got (with my camera phone) on the day we were leaving.

Gypsy Status Achieved

Lester and Dooze's House



The room that we've stuffed every thing into. And yes, that is a twin bed that Matt is lying on. I get to sleep on the twin trundle bed. The infamous "Father Knows Best" beds.



And I think they may actually like us.



We shall see if that is still the case once this is over!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Annnd we're homeless.

Well, here we are, August 14th.






Homeless.
Although I think I prefer the term gypsy... has a kinda of hippie cool vibe to it. Homeless just makes me think of the crazy blue haired lady and she scares me.