Other Furniture We've Acquired

Over the past few months we've been fortunate to acquire some new pieces of furniture from my Dad's side of the family.
A buffet and the clock sitting in the middle of it:

Currently residing in the odd little aside to the living room that we don't know what to do with.

Another buffet and hutch - you might call this a china cabinet except we don't have any china:

Currently residing in the breakfast area, where we never have breakfast....or any other meal for that matter.

Dining table:

This table will unfold and we have leaf for it too - perfect for Thanksgiving dinners....except that I don't cook Thanksgiving dinners.  Cooking turkey scares me.
It currently resides in the breakfast area, keeping the "china cabinet" company.
Bonus points if you can spot the puppy in my picture. 

And every great table needs chairs:

We have 5 of these and 1 with arms.  They currently reside in the dining room with the big table we found on Craig's List for $75, b/c the Craig's List table will not fold down like the inherited one.

We're very thankful to have this furniture from the family and with some of my own history.  Bonus that it's pretty and in great shape.

This is what happens -

What happens when you have nothing in the fridge and you haven't menu planned in months?

This is what happens:

Pepperoni pizza rolls.

Honey ham and cheddar cheese pinwheels.

Hors d'oeurvres for dinner - that's what happens.  Nary a fruit or vegetable in site - nothing but carbs and cheese here folks.

One Fantastic Wardrobe

I've been living closet-less since we moved in - September 26, 2009.
That's a long time for a clothes horse like me to fold and stuff every piece of clothing I own into my 5 drawer dresser.  Not good times people, not good times.

Enter this wardrobe.

She's beautiful and I kind of love her.  Matt and I carried her into the house from 3 houses down the street on a 2 wheeler, dodging traffic and cracks in the sidewalk one Saturday afternoon.  Hilarity.

This inside left something to be desired:

So we did something about it.
Some batting, fabric, trim, a staple gun and glue gun later - my love now looks like this:

How freakin' awesome is THAT!

2011 Resolutions

There are a ton of things that we need to get going for the house but there are also some things that I'd like to accomplish this year for myself.
I'm writing them down so hopefully that will keep me accountable.

Work Out -
No really.  I always start and I always stop, for no good reason.  Unless you count wine as a good reason.  This year my goal is to consistently work out for 9 months of the year. 

Read More -
Matt gifted me a Kindle for Christmas.  I highly recommend one.  It even has Matt reading for pleasure now - no ordinary feat when a brand new, shiny Wii is also available.
Now there is no reason not to read - I don't have to go anywhere to get new material.

Begin to learn Portuguese -
Matt's family is from Brazil.  Everyone but the grandkids can speak it fluently and Matt can understand it - he could speak when he was younger but lost it.
I asked for Santa (Mom & Dad) to bring me Rosetta Stone for Christmas.  I'm looking at Level 1 right now.  Here's hoping I can make it through.

Make family and "family" a priority -
Matt and I have been pretty lax about seeing the family on both sides lately.  We should/need to fix that. He doesn't know it yet but this is one of our shared goals for the year.
And with the changes going on with the "family" (tight group of friends,) like the Vecchiomistersons having a kid, Sakah getting hitched, Mike being in Columbus, and the rest of us being lazy about making it a priority - we don't see each other very much.
We need to get better about seeing the important people.

I realize I could probably go on and on and on....but I'm trying to be realistic here.

Shop It To Me

Shop It To Me is this fabulous website that will sends me an email when items I might like go on sale.
So far, they've been very helpful....until today.

In what world would I actually wear this and in what universe would I be able to afford it:
$669.20
I think they've lost their minds.

I'm so lucky - no really, I am.

I'm sitting here at the computer - right now.
Matt is on the couch playing Mario on the Wii b/c even though he beat it, he didn't find all the big coins - Heaven forbid.

Anyway, back to the point -
In between yelling obscenities like, "Sonuvadick" (yes, he really just said that,) he says to me,
"I love you Ringgy.  Do I tell you that enough?"
Love this guy:

On another note - I've set up some stuff to automatically post over the next few days so they may seem really random since I did them stream of conscious like and my conscious is not linear.
Hope it all makes sense - just ask if it doesn't.

2010 - What you may have missed.

Everyone knows we got hitched in 2010.
Here's what you may have missed:

We went on our HoneyMoon. Antigua.  And learned that the correct way to say Antigua is AN-tee-ga.

We went on our annual "family" camping and cabrewing trip to the Elk River.  Yes, I do have a swimsuit on, it's a bandeau top - no tan lines on the shoulders, please.

Those tan shoulders came in handy when I wore a strapless dress to a wedding.  We felt much too hip to not have a picture from the evening.

The basement flooded and flooded again.  Homer buckets from Home Depot and a Shop Vac  came in handy.  We're saving money so that we can correct the problem.

We bought some pretty awesome furniture.  The buffet came from an estate sale and the wardrobe was on the side of Eastland Ave with a "For Sale" sign taped to the front.  Score! 

We went on our annual "family" vacation to Mexico Beach, Florida.  And promised that no pictures of humans would be taken since none of us were feeling beach body ready. 

And the last couple of weeks of the year included: an all day drinking party courtesy of Lester and Dooze, Matt having a cold for the first time in 3 years, and a New Year's Eve spent on the couch watching a movie.
I haven't had my camera out of its case since Florida.  Seriously.

Here's to 2011 - saving money and making some color and design choices for the rest of those yellow rooms.

Bad Blogger, Bad.

I know, I know.
I've said this before but I really mean it this time - I will get better about updating this thing.
Maybe sometime before the end of this year, I'll give you some honey moon pictures, and maybe not.  There weren't that exciting anyway - you aren't missing much.  Promise.

We do plan to get on some house renovating soon though and that will require some pictures.
Current master bedroom is up next.  We're even planning to build our own bed.
This should be interesting.

But up next (once my slow internet connection uploads all my pictures) there will be some living room, office, dining room, and kitchen photos.

Birthday Breakfast

So far 30 is looking really good.

The 4 Runner

I know I promised honey moon pictures for my next post and instead you got a rant.
Well, guess what - you're about to get another one.  Deal with it.

Let's start at the beginning:

1. I bought a car.  Cash. 1999 Toyota 4Runner Limited.  Right price, right miles.  Mechanic checked.  Loved it.  Bought it on 7/14/10.
2. Plan to drive 4Runner to Florida for family vacation.  Took to mechanic for a trip check and oil change.  Let's be doubly sure that the car will make it there and back without a problem.  All checked out beautifully.  Just needed a new air filter.  8/26/10.
3. Drive 4Runner to Florida on 8/27/10.  Drive 4Runner the entire week in Florida, to and from, short trips, trips as long as 30 minutes - normal daily driving.
4. Pack it up and get ready to drive back home to TN. 9/4/10
5. 7 miles from the house.  Count them. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. SEVEN MILES into the trip home an invisible robot jumps out in front of us...at least that's what it sounded like we had run over when we threw a rod through the left side of the engine block.
6. Promptly pull over, call Triple A and wait for an hour and a half for a tow truck.  Tow the now obsolete 4 Runner back to the beach house.
7. Go to UHaul and rent a car hauler.
8. Promise Mike our first born son so that he will tow us back to Nashville.
9. Drink ourselves into oblivion.
10. Ride 5 deep (+ dog) in Mike's extended cab truck for 10 hours to drop 4 Runner off at mechanic. 9/5/10

Moral of the Story - Watch out for invisible robots - they will screw you into buying a new engine to the tune of $6k.
Happy Vacation.

Pop of Color

This is just a rant.  No pictures.  Nothing about my life at all so you may wanna skip this one.
I HATE THE PHRASE "just adds the perfect pop of color."  As in, "These throw pillows just add the perfect pop of color to the space."
Hate. Hate. Hate.  If I hear/read it one more time, I might have a postal melt down.

I read a ton of home improvement and decorating blogs.  I pull ideas from here and there and I am SO over the pops of color that everyone keeps using in their rooms.  Seriously.  Could you just say "this colorful throw pillow" already instead of popping freaking color everywhere.

Ugh.

July 4th - I knew we were meant to be.

Every year we celebrate Matt's birthday for an entire week.  It's his only opportunity to run around and do nothing.  Lest you forget that he does nothing and ask him to do something such as feed the dogs you'll get a swift, "IT'S MY BIRFDAY!"
We always throw an Annual Celebration of Matt's Birth Party on July 3rd even though his actual day is July 4th.
And every year we go to our buddies Steve and Lisa's house.  They live on 3rd Ave with a rooftop deck, perfect for watching the downtown fireworks. 
I have no pictures of either except the following:

One might wonder why we have American flags stuck to our foreheads...
Turns out we each, independent of the other, grabbed a flag as we were leaving and both stuck them to our forehead. 
And that is how I knew we were meant. to. be.

This post is just for Aunt Sally and Karen Ann - I know, I know, it's been a while.
I need to update.  I have pictures from the wedding, pictures from the honeymoon, pictures of house progress.  Although the house progress has been non-existent since the wedding.  We're taking the summer off.
I can show you where we were and where we are though. 
It's coming, it's coming.  Keep your pants on!

Volunteer State

I'm so proud of Matt.  Usually I'm the one that takes care of our charitable causes but not this time. 
Matt made the decision last week that we do in fact have the time to volunteer.  There is no reason that we shouldn't.  We're young, able-bodied, and our house is fine. 
On Sunday, we headed over to ArtHouse, the East Nashville volunteer epicenter, to give some time.  We were sent to a house on Moss Rose which backs right up to the Cumberland.  I cannot even describe the war zone that we drove into. 
The houses were spray painted with "X"s from being checked for humans. 
The roads and grass were covered in dirt from the river being over them and then receding.
All the houses were being demoed: carpet pulled out, drywall cut out from belly button level down, kitchen cabinets gone, bathroom cabinets and sink torn out, couches, chairs, cushions, mattresses, TVs - All thrown into the front yards to be picked up by Metro garbage pickup.
Matt got a couple of pictures but even these don't really show the severity of their situation.

This is the front part of the yard. 

The remainder of the yard all the way up to the house is covered in stuff to be taken to the dump.

Obviously, Matt was moving when he took this picture but you can get the idea.  The back yard of this house was the Cumberland River.  Water made it half way up the walls inside the house.

We're still on the water conservation effort.  Both Davidson and Williamson counties are running off of one water treatment plant...which means showering every other day at the most, only unmentionables in the laundry, no shaving, and really adhering to the hippie saying, "If it's yellow, let it mellow.  If it's brown, flush it down."   The word on the street is that we'll have to continue for at least another week and possibly longer.

"Flood beards" like this are popping up all over town.

Nashville Floods.

It's serious here.  People are dead and I bet much of the nation has no idea what's going on b/c there is no national coverage.

This article says it best:
http://www.section303.com/we-are-nashville-4366

Here is a link to some photos:
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12409920
And here:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/flooding_in_tennessee.html?camp=localsearch:on:twit:bigpic

Matt and I came out fine with just some basement flooding.  Nothing a few 5 gallon buckets, a shop vac, and some heavy lifting couldn't cure.  Our biggest problem right now is the mandate to cut water usage by 50%.  Small potatoes when others have lost their homes, their cars, their loved ones. 
I know at least 2 people personally that lost their homes and are now in search of another.

Keep Nashville in your thoughts and if you have an opportunity to volunteer or give to the RedCross, please do so.

In other wedding related news, the Hampton Inn on 4th and Korean Veterans made it through without any damage that I know of...The water did make it up to 5th Ave. but downtown is a bowl and Korean Vets is on the upper edge of the bowl.  If anyone went another direction and booked the Hilton downtown on 5th, they will be closed indefinitely.  Let me know if you need other options.

See you in a couple weeks.
--Laura

Mary Jane, Marchgiving, and our Doggie Disaster Weekend

We'll start at the beginning. 
Our plan this weekend was to take the pups to the vet get Mary Jane's "good leg" checked out, get their shots, have Marchgiving at the Vecchiomisterton household, and paint the 2nd living room.  That was the plan.

Saturday morning:  We get up have some coffee and start getting ready to head to the vet.  I'm putting clothes on and Matt lets the dogs out.  I hear one of them screaming.  Not howling at a squirrrel as usual but screaming in pain.  Of course, it's Mary Jane.  The genius was chasing a squirrel and ran head on into a stump that is as big as she is....And it begins.
We head to the vet hoping to get in early.  We get in and discover that her shoulder is swollen (from running into the stump), her "good leg" probably has a partially torn ACL, and they both get all their annual and every 3 year shots.  They weren't happy campers.
Saturday afernoon:  Matt primes and paints the trim of the 2nd living room.  While I head to Bellevue to discuss wedding centerpieces and to the grocery then prep for Marchgiving.
Saturday night:  Marchgiving goes off without a hitch.  Good food, good drink, nothing was set on fire - Success! 

A picture from last year since I forgot my camera this year. Fail.

We get home, let the pups out, and get ready for bed, it's about 230 am.  Matt proceeds to pass out and I keep hearing puppy collars rattle.  I get up to find Mary Jane's face swollen so bad that her eyes are barely open and she keeps shaking her head.  Cue prompt freak out:
"Oh my God, oh my God, Matt....MATT - look at Mary Jane!"
Frantic calls to the emergency vet and a mad search for some Benadryl ensue.  So began one sleepless night on the couch....
Sunday morning: MJ is in a Benadryl induced coma, Doobie is being Doobie, and we paint the walls of the 2nd living.  Matt says, "Does it look like Doobie's face is swelling?"  Shit.  Yes, it does.  His ears are burning up and he's shaking his head like crazy.  Cue Doobie's Benadryl induced coma and 4th call to the emergency vet. 
Sunday evening:  MJ's stomach is upseat, meaning I've cleaned up her stomach contents 4 times today (I'll spare you the visual), and Doobie is running around like he's on crack trying to make his paws stop itching.
The only thing we can figure is the vaccines are causing this allergic reaction.  Our pups are miserable, we feel helpless and the new vet will be getting a phone call in the morning.
ANOTHER Benadryl coma is headed their way.

The good news is we have a painted 2nd living room and we have enough Marchgiving leftovers to last a week.
I'm scared to even ask the question....is there anything else, seriously??

The Car

Ya'll are gonna love this one -
So we all know that my Dad has this thing with cars....it's a collectors type thing. That in and of itself doesn't sound too bad except that his collectors type thing usually leads to conversations such as this:
Me calling Dad, while driving away in one such car -
"Hey....ummm, you know there are 3 different dashboard lights on right now, right? Is that normal?"
Dad -
"Oh yea, that's normal. I like to keep lights on to make sure they work. (while uproariously laughing) And watch out for the windshield wipers, they spontaneously turn themselves on, that's normal too. And keep an eye out for the power brakes, sometimes they just don't work..really, you'll get a nice leg workout when that happens."
Me -
"What about the power steering? It feels like I'm wrestling an alligator to make a left turn..."
Dad -
"About that, it comes and goes...kinda like the windshield wipers."
Me -
"perfect."

Feast your eyes on said car:

Looks nice right? Riiiight.

All the issues listed above I inheireted.
The following I grew all by myself:
A few months ago I was at the grocery store, I shut the truck and the license plate fell off. On the ground. It's currently propped up in the back glass.


On my way to work on Monday – The driver’s side window fell off track and is currently being held up with wedges stuck in the door.


And guess what happened on my way to work Thursday, when it was raining like hell – my windshield wiper flew off….Like the entire blade thing (not just the rubber part) was dangling from the arm.
Thankfully I was only a few blocks from the house so I circled back around and creeped home without wipers then cursed my way into figuring out how to reattach it while holding the umbrella over my head with my chin…I looked like a damn circus act. It's still attached but I don't trust it.

I mean really, you just have to laugh, it's so ridiculous.

When It Rains It Pours

What a beautiful faucet. It's all polished and bronze and pretty. Do you notice something not quite right though??
Take a 2nd look.
That's right. It's on. There's no water.
Odd.
Now that we're working on our 9th day below freezing our old plumbling just couldn't take it anymore....even with the radiant heater in the basement. The pipes froze.
Great.

But wait there's more...here's the rundown of our last week.

• Matt's car - his "ecgc" sensor (no idea if that's the right name at all??) went out on his car, while at the shop was told it's time to replace his timing belt.
• Heater unit in the basement - drain pipe froze and the pump was continuosly running.
• While down there checking out the heater, found that our downstairs bath pedastal sink had been leaking into the basement.
• One of our 2 outdoor spigots, the one in the shed, froze and burst.
• Main pipe bringing water to the house is frozen and we're currently without water.

And just to add insult to it all, today, during mile 1 of Matt's 5 mile run, his Ipod flipped out. After he has spent the last 2 weeks cleaning up his music folders and adding CD art to all the albums in the library (over 5600 songs). To him, this is the worst of all.

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.

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, Café 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.