Everyone is doing it

I'm usually not the one to do something just because everyone is doing it. That can be good and bad.

Anyway, I am very fond of this new craze of wall vinyl and decided to do it even though everyone else is.


In case you didn't know, there are people on my beloved etsy that will make just about any custom vinyl you can think of. I wanted two.


The first was easy. Our foyer is very narrow and so hanging photos on the wall is not really an option as visitors would bump them every time they passed through.

So I purchase this custom welcome sign that nobody can knock off the wall. It's three feet long.







The bedroom was tougher. Big Honey and I could not agree on what should go over our bed.
In case I haven't said it lately, I'm madly in love with my husband. And after 8 years things are still, well, spicy. So I wanted something that represented our relationship.


I found part of a quote that I just loved...

The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you ~Maulana Jalalu'ddin Rumi



Big Honey said he didn't want something with that many words. I asked what he would like and after some thought, he came back with this.



Ummmm, VETO.






We settled for something sweet. It's over 5 feet accross, bigger than it looks in my crooked photo.
(I think I will frame some of the red fabric from the bedpillow and put it at each end of the saying.)


So, given 5 words or less, what would you put over your bed?

My big (baby) boy

Our sweet boy turned four on Wednesday. I asked him what would make his big day special.

He wanted Mickey Mouse choc. chip pancakes for breakfast. No problem.




He asked if he could go all the way down to the Chelsea Treehouse. The frozen roads, several pile-up accidents and a crazy detour didn't stop us and the kids had so much fun!







Daddy told him he could have dinner anywhere he wanted and Tommy said he only wanted daddy's homemade tortillas and shrimp fajitas.











A few fun gifts from us and Gigi and Poppa.





At bedtime, he asked if four year olds could still be rocked or if he was too big now. I love this boy so much my heart hurts.

Here's to Amanda (and Molly) :o)

Today some great ladies gathered to celebrate with our friend.

A friend who has waited a long time for this little girl.

We could not be happier for you and Jeremy.

I'm so honored to host a little party celebrating Molly.

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Her name is perfect. It looked so joyful on my wall.

We can't wait to meet her.

My romantic friend.

The February/Valentine's issue of Romantic Homes is out and my friend Lidy is a featured romantic!

She collects and sells the neatest little pretty things and can photograph them like no other. Lidy you rock!

Merry and Bright

I hope your Christmas was merry and bright. What was the best part for you?

We always stay in our jammies all day on Christmas and eat too much. Glorious.

The photo does not do the huge pile of gifts justice. About 10% of the gifts are from Big Honey and I. The rest were brought in by family, They feel the need to spoil us because of medical school. We really did try to talk them out of it.

Excited about new shoes! Such a sweet boy.

All she asked Santa for was a white pony.

Aunt Shel gave them a huge arcade basketball game like they play at chuck e. cheese. They LOVE it.

With us cutting back so much because of the budget, our family jumped in and WAY OVER DID IT. We received an all expense paid trip to crystal mountain resort for a summer trip with the kids. They have some amazing stuff to do.

Also, an annual pass for four to EVERY natural history museum in the country! I did not know they existed. There are several near where we stay in Florida each winter and I was complaining that there is nothing FREE to do when it rains. Now we can hit the museums every time!!!! The kids love the South Florida Museum because they want to visit snooty every time we drive by.

We had friends Amanda and Jeremy join us on their last Christmas day as a family of two and they brought their Wii. We played until 3:30 am!

Our friend Charice and her man, Adam, came over to show us her new beautiful DIAMOND RING and to talk about wedding plans!!!

We are so blessed. Not because of the stuff, but because of all the loving people around us. I truly hope you are blessed in that way too.

PS. Chrsitmas Eve in Yale. Each family picked a spot to sit and Mom and Dad piled gifts on us. They always do so much. Tommy won a shrimp tray during our annual "greed" game and was so excited!

The Big Company Christmas Party

We were invited to a big Christmas dance that the hospital emergency room put on. Since we are on a budget, I decided to wear a dress that I bought for a Christmas party a few years ago. Since I wore it right after having two babies, it was quite big in a few places so I took it to get altered.

Here is the dress I wanted to wear. Who doesn't want to look like they are wrapped in Christmas ribbons?

So I head over to a seamstress shop I have driven by several times. I walk in and the seamstress is working in the back. She finally comes up to a window opening and yells "YOU TRY ON!" at me.

I look around and see a dark alcove, feel around for a light and pull a little curtain.

I come out and she grabs me and hauls me in front of mirror. (I admit I looked silly in my cocktail dress, knee socks and wooly crocs) She barks "What you want". I explain I actually had a chest and larger hips when I last wore this dress.

She began yanking on my dress so hard that I had to spread my feet out and bend my knees to keep my balance. She pushed and pulled and threw my arms around with so much force, I stood there (still in my football stance) thinking that I was being punked and a camera crew was about to make themselves known.

After a few adjustments so I could breath, she says "SEVENTY FIVE DOLLAR". I really couldn't believe it. I began telling her that I had no idea that alterations were so much and I'm so sorry I wasted her time. "YOU NO WANT?" I tried to explain that my husband is in medical school and we are on a tight budget and... "YOUR HUSBAND? NO, HE NO IN SCHOOL, HE OLD!"

The way she said old was really drawn out and sounded like OOHHHH-HOOOLD.

She pulled pins out more violantly than she had put them in, pushing me around to get to all of them. I stood in the mirror with my hands over my face mumbling something about a second career and not really being that old.

I darted into the dressing room and put my winter layers on as fast as I could while listening to " HE NO IN SCHOOL, HE OLD. HE OHHHHHHHLD!

I grabbed my dress and ran out of the shop. By the time I got home I could see the crazy humor of the situation and laughed about it.

Every thing in my closet also needed to be altered. I wan't sure what to wear.

My sweet husband surprised me and dropped me off at JCPenney with a "merry Christmas" and a hundred dollar bill. (and 15 minutes!)

So, I went to the big Christmas party in a little black dress off the clearance rack ($33), $5 dollar earring, 8 year old shoes, a $2 blinged out hair clip and felt like a million bucks.

I know, serious photo, but we were running late.

The First Gift of the Season (or When Oenophiles Go To Heaven)

I have opened my first Christmas present already. My sweet friend Karen and I usually buy each other a ticket to a cool holiday wine event for our Christmas presents. I let her know that the new medical school budget just would not allow it this year.

Karen is so amazing that she paid for two tickets to an amazing champagne brunch in Ann Arbor because she said that I'm the one she wanted to go with, budget or no budget. I'm so thankful for her and for the fun grown up afternoon we had together.

The food was incredible, but I've only photographed the bubbly. (and that is only about half of it!)

THank you Karen, you are a blessing and you rock! Merry Christmas!!