Everyone Needs A Little Premium

If you are like Jade & I - you may not get out much.  We don't have an overwhelming supply of babysitters.  Our two Moms keep our kids during the week so to ask them to keep the hell-yuns on the weekend is just not even kind.

So Jade & I splurge on premium cable instead.  If you can't go on a date outside of the house, put the kids to bed at 8 (7:30 on a rare occasion), make some popcorn, & settle in for some serious cable loving!

This summer we found a show we loved - Dexter.  It's on Showtime.  He's a serial killer that works for the police force as a blood splatter analyst.  He's fantastic!  Jade & I loved this show & got caught up on all the past seasons.  The season finale killed us with a serious cliff hanger!  We can't wait for the next season to start - seriously - when is it going to start?

Now we are loving The Tudors.  I have loved The Tudors since the beginning.  Jade thought I was nuts with my history loving genetics sitting on the couch late at night with the TV up high b/c I can't always understand some of their accented British words.  Now they are playing all the previous seasons on 2 back to back episodes.  Catch them on Sunday nights up until the new season premier in April!  Can  you say holla!  ha ha I seriously just typed that & better yet - I claim it!  Really - King Henry is so intriguing - a serious tyrant, but we can't get enough!

Tonight a new one starts for us!  Spartacus on Starz!  Can you believe we seriously added another premium channel just to watch this new show?  Let's pray it doesn't disappoint!  PS - Mom DVR this for Dad - I know he'll be all about it!

So - if you are a parent of small kids - these shows are very inappropriate!  That's why we really like bedtime at our house.  Plus, what's a month for premium cable cost if you aren't paying for a babysitter, dinner, and a movie - nothing!  At that price you seriously can't afford not to!

PS - after proofreading this post I realized that geez I really am a man in my TV addictions!  I have a lucky husband!!

Spring Fever

I am fully aware that it is still January.  However, I'm secretly dreaming of spring. 

Since Jade & I built - our house had zero landscaping!  We live in the woods, but in more of a land peninsula.  So we have the woods around our house, but our immediate yard had no trees or decent grass.  Our soil is also pretty much 100% clay (literally it's like making play doh ropes to plant around your plants - I hate it!)

So last spring was our first landscaping adventure.  We realized that we loved trees in the fall of 2008.  We planted about 20 trees that we picked because of their fall leaf color, or their spring blooms.  We had so much fun, and now Jade & I love trees.  We really enjoy spending the day at a nursery or the St. Louis Botanical Gardens looking at plants and trees.  I have always teased my Dad & called him Stuie Appleseed b/c he plants trees like no one I know.  Well...now I'm Annie Appleseed.

Here we planted 3 grasses - they got huge by the end of the summer & look great.  We also have a lilac bush to the left - it looks tiny & twiggy, but by the end of the summer it grew by a large amount as well.  I can't wait to see what it looks like this year!

So back to my first story - last spring Jade & I started landscaping.  We had the front of the house done by a professional.  We didn't want to screw it up royally!  So we got to play with the East and North side of the house.  Then we planted a few things by our septic tank, well, electrical box (safe I know!), and propane tank.  All areas that are needed, but things you want to hide too!  Overall we were very pleased with our work.  We used railroad ties as edging because they are easy to work with, cheap, & straight for mowing.  (FYI - I am not a good lawn mower in Jade's eyes, but I do it anyway.  He mows the very large lawn in a diagonal so it truly looks like a golf course - waste of time I think.)  I'm very anxious to see how these plants do their 2nd year.  My mom always says perennials do their best their 3rd year - so almost there!  I'm a bit worried that some are getting too much sun, but I'll know for sure after this summer passes. 

This spring we are focusing on the walk-out basement.  We have a very large patio down there & two wing walls.  We have some random plants down there that we bought, but had no home so they are temporary.  I'm very anxious to get planning!  I have an idea of lots of pea gravel & a fire pit with lots of plantings to make it more intimate.  We love entertaining & this will be the place to do it - when we get it complete!

So until then - I have ordered some more plant books to help me get my mind in gear for the busy spring ahead!

More Questions Answered

Jen at Mimi Bella Boo asked:

1.  do you ever drive in to Decatur for the sole purpose of going to Krekels?
        ~I actually do not, although I do sometimes eat there.  There is also one in Mt. Zion now.  However, in Shelbyville we have a place called Druby's (when I was little it was Krekels).  It's a lot like Krekels.  It has the most amazing lemon ice cream & the cheeseburgers drive me wild so I stay in town :)


2. did you grow up going to the boats in Finley adn to the Shelbyville beach all summer?
        ~I didn't go to the beach much b/c my Mom doesn't like lakes - which is funny.  We had a swimming pool, trampoline, and 4 wheelers so we stayed at home.  When I got older I did go to the beach a lot with friends.  Then, when I was in high school I worked at the Shelbyville marina & boated often with friends - it was seriously a blast!  Plus, I pumped gas for nice looking guys on jet skis all the time.  It was a girls dream!
3. did you by chance find my favorite Barbie that my sister buried in the sand at the Shelbyville beach when i was 8?
        ~I did not, but you may want to ask my sister Maggie.  If anyone found a Barbie & kept it for her own it would definitely be her!

4. where do you do most of your shopping for clothes there?
       ~If I go clothes shopping, which I rarely get to b/c I buy everything for my kids - they are rotten, I mainly hit up TJ Maxx in Decatur.  I do get some shirts from Wal-Mart b/c it's in town (can you believe we have one now!) & honestly I do find some cute stuff there.  I also get some clothes at Kohls except I don't always love Kohls - their clothes are too mommyish or way too teen sometimes & the jeans there are ridic most of the time!

5. do you redecorate and redecorate like an addiction like i do?
          ~I kind of do.  I'm really bad about wanting to change something & once it's in my mind I have to change it and fast.  My Mom used to help me decorate a lot & still does if I rearrange an entire room.   I've been learning to decorate on my own & I'm really having fun with it.  I have plans to rearrange my entire family room, but it needs to be done when the hubs isn't around - he doesn't like to move furniture twice if you don't like where it is, and well - I often set it and don't like it so I move it again!  It's a process right?!

Your Questions Are Answered

Your questions are answered!  This was fun for me too!

Miss Mustard Seed  asked - The colors you have in your home are bold, but they aren't crazy. Everything works really well together. What is your process for choosing the perfect shades and colors?

I actually did a blog I think in December about my paint colors.  You can find it right here.  To give you a brief summary - I went with my gut - it was risky but I'm glad I did it.  Ace Hardware had all kinds of paint brochures and it featured homes in the colors of that brochure.  I kept going back to the same brochure because I loved the interior look of the houses in it.  So I took a leap & went bold.  I kept everything in the same intensity & that helps keep things cohesive.  I love that I have white wood trim - it makes things really pop.  I also think my textured walls play a bit more with the color & that makes my paint really special.  I always am a bit sad though when I post pictures of my house b/c my camera plays with the color a bit.  Taking better pictures is something I want to learn!  Sometimes my walls looks a bit too far out there when captured on film, when in fact the colors are bold, but very comfortable & homey.  I'm glad my Mom always taught me to do decorate with what you love b/c it will all come together - so true b/c I love my bold and unique home.

http://thelemoncottage.blogspot.com/ asked - I love your red house. It's a bold choice, do you have any regrets?  I bet you don't, since you're a color girl! :)

I don't have any regrets.  I have worries that the siding will fade - then I will regret the color.  However, I love my red house.  I live in an older town & I have always had a love of bungalows.  I am a house stalker & I love to look at the historic homes in town.  The house plan I picked out is a bit of a bungalow.  My favorite bungalows in town are red or brown - so I went with red b/c they pretty much guaranteed me the brown would absolutely fade.  They were pretty confidant the red wouldn't - so I took the plunge.  My house looks great in the summer with all the trees & my flags all done up patriotic style.  It also is pretty in the winter with snow, greenery & lights for Christmas.  I really love the red!  I'm glad I did it!

Amy also asked - Okay- um, when are you girls going to start showing us the goods from Ethel Edith???  C'mon, we're ready. We can handle it.

Amy - you crack me up!  We actually worked our butts off Sunday.  We refinished 2 large dressers for one of Maggie's stylists.  They are stunning right now in my garage!  When I left for work I thought oh my goodness - those look really great!  So I do have pictures on my camera, and hopefully soon I can share!  We also finished an adorable 3 drawer gray dresser with crystal knobs & 2 white chairs with yellow & white fabric seats if that is a teaser for you!  Since I have been sick I haven't staged anything lately!  It takes a lot of energy for me to pull out the pieces, up the stairs, & then walk around my house staging.  I do have a lot of fun with it, and hopefully later this week I can motivate my butt to stage something special just for you!!

Flea Market Trixie asked - Do you watch HGTV? if so who is your favorite designer? & Also, what is your favorite color?

I absolutely watch HGTV!  My favorite designer is Candace Olsen of Divine Design.  If I had the cash to do what that lady does - I can't even imagine!  She puts together some of the most breath-taking spaces & I am constantly wowed by her!  I want her job actually!!  I may have surprised some of you with this answer b/c I definitely don't have a swanky house, but I love her style.  I think one of the best things I learned from my Mom is the ability to appreciate something in everyones style.  I know my style is very unique from most people.  I'm just thrilled that in the blogging world - people find a way to appreciate it and like it for what it is!  So you may notice that I will post pictures on Ethel Edith, or here that may not look like my personal style, but all the same I find them beautiful!  I always tease Jade that I want 10 houses to decorate in different styles - I really do!

My favorite color is actually red.  This is too a bit surprising because I don't have a lot of red on the inside of my house :)  However, the outside is red & I love it!  I think red is just a really gorgeous color!  It can be very overwhelming - that's why I use it as more of my pops of color rather than an entire room.  Which - Everett's room is barn red, but it's because he's a tiny farmer!  In all honesty I love all colors though.  Turquoise & pink are two runner ups for me as well.  Perhaps an easier question is which color do I like the least - that would probably be purple.  I don't know why, but I just am not a purple lover - it's the only color I don't have anywhere in my house.

My sister Maggie asked - who is your favorite sister? me or Abbie? oh wait i know this one...it's so obvious it's me! haha

This is a common question we tease each other with.  Our Mom even writes in our cards -'PS you are my favorite'.  In fact both my sisters are my favorites for very different reasons.  I love them both and I'm extremely blessed that I have grown up & found best friends in them - and that they live in my town!  I can't imagine life without my two sisters!  Thank you Dad for having them as the twinkles in your eyes before you even knew!

PS - if you have more questions or have something in my house you want to see - always feel free to leave a comment or send an email to me.  I love reading everything you say to me & I never miss a comment :)