paris in the springtime

i have big plans for the basement.

back in 2006 i took a European vacation with my sis-n-law and our tour guide told us that you either have a parisian or roman soul.  jaime was a roman at heart. and me? i'm a parisian.

i couldn't get enough of the eiffel tower, champs de elysee and notre dame.

so in that honor, this will be my paris inspired room and most likely the only red you will find in my entire house.

but it takes money to decorate and right now i'm focused on saving.

especially, when i want to experience europe with ronnie next summer.

(happy 30th to me and happy graduation to him)

but i did manage to pick up a few items for the back bedroom.

before shots:

a new comforter and lamp shades - both from target.

i still need to buy pillows (bed and throw)

and two nightstands.

the ones pictured are temporary.

oh and notice that my comforter and pillow shams didn't come with a bedskirt?

i was pissed when i realized that... so i'll also be needing a black bedskirt.

cheap sons of bitches.

my goal is to have a black and white room with mustard yellow accents and a tiny shot of red.

here are some pics from my trip to paris and my inspiration.

au revoir!

adventures in babysitting

i got a little extra time with my special girl.

we ate snacks.

watched a movie.

went for ride in the stroller around the neighborhood.

colored.

had a dance party.

played with rocks.

and practiced with our walking stick.

[this girl is clearly ready for a colorado hiking trip]

the ying and the yang

do you ever watch biggest loser?

i'm a fan.

and there are the bob fans and the jillian fans.

i think i would choose bob just because he's so nice.

but i think jillian might be more my type of gal.

let me explain.

i tried my first ever yoga class this evening.

hot yoga.

a couple of friends on facebook mentioned that they took their first class on thursday in lee's summit and i have heard jaime, my sis-n-law, talk about it too.  since i am trying to prepare for spring by running i thought this might be another good option.  plus it just so happens that the zen zone [the lee's summit yoga place] is having a special.  my class tonight was free, but i can join for a month for only $30 bucks.  i'm not sure if that's truly a deal, but it sounds cheap to me at only a $1 a day.

my goal?

go three times a week. 

and then run three times a week.

hopefully that will give my body some options,
so i'm not doing the same thing every day.

but yoga is different than anything i've ever done.

i'm a jillian girl.

i like to be made to do lunges even though i hate them

and have my trainer make me do sprints up a hill.

i like it, because i feel like i'm pushing myself.

but yoga is a bob thing.

it's very granola and i'll admit, at times i found it corny.

it's just weird for me to go work out and then be told that i need to

plant my feet to the earth, find my beautiful soul
and let it decide what is best.

that being said,

i love her idea that if my body is open, then my mind and heart are open too.

and i love that you have to slow down and focus on your moves instead of sprinting ahead.

so i guess i need to take what i can from it

 and block out what i find "too much."

plus, i can tell that i was working and moving in ways that will help tone.

not to mention that it's so freaking hot in there,
i was sweating by the time i sat down.

and both bob and jillian approve of that.

namaste.

cake cookies

my friend at work brought in some cookies to help celebrate birthdays this month. they were so good - - so easy - - that i'd thought i'd share her recipe.

you'll need:

any flavor cake mix (preferably the ones that have the pudding mix included)

1 8oz tub of cool whip

2 eggs

1/3 cup powdered sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  add the whole tub of cool whip and 2 eggs into the cake mix and stir (dough will be thick).  roll the dough into 1 inch balls and cover with powdered sugar.  bake for 8 minutes.

i tried the strawberry and spice flavors, but i hear that lemon, chocolate and funfettie are also amazing.  so there you go - - easy colorful cookies. 

perfect for spring!

paint by numbers

[one] get objects

  

this is the owl i bought at the local flea market in warrensburg.

and the other is a stick i picked up on a dog walk.

 

[two] take outdoors

ronnie didn't want to spay the grass so we added a bucket to get it off the ground.

 

[three] pick color

i decided white for the owl and gray for the stick.

[four] shake

ps- notice all the straw? we're trying to grow grass this spring - fingers crossed. another reason why ronnie didn't want to spray the ground - - it might hinder grass growth.

[five] paint two coats



[six] dry and display

the owl joined my bird collection in the living room.

and the stick made it's way to the basement for a little coffee table decor.

the luck of the irish

st. patty's day is tomorrow,

but my celebration was last saturday

when lee's summit had their annual emerald isle parade and pubcrawl.

it's one of my favorite days in the summit and our fourth year to participate.

this year, our usual partners (linds, kass, tunbow and chris) joined us along with a handful of other peeps ready to get down. and so we did.

and that is why i forgot to shoot a pic of my outfit for barney's wedding

and this is also why kass and chris were stranded on my deck, locked out and drunk.

cheers!

married off

barney got married last weekend and shan and i were there to celebrate.

now, mrs. enright has found mr. [en]right.

her wedding was small and private,

but the reception was a party for everyone.

lots of food, cupcakes and drinks.

plus she had a photobooth for all the guests to snap pics.

we had a great time, but had to skip out early because kass and chris were waiting on our front porch locked out of our house. (more on that later).

but i'm glad i went and got to see the beautiful bride.

(different floating flowers in vases with tea light candles and flower petals)

(the bride with her old roomies minus margie)

what did i wear?

i forgot to snap a photo before i left,

but i borrowed a dress from kass and went from there:

(black peter pan collared dress with sheer sleeves)

(cranberry maryjanes)

(fishnets)

(with cranberry nails and lips.)

what we really need now is my usual mirror shot... sorry!

but it was a nice evening out - congrats barney!