Diaper cakes!!

I have made three, so far. I LOVE making them! But considering the awry disarray that has been my life for most of this past (school) year, I still have dreams and visions of how much more I can do!!

This first one here took me quite a while. It looks like a nursery (both floral and child-related) threw up on it. In my opinion. But it was so fun to decorate!!! This one was done in September.

And here we have diaper cake #2! I admit I was a bit rushed when I put this one together. Luckily I had the ribbon on hand and I think the colors went together nicely. It kept toppling in the car, though, and, unfortunately, the expectant mother thought the platter was a present and unwrapped it. Oops. Sorry, no pressie, just a free UPS Priority Mail box!! I think the diapers have lasted quite a long time, though! I made this one in November.

Yay, my most recent one. Can ya tell how I am losin' steam? It's not on purpose, though, I swear! I forgot and left most of the ribbon that I had originally intended to use at my apartment, when the diapers were here at my parents' house, but I think it turned out okay.

I am now officially out of diapers, though, and am on the hunt for another really good deal! I am hearing about some more friends having babies!

What's up with all these fertile peeps, eh?

Apartment pictures!!

Firstly - boohoo. I am not sure these pics give an adequate impression of what it's really like - but at least it's CLEAN!!! It's still totally in a work in progress ... and not nearly enough show homey, but it's comfortable enough, for now. These are the two main rooms that I can manage to keep relatively NEAT ... I didn't quite have time to take pics of the kitchen/ette and living room, yet ... besides, they are a study in squalor. That will have to be for next week!!

The room that I totally love!!! Best bed, best sheets, best bedding, ever!And the rocker was $15. And the ottoman was $6. Still can't get over it. Still, obviously, also, can't get around to putting together the dang armoire. Do you like my shower curtain drapes?? Haven't figured out if I want or need a valance, yet, really. I need to get my storage issues under control! It isn't totally and completely perfect yet (I doubt I will ever get around to putting anything on the walls), but it is a very pleasant start for me!

Simply Shabby Chic bedding, my favorite in the whole entire WORLD!

Also, I love having a matching lamp.

Yay! Bookshelf - from the bathroom line at Target. Random candlestick, picture frame from Goodwill, postcard of Nice, France, and mirror tray and vanity mirror - $3 at the outdoor antique market!

I am such an addict.

Hooray for the $7.50 HELLO KITTY alarm clock!!!

The first pics of the bathroom!! The bathroom, that I love, and that I love cleaning. Boy, do I love having a clean bathroom. And since I am only having to clean up after MYSELF, I dare say it's a lot easier!!!

Simply Shabby Chic Simply Shabby Chic Simply Shabby Chic!

It is a very long and narrow bathroom. Great light, especially in the mornings, as it pierces through the windows and blinds you, even with a valance/shade up. Whoo. Wake up, I say!

From left to right: random Target Christmas vanilla candles! And the little Simply Shabby Chic (Target, of course) floral arrangement that I loved but could only find one of!! The mirror vanity tray on the right was the very very FIRST thing I ever bought at the outdoor antique market. Whee. The seashell was from my mom for Christmas when I was a child. The tissue box was 75% off at a random Target and I am gutted that I cannot find the darn wastebasket that I KNOW I got at the same time! It's probably floating around in this house someplace, hidden. And the white birdcage ... TOTALLY Christmas Conservatory from like, 2005 or something! But I love it and I think it goes with everything so of course I use it.

I also spared all of y'alls and refrained from taking a picture of my TOILET - but that also has a white wire basket above it, also Target, but an older bathroom line, and I LOVE the Simply Shabby Chic saucer/plate shadow boxes that you can see hanging on the wall in the mirror! I've held on to those things for 3 years or something, just waiting to put them up.

Hee.

I think I am obsessively detail-oriented.

Anyway, I LOVE my bathroom.

Also, officially: my bedroom + my bathroom = death by estrogen poisoning!!

Hurrah.

A couple more tea-time pics!

Vintage Tea Leaf, part 5,439,017 (or so)

This is what happens when you snap a photo while others are totally unprepared. I have no idea why the picture is so darn yellow/orange. It's the camera or lack of flash, I think.

How cute are YOU??? They ordered a beautiful luncheon for two served on a pretty tray. I love how completely full and covered over the table is. P.S., that is totally my flowery flowered flower pitcher of lovely Casablanca (read: bergamot) iced green tea to the right, over there. I remembered later that I forgot to ask for it in a take-away cup. Rats!

Viva la tea cozy!
We foisted this wedding cake-ish gigantic monstrosity on both Andrea and Wendy. I find it quite charming, if faintly reminiscent of Miss Haversham. OK, so it also looks like a turban.

Don't let it topple!!!


Strike a pose - work it!! I was TRYING to tell her to jut those hips out a bit more ... but maybe she was distracted by the veil of lace that kept falling over her face.

Such a good sport!!

Neer Zeerand Insplanation

OK, so sometimes making fun of a Chinese accent is ostensibly *quite* amusing.

Translation: New Zealand Inspiration!

I just have to promote a plucky young couple's bloggeradoo:

Thems is nice folks!

Miss Cheri-berry has diligently and entertainingly put up some great pics of lovely gorgeous stupendous New Zealand. Such fun! I look at those pics and feel like the world is not overwhelmingly huge and distant anymore.

I see pics of that gorgeous place and remember to myself that I was THERE!!

And it was fun and I survived!

And I still have tons to post from last summer.

But I have lots to post from New Zealand also, so I suppose I'm not at a total and complete loss for blogging my little heart out.

Here we go.

For heaaaaaaven's saaaaaaaaaaaake.

1. I wanted to CLEAN like a maven since as soon as people left my apartment last week, it promptly frenzied all up into a gigarntic tuberous spoorifficus mess aginn.
2. I can't hardly get through the door without having to hop over stuff since I haven't put things away this entire week, what with being mondo aggravated and downright lazy. And sick. Or maybe it's allergies. I can't rightly tell but I would swear this is not what is generally considered normal.
3. Someone (new) is planning on coming to visit tomorrow!!! I cannot bear for another to witness the torrential disarray. Blech.

However, this evening I spent 4 hours in the ER with my mommy, who was having some issues this evening, so that put a wrench in the works, since I was FULLY preparing to clean most thoroughly and painfully this evening. Oh well. Life goes on.

That said, I also THUSLY didn't have a chance to take any more/additional pics since I wasn't there.

So it will have to wait.

I DIDN'T GET NO JACK DIDDLY DONE!! TONIGHT!! And I feel very frustrated.

And I found out today that I will be teaching summer school. I hope I survive, dagnabbit! But the summer school is by a Target that I don't hardly get to anymore, so guess where I'll be this summerrrrrrrr..

Not in Europe.

*pitiful bawling*

Where! is! my brain!!

Hmm. I missed two pics from yesterday, earlier.

AND I DECIDED THAT I HAD TO POST THEM BECAUSE THEY SHOW PICTURES OF EVEN MORE TARGETING GOODNESS!! *whimper*















Here is the couch. With Nancypants on it!! More window panels in the back. And you can see the corner of yet ANOTHER Targeted (Global Bazaar!!!) ottoman. (This was from 2006, though, hee. Wait. Possibly even 2005??? What!! I've been Targeting for so long I can't even keep the years straight anymore!) The book is Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic, though. Hee. That one came from the outdoor antique market. Lovely!! I went this morning, as well.

And those white shelves, with all the scrapbooking paraphernalia? Target.

The scrapbooks on the bottom shelf are TOTALLY from Target.

As are the pink and green notecard storage folders, and the 2 pink photo storage boxes, all on top!!!! And the other ribbon box! And the Snapware containers!! They are all small and in the way corner so you may not even be able to really see them. Still. IT'S FROM TARGET!

TRALALALALA!

I am turning into such a materialistic fiendish PIG!!!!!

However, that corner up in the right is now dominated (DOMINATED, I say!) by a the giant massive dresser/chest/drawers/workstation that I bought.

Thank my lovely young neighbor for helping me haul it upstairs. Good thing Shabby Chic stuff works with dings in the wood and extraneous scratches and scuffed up paint because I am SURE we scraped that thing along SEVERAL railings dragging it upstairs.

I think this is a nice picture which shows a little more of the living room ... and more obsessive Targetation!!!

1. Pineapple glasses - totally Target. 2006.
2. Pink straws - from this year's Valentine's clearance!
3. Brown paisley Isaaz Mizrahi tray. Some random endcap find, I'm sure.
4. Brown storage ottoman - I remember this was 50% off! And some woman stopped me in the store and asked if there were any more because that is EXACTLY what she was looking for for her son! Sorry, lady, better luck next time. :/ I know they had them this year, though. :)
5. Glade Scented Oil Candle! Ok, they had them at Target, but I actually got this one at Goodwill. Because I support good causes.

And finally.

I ADMIT IT! My t-shirt and shorts are from Target, too, come to think of it. Hahaha!

Anyhoo. What all this shows me? Is seriously. I am way compulsive. And compulsively detail-oriented. Like, who cares? I don't think anyone cares quite as much as I do. And that's OK.

Because this blog is by me! About me! It's my world. I just let you guys come visit sometimes. :P

The first posted pics of my new apartment!!!

I invited several dear friends over to see my new place yesterday and they were kind and gracious enough to come and warm up my cushions for me *simper*.

Seriously, I really do love entertaining and having people over. I just don't feel like I do it very well, yet.

Which means I must do it more and more and more!
Practice makes perfect!!
Repetition in search of mastery!!!

We had a GORGEOUS little afternoon tea at Miss Hillary's divine find - The Vintage Tea Leaf in downtown Long Beach.

Whee and *cheer* for ridiculous hats.

And then we all drove back to my place!

All the while I was carting around a MASSIVE giant 15-drawer chest that I got at a garage sale early in the morning, along with an 18-shelf letter sorter (still in the neato van, btw!!) for the classroom. Seriously, though, the thing is beautiful.
I'm surprised I didn't explode more gas.

But y'all will see pics soon!

ANYway.

They all came over and had a lovely time (I hope) and it was GREAT impetus and spurring motivation for me to clean like a whirling dervish dust cloud. Yay for actually being able to see the carpet.

Please ignore the mess which hovers perpetually on the floor!!!

And can you spot the Target? :)

1. 3 window panels (whee, Shabby Chic!)
2. Floor lamp
3. Table lamp
4. Candlestick
5. Candle
6. Chest of drawers
7. Black ottoman
8. All four cushions!!!

And you can't see the wicker trunk hidden behind the couch on the floor, upon which the table lamp resides.

Also, I love my couch. That was not Target, though.

And the glider and ottoman Miss Cheri is sitting on were ...

(And I am so flabbergastedly astonishingly proud of myself)

Only $3.93 (no clue why they decided on that ole 93¢ there, really) at the thrift store across the street from my landlord's office!!! (Do you people even BEGIN to see why I am entirely so addicted???)

And it came with nasty pink fuzzy/stiffy-chenilley raggedy sprung open threadbare gross stained cushions, but I just had them thrown out and I slapped on my ... TARGET-EDNESSES!

And my bedroom looked GREAT! (Even relatively and comparatively.)

The walls look awfully blank though, eh?? That's what comes of living in an apartment and having to PAY for busting holes through the walls. Because seriously, I swear. It's not like I'm hurtin' for things to put up on the walls. Really.

Let's play "Spot the Target Item" again, shall we?? Okay.

1. (You can't see the) 6-compartment mini set of blue ticking fabric-lined baskets in little shelves on the
2. (Hidden by our bodies) Shabby Chic bath 2-shelf (bookcase-looking) stand that I use for a nightstand with the
3. (On the bottom shelf) set of 3 Classic Winnie-the-Pooh nesting baskets and the
4. Simply Shabby Chic British rose lampshade!! (75% off!!)
5. Simply Shabby Chic porcelain/ceramic rose lamp base (75% off!!)
6. Simply Shabby Chic sheets and pillowcases (75% off!!)
7. Bamboo cloth pillow (50% off ...)
8. Simply Shabby Chic throw pillow (85% off!!)
9. Simply Shabby Chic quilt (boo hoo, only 50% off)
10. Set of 2 shower curtains that I use for drapes!
11. Set of 2 shower curtain rings that I jabbed into drapery hanger thingies!
12. Simply Shabby Chic bolster (75% off!!)
13. White silk button-tufted and beaded fringe ottoman ... 90% off!! (Glorious Christmas seasonal clearance!!!)

Okay, now I officially feel CRAZY.

Totally crazy lady.

Crazy Target lady.

It's an .. unhealthy obsession.

How I totally just HAD to post all the unnecessary extraneous details of my compulsive shopping...

but it came together so wonderfully!

And now that I officially SCARE MYSELF, I will stop. And take a break and drink some water and come back to post some more.

But can I please just say? I went to 2 Targets after church today (looking for ONE specific item, I'll have you know!!) ...

And I didn't buy anything.

What WILL the American economy do without me???

Freaking technology.

Hello, friends!

So last time, I said I was going to do the dang dumb New Zealand pictures, right??

And I TOTALLY was.

And then seriously, like, all the power cut out. The computer just went ppffffffffffffffffffffffff-BZZZT *dead*.

It freaked me the heck out. Because it sounded like a power outage except ALL THE LIGHTS WERE STILL ON.

CREEPY!

It took about 20+ minutes of puttering and checking and second-guessing to finally figure out how to reset the fuses because apparently SEVEN of them blew. Like, the computer - dead. TV and VCR - dead.

But the lights were on!!

And it was semi-raining, so I honestly didn't have a hohum clue what was going on in this lil goldurn haunted house.

Now I'm back on my weekly visit him and will internet till I pass out.

:)

Is this thing hard to read??

What can I say. Those of you who don't know me well, listen to ye olde imminent public service announcement:

I TOTALLY work in spurts.

Thus said, I have a brief survey for all've'y'all.

I've noticed that the print is just a little small on this dang screen.

So please comment!!

Is this easier to read ...

or is this easier to read?

Can I change the size/pt. on this cotton-pickin' thing.

Ooh, it appears that I can. Is this helpful?

Would this be even better? Excessive, maybe? Yes? No?

I feel like a monster.

And yes, a wee bit hyper. But I really do wanna know, for all those lovely personages who bother to come and while away some hours/minutes/nanoseconds.

Hit me up.

April Is Almost Over!!

Wheeeeew, wushuuuu, what is UP.

Last week was crazy. I still feel jet-lagged. And this is one week later.

MAN! Frikky tikky.

I was runnin' 'round last week like a daggone nappy-headed chicken with its beady-eyed greasola chickenhead done cut off trying to get ready for OPEN HOUSE!

I try not to stress - just to think carefully, and prepare - over these things anymore because SOMEHOW they always get done.

And God bless my dear old ex-Spanish teacher, MS. Murney Blades, because something she said not a few times still rings in my head:

"All work and no play is not the way to go! Your work will EXPAND (or shrink, as it were) to FIT the time you GIVE IT."

Hello, this be my life story.

If cleaning the classroom only GETS 2 hours, then it gets DONE in 2 hours, by golly!

I had a relatively spartan classroom set-up for Open Freaking House (Arrest), but a turnout of 14/20 wasn't too bad!! Somehow I always get through it! Praise Jesus.

So this post is basically a warm-up wind-up. I'm jiggering freaking WIRED from cavorting last week and stressing about being VISIBLY late to work while the PRINCIPAL is on the playground watching me run and hustle to my dang class that got taken in already, and waking up at 3am or 4am every night, and having NO fun whatsoever trying to huck my heavy fat backside outta bed at a time remotely resembling 7am every morning.

Le puke.

But it is officially over! And now I gotta crank out some test prep! And then try to do REPORT CARDS?!?!? again so freaking soon I can't believe it.

And then the year will be over and I have lofty great intentions of deep-cleaning most thorough this tossed-together approximation of a classroom.

Goals. I definitely have goals for my work environment this upcoming year.

I intend to be a force with which to be reckoned!! (Clumsy syntax, in my opinion, but heyyyy, the grammar Nazi/fascist in me refuses to allow any other.)

Next up: pics of New Zealand.

Maybe some vids, if you're lucky. Then again, are other people's videos really usually ALL that interesting? Especially with unintelligible sound? Hmm, dunno.

Don't even REMIND ME about all the stuff from Europe '06 that I still need to post.

Whee.

*huggies and smoochies to all who come here and pay attention to me*