Photo Session: The Kraatz Family

When I agreed to take pictures for my third grade teacher, I was really nervous.  I did not want to screw things up, as having their whole family together was kind of a big deal.  I reminded them that I wasn't a professional, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the session.  It was a good time, and I am glad that everyone seems happy with the results.

   

Isn't this the sweetest cookie face ever?!

Painting, Purchasing, and Photography

This is my new paint color.  It's Kestral Gray.  I liked the sound of that name.  It reminded me of an English manor or something like that.  And I don't think it will clash with the paneled wall in my bedroom (or my bedding!)  I didn't get a whole lot of it done yesterday.  Mostly trim, but here's what it looks like on the walls.

It's actually a little bit darker than it looks here, but I really like it.  I'm hoping to get the rest of it up on Sunday or Monday.  But before I could paint, I had to sand.  And anyone who's ever dealt with drywall dust knows that it goes everywhere, no matter what you do.  Here's an example...

My trusty assistant wasn't convinced that I had any idea what I was doing.  Sometimes I'm not either, I guess.  But I do know that I really want to do this project all by myself, if for no other reason than being able to look at it and know that I did it.  Delilah would prefer that I hired in, or at least made less noise.

But that was yesterday.  Today, I had a women's brunch in the morning (which was very interesting, and I mean that in a good way!  Great speakers and fellowship), then I went to visit my grandma in the hospital and do a little shopping.  Delilah decided to chew the straps of one of my brand-new tank tops in two.  Needless to say, I was completely and totally hacked because I loved that top and had only worn it once!!  But I replaced it and bought a couple of other cute things because they were having a sale. 

On the way home, there was a guy and his little boy selling corn and sunflowers on the road.  The sunflowers had been cut and were mostly wilted, which made me sad because I was hoping to get some pictures of them.  (A lady at work had been wanting some pictures for her kitchen.)  The guy was super nice and said that he had a bunch down the road at his house and that I could take all the pictures I wanted to.  So, I followed his directions, made sure his wife knew what I was up to ( "Hi.  I'm the crazy lady who has come to take pictures in your garden.  Your husband said it was okay.  Don't mind me.  Thanks!"), petted their two adorable dogs, and ended up with a couple really good pictures. 

 

I love absolutely unexpected adventures!  What an awesome day!

Why I Love Summer

Yesterday afternoon, Sheena and I were talking on Facebook in between her lessons.  She said something about how she wanted a cookie.  I agreed.  That was how we ended up driving 25 minutes for cookies.  This also meant, however, that we found ourselves in the local Barnes & Noble.  I believe that all things happen for a reason. Case in point, if we had not gone in search of cookies, I wouldn't have found the following book for half price.

 That's right!  It's the new Jen Lancaster book!  And it's fabulous!  I actually stopped reading another book that's on loan from Crys (despite the fact that I have accumulated no less than 10 more books to read this summer as is!).  That book is really pretty good but my love for Jen ranks above my love for most anyone else.

I'm sure that I will go back to this book when I am done with Jen.  It might be better to read it closer to when school starts anyway.  I can always use a little inspiration before I start molding the leaders of tomorrow.  (Because you never quite know what a new school year will hold!)

In other news, I started working on my bedroom today until I started feeling like crap.  The good news is the room is mostly taped and the drywall is patched.  This means that hopefully I will be able to start painting tomorrow!!  I'm really ready to have this project over and done with! 

I love this pink joint compound!  It goes on pink, but turns white when it's dry.  If you aren't a pro, it helps take the guess work out of the whole process.  Even if it does make your wall look like they are covered in Calamine for a bit.  Being able to patch and finish drywall has proved to be a pretty valuable skill, and I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

My plans for the rest of the evening include watching So You Think You Can Dance and reading some more Jen.  I know, you are all jealous of my wild and crazy life as a single girl!

So, Big Morning...

"I'd like to thank the Academy, my agent, my lawyers, all the little people who I trampled on my way to the top...."  Wait, wrong speech.  Let me backtrack just a little.

I was getting ready to post about books and spackling (not all at once mind you!), when I stopped to read all the new posts I hadn't read yet from all my favorite bloggers.  And imagine my surprise when I saw that The Lumberjack's Wife named me as one of her favorite blogs!  This totally (totes? I just don't think I can go there, Taylor!) made my morning!  If you are stopping by on her recommendation, I just want to say hi and welcome to my little corner of the Internet!  I hope you will come back and read all my riveting (ha!) posts about, well...everything.  And to Taylor, a favorite blog buddy, a huge thanks!  I wish you ten minutes of complete and total peace!  (And no more broken cabinets!)

Having A Moment: The Celebrity Edition

Update:  And I think Kate Ward over at EW writes much more eloquently about what's really at the heart of the matter.


Now, while I am a bit of an entertainment industry encyclopedia (meaning I read Entertainment Weekly and People and watch a lot of movies and TV), I don't normally comment on here about such things.  This is about my life for the most part, not someone else's.  But I just can't help myself this time!

I don't feel sorry for Lindsay Lohan.  That's right,  I said it.  But I may not be going where you think I'm going with this either.  She's made mistakes and I believe that it's time she put her sobriety above everything else, including her career (which is floundering, big shock).  She also needs some people in her life who are more concerned with helping her than they are with money and fame.  Unfortunately, it seems like the two people who should be the most concerned with her welfare (her parents), just aren't.  And that's really sad to me. 

I actually applaud the judge's decision of 90 days in jail, followed by 90 days in rehab, and I hope that she orders that there be no "celebrity shortcuts" to this.  I think that spending six months, uninterupted, working out her issues might be the thing Lindsay needs the most.  Because the sad truth is she used to be a very promising actress.  You don't have to look any further than Mean Girls or The Parent Trap to see that.  However, I don't think that she is of any value to the industry in her current condition.  Perhaps this judge sees that, too.  Everybody and their brother has been on the morning shows bemoaning the harsh judgment, but maybe this is what it will take.  No one needs another celebrity killing themselves with drug and alcohol abuse, accidently or otherwise.  If her parents or other people in her life aren't willing to step in and do what needs to be done, maybe the law should.

I hope and pray that Lindsay gets the help that she needs.  And I hope that when she does, she will be able to act if that is still what she wants to do.  But starting July 20, she will have six months to think about it.  

Can't Stop Now!

I've been on a bit of a blog roll so far this month, so I felt like I had to post a little something today.  Other than laundry and dishes, I didn't really accomplish all that much today.  (Though if you saw the state of things around here that might seem like more than it is.)  Let's just say that I am a lot of things, but a great housekeeper isn't quite one of them. 

Early in the afternoon, my little sister, Lu, sent a text asking if I would go with her to the doctor and then for our usual Mexican and DQ date.  I agreed, of course, and was able to get most of the things that I will need to finish my bedroom purchased (paint, curtains, etc.).  I'll be anxious to start on that Thursday, and will hopefully have my whole bedroom ready to roll by the weekend.  I can't wait to post pictures of that finished project!  There's still plenty to do before I even paint.  I have to patch several nail holes and whatnot.  I'm so glad that my daddy taught me how to do those things when I did my original renovations on this house!  It's nice to be able to take care of things like that myself instead of having to ask for help.  Being single has its drawbacks, but learning how to fix things around the house myself isn't one of them.

My goal is that by the middle of next week I will have this house cleaned up, my bedroom finished, and can begin Renovations: Phase 2.  I feel like I need to explain to you that when I moved into this house, a certain amount of furniture was already here.  I didn't have anything other than my bed, so these things were quite welcome.  One of those pieces was a couch.  This couch weighs roughly as much as a compact car.  It feels like it has a hide-a-bed inside, but it doesn't.  One night several years ago, while a friend and I were watching TV, the legs started to come off, causing a pretty severe tilting issue.  I, in my infinite wisdom, took the legs off, meaning that my couch was now an 800-pound lowrider, sitting just a foot and a half off the ground.  This was fine for me, as I am short, but it proved to be a bit of an issue for those that weren't. 

Well, I have loved this couch with all my heart, but my mom subtly mentions how I need a new couch just about every time I make a purchse for my house.  For instance, I go to Wal-Mart to buy some paper towels, "Honey, don't you think you could save that money and put it towards a new couch."   The poor, old thing is starting to go.  It's almost 20 years old, has no legs and sags in the middle.  Every once in a while, I can actually feel a spring break loose and head for the hills.  So, this fall, for my mother and for my own good, I am going to buy a new couch.  Maybe a double chair too.  Who knows?  Phase 2 is still actively being formulated, but I'm sure it will be great.  It might even mean I get to move the non-working (because Delilah chewed the wires when she was a kitten) treadmill out of my office!  I may go wild just thinking of what could happen!

But for now, I am going to fold another batch of laundry and get ready for bed!  Tomorrow is another big day, with fabulous adventures awaiting to unfold!

P.S. Let me know what you think about this new blog look!  Been a little bored with the old one and thought we might be due for a change!

Crystal Turns 30!

On Saturday, we gathered as a tribe under the giant blue and white umbrellas, as has hopefully become our new tradition.  Crystal was turning 30, in case you hadn't heard and we were ready to celebrate!  

We had a great time eating, laughing, and eating some more.  This was the first time we had met some of Crystal's girls from work and I believe that we bonded beautifully!  (I don't think you can help it when you are all cut from the same cloth!)  Mo-Mo the Magnificient brought plenty of hats for the birthday girl to wear (see previous post) and provided lots of entertainment as she danced and tried to convince the jerks in the band to let Crys sing with them!

I think it's safe to say that I good time was had by all!

On Sunday, we gathered at Crystal's parents, as per our usual tradition.  Since officially Crys is a "Yankee Doodle Dandy," we come together not to celebrate the birth of our country, but the birth of the woman we all know and love!  This year, the aunties brought something to make things a bit more celebratory. 

Here we are, birthday crowns and all.  We've been friends now for more than 10 years, believe it or not.  Why God would see fit to connect three stubborn, strong personalitied girls and have them sing together all this time I will never know.  I will also always be thankful!

Of course, there was another trio that wanted to get in on the act.  They've been together a bit longer than 10 years, but they are pretty, pretty princesses too!

If you read both our blogs you may remember that Crystal had a very specific birthday cake request.  Her youngest brother made sure that she got exactly what she wanted! 

"Look!  It's actually a triple decker!"  This cake was massive and rich (and I'm a girl who rarely ever says something like that about a dessert)!  But I will also say that there wasn't any of it left at the end of the day!

After all the food and the swimming and whatnot, we usually head into town to watch the fireworks!  Now in our town, they shoot off the display from the grandstand at the park.  This means that the best way to watch the fireworks is to sit in the cemetery.  You'd think it would actually be a little creepier than it actually is.  By the time we headed that way we had multiplied into quite a good size group and spread out into two full comforters and a bunch of lawn chairs.  We whooped and hollered and laughed (way to go, Skippy the fireworks captain!), and it gave me a chance to play with some settings on my camera I hadn't ever tried.  This is the night setting.

And this is the fireworks setting!  We were a a long way off, so I am pretty impressed! 

It was a great weekend, one of those golden ones you only get now and again.  I'd say that the 30s are going to be pretty awesome, Crys!  I can't wait to see where the next 10 years take us all!  (Of course, some of us won't be 30 for another year, so you will have to wait for me to catch up for the real fun to start!)