It's here!!... :)

Finally. It arrived. In a box that was half the size of my living room.

And man! it was a 3 fingernail (meaning, that's how many I broke)  job getting it out of that stinkin box!

 

 

But how CUTE is it!! It's the Claudette headboard from Ballard Designs. I went with the darker wood because I thought the white would just look too blah in here:)

 

 

This room is tiny, so I wanted to keep it super simple. And a BIG thank you to Rob at Matage Framing for fixing my fav cow pic that got broken during the move:)

 

 

Speaking of broken.... :(

In my excitement to put the headboard up and not wait for hubby to get home, I broke mr. birdie:(

 

 

Hubby came home, re-doweled him and saved the day:)

 

The deets:

The large pillows are Ballard also.

The duvet is IKEA

The lamp and topiary are from FOUND

The dresser I found at Eclectic Monkey- this fab thrift store on Main St. in downtown Mesa. It already had that perfect worn finish and it was $35!! Score!!

 

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I sure did! We spent the entire week in DP with the kids and Little Bully:)

That of course means, I just came home on Sunday to a house full of Fall decor:(

The only Christmas I got goin on here is this cutest little thing that came home with me:)

 

I'm going to get out the Christmas goodies and dig deep into the creative side of my brain, because decorating this tiny is going to be a challenge! 

Therapy .... :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We used to have one of these turkeys. His name was- (are you ready? cause it's sooo original!)

Turk.

Rio loved him:) maybe because she was the only one Turk was nice to!

He was meeeean I tell ya!!

 

 

I think he was just stressed out. Like I get every holiday season. I really try not to, but I think it's my nature:(  How do I cope?? A little retail therapy:) If you're ever in San Clemente, CA hit up Del Mar street.

 

  How cute is this chevron dress from my fav Lincoln Street Boutique!

And boots. I buy in bulk:) actually, I finally found some comfy AND cute boots that I can wear to work:) got em at Sam's Shoe Store on Del Mar street too:)

 

 

 Then I bought myself some tulips:)

 

 

Ok! I can git to gittin now!!

The teeny tiny tour.....part 2:)

Alrighty! Here we go! So last week we toured the kitchen and this here living room:) Today we are going to head through that little doorway and see where we really live:)

 

 

This is the teeniest of family rooms:) and it's where we mostly hangout.  The love seat is IKEA, the desk was my makeup table at the old house. The little old white chair is from Sweet Salvage, the fab once a month sale that just so happens to be this coming weekend!! Go. Do it.

 

 

Picture me blogging here. Yep, this is where all the magic happens... I kid. More like, this is where I bite my nails every Monday night because I'm the worlds worst blog procrastinator and never know what in the world I'm going to write about!!

 

 

I bought this calendar decal at Tarjay. It's really cool, but man! it really should come with a warning... Please don't try this at home if you have the patience and math skills of a 4 year old.

The hubby put it up for me:)

 

All the curtains and rods in the house are from Tarjay too. The curtains were on clearance so I think they were $10 a panel? Can't remember really. The fence. Gaaa!! Who would return the fence halfway into the window?? It apparently never bothered my son, but geeeez!! it's all I see when I'm sitting there watching my Ina! It's on the honey do list... :)

 

 

I had to include this pic of my Alison Krauss autographed guitar. It was auctioned off at her concert several years ago, and it just so happened to be my birthday sooo the hubby won it for me:) Aaaaand I got to meet her and the entire band. It was sweet. What wasn't sweet? My delusional haircut. Let's just say in a moment of weakness I let my hairdresser go all Edward Scissorhands on me. Uh huh. You will NEVER see that pic. NEVAH. EVAH!!

 

 

Let's turn the corner and check out my laundry "room". What? They didn't have laundry rooms in 1922? Nope. They di int.

 

 

So needless to say, the laundry gets folded on the bed. And then immediately put away. Because there's no where else for it to go. And because I'd have a freak out if it was out for more than a minute. I have OCD. I think.

 

And there you have it! Next week we'll finish up the tour. Oh wait, no we won't. Because I'm heading to Dana Point for Thanksgiving! And truthfully? I'm still waiting on my headboard. Sooo, who knows what the sam heck I'll be posting about......

The Teeny Tiny Tour...part 1 :)

I LOVED this book when I was little. I think because I could totally relate? She went on a teeny tiny walk, found a teeny tiny bone for her soup- and then went home to take a nap, only to be disturbed and woken up and have a complete meltdown at the end. So ME!! Anyway, when I was little I used to always dream of little cute houses. I don't know why? I guess I just wish for coziness...

 

 

Well be careful what you wish for- cause you just might get it all!! So here I am in my teeny tiny house. It's been a week and I'm finally all put away.

 

The teeny tiny kitchen:) 

 

The cabinets were here. We just repainted the walls (Benjamin Moore- Hush) and added hardware to the cabinets:) The floors and windows in the entire house are original:) and so is that fab built in! The island is IKEA. The black chairs are my sons that he left here at the house, soo I just helped myself to them:)

 

 

To save cabinet space, I used this old tool caddy that I had and put my everyday plates and silverware in it. The silverware are sitting in mason jars inside the box:)

 

 

The table bases I got at Sweet Salvage a few months back. The table top came from Dan at FOUND:) Oh! and that runner was a Sweet Salvage find too. Love that place:)

 

 

The teeny tiny living room:

 

The love seat is Lee that I got from Domestic Bliss about 4 years ago? I found some green chenille fabric for $2 a yd (yep you read that right) and had Brown's Upholstery recover it:) they recovered the chair and ottoman too. The pic on the fireplace and the topiaries are from FOUND:)

 

I got around to adding a little fall decoration to my sweet old cabinet:)  

 

 

 I LOVE these kooky pumpkin guys!

 

 

They're weirdly cute!

 

 Velvet pumpkins:)

 

 Aaaand here she is. What I call my contraversial harvest pumpkin lady. I thought she was the cutest thing! That is until Rio informed me that she's a witch. She said because she has purple glitter on her hat that she's a witch. I'm not seein it!? Then my sweet nieces came over and I think 2 out of the 3 of them said she was a witch too!!? Rio's bf Chase said she's just a confused witch. I don't even remember what my hubby said about her. I mean come on! I know I've been a little busy lately, but GEEZ I think I would know if I have a stinkin Halloween decoration still out in November!!

 

But now I'm second guessing myself! Here's my argument. She's a PUMPKIN. She has green velvet sleeves and pants on. And her socks are orange and brown. So other than her (according to Rio "tell tale Halloween") purple glitter, I ain't seein it!? 

Do you??

 

I was dyyying when I saw these today at Trader Joe's!! I'm adding them to my teeny tiny veggie soup tonight:)



Hang in there.... :)

Whew!! We're IN!! What a crrrazy weekend. We were on the verge of starvation when my friend came over with this most thoughtful of gifts. She's the bomb homemade bread maker:) She said the sweetest polish saying that her mother-in-law taught her:

 

Bread that this home never knows hunger

Salt that your lives may always have flavor

Wine that joy and prosperity may be with you always and in all ways

 

Then she said butter. Because you can't have bread without butter:)

Thank you L.O. for your thoughtfulness, it was perfect:)

 

 

I'll tell ya- with all this packing and moving, the hubby and I were sooo tired of eating out. We were dying for anything home cooked. Enter my hero- my daughter Rio. Ok, in all fairness her bf Chase is actually the cook in their house, but her name just rhymed better:) Aaanyway, Rio called and asked if we wanted them to bring us dinner.... oh my! LOOK at that goodness!! Salmon, rice and veggies:)  

 

 

With all that nutrition, I was able to get down to business. Serious business. Putting out my fab pumpkins!! Happiness:)

 

 

And planting beaut flowers, under the watchful eye of Little Bully:) More happiness:)

 

Pics next week, I PROMISE!! I'm almost all done in here!

Chaos...and avoiding it:)

You say I'm crazy?! I got your crazy!! Holy chaos around here Batman.

 

 

Packed up a million boxes of books. I'm grounding the hubby and myself from Barnes & Noble for a year!!

 

 

Haven't made my bed in a week. Pure awesome.

 

 

Broke my favorite picture ever:(

I was wondering why Wallace had the barfs the other night, then I found the culprit. This Halloween rat, missing his tail.....

 

 

Lunch. Now I have the barfs. Yeah, that's my bowl of sea salt. Don't judge my stressful salt eating! Aaaand reading an old Country Living that I found in a heap of old mags. Awesome.

 

 

And my purse. It's become my catch all. Doggie bags (why??), water, an old collar of Wallace's that I refuse to throw away (why??), gorilla glue..... Ugh.

So what do I do in times so stressful as these??

 

 

Hit Sweet Salvage that's what!! I got this cool little chair, some green books, a FAB green cabinet (that I didn't get a pic of before it went to storage), that old frog card (because Frenchies are often called frog dogs), a really cool table runner and a first place bulldog AKC ribbon from 1973:)

 It was a good day:)

 

We ended the night at the newbie, popped a cork and drank our wine on the porch swing:) 

 

 

We will be all moved in and settled in the little new house this Friday:) I'll have pics for you next week!! Gotta go! The stinkin moving fairy aint lookin like she's showing up.... :(

Roast chicken... :)

Look at Ina and her perfect roast chicken. She makes it for her Jeffrey every Friday. In that perfectly crisp white shirt. In that fab kitchen. With the most fab green wallpaper.....

I've been roasting chicken about once a week for a while now:) Not as often in the summer time, because the thought of turning on my oven in triple digit weather will most often send me into the fetal position- on the kitchen floor- begging for mercy. Seriously.

 

Aaaanyway...here's my version:)

 what you'll need for this most amazing chicken-

A whole chicken

1 whole lemon- halved

1 whole head of garlic- halved (skin on)

1 bunch of thyme

2 Tbsp of butter- melted

Salt and Pepper 

Kitchen string (in the cutest acorn container)

 

Preheat you oven to 425 degrees. Rinse and pat dry your baby chicken. (Eww chickens always look like a little fat babies to me!)

 Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

 

 Half your lemon and garlic. Leave the skin on the garlic. (please notice that I'm not wearing a perfectly crisp ironed white shirt a- la- Ina. i'm rocking a french bulldog rescue network tee. cause that's how I roll...)

 

 

 I alternate stuffing the lemon, garlic and thyme into the chicken. I imagine it looks a lot prettier and more organized in there..?? I just realized how crazy that sounded after I wrote it. 

 

 

 

 Tie up the legs with string.

 

 

 Brush the (thing that weirdly resembles a baby) chicken with the melted butter. Liberally salt and pepper the outside. Tuck the wings under and stick it in the oven!

 

 

Ina says to cook it for an hour and half. I usually start to check on it after about an hour and fifteen, depending on the size of the chicken. Make sense? And when she's all cooked up she will come out looking all kinds of beautiful:) 

 

 

 I load up my plate with veggies to make up for the fact that I'm chowing down on the brown meat:)

 

 

Oh and that's my little salt and pepper pile on the far left. For dippin:) Yeah I'm thinking the broccoli makes up for that too??