A Tisket, A Tasket, an Easy little Door Basket!

Even when I try to catch up, I cannot catch up! Geeeez. I uploaded these pictures on Tuesday and am just now going back to them. That is lame! 

Nevertheless, here is my lame-o late post! I got the cute little baskets at Nell Hills in February. They were only $5 a piece. They are not the huge basket that she carries at times, but just a cute little purse-size basket. I had the ($1 a piece) carrot/bats that I bought to use in pictures of Leightyn. (The bat part of the giant carrot is down in the basket. And you never would have known, if I had not told, right???) 

I added the oh-so-popular-three-years-ago-green-bunny. I added a few cute green pom flowers. I stuffed a little rafia around and tied on an orange ribbon. For less than $10 I have a cute spring-time basket for my front door.

(It was really just $8, since I only bought the carrots and basket. But I used the carrots for pictures and will reuse the basket, so I say SCORE that bargain!!)

On the back door I used the other basket, added some more carrots, but used some daisies and a plaid ribbon. Once again, for under $8 I have a cute welcome-spring basket. I will redo it in a few weeks to welcome early summer. 

The best part of the door baskets.......It took me about 10 minutes total to create the two of them!

(I know, I know, you're saying, "and it looks like it too!!")

Well, they look cute from the road!!

Third Times The Charm...and The (real) Charmer!

Hey--

Where have you been?  I haven't gone anywhere, so it must be you!!!!!

OK.

I'll be honest.

I have made a 1 1/2 hour trip south of here several times 

the past three weeks.

Well maybe it has been a few more

than several.

And maybe she (and her parents)

have been up to see us

a couple of times...

So her Gigi (that would be me!!)

could take some pics

of her....

Actually that would be a LOT

of pics I have taken.

And yes, I know, I messed up that quote.

But it just seemed too fitting

and I just wrote it wrong....

and didn't change it.

(No bias at all.....uhmmm.)

But she is so dang cute I can't help myself.

Again, no bias at all.

ANYWAY...

so for the last three weeks here is some of what I did:

Became a Gigi (officially 3 weeks tomorrow).

Got my official release from the knee doctor because he said

I was "progressing WELL above the norm". 

It does still hurt some, 

but I have a pain threshold like no one else I know.

And believe me, no matter the little stingers I 

feel now and then, 

it is nothing compared to what it was before the operation.

I enjoyed spring break.

The bummer was that it rained every single day but one.

The upside to that is that it poured every single day but one.

And boy did Oklahoma need it.

So I just stayed inside and worked on some of my projects.

Or visited Leightyn!!

I completely cleaned every thing in my pantry 

and organized it.

I painted and finished four pieces of furniture.

I sewed curtains for Leightyn.

I read.

I spray painted a ceiling fan.

I watched (and bossed) as my Hubby

installed a new fan and took down the old

(that I then spray painted)..and then put it 

in our bedroom.

I know. I know. Chandeliers are THE thing to have.

I am practical.

I love fans blowing on me. 

I hate still or stagnant air.

I completely changed around two rooms.

That I had previously "thought" I had finished.

I watched as my sons moved three sofas to 

three completely different rooms for me.

Musical sofas. (The sons were not amused.)

I decorated for St. Pats.

I decorated for Easter.

I had a special visitor from Kansas stop by.

I planted shrubbery and flowers in the yard.

I helped take out an old fence.

I watched (and bossed) as Hubby and sons 

put in a new fence.

Honestly, there is more. But this is long.

So I will focus.

I did not take pics of everything along the way.

With the exception of Leightyn!!!

But I did take a few pics of a small dresser that I redid.

For the third time.

Here we go....

I painted this piece to match other pieces in the room.

When I got ready to paint it the Hubs told me 

"he hated that piece" and wondered why I would bother with it. Again.

Hmmmm.

Being the Good Wife that I am, 

I thought about it...

and proceeded to paint it.

Again!

Here it is in its second life.

It started out as a nice (real wood) maple piece

of my grandparents.

When they died I got it.

It was in my children's den so I decided to paint it black

and add the sports themed knobs.

That was probably at least 15 years ago.

(I've been at this painting thing a LONG time!)

Then last summer I painted it with Annie Sloan blue.

I put cute delft knobs on it to match.

For the life of me, I could not find the pics of it.

Just imagine.

I think this is when the Hubs started hating it.

It (the dresser in blue) was just "ok" with me too (but I did not tell him that.)

I put a dark wax on it to tone down the blue, but 

it was still just ok (which is better than "hate").

So then during (rainy) spring break

I decided that the piece deserved better and painted it. Again.

I also got new knobs and put on it.

(Technically I had the knobs already, I just painted them with ORB and put them on this piece.)

You can see the bright blue where I distressed it in places.

But I like it. (Really!!)

Hubs has not jumped on the band wagon yet.

I used Duck Egg blue and then Coco on top of that.

I used only clear wax on top of all that.

It really does look better now and 

matches the room and everything in it.

It will probably stay this way a while.

Even if the Hubs never admits he (kinda) likes it now.

I'll be back this week to post other things.

My three week break was long enough.

Just wanted you to know that I have been really busy....

taking pictures!!! Ha!

Linking to:

Metamorphosis Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Simple Sundays

Tell All Tuesday--Wednesday Style!!

Allow me to introduce 

Miss Leightyn Elizabeth Lucas.

All 8 lbs and 4 oz. of her on her little 20 inch long frame!!

(And just for the record, healthy Miss Leightyn 

has a very petite mother!!)

Actually Kelly's big fear was that Leightyn would be born and 

only weigh

5 lbs. or so.....

Then everyone would wonder why 

Kelly  had looked so big!! 

Leightyn's due date was March 23rd. When she arrived on Monday night, I wondered about her patience!!

But so far, she has been a very calm, easily content baby. (I hope I did not just jinx that!!!!) 

That means that 

Leightyn's birthday is

3.12.12.

If any of you like the idiosyncrasy's 

of numbers like me, 

you will agree that her birthdate

is cool.

My Hubby's (late) father was born on 

3.31.31.

So I liked that 

Leightyn (kind of) carried that on.

The first three pictures were taken right 

after she was born.

The last two were taken from my texts,

and pics my son Fielding has sent me.

Don't worry.....I am on my way to see her again 

this evening after school and I plan 

to load up with pictures!

She has to stay in the hospital 

another day or two,

as she has some jaundice issues.

I like to think that she is like her Gigi and

is already enjoying "laying out"!

Of course she is perfect. And beautiful.

And perfectly beautiful.

Of course I cannot wait to spoil her rotten.

My Spring Break begins on Friday

and Miss Leightyn 

could not have timed her arrival to be 

more perfect.

I plan to bond!!

Tell All Tuesday--Sleep (or not)

I have probably written about this little idiosyncrasy before, but it is one of my more odd traits, and therefore bears repeating.

I do not sleep very much. 

It is nothing that is intentional,

it is just me.

For as long as I remember I have not

required much sleep.

Just this past weekend,
I did not go to sleep at all on

Saturday night.

I stayed up and got things done that 

I needed to do.

To the contrary of what my Hubs thinks, 

I have no control over my

needing minimal sleep.

He still tells me ALL these years later,

"If you just lay down and close your eyes, you will fall asleep."

HA!!! He could not be more wrong.

I can get by on 

FOUR hours of sleep.

.......at. the. most.

......every.  single. day.

I never have one of those collective moments where

it catches up with me

and I am exhausted.

Unless I got two or more days

without sleep.

Yes. You read that right.

I can do that too.

I know. I know.

It is very, very weird.

You're not telling me anything I don't already know!

I think there are a couple of reasons behind this weirdness.

The first one is that my mind doesn't shut down very easily.

It is going, going, going all the time.

I am always thinking of something, or reading something or writing something.

I have thought about this and tried very hard to let my

brain rest,

but it always seems to be thinking, reflecting, creating, summarizing, planning or just meditating.

The other reason, and the strongest argument for my 

Night Owlness

is that it is genetic.

My sister and brother do this too.

My Dad and (late) Uncle.

My cousins.

My second cousins.

Much of my extended family on my Dad's side.

Frequently on Facebook if I get on and look late at night, 

or in the wee hours of the morning, 

the people that are on-line

are my relatives!

Somewhere in time we were just 

not given the 

sleep gene.

I know it has to be hard for a "I-need-my-sleep-spouse"

to live with a "I-just-need-a-quick-power-nap-spouse". 

But long ago my Hubby and I made peace with that fact.

I use my time in the middle of the night

to get things done, 

to read,

to clean

or to just relax.

When all five children were home that was usually the only 

time I had with true peace and quiet!

I keep thinking as I get older, I will get tired.

Well, not yet.

My Dad is 75 and he is still going without sleep

on a regular basis.

I readily admit it is odd that a person needs no 

more than 4 hours of sleep on a regular basis.

I readily admit it is odd that once (or twice) 

a week

I go without any sleep at all in a 24 hour period.

But it is what it is.

Is there anyone out there (not related to me)

that does this too?

Just wondering....from one Night Owl to another.....