Posted Up - Literally

So this past weekend I decided I would get a head start on spring cleaning. I know spring is a few weeks away yet but it was so lovely out this weekend & I had the motivation! My thought is if I got a lot of cleaning out of the way now that when spring finally does decide to come I can be outside enjoying the beautiful weather & redoing a few pieces of furniture instead of cleaning. The only problem with that is after doing so much around the house I kind of maybe threw my back out? Which I'm not even sure that's what I've done since it's more of my upper back/neck that's hurting. So I am laid up in bed today with a heating pad trying to take it easy & not move much. Which let me just add is so incredibly difficult for someone like me who doesn't like to sit still or waste a day in bed: all I can think about is how much I could be getting done at work & home. But at least I've got a pretty view & good tv! "You've bewitched me body & soul & I love, I love, I love you." -Mr. Darcy {Pride & Prejudice} sigh...

I have finally found new bedside table lamps & accent pieces for the walls, I just need to make time to go & get them. I also need to add hang up the curtain rods to my honey do list {which is basically the house fixer upper things list for my hubs to do}

And just because I adore this so very much I thought I'd show you this beautiful vase I found at Gordmans - I'm switching up a lot of things in my home and I love this rustic look that I'd like to transform my dining room into! Think rustic farmhouse with white ceramic accent pieces!

 

 

Personalize This

So I love to do all sorts of crafts; that doesn't mean I'm a professional by any means but anytime I can personalize something is fantastic. My sister is having a baby soon & one of the items on her registry was my soon to be nephews initials from Babies R Us. I knew she didn't want just plain white ones because her walls are white so I thought I'd  head to the craft store and get them unfinished. Any craft store will have unfinished wood letters for around $4 for 9" which is how big I wanted mine to be. Be on the look out because places like Michael's, JoAnn's, & Hobby Lobby often have 30% off sales on unfinished wood items & if not they all always have 20%-40% off coupons!

 

I found a small bag of letters for around $1.99 to spell out my nephews name & just used wood glue to put them on. I then got little hooks and hammered them on the back and midnight blue ribbon to tie them so she can hang them on the wall. They match her theme perfectly!
Here is a picture of the H I did for Holden's room - I hot glued a little race car I got from Hobby Lobby {per the request of Holden} & just painted on some flames!

And last but not least I got this cardboard K {again from Hobby Lobby- can you tell it's my favorite store?!} - I left it unfinished because I like the look of it and glued on these paper flowers {I got them at Michael's for $1} I now have it sitting on my desk at work. These are fun & easy crafts that anyone can do - so grab some paint, glue, wall hooks, & ribbon to personalize any space of yours!

 

Wordless Wednesday

As I sit here listening to the Indie Station on Pandora I can't help but feel happy. It's my day off work (a nice break in the middle of a hectic week) & I have my marshmallow fireside candle lit (a Christmas gift from my little sister), wrapped up in a soft blanket chillin on my couch doing book reviews. It's such a simple day & the sun is shining (don't let that fool you it's 30* outside but I'll take that any day over the single digit temps we've had for weeks.) I always like to look for the positive in every thing. It's so easy to focus on the negative & complain or point out bad things but if you just take a step back and breathe, count your blessings you'll find a reason to smile even if it's just for the simplest things. That pic above is my very own bookshelf, yes it's jam packed and double rowed of books. I have a little bit of an issue letting go of books & if I could have it my way my bedroom walls would be lined with bookshelves. Ever need to borrow a book, just ask ;)

Speaking of bedrooms; these are a few of my favorite things in mine. As you can gather I'm a bit obsessed with candles from Bath & Body. They can be a tad pricey but I will always catch them on sale or have a coupon because let's face it paying $20 for one candle is mad! But they are my favorite, they are powerful & will make my whole house smell amazing. My absolute favorite is Fireside & Mahogany Teakwood but I also love the Flannel & Paris one as well.

 

This is from this past weekend: we went to an Icemen hockey game on behalf of my work event & celebrated my husbands birthday!

On a little more of a serious note prayers are needed for my sister Samantha who lost her grandfather last night. Heaven gained an angel & just know that you are loved by many!

Hate List By Jennifer Brown

Summary: Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life

Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Review: I'm not gonna lie, this book made me tear up towards the end. A tear did not actually come out of my eyes but they did well up. It was really touching & I found myself going through an array of emotions for this was a conflicting read. The author expressed the point of view from a teenager so well in a situation like this. This novel is a powerful fictional account of a school shooting and the inner turmoil that witnesses and victims suffer through. The characters are complex; the way their thoughts and feelings are revealed throughout the book is riveting. Hate List not only tackles the issues on bullying and campus killings, but it also tells about what it feels to grow up, battling loneliness and the need to belong, the feeling of envy, and the journey to self-discovery and self-acceptance. The only part of this story I didn't care for was the father, it made me angry at the way he expressed himself. I found myself itching to get through this story & having hopes & wishes for these characters. It makes you wonder how you’d cope under similar circumstances.

Thank You

So a few weeks ago our dog Tootise got really sick. A couple of days before New Years we took her into the emergency vet for the very first time and were told she had an upset belly and a small chance of pancrentitis. The vet said she had recently thrown up and with Christmas just being days before we did give her new treats. He gave us meds for an upset belly and we went on our way. But on New Years I knew something was wrong, she wasn't getting better. So I took her into another vet that happened to be open and they ran blood tests and diagnosed her with pancreatitis. Sure I was upset thinking I should have had them test her the first time but thought ok well now we know what's wrong lets get her to feeling better. Our vet called when they saw that we had taken her elsewhere because they were closed and offered to do a free exam for a checkup. It seemed like one day she started feeling better and then next it was back to shaking and not feeling well again. So our vet said they needed to do an ultrasound, which is where we found out that she had pyometra (an infection that can happen in unsprayed female dogs to the uterus) and fatal. My vet didn't even understand how they came to the conclusion of pancreatitis after looking at all the testing she had done. Which of course made me furious but that wasn't important at the time. He then dropped a bomb on us that her surgery would be $1,800-$2,100... We couldn't believe it. We applied for the care credit our vet offered and didn't qualify. The best my vet would work out with us was to pay half up front. Even then we knew we didn't have $900 laying around & to make things worse since she had been suffering from this for quite a few days now we knew we didn't have much time to figure out something. We got so many suggestions & advice it was overwhelming. My husbands boss had referred us to his vet about an hour away and he agreed to do the surgery for a third of the cost and got her in the very next morning. We were flat broke from having spent several hundred dollars for wrong diagnosis and I was worried how we would manage this. Thanks to my wonderful mother she started a donation page. I can not express the thanks I feel to each and everyone of you who donated. Tootsie is our very first baby, my husband got her for me for my 19th birthday when she was just 6 weeks old. She is our one and only fur baby & we are so blessed  to be able to have many more years with her. I appreciate all of the support from all of my friends, family, coworkers & complete strangers. Words can not express how touched we are, we are truly blessed. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

Toots has fully recovered & is back to being her sweet & playful self!

 

P.S. If you'd like to support a good cause and someone truly wonderful, then please visit my moms facebook page for feral cats. She not only volunteers/fosters for Another Chance For Animals she takes in neighborhood feral cats & has them fixed & cares for them.

Jeannie's Ferals