That's Good, That's Bad

I'm interrupting the house tour (that no on in particular is paying attention to) to share a little about my break. In an attempt at creativity and using effective transitions, I shall model this post about my October break after a children's book. Without further ado:
That's Good, That's Bad
by me

Parent-Teacher conferences were over and it seems the 1st quarter was over.

That's good.

No, that's bad. How in the world can a I end a quarter without being ready for it in the first place? Frightening.

First quarter ending means that I had to dip into personal funds for pizza and ice cream for the entire class.

That's bad.

No, that's good. The 4th graders worked their tails off to please the me and meet some lofty goals and deserved a reward.

And so the children fled the school building on Friday, October 1 for two weeks of fall break.

That's good.

No, that's bad. Fall break means that I will be spending all my free time planning and planning and planning some more.

That's bad.

No, that's good. If I spend my entire break planning, maybe I will be sane for the majority of 2nd quarter.

A break from school means a break in routine. In order for me to not gain 15 pounds over break, I volunteered to sub a whole bunch of group fitness classes to keep myself active.

That's good.

No, that's bad. Midway through the week I rolled my ankle (the same one "broken" a couple of years ago) and that sucker puffed up.

Luckily, I'm no wuss and I have all my wraps and ice packs from the last incident and it's looking alright.

In addition to my group exercise madness I volunteered to go on a bike ride at 4 a.m. on my October break, in the dark, with a bunch of peeps I don't know really well.

That's bad.

No, that's good. I have recently decided to try a few tri's (as in in triathlons) and a bike ride is good for my heart, and my rear.

Everyone bailed except the organizer who happens to make my brain go to mush everytime he talks to me, let alone looks at me. Sigh.

That's good.

No, that's bad. Not only is the man over 10 years my senior, he also has a harem. You heard correctly. Trust me, it's never going to happen.

I met up with a friend for dinner. We caught up and discussed how amazing my life is (ha!). I had just come from the gym so I looked pretty much like a wet cat. Eeeew.

That's bad.

No, that's good. Our server seriously got his flirt on. If someone is willing to flirt with you when you look like scum, imagine what they'll think when they see you in something other than spandex. Am I right or am I right?

I gave him my phone number.

That's good.

No, that's bad. After a little facebook stalking (don't look like that, you know you do it, too) I find out that our server is just about 10 years my junior. Seriously. SERIOUSLY.

Before I know it, it's October 15th and break is over. Have I planned? No. Have I read to help me reach an outrageous A.R. goal? No.

That's bad.

No, that's good. Turns out, I really think I needed the lazy time. I'll get myself organized the first week back and hopefully read like a, like a, well like a thing that reads really fast to meet my goal (or beg my students to let me lower it).

During the course of my break, I was awoken by a phone call telling me that my sister was on her way to the hospital to have a baby. Yay baby Madden!!!

That's good.

No, that's great!

(see Madden? He's my fall break silver lining.)

Okay, I'm not really creative, but all these things did happen. Embarassingly enough, every single one. My break was pretty chill, though the Forbidden experience will be hard to top in the future. Let me just say, girls truly just wanna have fun.

The throne rooms

Okay, I'm not in love with the title, but you know what's coming, bathrooms. Here's the main bathroom, which I am officially turning over to Kelsi. Anyone who's familiar with my history with this bathroom will know what that means. I think.
Okay, I may help and put some things on the shelves, but other than that, I wash my hands of it. Really.

I was going for girly and I think I succeeded. The pink isn't too strong, though not as subtle as I had intended. The rest of the decor will be non-pink.

For some reason I felt like my bathroom was less deserving of decoration than the main bathroom. However, now that I'm giving the other one to Kelsi, I am thinking I may have to work on it a little more. In case you are wondering, the walls are not white, but "mystical sea" which is a pale green which compliments my boudoir nicely.

This is a close-up of my daily affirmation. It's pretty much true. All the time. I give my permission for you to copy. (my mom wrote it, by-the-way, doesn't mean I don't feel the same)

A very similar shower curtain as in the first bathroom, but white. I'm going for simplistic. At this point it is really simple. However, until my sugar daddy Ryan Reynalds realizes his mistake marrying Scarlett, and starts to shower me with the gifts and money I am so deserving of, I suppose I'll add to it myself. Sporadically.

That's it really. Now, any hints or ideas are absolutely welcome. Do NOT suggest an over-the-toilet standing cabinet. Other than that, what do you have?

P.S. I still have not received the shams (see prior post). Don't be shy.

First things first

A tour of my beloved home...it's been 7 months and I've been busy. That said, we're going to take this slowly, one room at a time so you can behold all the loveliness. Here's my sanctuary, in all it's Scotland Road (paint color) glory:

"Katie, it's beautiful! But a couple of things are obviously missing, no?" says awestruck blog post reader.

"Why yes, yes there is a glaringly obvious item or two missing," says Katie.

Sundra Blossom Collecion Euro Sham x2 (plus the pillows)

from Anthropology

Who wants to get me a housewarming gift?

And if you're feeling generous, a dresser, armoire, and a couple of night stands would be an excellent addition, too.

Just sayin'.

Tomorrow (or the next day): the bathrooms!

Gimme your Box Tops!

I know that we have had this conversation. I know we have. I remember telling you all just what products you can cut these bad boys off of and save for my loveable, well-deserving classroom. It's time to send those collections to me (I'm aware that there are only 2 of you; shame, shame on the other 5 readers of my blog. Audrey, you get a free pass because you are collecting Box Tops yourself) If you have any, and I mean ANY, just let me know where to send the self-addressed envelope.

As of right now, my class is in 1st place. But, I know (for a fact because I am snoopy) that there is at least one teacher who is holding out. When I say holding out, I mean she has an entire box full. We're talking over 1,000. And I know that she, I mean they, are just waiting for February 25th (which is the deadline) to roll around so she, I mean they, can blindside me.

Help us out! Where should I send the envelope? Remember, deadline is February 25th, so I need them before then. My kindergarteners thank you.

Framing begins next week...

I can't even believe it! I thought it was high time that I stop mooching off my family (I SO do not mooch, just using the expression) and move into something that is bigger than a 10x10 square (it's IMPOSSIBLY HARD to cram 28 years of priceless mementos inot a room that size and still have a bed to sleep in). Isn't that exciting? Let me paint you a picture...
I'm the one on the far left. Minus the pretty foliage and mountains, the long driveway, and pretty flowers in the window. I'm also pretty sure that's not what the color will be, but a girl can dream.
My front door. More or less:

You just walked in and no, those mirrors won't be there:

You turned around at the top of the stairs to see the trio of doors (my doors will be two-paneled by-the-way). The left is the garage, straight ahead is a closet, and the right is the exit:

You're so excited to see the rest as you catch a glimpse coming upstairs:

I had to throw this in somewhere. These are my door "knobs" though they aren't knobs:

Prepare for house overload. These posts took FOREVER. Believe me, this model is not what I have envisioned for my sanctuary, but it's a start. If you're lucky you'll be invited to a house warming par-tay. And I mean PAR-TAY.

Laundry and kitchen

The laundry closet ('cuz this ain't a room):
The kitchen after you've walked upstairs:

The kitchen, from the hallway:

The kitchen from the refrigerator's point of view:

Uh huh, the kitchen from the dining room:

Scrap all the basic junk in the kitchen to get a better idea of what mine should look like. Picture 42" upper cabinets with crown, darker wood, darker counter top, black appliances, microwave over the range, and a better colored wall. Okay, a different colored wall.

Living and dining rooms

View of the living room from kitchen:
Now imagine that half wall you just saw transforming into a cute white railing like this:

Dining area, nope, I didn't invest in that lovely light:

Sadly, I have more carpet than tile, but here's another view of both rooms from the hall:

Picture different decor. I don't know about this model...

Bathroom and roomie room

The bathroom:
With this faucet:

And this light fixture:

A lucky roomie's room:

Another view:

I will just say no to these colors.

Master bathroom

Ignore the color, see this space:
With a double sink using these faucets:

These lighting fixtures:

This "garden tub" (apparently a must):

Ignore the colors. Not me.

Master bedroom

A walk-in closet (even if you just stand inside the door):
MY master bedroom:

Yep, still MY master bedroom:

You guessed it, MY master bedroom again:

Of course I can decorate better than this. These colors and this style is not me at all.