Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Maybe that's not such a great idea. Unless you like to listen to the banging of a drum by a 3 year old.

Matt brought home his drum set the other day from the practice studio so he could take it to school for the talent show. So to get Finley to leave his alone we decided to unpack her drum set.

Spoiled, I know. A 3 year old with her own drum set? Well, luckily I can blame my mom for this one. She bought it for Finley at deep discount from her job at Neiman Marcus.

How cute is this though? Finn and daddy drumming together.















































Jamming by herself.















































Matt hooked her up to the ipod here so she could learn to play along with the music.





























So as soon as any of the houses near us come up for sale I'll be sure to let you guys know.

Biting the Bullet

I'll share a little secret with you all. I've been terrified to put up anything on the walls in our new house. I think it stems from the fact that I have spent so much time patching, sanding, and painting. It pains me to think of making a hole in my pristine walls.

Well since it's been looking a tad plain in here I decided that there was no better time than now to damage my pristine walls hang something. I have been coveting this picture set from The Black Apple for months and months. Wouldn't you know it that the colors ended up being perfect for Finley's room. I may end up moving them a tad bit further apart, but for now I think they look fabulous and perfect for a music loving little girls room.























































Don't mind the damaged corner on the picture on the right (i already bought a replacement). We had a hanging accident and it chipped the corner. Good thing the frames were on clearance for $9 at Michaels. My super cheap butt still cringed at having to buy a new one though.














































and a picture of her uglies because they are just so cute.

Progress Report

I did another "quick" (ha ha) video tour of our progress. For some reason I can't seem to make the tours a little shorter. I mean geez the house is pretty small but I still manage to mumble and hem and haw about nonsense. I won't feel bad if you only make it a quarter of the way through it.

Oh, and some ding bat didn't check to see if the lens was clean so it is a little glary at some points. But if you have been following along I think you will notice that it is a little more cleaned up and organized.

Great Finds

I haven't had much time for thrift store shopping lately. With all of the house stuff I've had to do I just haven't made much time. Plus, with a rambunctious 3 year old it's not always real fun.

The other day though we stopped at the Goodwill after library story time and found a couple of gems.

They aren't exactly my colors but this is the first time I have ever found Fiestware at the thrift store so I had to get them to add to my collection. Plus, for 5 bucks I got 5 saucers and 4 cups. What a deal. I have an extra Fiesta mug here already so getting the extra saucer is actually perfect.

The Sad State of Our Garage

A lot of you know how much I loved my special garage space at the old house. It was the spot where I could create and dream up whatever I wanted. All of my art and craft stuff was super organized and right within reach. I really miss that space.

Our garage as is stands now looks like this.




















It's piled high with boxes and junk. Organizing the garage has been on my list of things to do for quite some time now but it is such a huge task that I keep putting it off. I mean who would want to tackle that pile of junk?

The thing is is that I need to. Not just so we can move some of the stuff out of the house and into the garage but so I can try to carve myself a little spot to create.

Since we moved in I have been doing all the boring things that make this house a home. Unpacking, looking for my pants, organizing cupboards. What I really want to do is make all those fun neat things that will make our house fun.

So today it starts. I'm cleaning out the giant shed next to the garage so I can move some garage stuff in there. Then I will attempt to carve out a little temporary spot for me and my family to use to do the things we love.

Create, Laugh, Listen to Music

Under the Chicken Pie Sky

Last night Matt had his official Art Show at Otto in Fullerton. He's been working super hard for months getting all of his paintings done. To say that I am proud of him is an understatement.

It was a smashing success and tons of people showed up to see his art. Here are some pictures I took before the crowds showed up.

The Grub.
Twinkies, Ho Ho's, Snowballs, and Sangria. Mmmm












































































The paintings and the artist himself.



































































































































































































































Ha Ha

Some Like it Hot

Sometimes you run across things that you want but don't think you really need.

We've had a Reverse Osmosis water filter for around 7 years now and it has been fantastic. No need to buy bottled water or drink nasty tap water. We use it for cooking and refill reusable water bottles when we need to take water with us.

So when out installer came to hook up our reverse osmosis at our new house he suggested we add an instant hot water. Hmm. We don't need that do we

Yes we do!





























Seriously, the thing is fantastic. Boiling hot water at the touch of a button. No need to boil water for tea anymore. Also, Matt has taken to eating instant oatmeal in the morning so it takes him less than 30 seconds to make it.

This thing is amazing. You all need to go out and get one.