Don't you wish...

That your backyard looked like this?

This is my scary halloween picture for the day!  OOOOooooooOOOOOooooo  Are you scared??

Why yes - that IS a pool original to our 1970s ranch home.  And yes, the previous owner DID fill it in with dirt and leave it for a decade.  And finally yes, the owner did so badly neglect the pool mess that he allowed two palm trees to take root in the deep end.  Please, try to contain your jealousy - not everyone can have a useless and un-salvageable pool in their mostly-dirt backyard, and that person is not you - it's me.

We are taking pickaxes, sledgehammers, and toothpicks to this thing every weekend, and have succeeded in breaking up most of the big stuff.  Now we're just trying to bring it down the last few inches before we rent us a big giant dumpster to make the top two feet of this thing history (In hopes of laying a sandstone patio & some grass in it's place).  Anyone else ever had to rip out a pool without a backhoe?  We are too darn cheap to rent one and we're gaining some rich sense of self hatred satisfaction from doing this ourselves.

Any concrete-removal advice would be appreciated.  But I probably will want to drag this out for a while longer, it's just been so much fun ;)  Someday... SOMEDAY  I will have a live-able backyard.  You know, for those 4 weeks that Phoenix weather is live-able.  Please dish all your backyard stories, make me feel better!  Happy Monday, friends!

One guess

...at what I'm working on...

Any guesses?  I'm hoping to finish up this week (in all my spare time!) so I can show you byt he weekend.  On that note, anyone have a few spare hours to loan me?  Between organizing a silent auction for a nonprofit gala, my normal teaching duties, and developing a curriculum for our yearbook class, I'm too pooped to.... you get the idea.  I miss doing all of my projects and improvements around here.  Hopefully in a few weeks, after the gala is over, you will see some more sweet projects from this DIY-addicted girl.  Until then, you'll have to be content with my sneak peek.  Happy Thursday, friends!!

Oh how Pinteresting!

I'm joining the club of people blogging about their faves on Pinterest - isn't social media one giant swirl of awesome?!  And by awesome I mean a HUGE (albeit fun) time suck. Since I'm not done editing the photos of our trip, and I spent all of yesterday evening meeting the lovely parents of my students - I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful families at my school!  Since I'm a little short on time, here are a few a ton of things I'm loving...

First the clothes...

Adult size needed now!

I need all of these things in my closet right now!

Now for the inspiring/just plain beautiful things...

I have extraordinarily talented friends - check out dkimphotography.com

And while we're on the subject of photography, I want this as our Christmas card photo for this year... only with Ted too, of course.  =)

One year ago today we were here =)

Ohhhh, take me away!

puddles - love

Here are some great ideas and projects I hope to tackle...

What a great idea!  Next time JoAnn's has glass jars on sale, I'm there.

UhhhMAZING idea!

Love spaghetti squash -  never thought of serving it with just herbs... Mmmmmm

A few funnies for your enjoyment...

So true.

I almost died of laughter - isn't this the truth?!

And now... finally... the home lovlies....

Holy gorgeous.  Love, love, love!

Mmmm, bench seating - I personally love the view from the windows.

This is how you make a sectional look gooooooood.

Must. Live. Here.

Don't you love how this frame is part of a gallery wall, but it's still the total focal point of the arrangement?  What a fab idea to surround a great print with decorative plates!

This has to be a Pottery Barn ad - either that or I'm going to become BFFs with whoever put this together.

We all know Sherry has impeccable taste, and here is more proof.  I'm moving in here immediately - excuse me while I pack my bags...

Whew, this was fun!  I'm going to have to get in on the Pinterest fave thing more often.  What website are you wasting hours on lately?  You know my vice - now share yours!  Happy Friday, friends!!

Linking to:

I'm baaaaack!

Didja miss me?  Betcha didn't even notice I was out of town for a whole WEEK!  I'll be back later this week with a recap of our trip to Baltimore and Washington DC... Until then, enjoy this teaser...

Ohhh, it was niiiiiiiiice to get away =)

Hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday!

a day off

Taking today to spend some quality time with the hubs =) I love fall break!!

Enjoy your Wednesday friends, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

**Special thanks to Melanie over at Addicted to Homes for making a fall wreath inspired by mine!  Doesn't hers look awesome???***

room by room for kitchens

Hubby is feeling sick today - aren't those days the worst?  I wish there was something more I could do for him!!  Maybe I'll make him a bit of this Greek lemon chicken soup to help his stomach...

via Forks Fingers Chopsticks

In the meantime, I'm linking up my $300 kitchen overhaul to the Room by Room event over at Cottage and Vine.  See how I took my kitchen from this...

to this...

for only $300 bucks! (along with a ton of sweat, being completely honest) And be sure to link up your kitchens too, so we can all have more gorgeousness to oogle!!  Have a happy Tuesday, friends!

New things (and my 200th post!)

Along with the new computer (yay!!), I've come to the conclusion that I need a heftier bag to carry it.  I've actually gone through 5 bags since I started toting my computer daily - the junk I lug around every day is so heavy that the handles are literally ripping off!  I've had NO luck with the laptop carry all bags from Target and elsewhere that have the faux leather handles.  I even tried upgrading to a very nice faux leather bag, only to have the handles start to rip after just a few months =(  I've done quite a bit of research, and aside from a backpack (absolutely will not do this - I am an adult), and a canvas bag (I really want my bag to look polished and professional), the only real solution I've come across is 100% leather from these guys...

The handles won't rip unless I'm toting bricks, and most reputable bag makers guarantee their stitching for some amount of time.  I've spent a while searching, and I think I've found something, but the investment (I won't say "price" because at this point it's really a long term investment), is making me nervous.  Here are my two options...

Vintage Re-issue Satchel by Fossil - $188

Vintage Re-issue Weekender by Fossil - $288

I know which one I like better, and which one wil function better for me (the weekender), but I feel like I could make the satchel work (it is quite a bit smaller, though), and for $100 dollars less, it's tempting.  But when I really think about it, the investment in the weekender seems like it would be better for the long term.  It's everything I wanted: cognac-colored leather, looks like a purse, warrantied for 5 years, big enough to hold all the crap I tote around, and it will wear well with age.  But I'm still afraid to jump just yet.

What do y'all think?  What would you do if you had to choose between less expensive/almost what you want, and more expensive/exactly what you want?  What would you do??  I'd love your input!

I hope you're having a fantastic Monday, and if you're looking for a little something else to do, pop over to House of Hepworths to see her feature on my fall wreath and a few more gorgeous wreaths from around the blog-o-shpere....

  Have a great day, friends!!

P.S. - If you missed it in my title, this my 200th post!  Blogging has brought such joy to me for the last year or so since I started, and the people I've met through this are nothing short of wonderful.  Thank you to each and every one of you followers and readers who make this experience so rich and rewarding.  Here's to the next 200!!

Vacay time!

The hubs and I are planning a trip to Baltimore!  We're hoping to visit the aquarium...

See some AMAZING fall colors (we lack these in the Phoenix area)...

Take a little Amtrak trip-within-a-trip...

Visit Mount Vernon (hubby's never been!)...

And visit the FBI building - one of the only places in DC I haven't visited...

What about y'all?  Any recommendations?  We're all ears!

In other news, Michelle over at Thrifty 101 is featuring my fall centerpiece - isn't she sweet??  =)  Go over and check her out - she has a great blog with some super helpful advice for living on the cheap!

Make sure to tell us your favorite Baltimore/Washington DC spots - can't wait to hear them!  Happy Thursday, friends!

My birthday comes early!

Today I opened up my blog and saw that I had received about 10x the views I normally do in a day - over 3000 yeserday!  Whaaaaa?! Holy awesome!  I discovered that this awesome post over at I Heart Organizing was the source - I can't believe some of you came over here after seeing the completely messy picture of my kitchen, ha!

Good thing we recovered nicely from this.  =)

I'm also being featured today over at Me and My Boys on her weekly post, Tell Me Tuesday.  She'll be featuring my Fall Wreath....

So pop over to Me and My Boys and show her some love!

And ON TOP of all of the blog lovin' I've received in the last few days, my hubby called me with a birthday surprise today...  He wanted to know whether I wanted the 13 inch screen....

... or the 15 inch screen!!!!   EEEEEE!!!

Happy (1 month early) birthday to me!!!  I have the best hubby EVER!!!!  What would you choose: the smaller screen with more portability, or the larger screen with the bulkier body??  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  =)  Have a wonderfully happy Tuesday, friends!

Who, me?

Hi friends!  Sorry to poop out on Friday - it's been craziness around here.  The end of quarter is in less than 5 days (eeek!!), and I have quite a few loose ends to tie up before fall break comes.  But I got a nice surprise in my inbox yesterday...  It was a sweet email from Linda at Coastal Charm saying she's featuring my autumn wreath on her blog today!

I'm so incredibly flattered - what a great surprise!!  Pop on over and shower her some love - I know I will!  Her blog is completely adorable and you'll have a ton of eye candy if you follow her - so do it! =)   

And do forgive me if my posting is more sparse this week.  I've got a lot to prepare for!  Have a happy Monday, friends! =)