You didn't go kill him and then get chicken, didja?

I'm starting to get antsy,...creatively antsy. I always knew I had to choose a career that was creative because when I was a receptionist/assistant/office manager/waitress I spent my off time wallowing in fabric, paint and design magazines. Then, upon entering design school, I immediately overdosed. And it took awhile to get back on the wagon. So now I'm a stay-at-home mom and I have this intense desire to create, but not the time. I mean, I guess from 9-11pm works, but I have to set up and clean up in that time or else whatever project I am attempting becomes a toy for a two year old.
My current project is to take this design and translate it to two pillow shams.
I know. It's a Starbucks Coffee bag design. It's still pretty awesome. Who am I kidding? I'm just gonna watch Roseanne and eat Weight Watchers ice cream.

Bad Photoshop

So, Photoshop and I are not getting along. I was able to figure out how to "paint" a wall, with trees in front of it, but that's about it. Mostly because I can use AutoCAD. So I picked some colors I was thinking about and I think I agree with Lynn. Purple is the way to go.

I wish Pantone had a darker olive:
Blue to match the sky:
Fuschia to match the bougainvilla:

Overstuffed

I decided to try to clean off my shelves. I didn't "clean off" as much as I "moved around." Which wasn't the point. It's still chock full of useless, if not pretty, things. Every item tells a story. So it's almost impossible to clean. This would all be way more impressive if I had a before picture.

Bee Loves to Party

Nobody Rides for Free

I've been dreaming of this day for a long time. Our once weed filled backyard is now carpeted in a thick green shag. We did it all ourselves, pulling up weeds, installing sprinklers, sifting dirt and laying sod. Well, "we" is pretty inaccurate. When I say "we" I mean "John." My job was watching the kids. Which should put me in the realm of "we," but don't think I was sweating in the sun or anything. We started around April so, you know, overnight success!

Big square of weeds and dirt:
Installing drainage for our slightly sloped lot:

After sifting the dirt to remove weeds and rocks:
The planter is built of recycled concrete and will soon house an olive tree:
Now, what to do to the giant, white wall...

Birthday Cakes/Cones

This is what I forced my mother to make me for my birthday. Chocolate cupcake cones with cream cheese icing. She made me do the frosting. And rightfully so. I am a frosting control freak. Later that week we had Dungeness crabs,...legs, bodies the whole enchilada. But not enchiladas. Why go from LA to Seattle for enchiladas?