WIW2W or what I wore to work lately....

Tunic, Dillard's; capris, Sam's  Skirt, J.Jill; blouse, Kohl's; scarf from Greece
 Dress, Kohl's; leggings, Macy's; sandals, Hyder's
 Top, Kohl's; scarf, ancient?; denim skirt, Old Navy; sandals, Clark's from Hyder's
 Denim jacket, Kohl's; dress, Kohl's; sandals, Kohl'sDress, Cato's; bracelets, F21, ancient, Cato'sTop, Cato's; capris, Kohl's; sandals, Hyder's
 Maxi dress and belt, Cato's; cardigan, Dillard's
 Dress, Cato's; sandals, Hyder'sTop, Kohl's; skirt, Cato's
 Dress, Kohl's; leggings, Macy's

Crochet tunic, Cato's; striped capris, Gap outlet; gold tank top, Lane Bryant

What to do? A dining conundrum

I hate my dining room table. Hate it. Always have. It was a gift from my mother and my ex-husband for my graduation from college, but that doesn't make me love it any more. It's nice - cherry wood, six chairs, extender leaf - but it's not my taste or my style. I've kept it all these years because it's a good piece of furniture and because I've been too cheap to replace it. I've recovered the chair seats several times in an effort to make the set last and to hate it less, but that, too, has been to no avail. Pic below is of the current dining room setup. I don't like anything in this room except my wall color and my pics on the wall; everything else makes me cringe!

So, last weekend, I went to Pier 1 to drool over all of their merchandise. I didn't even take my purse in lest I be tempted to use my credit card on some Pier 1 goodness. Like I have for years, I drooled all over their furniture, specifically their dining sets, their bar stools, and their upholstered side chairs. That trip got me to thinking, "what could I do to hate my dining set less, and here's the important part, without spending the $900 a new set there would cost me?"

I immediately began thinking of the c.1880 ice cream table set I inherited from my grandmother. Since I LOVE round tables and had been lusting over them at Pier 1, it seemed a plausibility. The pic below is of that table set up in the art room currently.

I would just put this entire set in the dining room except for a couple of problems. First of all, the metal of the chairs does not match the metal trim on the table. Why this is, I don't know. It was always like this in grandmother's house which explains why she always kept a tablecloth on it. I mean, bronze and silver, who planned this? Of course, the chairs and the table date to the 1880s, so maybe that was not a big deal then? Maybe it went with the shop's decor? Anyway, the second, and from my perspective, more important problem is that those chairs are crazy uncomfortable. I mean, it's like perching on a piece of wood designed for a doll. Nobody over the age of 10 can sit in them comfortably. Since we almost always eat dinner at the table, I'd like to be comfortable there.

My first inclination, other than running out and charging a brand new dining set (it's only money after all), is to just switch out the tables. I could bring in the round table, plop a tablecloth on it, recover the existing dining seats in something fun, and call it a day. Then I could replace the chairs as time and money permit. Maybe I could get purposefully mismatched chairs to visiting consignment shops/goodwill and recover them on my own... Once I'd replaced the chairs, I could sell the existing table set to recoup what I had spent. What do you think? Would that work? I don't know what I'd do with the old ice cream table chairs. Since they're antiques, I hate to get rid of them, but inspiration is not striking right now. Ideas? I am a little concerned that the round table might feel much smaller in this room, but it's such a pain to move it back from the art room that it's got to work once I fool with that. We would also be going from a table that seats 6 to a table that seats 4. That shouldn't be a big deal though. Generally, it's only 2 or 3 of us here and only occasionally do we have dinner guests. When we do, we usually eat on the patio outside anyway. Help me decorating people! I need advice...

Random Tuesday musings...

There are a few things in life that elicit strong reactions from me. If you know me, this information doesn't surprise you. If you don't know me, and, hey, even if you do, I thought you might find it interesting to know some of my most recent list of "stuff that brings me joy" and "stuff that makes me want to hurt people."

Stuff that brings me joy


Jackon's Orchard peaches                                    
cocoa butter body oil gel from CVS                     
curling up with a magazine or a good book            
stacks of freshy laundered, folded towels             
Adele's "Someone Like You"                                
Instagram for Iphone                                             .
cool evenings on the deck                                     
snuggles and cuddles from my fave people            
days with no plans and no schedules                      
gettin' my craft on                                             

 Stuff that makes me want to hurt people

third grade math
playing "catch-up" at work
feeling tired and headachey, a lotwashing dishes by hand
ragweed
not liking the recipes I make
overdue library fines             
20-something bar scenes
weekends that last an eye-blink
days over 90 degrees in late Aug

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program...   

A long hiatus ends....

Sorry it has been so long since I posted, dear blog; I'm sure you've missed me. Perhaps no one else has missed me since I doubt I have any readers, but I've thought about you often, dear blog, and no longer want you to feel neglected.

As of late, I've been sucked into the world of style blogs, particularly those of real people who post what they wear on a regular basis. Since I'm a sucker for all things trendy, guess what the focus of my blog may be periodically? You're right, a bit of Lowder Style (or lack thereof) may find its way onto this blog. Commitment phobic that I am, I can't promise how often you might be bombarded with records of my clothing. After all, that would take some of the fun out of it, no?

Denim jacket - Old Navy, Tunic - Gap, Capris - Sam's

Tunic - Macy's, Capris - Macy's, Bangles - Fashion Bug

Dress - Kohl's, Shoes - Hyder's, Necklace - Cato's, Bracelet - gift from Kel

Shrug-Dillard's, Top-Fashion Bug, Leggings - Macy's, Cuff bracelet- F21

Jacket-Dillard's, Dress-Kohl's, Shoes - Hyder's, Necklace - Heartstrings pendant and ancient chain

Slippers after a long day in heels - lol!

Polka dot manicure (single nail) courtesy of moi - supposedly it's the latest thing

Dress - Cato's, Sandals-Kohl's (super dark, sorry!)

I've been back in school since Tuesday, August 2 which is when I began documenting my daily style choices. Looky at a few of my ensembles, won't you? And should you choose to look, please leave kind comments. If you find me looking rather troll-ish or haint-ish, there's no need to permanently scar my psyche. You know what your mother used to advise, "if you can't say anything nice, just say bless your heart." Wait, maybe only my mother said that. Adieu!

Easter weekend recap

Friday - party was cancelled due to bad weather, totally bummed. Charlie went to sleep at 8:00 and I spent the rest of the night watching tv and fuming that I wasn't doing anything fun on a Friday night. Yep, I had a "moment."

Saturday - errands and grocery and cooking followed by a gathering at the Davenport Knoll. Had a great time as is evidenced by the pics. Didn't take any other pics all weekend...not like me at all. :(

Sunday - cooking and mass followed by a gathering at the Mayo household. Again, had fun visiting but didn't get any pics. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Sidenote - I was exhausted after the weekend and really needed a day off just to sleep. Didn't happen.

Sidenote #2 - Anybody know how to get rid of my double chin and general facial weirdness in these pics of me? I really need to learn to do some editing beyond color correction, redeye, and fill light. Lol!

Peace out!

Fitting it all in

Meant to post yesterday for Menu Monday, and, alas, it didn't happen. For those of you who care what we're eating this week, here's the plan:
Monday - shrimp, corn, and bacon casserole with brown rice, French bread, leftover layered salad
Tuesday - leftovers or sandwiches (my night class meets)
Wednesday - cheese quesadillas, mexi-rice, and chips with guacamole
Thursday - omelettes and toast or biscuits
Friday- going to a cookout that Charlie's friend from work hosts each year
Saturday- something involving a bag of frozen chicken breasts, hmmm
Sunday - going to Charlie's parents' house for Easter luncheon, then a pot of navy beans and ham for dinner

In other news, we had such a busy, filled weekend that I'm still trying to recuperate. Brooke didn't come over Friday night because of plans with her mom, but we still went out to dinner as is our weekly tradition. This time around it was Culver's for a fish sandwich (Lent) and some ice cream sundaes - pretty good but within our limited budget. Times are a little lean right now. We watched some HGTV and headed to bed early for a change. Can't do that when little girl is in 'da house.

Saturday, Charlie worked and I cleaned house for about four hours. I couldn't sleep in after he left for work, so I got up about 6:15. Crazy! At least all the laundry was done and put away as well as the living areas looking sparkly. That lasted all of about 15 minutes until one of the dogs made a mess with something, but I enjoyed the fruits of my labor for just a bit. Once Brooke arrived, we headed to her soccer game where I proceeded to freeze body parts off for an hour and a half. It was insanely cold for mid April. I took lots of pics, cheered her on, and shivered uncontrollably. Her team won, and in celebration we headed to Chik-fil-A to eat lunch and to warm up. Once we made it back home, Brooke played with Savannah all afternoon. Kelsey offered to keep an eye on them while Charlie and I headed out to have an estimate on my car - remember Kelsey dinging it last week? Then we headed to WalMart for some groceries. Considering how much Charlie hates going to WalMart, I must truly be loved for him to willingly go with me and even to load and unload the cart to pay and to take home in the car. I was spoiled by that, for sure.Wonder if he'll go back with me THIS weekend? We ate rotisserie chicken and sides from WM for dinner and just lazed around some. Kelsey was tired of hanging out with littles by that point, so she and Jake escaped on a date. Savannah went home around 6 and we spend the evening watching shark shows on tv (joy!) and I read some (Beautiful Creatures, young adult lit, enjoyable).

Sunday morning, Charlie made pancakes and then we went to late Mass. Following a trip back to WM for a lawnmower battery, we came home and worked on yardwork for a few hours. (Can you believe we had to go to WM twice in like 18 hours? Shocking!) Charlie mowed and trimmed while I picked up about a thousand branches and a garbage bag full o'crap that Ollie had chewed up/dragged out/made a mess with. We unsuccessfully attempted to re-reel the hose out front. Something's just not right with the connectors. Then, the Mayos came by for a late lunch/early dinner on their way to reconciliation. (I played hooky; bad Catholic!) We had grilled burgers, corn on the cob, tator tots, and layered salad. Have I told you how much Charlie loves layered salad? Have I told you how much I hate making it? Anywho, I meant to make coconut cake, but I ran out of time. I've had the stuff for that cake for a few weeks now; wonder what my block against making the cake is, huh? Once they left, Brooke and Savannah continued to play until 8:00 bathtime. In the meantime, Kelsey took Ollie for a walk and then came home and took a three hour nap. Lol! I was so jealous. Charlie and I lazed on the couch in disbelief that Monday was just a few hours away. We had a great time with family, but it was definitely NOT a relaxing weekend. Wish I could've taken another day off just to rest.

I'm not complaining, mind you. I love having a full life with the people I love most. I just wish we didn't cram so much in those two days off, you know. When I think about the things we didn't do but could have, I get even more overwhelmed. We didn't have a chance to go to the Hot Rods game, or go out to Kevin and Dawn's house, or have any sleepovers for the kids, or cook out with the Davenports, or paint the bathroom, or have a family photo shoot, or any number of things I have on the agenda in my  head. Guess they'll have to wait for another weekend!  :) Peace, out!

T

Pics from yesterday

Charlie and I spent a few minutes yesterday with Kelsey shooting some photos of us. Kelsey's got a pretty good eye, I think. Like most women though, I hated myself in almost every single one that she originally shot. I mean, do I really look like that? Maybe it's the shirt; I'm not sure I'll ever be able to wear it again. Anybody want an Old Navy pintucked linen shirt? After some creative cropping and color tweaking, here are a couple that I can actually stand.