Lots happening......

So - once again it has been months since I posted.  And I haven't done any fun house projects.  That being said - we have been busy!  Here is how it goes:

First: HammHamm gets a job!!!!!  Which means

Second: I get my beautiful new kitchen!!!!!  Before

Third: Baby HammHamm arrives in September.....


So stay tuned for everything from nursery decorations to new kitchens to flower gardens.  Just after tax season.

A little elbow grease, big result

So - there aren't a whole lot of things that just get under Hamm's skin and annoy him to no end.  Shockingly, one of the things that would fall into this category would be the light fixture in our basement when we bought the house.  I'm not sure if it was the fact that when you turned the fan on the four lights would start swirling in time with the fan and bang against each other making a metallic sound or whether it was the fact that any standard sized lightbulb hangs below the edge of the fixture....not really sure.  

The other left over item was the fact that the doors themselves were painted blue.  The previous owners had a "beach shack" design decor down here that didn't exactly jive with our style, but we hadn't gotten around to the doors.  So without further ado (please ignore all the dog toys, as soon as I put them away Maisie takes them all back out) the before:

And the after:

Sigh....we like this so much better.  We also spray painted the door hardware so that it would no longer be the lovely cheap brass.  Now its lovely cheap brass covered in brushed nickel spray paint....totally different.

Weekend Makeover

WHAT??? Two posts in one night? I know, its getting out of hand :-)

Here it is, my first MOSTLY complete room that I am proud of. I started at 1:30pm on Friday and as I sit here typing about my great feat it is 9:45 on Sunday night.

So what was the project? On the second floor of our 1983 (a very excellent year, BTW) townhouse we have a full bathroom that has not been touched since 1983. As you will see the vanity is perfect for a child or small person, but is quite short for anyone of normal stature. The walls were builder's white which matched the tile and the tub perfectly. Without further ado, I give you the before:

Here is the vanity. Notice how the wood toilet paper holder doesn't match the wood vanity? Love it.

Here we have the view from the hallway into the bathroom. The walls, tile and tub all match. I love a good matchy matchy, but this was too much for me:

Another view from the hallway in, this time noting how the wall also seems to match the toilet....

AND FOR THE BIG REVEAL.................

This is from the hallway looking in, the walls are now a tan (its hard to tell because they look the same with the light.) The vanity has been painted a greenish blue color to go with the shower curtain in the next picture. The vanity top is a work in progress, we need to check out the local restore to see what kind of options we have. We also have some hardware to attach to the vanity doors, but apparently none of the drill bits we own are in the house.

It is easier to see the wall color in this picture against the floor and tub which are white. This shower curtain is one we already had.

Finally - my favorite part of the whole project, my DIY art. I started with some yard sale pictures frames:

And painted them the same color as the vanity. We then went to the fabric store where Neil found a stack of similarly colored fabric swatches being sold 10 for $1.99, which went into my picture frames like so:

And I had six frames, so here is my little art collection!

There are a few more things to do before it is totally complete. I would like to create a frame for the mirror so that it looks a little more custom. I am also going to replace the shower head which is original to the house and a lot like showering under a fire hose. Other than that we only need to attach the hardware and we have a totally updated bathroom in roughly 48 hours!

The only bummer is that as I sat on the floor painting my picture frames, I look casually to my right and saw this:

And then I looked farther down the hallway and realized ALL of the trim on the second floor looks like this. I guess we will be adding trim painting to the list.......

Since when did July happen?

So. Last post was January it would seem. Well - the only real excuse I have is tax season, but that ended months ago so really I am at a loss.

I did compete (and by "compete" i mean "survived") an Olympic distance triathlon, seen here (please ignore the spandex nature of my tri suit, also affectionately referred to as my "supa suit"):

I did go on vacation, seen here (PS, Cass you look RIPPED in this picture...nicely done!:)

I have also been doing monster research on my house projects, getting super excited about tackling each one and yes - I will do a better job chronicling my projects than I have been about anything else. I actually completed an entire project this weekend, coming soon!

Design Dilemma

And when I say "dilemma" what I really mean is that I don't have a clue. Half my house is decorated, half is not (meaning half of many rooms, no one room complete.) One bedroom door is permanently closed because it has boxes in it that I can't stand looking at. So when my super home savvy BFF came up for the weekend and told me about the Young House Love blog I became an instant addict. I haven't decided what our first project is going to be, but stay tuned. Enjoy!!

Young House Love

I really only meant to return something to Target, I swear.

Say hello to Maisie, the newest member of the family :-)

And for those of us (myself included) who never thought Tony would stand for it:

PS: If you EVER think you want to have a baby, try having a puppy first.....

Summer Summer Summer

It wouldn't be summer without a wedding (or five) and intense heat. So after spending 9 hours in the car, multiple wedding parties, a sunburn, here is what makes it all worth it:

Spring, etc.

So being the fabulous and consistent blogger that I am, it has been a while since my last post. In the meantime, we have moved, had water damage from multiple blizzards, and insurance adjusters and contractors through, finally had my house fixed, finished tax season and my sister moved in.

I promise that I will post pictures of the new house soon, it is still a little bit of a mess since the contractors have just finished, so stay tuned....

Snow, Houses, Tax Season, Oh my!

Okay - New Year's resolution - be a better blogger!! Here is the last few months in a nutshell:

1. Met up with great friends in Richmond for a football game and a comedy show - perhaps got the time of the football game wrong, but the comedy show was great

2. Put an offer on a GREAT townhouse, still ever so patiently trying to sell our condo

Shamless Pitch: if you know of anyone who is looking for a condo to live in or treat as an investment property, this is your house!!

Link to new house: Click Here

3. Starting Friday night and into Sunday morning we received the most snow in the metro DC area in December in history. At the end of the day we ended up with more than 17" of snow. But it was a great day to be stuck inside making Christmas cookies and crafts with my Mom on her birthday

SO - getting ready for Christmas this week and hoping that someone buys my house soon! This is a SERIOUSLY stressful event. Although, important lesson learned, always sell your house first!

BAD BLOGGER!

Okay. I haven't been the best blogger, but MAN the summer went by fast!!!! Now, it is September, and here is a summarized version of our summer:

1. LOTS of tennis

2. LOTS of running

3. An awesome 4th of July weekend with good friends at the lake

4. An ENGAGEMENT! Congrats to M & C!

5. A wicked engagement party

6. A new canine member of the fam, welcome Dunky!

7. Two new humans in the fam, congrats to J & R, welcome A! Congrats to K & S, welcome E!

I don't have pictures to post yet, but they will come. Hope you all are well, pictures to follow!

Personally, I decided that running a marathon was suicidal, so we have opted for the much more reasonable half marathon in Baltimore with my sisters. Then I will run the 10K for the Marine Corps weekend. 6.2 miles or 26.1? That was a hard choice. :-)

June is almost over...

Isn't it amazing how long winter seems and how short summer seems? We are in town for the first weekend in what seems like months, and it is wonderful! On the exciting front, my older sister got engaged!!!!! We are all very excited to have DarlDoran in our family :-)

Anyways, nothing incredibly exciting in the picture at the moment, and for once I am glad to say that is okay with me.

MCM countdown: 119 days, 12 hours, 20 minutes

Things of Importance for Today

1. I could really use some of those animal crackers with the cheap pink icing on them.
2. Today I got up at 5 am and went to spinning.....for the SECOND time in a row!!
3. Marine Corps Marathon Countdown = 138 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes....bring it.

Connie = 1, Cancer = 0

Today myself, my 3 sisters and a good friend competed in and finished the Annapolis half marathon. While this is the third half I have competed in and not the fastest one I've ever done, I finished. And 8 months out from being diagnosed with cancer it makes this one the most special. So, dear cancer, take that!

Back from vacation, Back to reality

So we are home after a great week at the beach. And its amazing, the smaller the mileage between me and home got, the greater my anxiety. This really has to stop. So, first thing Tuesday (blasted federal holidays!!!) it is on the phone to find some help. There is no need to feel sick to my stomach on a regular basis. I don't understand how people who have chronic anxiety cope, they are my new heroes. I find this temporary (hopefully) condition that I seem to have acquired is absolutely crippling. You become totally obsessed with things that you cannot change and have no control over. Again, this must stop. Hopefully a night in my own bed in my own house will help, but unfortunately I have my doubts. This weirdness seems to know no boundaries and respect nothing. In a nutshell, it sucks.

On a happier note, I am sitting on my own couch in my own house watching my own TV, which is always nice after a week away. I am looking forward to a shower in my own bathroom and sleeping in my own bed. Tomorrow is another day, and I really am thankful to have tomorrow even with the current issues associated. While I had the "good" cancer (if one more person says that to me, I will punch them) there are still mortality rates associated and I have still been given a likelihood of living for another 15 years. If that is "good" than fine, but no one said I had to like it or move on like it never happened.

Okay, happy notes. And I'm off to bed.

Funniest book ever

If you have ever tried to lose weight, or have felt that you have struggled with your weight, do I have the book for you. I laughed out loud at the honest look in to a woman's battle with her weight that this author provided. A sampling for your reading pleasure, "A month ago I was fat and happy. But ever since I made the decision to drop a few pounds - way less easy than it sounds, by the way - I've become obsessed with my size, and in so doing I've inadvertently allowed my inner critic to have a voice. And you know what? She's a bitch. Like now when I see my underpants in the laundry, I no longer think Soft! Cotton! Sensible! Instead I hear her say Damn, girl, these panties be huge." Courtesy of Jen Lancaster, author of "Such a Pretty Fat." I highly suggest it if you need a memoir that will make you laugh out loud. (http://www.amazon.com/Such-Pretty-Fat-Narcissists-Discover/dp/0451223896/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242951570&sr=1-1)

Another thing that occurred to me today as I bathed in the (FINALLY) sunny weather of North Carolina? Technology is the reason that an ever increasing number of people require therapy and medication to function (read the book, you'll understand why I was thinking about this.) We are so tapped in to everything that is happening in the world at every nano-second, that we are forgetting how to disengage and just relax. Now I am definitely at fault in my appreciation of the technology revolution. I have an i-Pod, I have a blackberry, I DVR things. And I am not willing to give up any of those things. But my question is when did a cell phone become obsolete because it doesn't download your email and have the capacity to give you directions to the nearest Starbucks? Given my decision to not give up any of the above, how do I find a middle ground? Where I feel tapped in, but not so anxiety ridden that I can't sleep? Is the answer really medication? The last thing I really want to do is add more medicine into my daily routine, but I also don't want to feel like I'm going to throw-up for good portions of a day. First stop therapy, second stop, I don't know. We will cross that bridge when we get there.

On a lighter, happier note, today is my four year wedding anniversary. Reflecting on the last four years, its been pretty good (with the obvious exception of the last 12 calendar months.) I have a great husband, and overall, things have been pretty good. So, Ham-Hock, I love you. Happy Anniversary.

And finally the sun shines.....

Can I get a hell yeah. You still get your socks (and anything else you happen to be wearing) blown off at the beach, but our deck is perfect. Things are looking up. What else is looking up? The prospect of a fantastic weekend with old friends at a lake. Very excited C-diddy!!!! :-)

After tax season, it is supposed to be summer

We have reached day 5 at the beach, and while it is now sunny, it is COLD! Mr. Weatherman has promised that tomorrow and Friday are going to be great, but really, 2/7 is not a good success rate. I think we are going to bundle up (with bathing suits underneath, for a splash of optimism) and go sit on the beach anyway. That is why we came, and that is what we shall do.

First Post

This is my first ever blog post. I have friends who are routine bloggers and I thought to myself, what the hell, we'll give it a shot. So here, dear friends, I will attempt to keep some what of a continuing narrative about what is happening in my life.

For instance today. I am on my first vacation since being diagnosed with papillaric thyroid cancer in October 2008. I have had surgery, I have been radiated with toxic levels of iodine, and I have been poked and prodded like you wouldn't believe. So, needless to say, I was looking forwards to this vacation....and it has been raining for 2 days. The forecast is looking up, and so will I. For now, we will be thankful that I am in a position to be on vacation and remember that while things have been pretty crappy, they could have been worse.