Goin' to the prom...

So, the first cruise I went on, I kind of laughed at the "Formal Night" thing. It seemed so "Love Boat", so I can't really say that I participated. I wore a dress that I had made when we were in Thailand (custom tailoring is very inexpensive there, but watch out for the language barrier!) I really never liked that dress, its really not flattering on me at all, and I couldn't even lift my arms up enough to dance with Eric, so it still sits in my closet, because I feel guilty getting rid of a dress that some little Thai women worked so hard on.

I really hate how they always make me stand next to Melinda and then I look like a tree.

Not that I mind standing next to Melinda normally, she's funny and she smells nice, but I hate it in pictures. She probably hates it too.

This year I decided to get a little more into it, and after spending a good 167 hours on the internet looking for a modest evening gown that doesn't make me look like I'm either the mother of the bride or great-grandmother of the bride, here is what I came up with.

Dress #1

The other dress is a little more casual, but fun, and I found the best internet source for modest but unfrumpy dresses.

Dress #2

I've ordered about 12 pairs of shoes from Zappos, its the best, free next day shipping both ways, so the girls and I get to play fashion show tonight. It'll be fun.

I can't wait! In 3 days I'll be warm!

Bathroom remodel

I finished redecorating the downstairs bath, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. I need to remember to take REAL before pictures next time, instead of in the middle of the mess, but I think you get the idea.

I had the hardest time deciding what to do with this space, and it was always a little embarrassing that it was so bland and boring, but I absolutely LOVE it now! (I'll even come downstairs to use it, even though I have 3 bathrooms upstairs!)

before

after

The shower curtain fabric is from IKEA, I used 6 yards, but not really. I cut the center section out of 3 of the yards (I didn't want it too billowy and crowding the toilet) and used that for my kitchen cupboards. The edge pieces left over were sewn to the outside of the other 3 yards. I mounted the rod almost to the ceiling, I hate it that most shower curtains are way too short, like J's jeans. The artwork on the closest wall is a piece of cut stone from Indonesia that Eric brought back from a business trip.

I built the shelves. Well, sort of. Eric had started building me a bookcase for my office when I found the perfect thing somewhere else, (much to his relief) and these were made from the leftover pieces from that project. He had already faced the MDF with mitered birch, I just had to cut them down to size and add a small piece on one end, prime and paint, and then mount to the wall. They turned out great, but it was really hard to get them level from front to back, floating shelves tend to want to sag forward a little, but as long as I don't place eggs or pens on them, it shouldn't be a problem. The glass bottles are from IKEA as well (LOVE that place!) and the little horse is from China (another business trip find).

I moved the mirror downstairs from the master bath, the one that was there previously didn't fit inside the molding, but I think it looks better this way anyway. It's not perfect, but it works for now while I keep my eyes open for something better. The lacquered box is for holding girly items (no cupboards) and if I had remembered I had it I would have made the shelves deeper so it fit on them, but oh well, I think it looks nice on the tank. The towels are also from the master bath, they look better here too. All I need now is a basket for magazines and extra TP and it's perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thank you, sweet husband, for the beautiful roses. And thanks for getting some for my girls, too, every year without fail.

And thanks for letting me sleep this morning instead of making me get up and go to church, that was the best present EVER!

Thanks for being mine for the last 15 years.

Kitchen Cabinet makeover

I've always hated how the glass cabinets in my kitchen just didn't seem to have much of a wow factor. So I used some of the leftover fabric from my new shower curtain and made them a little more interesting.

I took out the glass shelves, hot glued the edges of the fabric to the back of the cabinet, and then put the shelves back in (that was the hard part)

I love how they make my kitchen a little more modern and fun!

New Year's Family Reunion

We got together over New Year's with Eric's family in Southern California. We rented a beach house near Dana Point, it was incredible, we walked out the back door, across the sand and right to the ocean. All of Eric's brothers and their families came, as well as his mom and dad.

We went up to Burbank on one of the days and an old friend of Tina's gave us a tour of Walt Disney Studios. It was really amazing to see all of the old memorobilia and the way they draw the animations.

A few days later we went to Disneyland, and it happened to be the only cold and rainy day we had while we were there. Within 15 minutes of getting there, we ran into our friends, the Dickson's, from Hollister! That totally made my day, to be able to catch up with them and hang out together all day!

On New Year's Day we had Eric's cousin Mark, his wife Lisa, and their daughter Amanda over for a barbeque, as well as Mary's sister, Anne, her husband Bob, and their kids, Angie and Dave and John and Ginger, and all the boys. That night we saw the most amazing sunset - we could see Catalina and San Juan Island silhouetted against the beautiful sky.

Mark lives very close by and makes custom surfboards for a living. He took the guys and some of the kids to his shop and they got to see how the surfboards are made.

The hot tub was the biggest hit with the kids! It was constantly full of little people, and about the middle of the week the pool guy had to come do a complete clean out (apparently, everyone under the age of 8 should wear a swim diaper!) Gross!

It was such a fun and relaxing week, and it really made me homesick for California!