New apartment ideas

I saw this dining room on the website for the French version of Marie Clare magazine.

It's not the exact inspiration for my future dining room,
but there are elements of it that I like.
I love that pink wallpaper.
I can't wallpaper, but I will
have a large wall hanging of some sort
on the back wall of the room.
Something to lighten up the area.

I may just get some wall paper that I like and frame it.

We shall see. ;-)

For example: the round table and the chairs

I knew I wanted a round table because the room is a rectangle
with no windows. I won't do a glass top because of fingerprints.

I like this 2x2 table from West Elm.
I like the chairs they show....

but I prefer this one.

I'm thinking maybe two of these and two more like it, but in white.

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and just because I know y'all care about stuff like this;
I love this headboard~also from West Elm.

I'll get it in white.
I love that it's wooden, rather than iron or metal
and I especially love the the crisp, clean lines.

What do y'all think?

p.s. does anybody get a discount at West Elm??? ;-)

This is my plan.

Maybe it's the gym....maybe it's the new apartment....maybe it's the fact that my niece and her family are moving to Enterprise for flight school at Fort Rucker, I don't know...but I feel like I have a new attitude.

From now on I'm going to enjoy every second...make my own fun...live life as much as I can. I thought that was what I'd been doing, but really? I feel like I've woken up from a long nap. So, I'm going to start traveling again, reconnect with my Alabama peeps and start going back to Alabama more frequently. I actually miss it sometimes. Who would have thought?

I've already started planning the furnishings for the new apartment. I'll share some of my ideas in a post tomorrow.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday as much as I am.

It's a beautiful day in Atlanta. :)

Friday Dance Party!!!!

I just keep finding so many of my old favorites on youtube!

Like this one.

I've always loved this song, but never knew that Stevie wrote it for Aretha.

I'm probably gonna make this a regular Friday feature. There are so many old songs out there than I love and want to share.

Now y'all just get up and dance. You know you want to!





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Happy Weekend, Bloggy Peeps!!!!

Today I:

Joined LA Fitness.

I realized I'd reached a new low when one of my best friends, who hasn't
exercised in YEARS started an exercise program,
and me? Why I was still stilling on my ever-widening ass....

Ordered this cutastic TOCS watch.

I'd read that the mom in that movie "The Blindside" wears
a white one and Sandra Bullock wore one in the movie too.
I assumed it would be expensive.
Surprised to find they retail at about $50 bucks
and come in all sorts of color combinations.
I bought it on Ebay for $32.00 and free shipping.

I love the funky numbers. :)

Oh! also TOCS were mentioned in the magazine I was reading on the treadmill.
AND they were on Oprah's favorite things back in '08.
Guess I was outta the loop on that one.

Researched the hell outta this book.

While doing my Nanny gig at the glass house today,
I perused the weekend section of the Wall Street Journal
and read an article about this book.
Why?
Why have I not heard of this book before????
It's the first one of a trilogy.
It's gonna be tough to wait for its release in June!


What did y'all do today?

"Things are gonna be much better...."

There are so many things I could post about.

I mean: I even missed my own 4th blog-aversary! What?!?!?

Yeah, I did! That's how scattered and busy and living life I've been lately.

However, I've been reading everyone's blogs. Maybe not always commenting, but at least trying to stop by and check on y'all.

I've noticed that some of my bloggy peeps are hurting. I'm not going to link to anyone or name names.

You know who you are.

Just wanted to post this song. I specifically chose this version with the lyrics.

I hope this helps....even just a little.

Love, hugs and strength to you......

I'm not breaking up with you, I just want to date other people.

I know y'all probably won't believe it, but I've been offered another job.

Really.

Where were all these people a couple of months ago?!?!?

This is another one of those "irons" I was talking about a few posts back.

Here's some back story:

Sometime in October (I know it was October because the conversation got started over a stolen pumpkin)
my next door neighbor and I were lamenting the job market. She's a former teacher and had been interviewing for Nanny jobs. Neighbor mentioned this family that she'd interviewed with....had spent several hours with them...LOVED them....pay was GREAT....but she couldn't take the job because she couldn't work the hours the family required. Neighbor said I'd be great for the job and offered to pass my name along. I said "please do!" and gave her one of my MOO cards with my basic info on it. I never heard another thing about it, and accepted the (very) part time job with the people-of-the-big-house.

Last week I get a lovely email from the mom of the new family. Neighbor had indeed passed my information along. Mom gave me some basics about the family and even attached some pictures of the children. I loved that touch. :) She and I emailed back and forth for several days. I interviewed with the family on Saturday. I liked both parents immediately and the children were adorable. A boy, 2 years old, who is in Montessori school every day from 8:30 until 3:30, and a 7 month old girl who would be my primary charge.

While we were chatting, I was holding the baby. Such a doll! She played with a toy, then after a few minutes started rubbing her eyes with sleepiness. I offered to give Baby her bottle. She sat in my arms and drank it down....so content....when she was finished, I burped her ( the entire time I was chatting with the mom and dad and the two year old).....after that...I placed Baby on my shoulder....patted her back for a bit....and in a few minutes she was asleep! Score! LOL The parents were so impressed! I really think I just got lucky with that one. ;-) Anyway, I followed the Mom to the baby's room, laid her down, gave her a soft toy to hold, and we left the room.

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I started not to say anything about it, because it's not a done deal yet. But then I thought: "what the heck!" This family seems to really want me...to the point of agreeing to a higher salary than they originally offered. Still...I have to pass the background check first. Oh, and the background driving check too. Wonder if those two-tickets-in-two-weeks I got a couple of years back will come back to bite me in the butt?

This particular job is full-time....Monday through Friday....8:30 to 5:30. I haven't worked full time in five years, maybe? I've lost track. This job would be for 8 t0 9 months minimum....possibly longer. But I'm excited about it. The parents are both easy to get along with, both work full time from home, the children are adorable, and BONUS: they have two dogs. Y'all know how much I miss having dogs around. :)

As for my current (very) part-time Nanny job: I love it. I really do. It's just not enough hours. I was originally told it would be one full day and one evening a week. I expected that to be every week and something I could count on. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. I worked Tuesday and that was the first time I'd worked since before Christmas. Not what I expected. I haven't said anything to my current employer yet, and won't until I pass (hopefully) the background check. I would be more than happy to still provide child care on an as-needed basis...evenings, weekends...for the current family if I took the other job.

So....what do y'all think?!?!?!?

Actual Email to my daughters

So I have to give~get this: a SIXTY day notice per my lease. I've been looking around a bit at other places, but LOVE this area. I considered staying in my current apartment, but would like a little more room and an outdoor space. There is nothing like that available in my current building.

On Saturday (Jan 2) I looked at a one bedroom apartment in an old house directly next door to my current building. The house is broken up into 11 apartments. Two 2 bedroom apartments upstairs, 4 on the ground floor (one of which is the property manager's office) and the rest daylight basement level studios.

The following is an email I sent to my girls after seeing the apartment. Nothing has been changed.

Hey!

Saw the apartment and I liked it!

Man! I wish you could have seen it! There was not a visible inch of space that this chick does not have some sort of crap displayed. To give you an idea: she has a salt and pepper shaker collection on the top ledges of her bedroom window sills. Yeah. Crazy, cat lady sh*t like that. Even the back of the front door was covered with stuff. A good sized Christmas tree took pride of place DEAD CENTER of the living room. Of course you can hardly walk in the living room for all the sh*t in there, but still. LOL Oh Oh oh!!!! She EVEN had a SECOND refrigerator in the living room! One of those small ones.

Putting aside the fact that an episode of "Hoarders" could be filmed there, I still see the potential.

(*note* not actual apartment, but very close to actual mess)

Hardwood floors, lots of windows and light.

There are two front living room windows. One side living room window that lets in some lovely light.

The kitchen has a window that looks out over the front porch area and the street. kitchen can be entered from either the living room or dining room. Kitchen is a galley with minimal counter space but way more than I have here.

The dining room is small, but more functional than the one we saw in the one bedroom in my building. It has a large opening like to my dining room area...only larger. So really it could be an extension of the living room if I wanted. There is a massive closet in there like the one in my living room.

going from the dining room is a small hallway leading to the bathroom (off to the left) and the bedroom at the very back of the apartment.

The bathroom isn't bad. plain. lower sink than what I have, but better than that heinous one in the one bedroom. Another window.

Bedroom is great! 2 sets of double windows. Granted.....one looks at the back of my current building and the other sort of over the parking lot, but the room is a good size and the windows let in a lot of light. Ikea curtains, here I come! LOL She has all SORTS of crap in the bedroom....like at least 3 dressers. So even though the closet in there is SMALL, I can have more storage space in drawers since there's room for furniture.

Honestly, you would have to see the amount of sh*t she has to believe it. I'll tell you more when I see you. It has to be described in person.

Surprisingly enough, the place didn't have a smell. I say this because she's Chinese and cooks all the time. There were at least 3 different good sized shelving units in the living and dining room stuffed with food. She also has a large cat. Wouldn't have known. We had trouble finding him in all the crap. I think he was hiding under the Christmas tree.

The entire front porch area is mine (according to Windy). Like i could have furniture out there if I wanted to. And I can park in front of my door if I beat everybody else to the spot. haha! No more wrestling with the massive front door of this building. Holla!

Basically the place has lots and lots of potential and will be adorable when we get a hold of it. The tenant isn't moving out until end of March. But what's one more month in my little place? I'm fine with it.

The apartment will be painted before i move in. I'm going to ask Windy if I can choose the color. Like I'll even buy it if they'll paint it the color I want.

Exciting!!!!!

p.s. Yes, this will be a blog post. It's too good not to be.


The new apartment is one of the "irons" I referred to in an earlier post that would take place in the new year. I'm very excited about it and look forward to moving the beginning of April.

P.S. No intentional disrespect to any cat ladies out there. *Meow*