Let There Be Light!

I have wanted to change every light fixture in our house since we moved in! Well, slowly but surely I have been swapping them! This year/month/time it was the main light fixtures in the kitchen. We had this ugly fluorescent light in the middle and a couple of ugly track lighting fixtures over the island.

We wanted fixtures to match or look similar to the lights we have on the rest of the first floor. We went back to Home Depot and the line we had originally gotten has been discontinued so then I went online and looked. I couldn't find anything that was close enough and that I really liked. Then I went to Southern Lights and found some fantastic fixtures! they had EVERYTHING there and Adelle and I spent almost a half hour in their chandelier section alone!

I am happy with how it turned out and I am even more excited to look for the last to for the first floor!!

Things You Should Never Say

I have PCOS.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It means my hormones are all wonky... which causes a whole bunch of other problems. This has been REALLY difficult for me to not only digest, but live with. I feel as though I am battling something I can not defeat. I feel as though I am the only one battling this. I feel weak.

In order to help curtail some of those feelings, I have begun to be more open about it. I have talked with others about it, but sometimes usually, that makes me feel worse. 

So I have turned to others online.

The PCOS Nutrition Center and the PCOS Diva, in particular, have been helpful. The PCOS Nutrition Center just posted an interesting article on Facebook from the Huffington Post, 5 Things to Never Say to a Friend Trying to Conceive. 

Now, we are taking everything one day at a time and that doesn't mean we are trying to have baby #2. Keep calm and keep reading! I love this article because for so long I have felt as though my body is who I am (based on how others 'see' me). I have always been more curvy than others. I have always dealt with eczema/psoriasis/dermatitis. Now I am dealing with PCOS and its negative effects on my body. This article can be used to help with everything!

In short, the article suggests being supportive and listening; things a true friend would do. Apparently, I don't have many true friends because everyone I know (with the exception of a few) has said something on their list! For Pete's sake, if I hear one more person say, "Oh, have you tried..." I am going to be mean and tell them, "No, I'm just the biggest idiot in the world and have just been eating everything in sight/licking my skin/have been taking my chances!" (curves/dermatitis/PCOS respectively) I mean, really people! I have been trying to be nice and say that I haven't tried stuff so people think they're helping, but it's wearing me out. I've even tried saying yes, but then people get into the, "and it DIDN'T work? Are you sure you did it right?" angle of trying-to-help-but-really-being-condescending conversation.

We need to show people we care by being there, not by offering advice. Know that people who are in any situation often need a supportive ear and a shoulder to lean on. We need to be friends to one another.

This also reminds me of this short video. Let's all remember that It's NOT About the Nail!

A City Girl and Camping

I am an eclectic girl. 

I adore all types of music; from rap to Christian and from country to classical.  I adore the clean, organized lines of modern design, yet I love the frilly romanticism of vintage design.  Nothing is better than the smell of an old book, but my Nook makes it easier to tote around the books I'm reading.  See... eclectic.

All of this brings me to being a City Girl. I am a city girl because I love being able to walk to everything, have {most} everything be delivered, entertainment at all times and the sounds of the city never sleeping  make me feel like I'm home.  Then I went to college in a more rural area and I fell in love with the country.  The sounds, {some of} the smells and the easier, handmade way of life is amazing to me and I want it.

When I was little I was in Girl Scouts. We used to go to Camp Lakamaga for sleep-away camp. I loved and hated it. You see, while I want the country-handmade-life, I don't like being in nature.  The kind of nature that doesn't have indoor plumbing.  The kind of nature that doesn't have {mostly} paved roads.  Making my own path in the woods isn't for me.

That is why I love Glamping. It is the best of both worlds... it's eclectic!

I mean, who wouldn't want to go Glamping in this super adorable vintage camper?

Her name is Audree and more pictures of her can be found on The Fancy Farm Girl . Tiffany bought Audree then painted and decorated her.

There is something new on my "I want" list!!  

SATC and Me

Like I do every summer, I re-watch my favorite shows while I work on other things. I usually correct papers, make cards/crafts, clean or cook while watching Grey's, Friends, Friday Night Lights {Kyle Chandler... swoon}, or Sex and the City.

Well, I decided to watch Sex and the City first this summer. I am already on season 4 {!} and the caption on episode 1 says, "You've gotta grab 35 by the balls, and say 'Hey world, I'm 35!'"

I kept thinking about it and realized, I'll be 35 next year. I need to take 35 and figure out how to achieve my goals, all the while saying 'Hey! I'm 35!'

I know what I am going to start working on first... what are your goals, how are you going to achieve them, and what motivated you to get going?

Friday Night Knitting Club

First off, I know it's been a while. I apologize and I will {try} to get back to posting on a regular basis.

Starting now.

I have a Nook. I love my Nook! I got it right after reading The Help because I lugged that {wonderful} book around with me and it was a heavy addition to my already anvil-like bag. So, I got the simple Nook. I love it - did I mention that?!

Anyway, I bought Kate Jacobs' book, Friday Night Knitting Club, about a year ago and didn't ever really have the time to read it. Especially with school starting, I knew I wasn't going to have the time, but I bought it anyway. I read a page here, a chapter there, but didn't get into it until about two weeks ago. My students were done testing and I was feeling like I needed to get lost in a world that wasn't my own. So I started reading.

I devoured Friday Night Knitting Club and wanted more!

It was difficult for me to read because I am a slow reader. I am slow because I have to see the words as pictures - a movie - as I read, or I get disinterested. I couldn't help but see the amazing characters Ms. Jacobs described, along with the smelling the creations or feeling the textures. I finished the book last week and immediately purchased Knit Two. I finished it tonight {and already purchased Knit the Season}. I want to see these books get made into {actual} movies! I would even settle for one movie!

Who has read it? Who was your favorite character? Who would play that character?

p.s.
Can someone put me in touch with Ms. Julia Roberts? She was once linked to a possible movie and I would like to bend her ear about it. Thanks!