09 May 2011

For the birds






Inspiration struck this past weekend and I turned this chippy cupboard door I've had for a while into a sign I hope to hang on my back patio. I printed the letters out and did the old-fashioned lead pencil across the backs then traced it so it left a faint impression of the letters on the board. I kind of just freehanded it after that. I made up the name Sweet Song Birdseed Co., in part because I'm really enjoying feeding all the little birds in my backyard and hearing them chirp back and forth to one another in the woods back there. Does that mean I'm getting old?


Macauley and Ryan got me this new feeder for Mother's Day, along with some seed. After our lunch at Lola's in Nixa, we ran back by the hardware store (still couldn't talk Ryan into that chicken coop) and I got the little feeder to stick on my kitchen window (above the windowboxes I planted out Saturday) and a couple of bags of the seed they sell in big bins with self-serve scoops.





I moved the other feeder down below with the birdbath, squirrel feeder and the seed bell, which was half-eaten after only one afternoon out.

Ryan gave me this bluebird house as part of my anniversary gift, along with a sledgehammer. That sounds funny, but I had been asking him to put up another birdhouse (found with my mom at the giant garage sale this past winter) on a post for a while and that was the tool needed for the job. Kind of a honey-do gift, I suppose.





So the birds around here have mulitiple dining and lodging options, but I'm the lucky one because my father-in-law made me this amazing potting bench out of salvaged pallets and a couple of pieces of architectural salvage. Love it! I haven't accessorized/utilized it just yet.


I had the trim piece with the hooks, something I made as a coat rack for our old house, and the drawer was a flea market find I was using in my office. What I really love, though, is the scrap of a sign across the top. It came off the grocery store in Bolivar that Ryan's grandpa owned for years.



The new bird feeder is just outside this screened window where my old indoor kitty Alice Cooper is perched. I'd like to think she's too old now to catch a bird, but given the chance I'm afraid her instincts would kick in...best to keep her contained. Now that the feeders are up and I've done a little planting, I feel compelled to hop into my blue polka-dot rubber boots and putter around back there all the time watering and filling and thinking of the possibilities.

08 May 2011

The best day

Ryan was busy with his dad yesterday (you should see the amazing potting bench Michael made for me and delivered!) so Macauley and I headed out for some flower shopping in Nixa. I had seen this place in 417 Magazine and wanted to check it out. They had lots of nice shrubbery and trees, but we really just wanted begonias and other basics for our flowerbeds. The plants were expensive and some seemed kind of rough...I don't know. One girl helping us was friendly but others weren't so much and I just left with an off-vibe, like we weren't entirely welcome even though we spent a fair amount of money there. Macauley, though, couldn't get enough of pulling our cart around and loving on the cute garden kitty he named Sunshine.









Next we stopped at Nixa Hardware, where the marquee announced Chick Day. Macauley and I loved this backyard coop and immediately began formulating our case to persuade Ryan to get us one of these and a handful of the adorable chicks and ducklings on display (which looked way too crammed to be happy and comfortable but what do I know?).







We puttered around the yard for a while when we got home and then sat down on the patio to frozen cheese pizzas. As we chatted, Macauley sighed and said, "We've just had the best day, haven't we?" For sure.

07 May 2011

First Friday

We hit the pavement downtown last night for First Friday Art Walk, or at least a couple of pieces of it. Macauley was supposed to go to a birthday party but the little birthday girl got sick and the party was cancelled. So while we waited to get in for dinner at Maria's, we walked down to the Kickapoo First 40 Years Exhibit at Obelisk Home, passing a fun mural and a defunct landmark along the way. An eccentric variety of people come out for Art Walk, and Macauley was quite protective of me for some reason, holding my hand everywhere we walked and shifting me from side to side to avoid coming into close proximity with anyone he saw as questionable. Very sweet.









I had been in the Obelisk Home store once before, but this time we got to poke around through the whole building, which has been renovated top to bottom. In love. Ryan's company did a lot of working on the wiring, phones and computer networking. There are lofts we didn't get to see.


















We even made it to the rooftop before giving in to our grumbling tummies and heading back toward dinner. Being downtown always makes me think about what it would be like to live there, renovate an awesome building like this one, be "urban" in our little city/big smalltown. I just can't see how this little boy would fit into a life like that...and a life without him would be no life at all...

05 May 2011

Behold(en)

I could probably spend all of tonight and the rest of the weekend for that matter searching around for beautiful pictures of how I'd do my wedding if I had to do it all over again, but I've got schoolwork to do and laundry to put away and probably a little TV to watch. We got married on 1 May 1999 and my taste has changed so much since then. I did want to commit to memory, though, this beautiful dress from Anthroplogie's BHLDN line that I'd sure be tempted to plunk down my pennies for if I were getting married today. Perhaps a vow renewal at 15 years? Or maybe next year for lucky number 13, going for an odd number like Ramona Singer on the Real Housewives of New York did for her 18th?

01 May 2011

It wasn't the Royal Wedding...

(What could have been...us in the Prom King and Queen crowns I gave out Friday night)


...but 12 years ago today I married my Prince. And I'd do it all over again...



All that I'm after


is a life full of laughter


as long as I'm laughing with you...


I'm thinking all that still matters


is love ever after--


after this life we've been through...


and I know there's no life after you.


~Daughtry

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