Black and Orange...Go Beavs!!

Ok so November was a bust. Forgot that I was going on vacation for 2 weeks when I signed up for nablopomo. So I felt no guilt (only slightly) and didnt post. But I am back. Im going to post, sporadically of course, but that is me. Im learning to accept certain things about myself and just work with it. But enough about me, on to the topic of the day.

The Civil War!

No, not the American Civil War, but the college rivalry Civil War. Namely the annual football game between Oregon State University Beavers (WooHoo) and the University of Oregon Ducks (Boo!) The Civil War inspires some intense and even rabid feeling in its fans. And well it should. It has had enough build up and history. The first civil war football game was in 1894.

I will admit that Im not a huge sports follower. If the occassional game is on I enjoy watching and of course root for the Beavs but thats about it. Unless its Civil War time. Then its all about the Black and Orange. I dont know why. Its like the fever pitch from Corvallis has made its way all the way down here and can almost be felt palatably. The kids have been taught the fight song. Any thoughts of rooting for the Ducks had been dealt with properly (You wanna root for the Ducks like Uncle Rich? Then go live with Uncle Rich!)

Living in Nevada there has been the claim that we should root for both teams at various points in the season since they are both from our home state. Ummm....no! I just cant do it. In my time at OSU I must have gotten the full dose of Duck hating indoctrination because I just cannot bring myself to even remotely root for them even if the Beavers are totally out as far as a bowl game goes. Or maybe the year I got stranded in Eugene after a Civil War game and wandered around in the cold rain for hours lost might have something to do about it...but thats another story.

This years Civil War game is even more important. Its the War of the Roses or I mean the War for the Roses. Whoever wins the Civil War game goes on to play in the Rose Bowl. Can there be any better reason to cheer for out team loudly and brainwash our children to hate the colors green and yellow? I dont think so.

I'm off to search for a sports bar that I can take the kids to. I guess I should call it a Sports Restaurant..that makes me sound like a better parent doesnt it?

OOOOOOOO........SSSSSSSSSS.......UUUUUUUUUU

OREGON STATE

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

My new bed

I wrote a couple of days ago about my bed that I was redoing. But then I lied and didnt post the after pictures the next day like I said. Truth be told I had to clean my room first. Which doesnt quite make sense since you cant see very much of my room in the pictures. But I know that its clean.

Brief recap:

Had bed. Sick of it. Started to stain it. Way harder than I thought. Put it

away for 3 months. Did 2nd coat which was super easy. Love new bed.

Wow, maybe I should write like that more often. I can tell a story really fast lol. Here are the before pics and a couple of after ones. My rooms not nearly anything like I want it yet(think British Colonial) but the bed was a big jump on the right direction.

Now just imagine it with all white, comfy, soft bedding, lots of pillows. Ahhhh I can see it now. Keep tuned for what I hope are more updates to my room soon. In the past its always been the last room to have anything done to (ummm truthfully nothing done to.) But Ive always wanted a sanctuary like Ive always read the bedroom is suppose to be. Not a room where everything is thrown into while trying to get the rest of the house looking decent. This move was just what I needed to actually get the motivation to make it happen!

I'm participating (finally) in Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Mondays. Go on over and check out everyone else's great projects. Warning: it can be addicting

Need to become daylight blogger

I think I had this same problem last year. Of waiting until its late to blog. Which is silly because then Im tired, cant think of 3 words to string together let alone a whole post. My atrocious punctuation only becomes worse and I just want to be done. Which is even sillier because the whole point of this blog is getting to write not having to. So its a lame post tonight. But the one tomorrow, which I will write while it is still light outside, will be much better. I promise.

So in lieu of a good post tonight I invite you to go back and read some of my old posts. Maybe start at the very beginning. I actually just got totally sidetracked while finding the link above. I started reading my old posts. Which was great. Not because Im an awesome writer and got to admire myself, but because it reminded me of one of the great benefits of blogging (because I suck at journals.) Remembering. Remembering thoughts I had, remembering cute little stories of my babies, remembering why I started this blog in the first place. So yay for thinking I was going to have a 3 sentence post and instead was given a small dose or re-inspiration.

Good Night and Sweet Dreams

Time for a newish bed

I love in reading in blogland all the different design and diy type blogs with some humor and family thrown in for good mix. And there's always a party somewhere. Back in the day I use to be all about the party and wanting to be a part of it no matter where it was. Guess Im not that much different in still wanting to be a part (or at least read them.) There's trash to treasure, before and after, thrifty finds, metamorphosis Mondays, etc. I've never participated in that Ive actually posted something but I think Im a little addicted to reading them!

We were raised to be thrifty and to see the Good

will as a store with potential..not something to be ashamed of or to be shunned. But these blogs are starting an addiction in me. Everything I see triggers something I saw on a post and I think "oh I could totally redo that and change into this and it would be awesome!" So many ideas..so little energy dang it. BUT and yes it is a big BUT..I actually did a big project that Ive been wanting to to forever.

Ive never been really fond of our bedroom set. Hubby picked it out. It was very light and countryish. I wanted dark and sleighbedish. But it was cheap and it matched so I really couldnt complain much.

Ten years later Im just done with it. But do not have the money now to just go buy a new set. So I summoned my inner diyer and went to work. I almost forgot to take a before picture. The middle flower thing had already been taken off and some stain applied as our test piece since it wouldnt be returning. I just put it back on for the picture.

I lightly sanded part of it but then ran some tests on our little flower thing and discovered that it wasnt really necessary. So I of course immediately quit any type of sanding.

Here's what it looked like after one coat of the stain. It totally went on a lot harder than I was expecting and looked a lot crappier than I was expecting.

I moved it to our back patio and there it sat for about 3 months because I was just

discouraged and pissed off at the bed..because you know it was all its fault.

I am proud to announce that it is all done and actually set up in my room. But you'll

have to wait until tomorrow for part II when you get to see the after pictures.

In other words I havent taken any pictures of it yet and Hubby is sleeping in it right now and I do not

think he'd want to be part of this post.

So stayed tuned tomorrow for the rest of the story.

Goth Mom

As we get closer to the end of the year its only natural to look back on what we have learned and discovered in our lives throughout the year. Have we grown as a person or gotten to know the real us a little better? I hope to share more throughout the month but I would like to share one of the most important lessons I've learned this year...

Do not dye your hair black if it is not your natural color.

Didn't t that sound so much nicer than saying "hey wanna hear what a complete idiot I am?"

I've been consistently coloring my hair since I was about 18 or so. Ive probably been every shade of brown and red their is known to nature...and then some that most definitely have never been seen in the natural world. Back then, I dyed because it was fun. Now, its because I have so much gray I could go as the Bride of Frankenstein for Halloween. Going gray very early runs in the family..thanks a lot Grandma!

I was becoming bored with the same colors and wanted to try something new. Blond was out since I couldn't(or wouldn't) do that one on my own and I was too broke to go to a salon I trusted to get it done. I really wanted to do pink. I really did.

But my dear sweet hubby put the nix on that by telling me I was too old. Yup thats my sweetie.

Ben was totally bummed when I told him I wasnt going to color it pink. He thought that pink was going to be sooo cool. I wavered briefly and thought about still going with pink but then I caved and dyed it black instead. Baaaaad choice. I went for the semi-permanent kind so it would wash out, in case I didnt like it. Ben's first words were "you look Goth Mom" Oh well, twenty-four washes and it would be gone. That was almost 4 months ago. And yes, my hair is still black. Which wouldnt be bad except for the fact that I dont look good in black hair and I now have several inches of roots which of course we all know are very gray. Ive dyed my hair a couple of times a dark brown but the black still stands out. Right now its a cherry chocolate color...plus the black of course.

Guess its time to go back to a very short hairstyle for awhile. But dont you think a short pixie cut would look totally cute in a cupcake pink?

Silly or Wrong?

So Ive been wondering if there are others out there who find things wrong that others find silly or entertaining. I mean I know there are lots of people who do but how about normal people like me or something as silly as competitive eating contests?

I seriously cannot sit and watch even part of a competitive eating contest without feeling physically nauseous. And not just from watching the poor table manners being exhibited.

I just have a hard time stomaching the sheer purposeful waste of food when there are people going hungry or starving everywhere. We have reached the one billion mark as to how many people in the world are starving. Maybe its the "there are starving people in Ethiopia" speech I heard a million times as a child. At the time my smart aleck remark (in my head only of course) was "please send this gross dinner to them then."

Yes we are a wasteful society. But being purposefully so seems just so wrong. Maybe if they had the emcee at one of these events be someone like this...

the contestants might just feel a little different about winning and the importance of being able to eat 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Perspective

I was trying to think of some witty or crafty post but then remembered something that I had been wanting to post about for awhile. This post isn't witty nor crafty. In fact, I hope it makes you cry a little, grab your loved ones in a little tighter than normal embrace, and then hopefully leave you, as it did me, a little more grateful, thankful, and feeling blessed for the life I have.

I have been following little Kate McRae's fight for awhile now. Four months ago she was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant brain tumor. Such scary words. Especially when attached to a 5 year old.

Her parents have blogged tirelessly throughout this whole ordeal. Keeping Kate in the forefront of people's minds and more importantly in their prayers.

I could write more but I hope you will visit her site and read her story from the beginning. Her parents openness throughout this all and their trust and reliance on the Lord is amazing. Theirs is not a passive faith or saying by rote "Your will be done God." They are fighting for Kate's life both on the physical and spiritual plane. They pray, beseech, beg, implore, plead and cry out to our Father continuously on behalf of their daughter. And they are not alone. As Kate's story gets out, then hopefully, more and more people will be added to the list of those already dedicated to praying for her healing and recovery.