Happy Halloween!

Daily Photo 10.31.10

He was cracking me up by pulling his glasses further and further away from his eyes, making them look smaller and smaller.

Daily Photo 10.30.10

Totally Digging....

...Weck Canning Jars.

http://www.weckcanning.com/

It's a little too late this year, but next year maybe I can use some of these fabulously sexy jars for my canning and holiday gift-giving.

First two photos courtesy of Google Image, last photo from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, November issue

Yesterday in a nutshell

Yesterday was a fairly exciting day at Casa Parker.

I got two used books in the mail from Amazon, one of which was covered in dog urine (guess who got a bad review?), Meredith came over to pick up a very belated birthday gift from me (a photobook I made of her 30th birthday festivities which took place back in JULY - better late then never, though, right?), Julio and Jorge came home from their dad's house (woohoo!), we got an early xmas gift (a bigger tv for our living room!), and our Dyson arrived (wedding gift from my dad)!

I don't have any photos of the TV, but just for a little background, we have a small house with small rooms. It was built in 1928. We had a bigger TV that was Josh's at one point, but it was overly huge and did not look right in the room, so we sold it. We planned to get a different TV eventually, but in the meantime we were using our bedroom TV which was maybe a 19 incher or so. Even though the living room is small, I had a hard time seeing the TV from the couch (though I admit, I refuse to wear my glasses most of the time when I'm at home). We thought a 32 incher would be the perfect fit, both for our expedit unit that the TV is on

and for the scale of the room. Overly large furniture of any kind just does not work in an older home with small rooms, I have found*. I always try to keep that in mind!

But anyway, that 32 incher is blowing my mind right now. It looks enormous to me! Hopefully in time I will find the look to be less jarring. At least it's in a corner, though! And I can see without squinting. Heck, I can even see people's faces. I am really glad we didn't have the big tv when we watched that Miley Cyrus movie the other night, though ('The Last Song' - I only watched it so I could see all the Tybee Island scenery). Good Lord, I bet the horrible acting would have looked worse on a bigger TV. I might never have recovered (I did get the flu the day after I watched it, and I totally blame it on that horrendous movie)!

Now, about the Dyson. The Bipster and I are both swooning over it. Like every suburban newlywed couple, we fantasized about the Dyson ball vacuum (in yellow, of course), and when my dad offered to gift us one for our wedding, he recommended the cannister vac for hard floors. But - it's not yellow! But - it doesn't have the rolly-ball! No matter - it's perfect, and it easily gets under our furniture. We are in love.



It's truly perfect for our needs. One of my main concerns was if it could get the dog hair off of the couch. Even though we keep a quilt over the couch when the dogs are home, some of Julio's wiry little white hairs manage to work themselves into the weave of the fabric. While those Scotch brand fur removers have worked wonderfully on couches of days past, it just doesn't work with the fabric of our current couch. I even tried the Pledge brand fur removers with no luck. My little Dirt Devil Cone

was also pretty useless. But the Dyson - oh, baby. Not a hair to be found. We may even be able to stop throwing a quilt over the couch because we can clean it so easily now.

Also, our neighbor brought us Halloween cupcakes!



I think next year, I'm going to start the 'boo-ing' tradition in our 'hood. More on that here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4513513_boo-neighbors-halloween.html

Gratuitous dog photos:













May you have a beautiful Friday - mine just got a whole lot better!


*RE: Scale - I am trying to convince the Hubbin that a table like this gem I found on Craigslist (which also comes with two extending leaves... I want it SO badly)

would work so much better for our dining room than what we have now. The pedestal would leave a smaller 'footprint' and also more visual space. Hopefully I can convince him soon and find one just like this - only a little cheaper -with the leaf extenders. We could use it forever and ever. So classic... love.

Daily Photo for 10.28.10

The sky took my breath away this morning. I was driving out of my neighborhood, on my way to work, and had to stop at a stop sign and get out to snap some photos.

Daily Photo(s) for 10.27.10 (part 2)

The two trees in front of the house are just starting to change color in spots. This is one thing I love about fall in the south... it starts a bit later than most places, and we still have several green trees around. The first week of November is usually when everything is truly ablaze with color. I'm from Ohio originally, and most trees are bare by then! Depressing!

I love the last photo - Nashville Autumns bring gorgeous jewel-blue skies!

Daily Photo 10.27.10

A favorite corner...



Our room is still a work in progress, and the corner where this dresser sits is very bare. While I wait to find the perfect stuff to go one the walls, this is what it looks like at the moment. The witch's ball sits in a vintage milk glass planter... the purple color brings out a slight lavender hue in our grey walls. The pillow should be on the bed, but the Bipster threw it on the floor every night before turning in. It drove me nuts, so one day I put it on the dresser instead, and we both like the way it makes the corner look less empty.

It's not perfect by any means, but it's a happy little corner.

Daily Photo 10.26.10

I'm sick.





This sucks.

Halloween Party photos

In an effort to ignore this flu or whatever that's trying to take me down (and succeeding), I am going to post Halloween Party pictures before it becomes old news.

You seriously do not want to hear the noises my innards are making right now. Please trust me on this.

I tried to snap a pic of everyone when they arrived. Next year I will plan a better backdrop.

Meredith & Tim



Daeon & Kaelyn:



Megan & Emma



Miriam:



Jenbug & Phil



Me, waiting for my husband to rinse the bacon out of his teeth before our picture:



There he is.... and he didn't end up smiling with teeth anyway.



The Bromance continues:





































And then Daniel showed up!







And then somehow Josh ended up in Merediths wig:



And I kept drinking the green punch:









Escaped convict attacks local lumberjack with his own axe. Film at 11.



A 'romantical' moment between Tim and Meredith:



Eventually, only Daniel was left standing and he sat in the backyard with Josh and I (who both had changed into our PJS by then - and of course Josh had on his ever-present "Cooters" hoodie that he stole from me) and we talked by the fire into the wee hours.



Someone wasn't too happy the next morning though....



Green punch makes mornings difficult...

And there you have it. Can't wait to do it all again next year.