Sneak Peek from Day 1 of AVP 2009!

“Inches make a champion.”
-Vince Lombardi

Jana and Olympic Gold Medalist (and Tournament MVP) Phil Dalhausser!!!

Help! Solve our marital dispute

"Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win."
-Jonathan Kozol

Legend goes... for months, my aunt and uncle bickered about where to place a decoration in their house. Every time she walked by, she would hang it up. Every time he walked by, he would take it down.

Luckily their marriage survived that little tiff, and I'm sure that ours will too. But I'm not sure I can take months of pushing and pulling our second EXPEDIT shelf [Rob did indeed brave the long lines at IKEA last weekend to take advantage of the sale!] into the "right" place. So when Rob suggested we poll our online buddies, I thought that was a great idea.

We're putting everything out on the line. Whichever options wins, that's how it stays.

So here are the specifics: [btw, we don't have enough knickknacks to completely fill all of the cubes--believe me, I'm working on that!]

OPTION A: bookcases are spaced out so that the one on the left juts up against the corner, and the one on the right is lined up with the edge of the staircase. There is free access to an electrical outlet between the two bookcases, and our tall antique glass bottle fits perfectly between. This arrangement emphasizes that there are two separate bookcases.

OPTION B: bookcases are left justified against the corner, so that there is no gap between them. The electrical outlet is accessible, as it lies just underneath the shelf in cube A2. However, since we don't need it at the moment it is hidden behind a wall of yearbooks. Our tall antique glass bottle fits perfectly at the end of the wall just before the staircase begins. This arrangement masquerades as one single (long!) bookcase.
Leave a comment and let us know which arrangement you prefer!!

PS: Since this really is the biggest disagreement we have in our lives right now, I'd have to say we are truly blessed to have each other!

Making note

“Today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have."
-William Arthur Ward

How awesome is this notebook paper from Rock Scissor Paper! There are several different motifs-- I think the bikes and the keys are my favorites.

A couple of notes that I would write on this awesome paper:

• I've decided to leave the blog header as is. I haven't given up on it, but right now I just kinda like the monochromatic look. Let the posts provide the spice.
• Note the new banner on the right hand side. In a week or two, my mom and I will be beginning our online photography workshop. I've been busy gathering topics, and can't wait to join you in our guided exploration of your camera!
• Last week I was surprised to find a little mouse had crawled into our gas grill outside. So needless to say, this afternoon you will find me scrubbing the grill plates before I make hamburgers for dinner.
• AVP this weekend!! We've been counting down the days. We had so much fun last year that we splurged for the whole weekend this year. Expect sunburns come Monday!

Our fancy cabinet

“He who wants to change the world should already begin by cleaning the dishes.”
-Paul Carvel

Ooooooo baby... we've got a fancy cabinet now! The antique china cabinet is another piece of furniture that my mom and I transported back to Georgia on our monumental moving van adventure over spring break.

Finally, feeling the spark of inspiration last week, I arranged our wedding china and some of the other "fancy" dishes in front of a great floral fabric. Got that idea from Making it Lovely, and although I thought I'd just experiment with it, I absolutely love how it turned out. A perfect afternoon project--all I need was fabric, scissors, an iron, a stepladder, and clear pushpins!

Now our dining room is home to more than a rug.

Choices, Choices...

“Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made.”
-Wayne Dyer

I was a bit concerned about the monochromatic look of the new blog design, and told myself that I would make up for it wit colorful pictures. However, given the suggestion to add color to the header--here are some options.

What do you think?

Header #1:Header #2:Header #3:Header #4:Header #5:Header #6:Header #7:Header #8:Or the original header!