Christmas on Manor Avenue

It's Christmas time on Manor Avenue. The lights from my neighbors across the street inspired me. I put lights up in my front yard. Between the two of us, we light up the whole street! I was lucky to have my girlfriends here in Columbia come and enjoy all my decorations at out annual gift exchange. I even got some new ornaments for my tree!

I was able to get about half of moms Santa Clause collection and put them up around the house. I think she was happy to have them off her hands. It was just one of many of her collections!!

Luckily you can't see all the cords that are plugged in to make all this light! It does look pretty tacky in the day, but I guess all of them do, not just mine! :)

My Camelias!

My camelias are in full bloom! I was so looking forward to seeing them bloom. I sat on my porch for the longest time looking at all the buds. There were so many, and are still. It was so exciting waiting to see what color they were. They were not in bloom when I moved in so I didn't know what to expect. To the right of the house is the big hot pink camelia with the big yellow center. To the left of the house are small pale pink camelias. They are taking a little longer to bloom.

Updated House Pictures!

New House Pictures

My plan is to put different sizes of black picture frames on the big wall with maybe some Rosewood prints in them. Not sure yet!

This is my green room! I'm pretty much done in here except for hanging some prints on the computer desk side. I love this room!! The bed skirt is actually a cloth shower curtain that I cut down the middle! It fits perfect!!

I just put this valence up and the curtains to hide the washer/dryer. I'm still getting used to it. It blocks a lot of sun from that door. This is the back door in the kitchen. I'm starting to like it more and more!

This is the view as soon as you walk in the door. Leaves on the floor and all! :) I love these Moulin Rouge prints and they look so good in this space! I'm happy with this space!! I built that table to, and by built I mean put together from the box. :)

This is my "sitting area." I love this space too! These chairs and ottoman are from Fernandina, they are super comfortable! I have to blank walls and I'm still not sure what I am doing with them.

This is obviously my bathroom. Catherine made me a sink skirt and it fits perfect!! I've tried really hard to maximize space here. You can't see in the picture, but there is not a curtain on the window. It's not too bad because of the position of surronding neighbors, they can't see in, so thats good! :)

A Pack of Dogs

The dogs on either side of me were particularly loud this morning. I didn't think too much of it and got up at my normal time. I walked out to say good morning to Charlie and feed him and saw there were two other dogs in the backyard. They were our dogs from next door. A dog a little smaller than Charlie and another black dog that was about the same size. They have always played by the fence with each other and tried to dig a little too. I put a stop to that immediately. ALL morning long I was trying to figure out how these two dogs got over here? I got up at 3:30am to correct Charlie and they were not back there, so it was sometime after that. The problem is I walked the line of the fence and couldn't see any place where a small and rather large dog shimmied their way to our side. They couldn't jump the fence considering there was a good 3 feet more fence added to the top prior to me living there. It has bothered me all day, I just can't figure it out.

The funny thing is imagining what CT was thinking when I noticed the other dogs. "Aww man, I wasn't suppose to have anyone over." "Yall be quiet, my mom doesn't know you're here." "You're not allowed to poop there." "You better get out of the garden, we aren't allowed to go in the garden." Which by the way, the big black dog made a huge poop in the middle of the yard. I am luck enough that CT goes in the ivy. He also was in and out of the garden, you should have seen CT looking at him on the other side of the foot and a half "fence" around it. He was so confused.

I sent the home and I'm hoping to figure out this mystery and not have them in my yard when I get home!!

Peaceful Easy Feeling

It's was 6:45pm and rain was coming, you could smell it. I was sitting on my front porch, on the steps, not in the chair that I usually sit in. I was just back from another weekend away. Away from Charlie, away from the house. It was so quiet, it's always quiet on this street. There was still some sunlight left that was coming through the dogwood tree on the right side of the yard. The glare is harsh when I'm in my chair, it's quite a different view on the steps. It's soft light, not light that you get warmth from. It's a tired light, one that has been out all day working hard and is ready to retire for the evening. I glance at the dogwood, full with green leaves that haven't turned or begun to fall to the ground. Does it know that spring is nearly over? How much will it change in the next month, I look forward to seeing those changes.
The sun is all but gone and the clouds slowly move together. It feels thick outside, not humid so much as the feeling you get when you know that rain is near. A drop hits one of the leaves on my camellias, it sounded thick, I turn quickly as if turning fast enough will let me see the rain fall. "Big 'ol fat rain," I think to myself. It amazes me how your thoughts change when milestones occur in your life. I look forward to the rain knowing that it will water my grass and plants today, not me.
The rain comes faster, I have to move from my step that I have found so nice and peaceful. It's the kind of rain you want to play in. No thunder, no lightening, just rain. It's night time now, I cannot focus on the leaves on the trees, or the pine straw on the ground. Standing on my front porch I blink over and over, but the night has come and all is dark. I have a peaceful, easy feeling.
Back in my chair, my outlook changes. My thoughts are faster, more scattered. Ideas race through my head as if it's there one chance to be seen. I notice the change and try to get back to my calm easy feeling. Breath in, and out, in, and out. Work, files, bricks, how many?, where?, Charlie, grass, rain, wind, I am flooded. I look to my step to ask how do you do it? It's wet and little puddles have begun to form on top of it. I may have sat there all night if I wasn't forced to move by the lingering plops of rain. Plop. Splish-splash. Ping. Bring on the rain! My peaceful, easy feeling will come another day.

Shopping as a Homeowner vs. Shopping as a Renter

Homeowner Shopping: A sprinkler from Lowe's

Renter Shopping: New shoes from Target

Homeowner Shopping: A rake from Lowe's

Renter Shopping: Liquor from Green's

I spent my lunch break today at Lowe's. I chose to spend my lunch break there, I enjoyed myself! I walked around looking at all the light fixtures and fans, them moved to the carpets and curtains. Lowe's is my new favorite store. What? Thats crazy, but I kinda like it :) I'm excited about setting up the sprinkler watching Charlie dance with it while is waters the grass. I'm looking forward to raking all the pinestraw from my front yard. I'm a HOMEOWNER!! Maybe this makes it official. Or maybe a credit card to Lowe's makes it official. I should look into that....

Scotland Yard

I live in the middle of Scotland Yard. I am surronded by dogs including the Turkey in my own backyard. At 11:30pm every night they all start barking like they are searching for dalmation puppies. Last night was no exception. If Charlie isn't barking, it's as if he is waiting for the dog down the street to stop talking before he answers him. It's pretty crazy. So now on my way to work and on our walks I am on the look out for a pack of roaming dalmation puppies.

Charlie's New Home

Charlie and I stayed at the new house this past weekend. He had a really hard first night, it broke my heart. He couldn't find his own space and didn't know where he was and I don't think he slept all night long. Which means, neither did I. Saturday was a better day. We got up and went on a walk before it got too hot and we palyed all day long. I filled up the pool for him three different times that day. He loves playing in the pool. Charlie also got a new toy! It's a KONG wrapped in this tough fabric. He LOVES it!!! So we are finding our way and he is getting used to things more and more.

Couch Decisions

I have my $8,000 coming to me in a matter of weeks. So it's time to start picking out a couch! I need a chaise, I feel like because I don't have space for a big couch. I hate couches that are not long enough for tall people, so this is why I want the chaise lounge. These are the two I'm picking from, unless I see something else. Thoughts, comments, questions???

Motivation

Questions:
Where does motivation come from? What separates those with ample motivation to those with little or no motivation? Is it through family support, is it the support of friends? Does motivation come from inside you and only you can find it, only you can determine how and when you will be motivated? So let's think about it, what is different about days that you think you are productive and days that are not. Why isn't just waking up every morning alive and breathing motivation enough to have a good day? Is it nature or nurture? Is it based on your daily surroundings, or based on a significant other? What if the one that makes you motivated isn't there? What if they can't be your onside cheerleader for each day, what if daily phone calls aren't enough. Does that mean you search for someone to take their place, or do you have to begin with yourself? If you can't motivate yourself, can anyone else?

Motivation is at the core of all daily activities. Should you be rewarded for being motivated enough to get up in the morning and go to work? Is that motivation or obligation or just fear of losing a job? So maybe you are motivated enough to get up, but not on time, not in time to pick out a nice outfit, not in time to put on makeup. Is that lack of motivation, or is it laziness, or is it just not really investing in yourself? How do you change that? Do you have to create a habit of being motivated? I guess if the trouble starts with the daily activities that people do everyday it may be a bigger problem than motivation. Motivation to get up in the morning has to be different than the motivation to run a marathon, or climb a mountain. Right? The term half-assed comes to mind. Maybe it's not lack of motivation, it's just living half-assed.
Living half-assed.

I guess some people have to work at it. Some have to wake up and try. They have to have the thoughts that it will be a good day, it will be productive and then have the capacity to try and make that happen. Stop living half-assed. Be tired at the end of the day for a reason. I imagine that makes the "days off" that much better!

Searching for my motivation.....

3:00 Stimulus

I will tell you, I almost cannot function when 3:00 hits. Unless I am out in the field dealing with all the crazies, 3:00 comes and I am done for the day. I don't drink coffee, no matter how sweet or ice cream-like it is and I don't know what else to use. I can't imagine having a red bull without vodka in it. Hey, maybe that's the trick???? No, probably not. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with being in between homes right now. I'm ready to be in my home, I just don't want to unpack and move stuff around. I want to snap my fingers like Mary Poppins and have pictures hung, clothes hung and rugs down. Now, there is a lady that didn't need any stimulant in the middle of the day.

I'm Frustrated

I worked on the house all weekend. We moved the last bit of furniture Friday night, some in the rain. So everything is in the house. Now I just have to play a tetris to figure out how everything I own is going to fit in a 850 sq. ft. house. At this point it's really just the living room. I don't have my couch yet and it's really hard to move things around when I don't know what size that's going to be and where it will go best. AGH!!! Breathe, in, out. I'm going to try again tonight and hopefully make some progress!!

How Does your Garden Grow?

I have a garden! I planted it weeks ago, and when I say I, I mean mom and Lindsey planted it for me weeks ago. Before we worked in the yard we found a lot of herbs scattered around. So we tried to replant some of that. I have basil, which I love and it's doing great. I have rosemary and thyme, chives, oregano and mint. I have two cucumber plants and two tomato plants. With all the rain and hot weather we have had, everything looks really good!

So, I closed on my house at the beginning of May. I like to start off as if I'm in the middle of a conversation with 'so.' Isn't that in a movie? Anyway, tomorrow I will move the last of my furniture into the house from my storage unit. I've been moving boxes and small stuff for the last two weeks. I'm still waiting for this bolt of lighting type feeling that "Oh My Gosh, I own this house" and I haven't had that yet. I wonder if it will ever come?

So far I have three phases to the house. The original is right after closing. The first phase is yard work, front and back! Big, Huge task!!! Phase two is paint and pulling up the nasty carpet. Phase three is hardwood floors and moving in!! I'm hoping to only have four phase, so the last will be everything in it's place, oh I can't wait!!!