I'm DY(E)ING to tell you about my new shirt...

So a million five years ago, I picked up this light grey shirt at Target.  I LOVED it.  I bought it out of necessity because on one of my early days of grad school when I was still commuting from Benton to Conway, I spent the night at Katie's on a whim and didn't have any clean clothes to wear to school and work the next day.  So I went shopping before class and found this beauty:

It felt a bit hippie and a bit classic, and while the color was kind of a wash, I liked it because I didn't own too much grey.  And it was so comfy and carefree.

(This photo was taken after Zach and I created our first cake together:  Zach envisioned it, and I carried out the vision.  We've been doing that since 2008, folks.  :)

Fast forward a few years to when my beloved shirt somehow got some bleach stains on it.  :(

I tried bleaching all of the color out:

But all that did was make it a mottled peach-pink-grey color.  :*(

I kept trying to bleach it to one shade, but it never worked.  I had almost given up hope...

...until this TWENTY-FIVE CENTS clearance miracle came into my life!

For a long time--basically since I discovered New Dress a Day--I have wanted to try my hand at dyeing.  (Or is it dying?  I just never know; I only teach English.)  But I was so nervous to do it, and even though dye is cheap, I still didn't want to spend money and then have to spend more because I destroyed something else.  Until Zach and I swooped down the clearance aisle last week.  I thought this baby was a buck, so I was pleased as could be when it rang up for 25 cents.  I wanted to go back and buy a few more boxes!

Here is what I did:  I washed my shirt.  Then I dissolved the entire box of dye in water I heated on the stove.  (I used an old Cool Whip container so I could throw it away.)  I set the washer on the regular wash cycle at the hottest temp and let it fill up.  I added about 3/4 cup salt and a Tbsp. detergent while it was running.  When it came time for the agitation to start, I turned it off and poured in the dye.  Next, I rinsed my shirt in hot water in the skin, squeezed the water out, and uncrumpled it.  After adding it to the dye, I let it sit for 30 minutes, stirring it with a plastic knife every 10 or so minutes.  At the end of the 30 minutes, I turned the washer back on and let it run.  I rinsed my shirt in the sink after the washer cut off, and I dried it in the dryer.  During that time, I added detergent and bleach to clean the now speckled washer.  It came right off for the most part!

I've learned a bit about dyeing/dying now.  For example, you use salt if the material is a natural fiber, and you use vinegar if it's not.  And not all fabrics are created equal.  I also need to invest in some color remover, rather than using bleach because it weakens materials.

And now I have this lovely bluish-grey/purple blouse!  Since the temps have started to fall a bit, I decided to put on a scarf for the first time in months, and this one matched perfectly!  You can still notice where the bleach stains were, but the dye definitely improved the mottled look.  I love the shade--it's so unexpected!

What I Wrote

I've been writing and sending cards and such--I just have been bad about posting that on here.  The following are what I have sent the last three weeks.

My friend Monica has a friend named Stacy who lives in Arizona.  She is so sweet and funny and always sends us a Christmas card though not even I have met her!  (We did talk on the phone once or twice.)  Her friend's little boy has had health problems since he was born, and recently, he was diagnosed as possibly having a germ cell tumor and will have to undergo chemo at some point.  A few weeks ago, his dad asked that, if folks were willing, they could send him some mail.  I found this sweet "Get Wellelephant" card after I had searched high and low in the card aisle at Walmart.  (Um, there are not many "Get Well" cards for small children.)  But this turned out to be perfect as Logan LOVES elephants!  Stacy said he hung it in his room.  We also sent some Batman stickers for his sticker book.

I believe I have mentioned a little boy named Easton on here before.  I went to high school with his parents, and in the summer of 2011, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  Praise God, he is in remission now!  When I started following his Facebook page, I also found a page for a little boy named Kipton.  Kipton also was diagnosed with ALL around the same time Easton was, and February 10 marks one year since his rebirth--when he went into remission after receiving a bone marrow transplant.  His mom asked that "Kipton's Krew" (his supporters) send postcards to celebrate his rebirth.  I decided I needed to send one of the Walton 5 & 10, now the site of the Walmart Visitors Center, since we live in the town where Walmart was started.  Can you believe this postcard was 25 cents?!  That's almost five-and-dime prices!  This is an artistic rendering of the center, but here is an actual photo:

I've learned that if we open our eyes, there are people all around us that can use some encouragement.

Finally, my niece Lexi turned 17 (!) yesterday!  Since we couldn't be there, we mailed her birthday present and card.  I found her some darling jewelry--matching blue necklace and earrings, purple earrings and a ring to wear on pep rally days (their high school colors are purple and white), and some silver bird earrings.  She LOVED them and called today to thank us for them.  She also loved that Zach didn't sign her card because he didn't want to contaminate it with germs.  I love that sweet girl!  Here are some photos from over the years (since I didn't get a picture of her gift):

 a picture of Lexi (age six-ish) and me (sixteen, almost seventeen!) at Christmas

Gosh, her hair already looked much better than mine!

 at my wedding reception in December 2009

Lexi was thirteen, and Will was seven.

our most recent Christmas celebration 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEXI!  WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!  LOVE YOU, CHICA!

Be Grateful #15

1)  I'm thankful for the wonderful Thanksgiving we had!  What a glorious day!  I do wish Zach had been feeling better for the weekend, but he made it through.
2)  I'm pleasantly surprised by how kind folks were at Walmart Thanksgiving night while we waiting to buy $20 sheets.  (Yes.  I was crazy.  I must have had a stroke or something.)  I normally don't partake in Black Friday--or in this case, Grey Thursday--and I was very hesitant in light of the ridiculousness of starting even earlier.  But I thought the sheets were gold, and we have been looking for some for ages, so I thought my mama and I could pop up there, and it would give her a chance to get out and about, which she hasn't been able to do in awhile.  Well, they weren't gold; they were tan.  But I was able to pick up some grey sheets for my MIL and some cream ones for my SIL (she and her husband only have one set of sheets right now, so I was glad to get them some), and I was able to football carry some green ones for my mom (who always uses secondhand sheets).  We really had an enjoyable time, though it got a bit crazy and I don't think I will ever do this again, especially on Grey Thursday.
3)  I'm grateful for the long weekend I had to relax and knit and watch TV and eat lots of ham, cornbread dressing, and pie.
4)  I'm glad my root canal is over and that it wasn't painful.  Right now, since the feeling has come back, it is a bit sore.  Please pray that I stop stressing it is chipped or something; I'm freaked by how rough the surface feels.  (I've got to schedule my crown still.)
5)  I'm so happy that there are just two weeks until finals week!  These next two weeks should be rather  easy for me.  :)
6)  And I'm so happy that we have our Christmas decorations up and are watching Christmas Vacation right now.
7)  Mostly, I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband...who trudged to Walmart last night after I realized we didn't have enough of the same lights for our tree.  I love that man.

Photo a Day in November #2

2.  Color

So I got this blue button-down with green polka dots at JCP yesterday.  The "CEO" sent little ole' me a $10 off a $10+ purchase to encourage me to check out what they had done with the store.  A few weeks ago, I got an email advertising their JCP Shop, and it featured cute button-downs such as this one, and I had to have it.  Too bad I didn't realize Zach cut out our fun money this money.  OOPS!  He said I could keep it, and I am glad I did because I got so many compliments on this combo:  white polka-dotted green cardigan over the blue button down with green necklace.  :)

Also, this is the first alcoholic beverage I have ordered in over a year.  We went with some friends to Table Mesa tonight after the Bentonville in Toyland First Friday.  I have to say that Ruby Tuesday's mojitos are better, but this did the trick!

Finally, we were quite sad to learn that our new soda shoppe has gone in where the Walmart Cafe was, which means NO. MORE. CRUNCHIES.  :(

Photo a Day in September #18

18.  My Passion

Ummm...I guess my current passion would be food.  I'm always thinking about what I am going to be putting in my tummy and posting pictures of my meals on Facebook and pinning every recipe on Pinterest.  I've made it my goal to attempt a new Pinterest recipe a week.  This weekend, I'm making caramel apple cider cookies!  I think they will be perfect for the fall.  :)

I cheated and took this picture last night. Ah, but these frozen Rally's/Checker's fries are sooo tasty, AND I got to use a 75 cents off coupon!  They were cheaper than the Walmart fries.  :)

Photo a Day in September #14

14.  Store

Ah, I was so tired from my week that I forgot to post my photo last night! :(  As you can see, this is Walmart.  I spend many an hour here picking up items we need.  (Lest you forget, we live in Walmartland--Bentonville, AR, the home and world headquarters of Walmart.)  After my week, I just wanted to come home from work and curl into a ball and rest.  But I had to prepare for my mentor training today, and Zach also invited his friend Andrew to dinner (we had yummy Reubens and blackberry pie), so we had to swing by the Bentonville Butcher and Deli AND Walmart for a few groceries.  Thankfully, I got to wait outside and admire the pumpkins because I was driving and let Zach off at the front.  I also had to go to Sam's Club to order five pizzas for my mentors, and I intended to take a picture of it because I LOVE Sam's, but I'm glad I ended up forgetting because the pumpkins make me so excited for fall!  (And I don't feel so bad having my fall wreath up when I see these beauties.  :)  Oh, and the picture may look weird because it was raining, and I took this photo through the raindrop-splattered windshield.

Photo a Day in July #23

23.  Mirror

Zach and I had a lovely little shopping trip today.  :)  We both slept in, but I got up a bit earlier to finish his cake.  After he got up, showered, and dressed, we head to Arby's for 64 CENTS roast beef sandwiches!  Over the weekend, they sent out a coupon for cheap sandwiches to celebrate their anniversary.  (I guess the business was founded in 1964?)  We split a large fries, and it was more than enough because these were the full-sized sandwiches.  I like Arby's every now and then.  :)

Then we headed over to the Promenade, stopping in for some serious cereal sales at Target and for some iTunes gift cards that were on sale at Bed, Bath, and Beyond before going to Old Navy.  When I went on my shopping frenzy a few weeks ago, I got some Super Cash--$10 off $25.  Zach has needed some more shorts for awhile, so he looked for them while I tried on their colorful skinnies.  I have been in the market for some for awhile now, but I missed them when they were at F21.  I really want some RED ones.  I think they will be perfect for the fall!  I tried on one size larger than I usually get since they are Super Skinnies, but those were too small.  So I tried the next two sizes; thankfully, the next one up fit.  My only concern is they may shrink awfully fast with my Skinny Long Legs (this was my cousin's nickname for me in college).  I have seen some at Walmart (L.E.I) that I am going to try, too, and I may see if F21 has them in store again since both theirs and Walmart's are around $15.  Old Navy's is $30-ish, but they have 31 (THIRTY-ONE!) different colors online.  I had to try on the emerald green ones because they didn't have the size I needed in red.  I did like these a lot, too, but since I am out of fun money for the month, I will have to wait until August to buy.  That's why I want to make sure I have the right ones because we only get $30 each in fun money, so I could get two pairs instead of one depending on where I go.  *lol*  I also found two dresses (one purple striped one and one pink buttery one), a cute grey and yellow flowered shirt, and some yellow polka-dotted leggings for Briley's fifth birthday.  (This is my best friend's little girl, so she is my best niece. :)  I'll probably add another thing or two to her present--some kind of toy or book.

Finally, we popped into Petsmart to get Dinah a birthday present--she's ONE today!  We got her a Martha Stewart catnip mouse that rattles; it's in the cutest purple plaid material.  We didn't get it just because it's cute though; she is TOUGH on her toys, and we needed something she wouldn't chew through.  We also grabbed some Sunchips on sale at Walgreens, stopped by the credit union, went through the carwash, and came home for a piece of cake (I did promise a picture, so here's a few!):

This was right after I started assembling the cake--I had unwrapped my Kit Kat's and gathered everything I would need (except for the homemade whipped cream that was in the fridge).

 side view of the ice cream cake

I didn't do a very good job of leveling the ice cream in the cake pan.  *lol*  Thank goodness for icing/whipped cream to hide that!

 I had him close his eyes for the big reveal.  I needed to touch it up a bit because somehow it melted a bit in the freezer after I decorated it!  He was so surprised by how I decorated it! He is a HUGE fan of Kit Kat's!

 up close

Here, you can see that it is a little rough around the edges.

Happy birthday cake day, Baby!  I love you!  Now let's go collapse into a sugar coma!  (We quickly learned that a two-wafer-wide piece is the limit.)

Photo a Day in July #9

9.  Big

I love this Mike and Ike billboard.  It is just like the boxes but HUGE.  Did you know Mike and Ike broke up?  I know, it is a tragedy.  On this billboard, Mike's name is painted over.  If you are coming from the other direction, there is a Mike and Ike billboard on the right side of the road, too, but Ike's name is being covered.  :)

We get really cool billboards around here because of Walmart's headquarters; this billboard is located on Walton Avenue, named after--you guessed it!--Walmart founder Sam Walton.

G is for GREEN BEANS

I love green beans.  It was one of the first vegetables for which I developed a taste after I was diagnosed with Crohn's; that means, I have been a fan for almost nine years now!  I would have them every now and then before my diagnosis--I remember Thanksgivings specifically--but once again, I didn't eat many veggies in the days before Crohn's changed my life.  Now, I strive very much to incorporate healthy foods into my diet, especially fruits and vegetables, and if I ever have kids, I will do everything in my power to ensure that they eat and enjoy produce.  :)

I like fresh green beans, canned green beans, frozen green beans.  My MIL actually introduced me to the BEST frozen green beans ever:  these babies below.  :)

When we were in grad school, we shopped at Kroger, but that isn't an option here.  (However, a new Harp's is supposed to be opening right down the street from us in an old motel--HALLEJUAH!)  I tend to buy the generic/store brand for things like frozen veggies, but Walmart's green beans are sooo tough.  These beauties, which are found at Sam's, turn out perfectly.  (Sorry for not knowing the price; my MIL bought these for us when she was taking care of me after my surgery.)  Since I usually steam the green beans with some kind of spice (thyme, garlic, Italian mix, etc.), tonight, I wanted to do something different.  I love roasted vegetables, so I decided to give roasted green beans a try.  :)

Roasted Green Beans

1/2 pound frozen green beans

3/4 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 Tbsp. (i.e. 1 1/2 tsp.) balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 450.  Place green beans in bowl.  (I snapped mine in half so they would cook faster.)  Mix oil and vinegar together and pour over beans; toss to coat.  Arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20-ish minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste.

These were quite delicious!  I recommend them to go alongside spaghetti, which is what we did.  :)

Bathing at The Owlery

Hey, folks, today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner to show you our bathrooms!  (Yes, we have THREE for two people--there's a half bath upstairs for guests.  :)

Aren't bathrooms hard to decorate?  I've always found that to be so...  I feel like the bathroom is typically the forgotten room, but there is so much you can do with it once you get started, and a lot of it is really simple.  I've been working really hard to finish decorating our bathrooms, so let's get started, shall we?

First up, we have our half bath:

 I got the little green birdie panels (on clearance at Target--where else?)  when I was in grad school.  I love the different fabrics and textures on them!  I also got the mini vases at Walmart to decorate my grad school appartment as well.  (I broke a red one.)  I love this green towel!  It was one of my Twelve Days of Christmas presents from my mother-in-law.

I got the owl nightlight when I was in grad school, too.  *lol*  Can you tell I was very excited to decorate my first off-campus apartment?  That picture is of Zach and me--it is the first one ever of us, and I love it.  We had been dating about a month and a half, I think, when it was taken.  The fabric giraffe, which is hard to see, complements the colors in the bathroom; it was a get well gift from our friend Holly; she sent it after my surgery along with some other goodies.

And I promise I straightened that one panel several times today!  Geez...

Remember how I said I have been working hard on finishing our bathrooms?  Here is the BEFORE:

 

And the AFTER!  I hate how this picture turned out, but I'm too lazy to take another.  I designed this custom curtain to hide our clutter.  Now I just need a basket for the paper towels...

Up next is my bathroom.  Since we had so many bathrooms, we decided to have separate ones.  I think this is great for marriage.  :)  Plus, my bathroom is in the hallway and stays warmer because it is below the heater; Zach's bathroom is on the outside wall of the house and is freezing in the winter.  Actually, the whole bottom floor stays freezing in the winter, so we have to use a space heater AND a heated mattress pad.  It's true what your science teacher says:  heat rises.  (That also means our upper floor is toasting us right now.  ;)

 I have three collages I made after my study abroad trip--one each of Ireland, Scotland, and England.  (This is the England one.)  I want to find two more gold frames that are different from this one to hang up the other two collages.  I paid nothing for the collages because I got them over time with Walgreens free collage coupons.  (Look out for them, folks!  I pay next to nothing for photos with Walgreens, Shutterfly, and Snapfish.  ;)  And I got the frame half-off from Hobby Lobby!

 My bathroom is travel-themed (at least when it comes to pictures).  The one on the counter is the first picture I had taken of me in Ireland--isn't it sooo green?  The one on the wall is from Oxford, Mississippi, when we visited our friends when they worked there and went to William Faulkner's house, Rowan Oak.  Can you spot the LEGO jeep?  I built it!  I like to imagine it is for our imaginary trips around the world.

This is another of my decorating projects.  I changed out the shower curtain for something that better matches our decor.  :)  I love how it looks now!  The BELIEVE artwork was from my roommate Emily for Christmas one year--it reminds me that nothing is impossible with God!  For example, I had dreamed of going to Europe since third grade, and I never thought I would make it after many failed trips.  And there is the whole saving-my-life-and-my-soul thing.  ;)

The pictures on the wall are also from my study abroad trip, but I am going to trade them out for other travel pictures once I get my collages framed.

Finally, Zach's bathroom is left.  I won't show much of it (even though it's clean--we just cleaned them yesterday).

 The Paris frame came from my roommate Monica; it would probably be more appropriate for my bathroom, but I felt the pictures of Zach's "groomsmen" looked great in it.  There is a picture of us in the heart-shaped frame; it was taken right before we walked down the aisle after Zach's Momo passed out and scared us to death; it's hard to see, but our foreheads are pressed together and our eyes are closed because we were trying to collect our thoughts.  It was "a momentary stay against confusion."

Of course, there are lots of LEGO pieces in Zach's bathroom.  I tried to class it up with some Chinese cat figures and a ceramic box in blue and white, but they got ousted by the Star Wars.

I hope you enjoyed viewing our toilets (pronounced in the FRAHNS-SAY way) and got a few ideas to decorate your own water closet.  :)

Photo a Day in July #4

4.  Fun

I warned y'all I'm a nerd.  I'm sure I did at some point.   :)  Since we couldn't drive the four hours to and from Hot Springs in a day without spending most of the holiday on the road, we spent Independence Day at home.  We ended up sleeping in quite late because Hobie (our older cat) is not happy with his new food and kept demanding we feed him something else.  How does he demand anything?  He knocks things off shelves, chews on everything, comes and sits on my chest and stares at me, and nibbles at my arms, the last always being a signal that he is hungry.  He did this for a few hours before we were set to wake up, so we didn't get quality sleep last night.  :(

After breakfast, we lazed around the house before heading to Walmart and Braum's to pick up something to celebrate the day.  Let me tell ya--Braum's burgers are not good.  *bleh*  I literally had one bite of mine and couldn't eat anymore.  It's amazing because their ice cream is sooo good.  I tried really hard to get my husband to grill, but he didn't want to do it.  Maybe one day this summer we can scribble that off our Summer Pail List...

We took a nap in the afternoon; when I got up, I finished my curtain for the bathroom and then finished my Hogwarts castle!  Both of these things (sewing and anything Harry Potter-related) is fun for me.  :)  I thought about posting a picture of the curtain I made to cover the over-the-toilet shelf with all our magazines and paper products, but I didn't think a curtain would be as fun as Hogwarts.  Do you?  ;)  I have been working on the castle for a few weeks now, completing a few bags at a time, and today I knocked out the last two.  Zach and I have gotten me all of the Harry Potter LEGO sets except for Diagon Alley because it's expensive.  This is the first big HP set I've put together, not to mention it is the largest set I have ever assembled.  Can you believe I knew nothing about LEGO four years ago?

We had oatmeal and smoothies for dinner--I know, I know, that meal really says the Fourth of July, doesn't it?  *lol*  Then we went to see the fireworks in town, and now we are settling in for bed.  Hopefully, next year we will be able to go home and celebrate poolside in style (I didn't get to make my cobbler this year : ( ), but we did have a little fun on this patriotic holiday.

Photo a Day in July #2

2.  Busy

Since we weren't feeling so hot yesterday, we didn't go grocery shopping, which meant someone had to go today.  Usually, when grocery shopping gets pushed to Monday (or later), I go by myself, but since we had more to pick up at Sam's than usual, Zach came, too!  He wasn't too pleased I took his photo.  *lol*  But he was just charging ahead, so I got my camera out, called his name, and snapped this picture when he stopped and turned around.  We got a great deal on toilet paper at Target, stocked up on some much needed items at Sam's (like olive oil and craisins), and gathered our usual goods at Walmart.  Speaking of Walmart, that place stresses me out so much.  I miss Kroger.  :(  Today, I happened to lose our coupon organizer, which stressed me out even more.  I mean, I almost cried over this.  Thankfully, I had the good sense for a moment to go to the service desk and see if it had been turned in.  It had!  Unfortunately, our coupon for a free pack of Coca-Cola products had already expired.  :(

Sleeping at The Owlery

Hello friends from Kelly's Korner!  So these are seriously some of the worst photos I have ever taken.  I know I took them with my iPhone, but usually I can get by.  So...MY APOLOGIES!  Someday, my prince will come.  (By "prince," I mean "super nice camera."  I already got a kingly husband.  He's helping me save up for the "prince."  ;)

At The Owlery, you enter on the top floor, where the living room, kitchen/dining area, laundry area, and half bath are.  Then you descend the stairs to the bedrooms...

 Zach got the screen on a website; it cost $30-ish!!!  I love that vase from Target, but it doesn't match anything on the landing now.  I am hoping one day to have a little girl and use it in her room.  :)  In the frames are a sketch we picked up at a friend of friend's art show, a Pollock print, and some willow postcards from Cambridge University.

 Our cats are hoodlums.  It is also laundry day for unmentionables (i.e. mine and the husband's underoos) and t-shirts.  On the left is a photo I took inside Drumcliffe church in Ireland; it's where the poet Yeats is buried.  It's an eagle lectern with the words, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" behind it.  :)

 Zach's minifig(ure) collection "tastefully" displayed (his words)

 prints that used to match our old decor

I'm going to get some green mats to update the oval frames.

Also, a LEGO ship atop my LEGO Harry Potter shelf; Harry Potter LEGO sets are about the only ones I will build.  My husband is still pleased.

 Our bedroom needs work.  I can't figure out what to put over our bed.  And, yes, that is a full-sized bed.  We NEED a queen-sized one.  Please inform my husband.  :)  This room is very oddly shaped, and this is the only arrangement that will work.

 alternative view

The door leads out onto a small deck.  We bought the paper lanterns at World Market in KC.  It's a funny story about our dresser and chest of drawers.  They used to be Zach's Momo's.  She gave me the dresser when she found out I didn't have one.  Zach's parents moved it up, and when they got it into my bedroom, IT MATCHED MY BED!  Yeah, so most people wouldn't be surprised by matching bedroom furniture, BUT MY MAMA GOT MY HEADBOARD AT A YARD SALE.  It is fate that I was to be a Pharr.  After we got married and moved up her, she gave us the chest of drawers to match.

 bridal portrait, engagement photo with Alice in Wonderland quote that my cousin made, my bouquet and the pen we used for our guest book, wedding photo, Zach's valet, stuff I need for sleep, and a sock monkey

Did you spot my sweet tea?!

 hats, magazines, books, LEGO sets, stereo, boxed music sets (on the shelf), chair from our dining room

vanity, storage cabinets, closet entry

The door to Zach's bathroom is on the left (not pictured).

 photo following high tea the day after we got engaged in KC, photos from where Zach proposed, Alice in Wonderland quote

You can read our proposal story here; it won a prize from where we got engaged.  :)

messy vanity=typical girl

That tiny old photo on the right is of my great aunt Grace when she was younger.  She helped raise me when I was little.  I want to frame it along with older photos of my mom and grandmas and Zach's mom and grandmas all glammed up to hang here!

our closet

There are two more rods behind the door for hanging clothes as well as shelves.  It is the biggest closet I have ever had!  I rotate out the pictures in the frames on my mirror; I got that at Walmart when I was in college.

We have two other "bedrooms" at The Owlery.

 One is a library.  This where our books live along with some other fun things.

 Hobie cat and a medieval village

 That golden chair is so 1970s, but it's COMFY.  The print of Van Gogh's Starry Night above it glows in the dark.  We have lots of books; I was an English major, and Zach was a history major who minored in English.  His LEGO creations have also invaded this space.  (Fact:  There is only one room in our house that does not have any LEGO creations on display.  I still haven't covered three more rooms in these SUYL posts.  :)

 These are mostly textbooks and binders here along with my American Girl doll collection. (Can you see Samantha's ruffled hair on top of the shelf?)  I think if we have a little girl, I could easily put these dolls in her room.  :)  There is a LEGO mini-skyscraper, a Waterhouse print, and a teddy bear Zach got me for my birthday "magic box" (I got a present a day for a week--it's on top of the shelf by Samantha).  I took the bear with me to the British Isles and slept with it every night, which meant it got lost in the covers a lot because it is a small bear.  :)

 closer look at the LEGO medieval village

The last room was Zach's dream room when he was growing up; I made his dreams come true.  :)

 Zach's LEGO room

He has tons of organized LEGO bricks not to mention the sets stored in the closet to the left (not pictured).

 Zach's LEGO village, Old Styrene-by-the-Sea (Styrene is a type of plastic; LEGO bricks are made of plastic.  Now you know.  ;)  One of my favorite of his MOC's (that would be, my-own-creation) is a pub called the Lion.  He even decorated the inside with tables and mugs!

(Y'all, have learned A LOT about LEGO since I first met my husband.  For one, "LEGO" comes from the Danish phrase for "play well."  Secondly, the correct plural form is not Legos or LEGOS; "LEGO" can only be used as an adjective, but "LEGO" is often accepted as a plural form, and I tend to use it.  Thirdly, the price you pay should equal the number of pieces you get (30 pieces = $3; 300 pieces = $30), but character sets like Star Wars and DUPLO sets are more (as are discontinued ones), and Toys-R-Us are always overpriced.  They also cost more around the world; we are lucky in the U.S.  Finally, the Germans [ever so German-y] have a word for the sound that LEGO bricks make when they hit each other:  GRUSCHTELING.  I still make lots of mistakes when it comes to playing with bricks, but I am learning.)  We're saddened not to be at Chicago's Brickworld this week.  :(

When we were unemployed and living with Zach's folks, my sweet husby built me this house.  It's a Tudor mansion, and that's our limo.  We're waving "bye" to you folks from the car.  Hope you enjoyed the visit!