Category Archives: Talk

Etsy

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Today, one of my patients and I were discussing procrastination tools such as Pinterest and Facebook. We usually ask questions to our patients, distracting their attention on what we are doing.  Even though we know the difference between Facebook and Pinterest, we ask. We ask hoping the patient doesn’t know that we actually took a biopsy or excised a mole… it works most of the time, to the delight of both the patient and the provider. Except when your provider (me) gets REAL excited about the subject and talks for them. This was me today. Considering I had to stop talking about MY love for Pinterest and Etsy with them, I figured I would share the site with you.

Etsy is a fun site where real people (like you and me) share and sell their goods! At decent prices, too! Here are just a few things I’ve gotten for the house and myself on Etsy!

Custom Sewn Window Seat Cushion with Cording – I chose the coffee bean bags as my seat “fabric”.

Elephant Bums and Babies Original Drawing

Budweiser Raised Dog Feeder Pet Bowl Holder

The Chunky Cowl Scarf Shawl Hood

Wall Hooks

And here are some things I’ve been loving on the site… click on the photo and it will bring you to Etsy. 

Archive Bag in Chestnut Brown

Birds of a Feather 5×7 Photography

Expresso Bar

Bird Plates

Happy status updating, pinning, and shopping!

becoming a minimalist

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This past weekend was one of those great weekends with a minimal MUST-DO list and ample time to just enjoy the weather and a good book. I’ve been reading The Happiness Project, which has motivated my desire to de-clutter. De-clutter my closets, rooms and thoughts. Friday, I finished up painting the fireplace (blog post in 3 weeks! I have to wait for the paint to dry!), then I spent the rest of the afternoon reading about de-cluttering and the satisfaction it can bring. I was motivated and wanted that high!

Since getting the carpets cleaned a few weeks ago, we had two areas in our home with some major clutter. A blanket laid out in our living room filled with junk; seriously, a blanket with all the random things on the floor from the guest room.  This blanket was also hindering us from moving forward with any decorative plans but mostly was a huge eye-sore and gave me anxiety every time I walked through the front door.

See. Scary!

The other major clutter zone was the 4th bedroom/office/catch-all. We’ll do that next.

We decided to take on the living room! We went through the boxes and bins that have made at least two moves with us. We placed the items into three piles; keep, throw, or garage sale.  To my surprise Paul was really on board, and the two of us hammered through all the bins. We finished the project with one bin of “keep” and items that we had spaces already dedicated for!

Wow, it feels so wonderful to have that space clean! Now, we can save up for our furniture selections for this space. Watch out 4th bedroom! You’re next.

P.S. No, the dog crates will not be part of the living room decor.

first visit & color balance

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This past weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting the Daugherty clan in our Dallas home.  The first to venture down and see what Texas was all about.  We had a wonderful time, once Paul and I got over the initial shock of being “on” all the time. Paul even said, “kids are a WHOLE different level, I was tired after Adventure Landing!” But, we had an absolute blast and the things that come out of their mouths are so funny, such as Drake stating the sheets on his blow up bed were Fancy, wondering if the crabs would eat them at the aquarium, and the realization half way through a meal, “I have NO drink!”  They were great, and I wanted to adopt them all. What a great weekend. These kids are a ball full of energy and we didn’t want to disappoint.  So we hit up a couple local attraction: the park, which is right down our street, a couple times, Adventure Landing, Fort Worth Rodeo, and The Dallas Aquarium.

It was a great weekend and honestly, if I could guarantee a baby like Anna, I would have four.

Plus, it was nice to have a general contractor in our presence to nonchalantly ask questions… can we actually do that?  and how much would that cost? and what would you do? and can you just come down and do it?!?  Okay, I was thinking that last question.  I’m so happy they came down and here are the highlights of the weekend.

*Weekend Photos by Lisa Daugherty – because who forgets her camera? This girl. :( 

Otis also won a souvenir prize thanks to Anna.  Otis got many face licks in to Anna’s surprise this weekend; she was watching him all weekend but never got mad, just gave a look of what was that?!

He’s been playing/sleeping with it ever since. Sorry Anna.

Prior to the Daughtery’s making their presence in the Big D, I knew I had to clean up the main bath for their arrival!  I fell in love with the gray-with-green-undertones BM Stingray 1529 in our kitchen and decided to use what was left in the main bathroom.  It works perfectly with yellow tile and bronze/gold accessories. I also demoed the gold shower door! That was such an eye sore, so I replaced it with a simple curtain from West Elm.  I still need to add framed items in here but it’s such an improvement, I wanted to share.

Before

After (Progress Pic) – Sorry for the dark mirror photo…

When first purchasing a home, I got all excited about paint color, the kitchen could be this and the bathroom that, but then I realized the zen quality of cohesiveness… and stopped wanting to paint our house like a preschool classroom, so I started picking colors that complement each other.  Though I know people that have the same color throughout their house, and it works for them, I couldn’t do the same. I couldn’t think of that one color to blanket the whole house; I couldn’t handle just one color.  Instead, I found a happy-medium.  Here’s my color palette thus far;

  • Guest Rooms #1 and #2 – BM pashmina AF-100
  • Kitchen and Main Bath – BM stringray 1529
  • Hallways and Strip in 1/2 bath – BM swiss coffee OC-45
  • 1/2 bath other strip – BM halo OC-46 (though I could of used Early Morning Mist or Stringray)
  • Entryway – BM stone harbor 2111-50
  • Living and Dining Room – BM bennington gray HC-182
  • Master Bedroom – BM palladian blue HC- 144
  • Master Bath – BM boothbay gray HC – 165
  • Family Room – BM early morning mist 1528
  • Laundry & Guest Room #4/Office Bookshelves –BM dragonfly AF-510 or rockport gray HC-105 (TBA)

I tried my best to use the same colors throughout the house.  I think it’s working really well! I only have the laundry room, 4th bedroom and some bookshelves left!

cup o’ joe

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For a couple of months now, I’ve been jonesin’ for this amazing little appliance.  I experienced this old friend of mine in a cute restaurant called Rise! Instead of saving my Christmas gift certificate for something more substantial, I went down to Crate&Barrel and got the original French press; it was beautiful, and I was SO excited to use it for our lazy Saturday morning ritual! (It’s usually sitting around watching American Pickers and drinking coffee. Seriously my favorite part of the weekend.) 

First, start by scooping coffee grinds into the French press! This is based on coffee preference. Strong is another man’s weak. I prefer 3 scoops.

Heat water to almost boiling. Yep, tea pot AND French press is out. And now we’re fancy!

Look at him waiting patiently!

Pour in water and watch the frothy goodness appear.

Stir with a wooden spoon.

Let sit for 4 minutes.

Replace lid and press down very very slowly. This will push all the coffee grinds to the bottom of the press.

Serve.

And Enjoy! It’s really fun! You should all try!

i’ve been busy… i promise.

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I’ve been working on a collection of things that have been keeping me away from blog world… I miss it and promise there will be a couple of posts soon.

hint… two coats Benjamin Moore semi-gloss colored-matched to my liking!  Bam!

good morning 2012

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A long December and there’s reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can’t remember the last thing that you said as you were leavin’
Now the days go by so fast

And it’s one more day up in the canyons
And it’s one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven I wish you would

The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it’s all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl

And it’s one more day up in the canyons
And it’s one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California I think you should

Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after two a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower,
Makes you talk a little lower about the things you could not show her

And it’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass

And it’s one more day up in the canyon
And it’s one more night in Hollywood
It’s been so long since I’ve seen the ocean I guess I should

Thank you Counting Crows ~ Here’s to a little, okay A LOT of hope that 2012 could be better than the last, well, last couple years… Long story. 

Paul and I spent our New Year’s Eve day working around the house. It’s amazing how different New Year’s Eve plans change when you are old-ish. Years prior, I would plan weeks, months in advance, to figure out what to wear and where we were going to celebrate the ball drop. Now, I spend most of my New Year’s Eve figuring out what I want the new year to be/bring and reflect on the good and bad that had come from the year or years prior. I try my best to bring the good into the new year and correct any bad. I can say I’ve probably learned the most this past year in my relationship, self, the world, and employment than I have any other year in my life. I’ll keep the positive and try my best to push the sad things of 2011-or so, to the back of my mind. I’ll leave the knowledge I’ve acquired this year to myself. But the two main things: The world isn’t black and white and there’s more than one way to skin a cat… and make yourself happy, selflessness in moderation. 

Otherwise, Paul and I had dinner with Amelia and Bryan, a sweet Dallas couple at Sevy’s!  What a great meal and conversation.

We opted to head home for the ball drop and enjoy the first minutes of the New Year with Boston and Otis…

My New Year’s Resolutions

Personal Growth

  • Read a book a month
  • Continue with design & photography (take more photos of people!)
  • Be honest with myself and others.

Health

  • Floss!
  • Get more toned…

Religion

  • Go to church, every week I’m in town.
  • Volunteer.

Work

  • Be early to work (15 minutes not 2 minutes).
  • Meet new PA’s in the area.

Relationship

  • Be 100% in it…
  • Travel home to my family every other month.
  • Communicate more with friends!

I hope you all have a wonderful 2012!

christmas 2011

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I spent the Christmas holiday in Wisconsin.  It was so nice to be up north at Christmas with the whole family and cooler weather!  There is something great about celebrating the holidays in the elements, or at least looking outside at the elements, while staying warm indoors.  I flew to Minneapolis and caught my connecting flight to Wisconsin; during my layover, it started to snow! I captured a photo of at the airport, as I was getting really excited for the upcoming adventure home to celebrate the holidays!I got into my family’s home and couldn’t help but take pictures of the Christmas decorations. I’ve come to think this is standard operation in everyone’s household but have since realized how lucky I am to have had such a warm and inviting home every season.The Christmas festivities have taken on a new and exciting meaning this year with the new additions to our growing family.  My brother (and sister-in-law) have 2-year-old twins and a 3-month-old, which are really starting to enjoy and understand the magic of Christmas!  The twins know “Santa” and Ho, Ho, Ho and PRESENTS! Lots of presents! And Santa is watching, don’t do that.  Works like a charm!  It’s been a really fun transition for the Christianson household to go from three adult couples to now three amazing children running around!I’m excited for the years to come where they truly understand the Christmas traditions.  Aunt Sarah is really excited to conger up more lies about the North Pole, reindeers, and Santa!  They will thank me, too, because I’ll be right there with them yelling at Grandpa C, as he tries to explain the necessity to take a shower prior to anyone heading downstairs to see what Santa has brought them!

COME ON GRANDPA!

We had our annual family traditions of eating and drinking way too much and celebrating with the ladies on the Christianson side with our annual lunching on Christmas Eve day!  I love this tradition and am so lucky we have such strong and vocal women in our family.  This extends to my Michalik side as well!  After lunching, we have the whole Christianson clan over for Christmas Eve dinner.On Christmas day, after opening all of our presents, we decided to frost Christmas cookies with the twins!  I think this will be another Christmas tradition!  It was so much fun for them.  Though we did find sporadic cookies on the floor licked clean of any frosting…  I wonder who that was?

The twins loved the sprinkles!!I’ll leave you with my favorite holiday pictures!  Kids in jammies! Except I didn’t get Ms. Eleanore in her princess ones…What a magical Christmas!  Seeing Christmas through children’s eyes makes everything more fun!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

giving thanks

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This thanksgiving has been a lot more fruitful than years pasts. I have really reflected on who I am and what has helped mold me into what I am today. In prior years, I would look forward to spending time with family and friends, enjoying their contributions in the fun activities of the season, never really reflecting on what amazing characters I’m so blessed to be around during the holidays and throughout the entire year. This reflection also makes me realize this new idea, new to me anyway, that the world isn’t so “black and white”, as I first thought. There are so many ways to live your life and many ways happiness, love, grace, and communication can be interpreted. During this Thanksgiving, I reflect on the many people that I think of daily, even when they are miles away; they have impacted my life.

I started out this Thanksgiving with a Dallas Turkey Trot; it was so much fun to get up and be among other happy turkey day folks in the hope to lighten the turkey day feast/caloric intake with a morning run. My friend Amelia was happy to participate with me, and we said we would add more people each year we do it! I think this is a fabulous tradition, when living in a southern climate, that is.

I am thankful for my athletic genes. My parents were/are both athletic, and I think being active was always part of my parents’ philosophy. Athletics were always a way to blow off steam, build friendships, and gain self-esteem and self-confidence. I will always thank my parents for incorporating that type of skill into my life and hope to carry on that philosophy with my own children.

I also had to stop running when I saw these two on the sidelines… too funny!

After our running, Amelia and I parted ways. And I was greeted in our entry way to this…

Yes, it’s a new mailbox! I was so excited to see it up!  Our old white mailbox just wasn’t happy, and this guy really makes our little entry shine! It looks like an envelope! So cute. I give thanks for all the small things that make me happy. From a new mailbox, people waving on our street, opening doors for people, fresh air, talking to my family and friends, and just playing or snuggling with our dogs. Those small entities make up most of my life, and I need to step back, more often than not, to give thanks for all the small things.

After a quick shower, I was excited to get my Thanksgiving traditions started. Considering this is the first holiday we decided to stay instead of head to Wisconsin or Missouri, we really didn’t have any set rules or traditions for the holiday, and I was eager to make our own. I decided to bake; after all, that’s my favorite part of any holiday, making sweet treats for after the meal, and Paul was in charge of the actual Thanksgiving dinner.

I decided to make a twist on an original and make pumpkin cheesecake pie.

I give thanks for my extended family. Especially the ladies. The Christianson ladies – thank you for the endless amount of wine and their personal justification that yes, a piece of pie can and will count as a meal. I thank my Aunt Diane for the pumpkin cheesecake recipe, and for her love for extravagant things, which she can pull off anywhere, from her vintage Louis to her mink coat at Christmas… and her ability to go through my learning curve of red wine. “You like Shiraz, I remember that time…” She and the rest of the Christianson ladies are all amazing. Obviously my mother being the best of them all, but I’m a little biased.

I also made Apple Cheese Crisp. My favorite.

I give thanks for my Grandma Anne, though she would balk at the idea of having something apple for Thanksgiving. “You don’t serve apple pie during Thanksgiving, Sarah.”  I thank her for her independent, equal opportunity, and opinionated self, and I wonder who will get those traits?  I give thanks to both of my grandmothers for their amazing ability to bake and cook feasts for hungry mouths throughout the years without falter. My grandma Christianson made these delectable pies, apple being my favorite, that unfortunately I will never be able to replicate, as she made them from memory and I’ve been told, never really wrote down the recipe. Otherwise, I think of them every time I bake anything; Christmas cookies to Grandma Anne’s Apple Cheese Crisp.

All ready to go! If it was up to me, those two items would be our Thanksgiving meal.

But first, we had to participate in the regular tradition of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy… and with a little help from Boston Market we made that happen. Paul was a little exhausted from all the prep work he had to do, including pre-heating the oven, heating up the gravy, putting the items in serving dishes AND cutting the turkey. Wow, I’m exhausted just writing it!

It turned out great! We did find out we need a gravy boat and placemats someday, but we made it work! This Thanksgiving, I thank Paul for making me realize the importance of the necessities of a great relationship; communication, honesty, transparency, trust and religion. I hope we can work to better ourselves and in time, hope we can build on these things to make for a lasting relationship and future for ourselves together…

It’s always fun to play house.

I am thankful for our two dogs, as well.

Otis has been in my life for four years now, and he continues to be a happy-go-lucky guy, cuddle bug, and always there for kitchen clean-up duty.

Boston has been with me for six years now, and I think he’s saved me more than I ever saved him. He is an amazing guy, as loyal as they come, steadfast, smart, handsome, and wonderful inside and out. Thank you Boston, for finding me.

We finished up our evening with dessert and some scratchers…

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I give thanks for everyone, family and friends, and everything that I have been given in my life to this point…

it’s a marathon

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My generation and the ones following get looked down upon for our demands to have instant gratification. We want the goods delivered. Fast and now. I, too, want it now. I’m willing to put in some effort to get things done, but I want it done well, and I want it now. I want my house to be painted, cleaned, window treatments hung, wood floors installed, beautiful hand-picked pieces for every room, all my magazines read and finished, and all my books and movies read or watched on my “I should read/watch list”. But I have to remember this is not how it works. It takes time!! It all takes time. Unless, as Paul pointed out, I would just do crack; then, maybe I would have more time…

This comes to me in a time of despair.

I’ve been having trouble lately with colors. Making my want-it-now attitude turn sour because now I have to re-do it, again.  Here’s my problem: I have this wonderful idea in my head of the exact color I want, but I’m unable to translate that idea into reality when I get to the store to color-match the paint.  Or it looks great in a blog post or article and horrible in my house. It’s like reading a great book with all your wonderfully vivid characters in your head and then watching the movie and wondering how the director could butcher all the characters that badly. Except in this case, I am both the book reader and director. So, as I promised from the beginning, I’ll tell you about the good and the bad.

Here’s a list of my distasteful color choices, and their appropriate names, in case you would like to bring them to your home … maybe you could make them loved? In no particular order.

Laundry closet – Benjamin Moore marblehead gold HC-11 – Does anything look good with open-faced/cobbled cabinets and a fire extinguisher?? Really?

Bookshelves – Benjamin Moore providence olive HC-98

Kitchen – Benjamin Moore yarmouth blue HC-150 – It’s not bad, but it’s all wrong.  I cannot explain it.

The kitchen was so bad that I woke the next morning after it was finished with hoping it was all just a bad dream. Maybe I dreamt the hideous blue on the walls? Maybe it looks better today, in the morning sun? But it wasn’t. It was still as bright and as awful as it was before. So, I walked into the kitchen, took out all the color samples I owned and painted. Not even the morning coffee could take me away. Until, Paul with his infinite wisdom (or being of the male species) said not to waste my time. “We have to figure out our water damage situation before we paint the whole kitchen anyway, Sarah.”

So, I walked away… I’ll figure it out… later.  Here’s the samples… I want a color?  Not white or beige, a real color. Any ideas?

My favorite is the top left but we’ll see…

This idea of getting things done was emphasized when I revisited an article I read a month ago in Real Simple. It’s about this girl who always had a to-do list or numbers in her head, from her caloric intake to the day her infant would be a toddler.  This sounded familiar to my own life.  I too have deadlines: when I’m able to do something or eat something or even when I’m able to go to the bathroom.

“Fold the rest of the laundry and then you can go to the bathroom, Sarah.” Seriously?

I have countless to-do lists from books to read, movies to watch, flea markets to check out, the lists for the house, to detailed hourly schedule for a weekend, a work week.  It’s kind of crazy.

So, I vowed on this “labor day” that I would still have a to-do list BUT I won’t have them haunt me if/when I’m unable to finish everything. Maybe even scratch the list completely for a dinner out with friends, or a movie in the afternoon. Life is life and I will reference this article frequently until it becomes second nature!  As Paul says, “it’s not a crisis”.

Real Simple article Count Me Out

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/inspiration-motivation/counting-00100000062753/index.html

Otherwise, this weekend was comprised of little tasks: painting missed spots, covering holes, organizing paperwork, and one BIG monster project that was both exciting and scary.  I’ll just get to the big guy, he was sitting in our family room sucking the energy out of the space but I felt he was ready for rehab and a new look on life. ;)

He looked like this (below) before I decided the unthinkable!

Sarah, it looks like you have some good ideas but I just wanted to tell you, you know if you paint the fireplace, well, you can never paint it back. ~ A.S.

before

First, I started by taking down the bronze door and washing off all the brick with a little soap and water.  I vacuumed around the door frame because that was McNasty. Oh, the layers of dust. Which lead me to this… already an improvement! I also sanded the mantle surface so the primer would have something to stick to. The little LED tripod work light in the fireplace is a little wonder! Paul got it for Christmas a few years back, and we use it all the time!

I then started the priming process!  It was fun to see the transformation and the brick have new life.  It looked so sad and dated before! I was going to use a roller for some of it but opted for two paint brushes instead. One small, one bigger. With all the nooks and crannies, this was the best route.

Primed. Check!!  Yes, I put my estate sale find on the mantle.  Even with just the primer it looks so much cleaner and happier. My estate sale find worked out perfectly, too!  I was getting really excited for the final product!

Then I painted the whole thing (two coats and a third to the mantle and hearth) with Benjamin Moore white linen (color matched to Lowe’s Olympic no-voc semi-gloss paint).  Because my Benjamin Moore store wasn’t open on Labor Day… and that whole, I want it now attitude.  You get the idea.

I’m so happy with the results!  I loaded it up with goods so you can get a visual of what it may look like all dressed up!! With all my strike outs, I’m so happy something worked out! Now, we can load the room. It will be ready for grilling and football season! Yay! Especially with the beautiful weather we had this weekend, everyone was ready for the fall… and sometimes you need to stop the projects and play a little football.

just stay

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Since graduating high school, I’ve been on the move.

It started with undergrad in Moorhead, Minnesota. Then Minneapolis. Then back again to Moorhead, Minnesota. After graduation, St. Paul, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois. I moved to Phillipi, West Virginia to start my masters and Marion, Ohio to finish. Then I moved to St. Louis, Missouri to finally live with my love and encourage him while he got his masters. Two years later, we moved again. Dallas bound for new jobs, experiences, and a completely new adventure.

Sorry the picture is so grainy! It was taken from my phone.

Collectively I’ve moved every two years, sometime less than two years, since I was seventeen. I have enjoyed the time in all these places.  It gave me new experiences, friends, and stories, but it also made me realize how much I miss those friends I’ve met who are now hundreds of miles away. I would give anything to have a few of my best friends in one city.  With that, I finally feel it’s time to stay in one place.  We made this official a couple of weeks ago and closed on our first home!  It’s a 1962 classic vintage style which in these few short weeks (two), we have really grown to love and call home.

Our first night! New house, new mattress, new chapter…. Yes, I’m already thinking about colors!

During our move, Paul’s parents came down to lend a hand.  His mom unpacked most of the kitchen, while he and his detail-oriented dad worked on the electrical and some structural issues in the attic!  It was 110 degrees outside, mind you!  I don’t know how Paul’s dad does it!  He was working before I went to work and sometimes after I went to bed on… big electrical engineering things (GFI receptacles, can light installations in the attic, running new circuits from the main panel, so Paul could have some grounded circuits) and discovering holes in our attic!  Oh, the thrill of being a homeowner.

Last friday, I had friends from across the world… okay states, surprise me for my big 3-0 birthday!  I felt overwhelmed but so happy they were here!!  It was so nice to see some of my besties, who encouraged me to get started making our new house (new to us, anyway) our home.

Andrea & Wilyna

Out for Dinner

We even had a pinata!

Boston even got into the action!

…and then we had cake!

Despite the surprise birthday festivities, I was able to start on the master bedroom. I believe you need to work on the master first. Yes, all the people that come over really don’t get to see the master quarters, but I think everyone deserves a safe haven to call home from the chaos of the day, even their house, or a non-running-in-need-of-an-ignition-switch-and-battery-vehicle.  Don’t ask.

Master bedroom post to come! :)