A Library Card Catalogue for My Studio

I have been looking for a library card catalogue for my studio for a couple of years now.  I found one in a little antique store in Waxahachie.  I looove it - it just made this corner of my studio.  This is the view as you enter my space.  I'm in the process of labeling all the drawers...I usually open about 12 drawers before I find the one I'm looking for.

This is the storage I have in this space.  My studio in KS had a full closet - I only have open storage in this house, so I will have to work at keeping my storage neat and tidy!

This wall is the "ugly" wall.  The necessary printers.  One of those white, plastic folding tables from Sam's.  A TV so I can watch Sabrina and Christmas movies all year round.  But I'm glad to have room for two tables in my new studio!  Now I can leave beads all over one table and scrapbooking and journaling stuff all over the other table.

 My husband and son were truly good sports when it came to driving 1 1/2 hours to pick up the card catalogue, take out alllll 60 drawers, load into the truck (a beast to move even with all the drawers out), put allll the drawers back in, 1 1/2 hours back home, take out alllll 60 drawers, carry the beast upstairs, carry alllll the drawers upstairs, put alllll the drawers back in....

I have to admit, the day after I bought this I had buyer's remorse - not because I didn't like it, but because my hubby did our taxes...because we sold our house a year ago and have been apartment hopping and are now in a rent house and have no mortgage deductions...we owe almost $10,000 in taxes.  Yes, you read that right.  I'm still in shock.  But....once I got this home... yes, I'm still glad I bought it!

Shannon

Bead Show Shopping

These are a few of the beads I bought today at a bead show in Dallas.  Technically, these are supposed to be part of my Christmas present from my hubby.  Which would mean that I should not be using any of them until after Christmas....

yeah.....

Shannon

Comfort in the Chaos

This makes me happy



because a lot of my house still looks like this

...and what is even better -- I now live where I can stop on my way HOME to pick up Mrs. Meyers and Bath and Body works.  It is not a 45 minute drive to civilization anymore!  Oh, I still want my Pinterest Farmhouse; it's just that I have discovered something about myself - my farmhouse needs to be just barely outside of the city....

Shannon

Moving Again

Well, we come to the next stop in this transition from being a military family to settling in to a permanent home.  No, not the final stop.  Just the next stop.

So far since my hubby retired, he lived in an apartment for several months in DC working a contract job.  We sold our house in KS and four of us moved into a tiny 2-bedroom apartment, where hubby then joined us.  Then we all five moved into another tiny 2-bedroom apartment in TX - this was a happy step in the process - it got us back to TX.  Now we have finally narrowed down a vast area of possibilities to the fact that we want to build north of the Dallas area. 

It would be nice to leave all our stuff in permanent storage till we build, but, alas, the military won't house our household goods for that long.  So we have now rented a house...a real house...in the north Dallas area.  This will be a year-long stop (or so) while we look for a piece of land and build our final stop.  So only one more week to go in this apartment-hopping we have been doing.  My son will possibly be the happiest.  He has been sleeping in the dining room... I think he just might be looking forward to having a room of his own again...  And we will all be happy to get our stuff back.  Although, I will say this -- it's amazing what you realize you don't need when you only have the absolute BARE necessities for 7 months.

To keep myself occupied, I have spent much time on Pinterest.  Who hasn't??  Many pictures in my Pinterest of the farmhouse I want to build.  If you're on Pinterest, let me know so I can find you if I haven't already.

Gotta go throw a few things into a box now...

Shannon

4th of July Ideas and Recipes

First of all, I wish I lived in the house above! How fun would it be to live there? And to host a 4th of July party there?? With streamers and lights in the back yard!

Right now we are in a little apartment, looking for a place to build a house...all of our stuff in storage...so my 4th of July party is not going to look like the above! But here are a few fun, easy ideas that I can manage...

How cute are these flowers and flags in a can!?

I'm not gonna paint my fingernails like this...I wish I could...but I would promptly ruin it. Maybe I can get my daughter to do this with all the little girls that will be here, though!

Here is a cute presentation...your silverware, napkin and glass all together.

I'm going to make this patriotic taco salad!

I don't eat hotdogs, but I'm going to make some sub sandwiches for one of our meals and tie them up with string and scrapbook paper! What a cute idea!

And this sparkling punch in one of those great glass beverage dispensers! Going to Garden Ridge for a couple of different dispensers next week.

A great fruit dessert!

And cheesecake in a jar! Well, I might do instant pudding in some of those clear plastic disposable cups. And I think I will make some blue jello topped with cool whip, and red jello topped with cool whip, both in clear plastic cups. A tray full of red, white and blue desserts that are kid-friendly!

If you go to my Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/silvertrappings/4th-of-july/, you can see some more ideas for the 4th of July. And each picture links to its source, so you can get the how-to and the recipes! Have fun planning your 4th!

Shannon

The Town Square

We are living in a wonderful little town in Texas with a charming little town square. It kinda has a Mayberry feel. The whole weekend of the 4th of July there will be celebrations in and around the square -- art shows, craft and food vendors, vegetable growing contests, musicals, a dance, a rodeo, a parade, outdoor concerts, and fireworks. The square is gearing up for the weekend. Here are a few pictures for you...

We have family coming out for the weekend. Gonna party all weekend!

Shopping and eating, here we come!

This building below is for sale. It's on one corner of the square. Every time I pass it, I wish so much I could buy it. I would love to have a store in the front corner and live in the rest of the building! How fun would that be?? Oh, how I wish. It's a far-cry from the colonial farmhouse we want to build out on a few acres. But those two choices would be equally as fun to me. Not sure I could sway my hubby on the thought of living on the town square and being one of the town square merchants, though...

I'm collecting ideas and recipes for the weekend. I'll be back soon to show you some of the cute ideas I've found for the 4th. People are so creative!

Shannon