This morning...

has been somewhat hectic...
We've had a series of minor contastrophes that include:

a breakfast plate of food hurtled into the air which resulted in...
a big blob of ketchup ground into our beige-y carpet

a "You are so cute!" comment from Jonah while I was cleaning up the ketchup-flavored carpet, which baffled and pleased me

a shattered lightbulb, whose pieces decided to fall into the beige-y carpet

a MIA Lightning McQueen toy car, who is not currently residing in the toy box, diaper bag, kitchen drawers, my purse or numerous other places in our house (this is BAD news, folks...)

lots of fake crying

and it's only 10 a.m. :o)
Have a Happy Sunday!

A month!

One whole month! How does time fly by so fast? I never realized that by putting off blogging for a couple of days to get ready for the holidays would turn into a full month! I will be back in my next post with pictures and a brief recap of our holiday festivities. We had a good Christmas and New Year. :o)

I discovered a new book today that made my heart do a little pitter-patter. All of you who read Laura Ingalls Wilder as a child will know what I am talking about:



I came across this while doing a search for a completely separate book. Don't you love happy little surprises? The lovely article that supplied the book information also contained a fun interview with the book's author here. http://http//blog.craftzine.com/archive/2007/10/prairie_girls_guide_to_life_in.html

Deanna Raybourn also flogged a Jane Austen book today on her blog that sounds pretty interesting.



I always knew I would buy one of these someday! I can't wait to delve into my reading list for this year...I currently have 3 books waiting to be read (that weren't on my reading list - another unexpected happy surprise!) and I have been dearly missing my reading hour every night. Although the holiday season is over we are still attempting to get back to our normal schedule of things here at Curry Cottage.

Happy Reading!

Happy Sunday

It is Christmas tree day in the Kunwar household! We will finally be trudging our way to a little tree farm nearby and bringing home a tall and stately but rounded in all the right places beauty to grace our dining room. Then I will able to finish decorating the house! It is so hard to get into the mood of decorating for Christmas without a Christmas tree already in residence and I can't wait to get started. Christmas decorations and cheer always seem to instantly create a comforting and home-y feeling. Although I will admit to being a little concerned with how our tree will fare this year with 2 cats (1 kitten and 1 mature who might as well be a kitten around Christmas trees...) and a 2.5 year old little boy who likes to think of tree ornaments as balls. Yes, that includes the ones that are not round and ball-like. As an extra precation all those that are round, ball-like and expensive will be hanging out near the top of the tree this year.

Another blogger, Deanna Raybourn, posted a question on her blog today that I thought I would borrow and post here as well (I hope you don't mind, Deanna!). What do you do when you get down in the dumps? Is there a special book or magazine that seems to comfort you? Certain spot or location? Favorite snack? Or is it a combination of all of these things? I personally like to snuggle up with Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery or Sabriel by Garth Nix with a bowl of ice cream (mint chocolate chip, preferably) and read uninterrupted. Country Home magazine usually brings an odd sort of peace, as well. :o)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

All I want for Christmas...

I can't help it...I've been shamelessly window shopping online. Although I am behind on my Christmas shopping (Only 3, count 'em with me, 3 gifts bought so far...) I have been shopping for things online so I know what I need to get at each store. And at each website have found something that I really, desperately want!


Like this beauty! Doesn't this blue make you think of spring? It's from Old Navy.

These are both from Beauty Mark Designs. I love her jewelry! She will even make things to your own specifications. You can find more of her work at her Etsy shop --> http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6005410 *Psst! If anyone can clue me in on how to link something prettily I would greatly appreciate it! :o)*

And last, but not least, I really want some nice dishes to use for holidays, special occasions, etc. I'm really loving these from Target! They're both cozy and perfect for cottage living...what do you think?

Caution: History Nerd

in the house! So, I follow Deanna Raybourn's blog, Blog-A-Go-Go, and love checking out her links listed on her sidebar. She always finds the most interesting and creative places and it is a total blast delving into all of that information. Recently I clicked on one of these random links and honest to goodness almost hyperventilated right here at work. What was so exciting, so astronomical that I couldn't catch my breath and caused my co-workers about 30 seconds of pure panic you ask? Why, that would be the History Buff blog (http://www.michellemoran.blogspot.com/) created by Michelle Moran. She collects news stories about breakthroughs in the archaelogy and history world that are not carried by major media outlets and posts them daily on her spectacular blog. Anyone who has attempted to locate these types of news stories will understand my elation - these are not easy to find. Only the fact that Mrs. Moran is also the author of two published books that have garnered critical acclaim in the historical fiction genre and that she's gorgeous make me feel slightly less nerdy. Just slightly.

Ta ta for now!

I'm here! I'm alive! I promise!

I know it's been quite a while - believe me, I know! We have had spotty internet for about 3 weeks now and it has been slowly driving.me.crazy. Not to mention my poor husband, who is beside himself. Once again, it is our internet router who is causing all the problems. *sigh* (This is the second one we have had since April and our new one is due to arrive any day.) I've only been able to access the internet for more than 10 minutes while I'm at work and I've been trying to do that sparingly since I'm actually supposed to be, well, working. So, on that note, I'll be on my way and hopefully I will be able to update again soon!

Ta ta for now!

Go white boy!

I absolutely love this video! It always cracks me up...

Ta ta for now!

Egads!

It's cold! There was a 20 degree drop in temperature last night! Okay, maybe not quite 20 degrees but I'm sure it was close...We went from comfy, slightly warm-ish/Fall-ish weather to "woah...it's freezing out here-better wear long sleeves and a coat!" weather. I think we may have skipped Fall. :o(

Also, you may want to go over to the Websters Pages blog for a scrapbook extravaganza giveaway! They have lots of pretty stuff they are giving away...

Ta ta for now!

Hello, Fall.

It's fully here! I absolutely love fall. It's so nice to see leaves on the ground and smell backyard fires...It just puts me in the mood for stews, dumplings, and apple cider. I really should know better than to try to lose weight during the summer and fall months!

I started switching things on our living room mantle yesterday. Down came the pictures and up went some Halloween decorations and by the end of the night I was completely frustrated. Something is missing and I just can not figure out what is still needed! I think I might need some gruesome-looking tall candlesticks...I forsee a trip to Goodwill in the near future. Honestly, I don't own a single pair of candlesticks, much less a gruesome-looking pair. Is that bad? I've always felt that a pair of candlesticks is a decorating must-have, no matter what the occasion. Hopefully I can finish the mantle tonight and show it off tomorrow...

Ta ta for now!

Do you paperbackswap?

So I've been hearing about this website, Paperbackswap, for awhile now and finally decided to check it out this week. All it took was about 10 minutes of reading before I signed up and listed several of my own books! I highly recommend it - I already have three books I am sending to other readers and two books I should be receiving this week. I forsee many evenings full of reading this fall...

Ta ta for now!

I've been...

MIA! I know I have...I'm sorry! We had a super busy week this last week and then this weekend we spent trying to get our house back in order and ready for Fall and Winter. Yesterday was spent cleaning and tidying up our back yard, which had become a little straggly. A portion of our fence was also knocked down during our last big storm and we finally started working on repairing it this weekend. We weren't able to finish yesterday but hope to wrap things up this coming week.



I haven't been able do any scrapbooking due to be being busy but also because I haven't printed any new pictures! I tend to print the pictures I want to scrapbook on a need basis only because otherwise I start feeling pretty overwhelmed! And I don't scrapbook in chronological order so when I do print pictures to scrapbook I usually just pick whatever strikes my fancy at that moment in time. It may sound odd and unorganized but right now this is what works for me! :o)



And since I've posted quite a bit lately about re-decorating Jonah's bedroom I thought I would share the bedding/theme that we have decided to use.

Cute, right?! I love it! And we know that Jonah will adore it. This weekend I was finally able to get some paint cards so we could make a decision on his wall color. I'll be posting pictures this weekend to show you our progress.

Have a wonderful Monday! Ta ta for now!

Crafty, scrappy goodness...

I finally had some time to take bad, blurry pictures of what I've done the last week or two and get them on the computer! I know I promised never to take pictures with my camera phone again but really, it's all I had on hand and...well, that's it really. Sorry for the blurryness. Blurriness? Bluriness-oh I give up!

I was looking for some frames to put Jonah's artwork in for his amazing bedroom transformation but couldn't find one the right size for one piece in particular. I rummaged and rummaged (I have lots of random frames laying around...I'm a frame-a-holic...) and finally found one in a box of frames I had bought at a yard sale for about $1 when I was in high school. (I started with the frames early, I tell ya!) It was the perfect size but there was one problem. It had dividers for multiple pictures. The only solution was to tear out the dividers. So I took the hammer to it! (I was so excited that I started demo before I remembered to take a picture!)









This obviously, is post dividers. All it needed then was a couple dabs of black paint and...

instant cuteness!

This is just another frame in my collection that was previously a horrendous shade of fake gold. I liked the texture of it though so decided to keep it. I painted it black and *voila!* more cuteness! (By the way, this drawing was the first one that Jonah informed us what it was when he was finished drawing. It, obviously, is a fish.) :o)

Ta ta for now!

I'm still here!

I know that I promised to bring pictures the next time I posted but I have an excuse! I promise! I've been sickly and sleep most of today away. I think I caught that nasty flu that has been floating around but hopefully tomorrow I'll be back on track. Off to bed...

Ta ta for now!

Houston, we have a problem...

We didn't have any power from about 10:30 this morning until about an hour ago! We had extremely high winds all morning that knocked out trees, power lines (sometimes these two together), roof shingles and basically anything that wasn't tied or cemented down. I discovered before the power outage that my poor little scarecrow girl had simply disappeared from my front steps. I'm hoping that she flew away to some nice new home with scarecrow-friendly owners and didn't get tangled into some random tree or bush upside down with her bloomers showing...I was tempted to do a search-and-rescue mission but I was still in my jammies and didn't want to startle my elderly neighbors (Note: jammies = no brazere!). Anyhoo, there was about a full hour today where I sincerely thought the three of us were going to do some harm to one another. Jonah simply could not understand why he could not watch "doggiesnemobugcar" (translation: 101 Dalmations. These four words are usually crammed together but the word said first indicates which actual movie he wants to watch...I know, it's hard. Not everyone can speak Jonah-ese...), Bishnu wanted to do something other than sit on the couch or dishes and I just wanted everyone to be happy so I could actually get some crafting time in without the distraction of the tv or technology! I started on some projects for Jonah's room so check back in tomorrow for a sneak peak!

Ta ta for now!

Lots of busy-ness...

has been going on around here. School, work, cats, a certain 2 year old rascal...there is never a dull moment it seems. As I am typing this I currently have approximately 3 to-do lists, a rough draft paper (that is overdue) to type, a final of that rough draft to type, laundry to fold, dishes to be washed, scrapbook pages and cards waiting to be started/completed, 3 borrowed movies to watch and I don't want to do any of it. I am tired. Really, really tired. And I feel like I am so overwhelmed by everything that my energy and creativity are being sucked right out of my body. I feel this and yet I keep telling myself to keep chugging along. Just because my life feels like this right now does not mean it will feel like this tomorrow. Or next week even. Nothing will resolve itself (especially the dishes) unless I start chipping away at it all. But it is times like these that I wonder why on Earth I feel that I am ready to take on a Master's program?! I honestly have no idea what the answer to that would be. Maybe something tomorrow will reveal that answer. Until then, I'll just plug away.

For those of you readers who submitted potential names for our new kitten, I have not forgotten you! I loved reading all of the creative names and the hubby and I thought several of them were especially cute and meaningful. As of right now we are still calling her Kiki just because it is easy for Jonah to say and it sort of stuck. It still doesn't feel quite right so I will be trying out those names in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you updated on this momentus event! ;o)

Ta ta for now!

It's Fall...

and I am loving every minute of this wonderful weather! I love Fall temperatures and how the pace of the world just seems to slow down a little. Don't get me wrong - I like Summer. I like waking up to sunlight first thing in the morning and wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables and all of the other things Summer entails. But I, as everyone else in our state, get tired of all the hot. And the humidity. And people running around with gorgeous tans while the only thing I seem to accumulate is a "farmer's tan" that is actually just a faded sunburn. Well, that last point is more of a personal opinion rather than a general consensus of our state's population. Unless you've seen my ghost-white legs and arm "tan"...then you would probably agree that I need to go to a tanning bed before spending a few hours out in the sun...Anyhoo, I can't wait to wear sweaters! Is that a bizarre thing to say? Maybe. But I can't help it. There is nothing I like more than wearing a big comfy sweater, jeans and thick socks while reading a great book and sitting somewhere comforting. Add to that a dash of soft rain and I'm in heaven.

Ta ta for now!

I NEED...

something to read! Desperately! I have taken all of my (overdue) library books back to the library and can't check any out more until I have paid my (overdue) fee and I am just about to go stir-crazy because I have read everything in our house and need something new! *whew* My poor husband...He knows me well, that's all I can say! When I called him at work yesterday to whine he was so sympathetic and tried to cheer me up. It was pretty sweet, actually. :o) Guess where I'm going to be Tuesday morning during my lunch break? Any guesses? Anyone? I'll tell you because I know you can't bear the suspense...I'll be in the library sniffing the books (books, not book glue people) and in reader heaven.

Did anyone hear my heart breaking the other night? I watched 'Becoming Jane' and bawled like a little baby. Of course I knew what was going to happen (well, not exactly but I knew about Tom Lefroy) and I still cried my eyes out. *sigh* I was almost afraid to put in 'Mansfield Park' (the 1999 BBC version) afterwards but am so glad I did! It cheered me up immensley. I can totally understand why MP was Austen's favorite novel...It is currently tied in second place with Sense and Sensibility in my list. :o) I remember reading online somewhere that an author has created a whole series based on the leading men of Austen's novels. The series is made of diaries of the leading men...I'm definitely going to try to look into these...

Ta ta for now!

Time again for my...

weekly post! Hm...unfortunately that's what seems to be happening lately! I can only plead exhaustion and no brain syndrome due to work. Fortunately, the semester has finally started and work is slowing down a tid bit. The Olympics have ended (sadly...I'll miss those swimmers...) and I can get my sleep schedule back to rights. And last, but not least, Jonah seems to be on the downswing of a terrible-two fit! *cue Hallelujah chorus* I've had this feeling quite a bit recently that I'm not sure if I can handle everything. This week is promising to be much slower and easier for this homebody.

Jonah has been alternating between being sweet and cuddly vs. hitting, kicking, "NO!", growling (yes, growling), and chasing the poor cats. Ah, the joys of toddlerhood. I honestly think I have aged more in the past month than I have in the past two years. I feel the gray hair growing in and the lines marking my face from grimacing.

Saturday, one of my good friends from school got married and my Mom had the pleasure of taking her wedding pictures. I can't wait to see how they turned out. This friend's older sister got married recently and Mom took her pictures as well. They turned out beautifully! I think Mom might be on to something here... ;o) Anyways, the wedding was beautiful and we had a great time. We got to catch up with a lot of old family friends, dance, eat good food and take home extra wedding cake! Who can beat that!? lol...

Ta ta for now!

Hello.

Blogger just ate my post. And it's been a long day. So I'm going to bed...

Ta ta for now!

Olympics, layouts and a new kitten...

I had a good weekend. How about yours? Bishnu was off this weekend so we did a lot of hanging aruond the house. It was wonderful! We did spend some time with my parents Friday evening and Saturday because the Olympics has started! We are definitely an Olympic-watching family! The opening ceremony was beautiful, breathtaking and so artistic. There is so much history in China that I'm sure it would have been a daunting task to try to encompess it all! But it was done - with pride and beauty. It's been hard to do anything in the house at all since Friday evening because I don't want to miss any of the Olympics... I've especially been glued to the tv with the swimming events. My brother was a swimmer throughout school and our family really became interested in it during that time. And it's an exciting time to be watching swimming with our US team leading the way! Did anyone else catch the amazing US vs. France relay event aired last night?! I had to keep checking myself so I wouldn't wake Jonah up...lol! I also love the gymnastics, which has already started. Although it doesn't have as much grandeur as it seemed to have a couple of Olympics ago, it is still exciting to watch. The US team in those events is promising and it'll be fun to watch how it all unfolds. And last, but not least, the track and field events. I CAN NOT wait for those. Being a former runner, I know firsthand the excitement of a good track/distance race even if it was on a MUCH smaller scale! There's several new runners and hurdlers competing for the US this Olympics and I can't wait to see how they fare in comparison to some of the more seasoned athletes. Whew! That was much longer and long-winded than I thought it would be...

Just a couple of layouts that I finished this weekend. This was all part of a 2peas Young Scrappers Challenge/Anniversary Week. I just recently joined this group and am having quite a bit of fun!

This one doesn't actually feel complete yet...I'm thinking the title needs to be beefed up some more. What do you think?

And lastly, I introduce our new kitten! She is super sweet and cuddly, although she may not look like it in this picture! Bishnu and I have been joking that she can literally kill a person with kindness! My office manager discovered her one day while doing yardwork. She heard her mewing and found her sitting in a bird's nest that was balanced in a shrub! She and Glendale seem to have a love/hate relationship and we'll see how that eventually plays out. We are absolutely stumped on a name for her, though. So I am asking for help! Please readers, if you see this picture and think of a fitting name, feel free to leave me a comment! Because I am sincerely getting tired of calling her 'the kitten' and we are ready for something permanent.




















Have a wonderful Monday!

Ta ta for now!