Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Maddie

She opted to be a shark, based on her ability to eat anything and everything (including her costume 5 minutes later).  I made her costume with 3 pieces of gray felt (4 for $1), some leftover chipboard from a package and gray bias tape ($2.79).
This is her first Halloween and I'm betting she only tries to eat every 2 of 3 kids that rings our doorbell.  She LOVES when people come over, even more than she loves eating paper and baseboards.

Happy Birthday & A Gift Request

It's my birthday today.  I'm so very hopeful about what this year will bring (fingers crossed that includes a regularly updated blog).  I also have some very exciting things on the horizon that I cannot wait to share (!).  I feel so happy and fufilled with my life right now that I wanted to take a minute and ask for a favor for a friend who's life was upturned from her happy a few weeks ago.

The long-time boyfriend of one of my best friends was diagnosed with cancer on a few weeks ago. He went to get his wisdom teeth out and they realized his blood pressure was absurdly high and refused to do the wisdom teeth. So, he went to the ER. They were confused by it since he's young (27) and it was so high. He stayed overnight but was let out with an appointment to follow up with his regular doctor. His doctor received the results that showed he had high levels of the hormone a particular tumor expels. The doctor sent him for an ultrasound, they saw a softball size tumor on his adrenal gland, sent him for a CT scan to confirm mass and then sent him back to the ER.  He was admitted, they ran more and more tests, then it was confirmed that the tumor is in fact malignant and has spread to lungs.

It's a malignant Pheochromocytoma tumor, a one in a million chance. It is beyond rare, and unfortunately, that means there isn't a lot known about it.  The doctors have removed all of the tumor they could find, however James still has to undergo chemotherapy treatments. 

You can read more about the situation here: http://thejamesquigleyfund.org/ and make a donation if you like.  I would consider it a birthday gift, a really great birthday gift.  If you choose to make a donation, whether it be $1 or $10, shoot me and email at chelsey@fourthandfolded.com with your mailing address and I will personally send you a Thank You note.  A real one, on paper (nice paper), through the mail with a stamp and everything :)

Thank You!

Puppy Photos!

We have photo proof Maddie is the most awesome and snuggly little girl ever....

Go, as fast as you can, to my friend Meredith's blog [http://www.andunlimited.com/] for pictures of Maddie.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was on PUP-ternity leave last week and it was awesome. So much bonding time with our little girl. She's growing up fast, and is so smart. She is house-broken already, we put bells on the door and she rings them when she needs to go out. She can 'come' and 'sit' and sometimes 'stay' if she's not too excited. We need to work on her focus level, she gets easily distracted by shiny things (shovels) or anything she can eat.

These were the Valentine's cards she sent out to her puppy pals (and her daddy).

Happy Valentine's Day from Me & Maddie!

PUPternity Leave!

I’m counting down the hours until I can leave work today. We are picking up Maddie in LESS THAN 24 HOURS and I’m taking PUPternity leave next week. In case you didn’t know that when you take time off work to welcome a furry new family member (and yes I completely made it up and everyone at work thinks I’m crazy). Also, I’m probably going to have separation issues when I have to go back to work, but it’s going to be so nice to be a SAHDM (Stay at home dog mom) for the next 9 days!

The final puppy preparations that have to happen tonight are :
1. Clean-up dining room (still a mess from latest project, ie power tools everywhere).
2. Fix her crate (I built it wrong, we want the door to open the opposite way).
3. Buy her some food! She’s eating ProPlan Puppy, Chicken & Rice formula.
4. Clean out the back of the car and put her crate pad in there for the ride home.
5. Move all our jackets and boots out of the mudroom so she has limited opportunity to destroy things.

Anywho, make sure you add Maddie’s tumblog to your reader – it’s going to be cute puppy picture overload over there for the next few days.

2011 Task List - January Update

1 Month Down (I can't believe its already February!)
Time to check some things off the 'Master Task List', I didn't get as much done as I had hoped, mostly we've just been shoveling snow.




EXTERIOR : (We really can't do any of this stuff until the spring.)
Paint blue window trim.
Add grilles to windows.
Paint front door black.
Buy & install front door knocker.
Paint side door black.
Install whale door knocker.
Paint shutters black.
Replace house numbers.
Buy & install a new mailbox, or mail slot.
Paint front storm door black.
Build a deck off the family room.
Widen and lengthen the driveway.
Front yard landscaping.
Plant an herb garden.
Rear yard landscaping.
Power-wash & waterseal the fence.
Replace front & side lights.
 
INTERIOR :
Install box frames under chair rail in dining room.
Install crown molding in dining room.
Paint dining room.
Paint road-side Hutch.
Paint Craig’s List furniture.
Paint kitchen cabinets white.
Install new slate countertops.
Install new undermount sink.
Install new tile backsplash.
Build & install cabinets for the butler’s pantry.
Remove old laminate, and install new butcherblock countertop in butler's pantry.
Install crown molding in kitchen and above cabinets.
Remove built-in shelving from guest bedroom.
Paint guest bedroom.
Buy lamps for nightstands in guest bedroom.
Re-upholster Craig’s List chairs.
Remove and replace fish tiles in the shower.
Hang artwork & photos.
Make headboard for guest bed.
Buy stools for kitchen island. (I have to exchange them, but I still consider this 'done'.)
Replace contractor grade light fixtures throughout the house. (We've replaced one so far.)
Paint 'goldness' on fireplace insert.
Come up with a more permenant solution for the TV area.
Some how separate the dining room from the front entrance. (We made a faux-beam).
Hang curtains and shades in the dining room.
Hang remaining curtain over window in kitchen.
Install crown molding around entryway.

Pause for a Photo....

Can we discuss how cute my niece is?

She's rock'n the side-bow, a girl after my own heart.
And I get to walk down the aisle with her at a wedding this month.  That means she's my arm candy and I'm SUPER excited about it.

Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner! Congratulations to #29 E @ Oh!Apostrophe.

Sorry to everyone else, but if you are still in need of a Valentine's day card they can be purchased from my Etsy shop HERE.

Latest Color Obsession - Newburg Green

This color needs to go somewhere in our house.
Maybe my office?

I see white rooms everywhere on the internet and love them, but then I see rooms like this and fall in love with color all over again.  I'm convinced this is why people have more than one house. 
My summer house will be white.

both images from White Blossom

A Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Fresh off the presses, 2011 Valentine’s Day card by 4th&Folded with coordinating envelope.

The card reads:

*When we first met I had no idea you would mean so much to me*

Perfect for a friend or loved one, this limited edition Valentine's day card is printed on a flat A7 card on 100% Cotton, 110# Crane Lettra. The coordinating envelope comes with a printed liner made up of the word "Love" in many different languages.

TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment saying who you would give your card to.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet, “I entered to win a Valentine’s Day card from @fourthandfolded ! http://bit.ly/eoaxSL" ,then come back here and leave me a comment telling me.

A winner will be randomly chosen at 2PM EST tomorrow, January 27th.

And sadly, if you don’t win – the card can be found on my Etsy shop here.

You don't CLEAN, you CLEAN UP.

First, let me preface this by saying I am 100% appreciative of everything my husband does. He is usually the one to cook dinner and go grocery shopping and I am very grateful to have dinner ready (or almost ready) when I get home from work. If I’m working through dinner, which I usually am, he will bring my dishes out to the kitchen and load them in the dish washer when we are done.

image

So here comes the gripe, he always tells people that he is the one that cleans, and that he is always picking up after me.
But darling, you don’t CLEAN, you CLEAN UP. Yes, you often take my dishes out to the kitchen or put my water glass in the dishwasher, and as much as I love the help, it’s not ‘cleaning’. Cleaning is when you wash the floors, scrub the bathrooms, wipe down the cabinets, clean the inside of the fridge, etc. It involves rubber gloves and chemicals and various scrubbing/washing accouterments, none of which you have ever wielded.

I love you but you don’t clean. You CLEAN-UP.

Anyone else’s husband think he ‘cleans’?

On Childhood Toys....

Just a few things before the weekend....

A) I loved all your responses to this post.  I had Kirsten, who apparently they don't sell anymore.  She had a custom made 4-post bed with curtains to protect her from the winter chill in Maine and flannel sheep sheets.  One day I took her braids out and then immediately regretted it as she never looked the same.  She still resides in Maine with my other childhood BFFs, Edith Amelia (my cabbage patch doll) and oodles of barbies.  They are all living it up in my parents attic, just like what was supposed to happen in Toy Story 3.  As a little side story, my barbies completely had it made.  They had a HUGE barbie mansion with three levels, complete with jacuzzi tub and tennis courts.  For transporation they had their choice of a delightful vintage pink Rolls Royce convertable or berry pink 2-door hardtop Jeep, I mean we did live in Maine and the Rolls wasn't that great for off-roading with Ken.  Speaking of Ken, I only had one and he had to date ALL the girls, so I guess Ken was really the one that had it made.

B) My girl Maddie started her own blog.  You should probably check it out if you haven't already :)

What were your favorite childhood toys?  Do you or your parents still have them?

Weekend Shopping Adventures....

I stayed at work late on Friday because of terrible traffic. (It was either sit at my office, or sit in traffic).

I may have had a mini-online shopping spree.

I ordered these stools. 

And only now just realized I ordered the wrong height....so back they will go, *hopefully* it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg to exchange them.

And I also bought this light for the dining room, except with a natural linen shade.

I cannot wait to have something other than builder-grade fixtures in our house.  It will be a happy day for sure.

I also went to HomeGoods this weekend to look for bedside lamps for the guest bedroom.  I didn't come home emptyhanded (wouldn't know what that felt like) but also didn't come home with lamps.  I did find the most amazing and snuggle-y blanket ever.  I cannot describe it as anything else...

It's the Northpoint Sapphire Sherpa blanket.  It's softer than babies.

My friend K bought a cape...or capelet...we cannot decide.  It looks like this:

10 Points if you can name the doll.

My Irrational Fears....

Sometimes I have a rather wild imagination.


Last night I couldn’t fall asleep because I decided I would have no idea what I would do if the following situation were to occur.
I am babysitting an obese toddler and I HAVE to go grocery shopping, I put him in the cart and his weight causes the cart to topple over immediately snapping his femurs in half. (FYI, I don’t babysit, I don’t know any obese toddlers, and I rarely go to the grocery store). Right now I’m terrified to put any type of baby in a cart. If/when we have kids I will likely have to have my groceries delivered via PeaPod, or fill up the cart with heavy items before I put said baby in to balance out the weight. I’m pretty sure if this were possible it would have happened to someone already, and I would’ve heard about it, and since I haven’t it seems quite impossible, but still logical enough to keep me awake at night.

Other fears perpetually running through my mind are :

- Falling and knocking out all my teeth.  

- Laying on my stomach on the floor with my toes curled under me (like I was going to do a push-up) and having someone step on the back of my foot inverting all my toes and having them all break at once.

- Being in a terrible accident where my right hand had to be amputated. Would I use a left-handed mouse? Would I keep the standard mouse so that I wasn’t inept at using other people’s computers, and just move it to the left side? Most importantly, how would I shave my right armpit? What if I wasn’t married? Would I have to hire someone as my armpit shaver? How much would you pay that person? Do I just have one hairy arm-pit all the time?

So many questions, so little time.

I'd like to introduce you to someone....

I'd like you all to meet our little girl.
Her name isn't 100% confirmed, well, it was until we met her today and realized her mom has the same name we were going to use for her.
#Puppy owner fail.

For now, she is Miss Madison Thayer Brennan, aka "Maddie", and she is three weeks old, born December 16th.

I got oodles of puppy kisses from this tongue.

I think they had just eaten, because she was all yawns.

 

She's not fat, just 'well fed' :)

I'm thinking she's going to need her own site.  What do you think?

www.thedailymadison.com

or

www.preppypuppy.com

2011 Home Task List

Here is what you have to look forward to in terms of home improvement on this blog in 2011.

My 2011 Home Task List -

EXTERIOR :

Paint blue window trim.
Add grilles to windows.
Paint front door black.
Buy & install front door knocker.
Paint side door black.
Install whale door knocker.
Paint shutters black.
Replace house numbers.
Buy & install a new mailbox, or mail slot.
Paint front storm door black.
Build a deck off the family room.
Widen and lengthen the driveway.
Front yard landscaping.
Plant an herb garden.
Rear yard landscaping.
Power-wash & waterseal the fence.
Replace front & side lights.
INTERIOR :
Install box frames under chair rail in dining room.
Install crown molding in dining room.
Paint dining room.
Paint road-side Hutch.
Paint Craig’s List furniture.
Paint kitchen cabinets white.
Install new slate countertops.
Install new undermount sink.
Install new tile backsplash.
Build & install cabinets for the butler’s pantry.
Remove old laminate, and install new butcherblock countertop in butler's pantry.
Install crown molding in kitchen and above cabinets.
Remove built-in shelving from guest bedroom.
Paint guest bedroom.
Buy lamps for nightstands in guest bedroom.
Re-upholster Craig’s List chairs.
Remove and replace fish tiles in the shower.
Hang artwork & photos.
Make headboard for guest bed.
Buy stools for kitchen island.
Replace contractor grade light fixtures throughout the house.
Paint 'goldness' on fireplace insert.
Come up with a more permenant solution for the TV area.
Some how separate the dining room from the front entrance.
Hang curtains and shades in the dining room.
Hang remaining curtain over kitchen sink.


It's going to be a good (and busy) year.