Sour Puss

For the past few weeks now, David and I have been living sans dishwasher. Our Maytag, yes Maytag, the brand that never requires a handyman, is leaking. And my delicate hands can't take it anymore!

As a child, I would clean our entire house from top to bottom, including vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, organizing, etc. Clearly, my anal retentiveness began at an early age. My Mom would walk in and everything would be spotless. Then she'd round the corner to the kitchen and spot the sink full of dirty dishes. To this day, I absolutely detest the chore. I'd rather vacuum from dusk til dawn, just no dirty dishes!

So, these past few weeks have been sheer torture. David and I have been competing against one another in this sort of, unofficial shoot out. Neither of us has actually discussed any of this, but I know we're secretly thinking the same thing. We watch the dishes slowly gather in the sink and wait to see who will finally cave in and get to scrubbin'. So far I'm 0 and 26, and counting.

However, since his appellate brief is turned in, we decided to visit Home Depot, Sears and Lowe's today. Our first stop was Home Depot with friendly sales girl Lola. She did not disappoint the corporate sales image that is Home Depot. Nice, to the point, no kitsch. Next was Sears. Fifty dollars higher and a frumpy sales lady later, we were being offered the floor sample at a 10% discount. Me: "Little kids have probably been running around, opening and closing these dishwasher doors and banging them up, and you can't do 20% off? (At this point, I was just ready to grab one and go.) Last stop: Lowe's. After circling the dishwashers like preying hawks for 20 some odd minutes, we were finally approached by sales guy Dane. Upon asking if he could help me, I replied, "As a matter of a fact," (grumpiness setting in) "you can. We've been here for 20 minutes now and no one has even offered to help." My dad has visited Lowe's in a different location with the exact same complaint. Perhaps this explains why Home Depot is doing so well. Turns out, Home Depot was the also best bargain. I'm going to see Lola tomorrow.

Amidst this little scavenger hunt, we came across this:

It's a Meyer Lemon Tree! David eyed it at Home Depot and it was love at first sight. In the parking lot, he asked if it would be okay "riding" in the back of the truck. I volunteered to ride in the back and let Tree sit in the front, but he decided Tree would be okay roughing it in the back. I'm so excited to have this new addition. It feels as though we have brought home a new pet, though David says I can't water it. (I have a history.) I'll keep you posted on the birth of any lemons...

A Brief Relief

As a first-year law student (aka One L), David has had several assignments, though none as tedious as the appellate brief. For weeks now, he has worked relentlessly-- writing, editing, writing, editing, writing, editing. I, an undiagnosed OCD patient, have never seen anything like it. Their assignment page specifies such things as: which font to use, font size, font color, paragraph alignment, page number format, etc. Never knew lawyers could be so picky. This is what I have looked at for the past week straight:

And now, he is finally finished. Whoo Hoo! After talking about it with him so much, I feel as if I can say, we finally finished, though he has done the majority of the grunt work. I just serve as Critique-r Numero Uno. Part of the motivation behind his long, grueling hours of work is the Best Appellate Brief award. Appellate briefs from the entire One L class are read and judged by a group of professors and one lucky One L will receive this honor...along with a $500 cash prize. David has made it his J-O-B to win this highly prized recognition. They could keep the money (well maybe not), he just wants the recognition. I swear, he could pass for an only child.

So after he turns his brief in tomorrow morning at 9 AM, we will have relief from this tediousness, at least until the next assignment we have.

Friday's Favorites

A few of my favorite things.....this Friday!

1. Seal-of-Approval Clutch from Anthropologie

Just spotted this hot number today. It's fuchsia hue is radiant! And I love the raffia material- so boho chic!

Anthropologie.com

2. Perfume Teacup Candle by Tracy Porter

Love, love, love. Country Living magazine is giving it away in a sweepstakes and I am crossing my fingers.

Sign up for the sweeps at Country Living or take a peek at Tracy Porter.

3. Pink Bandana Roll Bag by CK Bradley

This cute ditty is the perfect size for a few cosmetics and matches my CKB Tote oh so perfectly.

See for yourself at CK Bradley.com

Chartreuse Thumb

Never thought I'd live to see the day! The day I grew a green thumb, or at least a pretty shade of chartreuse. Upon moving in to my new digs, Fabulous Girl Anna sent me the most beautiful pink hydrangea plant. I planted it with no intention of it actually growing. (Note: I killed my rosemary bush, one of the most durable herbs and easiest to grow. I forgot to water it for 2+ weeks.) However, much to my surprise, it has sprouted! Sound the horn, alert the papers! I noticed it a few days ago when David and I made an attempt to clean our front yard. And now that I have spotted these petite green leaves, I can't possibly ignore this tiny plant's determination to survive. Now, the key is to see how long I can keep it alive...

Sips n Strokes

What could be more delightful than wine and paint? Tonight, Fabulous Girl Emily invited moi to enjoy an evening at Sips n Strokes. You bring your beverage of choice and they provide the paint and canvas. All for a mere $25. Our group chose to bring a mixture of reds and whites. Though I did spot a few Michelob Ultra and Bud Light six packs. Oh, to be back in Alabama!

Luckily FG Emily had chosen a night when the theme was "Circles," not a bad choice for, uhm hmm, amateur artistes. Our instructor was quite fab, too. She immediately removed any chance of painter's block by instructing us to paint the entire canvas red. Then, the real fun began. We just painted circles- big circles, little circles, hoops, dots, swirls. I had such fun, letting go of my Type A inhibitions.

A Picasso in the making....

and Voila!

You even get to paint your name on their wall...

You can check out their locations, times and painting options at Sips n Strokes.

Bonjour Blogosphere

My wonderful friend, Cheryl from Quiet Good Taste, has inspired me to enter the world of blogging. She is a terrific muse- a true inspiration for creativity and ideas. Her email signature is followed by a quote that couldn't possibly describe her better: "The most effective way to do it, is to do it" from Amelia Earhart. I have been contemplating a blog for quite sometime. After Cheryl decided to begin blogging, I thought, "why not just do it?" So here I am!

Thank you Cher for your continued inspiration from miles and miles away!