fantasy shopping at Modernica

these would look really good in my house. can I borrow $3000?

http://modernica.net/index.php?target=products&product_id=74

baby steps

May 12 and June 24


I spent yesterday refinishing the concrete around the pool. Got a mean sunburn on my lower back where my shirt ended and my shorts started... didn't know my shirt had hiked itself up revealing a 3 inch band back flesh. Mark insisted on taking a picture of my comical red stripe however it will never be published. We have sooooo much more work to do in the backyard. At least we can swim now while we work. We will be shovelling pea gravel soon in case you want to come over.

just a Wednesday update

With all the rain and storms we've had lately, I added the Chicago Weather Center Radar to my list of web links. This weather is seriously killing our outdoor project productivity! Go to the radar and be prepared!

I can now confidently say that the grackles are gone. They still fly around and eat at the feeder BUT they leave and they are no longer attcking us. Big sigh of relief.

Karkstcok 2010 was a successful event. Our BBQ tent was a hit and lots of people donated and took part in the raffles to raise money for the John Kark Cancer Fight Club. Lottie ate one pulled pork sandwich while I wasn't looking and Bill burned his arm on the smoker. Otherwise a perfectly great day.

Yia Yia Demakas passed away this morning at 90 years of age from natural causes. In the last month at the nursing home she was basically living without any quality of life. She is in a much better place now – finally at rest. God bless you, Yia Yia.

I have lots of family coming into town starting tomorrow with a revolving door lasting through the 5th of July. Sorry we didn't finish the basement in time for eveyone's visit...sorry the patio is a rock mess too...ugh.

Happy Wednesday! And now for some orange flowers that have bloomed so far this summer...

bathing suits and cheap makeup: who wouldn't read a post called that?

I actually found time to pop into TJ Maxx yesterday and I scored a cute Jantzen bathing suit for $15. It's from their Jantzen Classics line so it has the perfect "low" cut leg that makes you look as fabulous as Esther Williams circa 1946.
Jantzen turned 100 this year - who knew? Still looking so good!

I've also become a regular cosmetic shopper at Walgreens since I'm quite positive that nobody at Home Depot, the grocery store, or the garden center cares if I'm wearing Channel eye liner or Lancome foundation. Most of the time I just put on giant sunglasses and hope that no one can tell that i'm not wearing make-up at all! Some of my recent drug store faves are...

Cover Girl Advanced Radiance foundation. It's called "age-defying" (whatever that means) and it's targeted for those of us who are 35+. It's sheer but still has some coverage and also has a 10 SPF sunscreen.

Sally Hansen nail polish in shade #130 - Sheer Me Now.

L'Oreal "Endless" collection lipstick. I have a few different shades but "Timeless Tawny" is an all around, everyday wear type of color.

I'm still in search of a good cheap mascara. The last 2 that I purchased totally sucked...Cover Girl's "lash blast length" and Maybelline's "Volum Express" (this is their spelling of volume by the way). I have light brown, short , almost non-existant lashes. I need help!

patio progess

Saturday June 5 and Sunday June 6
7:30 AM rock delivery arrives and we shoveled some more rock (I know, hard to believe). We got caught in the rain once and had to tarp the pile for about 30 minutes. We ended up needing one more yard of this sandy-powdery-fine rock stuff called screening. Went and picked it up and did get the load shoveled out of the truck before we got rained out again. Rented the compactor from Home Depot. Kept working in between rain storms. Laid some sod to connect the existing lawn to the concrete around the pool. Managed to get a few pavers set.





Saturday June 12 and Sunday June 13
More shoveleing and more rain. Got the pool cover off and added all the chemicals which are currently working their magic on the water. Got the pavers set for the table and chairs area. We have oh so many more pavers to set. Sanded and oiled the patio furniture and it looks brand new again. Mark hit the plastic ikea chairs with some white spray paint and they are looking better than they have in YEARS.




Mark made this cedar table couple of years ago when we couldn't find an affordable table to buy. The legs are from ikea.


Planted some flowers in what is the new grilling area for 2010. I went with white caladium, orange tuberous bagonia, and curcuma.



My lettuce is doing very well and will need to be seperated and transplanted soon...or like now.

friends making art | friends helping dogs

for those in the Chicagoland area...

B R I D G E T T E B U C K L E Y | S T U D I O
will be a part of some upcoming shows...

Running concurrently during this one night event will be the 6th annual Guerrilla Truck Show hosted by Morlen Sinoway.

Object Society + Object Design League
217 North Carpenter Street Chicago, IL 60607 6-10pm

Guerrilla Truck Show at Morlen Sinoway
1052 West Fulton Market Chicago, IL 60607 5:30-9pm

http://objectsociety.com/
http://objectdesignleague.org/main/
http://morlensinoway.com/


Another firend of mine is putting together a benefit for the Chicagoland Shepherd Rescue...

www.gsdr.org

raised veggie-herb garden

Back in 2007, Mark built this raised planter for our vegetables and herbs. The sunniest spot in our yard is the pool area so if we wanted to grow successfully, we were going to have to live with this garden next to the pool. Mark's idea was to build it with a cantilevered bench side to add extra seating around the pool (see why he is such a keeper!). When it was built, we still had grass in that corner of the pool area. It was pea graveled as phase two of this raised planter build.





This is how it looks right now amidst all the patio construction. We have to sand and oil it every year and I hope to do it this weekend (along with all the teak patio furniture). We got some orange tomato cages this year and we are trying two new types of tomatoes...Juan Flamme and Mountain Fresh. And as always we are growing the Sun Sugars which are by far my favorite.

Three things I liked today

worse than I thought

Day 2 of the great grackle attack of 2010.

Last night Mark removed the nest from the magnolia tree. There were no eggs or small babies in it. I did find a very young grackle hopping around so that is what they were protecting. I figured the young one would hop away but no. I found it this morning perched in the lilac bush next to the magnolia. And once again was "greeted" by the 3 creeps as I attempted to go outside. Mark removed the little one from the bush and placed it out of our yard. Did this work? No. I just tested the waters and was immediately swooped at by the 3 creepy grackles. I am losing it over here. I am completely freaking out. I want my backyard back!!


I forgot about this pic I took back in April - when the grackles were just gobbling seed at the feeder and NOT attacking me. Such a creepy bird!

grackle attack

How do you go from blissfully watching baby bunnies hop around to being attacked by evil mean birds 24 hours later in the same yard? Grackles! And they have made a nest in the magnolia. I stepped out this morning to check on the bunnies only to get attacked Hitchcock movie style by 3 rotten grackles.

I have seen young grackles recently like this one poking around in the hens and chicks garden but didn't think much of it. They must be protecting eggs or even younger babies in the nest. Sorry grackles...your nest has got to go. And hopefully Mark can get rid of it today! Last year I watched in horror as a grackle attacked a sparrow in my backyard - killing it right in front of me - and then carried it off. I will not tolerate mean birds, especially when they are coming after me!

You may have seen the top photo on my Bird of the Day tumblr blog so properly titled "evil doer".

cute overload

These baby bunnies were born in one of my large flower pots and they were old enough to jump out last weekend. There were 5 in this litter. They were gone on Sunday but have since come back to home base at the flower pot. They are super cute and will be destroying my flowers, grass, and garden in no time.

MCM + Stereolab = Atlas Sound Video

Quick Canal...what a nice song by Atlas Sound featuring Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier. The video is a mid century modern design delight...



From Atlas Sound "Logos" released on Kranky in October 2009
(I have to give props to Kranky since we go way back)
http://www.kranky.net/

happy friday

It's supposed to rain all weekend. Not sure how we are going to tackle all the things that we need to do outside. Might just have to get wet. At least it could make for some good photos! Happy Friday!

long weekend

here's my Memorial Day weekend recap




Saturday:
I got up at 6:35 AM when the guy delivering our mountain of rock called to say he would be at our house in 15 minutes. Mark had to install our new basement window well before we started loading in the rock so I used that time to get out to a garden center. I bought some hanging baskets and a few other things. I was home before 10 AM and the temp outside was already feeling hot and brutal in the sun. Mark and I spent all day shoveling rock and sand – 72 wheel barrels full to be exact – and started filling in our mud pit patio. Guess what... 72 wheel barrels wasn’t enough rock to completely cover the mud pit so now I have half rock and half mud. We will have to wait until this weekend to get more rock so that means another Saturday on fun shovelling is in my future. Our air conditioner was still unhooked from when the patio concrete was removed. Funny how that is... we call the AC dude to unhook the AC and he comes that same day. We call the AC dude to reconnect it and he never shows up. Insert your faveorite curse word here.

Sunday:
Wanted to ride in the truck with AC so I went with Mark to Home Depot to rent an industrial landscape compactor, bought the dirt to get the raised veggie planter rolling, weeded, watched Mark work the magic on the rock with the rented compactor, spruced up my succulent garden, and planted some stuff out front. Then at about 6 PM I got a text message from my mom that said “Call Me!!”. Ok, my mom does NOT know how to send a TM so this is bad. I call her phone and my mom’s neighbor answers and says she is in an ambulance with my mom. I quickly clean myself up and Mark and I drive to the Hospital and find my mom in the ER. She worked in her yard all day planting flowers, didn’t eat, didn’t drink enough water, and collapsed with heat exhaustion. They pumped her full of fluids and now she is fine. Got home at almost midnight. I am SOOOOO tired.

Monday:
It rained...a lot. I cleaned the house and did oh so many loads of laundry. My muscles were sore and tired. I fell asleep Monday night (early) the moment my head hit the pillow. What an awesome weekend.

Now for the answers to your frequently asked questions:

A: NO. The pool is not open. We open the pool ourselves and cannot dedicate two days to it while we are rebuilding a patio. The pool also cannot be opened until the mud pit next to it is covered with rock.

A: NO. I did not get any vegetables planted last weekend.

A: YES! Someone finally did come last night to hook up our AC!



Things are coming along slowly.