winner winner chicken dinner

i know what you're thinking...seriously?  you won another giveaway!?  i know...could i be any more lucky {said with chandler bing emphasis}?  nope, i think not!  

here it is!  the most gorgeous desk calendar in all of existence! bubble wrapped with love.

i had to immediately lay them all out & see my year's worth of goodies.  each month just as beautiful as the next.

sorry i opened my package at night so i didn't have any natural light...my solution? taking horrendous pictures with the flash on.  i could never do these little beauties justice.  here is 'january' in the desk prop, sweetly waiting to start its' cozy life on my desk.

where did i find this fab giveaway?  i won't keep the secrets all to myself.  

i follow a girl named brit via {blog} who is just a doll.  she also has the most adorable daughter {in the entire world}.  you must check them out.  she's hilarious & will share precious pics of baby k with you often.  be forewarned, her family's abundance of cuteness may make you want to fix your hair, go shopping & have babies way before you're ready for a fam.

brit started a separate blog, {brit's reviews} simply for reviewing different products, sharing some consumer knowledge & for hosting wonderful giveaways.  this is where i won my gift!  when i saw that calendar i knew that it was perfect for me.  i had asked for one for christmas {which fortunately i didn't receive} & this one was even more "up my alley".  i just had to get my hands on it! she is actually hosting a new giveaway RIGHT NOW!  you need to go check it out {here}

the calendar was gifted by the uber-talented, mary ellen at m.ellen designs.  you can find her store {here} & her blog, mostly m.ellen, {here}.  i have no idea how she comes up with her whimsical creations but her stationary, invitations & office gear is to die for.  please go visit this pretty lil entrepreneur! 

thanks girls for making each day at my desk a bit more beautiful!

.a head full of nothing.

i feel like my head is so full of plans & ideas & schedules & yet...i can't collect a single coherent thought.  what a terrible situation.  i guess in my normal, unprofessional fashion i will just spew all kinds of useless life information at you to keep you updated.

--well this week i did not "wake up feelin' like p diddy," unless p diddy has an upper respiratory infection.  in that case maybe our lives ARE very similar.  i've been kind of a miserable monster for the last 4 days & i cannot wait to shake this nasty thing.  z-pack attack!

--we got a new console table for our den last week & my sweet husband set up the whole room the way we had envisioned it: he drilled holes, rewired cables, & moved furniture & what do you know?  we hated it.  so we moved everything back to exactly the same position. hmm.  fail.  the table does look very nice though & the room is starting to feel a little more "full".

--i've been so sick that i didn't get to share all the fun i had LAST weekend with you, blogland!  i'm sure you've been waiting with bated breath...{do you detect the sarcasm?}  don't worry...i hate to leave you hanging.  i'll be sure to do a lil last weekend review over this weekend.

--i have many other hopes for this weekend as well {if my health permits}. i hope it includes:
1. hanging out with l.h.s. girlies tonight...i think we may be going to mad potter to paint :)
2. cleaning the ENTIRE office with benny. it's finally going to get done.  we're determined.  it's our saturday morning mission.  fyi - my handy-man husband already took out those sick built-in shelves that weren't actually built in.  we're off to a good start.
3.  UK game what what!?  17 - 0.  friends welcome.
4.  baby shower projects; they are a surprise {duh}  i can't tell you.  maybe later.
5.  refinish some furniture.  i don't know which project i will start next?  i have a dresser & nightstand for the guest room that really needs some help & sewing desk that i want to skirt for the office...hmm decisions decisions
6.  we got a wii {sort of for free} so i hope to play with my hubs & / or pals
7. please let me go to at least one of the following: fabric store, antique store, hob lob, SA, GW or the restore.
8. go to l.h.s. bball game v. our alma mater
9. clean the rest of the house until it feels like we actually live in all the rooms & don't use them for cluttered storage.
10.  sleep in & then make breakfast for mr. b
11. blog & maybe create a new love-day inspired header {def. on the list just not sure when i'll have the time}
12. see mi familia
13. read

--project runway premiered last night.  so excited.  and LOST isn't far behind.  oh geesh.

--i ordered fabric after coveting hannah maple's curtains to make my own.  thanks so much for your help.

--my skin is super dry & i hate putting on lotion.  dilemma.

--we got our PB shower curtain in the mail yesterday.  it was much more sheer {& girly) than i expected.  i'm going to iron it, hang it & see what i think.

--the song "pants on the ground" made my week better

thanks for listening to my nonsense.  i hope you each have a wonderful weekend filled with fun & people you love.  you can share your nonsense here too.  it's a safe place.

my little student

this is my handsome benny as a lil baby on his first day of school.  i wanted to post this back in the fall when his semester started but i couldn't find it.  i almost cried because i thought it was gone forever & i just love that little face so much.  but as one might assume...it wasn't gone forever!  it was just under a big pile of junk {like everything else i'm missing}.  monday was benny's first day back for spring semester - and he looked just as adorable as he did 20 years ago.

benny-

i'm so proud of you for being such a diligent student & for working so hard toward your goals.  i know that you are going to be an excellent teacher & a blessing to many kids & families.  i am so thankful for you & am continually encouraged by your determination.

i love you {and your baby pictures} dearly-

jen jen

that's amore monday

today for that's amore monday my dreams are coming true.  leanne from 'organize & decorate everything' presented {this tutorial} for covering clipboards & i am THRILLED!

you may remember my post {here} where i told you how desperately i desired for  everything to be organized & in its place in our new home.  well, from the moment i saw this martha stewart clipboard system i was committed to making one myself.  and then...this awesome gift just falls in my lap.  no, it's not 6 clipboards that are beautifully decorated {duh}...it's this phatty tutorial!  i get to be crafty & i get to have my clipboard system with the security of an instructor {leanne} who knows what they are doing to guide me.

here are some other cutesy cute clipboards i happened upon from apartmenttherapy.com.

.memo board clip board.

.art display clipboards.

lastly...this doesn't really fit in with my diy clipboard theme but pier 1 sent me this gift wrapping organization station AFTER christmas {i know...strange} & it was just so great i had to share it with ya'll. what a way to utilize a closet, right?

well friends, get to crafting & i hope to share with you my very own, homemade, clipboards hanging in the office / craft room very soon.  we just have to choose our accent color before i can really get started.  maybe you all can help me with this!

so far i know we are using {sweatshirt gray} paint on the walls with bright white trim & doors.  we have our glossy white desk, white chandelier & a gorgeous black & white lamp for the room.  so in sum we have black, white & gray thus far.  i don't want us to feel like we fell into a newspaper when we're working in there so i would love to have a fun & vibrant color to spice things up.  what would you suggest as our accent?  i have a few ideas but i don't want to taint your creativity.

decorating, crafts, organization, getting things done and diy's all in one...

that's amore monday!

help your friend

there are lots of things that we i need want for the house.  one of those things is a giant {and i mean huge} frame for our kitchen i want to make a magnetic chalkboard to hang on the wall & i want to use a big ol' gorgeous frame to make it.  so...i'm enlisting the help of my friends {you} to assist me in finding a cheapity cheap one.  i looked at open-backed frames at hobby lobby & michael's & even with their specials they seemed really expensive for something that i wanted to paint over & turn into something else!  geesh.  the frame below was stolen from apartmenttherapy.com & was just added to my current kitchen via 'paint' {in case you couldn't tell} but i'm sure you get the idea. 

your mission:  a great deal or {even free} fancy frame that is at least 3.5' wide {but could be larger} & at least 2.5' tall {also could be more}. right now this frame could be disguising itself with chipping paint or an ugly finish. this culprit may also be using an alias such as "a painting" or "a mirror," but i know you can see past this to see the gorgeous kitchen chalkboard within.  it may be seeking refuge in a goodwill, habitat restore, craigslist or even on the side of the curb.  i need your eyes to help me!

thanks so much for your help & any leads would be MUCH appreciated!

now for a  few more {unrelated} thoughts for the day:

--we are headin' to nky for the weekend & am so thrilled about what that means:

      --visit with the in-laws

      --spend time with dear friends including the margrave's & the domec's 

      --a $8 haircut from my favorite hair school in ky

      --picking up a table we purchased long distance that is going to live in our den :)

      --ice skating outside in fountain square

      --other super fun possibilities intail --> skyline & maybe even flea marketing?  {maybe i will find my frame there!?

--ben & i have been watching the first season of heroes together.  its addicting.

--speaking of addicting shows...LOST comes back SO soon.  are you ready?

--i think ben may have bought that pb shower curtain i was telling you about...woot woot

--it is freeeeeeezing cold here in lexington.  it's the worst.  i hear its supposed to warm up someday but i'm not sure if i believe them.

--our dear friends ryder & libby had their precious baby girl this week {i hear} so excited for them

--i want to wear flip flops again

--everyone living up to their exercise 'resolutions' & then documenting their accomplishments in their blogs is starting to make me feel lazy.  i almost had the desire to do my 'hot body bootcamp' video but then i ate pop tarts instead.

do you have any thoughts to share?  i'd love to hear them, you know i would.

showered with bliss

you may recall my terrible trouble trying to find shower curtains for our home.  i talked about it here, here & here.  i have a serious addiction love for very expensive curtains that i can't stand spending the money on.  i waited and waited to come across something that perfectly matched the idea planted in my head but nothing reasonably priced came around.  so...eventually i broadened my focus quite a bit & found this lovely curtain at PB for $39.00.  i also have a $25 gift card that i recieved for my birthday from my big bro & sister-in-law which means a super deal...$14 instead of $98 at anthro {plus shipping...boo}. 

find this beauty {here} at pottery barn...but don't buy them all because i'm getting one for our master bedroom.

what do you all think?  should i pull the trigger.  i think i could grow to love it.

living intentionally ch.1

via

i wanted to dive deeper into my commitments for 2010 & i wanted to bring you along for the ride. please feel free to share any thoughts, suggestions, comments, encouragements or critiques as we go along.

1.  live out the gospel daily:
the life, death & resurrection of christ has drastically changed my life: my life now & for eternity.


romans 3:23-25 
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. this was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins."


romans 5:6-9
"for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  for one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

john 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

knowing Truth & accepting such an awesome, undeserved gift should be evident in my life.  i pray that over this next year that i would continually preach the gospel to myself and live it out each day to those around me.  i pray that i would recognize my position & condition without christ, that i would contemplate what i've been saved from. i pray that my life would overflow & abound in thankfulness & grace.  i pray that i would know my identity in christ & that i would tap into the holy spirit, taking advantage of this awesome power that i have living in me - the very cause for my faith, to live a life connected to christ, walking with him all of my days.  i pray that my eyes would be fixed on heaven and that i would not be the person from 1 corinthians 15:19: "if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." i want my hope to be set on things eternal not on that which is fleeting & momentary.   

thank you Lord for saving me from life now & eternity later without you, without anything good or pure or beautiful.  thank you for loving me so lavishly & calling me your daughter & heir although i am constantly falling short.  i pray Father that you would grab ahold of my heart & draw me nearer & nearer to you.  give me your eyes & please write your story on my heart.  i pray that i would never forget or diminish the importance of the cross.  Lord you are so good.

psalm 145

a psalm of praise. of david.

i will exalt you, my God the King;

i will praise your name for ever and ever.

every day i will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

one generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.

they will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and i will meditate on your wonderful works.

they will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and i will proclaim your great deeds.

they will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

the LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

the LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

all you have made will praise you, O LORD;

your saints will extol you.

they will tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

 so that all men may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

the LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.

the LORD upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

the eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

you open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

the LORD is righteous in all his ways

and loving toward all he has made.

the LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

he fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

the LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

my mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

.fixin' to fix it.

goodie goodie gumdrop do we have some treats for you...like i've been telling you all...we have been oh so very busy lately.  now time to show you a glimpse of what we've been up to.

let's start here...

.this.

a nasty brass chandelier

.plus this.

a glossy bright white indoor / outdoor spray paint

.and a sprinkle of this.

time drying outside in a box

.equals this.

a fancy pants pottery barn-esque chandelier {at least i like to think so} hanging in your office

this whole project took about 15 minutes of spraying / drying time + hanging time {which benny did without me so i'm not sure how long}.  this cost about $2.50 for the whole project.  my bestie, {rachel} gave me the brass chandelier after she bought FIVE, yes five of them at the {habitat restore}.  my sweet friend let me have it for free & i just purchased the spray paint to spruce it up!

{here} is a PB kids chandelier that costs $129 & looks almost identical. $129.  does that not blow your mind!?  spend $2.50 & get a $129 deal!

.on to the next.

we got this desk off {craigslist} a few months ago and just now got around to taking care of it!  i didn't get a true 'before' shot.  in this one i had already removed the old hardware & puttied some holes in the top.

benny & i getting it done.  i was getting primer in my hair.  it's still there.  treat.  

i got covered in oil based primer {that doesn't easily come off}...

and ben folded some laundry angrily as i wouldn't let him take over my project.

.this is one or two coats of white paint in.

we used acrylic paint because that's mr. lowes worker suggested in the brightest shade of white we could find.  i'll let you know how it wears over time but it went on pretty smoothly.

here it is!  all done. two or three coats of paint later & 2 layers of wipe on polyurethane later and we have ourselves a perfect little desk for the office. {don't mind all the junk in the background...i saw it there and was just too lazy to move it for the pic....i'm sorry everyone for being the worst stager / photographer ever}.

add some little glass knobs and now i'm really thrilled!  they were half off at {hobby lobby}.  when is junk not half off at hob lob?  i'm pretty sure it never ceases to be 'on sale'

here's two fun updates in one.

first let's note...lights off...

now...let there be light...ta dah!  

they work!  momma steph called in a favor and the sweetest, nicest electrician came & straightened out our crazy wires.  now that we celebrated out light...now lets celebrate our light fixture.  we got this oil-rubbed bronze chandelier for christmas from the ford family.  i love it. 

do you spy something else back there?  you're right...those are new curtains.  thank you for noticing.  ben first said that he liked him & then later told me that they looked retro / 70's which i don't think was a complement.  either way i love them.  i love the colors that are in there & they really spice up the sea of khaki we're currently swimming in.  

here's a close up for ya!  i bought these on my first & only trip to world market in the great state of south carolina.  you can check out their window treatments {here} but their selection is way better in the store.  i hung these little beauties on a steal-of-a-deal of a curtain rod bought at hancock fabrics during a 75% off sale.  originally i thought i was going to paint it white & match it with the {now} office chandelier but instead it has been covered perfectly in dark brown.  i spray painted it with a rustoleum brand paint that was meant for all kinds of materials, including dum dum dee dum metal curtain rods!

next project?  tear out these nasty, fake, built in shelves in the office & paint the room 'sweatshirt gray' with crisp white trim.

we really are gettin' to fixin' & we really are fixin' to fix some more!

.come over & see it.

peeves-r-us

10 pet peeves

for brit...and you.

brit from 'dave & brit plus one'  started a new weekly post called "tuesday's ten" & since i love lists, & complaining apparently, i wanted to jump on the pet peeve list wagon.  hope you enjoy.  feel free to share your top annoyances as well, i won't judge you.

1.  hearing people eat.  i can't stand it when people chew with their mouths open, smack their lips or chomp loud enough that i can hear you.

2.  waiting in lines.  i know that makes me sound like a super bratty diva but i mean it.  i try & have a good attitude but i am impatient & i just hate it.  i don't like being crowded in, cut in front of & i always pick the slowest line even if it appeared to originally be the shortest.  christmas at fayette mall = my nightmare.

3.  having to talk with very rude people at work.  i am sorry that i cannot accomadate every need that you have here at our office.  when i sweetly tell you that we don't even do that kind of service i don't need to hear a 20 minute speech about why that is inconvenient for you.  we still won't do it.

4.  smoking.  i might be on my way to offending someone right now but it's my list so i'll write what i want {i'm being a snot anyway}.  i dispise the smell of cigarette smoke & it gives me and instant headache.  lexington has a ban now where you can't smoke inside which i LOVE but this doesn't really help me when it comes to travel or if i ever have to leave where i am.  i hate walking through someone else's giant cloud of stinky smoke to get in or out of a building leaving my hair and clothes wreaking for the rest of the day.  it's not good for you.  or me.  stop it.

5.  when store employees won't help you.  it makes me never want to visit a store again when i have to search & search for someone to help me & then once i finally track them down they give me an attitude about having to do their job.  once at home depot i wanted to buy a hanging basket for my mom.  i couldn't reach it to get it down off the rack so i asked three sales people, three to help me get it down and they all just said they were already busy with someone else or ignored me.  peeve.

6.  pranks.  i know, i know, just call me a stick in the mud.   i just don't really like them.  i don't like to start them because then you have to live in constant fear of retailiation & i don't like to be on the other side of them because someone always takes it too far.  i don't really think they are that funny either.  well wait wait wait....there are a couple pranks that i think are super funny {and harmless} but that's a short list.  i can't tell them to you because then i wouldn't be able to prank you with them.

7.  being patted.  not petted, i love to be pet, but i loathe being patted.  i don't know why but it fills me with rage.  i am pretty comfortable with hugs & loves & being kind of touchy {if i know you} but even a pat from the closest of friends will make me frown.

8.  everything trashy.  trashy clothes that people wear, trashy shows on tv, people doing trashy things & saying trashy lines.  i dislike it all & i can't hardly stand watching many of the shows anymore because its all trash.  'if you've got it, flaunt it' is probably one of the most icky phrases ever invented, don't use it & don't live by it.  be classy, wear clothes, keep your goods to yourself.  we're not interested.

9.  repeating myself.  not if you're hard of hearing but because you just aren't listening...do you hear #9 husband?  if you ask me to repeat myself {after ignoring me} while patting me i might just explode. 

i only want to do 10 items so i'm going to put two unrelated items in one number...i'm so tricky.  i also hate hurting myself.  dropping things on my toes & running into sharp corners on tables can just about ruin my day.

10.  oprah.

update:  1  peeve i forgot & should add sneakily into #9 {making it 3 unrelated peeves under 1 item} is that i dislike being called jenny.  i don't know why but i just don't like it.  i know people named jenny, i love people named jenny, i led with a girl named jenny & one of my favorite blogs is written by a jenny...but for me - no thanks, it's not me.  sorry.  list of preferred names: jen, jennifer, princess {just kidding...sort of} & jenna.

that's amore monday

next week will be something picture-ful & dainty i promise -- a 'love' that is filled with pretties for your enjoyment & inspiration.  today for that's amore monday however i'm going to honor something a little more intangible.  today i honor...the sense of accomplishment.  you know i love organization, planners & to-do lists but more than just having them i LOVE to check things off of them.  i love knowing that you set out to do something & followed through.  you know that it is complete. fulfilled. satisfied. accomplished. mmm what a fantastic feeling.  and what's great about the sense of accomplishment is that you can feel it over small, even trivial tasks.  i cleaned our shower yesterday.  important?  not really.  did i get a bundle or gratification out of it?  heck yes!

don't get me wrong...i know that i can accomplish nothing apart from our good God who provides so much for us but you know where i'm coming from.  with so many projects going on at the brzinski home, places to go & things to do... i hope that we will have this 'sense' many times over.  sometimes my evil laziness creeps in & tells me that i don't really want to do what i do want to do, during those times i just have to keep reminding myself how glorious it will feel to check that chore, task, errand or visit off my list.

via

purchase {here} on etsy

i hope you get to gettin' this week & get all kinds of things accomplished that make your heart sing.  i know i'm going to try while vigilantly attempting to keep my plans in their rightful place...under HIS plans {they're always better}.

jeremiah 29:11
"for I know the plans i have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."