Mulcho Mulcho Man!!

Hey! Hey! Hey Hey Hey Hey!!
Mulcho, mulcho man
I've got to be, a mulcho man!!

Froggy Bloggy

Out with the old Frog...
Through hail, sleet, heavy snow, monstrous storms, & all the interesting weather we've had over the last three years, these two little frogs have stood proud!! They've withstood it all!! But as I examine my poor little Mr. Froggies & quickly observe that they are worn, faded, & footless, I realize the little newly mulched patch of land containing a tall tree in our front yard could use a little sprucing up & is in much need of a new frog.

In with the New Frog...(Enter new frog)I picked up this adorably sophisticated little guy (or should I say, grouping of little guys) at Burlington Coat factory, which has a fresh, exciting, eclectic home decor section, & has made it onto my "Top 10 exciting places to shop" List. Hopefully he'll (they'll) give us the fresh colorful punch we need out front as we enter into a happy & warm (one can only hope) spring along with a new array of brightly colored accessories we've just added to the front & back yard as well as inside such as :
and :Spring is a time for new beginnings!! It's a time to start over, to develop a fresh new outlook on things, to give second chances, to grow!! Happy spring!!

Easter Yummies!!

Sticking to my diet has been extremely easy, let me tell ya!! I have not at all been tempted by all the tremendously scrumptious, tantalizing yumminess, & I just invented a new word - Yumminess...of the desserts brought in by my students yesterday during our reward party...&... I'm totally lying to you...who am I kidding?? I couldn't resist the double decker cookie cake, & was picking at the amazing yellow music cake all day, while mumbling to myself "Just one more teeny tiny piece of this...& a spoonful of that", although I promised myself I'd stray away from Easter goodies at all costs!!

My students were kind enough to go all out, & one 7th grader's mother, who is an amazing baker, baked us that awesome yellow cake, so I am extremely thankful for all the generosity, & I just had to make an exception.

A Life Worth Celebrating

Madison Muffin Artese has lived a long, educational, enjoyable life, and I feel that it is only appropriate to recognize and celebrate this amazing creature's contributions to the Artese family and the people who have known and loved her!! She is (barely) standing on her last legs, as she will be turning 16 shortly, which is exceedingly old for our canine friends. We're just trying to enjoy her as much as possible in her last phase of life!! Please say a prayer for this old doggie!!

Gallery Walls

Good Evening Everyone!! Hope you thoroughly enjoyed every moment of your fantastic Friday!! For tonight's post, I've decided to bring up the topic of Gallery Walls, because I've been particularly obsessed with creating some inspiring creative art & photo collections in the form of a photo wall or Gallery wall, & tweaking some of my already created photo collections!! Recently, I've been gathering up materials - unique frames, photos, & such to create a Gallery wall in our Bedroom, & have been slowly tweaking the Gallery Wall in our family room, which is actually more of my main concern at the moment!! Here are a few pictures of our Family Room Photo Wall so far :I'm planning to add at least one round black frame, & possibly a couple more details to the Family Room!!
The Master Bedroom Gallery Wall is currently under construction!!
Have wonderfully inspiring weekend!!

I’m adding this post to The Inspired Room’s Gallery Wall Party! Check out the Party!! http://theinspiredroom.net/

Zebra Rug Love

Good Evening!! This post is celebrating my new favorite thing - this adorable office rug I just purchased!! I've been spotting lots of awesome area rugs on several of my favorite design blogs, & have been wondering where to purchase such cool rugs, then came upon this beauty at Overstock.com, & ordered it for $30.00, free shipping, & figured, if I don't love it in the office, I'll find something to do with it, or use it in the laundry room, or even at school in my classroom!! Who couldn't use a little Zebra textile in the music classroom!! It's black & white like a music staff!! Anyhow, much to my surprised, this beautifully chic, not to mention thick high quality area rug arrived only two days after I ordered it, & it was definitely LOVE at 1st sight!!!! If you're thinking of purchasing an area rug, consider scoping out the Overstock.com's selection of creative area rugs!! Now, it's off to Home Depot w/hubby to pick up & drag 12 more heavy bags of mulch into my tiny car, then head on home!! Happy Wednesday!!

Trials and Tribulations of Home Improvement

Alas, the tumultuous trials and tribulations of home improvement projects!! The specific project that I'm currently working on consists of sanding, staining, and painting our staircase railings, which is a considerably involved project in that sanding is always a pain, our railings are extra long and curve around several times in different directions, and I've never stained before, and have never been a huge fan of staining for that matter, although growing up, I remember my mom staining small furniture pieces, shelves, etc, quite often. I digress...

Long story short, the shade of stain that I chose barely made a difference, and...

I STAINED MY HANDS TOGETHER, literally, and as I sit here, slumping in my chair, typing with one crooked sticky "antique walnut" finger, I'm asking myself "What were you thinking, not wearing gloves while using an oil based product??"

I've been a victim of oil-based primers before, and if I'm using "stain" why didn't get the hint that it would obviously stain, and stick, and pick up fuzz from every piece of clothing or towel that I come into direct contact with. God forbid I may need to drive somewhere tomorrow, I may not even be able to touch the doorknob, nevermind yank my hands of the steering wheel...and this dilemma still remains after a hot bath and shower, not to mention an hour long hand washing!! Ahhh!!!!!

Please don't tell my husband - I'll need to hide my hands from him when he returns from his gig late tonight. I'll slyly tuck them in socks, and roll over onto them, while I pretend to sleep. Well, hopefully my experience will help someone who's planning to stain gloveless, and force them to think twice before attempting to do so!!

French Inspired

I watched a couple of interesting episodes of House Hunters International this evening, all of which happened to be based in Paris, & was extremely inspired by Parisian design and the intricacy and beauty of french decor, which I've become considerably fond of lately. I love french inspired furniture, ornate white or cream-colored picture frames, basically anything that speaks to that vintage french cottage aesthetic, and sometimes I wish I could have my own little cozy french cottage!! Here are some inspiring french cottagy photos that I love!! The 1st picture is from "Dreamy Whites", the 2nd & 3rd picture are from "A Beach Cottage", & last but definitely not least, the 4th picture is from "Frenchlarkspur"!! Enjoy and Happie Friday!!