The Fridge couch

remaking something junky into something useful...

Navy blue 1984 BMW 735i back seat w/ central arm rest in Electric Orange and a 1983 Admiral Dual-Temp refrigerator trimmed w/ pecan oak shelving, integral padded arm-rests adjustable side racks, lower door shelf with fridge handle legs.

I know, but I love this thing!

Weekend links

stuff I've read, liked, looked at, thought about.....
                                                 news....
As everyone knows, or should know, Tuesday  November 2 is Election day.  Mid terms are always a tough road for the party that is in the majority- this year it's even worse. I am a big Rally for Sanity girl... and I vote democratic. Although I'm not hugely impressed so far with what our democratic government has been able to do, I know what I find important is not in the Republicans vocabulary. I'll be voting- it's important that we all do! 

Being in Michigan, Devils night in Detroit doesn't shock me anymore.... but I wish they'd stop it.... or just burn abandoned crack houses....

An assistant AG in Michigan has been harassing and bullying a gay student at U-M..both in person and on his blog. It's about time he be investigated and disbarred.... this has just got to stop.

                                                         entertainment....

Tomorrow night is the first episode (of 6) of The Walking Dead  on AMC. Watch it... unless you are like me and are terrified of Zombies (and clowns, but that's for another post) I will try to put aside the irrational fear of zombies and watch the show- if only so I can myself survive the (upcoming) zombie Apocalypse.

If you are in Austin Texas.. make sure you go to 6th street. I miss Halloween on 6th street so much!!
                    
Gretchen DID NOT deserve to win, Mondo did. Her clothes were horrifiyingly ugly- even for birki wearing pot heads. His clothes were tasteful, fashion forward and exciting.  I don't think I will be able to watch Runway again... obviously the judges "taste level" leaves something to be desired.

Marie-Claire magazine doesn't think fat people should kiss in public- especially not on TV....

Apartment Therapy changed their 8 week home cure into a 4 week mini cure... well I don't know what to call it. The first video he showed was himself vacuming his house. I know how to vaccume, I know how to dust, to make myself a list... I am not learning one thing now and have stopped even going to the website.  I guess I'm on my own now, but since I know HOW to clean my house, how to make a list of things to fix, and what I like to see in my own home- I am OK.  I do not like the shortened format and I think it speaks poorly of people that they can't finish an 8 week project in their own home......

and finally- a shameless plug for my sons halloween post !


have a great weekend and a happy Halloween

sometimes, I'm glad I live in the country

blue boys bedroom

I love this rom, the loft bed is one of my favorites, but the curtains are a close runner up....

We lost power for a few days, so now that we are back up I'm just catching up on everything that we missed.... I'll try to do a links post tomorrow and be back on Monday.

Have a good weekend..

Don't be hard to work with....

From passiveaggressivenotes.com

Urban Outfitters Atlas tapestry

I'm thinking about getting this for the boys room and hanging it up on the wall (the entire wall)....

Burger King coffee in a bag via the drive through is stupid

So I go into town to drop the boy off and do a little grocery shopping. I'm hungry and so I run through the drive though at Burger King. Their dollar breakfast muffins can NOT be beat, and their coffee is ok. Not fantastic, but it's ok. At least the roast and flavor is consistent.

Here is my issue with my Burger King. First, they must bring that coffee to the boil before they serve it. I left it in the car and went shopping because it was too damn hot to drink, and it was the perfect temp when I came out 1 HOUR later! Second. They hand me this boiling cup of coffee (in the drive through) in a BAG. A bag. A cup of coffee doesn't require a bag. It does require one of those holders so your hand doesn't burn. I didn't get that I got a damn bag.  I actually wish they didn't even put the sandwich in a bag and just handed it to me as now I have TWO bags to throw away-but maybe that's just me. Anyway, this scalding cup of coffee is put in a bag and handed to me out the window. The cup is sliding around in the bag and it's really dangerous. I have to reach in and pull the stupid thing out and the lid isn't put on right. 

Now, I know that some (really ridiculous IMHO)  people have sued over spilling a cup of coffee in their laps. Honestly, I think that this scalding hot coffee skittering about in a bag is far more dangerous than just handing me over the cup, but what do I know... oh right... I do know. That coffee bag is just stupid- and a woman in Virginia Beach is suing BK for giving her a burn via a coffee in a bag now.

Burger King, please stop putting hot coffee in a bag. Tell your franchises not to put their coffee in a bag. It's a recipe for disaster AND a waste of a bag.

Scandinavian design....

From a Realtors website-Bolaget.   I wish I knew what it said, I wish I could read Swedish (as I am partially Swedish that's not even an odd wish) but I can't. I'm forced to just look at the pictures. And what pictures they are....

there's just so many fantastic pictures of fantastic apartments that it makes me want to pack up my clothes and move right now.

Take a peek at the outdoor spaces while you are there-the parks and streets are spectacular.

Things to read and look at.....

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area rugs.....

We need a new area rug under our dining room table. We actually enter the house via this room, so the floor gets dirty, and we live in the north, so the floor gets cold.  Oh, and I want it to be cheap. We still have that bad dog and it's under a table that a 6 yr. old eats at daily. It won't have a long life either way....The room is white now, with brown and orange accents... the rooms around it are green....

Some options- these are Mohawks.... the first one has good colors, the second is neutral...

 Then these are Ikea.. I don't usually like Ikea rugs...the first one I think is very cool, but the colors aren't right... the second one I think would look fantastic...

 I've always wanted a hide... but I think that under the table probably isn't a good call....

have a great weekend. I'm going rug shopping and maybe I'll have some live shots next week

The Firemen...

are just as exciting at 6 as they are at 5...maybe more so....

swimming with sharks....

well, no. But the boy is learning to swim up at the university. In their giant, huge deep pool. We've been going for 4 weeks now, and although he still can't swim, he does flail with less of a "I'm going to drown" vibe.

Yesterday I get a call from the pool saying that there was a "blood incident" that morning and they had to shock the pool..so lessons would be outside of the water . (code words for safety film) Then I got to thinking... just how much blood had to get into a HUGE, GIANT, DEEP pool to be shock-worthy?

It turns out a lot. A WHOLE lot. I'm glad they closed down the pool... and the boy got some valuable advice about swimming safety. All things considered it was a good night (except for the dude who lost all that blood)....

The lamp I want from Lowes....

I want it over my dining room table (yes, this is an old picture- the ceiling fan is gone and there is a wall over there by the computer-which now has a flat screen monitor- wow...just how old IS this picture?Well, the table and chairs are the same....)

in place of that white drum shade... bonus... it's only 159.00 and they have it at my local Lowes!

a bit of yellow....

and a very nifty home office.....

sorry, just home from volunteering and need to cook dinner for the family... I'll be better tomorrow....

Shocking 1950's Commercial!

Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

Maybe I'm just trying desperately not to be old, but I really like this video...and it's not just that Alexander Skarsgard is in it.... I put this on and do the dishes and it makes the time just fly by....

My favorite art-runner up edition....Lichtenstein and Culver and more...

my fake Lichtenstein.... it's a copy of some sort of "we Rose up Slowly" without the words...

It's huge and I do love it.

a Charles Culver watercolor from the 50's....

This came from an art professor at the university....

this is a print that my Mr. gave me for my new office......

My favorite 3 pieces of art

If you are lucky enough to have art in your own home, then you probably have your favorite piece. I have three, and they are all my favorites but for different reasons...

This one is a piece that was painted by my brother Grego. This is actually a personal piece of his about his divorce. I do not love it because of that reason. I love it because it helped him work out and get through a rough patch in his life. When he "didn't need it anymore" he gave it to me.  (sorry about the monitor corner.. this is above my computer desk)

This next piece I love simply because someone must have spent a long time on this. It's a chalk of a very dead pheasant. It is VERY, VERY old. When we bought it (for less than 2 bucks) it was just loose in a cruddy frame.  We had it re matted and framed in an antique frame that I already owned and loved. I think it came out wonderfully and I have it up in our living room now...

This last piece is something I picked up in an antique store in Austin about 10 years ago. It's a fishing village, maybe Haitian. It's signed Louisius. I had it by my bedside for about 8 years, now it's in the entry way. I love to be able to see it when going out the door- especially in the winter. It gives me hope that summer is coming soon....

Tomorrow I'll post my runner ups....

Fall leaves start me thinking about next spring....

because those thoughts keep me going through the Michigan winters....

I have to start planning the outside plantings and deck sometime in January.. so it's time to get some inspiration pics now.

The Mr. won a custom fire ring last week- you know the large metal rings that stand a few inches tall that you can build a fire pit in the middle. That means another seating area.... I happen to like this one a lot....

I have a green Coolaroo that is like the white one above....

I love how this seating area looks..very fresh and clean and comfortable. I wonder how it holds up to daily use and being outside in the elements?

The Clown (Le Queloune)-- what could be creepier than a french zombie clown?

up, up and away!

just a corner of my living room.....

the mr. and I have a bet on how long I can keep the ferns alive....

the leaves have changed.... that means raking.....

this is out my back living room window..... I'm not a huge fan of fall color. To me, it means the leaves are falling and I have work to do...

Tiny, itty bitty little bathrooms

I happen to have two tiny bathrooms in my house. No big bathrooms at all. The main bath is approx 6x8 (including the shower) the 1/2 bath is approx 6x4. A wall separates them from each other so maybe one day I will have one smallish  bathroom instead of two tiny ones.

Last winter the Mr. and I re did the larger of the two bathrooms....took out the toilet and put a new wax ring in, re did the floor and put in a new euro sink and vanity. I figured that even saving a foot of floor space would be useful in a space this small. Next we have to replace the shower enclosure. I have the room painted the same  color as the shower to try to open it up- and my accessories are white and dark brown. The floor is brown too..... it looks ok (WAY better than it used to....) but oh, is it dull. So, I went windows shopping today....

This is my entire main bathroom right now.... this is the right side when entering the door..

This is the left side when entering the door.....

Yes, tiny.

Here are some inspiration pictures I found....

This is from Jessica Helgerson. I love it, but don't feel I can do wallpaper in the bathroom due to the moisture....

This is fantastic, but he metal sink base gives me NO storage and I'm not crazy about seeing pipes...but with a euro cabinet I think I would love this look.

This one and the one below are my favorites. Yes, the examples are too large, but I could find smaller, single cabinets that are similar..I love the walk in shower above....

and I love the mirror and floor in this this room....

I love this room, but the wainscoting wouldn't work with my family of boys (and neither would that rug!) and we have a septic...so baths aren't a common thing in my house. A shower is what we need.

so I came away with...not much. I find I like my bathrooms more traditional. I like tile more than wood. I prefer a single sink than a double. Even if we did have a bigger bathroom, I would never use it with anyone else. ICK.....I love my husband, but I don't want to brush my teeth with him! mostly, though, most pictures of bathrooms show huge mega mcmansion bathrooms or ugly before pictures of bathrooms. Looks like I'm on my own.

have a happy weekend....

I don't know how other mothers do it....

My kid doesn't do a lot of activities and I don't work out side the home. I can't imagine trying to get everything done that needs to be done with any less time than I have.  I feel like I am constantly driving back and forth to his school.....

My favorite flower of all time-

spider mums! Yes, they are common. In every grocers flower bin probably.... but they are fantastic.

First, look at that fantastic green color. Second, those petals.  So interesting.

Even better, you they last for so long- you can really do some interesting arrangements with them...

 and they look fantastic in every room you put them in....

These are fantastic last minute flowers and will perk up any home interior.

I would SO wear these...."racy" dirndles!

and maybe not even just for octoberfest....although, I do think the little pink hat would be a bit...over the top.... for a trip to the  grocery store.

 I heard somewhere that "boobs are the new black" and I think with these dresses at least, that would be the case. But, here's a WSJ article about how designers are now (kind of, sort of) designing for women  that aren't stick thin and flat as a board.
(more pictures of dresses are here. and here   here is an article about how the germans are handling these "racy" dirndles! )

Orange is the color of fall....

maple trees where I live....

mums for homecoming...

and football where I'm from!

have a happy fall....

Mid century or danish modern desks....

I love desks.  I've always owned at least one (now I have three that I can think of right away) and I am always on the lookout for desks with great bones... here are a few I'm coveting right now- plus my own!

Mid century desk

look at all those great built in drawers!

 

Wormley desk

My desk in my dining room

Edward Wormley

                                                  desk, model 5735