It's fall, ya'll!

Fall is officially here! Ring the bells! Sound the alarm! Alert the media! Actually...just walk outside, take a deep breath, and enjoy the simple fact that you don't have a steady stream of sweat dripping down your spine.

And if you're lucky enough to be blessed with curly hair (insert sarcastic eye roll here)--enjoy the fact that humidity is a distant, hazy dream. (But don't get too excited...humidity is a reoccuring nightmare that will haunt you again)

We have been BUS-Y around our neck of the woods here lately! Between work, coaching, my Mardi Gras organization, street meetings, and my ever-evolving social calendar I am one worn out gal!

There have been some interesting new developments in my little world. First of all, my lovely parentals actually have the internets now (Haha--I can't refuse a good GWB joke) and my Mutha is now on Facebook. Ahhhhh!!! This makes me incredibly nervous. I'm not worried about her finding nudie pictures of me online or anything like that, it just makes me nervous and I can't really explain it. I think my opinions might sometimes frighten her. (Although I can't blame her too much) She once told me if I didn't watch out, people back home would think I was one of those "liberals". And then I died laughing.

I finished painting the upstairs with minimal help from the hubs. He did finish rolling it--which is by far the easiest part of painting a room! But it doesn't matter because I was thankful for the relief painter. It looks FAB, but I keep forgetting to take photos. I am terrible with a camera. I don't even know why I have one other than to officially join the 21st century. Well...that and the fact that my bff moved about a bazillion miles away and took her digital camera with her. Now my personal photog that I could count on to record every single detail of our lives (the good, the bad, and the ugly) is stuck in crappy, boring Charleston taking pictures of her dog in front of random large trees. Boo on Charleston!!!

My volleyball team is now 3-0. Go St. Ignatius Impalas! Between practices, games, and one very odd child protection class I ought to be able to repeat the Catholic prayer in my sleep. But honestly...I absolutely love it. The 5th grade girls are super cool and sweet, and the parents have been so supportive and encouraging. It is H's alma mater, and he doesn't let me forget that I have a sports dynasty to uphold. He actually suggested I read Nick Saban's guide to coaching then use some great quotes to motivate my team. Ummm...thanks, but no thanks H! I will stick with telling them things like "Our socks are WAY cuter than Christ the King's--don't let them beat us with those plain 'ol white knee socks, ladies" or my personal favorite to instill some team confidence "If we lose I'm gonna tell all your parents that you are NOT allowed to go to Old Dutch Ice Cream after the game!"

We have a fun-filled October ahead of us, too. So much to do and so much fun to be had! I love this time of year. Football, Bayfest, Shrimp Festival, Halloween in New Orleans....ain't life grand?!? I will try to update more and keep all three of you loyal followers up-to-date on our adventures. I also have some great DIY fall decor that I'm attempting. (Key word: attempt) As soon as I find my digital camera I might actually take some pics to post along with all these words.

Tour of Homes-Hysteric Style

I am participating in "Show Us Your Life...Living Rooms!" from Kelly's Korner blog. I have never participated in her weekly game, but since my blog is SUPPOSED to be about renovating a historic Southern home, I thought this week's topic was right up my alley!

If you're like me at all, you are quite nosy. :) I really have no shame--I will use any excuse to get into your house and look at your furniture, paint colors, bathrooms, accessories, etc. HGTV is almost always on in the Hysterical District, especially if House Hunters is playing! I just love looking at other people's decorating ideas and family heirlooms. I am definitely one of those people who peaks in your medicine cabinet when I use the restroom at your house. And if given the opportunity, I am more than happy to look in your junk drawer and judge you accordingly. Just kidding! (Kinda)

We bought our house in August 2007, about 5 months after we got married. We (and I use that term loosely) have done a lot since then. When you walk in our front door, you are entering directly into our living room/dining room--previously known as the "receiving" room. Since our house was built in 1912 we have old, heart-pine wood floors and plaster walls. Our ceilings are either 10 or 12 ft throughout. (Sorry, I'm only 5'1 so anything over the usual 8 ft is just flippin' tall to me!) It is my dream house--even though we still have a ways to go before it's actually dreamy--and I absolutely LOVE it!

These are a few "before" pics of our house. We were in the process of moving all of my mother-in-law's stuff out at this point. Back Story: We bought the house from H's mom because it just got to be too much for her to handle. It is hard for a single woman to take care of a big old house like this--trust me, something is constantly breaking, cracking, needing a paint job....the list is endless.

This, duh, is the dining room. You can't really tell from this picture, but this is seriously the most beautiful dining room set ever created in a factory. I heart it. It completes me. I whisper sweet nothings to those chairs on a regular basis. I scrimped and saved and sold a TON of advertising to pay for it! (I also had to do some major convincing to talk H into making a purchase like this, but I won't go into the details because this is a PG site. wink wink, nudge, nudge)

This is the living room! Please pay no attention to the flat-screen just chilling on the mantel with numerous cords and wires streaming below. Would you believe me if I said the TV is now professionally installed on the wall and all of the cords are hidden safely behind the plaster? Yeah....I didn't think so. In our defense--dealing with plaster is WAY more difficult than your typical drywall. And, story of my life, it's also WAY more expensive to find someone to work on it!

That is the tour of my living/dining room! If the Magical Cleaning Fairy comes or I get a chance to actually clean the rest of the place, maybe I can participate in more of Kelly's "Show Us Your Life-Home Tours"!

Dear Facebook...

Dear Facebook,

I know we've been together for a while now, and let me start by saying I appreciate everything you've done for me over the past few years. We've been through some good times and some bad times, and I think we've matured a lot over the course of our relationship.

We've had some really great times together. I will never forget the time we sat at my house and watched "Pants on the Ground" until I almost wet my pants! It makes me laugh just thinking about it! Or, when you kept telling me "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" and I had no idea what you were talking about...and then I finally took the time to watch the video, and my life hasn't been the same since! Ahhhh...those were some freakin' awesome times.

It almost felt as if we had our own little language--a way of communicating and keeping in contact without saying anything at all. I always felt special because it was something so simple between us that even worldly, intelligent kings of industry couldn't understand. I know, I know...sometimes we took it too far with all of the "OMFGs" and political stances, but hey Boo...we were kids then.

Which kinda brings me to my point. As much as I hate to admit it, my rose-colored glasses have come off now that I'm faced with such grown-up things as a mortgage and life insurance. I can only handle so many public displays of affection before I lose my mind. You know that ain't my style, after all. I just wanted it to be easy--no commitments, no needless interactions with your friends and family (because you know I've never really liked them too much to begin with). I don't want to sound too modern, or God-forbid even mildly 'liberal', but I was just looking for a good time...no strings attached. We would maybe hook up if we were alone and bored...until this whole thing just got way more serious than I anticipated.

Over the past few months I've been dodging your messages and emails and probably even faked it a couple of times (even though I'm sure you couldn't tell). I'm sure you've wondered why I've ignored your all-too-frequent requests and invitations lately. I should have told you sooner I suppose. I mean, I'm not saying we should totally break up. It's not like I'm gonna "un-friend" you or anything! I guess I just want some time to reconnect with the person I am inside--I think I lost her somewhere between Yo-ville and my own dignity.

Honestly, in the end, I think you know me pretty well. And I don't just mean the superficial stuff like my birthday and my favorite movie! You know the real me....the me that loves Gone With the Wind AND Michelle Obama. You know my dirty secrets, yet you've never judged me. And I know you know I sometimes pretend like I'm asleep or scurry out of the room with some lame excuse when you suddenly appear to "talk"--I shouldn't have treated you like that. It isn't something I'm proud of.

But in the end, it doesn't change the way I feel now. I'm sure I will see you--it's inevitable that we will bump into each other since we have so many mutual friends and so many events on the horizon. Hopefully we can get together like old times and exchange funny stories and photos. And knowing you, you will have some sort of hilarious video or memory-lane worthy tune that will try to suck me back in! LOL....some things will never change!

Like I said, I just need to get back to reality. Please understand it's not you, it's me.

Love,
TDC