Material Girl

I dealt with a personal struggle of materialism after a design consultation with a client regarding her kitchen remodel. She lived in what I thought was an already beautiful home that was about to receive a complete overhaul, and I was there to help her plan her new kitchen. This project is a designer’s dream, with budget-less, tasteful, and personable clients.

This remodel was also obviously the homeowner’s dream, because they were making the home their own, with their own personal flare and style. The timing was right for them, and they were bursting with excitement to get the remodel started.

But, while I was in their home discussing the plan and the scope of their project, all I could think about was my brother who lost his home in the flood. For him, at that point, it was a necessity to have a place to live, rather than a desire to make [what some would consider] unnecessary changes to an already-functional house. This is an example of two families who were at different places in their life with different priorities at the time.

 

I was reminded of an argument that took place with a friend in college regarding the “lack-of-importance and purpose” of my interior design degree compared to his “highly-acclaimed” engineering one. I somewhat understood where he was coming from; I was not going to be a teacher, or a doctor, or a police officer, or anything that he considered “vital” to humanity. Even though I give those professionals (and many more) all the credit in the world for the work that they do, I still defended myself and my profession during that conversation.

Ever since my brother has experienced his loss, I have had to remind myself of my purpose again while at work. Yes, my job can be materialistic and lighthearted sometimes, but that is one of the things that make it so enjoyable. It is also fun to be creative and help clients make their home into their very own sanctuary. Decorating and personalizing a home can invoke different feelings, and I want my clients to have good emotions and reactions when spending time at home.

In addition to aesthetic aspects of design, I can help to make their home safer and more efficient. As an interior designer, I guide my clients towards making the right decisions based on my product knowledge and experience. Designer friends, feel free to add your thoughts and memories!

And regarding flooding, fires, and all other disasters that can occur, I also help people replace materials lost during those situations. I love it when, after the initial reactions to damages, homeowners can see them as “blessings in disguises” if they end up with a home even more beautiful than what they started with.

 

Maybe my college friend was trying to get me to stick up for myself, and maybe that argument was another “blessing in disguise,” because it made me realize a PURPOSE for my own personal career path.  And that's a good thing, because I love design!

Note: These pictures are not specific to the topics of this blog post, they are merely representations of my past work.

The best things in life aren’t things

My brother and his wife are a good team. They balance each other out, they have so much in common, and they love to do things together. They have worked hard for what they have in life, and they had a busy summer ahead of them. And by busy, I mean: buying and moving into their first house; starting their careers; having a baby… you know- BIG deal stuff!

They had every right to take pride in their first home, because they worked hard to clean it, make it their own, and get it ready for the arrival of their new baby.

Everything was falling into place. Then, a short time after closing and moving in, they were evacuated because of the impending flood. A week later, they were given the go-ahead to cautiously move back in, but be prepared to leave quickly if needed. Then…

SURPRISE!

…a beautiful baby girl arrived 5 weeks early to great the world patriotically on Flag Day and tell her daddy, “Happy Fathers Day!”

Since she was a preemie, my new, fragile, little niece had to spend some time in the neonatal intensive care unit while she learned how to breath, eat, and digest on her own. Stressful as it was, there was so much excitement upon her arrival. They visited her in the hospital every couple hours and hurried to complete more projects around the house.

Then, another mandatory evacuation order came, and they moved out again. This time was the real thing. The flood was coming. People were working furiously to protect the city, but some damage could not be prevented. All they could do was busy themselves with work, visit and care for their baby in the hospital, and watch from afar as the water crept up and took their home.

At a time like this, I am amazed that they can recognize the blessings in life: a grateful attitude and faithful upbringing; family and friends nearby who have helped, housed, and moved them; wonderful doctors and nurses who have cared for the baby; and the biggest joy of all is their little girl who arrived on her own time, but just in time.

I admire and commend them for the way they are handling this situation.

A lot of people have asked me what they can do to help. My answer is that a lot of assistance will be needed when it is finally time to clean up the mess and get them back into a home. Right now, all we can do is wait, lift them up in prayer, and remember to be grateful for what we have.

F.W.I.T.

There are many things I have learned by being a being a FWIT (Farm Wife In Training), and one of the lessons is this:

I have to love that he loves what he is doing.

I have to remember that he loves farming at times like these: when the weather does not cooperate; farmers are late in getting their crop planted; they work 18-hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks on end; and sometimes, just when you think you have everything done, a field must be re-seeded because the rain drowned it out. 

I don't hear J complain during these stressful seasons. 

One of the reasons I fell in love with him was his passion for this lifestyle.  He is goal-orientated, hard-working, deals with situations he knows he cannot change, and he can see the big picture.  He balances me out, because he doesn't get worked up about things he cannot control.  It takes someone like that to be in a profession where your livelihood depends on something as unpredictable as the weather. 

He never wanted me to feel like I was giving anything up by marrying him, like living close to my family, having the conveniences of city life, or keeping my job.  I often tell people that although moving to the farm has been a culture shock, I love it.  Looking back, I still can't believe I did it.  I never thought in a million years that I would marry a farmer.  Farming was what my uncles and cousins did.  I didn't know the difference between a combine and a tractor.  But then I met J and the rest is history!

Yup, that's me, the Big City Girl wearing high heels for our engagement photos in the corn and rye fields. 

(By the way, J would want me to clarify that he does not grow corn or rye.)  :)

Hmmm....What should I write about?

I love blogging.

I love me a good cup of coffee while sitting in front of the computer and catching up on all of the favorites in my blogroll.

I also love updating my friends and family about the latest and greatest news of our lives.

I know it has been over a month since I last posted. I have been wracking my brain trying to think of something interesting, cute, inspirational, and funny enough to share. All I could come up with are these mundane tidbits of my life [that didn’t quite make it as facebook statuses :) ]

-I knew I was a grown-up when I put an address label on my cake pan before taking my homemade dessert to a baby shower.

-When I turn my back, my son drinks out of the toilet. What kind of parent lets their kid do that?!  He is all boy.  Scars and all...

-I recently went to a new dentist. Did you know there is now an option to have the fluoride painted on, instead of the dreaded trays and suction hose?

-Does anyone want to come and mow the lawn for us? It only takes seven hours! Or, you could watch L while I mow. You choose!

-I miss the old HGTV. They used to air shows about do-it-yourself projects 24-7. Instead, now the schedule is filled with real estate based programming. [Sigh…]

-One of my favorite sights in the spring is watching the tiny green buds start to peer out in perfectly aligned rows in the freshly ground soil. So proud.

-This summer, we are anxious to welcome a sweet, little niece. We will also gain a new niece or nephew on the other side of the family in the fall. L loves cousins!

http://www.meganphoto.com/

Technolog-ized

The other night, we accessed the internet from our TV and ordered a movie about social networking. 

During the movie, I checked Facebook from my phone. 

The computer started "ringing," because a call was coming in on Skype.

Earlier, I accessed my work email from my computer at home using a remote desktop connection.

I scanned a fax and sent it electronically.

I texted a client, because that is "kosher" now.

I recently took a class online from the comfort of my own home.

I Googled recipes for rhubarb bread.

I started the laundry with the touch of a button instead of a turn of a dial.

I started my car from inside the house, then talked on the phone over the radio while driving.

I paid for my gas without going in.

The lines were too long at the store, so I checked myself out.

I missed my show, but was able to watch it later on the DVR.

I took a picture, and was able to share it with the world within seconds.



What is next?

California Celebration

In mid-February we had the privilege of being a part of J’s sister’s wedding day in California. The entire trip was fun-filled and included many firsts.

We spent some time at the beach…



Went to Hollywood and visited a wax museum...


Took a nice drive through Beverly Hills to potentially sneak a peek at famous people, and checked out the Walk Of Fame…



The next day was spent at Disneyland. Part of the fun was seeing L and J experience it for the first time. It really is fun for all ages!


"Sass Sass" and "Bun’s" wedding weekend was truly amazing. She invited us girls to an authentic tea party, boba drinks (Google it) and pedicures. The eve of the wedding ended with the groom’s proud parents hosting a delicious dinner and time with family and friends.


The wedding day was even more amazing. The rain did not crush any spirits; we were all too excited! C wore a modified-version of her mother’s wedding dress, and she looked stunning. Our niece’s flower girl dress was also made from J’s mother’s dress.


The wedding and reception were held just off the beach at an old casino in San Clemente. The venue was amazing, and the entire event was very well decorated and coordinated. It was humbling to see so many Minnesotans there to support the newlyweds.



Now that they are married, we are beaming with pride seeing how mature, inspirational, creative, understanding, fun and responsible their relationship is and will continue to be. Check out her blog at http://cassieland.me/.


The day after the wedding, our return flight was cancelled due to poor weather in Minneapolis. What do we do now? We started calling and found out the earliest available flight home would be three days later. That meant 3 more nights in a hotel and 3 more days of missed work. This is not going to fly. So, we hopped in the car to ride eight hours to J’s grandpa’s house in Phoenix and caught a flight home the next morning. Now, we can laugh that our seemingly-out-of-the-way side-trip was the fastest way home!

Cake “flops”

Before I begin the actual post, you should know that this is my second time drafting this message.  Against my better judgement, I would like to tell you why...

Here I am at the computer composing a post when the doorbell rings.  It is common for the doorbell to sound when we use the microwave, plug something in, or just out of the blue.  Old house = old wiring.  So, being that I am still in my pajamas (Hey, I enjoy my day off as much as Bruno Mars), I did not get up to check the door to see if this was a fluke or if we actually had a visitor. 

A minute later, the power went out and the computer shut off.  Shoot!  I lost everything. 

I got up to look out the window, and sure enough, there is someone in the yard working on the electrical box.  He was probably checking to see if anybody was home before shutting off the power, and I never answered the door.  I have learned my lesson; I will check to see if it is a false alarm when the doorbell rings from this point forward.  Now on to the post...




My friend makes these amazing creations for different occasions and I’ve been curious about them since she featured them on her blog: http://alongcameswaune.blogspot.com. It was so inspiring to see what her finished product looked like, and my mouth watered just looking at them!

These Cake Balls and Cake Pops originated from a genius blogging baker, http://www.bakerella.com, whose recipe has gone viral and landed her [what I consider to be] fame and fortune. Since first hearing about them, I have seen other friends making creative cake pops for baby showers and they have been featured in food magazines.

So, imagine my excitement when I had the idea that these “cake balls” would be perfect to serve at L’s 1st birthday party. I collected numerous cake mixes and frosting flavors.

I baked, crumbled, and mixed...

Then I rolled and dipped, taking pictures along the way hoping to blog about how great they would turn out…

In the end, after taste-testing, neither my husband nor I thought it would be a very good idea to serve my “cake flops” to our guests.  Sadly, they were hidden in the deep freeze and replaced with classic cupcakes for the party.

I must be doing something wrong.  My best guess is that I have not perfected the cake-to-frosting ratio yet, or I am using the wrong cake-and-frosting-flavor combinations, or it may simply come down to the fact that I do not really care for cake in the first place. (I know, a gal who loves sweets as much as I do doesn’t like cake?! That’s crazy talk!) Whatever it is, I wish the rest of you who have attempted-to-make or indulged-in this novelty the best of success and delicious-ness!


If you are curious to learn more, please visit the links above to see how these ladies succeeded…. I’ll leave the cake pops to them!