A "Must Have" Item for Every Home

Remember when I told you here and here about our beefed up tailgating for Razorback games?  Well, we have a few new additions.  But there's one in particular that I consider not only the greatest addition to the tailgate, but also a perfect, applicable, practical thing to have around the house.

New Samsung LCD TV?  We did get one to replace the plasma in our bedroom that died, and we made sure that its replacement was tailgate-worthy.  But not the "must have" in question.

Mobile satellite DirectTV dish?  Though the DTV is fine, we have perfectly acceptable cable.  While neccessary for a tailgate, not applicable to my everyday life.  So no.

Honda Generator?  While we have survived some ice storms and snow storms up here recently and been without power for longer than I care to remember, not even this addition is as practical and useful as....

Margaritaville Key West  Frozen Concoction Maker

This little baby has been at my house for 72 hours, and I have to tell you, I do not know how I got along without it.  I believe in the short 3 days it has been here, I have had twice that many margaritas.  And that's a conservative guess so you don't get too worried about me.

My dear daddy bought this for our tailgate and it arrived just in time to come up for the Bama game this past weekend.  Friday night we anxiously opened and assembled it.  To be honest, I was cautious.  I occasionally enjoy a good margarita, and no at-home blender has ever done this blissful drink justice.  [And by occasionally, I mean every other day, twice on the weekends.]

Nonetheless, we assembled it and combined up the tequila and mix.  We poured that into the blender portion and then filled the ice reservoir with ice.  Then we hit one button and stood in awe as this little contraption shaved and blended the ice to perfection.  I did the honor of the first drink, and I was IN LOVE.  Smooth.  Perfectly mixed.  I'm not talking La Huerta good, I'm talking La Hacienda good.  Well, ok.  I will remain loyal to my beloved La Hac, but just know:  I'm willing to go there.

(Un)fortunately, my parents decided to entrust this fine piece of machinery to the hubs and I for safekeeping.  So at the very least, until late October, this bad boy is mine all mine.  I've been wondering if Ryan would let me throw out the toaster and the coffee pot so we can keep it out on the counter full time.  Dangerous, friends.  You need one.  I will never be caught without one of these again.

Weighing In

For those of you who haven't been around me over the past three weeks, I have developed a somewhat minor cough.  Physically I have felt completely normal, but I am just occasionally very rarely coughing a teeny bit.  Apparently a few people had started to notice and comment, especially my mother, so I decided to schedule a doctors appointment for today.

I should let you know now that I am not huge fan of medicine.  I mean I like doctors and everything they do well enough, but I mean I don't like actual medicine that you take.  I'm in the "if I can't beat this little cough on my own, I deserve to die" camp.  Cancer is one thing.  A sniffle is another.  I like to beat colds, flu, strep, etc. on my own.  Hello, I got strep in Myrtle Beach and didn't miss a day of beach time or happy hour.  I thought I was going to die, but I figured I might as well die tan and buzzing with the waves crashing around me.  Who could ask for more?

But after three weeks of very minorly coughing delicately, I decided to go in and get the prognosis.  I mean clearly I am not beating this and will die from it, so let's figure out how much longer I have.  I do love my doctor.  He's an old high school friend of my dad's and I just adore his whole family.  But I grudgingly missed an hour or so of work to visit Dr. Mark and present my I'm-not-that-sick case so my mom could sleep at night again.

Apparently everyone is sick or injured right now.  The waiting room was packed.  What a perfect time to Facebook stalk all of you and your friends and your friends of friends.  Peaceful.  Maybe this was worth it.  And then my name was called.  Headed back.  Followed the nurse down the hallway, smiling.  Happy.  Unsuspecting.  Full of Facebook gossip and excited to talk to Dr. Mark about Razorback football.  And then the nurse stopped.

At the scale.

We looked at each other for a minute.  About five thousand thoughts ran through my head like why does she have to weigh me for a cough?  Why did I let my mom make me come here for a cough?  Why did I decide to pig out at Las Fajitas for lunch?  Whose idea was it to skip my long run this week?  If I split, could the nurse catch me?

She looks at me like I'm crazy.  "Please step on the scale."  I stammer, "I wasn't prepared for this."  She just smiles.  A really awful, knowing smile.  She's thinking someone had enchiladas for lunch.  I then say "Um, should I take my shoes off?"  She says, "It doesn't matter, but you might want to put your purse down."  Thanks for the tip, woman.

I got on the scale and looked anywhere but the reading.  She says "Mmm hmm" like she was right about something.  Then she asks me "Would you like to know what it was?"  No lady.  No one in their right mind wants to know definitively from a doctor's scale what their weight was.  I thought that was why you guys used the weird metal bars that you move the little plastic things around on.  So I can't read it.  Has anyone ever answered yes to that question?  "Yes, you know, I've been curious what my weight is without a loose tile in the bathroom or an old uncalibrated scale or a minor monthly bloating to blame it on.  Tell me, what do I officially weigh?" 

I can't read these and I'm ok with it

"Um, no.  Thanks though." is all I can muster.  Shaken, I head back to the room, questioning my every food-related decision since about April.  We go into the exam room.  She gets out the cuff and takes my blood pressure.  "Hmm, your blood pressure is normal, but a little elevated for you.  Is something stressing you right now?"

I look at her.  Really?

Fauxidermy

As we established here, I have a penchant for weird decor items in my house.  And I struggle with constantly putting the same things on my wall:  picture of family, art, picture of family, art.  Repeat.  So how excited am I that there is a new, weird trend in wall art.  Taxidermy! 

Headhunter Taxidermy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, this ain't your grandpappy's taxidermy.  I'm talking chic conversation starters in your living room like these:

Red Deer

White Buffalo

Moose

Aren't these fabulous?  What a creative, chic, animal-friendly way to add some conversation-starting wall art to your house!  I showed this trend to Mr. Lowedown and he scoffed at it.  He then suggested I buy a real deer head and spray paint it.  I feel like he might be expressing some frustration with my spray painting obsession  of late.  Regardless, as I generally do, I won.  Please meet our newest addition to the in-progress living room redo:

This little guy is from my favorite home decor shop Z Gallerie.  Don't worry, I've already got the ram and the rhino in my shopping cart.  Just waiting on the go-ahead from the big guy.  Who is now on board.  Told you I always win.

Nothin' But a Good Time

Oh my.  It has been a little while since I  have updated.  I have to apologize - life has been busy.  Alli started dance class, we started back to Wednesday night church, football season is in full swing, and I've been to see Bret Michaels in concert.

Yes, you heard that right.  Bret Michaels of Poison and trashy television came to play at the AMP in Fayetteville last Thursday night.  Clearly being one of Bret's fans since forever (before the first season of Rock of Love, I'll have you know), I knew I was going.  And since Bret is a lot more mainstream now, I figured let's invite some of my awesome girlfriends/co-workers for a Girls Night Out!  We went to Shogun before for some good eating, and then we headed down the hill to see our (my) Brettie poo.

It was an awesome show, even for a non-Bret fan.  He played every great Poison song, from opening with "Talk Dirty to Me" and closing with "Fallen Angel."  And yes, friends, he did play "Unskinny Bop," "Look What the Cat Dragged In," "Every  Rose Has Its Thorn", and "Something to Believe In."  I don't think I sat still the entire time.  I sang at the top of my lungs!

I did get a VIP pass from a new and newly-ex friend.  But no matter how much sweet talking the girls and I did, we couldn't get back to meet Bret.  Maybe next summer...he swore about 10x he was coming back. I hope to add more pics later - clearly I didn't take any, so I'll have to get them from the ladies who accompanied me. 

BRET!!!!!!!!!!!!! (to the right side of the pic)

Yes, I got new cowboy boots special for the event...worth it

Razorback Football Season

Just wanted to update all of you - I know you may not be aware, but football season has begun.  And my family follows the Razorbacks to the ends of the earth (literally, we've actually followed them to Oxford, MS) for the entire fall.  Between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, I will NOT see the Razorbacks play in person four times.  Last year I saw them play 10 of their 13 games.  It's big time around here.

So as I mentioned here, we are really trying to get our tailgate off the ground.  We got tents, chairs, tables, a little grill that's about to be replaced by a bigger collapsible grill, and someone snuck some Razorback ice chests into the shopping cart.  Yesterday was the season opener - it was a gorgeous day and we had a great time.

I dropped Ryan off about 8 hours before kickoff to start setting up in the field behind our designated parking lot.  I went home and got the family, and we got back out there about 6 hours before kickoff.  Yes, Ryan sat out by himself in the peace and quiet for two hours with a stocked ice chest and very little else.  We got there, quickly fired up the grill, and got to tailgating.  All in all, a wonderful time.  Baggo, burgers, beer, and a Hog victory!  I don't think I could have asked for more, other than Houston Nutt losing to a scrub.  Oh wait...perfect day!

Me and the Bree hanging out

My mom and brother

Ol' RLowe and yours truly loving the weather!

Dear Ryan, I promise we will get you a bigger grill

Dad enjoying the food

Whining for Rhino

So soon after I confessed that I sucked at something, I'm going to let you in on another secret:  I'm copying someone.  And I have a new obsession.  And these two things go hand in hand.

You see, my dear friend Lindsey tuned me in to a blog done by a young couple with great home decor skills (and a knack for cheap and easy DIY projects) called Young House Love.  Although I could probably not be further apart from this couple in taste, color palette, and spending habits, their design aesthetic really spoke to me in a few ways.  The main one?  I lack white in my life. 

I am a big fan of bold colors and jewel tones.  But this blogging couple is my polar opposite - the majority of their house is done in shades of white.  Given the zoo that is my house with four animals, one kindergartner, and one big Ryan, that's pretty much out of the question for me.  I love the look in theory, but for us it just doesn't feel functional.

But man oh man, do I love their white accents.  White animals, white bowls, white vases.  White is the new teal for me.  And if you know me, you know that's saying something.

Once I saw this rhino in their living room, I knew it was the perfect weird accessory for my house.  The blog credited the fabulous Z Gallerie for this spectacular little find.  Of course I called immediately (he was under $30!!), but the nice lady at the call center let me know that he was discontinued.  My heart fell.  I don't think I slept well that night.  I spent most of the evening on various sites trying to locate a similar rhino (for less than $3000, please).  This search went on for weeks and weeks to no avail.  I may or may not have called the Z Gallerie outlet about 100 times asking them to check for one.  They never would, it is against their policy.

I then decided I would do something I would never ever do.  Even my mom was shocked.  I decided to go....antiquing.  Yes, I said it.  I decided to go see if some old lady with a booth at a crap store bought a Z Gallerie rhino and then decided to sell him.  Or to see if there was a rhino of any color anywhere that I could paint white.  After subjecting myself and my family and friends to hours of perusing old glassware, records, and metal signs, I was still rhino-less.  [And I actually love antiquing, much to my mother's surprise.  I just wanted to sound cool all those years.]  I was starting to give up.  Maybe I would like the Betta fish?  Maybe I would prefer a Buddha?  But no white rhino for me.

Enter Ryan.  And please remember when I told you Ryan is good at getting people to give him things.  He became a fan of Z Gallerie on Facebook, then posted on their wall informing them that I had been searching everywhere for this rhino and that he needed one.  They responded in 12 hours, telling him that the YHL rhino was discontinued (as was their newer version) but that they had tracked one of the newer rhinos down for him.  Less than 5 days later, I found this little gem boxed up on our front porch at lunch:

Oh yes.  Be jealous.  That's my white ceramic rhino.  His arrival was exciting enough for me to text coworkers and tell them I would not be returning to work that day.  I simply wanted to stare at him. 

There was great debate in the house as to where "Ryano the Rhino" (name courtesy Rlowe) should call home.  But for once the hubs won and he sits proudly on the dresser in the master bedroom where he watches me sleep and is completely out of the way of small children, goofy boys, and clumsy people.  Ginger is the only risk I see here, so fingers crossed she continues to be afraid of the decorative sticks behind him and keeps off the dresser entirely.

So what do you think?  Great conversation piece?  Love the quirky decor?  Fine for me but not for you?  Or just plain hate my rhino?  You know what, I don't care.  I'm literally obsessed with him and there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.

Now's the time to give HUGE props to my main man Ryan for hunting down the rhino no matter how weird he thought it was.  Love you!

Things I Suck at: Finishing a Room

I hope this does not be come a new segment here on the Lowe Down, but here's how I'm feeling:  I stink at home decorating.

I'm really good with picking a paint, painting the room, getting the big stuff like bedspreads, art, couches, etc. done.  It might not be a universal taste, but I do have taste and can be true to myself when starting a room.  However, once the big art is on the wall, the linens are on the bed, the shelves are hung...I lose steam.  Every.  Single.  Time.  The finishing things in a room are what make the room special to me.  They make a space feel full and "done" rather than "college kid just moved in."

This is the part I stink at.

Case in point:

Shelves in master bedroom

I got a great start on these shelves in our master bedroom.  These doves were a steal at Arty Crafty ($11 for the set) that I got for our dresser several months ago, but once they got replaced by a bigger ceramic animal on our dresser, I knew they would go well on a shelf somewhere (a story for another post).  I found the shelves in black at Bed Bath and Beyond and spray painted them a nice antique white.  The vases I collected as I went from various home decor stores, and the topiary was another Arty Crafty aquisition.  But now, I'm stumped.  I need one or two more things on that bottom shelf and I can't for the life of me figure out what needs to go there.  Picture?  Canvas?  Vases?  I keep thinking I'll know it when I see it, but so far, nothing.

Shelf in the master bedroom

Another case in point.  This shelf in our master bedroom actually looks pretty done with a vase, candles, art, and picture of the princess on it.  However, look at all of that glaring wall space underneath it!!  I need some kind of bench with pillows on it to go under there, but I haven't found the perfect bench for the perfect price yet. 

And finally:

End table in living room

Nope, I'm not ready to fully reveal the new living room to you yet - and here's why:  Finishing.  There are about three areas of the wall and both end tables that need that special pop to make our living room complete.  I promise I'm not going for a minimalist look here, I just can't find the right final touches.  Right now it looks like "oh wow, you're getting there!" but I'm ready for it to look like "oh wow! it's done!"  That could be never.  When is a room really complete anyway?

I'll gladly take thoughts and suggestions if you have any ideas for the spaces in the pictures I've shown you!