Blog baby!

posted by sometrouble @ 11:24 AM | Test Category Two | Friday, September 29, 2006


A blogger friend of mine, Redhead Mommy had a baby girl last week! Go and see pictures of beautiful little Lydia and congratulate her!

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At October 06, 2006 10:15 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Isn't she just the cutest?!!

 

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Everything is colored!

posted by sometrouble @ 9:53 AM | Test Category Two | Thursday, September 28, 2006

Since the weekend our crazy business has continued. We painted, painted, and painted. We got the guest bedroom all done, the living room ceiling and walls have each received one coat of paint in their original color just to make it look nicer. The hallway got the same treatment. Both bathroom ceilings got re-painted white. Painted one coat on the bathroom walls. Painted one coat on the master bedroom walls. Bought paint for ALL the trim in the house.

We still need to: Put up two ceiling fans. Paint the kitchen ceiling and walls with one coat of white. Paint ALL the trim. Second coat the master bedroom. Second coat (repair?) of the bathroom. We have an appointment for carpet cleaning on Friday. Then we can move in!

I will post photos of all the rooms later on. Right now, it's all about the bathroom. I said "repair" above...because I think the color needs fixing.
dancing greenRemember the "dancing green" color from the last post? That was the color we picked for the bathroom. The online color isn't exactly like what the card from the store looks like...but close. I wanted a fresh spring green type of color. Something in between pastel baby green and lime green. I thought this was the right color...it looked good on the card. However, bathroom's are small...and whatever color you use, that's a lot of color in one small space. I brushed a little on one spot on the wall...and still couldn't imaging the effect of the whole room being painted. My grandmother and aunt both said at separate times that they weren't sure about it. But I didn't listen...and Chad's mom kept reassuring me that it would be fine and that once I get the mirror up and put a shower curtain and towels in there, it would tone it down.
So we painted.
And I hate it.
As we were painting, I thought this isn't so bad...it looked much lighter (as most paint does when it is wet). Then as it dried, and I kept going to look at it...it was getting more and more fluorescent each time I looked at it! Chad wanted to go ahead with the second coat...and then change it later on if we don't like it. I told him I DON'T like it...and we might as well change it now. We have a half a gallon of paint left...so I was thinking about just mixing some white to what we've got and if it's better, put that up. That would save us from having to buy a whole new gallon. I have to see what can be done today. But it is not staying like this.
MIL painting, see how light it looks in the corner where it is wet? green greeeeeeeen

.~:~:~.
On a completely un-related note:
Some people should not be allowed to have babies until they get some common sense. I saw a woman walking with a stroller down the sidewalk this morning on my way to work...I wish I'd taken a photo. The temperature this morning was 49 degrees F according to the radio. She was wearing jeans and a thick flannel long-sleeved shirt. Guess what she dressed her kid in? Shorts and a T-shirt. He was sitting there with his bare legs and only socks hanging from the stroller in 49 degree weather! I don't know what goes through some people's heads.

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2 Comments:

At October 13, 2006 7:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

*Raises her hand* I really like the bathroom colors!

 
At October 16, 2006 9:09 AM, Blogger sometrouble said...

Honestly...it is kinda growing on me...or maybe I'm just beginning to not really mind (or care), we still haven't done anything to it...we just shut the door...and are using the other bathroom.

 

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Paint Chips

posted by sometrouble @ 10:18 AM | Test Category Two | Monday, September 25, 2006

We recieved the keys to our new house friday night. Saturday morning, we picked up paint and supplies, rented a steamer to remove wallpaper, and headed out to the house. Here's the account of our weekend, complete with "before" and "under construction" pictures.
sensational sand
beacon gray
november skies
bagel
dancing green


Saturday:
We got up and drove to my mom's house and to my grandparents' to borrow several dropcloths. Then we drove to the Sherwin Williams store and spent lots and lots of $$$ on paint and primer and rollers and brushes and a nifty little tool for cutting in around the edges of the walls. Then we went back to the apartment and gathered up a folding table and some chairs, a radio, some pop, some lunchmeat and cheese, a ladder, and old clothes to paint in. Chad and I stopped at Home Depot to pick up the steamer, and look at ceiling fans to put in the kitchen over the table. We agreed on one! But he didn't want to buy it right then. Chad's parents helped us with the prep, wallpaper removal, and painting.

Chad and his mom got started with the "paper tiger", DIF, scrapers, and the steamer on the wallpaper in the master bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The guy at Home Depot told us to score the paper with the "tiger" first, then spray on the DIF and let it soak in for a while. Then use the steamer to further loosen the paper, and scrape it off. They tried this method on the border in the master bedroom first. It didn't work so well. The scoring just made the paper come off in tiny bits, and the DIF just made a mess. In the bathroom, they stopped scoring and just steamed it off. The top half of the paper came off leaving the yellow gluey part of the paper still stuck to the wall.

I started with the second bedroom, since there was no wallpaper or damage that needed repairing. I washed all the walls and Chad's stepdad took off all the outlet and register covers for me. We spread out the dropcloths, and Chad's mom and I set to work painting the ceiling. It's amazing how much better a fresh coat of white ceiling paint makes a "fine looking" ceiling look!

Then I moved into the bathroom to help Chad's mom with the scraping. Thankfully whoever put up the wallpaper had the sense to prime the walls first. However, the paper was stuck so good in some spots, that the primer was peeling off the drywall leaving loose and bare spots. No painting this room until we can fix that. Chad washed the glue off the walls in the master bedroom meanwhile, and then washed the bathroom walls when we finished. His mom moved on to the border in the kitchen, and I went to Meijer for some groceries.

We finished with all the wallpaper at about 1:00 AM, good thing since we had to have the steamer back the following morning. We drove home, went to bed after 2:00 AM, and I was woken up at 7:30 AM by the cat repeatedly pouncing on my head. I miss him while we're out there working...wish I could bring him along, but he would just be in the way.

Don't let the sweetness of his sleeping face fool you...he is such a little terror.

Sunday:
Sunday started with Chad and his brother heading out to patch the bathroom walls, and fix a crack in the master bedroom ceiling with mud. I arrived at the house a little later, and Chad's mom had almost all of the hallway ceiling painted. When she finished that, we primed the pink master bedroom walls. Then we were able to apply the first color! Gave the guest bedroom walls the first coat of "beacon gray" (shown at the top of this post). Then I painted both bathroom ceilings all by myself (I am proud of this!). We washed the glue off the kitchen walls and I got to thinking that we shouldn't paint the ceiling until we mount the bracket for the fan...so that if we have to cut the drywall...or get dirty fingerprints up there...it will get covered. So we decided to get ahold of someone who can help us with that, and while we're at it, we will move the white fan from the master bedroom to the guest bedroom, and get a new fan for our bedroom. We might also put a fan in the office. Chad likes his air moving...and thinks we should just do them all at once while we have the guy to help...I say sure...if I can pick out fans quickly that are within our budget. We finished up Sunday with a second coat to the walls of the bedroom...and almost ran out of paint. We were able to scrape just enough out of the can to cover the outlet plates.

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1 Comments:

At September 26, 2006 2:13 AM, Blogger Allie said...

WOW!! That's a lot of work. I'm exhausted just from reading about it.

Wish I could come see the new house! I'll see what I can do about winter break...

 

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so.freaking.tired

posted by sometrouble @ 11:20 PM | Test Category Two | Sunday, September 24, 2006

Too tired to post properly about the weekend, so I give you:
...Sebastian the Saint Bernard!


He looks tired too, huh?

1 Comments:

At September 25, 2006 4:11 AM, Blogger Allie said...

He looks tired too. Saint Bernards always give me the impression of being sleepy.

 

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Ethan Andrew for Sara

posted by sometrouble @ 1:19 PM | Test Category Two | Friday, September 22, 2006

This is a shot I took for my friend of her son Ethan's feet at four months old. It was an experiment and good practice for me...and she gets cute pictures of him. It's a great little system we have worked out. I take my camera with me whenever I visit her.

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i *heart* this little guy so much!!!

posted by sometrouble @ 10:16 PM | Test Category Two | Thursday, September 21, 2006


He learned how to jump to the kitchen windowsill today...and he's loving it. Been sitting there every chance he gets. Every time I walk in the kitchen, he hops up there and stretches toward me as if to say "look mom, what i can do now! I'm closer to you!" (yes, we think of and refer to ourselves as his "mom" and "dad"...i know its silly...but he is part of the family...and he doesn't have his mommy anymore, and he's so little. so BAH to anyone who's laughing at me right now.)

I love the way he wedges between the couch armrest and my hip and gives himself a bath and then takes a nap. It is our little evening routine.

I love the way he shoves his wet little kitten nose in my face when he wants some attention.

I love the way he "chews me out" when I come home, as if to say "you left me bored and alone all day long, HOW DARE YOU."

I love the way he burrows under the covers and all the way to my feet, and sleeps there most of the night.

I love the way he sleeps on the bath towels on the shelf in the bathroom in the morning while I take a shower and blow dry my hair.

I even love the way he gently love bites me when we're snuggling. (Just not the way he furiously chews on whatever flesh he can get his teeth around when he is feeling spastic and ignored.)

I <3 Cato!

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1 Comments:

At September 22, 2006 3:35 AM, Blogger Allie said...

Reading about all the Cato love you are getting is making me jealous!

I want a lil wet nosed, love biting kitty of my own!!

 

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random photo thursday

posted by sometrouble @ 11:47 AM | Test Category Two |


Found this photo and it made me laugh today! I miss those hotties!

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6 Comments:

At September 21, 2006 7:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tee hee you're getting groped! Btw I *really* love your wedding dress, it's beautiful.

 
At September 21, 2006 8:14 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

yep groped i was...you should see the OTHER photos! Thanks...i wish i could wear it again, just because. :o)

 
At September 22, 2006 3:34 AM, Blogger Allie said...

I miss your hottie-po-tatties!!
*wink wink* The ones I am groping!!

 
At September 22, 2006 1:10 PM, Blogger Allie said...

I just have to say, I love how giddy you look in this picture. Like a bride on her wedding night!! ^_^

 
At September 22, 2006 1:18 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

Alyson: And how do YOU know what a bride looks like on her wedding NIGHT???

word verification: fuooy :o)

 
At September 22, 2006 10:38 PM, Blogger Allie said...

hahahaha! I...guessed...??? lol

 

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*wants*

posted by sometrouble @ 12:19 AM | Test Category Two | Wednesday, September 20, 2006


Two days until we get the keys to the new house! Then the work will commence, so we can get things in order to move in. I suppose I should start packing things up in the apartment...

I need to take a week off to sort, box, pack, clean, paint, shop, haul, arrange, unpack, organize, assemble, and notify. There are so many things to think about when moving besides just relocating you stuff. We have already notified the utility companies to change things into our name on friday. I have changed my billing adress with my credit card...but nothing else yet. We still each have some bills going to our parents houses, because it was easier to just switch once, than have to worry about collecting important mail from the apartment after we move. So those need to be switched now. We both had to get new drivers licenses with new pictures and everything; me because I changed my name when we married, and him because his expired. So they both have our apartment address...so we will get address change stickers on them. We have to look into putting our vehicles on our homeowner's insurance policy...because it might save us $$$ to have all 3 with one provider, and we are moving considerably further away from the city of detroit than we ever lived before...and that makes your car insurance drop a lot because of auto theft rates. Everyday I think of something else that has to be done...then forget what it was because I don't write it down.

We have a short list of things that need to be done to the house...preferably before we move in. Like paint the two bedrooms, remove wallpaper and paint the bathroom, paint the living room ceiling, and clean the carpets. Not too much.

There there's a long list of things we *WANT* to do to the house...some as soon as possible...and some down the road. General maintenance things that hold some importance like: seal the blacktop on the driveway, repair a non-functioning electrical outlet on the back porch, and sealing the seams between the poured basement walls and the cinderblocks on top of them (that gives us our 10 foot basement ceiling) on the outside with tar to prevent any water seepage. Finally, there are the things that hold less immediate necessity and are mainly just desires: replace ugly chandelier light over kitchen table with a ceiling fan, get a new stove, get a chest freezer, finish the basement, strip and refinish the doorwall, build a deck in backyard, build a shed in backyard, and get a new refridgerator and put the old one in garage for extra space.

Then there's our personal *wants*; which in most cases, we can't agree on. Chad wants to built a horseshoe pit in the backyard, which I don't really want because I don't think he will really use it all that much. I have been saying since we started looking for a house that I would like to have a pergola...he doesn't like this idea for some reason (I don't know why) and doesn't want one. I'm trying to work a compromise here. I will stop arguing the horshoe pit if he will be agreeable to my pergola. We'll see what happens.

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1 Comments:

At September 21, 2006 3:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yay congrats on your house! I really like the idea of a pergola. Best of luck with the moving!

 

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Avast, Mateys!

posted by sometrouble @ 9:39 AM | Test Category Two | Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Arrrgghh! September 19th be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!


Say something piraty today, or I'll make ye walk the plank! Savvy?



Go find out your pirate name, mine is:


Red Jenny Rackham


Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!


Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

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Oh the places you'll go!

posted by sometrouble @ 11:57 AM | Test Category Two | Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Woke up this morning just before the alarm. Our room was dark and I just laid there between my sleeping husband and kitten listening to the pouring rain. The crisp air smelt fresh and I snuggled deeper under the covers wishing I didn't have to move at all this morning.

Lazy Lightning's recent wedding and honeymoon trip as well as Numine and Rachemicah's annual trip to Glacier National Park has gotten me thinking about trips I REALLY want to take. Here's a list of the places Chad and I want to go together (preferably before we have kids), in some sort of order of likelyhood to actually happen:

~ Niagara Falls (I've been many times...he's never seen it)
~ Chicago (Pretty close to us, he's been there, I never have.)
~ Mackinac Island (This is where Chad proposed to me on my first trip there two years ago. We both love it, and want to go back MANY times.)
~ The Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. (Camped with my family as a child there, my mom and sister went camping there last year, and will probably go again, so we can go with them.)
~ Michigan's Upper Peninsula Been there camping as a child, want to see it again!
~ South or North Manitou Island or both...backpacking and camping!
~ San Diego (I've been once, didn't get to go to the zoo, he's never been to CA!)
~ New England I have no concept of what this area is like, I would like to see and experience it with Chad.
~ Road Trip Out West (I want to drive all over, and see everything...did you know that I-94 goes all the way from the Port Huron, Michigan/Sarnia, Ontario border to Billings, Montana?
~ Idstein Germany (and all over the country, that is the town I spent 3 months living in with my grandparents who lived there a year.)

That's all I can come up with at this moment. Where do YOU want to go? Comment your lists...or post them on your own blog (just tell me, so I can come see)...or even tell me just ONE place you dream of visiting. If anyone DREAMS of Detroit...I can help with that! I'm making this into my own made-up meme of sorts...and if nobody answers, I will be FORCED to start TAGGING people! Mwahahahahaha!

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5 Comments:

At September 12, 2006 2:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmm. A lot of your places are very achievable, which is awesome. you could even kill a few birds with one stone if you took a road trip sometime!

New England is very different, and SO beautiful (houses and buildings hundreds of years old, etc). Bring your camera! CZ and I visited Boston and Salem in 2004 with his family (see my gallery), and I have been to Nova Scotia and highly recommend it.

Places I'd like to go?

Well... some island/paradise destination, sometime (Bahamas, Hawaii, Cancun, whatever). We're not very 'islandy' type people, which is exactly why I think it'd be different and fun.

The grand canyon, because I think everyone should see it and I haven't.

Back to the Banff area to spend some serious time.

Back to Nova Scotia because I was 13 last time, and VERY teenaged about the whole family vacation ordeal.

To see my mom and dad in the east.

To see CZ's family in the west.

Seattle to see various friends.

Europe (thinking France, Spain, Germany)

Japan (because it would be SO strange to me)

 
At September 12, 2006 3:29 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

Oh yea...we want to go on a cruise at least once. I've heard some people don't like it...and I might prefer to have freedom to go wherever...but I hear Alaska cruises are amazing!

I haven't seen the grand canyon yet either...that would be on the "to see" list if we went driving.

You should go to St. Martin. It was perfect...we went for our honeymoon. Not too ritzy...but TONS of fun. The island is small enough that it was easy to find things to keep us occupied when there. Chad's not one fore sitting on the beach 24/7, so we rented a car and had adventures...I should blog the trip...never got around to that.

 
At September 14, 2006 9:16 AM, Blogger nodakademic said...

My aunt and her husband went on an Alaskan cruise and LOVED it.

 
At September 16, 2006 5:18 PM, Blogger Kat said...

Let's see... I bet I can wing a few out:

-Greece, Italy, and Southern France (possibilities for a honeymoon :)

-Central Africa

-The Seychelles, off the African coast

-The US VI, especially St. John's, with Justin to scuba

-Back to Kyoto and Tokyo, though I've already seen them, and especially Kyushu because I didn't get a chance to go there

-Alaska, for wildlife photography and backpacking

-The Canyonlands in Utah, for backpacking

-Patagonia, with Justin's dad next spring

and finally...

-Antarctica because it's like nowhere else on earth

 
At September 17, 2006 5:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm...lets see...

Arches National Park in Utah

Grand Canyon

Joshua Tree in CA

Colorado

Paris, Rome, Moscow, Venice, Greece, Switzerland, Africa, Australia, New Zeland

:)

 

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SPF: your world

posted by sometrouble @ 10:39 AM | Test Category Two | Friday, September 08, 2006

Had such a busy week, and a crazy day...I finally got these up. I had to really fight with blogger to get the pictures to post. If you haven't switched to blogger beta...DON'T! Besides not being able to post photos 90% of the time, I always get an error message when trying to leave comments on people's sites who are still running the original blogger. Anyway...without further talk...here's SPF:

1. My Freedom

Because I love to drive by myself in my car and listen to the radio. I don't like driving with other people, and I don't like riding passenger. I love the "me time" I get just commuting. I don't even mind if traffic is bad, as long as I've got some music, and my thoughts...I am happy!

2. My Hope

My Hope (and my husband's) is to one day (not today and not tomorrow) have kids. We both want to have a family...we just aren't quite ready for that just yet. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me to be responsible for another human being...right now. I know when the time comes we will be able to handle it. I just don't want to jump into that yet.

3. My Wish

My wish right now is to get a new car. I don't have a certain one in mind that I MUST have...and it doesn't even have to be brand new. I just want something with a little more room and less quirks. It seems that practically every other day, the car I've got has some oddball problem...or something has ceased to be attached properly (side mirror, taillight, cruise control, air vent, etc).


Did you play? And...don't forget to go and tell Kristine if you played!

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4 Comments:

At September 09, 2006 2:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The baby will come when the time is right. :-)

Good luck on the car hunting- that's always so much fun.

 
At September 09, 2006 5:24 PM, Blogger Dave said...

I wish you luck in having a baby (and in not having one yet.) I'm so eager to have one or three of my own, but I know I've got quite a wait yet.

and Ugh. I'm dreading looking for a new car, but mine's about to kick the bucket. Actually, I'm not dreading looking, I'm dreading paying.

 
At September 10, 2006 8:32 AM, Blogger Irish Church Lady :) said...

Thanks for visiting my SPF.
Your first pic isn't showing but I see the other two. Good ones!

I've heard a lot of negativity about the blogger beta. I haven't been approached to switch yet.

 
At September 10, 2006 6:01 PM, Blogger Tammy said...

Wow. I love your freedeom pic. Awesome. Good luck on the baby thing!

 

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moving date!

posted by sometrouble @ 5:48 PM | Test Category Two | Wednesday, September 06, 2006

I heard from the previous owner of our new house today. She said they have set their moving date for September 22nd. So we can move in anytime after that. That's just over two weeks away! I can't believe it. I am so very excited to be in the new house. At the same time, though, I'm a little sad to be moving so far away from where we are right now. Here, we are both less than 10 minutes from work by car...and I can go home and see the hubby on my lunch hour. Where we are moving, it will be at least a 30 minute drive...going home for lunch will be out of the question. We are right near a very popular little suburban downtown area with many independent shops and restaurants...and I feel like we haven't taken advantage of that enough. I love the area we are in...just not so much the tiny upper flat...and there is no way we could afford a decent house here...prices (and taxes) are astronomical. We both have always said we want to live out where we will be moving to...but it is just hard, because everyone we know is nowhere near there. I will miss the little place we have just a tiny bit, because it is the first place we both lived in on our own after living with parents...and it is the first place we shared together.

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3 Comments:

At September 07, 2006 4:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, good luck with the move! we just moved last month and even though it was a huge pain in the butt, we love our new house sooo much!!

 
At September 07, 2006 5:45 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

thanks! I'm going to start packing some un-necessary things into boxes already. As it is now...it looks like we exploded all over the tiny apartment!

 
At September 08, 2006 3:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

congrats! :)

hows things around Henkel?

 

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New Background

posted by sometrouble @ 4:57 PM | Test Category Two | Friday, September 01, 2006


I have been wanting something for the background of the site for a while...but hadn't found what I really wanted, until I looked over at 1Greeneye. Lee is brilliant and talented...I love her patterns, textures, and brushes! Trouble is, now I can't decide what to use. I narrowed it down to these three styles then modified the coloring a bit with Lee's permission to better match the site. I am planning on toning down or completely removing most of the gray things remaining on the site, including changing the sidebar headings to match the banner font and color...so don't worry if it looks funny with that. The current background is also from Lee's art, and that would be number 6.

I can't make up my mind, so even if you normally never comment...please give me your opinion. You can full view the samples if you click them. Thanks!

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5 Comments:

At September 02, 2006 2:55 PM, Blogger Allie said...

I like the one you have up. Option 6. It's softer so it doesn't jump out at you but completes the site and ties in the other colors you are using.

So, that's my input :)

 
At September 02, 2006 2:57 PM, Blogger Allie said...

or option 5 :)

 
At September 03, 2006 10:00 AM, Blogger nodakademic said...

I'm going with 5!

3 is also cute. Now I have to go over there and look myself, because my bloggy needs a facelift too!

 
At September 06, 2006 8:51 AM, Blogger Denise B. said...

I think I like 2,3,4. For some reason, the ones with the darker flower pattern seem to look better. Hope this helps!

 
At September 07, 2006 4:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I dunno if the voting is over, but I love the one you have up! It's cool!

 

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