blah!

I'm ready to share lots of things with you.

but i don't feel like it.
i feel very, very blah....
i still have my draft of insta-friday from last week {a post recaping the week in instagram pictures. i'll show you this friday}

i haven't gotten out of my yoga clothes from this morning.
good thing it was just some light yoga & stretching cause if not i'd totally stink.

but Douglas & i did run to the bank & the post office today. yes, in my yoga clothes. Billy kept an eye on Isabella for me {she was asleep the whole time}

outside the bank we saw this!

a moth.

a giant moth.

i have a very low tolerance for moths. meaning that they make me gag. they scare me. give me the hibbie jibbies.

i guess we have a knack for finding moths though. {like the one we found coming out of its cocoon a couple months back - here}

of course D had to "pet it".

that was the highlight of the day pretty much.

i think maybe i'm blah because of my grandma.

she's been living with my mom but now she's decided to go visit family in NC & Maryland for a couple of months. from there she's going back to Cali to spend time with my only aunt, her sisters & their kids.

by Christmas she wants to be in El Salvador.

she wants to stay there.

she feels like a burden.

honestly, she kind of is.

she stayed with us for a few days and it was like having another kid.. except you can't tell her no. i mean you can't get on to her.

and she doesn't speak or read english so she used my lysol wipes that were on the toilet as wet wipes for her ummm... self. lol funny & sad at the same time.

every day she wanted to be take out. to go somewhere, even if it was just for a ride.

she eats like 10 meals a day. plus snacks.

she wants to go to walmart with you. and look at every single thing! by the time you get to groceries she's tired & ready to go home. but not before she sneaks a chocolate bar into the cart.

actually.... this sounds a lot like me. well, except for the using lysol wipes on your butt part. and normally it's red bull i sneak in. not chocolate. 

she also says that she feels like her life is coming to an end and it's too expensive to be buried in the US. she doesn't want to put that on us. she wants to see the family she hasn't seen in a while. last time she was in El Salvador was about 6 years ago. that's her home. our home. 

my grandma {or abuela} & my mom came to visit last Saturday.

that might have been the last time i got to see her. the last time she saw my children, my husband, my brother. me.

though she's a handful i can't imagine life without her in it.

mi abuelita.

the woman i was named after.

no matter what i know that every morning she gets on her knees and begs God for me. to protect me, teach me, love me, take care of me and my family. i know that she names us by name before The Lord. I can't imagine her not doing that.

after she prays she "works out" she does laps around the house. {smile} she does neck exercises. look right, left, up, down, right, left... lol no stiff old lady here. then she eats an eggo waffle with banana slices & syrup on top.

maybe this is what i needed. just to reflect & share her.

thanks for reading...

words from Pinterest

so, you know i love me some pinterest.

i love all my boards.

today though i feel the need to share a little "pick-me-up".

a little fun.

a few wise words.

on pinterest you can find lots of interesting, fun, wise quotes.

some that seem made just for you.

like this one:

i love lemons.

i love cupcakes

my wedding colors were pink & yellow.

it's almost like it was made for this little corner of the universe that is wholly me.

this blog.

MY blog.

there are also funny ones.

this one totally cracks me up.

and things that i wish i could tell some people.

ha ha! love it!

you can find quotes to remind us of what is important in day to day life. even in the minute {my-nute?}.

quotes to remind me to be myself.

you be yourself too!

even when it's hard.

even when you're not sure.

even when you think others will dislike you for it.

wise words.

words that remind me that even when being "myself" i must be considerate.

words to remind me not to waste my time, my life, or my family's time with petty things like anger.

 worry.

{this one reminds me of my mother-in-law. she's a worrier & has passed that trait onto her son. my husband. hi susan!}

 and even yesterday.

past times even with all the great memories won't get you anywhere today.

everyday is a new day & should be taken as an opportunity for new memories, new creations, new achievements.

i hope that you enjoyed these!
and i hope that you have a great day, because my favorite thing about this blog is sharing it with you!

Martha Monday {painting vertical stripes}

so, Martha Stewart didn't have much to say about painting vertical stripes.
at least not that i found.


so, hi! i'm emma & i painted these beautiful walls almost all by myself!
{my brother helped... a little}

so instead of a Martha Stewart info column {see here, here, here, here, here, & here}
i'll be the one giving the tips!


so, here are my tips for painting vertical stripes.


tip # 1- always start with the lighter color first!
First paint a base coat on the entire wall. for stripes that's really important because the base coat will be one of the stripes


tip #2- measure TWICE paint once.
from sewing i've learned that you measure twice, cut once. instead of ruining your work, your fabric, the whole thing. i would suggest {& so would the rest of the "experts" online} that Stripes should be between 4" and 12" wide. {A width of less than 4" would be too narrow and busy; more than 12", too wide and heavy} my stripes as 4 & 8 inches wide. measure from the corner least seen out. i used a pencil to mark my lines. I think a laser level would've been ideal for this! if i had one.


tip #3- mark the stripes you're NOT going to paint!
mark them with an x, or as i did in the picture below, with a diagonal strip of tape. you might get in the painting groove & paint a spot that you weren't supposed to.
{mathew & billy thought i was going to paint diagonal lines on those. silly boys}

tip #4- paint your edges FIRST!!

tip #5- be patient with the tape.
it'll tear your base color off if you don't wait 48 hours before even thinking of measuring & taping your stripes. trust me! 

and last but most important!

tip #6- know what you're up against.
48 hours for base coat to dry. if you need to primer before that you'll need to make sure that dries. then dry time for the stripes. cleaning your walls before you even begin. this is at least a 4 or 5 day process. not 2 like initially thought. & that's not counting the 3 layers of wall paper & boarder I had to remove. also look up "painting vertical stripes" on youtube. there are some great videos by Home Depot!

 love my stripes, though it was kind of a pain to do because i didn't know tip #6 & didn't know there were 3 layers of wallpaper. i'm still glad that i followed through, did it right & got the kitchen paint i wanted!