5 Question Friday - 4/30!

So I've decided that 5QF is a good time to recap my week for everything I didn't talk about in the past week's posts. Feel free to scroll past the non-5QF stuff if you wish, or read the whole post. I'll try & keep the non-5QF stuff brief.

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OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG, I am so.effing.happy.this.week.is.over. I was in this class for work & this psycho guy literally p!ssed off everyone - even threatened me! Yep, a 13 week pregnant woman. It was sooo ridiculous, so a bunch of us banded together & reported him. I hate to say this, but I hope he either gets fired or gets SERIOUS repercussions for the way he was behaving in class. Ugh. I'm so happy it's over & I can just go back to my normal life at work. So sad that I actually want to go back to work. Says a lot about that class huh? It was mainly that dude though...so effing frustrating. Okay, that's all the blog space he gets outta me, just had to vent.

Today was a pretty cool day though after the class was over. we got to see Baby J again. I don't think I'll post the pic b/c it's not very clear. The u/s machine at this place we went to sucked compared to the place we went last week, but the baby's h/b was 162 bpm, s/he was measuring right on track for how far along I am (12w6d) & we saw him/her moving around bit in there! We went for the NT Scan, which is a test (blood work + u/s) that tests for several genetic disorders, one of which is Down's Syndrome. Our baby is considered very low risk due to my age & the lack of any genetic issues in either of our backgrounds. They can't tell you the final results until the blood work comes back, but the u/s part went perfect - everything looks normal with the little one. :)

Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled blogging - 5QF. If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my follower's answers)!

1. If you could, would you go back to high school?


The answer to this one is an emphatic hell-to-the-naw. My ex boyfriend (of 5.5 years/high school sweet heart) was so horrible to me & pmb (prettymuchbasically) ruined my HS years for me. The only times I had fun in HS was when were broken up. So so sad, but true.
 
2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".)

Hmmm, this is a hard one. But I think wish #1 would be to have a healthy, happy, strong family with more babies a little lata on!  I know this sounds shallow, but wish #2 would definitely be that money is no object & that we could afford whatever we wanted. I know it doesn't buy you happiness & is the root of all evil, but I'm already happy, now I'd just like to be a SAHM momma with Baby J (& the future kiddos) & not have to worry about the bills & be happy...UKWIM?





3. What kids show do you secretly like?

LOL, it's more of a tween show, but I like "That's so Raven" on Saturday mornings, I sit back, relax & watch it while DH is still sleeping in, hehehehe.



 

4. What is your beverage of choice?

Well if I was w/o child, I'd have to say a long beach, white sangria, or mojito. But, since I can't have any of those anytime soon, I'll go with my fav mocktini - IDK what it's called but it has pineapple, orange & cranberry juices with a splash of sprite - ahhhhhhmazing!


 
5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?
Ummm, I have a pretty short temper sometimes & I'd like to change that. Sometimes it works in my favor, but usually not. I blame my mother for that one, haha. I am just like her & everyone always says so.

That's all I got. Hope you enjoyed this edition of 5QF! I'm going to start doing weekly pregnancy posts complete with u/s & belly pics likely on Saturdays or Sundays just for documentation's sake. Until then...hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday...new birdies for my collection

Say hello to my {new} little friends...

Got these cuties on clearance at Michaels for my entryway table - only $1.99 each! Okay, so that was a few words. ;oP

Mood Board Monday - a serene guest room

I was so excited to participate in my bloggy friend, over at pewter + sage, Sarah's Mood Board Monday blog party this week! I could hardly wait to get started on my board & then Monday came & I realized I hadn't gotten started. So, I set aside a couple hours to work on this & take breaks when necessary. The hubbs was giving me the sad-you're-always-blogging-face the whole time I was working on it, so I'm sure he'll be happy when I finish up this post & cuddle him, tee hee. ;oP

This week's challenge is to design a room around one of several items from West Elm's new PATCH NYC collection. All the new items to choose from were beautiful, but I choose to design my room around these pretty throw pillows:

Now that we finally announced that we are expecting our first little one, I thought about doing a nursery, but I think a much more adult, peaceful guest room fit with this collection. So, here is what I came up with:

4/26 - MB Monday West Elm Contest by Jen J. on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:

Gourd Table Lamp | west elm, $180

Banded Hemstitch 400-Thread-Count Duvet Cover & Sham - Sandalwood |..., $29

Carved-Circles Window Panel | west elm, $44

PATCH NYC Pillow Covers | west elm, $34

PATCH NYC Pillow Covers | west elm, $34

All of the sources I used in the set can be found above & you can also click on the link to the full set for more details. So, what do you think?! Would you stay in my guest room if it was decorated this beautifully?! I know I'd be thrilled to stay in a guest room like this! I really love how this turned out...makes me want to convince hubby to let me buy all this stuff for a guest room - too bad we only have two bedrooms in our teeny townhouse & the extra is now going to the baby. Eh well, next house, right?

Anywho, head on over to this week's MBM post on  pewter+sage to check out all the other beautiful rooms everyone came up with! And cross your finger that I win the $50 West Elm gift card giveaway...I love love love winning blog giveaways & love West Elm's stuff! Okay, gotta run - my hubby is giving me the "get off your blog" side eye right now! ;o)

Some {BIG} news...

Hey there everyone - I am so so sorry that I didn't participate in 5 Question Friday last week, I will continue to do it this week. But, in my defense, I have a really good excuse:

Yep, that's right!!! The Dennifers are expecting our first child & we are SUPER excited! It was a long road to get here & we couldn't be more thrilled! We love him or her so much already...it's so amazing how attached you can get to something the size of a large lime. So, that's where I was on Friday - at my OB, getting the bejesus scared outta me. Baby J (as I'll refer to him/her) decided that instead of letting momma & daddy hear his heartbeat with the Doppler at the Dr's office, that he'd make momma wait a little while & get a last minute ultrasound. That's how we got this pic at 12 weeks of our little one, otherwise I was going to wait until next week to announce it on the blog after the Nuchal Translucency (NT) Scan. His heartbeat was 164 bpm, which was perfect, but yeah - that was majorly scary!  I even think I'm showing maybe a little bit?! My OB seems to think that I am at least, which sounds great to me since I have already started wearing the most comfortable invention ever - maternity jeans! Here is a 5 week vs. 12 week "bump" comparison:

But don't worry, this blog will not turn into an exclusive baby blog. It'll still be about everything going on in our lives, including other non-baby D&R projects, my DIY crafts, trips, etc. Although, of course, the baby is a huge part of our life & I'll be documenting my pregnancy as well on the blog. I can't wait to get started on the nursery & all the other baby DIY crafts I have in mind. In fact, we are going to scout out a new rocker for the nursery today - I talked the hubbs into it after our scary day on Friday. :o) I now have an even more powerful tool to persuade him - the baby!!

Anywho, I hope everyone continues to enjoy my posts (both baby & non-baby related) - I still have to finish up our spring cleaning to do lists, give updates on the craziness with our front sidewalk, post a couple recipes, and lots more! Now, I need to go jump in the shower so we can get shopping!!

WTF (almost) Wednesday...

OMG, the saga of our front/backyard clean up & landscaping. I didn't elude to this much in my previous post about our outdoor spring cleaning, but have had a MAJOR problem with the landscaper we hired to do some of the heavy lifting-type work. They were supposed to be trimming the branches on the tree away from the house, trimming the branches on the evergreen tree that was ruined during the three snow storms we had in our area this past winter, clearing out the scary weedage (yes, just made that word up :oP) in our backyard, and lay sod in the back surrounding the patio. All of the work minus the sod-laying was done this past Friday & they were supposed to come back on Monday to finish up the job. Simple enough right? Wrong.

Problem #1: They were using a chainsaw to trim the branches on the large tree in front of our house & they used some sort of lubricant or oil for the chainsaw & well, look wtf was left on my sidewalk & stairs:

Yes, as you can see from picture #3 - one of the guy's workers even walked thru the huge spill at the bottom of our steps & tracked it across the sidewalk! Are you EFFING serious?! And they just left. No clean up, nothing. So, we called the "owner" (quotes b/c I'm not sure it is even a legit business at this point; unfortunately we got this referral from my mother & didn't really check it out b/c we trusted her word) on Saturday morning, he didn't calll back. But several hours later he did TEXT my husband saying something about he observes the Sabbath on Saturdays & doesn't talk business or return business calls on Saturdays or something. We respected that - it's his religion, so we didn't trip. He said he'd absolutely clean up any mess they left on Monday when they came to lay the sod. Great. Wonderful.

Problem #2: So yesterday, I get home from work...big oil/greasy spot still there. Little smaller spots, foot prints still there? YEP. So I calm down. ::deep breaths:: Walk into the house & go out on the deck to check the back yard to see if maybe they laid the sod? Nope, nada, nilch, nothing. No messages on my home phone, he didn't call my cell all day, called my husband - didn't call him either. So, I say to myself, "Jen - you got home early today, chill. He's probably coming by a bit later to finish up the job & clean up the mess they made." I waited until 4pm, then called him; no answer; left him a message to call me back ASAP so that we know what's going on. He still hadn't showed up by the time my hubby got home, so he called him. No answer again, so he left him a more firm message around 5pm'ish. Well the guy still doesn't call back. Then, my husband's phone rings at 9pm - it's the guy. He apologizes profusely, gives my hubby some BS excuse about his guys not showing up for work, PROMISES - I mean is completely adamant that the work will be done tomorrow (which is today now) & then when we get home, the mess will be cleaned up.

So I get home today - oil stain still on the sidewalk. My husband never called me & he got home first, so I figure maybe the guy called him & worked out other arrangements or tried to get the spill/mess up & couldn't so he was going to try something different maybe later on? I'm trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I am literally praying when I get to the back of my house that at least he came by & laid the sod. Nope. My husband is pissed, like livid. And usually I'm the sorta crazy, aggressive one, so him being upset is not normal - at all. Once I saw him, he said that he had tried calling the guy & he didn't answer as usual, but that he didn't leave a message because he was scared of what he'd say to him. So I called him & basically threatened him with contacting the Better Business Bureau & told him that our HOA (who technically owns the sidewalk) will be pursuing charges against him for destruction of property. I told him that we didn't want him to do the work on our property, but that if he wanted to avoid future legal problems, that he'd need to contact us immediately to make arrangements to come by & clean up this mess. That was hours ago. He still hasn't called me back.

So, just an angry, b!tchy little, friendly Public Service Announcement (PSA) to anyone in the Northern Virgina area that is getting any landscaping or yard work done - DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT use Daniel Saavedra of Freedom Services (not sure this is an actual business name). He does not follow thru on his word, does not complete the work he promises in the time frame he promises, ruins your property and makes no attempt to remedy the situation, does not return phone calls & all around is a horrible business man.

At this point, I have no clue what else to do. I Googled his so called "business name" & I can't find it. I'm so annoyed I can hardly contain myself. I feel like calling him every hour until he answers the phone. I may try calling him from another phone number tomorrow. This is freaking ridiculous. What would you do? We just want the oil spill cleaned up at this point - nothing more, nothing less. Any suggestions/advice are VERY welcome. Le sigh.

Spring Cleaning - Part I

The spring has sprung in the NOVA/DC Metro Area & in the World of Dennifer that means time to actually do some spring cleaning! I have decided to break up our spring cleaning this year into a few different areas:

• Part I: exterior of the house - front & back yard, back deck & patio.
• Part II: main level - entryway, living room, kitchen
• Part III: upper level - both bedrooms (including closets), bathroom, attic
• Part IV: lower level - basement, basement bath, under stairs storage area, utility storage area, laundry room.

I am going to be posting before/progress pics as we get thru each of the areas. We'll likely be doing each of the areas concurrently, but I'm going to post the "to do" lists & before pics in parts (so as to avoid a ridiculously LONG post). So, I'll start with Part I - the exterior since we actually got started with the work we want done on this area this past Friday.

Front Yard To Do's:

Last summer, we did a MAJOR clean up of what I lovingly called our "forest" - AKA our former front yard. It was a hot mess to say the least. We were sooo happy to see it cleaned up. I'm happy to report that even after the snowmageddon + the two other huge snow storms that hit our area this winter, our front yard/landscaping held up pretty well. We lost two of our little solar lights & the rest are all crooked, but still work! And as you can see from the photos above, parts of our grass were ruined. Also, as you can see in photo #1 - the Evergreen tree to the right of the house was damaged. So, on the spring cleaning to do list for this area of the house (crossed out are the items that have already been completed):

• Trim branches on large tree away from house & from hanging low over stairs.
• Trim off damaged parts of the evergreen & possibly remove tree completely (need HOA approval to do this).
•  Plant grass seed, keep watered, cross fingers that it grows!
• Pull up weeds in flower beds & around tree.
• Plant annuals & re-mulch.
• Get house & stairs power washed.

Back (upper level) Deck To Do's: 

We have never really done anything with our deck since buying the house three years ago. We have been waiting & waiting & WAITING for our HOA to approve some deck stain colors so that we can stain & seal the deck. It's badly in need of some TLC, but unfortunately we are under the rules of the HOA as to what we can do to the outside of our house. We plan on attending the next HOA meeting on May 11th to find out about their decision on the deck stain colors - urrg, it gets really frustrating with them sometimes.

We also purchased a really cheap patio table & chairs from K-Mart the first year we bought the house just to tide us over until we could afford to buy what we really wanted the following summer (2008). Well, three years later, we never bought a new set. It just was not high on our priority list, so it fell to the side. This year we may or may not get around to it, but the set we have will continue to do for now. I added it to the spring cleaning to do list for this area just in case we decide to purchase one this year:

• Look for & purchase an outdoor dining set (we currently have a cheapo plastic set).
• Get deck power washed.
• Re-stain & seal the deck.

Back Yard & (lower level) Patio To Do's:

I was a little embarrassed to take before pictures of this area, but I also kinda forgot to take a picture before the work got started in the back. You can see a little of the forest pat deux in the deck photo above. It was pretty bad - I mean weeds, small bushes, small trees, etc. and none of it ever kept up. But to make up for that, I took some in progress pics:

Ahhhh, so clean, such a blank slate!

We hired an independent contractor (referred to us by my mom) to do some of the work around the outside of the house that we couldn't or didn't want to do ourselves. They cleaned out the back yard area, trimmed the trees up front & cleaned up all that stuff for $225. We thought that was an awesome price b/c we had gotten a quote last summer for $500 just to clear out the back yard! Here is the spring cleaning list for this area:

• Get weeds, bushes, etc. removed from the area.
• Get sod laid surrounding the patio.
• Clean under the deck area, get rid of any debris in that area.
• Fix exterior water spout (it has never worked since we bought the house; but we need it for the sod!!
• Buy a small sitting/bistro set for the patio.

Now you see why I needed to break this up into several posts! And I still have three more areas left to make spring cleaning lists for! We are doing pretty good so far on our Part I & plan on getting even more done next weekend! Have you started on your spring cleaning yet?! I'd love to see what you've done so far!

5 Question Friday!

Hey everyone! If you are joining me for the first time this week, I have been working hard trying to get my new blog design launched & I'm happy to say (as you can see ;oP)...it is up & I LOVE it! Did you see the new Michaels gift card winner I announced yesterday - if it's you, hurry & contact me at worldofdennifer@gmail.com.

I cannot tell you how 'effing excited I am that the weekend is here. I can tell I'm domesticated b/c do you want to know what I am excited about this weekend? 1) getting an estimate for the yard work & power washing we need to get done (the guy will be here today to look around), 2) cleaning up the weeds that are beginning to grow in our front yard, 3) picking out annuals to plant & re-mulching the front flower bed, and 4) getting our state taxes done. Hahahaha - dork, right?! Man, what happened to the days about being excited about partying late into the night, going bar hopping, and shopping for a new weekend outfit? Le sigh. I guess that's what happens when you settle down & get married - I kid, I kid. Your priorities just change.

And speaking of priorities - this week I made a major decision to stop participating with a group that I have been involved with since college - I have been very involved for the last six years & it has been a major source of drama, anxiety & stress (basic cattiness) for my life, but I made the decision this week to not be involved anymore. I'm not a quiter, but I feel like I needed to do this for my sanity. People have crossed the line & it's not acceptable to me. It feels like a HUGE weight has been lifted & I can't wait to hand in my resignation letter (I hold an office) next month. In other stress reducing news, I'll be out of the office for the next two weeks for training, woot! I don't really like the classes, but I am happy to be out of the office & closer to my house!

Okay, okay, so enough about me...time for 5QF - the April 16, 2010 edition:

If any of my readers decide to participate this week, please comment on this post, I'd love to read your Q&A! Here goes....

1. What words do you use on your blog/online that you don't use in real life?

Hmmm, um well I don't use the word "bloggy", "woot", "le sigh", basically anything that people would look at me & go, "huh?!" LOL. I try to at least pretend I'm cool IRL. :oP

2. Do you still write checks?

 

Only for our gas, water, HOA (Home Owners Association) & electric bills. Oddly enough, these companies charge a fee for paying online in my area & our HOA doesn't have the option, so to avoid unnecessary/stupid fees, I write checks. Everything else we receive electronically & pay electronically...you know, tryna stay "Green." We even balance our checking account via an online spreadsheet that we both have access to - that was courtesy of my budget-obssessed, spreadsheet-lovin' hubby.

 

3. Who was your favorite President and why?

 

I am essentially liberal, but respect everyone's views & even agree with some conservative points in the whole political debate. Honestly, if I know someone who is really passionate about politics, then I try & just not talk about the topic too much when I hang out with them. I'd rather just not get into. But, my two faves are Bill Clinton & our current Prez - Barack Obama. Regardless of how he was as a husband, I think BC did a lot of good things for the country when he was president, granted I was quite young during his term. And Barack - well I work for the Government, so he's sorta my boss now ::winks:: :o) & I also just think he's such a provacative speaker & changed the way US presidential campaigns will be conducted in the future. His whole grassroots approach really worked out for him & so far, I think he's delivering what he promised during his campaign. Do I totally agree with the Healthcare Bill or (insert any other of his policies/proposed policies here) - no, but I can respect that he doesn't just talk about it, he be's about it, lol.

I also really wish I had been alive when JFK was president, I bet he'd be on my list as well - he seemed like an amazing man.

4. Are you a yeller?

Nope, not really. But if someone raises their voice at me, then I can get loud too.

5. Have you ever dumpster dived?

 

Bwahahaha. Yep, but not in the traditional sense of the phrase. My dad was p!ssed! My mom had just bought both my older sister & I real birthstone rings for Christmas. The realness of them was a big deal since I was like 11 or 12 & I didn't own any real jewlery before that ring. I believe & my dad took us out to lunch one day shortly after we got the rings (some fast food place). Well a couple hours after lunch, I noticed my ring was gone!! And since my mom would have killed me, I begged my dad to take me back to the restaurant & they let us go thru the most recently disposed-of trash bags & we actually found my ring! I know, needle in a hay stack, but it was worth it that day. Consequently, I ended up loosing the dang on ring again a few months later & my mom was then p!ssed. I was just too young to have real jewlery - that's all it boils down to. My mom never bought me any more jewlery until I was out of high school, hahaha.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of 5QF. Spring cleaning list & *hopefully* some front yard updates coming soon.

New look + new Michaels gift card winner!!

Hey everyone! What do you think of my new look?! Exciting right? I gotta give a shout out to Lindsay over at Blogaholic Designs for making my new look sooo awesome! If you are looking for someone to design your blog at a great price & with a quick turnaround, she's your girl! The whole process took less than a week!

And now, I have a button, yaay! So, please grab my button & put it on your blog. If you do, please comment on this or any of my posts & I'll be sure to return the favor & add your button to my sidebar! I heart bloggy friends. :)

Also, great news for a very very lucky follower of mine. The rules for my 1st Ever World of Dennifer Giveaway (for a $25 Michaels gift card) stated that the winner selected would be posted on my blog by Monday, April 12, 2010, and that person would have 48 hours to contact me at worldofdennifer@gmail.com to claim her prize. I never received an email from my original winner (sorry! email me & I'll send you a small token of my appreciation for following me anyways :oD), so I re-drew a new winner on random.org this morning...and the very lucky NEW winner is:

Lucky #19...

Jamie, who said...

I need to get some supplies for making my best friends bridal shower & bachelorette party invitations! Thanks!

So Jamie, you now have 48 hours to contact me at worldofdennifer@gmail.com to claim your prize. Please send me your full name & mailing address so that I can send out your prize!! Please let me know if you blog about the invites you'll be making, I'd love to see how beautiful they turned out. Congrats!

Under Construction

I am currently working to get World of Dennifer's new look up & running. There may be some points here & there where the blog looks a little minimal as I work thru the transition. Please bear with me!

Winner - Michaels $25 Gift Card!!

:waves hi to my new & long-time followers::

First, I want to thank everyone who reads my blog - you guys keep me on my feet & keep me crafting so that I actually have stuff to write about! Second, thanks to everyone who entered World of Dennifer's 1st Giveaway! I loved reading what each of you would use the gift card on - I hope that even if you were not chosen as the winner that you still make those awesome DIY projects & let me know, so I can stop by your blog & check 'em out! Okay, okay, so without further adieu...drum roll...the winner (randomly selected by random.org) is:

Lucky #9...

 Susan, who said...  

Wooo! I follow. :) 

susaneva_77 at yahoo dot com

Congrats Susan!! You are the lucky winner of the $25 Michaels gift card! I saw in your second entry that you plan on using the gift card to work on your son's baby book?! Have fun & I'm sure it'll turn out BEAUTIFUL! Please contact me via email at worldofdennifer@gmail.com within 48 hours to claim your prize, or I will have to pick another winner. 

Thanks again to everyone for entering & stay tuned this week - I have lots of cool stuff coming up, like my spring cleaning to-do list, a few yummy recipes & a spring decorating update! I am also working with a designer on a new blog design, which I will hopefully be able to unveil sometime next week!!!

My DIY initial spring wreath!

Hey there ::waves hi:: to everyone reading Linda's fab blog, Craftaholics Anonymous, my name is Jen J. & I am a long time reader of Linda's blog & like to do a little crafting of my own over at the World of Dennifer.  I have a lot more crafts and D&R projects over on my blog, so if you stop over, please feel free to look through my archives for some of my past projects & follow me (even grab my button if it tickles your fancy ;o) if you'd like to keep up with my future projects. I am so excited to be participating in the Craftaholics Anonymous Reader's Tutorial Week & I hope you enjoy my wreath tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it...it was inexpensive to make & is so pretty on my door! Feel free to contact me at worldofdennifer@gmail.com if you have any questions about this or any other DIY project on my blog!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sooo I finally got a chance to sit down & do my DIY spring {but keeping it up for the summer because I love it so much} wreath for our front door. I got my inspiration for my wreath from Kari over at Rocky Bella - I loved her spring initial wreath so much that I decided to make one of my own (with a few personal touches)...Ta da:

I pretty much just followed her directions, so first I headed to Michaels to get the supplies I needed:

A grape vine wreath (14"), a mini birds nest, some speckled faux eggs, a couple cream colored butterflies & a pretty good-sized bag of green moss. You will also need wide ribbon, a wreath hanger, a glue gun & several glue sticks for this project - I already had all of these things on hand, so I didn't have to buy any of that. Oh & if you want your last initial on the wreath, you will want to grab a wooden letter from Michaels as well - I also had one of these on hand (if you want your letter white, then grab the kind they have that are already painted white - saved me a step)!

Then, I just plugged up my hot glue gun & got to work gluing on clumps of green moss to cover the wreath. You want to make sure you generously cover the wreath, otherwise it'll look a little bare.

Once the wreath is completely covered with moss to your satisfaction, position your initial letter on your wreath & figure out how you want to mount it on the wreath. I put mine up against my door to make sure that the way the letter was positioned on the wreath looked how I wanted it to. Once you figure out where you want the letter, glue it on to the wreath (use a decent amount of glue so that it holds the letter completely). After that, I just glued the faux speckled eggs into the mini nest & glued the nest on the wreath, and finished it off by sticking the butterflies into the wreath where I wanted them (they had wire backings, so they easily stuck into the wreath).

(sorry - not sure why this pic uploaded sideways, but you get the point, no?)

I hung the wreath on the door with a standard wreath hanger, then tied my ribbon so that it covered the hanger & made a bow in the back (on the other side of the door), so that it stayed put...does that make sense?? And that's it. Very, very easy wreath, although I got 2 pretty bad glue burns on my left thumb & right ring fingers - OUCH! I got small blisters & everything. ::humph::  :o/ Ah, the things we do for our DIY projects, lol. But I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE the way it came out - exactly what I needed to dress up my front door for the spring!

Dizz likes sitting at the storm door & people watching during the day; I like keeping the door open b/c it lets natural light into our living room, so it's a win-win. Anywho, what do you think of my spring wreath?! You likes!? I hope so b/c I loves & guess what, if you do like it & wanna make your own, you can enter the World of Dennifer's 1st ever giveaway [now closed], win the $25 Michaels gift card & head over to Michaels & buy all the supplies to make it. Here is the cost break down:

Grapevine Wreath = $4

Bag 'O Green Moss = $2.25 (original $4.49, but I used a 50% coupon I had)

Mini Nest = $2

Faux Speckled Eggs = $2

Wired Butterflies = $2

Wreath Hanger; Wide Ribbon; Wooden Initial; Glue Gun & Extra Glue Sticks = FREE (I already had these items on hand)

TOTAL = $12.25

So, you could totally make this & still have a good amount left over to make anything else your heart desires!! Hurry & enter my giveaway [closed] - it ends tomorrow at 10PM (EST). And now that my front door is ready (and my allergies have calmed down at least a wee bit), I can finally say...Happy Spring!!

5 Question Friday - April 9, 2010

Hey there everyone! I must, again, apologize for my blog slacking this week. I have been soooo busy at work this week & by the time I get home, I am so tired that I fall asleep right after dinner! I have bought all the supplies for my spring wreath & can't wait to make it - likely this today or tomorrow - and I'll post the tutorial as soon as I make it! I also have two recipes to post, but I forgot to take pics of them (duh!) so I'll be using random online pics, lol. finally, I still have my spring cleaning list to post - it is quite lengthy, so I'll post it in parts. So, please please accept my apology!
 
I did have time to post the most important post this week - my 1st Ever Giveaway on the World of Dennifer! If you haven't entered yet, there's still time - giveaway closes Sunday night at 10pm! And if you are a new follower - welcome & thanks for following my blog - I hope that you stick around & find the tutorials, makeovers, recipes, and anything else I post interesting!

I'm here for my 2nd edition of 5 Question Friday (5QF) from Mamma M. over @ My Little Life. It's really fun to post all these Q&A's...and fun to read everyone's responses over on her blog. If one of my followers joins in on this blog party, please let me know - I'd love to read your responses!

1. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

Hmmm, I like Stacey Dash & I think as far as looks goes, she could probably come closest to looking like me (or I guess me looking like her, lol). I mean, she's definitely way more glamorous than I am, but we have some similar features. That & I think she'd do a great job playing me, lol.

2. Did you ever go to summer camp?

Nope, but I did go to a week-long  theater camp when I was in middle school. My mom thought it would be a good idea & I actually had a blast!

3. What sends you running and screaming in the other direction?

Bees & spiders...ewww. They just creep me out. If I see a spider int he house, I start screaming & make my hubby come get them for me, lol. A little dramatic, no?!

 4. What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts?

Leaving the kitchen cabinets open after I put dishes away or take them out, lol. He says it's not even just the kitchen cabinets - he says it's the bathroom ones too. He says it drives him insane! IDK why I do it, just habit I guess, haha.

5. What is currently your favorite song?

 I really like the Drake song, "What Am I Doing?" It's catchy! :o)

That's all for today - don't forget to enter my giveaway! And look out for my spring wreath tutorial this weekend! Plus, I think a new Mood Board Monday will be posted on my blog friend - Sarah's blog pewter+sage, so I'll be participating with that. Menu Planning Monday may or may not be back on Monday - just depends if I'm making anything new next week. :oP 

$25 Michaels Gift Card Giveaway!!!

::tear drops::

Announcing my 1st ever giveaway on the World of Dennifer!! I am hosting this giveaway as a small token of my appreciation for all of you that read my blog & actually care about what's going on in my life (or at least like looking at my before & afters and DIY crafts)! Since most of you are crafty people (or at least you strive to be - like I do ;oP), I figured a Michaels gift card would be the perfect spring-time giveaway item! It is the perfect place to get your craft on (or started as the case may be). They have everything from scrap booking stuff to wooden letters to wreath-making materials! Most of the crafts & DIY modifications I have made to items featured on my blog were done at least in part with items I purchased at Michaels!

Wanna win this gift card?! Here's how :

• 1st Entry [Mandatory] - Become a public follower of the World of Dennifer & leave me a comment telling me that you follow me (if you are already a public follower, then you are good on this entry just leave a comment telling me you already follow) .
• 2nd Entry - Leave me a comment telling me what project you'd start (or finish) if you were to win this gift card.
• 3rd Entry - Blog about this giveaway on your blog & leave me the link to your blog post in the comment section of this post.

The giveaway will run from today - Monday, April 5, 2010 through Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 10pm (EST). I will randomly select a winner using random.org & post the winner on the blog by no later than Monday, April 12, 2010. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me via email, or I will select another winner. Good Luck everyone!!

5 Question Friday - April 2, 2010

So I know I slacked on Menu Planning Mondays this week. I woke up Monday morning in soooo much pain. I had a HORRIBLE sinus headache & was so congested. Thankfully, it's now Friday & supposed to be B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L in the DC Area this weekend - in the 80s & I'm feeling better, woot! I have lots of stuff coming up on the World of Dennifer - including a very exciting (well to me anyways!) giveaway that I'll be announcing on Monday morning, a spring wreath I'll be constructing this weekend, and my spring cleaning to do list for the house of Dennifer. I'll also be posting our menu items from this week, along with a few recipes (incluing pics) on the meals, so stay tuned!!

Anywho, on to Five Question Friday (5QF):

I saw a 5QF post on a bloggy friend's blog last week & decided to join the party - looks fun. Mamma M. over @ My Little Life hosts it every Friday & I figured it's be a fun way to help my readers get to know me a little more, so here goes:
  

1) Do you sing out loud in the car when you're driving?

I totally do! I sometimes do even when my hubby is in the car, sometimes I like to serenade him, lol. He loves it ! But I definitely sing the loudest when I'm in the car alone. Sometimes I wonder if people @ stop lights int he cars next to me think I'm a psycho for deep I get into the music...hahaha. Eh well, I figure unless I end up next to someone I know, then I'll probably never see these people again in my life, ha!

2) What would you never be caught doing?

 Driving or riding in a car w/o my seat belt - I am a big proponent of safe driving. I got in an accident when I was 20ish & totaled my car. I am conviced that if it weren't for my seat belt & my air bag, I would have been seriously hurt or injured.

 

3) (TMI) Will you go #2 in a public restroom?

At work or somewhere else that I know is clean, or if I have to REALLY bad, hahaha, then yes. I will. I can't believe I just answered that on my blog, lmao.

4) Have you ever broken a bone?

Nope, thankfully I never have & hope I never do ::knocks on wood::. 

5) Do you prefer cooking or baking?

I will pick cooking over backing ANY day. I suck at baking, unless it's out of the box, hehe. But I do love cooking when I actually have time to get it done. During the week, not so much, but it must be done.

 

LOL, wowza. Didn't know 5QF would include such personal situations, hahaha, but it's fun! Now I'm off to get my Stella washed up nice & good for this beautiful weather! Hope you guys have an awesome weekend!!

Out Sick...

 Sorry I have been MIA again, I have been sooo sick this week with a horrible sinus infection/issues. I'll be back soon hopefully feeling better. :)