We're Nuts

Plain and simple.  We are nuts.  Gluttons for punishment.  We are redoing our second bathroom.  Probably none of you have ever even seen it. Up until now, my decoration strategy for that room has been to pretend like it does not exist. This is probably the nicest it has ever looked, when the house was professionally staged before we bought it.

Strip away all of those fuzzy toilet seat covers and all you've got is orange floor tile, white wall tiles with blue accents, a horrifyingly small cave of a shower complete with 1970's glass door and fake wood tile, and a rickety homemade cabinet constructed with plywood.

Here's our plan.



In about 76 years when we've finished all of this work we will have you have you over and you can marvel at how nice it is. No really. Get excited for some pictures soon to come of "Nicci Westbrook: Demolition Expert in Training."

Read More

1 of 40

I've been making some progress on that 76 year quilt project.  Aside from many, many, many hours of ironing (which completely occupied our dining room table) I have finally started a bit of the sewing.

(Don't judge my grubby sewing outfit.)

Tada! Now I only have to make 39 more of these. Oh yeah, and then sew them together...

Read More

Tandem TSFB

It's that time again!  TSFB is training for Bike Around the Bay this October.

This year, the route is 180 miles in 2 days, so we are training like crazy.  But don't worry.  This isn't that type of bike ride where we ask you for money.  This is the type of bike ride where you just get to sit back and wonder what possesses us to do a thing like this.  I often wonder myself.  

Read More

The 76 Year Quilt

Younger Nicci used to quilt.  Like a lot.  I haven't done it in awhile because, well, my time is now filled with Eddy, Norman, Rupert, Ada, work, traveling, house projects, bicycling...  you get the idea.  But recently I came across a pattern I just couldn't resist.  It'll be like this:

[warmnfuzzies]

And it only requires about 37 million steps.

[hyena in petticoats]

Eddy calculated the ironing alone will take 80 hours. Not to mention all the sewing... Here's my first batch of fabrics:

Eddy also got me some nice new sewing tools so that I could speed quilt (ha!)--a new cutting mat and a new blade for my rotary cutter.

You can watch the work unfold here on the blog (or whatever technology we are using 76 years from now when I finally finish this thing.)

Read More

Hot Dog

The scorching temperatures in Houston do not prevent Norman from running the back yard like a crazed track star.  Here's the aftermath.

That is all.

Read More

Dead Soldier

TSFB travels just a bit.  Our trusty companion is usually this red suitcase (left corner.)

Trusty as she was, that suitcase was going on about 12 years old and the wear and tear was nearing lethal. When we were in Chicago, we could not pass up a new replacement so we decided to give our old case a burial at sea as it were.

We tucked her away in a quiet corner of our new favorite Chicago hotel

and we boarded our flight without her.

Given the circumstances, I felt it was a fairly dignified, perhaps even poetic, gesture. As you can tell from the photos, it was a tough goodbye for Eddy. Also, that hotel was probably *real* freaked out when they found it.

Read More

Blog No Longer Reflects Early Otties Selves

Our blog has gone through a (long overdue) redesign!  Feel free to poke around.

Not that anyone actually goes to blogs anymore with their fancy feed readers, mobile devices, etc.  Sigh.  Kids these days.

Read More

Congratulations Jake and Meredith!

Recently we were in Chicago for Jake and Meredith's wedding!

Needless to say, Eddy did some classy things while at the reception.

After the wedding we hung around and did some stuff in the city

despite the fact that it was one thousand million degrees

well, it was at least 104 degrees at the Rock and Roll McDonalds.  Also we stayed at this amazing hotel.

You should stay there too. But if you order a pizza to be delivered there, they will most likely deliver it to the Acne Hotel. You have been warned.

Read More

The Valspar Love Your Color Guarantee

So before we painted the bedroom, we actually painted the (blueish) hallway.

We liked the color, but once we finished the bedroom, it just wasn't the effect we were going for.  But thanks to the Valspar Love Your Color Guarantee we were able to paint our hallway and then turn around and paint it again exactly one shade lighter--all on their dime. Well, we did pay for the first can of paint.

Feel free to think we are crazy.  It's only fair.

Read More