All by myself, don’t wanna be….

Since Thanksgiving, our house has been full of company in one way or another. It started off small, with my mother-in-law coming back with us from our trip up north. I got quite used to seeing her each and every day as we ate lunch together or watched movies while Bicep’s was hard at work.
And then, right before Christmas-my mother-in-law was joined by the remainder of the family.

It was glorious, wonderful, family bliss (after I got over the stress of planning everything-let’s be real).

 

Dinners were loud, desserts were consumed without regard and the dishwasher ran around the clock.

 

Bicep’s family transitioned to the their respective homes shortly after Christmas-and my family transitioned into our home days later.
We visited a winery, ate more desserts, played the DIY Family Board Game that Bicep’s and I created, and drank lots of coffee.

 

We sat around for hours with the fireplace roaring, chatting into the wee hours of the night. Maxwell became so used to Dakota-my parent’s pooch-that snuggling became commonplace between the two.
The house was full of life, noise, and people.

 

And as my parent’s pulled out of the driveway, we waved back and forth until we couldn’t see one another any longer, with tears falling down our cheeks.
While I take down the Christmas ornaments, the tree, the lights, and the decor, I am surrounded-for the first time in a long time-by silence. I box it all up, cart it up to the attic-the whole while-silent.
Thick, lonely silence.
Some of you may dream of such silence. But silence day after day isn’t so fun anymore.

I sweep, mop, scrub toilets, change out the laundry-more silence.
Sure-I can put on music, and I did. But, there’s not a body here to chat with.
And, it’s weird.

I’m not sure what to do other than make light of the situation and sing, “All by myself, don’t wanna be, all by myself…” just like Bridget Jones did.
Which is even weirder when you are belting that tune out into your broom handle and the mailman catches you as he drops off your daily dose of junk mail.
Sorry about that, Mr. Mailman. Just write it off as a weird, lonely housewife.
I’m sure you’ve seen it all before…

Are we dead yet? Were the Mayans correct?

Were the Mayans correct with their end of the world calendar or did this merely happen?

If you are reading this, then we are not dead and we should celebrate our non-deadness.
However, I did wonder if there was something to the Mayan predictions when this rolled into town.

 

The dark sky caused quite a bit of concern. Several neighbor’s were out scanning the change in weather.

 

Of course, I was the only one with a camera feeling like a weirdo.

 

It was oddly and uncomfortably quiet. No dogs barking. No birds cheeping.

 

After turning on the weather channel, I went back to cooking. I figured if we are about to die, we should do it with a full belly. I suppose the world has to come to a close sometime and you don’t want to enter heaven starving and scanning for the nearest buffet, do you?

I got a new ‘do.

It may not be a big deal to you, but I’ve been needing a hair cut, a hair taming and an overall hair management course. Just look at this mess.

I was more embarrassed about the visible frizzies than the ridiculous length of my hair. I even asked for your help from all of you, receiving several great ideas to aid in my hair battle.
 

But just taming the frizzy mane wasn’t all that I needed. I had zoomed past the “sexy stage” and into more of the “gross-cut-your-hair” stage.

 

I was more than excited-I would dare say “totally stoked”-when I finally made an appointment to have my mane tamed. As I walked into the salon, my hair was being judged by all the stylists. I just know it. They were murmuring, “Geez, use some hairspray or something. That thing is poking people’s eyes out.”
My good friend and stylist cuts hair at the Aveda salon in the posh part of town. She slathered me up with Aveda products, washed and cut my hair, and even massaged my hands.
The final look of my new haircut may not be radically different in your eyes, but it made me feel like a princess as I walked out of the salon, gathering approving nods and glances from aforementioned stylists.

Happy New Year! (Favorite Posts and Stuff.)

Dear Readers-
It’s a brand new year. 2011 is gone. 2012 is here. To celebrate moving forward, I thought I would peer back into my archives and share with maybe the newbies what was most popular here at Potholes and Pantyhose.
Here are a few favorites from 2011-those with the most comments, or the most hits.
 

Remodeling my Master Bathroom was a pleasure and a success.
Biceps was out of town and I got to work recreating our boring bathroom. I loved the end result-as did Biceps. I think he mostly loved not having to do it himself….

Secondly topping the list was my DIY Spinning Composter:
This horrible picture of me has been repinned on Pinterest over 2K times. I wish I would have had the foresight to change out of my work clothes. I suppose it’s good for you to see me grubby and gross from time to time…

My Broken Mirror Art still gets a lot of action.
Biceps and I created this mirror from sections we no longer needed after our remodel. It still sits above our fireplace and still gets the oohs and aahs from newcomers.

My tutorial on Canning Jalapeno Pepper Jelly received more responses than I had anticipated.
The recipe is very simple-and if you don’t burn yourself on the hot steam from the canner-it’s also pretty painless.

I have no idea why, but this silly little post seemed to spark some conversation. My frizzy hair needed help, and I asked you for your input.
You have never failed, me dear readers and gave me tons of insight into the world of hair care.

My Pretty Paper Christmas trees not only got a lot of ooh’s and aah’s around the internet world, they received praise from family members and friends alike.
Turquoise and red have become a favorite of mine. Free and cheap are also favorites.

For fear of boring you, I’m ending with this post. My DIY Recycled and Cheap Rain Barrel.
This is a simple solution to gathering your roof water. The tutorial is rather simple, the process takes a few hours and you can go to bed at night knowing your water bill won’t be astronomical during the dry season.
 
I hope you’ve enjoyed a walk with me down memory lane. I know that I have enjoyed my time with you!
Have a great New Year-be safe, drink lots of water and don’t eat too much cake.
Happy New Year!

Linking up to: http://diyshowoff.com/2012/01/diy-2011-recap-party.html