Manic Monday > Mother's Day Hangover

Happy Manic Monday everyone!

I hope all my fellow "Mothers" had a wonderful Sunday filled with lots of love and appreciation! We had a sunny Mother's day filled with a delicious brunch, some lounging by the pool, and an action packed Avenger's movie. We finished off the day with a great dinner and then we collapsed into an exhausted heap on our beds. It was my favorite kind of day, the one's where you feel like you wrung every last drop of fun you could out of it!

I also received an amazing gift that completely shocked me, which was then replaced with glorious plans of all the things I will do with it:

I'm the kind of gal that loves a handmade card and fresh picked flowers, so this was total surprise! I don't know who was more excited me, or the kids and hubby! I could see all their gears turning, about how great Angry Birds and poker were going to look on that screen. Ha ha!

Since then I've been scouring the Internet for the perfect cover because A) I am super careless B) I have wild children C) I have a husband and D) I will look for any excuse to accessorize things. Here's some of the great ones I found on my favorite, Etsy:

You know how I love chevron!

simbiosisbyjulia

Here's another great one from Julia

This one is a cover and a stand, all in one!

 

The2SistersShoppe

This one has a great cover and pockets for all your goodies:

     

            

Zoe Barnette

Choices, choices. I figure the more girlier I make the cover, the less likely it is for some boy(s) to walk off with it!

We also celebrated our lovely and amazing teachers this week for Teacher Appreciation Day:

 I had found these pear note pads in Office Depot's end of season bin last year (which I love, love, love. Or any bin really with a sales sign will get me all hot and bothered!). I had no idea what I was going to do with them but they were just too cute to pass up. So when Teacher's Appreciation Day rolled around I thought they would be the perfect gift for our wonderful teachers.

I added a note to each one that read "No teacher com"PEARS" to you. Thanks for all you do!" I also slipped in a gift card into the pages. My son said that all the other kids in class were asking his teacher if they could use a pear note. Too funny! Really no gift can compare to a teacher who nurtures your child's gifts and sees a great potential in each one. Thank you to all teachers, everywhere!

We are also getting ready for my baby brother's big day. Laurie and I got some amazing facials at our new Ulta store. They were running an amazing special, two for only $25! My facialist used the Clarisonic Mia on my face, and I fell in love with it's results.



I sashayed out of there, looking fresh with tighter, dewy looking skin. I have the cheaper ProX version of this, but it just doesn't compare to the Mia. I think I'm going to be saving up my mommy allowance for this baby!

Have a great Monday!

~Angela

Manic Monday or Manic Marriage > Happy Anniversary, Baby

Card from Fireworks Gallery

I've been on a 35 year road trip with Mr. Glossy Flossy in a tiny clown car packed with all sorts of baggage of love, happiness, children, sadness, petty grievances and some murderous thoughts (not all of those were brought on by the kids.)  All that baggage is of different sizes and thank goodness the good baggage is a lot larger than the undesirable baggage.

I've been married to Mr. Glossy Flossy for 35 years and yes I was 11 when I got married :)  People have said that there is an ebb and flow to marriage.  I don't say that, it's a nice analogy for some people's marriage but not mine.  My marriage is like a fire.  One day it's warming and relaxing, like sitting in front of a cozy fire making you all comfy and drowsy and the next day it's like the worst sunburn ever, burning, uncomfortable and needing to get over it! 

An 80+ year old couple who had been married for over 60 years was asked how they had stayed married for so long.  The wife said, "Luckily, we never fell out of love at the same time."  That is the ebb and flow of everyone's marriage.  Anyone who has ever been married knows that marriage is a lot of work.  Sometimes you get tired of working at it and coast.  Sometimes it seems that there is too much ebb in a marriage, that's when, if you're lucky, the other person is picking up the slack and working very hard at making it work. 

Have you seen the saying on Pinterest that says:  Marriage is like a deck of cards?  In the beginning, all you need is two hearts and a diamond.  By the end, you wish you had a club and a spade.  The club and spade days are the burning fire days or the ebb but they don't have to be the end.

In honor of my anniversary and the upcoming wedding we have right around the corner; I came up with a list of things I wish someone had told me about being married:

• You can't always be right - WHAT???  But what if I am always right?  What do you mean I'm not always right?  That's a hard one for me and it's taken me 34 years, 11 months, 29 days to realize work on.  Okay, that's a really, really hard one for me.  Sometimes I am wrong, and mean, and bitchy.  Thank goodness the Mr. is very patient with me.

• Sometimes you have decide to be wrong and end the argument because what you have is more important than "being right."  There's no winning in arguing over something that isn't going to matter later and that you will not even remember what you're arguing about.  The following is a true story and the names have not been changed.  Mr. Glossy and I were arguing about something (I don't remember what)  when mid-stream he started laughing and said "Do you really want to argue about this?"  I started laughing too and no I didn't want to argue about it.  This only works if it is something  trivial, not something sacred like why did you throw out my 100 Taste of Home Magazines that I haven't looked at once in 5 years.

• Resist the urge to trash your spouses family.  Our clan is the perfect family so we don't have this problem, but I've heard of it.  Sometimes your family or his family are not very lovable, (just like sometimes you're not very lovable) but they are family, so resist the urge to go on and on and on and on about how they're not very lovable.  After all we already know how our own families are. No need to be redundant!

• You are a team and the children are the enemy, albeit a very lovable and at times, adorable enemy.  Band together with your spouse and be a united front against them.  Believe me if they see a chink in that united front they will exploit it for their own evil purposes.

I would like to say that I've learned all those lessons and we have a perfect marriage but marriage is like my hair - I have good days and bad days.  Sometimes it's just there - neither good or bad, sometimes it's scary bad and sometimes it's fantastic. 

When things get rough I like to remember and be thankful that I've found that one special guy that I want to annoy for the rest of my life. 

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Glossy Flossy.

~Laurie

Manic Monday > All Over The Map

This weekend flew by like a IRS refund. Sorry, had to do it. Tax day is tomorrow in case you hadn't heard or you are skipping taxes this year - which may not the best idea, just ask Wesley Snipes.

Here in Glossy Flossy land we had a weekend filled with baseball, sunshine, and most importantly, kettle corn. Seriously is there anything better than baseball and popcorn? Well maybe popcorn and wine, but your fellow little league fans might frown on your glass of Pinot in your cup holder, so best leave that combo for home. Which led me to this recipe for home made kettle corn in the MICROWAVE from April over at Frugal Homemaking, with just a paper bag and just four ingredients. Easy Homemade Kettle Corn:

2 Tbsp. popcorn kernels

2 tsp. oil

1 Tbsp. sugar or sugar substitute

Dash salt

Directions:

• Pour the kernels, oil, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Mix until all kernels are well coated with sugar, salt, and oil.
• Pour the bowl's contents into the paper bag. Place the bag on a plate and fold the top of the bag over 1" twice. You can also use a microwave-safe bowl and a vented lid (like a microwave-safe colander or splatter shield),
• Place in the microwave on popcorn setting or for about 1 minute, 15 seconds. Either way, shut off microwave when popping slows to less than a pop every second to avoid burning.
• Open slowly and carefully, as steam will be hot.

Was anyone else foaming at the the mouth with this week's stay a home mom bashing? Lets face it, being a mom is not a job for wimps. It is a freaking hard job to be solely responsible for the complete development of a human being, who at times just wants to cry and break stuff. Why would we as women turn on each other, when we are all in the same boat whether we work or not? Lets face it, the children out number us, so we should stick together -there is safety in numbers!

Is everyone getting ready to plant their gardens? Laurie Glossy Flossy planted her garden this weekend, but I am still procrastinating...I have these two livestock troughs that will hopefully soon look like this:

In the mean time check out all these great gardening plans for vegetables from Better Homes and Gardens:



I'm also jonesing for new melamine plates for summer:



Marimekko Plates, Crate and Barrel

Melamine Summer 2012 Collection, Target (Online only)

Happy Manic Monday!

~Angela

Manic Monday > Lately, Every Day Has Been Manic

Everyone is going to have to wait a couple more days for pics of the fabulous Rebel Housewife Bridal Shower cause we're busy putting our kitchens and houses back together after Sunday's soiree and getting ready to color six dozens eggs for Easter!

Don't judge me - but I am just now washing all of the goblets and other special dishes that need to be hand washed.  I was just to exhausted,  tired, lazy to do it yesterday after the shower!

To continue my laziness I am going to post an email that I sent out to my friends last year.  I can share this with you too, because you are all my friends - aren't you?  This email was about my dieting.  I want you to know I have since adopted a new plan.  I'm not actively trying to lose weight, I am just trying not to put on 10 lbs more this year.  That's why my elliptical and I have become very close.  

I'm sure this girl also has her own plan about dieting.

Source:  nikkicrumpet.blogspot.com

I know how this happened to her.  First my pants became shorter. Then my fat pants became my skinny pants. Then my fat pants became not this week pants, then distant memory pants, then not in this lifetime pants.  Apparently when this happened to her she thought "What the heck!  I don't need pants, why not something fringed to show off my asssss - ets. "  Well, I know how it happened up to the fringed part but  after I reached the not in this lifetime pants I thought, "What the heck!  Now I get to diet back down to at least the not this week pants."  I guess we all have different responses.  I'm pretty sure she's a much more fun girl than I am.

Happy April Everyone!

~  Laurie

Manic Monday >

Happy Monday ladies (and maybe some gents)! Hope you all are having a great one.

The sun a was out this weekend over here in Chaos and Gloss land, and we didn't waste a single ray of it! To the delight of my hubby and kids we spring cleaned like crazy. Actually, it was more of a, "OMG! I'm having 30 women over for a bridal shower in one week, and my house looks like a crime scene and the police have dusted for fingerprints all over my walls, and I have dust bunnies that have been on the run since 2011!",
Freak. Out. Moment.
But to the rest of my family it was advertised as "Spring Cleaning"

Actually, I'm a lucky gal and I have a super helpful hubby and kids who minimally complain when having to go above and beyond their normal chores. Oh, and maybe I bribed them with dinner out...After all, it not only takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to clean a house! Get the pets in on the action, its not like they are doing anything else anyway:

I found this great schedule from Martha Stewart that easily breaks down the dreaded Spring Clean, unless you are one of those freaks who love to clean, if so, I want to be you please.

Check out the link to view or print

There's was also this great pin on Pinterest from LetsLassoTheMoon.com about challenging yourself to throw away, donate, or resell, 100 things. Think of all the extra room and extra minutes that can free up by getting rid of some stuff! 

Source: letslassothemoon.com via Nita on Pinterest

I also spent a disgusting amount of time surfing the highly addictive site called Foodgawker.com. It's basically food porn for your inner Racheal Ray! They have thousands of glorious pictures of delicious recipes - almost like a Pinterest solely for food! Their slogan is "Feed Your Eyes", but after becoming ravenous after looking at all the photos, I've come to the conclusion that it should be, "Feed Your Thighs." They also have sites called Weddinggawker, Craftgawker, and Dwellinggawker; but they looked way to dangerous to my Spring cleaning schedule, so maybe I check them out some other time when I'm free - sometime in 2015.

Have a great Manic Monday!

~Angela

Manic Monday > Makes Me Want to Shop and Dance!

Welcome to another Monday at Chaos and Gloss. Hope you all had a great Saint Patrick's Day!

Things I'm loving this week:

Commericals that make me want to dance AND shop. Best of both worlds, right?  I am in love with this one from Target, and not just because my Grandma used to always sing "Allouette" to me as a little girl. Don't you just love Target's bright new home decor line?

Here is some of my favorite picks from this line:

Then there's this fun commerical from one of my favorite stores: White House /  Black Market:

She makes tap dancing look so cool! Here are some fabulous pieces from their new line to put some "Spring" into your step:

I'm also loving Potholes & Pantyhose's tutorial on making your own eye makeup remover! Fun and witty blogger Rebekah, says that it's just as effective as the pricier versions she's tried. She also has a recipe for gentle face wash. Check them out here:



I've also been pinning like crazy, DIY projects that involve wood pallets; which my friend and I are eyeballing to incorporate into her living room redo. Check out these fabulous pins:

Source: dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com via GlossyFlossy on Pinterest

Here's to an inspired Monday!

~Angela

Manic Monday > Sick Day

It's a rainy Monday here at Chaos and Gloss, and I'm hanging on the couch with a sick kiddo. My youngest is home today since the sound of hacking up a lung might be a little distracting to his other classmates.

I always tell my kids ominous tales of what happens if you have to stay home sick, which usually involves lots of naps, yucky tasting medicine, and Pedialite smoothies. I stress to them that staying home with mom is; B-O-R-I-N-G. This usually works, and my children  have miraculously recovered from many mystery illnesses before heading off to school.

But here is a secret truth that I would never admit to my kids: that there is times that I secretly love having a sick kid stay home from school. No, I have not caught my son's fever and I'm not talking about the kind of sick kid days when I'm having to clean up things with a bucket of Lysol. But there is something about cuddling a warm kiddo on a couch while watching a Wizards of Waverly Place marathon and sipping throat soothing, hot cocoa. I think it must have something to do with that it's a little taste of those days of the first baby; where you had all day to snuggle that sweet little bundle and nap - and surf the Internet.

Just kidding on that last one (sorta), but today it's just me, a kid, and a laptop (and some sleeping dogs); so I'm sharing some things to bookmark for your next sick kid day!

I want need to drink this:

Check out this recipe at Going Home to Roost.

My fridge desperately needs these (I have something unidentifiable in the back of my fridge right this minute...):



They are absorbent and stylish refrigerator liners. Gotta love anything that can brings the words functional and pretty together, right? A cute husband and wife team make these and you can find them here.

I'm checking out this page right now:

Great sick day activities from the cute blog Come Together Kids via my lovely friend Brooke's Pinterest board.

I am also using this great arrange - a - room tool from the Better Homes and Gardens web site.

This has been so handy for the  Barn chic living room redo that I talked about here.

Well I'm off to watch the new Puss n' Boots DVD - in bed. Having a sick kid at home is ruff stuff I tell ya...

~Angela

Manic Monday

Things have been crazy around here lately. Thankfully not the bad kind of crazy that involves mug shots, medical attention, vet bills, or threats of, "We will never mention this again...", but the good kind of crazy where you realize that your life is just truckin' along and your whole family is in the warp speed carpool lane, with you. It seems like now my weekends fly by and then I spend all Monday still trying to process all the things I did with my family. Kinda like a busy life hangover!

But do I ever have the cure for those shell shocked brains! Check out some cool sites and goodies to revive you from that weekend jet lag.

1. First up is a great site that some of you savvy stylista's already know about: Design Seeds

This site by blogger, Jessica Colaluca, posts gorgeous color schemes from selected photos, to "plant" seeds of inspiration for the rest of us schmo's. Genius! This site is great for finding inspiration for anything color related like wall colors, decorating, planning a party or wedding, even fashion. You can also select a specific color that you are wanting a color scheme for and Design Seeds with show you all the palettes that will work with it.


2. My friend recently got an adorable mother's necklace that I've been envying, so I've been scouring the web for the perfect one for me when I found this:  

 I have a couple of wonderful friends that have adopted amazing children and this would be such a great gift for anyone of them. It reads, "Chosen. To Belong. To Be Loved." Isn't that what everyone wants? Check out Lisa Leonard's Shop to see all of her great jewelry pieces.

3. I've found true love! In a mascara that is. I have long lashes to start with but they were looking a little ragged of late, probably after years of abuse by eye lash curler and harsh mascara. I've spent a whole lot of money (more than I like to think about) on expensive mascaras. Usually they get the job done, but not a whole lot of bang for my buck, if you know what I mean. That was until I tried Almay's, One Coat Triple Effect Mascara: 



 It lengthens, thickens, and nourishes your lashes with aloe and B vitamins. On my lashes it was conditioning and clump free; giving me great length without looking like Tammy Faye. It's basically a little TLC for your lashes! **Disclaimer: I was not paid to say nice things about mascara. It's just my personal opinion, although I wouldn't mind getting paid for my opinion...

4. I'm also loving this St. Patrick's Day lucky clover wreath, made from boxwood clippings and some wire from the crafty, Blue Leaf Confections. She gives a great DIY on how she did this:

Well I'm off to start my crazy week. Happy Monday!

~Angela

Manic Monday

Good Morning Lovelies! Hope you all are having a great Monday or at least an okay one at best. I know those Mondays can be ruff stuff sometimes!

This morning I am hobbling around because I "Just Danced" it a  little too hard this weekend. Did you know that pretending to churn butter like a gal from the 1800's is a great dance move? Nope, neither did I.

I'm also breathing a sigh of relief because *gasp* we got our school Valentines done early this year! After last years wails of, "Where's my class list?!" "My ink is wiping off!!" "Why can't I give myself 5 extra Valentines?!" I got smart and did them early and I printed the kids' classroom names and who they were from on labels and then they stuck them on their Valentines. Ya, ya, yeah. I know it's not the same when the kids actually take the time to painstakingly write each name down on the Valentine, but I didn't have the 300 hours that it takes for my kids to write all those names.  And in case you didn't know, fancy names are in! We're talking names with 9+ letters and phonics that don't make sense. I love names with a little creativity, but I don't love helping my 1st graders trying to write it, so no "mommy judging"! Whew. Glad I could get that off my chest.

We are going to be testing out a new feature this Monday! Laurie and I will be sharing with you some of the cool and funky things we've found that we think you, our wonderful readers, might love. Plus we will be saving you all the hours and hours we've wasted looking at said, cool and funky things; and unlike us, you might actually have time for clean dishes and laundry!

Check out:

1. Houzz - We have a project that we are currently working on that we are so excited to soon be sharing with you! In the meantime check out Houzz if you haven't already discovered this awesome home design site. Whether you are looking for paint colors or ideas to redecorate you bedroom this site has it all. Photos and photos of decor and design. *swoon* If you sign up with them you can also save photos that you like into your own ideabook. There's even an app for your IPhone or Android.

eclectic staircase design by chicago media and blogs Kasey Buick

2. Child's Own Studio - takes you your children's drawings and uses fabric and amazing sewing skills and to turns them into a cuddly buddy for your kids! Check out her photo gallery for some inspirational ideas.



3. We are drooling over this! We want summer to be here NOW.

Source: marcusdesigninc.blogspot.com via Laurie on Pinterest

4. We downloaded these free fonts from DaFont and used them in a great project coming up tomorrow. They are super easy to install.

Source: goinghometoroost.com via Laurie on Pinterest

5. We are so going to be make some funky subway art with this cool tool from Tagxedo. It takes any words you choose and turns them into art! Check out their site and see all the possibilities.



Happy Monday!

~Angela