Voila!

I have to give credit to my sister, Courtney. She not only helped me put those massive rugs down, but she helped me accessorize my home. I thought I was a master at accessorizing. You know, with purses, jewelry and shoes. Apparently accessorizing a home isn't as easy.

Courtney manages a fabulous shop in Fairway, Kan. called Sharyn Blond linens. They have fantastic decor and tabletop accessories for the home. Sharyn, herself, was so generous to give me linen cocktail napkins as a housewarming gift.

Before I knew it Courtney was in my house stacking books and displaying things in a way I didn't even know possible! She took a basic rattan divider basket (which I planned to use in my office for post-its and such) and made it in to kitchen caddy, holding my EVOO, salt and pepper and my cocktail napkins. (photos below) Genius!

Then, she went to my office again, grabbed a stack of books and put a candle on top. Genius again! I will, however, have to replace the books she grabbed with more intellectual reads. Right now Emily Post's Etiquette book is joined by a 'beach read' and a book about shopping. Doesn't quite 

peg me as the most sophisticated homeowner. 

I think I'll get some design books so it looks like I actually know what I'm doing :) She made it look so easy, but she is surrounded by accessories all day and knows what looks good. Below is an arrangement at her house and a photo of Sharyn Blond Linens, where she works. 

Injury #1

Yes, I finally did it. Those who know me well, know I'm clumsy, so it was only a matter of time before I injured myself at the new house. I played the moments in my head and expected to do it either:

1. Falling down my basement stairs with a laundry basket full of clothes
2. Getting shocked by one of my extremely outdated outlets
3. Dropping something really heavy on my foot (ie: TV, hammer and really any household item)

Nope, not even close.

My 'leaf decor' in my front yard got to be too much, so I decided to rake. Plus, I didn't want to be "that neighbor" that let the leaves pile up and blow into other yards. It was getting late on Sunday and I decided to rake as fast as I could. I got a really great start and thought I was doing well. I made decent sized piles in my yard in a short amount of time.

And here comes the bomb – I kneeled down and reached out to scoop up the leaves to put in the bags and OUCH!!! I pulled what I think was two different areas in my lower back. Seriously, I'm only 28 years old, how could this happen? So, like an elderly person, I stood up in pain and slowly hobbled back into the house. And, what really bothered me was that I had  three big leaf piles I had to leave in my yard. So, Monday rolls around and my back was killing me. It hurt when I was sitting or bending in any way. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed when I called my boss to tell him I wasn't coming in because I pulled something in my back...raking.

Clearly, I need to stretch before doing my next round of strenuous raking. I really wish I had read this http://www.ehow.com/how_2056989_stretch-before-raking-leaves.html before raking...