Woe is me! How long has it been?

Where has the time gone? I started to write this blog to celebrate Mama's Birthday (May 17) and now I'm just getting around to finishing it.

First, Mama blog..then we can discuss where we will be in June and July!


Celebrate Your Mom, Come ON!

Well that's not what they REALLLLLY sang (Yeah-hoo)! We at AG get a week Month of Mama. Her birthday and Mother's Day are always a week apart but we always celebrate them separately and for at least a month (give or take)!

I love this picture (not sure Mama will). It's a sweet kiss between Mama and Sissy. I might look like I'm six months old but I just got home from the hospital! #BIGBABY


This isn't the first time I have written about my Mama  Mother. I have no recollection of EVER calling my mom "Mother" but in second grade, I wrote a book about "Mother".

SIDENOTE: The drawing of "mother" and I might be my one great masterpiece! We all know sis is the artist!

ANYWHOOOOOOO!

This is what I wrote:
We read the News Paper.
Me and My Mother watch T.V. We watch cartoons. (Days of Our Lives)
We read books.
We look at picture books. (I'm not sure if it means photo albums or magazines but we looked at both).
We play cards.
We cook together.
We play dolls.
We do the wash. (I think that meant I watch mom do the laundry)
THE END

Each page had its own picture and it was laminated and bonded! Kinda a big deal! Just sayin'!

Mama isn't a fan of this birthday! I was thinking that The Dadster would surprise us all with a trip to Australia. Instead he took her to the casinos and wineries in Kentucky and Ohio. Same diff, only we weren't invited and its not Australia!

OBIVOUSLY, I can't tell you the reason it has taken me so long to blog is because I didn't get wifi in the outback. THANKS DADSTER! I have just been a busy bee. (Busy doing nothing). I read my first book since I left FL in January! YEAH

We also have been busting our buns working on our next market. One of our favorites Restyled barn sale!

We have "new" items that we have been saving for this sale! Come  early and come often!
FYI: WE WILL BE IN THE BARN THIS YEAR! MAKE SURE TO LOOK FOR US THERE!

In July we are back in Tipton, IN for Horton's of Tipton french flea market. Another one of our favorites. (I know I say that but I mean it.)

So mark both of those dates on your calendars! Once again, I'm going to promise to try and be a better blogger! It just seems like time flies when you are having fun!

My mom made me think I was gorgeous. When I was younger she was like, 'Look at you! You're an angel. You sparkle!' And I was like, 'I do!' You believe your parents. ~Amy Schumer AG

A Family That Laughs Together...

Most likely just saw the ever HI-LARRY-OUS Matt Holt live!

The U family took a trip to Broad Ripple and Cracker's Comedy Club.  I know you're thinking! It's only 10 miles away. EVERYTHING the U family does is a trip/adventure. Just have to call a spade a spade! 

Bless The Dadster's pea pickin' heart but he almost killed us at least four times on the way there. He isn't used to driving in the "big city".

 I'm sure these two "backseat drivers" didn't help his cause. #dadsterdrivingselfie 

Good news….we made it there alive and EARLY! Whoot Whoot. There were three comics at Crackers that night. In order of appearance:

First up was Jeff Vibbert. What an A-DOOR-ABLE  and charming 13 23 year old. He was (as Mama put it) a "clean" comic. He was truly funny without the cuss words. His stories were so funny and yet somehow, I'm sure they were totally true! 

Sporting this mustache type thing, makes him look beyond his years! My sincerest apologies to Mr. Vibbert but there wasn't a lot on the Internet to steal borrow.  He is up and coming so, give it time and your news feed will be blowing up with his name! 

Up next was not so clean comic Ben Moore. What to say about him? Ahhhhhh. Ummmmmm. Yeah, I think this guys says it best. 

FYI…This isn't Ben. I don't know who it is. 

Last but certainly NOT least is funny guy and friend, Matt Holt. My dearest readers, I'm admitting right here, right now,  the entire U family are now officially Holtamanics! 

I did pre-warn Mama that Matt uses "adult" language in his act. Mama isn't a fan of sailor talk but she was prepared for a "f bomb" or two. 

SIDENOTE: For some reason, I decided I needed to know where the term "cuss like a sailor" came from.  I didn't really get the answer I was looking for. The best I could come up with was someone called "Peace and Love" on Yahoo answers. I'm going to go ahead and take her answer as "fact". I do enjoy some peace and some love. PL says: Back in the day, sailors were often uneducated and could be somewhat dangerous or barbaric. Now, sailors are just any other person with a job, but the expression comes from all those "uncivilized" sailors that had potty mouths.

Kinda thought that would be more exciting! ANYWHOOOOOOO! 

The "f" word didn't stop Mama from laughing, LOUDLY! The Dadster did his chuckle that we love so much and Sissy snorted a couple times. Of course, I have a dainty and polite laugh..nay giggle. 

Not only was his set funny, he ended with a really cool and motivational story. Mama thought it was awesome and made a note to be more motivated and live her dreams…the next day when she woke up. It was late and she had been working in the yard all day.  

If you don't live in Indiana, no worries. The dude travels EVERYWHERE spreading laughter and joy. (to much?) ha 

Click here to enjoy a video of him I found on YouTube. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

holtcomedy @holtcomedy · Jesus was a Carpenter, but he didn't write any of their big hits. #rainydaysandmondays-

How Do I Love thee?

Let Me Count the Grays...

Mama and I are still singing "Hallllllll-laaaaaaa-lu-ya, Coco's room is done". It's AH-MAZE-ING. You know from my "Spring is Clean" blog, I've been drooooooling over laminate flooring. DROOLING! We did it! Mama and I grabbed our construction wine glasses and got to work.

First day, was mostly prep work. We touched up the paint on ceiling, painted my baseboards, and joyfully ripped the carpet out. We were drinking in great spirits, so optimism was at an all time high! 

Once we got our trusty "box knife for like carpet" aka a carpet knife, we had no trouble ripping that up! Now being "newbies" to the home remodeling/construction thing, getting an actually carpet knife, change our lives! 




SIDENOTE: Mama and I went total redneck on the carpet. After we ripped it up, we took out the screen and tossed it right out the second story window. Since looks can't actually kill (and we did NOT make a bonfire out of the old carpet) no one was harmed during this process. 

AHHHWHOOO…about a week later AND….

A little before…A little after! 

Now everyone sing-a-long…ISN'T SHE LOVELY! ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL!  We did it! We WILL NOT being doing it again!  We didn't just do the flooring, we re-did the ENTIRE ROOM! 

Mama got these wire garden trellis at an estate sale for $5. We spray painted them gray (#1). I think they look pretty awesome! We also got the bedspread (gray #2) at sale for $5 (plus dry cleaning costs). I hate how wrinkled my pillows look but I couldn't bring myself to iron them. 

The dresser is mine from my nursery so its….29(ish) years young?! We painted it gray (#3). I love the frame we picked up at The Southside Vintage Marketplace. I already had the silver "C" and candlesticks. Is silver gray? Remind me to "google" that. 

OH don't you love my vintage hamper (on the right) and bright blue TV stand? I DO! 

Close up time:

This blue makes me smile ear to ear

I had to have an owl in my room SOMEWHERE! 

To top off my gray (#4), I got this night stand for the low price of FREE! Painted the handles the electric blue and I LOVES IT! 

I love, love, love, my "new" room. It's clean, it's fresh, it's four shades of gray! 

I wish I could say the trials and tribulation of all this has put a damper on my need remodel. It didn't. Next stop? My bathroom! 

Still being a little obsessed with BuildDirect, I had to go and look at their tile samples! I'm thinking subway tiles for my bathroom!? It might be a little to soon…but Mama don't you love this look? Should we try it?

BuildDirect

The road to success is always under construction.
Lilly Tomlin

AG

Hooiser Hysteria

Hoo·sier

ˈho͞oZHər/

ynoun

1. 1.

   a native or inhabitant of Indiana.

   
   

Hooiser Hysteria is the state of excitement surrounding basketball in Indiana. Every year Indiana residents experience "Hooiser Hysteria". Indiana is  known for producing AH-MAZE-ING basketball players. It might just be in our blood. 

Sadly, this year Indiana wasn't represented in NCAA's basketball tournament. That hasn't stopped us Hooisers from filling out our brackets or cheering on Kentucky and Michigan (if we chose them in our brackets). 

We at Almost Gemini wanted to keep the Indiana spirit alive. 

This is our Indiana wall of fame! Indiana designs by Indiana friends! 

Sis and I met the VERY talented Lindsay Clark at last year's ReStyled Barn Sale. She is the AH-MAZE-ING artist behind Seven Lemons. When we saw this particle piece of art we already had the "Indiana wall" idea in our heads and knew this would be PERFECT! 

"This is HOME". Indiana is our home and this print by United State of Indiana made my heart smile! Of course this frame came of our warehouse but it fit perfectly! Make sure to also check out their website. You MUST check out their t-shirts. They are the softest, cuddliest, shirts! LOVE THEM! 

"The Crossroads of America" is from our darling friend Kris's store. Kris is the owner and master mind behind The Inventorialist. Make sure to check out the store located at 715 Dorman Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. The Inventorialist is open Thursday-Saturday 11-7 and Sundays 12-5. 

We might not be seeing many flowers yet this spring but we do love our license plates flower. We bought it from our friends at Robb Restyle at last years Hobknob Market. Fingers crossed they will be there with us again in May. 

Sis and I added license plates from the year we were born…..

TAAAAAAAA DAAAA! That is how we roll decorated our Indiana wall. We love it so much, we might just keep it for bit. MIGHT! 

I don't think I have ever been out of control.- Former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight 

I don't think I have either Coach Knight!

AG

Spring is Clean?!

Spring cleaning is not for wussies! I can’t help be breathe a sigh of relief as, bag after bag heads out to Goodwill or Julian Center. I’ve had so much to recycle, I had to sneak stuff into the neighbor's bins!

How all this stuff ever fit in our house AH-MAZES me?! Sometimes, I think it’s a talent. Most times, I think it’s a curse. Maybe...I’m cursed with a talent? Nahhhh


AHHHHHWHOOOOOO


One thing that a clean house has brought to my attention, is our desperate need for new flooring. DESPERATE NEED! I’m 100% over carpet and 100% into laminate. I felt the need to “Ohhh” and “Ahhh” over flooring!

I searched for laminate flooring and stumbled upon BuildDirect reviews from TrustPilot. As an avid review writer myself, I love to check out what people that have actually dealt with the company say. Since the reviews looked good, I drifted away into "I wish I had these floors" land AKA  search them on Pinterest.  

What I fell in love with....

source of my dream kitchen

I want this flooring but would settle for the ENTIRE kitchen! (I just realized I REALLLLLLY want to paint my kitchen cabinets white!) I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they painted the far back cabinet that AH-MAZE-ING blue. The simple lime green stripped rug, yes please. 

source of awesomeness

I love a great room! So simple, so clean, so different then my house! I love dark wood and with black furniture. That is exact opposite for my house now but maybe one day! 


One more...Ohhhh la la! 

Source of Ohhhh la la! 

I love this color flooring with grey and cream. It's so fresh and crisp which reminds me of spring! 

Sadly, the house isn't cleaning itself! Sis thinks I'm "playing on pinterst" (I call it working)!

The day I worry about cleaning my house is the day Sears comes out with a riding vacuum cleaner.

Roseanne Barr

I can't believe they don't make riding vacuums!


AG

The Dadster and Dates

A face only a daughter could love. :) 

I'm blessed. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't tell myself (and anyone else that will listen or act like they are listening) I AM BLESSED. The Dadster is one of my favorite reasons!

This weekend we get to celebrate the man, the myth, the legend. KVU aka "The Dadster"'s birthday is Saturday. He will be turning (I'm not telling) so it's time to celebrate! What better then the "Irish" way.

We can wear our green and eat cake too! Here is the U fam celebrating last year!

After we drink our green beer we have little time to be hungover before we get into "market mode". Have you been wondering where we will be? WONDER NO MORE!

In April we are going to be part of the first "The Southside Vintage Marketplace" Join us April 12th from 9am-4pm

We will be heading back to Danville, IL in May for Hobnob Spring Market. 

Join us May 9th for the "Fresh Picked Party" aka first bids on the awesomeness. OR on May 10th you can treasure hunt all day!

June is ALWAYS a big month for AG. It's Birthdays, Buffet (Jimmy) and a barn sale. We will once again be part of Restyled barn sale.

Don't forget to stop by their store and pick up some of our "grandma's lotion". It's the best!

July we will be back at Horton's of Tipton for the French Flea Market..Stay tuned for more details on that.

 I'm sure there is more but I got to run! I have one more part of the dadsters b-day present I need to pick up!

May the sun shine, all day long, everything go right, and nothing wrong. May those you love bring love back to you, and may all the wishes you wish come true!

Irish Birthday Blessing 

AG

Flying, Coach, Because I Said I Would

Mama and The Dadster are home from Florida! As a "Thank you for not burning the house down" gift they brought me a sweet little Coach clutch. I know what you are wondering and YES this is an actual reason to give me a gift. I once (on accident) started a small, YET CONTAINED fire while I was house sitting. 

ANYWHOOOOOOOO...

In the words of Stevie Wonder...."Isn't She Lovely,It's she beautiful"! You know I love my pink (and my coach purses)! 

I am basically carrying around (coach) luggage as a purse right now. I think my shoulders and back cracked in delight at this little lady but I had to down size. 

What is in my bag? I ALWAYS have 

One pair of prescription glasses (in a case)

One pair of prescription sunglasses (in a case)

Epi pen

Contact lenses

Nail clippers

Enough medicine to supply a nursing home 

8-10 lip glosses

Mascara and

My wallet which is actually a (coach) wristlets 

As I was deciding what trash treasures to keep and which to shred, I stumbled upon something I had cut  tore out of a magazine. Yes, I am that girl. I cut and/or rip out articles, recipes, pictures of cute outfits...whatever. I also still mail said articles/pictures to family/friends or bring into work for a co-workers. If I see something I think you will like or laugh, it's going in my purse. 

A little to late.....

When I was coming home from my last trip, I was reading "Spirit" magazine. I was flying Southwest/Airtran and it's their in flight magazine. I was a little too late because what I was really wanting to read was an article in November 2013 (and this was January 2014). I can honestly and sincerely say, this was the first (and only) time the letters to the editors caught and kept my attention. People were so moved by this November article, I needed to know more. So, I ripped off  out the page and stuck it in my purse with all intentions of "researching" it later. 

"The Every Day Action Hero" was a man named Alex Sheen.  Alex (I'm acting like we are friends and on a first name basis) found the "because i said I would" website/movement in honor of his father.

I like to think I'm a person of my word, which is what made this so interesting to me. It was THAT simple. His message is "a promise made, a promise kept". 

Because I said I would is a social movement and nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering humanity through the power of a promise. To encourage positive change and acts of kindness, we send “promise cards“ to anywhere in the world at no cost. People use these cards to remember the importance of their word, for promises both big and small.

I can't possibly do justice to this movement in my little blog, but encourage everyone to check out Alex's website. Its so simple and so powerful. People make a promise and keep it! Sadly, I sit here mind blown! So many times I hear words that don't mean much (if anything). 

Can you imagine what could be accomplished if everyone did this? People would actually have to be aware and honor their words. Tonight I'm going to make 10 of my own "because I said I would" cards and encourage everyone else to do so too and hope you will share! 

AG

Welcome to the Jungle!

I think Guns and Roses said it best. WELLLCOME TO THE JUNGLE...We've got fun and games! G and R also sang "Sweet Child O' Mine"...something my mama won't be signing after she reads this blog. OOPS!

Since Mama and The Dadster are on a cruise and since they just happen to have limited Internet access, I thought no better time then the present for this blog! It will at least buy me a week before I get grounded. OOPS!

SIDE NOTE:
Mama:

I love you more the words and with all my being.  It's hard for me to tell you this...(insert deep breathe) you have way to many fake (silk) plants in your house. An truly unnecessary amount. 

Can one have enough silk tulips? Yes. It's always spring time at the U house. Left to right clockwise, master bath, laundry room, and master bedroom. 

SIDE NOTE:

The tulips have been around for at least 10-15 years.

The tulips and silk plant on the far left and the only two things still hanging around the house. 

LOOK! A panda bear in it's natural habit! Oh, my bad. That's just the rents living room! (Aunt Andi if you are reading this...that's the panda bear you won me at the Bluffton Street fair a couple years decades ago). 

More panda food in the living room! 

The kitchen-forest is my fave! It's the most personalized part! The tin "clock" with all fives on it says "House rules no one drinks before five" It's a clock with all fives....get it! AHHHH, so funny! The mirror has mama's fave saying on it. "Diets Are Forever" and her "World's Greatest Mom" trophy is front and right!

Really...How much is too much? We are at 15 and I realized I totally forgot another "tree" and can't bring myself to edit other four pictures. 

Moral of the blog, Mama you have a problem. Your house is just to full of fake plants/flowers/bushes/shrubs/etc... but I know why.

I may or may not have killed your only real one! OOPS, my bad!

Mama, when you get home...Let's chat! 

Love you more mama, 

AG

Polar Bear Club and a New Pool

Polar Bear Club, not to be confused with a polar bear cub.

Gratuitous adorable polar bear CUB picture!

This cuddly photo credit goes to...First People- Bear

OK....one more cub picture...

He really makes the snow look cute! 

Photo Credit 

OH now he fell, so cute! One picture leads to two..I couldn't help myself! SOOO cute but they grow up and not so cuddly!  

photo credit

ANNNNNYYYYYWAYYYYYYY

The Polar Bear Club AKA Polar Bear Plunge is (You know I hate Wikipedia but i can't help siting it)

A polar bear plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. In the United States polar bear plunges are usually held to raise money for a charitable organization, while in Canada they are associated with New Year's Day.

Photo credit 

I don't know who this girl is. I'm guessing this is what I would look like if I ever did it. My baby cuzzy does this every year. Do I think she is crazy for jumping into freezing cold water? UMMM 

YES. Thousands of people do it and I think they are all EQUALLY crazy! 

On New Years, I like to jump into this pool....

Nice warm, yet refreshing pool! 

SIDENOTE: These pictures have not been retouched. The only editing I did was adding our name! I know, I know you are sick of me saying it. This place is B-E-A-U-TIFUL! 

So this is the point in my blog that you are wondering where it's going?! (I'm right aren't' I?!) Well, I left the above pool in paradise and came home to....

A pool that looks like a polar bear took a plunge! The automatic cover has fallen in, the polar vortex was to much for it to handle. 

The fairly new pavers also took  a dip into the ice cold pool. 

In the words of The Dadster, "Well there isn't anything we can do about it til spring." He is 100% right. (Dadster you have that in writing) There isn't anything we can do...mostly because I'm just house sitting so I'm not actually part of the "we"....

What I can do is offer the rents suggestions of how they could/should rebuild their pool. Except for mama, I spend the most time there. To know me is to know, I always think I should have a opinion in what's going on!  

So I of course went to Pinterest to look for ideas who we can mend our frozen and miffed pool. 


My first thought went to a lazy river...a slide and bridge of sorts. 

Looks like fun, right? It seems like a good idea until you think of the work. It's just to much and the rents would have to add a pool house. They are trying to downsize. Just too much! 

I'm kinda wondering if I can talk mama into adding a "beach" to the pool. It would help keep us cool in the warm and humid Indiana July and August! 

After looking at all kinds of AH-MAZE-ING pools in all kinds of AH-MAZE-ING places. 

This in my favorite one....Home is where your pools is. I still kinda want the "beach" pool. The one with a swim up bar would be a really close second. This time I'm going to have to go with the Dadsters attitude. Even though its broke, we can fix it...(in the spring). 

This is for The Dadster! 

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”
― Carl Reiner

AG