3.13.2011

Our Home (well, most of it)

Ok, So I'm finally getting to the point where the house is both clean and decorated enough that I'm comfortable taking pictures. I have to admit, I want my home to look like it's come out of a magazine; which is why we've been there a year and I'm just now getting around to putting up pictures. :) I don't have any of the bedroom right now cause it's not the same without the duvet cover, which is currently in the wash. :) So I'll post those in a few days.

Ok so as you come up on our porch you'll see this mosaic above the door.






and then you'll know you're at the right house cause our front door just can't be missed; it's probably my favorite part of the house. I LOVE the image of the Tree of Life, and I have a couple trees around the house.




This is the entry way. Or area. Not really large enough to be considered a "way." Anyway, I wanted to have an accent wall, so the smallest wall on the right (or left, as you walk in) is a really rich, warm chocolate brown, and the rest of the walls in the living room and hallway are a carmel. Lots of neutrals, but by no means boring.


Here's our couch (which Bowser LOVES messing up) and our curtains, which we had custom-made for the room. I love them, they're beautiful.


Here's the other part of the living room with the fireplace, bookshelf and chair. We have bamboo floors in the bedrooms and living room, and as the room came together we kind of ended up with a contemporary ethnic design. I had one elephant statue I had from before we were married and it kind of just went from there.

This is the elephant that started it all. I call him the Stealth Elephant cause it looks like he's trying to be all aerodyamic. I got him when I was working at Pier 1 in high school when Spence and I were dating.

They say the Devil is in the details, and it must be true cause that's where I focus. :) I love the elephant carving; it's from Indonesia and carved in teak.


Here's the lamp we have on top of the bookcase.

Last one, I promise. Not the last elephant in the room, but the last one I'll subject you to. Gotta have SOMETHING on the mantle!


This painting kind of pulls the theme into the hallway. It's monkeys instead of elephants, but it still has the same feel and coordinates with the curtains, which have coconut trees on them. Same look.
So here's the kitchen, seen from the dining area. I wanted the color to play off the skylight and just be really bright and happy. So I ended up with a really yummy butter yellow. I have to stop myself from eating the walls. The cabinets are maple, the tile is real stone (travertine) and the counters are black granite.

Behind the sink and the stove we have these really cool mosaics that are set in concrete. They're beautiful.

So yellow and red turned into a French Countryside look, which I must say I'm quite happy with. I LOVE how much natural light the kitchen and dining area get, between the skylight and the french doors.


No french countryside kitchen is complete without a rooster (we have a few, actually). This fellow is metal and about 2 1/2 feet tall. He nicely takes up the wall next to the back door.


"Where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave but not our hearts." We got this as a shower present and it goes beautifully over our dining table.
Just a friendly reminder


I believe that no home is complete without a dog to top it off, and this one certainly tops them all! LOL.

Ok, so in a couple of days I'll complete the set; I'll get some bedroom photos (which is like an east-asian getaway) and the bathroom (my personal spa). And maybe some day, if the office is ever finished, you'll see some pictures of that too. :)

3.11.2011

2011 Legislative Session Results

I used to be one of those people who didn't even know when Legislative Session was, let alone cared about it. But one of the joys of being employed by a branch of the State government is that the decisions they make up on the hill directly affect my daily life. It affects the way I do my job and my ability to do it. Every year there are some things proposed that scare me, and this year was particularly frightening. But now that the session is over I can breathe again. Here's what I was keeping an eye on this year:

1. A bill proposed to change the State work week back to five days. The wording in the bill specified that each division would have to have at least one branch open for at least 9 hours on each weekday. This bill passed, but I'm not entirely sure how it will affect my division. Driver License is technically already in compliance with what the bill specified; we have two offices that are open 10 hours, mon-fri. While I'm sure the Governor will want to reopen the other licensing offices on fridays, I'm hoping that my office (and my schedule) will not be affected by this.

2. Legislature approved an increase in our insurance premiums. Specifically, the premiums we pay for medical and dental coverage will double. I'm not looking forward to this, but it could be worse. At least the benefits themselves aren't being cut, like last year.

and last but not least...

3. Legislature had actually proposed a bill to take away State employee's sick leave. This would have cut our earned leave time in half. While I won't say what I actually think about this on here (cause I could lose my job for doing so) I will state the obvious that I did not support it. But guess what: IT DIDN'T PASS! That's right! I get to keep the leave that I earn and am entitled to. yay!

There are some other bills proposed that would affect that nature of my job, but we haven't received an announcement as to whether they have pass, let alone how they would be implemented. I'm sure it will make my job much more interesting, as always. But all in all I'd say this session was a victory for me. I came out of it with a few bumps and bruises and scratches, but with no major injury. :)