Retro.

Have you seen our kitchen?

She is a gem. Seriously.

You walk into 1961 when you step onto her yellow linoleum tile squares.

We have seen the light fixture over our breakfast banquette (that's right) in multiple episodes of Mad Men.

What's a banquette, you ask?

Oh, friend. Enjoy this jewel of a breakfast room table.

This picture is from the day we bought the house. Don't worry, everything looks pretty much the same. We did paint the walls white and replace the valance. Wouldn't want to make any drastic changes, though.

Last fall, we won a Green Home Makeover from www.mygreenhomebirmingham.com. As part of the contest, the updated parts of the house were photographed for Birmingham Home & Garden magazine. Nothing about this area of the house was updated, but it makes people smile, so the photographer shot it. Of course, that photo ended up in the magazine. Here is the styled shot of this same exact place:

Amazing what photographer Jean Allsopp did with our house. If I get a better camera, will my pictures look like this?

Ok, I already know the answer to that question -- which is why I don't have a fancy-schmancy camera!

The point of this post is that I am listing our electric range on Craigslist today.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Antique Frigidaire Custom Imperial Electric Range circa 1960 on sale NOW!

Get it while it's hot, people.

Here is a picture (made with my beloved point and shoot that has recently stopped zooming out):

Everything works except the right oven. Are you doing a play or making a film set in the 50s or 60s? or maybe in the 21st century, but with people who have a retro kitchen?

This would be perfect for your set!

Do you own an antique store or a museum for vintage appliances? This is for you!

Act now!

This post is dedicated to Sara Smith and Scott Howell who actually asked about my blog! Do either of you need a new oven? Scott??? I hear you are building a house... don't be shy!

Hope everyone enjoyed the summer solstice and Prince William's 29th birthday.

Speaking of, I will leave you with this article about two of my favorite things: the Royals and Auburn University.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/06/14/prince-william-offered-football-scholarship-in-alabama-at-birth/

Good News

I am no longer unemployed... technically!

The past 2 months have been filled with school days as I have been a long-term substitute at two schools. And I love it. The sub life rocks -- particularly long term subs.

Home today, subbing tomorrow -- I like it!

Spring has almost come and gone. Our new landscaping from winning the Green Home Giveaway (www.mygreenbirmingham.com) is thriving, miraculously.

Here are some spring pictures for your entertainment:

This is my Palmetto Bluff cooking show...

One of the first iris blossoms in the front yard

Ferrying across the Savannah River on St. Patrick's Day

Coming soon... May Weddings and our 6 Year Anniversary Celebration.

Unemployment

In October I quit my job of three years to complete an internship and finish my master's program. I loved this job and since everything was so hectic when I left (already in the middle of the student teaching internship) I wasn't able to wrap things up with all of the people I had been working with. People I worked with in different states probably think I just dropped off the face of the earth -- well, I'm sure they know now since there is someone else in my old position! Anyway, the whole thing was a whirlwind. So, imagine the relief on December 8th when I finished everything! What in the world would I do with myself?

Week 1-2

Pre-Christmas festivities and fun. Plenty of time to decorate, cook, and celebrate! These first few weeks Tyler was in awe of me. I think he actually said, "Wow, those purple lines under your eyes are gone!" And it was true! I had been running too hard since May and this down time was much needed.

Week 3!

Snowy Christmas and travel to the O'Connors annual gathering of the extended family where many competitions and activities are carried out. For example, my father-in-law chooses a book for his children, nieces, and nephews to read each year by the next Christmas. When we gather, we have a test on the book! It may sound like a downer, but everyone loves it. Tyler wins the most. This year's test was on Lassie Come Home which is about the original Lassie in Scotland -- and there is no Timmy! European Lassie. We have also read The Jungle Book, To Kill a Mockingbird (I won that year), All Quiet on the Western Front, and next year we are reading Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I hear it is wonderfully sad.

Week 4 +-- After the holidays, I realized how much time I had. I applied to substitute at schools around town and have been tutoring some neighborhood kids.

We went to Vegas and to Phoenix for the National Championship game. I believe this trip further indoctrinated me into the O'Connor family. My first true roadtrip with them. Driving from Vegas to Phoenix is a 5-hour drive for the non-adventure lover. That is why our bright blue mini van took the 8-hour option down Historic Route 66... where we took a lot of pictures:

I am on top of an Arizona boulder!

It was worth every minute: World Champs!

(accd to Tyler)

Pros of Unemployment:

1. Spontaneous travel

2. Reminding myself how to cook

3. The world is my oyster!

4. Re-organization of my life

5. Time to reflect on the whirlwind that was 2010 -- so I don't forget it!

6. I met my mailwoman and my garbage men!

7. I am here when people need to come by the house for various reasons.

Cons of Unemployment:

1. No tengo dinero!

That is the only one, but it is a biggie!

Actually, #2. is missing the day to day interaction with co-workers/students/etc.

So, 2 cons.

I am enjoying this time, but will have a refreshed mindset towards work when I am back in the "employed" category on the nightly news statistics.

____________________________

"Better watch out for those man-eating jackrabbits and that killer cacti..."

A Quick Visit

Tyler took me to New York with him earlier this week. While he had a conference to attend, I had time to revisit some of my favorite places. I don't have any pictures from the trip, so I am inserting old NYC pics.

We arrived late Tuesday afternoon and headed straight to The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien hotel. A perfect late afternoon snack!

with Cecil, Tricia, and Christine at The Burger Joint -- May 2005

On Tuesday night, Tyler and I went to see Memphis, the 2010 Tony-awarding winning show for Best Musical. The singing by the lead female, Felicia, was amazing. The man playing Felicia's brother was a graduate of Alabama State! I said hello to him after the show. It always blows my mind how the stars of these shows simply change into everyday clothes and walk out the stage door into the crowded streets where they blend right in! I think that must be the life. You are a huge star, but really not many people recognize you. Stardom + the freedom to go to the grocery in peace = a win-win!

I spent Wednesday morning visiting a friend and her new baby boy in Brooklyn: a new experience for me. Her neighborhood rocked and I know she must love it there.

Driving Miss Daisy is a play running on Broadway ("a strictly limited engagement"). On Wednesday morning, I may or may not have been watching Kathie Lee and Hoda while they interviewed James Earl Jones, who stars in the show with Vanessa Redgrave. That afternoon I stood in the TKTS line and landed 3 tickets to see it that night! Tricia joined us and we LOVED it. I usually don't see the plays on Broadway, and I never see shows with big name actors in them -- just because tickets are so hard to come by. This was in the top three shows I have seen. There were only 3 cast members (Daisy, Hoke, and Bully) and it ran an hour and a half with no intermission. It was wonderful.

If you are going to NY before April 9th - or you live there!- go see it! I waited 30 min. in the Times Square TKTS line anxiously wondering if I would be able to get tickets until I realized everyone around me was buying tickets to Phantom and Mamma Mia! Perfect.

So, anyway -- highly recommend. Late supper at Joe Allen's and then our trip was almost over.

I managed to get a bit of shopping in on Thursday morning: new gloves from Saks, a white shirt for spring, and a mug from the Met gift shop to replace the one I lost years ago!

A quick trip -- but always worth it. Arrived home to an ice storm that I was not expecting and am convinced that icy weather is following me!

Tyler's visit to NYC, December 2004

While I was away...

These cute couples tied the knot:
I don't know how I don't have a picture of Thomas and Kelly at their wedding.

Both weddings were very special to us! We have since had our first holiday season with two new sisters-in-law which was great. I have been the only girl for so long, it is awesome to have someone who appreciates your Christmas presents aside from the person giving them to you! I really could have used Kelly last year when I received a vacuum cleaner (the best vacuum ever) and Tyler's brothers thought I was crazy to be so happy about it. At my parents house, the boys always laugh because if one opens something you can predict the other will have the same thing or a variation of it shortly. This year, I looked at John when Laura and I opened a few similar items... it's nice to have someone to be excited with. So, thanks to Laura and Kelly for making Christmas even more special!

Also, while I was away... I finally finished the Master's program in Secondary Education. It took quite a while, so I am glad to have that behind me. To complete the degree, I had to survive 15 weeks with 110 6th graders - a challenging, but rewarding, adventure!

Here is a very abbreviated year-in-review. Our camera's screen gave out on us around May and is currently being repaired, so photos are few and far between for 2010:

January Trip to Savannah-

February snow before the green house was painted-

March -- Hank, who doesn't make the blog much.

April engagement festivities

5 year anniversary in May

June - Kelly & Thomas's wedding

August - Laura & John's wedding

September - October football-

November - Hey, I went hunting!

December - SEC Championship game

2010: A good year!

2010

Hello from Tyler's office!

Hey, first blog post of 2010.

Since the last post, we have one brother married and another waiting in the wings (13 days).
I sat down to relax yesterday and realized we have been going so fast that our dog is huge, we have only double stuf oreos in our kitchen and the heat is drying up my plants... oh, and the laundry.

Instead of working on all of that, we have been running errands: dog food (still only oreos for us) and 3 new books - Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, Loving Frank... and one by Lisa See - can't remember title.

August is just around the corner and I will be finishing up my master's degree this fall. The 5th YEAR program that took me 5 years to complete...

Maybe the new schedule will lend itself to blogging more frequently.

We'll see!

Love is in the Air!

Here is a post I started before Christmas, but never had the pictures!

Christmas came early this year with two engagements! My brother and brother-in-law are both getting married this coming summer to two wonderful girls. Merry Christmas to me!

John & Laura:

I still don't have a picture of Thomas & Kelly, but they are also precious! When I figure out how to work the new camera I will be able to add much more current pictures.

Last week I went to New York with Tyler to see friends and check out the old neighborhood.

We saw Jersey Boys, which we have been trying to see since 2006, and loved it!

Here are some happy thoughts to fight today's bitter cold:

1. LOST Returned! Hurrah. For any fans of this show, I highly recommend the commentary on www.ew.com to help unravel the mysteries.

2. I stumbled across some old tapes from jr. high/high school and then had the awesome realization that... I have a tape player in my car! Mariah Carey's Musicbox and I have recently become reacquainted. Amazing.

3. The Olympics! Ha. Is anyone excited about the Vancouver games? NBC is really forcing it on the Today Show right now. Maybe once they get started... I do usually like the figure skating.

4. All of this cold may lead to snow on Friday -- so that would be nice. If it's going to be this cold, I like to have something exciting happen weather-wise to justify it.

Happy early Valentine's Day!