Guys! I've done something miraculous!

I've been officially bitten by the DIY bug (I blame Pinterest). My very first DIY project was to re-upholster my gross rust color ottoman that I got last year from the Salvation Army for $5.

It wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be, actually. I originally thought I was being a little over zealous in picking furniture to re-upholster for my first DIY, but I am really happy with the result.Items needed:

-Needle nose pliers

-Scissors

-Staple gun and staples

-Measuring tape

-Fabric to cover the ottoman

-Foam (if you wish to make the ottoman softer to sit on - I used 2in foam)

-Box cutter

-Quilters Batting

-Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks (optional)

-Decorative trim (optional)

First thing I did was measure everything. I planned to add 2 inches of foam to the top to make it more comfortable to sit on, so I added that to my dimensions as well. Then I figured out how many yards of fabric I would need (adding an extra inch to each side to make sure I had enough to staple. I ended up buying a yard and a quarter of upholstering fabric from Hobby Lobby - it is BEAUTIFUL, you'll see!

Then I removed the legs.

Then I was tasked with the arduous task of removing all the staples with needle nose pliers to get the old fabric off. I won't lie to you - this part was INCREDIBLY tedious and I hated every second of it.

After probably about an hour and a half, I was left with: A ton of old staples.

A shell of an rust color ottoman fabric and a naked ottoman.

I left the foam that was already attached as it wasn't in terrible shape. If you take the fabric off yours and its crumbling and gross - get rid of it!

I got so excited at this point, I forgot to take any other pictures until I was done. I know, I know, total newbie move, but what can I say?

I had to cut down my 2in foam to the right size to sit on top of the ottoman. I measured the cuts and drew the lines directly onto the foam and cut using a box cutter. I had to draw lines on both sides of the foam and cut each side because the foam was thicker than the box cutter blade.

Once the correct size, I put the foam on top of the ottoman. Then I used the quilter's batting that I bought to drape it over the foam and staple it to the bottom of the ottoman, to hold the foam in place. I had a bit extra, so I trimmed it all down.

Next came the fun part. I laid the new fabric down on the floor, design down. Next, I placed my newly foamed and stapled naked ottoman and placed it legs up (you know, if the legs were attached) on the fabric. Gently pulling the fabric over the long side, I stapled it in place, stapling almost to the corner, but not quite. Then I repeated on the opposite side, pulling the fabric as tight as I could. Ideally you'd have another person to assist, but I was on my own and did alright. Again, staple almost to the corners, but not quite.

Next come the short sides. Repeat the process you did for the long sides, pulling everything tight. The corners, however, are tricky. This lovely website was what I used to know how to do the corners. I would offer that you trim a little here and try to do the corner, and trim a little there and re-try to do the corner, just so you don't accidentally trim off too much to complete the corner at all. That would be a disaster!

Once your corners are done, that's it! The finished product!

If you want to add a trim around it along the bottom, or the middle (to make it look like its two parts), I'd suggest doing so with hot glue. That was my original intention, but now I am second guessing myself! I have the trim, I have the hot glue, but I'm waiting to make a final decision. :)

I hope that is helpful! :)

Next on the docket is an even bigger DIY project. Can you guess what it will be? I plan to make something out of this desk/table (from Craigslist - $25) and two of these small particleboard bookshelves from Target that I've had for a few years./

Any guesses? Stay tuned!

My feet

will be cold forever, it feels like. Or at least until April (or whenever it decides to warm up). I really dislike winter!!

Well, it's been awhile.

This pretty much sums up the last span of time.

Summer is here!

It's been awhile since I posted. I've been keeping myself busy with many things: reading, movies, Joe, visiting home and friends, running/working out, and Town & Gown.

...what's Town & Gown you ask? It is a non-profit chamber music association in Ames that puts on five chamber music concerts a year, does community outreach events, and hosts an annual Musicale, a gala fundraising event featuring esteemed local musicians. I just joined their board of directors as the new secretary, and I couldn't be more excited. We had out first meeting last Thursday and I already feel at home.

I also just read a pair of REALLY excellent books by Chris Cleave: Little Bee and Incendiary. I would highly suggest you pick them up. If you don't believe me, here is a passage I thought was particularly striking from Indendiary:

"Before you bombed my boy Osama I always thought an explosion was such a quick thing but now I know better. The flash is over very fast but the fire catches hold inside you and the noise never stops. You can press your hands on your ears but you can never block it out. The fire keeps on roaring with incredible noise and fury. And the strangest thing is people can be sitting right next to you on the Central Line and not hear a sound. I live in an inferno where you could shiver with cold Osama. This life is a deafening roar but listen. You could hear a pin drop."

Cleave's writing style is very different in each novel, but has a beauty to it that makes them hard to put down.

The weather is really beautiful today, which means it is hot in my apartment. I have my fans going, though, because I refuse to put on the a/c just yet. It's not quite that hot.

I am looking forward to seeing Brooke next weekend for my birthday! I know I just saw her last weekend for her graduation party, but I always love having visitors in Ames. It makes things more exciting. AND I am excited for her to finally meet Joe. :)

I guess that's all for now - oh! I've recently been playing my violin with a little regularity! Huge shock, I know! It's been years and I was really rusty when I first picked it up, but it's amazing how quickly things come back. I'm really enjoying it!

Okay, that's really all. Besitos!

The last year in books.

I wanted to see how many books I could read in the year following graduation, which was also filled with job applications, working at Target, moving to Ames, and starting a new job/life away from home. Here's my list! I'm going to start another list and see how many/what I read from May 24, 2011-May 24, 2012. :)

Without further ado, the list:
-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling*
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling*
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling*
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling*
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling*
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling*
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling*
-Just Listen by Sarah Dessen*
-The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver*
-Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult*
-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein*
-The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein*
-The Two Towers by J.R.R.Tolkein*
-The Return on the King by J.R.R. Tolkein*
-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson*
-Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert*
-He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
-Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan*
-The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larson*
-Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan*
-Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse*
-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
-The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larson*
-Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann*
-Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
-Messenger by Lois Lowry
-Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult*
-Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez*
-Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides*
-Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
-The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
-The Help by Kathryn Stockett*
-In the Woods by Tana French*

(Books with a * are the books I'd recommend you pick up if you get the chance.)

What did I do today you ask?

I took my car in for a check up and spent 3 hours bumming around at Panera in the process (my car is ok, no worries!). Then, I went to Salvation Army and got a wicked ottoman for $5 (it was half off!). THEN I went to Target and a garage sale and got two cutesy chairs and a wrought iron table for my porch (please see: future posts about enjoying meals/reading outside). Next came a visit to the Ames Public Library. I went crazy and got two books, a movie, and the 2nd season of Six Feet Under.

Then I came home for awhile. And I left again. Where to? Joann Fabrics, of course!

There are got 3 and a half yards of black anti-pill fleece and hoo-boy did I go crazy and cover the freecycle chair I got on Tuesday. Yes I did! Now the chair is covered and I still have to do the ottoman, but I am fresh out of energy and desire to cover it! Plus my knees are magnificently rug burned.

I also spent some time feeling miserable and hungry, which I've sort of taken care of but now that the chair is covered I am really going to ponder what to eat (talk about eating dinner later than normal!).

Breath. This is what happens when I am left to my own devices for 2 week. Thanks, Joe! :)

Weirdo list of things to do:

-Go to the library to return things/pick up things on hold
-Grocery shopping
-Laundry
-Run/work out
-Paint my toenails
-Clean/vacuum the apartment
-Read
-Try to figure out when to use the rest of my vacation days (?)
-Figure out if I can swing the 80-35 Festival or if I already have 4th of July plans.
-Harvest basil, thyme and rosemary from my plants/water them.

EDIT: As of 8:30pm I only got the things crossed off done today. Well played, Saturday. Well played.

Dearest inbox:

COOL YOUR JETS. Seriously. This is ridiculous.

What a nice weekend

full of good food, friends from home, and sunshine! :)

Lexie, Peter and Justin came all the way to Iowa to spend the weekend with me! It was really, really great to see them since I don't think I have since December. I already miss them and hope I'll get to see them again soon (especially with Peter moving to Nicaragua and Lexie leaving her new books here).

It's really warm in my apartment right now and I don't know what to do about it. I can't open the windows because it'll get warmer, AND I refuse to use the air conditioning because it is APRIL.

So it's sun dresses and bearing the heat for me and enjoying it before it turns into an awful storm (hopefully not a tornado like the weather folk are suggesting).

A pretty great weekend at home

It's President's Day weekend, and instead of partaking in all of the mattress sales that are happening right now, I decided to drive home to Wheaton for the long weekend. On the whole, things haven't been too exciting, but it was a nice change of pace, and I always like spending time with my family.

I even got to see my grammie, who seems to be doing SO much better now that she's doing dialysis. She's alert and more herself in general - something she hasn't been in a long time.

Otherwise I did this and that all weekend, and now it's time for me to get ready to go back. I got a book on tape (Jodi Picoult's Change of Heart...it's our next book club book) to listen to on my way back. Hopefully that will help pass the time quickly! I also am keeping my fingers crossed that the rain/snow/wintry mix stays away so I can get back to Ames safely!!

Dear pending snow doom,

I am worried. There's no snow falling, and there will only be a little that falls between now and noon and then you're set to unleash your wrath on Central Iowa. I would ask that you please reconsider. Like I mentioned to Inclement Weather yesterday, I would also forever be in your debt if you allowed me to get to L.A. in one piece and on time. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours respectfully,
Melissa

Aunt Maude's

is a restaurant in Ames that I've been hearing about from the beginning. I've never been there in the four months I've lived here until tonight.

We had our annual holiday dinner for work at Aunt Maude's this year, and let me tell you: this could be my new favorite place. We had pre-dinner drinks and appetizers (for me a Gin and Tonic and some of the smoked salmon artichoke dip) and mingled and then sat down to dinner.

First came the salad, which had a red wine vinegarette and shredded Parmesan cheese. It wasn't drowning in dressing, but it wasn't too dry either, which was nice.

Then came dinner.

Three words: Main Street Chicken. Holy moley!!

The description on the menu ("Main Street chicken: Tomatoes, Scallions, Mushrooms, Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce, Wild Rice Pilaf, Seasonal Vegetables") doesn't even do it justice. First of all, the Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce with the diced tomatoes, and scallions on top was to die for. The chicken was tender and juicy, and with the sauce it basically melted in your mouth. I don't normally like Wild Rice all that much, but this Wild Rice Pilaf was the perfect light, fluffy grain to go with the chicken. The seasonal vegetable was corn, which was also delightful. I am pretty sure it was cut directly off the cob. So delicious.

After dinner came dessert, of course! While almost everyone else got the peanut butter cup cheesecake, I went for the vanilla creme brulee, which was delightful. Basically, I needed to be rolled out to my car at the end of the evening.

If you're ever in Ames, you better come see me, for one, and if you do, I will take you to Aunt Maude's and we have a jolly good time eating and drinking ourselves into a delicious meal stupor.

So not ready

to return to my lonely corner of the world.

Happy New Year everyone!

In 2010 I:
-Applied for more jobs than I ever imagined I would
-Fell down an entire flight of stairs...TWICE.
-Watched a lot of the AFI top 100 movies
-Performed in the Vagina Monologues
-Interned with the Heart of Illinois United Way
-Published the 2010 edition of Broadside as Editor-in-Chief
-Graduated from college
-Celebrated the finale of Lost
-Saw one of my best friends get married
-Spent the summer working at Target
-Was offered and accepted a job with Wiley-Blackwell
-Moved to Ames, IA
-Started living completely on my own for the first time

I don't normally make new years resolutions, but I do like to think about things to make a general game plan, so here's what I came up with:

-Eat healthier
-Exercise more and shoot for 3+ times a week, but don't beat myself up if I don't (which shouldn't be too hard considering I barely exercised after I graduated from High School)
-Read some excellent books
-Keep in touch with friends

Otherwise, I am just going to keep on keeping on. It's time for bed. I am feeling so grateful for my family and friends. I am thankful for what the past year has brought me and am really looking forward to what the year will bring me.

I love that Ames

has a year-round indoor farmer's market. It sure is lovely to stop and chat with the little old ladies who run it after my weekly volunteering at the library. They sell the best coffee ever, so why not stop?

I am giving their spiced chai a go next. It smells wonderful.

:)

My mom is coming to visit this weekend! Two whole weekends of fun (the first with Brooke)! What more could a lonely girl ask for? I need to start thinking of things for us to do!

I am trying to decide if I should brave the library's used book sale tomorrow night (the first night) when it costs moolah to get in, or wait til the books have been picked over and go on Saturday. I guess that's up to momma. Man, I love used book sales!

In other news, there was a HUGE fiasco with my new laptop purchase. It's a long story involving billing address confusion, many phone calls, and a super nice lady named Jackie, so I will spare you. BUT! It finally got resolved, and it should be on its way to me soon. Hooray! Then I won't need to use a computer without a functioning left-click button OR N key. It's more difficult than you'd think to hit the little key nub that hides under that shiny, plastic key on the keyboard.

Also, I am finally getting better at parking in my garage! That thing is super tiny. At least this way I don't need to defrost/defog my windshield in the morning now that it's getting colder.

I JUST REMEMBERED TOMORROW IS PAY DAY!

I am being a complete and total spaz at the moment. I think it's because I am super tired. I guess this means goodbye for now.

Goodnight moon.

My computer

is on it's way out. I had to pry up the left-click button on my laptop because it doesn't pop up anymore and was stuck down and I couldn't do anything because my computer thought I was left clicking everything at lightning speed! So now I have to tap on the touch pad to click things, and it's just not as effective. I COULD just get one of those portable mice with the USB connection, but my computer overheats like nobody's business, I can't close it or the screen will get stuck turned off, and it's moving slow/still running on XP.

So, it's time for a new one I guess. I just don't know anything about computers (except, on the whole, Macs are super expensive and Dells are crappy). So here's to hoping that doing some research can help me. I don't want to spend a huge chunk of money either. If I wanted to do that, I'd just go ahead and buy a Mac.

In other technology related news...the servers went down at work today and we were without an internet connection for over half the day. That was super. :) Good thing I had other things I could work on that didn't require sending emails or searching things online.

Man, I am so tired. I just can't seem to ever stay asleep. I wake up about a million times for one reason or another - a passing train is blaring it's horn, I have to pee, I dreampt my alarm already went off and I wake up in a panic even though my alarm never did go off, and "just because" are a few of my favorites.

Yawn.

I think I might go get my new Iowa driver's license this week! I also am going to register to vote in Iowa. Caucus, here I come!!

Meet Basil, Thyme, and Rosemary!

I just planted some herbs to put on my patio so I can use them for cooking. Yum yum!


Their little nook.


Basil. He's a boisterous one.


Lemon Thyme. He just goes my Thyme.


Rosemary. She's shy and hates being picked on by her brothers.

:)