Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thank You and Craziness


First of all I want to thank everyone who commented and gave me such great advice on my last post you are all now entered in my Giveaway.  There is still time to put in your 2 cents if you haven't already, I will be selecting a winner tomorrow.

I'm sorry if I confused people by having them think that those color stripes along the sides, tops, or bottoms of the images would be in the finished product, they will not, and neither will the obnoxious watermarks.  But I put them in obnoxious places for a reason, to make it harder to edit them out, so I'm afraid they were meant to cover up parts of the image. :(

Ok, now on to why I haven't replied to any of your lovely comments, returned emails, or even had time to eat lunch until 3:00 every day.  Yesterday my day started with a phone call from our daughter Angelfish.  It went something like this...ring, ring..."Hi, I'm fine, but can I talk to Dad?"  Ok, for those of you with grown children, you know that that is never a good way to wake up in the morning!!!




It turns out that on her way to Ash Wednesday service she was stopped at a green light waiting to let a firetruck go through the intersection on a call when the person behind her wasn't paying attention and ran right in to her!

Thankfully Angelfish was fine, and so was "S" who was riding with her, but her brand new car didn't fare quite as well.  It did really well all things considered, but she will need a new bumper and some other repair work.  Based on the pics of the other car, we are all just VERY thankful that she and S were not badly hurt.  They are both sore with neck and back pain and are working with their doctors to make sure they didn't damage anything that may not show up for a day, a week, or more.  Thank you S for being there and helping out, we really appreciate it!




As the day progressed we got news that our appraisal had come back, and it was low...which is a bummer and will probably mean that it won't be worth it for us to refinance and save a little money.  In what seems like another life, I was a mortgage loan officer, so I understand all too well what Private Mortgage Insurance means, and it adds a lot to a monthly payment...sigh!

I know there are so many people who have homes that are now valued at half of what they payed, so I won't moan and groan too much.  Plus we don't need to refi, it's just that the rates are so good right now, and we haven't been in our home that long, so we thought why not?!  But we are fortunate, we didn't buy at the height of the market, and our house is still valued above what we paid, so all is not lost.  Kind of like our daughter and her friend being ok yesterday, there is always a silver lining to almost everything.




Just when I was feeling bummed about how the day was going, I heard the mailman at our front door and that can only mean one thing...that he has dropped off a package...yipee!

It turns out that my sneaky husband (who had agreed that we weren't going to exchange Valentine's Day gifts), had sent me something I've been pining over for 2 years!  I rarely pine over anything, much less for 2 whole years, but the moment I saw these etched hyacinth bulb vases on the Cox and Cox website a few years ago I knew I had to have them!  I even have proof that I've been drooling over these for 2 years because you can read about them here!




But because they hail from a company located in jolly old England I put them on the back burner and added them to my list of all things European that I can't get here in the US!  So when I saw the box sitting on my porch yesterday and saw where it was shipped from I almost jumped for joy! 

Mr. Tide was bummed that they hadn't made it in time for Valentine's Day, but I thought their timing was absolutely perfect!  It was a very bright spot in an otherwise nerve-wracking day!


 

I know some of you are saying...umm those are cut flowers not bulbs in your "bulb" vases missy!  I know, and I may even be too late to force hyacinth bulbs at this point, but I don't care...I've wanted these dang vases for forever so I'm going to use them.

I have had a vision of them sitting in my windowsill filling my kitchen with the lovely scent of hyacinths for so long now that I may just go buy some planted hyacinth bulbs at the nursery and remove all of their dirt and plunk them in these vases and pretend they started as tiny bulbs...yup I'm that crazy!




For now, until I go crazy and go on the hunt for hyacinth bulbs, they will serve as little vases for my pale pink ranunculus.  And if you see some woman shaking dirt off of perfectly planted bulbs, just back away slowly and don't ask her what she's doing...she's on a mission and you don't mess with a woman on a 2 year mission!!!

26 comments:

  1. I am so glad that you daughter is okay. There is not much scarier than a child being involved in an accident. We have been through 3 of them with our kids so I know the angst.

    I love your little hyacinth bulb vases. I have never seen anything like them. xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh my gosh I am so glad that your daughter and S did not get too hurt, how scary! Man what a day! I love your vases, they are so beautiful and so thoughtful of Mr T. :) They will sparkle in the sunlight.
    I hope the rest of the week is a bit more calm.

    xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kat~..
    Wow!!.. the vases are AWESOME!!
    WOW! what a thoughtful husband!!
    WOW! sorry about the car..
    but so glad everyone is okay!
    I totally understand your feelings regarding the refi..
    we too were doing the same thing.. only our underwriter became such a PAIN that we canceled after nearly 3 months of step and fetch it for her.without any foreseeable closing..
    appraisal was done at the beginning..
    came back above purchase amount of six years ago..she just became too nit picky!
    (for the record, mortgage loans was my banking job!)
    good luck should you decide to try again..
    love the Ranculas in the vases!!
    warmest hugs from Snowy, Cold Denver!!
    Loui♥

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those etched bulb vases are exquisite! What a beautiful way to help you unwind from your frazzled state of mind Kat. So glad your daughter and her friend are both ok, that is so scary, but at least hearing her voice on the phone you already knew she was okay when you learned the details. I think hyacinths are one of the loveliest first scents of Spring time. Your pink ranuculus are a wonderful vision of Spring too! xo ~Lili

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad your daughter is ok, Kat! I know that is a scary feeling! Love the sweet bulb vases...I'd use them for other things, too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Angelfish alright! That's great news!
    We are thinking about selling our tiny house and move up. We know that we'll take a loss but we think it's better to take a loss on our small mortgage and purchase a larger home in a Buyers Market.
    Good Idea?
    m.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your post. I am so happy your daughter and her friend are okay. I am so sorry about her new car. Even if your sweet vases don't hold hyacinths this year they are beautiful and next year will be here soon enough. Hugs! Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Glad your daughter wasn't hurt worse that she was. I have never heard of bulb vases. They are very pretty though. Yep, they came when you really needed them. We did refinance, but I about choked when I heard how low our appraisal was.

    ReplyDelete
  9. So glad both girls are okay and hoping they have no lasting injury. I must say it is lovely that two young women were on their way to Ash Wednesday service, too. The vases are so pretty and delicate, what a thoughtful gift! Our home prices here in Canada did not get affected like US market, but we also refinanced this week to take advantage of low interest rates. In comparison I think homes in our area are ridiculously high. The penalty was low compared to the savings over 5 years.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad the vases were able to make your day end on a good note, and that your daughter wasn't badly hurt.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a day!
    Glad it was all
    good, in the end.
    Love that your
    hubby would actually
    remember something
    that you pined for
    that long.....

    Beautiful pics, as
    always!!!

    xx Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank heavens your daughter is okay, although what a shame about her car and her neck/back pain.

    I love your vases - and now I know why you photographed them all with the box. They look beautiful with the flowers in them too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bravo for Mr. Tide. And I love that last photo, Kat. So wonderful to hear that your daughter suffered only mild injuries in that mishap. Damn cell phones.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is a horrible way to wake up in the morning, Kat! So glad that everyone is okay. Their guardian angels were watching out for them, for sure. :)

    I do believe your hubby is a keeper! Those vases are beautiful...and all the way from England? Wow!

    We checked in to refi, too, last month and decided that it wasn't going to save us that much per month so didn't do it. Can't beat the rates, though!

    xoxo laurie

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm so glad to hear your daughter is okay and was not badly hurt in the car accident!!! I have never seen bulb vases like that before...they are so pretty :o) How sweet of your hubby to buy them as a surprise for you!
    ~Des

    PS. I am now following you on Google...hope you will follow me back :o)

    ReplyDelete
  16. "...slowly back away..." laughing with you. So thankful your kiddo is okay. We are refinancing our house and it makes my head hurt frankly even though it is a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Glad everyone is ok - very scary. You have a wonderful husband, the bulb vases are beautiful :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kat, I am so glad your Angelfish is all right. Cars can be replaced but Angelfish cannot be! HUGS to all of you! Love your new beautiful vases-just absolutely gorgeous!! You hubby is a sweetie!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The bulb vases are very beautiful! What a sweet husband. I hope your day got better as it went on and I'm so glad your daughter is OK! WHEW! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  20. ..you do know how to find a silver lining...seems that is a key to a happier life! your flowers are beautiful...you are loved!
    i am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank God your daughter is okay!
    the car can be fixed.
    What a sweet hubby you have, Kat.
    Those vases are so pretty!
    I hope you find those hyacinths.
    xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm so glad to read that your daughter is alright after being hit!
    ...and what a lovely Valentine's gift. Your husband was paying attention and that's the sweetest gift of all.

    ReplyDelete
  23. LOVE the vases... and thank God your daughter is fine.

    ReplyDelete
  24. How scary! Glad to hear that your daughter is alright. She should hit some yoga classes for the next few weeks. Getting rear-ended can do a number on your back.

    It stinks about the house appraisal. We just refinanced and our appraisal came in a bit low, too. Not low enough to affect the refi, but I did have to question the comps that they pulled. Completely different section of town, busy road, less desirable elementary school. Whatever.

    The vases are lovely! What a thoughtful husband you have! Love the delicate etching, and I don't think it's crazy at all to want to see hyacinths in them even if you have to shake off the dirt.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I don't think it's crazy to put planted hyacinths in your beautiful vases - you have to see how they go, right?

    Such a blessing that Anglefish is fine. I hate to sound like your granny, but it's best to put it right out your mind now.

    ReplyDelete
  26. A scary moment for your daughter and her friend. Glad that they weren't hurt too bad.
    Your hyacinth glasses are lovely. I have a plain one which I use for flowers too.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.