Chandelier Questions Answered!

I had so many of you leave kind comments about my dining room chandelier after my New Year's Party post that I thought I'd do a post on where to buy, what to buy, etc.



The picture above is one from New Year's Eve. The chandelier was decorated with silver beads so it looks a little more ornate than it really is. The picture below is just a "regular day in the Sippycups dining room" shot.



What I can say about my chandelier is this: I love, love, love it. Wouldn't trade it for the world, brought it to this house from the other house, etc. I'm very attached to this chandelier. What I will also say (in regard to lighting in general...)is that you get what you pay for. MOST OF THE TIME.

I found my chandelier on the Great Chandelierswebsite. This was the picture online.



It looks to be kind of a copper color, right?

I actually called the company before purchasing the chandelier and asked very specific questions. You see, I wanted wrought iron, but I wanted it to be a patina'd copper color, not black. In addition, I wanted glass crystals, not the plastic or lucite ones that often come with these website "deals". I was assured that this chandelier was exactly what I wanted. There would be some "minor" assembly involved. Oh, and by the way...NO RETURNS. But you see, by this time I had searched and searched and I was ready to be DONE. I had a very particular look that I wanted. I loved the look of this chandelier from Shades of Light but had seen it too many times in too many magazines, etc.



I also LOVE these chandeliers from Vaughan Designs that I had seen in many a Christopher Peacock kitchen and in many of Betty Lou Phillips' books. However, they were a bit more of an investment than I intended to make at the time. Hindsight, baby, hindsight.






I got my chandelier in the mail SIX weeks after I ordered it. It literally came from Mexico. It was packaged in a box the size of a shoe box. A child's shoe box. I began taking out piece after piece of BLACK wrought iron and electrical cording. There were crystals everywhere, but atleast they were glass. Dr. Daddy was laughing his little ass off. He gleefully reminded me that he was NOT going to help assemble the thing and that he had suggested going to Lowe's to buy a "light". Hah. I was not deterred. I put that thing together in about 45 minutes (good thing I took Spanish in high school, as the directions were NOT in English). I then went to the basement and found some old wood stain in a dark cherry color. I sponged it on pretty heavily and then let it dry until it was semi-tacky. Then I went over it again with some watered down gold craft paint. Lots of smudging and wiping later, I had the exact look I had wanted. Not bad. I was so irritated, though! I called the company to tell them that it was NOT as pictured or described. Let's just say they were less than sympathetic.
Now again, I have to say I love my chandelier. I do wish it hadn't been such a pain to finally find and get assembled, but it makes for a good dinner story!

If you love the chandelier but don't want to go through all that hassle, try some of these options. Murray Feiss is a great company. I've purchased several things from them in the past and have been very happy.






Both available from Lighting Showrooms.

Bra-le-who-ya?

Bra-llelujah, that's what! Having been surgically ahem, "enhanced" years ago, I'm always in search of a good bra. I've always had the "self propelled" bust, as I've loved to call it, but after two pregnancies and a 20 pound up and down for the past several years, these girls are in need of a wrastlin'.
I've finally found the perfect bra. And I bought it in two sizes. One for my "fancy clothes" (that would be the slightly smaller, pusher upper size) and one for my "everyday" (the one that's comfy and probably just a tad too big). Either way, they're both the Bra-llelujah from Spanx. This bra is so, so comfy! Soft, flexible cups, stretchy straps (no adjusting, which is great!) and a flexible back with NO HOOKS. I LOVE THIS BRA! The non adjusting straps are probably the only thing that I might change about this bra. Otherwise...it's so amazing. You can get it here. It's not the cheapest bra you'll ever buy, but it is certainly the best! Oh, and LOVE the front closure...

Wiped...Out.

I'm happy to say my FAMILY had a great time skiing in Steamboat Springs, CO. TONS of snow. Kids LOVED ski school, which was awesome. I was just a teensy bit dreading the prospect of dragging my kids to ski school five days in a row if they were determined not to be there. That ended up not being the case so all was well. As you read earlier, I got sick. Big time. Lots of good drugs...lots of time to recover. No, I didn't actually HAVE said time, but my body decided I needed it.
SOOOOO, I still have piles of laundry to do, paperwork to catch up on, BLOGGING to catch up on, etc., etc.

A few cute photos from the week...


BabyBoy and Dr. Daddy's pal Kurt (also known as BabyBoy's godfather)




The condo we stayed in was wonderful (thanks Dad and Mimi!). If you're ever going to Steamboat and need a place to stay...the Wyndham Steamboat Springs is fabulous.











There was an indoor pool, a shuttle to the slopes, and underground parking (ie: warm car!). The building (we were in bldg. 4) was brand new. In the summer (when you can see it through the snow) there's a playground, outdoor pool, tennis court, etc.) The only downside was that the pool was small, cold and in the welcome center, which was a bit of a trek in the 5 degree weather. There was a hot tub outside the building in a little gazebo, but it, too, required going out in the cold. Fortunately, we had a tub with jets in the master bath and that was good enough for the kiddos. BabyBoy even decided he needed to wear his goggles!

Sippycups Snippets

Ah, the joys of Christmas. Dr. Daddy was none too thrilled when I announced this year that we would be purchasing real trees for the living room and sun room. I've had it with my fake ones. They're starting to look a little tired and I just miss that tree smell.
Whilst setting up the trees on Sunday we discovered that the living room tree was a bit crooked. The trunk is a little crooked to start with but the tree itself just wasn't quite right. Then, in his infinite wisdom, Dr. Daddy decides to put the stand on top of a plastic rubbermaid tub lid to prevent water from spilling onto and ruining the hardwood floor. Overheard:

me: Um, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. The tree is already kind of crooked and that top isn't big enough. I don't think it will be very stable.

Dr. D: Who here has an engineering degree from MIT? It will be fine.

me: hmmmph. We'll see about that.

So I spent all yesterday morning decorating my fantastical tree. Even managed to turn it ever so slightly so it wouldn't look crooked.

This morning, Dr. Daddy goes downstairs, let's the dog out and I hear a huge crash.
No. It. Cannot. Be. I ran down the stairs to find my beautiful tree on the floor. Along with several of my beloved Waterford glass ornaments AND my Lladro bell ornament. In hundreds of little pieces.

Awesome.

Upon re-entering the house with the dog I had this to say to the Dr...

"Perhaps a little less time spent delivering mice covered pizza to the Wellesley girls and a little more time in weights and measures class would have served you well...Mr. ENGINEER."

What a way to start the morning.

Seriously?

After a lovely afternoon of shopping for Christmas decor (ie: wading through massive crowds of mullet wearing, beef jerky eating locals complaining incessantly about the ridiculous prices for Christmas tree lights (2 for $7?)) I arrived home to find that Dr. Daddy had already sorted the mail. This is never a good thing. You would not believe the number of catalogs delivered to the recycle bin prior to my perusing as a result of Dr. Daddy's editing process.

What I found today, however, was too much. Love my husband. LOVE HIM. But here's the thing: he has never had a pimple IN HIS LIFE. I, on the other hand, have battled acne since I was in utero. It's finally under control and I usually only have to battle the occasional menstrual explosion on the forehead or chin. So what does he manage to weed out of the mail? An ad for Proactiv.

"This stuff looks great!", he says. "Are you KIDDING ME?", I reply. "I'm finally zit free and you all of a sudden decide to present me with my skin saviour?".

To which he replied, "Yeah, zit free except for that THING on your cheek."

Thank you very much. I have been STRESSED! So I have a little issue on the cheek. He thinks this warrants an Acne solution? Have mercy. I did allow him to know that that was as offensive as if I had offered him an ad for Propecia.

So there.

WTF?

Did you hear that wackjob Kathy Lee Gifford on Good Morning America (or maybe it's the Today Show...not important) today? Lipstick Jungle is cancelled? Who the hell came up with THAT idea? I absolutely LOVE this show. It's rare that those kinds of girlfriends exist and they are portrayed so perfectly. Letter writing campaign anyone?

Good wife/Bad wife

I'm having a major dilemma. You see, Dr. Daddy is turning 50 this year and I made a really stupid promise.
Let me set the scene for you. Two weeks after we got engaged in 1999 we went to a Super Clubs resort in Jamaica. HE made the reservations and was soooooo excited. It turned out to be Hedonism III. Here's the decription from a travel website:
Tucked away on Jamaica's sultry North Coast, Hedonism III enters the millennium with everything that made Hedonism II the world's most notorious resort - and more! You'll find swim-up rooms. A Roman tub in every room. And a see-through slide that snakes through our disco. At Hedonism III, you'll find that famous uninhibited spirit where just about anything goes. For couples and singles 18 yrs. & over.

I think that's a pretty tame description myself. They fail to note the guest rooms' ahem, AMENITIES.



Yes, friends, that is a mirror on the ceiling. The see through waterslide is super fly as well...especially when people are sliding through it butt naked (which is not to say that I didn't do this as well after countless martinis). The see through slide also happens to traverse the nightclub, so people can sit and drink their libations while watching you slide naked into the pool. I especially love the rule at the main restaurant...clothing required. CLOTHING BEING USED AS A VERY LOOSE TERM. The restaurant, however, is the ONLY place on "campus" that has a clothing required rule.

Here's a taste of the entertainment options:

Night - Theme - Dress Code
Sunday - Pimper's Paradise - Pimp & Ho & Retro Wear
Monday - Pirate's Bootie - Sexy Pirates & Bootie Bottoms
Tuesday - Tease Me Tuesdays - Lingerie & Pajama (non optional)
Wednesday - Alter Ego Exposed - Bring out the Naughty Side Fetish
Thursday - Cesar's Revelry - 'Return to Rome' Toga/ Greek Gods & Godesses
Friday Jamaica Spice - 'Celebrate our Culture' Jamaican colors - black, yellow, green
Saturday Wet & Wild Day / All that Glitters Gala Night Glitter, metallic, sequin, shimmer

At the time we went, I was 23 and pretty conservative. Willing to go have a wild time with my fiance, none the less. Wanted him to be happy...thrilled he was taking me on vacation...had never been to the Caribbean. You get my drift.

At the time, it was my "most fun vacation ever". That's not saying a lot. I was a young adult. My many forays throughout Europe were done with my parents and three brothers in tow. Fun, but not the MOST FUN. Well, I have lived to regret those words. Dr. Daddy absolutely loved the trip. It was the greatest time of his life, yadda yadda yadda. Always wanted to go back. But honey, I would say, there are SOOOOOO many other places I want to go before I EVER go back there! A once and a lifetime trip, yes?

Ahhh, no. In a wild "I love my husband SOOOO much" moment a few months back, I promised him we could go back for his 50th birthday. So. Freaking. Dumb.

I don't know what it is...maybe I'm older, maybe it's having kids, maybe I'm just that much more conservative. I like my rack and have no problemo going topless on a beach where others are topless. I certainly wouldn't WALK AROUND topless, but laying out is fine. I don't feel the need to go to a resort where the nude beach is always full and I'm the only one hanging out on the prude beach. (the prude beach requires bottoms, you see...the nude beach is for completely nude people only)

So, Dr. Daddy asked me last night if I was excited about the trip (it's not till October). I couldn't lie. I told him I would be so happy to go to another Super Clubs resort but that I just wasn't thrilled to got back to Hedonism. It just kind of creeps me out. We definitely ran into some crack whores while we were there and that's just not the kind of crowd I want to run with. Now, he's mad. He thinks I misled him, am ungrateful, blah blah blah. I told him I would totally still go with him...I'm just not going to be ecstatic about prancing around in my jammies (unless, of course, it's my adorable Lilly tank and capri set). This bod just ain't all that hot no more and I don't feel so confident showing it off. Am I being a beeotch?