home decor and garden are very famous in the world

From Mark Feinsand:

Joe Girardi says he fully expects the 25-year-old to be in the Yankees’ rotation next season, but Hughes told the Daily News Wednesday that he knows he must deliver to keep his job. Part of that is coming into camp fitter than ever.

“I’m at a point where the patience is running out,” Hughes said during a telephone interview. “I’m not a prospect anymore and I’m not 21 years old anymore. You’re gauged on what kind of year you had, not what you’re capable of doing.”

...

“I’m certainly not at the point in my career where I can come in and go through the motions, and if I give up eight runs in an outing, it’s all good because it’s spring training,” Hughes said. “ For me, coming off a bad season, I’m trying to do as much as I can to make sure that I’m ready to go when spring training rolls around.”

The first step was a return last month to Athletes’ Performance Institute in Los Angeles, where he trained in 2008-09. Hughes reported a few pounds overweight last season, and while he doesn’t attribute his velocity or injury issues to conditioning, he couldn’t rule out a link, either.

“It’s hard to say, but if there’s even a 1% chance that it did, then I’m doing everything I can now to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Hughes said.

...

“It’s always good to hear your manager say that he expects you to be in that spot,” Hughes said. “But at the end of the day, if you don’t do what you’re expected to do, there’s going to be somebody that will.”

It's time for Hughes to really take that step forward and I'm glad to hear he's working hard and making sure he comes into camp in shape. The sad part is that he wasn't in shape last year, which is unacceptable and probably should have been talked about more when it was an issue. Either way, it's going to more than just losing a few pounds to get Hughes back on track.

Stay with me, there is a point coming ....


Now you can see where this is going ....

Sign Mark Buehrle

Buehrle has started at least thirty games and tossed at least 201 IP in each of the last eleven seasons, and his ERA and FIP have been below-average exactly once in his career, way back in 2006. While he may not represent the "1B" to Sabathia's "1A" that many Yankees fans are clamoring for, such a pitcher does not exist on the market (and paying C.J. Wilson as if he is such a pitcher is foolhardy at best). Buehrle's consistency makes up for the modest upside, and I would have a great deal of faith in him as the Yankees Game 2 starter.

Sign Yu Darvish

You can find further thoughts on Darvish here. Suffice it to say that I believe in his potential, and that upside is worth the gamble, particularly when his posting fee would not count against the luxury tax. This assumes, of course, that Darvish is posted ... which is apparently fifty-fifty at this juncture.

Re-Sign Andruw Jones

Jones battered left-handed pitchers to the tune of a .286/.384/.540 slash line in 2011, good for a 151 wRC+, and he remains a solid defender in both left and right-field. In my mind, there isn't a better option on the market.

Trade A.J. Burnett

This is easier said than done, of course - but the Braves ability to unload Derek Lowe gives me the faintest glimmer of hope. Burnett has the look of a sunk cost at this juncture, and freeing up a roster spot and $6 MM or so (assuming the Yankees pick up around $10 MM per season) would be quite beneficial. If the Yankees can acquire a lottery ticket prospect along the way, that's just gravy.

Follow me on Twitter - @Domenic Lanza

I am so jazzed!

My suitcase wall…

won the November contest over at the DIY Club!

This contest comes with an amazing prize package.  I think I should wrap it up and put it under the Christmas tree…but I probably won’t show that much self restraint!

Winning this contest is especially appreciated today, as I am making my daughter’s baptism dress and it’s not going particularly well  <sigh>.  I think I like sewing quilts and table runners.  They don’t have to FIT anything!

Tomorrow Henry starts daycare and I would be lying if I told you I was completely okay with that. I have been dreading this day for a while now. It is not that I don't want to go back to work; if you work for yourself you know "maternity leave" is a fictional event. Henry and I have been working basically since he was born. This juggling act- having a newborn and working- has worked basically by taking him everywhere with me when our parents weren't in town to watch over him. We have amazing parents but when they are not here he has been content to nap at client's homes, showrooms, etc. Well except for the fit he pitched last week at a house (talk about feeling unprofessional, thank goodness for amazing clients as well).

The link party is back! Wait! Before we can begin with this week's link party, I need to announce the winner for the TRH Thanksgiving giveaway.


Those prizes lovingly picked and made by me goes to...

{Kaitlyn} Lady of the House

Congratulations!! Please contact me with your shipping info, so I can send them to you before the post office get to busy for all the Christmas packages. :)

So, what have you been working on? Do you have anything new up in your sleeve?
This is the perfect place to share your awesome creations, link up and have fun!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


<center><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r-hfhq1dCxo/S8_C1Ns323I/AAAAAAAACXo/Z2Bk7IVy69I/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a></center>

From Boston.com:

The Boston Red Sox have picked Bobby Valentine to be their next manager and the sides were working to complete a contract, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. Several media outlets in Boston, citing anonymous sources, reported earlier in the evening that Valentine would be the team's new manager.

An announcement could come by Thursday.

"He's got it. I just spoke to him a little while ago," Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, who managed Valentine in the minors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, said in a telephone interview with the AP.

Do you remember when you first found out the 'truth' about Santa Claus?  I was probably one of the last of my friends to actually succumb to the reality.  I can remember being on the large soccer field at my elementary school in California and arguing passionately with the other kids about the existence of Santa Claus.  I tried to explain to everyone how I had seen this television program where they discussed the Santa sitings that had occurred at the north pole.  Why didn't they believe me? I mean I had concrete evidence.  I was absolutely convinced that the other kids had it ALL wrong.  Which was fine because I knew that if you didn't believe, then you certainly were not going to end up on the 'nice' list, and that was fine because perhaps Santa would just drop off all those non-believers presents at my house.

My brother and I used to wake up really early in the morning on Christmas.  He would come and lay in my bed with me while we waited until the clock said 6:00AM (which was when we could go into my parents room).  We would lay there quietly, starring at each minute go by on the clock and try to fall asleep.  We never could fall asleep because our hearts were racing with the thoughts of Santa actually coming to our house.  And I swore I heard jingle bells on the roof.

I don't remember the exact moment when I found out, but I can distinctly remember the very first Christmas where I knew the 'truth'.  I just sort of felt sad, like the magic and excitement had been taken away. It was almost like I was mourning the loss for this person I once knew.  Now, don't get me wrong, Christmas has always been an amazing holiday in my family, but things just didn't feel the same that first year, something was missing.  Of course as the years passed, the holiday took on an entirely different meaning.

So what has me thinking about the magic of Christmas?  Well, this is the first year that my kids are really, really into the idea of Santa Claus.......especially my 3.5 year old, Savannah Rose.  Yesterday we had a big discussion about the naughty and nice list and many other aspects of Santa Claus.  So far I have received all kinds of questions from her:

~Is Santa still up on our roof?
~Where does Santa live?
~What kind of clothes do the elves wear?
~How long does it take to get to the north pole?
~Is it always snowing at the north pole?
~Can I go to the north pole?
~Why can't I go to the north pole?
~Can I ride in Santa's sleigh?
~Who takes care of Santa's reindeer?
~Do you think Mrs. Finkler (her preschool teacher) will be on the naughty or nice list?

Chatting with Savannah about all these different questions has brought back a sense of magic and wonder that I can feel in our house.  I can remember the excited feeling I once had thinking about Santa Claus and I guess our own kids have a way of bringing that back out in us.  The innocence of a child is a beautiful thing and I feel so blessed to be able to experience the complete magic and wonder surrounding Christmas with my children.  Yes, someday they too will find out the 'truth', but those years and years of excitement are certainly worth it!

From Bob Elliot:

The New York Yankees are interested in right-hander Kyle Drabek, who made 14 starts in the Jays rotation and the next 15 at triple-A Las Vegas. The Yanks have CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett in the rotation. They are reported to have re-signed right-hander Freddy Garcia. Yankees people are asking Jays scouts questions and as well as Phillies people, who had Drabek in the minors: Why the control problems after never having any? Why did the Jays take his cutter away? Can he be fixed?

Drabek, Baseball America's 25th best prospect in 2010 and 29th best in 2011, has been a pretty big disappointment since going over to Toronto in the Roy Halladay deal a couple years ago.

He did have a solid first season in the minors for the Jays and even won 2010 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. He then started the 2011 season on the Jays staff, but after 14 starts he was 4-5 with a 5.70 ERA he was sent down the minors. His struggles continued at Triple-A Las Vegas where he went 5-4 with a 7.44 ERA. Eventually he would get called up in September for a few relief appearances and finished the 2011 MLB season with a 6.06 ERA.

Still, with all the struggles he had last year the kid isn't even 24 yet, and as you all know, one bad season doesn't mean a young pitcher is done. It's also worth noting that interest from the Yankees doesn't mean the Jays are ready to give up on the guy they got for Roy Halladay. So for now I'd say this is just another meaningless winter rumor.

I love these ideas from the French Marie Claire magazine.  Lots of wreaths used on the same wall, or a big one decorated with lichis!!

Via Dwell Studio

I’ve been trying to organize my picture files, which I find almost as exciting as organizing my sock drawer. However, one good thing came out of it (and it wasn’t finding my matching blue-striped fuzzy socks, although I really would like to) – I came across one of my summer projects that never got to be posted!  Poor thing.

Anyway, based on my French chocolate coffee table (which spawned a few more similar projects  here, here, and here), I decided to transform this old bench…

…into a ‘vintage French’ piece!

My original idea was just to sand the top down to bare wood, and paint the base of the bench.

But do you see those wide panels that run along the front and the back? The bench told me (if you have read my blog, you’ll know that furniture often talks to me) that those spaces were perfect for more typography. So before I knew it (not really—it took forever) I had sanded the entire bench down!

I only worried about removing the old finish. All the knicks, scrapes, and dings are welcome to stick around.  That’s character.

Next thing was to choose the perfect graphic (all of my French ads have been found at The Graphics Fairy), print it out, and then take it to an office store to be copied onto an overhead transparency.

Here I am at work…

If you’ve seen my other projects, you’ll notice that I’ve gotten a little smarter. I put this piece up on a folding table so I didn’t have to contort myself on the floor so much!!

And in case you’re wondering…I am using a plain old bottle of acrylic paint. (Others have suggested using paint markers or a Sharpie, but I don’t think they distress as well. You can use whatever suits you best.)

I really dressed up for this impromptu photo shoot, can’t you tell?

This is what the bench looks like before any distressing or staining.

I actually used lines from two other ads for the front and back panels of the bench.

They may or may not make sense with what the top says!

After the paint was completely dry, I distressed the lettering with sandpaper, and then wiped on a coat of Minwax Antique Walnut stain. I finished the bench with a couple of coats of Minwax Polycrylic.

This little bench went with me to an outdoor market in July. It was one of the last projects I finished before going, so it missed out on a ‘formal’ photo shoot in my home! But here’s what it looked like outside on a beautiful July day.

You may not have noticed it, but those two side panels actually hide a lower cubby. I envision this as an entry bench with a place to hide shoes! (I painted the inside black.)

So that’s my little French Bench. If this looks like a project you would like to try, be sure and check around for a used overhead projector. Lots of times you can find them at school surplus sales, or you might even be able to borrow one from your local school.

Ahh, summer….

****************************************************************

Linking up to these great parties:

Coastal Charm’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesday	Topsy Turvy Tuesdays
Domestically Speaking’s Power of Paint	Someday Crafts’ Whatever Goes Wednesday
Hookin’ Up with House of Hepworths	No Minimalist Here’s Open House Thursday
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday	Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Primitive & Proper	I Heart Naptime
Beyond the Picket Fence’s Under $100 Party	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Mod Vintage Life	Sisters of the Wild West
Thrifty Décor Chick	One Month to Win It
The Graphics Fairy	My Repurposed Life

Hi Tea Rose Home readers! My name is Kendra and I have a blog called My Insanity.









I'm known for getting a little crazy about holidays, parties, and projects for my home. Today I want to show you a glimpse of the craziness that goes on here around Christmas.









Each year we pull out this advent calendar. I love it because I made it and because I designed the inserts to help remind our family about the most important part of Christmas.









I'm also known for sending crazy, or I'd rather say, memorable Christmas Cards. You can see a whole parade of them here, but I thought I would share last year's design. Can you tell how I did it? Inspired by this card by Design Mom, I took advantage of the casting opportunity and dressed my children as the main characters in the the story of The Nativity. To make my (somewhat grumpy) angel fly and get this effect, I had the children laying down on a blanket. Yes, there was a little photoshopping involved since they weren't entirely the most cooperative subjects. I'm working on another crazy scheme for this years' photo. Wish me luck!









We're also crazy enough around here to sometimes paint our Christmas cookies. You really don't have to do them as crazy as I do mine. The kids LOVE the chance to paint on cookies--even if their angels are green and their Santas yellow.









Not all of the insanity is complicated. It was pretty simple to make these French Toast Christmas trees for our Christmas breakfast. We just made French Toast as usual, but cut the bread in half to form triangles. Stack them on top of each other to look like a tree. The star is cut from cheese, the stump from breakfast sausage. We topped it with syrup, berries, powdered sugar (snow) and some green sugar sprinkles for color.




I'm all about making each occasion memorable and infusing creativity into life whenever possible. Thanks Sachiko for having me at your place today! I hope you'll come and join the asylum over at My Insanity! And don't forget to check out the cute (and simple to make) Christmas projects Sachiko is sharing on my blog!

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Thank you Kendra for your fun ideas to make the Christmas season more fun and memorable! It was so fun to have you here today. :)

image 1: via night tattoo, image 2: via nordic shades, image 3: via tiny white daisies, image 4 & 5: via tumblr, image 6: via fabkeramik, image 7: via isle of view, image 8: via a cottage in the woods, image 9,11,12 & 14: via Zsa Zsa Bellagio, image 10 & 13: via pinterest.