tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83918263520807954962012-02-10T14:27:40.841-08:00Keeping our streets safe and our home beautifiedMelanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-26609487311029224002010-05-22T18:14:00.000-07:002010-05-22T18:53:50.239-07:00

I am so proud to announce that I am a consultant for SCENTSY, the hottest new thing in candles, wickless candles that is. You have kids? or animals? These are great for your home. No chance of being burnt by the wax plus super easy clean-up when you want to change the scent. There are over 80 scents to choose from. Place your order today:www.scentsy.com/melaniegraves

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-39889919636120278622010-03-01T00:52:00.000-08:002010-03-01T00:52:31.494-08:00

Today was blog catchup day.  Boy do I have a long list of things to share. 1. DIY table project... I gave you a little teaser earlier. It's exciting!! 2. Great room - I painted, hung new curtains and did a bit of accessorizing.  3. Kitchen - Painted this too.  Lots of new knick knacks to show 4. Guest bathroom - Mini makeover 5. Guest bedroom - I told you about this makeover here. I got antsy

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-5296818792401928742010-02-28T18:59:00.000-08:002010-02-28T19:15:46.190-08:00

Here it is.... My first DIY project! I paint and decorate like a lunatic, but I have never really done much DIY. Here is my very first victim. Stay Tuned!!

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-18334971148453547192010-02-28T11:25:00.001-08:002010-02-28T18:58:58.509-08:00

I started this project September 2009. It was done just about a week later, but low and behold I have been procrastinating. It is so dang hard sometimes to just sit, type and upload photos.I am a really bad "before" picture taker. So I am going to improvise a bit here.We have lived in our current house for just over 3 years. When we moved here, we bought a few new pieced of furniture, but

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-12450986042207763482010-01-10T22:16:00.000-08:002010-01-11T00:04:09.866-08:00

Hello my friends!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!I have been a bad, bad blogger. However, I have been busy so I have lots to share. It will most likely be in multiple posts, so just bare with me.I have seen these fun & easy fixes to the traditional "blah" recessed lighting. I wanted so badly to try them out so I finally did it. The kitchen was the natural choice since it is the only room in the house that

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-5453356173903420302009-10-18T19:26:00.000-07:002009-10-18T21:34:33.674-07:00

I love Starbucks!!! I do, I can't help it. I reload my card, frequent the joint about 3 times a week and always get the same drink... Iced Grande non-fat Caramel Machiatto.I knew I had a coffee problem, but didn't know I spent more on coffee per year than I did on my homeowners insurance.Here's my tally:$3.65 x 3 = 10.95 per week, $43.80/month, $525.60/year. (This doesn't even include the times

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-10285607950082338032009-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:002009-10-18T19:16:20.294-07:00

I love my hubby, yet after almost 11 years of marriage, I can definitely say that we don't work well on home improvement projects. I like to be in charge, weird I know. For the most part we know our roles. He mows the lawn, I edge. He sprays the weeds, I prune plants; He rolls the paint, I cut-in at the ceiling and around molding: He cleans the kitchen, I clean the bathrooms.We've got a few

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-54055181253865871162009-08-18T21:27:00.000-07:002009-08-18T22:16:10.562-07:00

I have been wanting to post these pictures for sometime, unfortunately "Chateau Graves" had been full.Since we moved into this house, over 2.5 years ago, our guestroom has been occupied. We have been the home for separated, broken-up men who needed a place to rest their head for awhile.I spent some time between guests redecorating our guestroom. I am horrible at remembering to take "before" shots

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-32351845486661544252009-07-27T17:31:00.001-07:002009-07-27T18:28:29.340-07:00

1 bean bag chair cover - $19.992 bags of "beans" - $30.00How my dogs say 'Good Morning, Mom' - PRICELESS

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-37496145342713357922009-07-25T13:27:00.000-07:002009-07-25T15:44:23.046-07:00

Wow, time flies when you are are having fun..... or when you are just too freakin' busy to notice. Either way it is the end of July and I thought I would share an update.Eric started the police academy at the end of April. We are down to 4 weeks left! He graduates on August 21st, will have a few weeks left of field training and then he will be off on his own. How exciting!!!! I can't begin to

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-68663602792690710372009-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-22T00:05:56.823-07:00

Here we are in July, actually closer to the end of July and I haven't posted a thing in 2 months. Shame on me!!! Unfortunately, I have been so busy painting, cleaning houses, doing yardwork (none of which is happening at my house, mind you) that the last thing I have wanted to do is sit down and blog. I even took pictures of my yard, the beautiful flowers that I planted and the new gorsth on

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-81011382010731847172009-05-06T14:46:00.000-07:002009-05-06T14:55:16.213-07:00

I LOVE SPRING! All of my favorite flowers bloom in the spring. In no particular order, here are my top 5.I adore Tulips. They make me so happy when they finally pop up. I know..... the simple things. They are easy to plant and maintain. They come back every year and have so many different colors. Lilac smells wonderful. I seriously think about pulling off the road everytime I see a bush and

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-66570066111303320432009-03-07T22:17:00.000-08:002009-03-09T09:56:45.973-07:00

Folks... We have hit another milestone. Eric has been my "steady schedule man" for the last 10 years, and was a stellar employee up to and including his last day on February 25th.When he originally gave notice, he had planned on only having a couple days off to lounge around and relax until he was off to a crazy schedule. Lucky for him, things were not planned out as quick as we thought and he

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-16292008204798303052009-02-11T22:42:00.003-08:002009-02-11T22:54:16.737-08:00

Eric has finally been hired, full time, as one of Gladstone's finest. It has been a long process, which included waiting, more waiting and just a little bit more waiting. However, it is done and I am so proud of him. He has wanted to be a police officer for most of his life. Being in the reserves for 1 1/2 years put him a bit closer to that dream. With his patience and dedication he will

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-6681097340562063752009-01-21T17:41:00.001-08:002009-01-22T00:04:18.268-08:00

I started this post about 3 weeks ago, then got busy and totally lost my train of thought. I figured I better finish it before 2009 is over. :-)A new year is here and I can't believe it. December was a huge whirlwind. We had the most unbelieveable weather that Oregon has seen in some 50 years. It definitely made it hard to get around and a bit nerveracking when we did venture out. Thank God for

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-84570027767971760722008-12-11T19:47:00.000-08:002008-12-11T21:39:48.790-08:00

If you have looked at my blog recently you have seen the pictures of my Christmas decorations. (Go ahead....look below....you know you want too.) As much as I love the flatscreen above the fireplace, it does create a challenge when it comes to holiday decor. Especially candles. I can't help but think that I may melt the speakers right off the wall if I put too many candles up there. Regardless, I

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-52422396746254073712008-12-07T18:45:00.000-08:002008-12-22T18:07:34.599-08:00

What can I say.....I love Christmas!! What's not to love? You have yummy food & drinks, delictable desserts, holiday parties, special time with family and friends and decorations.For Eric and I it starts right after Thansgiving. We plan a day to put up the outdoor lights and can only hope that it doesn't rain. Inflatable Santa adorns the porch next to a tree, a BIG red bow sits at the top and

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-51253963216169159222008-11-09T20:47:00.000-08:002008-11-30T21:27:04.879-08:00

Well all.....it has been a month since we actually went to Seattle for our anniversary, but I am just now getting to it. I guess my blogging priorities have been a little screwed up. :-)As most of you know, our anniversary is on Halloween. We go through a dilemma every year on what to do. Do we stay home and hand out candy to the cute trick or treaters, throw a party or hope that someone else has

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-59480560548710056272008-10-28T21:07:00.000-07:002008-10-28T21:54:15.269-07:00

Eric and I try to kidnap Oliver often. So last Saturday, we decided it was a great weekend to have the little man. We like to get our kid-fix in as much as we can. He is always a wonderful guest and makes us laugh and laugh. Sadie and Dexter think he is pretty cool too. Our current roomie Steve had his girls over for the night as well, so it was a super slumber party. We went to a quaint, local

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-60624486288910132352008-10-19T19:31:00.000-07:002008-10-19T20:58:12.423-07:00

I love to paint and decorate. Most of you know this as I have either helped you paint or said "That couch would look better here or there." Typical melanieism's, so long as it looked better and there was no more white walls in site. I promised Eric that I would wait an entire year before redecorating anything in our new house. Since I didn't mind the wall color that was here when we moved in, I

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-1308791238817994352008-10-09T14:52:00.000-07:002008-10-09T15:57:40.099-07:00

As previously mentioned, Eric and I will be gone for Halloween this year celebrating a very monumental occasion. That means no handing out candy to little monsters, princesses or pirates and no dressing the pups up. (Eric will be happy to hear that I take full responsibility for this guilty pleasure.) I started the costumes last year with Sadie. She was a wizard and a darn cute one at that. We

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-26520670074304006102008-10-09T10:33:00.001-07:002008-10-09T10:33:59.212-07:00

I'll take Christina over Wilhemina anyday

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-68454600581204213212008-10-02T09:11:00.000-07:002008-10-02T10:19:47.083-07:00

Can you believe it is October already? Where has 2008 gone? Eric and I had a fun, eventful summer with family BBQ's, camping, shelter functions and new additions to our family, whether they be permanent or temporary. It's time to put away the patio furniture and yard ornaments to make room for pumpkins and jolly ole St. Nick.October is a very special month for us. It starts our hectic, yet fun,

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-24837534482020149552008-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:002008-09-23T14:34:21.434-07:00

According to the shelter, Dexter was approximately 8 weeks old on July 12. Of course, being a dog, he can't tell them if this true or not, so I have to assume their expertise has prevailed. So......those that aren't counting that puts mister Dexter at approximately 18 weeks.For those of you that have not met him yet, he is the biggest cuddler EVER. He would lick the skin right off your face if

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-84778524783252115812008-09-18T21:45:00.000-07:002008-09-18T22:37:24.638-07:00

Eric's new world of being a police officer includes some daredevil activities. Target shooting, defensive training and simulated high-speed chases are the "adrenaline pumping" drills they have to do. During the academy all recruits have to be pepper sprayed and complete a make shift obstacle course, however, being tased while all your comrads watch is voluntary. If you don't, well...... I guess

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-55119735014090494402008-09-12T23:51:00.000-07:002008-09-18T07:56:35.274-07:00

For as long as I have known Eric, (which was 10 years last October) he has wanted to be a police officer. When we were first married he didn't think that he would pass all of the requirements for the job, so he started taking courses to be a dispatcher instead. I don't really remember what happened to that venture.... something about typing...... but anyhoo, it went by the wayside due to all of

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-17490321685326893962008-09-11T23:31:00.000-07:002008-09-12T15:52:52.982-07:00

We were so excited for our big trip of the summer. The meals were planned, all of the camping gear packed and of course my handy-dandy spreadsheet to make sure that I had not forgotten anything. (Remember - I am a little anal retentive.) We were going to spend an entire week in Eastern Oregon surrounded by sunny-warm weather, Lake Billie Chinook, great campfires with Smores and our friends.What

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-56404593786058266712008-09-08T15:17:00.000-07:002008-09-08T15:56:59.527-07:00

To my first blog - EVER!!! I know, I know, I am way behind the times . With Myspace, Facebook and all the other web based "stay in touch" options, I thought I better start documenting my life and memories now. Most of you know that I don't remember squat, so what better way to capture all of these important moments than right here on my computer. Plus... it will make me start taking pictures of

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391826352080795496.post-75117391198511992282008-09-08T14:48:00.000-07:002008-09-12T12:15:09.898-07:00

...Oh, what a cutie he is turning out to be. For those of you that haven't met the little man, he is a 3.5 month old American Pitbull Terrier. We began fostering him for the Multnomah County Animal Shelter. http://www.multcopets.org/ He was a mere 8 weeks at the time and was too little and too skittish to go onto the adoption floor. Mind you, we had just sent our former foster, Levi, off to his

Melanie Graves' pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319457404074697615noreply@blogger.com2