Family Room Curtains Indecision

We decided we'd have a little party this weekend to kick off summer.  Well, our "little" party grew - which is always good- and yesterday I started looking around at our basement family room, tearing it apart mentally.  (Do you do that??)  Some of our friends coming over are designers and, although all of them are supersweet & would never judge, I couldn't help but want to fix it up before tonight.  (I had a client over to the office last week for a presentation and used areas of my home for "what not to do" and why we'd be doing what we were doing. hahaha )

I bought custom bamboo shades for the DC showhouse and sized them so that they could also work in my office once the showhouse was over.  As some of you know, my family room/downsairs has been irking me for a while.  I have to admit that I love the feeling down there- light, airy, fresh & happy- and I like working in it, but I've always felt like it just doesn't jive with the rest of my house.  Well, of course when the shades and some of my pillows came home from the showhouse, I started envisioning a new color palette for the space, using what I had.  Our basement is very coastal feeling and while I love it, it just doesn't make sense here.  (My dad lives on a lake and wants some of our paintings so I think eventually I'll give in because they'd be a better fit with him.) 

{greeeeeeen}

Anyway- besides the coastal vibe- the main thing that really bothers me about my house/ basement is the curtains. I made some myself and did Ikea for the rest, planning to upgrade later. I used only single panels on the door and large window. where I should have at least used double. Curtains are one of those elements that I notice when I'm in people's homes and they can really take a room up or down a notch. SO... Since there was no time to have any custom ones made the day before the party or change the color scheme too much, and I had the day off with my 3-year-old, we headed to Pottery Barn for some last-minute curtains. I like their linen "Peyton Drapes" which are lined and hung by drapery hooks so I bought a bunch in "blue smoke."

Here's a picture of the curtains that drive me craaaaaazy:

{oh so bad}

And here's a pic of the Pottery Barn Peytons (not hemmed to the proper height but that will have to wait for another day)

{oh yeah, I switched the rug with another one I had too.  I have plans to sell it but am having toruble parting with it.  I have a problem.}

I'm much happier with the width and quality of the panels and loved the color with the rug.. buuuuut....  I'm losing the vibe I want down there even more.  It took a turn in another direction I'm just not after.  (Although am now dying to do in a room "for real.")   The rug is insanely gorgeous in person and its vibe is just a little too warm/ rich/ formal for what I'm after.  We use the areas as the kids play space, and while I don't want it junky, I want it to feel a bit more effortless.  (ironic isn't it??  All this effort for "effortless?")

{So although the vibe's off, I'm much happier with the drapery hooks being hung nicely on the curtain rings...  my unlined ikea curtains were not thick enough up top to properly support the drapery hooks I'd used, so they sagged and flopped too much. And I'm also loving the doublewidths.}

BUT... they had to go because I can't justify them if they not where I'm trying to go.  I returned them last night & picked up some new ones in french ivory.  I also restrained myself from using the pretty rug and it's all safely packed away again.  (Who does this?!!!  I know I have problems.)  SO...  now I'm off the the family room to try out the ivories, but I have to be honest that what I really want isn't off the rack and I think that I'm looking for unlined and a bit more chill.  (and I know my friends will not care in the least if the windows are bare or Ikea'd) BUT...  maaaybe they'll work and then I'll be thrilled.  (And if anyone from Pottery Barn is reading--- so sorry to be such a PIA!!)

Wish me luck!

Is it weird that I love this?!!! haahahah

Oh ps-   We're having crab, shrimp, and bratworst along with a bunch of salads-  am so excited to dig into the kitchen today- and the party will be mainly outside in the backyard.  I can't wait to share pics!!

Have THE BEST WEEKEND!!!




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

PalinPalooza reloaded: Palin "recycles" bus from "Sarah Palin's Alaska", "crashes" Rolling Thunder (or did she?), Lawrence O'Donnell's bizarre rant

By Patrick

The good old Sarah Palin madness started again, although some people are still in denial. But let me thank our brilliant readers first: The collection of links and stories in our comments is simply invaluable. Poor Kathleen went to bed already several hours again with a bad migraine, and when I came home today after a tiring working week, I was so glad (as usual) to see all the collected links, news and facts in our comments. This makes it so much easier for us to prepare new posts. Thank you, everybody, and keep up the good work!

Sarah Palin's bus tour starts with a propaganda blast and the usual Palinesque chaos which in the end makes her appear a "victim", as usual, as always, as it was to be expected.

SarahPAC today released this propaganda video for the bus tour - fodder for her gullible fans:

Then there is the usual chaos surrounding this tour, but don't expect that it will make Sarah look bad, because it's so totally not her fault, it's just the others who always get their facts wrong, you betcha.

Andrea Mitchell interviewed Ted Shpak, spokesman of "Rolling Thunder", who said that Sarah Palin was "not invited", that the organizers heard "yesterday through a press release" that she was coming, that the event is not political and that he considers Sarah Palin to be a "big distraction":

Even Ben Smith from Politico, who is known to be incredibly careful in his criticism of Sarah Palin, smelled the blunder and felt compelled to declare:

"Palin invited herself to motorcycle rally"

But he should have known that Sarah Palin makes no mistakes. It's always the others who get it wrong. She is the victim. Do you get it, Ben?

Oh yes, he did - just about one hour later:

"Palin had invite to bike rally"

She had an invite from Alaska! She is the victim. How could the lamestream interview a spokesman who clearly had no idea what he was talking about. How mean of Andrea Mitchell! Sarah, they are all picking on you for no reason as usual!

It's not very difficult to predict that similar "confusions" will probably happen a gazillion times in Sarah Palin's "sphere" during the next 12+ months - and that the "lamestream" will dutifully report each other's "mistakes" as far as Sarah Palin is concerned.

But we have a real discovery, and strangely enough, a Palinbot made it: Sarah Palin uses exactly the same tour bus for her upcoming "One Nation" bus tour that she used for her reality show "Sarah Palin's Alaska!"

A right-winger posted this picture on twitter (click to enlarge):

The busses are not only identical - in fact, even the number plates are the same! It's the same bus, without any doubt.

So what the heck does that mean? On the bus, there now is a huge sign with says:

"Paid for by SARAHPAC"

Is everything paid by SarahPAC, including the bus? Who is the owner of the bus? Who paid for it when it was used for her reality show "Sarah Palin's Alaska?" Did SarahPAC secretly finance parts of the reality show as well?

So many questions - so few answers. This would also be a good title for a Sarah Palin biography. ;-)

In the meantime, Lawrence O'Donnell doesn't believe that Sarah Palin will run for President:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Lawrence O'Donnell is certainly entitled to believe that, and he received much praise for his stance for example in the comments at Huffington Post, and I believe that a number of our readers will agree as well. But I don't agree at all, and I find it quite painful to watch how Lawrence O'Donnell mocks the New York Times because they chose to take Sarah Palin seriously.

His comparison to Donald Trump is as flawed as it can get. Sarah Palin has prepared her run for President for years, and everybody who has closely followed her story also should know that she is virtually been eaten up by her desperation to become President. She is much cleverer than Lawrence O'Donnell realizes: She doesn't need to follow the "usual script" for a presidential candidate - because she always got away with doing it "the other way." Giving speeches to enthusiastic fans, hiding behind facebook and twitter, producing a reality show, produce additional propaganda through more staged events like the bus tour, giving interviews to pro-Palin journalists - that's her dream, and she is just about to live it. Because she is allowed to do it, by the people she despises, by the "lamestream." At some point, they might wake up, but until then, Sarah Palin will be able to do a lot of damage.

Thankfully, the New York Times understands as well that the comparison to Trump is flawed:

But Mr. Trump’s was a brief dalliance with presidential politics that almost appeared to have been done on a whim. Ms. Palin, by contrast, has been moving slowly and methodically for several years. Aides have said for months that she wanted to be in a position to run for president if that’s what she decided to do.

Ms. Palin and her aides revealed few clues on Thursday, which leaves a lot of people in Washington and around the country guessing.

Yeah, but I am not guessing. Please don't look for sanity or logic in Sarah Palin's actions. She is a mad cow on the lose. That's really all one needs to know.

Just in: The Washington Post makes fun of Sarah Palin's upcoming movie and publishes an imaginary script:

MORGAN FREEMAN (voice-over)

Ahem. My name is Sarah Palin. I was born and raised in a small town called Wasilla, Alaska. I’ve spent my whole life trying to escape it, and the rest of the world has spent its whole life trying to return me there, like a package with insufficient postage (chuckles). I wanted a reality TV show. They said, “Fine. Go back to Alaska.” I wanted to govern a whole state. They said, “Fine. Go back to Alaska.” I wanted to be Miss Alaska. They said, “Sorry, that’s just not happening.”

EXT. SOMEWHERE ELSE IN ALASKA – DAY

Sarah stands with Todd. We can only see her feet, because the camera is hidden in some bushes.

SARAH

I’m not going to be engaging in too much of that fictitiousness that I’ve been hearing about, in regards to that stuff in the chitchat, that I’m running with regard to hoping for the attention and the fiscal value and not feeling that good belly-fire. But in the unmortal words of Ronald Reagan, “Give me liberty or give me death, and Sarah Palin should be the President in the future, not of the future, or, as some amongst us say in regards to the future, ‘winning,’ but with and amongst, amongst the all-Americans.” Joe here knows what I’m talking about, don’t ya ,Joe?

TODD

I support you, Sarah, but I’m not sure what you just said actually makes any sense.

Bristol salsas past the camera.

BRISTOL

I’m here too! I’m shy and withdrawn, just like my new chin.

Andrew Sullivan received harsh criticism from right-wing websites for his comparison of Sarah Palin's upcoming propaganda piece "The Undefeated" to Leni Riefenstahl's infamous propaganda masterpiece "Triumph of the Will":

Andrew Sullivan's vendetta against Sarah Palin reached a new milestone on Friday after he insinuated that the former Alaska governor was somehow akin to Adolf Hitler. Sullivan referenced Leni Riefenstahl's infamous pro-Nazi movie after quoting a former Palin spokeswoman on what he labeled "the upcoming propaganda movie, 'Triumph Of The Will' 'The Undefeated.'"

Having watched "Triumph of the Will" (click for youtube), I am sure that there couldn't be a better comparison to Sarah's upcoming concoction, but then, Sarah Palin doesn't have a moustache, and therefore it's a proven scientific fact that she cannot be Adolf Hitler.

But there is something which I have been asking myself. We all know that Sarah Palin hates to give interviews to anyone who cannot be considered to be a faithful supporter - but did Adolf Hitler actually give interviews to the press?

I originally thought that he didn't. However, I was only half-right. Interestingly, there is a very fascinating story on the record about an attempt to interview Adolf Hitler - in 1931, by an American journalist. The story was published in 1936 in Harper's Magazine and can be read here.

The encounter was Hitler wasn't a success - but it surely was expensive:

Hitler’s secretary, a nervous little man who clattered like a teletype, introduced me. Herr Hitler paced back and forth in an almost unfurnished room. He wore black, which set off rosy cheeks against a dead white face. A lock of hair over his forehead frequently got in his way and he pushed it carefully aside. In civilian clothes he appeared far slimmer than in pictures in uniform.

The secretary read to him from my list of questions. None of them was particularly provocative. Hitler answered like a man who has lost all conversational tones. Everything was double or triple forte except the greeting and the farewell. Er brillt, as the Germans say.

“A Fascist government in France and a Nazi government in Germany – then the two nations would understand each other. . . .

“The Jews? Can you shoot flies with machine guns? By the way, you aren’t Jewish, are you? Your name is the same as that of the Jew police commissioner here. . . .

“Put the unemployed on the marginal land. . . .

“Between Germany and the United States there should be nothing but increasingly good relations. . . .”

The secretary said softly, “That was your last question.”

“Thank you.”

“Auf wiedersehen!”

I added. “I shall write this and send it over for your signature.”

“Certainly. With pleasure.”

I sent a copy of the interview and felt satisfied. Hitler had said nothing startling but it was the first interview he had given for many months.

Four hours later a messenger brought me an envelope. In it were the pages of the interview. Every line and every paragraph was crossed out, not neatly but savagely, with many blurs and blots. One line remained: “Between Germany and the United States there should be nothing but increasingly good relations.” Signed, Adolf Hitler. For that astounding fact I had paid two hundred marks. Possibly some of the things said did look brusque on paper but I had written them as they were spoken.

So here we have another politician who didn't like to have his words twisted by repeating them verbatim. Certainly "Triumph of the Will" (1934) was much more enjoyable from his point of view.

How to end on a more humorous note? After all, we can have so much fun with Sarah as well.

Twitter came to the rescue, where I just spotted the following clips from 2008 - have a relaxing Friday evening, everybody!

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Please re-tweet:

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/74281299195604992

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/74281766013239297

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/74281926063685632

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/74282294642352128

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/74282690605621248

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/74282971175190528

Sarah Palin's Magical History Nationwide Bus Tour and Video: Lawrence O'Donnell Reasons Why Sarah Palin is Not Running for US President

By Kathleen

It has been quite a week. The "elected" were not raptured and it seems that they will have to suffer alongside "the sinners" until Judgement Day (which is definitely going to happen) takes place on October 21st, 2011. Elected and sinners, we now face the end of the world together.

Unfortunately, Sarah Palin has dominated the news this week. First the acquisition of what would appear to be the Palin Campaign HQs in Arizona, distastefully furnished with cheap plastic toys for the swimming hole. I can't wait for the inevitable shots of the interior. This was rapidly followed by The Mansour Confessions in which Rebecca concedes to Toki de la Vega that Bristyal is an embarrassment and that every family has one. (Or in the case of the Palin /Heath family a succession of dysfunctional characters.)

It would seem that someone forgot to include Toki or RAM in on the inside information that Bristyal was on a Mata Hari type mission to seduce Levi and get a public confession out of him insinuating that he is a liar and that Sarah is indeed the angel of the north. Subtext: Never underestimate the sexual power of a Palin woman. Toki valiantly continues to push against the unconscious stream of c4p Sarah adulation and advises that it would be unwise for Sarah to run. Still, we should consider the fact that Toki may just be afraid that Palin will pull a tendon or suffer some sort of running sport related injury. After all he does admit that he often posts for the sh*ts and giggles and that he does enjoy getting a rise out of taunting and misleading anti Palin bloggers.

Thanks but no thanks to the GI Film Festival Chairman and "film maker", Stephen K Brannon, a whole two hours of a reformed Palin is about to hit a cinema near you. The "Premier" showing will be in Iowa next month. Freedom isn't free, but the cinemas showing the Palin film would be wise to stock up on give away supplies of wheat grass pills as they are known for their digestive properties.

To round off this "horrible week" we have two further reports. And we finish on a high point.

Sarahpac has announced that Sarah will be on the road again as she sets off to restore the "Good in America".

I call it the Magical History Road Tour because it has been intimated by Palin aides that her trip is a history learning experience. Didn't she go to school? Perhaps she wasn't that exceptional a scholar or she just didn't pay attention? I wonder how many private luxury jets they will employ on the trip this time?

Anyway, the trip begins in Washington DC where Palin has the opportunity to ham it up yet again alongside angry motorcycle builder, Paul Teutal snr. whilst at the same time taking in the historical monuments that the capital has to offer. I just had a horrible thought. What if they decide to film the Magical History Road Tour?

Good news is that Henry Blodget, editor of Business Insider, has once again issued a challenge to Sarah Palin that she release absolute documented proof that Trig is her natural born son. Henry believes that such proof is simple. The article uses the graphic that Brad Scharlott recently posted in the comments here at Politicalgates, and Henry reveals that Brad has had a number of in depth interviews discussing his graphics with Laura Novak over at her blog.

Read Henry Blodget's full post at the Business Insider.

The winners of the five copies of Frank Bailey's, Blind Allegiance, have been pulled out of Patrick's cowboy hat.. Thank you to everyone who took part. Winners are Steve, Celine, Sheri, Maureen, and Cynthia. I hope you all enjoy your books and once again many thanks go to our very generous book donors.

I have 2 copies of Frank Schaeffer's new book, Sex, Mom and God to give away. I will pick names out of the hat again so email me kathleenpoliticalgates@gmail.com. Good luck to those who enter. Entries close end of day Saturday, 28th May, 2011.

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Update:

In the following report at The Last Word, Lawrence O'Donnell outlines his reasons why he believes that Sarah Palin will not run for the Presidency.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Yes, Sarah Palin truly wants to be a "modern Queen Esther" - Newly discovered video from 2008 reveals her inner thoughts & Preview of "The Undefeated"

By Patrick

It's Sarah Palin 24/7 again, the very foreseeable development breaks way: Sarah Palin wants to run for President, she has been "plotting" it for years (just wait for her fancy new websites which have been in development already since 2009), she is following a playbook that many people don't like to hear about: After her recent book "Mein Kampf 2" now follows the epic movie "Triumph of the Will 2", and just wait for her rousing speeches at little "Nuremberg Rallies" all over the country. Also, no interviews with evil lamestream journalists, please, as Sarah Palin recently announced in an interview with Sean Hannity.

But as this may seem quite simplistic, predictable, easy to see through for some, a "second layer" is on offer: Religion. It's so useful, isn't it? Who doesn't want to belong to the good and righteous, God-fearing folks? Well, atheists, apparently, but I don't believe that they belong to Sarah's preferred "target audience." But seriously, isn't it even better to be likened to a biblical figure, like "Queen Esther", which could give you "half-God-like" status?

Well, several articles have already been written about Sarah Palin and the comparisons to "Queen Esther", but not much "hard proof" has surfaced so far that could confirm that Sarah Palin really, really loves this comparison. But yesterday my dear Kathleen roamed the internets and made a "chance discovery" which needs to be highlighted: A very religious and very enthusiastic supporter of Sarah Palin posted a clip at youtube on October 17, 2008 which has found little attention so far. However we here at Politicalgates believe that this clip deserves to be seen, as it reveals who Sarah Palin REALLY loves to be compared with, as modest as she is - with Queen Esther.

The footage was shot on October 9, 2008, at a rally in Wilmington, Ohio:

The person who originally posted the video included the following description to it:

I was so blessed to have a few moments with the future VP, Sarah Palin at a Road to Victory Rally in Wilmington, Ohio!

This is what was said....

I TELL SARAH​ "​YOUR OUR MODER​N DAY ESTHE​R!​"​

SARAH​ SAYS "HEY THANK​ YOU! SAY YOUR PRAYE​RS MAN!​"​

THAN I TELL HER "IM CHURC​H OF GOD PENTE​COSTA​L"​

THEN SARAH​ SAYS "IT WILL BE THE INTER​CESSI​ON THAT GETS US THERE​!​ TELL YOUR PRAYE​R CHAIN​S OK?"

THEN I TELL HER "WE HAD PRAYE​R FOR YOU LAST NIGHT​!​"​

SARAH​ "​RIGHT​ ON THANK​ YOU SO MUCH!​ OH MAN THATS​ WHATS​ GONNA​ GET US THERE​!​!​"​

THEN THE LAST THING​ SHE SAYS IS "GOD BLESS​ YOU GUYS!​ THANK​ YOU FOR BEING​ BELIE​VERS!​"

Well, what this guy doesn't mention is that at the end he also said "You are anointed" - as if this would be the most natural thing to say.

What this remarkable footage reveals is for example that Sarah Palin doesn't only enjoy the comparison between herself and Queen Esther, but she even seems to encourage her followers in the beliefs that she is somewhat "biblical."

Journalist Michael Gross reported in Vanity Fair in September 2010 about an email that right-wing pastor and gay-hater Lou Engle wrote to Sarah Palin "as a last-minute exhortation just before she took the stage for her vice-presidential debate against Joseph Biden on October 2, 2008." In this email, Lou Engle compared Sarah Palin to Queen Esther, and I get the impression that she really, really like that email as well. It reads:

Dear Sarah,

Many thousands are fasting and praying for you. I know you’ve heard it, but I believe this is an Esther moment in your life. Esther hid her identity until Mordecai challenged her to risk everything for such a time as this. Your identity is “Sarah Barracuda”. Esther removed corruption from the Persian government and Haman fell. She didn’t have experience, she had grace and favor. Sarah, don’t hide your identity tonight. There will be questions given to you that you don’t know, and I have been weeping over you. I believe the Lord would have you be real. If they ask you a question that you don’t know, don’t be ashamed to say: “I don’t have the experience of 30 years of politics like Senator Biden, but what I have is character, truth, and integrity, and I haven’t been seduced by 30 years of political and moral compromise like these men in DC. I believe America is not looking for more knowledge, they are looking for more character and more truth, and that is who I am. I refuse the politics of neutrality. I will stand for the family, I will stand on foundations of truth and this nation will be better for it.

Sarah I’m sure you’re doing this, but take a moment to still yourself before the Lord. The Lord is a shield about you. To those who have no strength, the Lord will show Himself powerful.

Sarah, I could be wrong, but I’ve been praying for five years for an Esther, with dreams of being a Mordecai to that Esther. I believe you’re the one and I think you’re even wearing a life band. Tonight don’t be ashamed to plead for the life of the unborn and all the wounded woman who have gone through this holocaust. You can throw this email away, but I have 50 young people fasting and praying day and night who are shouting tonight: “Grace, grace to you!”

We love you,
Lou Engle

Vanity Fair journalist Michael Gross also wrote:

Palin seems first to have gotten the idea that she might be a new Esther shortly after being elected governor in 2006, when she asked one of her former pastors for an example of biblical leadership that she could emulate. Quoting scripture, the pastor told Palin that she, like Esther, had “come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.”

The reference requires some unpacking. Due to her extraordinary beauty, Esther, a Jew, was taken as a wife by the Persian king Ahasuerus. When an adviser named Haman persuaded Ahasuerus to proclaim that all Jews in his kingdom should be killed, Esther’s Jewish cousin Mordecai (who raised her after she was orphaned) told her that she had to persuade the King to spare her people: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

David Gibson explained the significance of the subject in great detail at "Politicdaily" in 2010:

Sarah Palin as Queen Esther? Alaska's soon-to-be-gone-governor as a Hebrew heroine from 2,500 years ago?

But over at the Daily Dish Andrew Sullivan made the connection -- with some help from the New Wineskins blogger ­­-- after musing on Palin's seemingly fatalistic pronouncement in early June, a full month before her surprise resignation.
"If I die, I die," Palin said during a rambling (what else?) introduction for Ronald Reagan's son, Michael, who was headlining an event at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Was Palin subtly signaling her political fate to those with ears to hear?

Perhaps. More likely she was just channeling one of the favorite biblical role models for conservative Christian women, especially the beauty queens, which Palin once was (and still is, if that Runner's World spread is anything to go by).

(...)

Contemporary Christians, especially conservatives, love that story. As Nancy Ammerman, a sociologist of religion at Boston University, told me, Esther represents "a willingness to risk everything on behalf of something greater than yourself, something you believe in." Hence the popularity of Esther's other well-known declaration, "I was born for such a time as this." Esther's words convey a powerful sense of vocation, Ammerman says, "the notion that there is a hand in history that brings a person to a particular place in which their particular gifts have meaning and have an opportunity to make a difference." The Esther story is also ideal for a Christian Right that sees itself as a besieged minority, as the Jews of Esther's day were. The vindication of the Jews, who then vanquished their foes, is also a gratifying scenario for today's believers.

Little wonder that when Palin exploded onto the political scene last year -- accompanied by catcalls from the media elites -- she was fitted for Esther's crown. "She's our Queen Esther," Martha Mota told a Texas newspaper at a debate party as Palin prepared to square off against Joe Biden. "She's going to save our whole country." A full two years earlier, in 2006, when Palin became governor, she called her pastor and asked for a biblical example of a great leader. The Rev. Paul E. Riley told her to read up on Esther.

There are more many hints that Sarah Palin is deeply in love with the Esther story, and the comparison of herself to Queen Esther. Just recently, she visited Jerusalem on Purim, the Jewish holiday which has its foundation in Queen Esther's story - hardly a coincidence.

One of the worst examples of Sarah Palin's "pandering to her religious fans" was the speech at the "Women of Joy" conference in Kentucky on April 16, 2010. The full transcript and video of the speech (six clips) can be found HERE and HERE.

In this speech, Sarah Palin said:

Now I was trying to make a point about preparation with Piper the other night and I’m reading her the book of Esther out of the Old Testament. And I’m telling her all about Esther. See honey, I’m telling her, she’s the underdog, and she’s the orphan, she’s working hard preparing to be judged by others. Essentially Esther, she was out there on the stage wondering if she’d be chosen to have opportunity to really help change her world and Piper’s listening and she’s kinda dozing off and finally she rolls over and she says “Wow, that’s just like ‘American Idol’”.

Video:

Sarah Palin - Women of Joy - Part 4 - Louisville, Kentucky, April 2010

It was the same speech in which Sarah Palin infamously declared:

Any leader declaring that America isn’t a Christian nation, and poking an ally like Israel in the eye, it is mind boggling for, to see some our nation’s actions recently.

However, Sarah Palin's particular brand of Christianity means only one thing for her: "WORSHIP ME, PLEASE."

We will see much more of this in the following months, that's fore sure! Just wait until "Triumph of the Will 2" hits the cinemas! It should be nothing short of a "worship orgy" of biblical proportions.

Joe McGinniss expressed similar thoughts in a sobering post he published today on his blog:

Her people are out there, they are numerous, they are angry: and there is not another credible Republican candidate in the race.

Up to this point, Sarah has laughed all the way to the bank.

Now she hopes to laugh all the way to the White House–swept there by a tidal wave of “real” Americans who don’t like elitist liberals (i.e. for a start, anyone with a college education) portraying them as racist, pitchfork-carrying buffoons.
Neither Romney nor Pawlenty can active them, but Sarah can.
And she plans to. Because God is telling her to do so.

Oh, man, this makes what I’ve written in THE ROGUE about how steeped she is in Christian Dominionism all the more relevant. She truly believes her “prayer shield” will keep her invulnerable to attacks between now and election day 2012.
After that, she’ll lay down the shield and pick up the sword of fire with which she’s waiting to smite all of us who do not see her as Queen Esther.

We laugh at her and call her a joke, but she’s serious. And she has big bucks behind her, and nothing to lose.

We’d better stop laughing now, or she’ll have us all crying out for mercy on Inauguration Day, 2013.

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(We are eternally grateful to our reader "Tildama" who transcribed Sarah Palin's "Women of Joy" speech in 2010!)

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UPDATE:

Here is a sneek peek of the "spewing piece". Keep in mind while viewing that previews are supposed to be the most riveting part of the film........

Like I said it will be like watching paint dry on a damp and humid afternoon.

Client's Bungalow Living Room Plan

I stopped over to check in on a client's in-progress project yesterday & just had to share with you.  My client is young & creative and when we first met had literally just moved into her adorable bungalow:

The bungalow had been lovingly restored to certain point, but we're tailoring it to perfectly fit her lifestyle.  She had everything out & ready to show me & we assessed what she'd keep and what we'd replace.  

{The house is really beautiful.  Love the doors!!}

She was ready to upgrade her Pottery Barn-type pieces for a more sophisticated yet still casual look.

My client entertains often & knows how to throw a good party.  I noticed that she was really drawn to blues & aquas and a classic-vintage look in her inspiration photos.  The rooms she loved all had a touch of old-fashioned charm yet still felt fresh & updated.  The living room isn't large but is just what she needed to for a cozy 4-chair furniture arrangement by the fireplace.

The spaces my client loves also feel open & airy yet still have a warm to them.  Many of her inspiration photos had shutters instead of curtains.  We decided to keep her existing shutters and warm up the cool-feeling space with grasscloth on the walls.  I stopped in yesterday & got a peek:

{Grasscloth by Thibaut}

Our installer, Michael DiGuiseppe, who also did the DC Showhouse room, is soooo good & incredibly fast.  By the time I was finished with our two hour meeting, he'd almost finished the living room. 

{Thanks Michael!}

Last night, my client snapped a shot of some of the furnishings in place & emailed it over:

{Completely unstyled, but you get the idea}

I'm loving the blue against the grasscloth and can't wait until everything else arrives!!  We're waiting on the upholstery and are working on a gallery wall full of personal paintings & prints. 

Will keep you posted!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Sarah Palin's Modus Operandi in Action

By Ennealogic

Love thy neighbor? Turn the other cheek? Forgiveness? These New Testament concepts were not part of Sarah's Old Testament temperament. Both eyes for an eye was the rule, and vanquishing enemies became a goal. Nothing was more important, to any of us working alongside Sarah, than preserving her image or achieving retribution. Not our families, not our friends, not our financial well-being, not the state's business. Nothing.
[-- from Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, Kindle edition]

It's happened plenty of times before: someone writes about his personal journey toward a more enlightened state, or at least, a state where shades of gray begin to separate black from white. Along the way they disappoint or even anger those whose commitment has not wavered yet. One example is Frank Shaeffer, founding member of the religious right who penned Crazy for God: How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Help Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back, a memoir about his misgivings after having furthered Christian evangelicalism.

Another example is Paul Haggis, former high level Scientologist, who ultimately repudiated the "church" and resigned when the hierarchy would not disavow California's Proposition 8, a piece of anti-gay legislation. Haggis wrote, in his resignation letter, "Our public association with that hate-filled legislation shames us."

Sarah Palin waves as she comes on stage before McCain's concession speech

And now we have Frank Bailey's tell-all, Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years, in which he renounces the former Governor and cements the conviction that Sarah Palin is truly and undeniably a woman with deep psychoses and the personality traits that go along with them. In Bailey's book, assuming it remains much the same as the leaked manuscript, we'll get a glimpse of the real Sarah Palin in her own words, the persona she lets out only in front of her closest aides and advisors (and probably her spouse and children). We'll see how she drives her inner circle to cheat and lie in order to keep her from imploding. We'll learn the lengths to which she'll go to destroy the lives of those she perceives as "the enemy." No one wants to be the object of her wrath and so her team did what had to be done in the name of the greater good, that is, massaging Sarah's mood so that she was happy.

Bailey essentially predicted the kind of pushback his book is now receiving. He made it plain, in the pages of his mea culpa memoir, what happens to those who cross Sarah. We are witnessing the sort of excuses, prevarications, distractions, slanders and deceptions that he chronicled—and he should know the methods well since he participated in them himself, many times, during his years as a close Palin aide. Sarah Palin's modus operandi is in full view, evident in the statements and attitudes of her aides and followers, and this goes to prove Bailey's book is not a lie.

For example, instead of addressing any of the content (which is well-supported by thousands of e-mails), current chief aide and SarahPac spokesman Tim Crawford misleads us with, “Gov. Palin suspended Bailey and refused to hire Bailey when he sought a position on her vice presidential campaign staff … (he)has an axe to grind and abandoned truth in his book.” Of course, the suspension was a critical CYA maneuver for Palin. When it was revealed that Bailey had been caught on tape trying to get Mike Wooten fired (see Troopergate), Sarah had no choice but to send Bailey away temporarily (albeit on a paid leave of absence).

In a Politico article titled "Sarah Palin's team pushes back against new book," Tim Crawford elevates his rhetoric to smear Bailey,

Frank Bailey was the only member of the Palin administration to be found to have acted unethically – twice. He is currently under investigation again by the state attorney general. Then, as the administrator of certain email accounts, he acted unethically by appropriating account information he was entrusted to protect.

What Crawford neglects to mention here is that Bailey was dinged for ethics when he was acting on Sarah's behalf, and he conveniently forgets the occasions when Sarah was, indeed, found to have acted unethically or illegally—more than two times, in fact. (Troopergate, Travelgate, AFT-gate...)

Stacy Drake at C4P opined, as she descended into the depths of ad hominem-ness,

After reading this manuscript, my only conclusion is that Frank Bailey is a horrible person... Frank Bailey’s motives, in my view, were greed and vengeance. This man of little skill decided to try to cash-in on the job he no longer had, and at which he was incompetent when he did have it."

Palinbots are out in force elsewhere too. A commenter at TheBlaze.com (Glenn Beck's site) wrote that the book was "Ghost-written by Bill Ayers LOL," inferring, I suppose, that Bailey is a terrorist with a connection to President Obama. Another commenter there, Missionarydad, attempts to discredit Bailey and prevent others from reading his book:

Who would ever want to read any trash like this. Anyone who will betray their relationship and trust with someone they are being paid for their time spent with them is of such low integrity that anything they have to say isn’t worth reading. It would be one thing if they were the one who was betrayed and they are just sharing their side of the story but this is sounds more like one who was treated well but because of the opportunity to cash in big they are willing to sell their soul and burn their bridges just for some filthy lucre.

If Missionarydad would take the time to read Blind Allegiance, he'd discover that Bailey was not paid for most of his time and effort, nor was he treated very well by his boss, throughout his service to her ambitions. This commenter may not realize he is following right in Sarah Palin's footsteps by speaking ill about the author without having read the book. He also doesn't realize that there is overwhelming evidence in Blind Allegiance that it is Sarah Palin, herself, who seeks 'filthy lucre' with every step she takes.

Bailey bemoans, after asking himself how spending hundreds of hours trying to destroy Mike Wooten's life and reputation had anything at all to do with governing Alaska,

This tale, unfortunately, includes the worst of Sarah's dysfunctional psyche and administration, including the compulsion to attack enemies, deny truth, play victim, and employ outright deception.

There seems to be no dearth of revelatory books about Sarah Palin this year. Geoffrey Dunn's The Lies of Sarah Palin has been out for a little more than a week, and it is a thorough, comprehensive, well-researched biography of Sarah Palin's political life that details her penchant and ability to manipulate others. Bailey's Blind Allegiance is out today, May 24, and I hope it does not vary much from the damning content in the leaked manuscript. Joe McGinniss' The Rogue - Searching for the Real Sarah Palin is being completed now and will be released in September. Add to that, we've heard a fairly strong rumor that yet another reporter is penning an expose about 'Babygate' this year.

Covers of Dunn's, Bailey's and McGinniss' latest books about Sarah Palin

There will also be no dearth of trashing, defaming and discounting the authors of these books. It's the Sarah Palin way - pay no attention to the substance, just destroy the messenger and rain retribution upon their heads in any way you can and seriously consider mailing them all a dead fish, while you're at it.

Politico Reveals That Well Known C4P Commenter "Toki De La Vega" Is The Source For Palin Aide Rebecca Mansour's Twitter Leaks - UPDATE!

By Kathleen

Ben Smith at Politico has revealed that the source for the leaks of Rebecca Mansour's twitter messages revealing what she really thinks about right wing writers, politicians and members of the "Big Boss" family is Toki de la Vega.

If Toki's name seems familiar that is because he was at one time a regular contributer at Conservatives4Palin. He also put up websites in conjunction with C4P contributer Joseph Russo viciously attacking anti palin critics such as Andree McLeod (see below).

Toki asked Ben Smith for payment for the release of 122 private messages between himself and Palin aide Rebecca Mansour, otherwise known as RAM or RAM the hammer because of her no prisoners held attack style of commenting and banning anyone who dared to criticise Queen Sarah. The two appear to have much in common with one another.

In his article Smith writes:

I've been waiting for this one to break for a few months, as somebody tried to sell me the same emails last fall.

"Does Politico pay for exclusives? Cause I'm looking to sell. I have 122 direct messages from Sarah Palin staffer Rebecca Mansour," the person emailed, eventually sending along sample direct messages identical to a couple the Caller posted. They were forwarded from the account of one improbably named Toki de la Vega, a contributor to some pro-Palin sites, though there was a man's name attached to one of the tweets as well.

Read Ben Smith's entertaining article in full in which Toki today tries to walk back his original dirt for cash offer to Smith. That alone should keep you in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Sing it Everly Brothers:




h/t to Mrs TBB

+++

UPDATE: Link to Toki's blog:

http://fotns-vf.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-goodness.html

h/t to Molly_WI

+++

UPDATE 2:

In honour of Toki and his preoccupation with "Square Bob Square Pants"

+++

UPDATE 3 (by Patrick):

I am back from work, and what a day it has been again!

The infamous right-wing blogger "Ace of Spades" linked to us, which is a very surprising "honor." Hasn't he looked at our other posts - or has he...? Maybe he discovered something which he found interesting. ;-)

The Peebots are now all upset over "Toki De La Vega", but what they forget is that Toki De La Vega was a very popular commenter at Conservatives4Palin for a very long time. But not only that - Toki De La Vega also once had a blog together with C4P co-founder Joseph Russo, who was on the payroll of SarahPAC for several months! The blog was called "Fist of the North Star."

I dived deeped into my archives and uncovered a few things which I had saved about Toki De La Vega. First, here are three screenshots of the forementioned blog "Fist of the North Star", which he ran together with Joseph Russo. In this post, Toki De La Vega published very disgusting remarks about Andree McLeod (click to enlarge):

There is more! I was very happy when I discovered that I had saved some examples of Toki's comments on C4P. I made screenshots in 2009 after Toki had used the picture of one of our commenters at Palingates as his profile picture:

Note the "advertisment" in the above screenshot of the C4P website for Sarah Palin's first unethical legal defense fund, the "Alaska Fund Trust" - with which Palin had nothing, oh absolutely nothing at all to do, I swear!

+++

What is Sarah Palin doing in the meantime, while her online guardian Rebecca Mansour embarrasses herself and her foe Frank Bailey makes the rounds in the media?

She dodges the camera-equipped helicopters in Arizona which have been charted by the lamestream media!

Watch how the wannabe-President hides in the shadows, together with companion Todd.

Sarah, we already know it's you! It's Game over! ;-)

+++

UPDATE 4 (by Patrick):

Just to let you all know, we received the final confirmation from a highly reliable source in Alaska today that the Palins indeed bought the house in Arizona. But to be honest, we already had no doubts any more yesterday after we clearly recognized Sarah and Todd in the news clip we posted.

Geoffrey Dunn -- Upcoming Book Readings in Santa Cruz

By Kathleen

On Wednesday, 26th May at 7.30pm Geoffrey Dunn will read from his book The Lies of Sarah Palin at the Santa Cruz Bookshop, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.

Geoffrey will also hold a further reading, also at 7.30pm, on Thursday, July 14th, in the Capitola Book Cafe, 1475 41st Ave., Capitola.

If you are in the area drop in to one of the readings to have your books signed and please say hi to Geoffrey for us.

Jason Hoppin at Mercury News has asked some interesting questions of Geoffrey about his book. Be sure to read the full interview.

At Politico.com this claim by the Palin camp about Bailey's release of certain emails struck us as curious:

Palin’s camp also insists that some of the Palin emails printed in the manuscript are framed to distort events — for example, the emails Bailey includes to show the former Alaska governor’s reaction to her oldest daughter’s pregnancy are about rumors that circulated before Bristol actually became pregnant.

Politicalgates, thanks to the generosity of a kind reader, has three copies of Frank Bailey's book, Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, to give away to readers who cannot afford their own copy. This time round I will collect requests and pull names from a hat to determine the winners.

Please send your entries to kathleenpoliticalgates@gmail.com

No entries accepted after Wednesday, 25th May, 2011. Good luck to those who enter.

UPDATE: I now have 5 copies of Blind Allegiance to give away so don't forget to put your name forward if you would like the chance to receive a copy.

Bridal Shower & Weekend

My cousin, Jen, is getting married this summer so my mom & I had a shower for her this weekend.  The invitations (above) were from Target and I have to tell you how easy they were to do.  They came as blank cards and I followed the link on the back of the package to an online template that I filled out with our information and printed them out at home.  I truly am not tech-savvy and it was a breeze.  (Except for the fact that I printed them all out with the wrong date the first time- eeek!!  Thank goodness the back of the cards was blue too.) 

{Jen is third from the left and she's standing next to our other cousin, Shelly}

My Aunt Allison made the most amazing bread:

{Seriously???  I want to do this!}

The wedding is in Puerto Rico so my family whipped up some authentic Puerto Rican dishes:

{I can't remember the name but really yummy seafood stew}

...And you poured the stew over these potato balls:

{Again, I forget the name!!}

And seafood salad:

And I not-so-authentically picked up a bunch of sausage-egg breakfast burritoes from Anita's:

For flowers, I filled a few different milk glass urns with pinky-peach roses, tulips, perivian lilies and fresh white freesia:

{smell so goooood}

Jen's colors for the wedding are coral & aqua. 

{loved this "mr and mrs" paper}

Here's a picture of the ladies in my family:

{My Grandmother is in the center with her 3 daughters & all of the granddaughters}

And I loved this cup tower my cousin made.  I did knock it halfway over but she doesn't know that:

{I put it back, don't worry, I'm not evil.}

And my mom baked a rum pansy cake:

{Soooo good and too pretty to eat, but we did anyway.}

Anyway, the shower was great & we headed out that night for her bachelorette party.  I don't have any pictures of that as they were confiscated.  (haha no, totally kidding, I just didn't bring my camera.)

The DC Design House final party was also Saturday evening before the bachelorette and it was at Skip & Debbie Singleton's home in DC.  I am kicking myself for not getting any photos because their back yard is my dream yard:  Pool set right into the grass with some checkerboard slate in areas arround it.  HEAVEN.  I'm so glad to have gotten the chance to be a part of the showhouse and to have met so many great new friends. 

update-  got a pic!! :

{See?!}

And my little sister was confirmed on Sunday!!  I can't believe how old she's getting!! (which means I'm getting even older!  We're 15 years apart.)  I was her sponsor and the Mass was beautiful.  Congrats Morgan if you're reading!!

I'm off to start the day -kids still haven't woken up & how amazing is that?!! ;) 

Hope your weekend was great!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.