As you probably know we are in the process of redoing our basement since the flood.
Here is one of my favorite new additions to the playroom.
A chalkboard.
This was actually Ryan’s idea. He made it.
Good job Ryan.
We spackled the wall and then painted it with chalkboard paint. We put up a stunning white border and voila! Here you have it.
We love this new feature!
On November 5th, my sister-in-law gave birth to her 5th child. My heaven is HE a little cutie. Her oldest is a boy followed by three little girls so I know you can imagine how happy they are to have another little boy running around. Well, eventually. He just sleeps, eats and poops right now.
Hard labor and three weeks early. Praise God everything is okay! Mommy and baby are doing just peachy (if you’re one to consider sleep deprivation peachy).
Remember, Remember, The 5th of November…
No, not V for Vendetta Fans?
I just recently posted an item on Craigslist in the “Free Stuff” section. We had tried to sell this item before but didn’t really receive much interest in the item.
While cleaning out our basement we were going to put it back on the market but then we decided that we should just give it away. 1- We really wanted to get rid of it. It’s heavy and it takes up space. 2- I know how excited I feel when I find something that is free so I should bless someone else in return… since we really don’t need money for it. Would like it. Don’t need it. Would like it.
It turns out that this item is a lot hotter when you don’t charge any money for it. I woke up with 28 emails!
The dilemma?
I know that realistically you should give the item to the first person who responds. But, I felt so bad for everyone else! People were telling me why they needed it and how they were going to use it and they could be here bright and early to pick it up… I just felt like I could not decide who to give it to.
I did end up giving it to the first person who asked for it. It was only fair to do it that way even though he would have never known. I would have known. I have guilt issues.
From now on when I post in the free section, I am going to request people tell me their plans to help guide my decision.
What if the person I gave it to was just going to throw it away when person number two just lost everything they have in a fire?
Yeah, this is how I think.
You may not know this by looking at me but I am very interested in the latest style trends. I usually can’t afford to EVER buy anything new or in style since we have committed to live off of one income so that I can stay home and take care of our beautiful child, Lucy. I wouldn’t change that.
However, There are some style trends that don’t cost any money; like hair styles and make-up. And on occasion I do have the opportunity to buy that one thing that can pull my existing outfits into the current trend. Or not. I guess that is your opinion. Either way, I have a lot of knowledge on the topic, I just can’t always put it into practice.
I have decided I would like to update all of you on a few of the latest Style trends that I have just recently researched. I always appreciate when other people make things easier for me. That is usually why I text people questions instead of checking google myself. I don’t know, it is just how I am.
Trending in…
Color: Gold and any shade of wine or berry.
Hair: Parting your hair in the center or an extreme side part. When wearing you hair down, the “wind-blown” look seems to be all the rage. Also, gold highlights are a popular hair technique this season. So I’ve read.
Makeup: As always, sticking with the natural look. Gold (shimmer and color) is the popular eye shade- very simple, on the lid. Adding some goldish tint and shimmer to the lips is also a very desirable look.
Clothing: Longer skirts and dresses, about an inch or two above the knee. Also, Mixing and matching patterns. The is offly (sp?) scary to me so I have included a helpful tip guide from Mirror Mirror.
Shoes: Heels. Baby heels and tall heels. Either one suits the season. Just wear them. Boots. Flat boots and Riding boots. Pair with jeans or pair with tights.
Bags: Handheld Bags. Colorful (oranges, purples, blues…). And these. I couldn’t find a common name for them so I thought I’d show you. I think they are just called shoulder bags or crossbody shoulder bags?.
Jewelry: Antique jewelry (that means 1930’s and earlier). If you can’t afford it, anything that looks antique works. One day I will own an antique spoon ring! Floral and tribal inspired jewelry is also a popular trend.
Lastly, the overall theme for the season is Feminine (I got this tip from a TV show. Who says TV is mindless? lol). That doesn’t mean suits are out, but Ladylike Chic is what we should be going for this season.
You’re welcome.
And I still stand on the grounds that pairing socks with sandals is TOTALLY OUT!
*Photo Credit: Devon Birmingham Photography. All rights reserved.
You know when it is time to make dinner but you haven’t been shopping and you are just trying to find something edible to eat?
Yeah, that is how this meal came to fruition.
This recipe is SUPER easy and it was inspired by one of my favorite OC joints; The Wraper.
I didn’t use a formal recipe for this, I just made it up.
Please don’t make fun. This is all I had in my fridge. Feel free to adjust whatever you want.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
yield: 6
A Final Note:
I wanted to use shredded cheese but it turns out that the string cheese was easier to wrap. Win!
I did one wrap with leftover Philly Cheese Steak filling I made last night and instead of wrapping it, I flattened the dough, placed the mix in the middle and then pinched the dough at the top. You can see an example in the picture above.
The pretzel dough (which I got from Aldi’s) came with pretzel salt. I wouldn’t advise using it. I used just a pinch on each one and it really didn’t need it.
Bon Appetit!
Our basement flooded during “Hurricane Irene”.
To make a long story short (er), and to spare you all the boring details…
We have to replace our basement. New paint, new carpet/ flooring.
I really wanted a blue for the basement. It has been really dark and dingy and gross the whole time we have lived here and I thought that a blue would really brighten up the space. I went to Home Depot and selected a few colors and brought them home for Ryan to look through. He didn’t like any of them.
So, I told Ryan to pick a few blues that he liked and I would pick the one that I liked out of the options he selected. Everything was great until we actually painted the color onto the wall. Because of the lighting, the color looked periwinkle. It really was way too much. I didn’t really like it and he hated it.
Our basements is somewhat divided into two sections. The play room and the family room.
I thought that the blue looked good in the section of the play room so we decided to keep the color in there. My Brother-in-law Eric talked me into the following idea: “let Ryan pick out the color for the living Room and you can decorate the play room anyway you want. That might be the best thing to do since you can’t agree on anything.” I did not like the idea at first, but then I started thinking about how nice it would be for Ryan to be really excited and proud about something he designed. The same way I feel when he lets me design and decorate every other room in our house.
As soon as I agreed they were off to Home Depot to pick out paint colors.
I should have been worried when they put up a sheet to separate the rooms and then told me to not look until it was finished. But, Ryan has a pretty good sense of style. I like the outfits he picks out for himself. I like most design elements he points out to me in other homes and we mostly agree on other people’s room decor. How bad could it be really?
I HATE IT!
I REALLY HATE IT!
Oh my word.
What have I done? What was he thinking? Really? You actually think that is going to match anything? Our couch? Our new carpet? The blue that is in the other room? really? Hello!
Ugh! AHHHHH!!
I am really really trying to not be a brat about this. I actually did cry. I was trying not, but did.
I do not want this to come between us. I do not want to constantly throw in his face how unhappy I am. I do not want to buy any more paint. I do not want to have to re-paint. I don’t want him to re-paint something that he is really excited about.
On the other hand, I want to be excited to show people our new basement. I want to love going down there any playing with Lucy, or watching a movie. I want to be proud of all the hard work that we did to put this basement together. I want us to both like something and agree on something together so we can both confidently enjoy it.
Writing this out has been helpful in my grieving, angry attitude. I do see that this is a trivial argument, and has no real substance and should not be the cause of a disagreement between us.
I hate it.
But I love him more.
I’m going to have to get over this.
Maybe I’ll get some matching furniture out of it.
Or not.
Lord, please help me to honor my husband and love him right now. I am angry, and it is stupid. Help me to have a joyful attitude. Help me to see the positive side of this situation. Help me to honor you in my thoughts and actions. Forgive me for being ungrateful, angry, frustrated and bratty. Help us to honor you in our decisions. Please unite our desires and decisions and show us what to do, and help us to effectively communicate with one another. Amen.
October 2, 2011
Benny was 26 years old when he passed away.
He was my 10th grade Homecoming date.
Benny played soccer and lacrosse.
He loved nature.
He loved to travel.
Benny was a firm believer in natural healing and was in touch with his Native American roots.
Some might consider him a Hippie. I’m pretty sure he actually was a Hippie.
Benny never had a Myspace of Facebook because he thought it was a crappy and cheap way to keep in touch with people. He would rather call. I agree with him.
He was tall and skinny and had ears that stuck out a little that he used to be embarrassed about.
I loved those ears.
Ben was a faithful friend. So faithful that one time, he told one of my ex-boyfriends that I was going to break up with him because they were good friends and he didn’t think it was right to keep that information from him. I wasn’t too happy about that at the time but it really shows a true picture of his genuine character.
It is never easy to say good-bye to someone so young. It never seems fair. It is definitely one of the reasons that makes his passing so hard.
But, Benny lived life to it’s fullest. I believe that Benny’s time on earth was an AMAZING adventure. He saw and experienced things that I will most likely never get to experience.
Ben had Lymphoma.
Lymphoma is dumb.
I love you Ben Nickerson. You left a mark on the world. You left an impression on my life and all of those who knew you. I am blessed to have known you. Sad to see you leave. Hopeful to meet again.
*Picture courtesy of Tara Hubbard.
Loves to sing and dance. Love, loves the song “The Wheels on The Bus”. Lucy calls it “Beep-Beep”.
Loves Sesame Street. Love, loves Elmo.
Lucy is really good at sharing. Not perfect, but likes to give out her toys for others to enjoy. It makes me happy that she has a giving spirit.
Lucy is friendly. She talks to strangers. She wont touch them, but she will converse. She gets this from me. Ryan hates small talk. So does my friend Tara.
Lucy is currently trying to perfect her jumping. She likes to jump. She tries to jump on everything. I say, she is getting better. I am impressed with her diligence.
She says “I love you”. It is the sweetest when she says it without being persuaded. “I-uh-eww- Mommy!”
Ryan is solely trying to potty train her (this means, he is on his own). It is not working. Remember when Ryan thought he could get Lucy walking at 7 months? Yeah, it’s like that.
She also loves to play with her babies. They cry, she rocks them, she feeds them, she wraps them in blankets, they take naps, she burps them. Hopefully one day she will be a big sister and can help Mommy with a real baby. I know she will be a wonderful big sister. And since I have been babysitting, this has also really helped her get used to having another baby around. Eli (the chubby little thing I take care of) is like Lucy’s little brother. She makes sure I feed him if I give her a snack. If he is crying, she runs and gets his blankie or a toy… it is really cute. At first it was hard for her to have to “share me” with someone else but I have learned how to better balance two babies and she has really grown in the area of patience. Thank you Eli for helping shape Lucy into a good big sister!
If Ryan or I say “ouch!” or accidentally bump into something, she will ask if we are okay. “Okay Mommy? Mommy okay?” She seems genuinely concerned. It is really sweet. Ryan has been abusing this trait and “hurts” himself several times a day just to hear her say it.
Lucy is OBSSESSED with her boots. Loves them. She is a shoe girl for sure. She ALWAYS wants to wear her boots. Man do her feet stink.
I think she actually can grasp how many “two” is. She is pretty good with her colors. She can point things out and tell you what color they are but has a hard time when you ask her what color. I think she gets confused. She has also been trying to learn how to sing her ABC’s. We have a magnet that sings when you push it and she does it over and over. She is getting pretty good. I am not pushing it, I just like that she likes it. She also draws circles. And she knows the square root of 144. Not really.
Just a few things I have been thinking about. What has this stage been teaching me?
I love her more and more every day. What an amazing gift she is to my life and what joy she brings to us all.
I love decorating for fall. All seasons really, but I love my fall decorations best.
My really boring wreath needed to be spiced up. So I made this here wreath for my door.
I am so proud of my self.
I follow lots of craft blogs and I want to make everything but I usually don’t. There are so many fun crafts that I just don’t know where to start.
I’m so glad I decided to jump on this one.
Here is where I got the idea and here is the felt flower tutorial I used.
Helpful Tips:
The best part? This project cost me a total $3.00.
The large flower was on clearance for $.99 and the felt was $.34 each. I already had all of the supplies and the wreath. I did notice that they have the same wreaths at Jo-Ann’s for $3.99 if you wanted to get one.
I would love to see your work. Email me pictures and I will feature them on my blog. It doesn’t have to be a felt flower craft, anything Fall related would be great.
Yes, some people do actually read it. Just not enough for me to get paid for it. Dang!
Happy Crafting!
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