Lesson of the Day

Me (on the computer): Princess, go help Turkey wash his hands.

(we are working on "big boy skills"

Princess: C'mon Turkey

time passes....


Me: Are you guys done in there yet?

Princess (from other room): What?

Me: Uh-oh!

opening door:

Here's a close-up:

All those marks you can't see well in the photo are bubbles. And soap. And splashes of said bubbles and soap all over the seat and bowl.

Lesson learned: Don't send a Princess to do a Mamma's job.

I Heart Faces: Dramatic Black and White

Here is my entry for the iheartfaces dramatic black and white photo contest.

It is a picture I took about a year ago, but I have reworked it to make it more "dramatic".

BTW, this was taken with a point and shoot on manual adjust.

Happy Tuesday.

Throw Pillows on the Cheap

(image linked)

Back in February, I was inspired by this picture posted on Lemonade Makin Mama. 
Always creative, Sasha used clearance napkins to make a pillow case to freshen up an old pillow form.

I am currently in {LOVE} with all things turquoise.
So when I saw these woven tea towels at TJ Maxx for $1.50 each, I had a bright idea.

I got 2.

Here is a shot of one after I washed and pressed it.

 I just love how it blends the turquoise with green since there is a lot of green in my house. 

When I got home, I dug into the attic for an old pillow. (yes, I save them, unless they are icky.)



I wanted to cut one pillow into two, so I stitched 2 lines across it. I did this to prevent the stuffing from falling out when I cut through the pillow. Also, this way, one standard bed pillow turns into 2 nice throw pillows and I can minimize the amount of sewing I have to do. Half a pillow is just the right size for one tea towel, by the way. :)

Please excuse my hand-sewing skills...but it got the job done. And you're welcome for the black thread.

I didn't take pictures of every step. (I figured you'd get the point.) I cut between the lines, then used my sewing machine to reinforce the seam.

As for the tea towels, well, it was easy enough to fold them around the new pillows, mark where I needed to place the seams and then go to it. I overlapped the fabric in the back and left it open so I could wash them later on.

Don't they add a nice pop of spring color? I love them!
I love that they took about 20 minutes to make once I had cut the pillow. And I love that I only spent $3.00!

In this picture, you can also see the lighter pillow I got at Target a while back. (I told you I am nuts about this color!) I bought 2 pillow forms and 2 zipped (washable) covers when Target had a sale a few weeks ago.


All this week, I will be showing off the projects I have been doing. I have been sorta busy. Please come back to see more.

My Thoughts on Blog Design

Yesterday morning I woke up to the sound of retching. again. in my bed. again.

*sigh*

I spent the bulk of my Sunday holding a feverish 2 year old who couldn't keep his Tylenol down. I needed a mental vacation. (O.K. in all honesty, I probably needed the vacation before that, but now I really needed it!) You may have noticed things look a little different around here. I am not real big on artistic commitments.  If you have been reading my blog for a while, you might understand I am still struggling with these narrow margins. I am still not sure if I can handle them. I mean, I am not a woman who leaves a small footprint, metaphorically speaking. But for now, right now, I am feeling a little better about things. You see, for a while now, Blogger and I have been fighting. Oh yes. We are lovers, Blogger and I, but...well we had a spat. (I'm all over the metaphors today aren't I?) To punish my brazen flirtation with html, Blogger had banned me from adding widgets and blog buttons! Oh the frustration! How did I survive it? I still don't know. I think it may have been some sort of aspartame-induced psychosis. Or maybe just stubborn indignation. (They are equally likely, you know.) I worked and worked and worked. I studied all of your source pages, tried every trick I know--admittedly fewer than I'd like to know--and STILL I could not find the teeny tiny error that must have been preventing the fix. So I gave up. I apologized to Blogger, we kissed and made up. (ie. I completely wiped it out and started over.) Now I am playing by the "rules" (kind of) At least for a few days. Of course, I always indulge in a little flirtation custom font or something. I have to. You wouldn't want me to be a boring all-business blogger, would you? I thought not.

In the meantime, I had a great excuse to play visit Megan at Shabby Blogs. (Have I ever told you I am her stalker? Don't tell her, but I totally am! I'll bet 50% of her page views are just me milling around, drooling over her awesome backgrounds. I even try some of them on in my test blog. Oh yes I do! I am like that crazy blond-haired guy in The Bodyguard. Ok not really...) I chose this one because it is much brighter, while still being a bit distressed and vintage. It seemed a good fit. I am SO not done with the title, but if you have been around here long, you know that is nothing new. I love to tweak and play. Photoshop and I are buds. So be on the lookout for some cool stuff coming up...(if the Turkey-Master allows such frivolous diversions.)

While I am rambling, I am wondering if you can guess who's handwriting I used for the font. Not mine, by the way. I am sure some of you will know, or at least recognize it once I tell you. Leave me a comment with your best guess.


And since you are looking things over, take a gander over there in my sidebar and check out that typewriter font. That is Adler from DaFont. It is one of my faves. Did I ever mention how CRAZY I am about typewriter fonts? I keep meaning to show them all off (I have a small collection), but I can never figure out a cool way to do it. But I used Adler over there so we can both enjoy it. You will also see that I removed all the buttons, except for those that are required (I think). I replaced it with a blogroll that rotates by what blogs have been updated! Cool, huh? Are you all already doing this and I just didn't know about it? Well, it's new to me so I'm loving it! I hope I didn't delete anyone. If I did, it was NOT intentional. I will be looking at it again once the puke has cleared I get a good night's sleep. or ten.


In all my surfing and secret agent work on your blogs, I noticed a few things. On some blogs, it is next to impossible to find a place to leave a comment. I'm not saying I am an expert, but I AM saying as a reader, I have a limit to my patience (so do my kids) so the easier the better, capiche?  Another thing I noticed is a TON of Bloggers do not have their sites linked to their profiles. Maybe this is on purpose? I don't think so. I, myself did not know that my email was not on there for a long time until my one of my bloggy buddies clued me in. Thanks Jill!

I mention all of these things for a reason, but I am not yet going to reveal the secret inner-workings of my mind. Just let it be known that there is a method to my CRAZY madness.

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know what you think about my look. For my part, I will be disinfecting the house in between taking care of whatever Turkey spews today. And I'll be working on that title, which definitely needs a piece of torn up scrap paper in it, don't you think? You can bet I'll also be trying to figure out how to use this beautiful background with wider margins. And as soon as I figure that out I'll be ready to start all over again.

Speaking of Dancing...

This was originally posted on our Marriage blog, which is now hibernating. I love it, so I am reposting it here. Have a great weekend. xo

This has poem has been one of my/our favorites for a long time. The funny thing is I never realized it is actually a song. And sort of a goofy/ weird song at that! Well, Leonard Cohen is...shall we say, "odd"? Anyhoo-- by the magic of the internet, I got to hear the song and watch the video this week! Do yourself a favor and DO NOT. Seriously, it removes all would-be romance from this well-written "poem".

Well, after much ado...here is the text of Dance Me To the End Of Love...along with some of the pictures I think it should conjure in your mind...not the weird ones on the internet! lol

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin 

Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in 
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove 
Dance me to the end of love Dance me to the end of love

Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone 
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon 
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of 
Dance me to the end of love 
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on 
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long 
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above 
Dance me to the end of love 
Dance me to the end of loveDance me to the children who are asking to be born 
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn 
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn 
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin 
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in 
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove 

Dance me to the end of love 
Dance me to the end of love 
Dance me to the end of love

This weekend, find some time to dance with your spouse and feel the love!

My Top Three: Things I Won't Toss

What are the Top 3 things you should have thrown away... like, yesterday?

I was planning another post for today, but this topic seems tailor-made for me. In fact, I am not sure how I can possibly choose only three items I could throw away. I am a keeper. A hoarder. A stasher. Some of this comes from the feeling of not having enough money. I think being a stay-home mom, I realize that we have to make our money count. I am not perfect at this (see my Target splurges) but it does make me want to keep what we have...just in case. Few things irk me more than having to re-buy something we tossed or donated, thinking we were done with that.



3. I am currently storing 3 baby crib mattresses. Two of them are in my attic. Now, I do have a large walk-in attic, so it's not like they are bothering anyone, but 3? I know. I need to take them to the donation drop-off. And I will, but the one has a torn cover and I am sure they will reject it...so I made a sort of make-shift dog bed out of it.

 That is probably very tacky of me, but my doggie loves it. Maybe I will make a cover for it to disguise it a little. As for the other 2, they will be donated. I am certainly not using them now. I just kept keeping them, thinking I MIGHT use them. You never know when you'll need a spare, right?


2. In my medicine cabinet, I have a ton of pregnancy-related stuff: gentle iron tabs, evening primrose oil, prenatal vitamins and possible some homeopathic supplements for helping to start labor. These supplements were expensive! So I cannot stand to flush them down the toilet.

 I keep thinking I will start back on the iron tabs, just in case. As for the evening primrose oil, if you ever used it you do not ever want to smell it again, so you will understand that I will not be taking it any time soon, but I will keep it until it has expired...or maybe a tad longer so I can truly justify the toss. :)

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1. Lately, I have noticed sure signs that I am OLD. Some of you are blogging about beautiful dresses that are practically  identical to the one I wore to prom in 1990...or the shoes I wore to homecoming in 1987. I tossed most of that stuff, thinking it was old and out of style(except for my Doc Martins and the prom dresses) .  I am older AND wiser now! I am keeping it all from now on. It seems so crazy to go buy something I already had and probably can only get 50 cents for at a rummage sale! My Junior Prom was the one prom when I had a boyfriend, so I got a NICE dress. At the time, it was really expensive. I still remember going into the boutique with my girls and trying them on...It was so worth it. I had a great time and felt like a princess.

 Anyhoo... I still have it and I am keeping it! Along with the wilder, more daring and *ahem* cheaper (wink) Senior Prom dress, some bridesmaids dresses AND of course my wedding and rehearsal dresses, all of Princess's formal dresses so far...and a few other goodies. I know, I am a little CRAZY, but seriously, are you surprised?

20 Random Things About Me

I have gotten more than a few new followers lately, so I thought this might be a good time to stroke my ego tell you a little more about myself. In case you were wondering. I don't play those question games that go around because I don't like it when I'm not in charge never know what to say.




1) I have a hard time finding time to write, though I love writing. In fact, I often compose in my head while showering or driving. I have done that for years, long before blogging existed. My mind never stops.

2) In college, I changed my major from Art to "undecided" because I thought that the only jobs artists could get involved chalk and living on the streets. Sad, but mostly true.

3) Later, I figured I'd be an English major until they told me I'd have to read all those books. I changed again to Linguistics.
 4) I have always been a slow reader. I'm OK with it now though. I used to be embarrassed.

5) When I was dating my hubby (Superman) I was so crazy about him that my coworkers dubbed him "Mr. Wonderful". They were right. We have been married 13+ years.
6) Lately I have noticed I am not capitalizing consistently. It bothers me but I am often too lazy to fix it.
7) My spelling has gone WAY down since I have been blogging.
8) I have been on a reading hiatus since Christmas. I miss it!
9) I always come up with awesome stuff for Works for me Wednesday but often get too busy to post it. I need to get on a schedule again. You guys are missing some gems! :)
10) I am not as humble as I used to be.

11) I have been hospitalized for severe allergic reactions 3 times. Only once was it considered true anaphalactic shock.  They never found out what I am allergic to. It hasn't happened in several years now.

 12) I am a die hard, true believing, flag waving, card carrying breastfeeding cheerleader. I used to be big into the AP (attachment parenting) crowd, but I got so sick of the constant competition that I dropped out.
13) I am a baby-a-holic.
14) I think people who adopt should be honored with a national monument or something.
15) I am one of those people who tries to justify others people's motives. Like if you said "John was being a jerk today" I might say "well, he's had a rough couple of weeks, what with that hemorrhoid and all." Just kidding but you get the point. I know it drives some people crazy, but I can't help it. I feel like if I can try to see why people so stupid or mean things then I am not judging them. That's probably from 12 years of Catholic school.
16) I love to embellish. clothes, stories, whatever. :)

17) I have been accused of having a thing for Jude Law.
18) I actually have a thing for Amy Butler. I think I want to be her if I ever grow up.

19) This year I switched from Coke to Diet Coke. It was not as hard as I thought it would be...and I have lost weight. I don't like water and I feel guilty about it sometimes. I am trying...
20) Gee, last one, no pressure...um...I am so tired I can't think. If you have a question, leave me a comment and I will answer it as long as it is PG.  ;)

Random Acts of Kindness

this post was previously written. the cool weather today reminded me that i forgot to post it. :)

Turkey and I went to Target this morning because I hate the grocery store and going there makes me feel like I am not actually grocery shopping. We had nothing to do but laundry today (which we try to avoid as much as possible), so we started in right by the door and hit every department all the way around till we ended up back at the cash registers. By the time we made it all the way back to the front of the store, my cart was LOADED and I was exhausted!


Needless to say, by the time I got up to the registers, I WAS READY TO GET OUT OF THERE! I checked out, (tried not to barf when she gave me the total) zipped up Turkey's little coat and headed out to the van. This is always the fun part for me (not!):  loading up 400 lbs of toothpaste, deodorant and new gym socks into the back of the van, hoping it will fit, praying I don't set the Diet Coke on top of the eggs again or that the milk jugs won't roll out when I lift the hatch at the house, and hurrying so Turkey won't freeze to death while I load it all up. (Do I turn it on to keep him warm, or NOT to keep him safe from potential turkey-snatchers lurking in the area? eeny- meeny- meiny- mo!)
Anyhoo...so I loaded it all up, picked up my sweet boy, planted a big smooch on his chubby little cheek, strapped him into the car seat, shut the door and headed back to get the cart to park it...all the while keeping any eye out for said turkey-snatchers...when to my surprise the sweetest little old man with the face of an angel, poked his head out from behind my van. He was holding a cane in one hand. He smiled at me and asked "can I park your cart for you?".


~Seraphim could be heard singing in the heavens. ~



You (tiny, little old man on a cane) want to help ME???




I staggered a little, but managed a "yes, thank you!"


I felt a pang of guilt as I watched him sloooowly join his aged companion. Together they walked my cart around the puddles and into the door of Target so that my Turkey would not have to sit in an unattended vehicle. I watched my boy's abandoned juice box jiggled as they bumped over the pavement, choking up a bit at the sight of her holding the door for him.

I wish I had said more. I wished I had hugged him or bought him a cup of coffee. But I didn't. Instead, as is usual for me, I wasn't able to find the right words at the time I needed them. I can't help it, I am the reflective type.



When I got home and unloaded the sacks from the trunk, I brought them in, like always and set them down on my kitchen table. As I looked down at the table, I realized this was the table my grandma and grandpa bought together 25 years ago, when he was still alive. As silly as it sounds, I knew that if that adorable little man had come home with me and seen that table, where so many memories had been shared--the table that makes me think of my own grandparents every single day--he would have been pleased.

Suddenly, the sacks did not feel like they weighed 400 pounds. They just seemed like part of life, being lived around Grandma and Grandpa's table, as it should be.

I'm in the Mood for Spring! : Liberty of London at Target

Yesterday, I was over at Tater Tots and Jello gawking at all the Liberty of London goodies Jen scored at Target. So of course, I had to make a run over there. I am totally in love with this stuff! Not only is it bright and spring-y, it's retro, like me.

When Princess was a baby, I am 90% sure she had a dress by them...or at least a good knock off. Now, every time I see these patterns, I get all nostalgic. So you might see why I was pretty excited to find these beautiful patterns blooming all over my second home Target.

I snagged this scarf, which I am in love with!

I really spread it out for the picture so you can see that it is three different fabrics from the line. 

I finally found a wallet in my price range! ($15!!)

And it's SO me. :)

You know I had to shop for Princess...

well...

I may have gotten her a little Easter gift:

Who can say?

Adorable top with matching purse!! 

She just recently got big enough that headbands will stay in,

so the matching headbands caught my eye right away!

flower can be purchased at Hobby Lobby

I thought I'd just highlight a few of the Liberty of London goodies for you:

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This little dress only came in toddler sizes, but it is reminiscent of the one Princess had. Very similar.

I want to buy it and put it in a frame it is so cute!

photo courtesy oprah.com

Our Target did not have this, but isn't it cute???

photo courtesy amazon.com

Just a few of the women's dresses...

photo courtesy amazon.com

There is much more in your Target stores, but the photos are hard to come by. Check it out for yourself. I'm pretty sure these cheerful florals will get you in the mood for spring.

 They may even leave you a little giddy.

Whaaat??

Daisy Mirror Craft Tutorial

This is a tutorial I wrote for a craft we did in Daisy Girl Scouts, but it could easily be scaled down to an at-home activity. The girls earned a petal patch called "respect myself and others" for participating in this activity. You could really teach any lesson, depending on how you use the petals.

Note: Hobby Lobby stocks pre-cut flower mirrors, but they are not big enough to write much on and, well. if you buy it pre-made then you aren't really doing a craft, now are you? :)


First, you will need the following supplies:

• colored foam sheets
• unbreakable mirror (JoAnns)
• Foam Glue
• Pre-cut foam circles

Cut petal shapes out of the foam sheets. We used various colors. Scale them to the pre-cut circles. (You may be able to buy pre-cut egg shapes that would work just great.)

We wrote affirming words on each petal, so that each girl would have one of each on her finished flower.
We used things like: I like me inside., I like me outside., I am a good friend. You can use whatever words you want.

We used Scrapbooking tools to score the mirrors and cut them into circles.

The mirrors are very hard to cut, so we ended up using scissors to do the job. Warning: do not use your good ones. This stuff is tough!
You will want to cut them a little smaller than the pre-cut circles. It doesn't really matter if they are not perfectly round...

Because you will cover them with a top circle, whose center has been cut out. We used the scrapbooking tools again to make this "frame" perfectly round and centered by removing a circle from the center of your pre-cut circles. You will need one of these for each of the uncut circles. Make sense? take a look at the pictures:

Next, we glued the cut mirrors onto the pre-cut circles. (the solid ones)

Let them dry a little bit.

Then add another ring of glue around the mirror so that you can attach the frame top.(see why the roundness of the mirror isn't so important...)

It is sort of like making a sandwich. Like this:

This shot was just for fun. While we let them dry before we let the girls take over. :)

We assembled the petals. Every girl got one of each.

They glued them on (from the back) however they wanted to finish the mirror.

I would recommend putting these on the bathroom mirror or bedroom wall so the girls are looking into them often and hopefully reading the affirming words.


You could even put them on a wooden fan stick (painted green) so the girls could hold them.

I love spring crafts! 

Luckily, we have lots of chances to do these in Daisies. What is your favorite spring craft?

Post-it Note Tuesday

I have missed Post-it Note Tuesday for a couple of weeks. Recently, I saw an old copy of Real Simple Magazine (LOVE!) and was reminded of the concept of "charging" people who annoy you. Too funny! I love this! It's a new money-making scheme work-at-home concept for me, plus a chance to bitch stress reducer all rolled into one!

So here, we go, all in good fun...

maybe jerk is too strong a word, but I was on a roll!

or vice-versa

Don't disturb Jammie Time

never a good idea unless you have lost a limb (or want to)

Ahhh.... I feel better already. I love the Tuesday vent thing!

So I'm curious... who would you charge? and for what?

Or do you think I am just grouchy?

I do have sort of a love-hate with the phone.

I admit it.

Have a great day!