Monday, April 30, 2012

ZZzzzzzzz....

Well, tonight my Z is ZZZzzzz, as in hitting the sack! It's almost 11pm and I'm just getting home from our Quizno's store! Crazy I know! I'm pretty sure God is testing me today! Our freezer is out and it's going to be days to get parts, if we're lucky, and a big frozen food order comes tomorrow at 5am! Looks like the next few days might be a little frazzling! I'll post my real Z tomorrow, zebra stripped cheese cake! I wasn't letting today get by me, I'm finishing this A to Z challenge on time!
Night ya'll!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Y ~ Yellow {Not anymore!}


Here's a quick little project I got done today in my "down" time. I have blue and yellow pots out back by the arbor, but I needed a few for the front porch {until I decide what I really want to do!}.
So, I took 3 from the back, bought a little paint and they were good as new!
Bye-bye yellow~Hello tan...
Bye-Bye Blue~ Hello Black...
Two things I learned:
1. I should have sanded the original blue pots. They had a bit of gloss and the paint didn't stick as nice as I would have liked. Therefore, I had to do two full coats.
2. I bought a less expensive paint at $0.99/can and another at $3.79/can.
The more expensive can had a fanned out spray with great coverage and a nozzle that was super easy to press. The other you had to hold down hard and my finger got sore!{waah...} and it had a more localized spray, which took longer to cover. Overall, both did the job, but it would come down to your personal preference! By the way, YES I got my disaster of an upstairs cleaned up!! Now I'm excited to get new paint, new sheets, shelving and a few other this n' thats to complete my very own craft room {super excited!} and a new guest/toy room! Woo Hoo!!!! See for yourself....

Friday, April 27, 2012

X ~ eXtreme Chaos!!

Yes, I'm actually going to share these pictures {although I probably shouldn't}! I'm in the midst of my "work in progress" that I shared yesterday! This is what it has become...I honestly think stuff multiplied in the night and is continuing to do so as I type! I emptied out some of the attic, 2 closets,1 bedroom and a craft room...I'm wondering if I'll be done before company comes??...I have no choice! Ready, set, share...I promise, my house is usually not like this! I'm in a crazy mode of clean, organize and revamp!! Can't wait to share the finished pics!! Posting this will get me in overdrive mode!


Thursday, April 26, 2012

W ~ Work in Progress

Oh my! I didn't think I'd ever make it on here today...all by my own doing! For whatever reason I decided to make our guest bedroom/craft room strickly "my craft space" and make the toy room into a toy/spare bedroom! I'm not sure what I was thinking!!...We have company coming over this Sunday!!
It appears that a tornado whipped through the entire upstairs and along with everything else we have going on the next few days, I have to get it put back together! Annnnd...while I was upstairs I found a few things and started tinkering right in the middle of the mess I had created!! I'm like a bee-bee in a boxcar today! {That sounded so much like my mom!} It would be nice if I had a plan, but that just wouldn't be me! So...
Here's a little sneak peak of what I started! Guess it's more like a full peak!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

V ~ VROOM~

Woo Hoo, look at me! Forty-one and fancy free!...Or plain NUTS!! I went out and surprised my daughter with Roller blades. Not for her, she already has some, but for me! I wanted something fun for us to do, give us a little exercise and enjoy the good weather {when it's here!}.
I was doing great right up until I fell flat back on my rear!! Oh man did it hurt!!
Here's our little conversation afterwards:
Me: "Jo, I think mom's going to cry..."
Kiley: Looks around... "Mom, get up no one saw you!"
So much for caring about my broken hiney!! Even after the fall, we kept going! Talk about fun! I'm ready for more sunny weather! If you haven't tried roller blading, it's a hoot and I highly recommend it! I think we giggled the entire 1 hr 45 min. we were out there!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Pinspired & Rewired ~April theme: Stencils


If you haven't checked out Pinspired & Rewired it's not too late!! It's only in it's second month!
This months theme is stencils! I love Stencils!! I have several sayings all around my home, but I also have a wonderful one that warms up my powder room! The walls are so tall in there and it's an odd shape, it needed something...woo hoo for stencils! Here's how it ended up!...

This is looking up from the floor. The stencil all all the way around the room!




U ~ Undeveloped


Oh my the A to Z challenge is almost over! I can't believe I've actually posted every day...sometimes just by the skosh of midnight, but I did it!
For today, my U is undeveloped! Years and years ago I was visiting my sister and found rolls upon rolls of undeveloped film. Without her knowing I took them and for her birthday I got 3/4 the bag developed. There were so many of her son when he was 2 and 3ish...plus others things that made us laugh til' our cheeks hurt! I tucked the rest away knowing that I'd surprise her again down the line. Well, while in the midst of me cleaning and organizing, guess what I've found??...I completely forgot that I had these! 12 more rolls!! My nephew's 16 now!! I'm taking them this week to get developed! What a fun found little treasure!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Scavenger Hunt ~ Ramblings and Photos

I've been stalking the Scavenger Hunt by Ashley over at Ramblings and Photos for quite some time now. I put her little button over on my sidebar probably a month ago, but haven't participated....until TODAY!! I know, it started yesterday, but better late than never! I've been trying to make myself get better acquainted with my camera and hopefully this will give me an added little push!
This weeks items are: Yellow, splash, ancient or antique, something that makes/made you smile and in the sun.
In the Sun
Finally with a few good days of sunshine, my daughter got herself all set up
and enjoyed the day! Add Image

Made me Smile
Kiley has wanted our dog to be lovey for so long! He's been a little...ornery, but he's only two! He's got a lot of puppy in him still! So today when she wanted a kiss, he softly came up to give her one!



Yellow
If only these were a treasured wild flower!!


Splash
What a great day for fun in the sun...and a little splash in the face!


Antique
A sweet oooold Singer sewing machine

T ~ Tutorial {Pillow}

T is for "tutorial"!
I've already shown the paint job in my daughters room, but now I'm trying to bring the accents and bedding together! By the time I'm done it will be time to re-do it! {That wouldn't hurt my feelings!}
My daughter woke up this morning and said, "Hey mom, let's do a little crafting!" I LOVE when she does that! Since she's had the flu and I haven't gotten anything done, I jumped on the chance!
I'm in a crazy pillow phase right now and still loving felt, so why not embrace it?!?
This is what what I came up with this morning!

First I cut hearts out of felt in 3 sizes:
(2) 2 1/4"
(18) 1 3/4"
(16) 1 1/4"
Along with my 14" x 14" fabric for the actual pillow
{Give or take a bit! Those who know me are well aware that I rarely measure anything! Gasp!!}
I also cut a green stem, but not sure where it went for this picture!
                                           For the center I took a 6" long piece of pink felt and an 8 1/2"
                                       piece of white, both 1/2" wide, and twisted them around. With the flap
                                       that was left, I glue gunned it across the back to hold it (for now!)

                             I sewed across the entire thing from top to bottom to make sure it
                             stayed together!
                             I placed all my first layer pieces down and started sewing! I sewed only the
                             bottom parts of the hearts (flower petals) down because I wanted them to be
                             able to flap around!


                               I kept layering and sewing each layer the same. At the end I took the
                               twisted flower I made and hand it was hand sewn into the middle!
I think it turned out pretty cute! Perfect for her bedding!!
                          

Saturday, April 21, 2012

April Birthday-Fest

OK, so the birthday continues! We have a "kid" party on whatever day works best, a small celebration on the actual Day of her birthday and then an entire family party to celebrate all birthdays in April!
Yesterday, the 20th, was her true birthday...unfortunately there was no celebrating! I brought her home from school early and spent the entire rest of the afternoon and last night trying to break a pesky fever of 104! With Tylenol it came down to 103.3 and finally after Ibeprophen it broke around 3am! I made a simple little cake for the occasion, which I think she'll make a wish upon today! So far, so good this morning...fingers crossed!!! It's a beautiful day today {that's something to celebrate in itself!}, maybe some fresh air will do us all good!

S ~ Something New



I found this branch out in the back yard. I love the look of moss and thought, "Hmmm, I need to do something with this." My sister-in-law had been making these wire birds, which she gave me a pattern for on my birthday {thanks Jode!}, so I figured I should try to make one! They're a little more tricky than I thought, but once you get the feel of how the wire bends it's not so hard. This isn't completed, but I was excited to share! I'll share another pictures when it's completely done! I'm not sure what that will be yet....With Birthday~Fest I've been a little busy!

Friday, April 20, 2012

R ~ Rippin' Up



R ~ Sadly to say, this R is for rippin' up all my lovely tulips at the end of the season! They're all diseased!! I know it's hard to believe in this wonderfully rainy, cold state that something like this could happen! Grrrr! They've gotten too soggy! These tulips have always been the highlight of my Spring! They bloom at the perfect time each year right in time for my daughter's birthday. When I planted them 3 years ago they came up a beautiful pink {the color I bought!}, the next year they surprised me with a pop of pinkish-red and a few serious purple! This year a little more reddish pink! I had no idea tulips changed color??? When I called the nursery and they informed me my tulips days were counted, I couldn't (wouldn't) believe it, so I dug a few up and rushed them in! (To the flower doctor {ha!})
Same doom was announced! What a bummer!! They've actually come up more and better than I thought, but the greenery is not pretty! The leaves have some black spots, brown spots and dots all over!  This stinks! Humpf...There's me sharing my frustration!
ANY comments or suggestions are more than welcomed!...Any Green Thumbers out there with advice??

New Recipe {Sorta?!}


Yum-A-yum-Yum!!  It seems all I can think about is food!...
The sun was shining and I wanted to BBQ. I had hamburger on hand, but didn't want "just another burger", so I went to diggin' around to see what I could whip up! I found an onion, blue cheese crumbles and mushrooms...that's a start!
I sauteed the mushroom and onions {ya know how much moisture those put out when they're cooked! I didn't want a soaked burger} with butter, Johnnys seasoning salt and a splash of soy sauce. When they were done I drained all the juices and patted dry with paper towels. Then I got my burger patties ready...for each one I placed a heaping spoonful of my mushroom onion mix and blue cheese crumbles. I made sure to mix and mold them well in hopes of them not falling apart on the grill! While on the grill I sprinkled with more  Johnny's salt {this goes on everything in our house!} and that was it!
When the burgers were almost done I spread butter on some buns and placed them on the grill to toast a bit.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Q ~ Quiznos Sub


Q ~ Is for Quizno's~ I was trying to think of something for Q...think, think, think and BAM! I'm at work, QUIZNOS and it hit me! Duh....
Yes, we own our own little piece of the sandwich world! We owned two, sold both, back owning one...long story, but here we are! There are definitely pro's and con's to owning your own business! I'm sure many of you can relate!...Especially since I'm not supposed to be here today, yet here I am! Looks like I'll be having a Double Cheese Steak today....Mmmmmm....
Slow roasted prime rib dipped in flavorful Au Ju...saute yellow onions, creamy mayo with lots of melted swiss cheese on fresh Rosemary Parmesan bread!! Who wants to join me??!!

This is not the cheese steak...I ate it!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

P ~ Party Success!!

P is for Party Party Party!! I've you've dropped by in the past week you've already seen a sneak peak of the theme with the Zebra pillow.
Every year I love to go all out with the party planning!...My never ending excuse...she's only turning 5 once...she's only turning 6 once...AND NOW...She's only turning 7 once!!!
The thought process...
Every Mother's Day my daughter and I head out to get Mommy and Me Pedi's! {That's usually the only pedicure I get all year! ):} It's a special day and fun to do, soooo...why not do it for her birthday!? We decided on a Posh Pink n' Zebra Stripped Pedi Party! She invited 7 of her friends {all could come!}, which was perfect because the salon has 8 chairs all together!
Hmmm...what to make?? How to decorate???...
What does Jo like when we get our Pedicures??...Flops, something to drink, a pillow to lean on (since her legs aren't long enough) and something sweet to snack on! That's it!!...My wheels were rolling and here's what I came up with...

These flops were plain plastic flops, so I cut pink fabric to make rosettes. I used zebra felt for the leaves. They turned out super cute, but unfortunately I couldn't find anything that would permanently stick the flowers on, so by the end of the day there were flowers a little bit of everywhere! They were fun while they lasted! {I tried tacky glue, rubber cement and super glue. I ended up using the glue gun.} I'd love any suggestions for the future!
I bought white bags at the Dollar Store and then used strips of fabric from the left over pillow material. Cut out a Fabric heart and added a little bling. I kept in the theme to keep it all tied together! The goodie bags had a pair of flip flops, the water bottle, a candy necklace n' ring and a little package that had a tiny bottle of polish and nail decals in it!

I found these plates and napkins at Walmart.



I also found these little tins at Walmart. Put a little Washi tape around it, filled it with M&M's, tied bakers twine on it and put a few little blings on the top! This was their little sweet to eat while enjoying their pedicure!

Since the light is hanging in the middle of the table {good place for it..ha!} I tied more fabric strips on it as well!
These water bottles were fun! I used the fringe from the pillows to wrap around them! I tacked them a bit with the glue gun, but the bakers twine is keeping it in place for the most part! I printed the Little tags on Zebra paper. (Just in case you could see the back side at all), used brads and placed a bling right on top of the brad!
You've seen the pillows already! Each one has the first letter of the little girls name! We started out with a heart bling on my daughters and found that to be A LOT of work! I had to glue each little "bling", so we moved onto do peace signs for the others! They're iron on! Woo Hoo!!! They used their pillows to lean on while getting their feet done!
This little banner is still from the left over fabric! My daughter wanted cupcakes, so I was tyring to be creative!For the cupcakes I used Zebra sugar paper from Michael's! It cuts just like regular paper!! It doesn't taste terrific, but once it's on the cupcake and you eat it with regular frosting you couldn't taste it!




It was super fun to plan and create! I loved the pattern and pop of pink! This group of girls are wonderful! They were so excited and had a blast!!