My Husband is A-Mazing!

We are gearing up to start our school year in a couple of days and I had an epiphany...well, of sorts.  The kids usually end up all bunking in the same room, so I thought to myself that it would be nice to turn the other bedroom into a homeschool room.  As usual, I'm flying by the seat of my pants trying to get it done and I've been toying with the idea of a triple bunk bed for a while.  So, Sam went to help our friend move this morning and when he came home, he found me eye deep in pondering how I could possibly turn the boy's current bunk beds into a triple bunk.  Didn't want to spend any money, you see.  Just wanted to use what we had on hand.  He said I was crazy.  He's starting to come around to my upcycling obsessiveness.  Well, after much collaborating together, we came up with a plan and we (read mostly Sam) went to work on it. :)  Poor man is now pooped, but looky at what he built!

The kids are giddy with excitement!  They are loving it.  We have a few more boards to add after some more money gets allotted for this project.  I'm also going to put up curtains on rods for the two lower bunks and a tent for the top.  We had all that wood on hand and the two upper bunks are the same metal bases from the previous bunk beds...Now, I need to figure out what to do with the head and foot boards from the other bunks.... ;)
I so wanted to paint the kids' room today.  I have some paint out in the garage and was sorely tempted, but I figured I could get to that another day.... I might paint the school room first since it will be mostly empty for a split second before I start setting up shop in there...  All I know is that it will feel better in both rooms once the unfortunate colors get hidden under much more soothing neutrals.  I think almost 3 years is enough time spent with those colors. :)

Topiaries, a Wreath and Bookshelf Top-scape

Okay, I've finished my topiaries.  Moss is MESSY!  I also broke my new glue gun in the process. :(  I went with a bigger one so I could get those long glue stick mammerjammers.  I got tired of loading the little glue sticks every two seconds (only slight exaggeration ;) into my little glue gun.  Anyway, on we go:

 Something out of Whoville, perhaps?  Suits me!

 I wanted these to be able to stay out all year round.  I want to put a bead garland around the two trees in fall colors and then Christmas colored ones in December.  I'm going to attempt to make one myself because I have a ton of beads that are just hanging out needing to be used.  I may end up replacing that dowel rod with an actual stick from my backyard.  We'll see if I feel like messing with it sooner rather than later. :)

I've tried using those vase/bowl-thingies-whatever they are called in my decor in other ways for a while and they never really fit, but I like them for topiary bases.

 This is what I have so far.  I like it.  I think garlands on the two outside topiaries would add a bit of pizzaz.....

 I saw a burlap bubble wreath and then another one that had this exact fabric over burlap.  I decided that I like the bubble wreath, but didn't want burlap.  This is what I ended up with instead.

 I'm putting effort into two other spaces, but I'm not done yet.  I'll post pics when I finish.  Maybe even in time for actual Fall.

Busy Bag Alooza!

I am involved in a busy bag swap and I am super excited!  I had the opportunity to be a part of one back in the winter, but I just couldn't get myself together enough to participate. :(  Now, I find myself NEEDING busy bags for my two middle kiddos.  NEEDING, I say!  So, I am going to put a list of as many busy bag ideas I can find on here.  Its gonna get all crazy up in here, so watch out!

#1 - Art bag - small notebook, short colored pencils or crayons and stickers.  Here is a good example.

#2 - I spy bag - no sew tutorial here, but I would just run a stitch along the inside edge of the zipper to make sure little fingers can't open it....or you can glue a ribbon over the zipper.

#3 - dry erase kit - example found here

#4 - popsicle stick puzzle

#5 - sensory balloons

#6 - felt faces

#7 - felt dress up dolls

#8 - button snake

#9 - pipe cleaner activity

#10 - felt monsters

#11 - #a lot:) - this blog has bunches of options!

Okay, maybe not so crazy up in here per se, but that last link is a doozy!  I just got tired of posting it myself.  Why do that when someone else has already done all the leg work?!  Well, should you choose to accept this mission....it should at least prove interesting! :)

Recent Projects

I've been busy as usual, but I haven't really been putting my projects on here, so I will do that now.  I have other posts in progress, but there's a bum-load of pictures involved so it just takes a while for those. ;)

Today, I finished pillow mattress #2.  I saw the tutorial on them here at Southern Disposition's blog and was pretty excited when I saw her materials list.  She got 1 twin duvet cover and four 99 cent pillows from Ikea.  Well, I just had to go ahead and pick that up while I was there about a week or so ago. ;)  Her cover was cheaper than the one I found, but for less than 20 bucks, I got two out of 1 cover and 8 pillows.  I still can't get over the 99 cent pillows.  99 CENTS! I am in total like with Ikea. :) Anyway, here are the ones I made:

I also had to make up some hair bows for a little girls birthday a couple of weekends ago.  I hadn't made any in quite a long time, so I had to get back on youtube to have a refresher course.  I must say that these turned out waaaay better than the first set I made a year or so ago. :)  I also like that they are more over the top than the others, too.  Big honkin' bows on little girls heads just = cuteness to me.  Here they are:

I got some super cheap sheets at Ikea while I was there because I had seen this Super Hero Fort Kit on Meg + Andy blog and knew I needed to do that for the boys...well, at least part of it.  They kept taking the sheets off of their beds to build forts and it was getting really old trying to put it all back together all the time. :(  Anyway, at first we used clothespins to hook it to the bunk beds, but between Brea's and Ailey's efforts, it kept getting pulled down.  I had just bought some rope for use at our homeschool group field day and wrapped it "strategically" around the bed and just draped the sheets over the ropes.  Aaaahhh...much better.  That solved the problem of having to go in a bazillion times at bed time to fix the fort.  Here's what the kids have done with it so far:

Braden used the excess rope end to make a divider inside, too....

After making that, Ailey wanted one for her bed, so I set out on Google to see what others had come up with.  I was looking for something that didn't require sewing and used stuff I already had.  I came across this idea here at The Better Nester.  I didn't do it exactly, just used it to stimulate ideas to use with what I had.  I may or may not do more to it...works just fine the way it is.  Here is what I came up with so far:

Our yard was in VERY sad shape after the drought last year, so I went to work taking dominion over that thang! Its finally starting to make a comeback, but it will need more time.  Also, the garden is in process, as usual....I think I'm going to have to start it in November for it to produce anything in the spring. ;)  Anyway, here is all of that in progress:

The front porch had that icky green fake grass outdoor carpet covering it and I decided it just needed to get taken off.  It had it on the back porch, too, and after just letting the weather do it thang to it, all the gunky glue came mostly off of it after a while.  I figure by the time I get ready to clean it off really good and stain it, I won't have much scraping to do. ;)

This is the front right flower bed.  I took out all the bulbs that were in it, took out the fluted brick edging that didn't match and looked dated and then attempted to restore some order there.  There's a rose bush taken from a random spot in the front yard as well as some type of flowering plants taken from the back yard.  I had gotten that honey suckle last year and just planted it there in the hopes that it would survive and it did.  Yay!  It is now being trained up the railing.   The border plants next to the bricks I got from one of the other flower beds and I have no idea what they are, but they make a nice bushy border. :)  The bricks were free from a friend.  I also put a soaker hose we already had and lava rocks in.   All the beds were in chaos.  Lots of overgrown and not taken care of going on in them.  Slowly, but surely I am going through each of them and rearranging and adding a bit.  

 This flower bed is to the left of the front porch and it had some really sad looking hawthorn bushes in it.  There are still two left that are giving me a run for my money, but they WILL come out!  Also, where the drain spout it was all loaded with dirt from many years of build up and when I got a hold of it, I found all kinds of buried bricks and stone.  I just dug them out and put them back on top in an orderly manner.  Much better.  I put stepping stones all the way around so I can get to the other beds without tramping on the grass trying to come back in.  I aim to bury one per day until they are all mostly level with the top of the ground to make mowing easier.  I've got them going out to the mailbox, too.

 That pile of bricks there came from our neighbor behind us.  They were free, too. :)  They will be going in as the border for the other front flower beds.

There are some of the bare spots with new grass coming up.  It looks kinda pitiful now, but it was worse. 

 This bed is going to be a challenge...There are lots of bulbs in it, mostly tiger lilies.  I have to dig them out and try to dig out that wandering jew, too.  I don't want it in there, it just takes right over. :(  I have some irises and amaryllis in the back yard and will rearrange this bed to accommodate them all, but much more organized.  There are also some chrysanthemums on the side of the house that will find a new home here. :)  That black bowl thing is my place marker for a bird bath.  I am on the lookout for one...preferably a cast off that won't cost a thing. ;p

This bed has a rose bush and jasmine.  I would like to get some sort of wrought iron gate thing or some sort of large trellis to create a bit of privacy there.  We shall see what comes my way. :)

Ailey had to be in most of the pics...:)  This is the back yard in all of its skeeriness.  The kids have really done a number on it.  That HUGE bare spot is being worked upon now.  Gonna see if I can coax some grass back in there.  Eventually, the plan is to make a semicircular patio with a pergola over it off of the small back porch there.  We'll see. 

 The garden.

 Herbs are up at the front there and there is some lettuce and kale in the middle and garlic at the other end with the rest being tomatoes.  The big huge bush there is oregano and it likes to take over.

The pot has Sam's habanero plant from last year.  He hasn't given up on it.  It has lots of blooms, but something keeps eating the little peppers on it. ;)  Poor Sam!  The bed has strawberries, okra, more habaneros and zucchini.  There was more planted, but it hasn't shown up as of yet.  I'm probably going to have to start those inside and see if I can get them to grow.  I may not, though....depends on whether I feel like it or not. ;)

We've also got a lot of remodeling going on inside the house, but most of it is in mid process.  I still have to finish getting the wallpaper backing off the walls in the bathroom and then I will texture and paint.  I have to sand and repaint the cabinetry, too.  I am considering putting in an exhaust fan, so before the texturing and painting, I will have to cut into the wall to run the wires and also cut a hole in the ceiling.  Then, I would have to patch the wall.  It would be a good thing because there is no ventilation in the bathroom if the window if closed.  

Sam is venturing into building a bigger pantry out of the one that is in the front part of the kitchen already and the little inset prep area right next to it.  He's going to frame it out and then build some shelves in there and then he will install bifold doors there.  We are also going to get bifold doors for the other closet/pantry/craft room at the back of the kitchen.  We will replace the hot water heater door with a new door that matches the bifold doors, too.  Then, there will be texturing and painting going on for a while after that.  He also plans to cut out the subfloor and replace the terrible particle board with plyboard and then we will paint that and lay linoleum tile down.

In the meantime, I have been slowly refinishing the cabinet doors. Ugh.  Such a big, time-consuming job!  I am painting them an off white and replacing all the hardware.  I finished two doors and put a poly coat on them and I don't like it at all!  It has yellowed and the polycoat is streaked making it look even worse.  I'm gonna have to sand it and repaint without the poly.  I might put the poly around the edge of the back of the doors so that it won't stick when they are closed.  Again....big job.  In addition to that, I aim to refinish the countertops and backsplash.  I'm gonna kind of cheat a bit, if I can.  They are covered in formica, but it is stuck on solidly, so I am just going to sand and score it and lay granite tile right over it.  Should be interesting!  The backsplash will just have to come out and backer board and glass tile installed.

Once all that is done, we have the rest of the rooms to paint.  They just need it.  We are also wanting to paint the outside of the house a lighter taupe color that will complement the bricks and freshen things up a bit.  It sounds like a lot, but we just putter through it as we have time and money to get it done.

There are more ideas scrambling around my brain, but I will just wait and see if they come to fruition first......

Crafts and Craziness and Monsters, OH MY!

I worked my first Farmers Market yesterday.  Craziness, I tell ya!  I was a Momma Monster the week leading up to it trying to get all my crafts finished and prepped and the table "scape" prepared.  I have been in many conversations with God through the whole process and I kept asking if I should be doing this.  Did He want me doing this?  Had He made this the path He wanted me to walk down?  I wasn't really getting a clear answer to be honest, but I will tell you what I was getting.  Agitated.  I wanted to have certain things made and prepared and ready to go and it took away from my family, made me into a bit of a Momma Monster and as a result, my family suffered.  The night before, I presented a request to my Father in Heaven in much the same way Abraham's servant did when he was in search of a wife for Aaron.  I asked God to make it abundantly clear whether having a booth at craft fairs on a regular basis was something He wanted me doing.  I asked that if this was a green light, that all my stuff would sell...every single thing...nothing left.  If I had even one thing left, then I would know it was not a go.  Haha!  God totally answered.  I had all of some things and just a few of others left over.  I do believe I now know for sure! ;p

My dear friend Lucy went with me and totally blessed me with her time, company, help and previous fair expertise.  She helped me set up, took turns holding/feeding/entertaining Brea and just hung out with me.  It really was lots of fun, but it was lots of work for little return as far as the business side of it goes.  We did get to meet some interesting people and got to get back into the practice of saying MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Many people thanked us for saying that instead of Happy Holidays.  :)  We also came across plenty of people who were doing whole body cleanses and so did not partake of the tempting samples we had laid out.  I thought that was particularly interesting.  Especially at this time of the year.  Here is what our booth looked like at my house the night before when I set it up to see how I wanted everything:

 The bumbo in the background was not a part of the display...;p  Everything was squished at the house, but not at the actual event.

 I love that I got to use my Pampered Chef stands and platters for my display.  Those things are mighty handy and can be used for so many things!  Hey, hey!

 I put my business cards on the stems in the vase.  I saw it while googling and really liked that idea.

You know those cube shelves you can get at Target and they click together with the little discs?  That's what the display stands are.  I just used silver twisty ties to connect them.  Ghetto, but effective AND nothing a little ribbon or lots of scarves won't hide! ;)

Here is what our booth looked like at the market:

 That is my beautiful friend Lucy back there.  She's feeding Brea while I take pics.

I was rather surprised at what sold and what did not.  I only sold one bag of chocolate chip cookies!  What?!  That was unexpected!  I really thought those would disappear.  You never can tell, really.  I really didn't expect the tutus to sell and they didn't.  The lip balm sold rather well.  The bread sold pretty well and even some of the apple butter found new homes.  No jewelry was adopted and neither did the flower bow/pins take new journeys. :)  They will be going on the website.  I will also list some of the lip balm, although some of it will be going in stockings. :)  I don't think I want to mess with trying to package and shipping the apple butter.  Those will be given away, I think, along with the cookies as Christmas goodies for the neighbors.


After it was all said and done, I came home with stocking stuffers, bread to eat for breakfast and some things with which to set up my online store...finally.  I have decided to go ahead and actually do something with the business fb page and blog that I started over a year ago.  Yeah.  I started setting it up yesterday afternoon and even listed a couple of things.  I was going to list some things in my Etsy store, but found that it had been suspended.  I found out why this morning and it has now been reinstated, but I don't know if I want to mess with Etsy for the time being.  I am able to have paypal on my business blog and people can buy it directly off of there instead of me having to mess with listing and selling fees on Etsy.  We'll see.  I still have to link my fb and blog pages together and also finish listing all my stuff.  Once that is done, the bulk of the work will be done and I can just list stuff as I randomly make it.  I've also decided to take custom orders on a limited basis for now.  This is a much more do-able format for me than booths at a market or fair.  I think it would be fun to do that occasionally, but only if I have plenty of things already made up and I have a friend to make it fun.  I would also want to look at it as a ministering opportunity.  If I don't ask God into all that I'm doing, then what is the point?!  I'm still learning to do that and it is just so lovely when I do and He is there with me in all of the details!  So neat!  When I get everything listed and linked, I will put a link on here as well as my usual fb page and see what happens from there.  It should be interesting at least. :)

My kind of S'Mores

So a while back, I wrote about the baby shower we had at the house and one of the goodies was S'Mores pops.  I made some again sans the pop part and decided to do a step-by-step, since its easy and I actually felt like taking the time to take pics. ;p  One of my biggest dislikes about S'mores is that the chocolate doesn't melt enough to mingle with the graham cracker and marshmallow.  I usually end up with the chocolate taking over the whole bite and I like balance.  I'm rather crotchety about how I like my chocolate and I'm just fine with that. :)

Step 1:  You need a whole mess of yummy marshmallows, a good handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips and crushed graham crackers.  I would also suggest the mini baking cups to put them in, but you could also just put them on parchment paper. 

Step 2: I melted my chocolate in a pot on the stove top and once they got melty, I just turned off the burner and resisted the urge to drink it straight.

Step 3: I set up my assembly line and this is how it went:

Step 4:  Get a good grip on your marshmallow.  (It will try and wriggle out of your grasp and become one with the pool of chocolate.)  I will also have to admit that this is the stage where, sadly, some of the marshmallows don't make it through the whole process...

Step 5:  Dunk and twirl until the chocolate is halfway up the sides of said marshmallow and there is full bottom coverage.  We don't need no daisy-dukin' marshmallows here!

Step 6:  Gently shove the now chocolate-treated mallow into the graham cracker crumbs and mush it around until the chocolate is wearing a crumb sweater or coat as it were. ;p  Don't want our marshmallow catching a cold, now do we.

Step 7: Attempt to make your hand put it in the little baking cup instead of dropping it down your gullet.  It's pretty difficult to achieve this, so you might need someone in attendance to assist in this endeavor, but beware the temptation is catching so it might be good to have a whole support group present.  Ach!  Who are we kidding?!  Just go ahead and put the mini baking cups back up and save them for one of the kids' art projects.

Optional Step 8:  If you want to be all facy-schmancy for a special occasion or to see your kids' eyes light up, you can stick some cookie sticks into the centers.  It does keep little fingers safer from the attack of the Chocolate Mush Monster, though sometimes the fingers are lured into its enticing trap anyway.

TaDa!  Super Easy and not only is the chocolate completely incorporated with the graham cracker goodness, its bite size stature contributes to *99.9% of all of the yumminess making it INTO your mouth, so you don't have to store it for later AROUND your mouth.

*This statistic was the result of a completely biased and unscientific study conducted in an independent, non-controlled approach outside of a laboratory environment.