Spooky!

Mom and Dad are coming... no, that's not the spooky part! It's time to clean and redecorate the whole place for the season!  Mom always says, "Now, don't try to change everything just because we are coming."  That's great and considerate and all but truth be told I love cleaning and trying to make my house look festive... now, what to do with 5 kids, hummm??  Well, there's always the hours between 9pm and midnight.  Laugh - but that's when "fun" projects get done {if I'm not to the point of exhaustion}. 
We completed this simple little project last weekend.  We just used scrap wood, spray paint, and a paint pen for the letters.  They stand up so nicely with a 3 inch piece of dowel rod glued into a hole in the back of each piece.  It was fun, quick, and didn't cost a dime.  {REMINDER:  If one uses the stuff one already has, then the project is FREE! - in my book anyway}

And then there's the mummy that myself and Pammie Sue {that's the alias that sister chose for herself} created a few years ago.  I adore this guy.  We found the instructions in one of those special Halloween Mags.  We used 2X4's for his tall masculine frame - he's 6 feet tall.  His head is a styrofoam ball and we used batting for his "fluff".  All of this was wrapped with strips of muslin {from my stash, of course = FREE!}.  The final touches were some fake spiders and spider webs!  Very Cool!

Some important business... #4 wants to be a "giraffe rider" for Halloween.  Keep in mind he's three.  None of us, including any of his siblings, seem to know what that exactly is.  HELP!  We thought maybe he meant a cowboy but he said, "NO!".  Let me know if anyone has a suggestion.

Blessings- B

What's For Dinner?

The kids circling, yet?  I have a wonderful new, easy dish!  From allrecipes.com of course...  simmer some frozen Tyson {are there any others?} chicken breast tenderloins with a jar of salsa - covered, over medium heat until no longer pink.  I used black bean and corn salsa - delicio!  We had them just like this with rice, fresh veggies, and grapes.  You could even shred the chicken and make tacos or burritos!  Happy cooking!

Blessing - B

Dresser For #1

The auction crew (3 daughters) and I hit a sale last weekend. I was so thrilled and excited to attend, only to be horribly disappointed in not only the goods, but in the auctioneer! M warned me about this guy but I didn't believe him - imagine that?! Lesson learned. No matter how enticing, the next sale conducted by this guy will not be attended by me and the crew.

Task at hand:

#1 needed a dresser and we found one at said sale...$15.00!

The ladies were getting a little tired/bored waiting for Mom to make the big buy. So, what better way to nurture a child than with FOOD? {A topic for their therapist in years to come} I'm tellin' ya - a bag of peanuts in the shell can keep a kid or 2 busy for a good hour!

The dresser was obviously very ugly so we did a little sanding and then painted it with what? That's right, black spray paint! After it dried then we did what? That's right, roughed up the edges with the sander. And then we did one of my favorite things... painted some words on our creation.

VOILA!

OK - so here's how I do my "stenciling"...

1. Use your computer to print the words just like you want them

2. Place carbon paper behind the paper and trace the words onto the surface.

3. Then take a wonderful think called a "paint pen" {purchased at ANY craft store} and fill in the lines!

4. This is VERY EASY! If you want to put words on your wall just like EVERYONE is doing - use the "banner" option on your publishing program to print out the inspiring quote suitable for your wall!

I love the way this turned out - M even said he liked it!!! Woo... Hoo..

Blessings- B

Shed Some Light

A new favorite place... are you listening!... The Habitat for Humanity Restore! Great place filled with castoff building materials. I bought a sink (did she say sink?) for the "guest house" for $5.00 and a medicine cabinet for $10.00!

I was in heaven... the knobs, the trim, the cabinets, the furniture, the wood. There was this wonderful piece of slate chalkboard. It had a SOLD tag on it but I talked the lady into calling the guy that supposedly bought it (but never paid the balance) to see if he still wanted it. After all it has been there since the first of August and never been picked up. It needs the love and attention that only someone like I could give it. Anyhoo, she left a message for him, I'll let you know if I get it or not. Double cross your fingers!

This beauty of a lamp made it home with me for $1.00.

After a little spray paint, burlap, and ribbon - VOILA!

It looks fantastic in the kitchen. So warm and cozy like - I feel the need to bake!

Blessings -B

Kitchen Art

So... I originally saw this idea on this blog. {This is a FANTASTIC and FUNNY home decor blog - I spend a lot of time reading her stuff... I mean A LOT of time! Just ask my kids -"Mom, Mom, Mooooommmmm, where are you?"} I thought this bit of artwork would look splendid on my kitchen wall. Now I'm not so sure. You tell me. I think the scale is all wrong. And on the other hand, I love the way it looks. Why can't I just like it and not worry about a designer's opinion? UGH! Nuf said - I had fun creating and it will remain on this wall until the next project is complete!

1. I gathered up all the 1/2 inch plywood, particle board, underlayment, etc that I could find around the place.

2. From this, we (the children and I) cut 9 - 12 inch squares. {Please note: no children were harmed in the completion of this project}

3. I painted the edges with brown spray paint. {... the kids get a little whoozy when they spray paint. hee hee - I'm just kidding}

4. After the paint dried, I picked out my favorite "scrapbook papers" and used spray adhesive to glue them to the boards. Note about scrapbooking: I love the paper because I LOVE paper period! However, I do not make the time for the detailed involved with that craft. Kudos to those who do not suffer from extreme lack of patience as I do!





5. After these had dried I used my favorite sander to ruff 'em up around the edges.


6. I started to seal the blocks with Mod Podge but I got a little nervous when the bubbles started popping up (I HATE THIS ABOUT MOD PODGE). Obviously, I decided against sealing and put them on the wall. As with everything I do, my self diagnosed decorating ADD kicked in and now I see that I need crown molding around the ceiling in the kitchen. One project always leads to another.

I used shades of red, green, and brown. With the exception of the kids' rooms, everything in the house is one of these three colors.

Let me know what ya think.

Blessings - B

Project for #1

I'm so excited to post my first ever ...

"Before & After"

So, #1 came to me and said that he needed a nightstand for a lamp so that he could read at night.  I was thrilled not only for an excuse to finish a project but for the fact that he WANTS to read!

Here's what I found at a little country garage sale.  Only cost me $5!

We sanded it with my favorite Dewalt random orbital sander (everyone should own one).  Then added a layer of black spraypaint.  Roughed it up around the edges and changed the hardware!

Total Cost = $7.50!

I'm thrilled and #1 is HAPPY!
Blessings-B

School Supplies

It's that time of year... "Back To School Shopping"!! I refuse to succumb to the pressure this year! I know, I know - she's such a rebel. Seriously, last year for two children, I spent close to $500 in one day preparing for the first day of school. Maddening!



Last night I went through the "school supply list" for each kid. And then I went through our "art and crafts closet" and all the drawers everywhere in the house. After spilling boxes and boxes of crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, notebooks, and folders I decided it would be ok to send a few pre-owned school supplies. Maybe everyone does this and I'm the only one in the district that usually sends beautiful brand new boxes from Crayola?! What if the teachers see the kids' scuffed up but properly working markers and ask if our family needs "help"? Worse yet, they will talk about me at coffee!! Am I willing to risk it? I think so.



On to the clothes... my biggest downfall. I've decided to conduct a bit of triage (did I use that word correctly, Sassmaster?). How many shirts and jeans does a kid really need? Flashback to Christmas pictures of Dad and his 2 little brothers sitting under the tree with their ONE gift each and holes in the bottom of their shoes all the while being the happiest kids on earth.



So, by my calculations, we need:



4 boxes of Kleenex

2 binders

2 plastic folders

1 composition book

1 pointed scissors

2 pairs of jeans

2 pairs of tennis shoes

and a few shirts from the thrift store...



Approximate Total: $100



I will settle for that savings! I refused to be brought down by the recession (big voice, hand hits the desk)- oh, yeah, TIME says that's over.



Blessings-B