Friday Favorites (5/29/09)

Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick shares her version of Ballard Designs wall art. I absolutely love these!

Mique at 30 days has gathered some awesome Summer Lovin' ideas for when the kiddos are home around the clock. I will definitely be taking advantage of some of these!

Katherine at Smokey Mountain Cafe shares yet another awesome recipe. This one is for Herb and Cheese Foccacia. You've got to check it out!

Robin at All Things Heart and Home shares a tutorial on how to make a graduation banner. Very nice! You also need to check out her 3 Crafty Things especially if you love the scrapbooking section of your local craft store as much as she and I do!

Lacie E. at Creative Attempts made these cute Danish Tin Treats. What I wouldn't give to receive such a sweet gift!

That's it for now. Go visit these ladies and their lovely blogs. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I have another blog...

I have a journey I am on, and hope that you will come visit my new blog Misc. & Etc. I'll still be creating and carrying on here, but invite you to visit me and share in my journey there.

Monday Musings... Gratitude

Happy Memorial Day! First and foremost thanks to the men and women in our armed forces past and present for making the sacrifice for our country. I appreciate you! Since we are saying thanks. Here are some quotes I found about gratitude. Enjoy and remember them when you are spending time with your family and friends today. Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. ~Buddha The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. ~Eric Hoffer Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. ~Henry Ward Beecher As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John F. Kennedy If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

Nice truck, good looking guy, cool "beach buggy" but where'd you get that BOAT?

Update: Mission accomplished! Congratulations Honey! We'll see you Sunday! We own some land on a pennisula off the gulf coast of Texas. A fantastic place to take the kids. We can walk along the beach for a very long time and because no one else is around, pick up perfect sand dollars and other beautiful shells. Chuck has been able to score a 1994 Jeep Cherokee and an old 1979 outboard for our excursions. The photo above is Chuck's truck with "the boat I have been teasing him about. It is giving him some grief by not running and he has been busy with it for the past two weeks. Those of you who know my husband and his tenacity for accomplishing things, know that he will conquer! Hopefully he will have it on the water by tomorrow as the girls and I are headed down to meet him on Sunday.

This is the "beach buggy", as I am typing this, I received a call that it has officially made it over to the pennisula via barge (there is no way to drive over, you have to go by water). It is awaiting it's initiation by the family. Because there is no way to drive over via land, this is our "new" boat. I have been giving Chuck a hard time about the boat and beach buggy, but I have a feeling lots of great memories are going to be made with our girls. I can't wait!

Teacher gifts...

So, I have decided I heart chalkboard paint! I cannot wait to do more projects with it. Nikki's last day of preschool for the year is tomorrow. I made these little flower pots to tell her teachers thank you for a wonderful year.

I sealed the post with a terra cotta sealant before painting, so I hope that helps them last longer. I also left the pots in the little plastic planters that I bought them in so that should help too.

The plant stakes are made using misc. scrapbook paper and embellishments that I have as well as a bamboo skewer from my kitchen.

Easy and I am really happy with the way they turned out. This is good, because I have two more to make for Katie's teachers.

Friday Favorites (5/15/09)

Hey all! It's been another of those weeks. As you can see, I haven't posted since Monday. Geesh! I do have a couple of good finds though... Kimara (beautiful name) at weefolkart.com posted a tutorial on these really cute patchwork flower pots. I am thinking of doing them with paper. Lindsay at Living With Lindsay has posted about your toolbox: the essential list. Since I can never find my own, I might have to put one of these together and hide it from my DH! Julie at the Sporadic Cook has a yummy chicken chili recipe I'd like to try. It sounds light enough for this time of year too! Julie also shared a recipe for rootbeer float cake. How awesome does that sound? :) This morning Kari at Ucreate shared a link to how to make paper flowers. These are adorable! Go visit Kari and she will show you the way. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Monday Musings... Funnies

"Whoever thought up the word " Mammogram " Every time I hear it, I think I'm supposed to put my breast in an envelope and send it to someone." ~Jan King

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint." ~Erma Bombeck

"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb . . and I'm also not blonde."~Dolly Parton

"Cleaning up with children around is like shoveling during a blizzard" ~Author Unknown

"The hand that rocks the cradle usually is attached to someone who isn't getting enough sleep."

~John Fiebig

A Tribute...

This is my Mom. I am sure she has no idea I have this picture. It was taken on a little day trip that she, my Dad and I went on to a lake near Capitan, New Mexico back in 1998. It was a nice day, the three of us had a picnic and fed the deer.

My Mom is an artist. She painted this mural on the side of the Smokey Bear Restaurant. I think it may have since been painted over, I haven't been there for years. Since then she has done mumerous murals for people including a desert scene with wild horses for a club house in Mesa, Arizona. I'm sure I have a picture of her with that one somewhere. She also did one in a house that had a Tuscan look to it that unfortunately I haven't had the priviledge of seeing.

Her paintings range from florals to animals. I absolutely love this depiction of a spooked horse. She sold it when she had her small gallery in New Mexico.

She also does landscapes like this one. I always love the way she uses color.

I am positive that I got the talent I have from my mother and it has carried through to her grand daughter. K is an exceptional artist, even at just 6 years old. Mom, if I haven't told you, thank you for the times you spent teaching me how to draw, knit, cross stitch, and paint. Those are some of the best memories I have of you. I hope that someday soon you will gather the courage to pick up your brush again.

Throughout her lifetime my mother has battled numerous health issues. The latest of which was a stroke in 2007 and ovarian cancer in just the last 8 months. She is the strongest most courageous person I know and I can only hope that I inherited a sliver of her strength. She is beautiful inside and out and not even cancer could take away her beauty. She disagrees, but to me her beauty shows even more than ever.

This picture was taken in April of 2004. That is my gorgeous little sister on the left, my cute and elusive big brother up top, me (don't ask me what I was looking at) on the right and my beautiful, beautiful mother right there in the middle. My mom has great kids and I am not just saying that because I am one. She did a fantastic job through the years.

Mama, this Mother's Day, no matter what I write, words cannot express how much I miss you being so far away, respect you and love you. I thank God he gave me you for a Mom. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful, wonderful, being to guide me as I was growing up. I love you.

Friday Favorites (5/8/01)...

Lack of posts and crafting this week is due to a nice lack of sleep (thank you sleep apnea). Of course when you have little energy you have to prioritize your responsibilities. But that's okay, I was still looking at other's blogs and I've got some real goodies this week! Wendy at Scrap Paper Scissors posted a very cute tutorial for making cute gift bags. Love them! Molly at Tuesdays with Molly made some very cute chalkboard plates. I found myself perusing the kitchen isle at Ross because of this tutorial! Ashlee at Pretty Partridge is getting to be a regular here on Friday Favorites. She posted a tutorial on sweet hair clips for little girls and since I have two of those of course I am excited about this one! Teresa at Eclectic Pink Rose tells us how to make a dreamy lavender pillow mist. Mmmm! Maybe this will help me sleep! Oh, there's Molly at Tuesdays with Molly again! She also shows us how to make simple yet very stylish and colorful wall art. Later in the week Teresa at Eclectic Pink Rose surprised me again with a great idea for dressing up jeans for your little girls, or even yourself! Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen has had me dreaming of this Spicy Cilantro Peanut Slaw all week. YUM! All in all, I think those are some pretty good finds. I hope to get some good sleep so maybe I can try one or two of them in the near future!

Monday Musings... Confidence

Original calligraphy piece by Lanie '04

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~Nelson Mandela You are the only person on earth who can use your ability. ~Zig Ziglar There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout:This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision.When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad - you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you. ~Stacey Charter Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

Friday Favorites (5/1/09)...

Happy May Day! I hope you all had a wonderful week.

Jill at The Sublime Life has a very yummy sounding recipe for Southwestern Salad. Go check it out!

Kim posted a tutorial on making a clock from old CD's on You Can Make This! I have had this my eye on this one for quite some time. Very cute!

Ashlee at Pretty Partridge has a tutorial for transforming an Ikea Mini-Chest. If you love decoupage and Ikea, this one is for you!

Marie at Make and Takes has a tutorial for etching a glass vase for Mom. I just think these are so pretty. A great idea if you have extra floral vases hanging around like I do!

Mrs. Jelly Belly posted a 411 on the health benefits of pineapple. Included is an awesome recipe for Pineapple Smoothies and Pina Coladas. YUM!

Enjoy looking at some of my favorites!