Archive | May 2014

Red, White, and Blue – I Found Something New!

May28

Happy belated Memorial Day! It was great to have a three day weekend and I managed to get some things done due to the rain that we have had. Last week, was a hectic week for cake orders – two baby showers and a baseball banquet!IMG_0872cupcakesphoto

Yee-Haw!!!! 

I had to coach myself to clean up the kitchen on Saturday before I could do any ‘fun stuff’! Buttercream icing has a tendency to get EVERYWHERE – so cleaning up the kitchen involved a lot more than a quick swipe of the sponge and mop.Cleaning up in preparation of making another mess is very discouraging to me; so,  I really had to talk my way through it….

My personal reward for getting it done was a trip to Michael’s and, as always, it was a time of discovery for me! I found this chalk paint from Americana Decor. Note, this paint is not to be confused with chalkboard paint.  They happened to have it in a variety of colors, but I chose this soft blue color for the armoire in my guest room. You might be wondering, what is so special about this paint? Well, let me just tell you that all prep work is eliminated – no sanding, no priming, no waiting a long period of time in between coats! I never knew painting could be so painless! I always thought that was why the word ‘pain’ was in ‘painting’!

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Another ‘aha’ moment that I had was that it only took two of these containers to cover the entire piece of furniture with two complete coats. A little bit of paint went a very long way and the container has a top which screws on so it is easy, peasy to work with.  Initially, I was concerned about how much money I was going to have to spend on redoing one piece of furniture.

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I was even able to paint the hinges at the top because I didn’t want them to stand out. My next step was to sand the edges just a bit to distress it and then add a coat of dark wax

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I am really leery about using any product that has a high sheen to it, so the final step was to apply this soft touch varnish. I am very pleased with the way that it turned out! I will post pictures of the final masterpiece next time!

With Love,

sunflower

Moments Quickly Pass…Memories Last

May19

As human beings, it seems as if we are always in the process of planning for the next event. One milestone passes and we begin anticipating the next. Yesterday, as I was going through the motions of cleaning up the kitchen (erasing the residual from the events of the previous week)  I was mentally reflecting on the passing of those events.  What things went well? What things could I have improved on? I guess that some people might refer to this as ‘beating a dead horse’.

I love to revisit my memories of events because so many times I  succumb to the busyness of everything and I miss the opportunity to share in others’  feelings and emotions. This past weekend, my event was a bridal shower for a good friend’s daughter. Luckily, one of the hostesses (another good friend) loves to do photography and she took pictures throughout the afternoon. It was a very special day!

 

This week will be full of different challenges – new events to plan and prepare for. I guess the memory of the shower will need to be filed away in my mind for the time-being.

                                                                                                                             With Love,

sunflower

A Sunday Shower

May18

Today was the day, and what a beautiful day it was! It was the day of the big bridal shower! The bride-to-be has chosen the colors coral and gray.  I found this transparent spray paint at Michael’s and I was very eager to experiment with it on some mason jars.

IMG_0867I give it five out of five stars! Previously, when I had tinted mason jars, I used food coloring and Mod Podge. The residue around the lip was a bit thick and gummy. Also, I had to put the color inside the jar, so using it as a flower vase was a bit tricky. But this heaven in a can, is sprayed on the outside of the vase and it goes on perfectly. Not only that, it dries within five minutes! See for yourselves!

IMG_0870 Look how perfect they turned out! IMG_0868

Several people at the shower even asked where I found the jars in that color! I was able to color six pint size jars and six quart size jars (with a half can left to spare) for $7. 50….

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Stay tuned for more pictures from the shower!

With Love,

sunflower

 

It’s a Dog Eat Dog World

May15

This morning,  my husband and I took our two male dogs to be neutered. It is interesting here to note the differences between the male and female perspectives. Yesterday and early this morning, my husband could be found in different locations of the house talking softly to each one of them. What was he saying? Was he reassuring them that he wouldn’t think they were any less masculine post surgery? I, on the other hand, went about my business and secretly did a happy dance at the thought that there will be no more leg lifting at my household.

Then today, when we were visiting with the vet, she told us that they would need to stay overnight for observation. WHAT – they have never slept away from home before! My husband had to reassure me that they would be okay……after he reassured the vet that I would be okay! She gave me two business cards so that I could reach her at any time to check on them while my husband gently led me away to my car.

I called my husband this afternoon during my lunch  to see if he had heard any updates. I could hear the sound of the television in the background which definitely made me suspicious – I bet he was relaxing without a worry in the world. He told me that the vet had called and that they were doing just fine. Then he proceeded to tell me that our Shi-Tzu has an infection in his jaw and a hernia which needed to be surgically taken care of as well.  Soooo, I asked him again if he was sure that they were okay! He says to me –  “well, I didn’t talk to them!” Hmmmm – so he has full scale conversations with them before the surgery about this word ‘neutering’ that they have never even heard of, but when they are away from home and in pain he doesn’t even ask to speak to them so he can comfort them…. Men!?!?!?Grrrr!

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(Our two little patients – these photos were taken on much happier days)

Shi-tzu

I couldn’t resist sharing this picture – it was on Facebook along with the quote, “It has definitely been a two ponytail kind of day!”   —- 

With Love,

sunflower

Boo, Boop-De-Dooo! Chelsea’s About To Say, “I DO!” ♥

May14

Throwing a bridal shower can be a lot of fun, but it can also be overwhelming. If you are anything like me (for your sake, I hope not) you can get reigned in to the worlds of Pinterest and Bloglovin’ – and fall in love with every single idea that has ever been posted – and then get all worked up about how you are going to pull it all together in the amount of time you have left before the event. Whew, I tell you, being obsessive compulsive is really a curse! I have found that I have to even limit the amount of time that I can spend at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. How many of you feel your heart begin to race in excitement when you get the opportunity to visit either of those two stores? What’s worse, I get giddy if I know I have a bit of extra spending money with me when I go! Self-control – I need to work on self-control!!!

IMG_0841I went ahead and zipped over to Walmart yesterday just to look around and found these treasures for the upcoming bridal shower.  I will be using the mini chalkboards to label the hors d’oeuvres. The jelly jars are going to be filled with home made, lemon scented, hand scrub. They will be used as a thank you gift for those in attendance.

IMG_0842I decided to frame the invitation to the shower so that Chelsea could have it as a keepsake. I will probably set it up on the gift table for an added decoration. I am not finished with it yet, so stay tuned for additional pictures.

 

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Look at this burlap runner that I found! It already has the lace attached to it…..what a great look for the center of each table!

 

Try not to focus on the nastiness of my scissors in the photo below. I do run them through the dishwasher from time to time but I guess I am about due for a new pair. I am amazed at how simple these rosettes are to make with just a little bit of wide ribbon, a needle and thread, and a decorative button. I will be making a bunch of these to decorate the centerpieces!

IMG_0848  I really like the way they turn out and they can be made in all different sizes depending on the width of the ribbon or fabric.

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I have used them (made with different colors of ribbon) as lampshade jewelry, put them on pillows, and decorated mason jars as well as picture frames with them….BEAUTIMOUS!!!!!

I will be working on more projects this evening  so stay tuned for my next post!

 

With Love,

sunflower

 

 

 

Graduations, and Showers, and Birthdays, OH MY!

May11

My memory just doesn’t serve me well from year to year as I always forget how stressful the month of May can be! I am starting to think that I am going to just have to pencil in the word ‘sleep’ on my calendar in order for me to even take a break.

What’s on the agenda for this upcoming weekend? My oldest son, Corey,  will graduate from Texas A&M this Saturday. Whoop!!!!! All of you Aggies will know that expression!  We are certainly proud of him, as he has finished up his degree in Construction Science – and – stay tuned for the really exciting part, HE ALREADY HAS A JOB!!!! I don’t know about you, but I have been alarmed to hear about the number of college graduates that can’t find employment. Yikes!

 

Taylor and Kori's Wedding Pictures 021(These are our two boys with their great-grandmother.)

Along with graduation on Saturday, there is a memorial service for my father-in-law who passed away just two weeks ago.  He was a Vietnam Veteran so we did have the military service earlier and I was able to attend that, but due to the conflict in scheduling, my husband will go to the memorial service and I will go to the graduation ceremony. By the way – if you have never attended a military internment, it is a very moving experience. It is a service filled with tradition, honor, and respect……absolutely perfect for those that have served in our armed forces!DSC_0054(Above is my father-in-law at our son’s wedding a year ago)

Next on the agenda……Sunday is Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to all of you.  How many of you will attempt to go out to eat with your families after church? I have a feeling that this year, we will just celebrate with a nice, quiet meal at home. The crowds at restaurants on Mother’s Day are just too much for me to handle! Sadly, my poor mother has the misfortune of following up this busy, busy weekend with her birthday. It is like deja vu! Just last year, we did Graduation, Mother’s Day, and her birthday all in the same week, too!

Jeff, Mom, and Grandma

(Happy Birthday, Mom!)

Next weekend, a friend and I are hosting a bridal shower for a very dear friend’s daughter! Currently, I am searching Pinterest for table decorating ideas, creative food recipes, and fun games to play. Below is a copy of the invitation I created using Smilebox.

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Celebrations are certainly a lot of work, yet they are an essential part of our lives…….None are completely free of complications; sometimes, there may even be open awkwardness or discomfort. However, they are always a sign of moving forward and hope! That is what the human spirit is all about!

Happy Mother’s Day….Graduation Day….. Birthday…..Wedding Day…..Anniversary….or Celebration of a life that has passed!

Taylor and Kori's Wedding Pictures 056

With Love,

sunflower

P.S. I began writing this post before graduation day so I am sharing a picture of what happens after sitting through at least four hours of commencement ceremonies!

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(Corey and his room-mate Patrick……..photobomb by Sophie the dog, who has put up with a lot during her college years with these two as room-mates.)