A Few Before and Afters..

SOME BEFORE SHOTS:

NOW SOME AFTER SHOTS:

Hello to all my faithful readers.. aka (mom). I know I haven't posted in a month, but I have been busy getting new material to post about! First off, the top pictures show a few items I picked up at the Second Blessings boutique in Huntington. I think I paid less than $5.00 for the whole lot. There is a lamp base, missing the shade, a tarnished and scratched up silver tray, a pot lid and a picture frame. Oh yeah, the top picture is a wall decor item that I wanted to redo with a martial arts theme.

I used the pot lid and lamp base to make a bird bath for my back yard. The birds don't use it yet, but I enjoy looking at it as it sits right next to the bird feeder. I turned the old silver tray into a message board. I used blackboard paint for the center, and some white and black paint for the border to create an antique look. Since the tray is metal, it also can be used with magnets. Hence, I created a magnetic chalk holder from an old pill bottle and used a magnet to attach to the tray. This little cutie hangs outside by my back door, which is really the only door we use. Of course, I had to march all the family members out there and point it out so they would know where to look for my messages. It had been hanging out there for 2 weeks before my husband saw it! And then only when I showed it too him. ( I wonder when he's going to notice the new car parked out there..:)?

And finally, the wall decor painted picture. I painted over the words and added some silhouettes that I found on the internet to create a martial arts themed print for the bathroom where I take my taekwondo classes. It turned out pretty good and gives me inspiration to maybe do a few of my pets or other interest.

While working on all of these, the garden was getting ready to harvest, so I will be posting about that next. Sew, sew long for now and please come back sew soon!

Alaska Cruise 2010

These are just a few of the shots we took. All of my inside shots turned out blurry, so I will post more from Steve's camera later. We really did have a great time. Steve and I traveled with both our mom's, Melissa and David, Melissa's parents and a few friends from our church in Houston. The weather was perfect and we all had a lot of fun. We did get to see all of the highlights in Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, B.C.

We are happy to be back home and working hard in the yard and garden. This is the last week of school, so things will be changing up around here with a 17 year old around during the day. Of course, I could let him sleep most of the day but I think I had better help him stay on somewhat of a schedule. He can get up and do chores around here while I sleep all day though!

Steve has a church mission trip coming up, I have Vacation Bible School and Ethan has youth camp so we are sure to keep busy. Plus, I will be back traveling on the weekends with Spa Girls. Our next gig is in Maryland so I am hoping it is a little cooler there.

Check back in a few days. I have been getting some good things at the thrift shop and have already "fixed up" some stuff, so I will be posting about that soon.

This Brings Back Memories....

Yesterday we picked berries! Dew berries that is, and we were able to find about 1/2 gallon. There are lots of red berries out there so in a few days I will be out there picking again. I remember growing up and having berries, sugar and milk with the just picked berries. So good, and no need to wait for a pie to be baked. Of course, I saved plenty for a pie as well. Actually, I was able to wash and freeze enough for two pies. My fingers are stained purple and I am still picking out thorns, but having fresh berries is so worth it! We also found tons of wild strawberries. I was so excited to find them until I tasted one. I don't think you are suppose to eat them. They taste awful! So disappointing, they are everywhere, and so pretty!

Also, I have been hard at work in my garden. The purple hull and cream peas are finally coming up. One of my tomato plants has about 6 tomatoes already so I am encouraged to keep hoeing and watering. I also have lots of okra plants coming up. Mom requested the okra. I am not a huge fan, but I like anything fresh out of garden, and I am thinking fresh okra and tomatoes with bacon will make a great meal this summer. Also, walking around outside is so pleasant. The honeysuckle is everywhere and the scent is very nice. Lots of bees around, making me want to go and get a bee box with one of those things in it that makes a honeycomb. I think I better ask some expert bee people about that before I try on my own.

Oh yea, C-Seale, our female cat, just had 6 kittens! They are so cute and she just brought them down so we can see them. She had them in the attic of the house about 3 weeks ago and we could not get up there to see them. I had no idea she would have so many. They are still very tiny, but fierce. They hiss and spit at us every time we try to pet them, but they are getting more friendly every day. They aren't even afraid of the big dogs, and they should be! See below for a picture of them at meal time.

Well, that's all for now. I am really going to try to post more often. I think about it all the time and take tons of pictures so that I can have new and interesting things to post. Sew, check back often and see what's happening!

My Guys Hard at Work!

Wahoo!!! The work on the outside of the house has started! Steve and Ethan worked all weekend getting this end of the house ready for new siding. I helped a little bit too. I was in charge of hauling off the old lumber and all the piles of pine straw I had raked up in the front. By the end of the weekend, this end of the house was completely stripped and new insulation installed. There is still such a long way to go, but both guys were in good spirits and I think very pleased with what they had accomplished. I am so proud of them both. Ethan had to give up his entire weekend and didn't complain much at all. They did take a break on Saturday night to go and see Clash of the Titans and of course today we had Easter service at church with lunch following. I continue to tell Ethan that he is going to make some girl very lucky when he settles down since he is learning how to do stuff that most grown men never even attempt. I am sew blessed to have these guys for my very own!!!

For $3.00 and a Cup of Coffee....

Forget that, for the price of a cup of coffee here is what $3.25 got me at the Zavalla Assistance Ministries (ZAM) today. A brand new bathroom sink, in perfect condition, 2 kid cowboy hats, 2 books, 2 creamer/sugar dispensers, a necklace of wooden beads, button jewelry and a blue ceramic candle stand. If you are wondering if I actually needed all this today, I would tell you that that is not even the right question to ask. "What will I do with it?" is the question I can answer! OK, here goes, the sink is for the rent house or anyone else's house that needs a new sink, for $1.00 that will save somebody a ton of money! The cowboy hats will be for my kindergarten Vacation Bible School class this summer. Our theme is "ranch something" and these will be perfect for my line leaders. The books will provide priceless hours of reading and leisure for me. The blue ceramic candle holder will be painted and probably turned into a pedestal for a bowl or plate. WAIT, there's more, the wood beads will be for a future project to be painted or covered in fabric. The creamer and sugar holders for their intended purpose and the button jewelry for something?? All this stuff for just $3.25 and new material for the blog..... PRICELESS!!!!

Snow Day!!

We received the warning call last night that school would begin 2 hours later this morning, and then early this morning, we got the call that school was canceled due to ice and snow. I rolled over in bed, looked out the window, and yep, there as a little dusting of snow on the groud. Yelled at the kid that he could stay asleep, after his alarm went off 2 or 3 times, waking me!

Of course, by the time we got up, the snow was melted and everything was cold, wet and dripping. No ice, no snow, but one kid stuck inside with one mom and both of us bored!! On my way back to bed for a nap, I decided to check over my craft blog sites to see if I could get a little bit of inspiration, and it worked! I looked over at http://www.belladia.typepad.com/ and saw how to crochet a heart coaster. So, I went and got out my thread and worked on one. Turned out just like the picture! I might make a few more, but I got distracted by something else on her blog so I went to my button stash and made a few of these button paperclips... so, two crafts in one day. I think I have fulfilled my quota, so now I will go back to bed to try and take a nap. I just wanted to post the projects while everything was still out and fresh on my mind. Hope you enjoy!

Who's Ready for A Cruise?

If you look closely, you will be suprised to see that Melissa and I made the Girl's Get-Away Cruise flyer along with Karen Kingsbury and a few of our other friends. Do you see me there with the towel on my head?? See I circled it:) Yep, that's right, The Spa Girls will be sailing away on our 3rd Girls Getaway Cruise with Premier Christian Cruises this October. We are so excited to meet all the new ladies that will be joining us as well as seeing some of our old friends! If you are interested go to www.girlsgetawaycruise.com or you can call 1-800-889-5265. If you register by Feb 12, there is a $100 savings. $50 savings if you book by April 16th. For both of you that read this blog!!! lol that is a pretty good deal. Oh yea, be sure to mention that you are with "the Spa Girls" when you sign up.