Lavender...R

My friend Jami at http://www.freckledlaundry.com/ gets credit for this project.

While cleaning out my laundry room, I found a big bag of lavender and I began to throw it away. I somehow, dug it out of the trash and thought 'I could make SOMETHING' (that is my clutter problem ...I think I will need it ONE DAY). The following day (so glad it wasn't years) Jami had a post of how she covered a chipboard letter with the lavender.

Hip-Hip-Hooray... a project to use up my lavender!

My local craft store was offering $1 off any letter.

I looked at the chipboard, but didn't like the shape of the "R"

I used a staple gun to attach the ribbon,

then used a hammer make sure it was tight!


LOTS of glue

It helps to pat down the lavender.

I think I'll go hang it on the front door!

Crazy for a Daisy

Something about the simple flower that makes me smile!

5 Things to Smile About... part 1

1. Hearing a song that takes you back to the past
2. When that zit growing on your face suddenly just disappears
3. The moon lighting up the night sky
4. Staying up so late that everything becomes funny (good times Bec)
5. Seeing your family who has been on the other side of the world for the last 10 days!

What makes you smile?

Is this MY laundry room???

I'm truly ashamed to show you the before pictures of my laundry room! It hasn't seen a clean day in 4 months and the cupboards....years. I did a boutique back in November, so it was my craft station in the house. Then there was the holidays... and now the new year, time to get this place clean! I'm a follower of http://www.domestically-speaking.com/ and she is having a new years challenge to clean the house (I must admit, there were moments I was mad at her and myself for reading her blog... today, I just want to thank her, give her a big kiss on the cheek). This week was the laundry room, as if painting the inside of the house by myself in 5 days wasn't enough work for me. Last night I decided I would clean the laundry room. I gave myself 10 hours to make it look beautiful... throw away stuff, clean EVERYTHING. So I cranked up Pandora... I learned this week that I clean better to Dave Matthew's Band and Sting and a must...avoid Taylor Swift.

SO ASHAMED!

I'm smiling!


whoo-hoo... the cupboards are clean!

why do I craft???This makes me happy

I can now find what I'm looking for!

STAY OUT... KEEP CLEAN!

Okay, I'm sick of painting!

I know I should finish today... but I'm tired! I've painted for 5 days straight, trying to get the clean look back in our home. The last few weeks have been killer between scrubbing the walls, steam cleaning furniture, painting, etc. I need to go to Hawaii now(dreaming)!

I did a few (very small) changes in the hallway. Otherwise, I used the same ole' colors in the rest of the house and nobody will notice my hard work.

Here are some painting pointers...

1. NEVER use Lowe's Valspar.... that is the worst paint on the planet! If you love it... we need to talk!

2. ALWAYS listen to Pandora radio (choose your favorite type of music) while you paint. If you turn on the regular radio... Taylor Swift might come on and you will end up singing...

She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts. She's cheer captain, and I'm painting on a ladder and can't change the song.

I think I'll go clean my laundry room today!

Good-bye Clutter! Day 1

A new year... I want a more organized house!

Thanks to http://www.domestically-speaking.com/ I worked on my pantry this morning!
My family should thank me... if I would have prepared food that was in here, I might have killed them because there was some extremely OLD expiration dates! YIKES! And you ask, "why does she have three containers of Crisco?" Because it was so messy, I didn't know there were two others. (thinking about what I could of bought instead of Crisco)

I am on a 10 day mission to get this house in tip-top shape, Organizing, cleaning, painting, decorating, etc! I'm so excited and dreading all at the same time.

Visiting my FAVORITE Antique Store

Tempted... but didn't spend a dime!

The SOOT Saga

I did the responsible thing!

I acted my age (for the first time in my life)

I choose Option #4

I went to Disneyland.... whoo-hoo!

I'm NOT quite as happy as Mary!

Our chimneys were SO dirty that smoke kept coming out of the wood stoves, so we decided to clean yesterday. Hubby on the roof, son with head in the stove pulling wire brush thingy with two thick pieces of string on each end.

I have my head in stove with my son with a small shop vac... (big one is at cabin) and I'm sucking a years worth of soot. My head so far up the stove, and not noticing that I had already filled the small vacuum, and it was blowing right back out into the house. I pull my head out,,,, and it was like the black smoke from LOST. I was SO sad looking at the furniture, walls, and floors.... too sad to cry. I'm TRYING to put my Mary smile on today....

Option 1- Clean like crazy (will take a long time)
Option 2- Sell the house as is

Option 3- Clean the best that I can, go buy new flooring, furniture, and paint

Option 4- Go to Disneyland and worry about it tomorrow!

getting ahead on BIRTHDAY gifts

love these baby composition books... they make me smile!

Every new year, one of my goals is to be better about giving

small birthday gifts to random people.

Unfortunately, I do well the first 4 months!

So I figured if I get ahead, I can bless those who have a birthday in November?!?!

I purchased many journals on clearance from Target.

Some just composition books, others small notebooks, etc.

I'm fixing them up and gifting with a nice pen. I love these things!

I have made in the past and I use as my prayer journal (I love seeing how God answers my prayers) and I also have a goal journal every year.

Bye-Bye Buttons

This year's goal... empty my button jar!

Another button project. I used scrap sweater material to make the backdrop. Then trace a heart on the material and glue on the buttons.

50 buttons down, 234,328 to go!

Snow Day.... (smiles)

I think I'm extremly hormonal today!

I'm not sure what is wrong with me, and I'm thinking my hormones are all messed up!

I watched the rose parade this morning, (and was crying) watching some of the college bands playing as I was thinking about the students mother's who were watching on their TV from across the country and how 'proud' they must have been seeing their kids in the parade. I had to quit watching it in fear I might get the "my wife is being weird, which week of the month is it?" look from my sweetheart.

Tonight, nothing on TV... so I turn on a re-run of the parade. The family was all sitting around the TV with me when I LOST it! The parade started with the stealth flying and I start crying (I've seen this thing so many times... I've been waken from a deep sleep with that obnoxious thing shaking my house), then they show Paula Deen as the grand marshal... and I'm thinking how a little old lady has been so successful cooking with all that butter and at this point I'm sobbing out of control. Next, the military marching band and I'm so grateful for all that they have done. I see the first float, and I'm crying at all the work that went into these masterpieces. I tell my family, "We should have been there, we should have went to the parade".

The family first stares at me.... trying not to laugh... then they break out laughing so hard that they are crying. They insist that we turn off the parade (which they can't stand watching) and the son grabs the remote and starts looking for a movie with guns. I think I'll go in the other room and cry about Paula Deen and how I'd like to sit and eat coffee cake with her.