I LOVE THIS PROJECT!

God taught me an invaluable lesson through it.
Alright, more than one.
Hey, I'm a teachable person.

Sometimes.

I had stalked (and when I say "stalk," I mean STALK!) a painting at Salvation Army for about a month. It is hu-uge. Like, 52" long and 2.5' wide. Yeah. Huge. Not that I liked the painting that was in it. Hello...you know me better than that! I was really stalking the frame that was around it. Pretty, scalloped corners...begging...BEGGING to be painted.

Oh, the painting was begging to be painted, too. Chalkboard style, baby!

So, I like I said. Stalked it. The price tag was $39.00. Hmm...yup...that would have to wait. I thought about it off and on for some weeks. Every time I'd go in there (don't judge...I only went in there about once a week...) it was still there. Untouched. I think inanimate objects talk to me. Seriously. Is that strange?

Well, lo and behold! Salvation Army was having a 50% off day! Woot! I was thinkin' that since I had thought about it and stalked it so much, that I'd spend $20 on it just for my sanity! And I figured my children would praise me at the heavenly gates since they had taken to saying, "This store AGAIN?" as I dragged them through the doors with a stern look.

So...here I go, right? Register rang it up for $9.00!! At this point, I'm thinking it's my lucky day and get started on it the very next day...

Bam! Boom! Done! Love it!



Even used my stenciling method to monogram it because, really, what DOESN'T get monogrammed at my house? Not much.

Looks...pretty huh?

And then...IT happened. Bam! Boom! Yeah...that's right.



It fell of the wall.

Oh the tears.
Naw...I didn't cry.
But I was close.

Especially when I remembered that I had spent time working on this instead of reading my son a book when he asked. And I thought of how it made me giddy...and then I thought of how temporal that giddiness is when compared with making my kiddos happy.

Now I'm not advocating dropping everything you need to do or even WANT to do for your kids. They definitely need to learn that the world doesn't revolve around them. BUT...would it have hurt me or this project to spend fifteen minutes reading a book? Nope. And since I happen to be kind of stingy with my time already....

Lesson number 1: This was a good reminder to me that the temporal things of this world, I can't take with me.

Lesson number 2: A reminder that God has given me what I have and has gifted me with the blessing of children. Even when I wanna rip my hair out and pull my head off my neck and shove it down the toilet just for some peace and quiet. Ahem.

Lesson number 3: Perspective, people. It was just a $9.00 picture and it was just a piece of decor in my house.

And ya know? It was salvageable. It's fixed and practically glued on the wall so it (hopefully) won't fall off again. I bet you wouldn't even notice if I didn't tell ya.

Yes, I still have those paint samples on the wall. Still deciding.

Hookin' up with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality! Yard sale treasures!
AND Melissa @ 320 Sycamore's A Week of Gift Ideas!

I covered my lamp shades

huh?

Yeah.

I covered my lamp shades.

What??? I covered my lamp shades.
Those pretty toile lampshades? Yeah.
How could you???? They didn't match.

But now they do! :)

Here's how I did it!
Buy cheap-o fabric at the fabric store. Check.
On sale. Check.
Iron it. You should know me better than that.
Plug in your hot glue gun. Don't look at me like that, just do it.
Spread the fabric on the floor. Check.
Roll your existing lamp over it. Check.
While chalking a line for top and bottom. Oops.
Roll your existing lamp over it...again. Check.

While chalking a line. Check. Whew!

Cut out your half donut looking shape thingy while leaving room for a slight hem. Check.

Hot glue the sucker on! Check.


Not sure how? Here ya go!

I pinched my fabric at every wire to give it a little extra oomph!


I hot glued it at each pinch and then went back and glued the full circle around the top and the bottom of fabric on the under side because my extra hem line let me fold it over the top and bottom of the shade.

After about half way, I got this:
The fabric wasn't following the curve right anymore. I'm sure math wizards could figure it out, but my math prowess ends at 7th grade math team.

Here's what I did instead.

I folded it along what would have been a pinch line anyway until the circle lined up with the shade again and then just carefully cut the excess off. You have to cut it because when you turn the light on, you will see any folded fabric as a shadow.

After that, I ended up with this:
No biggie because when the lamp shade was all done, I used black quilt biding to finish off the upper and lower edges. It covered it perfectly.

When I got the end of the lamp shade, I just folded the other side and glued them together.
Then I went back over all the folds with a glue gun to glue 'em down.
And here it is:
I'm thinkin' it needs a monogram. Of course I do, because I think EVERYTHING needs chalkboard or a monogram!!!!

Visit Kimba today for more DIY'ers!


On another note. It was Noah's first day of school! Look at my big Kindergartner!

I promise...he really WAS excited!

Kids. I tell ya.

Gideon Bibles

Doesn't everyone have at least one??? We have two...and then two more small Bibles that look like them. Our kiddos like to walk around with them and "go to Bible study" or pretend they are reading them. They have all taken their turns "reading" different stories from them. For a while, Noah was stuck on...what else? The flood and story of Noah. Luke likes to hear about Daniel and the lions den or the fire-y furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (sorry if I mis-spelled them...I don't have time to look it up). At Christmas time, we talk a lot about the Baby Jesus and they "read" about the three wise men.

Today, Hannah laid down next to Isaac and said, "I read, Baby." And then proceeded to open the Bible and start singing "Jesus Loves Me."

Aaaahhhh. My cup runneth over.

And then I had to remind her not to sit on brother.

Oh, the projects I have!

My computer won't connect to the internet (what is it they say about a plumbers house? It always has a leak? Well, my husband works in computers. 'Nuff said.). *Ahem* So, like I was saying...I'm on hubby's computer and don't have any pictures to show you the projects I've done. And broken. *tears* And done again. All I'm going to say is perspective, people...perspective.

Now that my friend Cindy has a miter saw...there will be more. I'm officially borrowing it from her without her prior knowledge or consent. Really, I'm just jealous she got one before I did.

God love the hubby! He's a busy man...but my internet is getting fixed tonight.

Making a Cozy Home with Cookies

One of the things that makes me feel right at home at other people's houses are when there are fresh desserts made and set out on the table/counter.
Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because those are my fondest memories I have with my mom. Aprons on, hair pulled back, two towels (one for drying hands, one for drying dishes), flour on the floor, hands stuck in some kind of dough (cookie, bread, crust, etc.) and Christmas carols playing on the record player. Aaaahhh....the comforts of Christmas vacation.

Well, after some family time, Bambi watching and pizza eating, I got a little sentimental and decided to make some cookies. Yes, it's hot here. Yes, I turned the oven on. Yes, I was sweating. Yes. It was worth it.

I don't carry the ingredients to make traditional cookies at our house all the time, but what I usually always have is cake mix. Odd, right? I know. To allrecipes.com I went (they should pay me for this!) and found a cake mix recipe for cookies.

Um...they are to die for! Big, chewy, and oh so good! At least, according to my husband who scarfed down three (three!) and my kiddos who, for the ten seconds it took for them to gobble them up, were completely silent. Bliss.

This mommy knows no joy like hugs and kisses and thank you's!!! And I got it all for doing this:
Cake Mix Cookies VI
2 eggs
1/3c water
1/4c margarine (I used butter)
1c peanut butter
1 (18.25oz) package yellow cake mix
2c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Cream together eggs, water, margarine and peanut butter. Stir in the cake mix and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing.

I baked mine for 10 minutes but a lot of reviewers thought 12 minutes was better. We like our cookies a bit gooey around here, so 10 was good.

Imagine what you could do with this recipe, though! I think you could easily omit the peanut butter and try instead chocolate cake mix, peanuts, and caramel chips....bet it might resemble a turtle candy! Butterscotch chips...white chocolate chips....almonds...the possibilities are endless...

Enjoy! Go on...get your cookie on!

I ain't too proud...

...to dumpster dive!!! Oh, baby, baby...

Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, once again. It's so fun to see what great deals people have gotten, go check them out! (You'll get good ideas, too!)

Me, my sister, my mom, my mom's best friend, and my aunt (and my sweet little man) all went to yard sales on Saturday together. We pretty much made a spectacle of ourselves, but that's pretty normal when you get me, my mom, and my sister together. While looking for our next victim...er....yard sale find, we drove past a neighborhood having their scheduled road-side pick up. My sister was talking to me about something (I can't even remember) and then I saw it.

Like a light pouring from the heavens to highlight it...

I screamed "STOOOOOOOP!!!" It must have jolted her because it took her too long to respond. Long enough that I said "STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" again before the brakes were hit and I practically fell myself out of the car. By this time, we were both busting up laughing and had caught the attention of the yard saler's across the street. What can I say? I had just found my new telephone/this-is-where-I'm-gonna-hide-that-ugly-phonebook table. Here's my FREE treasure of the weekend:

And it's black. Always bet on black. It was calling to me, I promise you. It said, "Free me from this pile of trash! I want to go to your house and get a fresh coat of paint and these four...yes, FOUR nasty spiders away from me!" Eeeewwww...creepy!!! I think it also cried out for a black and white harlequin drawer and table top, but I'm still interpretting.

I also found a chalkboard with a butterfly design for my daughter's room. Because, you know....you can't have too many chalkboards! I think it was $3. Duh, right?

Then, I found this wreath (it's on the luh-arge side) for $2. "Hello, front door. This is your new friend as soon as Ms. Manners tells me it's not okay to wear white shoes anymore.":
And the steal of my whole life (alright, so that's not true, but I'm a dramatic person so work with me here, peeps) are these lamp bases. You might have to enlarge the picture to truly appreciate them. I was minding my own business, going through Lowe's one day...and I saw these babies (I say "babies" 'cause I got two! Oh yes, I did!). They were originally $44!!! Seriously! Marked down to $24.
Oh, and then marked down AGAIN to $4.97.
$4.97!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you waiving your white hankie and buggin' your eyes out, yet people? 'Cause you really, really should be!

I love the toile lamp shades I found (2 for $3) at another yard sale, but they won't go with my black and white bedding (that doesn't shock you, does it? Found it at Walmart for $50.00! I know! My bedroom is a whole other post, girlies!). Anyway...back to the lampshades. They won't go because they are cream and black and I have deep-rooted issues about that kind of stuff. I really love the toile, though, so I'm on the look-out for black toile with a true white background.

Oh, I also found a silver platter and a Christmas tree hand soap dispenser for the kiddos room when it's that time. It was only a quarter! Was I supposed to pass that up???

I also found something else...but I'm waitin' to show that until I have done to it what I'm a wantin' to do! It was a steal, too and I l.o.v.e. it.

Christmas in July...er, I mean August

I stayed up waaaaaay too late on Saturday night. But is was worth it! Besides the really good conversation with my sister-in-law, I made myself an apron to kind of match my kitchen!

And what is it about July that makes me long for Christmas? Could be that I am OVER being hot! ;) So, I started Hannah's stocking and am watching Miracle on 34th Street. Over and over and over again. Don't judge me.