I Heart Pets

Meet Mable, our beloved family member....
I became her foster mom when she was about 2 years old. She had kennel cough, was under weight and had worms. She was a runner, she would bolt out the door if you weren't careful and would be gone in a flash.

Once she got well it was time to take her back to the shelter so she could be put up for adoption. I made a beautiful sign to hang on her kennel door for prospective adoptees but when I got home that night my husband-to-be and I looked at each other and felt lost. It was like we betrayed her by taking her back.

The next day I flew back to the shelter and asked for the paperwork. She was meant to be with us, I became a foster mother flunkie.

We took her to obedience classes to help with the running, nipping and to hopefully help her get along with other dogs. After much work she became our dream dog. She's so tolerant of our children, she's intimidating enough to keep strangers away (if only they knew she'd fall over on her back for them to rub her belly once they got close) and she's kicked all of her bad habits except for getting along with other dogs.

She's about 9 years old now and has mellowed quite a bit with age. Bits of gray are turning up inside her ears and around her muzzle, and her eyes are beginning to cloud. You can see the soreness in her fluffy body after a run in the park or a long walk. I hope that we've given her as much joy as she's given us and pray for many more wonderful years with her.

Craigslist Find

So I'm working on redecorating my patio. In our family we each get a holiday and since hubby and I are the youngest we pretty much get the easiest of the lot....the 4th. The surrounding cities put on the firework display, there's a water park and lake nearby that we could go to for entertainment and then we have the game of washers, board games, slip and slide, sprinkler and a bbq at our house. Just a good ole' day of summer fun. So to start my patio makeover I found this great chaise on Craigslist, I got it for $20. I'm sooo excited and it's in such great shape.


So the I found this patio set at Home Depot that pretty much matches the chaise and it was on sale...yippie!

This is what my patio looks like now (looking down on it)



And this is the goal:




I'm so open to thoughts and ideas if anyone has any input. :)

Berry Pickin' 2010

We took the girls strawberry picking for the first time over the weekend. It was a beautiful day and they seemed to have a good time (more so when I told them they could have a donut after!). My husband made freezer jam when we got home. He does most of the cooking around here....mainly because he likes it and he does a better job at it then I do. I do the dishes so it evens out.

Celebrating Teens

Off White

So I went with off-white with some distressing. I just popped this one up on Craigslist in hopes of selling it...I'm trying to build a fund for my patio makeover!

(not a very good) Before:


After:






I'm not thrilled with it due to the fact that the center piece is made of particle board but you never know, it might be someone's dream headboard. We'll find out!

Headboard and Footboard Find

So yesterday was a wonderful day, My hubby took the day off of work so I got to do a little shopping by myself (Bath and Body Works has their antibacterial soaps on sale for $2.25!). My in-laws came over and had dinner with us...they make it a point to come see me on my birthday rain or shine. And for cake, a peanut butter cup ice cream cake adorned my table. Fabulous!

So after the festivities, we loaded into the car and went treasure hunting. That's when I spotted this beauty. Don't know what to do with it yet...either distressed black or off white....but it was the perfect ending to a perfect birthday. :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

So sweet how my kids think my birthday is so much more of a big deal then I do. They've been making me presents all day, asking what kid of cake I want and wondering where the balloons are. So precious and so thoughtful.....I'm sure part of it has to do with them thinking they get cake and ice cream but I can put that aside for a second and just be thankful they care.

Speaking of cake and ice cream, have you visited the website, Cake Wrecks? It's so funny, browse around on there if you have the time, you'll get some good laughs.

Here's an example of what I WOULDN'T want my cake to be like:



This is what I would pick visually, courtesy of www.nassaulibrary.org:


And this is what I would wish for it to taste like, courtesy of www.bbcgoodfood.com:

Before and After

Here's a before and after of a friend of mine's front door. She did a wonderful job and if I remember correctly she used "van courtland blue" by Benjamin Moore.

Custom Burpies for Babies

When I had my first daughter I just had to have these adorable burp cloths I found on eBay. I ordered a few and quickly realized that, shoot, I could have done that! So since then I've made a few for baby shower gifts and they turn out pretty good, not to mention they're quick and easy to make.

I just cut a strip of material the length and width of the middle of the burp cloth plus 1/2 in. (they're actually a cloth diaper so they're much more absorbent).

Then I folded the strip of material under 1/4 in. all the way around, pressed, pinned and stitched it to the middle of the burpie. Pretty cool!

So these two in particular are going to my new nephew, Joseph (the parents are 90% positive on the name) who will be joining us in August. :)

Crafting with the kids. Sigh.

I don't have very successful crafting sessions with the kids. I truly throw caution to the wind, I'm game for having my kitchen trashed and don't mind quick baths after the fact BUT when I go through all of THAT and still don't have the craft turn out I get pretty bummed.

For example, I had the girls pick out a picture on the internet that I printed up to make necklaces with. The cut the picture out, mod podged it to the glass rectangle I had for each of them and then I sealed it with diamond hard and glued on the bail but within 24 hours of them wearing it the next day they fell apart!

So then I saw this idea for making cuff bracelets out of paper towel or toilet paper rolls. Great idea but:

1. The cuff stretched out while painting it and now it won't stay on the girls wrists
2. Beads would not stick so we invited the glitter fairy over
3. she left surprises all over the house and she's still hiding here....somewhere.








So if I were to do this project again I would probably skip the painting and use stickers only. Humph.