One of Those Days

Its been "one of those days".  Don't you just hate seeing a sick baby?   Little B is sick and needed mommy to hold her all day long, that wasn't the bad part.  That actually was the best part!  Little B has really never been a snuggler, so any time she wants a little mommy time is a great time for me!

By noon she really was not well, and of course I got worried.  I called the Dr. office to see if I could bring her in.  They were closed for lunch til 2:00.  UGH!  Right at 2:00 I called back.  They said I got the last appointment.  It was at the Power Ranch location at 4:30.  Double UGH... Do I pack a lunch and head out now?  Do I wait and fight rush hour traffic?  Well, the GPS said it was only 17.4 miles away, but I knew better.  I used to drive to that same corner ever day for work when I worked at Andreasen Chiropractic (if you actually clicked on the link, YUP, I'm famous!  That is me sitting at the front desk in the commercial)  I knew this was going to be a long night.  We left at 4 and I was 15 min late for my apt.  It didn't matter though.  I waited for an hour in the waiting room, and that was before they called me back to the room where we got to wait some more. Its all good though.  Little B was tested for Strep and RSV, good news both were negative! The doc just said its a cold a bad cold, just keep an eye on her.

Anyway, thankfully I put dinner in the crock-pot earlier so at least dinner would be waiting for me.

I am quite certain I am the only one who does this, but in between cuddles and hugs I changed out the laundry and the stuff from the dryer is now on my sofa... and not even layed out nicely so it won't wrinkle.  Yes, there are 4 loads of laundry all piled up there, just waiting for the new magical attachment to your washing machine (i am inventing while I type this) that not only folds your laundry it puts it away too!  Actually I was informed today by a good friend that I must be an amateur if there were only four loads on the sofa.

How soon can I start teaching Little B to fold clothes?  Actually, I'm thinking if she could learn to fold laundry and take the dishes out of the dishwasher my life would be pretty easy.

Here's a little something to remind you that I like keepin' it real!

Yup, its 11:30 at night and its still right there where I left it.  Sorry its so blurry, but it was dark



Can't Wait To Try

Isn't this little guy too cute!  What a great neighbor gift or how fun would he be nestled in a wreath?  Want to see the full tutorial go here

I have a million ideas running around in my hot little head about this one here!  I see a birthday crown for the princess who will come and help celebrate Little Bs birthday this May.  Go here for this GREAT tutorial

So Cool!!!

This last weekend I went to the coolest swap meet EVER.  My folks have been wintering in the middle of the desert for the past 5 years Quartzsite, AZ to be exact, and every January vendors from all over come and set up shop.  The hubs and I have made it tradition to go and visit the folks and spend a day checking out the goods.  We walked up and down isle after isle and barely saw maybe 1/8 of the vendors, probably less than that.  At one point we got in our car and drove a few blocks to check out a different part of it.

Every year we share a $9.00 Indian Taco.  Have you ever wondered why those things taste better at a carnival or vendor fair? 

This was the coolest thing I saw this year, and because I am so cheap and really don't have a place to put something like this I took a picture.  I immedatley thought of this person who has been collecting license plates from around the US.  If you don't know her blog, you gotta check out 320 Sycamore.  You won't be disapointed!

What cool things have you found at a swap meet?

Ribbons, Flowers and Bows

Easy bow holder  I have been making these for baby showers lately and they have been a huge hit at the parties.  This one is easy.  Are you ready?

Items Needed:
Large Wooden Initial Letter. I get mine at Michael's and use a 40% off coupon
2 (or 4) equal lengths of 1 to 2 inch ribbon I like the grosgrain
Coordinating craft paint
and one coordinating piece of scrapbook paper optional

 

 

 

 

If you will be NOT be covering the letter with paper you will paint the entire front and sides of the letter and let dry.  If you will be using paper you still have to paint the sides of the letter for a more finished look.

For adding the paper- This can be done one of two ways.
The first way is: Lay the paper down with the wrong side facing up.  Lay the letter down on the paper and trace around the letter.  - Cut the letter out and using some sort of decoupage medium - I use Mod Podge, or make my own if I'm out by mixing equal parts of water and school glue i.e. Elmers glue. This works the same only it is not acid free, so if you plan on keeping your bow holder forEVER use the Mod Podge.

I ALWAYS paint the wood first with the decoupage then adhere the paper and if needed gently pull back the edges and reapply more decoupage.  You can paint the top side of the paper if you choose, I don't particularly like that glossy look, - even when using the matte finish it still has a sheen to it, in my opinion. Also, the paper tends to bubble up on me when do the top. 
Now, let the paper completley dry.  After its dry take a sanding block or some cheap dollar store emeryboards and file the paper around the letter making the two ONE. 

The second way is:  If you are using a patternd paper that you want a certain part to show on the letter I have just put the decoupage on the wood and placed the entire sheet of paper over the letter being sure to line up where you want the pattern.  I let it dry then cut most of the paper around the letter and then take my sanding block and finish it that way. You may need to adhere more decoupage along the edges.

After everything is dry go ahead and start embelishing.  This is a great way to use up some of those ribbon scraps you have laying around. 

Now, sew or staple your two pieces of ribbon together at one edge and glue to the wooden letter on the back side.  You can see I have two tails of ribbons hanging down from these letters.  I made an "O" one and only used one tail.  This will be your choice.  I wasn't sure if the hot glue would hold the ribbon with all the bows, but The "R" one shown was the first one I made and it is still holding up strong for 2 years.

I'd love to see if you make your own bow holder, Have fun!  I can't wait to show you what I made to hold all of Little Bs headbands.  Stay tuned!

Baby Skirts

I love to sew for Little B.  I love the satisfaction I get when I create something that nobody else has.  I love that seeing her wear it makes her want to dance and twirl!

This is two pieces of fabric sewn together, the bottom piece is twice as long as the top, only gathered before sewing the two together.  I have the exact measurements in my sewing notebook, but I am too lazy to jump up and get it for you.   I folded over the top piece just enough for a piece of elastic for the waistband, and just serge a rolled hem and wa la!  This is what I do because I can't afford a whole yard of the spendy trendy fabric.  I buy the least amount of inches I need for each portion.  These skirts only cost $2.00 a piece to make.  WOO HOO!

Only problem is my table always ends up looking like this for about a week when I get a sewing project out. Oh how I long for my very own sewing/scrapbook room!

A confession.  I made these skirts the end of last summer.  But it truly is still that beautiful here in Arizona!  And yes, Little B wears sandals in January.  Its AZ, you can do that!

Valentines Deco & Disney on Ice

 Who doesn't love a good Valentine!  I was tired of tossing out all of these drink containers about 2 per week with the milk - Little B is lactose intolerant and the Lactaid milk is all she can drink.  It gets pretty pricey!  I keep my eye out for coupons.  I just knew I could make something with them.  Here's what I came up with.

I folded the top down into itself and taped it down with regular old packing tape.

Then taped two of them together like this

   

Then I wrapped the whole thing with some plain white wrapping paper and then started cutting with my Cricut Expressions and embellished the heck out of it.  I feel like it is still in need of something else, maybe some ribbon.  I'll work on it some more and let you know what I did.  I had so much fun decorating it, this totally took me back to grade school and makeing Valentine boxes out of cereal and oatmeal boxes.  What decorations have you made this year?  I absolutley loved this one

Little B and I went to see Disney on Ice and had a BLAST!  I don't think I have ever seen Little B get so excited!  It was almost as magical as being on Main Street Disneyland during a parade!

$8.00 Off and a Happy Birthday

I love me a great coupon!  And I love ALL things Disney!  Secretariat will be released on Tuesday click here for your $8.00 off coupon for the DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!  Moms was on the 9th and Dads is today.  Dad, we hope that your day is filled with all of the things you love!  Fishing, Karaoke, Music Jams, All the Mexican Food you can eat and NO poultry!  We are happy that we will get to see you both tonight and spend the day with you tomorrow!  We love you!

You'll Never Guess What It Is

Its crafty ladies like this that keep me going back for more.  I am addicted to reading crafters blogs!  And this is one reason why!   Check it out here

Before & After

Living Room Before- Like waaaay before...

This is the Condo that the hubs bought before we ever met.  This is what it looked like the week I moved in right after we got married.  Ok... So about 3 years ago I got some wild hair and decided I wanted to "update" our condo. Don't get me wrong, I didn't necessarily HATE it, I just wanted to move out of the 80's. I am here to say that if our marriage survived all of this change and mess our marriage can survive anything!

And so it started.....

We had this ceramic tile that wasn't bad... It was GROSS! it was white tile with 1/2 inch PINK grout. It was very hard to maintain and keep clean. We had this tile in each and every room throughout the entire house. It is still in the bathrooms and laundry room, and it is even on the front porch... Who ever lived here before us got a killer deal on tile and LOVED the look of pink grout.

It all started with a slab leak in the kitchen... It actually started just before we got married. Bretts brothers and our FAVORITE plumber- Clint and Brian came over and assessed the damage. He had to remove part of the tile and drill through the cement to get to the leaking pipe under our foundation. We lived with the hole in the kitchen for about 6 months until we got another leak in the living room. It was at that time when I decided to rip out all of the tile and fix all the leaks and lay down new floor. We (Brett & I) got on our hands and knees and one by one with a hammer and chisle removed each and every tile by hand. We were trying to save $ by doing it ourselves, and we did!

After the tile came out we layed down laminate wood flooring... Let me tell you that was a chore in itself! That took a very long time! Thankfully my dad came out and helped us for a few days. We got a lot accomplished that weekend dad was here. We had carpet layed in both bedrooms too. It is so nice to wake up to nice soft carpet under your feet and not cold hard tile anymore.

Kitchen Before

We also have done a little in the kitchen... I LOVE the new look! Cant wait for my second wind to come where I will paint those honey oak cabinets! 

After

Before

After

After the floor was nearly complete wouldn't you know it.... WE GOT ANOTHER LEAK... This time in the master bedroom doorway.... it went into the living room under all of the new flooring... We had to rip out several feet of flooring and pull up the new carpet..... Again we called Clint and he was our life saver yet again!!! He came back and told us the bad news. He said that we were going to continue to have slab leaks and that he was not going to drill down through the foundation again. So I called our homeowners insurance. They came out looked at all the damage and though it took some time ~ Thats an entire different story. We got them to pay for a new re-plumb job which became another huge project. Clint came and cut holes in all of the drywall in all of the rooms in my house. He got the work done and we finally had working water both hot and cold. It felt so good to finally have it all finished. Because before if I wanted to take a shower I had to tromp out to the garage and turn the water on, quickly shower and run out and turn the water off. If I wanted to wash dishes, same thing, If I wanted to run the washing machine - yup, you guessed it water on. water off. This went on for a few months while we were waiting on the insurance company. Clint was able to do the re-plumb and then Bretts uncle Lester hooked us up with the other helpers to fix the holes and retexture the drywall, re-lay the flooring, and complete the baseboards, and finally the painter finished up. WOO HOO!!! It is finished. I never thought I could say it. But it is done. I really have nothing more to complain about and that is a very good feeling! ~ Well except I would love to do the bathrooms... but that my friend is going to wait!

Living Room After

Before

After

Dont you just love a good before and after story?

MMMMM Sonic

I just love me some Cherry Limeade from Sonic!  I caved and had January's Route 44.  I didn't even drink half of it.  After I got it I had to make a quick trip into the market and well..... The quick trip lasted longer than it should have, but long story short..... I forgot all about it, and ended up pitching it.  BUMMER!  So now, do I get to buy a new one, or do I have to wait til February's?????  You can read more about my New Years resolution here

An Easy Fix

Before

So, since I moved into this house we have had problems with one towel bar in the master bath.  I really needed it to just go away.  So after 4 years of re-attaching it to the wall, I said enough!  I took both towel bars down and installed a piece of floor board we had left over from our living room re-do.

During

 It was SUPER easy!  I just measured the wall length and then cut the wood with a hand saw.  Slapped it up on the wall and hammered in a few finishing nails being sure I got them into the studs.  Filled in the nail holes with some wood filler and then slapped a coat of paint with this stuff. 

$7.00 from Wally World - Cant beat it!

Next I drilled these $3.00 hooks from Wally World into the wood and WA LA!  Instant no more falling off the wall towel rods.  And I think it looks so much better too! 

Doesn't a shower curtain make a huge difference
to cover up all that brassy 80's gold. 

Now, I'm thinking some sort of moulding art like this dining room or a board and batten like this basement

A New Year, A New Beginning

So, for the past week, I have been cleaning.... Yes, cleaning and organizing a different room in my humble abode each day.  It started in the laundry room where I have been wanting to make it a room that was cute and fun to be in.  Its just a walk through from the garage to the kitchen, but I wanted it to say "Welcome Home, and oh by the way time to change out the laundry".  I was inspired by this room.  Now, I'd say I have a long way to go, and plenty more "purging" but it's a good start and I am well, on my way.

Before, how embarassing!!!



After  AHHHHHHH

What can I put on the above wall, I'm thinking a cute vinyl quote hmmmmm



Isn't this rug cute?  I pointed it out to the hubs while shopping a few months ago and he surprised me with it for Christmas.  He is so cool!

So, as the days go on, I'll keep you updated on my organizing mad skills as they take place, but for right now, I have to get back to it before the hubs gets home from work.

New Years Resolutions

I have never been one to make resolutions and uh actually keep them. But I did it, I finally made one and kept it, well... sort of.  You see about 3 years ago there was nothing I wanted more than to have a baby.  We had been married for just about 2 years and I just couldn't get pregnant.  It was a very hard time for me.  But that story is for another post.

I made a resolution to say ix-nay to ALL fast food.  Now, there are a lot of ways to say what fast food is.  But for me, I decided that to me fast food  = any place that has a drive up window.  So, I could still have those quick lunches at Subway, Chipotle, Panda Express.... Now, before I get all kinds of emails yes, I know some of those places have a drive up window.  I just had to physically walk into them.  This was my resolution and I can make the rules right?  So, I said good bye to McDonald's, BK, Wendy's, Taco Bell or KFC.... You get the picture right?  You know what?  Before long I didn't even crave the other places I enjoyed eating - well for the exception of my once a week Subway turkey on honey wheat with lots of spinach, YUM!  I went nearly the whole year.... That is until I.... wait for it..... took a positive pregnancy test in September of that year. WOO HOO!!!  Life was great!  I was going to have a baby!  But I was sick, boy was I sick!  Nothing would stay down.... NOTHING! For nine months I sipped water, and if anything sounded good at all to eat I would try it..... That's when it happened.  I took my first bite of fast food, The only thing I could even think of that might even taste good was an Arbys roast beef sandwich.  So, in order to feed my baby any kind of nutrition I caved!  The Hubs went out and got me my wish.  Well, it sure tasted good going down.  But that's where it ended.  It came right back up! YUCK! 

So after Little B was born I of course ate anything and everything.  I wasn't sick when I ate, it felt great!  I felt great!  But my whole no fast food resolution ended as a flop.  A great big huge flop!  So, I'm gonna do it again this year.  I'm doing it.  NO FAST FOOD in 2011.   Try and stop me you Arbys roast beef, Wendy's single with everything, Taco Bell #4, Sonic Route 44 Cherry Limeade..... Whoa whoa whoa stop the train.... This is where I get off.  I have allotted one Route 44 Cherry Limeade per month for the next consecutive 12 months ahead of me.  Hey, at least its only one a month and not everyday between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00..... I will however NOT be partaking in the sharing of a large order of Tots with Princess while I slurp down the fruit nectar of the Gods that is my Cherry Limeade.  Now, I wonder when I will get my first one this year.  I can't believe it's already the 7th of January and I haven't partaken yet.  Good for me!

This is Me

Well, I have thought about doing this for sometime now - start this blog- and well.... the time has come.  My name is Susie and I live in the desert..... Mesa, AZ to be exact.  I grew up in not the desert Utah, where its warm in the summer, and CaOld in the winter.  I always forget just how cold it gets there until I go home for a visit, and then it all comes rushing back.  True, it does get warm here in the summer ok it gets blasted hot some days, but those are the days that you just stay in and when you get tired of that you hustle out to the pool and jump in the warm water and pray for some sort of breeze..... any sort of wind to just rush over your wet skin to cool you even for just a moment. 

But I digress.  I wanted a place to call my own, a place where I can post my funnys, sads, happys, bads, and everything else in between.  I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.  I love to craft, you  name it.... sew, paint, paper craft, digital art, I just started to do some wood work, I say I can cook, but I think the hubs would argue that fact.  I have been introduced into the wonderful world of coupons and am loving saving where I can.  I love to turn used things into new things.  This is me, I hope you enjoy this journey with me as I share with you bits of my life, and creations, where I keep it real and tell it like it is!