Month: June 2014

My Cats!

Here they are,

My cat "Squeeze Box"!This is “Squeeze Box”

I adopted her one day when I was just looking around at Petsmart. 

All I did was to walk past her.

She was sitting up, staring at me from her small cage.

It was love at first sight.  I took her home 4 years ago.

"Kitten"This is “Kitten”

A friend begged me to take this sweet, petite cat home with me.

At the time she was a kitten living in a barn.

She was alone, all her brothers and sisters had been killed.

How could I say “no”.

"Blackie"This is “Blackie”

She is a stray, I am not sure why someone decided not to love her, and to leave her, but she is mine now!

She lives on the back porch most of the year, I did manage to bring her in during the winter and put her in the basement.

She has always lived outdoors. She doesn’t trust everyone, but she does seem to love me.

I love all three of my sweet cats, but I really hate the hair that goes along with having pets.

Today I want to share a new hair remover brush that I purchased.

It is fantastic!

It is called “Evriholder Fur Remover Pet Hair Brush”.

I have had many brushes before, but this really works.

It takes the hair off my sofa and chairs very fast.

It only cost $7.00 on Amazon.

It is a rubber type material.

"Evriholder Fur Remover Pet Hair Brush"  It really works!

If you have a pet, you know that we put up with a bunch of things as owners,  but they are worth it!

They are truly one of the “happies” in our lives.

Unconditional love!

See you all tomorrow.

Getting Ready for the 4th of July!

One of the overwhelming projects on my list of things to do, “someday”, is cleaning out my garage.

I really just needed to get started, so I decided to go out everyday and spend a little time sorting out what I wanted to keep and what was junk!

I came across this metal beverage container for bottled drinks that I had purchased years ago.

It was red when new, but as you can see from photo, it turned a shade of pink!

Garage sale beverage tub!  Before painting!I was going to pitch it, but decided to try and paint it instead.

With the 4th of July this week I picked a navy blue spray paint.

Spray painting old beverage tub!The container had nice wood handles, so I taped them, and sprayed the tub inside and out.

Here it is…

Spray painted old beverage tub!It looks pretty good, but I decided to add an extra touch for the 4th.

I used a star punch and cut out some silver stars.  Using one of my favorite craft supplies, glue dots, I attached the stars to the container, here and there. Glue dots have glue on both sides, they are only a $1.00 for a sheet of 100.

Supplies for making silver stars!

The stars can be removed without taking the paint off, so the container can be used any time not just for the 4th of July.

Love it!

Old Beverage Tub spray painted and stars added!  Awesome results!It was so simple to do and the results are awesome!

I thought of another idea, that ties in with the container.

Had some stars and stripes duct tape, so I wrapped around the bottled drinks.

Duct tape added to beverage bottles for the 4th!

Now I just need to fill my “new” container with ice and drinks for my 4th celebration!

Completed beverage tub project for the 4th of July!  Awesome!

It really makes me feel good when I can recycle something that I was going to pitch in the junk pile.

I now have an original beverage container that I can use year after year.

So pleased with the way this project turned out.

I love the simple creative things we can accomplish in this life we love!

See you all next time!

 

Burlap Flower Bags

Today I want to share a unique gardening project.

Planting flowers in a burlap bag and placing the bag across tree branches.

I have many large trees in my backyard, which provide shade, and gives our yard a park like feel.  Some folks don’t like trees but we really love ours.

Take a look at my burlap bag across one of the tree branches in my yard.

Burlap Flower Bags!

It is really lovely, don’t you think?

This is a simple to do project taking only a couple hours to complete.

Supplies needed:

Burlap  –  Decide the size you want your bag to be depending on the size of the tree limb and how far you want the bag to hang from the limb on both sides.  My bag was 24″ when completed.

1 large bag of potting soil

Flowers of your choice

That’s it!

I had a roll of burlap which I had purchased at Michael’s for another project so I just used what I had.  It worked great since the edges were finished, but you can buy yards of burlap at Wal-Mart or any fabric store.

Burlap Flower Bags!  I simply folded the burlap over 26″ inches on each side.

Burlap Flower Bags!

Sew up one side, and then the other, leaving the top open to fill with the potting soil.

I have a friend who has done this, not sewing, but using hot glue.  It worked well for the entire growing season.  If you are not a sewing person, try the glue way.

Once the soil is placed inside the bag, sew the opening shut.

Burlap Flower Bags!  You now have a burlap pillow filled with soil.

Next, just cut slits in the bag large enough to plant the flowers in the bag. You will need to move the soil and play with it to secure the plant.

Burlap Flower Bags!

Water thoroughly, and also fertilize time to time during the growing season.

Burlap Flower Bags!

I used impatients since they like shade, and I also planted a vinca vine here and there to trail down the bag and the tree.

You can use most any plants that you like.  I have used small ivy geraniums, and trailing type petunias for branches that get some sun.

Try this, I think you will be pleased at the way it looks in yours trees, and the color it adds to your yard too!

Burlap Flower Bags!  Enjoy this project, enjoy being outside, and love your life everyday.

Remember each day is a gift from God.

See ya!

 

Nails in a Piece of Wood!

I was at my local grocery store today and I heard a mother say to her child, “you are so stupid”.  How horrible.

I used the title of my blog today, “Nails in a Piece of Wood”, to make a point about words.  Words do matter!

When you hammer nails into a piece of wood, or a fence post, you can remove the nails, but the holes remain.  The same is true with words.  Once spoken they can never be taken back.

"Words Matter" Cannot remove holes in wood from nails, also cannot remove damage to someone by hurtful words.I can tell you from personal experience, that you never forget cruel, critical words. They are with you for the rest of your life.

I once had a teacher in elementary school tell me, in front of the entire class, “Why aren’t you as smart as your older sister”.  Well, from that day forward I just felt I was stupid, and could never do anything.

Once an immediate family member told me, my sister, and my brother, “you look like bums”.  Why?  Why would you say that to children?

We were clean, but maybe our clothes were not the best.  We were wearing what we had, and what we were given to wear. Granted they were probably hand-me-downs, but was that our fault?

Those two statements have stayed with me and shaped my life in such negative ways. I never felt that I could accomplish anything but a simple office position and I never had any self confidence.

I never believed that I could be successful until much later in my life when I finally realized, I’m OK.

Promoted from my entry level job, up the ladder, to a Manager, I was given a highly visible position, representing my company, traveling, and training for the Quality Department.  Many times I was asked to travel on the company jet, and to give presentations to various groups.  Why me?  Because I was valuable, I knew my job and others did not!

I always spent too much money on clothes, and my appearance, never feeling I looked nice or that I was at all attractive.   Another result of cruel words.

In today’s world, hopefully teacher’s cannot say such things to children without being held accountable. Although I never told my parents what the teacher said to me, I guess I was too ashamed, later in my life I did share this with my sister and brother.

I hope that everyone reading this will remember that words do matter and never speak in such horrible ways to children, family members, employees, or anyone. You just may be responsible for the difference in someone’s life.

I am a child of God, and I know I am valuable, and have much to offer in this life that I now love so very much.

Love to all.

 

Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake

I am sharing a real summer cake with you today!

Happy first day of summer!

As I have always mentioned, I only make simple recipes, and this one really does fall into that category.

Simple, but so yummy this time of the year.

Strawberry Cake

Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake
Ingredients:

Cake:
1 (15.25 oz) boxed white cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 (3 oz) box strawberry flavored Jell-O
1/2 cup cold water

Frosting:
1 (8 oz) tub Cool-Whip non-dairy whipped topping
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1 pound strawberries, diced

Directions:
Make cake as directed on the back of the box for a 9×13″ pan.

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and “poke” the cake with a large fork. Do it until the entire surface of the cake is covered.

Mix together the boiling water and Jell-O until the Jell-O is completely dissolved.

Pour in the cold water and mix well then pour over the cake.

Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for three hours.

Combine the Cool-Whip, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Spread on top of cake.

Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve and add strawberries.

If you need a quick dessert try this one!

It would be great to serve for the 4th of July.

This recipe was given to me by a neighbor years ago!  I know there are lots of variations of this cake out there, one just using cool whip for the topping.  I have done that, but the original frosting, is the best.

Enjoy!

I think I will go and have a piece right now.

Organizing with Poppies!

Last month I shared my project of sorting through stacks of old magazines.

I sorted and clipped out articles, ideas, recipes, and beautiful photos that I loved.

Now, instead of having the stacks of magazines I have this………OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

.. a stack of clippings!

I have many gift cards that were given to me when I stopped working and also at Christmas time.  I guess it must be hard for people to buy things for me, so I receive lots of gift cards.

They sure come in handy when you are on a budget and find something that you would like to have but can’t justify buying.

I found these “Poppy” binders, file folders, and dividers at Target and I used one of my gift cards to buy them.  It felt like they were free!

Poppy binders from Target.

Poppies are one of my favorite flowers, so I knew I had to have them, and as it turned out they were just what I needed to organize my many magazine clippings.

Poppy binders and dividers.

They are so bright, with the dots and stripes, that match the poppy colors.

Just love them!

I purchased some clear sheet protectors, and also a coordinating small locking pouch divider to hold smaller items.  The small organizer is perfect for holding photos.

Poppy binders and photo storage items.

I started the process of sorting and deciding what categories I wanted to place each clipping under, and placed each one in a sheet protector.

Made labels for each category divider.  I based many of the categories on by blog interests and also my Pinterest boards.

Poppy dividers.

Worked on the stack for a number of nights while watching TV.

I am now up to date organizing, but there are many magazines left to page through and clip.

Just needed one binder for now, but down the road I knew I would need another one which is why I purchased both. It would be hard for me to pick one over the other anyway!

This way of organizing could be used for children’s art work, or maybe just for the many recipes we all accumulate and can never find.

Now that I have the clippings organized, as I page through the binder, I feel like I have one awesome magazine made just for me, featuring all the simple things I love.

Hope you all love this idea as much as I do.

Simple things like this bring me joy!

 

 

A Few Little Changes Make a Big Difference!

We have a really nice spare bedroom in our home.  It has three windows together that face our backyard. We have some nice large trees in the back which gives it a park-like feel. The room is very bright and airy, especially when the windows are open.

The furniture is not new and I really could not afford any, but I did a few inexpensive things to give the room an update.

I moved a small white desk to the bedroom from my basement, and placed it in front of the windows.  Actually a perfect spot for a desk because of the light.

Updating a bedroom.

I purchased an inexpensive chair at T.J. Maxx for $59 for the desk, and added at few things I had to pull it all together.

 

Creating a special bright desk area.As you can see I added some boxwood greenery, that you can find at Target, a small clock, a photo of my sweet son, and I purchased a basket tray at Michael’s Crafts using a 50% off coupon, which made the basket only $7.50.  I found the bright green basket trash can at Home Goods.

I really love the basket tray, it actually matched the chair, and I used it as a catch-all for so many things I may use at the desk.

Simple basket tray to organize desk area.Love it!  Don’t you????

I made the little jar with the green polka dot knob out of an old candle jar, I will share how in a later post.

I thought about a small lamp, but haven’t found one I really like for the right price.  I will keep looking!

I placed a toss pillow in the chair to tie the desk area to the rest of the room.

Adding color to a bedroom.You will notice that I used a white quilt on the bed as I talked about in my post last week, June 4th.

By using the white quilt I can always change the room colors at little cost.  I purchased the bright colorful pillows and bed pieces at Home Goods some time back in the sale aisle.

I think my inexpensive update turned out nice.

Simple and I’m loving it!

Ready for some guests to stop by and spend the night!

 

 

“Be a Miracle to Someone”

On Sundays I always try to catch the TV broadcast of Joel Osteen.

If you have never listened to him I suggest you do so at least once.

He is the Pastor at the very successful Lakewood Church, in Houston,Texas.

Joel’s message is always a positive message for living and believing in God and all He can do in our lives.  Encouraging us to let go of negativity and doubt that often bring us down.

The message last week was ” Be a Miracle to Someone”.

You can do this in small ways everyday, small things in the lives of people to encourage them or show them that you care can be huge, and life changing.

Pick up the phone and call someone who may be alone or feeling so lonely.

Hug someone in pain.

Smile at someone, say “good morning”.

Listen to someone with your heart.

Buy someone a cup of coffee.

As Joel stated, “don’t just be someone passing by”.

Friday I was at one of my favorite stores, Michael’s Arts and Crafts.  I was in the isle where you would find drawing paper and crayons for children.

A sweet lady came up behind me and said, in a giggling way, “I love crayons”.  When I turned around I realized that she was mentally challenged.  She appeared to be in her twenties.  I replied, “I love crayons too”.  She was with someone who may have been her mother and she was pointing out all the things she would like to buy.

When I was in the checkout lane they came up behind me. Again she kept asking for things and especially wanted an “Angry Birds” coloring book that just cost a dollar. The answer she was given was “no”.

As soon as I left the store I realized that I should have bought the coloring book for her.  I am sure it would have made her very happy.  Why didn’t I do that?

I was one of those “passing by” people.  Oh how I regret that I didn’t do that simple something to brighten her day.

I imagine now how she would have said in her giggling sweet voice and smiling face, “Oh, Thank You”.

If you have the chance, be someone’s miracle tomorrow.

I know I will never miss that opportunity again.

Love to all.

 

 

“A Day With No Crayons”

As a child I always loved crayons, still do!

In several other posts I have mentioned my love of children’s books, so today I want to share a wonderfully delightful picture book, “A Day With No Crayons“, written by  Elizabeth Rusch.

A Day With No Crayons!

The story is about the day Eliza’s mother took her crayons away!

With her crayons gone, Eliza’s imagination takes over and magic begins.

Her creativity shines anywhere and everywhere!

Chad Cameron, the illustrator, made the story come alive.  It is so very cute.

There is something about Eliza, the way she stands, and her enthusiasm, that reminds me of my niece Amanda, when she was small.  She would visit me quite often, and brought so much joy, love, and happiness to my life.  Love you Amanda!

From "A Day With No Crayons"!

If you have children, especially “little artists”, buy this book for them.  They will love it and so will you!

I feel like there is an “Eliza” in me!

Have a great colorful weekend.

See ya!

 

 

“Thankful Thursday” – Journaling!

Before my day comes to an end I find peace and joy in writing down my thoughts.

I have kept a journal for several years now and I wish I had done it all of my life.

You can do this anytime during the day, it doesn’t have to be at bedtime.

I journal everyday, but do it when you want to or feel the need, it is not meant to be a chore.

It is so beneficial to me to write down something that is on my mind. Examining a stressful situation by expressing my thoughts and feelings allows me to step back and take a look at what is upsetting me before saying or doing things I will regret. Cruel, harsh words are hard to take back after being spoken.

I try to be as honest in my writings to myself as I possibly can.  It is calming just laying down your worries.

There are so many journals on the market today since journaling is being seen as a positive thing to do in your life.

Journals!There are many types, art journals, travel journals, prayer journals, and gratitude journals just to name a few.

One other thing that I do everyday in my journal is to add at least one thing that I am grateful for that happened during the day.

Here are just a couple of examples from my journal this past week.

– My grown son came over to me as I was reading, fluffed my hair, and said “I love you Mom”.  Do you know how many people never have anyone to say “I love you” to them?

– Thankful that we were able to help someone this week by giving them our spare refrigerator that we kept in our garage for extra drinks and such.  These folks are broke and were having to use coolers to keep their food cold. Right now they are lucky to make the mortgage payment.

Being thankful is so very important to loving your own life.

I thank God every morning for another day and every night for the joys and gifts of that day.

Give yourself a gift today of a journal, and give this a try.

Happy joyful, peaceful, journaling!