I'm Back!

Don't be afraid...yet. I'm not as scary as Jack. My kids aka HANKsters (Hannah, Aj,Nick, and Kim) might tell you otherwise. So much fun to be a mommy; you can kiss boo boo's, juggle the phone in one hand and a screaming kettle in the other, then turn into a horrid monster when you have found your 4 year old writing on the wall with your brand new lipstick. Oh yeah, fun times.
Whoops, rambled on; welcome back friends. Grab a coffee, pick ax, whatever, and enjoy the speed bumps. 

Turkey Transformation

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post this. Its fresh in my mind and so eagerly wanting to be shared. As I was asked on Cafe Mom about memorable Thanksgiving's, I forgot one that needs a good laughing to.

When we were younger, my brother, sis, and me, always had Thanksgiving dinner at home. My dad was the one that cooked that luscious piece of meat. Normally it was cooked in the old fashioned 'turkey in a bag' method, but on one Thanksgiving, my dad had spent some time researching and announced early that he was going to try a new technique. My dad was always inquisitive and loved to learn new foods, etc. I just looked at my brother and thought "well this could either be very good or very bad." Remembering the turkey that the Griswold's had, and its bad luck and dryness; I didn't count my lucky stars.

Well, that day had arrived and my dad was walking about, almost prancing at that chance to try his new found recipe. He walked in the kitchen, gave the turkey a bath ( or so we thought at the time) and grabbed a big syringe. He looked over at my brother and said " I am going to make this turkey into a girl turkey." And my brother looking puzzled as he watched my dad from aside, poke and prod at the turkey. With a few grunts and a few jabs, he stepped back and gave a smirk-ish grin. Usually when he gave this grin, you knew he was up to no good; as my dad was the king of all pranksters.
My brother took a couple steps closer and yelled, " Dad!! You really did it!! The turkey has boobies!!" All that poking was just a quick augmentation of butter filled cavities and gave the turkey a new, more feminine appearance.
Yeah it might be quite silly and a tad bit awkward. But to a 7yo boy, that was a masterpiece. I will never forget looking at my brother and seeing his eyes grow to be bigger than silver dollars. And still to this day we ask my dad if he is going to transform the turkey and give it a boob job. Silly to think a bunch of adults sitting around on Thanksgiving talking about such a thing; but why not? Its a great memory and one that we are thankful to share.

Its a stress feeding frenzy out there

I dread every morning. Not because its a rush to wake up and get the kids going but my husband turns on the dreaded news. I used to love the news when I was younger. I found it so fascinating to learn what was happening half a globe away; auto tuning into the good not the bad. However, in today's society that auto tuning has become harder and harder to do.

So as I quickly shut it off while hearing about some shooting, I thought well can't hurt to face book right? Yeah right; I got lured into my local Fox news station post saying "Ouch!" and then this picture:

Looks harmless right? Just a story about the prices going up like they normally would as we get closer to the holidays. But as I happen to scroll down the first thing I notice are the insane posts. Insane meaning some were blaming the president to the mayor to their own dog. For crying out loud, it was ridiculous and a tad bit humorous. I didn't know whether to just burst out laughing or comment back recommending a local psychiatrist.

We have become so consumed in the news and media that we forget the normal passing of rites ( rites meaning normal inflation around the holidays). Then again I would like to say a big thank you to the newscasters. Thanks for keeping a stress-feeding frenzy in our homes. True there are some people that would say " OH Lord they just said that watching Fox News will give us Cancer so I'm gonna unplug the tv and go get a MRI." Someone will always take it above and beyond the reasoning of insanity. However, for grounded people like myself.. ahem.. I just like to Laugh Out Loud at the weak attempts.

Dont mind me..

Just adding my blog to Digg ( http://www.digg.com/). Please don't think I have lost my mind; although my kids will tell you differently LOL!!!

Share everything but germs this season

As it gets colder and winter swings into full gear we all soon dread that most feared thing about winter; colds and flu. After my 5 year old got sick a few weeks ago he said," Mommy, these bad germs need to go back to hiding under the leaves. If they are cold, I will bring them a blanket cause I don't want them living with us anymore." I gues he imagined that the cold was indeed something that was cold, perhaps like a small cartoon like dust bunny, and it was nestled under the pile of leaves to keep warm.

I had explained that a cold was germs that we could not see and leaving a blanket outside will not lessen our chances of getting sick. Instead, I helped him thoroughly wash his hands and gave him some Clear Defense Hand Gel.  This handy gel has only 2 ingredients; Ethenyl Alcohol and T36-C5 Melaleuca oil which is tea tree oil. Most antibacteria gels have tons more chemical products with are very caustic and harmful if you inhale enough of it.

http://www.melaleuca.com/ProductStore/Product.aspx?sku=5040


So while you're out and about this season; remember to grab some and keep it in your pocket or purse. We will all gladly accept hugs; we just don't want the germs.

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For all of you readers wondering what is going on.. don't worry; I haven't lost my marbles just yet.

Fabulous Friday

I just got my rhinestones last night and they are oh so cute!! I am not sure whether to sell them seperately or as a lot. I have newborn sets and toddler/girl sets. Hmm, what to do. I still have a bunch more to do so I think for now I will do them as lots, and then as they dwindle, list them seperately.

Things to do Thursday

So much to do!! Finally having normal flow in my house I can finally get caught up on some cleaning without worry. Two years ago the city repaved the street and new curb. The new curb is what crushed our sewer line, so, they came out in full force and fixed it in two days. I was happy to see it fixed, not to mention the very handsome men that work sweating away.

I should also be received my rhinestone buttons today so that means 20 new zebra and cheetah flower headbands to be made, YAY!! I have tons of crotchet headbands and have been patiently waiting to get all of my product to assemble these beauts.

Another to do is see if I can still send in my vendor application for a local craft show that is coming up. I haven't got nearly as much product as I would like. However, I think once I get that approval, I will shift into Go mode. Until then its unto baking more korker piggies.

Manic Monday has a whole new meaning today.

I am literally knee high in dodo today. Over the weekend we realized that our clean outs ( vents coming up to the surface from sewer line) was spewing, yes spewing, every time we ran water. I had never seen it happen and from the ground seepage, it looked like it been doing that for a couple of days. So we call our home warranty and think that everything is hokey dory. Yeah right

The plumber comes out on Sunday and informs us that we have a line break. I thought to myself, okay not bad that is something the warranty will cover. However, on Monday/today, I found that to be totally wrong. They only cover line breaks inside the home not outside. So grabbing a shovel I dig my little heart out. After 4 hours and not finding the line I call the gentleman that came out. " Oh no hun, the break is under the curb or the street. You wont find it there." I hung up, grabbed a pillow, and screamed my lungs out in it. My worst nightmare was now a reality. How in the world would I be able to afford that??? And now I will have to get the city involved; which I hate to say is never an easy task. I don't have weeks for them to casually come when they feel and fix it; I need it done quick. I cannot sit here smelling the revolting smell of human heap from my living room and watch it spew into my yard any longer.

Hopefully tomorrow will be promising, with plenty of delicious smelling candles lighting the way.

Food For Thought Friday

Last night I came across a really cool site called WalletPop. I has alot of various info and is a really good read. From Halloween tidbits to most dangerous cities; this site had it all. I really like the freebie section and has something for everyone.
So go check it out here

Thoughtful Thursday

Every morning after the kids get on the bus, and little miss is still asleep; I head over to my Cafe Mom Groups and talk for a few or vent out that past nights events. On my 30 Somethings group, I noticed a post called Thoughtful Thursday. I immediated smacked my forehead and thought, " uhm.... yeah remember those sticky notes you have; you forgot... again."
Only in the second day and I was already forgetting my new blog schedule, tisk tisk. Thank Goodness for my friends on my group to remind me today was supposed to be thoughtful, not thoughtless.

Wishful Wednesday

To keep myself in a daily routine of blogging I have started some themes for each day.
So as for my title lets wishfully hope that I can keep on this plan.

To keep my wishful thinking alive; Im gonna add some post-its around my screen to remind myself. Whenever I'm bored or cant sleep it will remind me and say: Hey you!! Remember me?
Hopefully that will keep me in check and only time will tell.

So what do you do to keep on a normal blogging routine???

DIY: Freestanding Display For Craft Shows

If you're like me and have spent countless hours searching the net and coming up short on how to build a display; then look no further. This one is very simple to do and can be customized to however it suits your needs.

Here is what will be making:

It is 2' Wide and 5' Tall.

Supplies:

1-2'x4' Peg Board ( They come in 1/8" or 1/4" thickness, so that is up to you. However, I suggest the 1/4" as it seems to be more sturdier overall.)

2- 1"x2"x5' (sides)

2-1"x2"x20"

2-1"x2"x16"(legs)

4- L Brackets Preferably the heavier duty brackets that are 1" wide. (or just use what you already have)

Box of Roofing Nails

Now I will warn you that I am not a handyman or liscensed in any way so if there is something that I forget or doesn't seem right, feel free to comment. I wanted to make this with ease and for any skill level.

Before starting:

Clear an area of debris and give yourself plenty of room for this project. I had to rip or cut all of my existing wood so make sure you have an area for cutting if you haven't already. I used wood from a pallet that was left in the garage from the previous owner. So just use your imagination and recycle if you can.

Step One: Building a frame

Lay the 1"x2" x 5' boards (2) parallel to each other and lay the pegboard right side up, on top of it. The right side is the smooth side. Make sure that both the tops of the lumber and the top of the board are on the ends running down the 4' side. Hammer a nail in the top corners first making sure that the ends of the board are all flush and straight, then on the outer bottom end of the pegboard. Doing the top first allows you to move the bottom around if its not straight. Then nail 2 more along the middle and again on the ends.

Using the 1"x2" x 20" place them along side the top ends like shown. Again nailing 2 on each side of the lumber and 2 in the middle. Please remember this is face up still!! If you do it face down you will not grab the peg board or the nail will be poking through, ouch!

Step 2:Applying the legs

Stand your display up so that it is standing on the 2, 5' ends. Take your 1x2x16" and mark a line at 8". Place each leg on that mark. ( I am using this for hairbows and dont have to worry too much about counterweight. Depending on how heavy of a product you want to use, you might need to make the legs longer. Just play around with this part untill you get it at the right formula)

Next, take one of the L brackets and center it in the middle of the bottom board ( 1x2x16) and flush against the leg. You might want to have some help on this step as you will need to keep the display perfectly straight. Hammer in the nails in the bracket slots, preferably bottoms first.Or you can put an L bracket, one on each side of the leg that way when you hammer in the nail it will not hit the nail on the opposite end.

That is it!! Now you can paint it or leave it in its natural color. Also if you have some casters you can apply those to the bottom making your display very portable.

Lesson Learned

Today I learned the hard way to never talk about politics on facebook. It didn't neccesarily start up as politics but it very well ended that way. So here's the scoop:

A friend of mine today had said that she had seen an Islamic man wearing a shirt with an Bin Laden picture and was outraged that he would be allowed into a public place wearing it. I asked, " Did you get a good look at the shirt?" and she kinda threw back almost in disgust and merely stated that she had just seen the image although it may have had writing on it. Now I am not one to take things quite litterally. To me she also seemed that she had pre-judged him and placed him into the normal stereotype as if she was filing books upon a shelf. I thought, it could possibly be one of those t-shirts that say Wanted and have his mug shut; more or less demeaning Bin Laden, not condoning him.

This little scenario got me to boldly ask my face-friends ( facebook friends) what their first reaction was. I did leave out the Warning tee part so I would not taint the answer. Only a handful of people responded and it was mix emotion. However none of them really asked what else was on the shirt or if it was a mockery, etc. So I had explained my answer and the reason for asking. I more or less wanted to see if we, as Americans, do tend to prejudge before we know the whole truth or story.

Somehow out of this debate; it got led into abortion and the mosque. Now how on earth these two can be comparable; you have me. I warned to please tread softly and that I don't want flames coming out of anyones ears. Did they listen; oh no. What was once a simple question of judgement fell into bad judgement on my part. It had turned into a full blown debate on abortion. Yikes!

So why am I writing about this? Lets just say let this be a true lessoned learned for anyone. If you want to fire up a debate that is fine; but do not underestimate people's opinions and think that someone will not get hurt in the end. We all feel passionate about our feelings and what we think is right and most of us will feel threatened if others feel otherwise. Abortion is definately not an easy subject to talk about and has too many unspecifics or not a cut-throat answer. If you want to debate; make it about something positive like ways you can save on energy or maybe local govermental issues. But head my warning; if you open a can of worms, you might get a little more than you bargained for.

Let the Planning Begin Muah Ha Ha

Almost 2 months till the 2nd best holiday of the year, Halloween. And now that I have a home of my own, you bet your bones I am going to ghoulify it and turn my garage into a haunted house. There is only one problem; can I keep on a budget.

Now I do know how to scare those pesky kids that always complain that I am not giving out the BIG candy bars. I just don't know if I can control my fascaious appetite of those wonderfully scary animitronics that are plentiful in the internet world. For now, I will just stick to the important pieces.

First and foremost, I need to design a layout and do an actual walk through to make sure there is adequate room. Since I am using my garage, and it is only a 1 car, I have to also consider moving things around or putting things such as the bikes, etc outside for that week.( my husband is going to pull the kids on the tractor and fill the cart with hay) I could also just see if my neighbor would hold them inside his garage as well. Use my puppy-eyed charm for that purpose LOL!

Secondly, and almost as important, is a theme. You can't very well have alien props in a medieval scene now can you. I was thinking more along the lines of a chop shop. I have gadzooks of tools, so why not let them be carelessly thrown into the mix. My work bench is also just the right height and width, oddly, to create it into a surgical table.Who knows later on I could have an actor play as a doctor while cutting up another actor or patient and them come after those pesky kids.

Lighting and plumbing of the fog machine will also have to be considered. I will be using duck cloths for my walls and ceiling. It is much more thicker than muslin and with my coupons from JoAnns, it will be the same price. Why ceiling also, you ask? Because it adds to the fun house feel, a sense of distortion which creates uneasiness. If they feel they are in a box room they can already sense where the actors will be to jump out at them or where the scare tactic will lie. But if you make your walls at a 45 degree angle and drape the ceiling a little, it will throw their perception off enough so that they might not see someone lurking in the shadows.

I wont have but a few lights since the garage is small enough. I was thinking about just using the main garage door light but added a flickering light bulb to it. I know I dread going down a hall that the lick is flickering, hoping that I get to the end before it goes completely out. So that is the image that I want to create. No strobe lights for health reasons.

Plumbing for the fog machine is going to be the easy part; or atleast sounds easy enough. I will just get enough PVC piping to cover the floor plan. Cut holes into the top of the pvc piping for ventilation. When that night comes, place dry ice in each pipe ( just slide it down if that is easier), cap the ends and link it to the fog machine. Dry ice gives the fog more weight and creates that graveyard mist effect. I don't want anyone choking on fog so keeping it low lined will not only help that but also distort their sense of flooring as well.

So still alot to chew and loads of work so far but I am going to enjoy every bit of this. I will keep posting more as I continue and throw some snap shots in the mix as well. Wish me luck and hopefully luck will only be needed to those who dare enter my chop shop. Muah ha ha!!

Pigs in a Blanket, has a whole new meaning

I was thinking last night while sitting around our fire pit, eating marshmellows, about what I missed about summer the most. I mainly miss family gatherings and the big cookouts that my folks would have at their house during July. Thinking back on that it only brought one thought "Pig ( well technically a hog) in a blanket".

One summer when I was 10, my family was getting ready for our annual hog roast. I was sitting with my best friend playing when all of a sudden my dad runs in my room, sweating as if he had just been chased. He shuts the door quietly and says " You two, whatever you do, do not go into the bathroom. I killed a man and I put him in the tub." Now knowing my dad, he is the ultimate prankster and will do anything for a good laugh. We just shrugged it off and decided to see for ourselves.
After he left our room, me and my best friend gave each other the " lets go look" nod, and tip toed out to the hallway. When we got into the bathroom, I instantly noticed that my old sleeping blanket was in the tub and looked as if there was indeed something hidden under there. With a gulp and a big breathe, I peered slowly under the blanket only to see pink flesh underneath. We screamed with all of our might and ran back to our room. Bursting into tears all I could think of was that I was going to jail for a very long time. I even pondered in seeing if I could run away to my grandmothers so that I could atleast stay out of jail.
And in that last thought and loud 'oh my god, what'll we do,' I heard the faint laughter of my dad and my best friends dad outside my bedroom window. I quickly opened it to harp at them for laughing at a time like this. They had finally got us quiet enough to explain that it was only a hog that they had no where else to thaw.

I had never seen an actual hog; only when it had been cooked in a roaster and on my plate. All I knew is that my reaction went from being to scared out of mind to revenge. I eventually started talking to my dad after I realized that I could not outsmart a prankster ( besides I could never keep a straight face when I tried to pull a prank). And every summer from then on out; whenever someone says 'pig in a blanket' we tell the tale and reminesce of the good ole days.

A quick how to on making your own photo shoot

For some reason my camera does best with hallogen lighting vs natural sunlight. I think this could be due to my yard is either 100% shade or 100% sunlight. I have 9 trees in my backyard and then a " no mans land" that is just a solid patch of open area. Althought that is a great area for volleyball and teeball; it is not great for pictures. So what to do?

I figured since my garage is a perfect little area for making my photo shoot ( it also easily contains the little ones so you are not chasing them all over gods creation ); I figured I better have a looksie and see what I have laying around before I even attempt it.

In my garage we had an old wooden pallet about 4' x 6' which was perfect to hold a backdrop. Now if you don't have one of these laying around, that is okay. You can either look around to see if you have something of that size, maybe a closet door, Or you can use pvc piping to make your own like this one:

It will cost you approx

bucks and you can find the info on parts here.

Then you will need to something for a backdrop. Sure you can go to the fabric store and purchase some muslin, however a sheet will do just fine. You need to pick one that has a higher thread count though. The more thicker it is the better. You dont want to be able to see through it. It will also give your camera a break as well. Cameras will see that there is a mix color if the backdrop is see through, and give the background a very pixelated look. Here is just an example of what I came up with:

My husband had an old hunting chair that is armless that was perfect to sit underneath. However you can use anything you prefer.

So that is basically it! Youre next step is just to find a good angle to shoot and take loads of pictures.

Back to School Time.. Yay for parents, Boo for kids

Its that time of year when parents get excited that they can finally have some peace.. school time. Back to homework, meeting new teachers, and most importantly back to normal sleep schedules.

In this house atleast, my kids have not stayed on a normal sleep schedule all summer long. It might have started out with good intentions but it ended with my children trying to sneak around at 1am. Most of all this little toot, Hannah:

So hopefully now that either school is starting soon or your kids are already back; you are getting some much deserved sleep.

Spirit Bow Giveaway!!!!

I finally broke down and decided to do a give away. With everyone else doing cool stuff; I thought I would join in on the fun. I will make this extremely simple. All you have to do is just reply to either here, my blog; or you can go to my fb page here and click under the discussion tab.
This giveaway will run today through July 17th. Then at midnight ( EST) I will select a winner from random.org and announce the winner. The winner will have 12 hrs to respond back.

Now for the fun part... The winner will get a totally customizeable spirit bow. You choose the colors and choose the image you would like for the bottlecap. Whether its for your daughter school or your favorite team, it is totally up to you. I am pretty good with photoshop so don't let creativity slip out the door. I will work one on one with you untill you are totally satisfied with it.

Easy enough?? Then what are you waiting for.. start replying!!

Tearful..

I have been a little down in the dumps today. With next Saturday being my first craft show, you would think I would be excited; think again. I am just not feeling my perky self today; feeling like I am alone in my creative world. My husband showed today how much he is a non supporter of my shop, and that made me loose all hope.

I was talking today about what I still needed for the show or farmers market. I have tables, tent, and product but nothing to put or display them on. Franticly I went online seeing if there was a how to on a display that I could do. I found a couple of ideas but nothing that really caught my eye. Well I finally found something that did, mesh crate cubes at Walmart. They were only 19 bucks and I could use them for other things later on; good deal. But by my husbands sour smirk and huff; it suddenly turned from exciting to shattered dreams. I wont ramble on much more about this; lets just say I'm still a little teary eyed about the ordeal.

I just feel like I am trying soo hard but hitting a brick wall at every corner. I soo would love my real first sale; that I would go beg and plea a stranger off the street to buy one. I want people to love my things just as much as I do. What am I doing wrong or heck, what am I doing right for that matter??? For now I will just keep chucking away. I still have alot more things to make before next Saturday. Who knows; I might have a good day. But I feel if I have a bad turnout; it will break me.