My Normal

Well, as normal as my life can be after a whirlwind 3 weeks of making merry. It was fun while it lasted and it's a lot of work but well worth it. Thank God (literally) Christmas comes only once a year.

All 3 of my little squirrels are back at school much to their mother's delight

The stairs are almost finished....almost!






and Raquel is safety back in her dorm





















And when the dust settled and everything was put away till next time, my dining room looked half way decent...














Now? It's back to my











normal....whatever that is

I'm up to my eyeballs in Spring and Wonderland,
stay tuned....I'm Just Sayin'

Life Update

Been busy around here and haven't had much time to blog, well, it's not a priority right now but it will be come September. Got back from Palm Springs and had a wonderful time. I have one pic....this one...

Either we forgot our camera or the pictures we took we didn't like and I wouldn't be caught dead putting them on here, but needless to say...a good time was had by the both of us.


Trying to finish up my Christmas stuff but again...been kinda busy around here and seems I'm unmotivated...hopefully that'll pass...

little burlap rosettes wrapped around buttons make a very primitive and rustic Christmas Tree

I used vintage sheet music to make these....Candle holder and wall hanger. Added glitter and burlap and we're good to go

We celebrated my first born Birthday. Can you believe Meredith is 33?...she'd kill me if she knew I put her age out there...she doesn't read this blog so I think I'm safe

meredith and franklin

The staircase is coming along slowly but nicely. Eric can only work on it on weekends which leaves plenty of time for us to write all over them

Next Tuesday I will be here with my partner in crime Brenda...enough said...lol

and when I get back....It's that time again.....

Nothing says Summer like deep fried butter...

That it folks...till next time!

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzy

A little peak of what's on my plate. Been busy creating. Sorting through buttons, yarn, fabric and just about anything else most people discard.

This Christmas Tree is made from taupe colored yarn, an assortment of buttons , some dingle berries and lots of glitter. I found this old chippy tin at a yard sale for 10cents...

Dollar Store religious candles made into festive Christmas candles....same thing right?

and more...honestly, about 20 of them which are packed away in a cool spot of the house and this candle stick and stray votive I found that I stained

This, well, I don't know what this was when I found it. It's like a food cover made from metal with a little birdie sitting on top. Painted it, added a button ( of course) and I paired it with this once again, lost English tea saucer...I suppose you could place anything in there if you wanted

and this honey of a cookie jar hive that I painted, shellacked and topped with a whimsical bee

Your probably wondering what am I gonna do with this stuff...Well, hopefully, in October I'll be a vender in Escondido (that's near San Diego) at a re purpose, recycling, makeover flea market. One of the problems I'm having is that some of my items I've never seen before. I've looked high and low all over the internet, etsy, ebay and the assorted blogs and I'm having a hard time pricing certain items. Guess I'll find out come October....I'm just sayin'

Life List

There's so much going on lately that I could write several posts and take up about 5 or 6 weeks worth...but I won't cuz I'm to lazy, instead, I'll just write a list...here goes....


Raquel got a car and not just any car, a car that my mother in law bought 5 days before Raquel was born...yup, it's a 1993 Mercury Topaz, top of the line (for that year) with 32,000 miles on it and in mint condition. It even has a little statue of Jesus on the dashboard, that I so fashionably attached a FFA flag to his hand. So now, my car isn't used for a mobile office anymore, nor does it reek of livestock and have a continuously layer of farm dust on it...It's just MY car again!

I'm officially buying College stuff, like, extra long bed sheets and comforters and mace.

Raquel, my very anti dress daughter picked out the very first prom dress she saw and we both like it....who knew?

We found a possum living up in our tree and Eric is beside himself trying to catch it. Even though he's slower (the possum) he seems to be a little more adaptable.

Easter was uneventful and I made a little mini ham for just us but I still had to endure all those scary pictures of Jesus.

Although we and when I say we, I mean Eric, has finished the little staircase it made the rest of the carpeted staircase look ugly, so, we are beginning to rip out ALL the carpet and finish it in wood. Now when my squirrelly grandsons tap dance on the staircase, it'll be music to our ears....NOT!!!!

Our house is starting to resemble a dairy, a goat dairy to be exact. We are feverishly pasteurizing goat milk and making the most delicious garlic and dill goat cheese on the planet. Thinking about renaming the house to Maison de fromage de chèvre...House of Goat Cheese!

Signed up for water aerobics again and although I haven't gone yet due to cold evening weather, I'm sooooo looking forward to putting on the slenderizing bathing suit that cost me an arm and a leg...hopefully, thinner arms and legs.

....And I'm crafting my arse off, making whatever comes to mind...and that is what I'll be posting about soon.

What have you all been up to?

Some of this, some of that

Just a sneak peak of what I've been up to...busy busy busy!


Some decorative candles

yarn Christmas Tree and whimsical Bee Hive

and a very frenchy serving tray.....

There is a whole lot more, but I don't wanna give it all away...just yet.

Enjoy!!

Project Complete

Remember this post?

I'm kinda gettin' in the Holiday spirit and making these Christmas trees from buttons. Two will be gifts and the rest are mine. I had fun making them and I think I've heard every "button" joke on the planet from my family. I used felt, scrap book paper, thrift store frames that were spray painted and of course....buttons! I've got more ideas for my buttons, but for now...Enjoy!

The Latest

Well, I'm kinda winding down for the Summer and trying to wrap my brain around going back to work and Raquel going back to school for her last year. This Summer has been a very mild one...climate wise and a very fun and interesting one...life wise. Here's just a little snippet of whats been going on here for the last few weeks....


This use to be a mini corn field

now it's just good ol' corn. Most of it was good (so I hear...I don't eat corn) with a couple of not so good ears. Gave most of it to family and friends

The tomato plant is still goin' strong and they were and are wonderful

Had a huge BBQ with Eric's relatives from Austria....we all had a great time including the newest member of our family....Alex

Celebrated my BFF Brenda's B Day at Farrell's and made a pig outta ourselves and pretended we were 16 again...OK...we do that all the time but we had a good reason to this night

Connected with a friend from High School...shout out to Facebook, and REALLY(uhh ohh) acted 16 again...turns out he doesn't live too far from me...We'll surely see each other again

Had a minute of crafting. Bought these 3 plaques at a yard sale for $2...total. They were brownish and I just sprayed them my ever lovin' off white and placed them in the patio

and these two are still together and it's been quite interesting to watch. I'm looking forward to this new school year...(shaking my head no..wink, wink

I'm just sayin'

This n That

Just a few things I've been up to....making a mess




and then redecorating...My living room is very monochromatic and I always try to add a splash of red...like putting red food coloring in the cala lily water


and revamping the side table in the dining room











This empty box of chocolate chip cookies (i didn't eat one) was too good to throw out. I have a friend Tammy who is the Queen of recycling and she has inspired me to do so...



I used circus print paper with out clowns (click on the link and you'll see why) glued it to all sides and the top then, I added some ric rac and my favorite obsession...buttons and now I have a brand new canister in my kitchen



There has been some serious baking going on
lately. Why is it, that I almost end up baking
when the weather gets warm? Anyways, cookies
for Raquel's friends birthday because Raquel is
too busy, seriously, she barely has time to sleep.
And cookies for one function or another but as I stated before...I haven't eaten any...yet. I hid a couple in the freezer for me for after my dr. appt next week...cross your fingers...lol!








Again I'm on a shipping tag jag. I go through
phases and I just about wear myself out. I have tunnel vision and I'm up late but I have a great time creating...just me and my ipod





















What else am I gonna do with all my buttons?




...and, I printed on fabric and made it
into a pillow but I don't like the way
it came out. I'm not a perfectionist, it's just that the writing is not centered on the pillow and EVERTHING must be centered. So, I
will rework it and I'm sure I'll blog about it in the near future...

Now about that apron....

that's all folks!