Beuhler? Beuhler?!

My goodness! Has it really been 2 months since my last post?!  You thought I fell off the face of the earth, didn't you?  I'm so touched that you noticed my absence : ) thanks for checking on me!!  I did go back to work.  And with the end of the school year, spring sports & having a graduating senior it's been quite a whirlwind. I have several projects in progress but nothing truly complete...  hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's day! & hoping to have something to share in the near future(ish)

Here's a glimpse at a few things I've been working on in the last few months:

Just a little 'thank you' gift

Before

After

There was nothing wrong with the light before.  I just wanted something different.  I still need Handy Hubby : ) to rewire the light to add a candle...

Someone had the bright idea that hand-painting a canvas drop cloth would be an economical solution to purchasing expensive fabric to cover my first chair.  After hours and hours and HOURS of painting...

and realizing I would need about 4 yards of fabric...

I couldn't take it any more and have abandoned that idea to make a couple of pillows!

Sigh!!

And finally, the only project I actually finished.

It's a centerpiece for senior night at youth group.  We were each asked to create a centerpiece that represented out senior.  I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go with that.  Wandering around Hobby Lobby one day I came upon a display of birdhouses.  I decided the centerpiece would reflect my daughter's many different homes.  First, our house number is above the front door.  It's a place she'll always be welcomed and where I hope she'll always call home.  The little sign on the perch is for her church home.  One side of the house is for her high school home.  A place that will hold a special place in her heart, I'm sure!  I made a little tassel out of embroidery thread that hangs from the Fleur De Les (she takes French, is part French & it's the symbol of her HS).  The other side represents the place she will be making her new school home in the fall.  The ribbons on the post reflect the different parts of her personality.  And on the back I printed up a Bible verse.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.  Psalm 27:4

My!  How time flies!!  Graduation already?  Where did my baby go?

She's about to spread her wings and fly!

{I didn't totally realize how perfect and symbolic that birdhouse really was until just now!}

Well, that's all folks!!

Back to reality - groceries & laundry await!

Blessings!

Partying at:

Craft-o-manic
Decor Chick 
Making the World Cuter

Vision Victory

Today I'm going Green and recycling one of my earliest posts {I don't even think anyone ever read it : ) }.  & talk about green - Sheesh!  I'd like to think I've shown some improvement since I started blogging...
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Once upon a time there was a Mad Bench. What is a Mad Bench, you ask? It is a solid oak plank bench acquired by my mother-in-law many moons ago... many children ago (of which she has 9 and between the 9 there are 32 grandchildren). When her children were young and foolhardy, they were made to sit on what became dubbed the Mad Bench when they were 'mad' and needed to calm down (or if mom was mad at them and she needed a break). 

At some point we became the proud owners of the Mad Bench. Over the years it moved further and further from public view and only came out when we needed extra seating. It's sorta functional but not even sorta pretty. I've thought of giving it a makeover for years some time but am an awful not a very good seamstress . Then push came to shove due to "The Great Furniture Shuffle" and it became necessary to bring out the 2nd and 3rd string players. I decided to tackle the Mad Bench project - duun, duun, duuuuuun! Again, I had no plan or pattern - sometimes people never learn!! Maybe it makes life more frustrating exciting to wing it...

I got all of the materials 1/2 off or with coupons, of course! Handy Hubby : ) built me a wooden apron to go right over the top of the bench so as not to permanently alter the sentimental bench. I used spray adhesive to attach the 2" foam for some cush on the tush. I picked out a fabric suspiciously similar to one in Ballard Designs and some black piping.



I measured, I pinned, I sewed, I undid, and redid. (Grrrrr)

I'm happy to finally, Finally report that the Mad Bench is no longer what it was (although I almost went mad during the process and had to take a time-out from that said bench many, Many times)!!!! Now you wouldn't even recognize it as the Mad Bench, mostly because you can't see any of it anymore. It's not too horrible for my first attempt, if I do say so myself! Not beautiful, not horrible. But... well, nobody is allowed to sit on it - are you kidding me?! After all the blood, sweat and tears? Uuuuum. No. Ma'am!!


Benches are for looking at and admiring from afar. Try to sit on that bench and I'll give you something to be mad about!!  : )

Come join me for another look-see, won't you? We're admiring and admiring.

And so these three new looks (the tablecloth, the spray painted coffee table and the mad bench) were a few of the little things that made me say, "Aaaaah! so satisfying!" 

Gotta love it when a plan comes together!

So there you have it - MLE's ABC's

Blessings!

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Today I'm participating in:

R is for Ridiculous!

CAUTION:

Too many snow & ice days...

 

may kill brain cells...

 

Yup!  I'm sooo proud!  : )

Blessings!

Wordless Wednesday

Seven Clown Circus

Happy 2011!

Wow!  It seems like for.e.ver since I posted last!

Well, I've finished my seasonal stint with Am@z*n.com.  Whew!  that was WAY more than I bargained for...
Was sick in bed for Christmas...
Still putting away holiday stuff that I feel I hardly got to enjoy...
Filled out FAFSA forms for 2 kids...
Threw a 70th birthday celebration for Dear 'ol Dad...
Muddling through teenage angsty issues...
Assembled a donation for a Ladies' Candlelight Dinner auction...
Gearing up for an anniversary...
Shoveled the driveway at least 3 times...
Feeling a bit brain dead & it's only January...

I could probably bore you to death on each of these topics but I'll spare you today : )

I try to peek in on my dashboard now & again but I'm terribly behind!  Hopefully, I'll be back in the swing of things again soon and I might even manage to muster up enough creative juices to pull something together for Valentine's Day?!  Oh the pressure!  I am tempted to participate in Decor Chick!'s Real Homes, Real Messes, Real Life Party.  That's about my speed right now...  Go take a peek, it'll make ya feel better : )

At least I've updated my blog background - it's officially winter-fied!  {although maybe I should have done that 25" of snow ago.  hehe}  Ah well!  spring won't be here anytime soon!

I truly hope you are all well!  Looking forward to sitting down with my cup of coffee, my sanity, my mojo & catching up with you soon!

Hugs & blessings

Labor of Love

I've been a stay.at.home mom all my married life.

{so that's been what? a decade...or 2}  

That's not to say I haven't worked, I just haven't gotten a formal pay check for anything I've done - I've only been paid in smiles & hugs.  So I have no professional references, but I'm flush in volunteer positions!

As a family we finally hit critical mass.  Three kids with 3 tuitions {and sports & activities and assorted wants & needs}, 3 cars {but 2 I'd call Fred Flinstone cars both on about their 10th life},  a mortgage etc etc.  All on 1 pay check.  In addition to being Handy, Hubby's been a great provider but I'm sure you see where I'm heading.  Momma finally had to get a paying job.

I had concerns.  Daughter A is a senior and I would be heartbroken if I missed out on any of her stuff this year.  My SAHM status had allowed me to be at their beck and call.  I've cooked all of their meals.  I've packed their lunches.  I've done almost all of their laundry...

Hmmmmm...

Maybe a little time out of the house would be a good thing...

I happened to see a want ad for seasonal help at a warehouse nearby.  I filled out an application on-line.  They accepted volunteer references if you didn't have professional references {were SAHM's a target demographic?}.  And best of all they were hiring on the spot.

I feel like I've been training for this position all of my SAHM life!!

When I arrived I waited in line at the door.

{like I've done in school pick-up lines, at Disney, Black Friday}

They had me do a Skills Test to see if I could pay attention to fine detail.

{my kids don't call me Eagle Eyes for nothin' - I.SEE.ALL}

Many of the stations required some computer aptitude.

{I'm gonna say my limited stint blogging has helped me learn to navigate a computer : )}

I had to participate in a drug screening.

{it turned out to be a mouth swab - thank goodness! cuz I was a little uptight about the possibility of having someone watching me produce a urine sample.  I won't even let my kids do that any more...so whew!}

I had to agree to the possibility of being on my feet for 10 hr shifts.

{Umm contrary to popular belief, being a SAHM is not about kickin' up your feet & eating bon-bons.  It's an endurance test - am I right?!  fine, I will admit I don't write any posts standing up}

And I had to agree to some regular lifting.

{Ok well, I figure 20 lbs is like a small child who begs to be picked up all day long!  & I feel like I go to the grocery about every day. I think I'm good there.}

I'm pretty sure I've been placed in the packing department.

{Now if 22 years of successfully packing Christmas ornaments away doesn't qualify me for this job then I'm hopeless!!}

I was told I had to wear my hair in a pony tail or a bun.

{Are you kidding me? No wasted time on personal grooming in the morning?  Would it be too forward if I say 'I love you'?}

& I was told to wear comfortable clothing.

{Well, I've got the perfect mom-jeans for the job, man!}

See?!  This job was meant for me!!

Smiles & hugs are da bomb! But nothing says 'thanks for your help' like a paycheck : )

Of course, every work day when that alarm goes off at 4am, I'll have to chant to myself

I love my family!

I love my family!!

I love my family!!!

*ps I may be a little slower getting around to commenting that I used to - please forgive!*

Blessings!

In the Know

Handy Hubby : )'s birthday was at the end of November.  He is the 3rd of 9 kids.  To date, there are 31 grandkids on his side of the family! Over the years we have made several variations of the family tree for his parents.

This year I made one for Handy Hubby : ).

To the untrained eye, this may just look like a number chart...

but for those in the KNOW, it's actually sorta kinda a family tree!

A little back story for you - When my in-laws moved into their current house, they found boxes of antique printing press numbers and letters in the attic.  They are really cool but no one knew what to do with them.  One SIL sorted the pieces by size into 3 different boxes.  She took a few letters and spelled out 'cookies' & 'yummy' in her kitchen.  One day when we were over to help clean out the garage, my MIL asked if we'd like the rest of them.  

Mmmm, Yes!! Please!!

I sorted them again.  So, now I have ziploc bags of each number and letter.  Perhaps I was inspired by all of the subway art and Pottery Barn knock-offs for my creation.  

The secret to this display is that each of the numbers, of course, represents each of the siblings in HH's family.  For each number, the groupings are made up of the number of kids in each person's family.  Get it?!! 

It's subtle, for sure.  

But that's what I like about it - it's not in.your.face!

And there's even room to grow if absolutely necessary {NOT the 3's, however... that oven is no longer in service : )}

Here's my favorite little grouping

{I know these look like e's but when they're stamped they are 9's}

Sib #9 has 4 kids.  The oldest are a set of twins.  I love their little pyramid : ) teehe

I got a cut of discount gold silk-like fabric from Hobby Lobby.  And I got a simple black frame with a coupon.  Together they make up a black & gold background representing Purdue {where HH & I met}.  The gold also happens to be the color in our basement where this will most likely hang.

I used Gorilla Glue to adhere everything together.  It was the first time I'd ever used the stuff.  It's interesting.  It certainly is strong glue but I'm not sure I like all the expanding it does...

So when you stop by next and see this frame hanging up, YOU are now one of the people 

In the Know!! : ) 

Blessings!

You might find me partying at some of these places *HERE*

Jumping for Joy!

So waaaay back at the beginning of September I won one of my first blog giveaways.  

Oh! it was such an exciting morning to sit down at the computer with my morning cup of coffee, open my email and find out that I had won a $55 gift certificate to CSN from Maryann @ Domestically Speaking!  (If you aren't familiar with her, you've gotta check out her blog - seriously!)

Before I had even had my caffeine fix {a morning person I am NOT} I was able to magically jump up to do a happy dance - and I'm talkin' booty shakin', head swingin', lower lip bitin', fist pumpin' excitement!!  Woo Hoo! 

I had never shopped at CSN before but was thrilled to explore the site.  {Have you ever looked at their site?  It's overwhelming because there is SO much to look at!}  And after MUCH agonizing & spending the GC 100 different ways I finally decided on some Le Creuset cookware : )

Ja wanna know what I just ordered?

 

Le Creuset 12" x 9.5" Rectangular Dish in Black Onyx

Le Creuset Stoneware 10.5" x 7" Baking Dish in Cobalt with FREE 7" x 5" Bonus Dish

Oops! I loaded the wrong color duet *pictured is Caribbean but I ordered Cobalt*

I wish I could say I'm getting these for myself... remember those 100 different ways I spent the GC?  Well, approximately 98 of those ways were for me, myself & I!  But truth be told, we're stretching our budget every which way we can right now.

So the cookware will be wrapped and sent to 2 very good homes where they will be used and loved by the chefs of the house!

Who knows, maybe one day I'll be served something in those little cuties : P
Again, gifting with ulterior motives - hehe

So, Thank You Maryann & CSN for giving me the opportunity to play Santa!!

 

Blessings!