DIY: 5k

Ok, so I will admit I am not doing the 5k entirely by myself, but I am training to do it with the help of a Droid application called Couch 2 5K (C25K) I am not a runner, but I have always wanted to be a runner, and to run the Boilermaker, which is a pretty large road race in town near me. A friend of mine started the program and really likes it, so I figured that I would give it a shot. Today was day one, and boy do I have news.

For one, I think I am going to buy the full version and not the lite (free) version. Simply because it won't run in the background of my phone, and let me do other things while I am running/walking. Because of this, I really didn't do today's routine, instead I was accidentally doing week 4, and I was REALLY not ready for it! So I will be trying again tomorrow, and hoping that I will be able to do it easily three times a week. The first week is kind of easy (considering that I was able to do most of week 4 without dying) it's a 5 minute warm-up walk followed by the running routine which is alternating 90 second runs with 60 second walks. The whole thing runs for about 20 minutes, and it is something that I definitely can do after today's little mishap.

So minus the pains in my legs from too strong of a run, I am roaring and ready to get to work on this program. Come tomorrow morning when the pain REALLY hits, I am sure my mind will change a bit, but lets hope not. It would be really great if I could drop a few pounds during this, but with the holidays coming I am doubting it, regardless, come July of next year, I will be running the 5k version of the Boilermaker!

DIY: Birthday Paper

Supplies:
-Leftover white or brown packing paper, (A lot of companies pack goods with this stuff and I keep it to re-pack breakable items and make my own wrapping paper.) or white wrapping paper that you can get cheap from the dollar store.
-Tissue paper OR rubber stamps of your choosing.(can use both but it is a different technique and takes MUCH longer)
-Ink stamp pad in your color choice
-Toothpicks
-Tulip Glitter paint
-Glue sticks
-Paper Towels

Instructions:
***Before I get started with the how to, let me clarify to all of you who got scared by glitter, I use the glitter in TINY amounts so that it is gift-able for both boys and girls.***

Choose your paper method you would like to use out of the following:
Option 1-Tissue Paper ONLY
If you decide that you want to use JUST the tissue paper method, then congratulations! You have chosen the easy and cute method of making wrapping paper. Please see my past blog with the tea cup card on how to stick crinkled tissue paper to the plain white or brown paper and have fun doing so on the proper sized paper to wrap a gift. Use the plain white or brown paper as your base and strips of different colored tissue paper for different effects.

Option 2-Stamped tissue paper method
If this is your choice, then life gets a little bit difficult and it takes much longer, but here is the basic technique.

Step1-Take the tissue paper, and flatten it out on a flat surface lined with paper towels under the tissue paper to prevent the surface below from getting inked.
Step2-Take stamps of your choice and stamp the tissue paper, then allow to dry.
Step3-Using the glitter glue and a toothpick, dot, line or detail small portions of each stamp to create a glittery detail on them. Allow to dry fully for about 4 hours.
Step4- Test the glitter glue to make sure that no spots are tacky, and carefully crumple tissue paper to prepare to adhere to plain white or brown paper.
Step5- Adhere tissue paper to white paper using the glue stick(see the technique in my past blog tea-cup card making if you need more help) and press out any major folds you don't want seen.
Step6- Allow to dry for up to two hours, and you are ready to wrap. Use a simply ribbon when wrapping and detail with a little glitter glue if you desire.

Option 3- Stamped paper method. This method is a little bit easier than the stamped tissue paper method, and it tends to be easy to do POST wrapping. If you decide that the wrapping paper that you used is too bland, you can do this to amp up the wow factor in your wrapping. Whether you wrap the gift first or not is your choice but the method is the same.

Step 1- Stamp directly on the paper and allow to dry completely.
Step 2- Using glitter glue and a toothpick, dot, line, or detail small portions of each stamp to create a glittery detail on them. Allow to dry fully for about 4 hours.
Step 3- Test the glitter glue to make sure no spots are tacky, and use paper or finishing wrapping the gift with a pretty bow. If you desire, you can add small amounts of glitter glue to the bow as well for a small pop of more glitter, just allow to dry before gifting!

I have become very frugal, and not only keep all of the past paper and bows from my gifts, but the packaging as well. You never know when it will come in handy, or when you might need to get a little crafty!

DIY: Drought

So I have decided that I am no good at this blogging thing when my life is so hectic already. I still dabble in DIY projects once in a while, but I don't have the time to take the pictures or write up something to make it easier for you to understand or do. Plus with my recent trip to Florida I haven't had time to breathe I am basically sorting through 900+ photos of Disney World and an area resort that we stayed in. For now, I am doing some planning for small trips in the coming months, and attempting to get ready for two weddings, also in the next two months. It's a very stressful time because there are so many requirements to being IN a wedding, let alone attending. This weekend is my sister's Bachelorette Party, and along with a couple other bridesmaids, I am trekking over to Newburgh, NY and attending a BBQ and night out with my sister for her Last Fling Before the Ring.

I think it is a cute tradition for some, and something that I have no desire to take part in come my turn. I never was big on going out, getting plastered and blaming it on the fact that it was my last chance to do so, so I don't see myself doing it to celebrate my last night as a free woman. The way I see it, once I moved in with Nick, my free woman status was over. Yeah, I have my own mind and my own life, but I enjoy the time that I spend cooking, and time with him, much more than being out and about with other people (no offense to other people, they just aren't Nick lol). I guess the way that I see it, me and Nick are basically married already. Tying the knot will only make it official and change how we file our taxes.

It's odd how quickly my wedding has turned into such a small deal since all of these other weddings started to take over. It's like my mother's house was taken over my glitter monsters, and card stock fairies, and normally this would be cool, but it is becoming scary. It's to the point that I don't want to talk or think about my wedding around my family. My mom has stopped getting on my case about setting a date and sending out save the dates, but has gone into wedding overdrive for my sister! Not to mention that every single conversation revolves around the wedding and whether or not I have everything in order for myself. Sad part is that I do, and have for about 4 months. I am just that efficient, now if only I could be that efficient when it came to DIY posts. Hopefully I will have one soon. I do have a plan for DIY creative gift wrapping once the holiday's get closer, so I guess you have at least that to look forward to!

DIY: Zucchini stamp art.

So, four cats really keep me busy! With Nick being in California for the last week, I have found very little time to do much other than take care of them, and go pick up my farm share. Which lately has been abundant with Zucchini! Now normally I am not a fan of zucchini, except in the occasional bread or skillet meal, but lately, I have been finding neat ideas using the zucchini that I thought you might be interested in knowing. This is a really great idea for kids especially, but I have found that even for me it is a great idea. The good thing about it is that you won't be using anything that you would normally eat!

The best part about a zucchini stamp is that there is really no necessary carving like you would need on a potato. Zucchini's are a bit porous, so the have a neat design on them already. However if you desire to carve a shape into them, go ahead and using small amounts of paint you can dab designs onto greeting cards, or even furniture. When you decide to change colors, cleaning the zucchini is really simple, and can be done by either slicing a chunk off, or rinse the zucchini. The possibilities are endless, and I must say that it has given me many card ideas for the near future. My mother for instance is turning 50 this year, and I am sure I will find a great zucchini to use to stamp '50' on her card! You can change the design on your zucchini as well, try a serrated knife for a ripple effect, and using different cross sections of the zucchini for different designs. Another idea it to score the surface of the stamp with a fork and create a wavy pattern. Like I said before, when painting with veggies, the possibilities are endless!

Leoben and Zarek

This is the first 'public' announcement of our new kittens and I figure that some people might want to see them, so here are a couple shots. This is Leoben (pronounces Lee-oh-bin), getting comfortable "Froggy-style" on our bed.
This is Zarek (Rhymes with Eric) a little groggy after waking up, and stretching out. He fell about ten seconds after this shot thanks to the flash popping up and startling him.

This is my favorite shot so far. Zarek and Baltar sitting in one of the kitchen windows together. It's like a daddy and his child, and I think it is absolutely adorable.

So this coming weekend, I am throwing my sister a bridal shower. I made the invitations a couple blogs ago, and they were a big hit. I figured that I would also make her some Thank You cards as well since we are having all of the guests write their addresses on envelopes as a way to pick out door prizes for those people who do not want to participate in games. So since we had two boxes of envelopes and no cards to fill them, I decided that I would make some for her. (I checked a couple stores and for the price I could make some, I couldn't find anything that were of my sister's taste)

So here is another card option.

Supplies:
8 1/2 x 11 or scrapbook card stock in desired colors at least 3 different ones.
Tulip glitter Glue
Any clear drying glue that has a fine tip
Nail gems (I used 6 for each card)
Glue stick
Scissors
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut out Backing for Thank You's using Cricut Storybook Cartridge. Use the 4" size and depth of 3. (You can also buy pre-cut Thank yous from Michaels which will allow you to skip this and the next step.
Step 2: Using Cricut, cut out Thank Yous using the same size and depth as backing
Step 3: Fold a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock to create two 5x8 pieces
Step 4: Cut cardstock to make two pieces
Step 5: Fold each piece in half so you can apply the backing and thank yous.
Step 6: Glue backing to folded card using glue stick.
Step 7: Glue thank you, using fine tip glue pen.
Step 8: Glue gems to thank you using glitter glue. It creates a sparkle effect around the edges and if some gems are chipped slightly, it smoothes their edges out.
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It's a really simple product, but will save you a ton of money. Mine were a total of $5.07 for 30 Thank You cards. I had a lot of supplies left over from the invites, but the total would be only about $15 for everything if you had none of the supplies. Hope that this gives you some ideas on card creations of your own.

Birthday Blessings

On Saturday I turned 27. I don't really like the number 27, it's an odd looking number to me and I don't think I will be remembering my age very often, but regardless my Birthday was a success. I measure success on a Birthday as 1) I did not break into tears. 2) I was not unwilling to spend the day with people 3) I spent the day with people I really enjoy, and did not have the misery of "gatecrashers" who really steal the spotlight and turn my birthday into an ordeal. This year I spent my day with my two eldest cousins on my mother's side, as well as my parents, siblings and future sister in law (of course Nick was there as well, but he is kind of always there which I really like). I also spent part of my day at the neighbors, because I am lucky enough to share my birthday with Killian, who was born last year on my Golden birthday (turned 26 on the 26th, apparently when you turn your birthday date's age it is Golden) he is one lucky kid, and one adorable kid to boot! So I did have a very good day, despite having a summer cold, or allergy attack in the morning, and the weather being a threatening gloomy sort.

I didn't get a lot of gifts this year, but there are a few highlights to the gifts that I did get that made me realize that people in my family REALLY know me. Among them were a panini press, a new cook book, cook book stand, cookie jar, coach purse, and red vases. The first gift I opened all weekend was from my brother and his fiance, they gave me a bottle of wine (SCORE!) and a Vera Bradley Apron. Mind you, I will be scared shitless to use that apron, but it is an apron none-the-less that I will be proud to wear. I think because of them I can finally throw out my old work kitchen apron that I made. Although, that does bring my to today's DIY... yes I do have time for one after the whirlwind weekend. How about an apron? or a t-shirt? Waht about a tote? Thankfully you are in luck to be reading my blog! Cloth decorating is easy and quick, and all of your supplies can be found at Michael's or JoAnns.

Supplies:
-1 basic Apron, tote, t-shirt hat or other cloth item plain colored or multi-colored from Craft store (look in t-shirt department this may run you a little less that $5)
-Tulip all purpose glitter or matte fabric paint as many bottles as you desire
-Wax paper (4-5 sheets may be needed)
-Sheet of plain paper
-Printed shapes of your choosing
-Xacto knife (cutting mat for underneath)
-Paint brush
-Marker
-Optional- stamp and stamp pad

Instructions

1- Clean apron. Run it through the wash and hang it out to dry before starting. This way any dyes that are in it can run clean and won't run your paints out later.

2- Decide on your design. If you want just one color, or you want a lot of color. Depending on the items you choose will determine how many steps you have to take.

3- Print your designs, or draw them on a sheet of paper. Then take waxed paper and trace the outline of a single colored object and all other objects of the same color onto paper with marker. Do this for every different color with different pieces of waxed paper and label each piece of waxed paper with the color name. Once you have done this for All of the colors, you may move to the next step.

4- Cut out the colored portion of each piece of waxed paper to make a stencil. It's tedious, but it makes for a really great transfer of the original image. Take the darkest color and apply first with a paint brush and allow to dry before going through your list of colors dark to light. Once you have applied all of the colors, go through and touch up any sections with a small paint brush.

5- After applying the pain, most people would be done, however I like to take a decorative stamp, and stamp plain black ink onto the apron, and then trace the lines with the tip that comes on the fabric paint bottle. This way you have a neat raised design in addition to the design you created with the fabric paint.

Have fun with it, and enjoy the meals you will cook with it on in the future!

Save $ Eat Less?

We have officially cut our grocery bill by 3/4 possibly more. Basically the only thing we spend money on anymore is meat, and since we were so proactive in our freezing of meat after buying in bulk, it seems like we haven't spent ANY money on food in the past month! Here are a 5 cost saving tips for you in case you want to save money by doing things yourself!

1- Buy in bulk, freeze for later. We buy all of our meat in bulk when it is on sale, and force ourselves not to buy more until it is on sale again. That means we have to get everything that we like when it is on sale, or we miss our chance. I package everything individually in saran wrap, and then package it again with as many servings I can fit in Gallon size Ziploc bags. It's great because when I need to pull something out for dinner, I just pull out the amount of servings that I need, and let it thaw overnight. It's also great for unexpected guests that drop by and you need to throw something together for them. We also stock up on staple items like ready to make pasta salads, pastas and rice, and fill our pantry as full as we can while items like that are on sale. It makes it really easy when you want a quick meal and don't have time to go to the store for ingredients.

2- Coupons Coupons Coupons. We really use these like they are going out of style. It's kind of a pain, but I make sure I subscribe to the store fliers for stores I frequent, and clip coupons and keep them in a handy location. It makes it really easy when things are NOT on sale and we need an item. I can't tell you how many coupons I have used.

3- Make your own, anything and everything. Read labels, and if you recognize the items on the label, you probably can make it yourself. For example, I used to buy Torani coffee syrup because I loved the flavor in my coffee, and a 25.4 oz bottle of the syrup and a bulk container of non-dairy creamer was cheaper than buying flavored creamer for the same amount of servings. I read the label only to find out that the main ingredients were water and sugar, and vanilla flavoring. I knew I could handle that! So here is a recipe for you: 1cup water, 1cup sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp french vanilla extract. Mix water and sugar in small saucepan on stove on low till the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the extract and let it cool a bit before pouring it into a container of your choosing. I use an old Torani pump bottle, it fills it about half way each time and just wash it out after ever fill to keep it from getting contaminated.

4- Co-Op Farming. This is actually what has saved us the most money so far. We received ours as a gift this year, but will definitely do it again. There are many farms around NY that offer this type of farming, but it is really inexpensive for what you get. We would normally pay $475 for the full share that we get for the spring, summer and fall season that we are involved in, but the produce in abundant and ours is 100% organic. Right now we are even doing pick-your-own strawberries, and they had an emergency picking last night where we got two free quarts extra, just for going to the farm and helping them pick! It's great and I recommend it to anyone who wants to save money with produce. Many farms around have different pricing but most range from $200- $500 for a full share and much less for half shares or part shares.

5- Plant your own crops. We started a lot of our own vegetables this year, including, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers. They are some of our favorites, and we already have a blooming crop. The stuff we have added to the stuff we get from the crop share gives us enough food for an entire week, and more. We sometimes share with my mother who lives close-by, in order to use what we need without spoilage. We can't wait for our tomatoes and peppers to start, but at least we have enough lettuce for some amazing salads! We don't have a lot of space at all, but we do most of our gardening out of large pots that we sit at the side of our porch, hanging baskets, window boxes, and in a small plot of land that we have situated under our upstairs neighbors stairs. The amount of space we have is perfect for lettuce, mesclun (salad greens) and tomatoes and peppers to last through the summer.

So those are just some ideas, we had for saving money, and I have to say that we have saved enough already to buy our farm share for next year, and will save even more. I guess all of this money we save will make it much easier to plan the wedding we want!

Chipped Ice and Soda Pop

With summer just around the corner, I am sure you, like many other coffee lovers, will find yourself running to the local (or for me not so local) Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks to indulge in a rather ridiculously price Mocha-Chip-Iced-Java-Chino what have you. Instead of spending hour after hour in line, in the car, or waiting, why not do it yourself? Of course, like everything else in my world I have a solution to the mammoth problem that hits me weekly. I want something cold, I want something refreshing, and I want something Caffeinated! Here is a little recipe to enjoy, on the house!

Mint Mocha Chip Blended Coffee Drink... With a Kick!

1/8 cup chocolate chips chopped into small bits
1 cup coffee (you can make it instant, or brew it before hand I like to brew some and keep it overnight in the fridge) Cooled to room temperature.
1/8 tsp mint extract
1 tbsp powdered creamer
3 tbsp coffee syrup (vanilla syrup works as well)
2-3 tbsp chocolate syrup
Ice

Put coffee, creamer, extract and syrups in blender. Add ice till it reaches the 4cup mark. Blend on "crush ice" setting. Once large chunks are gone switch to "high" power for about 10 seconds. Add chips and pulse three times till they are scattered into the mix. Pour a glass quick, and top with whipped cream and an extra drizzle of chocolate syrup.
**If you want "A Kick" add 3 shots of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur when first ingredients.**

You can basically change the recipe to your liking. Like it sweeter? Add powdered sugar (it dissolves faster than regular sugar) Like it bitter? leave out the syrups. Try it plain, or jazz it up with raspberry instead of mint! It will leave you with the satisfaction of a store bought beverage without the damage to your wallet!

Mad Hatter Tea Party Invites

So in the spirit of Alice in Wonderland, there has been a lot of buzz about the internet with products dealing with the movie. My sister was a huge fan of the disney movie as well as the books when she was a kid, so it was convenient that all this should come back while I was planning her bridal shower. I am still in the planning stages of a lot of it, but have finished the invitations. The great thing about the invitations was that they were offered by an online vendor at $1.99 a pop, including envelopes. However, I was able to hit a couple sales this weekend and got all of the supplies that I needed to make 40+ cards for about $30. The great thing about the supplies that I got is that I can use the cardstock I bought to make more than just the cards I made, and the stamp that I bought is versatile enough to make more items as well.

Supplies: (see picture below for help with descriptions)
-Package of invitation sized coverstock
-Clear stamping block
-Clear stamp block stamps
-cardstock cutouts of hearts and Q's (diamonds, clubs, spades, J's and K's can be used as well mine are Cricut cutouts)
-Raised Stamp pad in desired color
- Round Corner punch



Instructions:

Step 1: Print desired invitation via use of computer program onto coverstock. I used Publisher, and made my margins 3/4" wide in order to keep space around the borders for other accents.



Step 2: Cut all four corners of coverstock to to make corners round, like a playing card.

Card should look a lot like this at this point. (see following picture)

Step 3: Assemble the clear stamps and clear stamp block in a way that you feel would make a good back of the card. as you can see below, I arranged mine in a three piece pattern. Make sure that the pattern will fit, by placing the card underneath and eyeballing it.



Step 4: Stamping is difficult, but let me make it easy. With a large block it is all about ink and pressure. Ink the block by dabbing the ink onto the block, NOT by pressing the block into the ink. Dabbing the ink makes the process easy and fast.

When inking you paper make sure that you press down hard, and evenly so that you get a good picture. If you don't get a great picture, you can try to fix it by carefully looking through the block and lining up the stamp with the print already made, and pressing firmly again.
As you ca see in the picture it does sort of look like a back of a playing card at this point.

Step 5: Now is the time to flip the card back over, and stamp the corners. You will have to remove all items on the stamp block that you don't want to use, and reposition one that you do. When you are done repositioning, carefully stamp the top right and bottom left corners of the front of the cards.


Don't worry if the stamp runs off the page like mine did, just make sure you don't stamp on any of your wording, and try to get a stamp that fits well.

Step 6: the last part, and most tedious is applying the Q's and hearts. To make them look like a playing card you have to position them just right in the top left and bottom right corners. Make sure that you flip the Q and heart upside down for the bottom corner though to make it more realistic. I use a easy glide glue stick that dries clear, and sets fast to make the process fast.

Once you are done, you can place the card in an envelope, and if you are feeling extra crafty, you can even adorn the corner of the envelope with a matching stamp.

I also sealed the envelopes with a special little sticker I made that said "Open Me" but the choices are all yours!

DIY Coasters

I have been thinking of a really good idea for a DIY, and honestly a lot of my ideas are one time DIYs and I can't really continue to recreated them. However, one that I found was a fun idea that I think could possibly be done a few times is a coaster set. Everyone has a different style, and when it comes to coasters you want to express yourself in the best way possible. Craft stores can help to make this happen, but you can also get inspiration from your daily activities.

I like board games, and so do many of my friends and family who are the recipients of most of my gifts. So making a coaster set from a board game was one of the things I thought would be an interesting gift for a friend of mine who's birthday is at the end of the week. To do this, I had to think of games that could be easily turned into a coaster, and then realized I didn't want to hack up the boards for coasters. I nixed the idea of board game coasters and though, what about the pieces? I found a bunch of ideas on the internet about game themed decor, and ran with an idea I saw about Scrabble tiled coasters.

Materials:
-Industrial strength adhesive with application. (choose one that dries clear for best results.
-25 Scrabble tiles (per coaster, can also use dice of any color combo)
- Cork board. You can get it from a craft store, or lowes, and you need enough so that each tile (or die) sits on it halfway when organized.

Instructions
-Before assembling anything, play with the tiles to get them organized. Spell words that connect to each other, or 5 letter names. It's a challenge to use smaller words, but it is more fun to have words that upside down tiles. Speaking of which, any tile that you do not use to spell with, can be turned upside down and made into a blank tile for spacing (see picture)
-Arrange the tiles on the cork WITHOUT GLUE to see if they all fit properly. If needed cut the cork smaller so that there is no exposed cork.
-Glue all pieces in place one at a time making sure that all pieces are glue tightly together. You cannot change the order once the glue dries, so make sure it is something you are willing to keep. Then allow it to dry, and the coaster is ready to use!

If you are using dice, you must glue all sides of the die that are touching any other die as well, so the dice take much longer. I also found out because of the texture of the die, they don't really make sensible coasters. The glasses tend to slip off the surface, so it is a riskier move.

Another easy idea is grabbing a Scramble Squares Puzzle which has 9 pieces that are roughly the size of coasters. (the plastic ones work best, but you can easily cover a cardboard piece with Con-Tact paper before gluing it) and Glue it to a piece of cork board. This would give guests, or a recipient the option to rest their drink, or figure out a fun puzzle.

Home Made Textured Paper.

The one thing that I never spend money on is textured paper (Not including embossed paper). For about a hundred reasons all summing up that I can make it myself. Today I will tell you how to make textured paper Using tissue paper and card stock quickly and easily, just in time to make a Mother's day card for your mom (Heck I will ever go a little into that for fun)

Supplies

~1 Sheet of card stock, any size, and any color. (stick with white if you want the tissue paper to be the focal point)
~Scissors
~Ruler
~glue stick
~Tissue paper, can be used and wrinkly as long as you like what it looks like and there are no tears in a piece roughly the size of a greeting card.

Instructions

Step 1: Measure the paper and draw lines on the card stock to make the front and back of the greeting card. It should be 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" so that when folded it will be a small card. You can make it however big or small you want, just make sure you trace the lines nicely so you can see them

Step 2: Crinkle up the tissue paper. It is great to use used tissue paper in this instance so you don't feel like you are wasting good tissue paper. I save all my tissue paper from gifts for just this reason! AFter you are done crinkling ightly flatten out tissue paper trying not to take out too much of the wrinkles, and put to the side.

Step 3: This step can be a little tricky. you want to flip your card stock over so that the lines are table side down, but all the while remembering where the lines are. (you need the lines to cut so you can't cover them with tissue paper.) Apply glue all over the paper keeping in mind what is going to be cut so you can salvage cardstock if needed. If you only have a small section of tissue paper you may have to draw small dots to indicate which section must be covered in glue Do this quickly so you have time to put the tissue paper on.

Step 4: Place tissue paper on the glue covered card stock and flatten. While you are flattening the wrinkles will become very apparent and seem to darken. It creates a really cool effect and almost transforms some tissue papers as you do it. Let this dry completely before moving on to next step.

Step 5: Flip the paper back over so you can see the lines again. Carefully cut the lines and try not to drag the scissors too much as it could rip the paper. Make sure to trim all edges of the tissue paper that hangs over the edge as well.

That is the complete card, now all you have to do is fold it in half, slap on some accents and write a nice little note for the recipient inside and you are good to go! Fr my mother I made it a tea theme since she is sort of a tea enthusiast, and slipped a voucher, for an afternoon tea at a local tea house, inside. Have a Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Infestation

Today, I am dealing with an infestation. I have been researching bees, because all of a sudden there has been a swarm of them around my porch, and I am actually a little scared of them. They look like bumble bees, only darker with hints of greenish yellow, and after some careful research I have realized they are carpenter bees. Now this is the first time that I have come across carpenter bees, and am somewhat pissed that this is going on because as I look up to the roof where I can see them burrow, I see three or four holes where they are simply re-colonizing. I am going to be calling my landlord to take care of it, but if anyone else would like to know how to know you have carpenter bees and how to take care of them, here is a little tip from me.

About the Carpenter bee:

The males which are the most active outside the hive don't sting (Yay!) However, females do and if bothered they will come out and sting. They look almost exactly like a bumble bee, except they have more black on them, and hardly any yellow. They don't "chew" the wood, they simply vibrate their bodies and "drill" through making almost perfectly circular holes. They are lazy and would rather use old nest and re-colonize. Woodpeckers love them, and a woodpecker on the side of your house hammering away for days at a time might be a sure sign that you have an infestation. They don't like noise, so playing music, constant running children, and highway noise are a nice deterrent.

So knowing some of this, here is how I found out I had carpenter bees.
I followed the bees activity and took a pictures of them on my trees to get a better look at what they were. There were a few that fought all the time in front of my proch and would seemingly run from me as I left to fill the bird feeders, so it was more of a nuisance than a dangerous situation. I did have a few bees that were "guarding" my porch area, and it was starting to piss me off because I am not a fan, and am a little scared of them. I thought they were bumble bees, but they were definitely darker, so I googled "large black bee" and almost instantly found that tons of people have these pests around their wood homes and decks. Lucky us, we have a vinyl sided home, however the porches and stairs are all Wood, and old wood which apparently they LOVE because it is easier to bore through. I also started to see an influx of birds that I had never seen before at our feeders. Scarlet tanagers, red bellied woodpeckers, and blue jays started to come around more often, and I think that it was in part due to the fact that there was so much flying protein readily available. Another HUGE hint to me was that all of a sudden our siding was getting coating in what looked like sawdust, and upon further inspection I realized that is exactly what it was.

So at this point I knew what I was dealing with, and also could guess how to take care of it (my thoughts were can of Raid, and jar of wood putty, but lets see what the experts say)

I researched a bit online and sure enough my idea of a cure was cure enough. A can of Raid, or other pest control spray should be applied once a day in the evening as bees are returning to the hive. Sprayed directly into the hole it should help the problem disappear within days. After this, though you have to follow-up and make sure that nothing entices other hives to return. Plugging the holes is your best bet. The experts said that the best idea is to plug the existing holes with steel wool, and then cover the hole completely with wood putty and paint over the surface as usual. They also said that routine maintenance of porches and siding with general weather proofing liquids will help keep them away for good. It was also mentioned that you should replace all wood siding with vinyl siding, but you see how well that helped us! I really just have to wait out the treatment period, as I am really cheap and don't want to deal with the hive myself. I think it will take more than one can of raid for these buggers, and I am just not willing to part with the cash, plus it is not really in a place I can easily reach, so laziness is not really an excuse.

I hope this helps someone, as it helped me. It's nice to know we have a rather calm hive of bees, but they still are majorly creepy!

Time

So I have not had a lot of time to blog, and today is really no exception. (I should be drying my hair so I can be ready to leave in a little over an hour) I still wanted to stop by and add to my little ticker that tells me I blogged, and say it may be another week before I can be crafty. On the docket are shelves. And if you want to be prepared to go with the post you can grab yourself a 9.00 shelf from Michael's and some crafting paint in the color that you want the shelf. I will give you ideas on personalization, and you can give it as a gift to a kid, or stick it up on a wall in your house.

Until then, I have a funeral today for my cousin who died from a stroke (possibly two) this past Sunday morning. He was 40 years old, so not a cousin my age, and had had childhood diabetes and basically battled with blood sugar his entire life. Because of our age gap, we didn't see each other often, but I remember him as the one that was always smiling and telling jokes. He will be greatly missed by the entire family, and I am going out to Castile, NY today to attend the service with my family.

It kind of sucks cause today Nick is coming home from a trip to Ithaca, and he won't be back in time to leave, and I know that part of the family is dying to meet him. It also sucks because I had a great dinner planned, and I will probably have to hold off till tomorrow, and hope Nick does not go sniffing around the fridge for clues.

DIY Cat Carrier Beds

Supplies:

1 Cat carrier (preferrably one where the lid is removable, they work a LOT easier)
1 Large sheet of paper or newspaper that can completely line the bottom of the carrier.
1 old pillow (for stuffing, you can also go out and get your own stuffing or use an old mattress pad)
1 old ultra soft towel or soft fabric to cover bed.
Pencil
Scissors
Needle and thread (pick color close to bed fabric)
optional-Marker

Instructions:

Step 1: remove cover on carrier if it comes off and place paper inside to trace.

Step 2: Trace the outline of the carrier on the old newspaper with pencil, and retrace with marker for visibility if desired.

Step 3: If not using a mattress pad, skip to step 4. Cut out the outline of the bed, and retrace on old mattress pad if using a mattress pad.

Step 4: Trace outline of carrier on what will be the inside of the fabric. Retrace about 1/2 inch around entire form to leave room for sewing and stuffing. Do this twice as you will be using 2 pieces one for each side of bed.

Step 5: cut fabric and sew with insides facing each other leaving one end completely unsewn. (looks best if you leave the back end unsewn so it will face inside the carrier) When you get to that point, flip inside out and push out any corners.

Step 6: Stuff pad till it's as stuffed as you want, and sew last edge folding in the seams.

Step 7: Place in carrier and if you want, sprinkle cat nip on it to entice your cat to enjoy it. My cats love their carrier, so that's not really a problem.

Hope you and your cats enjoy!

DIY Picture Frames

Ok, picture frames can be a pain in the butt, not to mention REALLY expensive, so I promise myself over and over that I will never pay over $10 on a frame, and should I not find a frame I like, I make my own. I have two designs that I will show you, one is REALLY cheap and easy, the other is cheap, and a little more involved.

Project 1 (REALLY Cheap frame)

This one looks cheap, cause it is cheap, but you can make it look less cheap I am sure.

Supplies:
1 Dollar Store frame, your choice in size.
1 package of dollar store stickers and foam stickers.
picture of choice.

For this you basically take your cheap frame and stick the stickers all over. I used words on mine to make it pertain to my cousin, but the best part is that they sell one a lot like this for $5 and I only paid $1 cause I had a lot of the supplies already.

Project 2 (Not so Cheap frame)

1 Dollar store frame (I sense a trend here)
1 Tube strong adhesive glue (I use shoe goo, but there are a lot of others that can be used to bond glass and metal)
1 bag decorative stones, or rocks.

This one is really easy as well.

Step 1:Choose the rocks or stones that you want to use on the frame. Take them and place them where you think you want them DO NOT GLUE YET. Once you arrange them you might find out that you need to change their placement.

Step 2: Slowly make your way around the frame and glue the stones in place. Don't get glue anywhere you don't want it, or you might be stuck with it. Read instructions on glue on how to remove properly.

Step 3: be patient and let it dry for a full 24 hours. Then put picture in and enjoy.

Another great idea is to use a ribbon or paper and glue on the frame first and then glue the stones down. I used clear in mine, and a ribbon underneath not only changes the color of the bead, but projects the design through it. This would be especially neat if you were using it as a gift for a friend and were to stick letters underneath each bead spelling out a name or salutation.

New Moon

Yes, I watched the movie. No it did not live up to the hype. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it did not follow the story line by any means and I seriously felt like more was supposed to happen that did not. In fact, I think that I may have been thinking about the next one in line, but I guess that is what I get for reading all of the books at once in order to avoid spoilers on the internet. Anywho it was a night at my parents and we brought the cats. I did this just to see if they could handle a full on assault of not only my father, but the dog as well. Now they have been around dogs before, and even lived with one for a while, but I was scared that the one that we had planned on sending away to vacation with a friend of ours to test out her dog's ability to live with a cat, would be less that happy with the situation.

From this visit we learned that all decorative items of any sort have to be removed from view. My mother has a plate shelf on the wall behind her couch, and a crazy cat of ours tried to jump on it. Needless to say, he got one paw up and we yelled before he could go any further. This didn't stop him though and we had to watch him like a hawk. Also, Apollo hates the dog (Keller) he was scared all night long, and would not move from the 'safe room' that the dog is not allowed in (aka my parent's living room) Needless to say, I knew this would happen, and that is why Apollo was not our first choice to go live with a dog. Baltar however surprised us. He played with Keller, and even chased him around a bit. By the end of the night, Keller was crying for someone to save him from our killer cat, and we were happy to take them both home. They are getting better with the trips to places, but I think Baltar still gets a little carsick once in a while because he has tummy issues.

We also learned the following:

1-Cats like birds, and covering the cage with a blanket will achieve nothing, the cats go under the blanket to find what they want.

2-Cats like high places, like my mothers china cabinet. Although it is a nice perch for them, the gasps from my mother as he hit candle holders and trinkets were not so nice.

3- Our cats like water. Especially all of the tanks in my mother's house which house turtles, and fish. Keeping lids on these and lights off is crucial in order for them not to pester fishies and turtles.

4- Cats are quick and like popcorn. Don't leave your bowl unattended.

5-If they think they can fit, they will try, even if they get stuck. Watch them close in order to pull them out.

6- Don't try to watch a movie with crazy cats, you will end up pausing it a lot, or simply missing parts of it to deal with cats like I did.

7- Treats work well to get cats into carriers, and work even better to get dogs attention back onto the cats. We will probably be using treats sparingly when it comes to traveling to my parent's now.

8-They love plants, especially ones with vines. Great thing about vines is that they are like strings, they like to bite and pull strings. Can you picture a pot falling off a shelf onto a cat? Just get a viney plant, and you can see it happen! (Thankfully the 10lb plant did not fall on the cat, but he tried)

9- Keep curtains closed, one crack will leave you with shredded curtains as they are curious and want to know what is going on in the dark outside.

10- Shutting the lights off in every room but the one you are in will keep the cat in the room you are in or the one next to it. Don't know why this happens, but the seem to like to be around the light, and it is very helpful in keeping track of where they have gone.

Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Cause we have cats, and cats will eat everything.

Needless to say they are making crafting of any kind a little limited. I have to shut myself in the bedroom with a dvd and do things as opposed to doing things in the living room where they stake claim. I tried my hand at wrapping gifts in there once and found out they really like to eat paper and jumping into bags. I also once tried to decorate a picture frame which they rubbed against when it was wet, and smudged. Not giving the frame to my sister this weekend, but excited limitlessly because I get to see her. Which brings me to the fun part of today's blog, great 5 things to do on a foreseeably rainy weekend with your family.

1- Card games. All you need is a regular deck of cards and the internet. Things get fun really fast. For a touch of whimsy and intrigue, go to this site: http://www.talisman.net/tarot/regcard.html tells you how to read tarot with playing cards!

2- Homemade popcorn and movies. We steer away from home videos as ours tend to be somewhat boring to those not involved in our life, but netflix has come in handy, and will again this weekend. Also, it does not hurt that my mother is a librarian and we have to screen all the movies before they are lent out.

3- Board games and wine. Board games are fin, but they get ridiculous with wine,and since we have such a collection of both, time is never wasted when we play. If you are to invest in great games, board, cards or otherwise, I suggest the brand "Out of The Box." They have hands down the best games.

4- Memory books/Spoof Books. The idea behind this is that you have to have a digital camera and printer that works with the camera for home printing. If you don't have a printer, you can send your photos out for one hour photo printing. Then what you create is up to you. Take tons of photos of you and your family or friends, and make them as creative, silly, funny, or god forbid normal as you want. Print them off and arrange them in an album of your choosing. Smaller albums are usually better and you cna display them on a coffee table later for guests to flip through and admire, or laugh at.

5- Home made Charades. All you need are pens, paper, and imagination or inspiration. We did this a year or two ago, and still use our charade clues everytime the family comes together. The ides is to make up your own so that they are ones that you will be able to guess. Online clue sites are not always helpful, but you can make the clues and intellectual or idiotic as you feel appropriate as long as you stick to the five major clue groups. The clue groups best to stick to are: Books, Movies/Television, Famous People, Quotes, and Music. We find that most of the fun is in guessing who wrote it, and one of the best clue inspirations came from games we own (Apples to Apples, and Mad Gab) that have the same types of clues on their cards. Make sure you set of the rules and have a time limit, throw the clues in a bucket or bowl and just enjoy the laughs.

Hope you all have a nice weekend, and that it is not too rainy, cold or cloudy out!

Only in Dreams

People envy me (and rightly so) because I have vivid dreams. I don't really know if they are in full color, but they are always quite vivid, and I can usually remember them for a few hours into the day. Last night was a rather peculiar set of dreams, but nonetheless I feel like it is important to get my dreams out there so others know what my little mind is doing when nobody is paying attention to it.

Let me first tell you that I was up late, till about 2am, and that is really not normal for me anymore. We got home to two crazy kitties who probably were just wondering if anyone was coming back to feed them, and we basically headed straight to bed. Before we nodded off, a ton of things that I was simply too lazy to get out of bed to check went buzzing through my brain including "Did we lock the door?" and "Did someone just come in?" This slowly progressed into, "If the dudes who came in have guns, I wonder if they will kidnap Nick and I can hide under the bed." Needless to say my mind wanders, and it probably is not surprise to anyone that my dreams ended up being loopy. So without further ado, here are two.

Dream 1: Me and Nick were driving along, and got car-jacked. Somehow we managed to slip the car-jackers and get in the car and drive away, but one of them had left a bag in the car and we were now on the run from them with their stuff. I opened the bag at one point to see that it was filled with money. It was not filled with normal money however, it was filled with gold coins with pictures of people that I knew on them. It looked like each coin was a person in my life, and I could only equate that to them wanting me, not Nick and told him to go on without me. I took the bag and ran through a church, trying to hide and seek sanctuary, only to find out that the priest was a mormon, not a catholic, and he wouldn't give me sanctuary unless I went into the "conversion room" and converted. I looked at him like he was craqzy and ran into a bathroom to hide. It was here I found a mirror, and it was lined with gold coins with faces of people from my past. From here I threw the rest of my coins in the toilet, because a lot of people lining the mirror are now dead and I was freaking out. It clogged the toilet, and the coins were crumbling in the water. The crazy car-jackers came in and screamed "No!" really loud and elongated the "o" and sort of melted to their knees. They kept getting smaller, and I was getting even more confused, and started asking them "Why me?" over and over till they disappeared. The End

Dream 2: Me and Nick were on a road trip with our best friend's kid. We had had her for a couple weeks and were bringing her back to her parents, however there were people following us who would do her harm, and kill us to get to her. At a gas station a red lazer beamed into the car, and a gunshot rang out just as we were pulling away. We realized the seriousness of the situation, and decided the trip had to be quick. Along the way we ran into my grandmother, and she said she would help us, but we had to get moving. We went to a reception of some kind to pick up the girls belongings, only to find out that there were a lot more people who wanted her, and we would never get out of there alive if they knew we had her. We were trying to figure out a way to leave without getting caught when we found some styrofoam boxes, and we slid her into one. My grandmother who was not ebing watched took the burden of taking her to the car, and was really surprised that she could simply walk out. We got to the girl's parents to see them fighting over the fact they had been in a hurry to leave the last time they were at a guests house, and had left all their clothes and only had three pair. Apparently this chase was their lifestyle, and we happened to have a lot of the kids clothing, and offered to ship the clothes back as long as they made us dinner. They were attempting to make dinner when they pulled out something that looked like a block of cheese, and found they had no idea how to prepare it. They asked me if I knew how to prepare tofurky, and I suddenly became an expert saying "Just soak it in water with the seasoning you like on low heat and it will be ready in 25 minutes." The End

Weird huh!?! Aparently having possible intruders in my home really gets my mind going. As a heads up, the door was locked when I woke up this morning, and the only bad things that happened overnight was the paper mess the cats made by jumping on loose papers, and the breaking of a bamboo stalk on our table. Nothing major at all!

Household Cleaning Blech!!

So it is spring, and I have some pretty awesome tips on making the house sparkling clean, expecially if you found absolutely zero time to clean your house throughout the winter. I always keep three basic items around just for cleaning purposes and I think everyone needs to heed this advice!

1- Old t-shirts. Always have one for you to wear while cleaning, and one to cut up for rags to use for cleaning. Once you get tired of the one you wear for cleaning, use that as rags, and keep cycling t-shirts through to use for cleaning purposes. I like to use white ones simply because some colored ones don't allow you to know when the shirt is too dirty for use, but anything but black works well. These homemade rags are great for mini blinds, and some rather large spaces. They also don't leave the lint on windows that most paper towels do. Also they are washable, and re-useable so you can have the same cloths for years.

2- Old used toothbrushes. I use hard bristle brushes on my teeth, even though they say you are only supposed to use soft, and they work amazing for cleaning small to reach places when cleaning your house. Corners of windows, and small spaces that simply do not allow full hand access can be cleaned with ease with a toothbrush. I always keep all of my cleaning supplies in a bucket to avoid confusion though.

3- Quite possibly the most important thing that I always keep are old spray bottles. I re-fill almost every old bottle with something else. I make a lot of my own cleaners, and never spend more than $1.00 on cleaning supplies. The bottles are great for watering indoor plants, keeping cats off the counters, and simple spot cleaning. I simply wash out the bottle really well, and fill with water, bulk cleaner, or vinegar and go to work. These are also really useful for making your own air fresheners which I will explain next!


Ingredients:
-8-10 drops (about 1tsp) COLORLESS essential oil of your choosing. (I like the spring scents you can find at walmart for about $4 a bottle which will last a long time)
-Empty and clean spray bottle
-Water (enough to fill the spray bottle)

Directions:
To make the spray, all you have to do is add the fragrance to the water in the bottle, and spray (lightest spray setting on the bottle) into the air. You can add more fragrance if you like the smell stronger, or use less if you like it lighter. If you are using a fragrance that is citrusy, replace 1/8cup of water with vinegar, and this will help to absorb bad odors. If using a sweet smell, add 1tsp vanilla extract.

I don't suggest spraying directly on surfaces as it can discolor some fabrics if you use a colored scent, or vanilla, but if sprayed directly in the air it freshens the place up quick. My favorite scent to use is Fresh Linen which I got in a large bottle from Walmart it is light blue, but it works amazing in the air and makes me think of spring!

Busy Busy

So the cats had their first appointment and they are both turning out to be a handful at home now. I am training them not to jump on counters and also dealing with springtime issues. Our indoor herb garden is on it's last legs thanks to an infestation of bugs. Not really a bug person, but they were either spittlebugs or aphids. I am thinking more on the side of spittlebugs because they had the little spit nests to protect themselves, but they were green so it confuses me. Anyway, because I am crafty I will share my tips on dealing with such an infestation.

First you have to know what you are dealing with: I did not know I was dealing with an infestation, and in fact though I was simply dealing with the two that I saw on the plant. I killed them, only to find out that killing them was not really going to help the problem. Apparently a couple months ago it was brought to my attention that there was an issue, but I ignored it. Apparently this bug lays eggs on the bottom side of the leaves, which coincidentally look a lot like seeds, which is what I thought they were till they hatched yesterday, and I got creeped out by legs. Anyway, I had no clue I was dealing with an infestation, so it would be good to evaluate the problem. Few bugs on the plant mean you can treat it with a few sprays of lightly soaped water (water mixed with one or two drops of dish detergent) twice a day for a week, the large one I ended up having means surgery for the poor plant.

Second part to the large infestation is surgery: Place the entire plant into a sink or tub. Grab a spray bottle of the lightly soaped water, and some paper towels. Inspect the leaves and find out which ones have bugs or eggs on them. From here you have to spray each leaf individually with the soapy water and wipe clean with the paper towel, removing all bugs. Once you are done with all the leaves, water the plant, and spray the soil, and the plant with the soapy water. You then have to spray the plant daily, leaves and stems to make sure none of the bugs are living in the soil. Don't soak the plant in soap as it can kill the plant, but ensure that the plant is coated to ensure no bugs. Also if you are more worried about killing your plant, use less soap, and add a clove of crushed garlic to the water and shake well. Apparently garlic is a deterrent, and since it is natural it won't kill your herbs! Make sure you kill all the bugs on the paper towels as well, or dispose of it properly.

This should allow you to use your herbs without fear, but I would still wash them well before use. There will still be a soapy residue, and it's not exactly the best taste.

So that was my life the past couple days, and despite the cats trying to eat lucky bamboo (which is poisonous to them) they have been very charming. I am enjoying having the little guys around, but would be happy if they grew out of the "attacking my feet" phase.

Update

So the computer I was using (Nick's Mac) and storing all of my data on, has officially fallen ill. I figure it was only a matter of time because my computer died, and everything that will go wrong usually does when it comes to my stuff. So I cannot access any of my really cool pictures, and will have to take some more before I can post my new DIY. Which is decorative candle holders. Specifically using only items that you would find in a dollar store... So I am re-doing the entire thing. I had it all planned out with step by step pictures, and now that the computer basically died, I have to re-do the whole thing which also sadly means redoing the project. It is coming, and it is a cool project that I think you will enjoy. For now, hit up the dollar store for some boring candle holders, and I will be back to tell you how to make them look amazing.

Now for an update on my life. I have to kittens now. More kittens that cats, but they are larger. wE speculate that they are about 8 months old, possibly younger. WE have named them Baltar, and Apollo, and they are basically my insanity and joy rolled into little furry balls. They are rather adorable, and although I think one made me sick, I am finding it hard to think of my life without them, and how I ever went about thinking my life was ever complete before them. Should they be feeling up to it, the lazy little critters will take their first outing with us tomorrow night. We may only take one, but it is up in the air now as to whether or not it would be safe to take them with us to see LOST. Regardless, they will get another chance on Wednesday when they take their first trip to the vet. It will be memorable to say the least.

Decorative Candles

So even though I do not have the supplies to make them, I figure that I should still let you in on the candles because they are a really good idea for gifts, and inexpensive decorations.

Here are the supplies:

Desired length of fine guage jewelry wire (get color and size that you want, taking into consideration size of beads you will be using)
Jewelry spacers/crimp tubes to hold beads in place on wire
Assorted beads of your color and style choosing
Wire/Jewelry pliers
Wire/Jewelry Cutter
Pillar candle of your color/scent choice and size

Note:
*Can substitute clear fishing line for candles you do not wish to burn, as the fishing line can melt easily.
*Can also string beaded eye-pins onto wire or line to make dangling pieces.

INSTRUCTIONS:

~So this craft is really simple to make. First you will want to get a feel for how big you want your wire to be, so you need to wrap the base of the candle three times, and then continue around the candle in a spiral pattern leaving an ammount of space between each wire about an inch wide (more or less depending on how decorated you want the candle to look) till you reach the top of the candle. At the top, wrap the wire four times, around the candle and you have a rough length that you can cut with the wire cutters as to not have to work with the bulk of the rest of the wire. (I used roughly 120" for a 6" candle with a 3" diameter)

~Take wire and wrap three or four times around the base of the pillar candle and secure it to itself by removing the wire from the candle carefully, and tying a loop knot with the help of the pliers. (If there is a small piece of wire remaining from the knot I stick it into the candle sometimes you need a little heat to help with the process, but the wire usually slips right in.)

~ you will be able to work with the wire off of the candle if you don't care how the beads are situated on the candle, but I put the wire back on the base and work my way up placing beads as I go along.

~When you are beading place a crimp tube in the position before where you want the bead to sit. (To make this easier for myself, I measure out the space between each bead to roughly 2" in order to keep the beads evenly spaced around the candle.)

~Then, put the bead(s) you want in place, and put another crimp tube in place to keep the beads from moving as you continue with the rest of the beading.

~When you reach about 1/2" from the top you are done with the beading and can finish the project by wrapping the remaining wire around the candle and securing with a loop knot. If there is any wire left after the knot I poke it through the candle wax like I did with the top.

~Your candle is basically done, just make sure that the beading is evenly spaced around the entire candle and it looks well. The great thing about this project is that if you don't like it before you secure it, it is fairly easy to change.

Enjoy!

Here is a picture of one that i found on the internet of a double wrap (one wrap up, and one down the candle that is a variation on mine)

*Also if beading is not your thing, try wrapping with a glittery ribbon and securing in place by heating the surface of the candle and sticking the ribbon to the surface. (Just remember that fabric is flammable and that will definitely be a decorative candle)

*When I burn my wrapped candles, I push the wire down the candle as it burns so as to not light any beads on fire.

Waiting on Next Project

I am actually waiting on my next project supplies to get here. I am making my own decorative pillar candles and have to get the wire and Beads to make them, but while we wait I will update you on my Valentine's weekend. It sucked. I don't think Nick even knew that it was Valentine's Day and he sure as hell didn't get me anything, or treat me as if it was anything but an ordinary day. It's officially not my favorite holiday anymore. My weekend was spent as follows:

Friday night, Nick called and told me he was not coming home right away and was going walking with his friend. Not only that, but he wanted to invite this friend over for dinner. This is the most inconsiderate thing anyone can do! I had to work twice as hard to make a meal that I had created for two into a meal that could feed three. I seriously spent over three hours in the kitchen cooking and cleaning, and chalked it up to my gift to them for Valentine's Day weekend.

Saturday morning we were invited over to the same friends house for brunch, which is all fine and dandy, but before we left, Nick got it into his head that he wanted to change the tire. He started that, and it was my job to hold the back hatch open since the hydraulics are broken. Sadly, I think this is why my wrist is in such battered condition right now. We had brunch after I stood holding a door over my head for a good thirty minutes, and everything about brunch was fine. Nick decided though that he did not want to go to my parent's house after, and my mother's gift is still sitting on the coffee table. I then had to rush around and get stuff ready for another "surprise" dinner that I was in no way shape or form ready for. Went to bed pissy cause my wrist started to hurt really bad.

Sunday, woke up and made breakfast. Rose shaped waffles dyed pink, and bacon. Knew Nick would like them and appreciate them. Gave Nick his card and listened as crickets filled the apartment. Went back to cleaning as Nick took over the couch and the TV to watch crime dramas all day. I decided to putter around the house and wait till I had to make dinner, hoping Nick would have a surprise up his sleeve. Nothing all day/night. Dinner went horribly wrong. Meatloaf (Nick's favorite) took way too long to cook, and by then my wrist was REALLY hurting because I made the loaf in a cast iron pan, adding about 2lbs to the already heavy pan, and needing to use my wrist to lift it about 50 times in order to keep checking it. Did all the clean-up and started resenting the Hallmark holiday because I didn't even get a card.

Woke up this morning to snow I ignored yesterday and started shoveling out. My wrist told me no, but I still did. My wrist is possibly broken, and there is something floating under the skin. I think I may have chipped a bone. May not be able to make anymore projects for a while if the pain keeps up.

Revamping the Blog

So I have decided that it is best to revamp my blog. I think rather than have this as my venting space, I should do what I do best, and share my gift of creativity with the world. I do a lot on my own, and my ideas are not sparse. So with that, I bring you my first DIY blog post.

It is Valentine's weekend! Yay, I am making Nick a card like I always do, or have since last year when I was not able to sneak behind his back and buy one. The best part about homemade cards is that he keeps them! I like it when people keep my cards and most people aren't all that crazy about keeping the hallmark mass produced ones. Also, making your own cards are really inexpensive. I buy card stock in bulk, and in by in bulk, I mean I go to JoAnn Crafts and get the cardstock packages for $14.99 on sale. They have roughly 300 card stock pages and they come in seasonal prints as well as generic colors. This time I raided my mom's stash of card stock to get a glittery card stock as well as a slightly embossed red piece.

I started with the following items:

1 sheet (standard size) white card stock
1 sheet (standard size) Red card stock
1 sheet (standard size) White glitter card stock
1 4"x6"or 3"x5" picture printed off my computer on photo paper (keep in mind that photo will be cut to 3"x4" selection photo can be professionally printed if desired)
1 standard paper cutter
1 craft punch ribbon stitch style
1 White 1/4" Ribbon roughly 24" long
Double sided sticky tape
Ruler
Exacto Knife
Scissors
Invitation Envelopes


~To start, cut the White card stock in half making two 8 1/2" x5 1/2" pieces. Take one of those pieces and it will be the base for your card. fold in half to make a standard greeting card.

~Using Paper Cutter cut a piece of red card stock into a 5" x 3 3/4" piece and use craft punch all around the edge to create a border to weave ribbon.

~Weave ribbon in and out of border starting at the top center and leaving roughly 3" to make bow. Continue weaving until you reach the top center again, and finish off with bow. Cut off excess of ribbon and ribbon ends so that they look nice.

~Glue ribbon weaved background onto card front.

~Cut photo to desired 3" x 4" selection and use double sided sticky tape to attach in the center of the ribbon weaved card stock.

~Finish the card off with a 3" x 4 1/4" frame with a center cut to 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" out of the glittery card stock. (To cut Frame measure out center and cut with exacto knife)

Finished card will look like the red bordered one above. I also made an alternate one using glittery card stock for the background and the red for the border. I changed the color of the ribbon to contrast the border as well.

Heart Shaped Pizza

So in the spirit of Valentine's Day which is coming this weekend, Food Places all around have decided to make love themed items. One such item, came home with Nick last night for dinner because I forgot to take chicken out for wheaties chicken, which we will now have tonight. Apparently one of our favorite pizzerias, that we love for their oven broiled wings, makes pizzas in the shape of a heart. Nick got one, and it was quite adorable. So now I have decided that I have to find something to make for dinner on Valentine's Day that I can make into heart shapes. The morning will be easy, as I can make heart shaped pancakes that I dye red, and cover with strawberries and whipped cream. The dinner is another story, as I really don't know any meals that come in heart shapes. I am trying to think creative, and was even thinking that I could make a heart shaped meatloaf, since that is Nick's favorite meal, but I am still not sure what I can pull off.

I guess we will see as the week goes on, but regardless, I will do something new and different for the day. I absolutely love Valentine's Day, and have since I was a little kid. It is one of the best Hallmark Holidays that I know of, but I think that the meaning goes way beyond the gifts. In fact, this year I am letting Nick get his own gift, a copy of Season 2 of the West Wing, even though it is something that I would never get him on my own. It is something that we would have gotten regardless, and it is just nice to have a bigger reason to get it other than, he wants it.

I am still hoping that he will surprise me with Brad, the Tiger kitty for the Humane Society, not because I want a gift, but because there is no better gift that giving something else love for the rest of it's life. And since we will probably never have kids at the rate we are going, I would love it to be a cat, or puppy. We have learned that the puppy would not be a good choice with my hopes of getting a new job, sadly though none of the jobs are panning out and I am going crazy at home. The apartment has never been cleaner, but I still love the life I am living!

It all Comes Crashing Down.

So all of my great hopes for the jobs that I applied for came crashing down. Not only that, but my hopes for getting my permit any time soon went out the window as well. Apparently because I don't have my license I am not a good candidate for any job in CNY. The worst part about it all is that that is one of the main questions and if you leave it blank they ask questions. I hate it. I hate not being able to drive and I hate not even having a permit. It's really beginning to piss me off. The worst part is that Nick can't really take time off just for an hour to two for me to get my permit on a weekday, and weekends, the DMVs are closed on weekends. Honestly, that just pisses me off because when during the school year would a kid be able to go to the DMV other than on a weekend? So now I have to wait till Nick takes a day off, or till my mother decides that it is time for my little brother to go get his during a weekday so that I can get it over with. It is just a stupid 10 question test, can't I take it online!?!? On top of that, I have to shell out big dollars for the 5 hour course which I have already taken 4 or 5 times in the past and have definitely possibly memorized.

To add insult to injury, the one job that I thought would be the most promising just sent me a letter in the mail telling me that my interview was not all that promising like I thought it was. So now I am back to square one, and still waiting to hear from Michael's which I thought would have called either way by now, but possibly my background check has gone awry? Dunno, maybe there was a mistake and now I share a social security number with a convict or something!

Family

So you don't know, but I will tell you that I am finally netflixing and catching up with Jon and Kate Plus 8. I started watching some of the episodes last year while I was living with Nick's family and ended up stopping right after season 2 because we were moving and I didn't want to get episodes that I would not be able to watch during the day, and not want to watch at night. (If you know me it is understandable, I have to have suitable movies for Nick and me both to watch at night or it is just "not fair") So I started back up where I left off, and let me tell you had I not know that there was a medis frenzy over child exploitation or whatnot I would have thought that they were the cutest little family, and that I reminded myself of Kate. (Oh, God did I just say that!?!) I know I am high-strung, a touch OCD when it comes to how things look and how clean things are, and possibly a little naggy towards Nick. It's a side of me however, that I probably would have issues having filmed and out there for people to see. (Note: I never hit Nick like she hits Jon, that is not a love tap, that is a "you pissed me off, so there!" slap)

Anyway, the kids are ADORABLE!! I am probably the last person on the earth who figured this out. At the point I am at in episodes they have not yet turned 4, but are close to it, and already the father seems a little disconnected, and snarky towards his wife. There are times that I want to slap Jon and tell him "Hello!!" like his wife does, and tell him that at a moments notice, all of those moments are going to be gone, so he better soak them up. Mind you though, I am not a parent so I don't know how stressful this stuff is, however I did take care of three kids that were not mine for almost a year, and that was cake. So, at this point the father is a tad bit disconnected from his family, and most of all his wife, and it is troubling to me. I don't see how that could happen, but I guess people have their turmoil and they find a way to get through it, in their case divorce, poor kids!

So back to how g-darn adorable these kids are. They talk to the cameras which I believe follow them around year round, and they go on these little outings and act too cute for words, throwing fits here and there and being oh so loud! They somehow find a way to remind you in EVERY episode how charming they are, yet reason with you with their tempers on how they can be a handful, or 6 handfuls. I have grown to love and loath them, mostly love, with the loathing saved for the second oldest and rather troubled daughter Mady. I think by now I would have strangled her. Thank God I am not her mother!! At one point in a past episode she was being quite a terrible child and hitting her siblings left and right saying that it was an accident when it was clearly not, and after a couple times getting in trouble she was talking to her mother about accidents and asked a question similar to this "If I take out my pencil and poke someone "accidentally" is it still an accident?" Um HELLO!!! (Kate's voice can be used here) that kid needed an attitude change! She ends up learning through watching the show how horrible she had been, and it was cool for her to learn not to hit, but her way of fixing it was hitting the kid, seeing the camera, and thinking 'oh no!' and going back and saying sorry. Which I guess instills a sense of right and wrong, but in a way only because the cameras are there.

I think now that the kids are five or six, the cameras should be shut off on their lives, it was cute while they were young and the family really did need the help, but it is scary to see the changes, especially in the older ones. I think all of the things that happen are possibly staged, and if that is the case, it really sucks. I think that there should be social outings and game nights and things where the family does things together, and where they do things apart. I don't think that divorce should have been an option. I don't think that it is right to leave a situation like that in any sense and leaving is like abandoning your young. It's a sad situation and I thought I should reflect on it today as I am thinking about convincing Nick to get a cat. Yes I want a little one around, but no, I do not want a rolly-poly-shit machine. I want to start a little family lol but with animals rather than humans! So attached you will see Brad, my hopeful adoptee, and the pic of the cute little family. How hard it must be to get a good picture of them! I have a hard enough time with the six in my family at Christmas!