Country drivers, Updates, Pictures and Inspiration

As I was kindly
informed by Deb today, “It’s the 14th and you haven’t blogged since
the 3rd??? What the heck???” lol So, Deb!! This BLOGS for YOU!!! bahahaha

I actually thought about this subject the other day and would have “facebooked” it if I were
currently “facebooking,” I’m sure. When Gary and I first started dating and we
began making trips to my mom and dad’s he was COMPLETELY BAFFLED by an act that
I never gave any thought to: WAVING! I took the rural, country road wave for
granted, never even gave any thought to the fact that city people don’t do it.
You know what I’m talking about, you local people!! We would be driving out to
mom’s on a country road and every car/truck (80% more trucks than cars usually)
we passed the driver would wave, right?? The men tend to drive with one hand at
the top of the wheel so all they have to do is flick a few fingers up (not THAT
finger, that would be a whole other post) in passing. So the first few trips
(years??) coming to visit my parents, every vehicle we passed would wave and G
would say, “Who was that?” or “Do you know them??” hahahaha to which I would
reply, “Noooo……. Everyone just waves….” This totally confused him!! He couldn’t
grasp why you would wave at people you didn’t know. And my rural upbringing
kicked in when I realized HE WASN’T WAVING BACK!!!

You HAVE to wave back!!! How RUDE!?!?! I
explained it as best I could. So this began several months of him OVER-ENTHUSIASTICALLY
waving at anyone we met! I’m sure they thought I was dating either the
friendliest person they had ever seen or a strange “city boy.” LoL But when I
lived in Bossier I never found myself randomly waving at people on Airline
Drive…. I’m guessing the abundance of traffic automatically turns the wave instinct off.

Well, I am proud to
announce that after living here 3 years I have recently noticed that G is now a
full fledged, country roads, WAVER!! Hand at the top of the steering wheel,
ready to wave at a moment’s notice!! 0 to WAVE in 1.8 seconds!! He’s got the
wave down pat people!! So proud of my man!!

Ok, moving on…. In my
last post I told you guys about Lou’s ankle injury and our circus experience
trying to get to the bottom of it, right?? Well we finally received the MRI
results yesterday (Day 16) and learned that she has torn ligaments. Not
completely TORN requiring any surgery or such but she is looking at 6 months to
be totally healed and 4 more weeks before she can get back to full activity. We
are to expect that activity will induce more swelling/bruising as she heals and
increases her activity level.

Grreeaaaatttttt……..

Have I mentioned that Lou on crutches and

INactive is like a horse at the starting gate?? Oh yeah!!
Quivering, stomping, blowing, neighing……. Not pleasant, for her or any of us
trying to keep her on the crutches and “taking it easy.” She is such a CHAMP
though. It’s still SO GREEN!!! With bruising 5” up her leg and the ankle is
still swollen but she Quasimodo walks without the
crutches and tries so hard to get back to “normal.” She is missing lots of ball
(games and practices) though she attends both. And uses that mouth of hers to
CHEER for her team, as it’s all she can do to try and help.

Coming home from practice yesterday she said,

“Mom, you know how I always stress myself out over
thinking everything?? (school grades and ball and tkd) Pushing myself to do
better and forgetting to enjoy it too? Or taking everything so personally
without thinking it thru… I think God had a plan for me with this injury. I
think He knew exactly what he was doing. I have learned in the last two weeks
to take a deep breath and just observe. To watch and learn. How to relax a
little. I think that it will help make me better in the long run.”


How amazing is that???

I love that my 14 year old took the time to analyze the situation and
find the good in it!! And she is SO right!! All experiences God helps us
through serve a purpose, they help build us, they serve HIS purpose for us.
I wish I had it as together as my kids do at
such a young age!! I had to learn things the hard way 9 times out of 10 and
they have the ability to step back see the right way and just DO IT! They are
so far ahead of me; sweet, smart, tough kids!!

Well….. It has happened;
Magpie has turned the big 1-3!!! I have TWO, count them, TWO teenage
daughters!!!! Lovely teenage daughters!!! Stead fast in their values and
beliefs. I am amazed daily! 6 weeks ago Magpie was 2 and came up to my knees
and then suddenly overnight she is ALMOST an inch taller than ME and THIRTEEN
YEARS OLD!!! I am telling you she is PHENOMINAL. She is the Dalai Lama of our
household. SO very ZEN!! She is laid back and knows just what to say when you
need to hear it!! And as with all the kids, provides comic relief when you
least expect it! She has also discovered her own style. Lou has always been
sort of a mix between glam and athletic (yes, you can combine the two) and
Magpie never gravitated to any particular style, UNTIL RECENTLY. It makes me
smile to see her come out of her room with her funky little glasses on, hair in
a messy bun, Converse and a Papaw cardigan, with a slouchy messenger bag thrown
over her shoulder. Magpie is EMERGING you guys, the world better watch out!!

Little Man has been hilarious as ever. He came into this world thinking

it was his job to entertain us all and he has never failed to do so. He has taken to saying,

“Yeah, I know, right??” in his young, little voice, exactly as his teenage sisters do and it cracks
me up!! He is too cool for school, he couldn’t help it!! Being the youngest in this
trio has it’s advantages!! lol Those girls love their little bro something
fierce!! As we all do. I am so proud of how they take their role as big sisters
so seriously, being good influences and role models. And little as he is, he is
ALWAYS their first defender!! Makes my heart warm!!

And now for a few

pictures, as they show a little more about what the family and I have been up
to (and a couple of them CRACK me UP!)

We kept my dog-in-laws for a couple of days
while G’s brother and his wife were out of town… they have three inside dogs,
actually the schnauzer’s are the parents of our Louie and Willie. So that made 5 dogs inside my house but you would have NEVER known!! They were all so good and well behaved!

Here Gary was trying
to get them to stand at attention (sit??) while “lining up” to go outside. Lol they
were looking at him like, “Huh??”

This is Sadie, she
was my favorite, though I don’t like to claim favs…. You can’t help it with
her!! She is such a LOVER and CUDDLE BUG!! Sweetest brown eyes!! I heart her!

Don’t hate!! Not
everyone can pull this look off! And most wouldn’t care to try! Lol

Of course, I have
made a few things over the last few days…..

(the ones that I can share anyway, some are still under wraps)

I made this for a
local baseball coach, it isn’t finished yet but you can get the idea. I love
this! I actually used a “dead” ball from his field to make the cross. I think
we are also doing these for the seniors before the end of the year.

This is a corsage for
a house wares bridal shower. Rather than flowers they requested something whimsical
that would reflect the theme of the shower and the wedding colors. So WAH-LAH!
I clipped the handle on a fork, spoon and whisk, built it and added an “I DO”
tag! These are also available to buy made to order. I can make a corsage to fit
almost any theme.

And LAST but NOT LEAST….

I have been doing
lots with my prior facebook time; devotional time, creative/work time,
supporting the kids school and athletics, reading the Bible (not from the
beginning) but let’s face it sometimes reading the Bible can be HARD (as in I
need a preacher on speed dial to help me dissect the meaning of a particular verse,
chapter, book) It is something I, myself, can only do in small amounts at a
time. So I have also been reading other books as well. In keeping with my goal
of spiritual growth and discovery I have searched out inspirational books too.

Here are two:

(click images for links)

You may remember the author of this book from Full House.

Candace Cameron Bure is the author of

Reshaping it All, which is her story of a struggle with food issues early on
and how she manages food for both she and her
family now in a healthy way, based on her learning and knowledge of the Bible.
It really just makes sense!! Basically the theme is moderation and exercise but
it is so much deeper than that, with stories, quotes and biblical passages, she
encourages you about eating, exercising, parenting, being a wife, (and even touches
on fashion) through her understanding a of the bible and love of the Lord. This
book really broaches on most of the concerns of women today.

She doesn’t attempt to say her way is THE way to
success but she shares what has worked for her and encourages you try different
things until you find your “fit.” I liked it, wrote in it, folded pages, went
back to favorite pages. It’s like a pep talk from a really good role model!

She also has a blog....

Oh this….. this is
awe inspiring. I am still thinking about this book, two days after finishing it
and hope to always stayed enthralled with Katie and her life’s work. At 18
years old, this high school senior from an upper middle class family was drawn
to Uganda over Christmas break…. And that started it all. She returned home and
graduated from high school but Uganda and it’s people never stopped pulling her
back… the Lord had work for her to do!! Her story is captivating and
inspirational. What this young woman has accomplished through His Grace by the
age of 24, all that she gave up, and endures…. yet with a heart FULL of LOVE.
She is now the mother of 13 girls (YES!! 13!!) and helps hundreds more daily!
She is the most eloquent speaker, her love for the Lord and all of his people
is RAW and UNHAMPERED, she knows no bounds.

She is a modern day Mother Theresa,
though she is no nun, but the Lord is using her in much the same way!

Her blog will give
you a taste for her story telling abilities, as well as her life and what it
entails. But mostly it shows you how we should all aspire to LOVE. (the cover
photo on her blog speaks volumes of Katie and who she is)

This is her foundation, which she established early on to help her

care for the orphans of Uganda.
Her family in Tennessee, though not initially thrilled with her life choices,
now run her foundation and help with what they can from here in the States.

"People tell me I am brave. People tell me I am strong. People tell me good job. Well here is the
truth of it. I am really not that brave, I am not really that strong, and I am
not doing anything spectacular. I am just doing what God called me to do as a
follower of Him. Feed His sheep, do unto the least of His people."

Katie Davis

May we all answer His call
to help “the least of these” even from right where we are….




P.S. I don’t know you
are there if you don’t sign up for an account so you can leave me some love and
feedback. I miss you guys and hearing from you helps inspire me to blog MORE!!
You make me think of things I want to share with you! So let me hear from you!!

Lent without Facebook: a personal challenge or did I lose my mind??

How this started…

As my personal friends already know… I have given up Facebook for the duration of
Lent. No! I am not Catholic and No! I
haven’t lost my mind…. YET and that depends on who you ask, really…

In October I was guilted inspired to quit smoking by my
Little Man. Since then I have been on a roll!!! I quit drinking Coke (I figure
I was drinking 1000+ calories a day) and I quit eating junk food. I have also
made some additions; lean meat, more vegetables daily, (now here is the part
where some of you are going to think I have taken up fictional blogging…) I
exercise daily. FOR REAL!! And most importantly I am working on the spiritual aspect
of my life, getting to know Our Father better and letting it reflect in my role
as wife, mother, friend, and HUMAN.
Well, Mardi Gras season rolled around and here in Louisiana
that is a BIG DEAL. One night while reading this I
got to thinking about how we non-Catholics sure don’t mind celebrating the FUN
parts of Mardi Gras but once Ash
Wednesday begins the rest of us are finished with Mardi Gras season until next
year. As a personal challenge I decided to partake in Lent and give something
up that I enjoy. As I had already quit smoking, don’t drink regularly, red meat
is only once or twice a month, junk food is out, chocolate is a rare treat in
my diet anyway…. See where I am going here?

I couldn’t think of what to give up!!

On Fat Tuesday I saw a post by my friend Gina Astin asking who was giving
up Facebook for Lent, as she did not want to be worried about people who
disappeared suddenly, if you know Gina you know she would NOTICE and she would
also send the police to check on you! LOL (she is sweet like that!!) It was an
AH-HA moment for me!! I Facebook DAILY and by daily I mean I was checking it
every 20 minutes or so…. My friend Melissa M. and I got to discussing it (on
Facebook) and were both game so we did it!! We made a pact and we have stuck to
it! I took the app off of my phone and everything. My family met this news with
raised eyebrows and a few, “yeah rights.” But all that does is encourage me!! The
first few days were rough because it was just like breaking any other habit, it
took time. Melissa M. got a few random text from me, “Facebook thought of the
day….” Or “Amy is checking in at such and such.” LOL Though I will admit carpool
line has NEVER been so boring! But you what…. I am doing it!! I keep telling
the husband, ”I am SUCH A GOOD quitter!”

I ROCK at quitting, you guys!!

I get so much more done now!! I organize our menus, our
budget and finances, laundry gets folded in a timely manner, and

most importantly I spend more time with
God! I reflect on the day and think about ways I could improve or things I
could have handled differently. I don’t want this time to just be about,

”OH-WOW-I-DID-IT-40+-DAYS-WITHOUT-FACEBOOK”
but I want to actually gain some knowledge and experience during this time. To
learn more about me and grow in a way that He would want me to. So….. it’s a
personal choice for me, a little experiment, if you will…. I may blog about it once it’s complete. We will see….

OH!! I will say this: Some of my Facebook friends are WAY
better friends than my day to day-in person friends! I have noticed that I have
friends I can call to share a dilemma with, a concern or just a funny thought
and I get absolutely NOTHING!! No help, no concern, no words of advice, no reaction to my

HA-HA thought…. Come to think of it, these same friends RARELY comment on my post
either, it’s like they aren’t even seeing them until they mention it later, “oh
yeah, I saw that on Facebook,” and you realize they DO see!

What’s up withthat, huh??

So, what’s been up with us??? Let me see…..
Our tkd school competed in a tournament in February. We took
16 students and they totally ROCKED it and made us look good. My own tkd-ers
competed and Lou won a gold in forms and competed for Grand Champ.

She had just gotten contacts for near sightedness and is in
the middle of softball season so Husband decided she didn’t need to compete in
sparring because she hasn’t been training much, plus adjusting to the contacts…..
we really wanted to try and avoid an injury during ball season. (you will see
the irony in this thought process soon)

Anyway…. Braedon
competed and won both gold in sparring and forms. He then competed in the 12
and under (or was it 11 and under…. not sure) division for Grand Champ and he WON it!!
Husband competed and won gold in forms and silver in
sparring. He also competed for Grand Champ in forms and brought home that
trophy as well!!

I think in all the students brought home over 30 medals.
That’s a lot of hardware!! Not too
shabby for our little tkd school!! Proud of each and every one of our guys!! (and girls)

Little Man, Husband and one of our 7 year old students
stayed and took part in the WTA Team USA tryouts…. Now we wait and see how that
goes!! They did great and had a really good time.

Due to the team tryouts going on Landon missed batting
practice with her softball team on Sunday afternoon. So armed with a new bat
and a bucket of balls she and her dad hit the local ball park to make up for
missing batting. Yeah… here comes the “irony” part…. I was headed with LM to
pick up Magpie and the husband calls, with concern in his voice, which is NEVER
a comforting sound…. Lou had stepped down wrong going after a ball, he heard a
POP and she went down screaming.

They were headed to the ER. INJURED while running/walking
but set out of sparring to avoid injury…. irony. When they first got her
medicated and out of pain she was down right poetic about AMAZING her daddy
was!! All loopy and she keeps telling me, “Mom, you should have seen daddy!! He
scooped me up and RAN me to the truck!” “Dad was amazing mom!! He ran fast,
carrying me!! He is my hero!!” ohhh…… geesh…. Adoration status just jumped by
LEAPS and BOUNDS!

The FUNK foot!

1st Dr said severe sprain and that there is an old injury
showing on ankle. 2nd Dr says not sure, next morning his radiologist
calls and says tibia is fractured where it attaches to ankle, 3rd Dr (orthopedic Dr) says it’s
an old, healed fracture showing on x-ray. After 4 days of wild goose chase an
MRI has been set up for this coming Wednesday to determine what is going on.
Let’s pray that it is better by then!! She is crabby when she is incapacitated...

(this is how she spent the first few days, totally bummed out!)

and as dad is her HERO….. that leaves MOM on the receiving end!! Blah!! But we
have had some good laughs too…. Just hope she is back up and at ‘em soon!

This happened on Sunday night and by Monday night and set
the tempo for the school week. Little Man was running 102 degree fever and
would continue to run fever all week!! He stayed home with me and mom watched
him while I ran Lou to Dr’s appointments. He is feeling MUCH better today, just
has a lingering BARK of a cough!

It’s times such as these that make you realize how blessed
you are and remind you to give thanks for your children’s

health and able bodies. So VERY thankful!!

Magpie is doing good, got groovy, mod glasses the same day
that Lou got her contacts. So she is seeing much better too!! I will have some
exciting news to announce on her behalf soon, can’t WAIT to share that with allof you!!

SO proud of her!

She will also be turning the big 1-3 soon!!! Another
teenager!!! How is this possible!?!? Amazing to me!! And they are growing into
such lovely young ladies too!! To celebrate the occasion Mag has asked for one
and only ONE thing for her birthday request!! She is a Hunger Games fanatic!! She wants to see the movie on it’s release date for her birthday so we decided to turn it in to her party too!! We
reserved 10-15 seats for the showing that night complete with food, drinks,
popcorn…. Of course this required a special, one of a kind invitation!

Amazing what you can do with a computer program, VERY LITTLE
SKILL and some card stock!

I took the finished prints (four to a page) to OFFICE DEPOT
and for less than less than 8 bucks they printed them front/back on one piece
of card stock and laminated them. I brought them home, cut them out and put
each on a lanyard (also from Office Depot for about $6) And TAH-DAH!!!
Personalized VIP Passes for her movie premiere party!!! YAY for MAGPIE!!

p

There you have it!! Custom Made VIP Invites!!

Oh!! And I made my first FEATHER BOUQUET for a wedding!! The
bride-to-requested the colors champagne and sapphire blue, with peacock feather
accents! I love how it turned out! Makes me want to remarry Husband so I can
have a feather bouquet!

And some Facebook thoughts (you really do have them, if you
are an active facebooker then you think in “facebook thoughts” now too!) I have
TONS but these are just a few that have stuck with me:
1.
My almost 13 yr old girl and almost 10 year old
boy were in the back of the house today and I heard giggling and snickering as
they shared their own little joke… THAT sure does warm a mother’s heart!!
2.
I wish my CLOTHES iron worked as well as my Chi
straightening (HAIR) iron!!
3.
If I could just get my wits about me FAST, when
I most needed them… I’d be a force to be reckoned with!!” lol
4.
I am really thankful for Melissa M. for going
into this with me, grateful she shares the same values as me, and also that she
puts up with my random text messages!! Lol I do feel as though I am
reconnecting with an old friend in a way that I may not have if we hadn’t
jumped into this no facebooking situation!!

Oh!! And if you happen to be on crutches when your schools basketball team is in the playoffs..... duct tape those bad boys in the school colors!!

I've been missing you guys!! Leave me some comments!!

Finally!! Much ado about nothing.... or Photo transferring actually...

As I have been PROMISING to blog about this project for over
a month now I am finally sitting down to get it done! I found plenty of how to’s
and tutorials on Pinterest (and elsewhere online) but NONE gave me good, clear
instructions with troubleshooting on problems that you may run in to. I hope to
provide better directions and I will also explain the road blocks I hit…. Hopefully
you will get good results without much headache ; ) No, really!! This isn’t a
HARD project if you know the “insider trading secrets” from the beginning.
So….. let’s get started!!
1.
This project requires some drying time so don’t
plan on getting it done in one afternoon.
2.
I used blocks of wood I literally found in my
back yard, about 2” thick, I had the husband cut them to 10” length. I got
lucky that they were already about 8” wide. You can buy yours that way on
purpose. The thickness is only important if you want them to be free standing.
And you can do this project in different sizes too (4x6, 5x7 etc)
3.
As far as prep work….. NONE. I didn’t sand them
smooth or anything. As long as you knock any dirt or saw dust off you should be
good to go.
4.
You will need to print a picture the same size as
the board you want to adhere it too.
5.
Go into your printer preferences and switch it
to black and white.
6.

*ALERT!!!! TRICKY PART!!!* Some places said to
use laser printer only, others said to wet the picture first, some said to
dance naked in your yard while chanting, “ADHERE TO THE WOOD!!” (ok…. that last
part I made up but at one point while trying this project I would have tried
this if it had been suggested to me) Listen to me carefully here….. INKJET ONLY
PEOPLE!!! I will show you a picture of what my laser printed came out looking
like. So again, INKJET ONLY!!! Most home printers are inkjet and some smaller
work printers are too.
7.

Choose a picture with plenty of light spots in
it when you print it in b&w. By light I mean, lots of contrast. For example
the pictures of my girls worked GREAT because they have white in the
backgrounds and in their skin tones etc. Darker skin toned people I would make
sure to have a lighter background. It all just makes it stand out on the wood better.
8.

You will also need Gel Medium as shown in the picture below.
9.

Everything else you will need is stuff you already have around the house…..

*Oh!! I got almost finished writing this and remember this part so I zipped back up here to tell you…. also go in to your printer settings/preferences and click the “mirror image” setting.
I forgot to do this on Little Man’s picture and his LSU shirt ended up being a
USL shirt…..*

See here what I mean about light in the picture, there is PLENTY of light in the
pictures of the girls but in the pic of my Little Man…. not so much. That didn’t
come out so well and I will be redoing it in the future.

Here is the gel medium, it cost about $14 for me to buy this size and I used about
2/3 of it doing this project.

STEP ONE!

Cover the board with the gel medium, I mean really slather it on!!! Brush
quality doesn’t matter, I used both high dollar bristled brush and a $.99
cheapo sponge brush, either is fine. You may want to brush vertically the first
time then follow that with a horizontal coat for better coverage.



STEP TWO!

Place your photo face down on the board. Make sure to check that it is
centered. If you start from the bottom and work up (like I did here) make sure
those bottom corners are lined up before you smooth down the rest of the picture.

STEP THREE!

Smooth it down, removing air bubbles!! Be firm but not TOO crazy!! I
used a pot scrubber thingy but you can use a spatula, a credit/gift card…. whatever!!


Now you WAIT!!! And wait……… and wait…….. and wait……….

Overnight is good. 14 to 15 hours worked for me but I figure 12 would do and maybe even
sooner if you ran a hot blow dryer over it for a little bit. But if it is still
cold to the touch it is STILL WET UNDER THERE and NOT READY YET!!
(don’t ask me how I know that, just take my word for it)


STEP FOUR!

Fill a plastic bowl with warm (almost hot) water and find a sponge. Mine was sponge on
one side and abrasive on the other, you will use your fingertips for this part too.

STEP FIVE!

Now begin to wet the surface of the paper. The water will NOT hurt it.

Your picture will slowly begin to appear before your eyes!!

As the picture becomes saturated gently rub the paper away. GENTLY!! It doesn’t take much
pressure here but it does take repetition. If you get to a stubborn part change
the direction you are working in: up, down, back and forth and circular, every
which ah way!!

Hands work great too
but it DOES wrinkles your finger tips up like crazy!!!

Let it dry for a little while and you will be able to see any lingering spots of paper you
missed. Try to get most of it but some hazy areas will remain, that is ok.

STEP SIX!

Clear coat. Now I tried several different methods….. the gel medium itself and modge podge
but they both left the hazy areas sort of visible. So I was thinking to myself,
“Self, what will absorb in to that paper and make it disappear and give the
pictures a nice sheen, glow??” Self came up with…….. OLIVE OIL!!!! I know, I
know…. CRAZY!!! Self is like that sometimes!!

This is the final
look after the olive oil. I’m sure any kind of cooking oil would work, just use
a tiny bit on a paper towel and rub it in lightly. Wipe the excess away. (Note
this is not supposed to be a perfect project, some nicks and spots are going to
show)

And this is the final outcome!!

Like I said, I tried several different pictures of Little Man before
I found one that I am happy with (this one pictured is not it, too dark)
Overall I am THRILLED with how they came out and even more thrilled to share it
with you now that I have done some troubleshooting and ironed out the kinks!! I
really hope you give this project a go and share with me the outcome! If you
have any questions ask me in a comment! And if you are local I am thinking
about teaching this as a Craft/Pinterest Class, so let me know if you are interested!!
Happy Transferring!!!
Amy

P.S. THIS is the outcome of using laser printed photo after only gently rubbing

the first coat off....... not too hot, huh??

Momma says.....

Gary is FOREVER making fun of me for saying, “Well… momma
said” or starting a sentence with, “Momma says…yada yada and so on.” BUT I can’t
HELP IT, my mom is SMART! (20 years ago I would have called you a DANG LIE if
you had told me I would have ever said that, much less publicly)

This is my mom, she cracks me up. Or WE crack
each other up, as you can see here.
“HI, MOM!!”

Anyway….. my SMART mom taught and continues to teach me so
much. I was thinking about apologizes today and that is where my rant starts…
Mom Wise Rule #26: “I’m sorry” isn’t only a phrase to be spoken BUT
an action to be taken!! You can’t keep repeating the same action and expecting “I’m
sorry” to be accepted over and over again. If you are truly sorry, your ONE apology
will be followed by an action OR a lack of action….. As in; DO NOT REPEAT THE
BEHAVIOR THAT REQUIRED YOU TO HAVE TO APOLOGIZE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Gah, my mom is genius!! And she began schooling us on this one early on and now I have
taught my children the same since they were little bitty. THANK YOU MOM!!!
And while I am on the subject of parenting I’d like to say: I
honestly believe that if you want to be treated with respect by your children, you
must also treat THEM with respect!! You should not cuss, holler, yell, name
call etc and expect your children’s behavior to be any different….. you ARE
leading by example. I hear people talk of, “Oh yeah, I want to put my kids in karate…..
they need to learn some respect.” This is true; martial arts CAN improve upon
that but really IT MUST BEGIN AT HOME. Don’t put the kids in taekwon-do
expecting significant changes in their behavior towards you if your behavior
ALSO needs modifying. If you do all you will notice is your children gaining
more respect for THEIR INSTRUCTOR, teachers and possibly more SELF respect. Kids are some of the most observant creatures in God’s entire world. They will respect those that deserve respect a lot faster than those whose actions are questionable. (I am obviously not of the, “well, I will
beat it into them” mind set, as I doubt most of you are either) BUT HEY!! That’s
just me….. I don’t claim to have it all figured out… FAR FROM IT!! But this,
this just seems like common sense.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE:

This is NEVER a good sign!!

And on top of that he gets the entire vacuum cleaner in pieces in the floor and then
says, “I am really good at taking things apart. Putting back together… well……. “
GREEAAATTTT……

BUT DO NOT BE ALARMED! SUCCESS!!!!!

He not only got it back together but it is
also working like brand, spanking new!! GO HUBBY, with YO bad self! (that’s my silly man!!)

I am still working on a few Pinterest projects (and what
not) to share…. There is at least one really COOL tutorial in the NEAR future.
I am SO excited to show you what I am up to this week!! So keep checking back!

OH!! And why don’t you let me hear some of your favorite
motherly advice or lessons from your childhood…..

Thank you guys for stopping by!!!

Hanging out with Unsavory Characters

Ok, so the unsavory
characters are my mutts
dogs…..

They are hanging out with me because I can’t
sleep (surprise!!) and the rest of the house slumbers on. Ok, maybe they aren’t soooo unsavory but they do kinda smell bad. Their bather (the husband) is obviously falling down
on his job…. What kind of work ethic is that, I ask you!?!?!?! hahaha Just
joking babe, love you much!! *now go bathe those dogs*

Today I tried out a painting and ended up so pleased with it
I added it to my ETSY shop in TWO different sizes!!

Teacher Fleur De Lis!!!!
I love how well it came out and there are SO many ways you
can customize it to fit each order….. OH THE POSSIBILITIES!!!! I am working on
one more that I’m not sure how I am going to like the finished product yet…..
pictures to come (maybe!!)

*You can see my Etsy listings by clicking on the link at the bottom of this blog! I'm adding things every few days. *

I also made this today:

I LOVE IT!! Reminds me of my younger years and one of the movies
that defined our generation. Come on, you KNOW if you are remotely near my age that you practiced the dive/catch scene when you went swimming and you knew
EVERY LINE but most especially parts like THIS: “SYLVIA…. YES MICKEY…. How do you call your lover boy? Come ‘ere lover boy!!” *you crawled across the floor,
Jennifer Grey style, too didn’t ya? hmmmm……? NOT THAT I DID THAT EVAH!* Ok, I still know the entire movie by heart!

All the more reason I had to have this “definition”
framed in my living room! It makes me smile.

First I typed it out in fonts Broadway and Andalus in Microsoft Word.

(font choice is totally up to you) I then printed it on regular white printer paper….. card stock is an option. TO GRUNGE: I heated a tea bag in hot water, squeezed some of the excess
water out and then gently sponged the teabag onto the paper.

TIP!! DO NOT RUB.
Gently pressing works great, making sure that it saturates all the way through the paper. (you may want to layer a few paper towels underneath to avoid a
mess) Next I put the paper in the oven, directly on the rack, with temp set at
200* or warm. It doesn’t take long at all to dry a

and leaving the paper stained and making it look “vintage” or old.

TAH-DAH, GRUNGY!!

I never could get it to look like that!!! Then again, I can't remember who was catching hoisting me but I'm sure it wasn't Patrick either.....

My oldest child has taken to announcing, “ARE YOU GOING TO BLOG ABOUT IT???” with MUCHO excitement every time they make me laugh…. Which makes me laugh all the more!! It is becoming a contest in our house to see who can guess what will next make the blog. And this story, in itself, was one of their guess…. So GOOD JOB my kiddos!! TWO POINTS!!



Oh and Rest in Peace, Patrick Swayze. I was SO going to marry
you! (when I was 12 anyway)

And now I will have "Love is Strange" stuck in my head for the
next UMPTEEN days. YAY!!

Angry Cats, New Pretties, and other Amy's Antics for the day

So... my day started off with a LARGE to-do list. I am a list maker, from a long and proud line of list makers. As a matter of fact, my
list obsession mandates that I must have a special book just for our daily list. The
book is also known, in our family, as “The Brain” because it takes over “remembering”
all the things that I would forget OR mix up times on etc. On any given day the list may include; my household task, kid’s schedules, grocery list, things to remember to do before
tkd school opens, errands to run and so on and so on…..

I even tuck schedules and upcoming appointment cards, and
to-be-signed and returned things inside) The Brain even has a “roll over" feature.
Meaning... if I don’t get it done today, I “roll it over” and write it down at the
top of the next days list… lol

And today on the list, in BIG, BOLD letters, circled THREE
times, it stated, “DON’T FORGET TO TAKE MOM HER CATS!!!” Mom, needing to take both her cats to the vet today during her lunch hour, had asked if I would please bring them to her so
she wouldn’t lose any time in getting them there. This meant that from the time the kids went to school until time to fetch the cats I didn’t accomplish A THING because I was so worried about
forgetting to go get them… I checked the clock every 15 minutes it seemed, afraid to get involved in any project too
deeply because that never fails to suck me in and make me abandon all schedules.
Did I mention these are outside cats? I was afraid I would get there and would
not be able to find Mr. Bill, the gigolo the wanderer
(and after this trip to the vet, that shall not be a problem any longer!) Anyway, so I left early in case I had any trouble finding the felines but there they were, waiting right on the patio for
me, like good kitty babies!

This is Bill. Normally the Lover of the duo, (also the reason he is going to the vet) he YELLED at me all the way to town, which made for an interesting ride.

*I think maybe this blog should be sponsored by an animal welfare group, I am like the Bob Barker of blogging, I think!!*

My sweet Mommy DID gift me with these when I dropped off her cats…

Isn’t she a doll??

And another random thought I had today and snapped a pic of (well… not of the actual THOUGHT but of what inspi…. ya know what?? You get it don’t you?)

Every busy mom
needs one of these! A reusable to-go cup! As I spend lots of time running the
roads, I was Queen of, “I have to stop and get something to drink.” Well! Not
anymore! I am also a Crushed Ice Junkie,
regardless of what I am drinking crushed ice just makes it better and for those
of you who don’t know *drum roll please* YOU CAN BUY BAGS OF SONIC ICE
FROM SONIC!!!! (at most locations) How awesome is that?? LOVE! I will
literally save almost $10 a week because of this cup!! Ok, so obviously I am
impressed by the most simple of things…. AnyWho… moving on……

Having finally made the feline delivery I did eventually get
a few things done. For instance, I made THIS:

This cute guy has been hanging around my shop for over a year just waiting for me to figure out how I wanted to put him to use.... Now he is the lucky rider of this cute motorcycle diaper cake which I listed on Etsy today!
*WOOT!! My first pretty link!! I taught myself that!! GO AMY!! It's your birt..... oh sorry.... moving along....*

And for my Pinterest project of the day I made a few of
these treats for teachers…

Love how these turned out and will be sharing them with teacher's at school tomorrow!

Totally NOT of my own design! Follow this Pinterest link to a complete how-to tutorial by domesticatedlady AND the free printable labels!! Just add water bottles and tea mix!! So cute and SO SIMPLE!!

Guys… it’s been in the 70’s here in Louisiana!! Some of us
have seriously resorted to using our AC once or twice… IN JANUARY!! Generally, February is our coldest winter month; if there is going to be snow or ice it will be in February, so we will
see. But in the mean time I got tired of looking at the glass canister full of
fake snow in the center of my dining room table (looks
idiotic considering you are wearing flip
flops and a T) Sooo…… I changed it!

THERE!! That is better! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mardi Gras season!!

Ok my friends…. Have you made anything recently?? Do you
also have to keep list to make it day to day?
Let me hear from you!!

OH! And this is Amy B. reminding YOU to help control the animal population, spay or neuter your pet! (HA! Eat your heart out BOB!!!)

How exactly does one go about blogging??

As I am not sure where to start and an introduction seems so boring formal.... I am thinking we will start with something completely random, as RANDOMNESS is my basic way of communicating. I am talking RAN to the DOM, as in, midsentence...change the subject on ya, kind of random.... you'll see as you get to know me, I apologize in advance.

How about rather than a blah, blah, yada, yada introduction, we do a PICTORIAL introduction?? Let's see.... we will start with:

This is ME. I do NOT like snakes and in the summer I am sure there will be a blog or two on said subject. Oh the things we do for our kids..

This is my husband, let's call him Johnny Cage or JC (as he IS a martial artist and as a friend often points out DOES resemble Johnny Cage from Mortal Combat.)

I believe in this picture he is looking his MOST fierce, for sure!

And these are the children entertainers, never a dull moment. This picture pretty much sums it up; two are absolute goofs and the other is a goof but doesn't want you to know! I seriously considered calling them Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing 3 for the purpose of this blog but I feel pretty sure they would protest, LOUDLY, so I will let them help me decide and we will get back to you on that. K?? Thanks!

Together we make up one wonderful, talented, creative, dysFUNctional family.

(you can trust me on that, I would never lead you astray ;)

What else should you know to start with?? I make things (I mean, besides children) and have decided this is the year to get serious with it! This blog, along with a Pinterest and Etsy account, ARE PART OF MY EVIL PLAN TO RULE THE WORLD!! bahahahaha*wheez*hahahaha

are the first steps I am taking to accomplish this goal! I am sure to be covering humors happenings around the house, animal antics (as we have some crazy pets), recipes for busy moms (as my facebook friends know I sing the praises of my crockpot every other day!) I will also share some how-to-tutorials, things I am working on, items for sale and such things as that. I am nervous but so excited to interact with old and new friends and just see where this leads. FEEDBACK is SO important to me, so please let me hear from you!

Thanks for stopping in ~Amy~

ps. Fact: I mix up your and you're a lot. Fact: It drives my english teacher mother NUTS.

I apologize in advance and will try and catch it as much as possible.... It happens when my fingers type faster than my brain can think! Really FAST typing or really SLOW thinking? I will let you decide....