My first design challenge....

Found out about this design challenge at Delightful Sketches. It's my first time to ever enter a challenge. They have cute digi stamps available and I picked up this little toad for free this week on the blog. I really like the way he turned out. Wish me luck! :)

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Guess who didn't get much sleep Thursday night? .

Welcome to our 3rd bed swap. (read about the previous ones here)

This time I slept in the lower bunk bed and the boys slept under their "tent" on the floor.

In the morning, I got up and made Breakfast Orange Bread for the kids.

It got mixed reviews, but in the end, 3 thumbs up.

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Lucas gave it a big, gooey smile.

Zachary gave it a dirty look and a "it- doesn't- look- very -good -so -I -don't -like -it" face. (after a little "persuasion", he tasted it and liked it)

I gave it a "go back for seconds this is so good" and a "It- was- very -nice- of- your -mother- to- bake -this- delicious- breakfast -for- you- after- a- night- of -no- sleep- so- you- are -going- to- at -least- taste- it" lecture.

Breakfast Orange Bread~

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 Tbsp grated orange rind

2 cans buttermilk biscuits (10 in each can)

1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese (cut into 20 squares)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 Tbsp orange juice

Combine sugar, pecans and orange rind. Place a cream cheese square into each biscuit and fold over the sides so that it resembles a 1/2 moon shape. Pinch sides to seal. Dip into butter and roll in sugar mixture. Stand each biscuit on edge in a lightly greased bundt pan spacing evenly. Pour leftover melted butter and sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Invert onto wire rack. Mix powdered sugar and OJ to form a glaze. Spoon over warm bread and serve immediately. (Makes your house smell delicious too!)

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Before and After

Ok, folks...here's my disclaimer. Remember that these are "improvements on a budget." I ended up shopping my own house, seeing what I could repurpose to add a new twist to the house. (I did purchase the black and white fabric, however).

Here's a little sampling:

Kitchen sink area before:

And after:

We don't own this house and it is a temporary housing arrangement for us, so we are limited in what we can do as far as remodeling/designing. I didn't want to put any holes in the cabinets to hang the curtains, so I just sewed a strip of paper to the back of them and then stuck them up there with double sided tape. If you know me, you are not surprised by that.

I want to get a white vase (0r an ugly any-color vase that I can spray paint white) and put it in the window with some colorful flowers.

See that cute lamp?

Before:

After:

And this plain tassel got a makeover too:

And despite some of you wishing to live vicariously through me, the refrigerator is still white! :)

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So, Josh is out of town and I am remodeling the house.

Kind of.

If you consider spray painting everything in sight remodeling, then I am remodeling.

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I'm not a good decorator.

At. all.

And our budget right now is tight. So I have decided to shop my own house and re purpose some worn out items.

For a non-decorating kind of girl that means spray painting stuff.

So I got a can of spray paint and went to town.

It's somewhat addicting.

I have been pacing around the house all afternoon thinking of what I can victimize next.

I wonder if Josh would mind if I spray painted the headboard?

Do we really love that white refrigerator even though all the other appliances are black?

Or would it look better in "glossy black?"

He called from Florida today but I didn't mention anything. I want him to be surprised when he gets home. (and if my projects don't work...oh boy will he be surprised!!!) Yikes!

I'm sure he became a little suspicious after I asked him if he was especially fond of the silver lamp that sits on our bar.

So, in a few days I'll post pics of some before and after.

Unless this is all a big mistake in which case I won't be posting any pictures and I'll just pretend like I never mentioned any of this.

And don't worry...I haven't built up enough courage to paint the refrigerator yet.

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New card line in my shop~

"Pass it On Greeting Card" line:

Inside each greeting card you will find not only an area for your personal message, but a handmade notecard as well. Both the greeting card and the notecard include a handmade envelope. The recipient will love reading your heartwarming message and then enjoy having a special notecard to send on to another special friend.....passing the love on!

This was my 1st:

More coming soon!

YAY!!!

I made a goal of 100 sales today! Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive!

I have had a ball establishing my Etsy shop these last 10 months and it has been great to meet some super people along the way! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Most of all, thanks to my 3 sweet guys who have pretended almost every night for 10 months that the clanging of my sewing machine is their favorite noise.

Things I learned at The Woodlands Quilt Show that I attended today:

1. It's more fun to attend a quilt show without the kids than with the kids.

2. I am not as good of a seamstress as I thought.

3. The reason that the plastic glove was in my welcome bag was because they didn't want oils from my hands on the quilts. (opps!)

4. Men enjoy quilting too

5. I really need to take some more classes.

6. I don't really know what I'm doing....just making it up as I go along.

7. A "quilting show" is another name for Heaven.

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Yeah!  I'm back online!  Thanks to my husband for installing the new modem!  

So, we went to the cell phone store today to get new phones. 

I headed straight to the free phones. All 2 of them.  I just can't stand the idea of actually paying for a phone.  When you only use a phone for talking about 1x a day, and are more interested in the color of the phone than the functions, you can't justify paying for a phone.  

"I'm looking for something VERY basic. Something old school is what I want. In fact, if you have something with a curly cord attached that would be perfect."

"Do you want one with a rotary dial?  :)"  The sales lady said.

Yes, in fact....that is exactly what I think I want.  

A carrier pigeon would work as just as well, though, if you have one of those in stock.  

I just need something that doesn't cut out when I rest it on my shoulder while changing a diaper.  That's really all I need.  

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"This phone has a camera" the sales lady said.

"But how would I get the pictures from the phone onto the computer" was my reply.

"This one has a music player" she said.

But how would I get the music from the phone to my ear?

  "Do you text?" She asked

Well, I have a few times.  But to be honest I've kind of avoided it since I accidentally sent a seductive text to our pastor thinking it was going to Josh. 

In the end, I opted for a $19 gorgeous red phone.  I think she felt sorry for me (or annoyed by me) because she said I could have it for FREE!!!!!

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Sorry for the sporadic blogging lately!

We had a death in our family.....our modem!!!!!

I am actually on a public computer right now, but hopefully next week

we'll have a new modem and be up and running again!  

:)

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New in the shop....