Some Blog Families can really use our prayers.

I continue to pray for Edie from Life in Grace, whose home burned to the ground and Roeshel from The DIY Show off whose father just passed.  But it seems without even trying I keep finding terrible heartache in this wonderful blog world.

I cried and cried when I read about Mattias Ryker Hanley.  He was just 22 months old when he died from an accident in December.  I can’t even imagine and it’s just so heartbreaking.  I am praying for this family to heal.

I am also praying for Lori , from Random Ramblings of a SAHM, whose husband committed suicide during a mental breakdown earlier this month.

I have also added Courtney and Zane, from Project Pretty to my list as he recovers from 3rd degree burns.

Cherish your family and friends.   I am so thankful for my family.

I’m a Stylish Blogger!

….well at least Vonda from Newlyweds and The Old House thinks so.  This is my first blog award.  I was completely floored to be included in Vonda’s picks, she awarded some awesome bloggers.  I feel like Wayne & Garth, “I’m not worthy”, but I’ll take it.  Thanks Vonda I think your pretty Stylish too.

So, here's the lay of the land, or the accepting of the award in this case: A. Thank and link back to the person that awarded you or me in this case. (above)
B. Share seven things about you.
C. Pay it forward to 15 (or so) recently discovered bloggers (I'm going recently discovered by ME b/c some have been around for longer
D. Contact those bloggers about the award!

7 things about me:
(1) I am a total goofball.  I am always joking around either sarcastically or extremely silly.
(2) I cry over the ASCPA & Humane Society commercials no matter how many times I see them. 
(3) Almost everything in my house has been painted 3 x’s.
(4) I hated being an Accountant. I like doing taxes but I was bored silly working at an public accounting firm.
(5) I plan vacations I can’t afford to take.  I will pull up hotel rates and all kinds of information about my dream vacations. Than reality sets in and I close all the windows on my laptop.
(6) My husband and I are both unemployed.  We have been for a while.  We have a plan and things will be turning around soon. 
(7) I used to live in Las Vegas.

Drumroll please, now onto the awards!  Ok I think these bloggers are pretty stylish:
(1)

(2)

(3)






(4) I Saw That Going Differently in My Mind
(5)






(6) Our Humble Abode
(7) Pine Tree Home
(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13) Urban Farmgirl
(14)

(15)

Possible Lamp Makeover Idea

I love this lamp by Serena & Lily, but at $329 it is not going to happen.  I saw a similar lamp at Home Goods but at $69 that’s not going to happen either.  I am thinking to either wait for Home Goods to mark it down or I am brainstorming how to recreate it.

I have a big round brass Goodwill Lamp that I got $1.  I have already rewired it with a kit from Lowes.  It has been sitting in my garage waiting for inspiration and a few days above 50 degrees.

I am wondering if I put a stencil on the lamp, paint over the stencil with puffy paint, and than cover it with white spray enamel if that would work. 

What’s your opinion, you think it will work or be a big fat fail?

Bright is “in”

I am so excited.  I love neutral colors but I always need that pop of bright.  Lately in blogland, I have been seeing bright greens and reds.  I Love it. Here are some of my favorites.

Red Chair @ Three Men and a Lady

Green Dresser @ Primitive & Proper

Yellow Lamp Makeover @ Yellow Songbird

Green Dresser @ Less-Than-Perfect Life

I painted my dresser pink back in 2009, unfortunately I don’t have a little girl and my dresser was not being loved as much as she could.  So she found a new home on Craigslist last year, by this sweet college girl who came to pick her up in her convertible.  I hope my dresser is happy with her new owner. 

I have plans for some bright pieces in my home this year too.  Are you loving all these brights?

Wall Art Featured on Remodelaholic

 

I was so excited last night when I found out my picket fence wall art was going to be featured on Remodelaholic.  I have loved this blog for quite a long time.  Cassity is so kind in featuring other bloggers. 

She is an awesome DIYer herself too.

Check out this vanity & Headboard she built…

 

Thanks Cassity!

Making Homeschool Fun – Friday Competitions

I was teaching conjunctions and didn’t think we should just cover the material and move on.  He has been having issues with retention.  I wanted to make it fun for him to think about what he learned during non school times. 

We decided to have a competition on Friday.  We are going to have a conjunction competition.  For every sentence he can come up with that uses a conjunction correctly, he will get $0.01.  In round two, he will get a chance to double his money.  We are going to take turns making sentences that use conjunctions until someone gets stumped.

He was so excited about this, that he wants to do this every Friday with something from that weeks lessons.

This ties in perfectly to the Dave Ramsey for Kids program we are starting.  Plus I am going to make him count and roll the pennies. 

Coupon Book with Plastic Sheet Protector Pages

I got this idea from Learning to be Frugal.  I am so thankful she shared her coupon binder.  I am not as good a sewer as she is.  I have never been good at sewing or cutting straight lines. 

To make this binder you will need:

1. Binder

2. Plastic sheet protector pages

3. Exacto Knife

4. Paper (colored or white)

5. Thread (preferably a sewing machine)

Fold the pages in half horizontally & vertically to make creases.  Cut the page horizontally along the crease but not straight across, stop in the middle and don’t cut all the way to either edge.  Insert a sheet of paper and sew along the horizontal and vertical crease line.

I probably wouldn’t use colored pages in hindsight.  If I need more pages for a particular section it will be a pain for me to add it.  I think all white pages would be more efficient and just use colored tabs.  Avery makes a 31 tab binder divider.  That would be the way to go. 

I made the title pages in Paint.net I used categories that made sense to me. 

This is just a few of my categories.

I made this book in November when I started couponing. I have saved a lot since couponing.  Our budget hasn’t decreased all that much yet, but I have a surplus in my pantry and refrigerator at the end of every week now.  We use to have a bare pantry at the end of each week and we were buying generics at Aldi.  I love Aldi for some products, but on others you can really taste the difference.

We will always coupon now to save money.

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