Tatertots and Jello Giveaway

I'm obsessed with Silhouettes. It was the first craft cutter I ever used and I instantly fell in LOVE! Unfortunately the $300 price tag has failed to fit into our budget and I continue to wait and want. Well, Tatertots and Jello is giving away a Silhouette. Go check it out and enter for your chance to win. You're going to LOVE the machine. Don't wait-GO!

project: Empty Space Utilized

My house does not lend itself to a mud room and I have grieved that loss the 4 years we've lived here. I told my friend Wednesday that I wanted to put some hooks behind my front door to hang my crap stuff. Stuff like a purse, maybe a cute coat or two, or a church bag. The kids rooms have hooks for those things already, so this would be just for me. I've seen board and batten done here and knew I wanted to use that. Check out these other cute ladies who had the same thought process.

Frugal Home Design

Recaptured Charm

Both used a small space of wall between doors to make a mudroom type space. I'm in LOVE!

Knowing what to do I started right away. I used graph paper printed from here to sketch my ideas and triple check my math.

Then we headed off to Home Depot. I found my wood (Primed MDF) and pushed the button for the guy to come make 8 cuts for me. While I'm waiting, what to my wondering eye should appear? THE CUT DISCARD PILE! A few seconds of searching and I found pieces that could be used for my vertical strips. COST $.50 for all my vertical pieces, TOTAL! I'm walking out of there spending only $6.00 ($5.50 of that for my horizontal pieces) and I'm soaring on my fabulous deal. I get home and PANIC! All of the sudden I worry that my vertical pieces are too BIG. But, hey, for $.50 I have to make it work, right?????

I primed and painted the wall and my pieces of discarded $.50 MDF.

I attached the MDF to the wall using liquid nails, a couple finishing nails and blue painters tape. I let that dry (or is the proper word cure?) for 24 hours.

(I know bad cell phone pictures, SORRY!)

Caulked ($2) and put on my final coat of paint Saturday.

I headed out for IKEA knowing they have the best price for wall hooks. The AS IS section had a grouping of 5 hooks for $2.99 TOTAL. Bringing my final bill for this project to $11

DID I MENTION LOVE!

project: Hard Water Stains

Ok so I have to tell you the best secret to window washing in Utah. We have hard water and my windows were all gunked up from the sprinklers hitting them. They were filmy and BAD. This spring I saw somewhere (maybe STUDIO 5?) to put jet dry, liquid dish soap and vinegar together in a squirt bottle and go at it. IT IS FABULOUS! I've used vinegar alone before but it never got the hard water stains off. This mixture is the BOMB. Plus, the jet dry works like it does in your dishwasher and the water just sheets off you windows. You want my version of the recipe? Here it is!

1 TBS liquid dish soap
4 TBS Vinegar
1 TSP Jet Dry or equivalent product
1 Liter of water

You may need to adjust the amounts to your needs.

Dump it all in a squirt bottle shake it up and start washing.

is it just me?

Is it just me, or does it take anyone else 6 months to write the correct date on your checks? Today I wrote 2010 without even thinking about it. First time all year. I'm so proud.

poject: MORE Inspiration

Well, my bedroom is mostly done. You wanna see it? I wanna show it to you. BUT J says I can't post cell phone pictures anymore, and I think he might be right. SOOOO until I can get a camera I'll just have to show you some more inspiration.

I didn't jump on the bird band wagon right away. Actually I didn't like the bird trend AT ALL, until the trend included bird cages. I've always loved bird cages. Now I want some cute little birdies for my bedroom with or without cages. I saw these in my Ballard Catalog. My favorite is the little baby birdie at the bottom. Isn't he soooo CUTE?!

Ballard $49 each

Ballard $119

foster: Did You Know?

Do you know about Eyes Open Wider? She's a social working blogger. LOVE it! I've been reading her on and off for about a year. Did you know she has links to lots of foster family blogs?

fun: Big Bubbles

(Pictures Published with Permission form Mom H)

Have you made Gigantic bubbles before?

Here's what you'll need:

• Plastic cup with a hole in the bottom (We just shoved our scissors through the bottom)
• 1/4 cup good dish soup
• 1 cup water
• 2 TBS corn syrup (optional)
• pie dish

Mix a little water with dish soap and corn syrup in a pie dish. Dip you cup into the mixture and BLOW

Check out this blog for HUMONGOUS bubbles.

Wanda Martin Wilson 1925-2010

This is my Grandmother. She died May 17th 2010. I was lucky enough to go home May 15th and be with my mother until Grandma's funeral on May 24. I've thought a lot about what I'd like to post. It's no secret that Grandma and I didn't get along very well. I always attributed it to us being so very much alike- stubborn. But ACTUALLY SPEAKING it may be because she lived with me as a high schooler - I'm sure that was no BOWL OF ICE CREAM!

I've been thinking a lot of legacies. The legacies passed down to us from our ancestors. Those we know/knew and those we only know through family history. It seems to me that I come from a family who is called upon to endure trials. There are many women in my family history who have endured harsh trials, both because of some one's use of agency and because of circumstances they lived in. My Grandmother was one of these women. I am so proud of the legacy she gave me of not being afraid of the darkness life sometimes offers. Some things I love to share about my Grandma are:

She stopped smoking after 50 years because Oregon raised the taxes on cigarettes and that ticked her off.

She went back to school after the early death of her husband and obtained not only her GED but a degree in bookkeeping/accounting.

She could make up her mind about something and you could not argue with her about it.

She was so worried I put too much product in my hair she asked her hair dresser about it.

She left home at 18 and traveled the almost 1,000 miles to work in San Diego. She did the electrical on airplanes during World War II-

She's our very own Rosie Riveter!

We have the picture below in our home of Grandma Wanda on her wedding day. It is gathered with other pictures of our parents and grandparents and is one of the first things you see as you enter our home.

I hope that I can share with my children the determined spirit my grandmother shares with me.

Project: Box Shelves

House to Home

Have you seen this post by Apartment Therapy almost a year ago? LOVE it! I think I'm obsessed with box shelves.

I decided I had to have some and started looking online. Wow these puppies are EXPENSIVE! J suggested we modified our current nightstands. GENIUS!

Do you remember going off to collage and buying these babies?

Image from KMART

Yeah we still have ours. I scrubbed them up, took out the shelves and added one to the end. Made sure to paint the unsightly particle board. I can't wait to see them over our bed!

foster: Update

We are now 79 days through the twins' 90 day trial home placement and have heard great things about Mom C's progress in the last 3 weeks. It is such a relief to know that things are going well.


Yesterday we told our RFC we were ready to be considered for placements again.