Birthday Girl

It is our Olivia's Birthday today! She is such a blessing and I cannot imagine life without her!

She is feisty, fabulous, funny and phenomenal!!!!

Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl!

Dye Your Eggs Naturally!

I am popping in to give you a link to dying your Easter eggs with all natural things that you may already have in your fridge or pantry!

Enjoy!!

http://www.thekitchn.com/vibrant-naturally-dyed-easter-eggs-112957?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Kitchn+41714+-+Easter+Eggs+Dyed+Naturally&utm_content=Kitchn+41714+-+Easter+Eggs+Dyed+Naturally+Version+A+CID_552a487ecb8f5136c746c09b594c3aa6&utm_source=email_newsletter&utm_term=See%20how%20to%20make%20vibrant%20Easter%20eggs%20with%20all%20natural%20colors%20and%20dyes

My thanks to "thekitchn" for offering this information!

Some Things....

Today I am sharing some things that you may not really know about me.

I was born with birth defects. My legs were not "normal" and I did not walk until I was nearly 3 years old. I had my first major surgery to correct things when I was nearly 18 years old and have had two since then. (Many corrective things were tried previous to this point but were not affective) 
I don't believe that there is any part of this that has made me do anything differently than I would have if I had not had the birth defect.
I believe that I am exactly where I should be.
Do I wish that I had not had the leg issues? Of course! But I still with ever part of my being believe that things would not be different if I had not had leg issues.

I got married at age 18! I was engaged at 17 and knew from age 16 that this man that I had snagged would be my life long love.
I feel like God has saved me from many heart aches by giving me a true settled assurance that we were to be together at a very young age.
Do I think that all girls should marry that young? No way! But I knew for me it was right.

I am allergic to honey bee stings! Yep. That means no bare foot frolics through the meadow with my love....and I hate shoes. How really truly awful is it to not be able to be without shoes and hating them. yea, that's my life.

I hate to exercise. There, I said it. Me in all my glory. HATE to exercise. Say it ain't so Joe!
Ohhhhhhh yes it is. Walking with someone I find interesting, that I can have a conversation with...all for it! Walking up and down the streets of a small town exploring the shops...all for it! Scheduled, have to do it, run for my health exercise....nope. Hate it. Does that make me a bad person? I don't think so.

I love to work with children! The hugs, the high fives, the crazy way that they look up to you.....love it!! Pouring out my love on little ones makes me feel so full that some days I could just shout!! Corny I know, but it really is the truth.

I always think that I am going to love having an afternoon alone and as it turns out, I don't. Afternoons are the time that I feel the most alone.
I love a nice evening alone to catch up on old tv shows or catching up on blogging, but for some reason evenings seem completely different than afternoons. Silly I know, but it is how I feel. And I even think it sounds crazy as I sit here reading this!

I think girly hippy long tailed headbands should come back in style. Just throwing that out there!

OK, I am done now.

Have an amazing day!!!

Monday Photos

Just a few photos I took while walking around the yard the other day.

Spring is sprouting and looking very lovely!

I am always amazed that something that looks so dead sprouts to life and grows such beautiful Irises!

Bread Board....DIY

When preparing for our dinner party the other night, I realized that I needed a long narrow bread board and did not own one!

Sooooooooooooo, down to the basement I went...found some reclaimed lumber that was the correct width and measured and drew where I wanted all the cuts to be.

I had the idea from a picture I had seen...and in my crazy head knew that I could figure something out.

My husband (fearful I am sure!) wandered down to the basement to see what was happening.

Oh he should know better!!!

I then told him I had a project for him and showed him what I wanted done.

I am so glad he is as agreeable as he is!!!

He cut....I then cleaned. And cleaned and cleaned! That board had been out in the weather for years and had a lot of dirt!

But I LOVE the out come!!!

 

And you know...it's not just for bread!!

Big Bird

While the ice jams and flooding occurred, a large tree took up residence about 25 feet off shore, resting on a sand bar.

And now these huge birds have made the tree their home!

I have to confess, I had to look up the type of bird it is.

The big bump on their beaks threw me for sure.

Do you know what they are?

They are.......American White Pelicans!!

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

We were a host home for an event called "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner".

The gist is, that you sign up to be either a host home or a guest and you have no idea before arriving who's home you will be at or whom your guests will be!

So. Much. Fun!

As the host home, we were only responsible for the home (obviously) drinks and bread.

The three couples dining with us brought all the other food! Main dish, vegetable and dessert.

It was, odd to say the least, to not be the "chef". I love to make others feel spoiled by making special things.

So I made all feel special with lovely flavored butters for the bread, fun table settings and a homey inviting environment.

I snapped a few pictures and am sharing them with you!

 

A Little blue bird told me where to go!!

Did you know that you can whip honey!! Just simply poor regular honey into a mixer and let it whip for about 10-15 minutes....it has the look of marshmallow cream but a thinner consistency. It was a big hit!

Herbed butter and Maple Syrup Cinnamon Butter were also on the table.

And fun drinking "glasses" with colorful straws rounded out the table settings.

I would challenge you to step out and do something out of the ordinary....and have a lot of fun doing it!!

How Many Of You??

How many of you suffer at times from "but I will never be able to do that" syndrome?

I do.

Now, I am fully aware that there ARE those things that you or I will never be able to do.

Like, I will never be a pro football player in the NFL.

Some people cannot sing in key and will not be able to just because they turn 40.

My husband will never be able to be a professional ballet dancer. (nor does he want too, by the way)

You get what I mean.

But there are those days, when we see others doing things that we would LOVE to do but convince ourselves that there is no possible way that we will ever be able to do that because we are "not that pretty" or "not living in the right area" or "not tall enough" or "not thin enough"......you get my point.

Why do we do that to ourselves????????????

I am not 25 years old any longer but does that mean that I cannot have a new creative career? No.

I am not leaving my current position, but I could if I wanted. You could if you wanted.

I was reading another's blog today and found myself having thoughts of "I will never be as successful as her because.....blah, blah, blah"

Shame on me!

I am not one to do things without prayer, so of course I know that I want to be in the will of my Savior and not running ahead of Him.
But ya know, if the desire of my heart is to do something in addition to what I already do, I can.

You can!

I know that none of this is news to you or me, but on those days when you find yourself (making a note self here too) feeling a bit down. Like you don't measure up or are feeling un-productive in life, slap your hand!!!

Choose JOY!

Know that you are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

DIY Backyard Bench

I spent 6 hours in the E.R. with my Mother last night, all is well, nothing serious just some digestive issues for her. Thank goodness that it was all good by the time we left.

But, it was six hours spent in a hospital....not able to relax, or do anything except wait on others. Ugh. Not how I wanted to spend my Wednesday.

So, since I did have time while there to get on FB, I received this idea from a sweet friend who lives in Austin Texas.
 

http://www.behappybeme.com/diy-outdoor-seating//

Be Happy Be Me blog spot has all the instruction for this super simple project!

Now, I would like to throw in my direction on how to save a bit of cash while making this.

Dai (from behappybeme) uses separate seat cushions for her out door sofa. They are wonderful, but cost her $120 for the seat cushions alone.
I wanted to find a way to cut that cost.
Here is what I found....at Menards, they have outdoor bench cushions that cost $22 each and are a full bench length. They are only 3" thick, so you may want to stack two together. Even if you do purchase two, your cost would be $44! That is a savings of seventy six dollars!
Now, if you would like to save even a bit more, an inexpensive piece of scrap plywood laid over the 4x4's will afford you the opportunity to use just ONE of the 3" cushions!

Additionally, Dai spent Ten dollars each on 4x4's eight foot long for a total of $30. Menards has eight foot landscaping timbers at a cost of $2.97 each. If you were to go with the timbers, you can cut another $21 off of the cost of the bench.

Also Joann fabrics has super cute outdoor fabric on sale this week for $8 a yard with a coupon for an additional 15% off your entire order. In store or online.
Like this super cute pattern.....

 

I sure can picture some amazing pillows out of this beauty!

 

I will let you know when I get my outdoor bench done and will surely have pictures for you!

 

I was not paid in any way to endorse Menards or Joann Fabric. These are just a couple of available stores in my home town that I use and have what is needed for this particular project.

 



3 Days In Bed....

Yes, the dreaded stomach virus got me and I spent 3 days in bed trying to sleep the ick off.

I feel much better now!

But due to being sick (someone in my work office was a true carrier monkey) I did not accomplish much around the house the past 5 days, but did get my laundry done this morning! Woot!

So I am just popping in to give you a couple of links to some really cute and very inexpensive Easter ideas!

First, "Cheeky" or should I say "Chicky" deviled eggs.

Elie at Organizer By Day made the cutest deviled eggs!
She actually used black peppercorns for the eyes, but I would switch that up and use capers instead since I believe that the pickled taste would match well with the deviled eggs AND my husband would actually eat the capers and would not eat the whole peppercorns!

http://organizerbyday.blogspot.com/2014/03/deviled-eggs.html

And Melissa and Stephanie at Two It Yourself made a super cute wreath that will cost you time only!

AND the best thing....

After Easter you can simply dispose of it and not have to store it!! Major Score!!

They actually used a cutter to make the egg shape, I however, being a major cheap skate would draw around my egg shaped cookie cutter and then cut out the shape.

 

http://www.twoityourself.com/2014/03/paint-sample-easter-egg-wreath-kid.html

 

 

Have an amazing Wednesday all!