Extreme Heat, Lack Of Rain...

Can both lead to short tempers, grumpy attitudes,

irritations, frustrations, etc.

So, I am sharing a quote of the day

that I believe we need to live by every day!

From Emilia Jane Photography



Working On A Few Things!

I have been super busy these past few days.

Mia Madre has been having lots of tests for

her heart and I have been taking her to all

her appointments, and am so very grateful that

I have such a flexible understanding work enviroment

that offers me the opportuity to do it!

I am blessed!

And so far, mia madre is doing favoloso!

I can just tell you are so impressed with my Italian speaking!

On Wednesday after getting home from hosp. tests

and a couple of hours of work, I managed to slip

in a few moments to experiment on something!

I am working on dying a few of my clear glass candle holders!

Cool, I know, that's just how I am.

I saw something like it while cruising the net

and tucked it away in my totally cool brain for later use.

It definatley needs some "tweeking" and I will put

all the instructions up when I get it all correct.

But for now, this is what I have been experimenting with.

 These are the two experimental candle holders before I began. I knew that it was nessesary to have really clean and dry glass for the best results.

 Next, I mixed Mod Podge, water and food coloring on a paper plate (with a white bottom to enable seeing the true color that I was mixing).

This is where further tweeking is needed. I think that I had a bit to runny of a mixture and ended up with drips and that is not what I really wanted!

 I dumped the mixture into the cylinder and swirled it around to coat every part of the inside of the glass.

 Insert here the caution: IT WILL STAIN! I am glad that it was just my finger that was stained, so be careful to protect surfaces from staining.

 Then I baked them in a low temp oven,

these are those before baking.

 And this is after baking! I have to confess, my daughter and I let out a bit of a gasp when we saw the finished product...the clear beauty of this color is sooooooooo amazing!

But, drips there were, so back to the experimentation process!

 I will put water in this to see of vases can be stained and withstand water after!

I will give all instruction when I get an end product that is as I want. And it will not take me long to experiment again, cause I'm cool like that!!!!



SIGH.........

There are few things that make me weak in the knees

apart from my family and well, dishes of course (addiction under control).

Giving parties! Yes, it makes me weak in the knees!

I love the planning, the decorating, the fun, the cooking, I love it all!

And just when think I get my "want thoughts" under control

I see things like THIS!!!!

Lisa Storms

AND THIS!!!

Martha Stewart

I MEAN REALLY!?!?!?!?!

Why, oh why, do I have to be tortured this way?????

Is it really right to have such amazing ideas for summer parties

and then FLAUNT them to such a party addict as me???

I don't think so.

Random Thoughts

I love looking at pictures of Cottages.

I almost talk myself into re-doing a room or two

in our home to look like the pictures I swoon over,

and then I see it....SO MUCH STUFF!

This Beautiful Picture Is From A Beach Cottage

I mean, like pretty things, but pretty things EVERYWHERE

and then I realize why I do not decorate that way....

I would have to dust and clean all that stuff!

And I realize, being a person who really does NOT

like clutter, that I am quite happy with the non-clutter

 in my house. With the exception of the basement, which is currently

under de-clutter construction. (if that is a proper way to say it

and if it's not, I don't think I mind, cause it makes sense to me!!)

Speaking of the basement, I have turned the corner!

I would say that it is 80% done as far as cleaning and de-cluttering

goes. There are things that I have no control over, like the things

that were left behind from our children, and my husband's

recording studio things, but that in which I do have control over

I have been purging, giving away, throwing away, organizing,

and really loving the feeling of getting things out of the house

that should have been gotten rid of long ago!

My bruises are healing very nicely from my run in with

the stump and other "weapons of mass destruction" on

our river bank....I am feeling pretty normal at this point
other than the lump that is there, which I suspect is
on the hip bone itself and will take a while to repair.

I am doing a bit of experimentation with some herbs and vitamins

to help with my fibromyalgia and am hoping to see some

positive results from them. I will keep you posted if I do!

I need to get back to "real" life, nuff said.

My Crazy Hydrangea Bush

I think my Hydrangea bush has a split personality!

I am told that the more acid or alkaline

that the soil is, that it dictates the color of the flowers.

 And your soil is supposed to be

either acid or alkiline not a combo of both!

But, my bush gives 3 different colors!

Blue, Pink & Purple...hhmmmmm.

It is loaded with buds (if that is what you

call the forming flowers on a Hydrangea bush)

I think I counted 45, but, they are

different colors...why?

I am not sure, so I will show you a few

photos that I took on Wednesday,

and if you have an explanation,

I am eager to hear!



Favorite Quote Of The Week

OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY!!!!

I am about to show you something so hideous

so awful, so embarrassing, that you may

have never seen anything like this before!!!!

My Family Room in the basement!

Now, my disclaimer is: our son, daughter in law

and their 3 munchkins moved back in with us last year for 3 months, which included all their

worldly belongings...and they all

landed in our basement family room.

BUT, there is a bunch of stuff that is ours too.