Mini Marshmallow Shooters (or Pom Pom Poppers)

Oh what fun!! Gonna try this one tomorrow with Haylee. She's gonna LOVE it!

Thanks Laura at www.cometogetherkids.com

Tutorial at: 

Come Together Kids: Mini Marshmallow Shooters (or Pom Pom Poppers)

Recycling Candles...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE candles. And LOVE the tea candle oil burners!

I use my candles down to the very last piece if at all possible on an electric candle warmer.

But this is even much better and no electric involved! YAY!

Heading to chip up my leftover candles and label them for my tea candle warmers right now!

(have several candle holders to chip away at. )

http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2009/09/no-sewing-going-on-around-here.html

Thanks to sewmanyways where I found this idea and picture

from the blog/website: http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2009/09/no-sewing-going-on-around-here.html

Make Your Own Labels the Easy and Cheap Way!

I am so excited to have found this blog post. I have always wanted to make labels for inside of jackets, coats, backpacks, purses for my daughter many years ago and now my granddaughter.

I saw this on pinterest and am soooo gonna have to make some too. I hate writing on labels in garments and bags and then when given away, have to mark them out and make it uggs. Now just plan on removing the tag when I am ready to pass item along. :)

This blog was found at tutorialadventures.blogspot.com

Tutorials Crafts Projects Kids Children Handmade: Tutorial: How To Make Your Own Labels the Easy and Cheap Way!

Picture is from the tutorialadventures.blogspot.com website.

Haylee lost first tooth

Haylee lost her very first tooth today.

The lil bugger has been loose for about a month now.  I am amazed it stayed in this long.

She even has another one peeking thru right behind.  So I convinced Haylee we ought

to get it out so the big grown up tooth would have plenty of room since it was barely in.

She agreed.

Haylee actually let me pull it out.  It went really quick as it was only barely in.

Was such a big girl.  Now she has a silly little smile going.  So cute!

Now the tiny little tooth is tucked away in a tiny pocket on a little pillow and

already waiting a visit from the toothfairy in exchange for money.  :)

Waiting and missed opportunities. Ugg? - or - maybe not!

Seems like the new year should bring new beginnings, new starts even if it's to the same old traditional resolutions.


Ugg!  I think I am getting more behind on my normal stuff instead of getting ahead and more organized, which was my resolution for this brand new year.


Seems as if the more hurried  I go, the more behind-er I get!
(I know, I know not proper grammar - one of the southern things I guess.  
I remember my mom saying this and it fits more as time flies)


Why do we put off starting this and that and the other thing until the brand new year, months, week?


Sometimes I often wonder how long we spend waiting.  Are we "waiting" our lives away?


Waiting our turn to play when young, waiting for our mom and dad to help, waiting for friends, waiting on fresh baked cookies, waiting on our favorite cartoon show.


Now grown up we wait for others as much as for ourselves.  Waiting at stores, Dr's offices, drive-thru's, waiting on kids, husbands, phone calls, time to go, etc, etc, etc.


It hit me on the head pretty hard during a recent visit in the doctor's office.  There were 4 of us in the waiting room.  


Four strangers, no one greeting each other, no one chatting to the other, no one offering the newest magazine when they got thru with it, talking about the weather, etc, but  NOTHING!  We all sat quiet in our own little worlds with our cell phones.  


For some unknown reason, in this great big universe of all sorts of people, all 4 of us were in the same room, waiting!  All reading our cell phones, but no one will ever know what the reason may have been as no one spoke up to the other.   Hmm!


Now I'm not really the type to start a conversation first, but . . . .  Who knows, did we miss a great opportunity to visit and maybe make a new friend?


Ok back to the waiting thing.  (a bit off track but that was a light bulb moment for me.)


We wait for the new year, new month, new week, new day to start something we know we should or ought to do anyway.


With all the time we spend fussing for sitting in line at a light, waiting here and there, and everywhere,  - why not take advantage of that time to be more constructive?


I don't think we are waiting our life away as much as we spend fussing it away about waiting.  Wait - does that make sense.  lol!


With each day we wake, it's a new beginning, each hour we enter is a new hour, with each moment and each breath - it's a new beginning.  


We are only granted a certain number of breaths, moments, days, months, and years.  And I am as guilty as anyone of taking them for granted.


We need - desperately - to make the most of each breath, moment, day month, year!


So LETS BEGIN!!!


Not next year, next month, next week, or tomorrow!  We or someone we are close to just may not be here to wait on or for.  I think this is the "Live with no regret's" phrase comes in..


Now I know as well as anyone, that life takes turns we are not ready for and we all have moments that we don't take advantage of or are feeling fussy, etc, but we have GOT to try our very best to use those moments to grab one of those moments - and use it well!  Turn around and face whatever is at us with a smile and squeeze the fire out of that moment until it has nothing left and then onto the next moment to do something new with it also.


Oops!  Back to the waiting -again.  Are you waiting?  lol!  :)  (My head is swimming with these two issues for some reason.)  


What to do to make that a little more comfortable to handle.  


I now wonder if maybe we all need to lay down those phones,laptops, books, magazines, and do a little more self-aligning and meditation and most of all -prayer.  


We all wish we had a little quiet time to ourselves.  Well, what is this we have in front of us in the car waiting at a stoplight or where ever else?  Just a moment here and there could be monumental!!


Not using this time to always reflect and/or regret, plan or strategize, but to be IN that exact moment - with ourselves.  Sometimes it might even be a bit scary to be alone with ourselves.  Therefore we need time to look at our qualities.  Good and bad.  


I once heard Dr. Phil explain, either you are bringing to a relationship (of ANY type) or you are a user in it.  


Let's all try to be a little more of a bringing and giving person than one that just expects it.


I think we would find time goes by a little smoother and definitely a more peaceful self.


I think  that is my new resolution.  To try to be a more patient "wait-er" of sorts.  Try to use that time to not think of what all I am suppose to be or ought to be doing, but taking that time to look inward.

Take the time you have, and enjoy the small moments of 'waiting'.  

To enjoy the butterfly moments of our lives, instead of rushing them away.  

Enjoy the beauty of that moment.

Hope you have a great "wait" the next time you are in line. 

Until then - may you find peace within. 

Nothing But A Stay At Home Mom!: Only In My Dreams

Here's a great blog post from a good friend.

Nothing But A Stay At Home Mom!: Only In My Dreams:

Oh wouldn't it be nice to get paid for being a "stay at home mom?"

I mean, you do everything!! Here is what a stay at home mom does: -Sh...

Creating a work/play/craft room

My darlin' hubby has been working on helping make a room of my own as a computer, crafty, office, couponing, playin', quiet time-getaway and create room.

I have never had all my crafty items all in one place, usually tucked here and there all over the house.  From sewing machine and accessories, in one room, to painting and accessories, scattered here and there along with all the little craft accessories to do with Haylee.  

Even added my computer and files to call it a bit of an office.  (So I could say I was "working" not playing)  lol!!

We even added a little work area for Haylee to spend time in here coloring, lil crafting projects, etc.  So much for the quiet part of this.  lol!!  

Well, I have almost got all of it worked out and now trying to organize and come up with some touches of color here and there.  

I keep leaning toward turquoise - that is after figuring out the difference between turquoise and teal.  Very close - yet very different.  If not careful, I keep leaning to teal then correct myself.  :P

I have had a heck of a time coming up with several things to try to add to my new room.  One of them is flowers.  Can't seem to find any type of turquoise flower that might work.

So after my frustration, a light came on  - Ding!!!  

Paint some flowers.  So off to Wal-mart to get simple white flowers and some turquoise craft paint.  

Here are a few of the pics I took of the process.  Actually had a blast making them.  May try my own colors from now on instead of the so called not perfect - perfect manufactured ones that never quite work.  :P

First step - take the flower apart

I mixed just a little water to the paint so it would spread easier

Start in center and apply pretty thick.  Then gradually pull outward with your brush

as far as you want it to go.  

I brought paint out almost all the way to the ends on the under large layer of the flower

Don't reload brush with more paint, just drag from center - outwards.

The top large layer of flower, I didn't bring paint out as far so tips would be more white.

Repeated the same thing with the very center of petals of flower - leaving tips white to accent it.

Now the hard part - wait for it to dry a little bit.  

Then just put petals back onto center stem and replace onto sticks of 

the original bunch of stems and leaves and WA - LA.  

Original flowers just as nature intended.  None exactly precise, but

perfect in it's own way.  :)