A Working Weekend....

Actually, I started on this project earlier in the week with the sanding and painting but Mark and I hung it up this morning. We spent all day yesterday deciding on the perfect glass shades for it, we are both very pleased with our selection. This was the easiest hanging job we've ever done, it went fast with no hitches!


(light fixture from Goodwill: $10)


(spray paint from Lowes:$5, this is a satin finish and isn't nearly as reflective in person)







(glass shades from Lowes: $30~ lol, we are not using those kinds of bulbs, that was our tester bulb to make sure of the wiring)

Last night(saturday), Mark took Ryan and his friend Kyle to Lone Star Lake to fish. They'd just backed down the boat ramp when they noticed about a dozen boats suddenly headed for them from across the lake. Mark pulled up to let some get out and they figured out a storm was on the way. He called me to look on weather.com and I confirmed that a very big, very nasty storm was literally upon them!! They drove all the way home in it at about 35-40mph! Our lights flickered several times and the wind was just crazy. I am SO glad they didn't get out there earlier and risk getting caught on the water. It rained steady til after 1am and then again much of the late morning. They were disappointed so I agreed to "let" them try again tonight in exchange for some major honey-dos.

First, I cleaned off and sorted(repackaged) my fabric boxes on the 4x6ft metal shelf. Mark carried the boxes to the kitchen and the boys brought the shelf to the utility room. I'm not sure this will be its permanent location or what, but it frees up a whole lot of space in our bedroom! We had to move the smaller plastic shelf from behind the door(next to the washer) in order to have a place for the litterboxes. If the shelves stay in this room, we'll put a kitty door on so we can keep it closed. We may also move the freezer to the garage or a corner of the dining room. Or the plastic shelf might go to the garage, we haven't decided what yet.



Next, I started some pinto beans simmering, that will be a late supper for the guys. I'm debating making cornbread for them.

Then Mark and Ryan cleaned the coils on the back of the fridge and the floor underneath(no picture, it was GROSS!).

While they were doing that, I was able to do a little, long overdue, mantle decorating.



My mom did the dutch dolls. The candleholders were on 80% clearance at Hobby Lobby, aren't they cute? I'm not sure how well the pattern shows but they are kind of a paisley bandana pattern frosted kinda on the inside of the glass.



I'm on my way to the garage to spray paint my desk. It is a trial thing, a "free" fake wood desk from Mark's office, left by an ex-employee. If the paint works fine, if it doesn't that's fine too. I'm kinda hoping it does, at least mostly, because I'm typing this from the floor of my dining room and it is uncomfortable to say the least(a mosquito has bitten my forehead at least 4 times now)..***updated, that was a flop. Now I'm without a desk***

After painting I'm going to sort through the cabinets above the washer and dryer, there is a TON of junk up there destined for Goodwill(or the trash). The more I can get done this weekend, the more we can "not do" next weekend. Mark will be off Friday so it gives us an extra day to fart around. Hmmmm, maybe we'll finally paint the bedroom!! Wouldn't that be amazing! I'm betting we will!!

Its the WEEEEEKEND!!

And I'm completely rockin!





Enjoy your weekend!!

And I Am Now**...

I am green tea, iced, Sara Lee and Frito Lay.
I am stained carpet and unmade bed, crumbs on the counter and animals on the couch.
I am thrift seeker and sometimes finder.



I am dog-hole yard, unkept lawn and falling down fence.
I am flower gardens and mosquito shade.
I am a kitty person.



I am real Christmas trees and hand-made ornaments.
I am broccoli-rice casserole and ranch dip with chips.
I am simple traditions and relaxed celebrations.
I am brownies instead of birthday cake.



I am lazy with laundry, creative with dinner, and feed the kids when they're hungry but never at the table.
I am chicken fajitas, homemade pizzas and sausage spaghetti sauce.



I am blessed with precious children and a selfless soulmate.
I am homeschool mom and stray dog rescuer, guinea pig advocate and towel gatherer.
I am crafting til bedtime and avid inspiration hunter.
I am soft music and low lights and quilt maker.



I am Christian but not churched, continually in His presence and see Him in everything.
I am curious, awed, and interested, that's how God made me.





I am satisfied and calm. I am sure and happy.

** I came up with this one to express that just because we *are from* something doesn't me we are that now. Answers, of course, are likely to be different 5 years(maybe even 5 weeks, days or even hours from now) from now because we are in a constant state of growth and change.

I am From....

I am from lawn mowers, shag carpet, and ceiling fans. From Gloria Vanderbilt, Candies and cable tv. I am from three bedrooms, two baths, pool and privacy fence. I am from Hondas and Fords and VW bus.



I am from the house on the corner, ordinary, comforting, home. From the Roughnecks and the Panthers. I am from coming home again.

I am from east Texas pines and oaks, gum trees and iron ore. I am from oil leases, pulp wood, lakes, and thick forests.



I am from watermelon festivals and the Smith forehead, from Bud and Mert and Barry and Wheat, Patrick and Roper. From hay barns and chicken houses, fried squash and mashed potatoes with millionaire pie for dessert.



I am from the long-lived and happy marriages. From grandmothers who did not hold paying jobs and mom who did.



From time to get up and finish your homework. From hard worker and undeniable talent. From working together as a team.



I am from Southern Baptist. From choirs and tithes, Sunday dressing and Sunday football.



I'm from California but mostly from Texas. I am from volumes of genealogy. From different, not the same.



From latch-key, ground beef tacos, cream gravy, corn on the cob, Texas sheet cake and ice cream. From diet coke, tuna fish, peanut butter crackers, macaroni and cheese.



From remember when the boys soaped the fountain? From dad and brother carrying the Olympic torch and painting the car in the backyard. From proms and boyfriends, first car and brothers.

I am from photo albums under the stairs, quilts in the closet and dishes in the china hutch. Momentos of other lives indelibly linked to mine.

Find how to write your own story here.

Something a bit different....

Still very much in the trial phase...



The driftwood, found at Wright Patman Lake, measures about 4 feet long(5 if it was straight) and the largest needle-felted balls are about the size of golf balls. I have 4 more pieces of driftwood that I'd like to incorporate, one is about 8 feet long, and I can make as many balls as I need. My favorite so far is the multi-colored one and the blue with yellow tag-a-long.

Even this piece of wood is very heavy to work with so I need to find a kind of string strong enough to hold it once I'm finished. Also, I need a place to hang it that is low enough for me to work without having to run up and down a ladder all the time. The garage would work but its hot out there!



These pictures are terrible but I don't see them improving, the lighting is just too weird with the white ceiling and all. It looks much better in person. The coolest thing is that the ceiling fans and a/c make it spin ever so slowly, just what I was hoping!

Suffice to say....

The Clark W. Griswold family has NOTHING on us. We are tuckered out to say the least and I feel like I'm still in the boat. Here are some lovely images from our latest camping endeavor(fiasco). We had a super time despite the set backs. Maybe I'll be able to talk about them someday.

This time we camped at Lake Bob Sandlin and we'll definitely be going back. This is a nice campground with clean facilities and large sites. Somehow I managed to miss the cemetery information so we didn't visit this time.

Around Camp:





We pulled into camp at approximately 9:40 on Friday night. It had rained so everything was pretty soaked. At this point I was ready to drive back home. Seriously. After setting up tents and blowing up air mattresses, we were in bed by midnight.

When we camp, my one request is that we get close enough for comfort to the bathrooms but not right next door. We pulled onto the loop to discover that the facilities were on the left of the road before the actual loop started so we turned right and took the first site. So, it was actually across the road from the bathrooms and down a few hundred feet. Yay! There is nothing I hate more while camping than to have to walk down the road a quarter mile to the bathrooms in the pitch dark(especially when some fellow campers killed a large copperhead in that same road-at night).



Instead of canned soft drinks, I bought two liter bottles. We rarely get soft drinks at home so this is a special treat for the kids(and Mark this time). These lasted much longer and didn't attract bees like cans do. I made Zen tea for myself.

We always pack plenty of good food. This time I made ranch dip with bacon bits to eat with chips and veggies. It ended up being the perfect condiment for our breakfast burritos on Sunday morning too. Our Saturday morning ham and pancakes worked out just fine too. I ended up bringing the dry mix in a zip bag and the milk in a small tupperware container and mixed it up in my tea pitcher(this was before I made tea obviously). We also had chili dogs, Chicken Noodle Stew(Ramen, mixed veggies and grilled chicken with spices), trail mix, homemade brownie muffins, and other snacks.



To keep from being bored, the girls brought their drawing stuff. It was hot in the tent so Sarah didn't stay there long. You'll notice the brownish blob near the entrance to the tent. This was the queen-sized air mattress, used only once before, that developed a leak(we can't find) and lost 90% of its air during the night. The second night it only lost 80% of the its air. Sigh. The good news is that we were quite comfortable with our thrifted pillow cases and sheets.





The kids enjoyed relaxing in their camp chairs.



Mark spent a lot of time at the boat doing various repairs and equipment overhauling. He lives for that kind of thing.



This was the spot I chose to practice a new craft and enjoy the wildlife and scenery. In a few days I'll reveal what I learned and hopefully show you a finished project! I also taught the girls how to do it so it isn't anything hard.



Saturday afternoon we went to the swimming area but didn't stay long, I also forgot my camera. The area consists of two concrete brick retaining walls with a sidewalk at the bottom(at water level) that's about 15 inches wide. The water is about 2 feet deep right off the bat. The lake bottom has the consistency of raw wet biscuit dough with small chunks of broken concrete mixed with it. For future reference, next time we'll pass on this experience.

On the Boat:





After we made our way through the dead trees(which I wanted to take home), we were captivated by this enchanting sunset.









Then it was time to get down to the business we'd come to do.

Last Two Words...

From Anet's wonderful project.
Volacious- apt or fit to fly
Maven- a person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert


Our wildlife sightings included volacious cormorants who nest in dead trees.





Mark is such a maven when it comes to all things to do with fishing. He rewired the lights on the boat trailer, restrung fishing reels, navigated across submerged trees, and backed the boat up at least a dozen times without batting an eye.

More Thrifted Goodness....

Yesterday I took the girls to Gladewater to spend the night with a friend. On the way home I stopped at the Goodwill there to see if I could find some camping utensils and door mats. No luck. But I did manage to spend a few bucks on these beautiful things!



The pink floral(third from left) is what my Mama Mammer(mom's mom) had on her bed when I was a little bitty girl. I loved it then and love it now. It was labeled as a twin flat but is actually a full-size! The other floral is a twin flat and the blue one is a twin fitted. I'm not sure what I'll end up making out of them, maybe a night gown from the darker pink floral. I got the pillow cases for our camping pillows, love it that they are so similar but none actually match.



Now this set, I LOOOOVE!! My grandmother(dad's mom) had one like the larger one but I don't remember her having the smaller ones unless she kept them in a cabinet. This set is missing the next to largest one(I think it would be the Sugar one) but the rest of them are in great shape with no dings or dents and just a bit of the decals scratched off. I'm debating spray painting the lids back to solid black, they are missing about half their black coating. As soon as I get them washed out, I'll start using them. When I got them home, I found that the biggest one still had flour in it!

I never did find untensils for us but did manage to get a kitchen runner that I cut in half for our tents.

Oh yeah, before anyone asks, and I know someone will. I did make that quilt. Its a kid quilt for Amy and is square. I did my own pattern both on the piecing and the spiderweb quilting. It is one of my favorite quilts I've made.

Here's some better pics: