Another Magnetic Board

I have issues. Let's just get that out there right off the bat. I don't want anyone to think that my house being SPOTLESS is normal in any way. I think a little "lived in" makes a place feel homey. You know, not so sterile. So keeping my house in this not so normal state is messing with my OCD. I begin to obsess over everything and get these manic bursts of cleaning power and I feel out of control. After 2 days of weird....I decided to make something. I figured that would bring me back to my normal level of insanity and I can stop obsessing about every little thing can stop driving my daughter nuts. I got this frame a while back at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.I paid $2.80 for it and saw some great potential.....in red.....
I sprayed it the most fabulous red and have been looking for a project for it. I like my cork project board that I made a while back. It is quite handy....and pretty....but I needed something different. So instead of the hour trip to Hobby Lobby I just went to my own neighborhood Home Depot. Did you know they have sheets of metal there? Yep...they're not huge....but just big enough for this project. I grabbed my cutters and some glue and started measuring. One thing I did learn while making this....the metal starts with wicked sharp edges...but when you cut it they become much worse. Word to the wise...watch that exposed skin!!
I will tell you that in the middle of this project I had a mini melt -down. Yeah...not pretty. Things were spiraling out of my control and there was nothing I could about it so...I started removing things from my walls. Yeah....a lot of roosters paid the price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some would argue that I should have grabbed a paint brush and headed for Jo's room with all this maniacal energy...but those people are wrong. The roosters had it coming any way. They taunt me from their lofty perches.
They thought they were safe up high where I couldn't reach them. I showed them. When they were down I did feel a little better. Like I did indeed have some control over the universe. Like things were in order across the board....not just across the kitchen.
Better....at least for now. Poor little guys.
Anyhoo...I did manage to finish the magnetic project board. I LOVE the red. It makes me happy.
I love it so much I think I will keep it and hang it in my new craft room at my new house in Nebraska....lucky me....

Highlights

On my trips to Idaho, I usually do an OK job taking photos to remember the trip by. Of course there are always those trips that I get home and wonder why in the world I didn't get a picture of.....Well this trip was mostly moments like that. I took pictures mostly on Sunday. I didn't get Kim and I in the pedicure chair. I didn't get any of our sister lunches. I didn't get a photo of me and...any...of the kids. But what I did get I hold as priceless. We played a spirited game of baseball in the back yard. We totally need to instigate the "over-the-trees-and-you're-out rule". It just would have worked out so much better. It was great fun anyway and I loved each and every minute. Bridger got whacked in the face shortly after this so I didn't get a good shot of him batting. He is just naturally athletic.
Cylie in her footie jammies was so happy to run free. She is the funniest kid!! She will imitate your voice. High pitched and squeaky or low and growly...her best line is "goway". It is all one word and she means it!
Cooper or SUPER COOPER as he is more often addressed as learned to clap his hands. Stinking cute!!! His first birthday is coming up. He is amazing....and all boy!
Brook is the funniest thing ever....and smart...Look out!! She is learning so much in school and can really hold her own with her Dad. They like to tease each other and Brook has been known to get one over on her unsuspecting Dad.
Here is Bridger after getting swacked in the face. He is one tough kid. He is doing so well in school too. His favorite planet is Uranus!!! This kid is a hoot!!
Sorry, Kim....but really....this is fabulous! We had such a good time the whole trip and this ball game was the icing on the top!
My beautiful Lacey (with Uncle Travis in the background). She is growing into the most beautiful tween. She is on the swim team and gets really good grades. She rocks!!
Back to my girl Cy. Really....a funnier kid I have never known. We all used to think that Jo was the funniest and smartest toddler that we knew....sorry Jo, but Cylie has taken the crown.
Bridger and Denver like to play in the dog run. Ick and ish that is nasty gross. It has been a really long time since I had a little boy.
The kids LOVE it when Grandpa gets the 4-wheeler out and drives them around his 2 acre yard. The dogs run and bark in hot pursuit which makes Grandpa forget who he is chauffeuring and drive a bit too fast for my taste. The girls always have to remind him to take it slow with their babies on board.
And baby blue eyes....I have some pics I had run through Picnik and really made his eyes pop....But when my computer crashed....I lost them. Not to worry....I am in the process of getting them back. It is just taking a really long time. (Like all of 3 days!)
And lastly...the fun of bracelet/watch making. Like I need another obsession. These beaded watch bands were SO fun to make. They are removable so you can make one for every outfit in your closet!!
Yes...this is why I had to make a couple of jewelry holders. No more room in the basket I was keeping everything in. Darn.....
Love, swoon, melt.....seriously....fabulous!! I had such a great time in Idaho. My family is the bomb.com. Our time together is so precious. This summer, when I have a little more time, I will be able to squeeze in a friend visit or two. But really...family is what it really is all about!!

Lost and Found

When we moved here 3 years ago we had movers that did our packing and moving for us. Fabulous....you say. Well, sure in theory. In actuality...it was terrible. We had had movers before and we had such a great experience. They were very professional and not a thing was scratched, dinged, dented or harmed in any way. Our move here was another story. The company Hubby works for hired the movers (we weren't given a choice of company). The timing of our move was a little tricksy. The truck, driver and crew were to show up and spend 2 days packing and then truck and driver would head on down the road to Minnesota where Hubby was waiting for them. I was to leave for a trip with my darling son and his ballroom dance team. We were headed on a cruise and we were to leave the day after the truck left town. I tell you this so you don't wonder why....when 3 rejects from drug re-hab showed up with the company truck driver....I didn't tell them to get out until said driver came back with a real (experienced) packing crew. You probably think I exaggerated about the drug re-hab drop-outs....no. For real...that is how they were introduced. Fresh from rehab and looking for work and possibly a new trade. My lucky day. I had to show them how to pack a box and use the very nice paper to insure the least amount of breakage to the items in the box. Of course I couldn't be everywhere all the time and the guys succumbed to the grab and dump style of box packing. When Hubby opened the boxes on his end....he was just sick. There were broken treasures everywhere. Long story short...trauma...lots of trauma. So when I came upon the 3 boxes that held my Cinderella collection I was more than hesitant to open them. In fact...I didn't. I couldn't. Seeing what they had done to my dresser and my bags of flour and my telephone...and lets not forget the kitchen chairs....I just knew I wouldn't be able to face a headless figurine or a broken...beloved....snowglobe. Fast forward 3 years and I think enough time has passed for my emotional connection to "just stuff" has eased up a bit and I now have some perspective. Like what on earth am I going to do with 3 boxes of stuff I have NO intention of using any more? Given the fact that we intentionally bought a smaller house with little storage options...this stuff had to be looked at and dealt with. So today I dug them out.
These two pics encompass the survivors. Those lucky souls that sustained no damage. This is my collection. I have been given a lot of it from relatives for birthday and Christmas gifts. All of this, at one time, was among my greatest most treasured "stuff". I had it all displayed in my craftroom and I looked at it daily. But over the last few years my NEED for it has waned and now I can let some if it go.
The not so lucky causalities. The bottom of the box. The broken and weeping masses. Dramatic...I know. But they deserve some sympathy and a bit of heart break for their years of selfless service.
The mountain of paper that protected some and betrayed others.
This is what is left of my collection. I will keep this manageable pile to display in my new craftroom....in my new house. The rest of it...well....some special treasures were put in a box to ship to my nieces and nephew in Idaho. The rest will be donated to the H&F yard sale next month. It will be hard to say good-bye to such faithful friends....but it's only stuff....right?

What Do You Get?

What do you get when you take 2 frames (that I got at the S.A. thrift store for $1 each), some spray paint, some chicken wire and some staples? Well, aside from multiple scratches and paint splatters....you get some fabulous jewelry holders. I have been seeing these all over blogdom...but wasn't sure I needed any. Well...I started doing some jewelry making and I am here to tell you....I need TWO of these little beauties. So, wait for a beautiful day in the neighborhood...won't you be my neighbor?
Spray paint them in the garage....because that's where Hubby likes us to spray paint...
Put off-white coat of paint on the turquoise frame and then run the sander over it.
Then take into the kitchen...because that is where all the good tools are!!
Drag out the chicken wire. On a side note...it was only after I learned the secret hand shake found the end of the tie wire that I was able to break into the Fort Knox of chicken wire.
Find the staple gun and a "real" hammer. You know...the one with the purple handle.
Staple the scratchy chicken wire to the back of the frame....and voi la! Easy peasy. I did learn a couple of things with the first one that I totally did differently with the second one. I'll list those in a bit.
Get some GORG ribbon from your stash and find yourself a stud....or you can use those wall anchor thingies.
Hang your jewelry on some "S" hooks or by their own clasps and you are good to go.
A couple of things I did learn....

1- Wear gloves and long sleeves when wrestling working with chicken wire.

2- Lay the chicken wire down on the back of your frame so the ends curl up. Trust me...it just works out better.

3- Let your hubby work the staple gun when he offers to. It makes him feel needed and you just might not get quite as many scratches and puncture wounds.

Other than that....you should be good to go. On Monday I am linking this post with Between Naps on the Porch. I find so many great ideas to try. Southern Hospitality has a great link party too!! And you all know that the only reason I do these projects is to annoy those hubbys out there that think their wives already have too much junk.....right? Good luck and shoot me an e-mail with a pic if you try this out. I'd love to see it!!

The Ride Home

I did have a fantastic time in Idaho the last few days. It was more fun that I can convey in words. I will share a couple photos and stories in the days to come. This story is about my trip home. I don't love airports. Mostly...I just hate going through security. I'm always in a panic that something will go wrong and I'll be forced to have a body cavity search or something. It's an irrational fear...but that's just how I roll. After I get to my gate I am usually content to read or people watch. There were some doosies this trip for sure! When I first sat down I noticed this girl sitting across and down a couple of seats from me. She looked so much like Jo's friend from Rigby (Ashleigh) that I kept looking at her. It was just weird. I noticed the (short)t-shirt dress she was wearing over (what I thought were her) brown leggings and some UGG-like boots. Very comffy...But when she got up to get on her plane I noticed that she wasn't wearing leggings (or panties)....they were tights. How did I know this...you ask...Well, when she got up to leave, her t-shirt dress had ridden up and her hiney was hanging out for all to see. She wasn't the least bit concerned and casually walked to the gate and disappeared behind the door. Weird...But it gets better. There was this guy walking around. I'd seen him a couple of times as he was hard to miss. He was wearing his Jamaica t-shirt and his blond hair was done in dirty dread locks. He had BIG earphones covering his ears with what I can only assume must sound like music (to him alone) blaring into his head. He would occasionally sing whatever lyrics he could understand at a decibel level equal to the volume I use when someone has displeased me greatly. So funny. He actually got on the plane to Fargo and while de-planing gave us another short snippet of vocal vomit. I watched him in disbelief. The lady next to me said, "Well, he looks like fun." To which the short tan man next to us replied, "Yeah, then you sit by him next time!" It was a serious laugh out loud moment for me as I tried to imagine myself...the socially awkward....sitting next to ganja boy. That would be an interesting social experiment for sure. The flight it's self was smooth until we tried to land and then the wind blew us around like a Wal-Mart bag across the runway. It was a little frightening....OK...it was a terrifying experience that would have had my sister in tears. But, all's well that ends well and I made it safely home. I had such a great visit with my family and I learned a new craft...WOOHOO!!! Just what I needed!!! hahahaha So watch for pics and posts in the next few days. They will be worth the wait...maybe....

A Successful Hunt

I'm not really an adventurous person by nature. I am content to be the navigator when we travel. I am happy to cheer from the stands. I love to be the "behind-the-scenes" director of our trips. This weekend I was forced out of my comfort zone and into the driver's seat....literally. Daughter and her bestie and I went to join Husband in Omaha Nebraska for some house-hunting. We loaded all our hunting gear, the car snacks and the GPS and headed out on Thursday afternoon. Like I said before I can not, will not drive in traffic I am not an aggressive driver and prefer to be the navigator and was getting butterflies at the thought of the city traffic...but that was hours down the road and I was content for the moment to watch the monotony of the Dakotas pass us by. I loved the empty highways. The feeling of complete control over the road. Just me and the occasional side of road-kill. I did start to notice, though...the closer we got to Sioux Falls the heavier the traffic was getting. Not worrisome, really....just annoying. They were really wrecking the chi I had built up. I was still OK. Doing my own thing...just a little faster now...more of a frenzied pace and other travelers seemed to be using my space to further their own agendas. We were packed pretty tight in the 3 lanes that were allotted us when out of nowhere some sadistic road engineer (a man with NO spacial issues) pushed us all into 2 lanes!!! And then my space was totally invaded and I felt the need to find a rape counseling center. After a bit the traffic eased up and we hit Iowa....and I do mean hit....their roads look like Swiss cheese and feel like cobble stone. Not the smooth sailing we had experienced in the Dakota's at all. How I missed them. It was getting dark...as it usually does at night, and I was feeling more and more anxious. The cars seemed to be driving faster and in closer proximity to my own car....and then....we encountered construction cones. Their evil orange gleam taunted my not so steely nerves. I was about to completely unravel when, without warning, the cones (and therefore the traffic) veered suddenly to the right and INTO THE TUNNEL. OF. DEATH!!! I am not kidding when I tell you some idiot (probably the same man lacking spacial issues) had set up concrete barriers for us to drive through with only an inch or two of clearance on either side of my mirrors...IN THE DARK!!!! My hands were sweating and my tummy knotted and I was sure I had a seat wedgie. The teens were fine with the TUNNEL OF DEATH...except for the fact that the car was being driven by a woman on the edge of a mental breakdown. And as suddenly as it came on...it was gone. I was left to ponder the meaning of life for a while longer....and then we rounded a bend in the road and came face to face with skyscrapers. OK...maybe not skyscrapers....but some REALLY tall buildings were there....right there in our view and I knew a fresh new hell was about to begin. Sure enough...then the road began to split and curve around on itself like a snake straight out of Harry Potter. We had to dodge right and merge left and then dodge left and merge right and there were cars and trucks and headlights and I am sure I saw a flying saucer at some point and then....THANKFULLY...the GPS dinged and it was time to leave the madness and the insanity of the freeway and navigate our way to the nearest institution with padded walls hotel where Husband was eagerly awaiting our arrival. He was so happy to see us that I felt bad that I was so rattled that a proper hello was the last thing on my mind. I changed into my jammies and went straight to bed. Friday morning we started with the Realtor...Nancy Woolley....a fabulous woman who truly seemed to really know what we wanted in a house. Husband had been out looking with her a couple of times already and they had a few new properties to show me as well. We looked and searched and hunted all day on Friday. We saw homes that were $170,000 all the way up to $270,000. We thought we had decided on a house. It was nice....not perfect...and a bit over what we wanted to spend....but nice. We decided to sleep on it and look at 2 or 3 more on Saturday and then we would know. We drove up to this house on Saturday morning....
"A little small", was my first thought. But then we went inside. It opened up nicely. A bathroom, a laundry room and two bedrooms to the right of the entry way and then straight on into the living area.
The fireplace is pretty and the paint colors are really nice. The kitchen is smaller than I am used to....but it has a nice island work area and it really is nice. The house does have a basement with a big bedroom and 3/4 bath, a huge family room and a nice area for storage.
It is in a subdivision with 699 other houses so we won't be lonely. And you can't see from the pic really well but we could see the tall buildings of downtown Omaha from the deck.
After seeing 2 other houses on Saturday and comparing all of the houses we had seen we decided that this one was the house for us. It felt right and that is something that none of the other houses did. This was the right house at the right price (with a tiny garage...sorry babe). We made an offer at noon with a deadline of 5 and at 4:30 Nancy had called to let us know we were under contract. Yeah, we don't really mess around. So we now own a house in Omaha. After we close and before we move in we will replace the white carpet with something a little more user friendly and put granite and tile back splash in the kitchen. Those are the only major things we wanted to change in this house and we are so happy with it. Sunday was not only Easter but my 18th wedding anniversary. It was nice to be with my honey that day, but sad because I had to leave at noon. The TUNNEL OF DEATH wasn't nearly so treacherous (or long) in the day light and the windy merge-y freeway wasn't nearly as traumatic in the emptiness of Easter Sunday either. All in all the trip home was quiet and uneventful...except for the...well, never mind....I guess you had to be there.

Hiding

Hiding from things that are big and scary in my life is a coping skill that has worked for me since 4th grade. While I was in the 4th grade I wasn't a very good student. I would do like half of an assignment and then get distracted (I know...hard to believe right!!) and I would never turn it in. My parents would go to my parent-teacher conferences and clean out my paper-stuffed desk and find many many half done assignments. My Dad decided that I would be required to bring home homework every night. Whether or not I had anything to finish...I was supposed to bring home my math book. Well, early on in this little arrangement I forgot my book. Truly...I just forgot. I knew I would be toast when my Dad got home from work. Instead of being proactive and trying to get a ride back to school to get it or cleaning my room really well so maybe he'd be so distracted by my cleanliness he'd forget to punish me....I went to bed and took a nap. Yep..total avoidance...and that is where I am right now. Complete and total avoidance. As much as I can get away with and still keep those in my life from worrying too much. Moving to Nebraska is becoming the elephant in the room. I know it is there....I just don't want to deal with it. Instead of dealing with things in a proactive way...I have been finding crafts to do. I saw this one and had to try it. But I got a little distracted (GASP!! I know...) and started a couple of fun little things for some of my besties. This is what my thoughts look like today...
Random and all over the place...I know...
This is what I was going to work on for real...Of course my "Before" shots are non-existent. I had some 2x6 pieces left over from this project. They were all the same size (unlike the project inspiration) but that is OK. Use what you've got...Then I put a thin layer of Mod Podge on them and some pretty scrapbook paper (that was waiting for the "perfect" project) and then another thin layer of Mod Podge and let the whole thing dry really well. Then I took the rotary sander to it. And then, of course took the Distress Ink to the whole thing.
I just LOVE the Distress Ink....very easy to use.
And then...because I have a friend who is fabulous enough to let me use her Cricut...I cut out some letters because I don't like making a stencil...(I'm lazy...remember...)
I put some ribbon and some furniture brads on for embellishments and there we are. Another little something to go in the laundry room...in my new house...that is somewhere in Nebraska...that I have never seen before. I have seen it in my head, however....and it is fabulous. It has a chandelier and everything!!
So for now....don't feel sad for me and my lack of appropriate coping skills. I am getting by just fine with what I've got. Really...I am....And to Teri...thanks for saying HI. What a funny coincidence. I hope you liked Pocatello. My sisters work there and I have family in Boise. It's a great area!!

I will be linking this to Met Monday. Check out the other great projects!!