I'm Still Here!!

I don't know where the year has gone.  I say this every year when December rolls around!  I have so much to tell you since my last post which was COUGH, COUGH, six short months ago!

This has been a busy year for us.  Our youngest son graduated from High School in May and left for Mississippi State in August.  This was the day we moved him into the dorm.

On August 23, we became a grandparents.  Our son Riley and his wife, Sarah,  blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter named Hadley Grace.  So, as you can imagine we have made a few trips to Chicago to see them.  Here she is at one day old.

We went to Chicago for Thanksgiving this year and then again in December when our 

daughter-in-law, Sarah, graduated from Chiropractor school.  So, we now have a doctor in our family and are so excited that Hadley and her parents have moved to AR.

My husband and I took a 16 day TransAtlantic cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.  It started in Barcelona, Spain and ended in Galveston, TX.  We had a great time and I will tell you more about our trip in another post.

We made a special trip to SW Oklahoma to help celebrate my dad's 75th birthday.  All our family was there except for one niece.

With my busy schedule I still found time to make the annual "girls beach trip" in September.

So, don't give up on me.  I hope to do much better with my blogging this year.  

With that being said I would like to leave you with one last picture of my sweet granddaughter.

Home Improvement

Wow, 5 months since my last post!  Life has been busy at our house.  As many of you know our youngest child was a high school senior this year.  He graduated on May 26th and will be heading to Mississippi State in August.

It seems anytime we have a special event at our house it turns into a time to tackle projects we have been putting off.  In March, Blair decided to install some wood flooring.   We have had wood in the kitchen for many years, but it stopped short of the back door entrance with tile in the half bath, laundry room, and hall.  When the initial wood was installed we were hesitant to put it in the half bath and laundry room for fear of a water leak.  In hind sight I guess that was a silly thought because people have water leaks in their kitchens too.

The wood that we have in the kitchen is antique pine flooring that came out of a building in downtown Memphis.  An acquaintance of Blair's had purchased the wood and he had it planed, then tongue & grooved.  He put it in his house and we bought what he didn't use.  After installing it in the kitchen we stored what was left over.  

When we got ready to start the floor I asked Blair to measure and make sure we had enough wood to do everything we were planning to do.  He eyeballed the stack of wood and confirmed that we had enough wood to complete the task at hand.  So, the demolition began!

The old tile floor.

Skiler removing tile.

Replacing some boards in the kitchen.



My partner in crime!

The laundry room.  

We had to use some "not so desirable" wood under 

the washer and dryer because . . . .

this is ALL the wood we had left!! 

(AND someone "eyeballed" the wood rather than measuring it!)

Blair rented a belt floor sander, but I didn't 

like the results so I spent "several" days sanding the 

old and new floor with a palm sander.  Let me say, 

I went through a lot of sand paper!

But the final results was well worth the effort!

Here are a couple of pictures of the floor as I am applying the sealer.

We did not put a stain on the floor, only a sealer.  

My finished laundry room!

Blair and I are both very happy with the end results.  Our middle child made the comment that he hoped to make enough money to be able to hire any work he might need done when he becomes a homeowner.  Well, he and his wife have since bought their first home which was built in 1940.  Hopefully he will learn the feeling of accomplishment and pride his parents have when he completes his first home project!

Easy Valentine Wreath

This is a very easy project to make.  

Here is a list of supplies you will need;  Scissors, paper, pencil, heart shaped wreath form, 1 yard of felt, 6 to 8 inches of ribbon, 3/4" sequin pins, a round glass or jar lid that is 3" diameter. 

Red or Pink Felt

Heart Shaped Styrofoam Wreath

3/4" Sequin Pins

A Small Piece of Matching Ribbon

Something round about 3" across

Take your round object and cut a paper pattern that is about 3" across.  Use this pattern to cut out enough round pieces of felt to cover your wreath.  I recommend that you buy felt by the yard at your local fabric store.  One yard will probably be more than enough felt to make your wreath.  Unfortunately I can't tell you exactly how much felt to buy because I used some that I already had.  I can tell you that you will only be able to cut 9 circles out of a single felt sheet (8 1/2 x 11) and depending on how close you put your felt you will need around 200 circles.  Keep Reading!  It really doesn't take that long to cut out 200 circles and if you have kids or grandchildren let them help and make it a family craft.  

Now that you have your circles cut fold your felt in half like a taco shell.  Then fold the felt circle in half again.  Place your pin close to the folded edge where the point is formed.  Start pinning your felt on the wreath form fluffing the "petals" as you go.  Experiment with the placement of your felt until you get the fullness you like.  When you get your wreath the fullness that you want.

Felt folded in half.

Felt quartered.

Pin location.

Ribbon placement.

Putting the felt on the wreath form.

Completed project.

Sorry about the funky location of the pictures.  I tried to get them to line up, but they have a mind of their own!!

Happy Crafting,

Jani

GIVEAWAY UPDATE!

Well, I guess I was a little ambitious in my "requirements" for my first giveaway.  So, I am going to amend the number to 20.  I know of two people that have been trying to sign up (with some difficulty), so once they figure out how to follow my blog publicly we only need 4 more until I give away the magnetic memo board.  It is your job to spread the word and help me get 20 followers!  Check back at noon today and I will show you how to make a cute Valentine heart wreath.  
"A creative mind is rarely tidy",
Jani

Forget the Winter Weather with Fresh Flowers!

                                                                                        

Don't you just love how happy fresh flowers make you feel?  You don't have to spend a lot of money to have pretty flower arrangements.  I am going to show you how to make several simple arrangements for about $15 or less.  Start by going to your local craft store and buying some floral foam.  You want to get the kind for wet arrangements, if your not sure which one to buy ask the store clerk.  


On your way home stop at the grocery store and pick out some pretty, bright colored flowers.  Gently press on the top of the flowers and see if they feel firm, this is how you tell if they are fresh.  If they feel soft and wilty, keep looking, they won't last very long.  If you want roses squeeze the base of the bloom between your thumb and finger and see if it feels firm, if it is mushy don't buy itdz.  I picked miniature carnations in pink and red and white daisies.  


When you get home you want to "work" your flowers and put them in water so they can get a good drink. What I mean by "work" is to put your flowers in slightly warm water, with the floral preservative that came with your flowers. This does not mean hot nor does it mean cold, if you shock your flowers they will die sooner than if you care for them properly.  Remove all leaves that will be below the waterline, because these leaves cause bacteria to grow in the water.  Now, cut your stems off at least 2 inches at a 45 degree angle so the stem can take in more water.  Ideally roses should be cut under water, to do this you would fill a container with water and put the stem down in the water before you cut it so air does not get trapped in the stem.  Mums and daisies have a woody stem, so after you cut the stem take the handle of your scissors and lightly hammer on the end of the stem to crush it for a total of 1" on the end.

Now that your flowers are in water take a walk around your house and decide what you want to put your flowers in.  It doesn't have to be a traditional vase or floral container.  I started out with  a prep bowl from my kitchen for this small arrangement.   It might be hard to tell because I have it sitting on a glass pedestal.  


Once you find your container cut your foam to fit snugly.  Then soak the foam in the water with the floral additive.  I have my arrangement on the pedestal because I have a glass dome that I want to put over the arrangement and I want to make sure it will fit.  


When making an arrangement you want to establish your height and width first.

If you will look closely at the picture on the right you will see where the carnation splits, I am going to use the bloom on the left and cut it just above the "Y", leaving the other bloom on the stem for a larger arrangement I will make later.  I will do the same thing with the daisies, leaving the longer stems for another arrangement.  Don't forget to use the smaller blooms, they are great for filling in.  Continue to fill in with flowers, turning your arrangement as you go to make sure it is not lopsided.  













Because I was trying to save money I didn't buy any greenery at the store.  Instead I am going to go out in my yard and cut what I have.  I know it is January, but you can always find something.  For example, look at my holly!!  It is waiting for Spring to get trimmed, so that is an option, but I also have ivy in my backyard that I want to use.

Once you get your flowers in place, fill in with the greenery.  Make
sure you cover up your foam with the greenery.  Sorry, I thought at the time I was taking a lot of pictures of the arrangement in the "process", but apparently not!!  So here are my finished products.  I bought 3 bunches of flowers for $12 and was able to make two arrangements and 4 bud vases.  If you will look closely you will notice that one of the "vases" is actually a Starbucks bottle that I removed the labels off of.  

So, go brighten up your day or someone else's with some beautiful flowers.  Don't be afraid to try, if nothing else, start with just a vase.  Maybe next time you will make an arrangement.

Have a great day,

Jani

GIVEAWAY UPDATE!

Last week I told y'all, in honor of my 50th birthday next month, that when I got 50 followers I would give away a prize.  So, here it is...... 

It is a Valentine themed magnetic memo board.  It reverses to a solid color of your choice so it can be used year round.  I am including 3 monogrammed Valentine conversation heart magnets.  

Now it is time to tell your friends about the giveaway.  To enter all you have to do is publicly follow my blog.  Once there are 50 followers I will draw a winner.  Of course, at the rate I am going it could be way past Valentine's Day before this happens!!  So, spread the word!


Jani

Motherhood 27 Years Later

My oldest child turned 27 in November.  It seems like yesterday that she was born.  I went two weeks and two days past my due date and the date was set for November 3 to induce.  On the morning of November 2, I went into labor. We lived an hour from the hospital which was in Lawton, OK.  So, as you can imagine, my husband was anxious to head that way. We got there in plenty of time for Blair to eat breakfast AND lunch.  Shortly after 5 that afternoon I gave birth to a 7 lb, 6 oz baby girl!


I'll never forget Blair asking the doctor if he knew what he was doing when he got out the forceps!!

Our middle child was also late, but just eight days.  This go around we lived an hour and a half from the hospital!  So you can guess how nervous Blair was when I went into labor.  Again, we got to Lawton, OK in plenty of time to shop and meet all my in-laws for dinner.  We went to Blair's sister's house until about midnight (we were nice enough to wait for the nurses shift change) and then headed to the hospital.  On the morning of April 4, about 7 am I gave birth to a 7 lb, 9 oz baby boy.

After moving to TN child number three came along.  This baby was in a hurry to meet his sister and brother and came about a week EARLY on November 14! Luckily for Blair we lived a lot closer to the hospital.  We barely had time to drop Whitni and Riley off at a friend's house and get checked in at Baptist East before our third child, another boy, came into the world at 8 lbs.  

It was actually kinda funny when the admissions clerk came into the room and told me if she had know how close I was to giving birth we could have saved the paperwork until after the baby was born!  You see, Skiler was born within 30 minutes of us arriving at the hospital!



There is anxiety and pride in raising children and I must say that is still the case 27, 24, and 18 years later.  From their first step to graduation; learning to ride a bike to learning to drive; leaving home to attend college to living in another state on their own and learning how to make ends meet; as a parent you never stop worrying about your children regardless of their age.  I know they get tired of Mom giving unsolicited advice and I try to limit that with the two older ones, Skiler is still in high school so he gets all kinds of "guidance".

I've been told that being a grandmother doesn't even compare to the feeling of being a parent.  I'm about to find out if this is true!  Riley and Sarah are going to bless Blair and I with our first grandchild in August.  I am very excited!  I have already been busy looking for patterns to knit little caps and booties.  I am trying to change my ways and not procrastinate.  Hopefully I will have all kinds of sweet baby things made when the little one gets here.

Grand baby at 8 weeks!