Simply Southern

Ruffled lace headband and the Delta

2012-01-13T11:07:00.000-06:00

Looking forward to a nice little two day getaway to the delta this weekend. Going to Jeff's brothers house with our 3, the add-on, our nephew and the babies. Plus I think their son and new baby will be there too. All the boys(and maybe some girls) will be hunting and hopefully killing something as nice as this.. weather is suppose to be perfect so maybe so.

(pic of Randys deer swiped from Kellys facebook)

All I'll be killing is time,, spending lots of it with these two sweet ones. And hopefully get to see baby Brady too.

3 mos    2 weeks

Anxious to get started on sooo many projects I have in mind.. maybe one day real soon Ill get around to that.
I found this tutorial today over at I Heart Naptime and Im hoping to make a quick stop at walmart and make both of the girls one of these this weekend.   These are the cutest little headbands for babies.
And the little girl modeling is just precious.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend. Be creative!

26/52 in 52 .. no resolutions though

2012-01-05T09:20:00.000-06:00

Im the worlds worst at making or keeping resolutions. So this year Im doing this instead. 52 things I'd like to do or finish in 52 weeks.

1. Take my breaks everyday at work.. whether Im super busy or not.. I deserve them !! And better yet,, walk during break!

2. Have a date night with my hubby at least once a month.

3. Declutter my house – Yep, I know, that’s a big one. Im a pack rat and like to keep stuff that I MIGHT use one day.

4. Don’t pay A N Y overdraft fees this year. I would have a nice little rainy day fund with all the fees I’ve paid this past year.

5. Try to drink more water and cut waaaayy back on the coke. ( and I hate drinking water)

6. Do at least 5 fundraiser type walks (hopefully with my girls ) ..there are several coming up soon.

7. Repaint Tyler’s room and make new camo curtains and pillows for the bed.

8. Start replacing carpet (it has to go) all through the house with wood flooring.

9. Start and finish some pinterest projects that I have pinned.

10. Spend lots of time with my grandgirls. I know too well how fast they grow and I don’t want to look back and wish I had taken more time with them than I did.

11. Go hunting at least one time with Tyler.

12. Try try try to get pictures taken and cards made in time to send out Christmas cards next year.. I love getting them in the mail.

13. Start (and hopefully finish in time) both of the grandgirls a blanket/quilt for their 1st birthday.

14. Find out what my healthy weight is and get there.

15. Keep all the bills paid to date and stop paying late fees.

16. Go to the movies with the kids, sisters and mama.

17. Start eating healthier foods. Cut out the snack cakes and “sniff sniff” not so many Sonic stops.

18. Paint some of those signs I’ve been saving boards for.

19. Go to the St Patricks Day parade with all the family

20. Go to the Canton Flea Market either in May or October

21. Go out of town for the weekend just me and Jeff

22. Invite family and friends over more.. cook and just hang out

23. Throw Jeff a big birthday party.

24. Help Tyler keep his grades up and pass 11th grade

25. Mardi Gras feb 18th at the coast.. Go.. have fun!!

26. Find myself a new hairstyle and go a little bit shorter.

So here's my list of things to do in 2012...not resolutions.. I never stick to those. And as you can clearly see I couldnt even come up with 52,, what the heck,, so ill be coming back and updating it later. If you want to see where this started and join along,, go here to Shawns blog. Good luck with your list.. and Happy New Year to ya,, May 2012 hold nothing but blessings and happiness for you and yours.

Are you a twitter??

2012-01-04T09:16:00.001-06:00

Jumping on the twitter bandwagon.. or at least trying to. Not sure I really get this but Im gonna give it a try.
Are you a twitter? Follow me and Ill follow you.

oooops,, lets try this again,, my username is debilou68 --

Big/little cousin onesies

2011-12-29T09:16:00.000-06:00

A few weeks before Christmas I asked a blogger friend if she could work up some stencils for me using her Silhouette. She was so nice and willing to do it. She sent them to me very quickly and even threw in some extras to play with. Thank you Gail!! That was very sweet! One day I hope to meet her IRL. I feel like I know her already.

I wanted to make the two grandbabies some onesies and other things. This is what i've done so far. I hope to get their picture wearing them in a few weeks.

I would love to own one of the Silhouette machines to play around with, but until I can buy one I can always try my luck at winning one and you can too.. Go on over there .. My Repurposed Life .. for your chance to win! She also has the links to other blogs that are giving one away. Good luck!

Grandbaby #2

2011-12-28T13:06:00.000-06:00

Wow.. its been awhile since i've posted. Not having a computer at home is the main reason but there has just been a lot going on.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas spending it with friends and family. Ours was so nice. Of course we were anxiously awaiting grandbaby #2 so that made it even better.

Skyelar Rayne blessed us with her presence yesterday around 3:15. Mom and baby are both doing great. We were all so shocked when she came out with a head full of hair. (Her mama, was bald until about age 2). We tease her about it all the time, so she loves that Skyelar has hair.

Pappy and Skyelar

Aunt Mel and Skyelar

I dont even have pics of Mommy/daddy with her. Maybe later.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T16:30:00.000-06:00

Sure hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I sure did. Spent lots of time with this sweet little girl.

This was our group effort pillow case type dress.. we had a pattern but that didnt work so well, cause I cant follow a pattern., we just winged it. She ended up only wearing it for a couple of hours.. and then decorated it herselft with some spitup..lol. Glad we got a picture first. Amb and Mel made the bow to match it.

Christmas Wreath, turkey dress, and baby

2011-11-21T14:32:00.000-06:00

After seeing Susie's wreath last week I was inspired to make one for my back door (the door that we use) this year. Mine is not like hers but I used the same method of tying the ribbon and tuille on as she did. Im pretty pleased with how it turned out. Now I want to play around and make another one for the front door.

Now just to paint that dog scratched door...ugh!

Emmie Leigh's little ribbon turkey dress.. almost finished.

Inspiration from pics on pinterest.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's my little turkey..

2 months old

Oh how we love to paint

2011-11-17T09:44:00.001-06:00

NOT! Well, maybe a little,, but I think painting a room is just overwhelming and I get bored. I like small projects. We started on the nursery for Skyelar this past weekend. All we got done was the primer on the walls. She has a cute plan for elephants and will be using black, pink and white as the main color in the room. I cant wait to see it all finished.

Its an old house and the walls are paneled and were

previously painted brown. Hoping that by primering the walls

first the paint job will look good.

I think its gonna look really good when its finished.

This is the pregnant one,, but the way she's standing by the

wall you cant hardly tell .

?? pink and black socks with an orange shirt,, Im stylish that way.. LOL

And this one was too busy taking pictures of herself. And then she got sick

so she didnt get to help finish but she had paint splattered all on her face.

Box full of fun

2011-11-17T09:37:00.001-06:00

I entered and won a giveaway back in September over at The How to Gal blog . It was for a 3M package of goodies. I finally rec'd it this week and Im so excited. There was lots of goodies in the box including 2 pairs of stylish safety glasses that look more like sun shades. Thanks 3M.

Its Soup weather

2011-11-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

Im not a huge fan of cooking, most of the time its just what I do because we have to eat,, but I do love to cook homemade vegetable soup. Most of the time I make it with frozen veggies for the most part and add fresh potatoes and onions with whatever kind of meat I want at the time. But this is my SOUPER SIMPLE, ready in no time, perfect for a quick weeknight meal , veggie soup.

I used 1 fat can of mixed veggies, 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 chicken breast cubed and cooked til white, 1/2 can of chicken broth and 1 can of beef broth.

Cut chicken into small pieces and cook with a dash or two of onion flakes (or diced onion) in about a tablespoon of butter in skillet until white.

Add all other ingredients in your favorite boiler and bring to a boil, add chicken and onion mixture and reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 -25 minutes. Serve with crackers, cornbread and or a crispy grilled cheese sandwich and voila supper is done.

Enjoy!

And I just cant resist a pic of my little angel.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:34:00.000-05:00

I found the cutest idea for a costume for Amberly a while back at Make it and Love it website.
Melanie had to step in and help with the baby skeleton I couldnt seem to draw a tiny skeleton. I love how it turned out and cant wait to see it on my 31 week pregnant daughter today.

And here is my very pregnant little mama.. She is really starting to stick out there.

Oh yeah,, I won!!!

2011-10-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

I am soooooo freaking excited.. I've been about to die to buy this book and uhmm you know just couldnt justify the purchase right now... but thanks to Booktrib I won my very own copy. WOOHOO!! Come on mailman/lady.. bring me my book.
I've read a little excerpt and I cant wait to get started on it. Congratulations on your book Liz. Be sure and checkout Booktrib.. they have weekly book giveaways. You dont have to give your life history. Just join the site and entering to win is just as simple as a click on the book you're interested in. Good luck to ya!

If you're gonna act like that ..

2011-10-27T14:31:00.000-05:00

I LOVE pinterest... here's a few things that have made me laugh today.. love this first one! lol

http://pinterest.com/pin/394732054/

http://pinterest.com/pin/394735610/

http://pinterest.com/pin/394806610/

I also love getting inspiration from Pinterest..

Oh yeah,, look at this purse. Now if I had some major sewing talent I'd just whip me up one of these real fast.
http://pinterest.com/pin/12666442671543114/

This is a really clever use for a ladder and great for hanging clothes to dry and I have a bathtub in my washroom that it would look really good above and I have the ladder to paint,, now just to get it done is the thing.
http://pinterest.com/pin/12666442671543111/

I have a vent in my house just like this,, great! another project to do.
http://pinterest.com/pin/253749760224232736/

Im off to pin some more.. looking forward to the weekend and hopefully doing something productive.

Oh what have i done

2011-10-19T11:10:00.000-05:00

well , a whole lot of this and that. But havent really blogged about any of it.

Score!! Found 3 packs of these at our Gateway store for $1 each.

Made a table for my craft/sewing/computer/junk room. I kinda/sorta went by

the directions Tracie gave here. I still have to get my drop cloth to add the skirt around it.

And then it'll be so pretty.

Made a sign with vinyl I won.

Made a photo holder for my grandkids pics. The back has clothespins

glued on upside down to hold the pics. I put 5 across.

(hoping to make some more of these soon to sell)

columns after they have been painted - also added black satin

ribbon around the top and bottom base.

My two pregnant ladies back in September or end of August. This was the day

of Amb's bachelorette party.

Pretty hospital door hanger Amb made for her sister. She added the name,

date of birth, and weight afterwards.

Built a little box to go in my kitchen window,, glued moss around the top edges and stuck

in some fall floral picks.. added two little pumpkins to the side that Jeff stole from mel.. .

Think I'll keep the box and just change out the decoration for each season/holiday.

10/17/11 - went to the dr with my oldest one. 29 weeks here.

Got to see Ms Skyelar on the sonogram and hear the hearbeat. So sweet!!

Emmie and her mama went to so she could take a picture with the man

that delivered her. He is the sweetest Dr. Im glad that Amb is also using him.

Emmie in her little nightgown hanging out with pappy for a few minutes.

Lots of random photos but wanted to update the blog with pics. I plan on doing the blog 2 print thing one day so I want to keep it updated.

Thats it for now,, Have a great week!

Oh baby

2011-10-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

Its amazing how such a tiny little baby can melt your heart and change your daily life. First thing I want to do when I get up in the morning and get home in the afternoon is see this sweet little face.

Not sure why my picture keeps turning sideways.

Cant wait to meet our 2nd little granddaughter in about 11 weeks.

Amberly - about 27 weeks

Wedding pics soon ..

2011-10-04T09:14:00.000-05:00

October 1st came quickly and the wedding was just beautiful. The weather was perfect and the bride was gorgeous. Hoping to have wedding pics really soon but I just had to share this picture of my beautiful little granddaughter taken on Aunt Bam Bam's wedding day.

Emmerson Leigh - 12 days old - and she has already stolen all of our hearts. Especially Pappy's. Thank you God for this sweet little blessing.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Liz's storybook life

2011-10-03T10:38:00.000-05:00

***excerpt ***
Once one has breathed in the deep pungent aroma of sewage, you never again forget the nose-hair singeing, eye clawing, throat gagging experience. It comes over you slowly. You begin to feel like a character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as your muscles involuntarily jerk and you run screaming and blowing raspberries. Anything to get away from the mind-numbing stench.

But let me explain.

It was 6:30 a.m. I was standing in my retro pink tiled bathroom trying to open my bleary eyes and ready myself for work. As I stood there, peering into the mirror and wondering what demented nighttime fairy had planted four new wrinkles on my face, I paused and sniffed.

“Matt… what’s that smell?”

Matt staggered from the bedroom in his underwear, eyes half shut. “I don’t smell anything.”

I pointed my nose into the air like a hunting dog. “Seriously? You can’t smell that? Did you go to the bathroom in here earlier? I told you to use the room spray when you do things like that.”

Matt puffed out his bare chest and gathered his pride as best a man can with sleep in his eyes and a small hole in the side of his underwear. “I just woke up!”

I frowned, catching a glimpse of my makeup-less hot-rollers-in-hair state and tried not to think about the fact that I looked fifty instead of twenty-nine. “Well, help me figure this out. Because something smells ripe.”

We sniffed the sink drain and ruled it out as a suspect.

“Is it coming from the toilet?” Matt asked, examining it from top to bottom.

“No, that’s not it,” I snapped. I’m not known for my milk of human kindness in a disaster. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a survivor. I plan on eating my radish like Scarlet and clawing my way out of the nuclear dust while dragging my loved ones with me. But I won’t be doing it with positive phrases and a smile.

“Hon, I just don’t know. We’ll call a plumber after work, maybe it’s coming from under the house.” Matt staggered a little, trying to get past me and out of our tiny bathroom.

“Well, that’s just great,” I moved aside and pulled the shower curtain back so I could perch on the side of the tub and give Matt room to move out the door.

That’s when the full brunt of nastiness filled the air around us, a swirling mix of excrement and acrid stench that would have brought the sewer dwelling Ninja Turtles to their knees. Where the normally slightly-clean-with-a-hint-of-soap-scum bottom of the tub should have been, there sloshed gallons and gallons of brown sewage.

I clutched the front of my sweatshirt and held my breath. Matt began to dry heave.

“Get out and shut the door!” I screamed as we bumbled into the hallway.

“I’ll deal with this,” Matt grabbed my shoulders, trying to talk and hold his breath at the same time.

I could feel my eyes glaze over, the horrors of typhoid and hepatitis in our bathtub filling my mind. But more importantly, I could envision our evaporated savings account. In my mind’s eye I could see the long, gray hallway at the bank. A worker shrouded in a black suit pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlatched a small locker labeled “Owen Bank Account.” Inside were two small stacks of quarters and a few crumpled dollar bills. It was bleak, not only because the banker with an unimaginative wardrobe gazed at me with an expression that could only be interpreted as “You’re a Big Fat Loser,” but also there was a very definite possibility we wouldn’t be able to pay for a plumber.

I wasn’t necessarily a spend thrift. In fact, I was downright frugal when it came to decorating with thrift store furniture and rewired vintage lamps. But the fact was, we were poor. We were starting out at starter jobs with starter salaries. We were starter adults with a starter bank account.

“Okay,” I nodded numbly, thankful that Matt was taking the lead on such a disastrous biohazard. “But make sure the plumber is super cheap. We don’t have much money!”

I left for work like a wino stumbling through a fog, not really remembering my commute, not really doing any work as I sipped my coffee and stared blankly at the computer screen. A disaster of such gargantuan proportions had previously been unthinkable in my life, and now I found myself attempting to push the image of a vast sea of bathtub poop from my mind. But I was sure of one thing: Anne Shirley never had to get ready for work while breathing raw sewage.

Liz has a real talent for writing and always makes me laugh or cry. I cant wait to read this book. Check out her blog to find out how you could win 1 of 10 advance copies of her first book. Good Luck!

She's here

2011-09-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a very long day for all of us and I am worn out so I know the new mama is exhausted but
Emmerson Leigh Walsh is finally here. Mama and baby are doing great. Counting our blessings and Thanking God for this precious little one and her mama. We love you Mel,, You did great and she is BEAUTIFUL! ( Meme and Pappy cant wait to love her and spoil her rotten)

Amberly is in nursing school and was her own private little nurse. She was able to

be in the delivery and see her 1st niece make her grand entrance. To say she was

excited would be putting it very mild. But it also made her a little nervous about

her own delivery in December.

Just a few minutes old and getting her footprints done. I think she looks like Mel

when she was born, except Mel had more hair.

BEFORE : She was feeling good. Inducing and contractions had

not started at this point.

Justin, Melanie and Emmerson. The absolute best experience ever is seeing

your "little one" bring their own little one into the world. Amazing! She weighed

7 lbs 6 oz (congrats Uncle Dax on guessing the weight).

Watch out Emmie, your mama has been collecting bows and headbands

the whole 9 months. This is just your first one to model.

Its a messenger bag

2011-09-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

Last week I won a giveaway over at Funky Junk Interiors. Jeanne Oliver was so generously giving away one of her messenger bags. I rec'd my package in the mail yesterday and Im in love with it. I took it outside to see if I could get a few good shots of it so you could really see how pretty it is. It is very well made and the ruffles are just sturdy enough to stay the way they should, there is a nice size zippered pocket on the inside as well as an open pocket for a cell phone and its very roomy. I know I will get lots of use out of it. Thanks again Jeanne and Donna for hosting the giveaway.

She wrapped it so pretty I really didnt want to open it. I saved the thick twine

and made a bow out of it.

Jeanne has some really pretty things in her etsy shop and some leather cuff bracelets that I cant wait to buy. I know my girls would just love them.

Wedding prep - take 1

2011-09-08T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here is a just a bit of what we've been working on. And in our true fashion we have waited until its getting very close to actually get our butts in gear and get busy. But thats okay, thats how we roll and we get it done.

This is two of the columns (unfinished) that will be sitting by the arch with ferns on them.

They are gonna be painted white and maybe distressed a little, not sure about that yet.

Some bags for the bridesmaids that will have a few goodies in it. We bought the

bags at Hobby Lobby and then cut out the letter and used heat & bond to attach.

and bouteniers for the groomsmen and ushers and the Dad.

Not professionally done but we're happy with them.

And another view,, I'm thinking maybe it needs just a touch of ribbon at the base

or something??

And this one,, is the maid of honor , and is getting ready to deliver

any day now. She's been at 1cm for 2 weeks,, the Dr has a tentative date set for

induction if nothing happens between now and then. We'll have a better game plan next

Tuesday when she goes back. (I think I've taken her picture in the elevator every time I've gone to the

dr with her and I think she has said something like "really mama??" every time.. LOL

Amberly (and Skyelar) - almost 20 weeks. I need to get the elevator

pic on her next visit. She has had the easiest pregnancy. NO morning sickness at all.

Which is a blessing because she is also in nursing school.

stay tuned for a post on the kitchen island Jeff is in the middle of building.

Win a Ruffled Messenger Bag

2011-09-01T09:01:00.001-05:00

Edited to add:: I won!! woo hoo! Thanks so much Jeanne Oliver and Donna at Funky Junk Interiors.

Would you like to win this beautiful messenger bag? Then head on over to Funky Junk Interiors. Good Luck!

ITS FRIDAY...

2011-08-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

I am sooooo glad its Friday. There is still so much to be done for this wedding. My head is going in a thousand circles. Amb's bridal shower is this weekend. Her Aunt Sissy, and mamaw's are giving the shower. She's really excited. We're planning on working on the bridesmaid bouquets this weekend. I hope to have some pics to show you on Monday and hopefully get some constructive feedback on.

found this thread in my sewing basket,, I wonder how long I've had it. I havent

seen thread for 20cents at WalMart in FOREVER!!

My shoes LITERALLLY fell apart at work yesterday,, I mean the more I walked

the worse it got. Kinda the way I feel lately. Planning a wedding and getting prepared mentally

for a new grandbaby and trying to keep the house somewhat clean and the family fed is wearing me out.

(horrible picture ) oh and did I mention,, we have a new lab puppy and 4 little kittens.

Can't wait to get rid of these little suckers. I'll be offering a free box of food and a cat litter pan as

an enticement to take a free kitten. I hope it works.

Headband holder X2

2011-08-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

With two litle GRANDdaughters on their way I decided to make these cute headband holders after I saw the girls at Shanty2Chic make one. I didnt put mine together exactly the way they did but the basic construction is the same. These are really easy to put together and hold lots of headbands. Emmie's is full already,, now we have to work on filling up Skyelars'.

Materials I used :
1 - square dowel ( $2.47)
Gorilla wood glue
scap 2x4's
wood biscuits(won from a blogger a while back)
paint
scrap chair rails
1 - curtain rod finial
scrap 1x2
screws

I only spent $2.47 on 1 dowel for both of these. Everything else I had on hand. And these were really fun to make. It would be a great gift for a little girl paired together with a few headbands.

I used a scrap 2x4, scrap 1x2, biscuits on the end of the dowels and an old curtain rod finial for this one. I screwed a 3 inch screw up from the bottom of the 2x4 and then on the part sticking out screwed the 1x2 down on to the 2x4. Used wood glue to attach the dowel to the 1x2 and then screwed on the finial. And it was fine.,,, But wasnt nearly big enough to hold even half of the headbands Emmie already has. This was painted with sponge brush and distressed just a bit.

So I took it half apart and added a second arm. Now its good to go. I just have to give it a final spray paint job.

For this one I used scrap 2x4, two different pieces of chair railing and wood biscuits. And

I painted this one using Rustoleum Painters Touch spray paint in black. I love that paint.

This is Skyelars'.. her nursery bedding is gonna be pink and black so I painted hers

black instead of the cream color.

Thank you Whitney @ Shanty2Chic for the inspiration!

Just a bunch of randomness

2011-08-19T10:32:00.000-05:00

Scatter brained would describe me very accurately lately,, lot going on with babies and a wedding on the way ... So without further delay ,, lots of random pics. Enjoy!

not the best picture,, Tyler & River - that bow didnt stay in her hair too long.

Mel's gonna kill me for this pic but I love it.. Jeff feeling the grandbaby move.

waiting at the dr to find out what Amb is having,, Its a Girl.

Ms Skyelar Rayne Russell will be here around the 1st of January.

Jeff made leiutenant -- So proud of him!

The wives got to pin on their new badge - I think he was scared I was gonna stick him.

Jeff, Tyler and Amberly - Melanie had a funeral visitation to go to and couldnt be there.

TIME to get back to work,,, Have a great weekend.

Ill be sharing pics soon of a desk I made using Traci @ Beneath My Hearts basic plan and a kitchen island that Jeff is building me.

And the winner is ...

2011-08-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

So sorry,, I was away from the computer all day yesterday and didnt get to announce the winner of my giveaway. So without further delay,, the winner is .. .

# 11 - Steph at Hegland Happenings - Thanks Steph for following my blog! I'll be making and sending you a banner similar to the one below with your choice of colors/wording.

Congratulations, Steph ... I'll be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address. Thanks to all who entered my little giveaway.

Baby Shower banner and a give-a-way

2011-07-28T09:49:00.001-05:00

We've been really busy getting ready for Melanie's baby shower this weekend. For weeks I searched on the internet and pinterest for ideas for baby showers and let me just tell ya that it was just too overwelming. I had a million ideas swimming in my head and I couldnt decide on a single thing. So I finally stopped looking at all the wonderful ideas and remembered just a few things that I had seen and went with that.
I'll share more about the baby shower after this weekend but for now here is what i've been working on.

I've been making a few of these tissue paper pom poms all week.. they are really simple to make and I think will look nice for decoration. We went with just a basic pink and brown theme and i've used different shades of pink and brown for these pompoms. I'm thinking I'll group them in threes.

I sat down last night and made these banners.. the one in the back will have the baby's name on it.
These were fun to make. And I cant wait to make more for birthdays and other celebrations.

And since I won a give-a-way recently Im "giving it forward" and having a giveaway here .. The "prize" will be (1) banner with winners choice of colors and wording. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is

1. become a follower and leave me a comment telling me that you did OR leave a comment telling me that you already follow.

2. Tell me what you would like your banner to say if you won .. doesnt have to be baby related.

3. aaaand I'll throw in an extra entry for you if you spread the word about my give-a-way. Just leave a comment telling me how you shared.

Thats THREE chances to win.. Good luck !!

This give-a-way will end at midnight Aug 7th and I'll announce the winner on Monday, August 8th.

I'll be linking up here (July 28) and here (July 29) .

and here (Aug 3 )

Thats pinteresting!

2011-07-18T11:35:00.000-05:00

It's Monday and thats all I gotta say about that. I have the hardest time getting started on Mondays. Its usually about 12:30 or 1:00 before I really get busy and then I can really get my work done. But it does get done and thats the most important thing.

I've recently found Pinterest and I love it. Its so easy to bookmark things that I like and have a reference page to go back and look at for projects and inspiration. Do you pinterest? I'd love for you to follow me there too. I've added the pinterest button to the right sidebar.

A few weeks ago I won a vinyl decal from Vinyl Lettering off their facebook page. I wasnt sure what to do with it. I didnt want to add it directly to any wall so I painted this old drawer front and put it on there. I think I might go back and distress it a little bit though.

and as Melanie pointed out, it is slightly off center. But I'm okay with it.

BABY update:

Amberly - taken 7/16 will be 16 weeks 7/18 and hasnt had
any morning sickness. She's been very lucky.

Mel - taken 7/16 will be 30 weeks 7/18.

Thats all I have for today. Stay cool .. its gonna be another hot one in Mississippi today.

Crafty little niece..love it!

2011-07-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is my cute little niece, Katelynn. She has been building (with the help of her daddy) herself a treasure box to put in her room. She helped cut it out, route the edges and she is painting it by herself. My brother told me she loves to do projects and stuff like this and I love that.

You did a great job Katelynn,, Im proud of you.

Happy Birthday Melanie

2011-07-11T12:12:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Melanie's birthday with a cookout and the family. It was a really nice day. I made her cake so that she would remember, years from now, that she was pregnant on her birthday. I went the super quick and easy route this year. I cut out the silhouette, attached it to the back of a piece of camo birthday paper and laminated it with contact paper and stuck it on the cake. She's keeping it to put in her scrapbook.

also covered the cake board in contact covered camo paper

On Sunday we went to my mother n laws house to celebrate another birthday,, our nephew Davey.

He's turning 15 this week. This cake was almost a flop,, the cake split in the middle and the skateboard dude had a

big indention down his chest,,, lol.. but they liked it anyway.

I goofed on the fingers/arm,, dont look at that part.. LOL

I found out this morning that I won a book giveaway over at Susie Harris blog. , (I love her blog) . And in the spirit of

giving it forward as I have said before when "I" win ,, one of "you" will win too. So check back next week for a giveaway.

It is REALLLLY hot in Missisippi today,, hope everyone is staying cool wherever you are.

Debbie

View from my phone. .

2011-07-06T16:23:00.001-05:00

Wow,, didn't realize that I hadn't posted in a while. Lots of projects in my mind but I havent been very productive lately so I'll just share the veiw from my phone with ya.. Enjoy!

Mel - 28 weeks on the 4th - this was her b'day and dr visit day.

The little Mann .. always trying to figure out how to buy something.
Pretty sure he was looking on craigslist at a truck or something.

My new cup from Hobby lobby,, 50% off.. yay!

Jeff taking a dive in the pool at his brothers house ,, tyler and peyton waiting
for their turn.

Amb with her little cousin Brenna Claire -- she makes the cutest faces.
Amb is 14 weeks here.

Made another flag - used old tongue and groove boards (think thats what they
are called) that I got from my sisters house. Super easy and quick project.

Well thats it for now,, Hope everyone had a safe and Happy 4th of July celebration.

Silhouette giveaway

2011-06-23T08:13:00.000-05:00

Have you seen all the great projects being done with the Silhouette and always wanted one? Well I have and Donna at Funky Junk Interiors is having a giveaway.. Go now, get your name in the hat. Giveaway runs through the 27th. Good Luck!

Fish Rodeo

2011-06-21T06:14:00.001-05:00

This past weekend me and Tyler went to a fish rodeo with my niece and her two little boys. Had never been to a fish rodeo but its a really neat thing to do for the kids. I think around 500 catfish were released into this pond at a local residents house. He donated his pond for this event. A small area was netted off and the kids were allowed to fish. Parents and adults could help but it was meant for the kids to do. Tyler helped Austin catch this one.

Mr. Prentiss has a beautiful place.

Its Knot-so-Hard flip flops

2011-06-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

I love the name of these easy to make flip flops .. and really,, its Knot so hard! I made them in about 20 minutes. I wasnt sure I'd like actually wearing them though,, but I do. The tutorial can be found here.

never mind the ugly feet but here's how they look on.

also added a few strips of fabric tied on for a shabby look.

(flip flops cost $1 at Dollar General so a very inexpensive project to do.. especially if your looking for kids projects)

Happy Fathers Day

2011-06-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Fathers Day at my mama&daddys house with a hamburger lunch and then finished it off by digging up fresh taters from the garden. It was a great day.. taking the time to be grateful for truly some of the most simple pleasures in life .. enjoying family.

MY DADDY - he's the best. He loves sharing his garden with his kids., it makes him happy.

Jeff - my GREAT, loving, supportive, patient husband.. (dont let the picture fool ya- he always looks irritated
when taking a picture) .. He's such a good daddy too!

my sweet little niece - Katelynn - with the potatoes

Happy Fathers Day - 2011

Post #2 - Birthday shirt, tutu and bow

2011-06-17T09:04:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Becca at Blue Cricket Design

Melanie's fiance's little sister, River Grace, turned 1 this week and Melanie wanted to make her a tutu with the matching birthday shirt and bow. This is what we came up with.

(These were taken with my phone so definitely not the best) Will be adding pics of River Grace wearing her tutu next week.

Have a good weekend everybody.

Friday and Post #1 wedding sign

2011-06-17T08:51:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Becca at Blue Cricket Design

I've finally gotten around to starting on the signs for Amb's wedding. I only have 1 done but I've got 2 more printed out and ready to do when I get the boards painted. I think this is a 1x6 .. and about 22-24inches long. I sanded the board, primed and then lightly sanded again and then painted with white paint. I printed the words off and rubbed the back of each letter with pencil and then transferred to the board by tracing over it all. After that I used my black paint pen to fill it all in. Its not perfect by any means but Im OK with how it looks. This will be one of the signs used to point the guests around to the right spot. The wedding will be at Roosevelt State Park and I think its going to be really pretty.

Stay tuned,, post #2 coming next,, Little girl #1 birthday shirt, tutu and matching bow.

Feels like Summer Time and flip flops

2011-06-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

It has been sooo hot here lately and yesterday we finally got some of that good smelling stuff we call rain. My mom and dads garden has been needing it desperately. Ours has too but since ours is MUCH smaller we can easily keep it watered with the sprinkler. She called me at work to let me hear it rain over the phone.. yes, she was very excited about the rain.

here she is with the first squash this year

and here is daddy checking another plant - he wasnt supposed to be in the garden.
He was still healing from surgery a few weeks ago. He's hardheaded like that... probably where
I get it from.

Summertime always means flip flops although we wear them right up through fall and sometimes in the winter too. Becca at The Texas Darlings is hosting a bloggy flip flop exchange. It sounds like a lot of fun and a new pair of flip flops is always a good thing.

Here are the details of the swap (copied from Beccas site).. but please hop over and say Hi and email her if you're interested in joining the swap. You have until this Sunday night June 12th to join in.

Bloggy Flip Flop Exchange

One. If you would like to participate, send Becca an email that includes your full mailing address, blog address, and flip flop size by Sunday, June 12, 2011.

Click here to send her an email (click from Beccas site )

Two. On Monday, June 14, you will receive an email with your BFFE partner's information. Please take the time to visit their blog and learn more about them.

Three. By Friday, June 17, mail your flip flops to your BFFE partner along with mementos from your home state (so they can learn more about you as well). Some ideas include a postcard, local delicacy (someone got homemade fudge sauce last year- jealous!), key chain, etc. Don't spend more than $20 total for your package.

Four. Blog about the flips you have received - show us some pictures!!

Thats it,, sounds fun to me. I LOVE getting packages and fun stuff in the mail. I hope you'll join in the fun.

Glass block night lights

2011-06-04T09:31:00.002-05:00

** edited to add the other 3 pictures **

Amb & Mel get their craft on .. they made these Cute little night lights for some friends baby shower .. pics were taken with my phone so they not the best.

It's suppose to be another hot day tomorrow .. Stay cool!
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Pallet heaven opened up ..

2011-06-02T15:47:00.000-05:00

. . . and these two pretty babies fell right in my lap.. alright!!! Thank you very much, Ill take em home with me.

They are very sturdy and have somewhat of an inlaid top .. i think thats the way to describe that??

Im thinking stacked together or side by side with big industrial caster wheels and stained a walnut color and sanded a bit they would make a gorgeous coffee table. Any ideas of what to do with them?? I'd love to hear.. leave a comment.

Stay Tuned ..

a few things ive made and the river

2011-06-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

Dragonfly #2 -

flew off to a new home to live with Patricia (winner of my giveaway in April)

i found this quote a few months ago so I thought I'd paint a canvas and put it on there..
I dont like it. . but oh well not all projects turn out goood. It'll be getting repainted.. and I
think I wont freehand the writing this time.

I've had this old window hangin on my backporch for awhile but it was
an ugly color.. so I painted it and made me a little box to hang beneath it to
put some flowers in. Thinking Im gonna paint the "welcome" to give a little color..

The Mississippi River in Vicksburg about a week before it crested.

in BABY mode .. yay!!

2011-05-05T08:47:00.002-05:00

… grandbaby that is. Not only is daughter #2 expecting with our 1st grandbaby but we found out the other day that daughter #1 is expecting with our 2nd grandbaby. Yeah, a little bit of a shock but we are sooo very excited.
So you know I’ve had an eagle eye lately for anything baby related. Here are a couple of tutorials I have found and cant wait to try out. Not to mention I think I will be doing a makeover on the cradle that not only my 3 babies slept in when they were little but so did some nieces/nephews. I’ve held onto this thing for 22 years waiting for the day to drag it out again for grandbabies. Amazingly it has held up very well.. until I broke one of the legs on it the other day.. oh well break out the gorilla glue.. it’ll be alright!

On to the tutorials..
A super simple way to sew up some burp cloths in no time at all and Sarah shows you exactly how to do it over at A little of this A little of that

And how about some of the cutest little baby shoes.. I can just imagine these in all sorts of colors and patterns. Ready to try these out soon. Grey Luster Girl made these adorable shoes using the tutorial found on Star Dust Shoes site.. And look at the flower that she added.. that is just too cute

And last take a look at these awesome bibs.. or is it an apron,, no it’s a bapron.. pretty cool huh?

And Jess tells you exactly how to make them and it looks so easy. Cant wait to sew some of these. And if you hop over to her site you can see the prettiest little model wearing one of these. So cute.

Off to a family reunion this weekend and soo looking forward to just a couple days away. I dont want to do anything at all. Except maybe fish with Tyler ,, if he'll let me.. ha ha.

Stay tuned for more baby and wedding projects as well as a makeover on the cradle.

Have a great Mothers Day Weekend everyone.

My IN THE WORKS project is F I N I S H E D !!

2011-05-03T12:12:00.002-05:00

Editing to add linking up with the Shanty sisters at

I have been working on this table for awhile now and Im so happy to be finished with it. It started out as the country blue type color and a light stained top. I had lots of photos and even made a short little video (ha, you've been saved from that) and I cant find them. I have a feeling they were on my old phone that died. UGH!! So I'll just post what I have. But you can see a before pic on my sidebar,, the IN THE WORKS project.

Ill just let you look at the pictures of the progress .. I will say that I used RustOleum Painters Touch Spray Paint touch in gloss black and the top is stained with Minwax Dark Walnut stain.

and i had to go back and sand the edges of the tabletop because of some overspray from the black paint

Although I wanted to keep this , part of me wanted to see if I could actually sell something that I had given a makeover. So I listed it on craigslist two weeks ago. And IM VERY EXCITED to say that I sold it this past Sunday. The buyer has the cutest shop in Mendenhall called BallyHoo and she is adding a kitchen to her shop and needed a table. And come to find out both of my daughters knew her, they took care of her granddaughter at the daycare where they work. Such a small world,, never know who you will meet.

And on another note i've noticed that i've almost reached 100 followers,, WOW!!!

Ill be linking up this week with all the talented bloggers at these parties .. Go check 'em out!

Anything Goes at Type A Decorating

Blue Cricket Design

My Repurposed LIfe

Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed

Whassup Wednesday at Element Interiors

Transformation Thursday at The shabby Chic Cottage

Thanks for stopping by ,, I hope you all have a great week!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T05:08:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone has a very Happy Easter !

downloaded from Dear Lillie

And the winner is ....

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great Good Friday. Thanks to all who entered my giveaway and for the sweet comments.

I dont know how to use the random number generator thingy so I numbered each comment and text daughter #1 to pick a number between 1 and 16. She chose lucky # 8, and that is

Grammy Goodwill .. congrats Grammy!! I'll be emailing you soon for your address to ship your dragonfly and words to live by print to. Thanks for entering my giveaway.

I'll be posting my finished faux planked table on Monday. I hope you'll stop by for a visit. Have a great weekend.

Dragonflys CAN be cute

2011-04-18T15:08:00.011-05:00

Happy Monday and oh boy it has been a typical Monday. But its all good. I worked on my "IN THE WORKS" project this weekend and I am sooooo happy to say that it is almost finished. Here is a little sneak peak of the table top.. I am really thrilled with how it turned out. I'll share more in another post when I have better pictures.

I also finished my dragonfly that I made after being so inspired by Lucy's. You can see hers at Lucy Designs. So creative.

Here is how mine started out. I rescued two chairs from the burn pile and cut the legs and the chair back slats out of them.

I primed them with some cheap gray primer and then used my free sample of Valspar paint for the first coat of paint.

Then I did a somewhat of a dry brush over it and after that just a hit and miss of brown dry brushed on.

Here he is enjoying the swing. I used some wooden beads with screws in them for the eyes.

If you havent entered my giveaway you can click here and be in on the chance to win a similar smaller version of this dragonfly. I've extended the deadline to enter until Thursday night and will announce the winner on Friday April 22nd. Good luck!

I'll be linking up at these parties this week.. Hope you'll come by!

I'll be linking to Blue Cricket Designs - show and tell Wednesday at

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/

Have a good week!

Giveaway Monday

2011-04-11T10:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday,, I hope everyone had a good weekend. The weather has been great. It actually was kind of hot. I took off Friday and spent some time with my hubby,, of course we were cleaning and stuff but still it was a good day. Saturday I worked on my "In the Works" project (in the sidebar) a little bit more.. I decided to paint the bottom part of the table and all of the chairs all black. Its looking really good. I've got 3 more chairs to paint and then to finish the top and Ill be thru. And I'll be sooo glad to be thru. Im ready to see the end result and I'd like to try and sell it too.

Sunday we spent most of the day working on getting our garden ready. We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell pepper and hot banana pepper, squash, and okra. Its just a small garden but it'll be nice to watch grow and walk outside and pick some tomatoes ... have you seen the price of vegetables lately?? OMG - at our walmart bell pepper was $1.24 a piece yesterday. We didnt want or need them that bad.

And now for the giveaway .. I meant to have this posted on Saturday but I couldnt figure out what I wanted to giveaway. And then I remembered these dragonflies that Lucy made out of old spindles and spare parts. I knew I wanted to try and make one and as luck would have it I found two old chairs in the "waiting to be burned " pile. They will make a cute dragonfly so Im gonna try my hand at making one (mine will be a little bit smaller than hers) and Ill be giving it away along with one of these prints that I made a few months back.

So there it is,, my give-it-forward giveaway. One winner will win one homemade dragonfly and one copy of my words to live by print.   Would you like to win it?
1. Just leave a comment in the comments section.
2. If you'd like your name in the hat a second time share this on your blog or facebook and let me know in the comments that you did that.

Its that easy. And of course if you'd like to follow my blog that would be great,, but not required.

This giveaway will be open until April 18th and I will announce the winner the next day.   Good luck!

Have a good one ..

Ill be linking  to these parties ..



" Our glory is not in never falling but in rising again each time we fall"

I won a photo pedestal

2011-04-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

Last week I won a giveaway from Gail over at My Repurposed Life . . . It was a readers choice and I chose one of her cute photo pedestals she's been making. She also makes the cutest benches out of old headboards but I didnt think she'd like to ship that one ... lol. Guess I'll have to make my own headboard bench. So glad I won this ,, its perfect for holding pictures, notes, recipes,, just about anything you want to use it for. Thanks again Gail -- I love it!

( yep, thats deodorant in the background - just keeping it real)

And since I won so can you, sort of like a pay it forward type thing. I'll be posting a giveaway this weekend so be sure and come back to enter.

Have a good one

The view from my phone

2011-04-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday ... Woo hoo!
I didnt get around to doing any kind of projects this week nor did I blog too much so I didnt have any favorite finds to share this week. So instead I thought I'd share the view from my phone.. very interesting im here to tell ya,,,, NOT! But I'm sharing anyway so here goes...

these are empty rolls from tape dispensers.. . i've been saving them for over a year.. my coworkers give
me their emptys too.. (thanks Kate).. I just know there is some good craft project that can be done with
these.. anybody have any ideas you want to share?? Leave a comment or email me.. i'd love to hear.

Amb - 1st born, future nurse - she took this pic of herself and set it as my

background on my phone.. lol. Mel -middle child, soon to be mama - working on

her car that the motor went out in about 4 months after she bought it.. she wanted to help

so her daddy told her things that she could take off/out getting ready to pull the motor out.

Thankfully and hopefully it will be back on the road after the fuel line comes in next week.!!

My sweet and sexy hubby -- love him to pieces!! And my nephew Robert and his daddy,
my little brother, Robert.

Painted this freehand looking at a painting I saw online. Not perfect, but I was ok with it.

we bought a seed starter kit and planted these tomato plants, then I made some newspaper pots
for them after seeing Lindys pots here .. super simple and cheap! They're still alive , we'll see how long they make it.

Daddys boots - took this one afternoon when I stopped by mama & daddys,,
I dont think he even realized I took it. I love it.

Well thats it for today.. I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend.. Stop by Monday to see what I won in a giveaway recently and get in on my next giveaway, 'cause if I win, you win!

Linking up with Gail @ My Repurposed Life for Catch As Catch Can Friday.. see ya there!

"Our glory is not in never falling but in rising again each time we fall"

Thursdays Favorite Finds

2011-03-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

I am ALWAYS finding inspiring and creative projects and tutorials all over blogland and I quite possibly have over a 1000 bookmarks of things I'd like to try and make one day. So I've decided instead of just filing them away in my favorites folder I'll share a few of them each week. Always giving credit where credit is due. Here are a few of my favorites I've found this week .

I love reading Susie's blog, hers was one of the first i read daily when i started this blogging adventure and it still is. She paints some of the most unique signs. This is what she's been working on this week. She sells these and they are very affordable. Do you need that perfect gift for a wedding, birthday or anniversary? These would be great for that.

Lindy at Cottage Hill is another one of my favorite bloggers. She creates some really amazing things. Like this clock she did here .. very creative and talented.

And this pretty lamp that she redid - you should go see how it looked before - and she shares how she did it today. Not to mention she's giving it away. Go here to get in on the chance to win this.

And Im sure you've heard me talk about Gail at My Repurposed Life before.. She has been making these cute pedestal stands. I love the way she added the spiral to hold the photos and the flourish at the bottom.

Thats it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Have a good one!

Thursdays favorite finds

2011-03-16T19:43:00.001-05:00

I am ALWAYS finding inspiring and creative projects and tutorials all over blogland and I quite possibly have over a 1000 bookmarks of things I'd like to try and make one day. So I've decided instead of just filing them away in my favorites folder I'll share a few of them each week. Always giving credit where credit is due. Here are a few of my favorites I've found this week .

Emily from Sisters of the Wild West showed us how she made this braided rug out of 3 old towels and only doing very minimal sewing. And it looks great. Will definitely be trying this one..soon(i hope).

Over at Todays Fabulous Finds Janet shows us how to make your own paned window using .. paint sticks!! and she makes it look easy.

Jaime from Thats My Letter made this crate using the plans from Ana-White site. And she made it using an old pallet. This is something that I've actually already started just havent finished.

And well you'll never believe what Lucy made this adorable little dog bed out of. Not that I have a dog to make a bed for but I was thinking it would also make a cute little baby doll bed for that grandchild that is coming in September (yes I'm claiming its a girl - we dont know yet though)

Well thats it for today,, be sure and come back next week for some more of my favorite finds.
and dont forget to wear green tomorrow so you wont get pinched. Have a good one!

3:16 and a crafty little giveaway

2011-03-16T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hello my friendly followers ... Been kinda slow around here lately but I hope you're sticking around.

Today is 3-16 and what better day to remind friends and family and even strangers of this great truth. John 3:16 . . . share the good news with someone today - Is it hard for you to verbally share? It is for me but thats okay - email, text, tweet, blog or just write it on your forehead (ha ha ha) -- there are lots of ways.

image from http://www.klove.com/ - Lisa and Eric morning dj page

Listening to Klove this morning driving to work they were talking about this young student from Japan who is living with a host family and going to school in California . . . go here to read this very heartwarming and miraculous story. You might want to have some tissues nearby.

Do you like to enter giveaways? I do and I actually win sometimes - not lately though. Well if you do go visit Jeanine and check out the giveaway she has going on. Lots of fun crafty things to play with. Good luck!

And has always y'all have a good one.

Signs of all kinds

2011-03-08T17:00:00.002-06:00

I love signs!

signs of spring - I love when these start popping up everywhere. So pretty.

signs that make me laugh .. we see this everytime we go to the coast and I laugh everytime.!! lol

Signs to point the way and celebrate

Vintage signs - whats not to love about this.

And then there are these kind of signs -- positive signs.

Yep,, thats right,, I am having a grandbaby, well not me, haha, but you know what I mean. Melanie is 11 weeks and sometime in late September we will have our first grandchild.

A little unexpected but we are very excited. This should be a busy and interesting next 7 months. Her due date is just a few days from the day our oldest, Amberly, is getting married. So we will add a new baby and a son-in-law to the family all around the same time. We are truly blessed.

~ Y'all have a good one ~

A tisket a tasket 8 wire baskets

2011-03-04T12:35:00.001-06:00

Hey there and Happy Friday .. Im linking up with Gail at My Repurposed Life today. And by the way she helped me out with a little wedding project, I'll be sharing that pretty soon. Thanks again Gail.

After seeing Traci's closet makeover where she used chicken wire baskets to hold wash cloths and other things and seeing the cute chicken wire projects that Erin has made here and here. I knew I wanted to try and do something with chicken wire. I was lucky enough to get these 8 wire baskets for F R E E .. yay!!! So im thinking with chicken wire wrapped around them, some paint and some painters drop cloth liners they will look pretty good. Whay ya think? Do you think It'll work? I hope so.

I'm glad you've stopped by. Have a great weekend.

Waterstone jewelry zippered pouch

2011-02-25T08:42:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everybody. . . I've been in kinda a funk and hadnt been able to get much done. I have an overgrown list of things in my mind that I want and NEED to do but by the time I get off work and get home I dont have the "get up and go" to get it done.. but maybe this weekend.

Lori at Waterstone Jewelry is giving away another one of her cute little zippered pouches. So hop on over, say hi and enter to win. All of her purses and stuff are so unique and have lots of character. You'd definitely have an original.

Hope everyone has a great day and weekend!

Debbie

Heads up, a giveaway

2011-02-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

Nothing new to post about..right now. I do have some exciting news to share but just have to wait a little longer. I have several projects that need finishing,, a table, a mirror and a coat rack to name a few but this weather is not cooperating. Im sooooo tired of cold wet weather. My yard and junk/work area need cleaning and the warm pretty weather would do a lot for my attitude too. Please hurry Spring!

While blogging around today I found a giveway going on over here at WaterStone Jewelry and if you've never visited her site, you really must. She makes the most amazing handbags and purses and other things and she does it from recycled items that she finds. She's giving away one of her really cute zippered pouches and she also shares the tutorial on how to make it yourself. Cant beat that,, go check it out.

Have a good one!

Debbie

Your blog reviewed??

2011-01-26T09:05:00.000-06:00

While I would LOVE to be going to Blissdom, cause that would just be soooo much fun, I"m NOT, so instead I'm so excited to be part of a very unique blog hop. Gail at My Repurposed Life and Megan from Beauty in the Attempt are hosting “The Bold and the Beautiful-your blog reviewed”.

Please take a look around my blog, check out the layout, pages, buttons, sidebar and gadgets. I would love for you to gently critique my blog. I’m hoping you will leave me some positive feedback about my blog. It would be great if you could give me constructive criticism but be sure to tell me what you like about my blog too! Do you like my pictures? Does my blog load quickly for you? How about the font? All tips and tidbits welcome!

You are welcome to join the party, it starts Thursday night and is open for a week. Click here to get the details and join in.

Looking forward to hearing from you! Duty calls, gotta get to work.. Y'all have a good one.

~ Debbie ~

A cat named TuTu

2011-01-25T09:24:00.000-06:00

This is our cat TuTu and we are joining Lucy's pet party over at Debbie-Doos .. wanna go? Just hop on over and show off your pet

This is TuTu. We got her in Sept of 2009 right around the time of our 22nd anniversary. So I figured if I named her Tutu (for 22) it would help me to remember how old she is. Funny? Weird? Yeah, i know but i'm wierd like that. Anyway our daughter, Amberly, that works at a day care called one afternoon and said they had several kittens that had been abandoned somewhere around the daycare and was trying to find homes for them. Now let me just tell you. I have always loved cats. I had the most beautiful cat named Smokey when i was growing up. She was very unique and special. However, I married a guy that has never liked cats so needless to say we have never had one since we've been married. I have no idea what made her call and ask us if we wanted it. She knows her daddy well. But he said yes.She was, I'm guessing, only around 3 or 4 weeks when we got her. We bottle fed her for 2 or 3 weeks. She was so easy to train and is very smart. As she got out of the kitten stage her personality started showing more. She likes to play and sometimes bite. And she bites hard. If we dont put her food down fast enough for her she will run up behind us and bite us on the leg. She dont really like men or big boys. She will hiss and growl at them and BITE. Everybody loves to play with her like that. She loves the attention too.

Isnt she pretty? The flash kinda enhanced her green eyes
but she really does have beautiful eyes.

this is her favorite place to sleep, on the end of our bed. And she usually stays there
until I get up. If I dont get up soon enough she likes to sit on the table beside
the bed and stare at me until I move. She also will gently bite my hand sometimes if I dont
get up soon enough for her.

I was trying to show her baby bump, but she didnt like that.

And needless to say she will be having a little surgery after these kittens come. No more kittys!

A photo shoot

2011-01-19T19:36:00.000-06:00

Melanie had the opportunity this past weekend to practice her photography some more.. here a few photos of this shoot. I think she did a great job. She started a blog a while back but hadnt really been posting so if you have a minute drop on over and say "Hi". Here is her blog.. http://melman08.blogspot.com/ and here are just a few of the shots.. the girl loved them!!

Great job Mel!!

A post about some posts..

2011-01-14T11:22:00.000-06:00

First things first.. I was "caught" at Gails blog last week,,She gave a little recognition to my tv stand/dresser

Okay,, now where were we,, oh yeah, on New years eve I was out in the yard just tinkering around, bored to death, looking for something to do. I went out behind our rental trailer on the back lot to throw out some old apples for the deer and look what my neighbor had the nerve to throw in the burn pile... oh.. no.. she.. didnt! Dont she know how much i like to collect junk with the intention of someday doing something with it??? She does now,, i text her and let her know that I "rescued" parts of her old bed... she just laughed (or lol'd).

this is the post of the headboard(i think) ,, with that little emblem on there(it'll be coming off)

and this is the post of the footboard

part of the headboard that fell off - yep, it went into the "good intention" pile too.
I think it might look good with a vinyl quote or something on it.

The between parts of the posts are made of pressboard or something and had been out in the weather just a tad too long and had started to swell,, but the posts themselves seem to be made of good wood and were still okay. So I got the jig saw out and drug those heavy things from the burn pile and sawed the bad part off.
I called Jeff to tell him about my treasures.. and I think I heard him groan... he knew they were back there and was hoping I didnt find them.. what was he thinking?? So glad he puts up with all my craziness.

Now what to do with these,, i've got ideas floating around in my head like making a table with them or chopping them all up and making some fat chunky candlesticks,, any ideas? I'd love to hear them..

I'm linking up today over at Gail's place..

HELPP...

2011-01-07T20:51:00.003-06:00

editing to add a big THANK YOU for all the comments about changing my blog header and it was super simple following the tutorial found at at Cozy Little House . yay!!! Still looking for just the right pictures though so i'll be changing it up again. Thanks again.. we're anticipating snow and ice tomorrow/tomorrow night.. brrrr cold!!!

Does anyone know how to make my picture header stretch across the width of my blog,, does that make sense???

Alrighty then,, we have a winner

2011-01-03T20:17:00.000-06:00

Well let me just say that I loved all the comment love and all the great and different ideas. .. I'm more confused than ever.. but at this point Im thinking of staining. If at some point I dont like it I can paint over it. I would love to paint it a deep red and do the black glaze technique but not sure it would look right with other furniture and stuff. Well enough rambling.. Thanks so much to each and everyone that stopped by and took the time to leave a comment or just say hi.

And since I dont know how to use the random number generator thing, Im doing it the old fashioned way. I printed off each comment and put it in a hat..

and this would be Mel(Melanie) my baby girl and the one that
really "gets" my blogging habit. Thanks for drawing the winner Mel, nice smile..lol

and we drew one out and the winner is ....................

Tru@TRU TALES FEATS said...

That is fantastic! Don't ya just love handy husbands?

December 31, 2010 7:46 AM

Congrats Tru,, I'll be emailing you shortly so I"ll know where to send your goody bag. Thanks again everybody, this was a lot of fun. Ill post updated pictures once I get it stained.

dresser to TV stand

2011-01-01T22:14:00.003-06:00

EDITED TO ADD: linking up with Gail at My Repurposed Life for
Catch As Catch Can Friday ..

I'm linking up tonight over Donna's -

If you want to be inspired go on over and check it all out.

I got this white dresser from my dad and brother and it has been a work in progress for over a year. I knew what I wanted to do with it and I'd get started then get stuck on what to do next and walk away for awhile (okay for weeks).. but eventually I got busy and got it done. My husband helped me figure out how to box it in to make the shelves. I used some inexpensive trim stuff and cut angles for the first time to frame it out and cover up some mistakes. There's definitely room for improvement but I was so glad to get it finished. I plan on painting a piece of beadboard a grayish color to put on the back of it.

When I got it it was more of an offwhite color and it did have drawers.. Im making
a sign with one of the drawer fronts.

All boxed in and primed ,, now to figure the shelves out.. (that was another
couple weeks).

here you can see how I framed out the front and you can see that
i really didnt do a great job at it.. but its not very noticeable after
painting so I can live with it.

had to use some of this to frame out the back side to make it look neater and
to have something to evenly attach the beadboard to when i get that.

this is where i added those pieces on the back.

it was a booger trying to paint inside the thing,, probably an
easier way to do it, huh?

And here a few shots of it finished.. I really think it would look better

with a flat screen sitting on top of it but for now its holding this huge

monstrous tv.

see,, right there in top right,, you can see where the angles wasnt quite
right on the trim/frame part and it needs a little touch up of paint..

(note to self,, must put those boxes of Christmas decorations up)..

While i do love my TV stand, partly because I actually finished something

that I had an idea to do, It kind of looks like its drowning in all that black and

you cant really see it for what it is.. im hoping that adding the beadboard back in the

gray color will help the looks some.. but for what it is and by that I mean

FINISHED, I can live with it.

A chifferobe/wardrobe and a give-a-way

2010-12-29T13:10:00.003-06:00

Edited to add linking here: go check it out..

and here and here

I have a very sweet husband (Jeff) who really does like to make me happy.. a couple weeks before Christmas his brother built his wife a beautiful wardrobe. When we met at my MIL house for her birthday they were showing us pictures of it and I loved it. Here's where the sweet husband comes in,, He got his brother to help him build me one for Christmas.. and I LOVE it.

(guessing the date needs to be changed on the camera,, ha ha)

I just cant decide how to finish it.. should I paint, distress and glaze it,, stain it..?? I'm undecided and I dont want to do anything until I'm sure.. So I thought I'd have a little give-a-way and maybe all of you can help me decide. One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was a goody bag from my sister filled with all sorts of things I liked and I loved it. It was like getting several presents in one... so the winner will receive a "goody bag" of sorts. I promise you'll love it. So to win ..

1st chance - leave me a comment with your suggestion or links to suggestions on how I should finish it.

2nd chance - become a follower and leave a comment letting me know or leave a comment saying you already follow.

Give-a-way will end at midnight January 2nd and I'll announce the winner Monday morning. Spread the word. And I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year.

Merrry Christmas

2010-12-26T19:01:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone has had a blessed Christmas celebrating Jesus' birthday. I feel so blessed not because of gifts we received but because we have so much to be thankful for.

A sweet blogger friend, Edie, had a tragic loss the week of Christmas and another very sweet blogger, Shelle, is dealing with breast cancer. They are both in my thoughts and prayers.

Snowmen all around

2010-12-03T08:39:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I finally got around to crafting a little. I told some of my family that I was making them a snowman and since I am usually notoriously late doing things that I say Im gonna do I decided I would get them done before the Christmas season is over... yay I did it..
I saw the idea to make these out of scrap 2x4 over at Under My Polka Dot Umbrella .
She made some here.

I like the way she distressed her edges. I havent decided if Im gonna do that or not.

I also made these little paint stick snowmen,,, but I cut the paint sticks in half

Hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday season,, Thanks for stopping by!

Debbie

Subway Art (my version)

2010-11-05T11:23:00.000-05:00

There are so many versions of subway art and how to do it all over blogland and the internet in general. I dont have a silhouette or a cricut to make stencils to do these and I've been too lazy to do them the print and trace way. So I played around in Microsoft Word with these lyrics from a song I like and then had it printed on 12x17 cardstock.. a big whopping 75 cents for "My words to live by" subway art .. Now I just have to find me a frame that I like for it to go in.

Words from ~ Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice

I'm linking up here today

Signs and more signs

2010-10-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

Since I have signs all over my house that i've made I'm linking up with Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for her

Here are some of the signs i've made over the last year or so.. and one I made today.

these were made out of scraps of flooring

ok, technically not a sign, but I like the quote,,found this peel and stick at dollar tree

In the washroom bathroom ... freehanded, was trying stripes

printed out in Word, traced and filled in

I was playing around trying the elmers glue technique for crackling
and just freehanded the words on there.

This is really my sign,, anybody that knows me knows I dont like doing
dishes and sometimes DONT . Made from on old cabinet door. I want to repaint and do it over,
its off centered and it kinda bugs me!

made from paper bag and wire, written with black sharpie stuffed with little pieces of cotton. I've had this sign for probably about 10 years.. I love this quote.

made this from an old board from my sister, Stephs house . I had the letters
traced them on and filled in.

"Home" sign made from cabinet door.. the scrabble board was given to me years ago when
my mamaw was still living,, she played scrabble with us when we were kids. We never play so I made a
"November" sign with it.

Used scraps of flooring screwed to two small thin pcs of board on the backside. Traced
the letters and filled them in.

This is normally my signature for birthday cards and stuff.. I printed the words out, cut them out
and decoupaged on.. and sealed it.

And here is the turkey sign I painted today,, got the idea from the internet and used it as a
guide. I'm not an artist thats for sure,, but I like him.

Signs are really easy to make and inspiration is everywhere.. magazines, internet, blogs, newspaper, etc.. Just give it a try, if you mess up, paint over it and start again. Be sure and check out all the signs linked up here this weekend. Thanks for stopping by

PumpkinSpice CupCake

2010-10-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law and I work at the same place, but in different depts. They had snack day today and she made this really easy Pumpkin Spice CupCakes. I took these pics with my phone at my desk so they are not the best.. but the cupcake was really good. Thanks, Judy!

Mix 1 can of pumpkin with 1 Spice cake mix. Bake as usual and top with cream cheese frosting and nuts. Yum! We'd love to hear if you try it.

And a fortune for you: One of her friends dressed as a fortune teller today and had the same fortune for everybody,, "You are going to live until you die and $#*@ happens" .. Thanks Jeannie,, so so true!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween weekend.

Linking up with Gail today at MyRepurposedLife

12 days of Homemade Christmas

2010-10-22T10:58:00.001-05:00

If you like to sew or make fun homemade items for family or friends be sure to check out Edie's blog beginning Nov 1st for her 12 days of homemade Christmas. She did this last year and there were really neat things to make. If you go visit her today she is giving away one of her favorite items from the party last year.

3 little pumpkins

2010-10-22T08:35:00.000-05:00

I've seen several different versions of the scrap wood pumpkins so I decided to me make some for my desk at work. These are some scraps( 1x4's - i think) that I had painted white a while back intending to do something with and never did. So I just painted them orange, distressed a little bit, glued some cinnamon sticks to the top for the stem and tied some jute string and wire around the stem. I then traced the letters F-A-L-L and filled in with a black sharpie. And that was it, simple fall decoration. I want to make some to sit in my kitchen window too.

I'm linking up with Gail today at My Repurposed Life.. Go check her out, she's featuring her post on how she made the bench out of a headboard. I want to do that one day too!

Haaaapppy Birthday Mama!

2010-10-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 67th BIRTHDAY

LILLIE FAYE M. PHILLIPS

(also known as mama or mamaw)

My beautiful, young at heart, fun, loving, supportive, full of life mama with my daddy and all the kids and grandkids. . . plus a few outlaws.. only 3 were missing from this picture. They have been fishing quite a bit lately with my brother and his wife so we had a fish fry at their house. Of course the cake had to be fish themed too. LOL.. not my best decorating but she got a laugh out of it. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time.

Mama and Daddy and all their crew minus 3

The Granddaughters

The Grandsons

I love you mama!

.

Un-used candles

2010-10-16T18:46:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a candle that smelled so good and made your house smell wonderful too? A couple years ago my niece gave me a candle and it was one of those. But like a lot of candles it burned down the middle til the wick was gone and I was left with candle that couldnt be burned. .. but.. I figured out what to do with it. I sat the candle on top of the stove while I had a cake baking and and let it get really really soft. then I scooped it out into this mold that I have and put it in the freezer for just a couple minutes. Took it out and they pop right out. Now what will I do with these you ask?? Just take one and place on top of this little burner and insert a tealight candle and I will still have that great smelling scent.. It takes forever to use these up so its a great way to save those old candles.

start with that favorite candle that can no longer be burned
Soften by placing on top of the hot stove while cake is baking.

smoosh around with old butter knife

smooth with finger and put in freezer

take out and pop out of the mold

place in my little tealight burner and wait for that wonderful scent.
(ignore the melted wax down the side of it)

Ole Miss cake and a sneak peek

2010-10-08T06:07:00.001-05:00

This is a cake I made for a very sweet coworker/friend this past weekend. Her little boy turned 10 and loves Ole Miss.

Outilined and ready to fill in

When I first started doing cakes I stressed over getting them perfectly smooth.. not anymore, because in the end when the borders and sprinkles have all been added its not noticeable and it is JUST cake,, it will be EATEN

He's almost dressed now..

And he's all ready to party!

We're not really big football fans at our house but we do have our favorites and we are a house divided.. half Ole Miss and half Ms State fans. I plan on making a Bulldog and Rebel cake this year for game day when they play each other.. We'll see how that goes.

I'll be linking up today over at Gail's place for her Catch as Catch Can party.. If you've never visited her blog before, you should really take the time and do it. She repurposes any and everything and makes completely new and unique pieces out of them.

A sneak peek of whats to come... my redo of the dresser..

Thanks for stopping by,, Have a wonderful weekend!

Mail box and key holder

2010-10-05T21:55:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Strut Your Stuff Thursday over at Somewhat Simple

A few weeks ago my oldest daughter asked me to make her something to hang her keys on. So I got to work and came up with my own little mail box and key holder. And i'm really proud of this one because I didnt see someone elses and go by their design,, I did it all on my own. And since I'm not really good at explaining all the steps, I hope the pictures will help you understand.

Laundry Sign

2010-09-23T12:04:00.001-05:00

Linking up here . . .

I've been neglecting my little 'ol blog lately,, but I did manage to make a cute little laundry sign. I dont have a cricut or a silhouette machine, although I really want to buy one, one of these days. So to make my letters I decoupaged a piece of black material to the nonpaper side of a piece of contact paper and when it was dry I turned it over and traced my letters (they need to be in mirror image) on the paper side and cut out. Next best thing to using vinyl or a cricut, silhouette, etc.. I had this little board that I covered with drop cloth awhile back and never used it for anything. So I peeled the paper off the back of my letters and stuck them on and called it done!! I like my little sign. Now I need to make one more so I can give them to my girls.

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-08-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

Hey, everybody in case you havent heard there is a SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!! going on!.. Be sure and go enter. Somebody has to win and it just might be you! Good luck

Check it out!

2010-08-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

Editing to link up here .. lots of creativity and talent to be seen.. go check it out.

I've sewn three of these checkbook covers recently . The first two had minor mistakes ,, but I think 3rd times a charm. I used this tutorial here and it really is easy to follow I just get in a hurry and mess it up. I made all of them using scrap pieces of fabric and a bandanna for one of the ruffle accents.

#1 - cant see the mistakes but trust me they are there. I did pleats instead of ruffling the blue part.

#3 - much better. Didnt get a pic of #2.

i did pleats instead of ruffling the black piece.

And because i've been slacking lately with my blog here's one more picture for this post.. Melanie bought her a kit for making cupcakes recently and made these for a coworker of hers. I think she did a great job. I love the big swirls.

This past weekend my sweet honey thought of me when he saw this coffee mug and bought it for me.. its so me! ha ha

Shower & Tower

2010-08-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a baby shower at my mother-in-laws house. This baby will be the first great grandbaby. Her name is Brenna Claire and due any day now. This is the cupcake tower and cupcakes I made. I won the cupcake toppers awhile back and couldnt wait to use them. For some reason I cant get the picture any bigger.
I

Crowns and cakes

2010-08-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

From a few weeks ago,, two princess cakes in one weekend. For two sweet little girls, Melissa and Lexi. And Melanie's birthday cupcakes.

smash cake sheet cake with edible crown made out of white chocolate and covered in purple sugar sprinkles

two tier two layer cake with edible crown made of white chocolate

My makeshift cupcake stand for Melanie's birthday a few weeks back.

Zippered bag and sophomore year

2010-08-09T09:24:00.000-05:00

My baby is in 10th grade this year... growing up way too fast. Such a handsome young man with a good "head" on his shoulders most of the time and for that I'm very grateful. Praying for a very successful year for him.

We went to the coast this weekend and visited with family. While the guys were fishing I had a little fun in Hobby Lobby. And let me just say the one in Biloxi is much bigger than the one near me. I bought some fabric and made a little zippered bag to go in my purse. The first one didnt look so hot but the second was much better, not perfect,, but better. I made it using the tutorial found here. Only thing different was my fabric size which made the bag a little bit bigger. But the tutorial was fairly easy to follow and I've only done a zipper one other time. The finished size is approx 5x9 in. and plenty big to hold my makeup.

Hope everyone has a great week..

Fit for a princess,,

2010-07-29T08:59:00.000-05:00

I've got two cakes to do for little princesses this weekend so I thought I'd try out making my own little tiara for the cakes.. I used the tutorial here and the template found here and instead of using royal icing for just a practice run I used melted white chocolate morsels. You cant see it in the picture but half of the crown broke when I removed it from the can, so it will definitely have to be piped thicker next time.

Check back this weekend for the pics of the finished cakes. Have a good one ~

Its a never ending cycle

2010-07-20T10:53:00.001-05:00

.. that I really DONT need a reminder of but I saw these signs at Craft O Maniac the other day and thought they were really cute. So I made me a little set this weekend using some scrap pieces of wood/laminate flooring and some homemade stencils. For now they are hanging like this but I want to do something different with them. I like the way she added ribbon to hang hers with, just might do something similar. I'm hoping to make a sign that says "Laundry" on it but it'll be quite a bit bigger and then hang it above these three.

Linking up here today.. go check it out.

O' say can you see ..

2010-07-06T11:09:00.000-05:00

the flag that has been waiting to get to its new home for over a year now. I told my mother-n-law about this time last year that I would paint her one.. well I did but then I kept forgetting to take it to her. I got it out the other night and roughed it up a little bit to make it kinda look old. And here it is finished...

VIEW 1

and it is STILL at my house. I put it in the truck to give to her this weekend and she left before I got it out. But one day it will have a new home. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend.

Win Win Situation

2010-06-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

I've said it before (i think) and I'll say it again.. If I win you win! I was lucky enough to win (2) giveaways recently. And everytime I win I get so excited and it just makes my day. It doesnt have to be some big grand prize either. It doesnt matter to me. So If I havent (but I think i have) said it before from now on If I win then so will someone else. I'll have a giveaway on my blog everytime I win something. I think its only fair to make someone elses day as great as mine. Kind of like a pay it forward idea. So look for a giveaway in the next couple days. Hopefully I'll have it posted by Saturday.

Yesterday was the latest giveaway that I won.. I won a set of 24 customized Cupcake flags from Laurenmakes through Kimberlys cupcake carnival going on this week on her blog Attempting Creative. Be sure to stop by and visit them both, you wont be disappointed. Arent those flags the cutest things? They would be great for baby and bridal showers, anniversaries or anything you could think of. There's another giveaway going on for some of the cutest cards and matching gift tags. You can click here to enter.

(photo from LaurenMakes )

A few weeks ago I was so lucky to win the Mary Kay giveaway at Jennifers blog, All things Pink and Crafty . That was also a really great prize,, Sunscreen, lip balm, self tanning lotion and after sun gel. These will come in handy these next few weeks of this very hot summer we are having.

( photo from All things Pink and Crafty )

So be watching for my next giveaway and until tomorrow ~ Have a good one!

Cupcake Carnival.. yum!

2010-06-17T15:10:00.000-05:00

I havent been baking much lately but when I came across this blog today, Attempting Creative and saw the Cupcake carnival going on I thought I'd post some of the cupcake cakes i've done in the past. Cupcake cakes are so easy, they dont use as much icing, you dont have to worry about icing the sides and instead of cutting the cake you just pull off a cupcake and pass 'em out...Easy!

This was for my nieces little boy Austin,, my great nephew.. he loved it.

I had alot of fun with this one ,, different than anything I had done before. The birthday girl ate up her not so little smash cake. It was for my best friends granddaughter. In hindsight I wished I had done the bottom layer a little thicker though.

And this one was for my nieces other little boy, Rod.

Thanks for stopping by!