Friday, August 17, 2012

So I Had This Old Trunk

A couple of months ago, I stopped at a yard sale. I spotted this old off white trunk. It wasn't in the best shape as the hinges were no longer attached and the box inside of the trunk was starting to peel and fall apart a bit. But, I loved it. I wanted it. I was determined to talk the owner down on the price no matter what it was. I asked the owner what she wanted for it. She said, "Five bucks." SAY WHAT??? I had to force myself to not let my jaw drop. I casually said, "Yeah. O.k. I'll take it." Inside my head I was screaming, "It's miiiiiiiiine!!!! Whooo hoo!!!!" I was so happy! But, here's a crazy thing. The top of the trunk isn't flat. It has a rounded dome like top. I didn't really think about that at the sale, as I was just too busy drooling over it's prettiness. So, because it was rounded, I couldn't set anything on top of it. It had to just "be." I didn't like that. It didn't look right. So, after rearranging my living room 3,466 times trying to find a perfect spot for it, I gave up and it sat in the corner. Then yesterday Landon sat on our coffee table. For the 4,333rd time, I told him to please not sit on the table because the center pieces are glass. I have a quilt over it, so it is easy for him to forget. Then inspiration ran over me like a freight train! I've been wanting to make a coffee table out of pallets, like the 5,444 pictures I've seen in Pinterest, (Have you seen Pinterest? It's a MUST!) but just didn't have the time to get around to that. But, I had a beautiful old, patina'd, trunk just sitting there waiting to be made useful! I took off the lid and took out the box inside. Then I took a wood board hanging off the wall that I had, that were just nailed together to look like a fence. I laid that on top for the table, added a table runner (Actually it's a fire place mantel scarf, but it looks pretty cute!) and bam! I had a new coffee table. Landon doesn't get to sit on this one either, but at least I don't have to worry about the glass anymore. Check it out.


My beautiful new table.


Table top. I wanted to take the hardware off,
but it wasn't painted underneath and didn't look right.
So it stays.
Those books, are my old posts from my blog.
I have them made into books each year.


The lid had a divider in it.
So, I propped it up on it's side and made a shelf!


I love the paper picture glued inside.
I wonder who she is.



The box inside of the trunk was really cool too.
I wasn't sure what to do with it, so this will do for now.
The part where the horse picture is, has a lid that opens up.
The lid that was on the other side, was in pieces and no longer usable.
My brain never shuts off, so I am sure something new
will come to me sooner or later!


Side view.




Love the horse.
Can't wait to see what pops into my head next!











The Sweetest Gift Of All

A while back, I posted about my beloved Rosie passing away. Shortly after that, one of my dc mom's presented me with the most sweetest gift I have ever received. She had asked me to send her a picture of Rosie, which I did. She then presented me with a handmade plaque. It had the picture of Rosie on there and she had put a post from my blog that I had written a long time ago about Rosie on there too. Oh yeah, it made me cry buckets. I placed it on my new shelf in the kitchen and felt like she was still with me, as her favorite place to lay was on one of the kitchen chairs. I have since moved it to my china hutch. The hutch was my great grandparent's wedding present. It's over 200 years old! Landon used to call it my china box when he was little. It is very special to me and I only put the things that mean a lot to me in there. She has her own shelf, as she so well deserves it. I felt it was appropriate to put my little willow angels in there as well. They were a gift from Landon and Tim over the years and I had almost forgotten that I had one holding a cat! It couldn't be more perfect. It is absolutely without a doubt, one of my most cherished, favorite things. It was the sweetest gift of all. I hope she knows how much it meant to me. She's not just a dc mom. She's a friend.


My "china box."


Rosie's Shelf.

The caption on the plaque says...

"Here's Rosie!"
Yep. She's still here.
Can hardly see or hear, but still
happy to sit on my trunk,
and soak up all the sunshine she can.
She is a constant reminder to me,
to enjoy each moment as it comes.
That's my girl.
My Rosie.
Thank you for the life lessons, Rosie.
I won't ever forget you.





Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Paper or Plastic?

Today Landon helped the dc kids set up a little store in our dc room. They had every single toy, purse, doll, truck lined up and ready for retail! They asked me to go shopping and I was delighted to oblige. We have an Elmo fast food kitchen that has a little cash register on the side, so their store was totally complete. As I laid my things on the counter, I was asked by a little girl..."Paper or plastic?" After I told her my choice, she then picked up my items and instead of ringing them up on the cash register, she held them over the buttons and said, "Beep. Beep" Now, I realize she is only 5 and that is all she has probably ever seen at a check out stand, but I have to admit it made me a little sad. Years ago, I worked for a grocery store in the south called, Winn Dixie. I was a bookkeeper there, but I started out as a cashier. I loved to whip out those paper bags and hear that "swhoosh" sound it made as I snapped it open. The smell of fresh wood can still bring me back to those days. My fingers would fly over the keys as I rang up the customers purchases. I did enjoy that job and have fond memories of it. Now we have the fumes of plastic and the sounds of, "Beep. Beep." I wonder if years from now plastic fumes and the sound of, "Beep.Beep." will bring back "fond" memories for the kids of today?

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Miss Flibbertigibbet

I follow a DIY (do it yourself) blog called Miss Flibbertigibbet. I love her. Usually her posts are about fun DIY projects, but once in awhile she will throw something out there that makes me go..."Oh yeah! That's right!..." Today was one of those days. I swear she read my mind and then decided to turn it into a post. It's too good not to share, so I am copying and pasting it here to share with all of you. You don't have to agree, but keep an open mind. Have a great weekend!!!
Desiree


Really?

Yesterday was beautiful compared to the intense heat we've had.
It was in the upper 80's - low 90's and there was a breeze.....
practically Autumn in comparison!

It was a good day to get some of the garden beaten into submission....
speaking of beating into submission....I forced three of the children to help me.....
I know, I know
in this day and age, modern parents don't make children do manual labor
they have "people"
cut the grass
clean the house
wash the windows
wash the car
modern children are much too busy
playing a sport
or
spending "quality" time with their friends
they are busy
enriching their minds by playing challenging video games
widening their horizons on Facebook
learning new words through texting
understanding more about the opposite sex through YouTube
brace yourself....I'm not done.....

Good old-fashioned hard work is pointless.....
after all, our parents made us do it
(if they were of a certain generation)
and what did it teach us?
That our kids will have a better childhood than we did and
they will all go to college ( even multiple colleges) so they can get a nice,
high paying job in a nice environment with air conditioning
and no overtime
and two weeks vacation to start
and bonuses that enable them to dress well and have all the
important things they need plus
have enough money to honeymoon in France and then buy a
REALLY big house when they get married (decorated completely top to bottom)
and drive REALLY nice cars
and take REALLY significant vacations
(NOT camping or even in the boring USA)
to islands or Costa Rica with their toddlers so they can give their children a "worldview" of other cultures
from the safety of a 4 star hotel while wearing expensive clothing artfully designed to look like "regular" clothing (holes and all)
and all the while learning from their parents how to be a
REAL and CARING person as they observe them treating "the help" with kindness and politeness
which is MUCH more important to "people like that" than money....
and feeling REALLY good that their children can
ENJOY their lives instead of having to spend
HALF THE DAY Saturday doing manual labor like
mowing the lawn
or washing the car
or weeding flowerbeds
or vacuuming
or cleaning a toilet
which is better left to people who REALLY need a job because in the end we not only want them to REALLY enjoy their life but we also definitely want our children to know we REALLY love them and are very happy to spend a LOT of money on vacations or outings so we can spend "quality" time together... plus helping them to realize that focusing our attention on them and their desires above other commitments is REALLY the most important thing .....
we know they understand we REALLY love them because we make sure they have their own :
TV, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Nook, laptop, bicycle (just for looks mostly), swimming pools, hot tubs, boats to ski and go tubing from, skateboard(s), scooter(s), cars, trucks, 4-wheelers, collections of CD's and DVD's, manicures, pedicures, salon hairstyles, highlights, personal trainers, private (fill in the blank) lessons, cute and trendy tattoos, belly button jewelry, piercings, more name brand clothes than we can fit into drawers or closets,
thereby ensuring they will have REALLY good self-esteem....
and last
but certainly not least.....
a REALLY generous allowance
so they can feel "independent" and learn the
value of money.....
which is to give their children a better life
than you gave them.....
The economy is bad right now
Lots of people out of work.....
the hard-working and the not so hard-working alike....
I'll venture an opinion that the hard-working
have been able to make do better than the not so hard-working.....

maybe because they have more experience with:
(I'm going to use a dirty four letter word here)
.....WORK.....
........as in hot, sweaty, sore back, sore hands,
sore feet, bone tired,
fall into bed and instantly asleep kind of work

This is just my opinion but I think a good work ethic is a REALLY valuable characteristic......
The kind of characteristic we should be worrying more about instilling into our children if we want them to REALLY have good self-esteem and be truly successful and truly happy......

yesterday, flowerbeds were weeded, hydrangeas were pruned, and unhappy children were forced to do "pointless" work
such is life........
at least around here........


Pointless?
Really?

Friday, August 3, 2012

Little Big Firemen.




Somewhere tucked away in one of my boxes,
I have a picture of Landon and his buddy David
when they were three years old, wearing the same firemen's hats.
(David was in my Day Care back then.Can you see how thrilled Landon was about this picture? )
They are ten now and haven't changed a bit!
Might have to save these pictures for graduation!
If I can find it before I forget about it, I'll show ya!



The Picture Of Happiness

There ain't nothing,and I mean NOTHING, in this ol' world that can make Landon happier than...
Going Fishing!!! He can fish for hours and hours and even if he doesn't catch a thing, he's still happy.
What makes you happy?

Cool Cousins

Landon and his cousin Jack, built a little fort out behind one of the garages.


No fort is complete without a few critters hanging around.


If your gonna have a fort, ya gotta have a pond!
They had a fire pit (but no matches!) and a bench too.


Water. Rocks. Coins and toads.
The pond is complete.





A Little Garden Therapy

I had a very stressful day today. Wait. I take that back. I've had a very stressful summer. Like every other Child Care Provider out there, I dread summers. With all the older kids here (my own son included!) our nice little routine is just friggin' nuts. The bigger kids pick on the little ones. The little ones are on summer time, so naps are waaay to short. (Their nap time is my break time. I need that nap time!) The whining is triple and nonstop from all of them. After ten hours of "babysitting" every day (It's nothing like child care on the other months!) and reminding everyone to mind their manner's, all day looooooong....I am ready to run away from home. I know once fall arrives, I will once again love my job, but in the mean time I am searching for ways to relieve my stress. Today when the last kid walked out the door, I walked over to our lovely garden to try a little "weed therapy." Funny thing though....the "garden" is another MAJOR stress factor for me. Here. Let me show you what I mean. I walked over to the lovely garden and pulled a couple of little ol' weeds. Sorry the pictures are so weird in color. I used my phone camera. Decided to take pictures at the last minute and I was too dirty to walk through the house to get the camera. Pickin' weeds is a dirty job I tell ya!









Oh, wait. Did I say a couple? I meant 3,445!!
That's not even all of them.
Now tell me is that just nuts or what?
When Tim said he was going to put in a garden, I protested. I do not enjoy gardening. I think I mentioned once before on the subject of weeds, my brother and I. Every summer, my parents planted a 4,333 acre garden that my brother and I had the sole responsibility of weeding. I hate to weed. I don't even like vegetables, so there's no prize at the end of it for me either. Show me how to grow stained glass windows or rusty ol' junk out of dirt, and I'm your girl. But, peas and carrots...Ahhh.. No thanks. Well, Tim "promised" it would just be a "little" garden and he and Landon would take care of it. (I've heard that so many times, regarding so many things, I should have known better!!!) I gave in. He promptly installed a 4,333 acre garden that week! I was just sick, I tell ya. So every year, he gets out his ol' rusty rototiller and throws down some seeds. Then we sit back and watch the weeds grow sky high. Every year. This year, I had the day care kids throw down some seeds. I thought maybe I would be able to get them to do a little weeding. But, I forgot about the 110 degree Mn. summers and with four little ones that can't/won't sit still, and only three or four out of 6 or 7 big ones that aren't afraid of dirt, it just wasn't happening. So, sky high it was. Again. I didn't get a before picture, but close your eyes and start humming...."In the jungle....the mighty jungle...." and that's our garden.
But, without the magnificent beauty.


I also unearthed Landon's rock garden. Well, I guess that was a good place to put a rock garden as any. In the garden, Right? He also had a little wooden bridge thing going on in there too. That also came out. Along with a hammer and some kind of pole digger thing.



And a couple of buckets with plants in them. (I don't get that at all. Seriously.) And a big spoon.

Oh, yeah. There was also a tree in there. Did I mention the friggin' tree???


So we ended up with about four corn stalks and maybe three pumpkins. The strawberries and raspberries I didn't even bother with. They come back year after year. Weeds don't seem to bother them. I know there are still a lot of little weeds all over, but that's o.k. I wasn't getting nit picky. It just felt good to rip those old weeds out by the roots and toss them to the ground! My fingers are numb, my legs are throbbing and my back is sore, but I feel much better. I told Tim he was going to have to transplant those strawberries and raspberries somewhere else as come fall, that garden is history! I don't care if I have to hire someone to take away the big ol' train posts (or whatever they are) and level it to the ground. I'm planting grass this fall. Life is too darn short, and I'm not wasting anymore of my time in dirt. Yes, it helped relieve a little tension, but I think it would have been much easier on the ol' body just to drink a few cold ones and put my feet up. After the kids leave that is.