Ramblings & My Husband

This is my 200th post. Wow! I just thought that was interesting.

I went to Lowes today to collect 30 of these brick edger things (technical term), spraypaint, and a couple flats of flowers (can never have enough). All over their store, it says, "We will help you load." Well, Lowes...I say "yeah right". I spent almost forty minutes after I asked and paid for assistance and getting and loading these heavy brick things, got my kids in and out of my car four times because I was forgotten about waiting for help, and moved my car three times because the lady didn't know where to send me. Ultimately, I got my kids out of the car (both quite tired, exhausted, frustrated, and crying) one last time and went back inside the lawn and garden section. The lady assured me someone was stacking them this very second. I strolled our circus of screaming children over to the brick section and not one single person was there! I promptly got a refund for EVERYTHING I bought & packed my kids back in the car! YOU have to get this...it's the best part, the lady said, "Let me walk out with you to your car (still blocking the parking lot) to get your return (one brick paver thingie so she could ring up all thirty of them & my flats)". This cashier and a young man walked out with me to get my now returned items. So, they could walk OUT with me to get my returned items, BUT no one...not one...could help me LOAD my car! UGH! Okay, that was my rant and rambling.

Now, on to my husband. He's smart. He's lucky...wins everything and anything he signs up for in contests and activities. He can sale anything to anybody...pretty handy to have around to haggle or sale something at yard sales and such. He thinks and debates through everything and anything he does, especially when money is involved. Let's just say he is the cheapest person that I have ever met. beyond frugal. My dad often says he trips over dollars to save pennies. When he does spend money, I think he physically gets sick. With all that said, he's been (financially) nauseous for a few weeks now with our spending on our kitchen, our water heaters that went out, our air conditioner that stopped working, and everything else in the house that suddenly decided to fall apart! After a good thunderstorm and a full day power outage a couple weeks ago, our television began having a vertical green stripe and a double image. Every other tv worked in our house. Every tv is hooked up to a cable box just like the one downstairs. Only the downstairs tv was not working. Now, what would you think? My thought was the tv is broke. My sad husband mourned the loss of his flat screen, but after much debate, he decided we should replace the tv.

He spent the entire day (yes, mother's day) going back and forth between stores, sales people, the internet, and sales papers trying to decide the best economic decision on a new flat screen. After all, he rationalized that our tv was five years old (how is that old for a tv by the way?!). He purchased a tv. It wouldn't fit on our existing mount because it is now obselete (yes...five years old and they do not make it that way anymore...seriously). Off to purchase a mount. Oops...now we need a special (60 dollars) cable to make the dvd and vcr work. My poor dad and Robert worked hard the entire day working on getting this tv up and working. They turn it on and....

IT HAS A GREEN STRIPE AND A DOUBLE IMAGE!

WHAT?! Let me repeat, WHAT?!

I say (T), "that's not right. it has a green stripe too."
Robert (R) says, "oh, no, this tv is broken too."
My dad (D) says, "well, guys, it must be the cable not the tv."

R looks like he is about to pass out. He turns white, white, white and sits slowly. My D stands looking serious and perplexed. I fall down on the floor laughing, crying and unable to talk.

All that work. All that money. For no reason. We are not real frivalous people. We did not buy the original tv to begin with...my parents did as a gift one Christmas. We try to keep savings for emergencies (like air conditioners, water heaters, etc.). We have just had too much of that lately! We try not to have debt (if we cannot pay for something, we don't get it.) We saved for years to redo our kitchen. Like I said...Robert is cheap  frugal. We would have used the other tv until it died. Now, we have this fancy smancy tv after we have fixed item after item over the last few weeks in our house.

It's just kinda funny...well, let's just say Robert is not ready to laugh yet.

I just figured...you have to laugh or cry, right?!

I couldn't be mad because I assumed the tv was broke as well.
 I was more mad about it taking my entire mother's day than the tv drama!

Come on over and watch a show on our new fancy, smancy tv...

and feel free to laugh at with my smart, lucky, saavy husband about his not-so-smart purchase!

My Chandelier's New Look!

Before

The picture is fuzzy because I remembered to take the picture AFTER I had turned off the power!

I have been "puttering" around my house doing project after project since our kitchen remodel. Of course, it's inspirational and quite frustrating all at once. As I focus on a project, other "household" chores seem to pile up! Hopefully, I will get a bit better at managing it all! I did manage to clear out all the dust from the remodel (jack hammer thingies are messy), but I still have quite a bit to organize in my kitchen, spring cleaning projects to finish, and declutter obsessions to work on! Everyone knows when you spend a great deal of money on a purchase....something always fall apart...something unexpected.

Well, that is certainly true for us! Our water heaters went out as our kitchen remodel was underway. AND, you will never believe it, but our flat screen TV was hit by lightning yesterday. My poor husband sat quietly in the living room mourning his lost for quite a while yesterday. It's just part of how it works. We have to just be thankful for the blessings that we do have and not worry about what could go wrong next! If you see my husband mourning his lost, please feel free to remind him!:)

Now for my chandelier project! My husband was not very supportive of this project. He feared that this was my secret ploy to just get a grand replacement to match the new kitchen. It sincerely wasn't a plan! I had seen on blogs and research that this was totally possible! My brass chandelier was about to be a beautiful rubbed oil bronze (ORB) color just like my kitchen!

It was not very difficult, and I did it with two children under four underfoot. My small dog did get a bit of spray-paint on his back after being a bit too curious during my project!

Here is what I did...

1. Take down the chandelier. (You must turn off the main power. You also need a second set of hands because it is difficult to unhook the wires and hold the fixture.)

2. Put some sort of plastic or cardboard down to protect the floor where you plan on working on the fixture. I used whatever I could find in the garage! Some people recommend a cardboard box to sit it in while working. I also used something (empty baby wipe box) to prop it up on both sides.

3. Remove anything that comes off. For me this included the light bulbs, the "candle thingies", and such.

4. Tape around the wires to protect them from paint.

5. Lightly sand all the brass.

6. Clean the fixture.

7. Spray-paint with a primer. I used Kilz Spray-paint Primer. Let it Dry. Turn it upside down and repeat. You don't have to be very thorough with your spraying with primer.

8. When it's all dry, spray-paint with your chosen color. I used Rustoleum ORB. It took two cans. After I had let it dry, I went back with a small art brush to get any spots that I might have missed or need some touch up.

9. Pull off tape and add the pieces back that you removed.

10. Hang your "NEW" chandelier back up and enjoy your new look...costs less than twenty dollars!


After:

Hmmm...several questions come to mind. First, can I buy the ORB spray-paint in bulk? (I have a LOT of brass in my house. I really like this color.) Second, what else can I spray-paint?!

I'll keep you posted on what else I can "surprise" Robert and spray-paint!

On a side note, to those of you who have asked...I ordered some more needles for my embroidery machine so I should be up and running by the end of this week...maybe. I still need to get it serviced for its yearly visit, but I think this will help it to "go" a little longer until I get it down to Macon! I'm having an embroidery debate (mostly in my head). I'll share it this week...

Have a great week...and remember when things go wrong, count your blessings...

and admire your "new" chandelier!

Tammy

Baby Proof with Style!

Of course part of our mama drama with kids is baby proofing. I think every family has to baby proof according to their child's curiosity or ability. Some houses will need minimum baby proofing because their children may not be as adventurous or...umm...let's just say creative. If you follow my blog, you know that my kids fall into the busy, creative, adventurous, and can you believe they thought of that?! category.

Well, if we must baby proof, I think we should definitely do it with some crafty style. I saw these little thingies (technical term) at a boutique a while back. They were nine dollars. Yes, I'm serious. Nine dollars for one. My brain was instantly thinking, "You have gotta be kidding. I can so make that for a lot less."

They are very easy. AND, this was something that was easily versatile for a boy or a girl. In fact, you can switch them out when you need a change. All you need is a hot glue gun (or some strong craft adhesive), little painted, wood item(s) (I found these for .50 to .99 at Michaels), and a box of outlet covers. I obviously went on some sort of bender at one point or another buying these wood animals because I found several of them in my craft closet. The flowers were used to "label" drawers in LaLa's room, and the jungle animals were for some project that I intended but didn't do for the girls' bathroom! We have boxes and boxes of outlet covers. When I was pregnant with Little Bit, I thought I'd save time by registering online at a local Baby superstore. Well, rather than clicking 1 for outlet covers, I accidently clicked 11...too many ones. So, if you have received outlet covers with your baby gift in the past, that is probably why!!

Hmm...now where is my glue gun? I had just collected my materials, and so impressed that I had remembered to snap a picture only to find my glue gun had walked away! Of course, with kids and crafts, you have to look in the unobvious places...Ah ha...there it is...

You just have to put a dab of hot glue or craft adhesive on the back of an outlet cover. Then, push it firmly onto the animal or item. Let it dry completely before you stick it in the outlet. If you get a little anxious and plug it in before it is dry, it will come off the next time you pull out the outlet cover to use your plug in!

It makes a fun difference in boring outlets...

        Before...So boring!

After...with a sweet monkey hiding the outlets...perfect for our jungle themed bathroom.

Before...in LaLa's Charlotte's Web themed room...takes away from her cute grass bordering the wall.

After...I had to keep the outlet cover in the bottom holes because the flower only covered the top one.

I think I could have glued it lower and covered them both...but I'm too lazy to do it again! The flower used to have labels in the center. I found these oval mirrors on clearance for .25 (pack of 3) at Michaels. They fit perfectly in the little flower's center. It would be fun if you had a little toddler pulling up to see himself/herself in flower mirrors around the room. They look like they "fit" mixed in the grass around LaLa's room. She decided on all flowers, one ladybug, and a little frog to cover her outlets.

Hmmm...now, off to do another breathing treatment with LaLa! I think we are all getting better! AND, of course, to enjoy the snow falling in Georgia. Can you believe it?! Snow...twice in one year in the SOUTH! Of course, they closed schools in our county last night because of the chance of snow! If they just say snow in the South, they shut it all down!

I've never done this before, BUT I am going to try to link to DIY day on a Soft Place to Land...Click the link here to check it out and all the fun, creative do it yourself ideas! Plenty to get your crafty, mama brains busy on a snowy, cold day!

So very many people in our world cannot say the same...

The food is prepared. The house is clean. The table is set. Family are on there way to celebrate. Our day will be thankful and full of blessings. Our day will have peace and good health. Our day will be joyful.

So very many people in our world cannot say the same...

It makes me wonder how far we have ventured from where President Lincoln desired our great country to be through his Thanksgiving proclamation made so many, many years ago.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God...

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

 Our country is still great, but how I wish that we would place more of our faith and decisions in the "ALMIGHTY HAND". How I wish and pray that our leaders, in all areas of our government, would give such a sincere speech and devotion to the "MOST HIGH GOD". How I wish our country's purposes were consistent with the "DIVINE PURPOSES".

Pray for our leaders. Pray for our country. Pray for restoration toward where we originally founded this great country. Pray for those that President Lincoln mentioned this thanksgiving..widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers, etc. We have many fellow countrymen that have lost loved ones overseas, spending thanksgiving without their families, struggling financially, or battling personal struggles.

Let's do what we can to ensure that this thanksgiving is exactly as President Lincoln proclaimed...a time to share in our blessings, follow and thank our Almighty Creator, support our country, and help others.

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mama Drama Rule #78: Our country is not lost...we've just forgotten where we came from and who got us there.

*Thank you to LaLa for making me research how exactly Thanksgiving Day was started! Also, thank you to Emily for bringing this up recently. It was a great reminder...one that is all to easily forgotten!

Super Cook...not this mama!

I have discovered an awesome website! The other day, I was trying to think of something to cook that involved random ingredients that I had in my house. I thought, surely, there is a recipe somewhere that involves these ingredients! I was desperate...so, what does every mama do when they are desperate and need answers?! They GOOGLE it, of course! Upon investigating several sites, I finally found one that was perfect. It has become one of favorite places to visit now, and it is genuinely helpful in utilizing the ingredients that I have without running out for a last minute item or desperately trying to change up our normal menu!

I also really like the layout. I primarily play on the left side of the page. I will input what ingredients I have in the search box. Then, as I see other items that I may have pop up, I click on those. On the right side, it will begin to compile a list of recipes that you can make with your ingredients. It even provides quick verses crockpot.

Try it out! I have already added it to my favorites! It's www. supercook.com.

Good luck trying something new & using those items in your freezer and your pantry that you thought you would never use!

Mama Drama Rule #68: When you don't know where to turn for information, there is always the GOOGLE option!

I am working on several gobble and turkey shirts for embroidery orders! LaLa told me today that she really thinks my embroidery machine is tired, and we should let it rest! I think she's right! My machine and this mama are very tired! I keep looking at the clock today thinking...surely, it's almost time to get ready for bed! Time change has messed with all of us this week! I will post them soon...

Family Organization: Central Message Center...finished!

Progress has been made! I worked on my "central message center" today! It's been a work in progress through researching and making my goodies. I decided I had to split it up because it would look too "cluttery" together, which is exactly what I'm working on fixing in my world! So, I put the family things here beside our "main exit" where our garage door is. Here we also have a hook for our bags and jackets. I included our family calendar, a clipboard with our menu on it, a clipboard with our shopping list, a cup for pens (I like certain pens for certain events on the calendar, OCD, I know!?), and a dry erase board assigned for each family member. For example, tonight, I put "take out the trash" and "please hang picture" on Robert's (hubby). Then, technically, I didn't have to ask (or nag in boy world) him, and he just knew what needed to be done...and better yet....did it! Yeah! I also put a small magnetic dry erase board on the garage door for things to remember to take when I leave...I have issues here...so hopefully this will help!

My next thing to work on is to add a bulletin board above our desk with our daily kind of stuff (who goes where) and to work on LaLa's chore chart. I'm on a hunt for a chair for our desk too...yep, our desk is "chairless"! Makes it difficult to do a lot of productive stuff, but I guess it helps you lose weight and get fit while you are on working because you have no choice but to stand!

Let me just tell you what I learned through this little project! I have perfectionist issues...seriously. I can hear the people that know me going...um...yeah, did you not know this?! But, hear me out. My perfectionism gets me in more trouble than anything else most of the time. I always thought this as a great aspect of my personality or at least a quirky part of what made Tammy special! Did I mention that Tammy means PERFECTION. See, my parents destined me for this obsession long before I had control of it...or that's a good excuse anyway.

As I was researching all of this clutter control and organization on the websites that I listed yesterday, I read, in almost all of them, that a great hindrance in getting and staying organized is becoming sidetracked or distracted. For me, I get sidetracked or distracted because of my kids (of course), my trying to be too much of a perfectionist, and by being crafty (yes, it can be a negative aspect too!).

I missed the focus of the project...to give my family a central location for information...to alleviate my brain holding or forgetting all things in our world. Instead, I spent valuable time spray painting a clipboard, covering one clipboard with cute scrapbook paper, painting a bulletin board for over the desk, punching out cute letters and gluing them on magnets, and researching...boy, time flies on the computer, huh?! Did you notice the cute ribbon that I embroidered for the pen cup? So cute...see you can use embroidery anywhere and everywhere, but...once again, my craftiness took over the focus! Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day...so I guess I will have to be a work in process just like my goal to organize and be more efficient! Ultimately, I'm happy with my project, but I need to learn to release my need to be perfect and focus on how it affects my family!


Mama Drama Rule #40: No mama can be perfect...make this your mantra...and just do your best and keep your focus on what's important!

POSTS Coming Soon:

**I lost my double stroller. It is now found, but yeah, I actually lost a stroller...long story...lots of drama...I think I may be losing it...fortunately, I remembered the kids...just not my stroller.

**Tidbits from the coupon class.

**Ideas of how to survive football season with little kids & your big kids. How to make everyone in the house happy and able to watch in peace!

**Okay, upcoming post is serious! I have been discussing and debating, according to your perspective, vaccinations (especially the N1H1 (swine flu) vaccine)...with lots of friends and family lately. First of all, let me state, you're the mama, you go with your gut! It's overwhelming and scary at the same time. I'll share my research & my opinion...feel free to share yours...it's all part of this mama's drama...and probably yours too! So, check back in soon...

My brain is FULL and so is the front of my FRIDGE!

If you have to remember an appointment or something at school or work, what do you do with that information? You try to remember it or you write it down somewhere...and hope not to lose it! We put it on our calendar or add it with a magnet to our fridge! Sometimes my head is so full with stuff I have to do or not forget that I can't sleep...so I tell it all to my husband so it's out of my head and into his head or I make a list. I have lists of lists I want to make. I like lists, but I don't always use them...sometimes it's just the fact of having the info. somewhere else than my poor little brain!

Today, we were at Michaels and my three year old got out a piece of paper where she had written her "list", which was just scribbles, but it was funny to me that she had made a list before we left the house. Then, we run into Target, and there is a lady with a clipboard...I guess taking inventory or something... LaLa asked her if she was checking her list. The lady told her that she was just checking the stuff on the shelf. LaLa continued to explain that she should make a list so she won't forget anything. The stranger just smiled and stated she was such a cute, outgoing little girl. (Which probably means...you're child is talking to a stranger and asking a lot of questions please help me because we passed the cute point already!) Poor thing, LaLa is probably going to end up as list crazy as her mama!

Okay, so today in my efforts to be more uncluttered and organized, I decided that I need to focus on a central message center for our family. Now, we actually have one that is on our fridge, but it also has pictures, magnets, toys that sing, calendars and reminders from here and there, and all sorts of other things! Needless to say, it was quite overwhelming. You know, my fridge is white…I had forgotten that behind all of the chaos! Hence, the need to find and create a central home message center! Of course, I had to research first! Then, I decided what I thought would be the most important things to include…

1. Clipboard for lists: ooohhh…I like lists! This would be for groceries, errands, etc.
2. Calendar: our calendar is vital in our family!
3. A dry erase board or chalkboard for the kids and for the adults…for notes/reminders.
4. A spot for my “family binder”-it has “everything” in it
5. A place for our families’ folders-each one of us has a folder…for school stuff, reminders, invites, mail, etc.
6. A bulletin board
7. My menu planning list
8. Chore list for LaLa-this is a work in process!

While I was at it, I thought I would make them extra cute while I was at it! It’s funny because some of the sites I found had the same ideas that I had! I just had regular folders that we have been using, but then I saw those cute ones with the letters and totally stole the idea!

Here are the sites that I really liked!
http://www.modern-homemaking.com/buildafamilymessagecenter.html
http://www.myhomeideas.com/how-to/weekend-projects/build-blackboard-message-center-10000001716991/
http://www.myhomeideas.com/room-galleries/build-your-own-message-center-10000001175017/
http://creativeorganizing.typepad.com/creative_organizing/2009/07/create-a-family-message-center.html (My favorite and most of my inspiration!)

If you have one already, I’d love to hear your ideas! Mine is in process for now…so the more ideas…the more I can steal or borrow your great ideas!:)

I’ll post the picture as soon as it’s finished!

Mama Drama Rule #40: A mama’s brain can only remember so much! So, take some stress off of your brain and make some LISTS!

Coupon Update: I've been getting emails from the "coupon lady" that is teaching the class this weekend. She says...it's a good week to buy soups, frozen meals (weight watchers, lean cuisines, etc.) and cereals. Go to the manufactorers' websites and the SUNDAY PAPER had coupons for a lot of these! If they are already on sale and you use a coupon, extra good deal! I'm learning how to stock and save! I'm so excited about the coupon class Saturday...still one opening!

My Newest Project: Clearing out the Clutter!

I told LaLa that we were going to go through the room and get rid of the clutter! Now, she, not knowing what clutter even is, said, "okay, close your eyes, mama!" then she exclaimed, "POCA, POCA, clutter go away!" (Poca is her way of saying hocus pocus!) Oh, wow! If it only worked that easily, I would be wondering room to room yelling POCA POCA all day long!


How does a mama get rid of clutter? I look around my house and don’t even know where to start! Well, at least the clutter hides the mess. I consider clutter as anything not in a 'designated' place/home and anything that is not needed or used! For some reason over the last couple weeks, I have become obsessed with clearing out the clutter and getting organized, but as you start clearing out the clutter, you notice the mess. And with a mess...comes me depressed...so here I am wanting to be so organized and clutter free...in a mess, depressed, and obsessed! What a combination! Have you ever been there before?



As you know, I have to research everything when I start something, and of course, I probably could have thoroughly accomplished my task in the same time that I spent researching! I think all mamas have the same problem. We start a task…when we finally decide where we should actually start…then we get interrupted by the chaos that is our life…and our little distractions that we call children! Then, it really happened! I realized that my children are becoming as confined by the clutter in our house as I am! My little attempts at staying organized cannot be accomplished without getting rid of the clutter too!

So, on this little journey, I have discovered something really neat that I want to share! My hubby looked at me really funny when I first explained this concept a couple weeks ago, but slowly he has noticed that it is actually making a difference in our little world and in our little family. As I saw him “shining the sink” this morning, I realized that he has jumped on the bandwagon too. I am still a novice at the entire concept, and I continually find new things when I visit this particular site…when there is actually time. However, as I read throughout the various concepts, I felt like the author was actually talking directly to me! My perfectionism often restricts my abilities to keep a home like I really want. You know where you go to bed thinking, “Well, I didn’t get this and this done, but I’ll just try to do better tomorrow. I felt (and still feel…but at least going in the right direction now!) that I was so overwhelmed with so many things that I WANTED to do and with the mama that I WANTED to be that I couldn’t even get to that point! Through quite a deal of research, I came across the site, http://www.flylady.net/.

I encourage you to check it out. I wish someone would have told me about these concepts years ago when I ‘retired’ from teaching and had to give up our wonderful cleaning lady! It holds you accountable, provides a guide, and it’s perfect for the perfectionist in all of us. I feel like it’s giving me focus on getting done what I want to get done! At times and especially when this mama’s drama takes over, it makes me feel overwhelmed all over again, and I have to remember that I can’t make any progress that way…and I’m not following the “flylady’s advice” on taking “babysteps”…then, I refocus and start over! Let me know what you think! I’m about to make the notebook portion that she talks about. I’ll keep you posted on my progress, but let me just tell you…just this week, I cleaned the top off my refrigerator (seriously!), received a compliment from a visiting friend about my sink (She wanted to know if I got a new sink when I got my cabinets painted a few weeks ago! It’s not…it’s just clean! It was like God jumped down and patted me on the back!), and cleaned my entire laundry room, painted it a happy color, and it’s now one of my favorite rooms(maybe it will inspire me to do better with keeping up with laundry...I obviously haven't gotten to that portion of her lessons yet)!



*Flylady & all of her concepts mentioned above are Copyright 2001 - 2009 FlyLady and Company, Inc. www.flylady.net

Mama Drama Rule #37: In anything in life…Getting started is half of the battle!



Coupon Update: I was told that there is double inserts in the paper today...great for collecting coupons. There is also one opening left in the coupon class we are going to in McDonough, Ga next week, if you are interested! I can't wait to share with you all the wonderful things that we learn! I get giddy when I get to go to "school"...of any kind! I know I'm a nerd!:)