Pinterest Projects Weeks 9 & 10 - Repainting Outdoor Fixtures and Lemon Ice Cream

I have been quite the busy bee in the last 2 weeks, which is why I have not had a chance to blog, but I am making up for it by posting 2 weeks in one. But I can guarantee that I have not been nearly as busy as one of my BFF's, Julie, who just gave birth to 3 beautiful boys on Monday! Everyone is doing well ~ please keep them in your thoughts and prayers that everyone stays well. I cannot wait to get up to NY so that I can give those boys and their mommy a big giant SQUEEZE!!!!! Yay!

As for work, I worked another shift as charge nurse. Let's just say we had 6 admissions and everyone stayed in one piece by the time I was done. The nurse that was doing my orientation said that everyone thinks that I am too nice to be charge nurse. I am one tough cookie, though, who has been thru a whole lot more than most and I am still here with a smile on my face. I figure that you have to be a tough cookie in order to have a husband with CF. Years ago, I did not have the best coping skills, but with time, I have learned what works and what doesn't. People forget that I am from NY and I can unleash a beast when necessary :-).

On to our DIY projects! I love our house. The style of our house has always been my dream house, but I think I might have had some blinders on when we decided that it was perfect. The people that lived here before us really did not care about keeping things modern. Slowly but surely, we have been making this a little bit better. We were starting from square one. The kitchen still have the original cabinets and appliances. Sam and I were just thinking about redoing the kitchen, but everything works and it really is not that bad. Instead, we decided to do a bunch of small things instead of just one large thing. This past weekend, we tore out the vanity in the half bath downstairs, put in new tile where the vanity was, and we will be installing the new vanity at some point this week. That will be a later post!

One of the things that irked me so much about the front of our house was the gold lites outside the front door and the faded brown screen door. Enter me and a can of spray paint! All it took was a few new screws to replace the rusty ones in the screen door and a can of Satin Black Rustoleum spray paint. I have decided that spray paint is my new best friend. The blog that I used for the instructions was this little charmer! I did run into an issue when painting the lites. I did not have the time or the patience to to take it apart or remove the glass, or cover the surrounding areas of the house with newspaper. So what did I do? I sprayed the paint in a plastic container and painted the lites with a sponge brush. It did not take very long at all. The most difficult part was coaxing myself to climb up past the third step on the ladder. I clung on for dear life and painted away! Next up was the lite post that sits in our lawn. It was faded and sad looking. This one was easier to do because I was able to spray that. The cost of this project was simply the $6.99 for the can of spray pain as opposed to the cost of 2 new lites and a new lite post!

The following week, I painted the screen door. Just remember to detach it from the little pressure bar thingy - something I forgot to do. After removing all of the other screws, I remembered to detach that and let's just say that after a large crash, I was lucky that the glass panes didn't break! I was able to spray this one because I did take the time to cover the glass with newspaper and tape. While I did get a little bit of paint here and there, I used the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and it took the paint off the glass very easily! The latches got a new coat of paint, too! It looks like a whole new door for just the cost of a can of spray paint and screws. All together, it cost me <$9!

Take a look at the before and after photos below!

Old Rusty Gold Lite...Blah! Newly Painted Black Lite.....Oooh-Ahhhh!



Here are the new lites with the old door.

Old lite post......Ugh! New lite post.......Tada!!!!

Old door.......Sheesh! New door.....Hooray!

This is what happens when you don't wear gloves. It washes off relatively easily, but it stayed around my cuticles for about a week despite massive scrubbing!

My next project was not from Pinterest. It was a recipe that I received from the mother of one of my patients. And boy was it tasty! It is a Lemon Icebox Pie Ice Cream. There was only one thing that I changed. The recipe called for graham crackers, but I used shortbread. The recipe is from Southern Living, but I found it here on this website so I did not have to retype it. I made it with the fantastic new Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment that my mother in law sent me as a surprise. This is definitely going to come in handy!

Yummy, delish ice cream!!!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the first days of summer! Please don't forget to "Like" PhoebeLu's page on Facebook. I will be doing more projects that will be for sale in the next few weeks. 15% of the profits go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Big hugs to all!

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” ~Don Kardong

“...stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. ” ~Robert J. Hastings

“If I could lick the sunset, I’ll bet it would taste like Neapolitan ice cream. 
” ~ Jarod Kintz



Pinterest Project: Week 8 - Heavenly Squished Potatoes and Imitation PB Mirrors

So I am behind.  I am very behind.  That is because I have been doing so many things around the house that I am too tired to blog about it.  I am definitely going to try a little bit better to be on time with my blogs.  Many changes have been done to the house, small changes, but time consuming changes.  In order to avoid this being the longest post known to man kind, I am going to write about the two things that apply most directly to my Pinterest Project, and in future posts, I will write about the other changes. 

Before the Pinterest Project, I am going to just chat a little bit about what has been going on in this crazy head of mine.  It seems as though there is something in the water that is causing everyone to be pregnant.  I can truly, genuinely and honestly say that I am happy for all of my pregnant friends.  Some have been struggling to get there and others just happened to "stumble" there.  I am not sure if I am just more aware of it, but it seems like everyone either has a child or is carrying one via uterus.  Right now, I am at a point where I am very confused.  I am not sure what I want.  Adopting a baby seems like a great thing to do and I am sure that I am going to want that soon, but right now, I am not sure how I feel about us being parents at this current time.  I'm not sure if it is because I am afraid that we won't be able to adopt so it is just easier for me to pretend I don't want one right now.  It still doesn't mean that not having a baby doesn't hurt any less and that our infertility doesn't bother me any more.  Mother's Day was a hard one for me this year.  I had to work and of course that is the famous day when everyone asks if you are a mother.  Well, one of our respiratory therapists asked me and I told her that I was the mother to 8 furry legs and 2 wet noses.  Another employee, who knew my situation, quickly cut in and said that dogs didn't count so no, I was not a mother.  Well, thanks for adding salt to that wound.  Way to be sensitive!  Also what happens a lot of times is every time I feel sick, people always say, "Maybe you're pregnant."  When I tell them it is impossible, they say stranger things have happened or Miracles happen!  Yes, miracles do happen, but I am also not delusional and I also am a firm believer in science.  Trust me people.  If it happened, I would have a whole lot of explaining to do and one very angry husband.  I try to turn our infertility into a positive - we can go out whenever we want to!  We can sleep thru the nite!  I won't have a stomach down to my knees or droopy boobies!  We don't have to worry about day care or babysitters!  We don't have to worry about raising a child in this crazy world!  I know, I know.  We also don't get all of the joys that come with having children.  But humor me here, people.  The whole point is to try to make me feel better.

One other factor that is making it difficult has been work lately.  Right now, we seem to have an increase in child abuse/abandoned children.  It has been really hard seeing these beautiful children who come to use malnourished, scared, lonely.  The scars on their exterior are not nearly as bad as the scars on their interior.  I can only hope that while they were in the hospital with us, our staff was able to leave a positive impression on them.  Seeing these children being treated worse than anybody should be treated is heartbreaking.  Knowing that the people who did this to them are never going to be treated that way even when they are serving their time in prison is very unsettling. 

Now for my 2 Pinterest Projects!  The recipe I tried were squished potatoes.  They were yummy!  This recipe was from a pin on Pinterest, but apparently the pin leads to spam, so I made up my own recipe to go with the photo.  I took some small red potatoes, boiled them for a few minutes until they were fork tender.  Now comes the fun part.  I used Reynold's non-stick foil on a baking sheet, spaced them out evenly, and had a spiffy time squishing them with a glass.  Don't squish too much otherwise they will sort of fall apart.  Just a lite squish to open them up some.  I added a pat of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter to each one and then gave them a little spritz with some Crisco butter cooking spray.  They were seasoned with a bit of garlic powder, some parsley and then topped off with some coarse sea salt.  I popped those bad boys in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes until they are nice and brown and crispy.  These made a lovely side with our filet mignon and sauteed spinach. 

Next up was the really cute mirror idea that I got from this fabulous blog here!  Apparently, Pottery Barn has a mirror that is similar to this and I imagine it cost a whole lot more than my new mirror.  Because my new mirror cost.......drum roll please!  TEN BUCKS!!!!  The only things that I had to purchase were the 9 mirrors from the dollar store as well as the foam board from the dollar store.  I already had the duct tape, but they do sell that at the dollar store if you need it.  I also had some ribbon and that is what I am using to hang it.  When I taped the mirrors together, I made sure that the hangers were facing the same way.  I tied the ribbon onto the hangers and, when I get around to it, I will hang it above the mantle.  This whole project took about 12 minutes.  The only reason it took that long was because the dogs were very interested and kept attempting to walk on the mirrors.  Best of all, Sam really likes it!

 I am not really sure why the photo is so crooked.  Perhaps because I took it with my iPhone! 

Hoping that everyone is doing well!  Have a great rest of the week!  Hugs!

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them." ~ Lady Bird Johnson

""Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children." ~ Princess Diana

Week 6 - Whiter Whites & Greeting Cards

The past week was a pretty decent week.  On Thursday, I had my first orientation shift as charge nurse.  My Assistant Nurse Manager, Shanta, was the person doing my orientation.  It is always a good time when I work with her and this was no exception.  Well, maybe there was one small exception.  The fact that I got rather sick when I was at work.  I am still not sure what exactly it was that came over me.  It was similar to the issue I had the week before, but I had a lot more physical symptoms at work than I did the week before.  Since then, I have gotten queasy a few times, but not nearly as badly.  Either way, I stuck it out and the hospital was still standing when I left.  My co-workers were extremely supportive and very patient and helpful, so that made the shift go by very smoothly.  Kudos to my great friends at work!

Lately, I have been on a kick where I just want things to be "normal".  I know there is no such thing as normal, but I wanted to get as close to it as possible.  There are times when I get tired of always having to be on someone else's schedule.  This sounds terrible, I know.  But some days it can be a lot to bear and I am not even the one doing the treatments and the home IV's, having body aches and pains, being exhausted, etc.  I see how I feel with all of this stuff going on, so I cannot even imagine what it is like for Sam.  So, this weekend, Sam made sure that we got up early, we had breakfast, he did his treatments, he packed the cooler with his IV's and all the necessary supplies, as well as everything he needed for his afternoon treatments, and we hit the road!  We didn't come home until almost 11 pm!  Not that we have never stayed out until 11, but we were gone the whole day and didn't have to have any time constraints or stop what we were doing to come home and do treatments/IV's.  The entire day was spent at the outlets shopping and then we went out for dinner.  Sam was quite the trooper.  It was hot, he had his aircast on his foot, but we went up and down every row of stores and he did not complain once.  I know it sounds really dumb, but there were so many things that I used to take for granted and now every aspect of the day pretty much needs to be scheduled out.  It was something that I really needed and I appreciate Sam going out of his comfort zone in order to make me happy.

Today, on the other hand, was quite the doozy!  Sam and I were just talking the other day about us getting a new car.  While I would love to get a new car, the thought of not having a car payment is even nicer.  I don't live in my car, it doesn't take me very long to get to work, the car is not used for long car trips - I really don't even like to drive!  So the necessity of me having a new car is just not there for me.  Same thing with Sam.  Our cars get us from Point A to Point B without any issues - except for today.  About 5 minutes from my house, my car started to ding and I looked down at the dashboard only to see that my temperature gauge was in the red zone.  CRAP!  For some reason, I remember this happening to us on the way to Chicago in my dad's car in the dead of summer when I was about 6 years old.  The only thing that I could remember was that I had to turn the heat on.  Well, it was about 85+ degrees out here today.  And did I mention that none of my windows actually roll down but the rear driver's side window has dropped about an inch so it is slightly open?  And did I mention that it was pouring rain so every few seconds a raindrop would find it's way onto the back of my neck?  I actually think that I heard a sizzle every once in a while when one hit me.  In a sweaty panic, I called Sam - and no answer.  Next, I called my dad - he was on the phone with a client and said he would call me right back.  Thankfully, I was right down the street from my destination so I made it to the supermarket parking lot in one big sweaty, steamy piece.  As I was walking into the store, Sam called.  The call took a turn for the worst when he suggested that I go out into the parking lot to see if I was out of antifreeze.  Yeah, not going to happen.  There is rain, me already hot, sweaty and angry.  Popping the hood of my car searching for things was not going to happen.  I was able to get back home in one hot piece and my dad came over and discovered that I was completely out of antifreeze.  Either way, I learned how to fill my car with antifreeze and I also learned that my eye lids have a ton of sweat glands in them.  There was about a three hour's time when I was kicking myself for not taking up the new car offer, but again, no car payment is even better! 

Onto my Pinterest project!  I used bleach on our whites a few times and, while Sam was thrilled with how white everything came out, the bleach was an irritant for hime.  When I found that vinegar and baking soda worked well as a whitening agent on Pinterest, I was skeptical as always.  I figured it would not hurt to try it, so when I did laundry, I put in the detergent, added Borax as usual, and then tossed in a half cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda.  Lo and behold when I pulled out our whites from the washing machine, I was shocked to see that old yellow t-shirts that we use to do gardening, dingy socks, and Sam's boxers all came out gleaming white!  I will never go back to bleach again!  When I put it in with my colored clothing, they came out even brighter.  So cheap and so easy!  I definitely give this one 2 thumbs up and would recommend it for anyone who is looking to decrease their bleach usage. 

My next Pinterest project involved my beloved Cricut machine.  I used it to make some greeting cards.  I got the idea for the daisies from the card from this blog.  Mine is not as intricate as hers is, but I still like it.  I also made a few other cards as well including graduation, birthday, and new baby cards.  It was really simple to do.  I got the blank cards from Michael's as well as the cardstock from there.  In order to add some dimention, I used some double sided foam tape.  Let me know your card occassion needs and I can do it!  They are $2.50 a card.  And remember, PhoebeLu's will donate 15%of the profits to the CF Foundation!  I have a check in my hot little hands for my Great Strides team and I am hoping to add more to it before I send it in! 

That is all of my excitement for this week.  Wishing all of my Nurse friends a Happy Nurse's Week!  I know that every day that I get home from work, I am satisfied because I know that I made a difference in the life of a child.  I hope you feel the same way, too!  Big hugs to all!

"To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; is to be a nurse."  ~ Rawsi Williams

"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts."  ~Florence Nightingale

"As descendants of the "lady with the lamp", we the angles of mercy, spread the warmth and light of care, compassion and hope to the ones we serve!"

Week 5! Pancakes and Necklaces

Good news, friends!  I have been trying and trying to come up with a name for my Pinterest Project other than just, well, Pinterest Project.  After much thinking and running names past my family, I finally came up with and decided on a name.  Everyone ready for this one.......PhoebeLu's!!!!  I know!  I just love it!  And if you don't please don't be honest and tell me that you don't.  I would rather just live in a fantasy world that thinks that everyone loves the name as much as I do.  I have come up labels and business cards and I am currently in the process of putting together a Facebook page.  This is something that I am really excited about.  When I was younger, my dad used to bring me to the local K-Mart here in GA when I would visit him over the summer and he would pay $15 so I could set up a table selling my crafts.  He would also bring them to his office and he would sell them there.  This is something that I have always had a passion for and I am really excited about this. 

Onto my Pinterest Projects for this week.  My first one was a recipe that was really delicious!  Like a lot of recipes, I was kind of skeptical about it.  They were called Busy Mom Muffins which is pancake batter in muffin pans.  You add the maple syrup and you can add whatever add-ins that you like in or on your pancakes.  I used walnuts and apples and they were delish!  After they came out of the oven, I sliced them open and slathered them with butter.  And what goes best with pancakes?  Bacon of course!  Which made a lovely side dish.  I followed the instructions on this lovely pin here! I had some leftover, so I brought them to work and they made a lovely, quick, easy breakfast (that I had at about 11:30 am) that I just popped in the microwave.

Now for my next project, which was my craft of the week.  It was a really fun one!  Even though I screwed up the first one and had a cursing fit.  But I digress.  My project was the LOVE necklace that is an idea that was originally sparked by an Anthropologie necklace shown at their website.  It is simply just some jewelry hardware, tread in any color that you like, and some wire.  Simple enough!  I got the idea from this clever blog here!  I used some blue thread for mine and a silver chain.  I opted not to use a charm on it because I liked the simpler look of just the word.  Take a peek!

These lovely necklaces retail on the Anthropologie website for $48.  Mine are only $15!  And remember - 15% of that will go to the CF Foundation.  So far, I have $35 from my lovely little Pinterest Project which is now known as PhoebeLu's that is going to go towards my Great Strides 2012 goal! I am really hoping to be able to add more to that.  If you are interested in this necklace, please let me know what color you would like, what length you want for the necklace, and what you would like the necklace to say.  Personally, I think mine is cuter that the Anthropologie one!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  Thanks for reading my blog and make sure to pass it along to your friends and families!!!  Hugs to all!!!!

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”  ~Dr. Seuss

“If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything.”  ~Marilyn Monroe

Week 4 of 52: Squeaky Clean Cooktops and Glass Etching

I know, I know.  I am posting yet another blog this week.  But I was behind and I wanted to make sure that I was all caught up.  So after this blog, I will be.  This week has been pretty good, but there is still one more day left.  On Tuesday, April 10th, it was my sister's birthday.  It also marked the 4 year anniversary of when I got my acceptance letter into nursing school.  I still remember it very clearly.  That evening, I had my A&P lab.  The class usually lasted until 10 pm, but for the first time in the history of being back in school (and I needed to clarify that because the first time around that was really not the case), I did not stay for the entire class.  Sam was in the hospital, so it was just Cheyenne and myself.  As soon as I got home, I called my mom and got a busy signal (that is really not surprising in the least bit).  I had to run upstairs to get the key to the mailbox in the mail room, and was finally able to get in touch with my mom.  When I opened the mailbox, there it was staring me in the face.  THE LETTER!  I waited to get back up to our condo before opening it because I knew either way, there would be screaming and crying.  Thankfully, they were tears of joy!  My dream had come true.  That is the beginning of how I got to where I am today.

Another exciting date this week - Stina's 4th Birthday on April 12th, aka the day I made sure that, while Dana was pushing out a 10 lb baby, she had a scanned copy of my acceptance letter to show my mother.  What can I say?  She got engaged on my birthday and stole my birthday thunder so I had to try and steal her baby thunder.  Just kidding....sort of, kind of, not really.  No, I am. 

I gave myself quite a scare last nite.  My allergies have been pretty angry with me, so I am now taking Allegra at nite before I go to sleep because it makes me rather sleepy.  Yesterday afternoon, I did some work in the front yard, so I was a little on the itchy side so I felt like a Benadryl was in order.  On my days when I am not working the next day, I like to take melatonin to help me fall asleep.  Do you see where I am headed with this?  Now, the nurse in me knows that taking these 3 medications together would not lead to an eternal sleep for me, but the paranoid side of me that keeps my therapist in business was rearing its ugly head last nite.  Thankfully, I woke up this morning.  I am not saying that I wasn't a tad bit on the groggy/cloudy side, but I am typing this from my tv room here on earth, so all is well! 

Also, another valuable lesson that I learned this week.  Do not leave a bag of cow manure in your car overnite even if it is not hot out.  Your car will smell like you are driving past a bunch of pastures in Iowa even if you are just in the parking lot at Publix off Holcomb Bridge.  I think I might have a situation that is similar to the smelly valet from Seinfeld.  I would say I could just drive with the windows open, but unfortunately, they are not working.  So, I will be spending the next few weeks trapped in the poo mobile driving to and from work.  Just lovely!

On to my Pinterest Project.  The 2 projects I tackled this week were: cleaning my ceramic stovetop and then etching glass.  At first, I was a little skeptical about whether or not I would be able to clean my cooktop with just baking soda and Dawn, but it worked!  We have some areas where food was kind of cooked on.  My father in law had come to visit and let's just say that when he uses the stove, it pretty much ends up covered in grease corner to corner.  That is what happened in this scenario.  Thankfully, it came out looking like new!  Here are the before and after photos!

Pretty impressive, Huh?  Yeah, I thought so, too!  Just make a paste of Dawn and Baking soda and rub away!

The second project I did, I really enjoyed.  I got the idea from this clever gal!  I already had a boring glass vase, my Cricut machine, and some contact paper.  The only thing that I needed to purchase was the glass etching cream.  That was 12.99 at my local craft store and I had a coupon for it, so it ended up being a pretty sweet deal.  After picking out an image that I liked with from my Cricut cartridges, I cut it out on contact paper, and stuck it to the vase.  That took a little while to do in order to make sure that it was straight.  After that, I used a paint brush to spread on the cream.  I left it on for 60 seconds and then rinsed it off thoroughly.  The hardest part is making sure to not get the cream on any of the surrounding glass because the cream eats thru the glass.  Once it gets on there and starts eating away at the glass, there is no fixing it.  I was really pleased with how this came out!

 

These are not the best photos because of the way the lite hit it, but Sam was pretty impressed when he saw it.  I am going to be trying this with wine glasses, dishes, and any other glass thing I can get my little mitts on.  If you are interested in getting a vase, please let me know!  I will be selling these starting at $15 depending on what you would like put on there.  Please remember that 15% of the profits goes to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  I am currently in the process of raising money for the 2012 Great Strides walk in Atlanta, so this will be a great way for me to raise money.  There are several different graphics that I can use.  This is great as a wedding shower, wedding, housewarming, and hostess gift!  Also, don't forget about birthdays and Mother's Day.  I know that I have not mentioned shipping, but I am willing to ship items!  Come on, you know you want one!!!!

I hope everyone has a super fun and safe weekend!

“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” ~Albert Camus

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.” ~A.A. Milne

Week 3 of 52: Photo Blocks and Finger Lickin' Good Ribs

This past week was a pretty good one.  I took my charge nurse class and I also picked up an extra shift.  There was a little peanut on our floor who I fell in love with and if I could have taken him home, I would.  I have known for quite some time how wonderful the women are that I work with, but they seem to get even more fabulous as time goes on.  They have taught me the art of confidence and they have faith in me at times when I might not have faith in myself.  Whenever I have a new task to perform that is out of my comfort zone, they encourage me and guide me.  Even if I don't get something on the first try, they are there to tell me that I still did a great job.  I have learned how to be a patient advocate and am in awe of some of my co-workers who did the right thing on Friday and didn't back down when we were concerned about a patient's well being.  In the end, the right thing was done and the physician apologized to us.  I work with a bunch of women who are cheerleaders for each other and I could not imagine myself doing anything else.  This is the work that I was called to do and this is where God wants me to be.  Last month, I went thru a period when I did not think I was supposed to be a nurse.  I think some of my co-workers picked up on that and showed me on days when I was working and even on days when I wasn't there, that this is what I was meant to do.  I am forever grateful to them for that. 

Sam is getting better and better slowly but surely.  I know he is itching to play tennis, but he still needs to give those ribs time to heal.  He has gained some weight.......WooHoo!  I would like to attribute some of those 8 pounds to my Pinterest recipes I have been trying as well as the ginormous tray of eggplant parm that I made.  I feel like for every pound he gains, I gain about 3.  Our swim and tennis club will have the pool open relatively soon so I should probably get to exercising!  Sam is almost done with busy season.  Only one more Saturday left and then we will be free.  Hooray!

On to my week 3 projects.  I made some ribs in the crock pot that were fantastic!  The only ribs I had on hand were country style, so they did not turn out the way they were probably meant to, but Sam inhaled them in a matter of minutes.  Actually, we were so eager to eat them because they smelled unbelievable that I forgot to take a picture of them.  Ooooops!  Trust me, though.  They were very pretty and very tasty.  Instead of making my own barbeque sauce, I used a bottled one.  It is my favorite.  It is called Sweet Baby Ray's.  Yummy!  I got the recipe from this fabulicious blog!  They were moist and juicy and if there had been a bone, I am sure they would have fallen off of it.  Sam told me I could definitely make these again.  I think they might have accounted for about 3 pounds of his weight gain. 

My second project was making photo blocks.  It is a rather simple method that I followed from this crafty video.  It shows you step by step how to do it.  I had no clue what gel medium was, but thankfully the helpful staff from Michael's did.  The other items that I needed included Mod Podge, paint brushes, a photo on regular paper, and a block of wood.  The block of wood that I used was of the ones that is already shaped and sanded and all of that jazz.  The video describes all of the steps very clearly.  Unfortunately, I have no clue what I did incorrectly, but Sam and I ended up with no eyes.  It is a great picture that I love, but we are heads with hair and no facial features.  I am wondering if it was because I used a color photo instead of black and white.  I am not willing to give up on this project, so I am going to find a method to use that works for me.  I have seen other people's results and they all looked great!  But mine did not work as well as I had hoped.

I hope everyone finds their calling in life and has co-workers, family, and friends who support you and guide you when you think you are alone.  During the past few weeks, I have learned so much about myself and it is because of the people that I am surrounded by.  Sam has taught me to live my life to its fullest and I have been trying to do that more and more each day.  Have a wonderful week!

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."  ~Albert Einstein

"Don't wait for some magic gift. Share what you are, dare to be vulnerable, and you will find people who count you among their deepest friends." ~Unknown

 

"Carry your candle.  Run to the darkness.  Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn.  And hold out your candle for all to see it.  Take your candle and go light your world."  ~Chris Rice

Pinterest Project Week 2 of 52: Yarn and Strawberries

Week one was a success!  I sold 3 of my dry erase boards and I am putting that money towards my Great Strides fundraising.  As of right now, I should be on week 3, but I was on vacation in NY celebrating my grandfather's 90th birthday and my nephew's first birthday, which are actually both today.  When I am on vacation, my Pinterest Project is on vacation as well.  NY was a blast.  I got to spend time with my family as well as see Kathleen and Julie.  They always take the time to see me when I am home and I am so grateful for that.  My mom and I went to the city on Saturday to the Dooney and Bourke store and to Bloomie's.  Later that nite, I went to dinner with Kathleen and Julie.  I also ventured to Valentino's, the chocolate place, got a burger and fries at a diner, and had a fantastic roast beef dinner to have an early celebration for Grampy's birthday.

When I was home, I spent some time just admiring my Gramps.  It is hard to believe he is 90.  When I got to my house, he was sitting in the back yard with Stina, feeding the birds.  He saw me when I got to the gate and recognized me instantly.  We had a long conversation about gardening and the weather.  He showed me all of the pots that he filled with soil and the area in the yard where he climbed onto a 3 foot wall and dug all the holes and planted seeds for his cucumbers and peppers.  He pulled out the hose and watered the plants then rolled the hose back up again.  He put the chairs that were in the yard back into his shed and then walked swiftly to the side door where he walked up the steps and into his house.  Once we were inside, he made himself dinner, checked his blood sugar and gave himself his insulin as well as took out all of his pills and took them.  When we were at dinner, I watched as he ate, still being able to use his utensils with ease.  While my mom and sister cleared the table, I took one of his hands in both of mine and told him what great hands he has - not a wrinkle and callous free, which is surprising for someone who has worked in a garden his whole life.  His nails were nicely manicured and his hands were tan.  The only signs of aging were only about 4 or 5 little age spots.  When I was spending the afternoon with him, he dropped a twist tie on the floor and he bent down with ease and picked it up and stood right back up again without a problem.  He is AMAZING!!!!  90 has never looked better.  I only hope that I look that good when I get to be half his age. 

On to my Week 2 projects.  The first project I tried was cheesecake stuffed strawberries.  They were so easy to make that I have made them twice in the matter of a week and a half.  Plus, they were so yummy, my sister is going to make them for Easter.  I found the recipe on this yummy blog!  I used a paring knife and a wooden skewer to take the insides out of the strawberries and I used my brand new pastry gun that I purchased several months ago but was too intimidated to use.  I had a 50% off coupon from Hobby Lobby so that is what I used it on but opened the box and got scared.  Not only was it easy to use but it made the strawberries look spectacular.  Sam brought them to work and they disappeared in a short amount of time.  Here are pictures of the finished products.

My second project were yarn balls that we are now using in a vase in our entryway.  I could not figure out what to put in it for the longest time and when I saw them, I knew they would be great.  As always, I did not read the instructions prior to trying this, so I am sure that it would have been a whole lot easier if I had done it the way it is supposed to be done.  I used cotton twine, Elmer's glue, and water.  In order to get them another color, I tinted the water and glue mixture with some gold paint and some brown paint.  The next time I do these, I will use the colored yarn that the blogger recommends.  Also, the blogger made hers in the shape of Easter eggs in order to make garland.  I used water balloons and only blew them up large enough so they would form a perfect circle (well, almost perfect).  The blogger blew the balloons up so that they would form an egg shape.  I found this project on this crafty blog here!  Here is a photo of my lovely yarn balls in our entryway!  If you are interested in them, let me know!  I can whip some up for you for only 5 for $7! 

Please remember that 15% of the profits goes to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help find a cure for this nasty, stinky, awful disease!  Stay tuned for Week 3 of my Pinterest Project. 

“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world.” ~Author Unknown

“Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” ~Jack Benny