Sharing Secrets

It's the little things, right?

So, my downstairs toilet started running nonstop in like July. I know, it's January...but I can't afford expensive house repairs, so I ignored this problem and tried not to use that toilet. Well, after months of this, the toilet began to stain. No matter how long I left bleach to soak and scrubbed till my arms were sore, those ugly brown stains wouldn't go away. When people came over, I had to convince them that I truly do clean my bathroom.

Today has been a very productive Saturday. I was cleaning said toilet bowl when I decided enough was enough! I put down the scrubber and lifted the back lid off of the tank. I felt around, and suddenly it stopped running! I found the misbehaving part, tightened a screw, and would you know, that toilet works like new!

Although, it still looked like crap. Literally.





Here's a shot taken after soaking in bleach and lots of scrubbing. Yuck!

I told my aunt Lisa about all of this, and she recommended a product. I immediately went to find it and tried it out as soon as I hot home.

2 minutes later...




Look at that shiny clean bowl! It took hardly any scrubbing this time!

Curious about my miracle product?




Hiding our in the Dollar Store... For ONE DOLLAR.

Seriously. Works better than Lysol or clorox bowl cleaners... And way cheaper.

At the end of this adventure, my toilet flushes normally and sparkles with pride.


I apologize for those revolted by toilet pictures, but if you can't get excited over clean toilets, what's the point of dealing with daily crap? :)




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Me N Jesus: Carpenters

Wanna know what Me and Jesus have in common? Carpentry.

It all started with one little project here... and one little project there... and why don't you make jewelry? Or start quilting? 

My "craft" closet it as the top of my stairs and I have been lugging heavy supplies down to the coffee table for easy crafting... but even so, my back would be killing me about halfway through.  The solution: I need a craft table!

Saturday after breakfast with the fam, I made a visit to Hobby Lobby to pick up one of the many items I need for my quilting class, and saw Home Depot next door.  Before I knew it, I was wandering around the lumber section when a burly looking Harley-ridin old man came up to me wondering what I was doing.  He had a lot of facial hair, red and bushy, and a long skinny pony tail with about 15 rubber bands holding it together.  It swayed when he walked.  He reminded me of bad-boy-Santa. 

I explained that I was needing a work table for crafts and that I wasn't sure what I was doing... He was very kind and led me to the back of the store where sure enough, treasure waited at the end!

Who knew they did this! Apparently after cuts are made, they have a bin filled with scraps for, that's right, 51 cents! After a few cuts, advice from the sweet Home Depot men, and FIVE dollars later, I was out the door and on the road to my next stop...

Ok, so you have to be creative when loading a jeep with scraps of wood. There was some flapping down the freeway. :)

Here's the "Before".  Thanks to Dad's visit in March, I have my own cordless drill-- which is so fun to use!

An hour or two later.... it's put together with only one crooked leg! Yay!

Sanded and primed with gray primer... ignore the ugly towels down below.

So this is the top of the table. I took several sheets of scrap booking paper, tore them up and pasted them down on top of the primer using Modpodge. Then, I put a thick glaze and spray sealant.  I LOVE it! It's perfect for artsy things, and who cares if it gets a few cuts here and there?

I painted the rest of the table a shade of green that I have on some of my walls. It's called, "Grape Leaf"... and I love it.

On the sides of the legs, I did some experimenting with finger paints... it's supposed to look like zebra stripes and leopard spots... There's always extra green if I decide this look stinks.

Finished!! It's a perfect height for stand up or sitting down.  It's the home of my borrowed, Old-As-The-Hills sewing machine, and great for all of the projects I have going!

Okay, so maybe I don't know about being a real carpenter, but I had a lot of fun with that drill. 
Happy Sunday!

Ohhhh What Did I Get Myself Into??

The women in my family have sewn and quilted probably forever.  I decided to take a beginners quilting class with my Mama Joy (who has no business being in there) to learn the trade and carry on the tradition. 

The class is 4 hours every Sunday afternoon, and is so far very helpful.  However, I am concerned about a few things: my bank account, my fingers (those blades are sharrrrp!), screwing up!

Today in class we went over some of the basics, picked out fabric, and got homework-- which I think I can handle. I need to cut my first two blocks before next week.  The other part of the homework, which I'm nervous about, is to prove we can sew a quarter inch seam.   Ohhh all these straight lines are the devil.  I'm going to be getting some tutoring sessions from my aunt to make it through. 

All in all, I'm excited about learning how to quilt, and about the end product-- a little throw quilt! Oh, and I LOVE my fabric. 

Here are some day 1 pictures: 

Here we are before we got started. Sorry, Mama Joy, your eyes were closed!

 Here are the fabrics I picked out! Here's a code for the picture below: Flower fabric will be the small pink flowers below.  The yellow fabric will be the yellow below, the dark green will be the dark pink below, and the black will be the green below. The turquoise is going to be my backing and binding on the side.

We are making a sampler quilt like this one. I am adding 2 more squares at the bottom...


Wish me luck!

Summer, where did you go?

Well, I can't believe it's over. I feel like school just let out, and here I am getting ready to start up again! It was a good break... here are a few things you missed:

1. I was Rahab for VBS. Yeah, I played a prostitute, wore big, fake eye lashes and sang/danced to "Single Ladies" in church.

2. I drove from Houston to Denver in one day. That's right. ONE DAY, people.

3. I read several books... Emily Ever After, Consider Lily, The Help, Sarah's Key, and of course, Stephenie Meyer's new Bree Tanner book. While it was a good read, as I am a twilight fan, the book of the group that I would recommend is The Help. It's set in the 60s in Jackson, Mississippi. It's the story of change during the civil rights movement. I couldn't put it down and loved the author's use of voice when switching from different perspectives. You all need to read it!! The book release I am looking forward to is Mockingjay, the third book in The Hunger Games series. (I feel like I'm on reading rainbow. Just read the books, they're great.)

4. I spent time in Dimmitt with my dad, Lubbock with my Aunt, Roscoe with my cousin, Abilene with my dear friend, drove through Hurricane Alex, and landed in Port O'Connor for the fourth of July where I was stopped by a policeman while riding on a fourwheeler with my brother's girlfriend. Good times. The visits were wonderful, but I was glad to see my home again!

5. I ate too much, including many chicken fried steaks and trips to Bueno. I spent too much, including shoes, clothes, items on the 80% off isle at Hobby Lobby and things for my classroom, a never ending list.

6. I saw a few movies, Eclipse, Inception and Salt. All were great! I particularly loved Inception and have been thinking a lot about it. Anyone want to explain their theory on the ending?? I have thoughts..

7. I've been very crafty. I made new longer necklaces, bangles, magnets, clipboards, and curtains! (Pictures below!)

8. In the coming month I will start school, hopefully lose the X number of pounds I gained on my little jaunts across the state, get a hair cut, and submit a draft of a children's picture book for publishing!

9. Which leads me to number nine. I am taking a writing course to help me be a better writing teacher... and it helps you become a better writer too. Part of the process is attempting to get published. Monday I send off a draft of a picture book to a publisher. I am wanting my friend, Jessalyn to be my illustrator. She's fantastic. She also does photography... if any of you need someone good. :)

www.jessalynclaire.com

(Wish us luck and even say a little prayer!)

10. Summer, I'm sad to say goodbye, see you in a year!

Before and After

For the past several months, I have been exhausting all of my resources in order to give my upstairs room a new look. The furniture is 50 years old and belonged to my Gammie. I'm very happy with the results, and I'm praying they show up right on this thing. I don't ever post pictures! Some are sideways... oops!

Before:





After:

The Funky Pearl

Michelle and I have gotten our creative juices flowing and decided on our future. Eventually we will both live in the same town, drink coffee all morning and have a booth at Canton filled with a variety of goodies. You know the usual: big baby bows, old wooden signs, jewelry, and anything we can get aunts and mothers to embroider. :)  We would like to be known as: THE FUNKY PEARL. Here are a few necklaces I have made recently.  

                                                     I made this one to match a dress I had. 

                                 This should be right side up, but technology didn't cooperate. 
                                                         The Lindsay - big red. 
                                                         For Melissa 
                                                      Sassy and Fun 
                                                                   Best Friends 
                                                                     Twisted 
                                                 This one was a big hit- made for my Mama. 
                                                    Love. Love. Love. Red. 
                                                         Funky 

                                                    Fancy 

I love and miss my sweet friend who got me into such a fun hobby!