You are my sunshine!

After seeing all the signs around with the words to "You are My Sunshine" I knew what I HAD to do...  you see this is "our" song!  When we were dating (I think it was when we were dating....) I was given a little top that played music.  You would twirl the top and it would play you are my sunshine.  I loved it!  As time progressed my sweet young husband (he wasn't even 21 when we got married so I was teased mercilessly about robbing the cradle... you see I am a bit older.  5 years to be exact!) bought me more toys. Yes I loved them then and still do!  One of our first valentines he bought me a stuffed cow that moos when squeeze it's tummy... and then while in Korea he bought me the elephant which trumpets and the warthog which well makes a noise which is "supposed" to be a warthoggy snorty snuffly sound... lets just say it is more of a sound which my boys love to imitate especially when they were younger.  Somewhere along the line he found a paper music box the size of a deck of cards.  When you open it up a bouquet of paper flowers pops up and it plays... you guessed it!  "You are My Sunshine"  So the other morning I got to thinking... what can I make my "sign" out of?  Where will I put it?  What colors should I use?  Then it hit me!  I have chalk markers!  And a big mirror in the living room... so here is what I did

And do you know what?? 

HE LOVES IT!

I love the fact that I can change out the saying with the swipe of a rag 

And...

IT WAS FREE!!

(yes we have begun the process of becoming debt free... thank you Dave Ramsey... hmm I think.... more on that at a later date, maybe.)

And do you know what else?  I discovered I can write on the glass of artwork.  

Autumn baking.... has begun!

Wow I can NOT believe autumn is here already!!  I mean I was sure it was summer just a week or so ago.  Over the course of the last week our temperatures have begun a slow decline and there is a certain crispness to the air... yesterday the skies were a clear blue with puffy white clouds.  Today... we woke to drizzle and gun grey skies.  A perfect day for curling up with a good book and a cuppa.  It was also the perfect day to start stocking the freezer with muffins for breakfast.

Blueberry 

Chocolate Oatmeal

Yes these are the giant sized muffins.  I've found that if I make normal sized muffins they are ALL gone in one sitting, even if I double the recipe.  So I double the recipe add a few secret ingredients to make them even healthier (and more filling) which in turn leaves me one or two.

Yes the idea was to bake enough to freeze but since this is the beginning of the "baking" season I thought I would splurge and let the guys eat them all.  

So by tomorrow morning after everyone has gone to school I'll start the process all over again... but this time these will go in the freezer, for those rushed mornings when no one wants cereal.

or for those leisurely mornings spent reading.

Hope you are enjoying the first days of fall!!

What a week!

Wow I can hardly believe it is the middle of September already... I mean we just notifications of the first school quarter being halfway over.  HOW could that happen?!?

As a few of you know my mother and step dad have been in town for the past week.... I really do wish they lived closer so that we could see them more often but have come to cherish the time we do have together.  I had hoped to do a bit of baking/cooking/preserving/crafting/shopping together.

But we only managed....
 the shopping... Several times in fact!  It was wonderful to just wander the stores looking at things, gaining ideas,  chatting away (uninterrupted), laughing.

.... evenings spent watching spectacular sunsets.

.....the parent's preview of the marching band show.

.....a trip to a conservatory where we enjoyed tropical plants on a grey day, ate super sweet vine ripened cherry tomatoes plucked fresh from the vine while wandering the children's gardens, tasted stevia (i love it, mom thinks its disgusting... ha ha)

..... and a few evenings of UNO, Phase 10, and Shang-hi.

Yes that is my momma and step dad!!  Seriously doesn't she look great!?!  I mean at 72 years old (in her case it is years young!!) she has so much energy.  She is like the energizer bunny and a whirlwind rolled into one!  I am so glad we had this past week together!  And do you see that hair color?  Yes, it is ALL natural... NEVER been touched Miss Clairol or any others.  Seriously?  How often does that happen?

Sadly our week came to an end as they decided to go home a day early... no there were no hard feelings or illness on their part.  Its just that everything went a little crazy here.  Yesterday evening Evan broke strained the growth plate in his foot.  Yes you read that correctly.  He was in the driveway smacking tennis balls against the garage door when he stepped wrong.  His foot twisted under him and he crawled up to the house.  Since we were going to be going back and forth between doctors all day long my folks decided to head out early.  Oh we also had a cold front drop in which was starting to play havoc with my step dad's sinuses.  Mom does NOT drive so they can NOT risk him getting sick on the way home.  All in all I will miss them but I do understand!  (Evan's foot was wrapped in a soft cast and is in a "boot" for the next 10 days... he may still be able to get in a few tennis matches after all!!)

Now I'm off to spend the rest of the afternoon making cookies and spending time at the podiatrist's office!  Sadly this means the end of the tennis season for said child.... he was so looking forward to the tennis match on Monday.  His first EVER!  Thankfully he should be healed by the time swim team practices start....  and may even get in a tennis match or two... Homemade cookies ALWAYS make a day better!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Customized magazine holders

I enjoy reading as I am sure you can guess by the bookcases.  But its not just any reading... I LOVE PAPER!!  I enjoy crafting with it, I love the smell of it especially in the form of magazines and old books.  There is just something about the smell of ink... Yes I have a bit of digital reading material but in all honesty... I prefer the feel of paper when I read.  There is just something about it (even if it does mean I have to drag out my reading glasses or squint to make out the words, ha ha! and yes I squint more often than not!)  So it should come as no surprise when I say I have a few magazines.  A few are current reads but most of them are magazines which are no long in publication so I loathe the thought of getting rid of them.  I shudder to admit this but... the top shelf of my closet and a small book case in our bathroom is filled with nothing but back issues of favorite magazines.  Did I almost mention I collect individual articles as well?  So how does a girl store them without having an unsightly mess?  Magazine holders!  And not just any but customized ones!!  My first set came with a collection of used magazines from the thrift store, set #2 I made but they were thrown out with set #1 by the movers, and set #3 were these from Ikea (which I still use)

I have to admit I love them because I can leave them plain or give them a bit of personality.  So with a bit of decoupage, scrap muslin, bits of velcro, and my sewing machine I covered them.  The ones for the guest/craft room are being covered with sheets of scrapbook paper.

The middle one was laid out flat and I sewed my fabric on using a zigzag stitch.  The other two were  simply covered with a thin layer of decoupage "glue" and then the fabric laid over the top.  After I made sure to smooth out all the wrinkles I went back over it with another coat of decoupage.  What is not pictured are the dots of velcro adhered just inside the top "spine" and on the underside.  These are to adhere strips of ribbon/fabric to coordinate with seasonal decor.  For now we like the unadorned look.

I do have plans to make up my own from the old pattern but that will have to wait because.... MY MOM is coming to VISIT!!  Its not often that I get to spend time with my folks as they live in Louisiana.  This trip will be rather poignant as my dad passed away earlier this summer and I haven't seen my mom in a year.  Thankfully Roland, my step-dad is a wonderful man and I am so glad to have him in my life, even if we don't see each other much.... well only as often as I see my mom since he is the one who drives her up to visit... she doesn't drive... hasn't for well over 40 years but that never kept her from stranded at home.  God gave her two feet and walked if she needed to get some place, i can attest to that because i've walked many a mile with her.  In fact at 72 she still walks about 3 miles a day just to stay in stay healthy!  So this week I am getting ready for their visit and next week will be spent visiting, shopping, and crafting (she doesn't know this tidbit of information yet)!