a most superficial post in which I overanalyze.

This is a frivolous post. Because I don't have any time or brain cells to write anything substantial, mkay?

1. I needed some tablecloths and found this disposable Mara Mi brand table cloth at Target. I thought I scored BIG-time.

Until I opened it up. It makes me all angry fists when they put a big white section in the middle. I felt so jipped.

But I still like it enough to keep it for a party.

2. I just thought you should know that Michaels is now carrying brown kraft-style cards and envelopes in their bulk section. Use a 40% or 50% off coupon to get a pack of 40 for like $5.

Their cream and white packs include 50 for the same price, so the brown are a tad more pricey. But well worth it, in my opinion.

3. Ever since I went to the fair last year, I have been craving lemon slushies. The next best thing? Lemonaid popsicles. They taste like slushies to me. I bought these popsicle molds at Target the other day, out of desperation. I think they are rather ugly and the bright colors pain my eyes.


But the resulting popsicles taste great so I'm trying not to be too picky. If you are looking for a semi-healthy treat, and are tying to cut down on the sugar, these are the way to go. Each popsicle is just 1/2 cup lemonade. And if you buy the organic kind without high fructose corn syrup, then that is an added bonus. I'm too lazy to make my own homemade lemonade.


4. Just bought my boys some plain white v-neck tees. There is just something about a boy in a snug white tee with jeans...happy sigh. I mean it's the main reason I like coach Adam Levine on the Voice.

So my boys will wear them proudly, in honor of Adam's team getting decimated...may his 2 team members rest in peace.

So a few people have been texting/emailing me about who I'm rooting for on the Voice. This was my first season watching it and I have to say this show is TOTALLY STRESSING ME OUT. lol.

I didn't watch this week because I was too chicken to handle watching my favs get axed. I protested loudly when Midas Whale got the boot a few weeks back. They were my personal favorites. Here are my top 3...of who are left. I select the contestant based on their personality first and their talent second. If they are humble and down-to-earth, that goes a loooooong way for me.

#1. Michelle Chamuel--because she was a self-proclaimed nerd.
#2. The Swon brothers. Because they are charming and make me laugh. Especially when they groom each other like monkeys. And because Colton was accused of being a germophobe and double fisting the Purell. And because they said "We are from a praying state". I know people don't think they are that talented but they make me grin.
#3. Holly--I dunno. John likes her and thinks she has the most natural voice. She's very humble and said she doesn't look like the stereotypical barbie doll rock star.

So that's me...totally over-analyzing a silly tv show...fer crying out loud in a bucket:)

5. I have been totally into grapefruit lately. But I got a lil surprise the other day. I cut it open and it was full-on sour. I like my grapefruit a little sweet. Don't you?


6. This is not a new purchase per se, but I recently chopped Calvin's hippy locks. I'm still in shock and keep on staring at him. Like "who ARE you kid?"

He likes it so much, but this mama is still adjusting. She likes long hair.

7. I was working on a blankie and mid-project I threw up my hands in despair and decided it was time to add some new fabrics to my stash. It had been quite some time since my last purchases. Ok, it had only been a week or two. But that was at Joanns and doesn't count.

I ordered these two on etsy.


This blue arrow fabric is by Moda and is perfection. Good quality at a great price.


I needed some black and white triangles with a little tribal vibe. And this was pretty much the only fabric I could find...and it was from England. I emailed the girl and asked her when it would ship and she was like "I have to print it first". Ha.


So when I got the fabric, I laughed really hard because it was such a tiny piece! The size of a pillow!

The measurements read: Fabric piece approx 50 x 35 with the actual print being approx 42 x 30cm

That is what I get for not paying attention. Oh. But I do love it. Just not the greatest deal.

8. I wanted to send thank you cards for Twain's bday. I usually send a photo, affixed to card stock. But I was WAY to lazy this time. I found out that you can order individual cards from Walmart. com.

I only needed like 11 or 13, and I didn't want to buy in bulk, so this was perfect. I left that back blank and Twain signed his name with a "T". They cost around $.75 each and come with envelopes . It was sent to my home in a few days with very cheap shipping. I was very pleased. They came out great.

9. And finally. I ordered another interrogation light bulb...this time for my family room. When I told my older sister she audibly groaned. I cannot help it. I love them. Got it off Etsy.

It's harder than you think to find the perfect one. I'm picky and like the rope to be black...the canopy that fixes to my ceiling to be white and the metal finish to be distressed brass or bronze. Oi.

So that's it for today! xxoo. 

tornados and eucalyptus

Phew, we made it to friday. What a week. That tornado in Oklahoma just left me feeling sick. All those people who died...I'm praying for comfort for their families. My older sister Jessica used to live in Oklahoma...Her old town is now a complete disaster.

I hate tornados.

Before Jessica moved to Oklahoma, she lived in Nebraska. When I was in college, I  flew out to visit Jessica and her baby, Tacy. {Golly, that barely looks like me!}

We were driving home from the mall when the tornado alarms started going off. The sky looked positively ominous and it was raining hard.

Traffic was slow as the alarms continued to blare. I started to get all angsty saying "hurry" and "we need to stop and find a shelter" and Jessica was like "shush". Apparently I was being annoying. Ha. We had baby Tacy in the car with us. And Jessica's husband was out of the country.

We finally got to her house and hurried to her basement. Which was no real consolation, since it was a walk-in basement with a sliding glass door. If the tornado came straight at us, we would have been toast.

We hunkered down in the bathroom in the back of the basement, with the baby crying. I have a grandiose imagination and I could just feel a plank of wood slamming into the back of my head.

Every time the alarms would stop, Jessica would run upstairs to check the tv for updates. And then while she was upstairs, the alarms would start sounding again...and I would start frantically screaming "Jessica!!! Get back down here!" And on and on this went for HOURS. My sister was fairly unphased by this but I was terrified.

I was quite relieved when the storm finally passed.

When I flew home, I practically kissed the ground.

The memory of that tornado has made a lasting impression on my mind and so I can just imagine the terror felt in Oklahoma this week.
>>>>>>><<<<<<<

The only think I have to report to you this friday is that I now love eucalyptus leaves. Aren't you so glad you tuned in?

If you ever want to bring me flowers John(hint hint) bring me eucalyptus instead.

John is actually taking me on a date tonight. We are jumping on the bandwagon to see the Great Gastsby or whatever. I haven't read the book. But I will pretty much watch any movie with Leo. Don't judge. He was GREAT in Titanic and What's Eating Gilbert Grape.




The eucalyptus fits in nicely with my cacti friends.


I gathered my boys around.




I decided to give them a horticulture lecture. I said to them "Say euc-a-lyp-tus". And they tried to repeat, bless their hearts.

They were pretty interested in my wee cactus.

"Say Cactus" I instructed. I know, I know. I'm such an gifted professor. 





Just in. I have a horrifying piece of news to add. John came in and told me that there is a MOUSE IN MY HOUSE. Moo-kitty is growling. And the mousy is squeaking. All this in the boys' bathroom.

I'm feeling ill. And probably shouldn't be sharing this mouse business on my blog, lol.

Welp, I'll let John take care of that.

Omygosh. Moo just caught the mouse and ran with it outside! John suspects that Moo actually found the mouse outside and brought it in to show us.

I know you are super jealous.

Back to our regularly scheduled program.


Getting a little emo, fighting over the cactus.




And just doing a little yoga on the table. Apparently my horticulture lesson was pretty thrilling.

Hop on over to Kate and Kuby's for this week's installment of The Way I See You. Happy Friday everyone!

DIY Disaster

Remember when I told you about the my disaster project a little while back?

Welp, I'm ready to talk about it.

I was helping Olive Oyl with Loriloo's baby shower. Olive Oyl picked a woodsy fox theme. For centerpieces, we thought wood slices would be delightful. With mason jars and flowers on top. I was in charge of centerpieces and the banner.

I priced the wood slices online...turns out they can be pretty pricey.

My little sister(who lives out of town) just so happened to have some tree stumps left over in her back yard. Dad was coming over anyway, so we asked him to bring his electric chain saw.

My dad is such as stud. After he sliced a few he asked "Do you want to try?" I was like "YES!!!"

So these chain saws are harder than you think.
And heavier.
You have to rock the bottom of the blade back and forth just so.
But with a little help from dad, victory was mine!

Gosh, I look SO happy. It's kind of sad, knowing what comes next...

Dad instructed me to oil these wood slices, lest they start splitting in the dry heat.
So the next day, I got right to work with the baby oil. The wood was already starting to split.

I tried to wipe some baby oil on with a rag...but the wood was too rough to soak it up. So I ended up squirting the oil directly onto the wood and then rubbing it around.

I'm actually a bit ashamed to admit that I ended up using an ENTIRE BOTTLE OF BABY OIL,  for just 8 wood slices. And after that, I still wasn't done and so finished the remaining logs with lemon furniture oil/polish. Ay yi yi. 

I laid the wood pieces out to dry on some trader joe bags.

The next day, I noticed that the bags were sopping with oil. I mean, duh. McFly used an entire bottle of baby oil.

I replaced the bags with clean ones and hoped for the best.

An hour later, the bags were completely dripping with oil. This was a HUGE problem. I didn't want my wood slices ruining anyone's table cloths!!!! STRESS!

So I spent the entire evening trying to soak my wood slices in buckets of water. Remember this picture? Yup, that's what I was doing.

I soaked and soaked them the next day as well, but the oil kept over flowing.

I was KICKING myself for using an entire bottle of baby oil. DOI!!!! How could I be so dumb?

{Reminded me of the time I was cooking a lemon chicken dinner for my sister and John's brother. When I pulled the chicken out of the oven, we were like "Where are the chicken pieces? Why are they so small?"

It was inedible.  John and his brother looked in the trash and found that I had used an entire bottle of lemon concentrate.  All that concentrated lemon juice had pretty much disintegrated my chicken. Whoops.}

Well same thing but now we are super saturated with oil. I pondered and wracked my brain for ideas on how to salvage these slices. The shower was approaching. Friends and family abounded with suggestions and advice.

We were actually going to paint the bottom with acrylic paint to seal the oil inside...but even so, my slices REEKED to high heaven from the furniture polish. I couldn't stand next to them for a second without getting a headache.

I was thisclose to forking over the dough and buying slices at Micheals. This was my worst DIY disaster yet. Oily smelly stumps that were splitting even more wildy, despite the oil.

But something in me refused to accept defeat. I hatched a plan to get new stumps from my sister's house: We could stop by her house on the way to mom's house on Mother's Day. We could bring them to my parent's house and John could cut them with dad's chainsaw.

TAKE 2.


Aren't they lovely?

This time NO OIL.

I fiercely guarded them in my bedroom til shower day, lol.


Knowing how much trouble these wood slices are makes me love them even more!


As for the banner...it didn't have too many problems. It always feels braggy showing stuff, but since I always love seeing things ya'll make, I thought I would show you as well:)

I used this banner from Etsy as my inspiration and tweaked it to my liking.


I used this fox from pinterest as my outline for the fox appliqué.

I used wonder-under to piece the fox together and attach it to the flag. It was actually quite simple. Wonder-under is my bff.

Flowers +Fox


And part of the banner hanging out in my house for a minute.


So there you have it: the behind-the-scenes scoop of how some projects bomb. Linking up with Hillary from Capturing Motherhood.

tick-tock

I wake up at 7:10.
I do various activities during the day at specified times.
And go to bed between 11 and 11:30.

My whole day revolves around time.
Most likely, yours does too.

In heaven...in eternity...there is no such thing as time.
If you think about that long enough, it will boggle your mind.

We went to John's grandma's funeral today in Kingsburg. It was a wonderful celebration of Grandma and her amazing life. She lived to be 90! Wow!

Uncle Marv gave a lil talk and brought a clock to illustrate how our very lives revolve around time. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Kinda reminded me of the 2nd Hunger Games book;)

Our lives tick-tock away until we die and then we are no longer bound by the restrictions of time.

Kinda cool. I will no longer have to rush to and fro. Or go to bed on time. There will be no such thing as age or wrinkles. Everyone will be timeless.

If you know that you are going to heaven, then this is a rather comforting thought.

Do you know for certain where you are going when you die?

I do.

I mean, occasionally I have a fleeting doubt because I had a rotten day and think I'm too sinful to go to heaven. But that's the cool part. I actually am too sinful and deserve hell.

But Jesus loved me SO much that He stepped out of eternity and into TIME on earth for the sole purpose of dying on the cross to save me from my sinful self.

And all I have to do is believe in Jesus and follow Him. It's a free gift. There is nothing I can do to earn or deserve it. It is not based on my goodness AT ALL.  So it doesn't matter how rotten{or good} I have been on any particular day.

Some of my boys were behaving particularly rotten in the pews during the funeral service. SO fidgety.

At times poking each other.

At other times with their feet way on the pew in front of us, dangerously close to some lady's hair.

During all this, Grandpa Ron was up front telling a funny story about how he was misbehaving in church and got the paddle from grandma...and never misbehaved in church again.

All this as Twain is writhing on the floor.
I was kinda dying at what people were thinking of us.

But I love these boys. As their mother, you cannot MEASURE how much I love them.


My love for them has no limits. No constraints. This love is a little bit of heaven on earth, independent of the constriction of time. And this is how much Jesus loves you.


So if you think that you are too "bad" to enter a church building...think again. I'm rotten at times and Jesus still loves me.


Or you might be thinking, "Davi, I'm pretty good. But those Christians? They are such hypocrites! I don't want to be around them!"



And I would say, "You are right. We can seem hypocritical at times. We pretend to be perfect. We act like we have our act together. And sometimes we are too prideful to admit our faults...even when we have hurt you".

And I'm truly sorry on behalf of us. I hate when I do that.

But like our Pastor Eric says of our church, "We are just a bunch of messed up people trying our best to glorify God". I love that.

Church is for people who are messed up...sick...a hospital, if you will.

We are not perfect. Sometimes we fail miserably. We are real people, who strive to be more like Jesus.  So if that's what you want, find a church like this!!



John's grandma was truly amazing and was always busy trying to make everyone's life better. She was SO big on food and was always stuffing our faces and sending us home with goodies. And more goodies. And more...

I want to be more like her. Sometimes I forget to offer my guests water. {{{sorry!}}}

The other day, I found these empty containers that John washed and saved.

For the life of me, I will never truly understand this. But Grandma lived through the depression and knew hard times and saved everything. And made tupperware out of cool whip containers. And this is where John gets it from. And even though Grandma is no longer here, she lives on through my husband John.