06/07/10

This is some type of fern, I think. Found in the Aviary at the Zoo... very unusual indeed!!


So today began the "project week" around here. All of the things I thought I would be doing this summer I am not doing as well because I keep thinking about other things.

Craigslist has now become a wonderful place for me to peruse online. I especially like the "free" category.

I was checking it out on Saturday and happened up on frames for free. Well, we all know how much I love frames and my cheap frugal self definitely loves "free." I knew they would be great for our room makeovers we are doing this summer or for anything else. I emailed the owner and arranged for pick up. I figured if they were junk I had not lost anything! When we went to pick them up yesterday I was elated... many different sizes and colors. The colors I wasn't worried about because I was going to use the spray paint trick I have learned so well from my friend Gretchen. :) These frames are wonderful and will be used in our room and Mikayla's... and probably some in Wesley's.

Now, as I began the task of spray painting today I came to realize some things. ( This was my first official spray painting extravaganza so I am new to this, people. )

Here are my "notes to self....."

1. Even though the grass may look like a neat place to spray paint, it really isn't when it is windy.

2. Plastic trash bags are great to use.... when it isn't windy.

3. The well-ventilated garage is actually a much better place to put the trash bag and begin spraying.

4. Warn your 16 year old dog that you are about to spray paint, even though she is deaf, and try to move her out before you spray. That way she isn't struggling to get up and away from your noxious fumes while hacking up her lungs.

5. Wear a pair of old socks as you traipse around the trash bag spraying your treasure so your feet do not stick to the plastic and cause the just sprayed treasure to have plastic stuck to the sides.

6. Remember to NOT hold an object and use spray paint at close range. It isn't pretty... see picture below. Notice the thumb. Click on it if you want to view larger and have a good laugh.

7. Remember you have a camera around your neck/arm as you are trying to get the trash bag all set so that it doesn't fly around your body and cause bodily harm.

8. Remember to wash your hands as carefully as you can before handling the memory card from your camera so you do not get a tiny glob of spray paint where you used your thumb and forefinger to put it in the camera.

9. Spray paint is enamel. It doesn't come off of skin easily.



So, here are the lovely treasures after they had been sprayed and while drying.


This one makes me especially giddy because it will hold something beautiful for our room makeover.
More "projects" to come tomorrow....

06/06/10

Psalm 119:89-90
Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.
Thy faithfulness continues throughout all generations;
Thou didst establish the earth, and it stands.

06/05/10

A couple more flowers from the Zoo. I know the top one is an orchid... not sure about the second one.
Today we got our first tomato from the garden!! It still has to ripen a bit, but it will be OH so yummy!
Our squash vines are exploding! Wesley and I picked these this morning! That is a full Walmart bag to the bottom left of the red bucket and it is full, too! We LOVE squash so we'll be enjoying these this next week! We had our first zucchini today, too.
We are in the process of re-doing Mikayla' Girl's room. She has had "Bo Peep" yellow paint since she was two years old. It's also time to make it into an "older" girls room. We are in the process of picking out a new paint, bed covering (ordered it today), window treatments and are now looking at "re-designs" for her walls. Hee hee.... she and I are a bit excited.

She has helped pay for the bedding... and was happy to do so. She kept telling me today as we were looking for new wall paint, etc.... that she was so glad we were her parents because we were strict and didn't always give them what they wanted, but also kind and giving for things we need.... and even sometimes things they don't need. I had to chuckle at that one. I am thankful she appreciates what we are doing for her.

Pictures of the room makeover will come soon.... we just have a lot to do before I can post any!

06/04/10

The kids had play times with friends today. Mikayla went to her friends and Wesley had a friend over.

It has been so funny watching and listening to two boys. There is such a difference with them than the girl play dates! I am just glad they have time with their friends. We all need those moments!

06/03/10

Orchids from the Zoo. If you click on the pics you can see the clear liquid that is oozing from them. I am not a scholar in the realm of orchids so I am not sure why it was doing that. Anyone know?

Today has been cleaning day.

It's the cleaning day that doesn't happen when you are in school. We normally are in "survival" mode during the school year.

I began in our bathroom and spent probably two hours in there. I cleaned out our cabinet and the drawers.

I'll confess - I am a pack rat and I saw much evidence of that today.

I have gotten much better over the years, but I found out today I still need some help.

I found two tubes of lipstick that were so low that I would have cut my lips trying to put it on. I know what I had thought...."I'll save those tubes of lipstick so I can use it with my lip brush."

What lip brush?

I don't know where that thing is anyway!

I found safety pins.... in places I didn't realize I had them. They are now organized nicely in a little container that I also found stuck in the deep recesses of the cabinet.

I found out we had plenty of travel sized toothpastes and floss. Anyone need any? I can ship it to you if you are out.

Remember the curling iron? I found my old one today. I am still keeping that thing because you never know when either they may come back in high demand or I could get a large sum of money for it to be displayed in the National History Museum.

I threw away tons of nail polish. Who knew I had so many colors...that are now gooey! I did manage to keep a couple.

Anyone need any Bath and Body Works lotions? If so, please let me know and I'll be happy to ship those to you as well. (Apparently I need to use it and not keep stock piling it!)

I found lots of creams that were floating around drawers that had expired in the last three years. Nice to know we haven't had the need for them.... Hate it has been that long since I truly looked.

I threw away more things than I could count.... and it felt good. This old pack rat is getting better at cleaning out instead of being sentimental about her stuff.... like lipstick.

Now I have to tackle our room.

That will wait until another day. :)

06/02/10

Flowers from the Zoo....
Yesterday was filled with Optometry appointments.

I had to go for my annual visit. I found out my eyes have changed. For worse.

Great.

I knew my eyes weren't working right together for a while so I knew they had changed but I was surprised at how my left eye changed quite a bit.

I realize I am near forty so they can't get much worse in the negative view, but it stinks to be so bad off in the vision department.

How can I be thankful? I am thankful there is a way to help me see so that you all are not fuzzy to me.

Steve asked if I was legally blind.

Thanks, honey.

On a wonderful side note to that adventure at the Optometrist.... one of my former students from A LONG TIME AGO is now in Optometry school. He just finished his first year and he was "shadowing" my Optometrist and got to do some of my exam! That was quite neat that he was able to be there that day. That was the Lord, too, because my doctor said he didn't know who was on the schedule that day who would be willing to allow a student to do part of the exam. I was originally scheduled for Thursday.

Coincidence? I think not. :)

Our next visit to an Optometrist was for my wonderful and precious son who a week ago lost his glasses.

We have searched here and yon, near and far, high and low, called Steve's dad to check his boat house a second time just in case he missed seeing them the first time from when we went to see them last weekend, checked at school, checked in both vehicles... many times, looked in all of the places in the house where we have found them before.

NO GLASSES.

So I called to check on the pricing for these spectacles last Friday. To my dismay I found that they were a chunk of change without insurance helping.

Solution?

Wessie Woo would be forking over some cash to help out with the purchase of these new beauties.

We went and found some new frames yesterday. They aren't exactly like his old ones, but they were close.

They had a special on lenses/frames. I think they understand life with a child and glasses being lost. I was so thankful for this package deal. Once I checked out I shared with Wesley how much money he could gratefully pay back his mother and father. So much for those souvenirs on our trip this summer. :)

Lesson learned and learned well.... take care of what you have and be responsible!

Fast forward to today.

We had just finished our walk and the kids were cleaning up their rooms. Lo, and behold, Mikayla runs out of her room shouting "I FOUND THEM!"

She finds Wesley's glasses in her "horse barn" in her room.

She was excited that she found them.

Wesley was beyond excited because he feels that money going back into his pocket.

I was rejoicing that the things had been found but laughing inside knowing that yesterday I had this thought..... "Watch us buy these things and then find his old ones tomorrow!!"

Well, Wesley's excitement came to a bit of a halt when I shared with him that the glasses were already ordered and he would still be sharing his money with us. He'll now have two pair of glasses in case this ever happens again.

I knew the Lord knew where those glasses were and they would be found in His timing if that was His will. It just shows me that the Lord knew Wes needed another pair as back up.

I think the lesson has been learned. :)

06/01/10

Here are some birds for your enjoyment!!

Blue-Grey Tanager

Emerald Starling

Not sure.....

Sunbittern (I think!)

Hottentot Teal (I think!)