I have been thinking about getting the blog going again. I think I need to re-learn how to do this – but I am game, so stay tuned!
This is me and my whole heart!
Category Archives: crafts
Black Friday Freebie
Happy day after Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a great day yesterday. My celebration this year was on the smaller side. We have had to cut it down the last couple of years because my dogs don’t behave well with so many people in the house. We were a total of 12 this year and it seemed to work out fine. We visited, ate well, and watched the New York Jets get their butts kicked by the NE Patriots!
The food was great. My most recent Cravebox was full of things for Thanksgiving and believe me I used them yesterday. Every year I like to try something new as a side dish. My dish this year was mashed cauliflower. I was surprised – it wasn’t bad. I am told I should substitute this for mashed potatoes to save on carbs, I might have to start doing that.
Black Friday officially started yesterday at 8 pm. I find that Christmas is creeping up the calendar every year. While I love Christmas and the holiday season as much as the next person, I don’t like having it shoved in my face the day after Halloween. For that and other reasons, I never do Black Friday – especially when it now starts on Thanksgiving. What used to be a holiday where you celebrated family and were thankful for what you had – you are now gobbling down your meal so you can be in line when the stores open at 8. The whole idea of that just bothers me. Christmas isn’t Christmas anymore.
OK – I will get down of the soapbox. I may protest Black Friday, but that doesn’t mean I am going to give up on Christmas… Instead of shopping, I decided to create. I made a FB cover to celebrate Christmas – I liked it enough to turn it into a FB quick page. There are two in the file one with “From My Family to Yours” and one without! I hope you like it – enjoy the rest of your weekend! 
Download file here
Birds a Sign of Change & DIY Kit Arrival
Yesterday was a very nice day. The weather in the end was “make me happy” nice. Since I love to bird watch – it was a great day for that. Lots of migrating birds both to and fro… Favorite of the day was the Baltimore Oriole. He stopped by my yard to eat some of the fruit off my trees. Loved the surprise of seeing him. This is not the best picture – but he was loving the fruit on the tree! I also had the opportunity to view a Mocking Bird. Unfortunately he was too far on the out skirts of my yard to get a good picture. I will so miss these guys during the winter. Saw two signs that winter is on its way – the White-crowned Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Juncos have found there way to my yard. Oh well, I will have to face that winter is coming, even if I would prefer it doesn’t.
If you read this blog you know I am a big fan of Pinterest. Well if you use the site you may want to check out Brit + Co.
She decided to create kits based on DIY ideas found on Pinterest. I thought this was a fabulous idea, so I immediately subscribed. There is a cost – her sight spells it out. I received my first kit yesterday. Very excited to find out it is all the supplies to make these balloon lights. I really like this idea when I came across it on Pinterest – I pinned it, but the problem was I could not find the blinking lights. Well now I don’t have to look any more. I am doing this for my Christmas party.
It is football Sunday so we know what that means… Have a fantastic Sunday!
College Visits, Football Sunday & Happy Columbus Day
Friday – my youngest and I visited a couple of colleges. It is always a nice time of year to visit colleges in upstate New York. My favorite was Utica college. Though it is on the smaller side, it offered the program my son was looking for. Bonus – it also has a swim team. Not sure what he is thinking yet, but we will find out soon.
Yesterday was Sunday and for me that means football. I am an avid New England Patriots fan. Would not matter where I lived, they are the team for me. I have been following them since the Mid 80’s, so I have been there through the bad as well as the good times. My football game was the 4 pm game, so that gave me time to get a little crocheting done. I have been working on a afghan. I found the pattern on this website. I decided to do my own thing and add an additional color. I will post the completed project once it is done. These are pictures of where I was at the beginning of football afternoon and then what I had done at the end. Progress – right!
I love having a Monday holiday. It seems to make the entire weekend much better. For me it is a relaxing, catching up on some chores kind of day. Here it is a little chilly, so my dinner choice is comfort food. Planning on meatloaf, mac & cheese, salad and cornbread. I have found a few good recipes for mac & cheese on Pinterest. I have a good recipe from my Mom, but I love to try others when I can. I also like to use whatever cheese I have on hand. This time I added a little smoked Gouda. I also made my own breadcrumbs using some left over rolls I made. I am hoping the family likes it! Back to reality tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of today!
Michelle
Organizing Life & Other Ideas…
One of my resolutions for 2012 was to try to be my organized. I am sorry to admit that I am not very organized at all. I try to be, but I usually fail miserably. I think that Pinterest is going to help me with that.
I have found so many great ideas on how to organize everything. This weekend, I put a couple of those ideas to work. Below I bought a pegboard from a nearby chain hardware store. The whole piece cost $15. What you see here is about 1/3 of it. The rest will find a use in another room, or possibly the garage. I was able to remove a lot of clutter from my desk. This has made it easier to find things when I need them. Yeah. I also feel more productive when I can find the desktop. Previously I (accidentally – still learning this blog stuff) posted a picture of my new folder organizer – a dish drainer. It is such a great idea and I had one that I had bought, but was too small to hold the amount of dishes it needed to hold. Yes I keep everything, just visit my basement sometime…
Another idea for re-purposing items, is to make a purse out of a place mat. I got the idea from my sister in law. You really do not need to have much sewing knowledge to to this. It is so easy a beginner can do this without a problem.
Here is a picture of 2 that I made. All you need is one place mat for each – I bought mine a Target and they were maybe $1/each. Some coordinating ribbon and handles – I bought mine at Joanne’s Fabrics but any craft store probably carries these. Stitch on the ribbon, or fuse it, your choice. Sew up the sides, add the handles and you have a purse. You of course can get more fancy and add things, pockets, etc. But for a beginner, this is an easy project as is…
Enjoy! – Michelle