Economic Stimulus Rebate Checks....

As you may have heard, the Bush Administration said
each of us would get a rebate check to stimulate the economy.

If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
If we spend it on gasoline, it will go to the Arabs.
If we purchase a computer, it will go to India.
If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and
Guatemala.
If we purchase a good car, it will go to Japan.
If we purchase useless stuff it will go to Taiwan.....

and none of it will help the American economy.

We need to keep that money here in America . The
only way to keep that money here at home is to spend
it at yard sales, since those are the only
businesses still in the US .


I'm having a yard sale at the end of the summer.....bring your checks
over.

Just a thought....LOL!
Alisha~

one down.....

I had a creative hair pop up today and decided to start on my trivets. Here is the first one that I've gotten finished! I first coated it with acrylic adhesive, which is water/heat proof. I then attached pretty cardstock and decorative goodies with the adhesive as well. Coated all in adhesive, then mod-podge, and will coat again with more mod-podge and an acrylic sealant. I think it's very pretty;) For the first time doing one, I think it turned out really well!

Before:

After:


I also started on some reversible deco coasters...used pretty papers, acrylic adhesive, and decoupage glues. I distressed the edges *I distress....EVERYTHING!*...and voila! Will post pics of those when the stack is complete *I only got 2 of them done today, and will tie them with a pretty ribbon and add to the stack of things that I will eventually be posting on Etsy:)*

can't resist.....

I adore this song....but how much cuter is it when this kid is singing it? *scroll down to my playlist and stop it before you watch this video, I promise it is worth your time~*

someone's trash........

i found this treasure trove of goodies last weekend at a yardsale.....I have many things planned for these lovelies!

~~the large white frame($1) is going to be washed up and sprayed with acrylic paint, then i am putting a fabric covered corkboard inside, and it will find a home on Brooke's wall.

~~the groovy lamp($1) is getting re-wired *using the lampworks from a lamp that i was unable to get rid of in my OWN yardsale* and will make it's home in the living room on a magazine rack that I bought 3 weeks ago at a yardsale *will post pics of that when i finish painting it*.

~~the swimming pool tiles($1) will be decoupaged into trivets, and will find their way onto etsy:)


~~the fabric( .30 for ALL) will be sewn into a shirt for Brooke, and clothes for her dolls.

~~the chair($2) will be recovered and washed down, then sat in the corner of the music room.

~~the window pane($5) is something i found on the way home from getting the kids today....a lady had a whole slew of them propped up on a wheelbarrow, so i stopped and made this little beauty my own! i love the color already, so will do nothing to it other than wipe her off and add hanging hooks. i'm thinking she'll grace the wall next to my bedroom...but i may put her in the living room instead!


can you believe that i got ALL of this great stuff for a mere $10.30!? YOWZA!! the saying is true...."One man's trash....another's treasure!"

reading....

....haven't gotten too far into it yet, but I am already in love with of this little collections of essays;) Very funny, very relateable....best of all chock full of sardonic wit, of which, I am a massive fan:) I promise you, it's one laugh after another....oddly enough, I almost feel as if I am listening to Carrie Bradshaw read her column to me when I read this book.

i. really. like. it.

t-shirt

Lori, Liz *her sis*, and I are planning a "great escape" mini vacation to Disney World~~it's been in the works for a few months now.......I am super excited. We're doing crazy things like having yardsales and selling our platelets to save the money to go~*ok, the blood thing was a joke, but not a bad idea* :) I thought having a special t-shirt made for us to wear would be just the thing to pep up the excitement *as if we NEEDED help doing that!*......so here is a pic of a t-shirt idea that I am playing around with. I couldn't change the color of the shirt on the website.....but I was thinking pink shirts w/ black or grey writing. I love the Tinkerbell insignia, but am still on the lookout for simple Mickey ears to use in its place. I loooove this idea and it will be fun to brand ourselves for one day of our trip, don't you think? Lori, Liz.......I can hardly wait for our "Great Escape!".............hmmm, maybe I should change that to our great "MousEscape!" clever clever;)

~4~

Today marks 4 years since I lost my beautiful mother to lymphoma. I'm not going to write a long, sad blog........I just want to recognize this day because it was one of the most life altering moments of my life. I was lucky to be able to call my mom my friend....but how blessed was I to be able to say that my mother was a jewel of a lady. She had a big heart...one in which there was always room for love and forgiveness. She wasn't perfect and made many of her own mistakes....but what an example she was each time she picked herself up, dusted herself off....and walked on with her head in the air and a smile on her face. Her life wasn't an easy one...but she gave us 100% of her sweet, unperfect self....100% of the time.

Such a bittersweet treat to see you in so many of the things I do.....mangling the words of a song....rubbing lotion into the hands that look just like yours....running late for everything....forgetting so many things....and seeing your face stare back at me in the mirror....

the past 4 years of my life have flown by, but strangely enough.....the burn in my heart makes it feel like yesterday. Mum, I miss you more than my words could ever do justice.....and today, remembering the woman you were....I know that no words ever could.

love to heaven and back~~ alisha

Menu Plan Monday

I've gotten slack on this...will try to keep up, if for only that *one* person who keeps asking where it's at each week...hehe;) The menu is not that impressive this week because I am not feeling all that creative. We'll be eating a lot of the old reliables!

Monday~ Popeye's chicken carry out *because the culligan people are out and we have NO use of our watering facilities to wash hands and meat....arghhhh*

Tuesday~ Fried roast w/ rice and *fresh!* steamed green beans

Wednesday~ Pork chops, mac and cheese, and french fried eggplant

Thursday~ Chicken enchilada's and cheese quesadilla's

Friday~ Shrimp and pork fried rice w/ miso soup

Easy breezy week;) I may switch the days around depending on how I am feeling! It's so dern hot here already that I am going to have to start breaking out some good...COOL...summery recipes! I'm sure we'll substitute at least one of our meals this week with fish, since we have an abundance of it in the freezer....maybe we'll just pan sear it and put it in a salad;)

overgrown kids:)

We finally got the kids swingset put up last week! Cappy was out of town *business trip* and Mary Jo was in Arkansas for the week....so Tony and I were kind of left on our own~~ He came over to keep the kids company for a few hours and they had a blast playing cowboys and indians around the new swingset.

Tony took a little fall when he tried to swing:) It was pretty funny....he is accident prone, so I think I will be buying him some head gear and knee pads for his birthday this year! hehe~~

get in my BELLY!

Cappy went sharking last night.

Sharking is when you go fishing, only you're not planning on catching any fish....just shark. yes, i made that up, but pretty clever if you ask me.

anyhow. Toby and Desiree went along with him for what turned out to be a fun night of shark wrangling! They used spanish mack for bait, but apparently the water was full of sharks that were already in feeding mode......and you can see from the haul that they brought home, sharking came easy for them;)





Beautiful creatures, aren't they? It really is a sight to watch them feed while you're standing onshore. We've been out at Mexico Beach around sunset and have seen them swim up into the surf while they are feeding.....it's an amazing experience.

None of them are going waste, I assure you. If you've never tasted shark, you need to add it to your list of things to do before you die. It has a very distinct flavor...very rich. Cappy fried and pan-seared some tonight for dinner.....I'm told that the skin makes an excellent seafood broth too, but I've never tried it. Cappy came up with this little creation...shark with pan-seared onions and tomatoes. It was pretty tasty!




I'm also throwing in a pic of the crabcakes that I made to go along with the shark....none of that prepacked frozen FAUX crab for me...these are fresh, lump crab cakes. Beyond yummy:)

YEHAW!

I found the MOST *I*N*C*R*E*D*I*B*L*E* website last night!!! I am super excited about it and just wanted to pass the goodies along:) There are some amazing fabric choices....and ribbons galore!!! Let me know if you check it out.

dad visit....

I've been meaning to add this pic ever since my dad left....I love it because as I was getting set to take it, dad was looking at me. At the very last moment, one of the kids moved and he looked down at them....VOILA! The color isn't great, but I adore this pic:)

putting on the moves

and who says white men can't dance?







MJ snapped this pic when the kiddos stayed the night with them last week. Pappy shook more than a leg with the girl....he put his back out:) If this isn't proof that HE is wrapped around her pinky finger, I don't know what is.....what I do know is, this was one serious blackmail photo op!

why.....

oh why, would anyone buy this book from someone's yardsale?




I saw this book in a yardsale and had a good laugh imagining that someone would actually BUY this from a Y*A*R*D*S*A*L*E....but as I was looking for the pic to post with this, I was surprised to see that it is on MANY "resale" book lists.

Dunno why, but it's funny to me...to think that someone would actually WANT a book that I've been reading while on the toilet.

babies...

baby tomatoes, that is.

just had to post a pic of the first two tomatoes on my big boy plant! I played around with the camera to enhance the yellow of the bloom.

i also played around with red enhancement and this was the result of the pic that i took of the rose bush up front.


...and a little birdie that calls a tree up front his home...


*what bits of beauty can you find in nature today**

~happy....way deep inside~

My daddy and Sandra came this weekend for a quickie visit and, as usual, we had a really great time. Unfortunately...it rained all day Saturday:( Still, we had fun hanging out, going to MargaritaVille *even though it really IS overrated!HA!*, meeting up with Chris and Daren at the mall, chowing down on some fresh seafood....and just spending time talking. My daddy is one of my favorite people in the world, and his amazing wife is sitting right up there with him! I love you two so very much....thank you for getting by on a little sleep just to come see us! I am counting down the days until I see you again:) *I do have a pic that I will be adding to this post, but it is late...and I am tired, so I will do it later!*

~~as a side note. something VERY VERY special and wonderful happened this weekend. something that I've wanted to happen for so long now. I've cried from the sheer happiness that fills my entire being at this moment. I am thankful beyond imagination...but I had to somehow try to expess my utter contentment so I would never forget when it happended and how I felt when it did! I love you my two dad's:) So very much....~~

Spring Break kickoff!

The kids are on Spring Break this week, so we took them to the park for a pic-nic to kick it off properly:) Tammie and the boys met Mary Jo and I there...the kids had a lot of fun;) Here are some pics I took.....I told MJ and Tammie that I would have absolutely NO social life if I carried this camera everywhere I went....it's INCREDIBLE~and the results that I get from it give me butterflies:) Sorry for the number of pics this time...I couldn't pick a few favs! I made the size of the pics smaller, so click on each one to see just how incredible the resolution is!! I am in looove....with a camera:)

Mary Jo had to get in on the fun;)


annnd they all fall down~


priceless~


look...a monkey!


tammie, mary jo, and me...by Bub the photographer:)


~the thinker~


~cousins~


if you look closely, you'll see that Jared's socks are covered in fire ants..OUCH!


Tammie and the boys~glad you guys could come today!

Swap fun:)

I am on a new craft kick:) DECOUPAGE! I went to the craft store today to buy a few things for some new projects that I want to start on *picture frame and a wooden photo block*....I am super excited to start on them!

So this evening, I was sifting through old emails when I came across an old swap-bot friend's thank you email from the last swap I''d participated in.....and it hit me!

I am going to start a swap of my own!!

If you're interested in being a part of it, click on this website: http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/14258 and sign up. If you haven't signed up to be a swap bot member, you'll need to do that first. Be sure to include enough info in your profile so your partner will be able to have a clear idea of the style of decoupage items you'd like:)

I'm so excited to do this~~ I will post the results of this swap after it's over~~

*splurge*

Beckie over at Infarrantly Creative shared a list of her splurges a few weeks ago...I thought it was a cute idea, so I am stealing it to share over here:) I am ever on the lookout for a good deal and I really don't tend to splurge on ANYTHING. So you may laugh when you read my little list of "splurges". After you read mine, share yours and link me up to your post...I'd love to read them!

1. Starbucks coffee~ This may on the list of many other tightwads as well. I treat myself maybe once every other week....for one, each trip costs me at least 4 bucks...add that to the high calorie content and you'll understand why this is my slurge.



2. Amish swiss cheese~ I recently discovered a little farmers market up the road from my house that sells Amish products *canned pickles, butter, chowchow, salsas....* that are made in Millersburg, Ohio. Millersburg is right next to Wooster where Lori was raised. I adore cheese, but Lori has told me repeatedly that none compares to the Amish made cheese....I know have to say the lady is right! I am addicted to this cheese even though it costs me 6.95 a block. sprinkle a little salt on it and I am good to go;) Maybe knowing that it came from the place L grew up makes it taste a little better too though...hehe



3. Magazines~ Every year I tell myself that I am going to save about $15 a month by NOT buying them anymore....and every year I fail! I do have to pat myself on the back though, because I no longer buy trash mags like US or In Touch:) My personal favs that I simply NEVER miss are Rachael Ray's Everyday, Mary Engelbright's Home Companion, and Country Sampler. I love love LOVE these magazines and I promise that I totally get my money's worth of ideas from these 3:)



4. Scrapbook paper~ Ugh. My biggest weakness. I've spent $20 on SINGLE SHEET papers at one time. To prevent my overindulging, I only go to The Scrapbook Studio ONCE a month. The girl always has new paper and I can't help myself....especially now that I've started using the paper to make frames! I need to clean my paper box out in a bad way...but I'm so darn stingy that I don't want anyone else having my paper!!



5. Lunch~ ok, this sounds goofy, so let me clarify. I love to eat out for lunch. I know I could save a LOT of money if I were to stay home and eat cucumbers and cheese everyday....but food is one of the biggest loves of my life;0 I like to try new places and find little hole in the wall places to eat at. It's an adventure of sorts...that breaks up the monotony of my day! I've discovered some of the best sushi dives, chicken salad recipes, and specialty salad dressing...all from eating out at lunch! This is probably my biggest splurge since my bill can add up to $40 some weeks:(



6. Name brand food~ ughhh, I hate admitting this, but I never buy off brand stuff. When B and I first got married I did....but over the years I've learned that I waste more when I go off brand. You'll only find Kraft mac and cheese...LaSuer pea's...Green Giant vege's...in my cabinet.... I'm such a food snob:( Oddly enough though...I DO prefer offbrand bread to Sunbeam *and that is because off brand is drier than the more expensive brands...and I like my bread dry...lol*
   

....so that list doesn't look like much in most people's books...notice that you don't see shoes/purses on my list? I love shoes as much as the next girl, but I prefer to buy mine off the clearance rack at TJMaxx or Ross'. *told you I am a cheapskate!* I honestly can't think of one more thing to add to the list though! Now, for a few things that I WOULD splurge on if someone saw fit to bless me with splurge money:)

1. A Big Chill Fridge. Not sure what color I would go for, but you know me and yellow! This is my DREAM fridge...would take the matching gas range as well;)

2. A sewing/craft room that is as cute as this one! Look at the color of that table! ahh, the space, the all around whimsy of it...I am so in love with this room that I am leaving my husband to marry it!

3. Vacation~ ohhhhh I wish we could splurge a few times a year to see more of the world! My first stop would be Africa....specifically the beaches! B dreams of cage diving with sharks, so he could do that here while I lay out and explore the mainland:) Someday......

and this is all I can think of to splurge on at the moment...I'm not a girl of many wants:) But it is oh so nice to dream isn't it?

tweaking

Just playing around with Photoshop....bear with me:)

Before:




After:



oh those freckles P*O*P! she's a daisy ain't she?

Field Day: Part Deux

Brooke's field day was yesterday...and I have to say, I am happy their school split the field days up! It has been soooo very hot here this week and I just don't think I would have been able to stand double features in one day;)



Brooke entered into 5 activities and won 3 third place ribbons!...but our favorite was the hop-along. She was so cute bouncing along across the finish line! I love this age...they aren't afraid of looking "uncool" or running to hug their mom *or Nana!* when they complete their goal:) Here are my fav pics from the day... I am also adding a video of her hopping to victory~I love it!

*there should be* No need for words...

but I can't resist....*maybe it's the teeth?? hehe*

I was going to use this pic for another "wordless wednesday" post, but couldn't resist writing a little ditty about my crazy kids. This pic captures their goofy personalities to a "T"! I am so blessed to have children who love each other as much as these two do. One is always on the lookout for the other....granted, they do their fair share of sibling fighting, but for the most part, my kids adore being with each other. I am happiest when I am with these two muffin heads:) Nothing hits me in the heart like a wedding kiss from Bub, or a random, "You're the best mum in the whole world!" from my Stringbean. There's a new song on the radio, "You're Gonna Miss This"....and it sums up my life *as I am sure it does of most mum's*! I dread the day these two leave my home for good...I dread the moment that hugs no longer make all things right for them...when my arms can no longer shelter them from heartache. When the world sneaks in and steals them away from me...when they truly become one with THEMSELVES...and no longer need their mum's hugs and kisses to right their lives. I do encourage their independence...but I am in constant remembrance that their childhood is precious and sadly, quickly fleeting. I am determined to have no regrets concerning the time I spent with them as little ones. It's the one ABSOLUTE thing in my life that I have control over, and I am bent on not regretting a second:)

So I cherish every moment...every second...every opportunity that I have to MOTHER them. The time I spend time rolling on the grass with them, coloring under the blankets with them, planting gardens, spinning in circles, reading, bathing, and singing with them.....is the most precious part of my life. I hope they carry the memory of a mum who adored their company above anyone else's...and I hope it makes a difference in the people they chose to be when the wings are clipped..and they fly away from our cozy home;)

I love you my little muffin tops!

Bubs' Field Day

Mary Jo and I went to be spectator's in what is probably one of the best things about being in elementary school....Field Day! I love Field Day....it was a lot different in Columbia then it is here though. In SC, the activities were broken down for each class and spread all over the school. Mulitple grades would go on the same day, and I volunteered to lead one of the activities, so I wasn't able to enjoy the full experience of watching my children participate. Field Day here is exactly as I remember it to be when I was in school. The only thing I'd forgotten was the heat:)

First grade had their's yesterday, 2nd grade is today. The kids are allowed to sign up for the activities that they wish to participate in *at least 3, but more if they want*...and the classes compete against each other for ribbons. I remember the feeling of coming home with all of those ribbons tied to my belt straps....so I was incredibly excited for my kids to win their own!

Bub chose to participate in 3 activities...relay, bean bag toss, and the egg race. I got a really great shot of him making a last second catch in the bean bag toss. He had fun....but I am sure that Mary Jo and I had even more fun watching him be a little boy having fun with his classmates...and he did carry that blue ribbon around with him for the rest of the day!

April Fool's~~~

Yesterday was April Fool's Day, but I got a late start on the holiday. *for those who don't know me well enough to read between the lines here, that means....I FORGOT! haha!* So instead of just "starting over" and faking it on the 2nd, I decided to go ahead and start ~fooling~ around after the kids got home and then carry it over to the next morning *to make a day of it!*

Mean mum that I am, I replaced the kids homework pencils with fakey's! The kids had a nice time trying to figure out why they couldn't pick up the quarter's that I'd superglued to the sidewalk up front.......and when I told Brooke to wash her hands in the kitchen sink, she got pretty irritated when the hose sprayed her in the face! *I wrapped the handle with a rubberband..hehe* But the day was late...and this mum was out of clever tricks. I tucked the kids into their beds and kissed them goodnight....and waited for the best part of my April Fool's plan.

The great "switcharoo"!

After the kids were good and asleep, I snuck into their rooms, swapped their underwear.....put Bub in Brooke's bed, and Brooke in Bub's bed. Now all I had to do was wait for morning to unveil my trickery....mwahahahaha!

I went first to Brooke's room to wake Bub. I sat beside him and shook him, saying "Wake up Brooke! It's time for school! It's your field day, Stringbean!" I am not kidding you. The boy popped up and moaned a great big, "ooohhhh nooooo" moan! He touched my hand and looked at me with confusion in his eyes. I kept calling him Stringbean, Brooke, little princess....the poor kid was freaking OUT! He looked at his hands, then at his body....only to find...MINNIE MOUSE UNDERWEAR!!! OMG! You should have seen his F*A*C*E*! He just kept moaning this pitiful moan because he couldn't figure out if I'd gone crazy or if he'd really switched bodies with his sister!!! Oh the fun:)

After giving in and admitting that he was in fact, still Bub, we went to wake Brooke. As per usual for the girl....she didn't like been shaken awake. She really didn't like being called, "Bub" or "Little". There was no confusion here...only irritation that she was being awakened from her night's sleep, and that she was wearing boy undies. She's no fun in the mornings, I tell ya;)

She did have a nice little giggle over the story about Bub thinking he'd was stuck inside his sister's body though:)

Hope everyone had a fun April Fool's Day!

reading.....

I came across this book at Target yesterday. It is by the author of a book that Lori and I fell in love with last year, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I haven't started reading it yet, but I am excited to! *I'll mail it for you to read when I am finished, L:)* For those of you who have never read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan...it is a MUST read! I've read it at least 4 times and I never tire of the tragic story of love and friendship...and the sacrifices you make out of love for someone whose blood you do not share, yet you chose to love as if you did. It's one of the most moving books that I've ever read and I would recommend it to anyone! I'll let you know what I thought of Peony in Love when I am finished~~