Simple and Easy Neighbor Treat

This year has been a bit crazy since my holiday plans have to be a bit on the rushed side. I leave to go home for Christmas in just one more day! The other night one of our neighbors came over with a plate of goodies and that's when I went into panic mode. I hadn't done my neighbor plates yet! We ALWAYS do something for the neighbors. I grew up doing it and I wanted my kids to have that same experience. It just makes the holidays that much more special.

I didn't know what to do and then my mother-in-law was talking on the phone with my hubby one night and mentioned this great idea. It is very inexpensive, cute, and the best part....FAST.

Here they are.

The picture isn't the greatest but camera batteries died before I could take anymore.

All they are, are some Rice Krispy Treats that I put in the bottom of my bundt pan and then decorated with some holiday peanut M&M's. One of our neighbors is allergic to peanuts, so we used some Twislers Licorice that we cut into tiny pieces. It wasn't until the second batch that I decided to add some green food coloring to the mix. Aren't they cute?

They aren't the fanciest thing in the world and I do still prefer the homemade fudge and peanut brittle but these did the trick this year and the kids loved them too. The bow is just a piece of red cardstock that I cut out in the shape of a bow, wrote "Merry Christmas from the Glenn's" and stuck into the wreath with a toothpick. Merry Christmas everyone!

Old Jerusalem Painting Completed!

This post is a little bit of just me showing off. But then again, that is probably pretty much all I do on here isn't it? I wanted to show and tell my finished "real" painting. I finally completed it last night at about 11:30 p.m. WOOOHOO! I finally decided to call it quits. I am sure there is plenty more I could have done on it but I wanted to have it done before the crew came to pick everything up today (more about that on the My First "Real" Painting post as well).

I am sure Old Jerusalem looked much different that what I depicted it as being but that's what I love about artistic license. I can do whatever I want. There are a few things that still bug me about it, but overall I am very happy with it. When I get it back I will change a few things and add more depth to it before I hang it up somewhere. But for now it's all good. What do you think?

Christmas Present Sneek Peek

I just couldn't wait until after Christmas to post this project. I think it'll be ok since the kids that are getting them don't read yet. At least I don't think so. I am soooo pleased with how they are coming together! I worked on these yesterday in between working on my "real" painting and being mom. I have been really busy! I will be happy when this weekend is over. I still have to figure out what I'm doing for Singing Time this Sunday. But first things first. And what better thing to be first than what I love most? Crafts! Who says you can't eat dessert first right?

These are for my two kids and my niece and nephew,  They are gonna love them! They are made out of oak and maple wood scraps that we laminated together, cut out with a friend's band saw, sanded with our belt sander, and routered the edges.  They are covered in a couple coats of polyurethane and plain old craft paint for the details. (We didn't want to cover up those beautiful wood grains with paint.) They all need wheels, and the semi will eventually have a trailer. Aren't they cute!

Can't you just hear those happy little voices? "zoom zoom!"

My first "real" painting.

Ok, ok, so I have painted before but I have never considered myself a "painter." It is not a medium that I have quite mastered yet. I've always wanted to be one, (I've always wanted to illustrate a children's book but that has not happened yet either) but hey, I am learning. 
Yesterday I started a project that I am falling in love with. And guess what, it is a REAL PAINTING!

I was put in charge of decorating for the Christmas Activity/Program for this next week and was asked if I could make the gym look like old Jerusalem; and on a $20 budget nonetheless. Can you say IMPOSSIBLE!? Well, not for this woman! I have the two best ladies on my committee and we haven't spent anything so far. We are making palm trees out of carpet rolls and dug-up ferns, a old Jerusalem market place booth out of  bamboo poles, cardboard, and a long table, and hanging one of those big metal stars wrapped in aluminum foil. It is going to look great! At least I am hoping so. I won't be there to see it all since I am leaving the day before to go home for Christmas. But I think it'll come together.

For one of the walls I decided that it would be nice to have a visual of Jerusalem hanging up, and that's where it all started. Dan brought home a bunch of cardboard, and masonite type wood stuff for me to use, and instead of seeing cardboard and paper covered masonite, what I saw was, CANVAS!

First, I white washed a piece of the stuff with some left over Flat White house paint, (probably from when this house was built) and sketched my design in pencil.

Then today, I started the painting. It is no where near completed yet; but even with the roughed up color scheme starting to come together, I am way excited. I am also thinking I will probably be adding plenty of warm colors to tie in with my red recliner, and maybe eventually it'll be hanging up above the fireplace in that room. And the best part is that I spent a total of $0 on it. The "canvas" was free, the brushes and paint were something I already had on hand, and I don't plan on spending anything on it. Well, at least not until it comes time to buy molding for a frame. Here's what it looks like right now.

Drum Roll Please...

rat a tat rat a tat rat a tat tat......And here it is! Ok, ok, It's not the ENTIRE completed project (when that happens we'll have to bring out the entire symphony) but I can at least say that the top half of the chair is Finito!

Here are the before and after pics of "The Beast's" top portion.

Before

After

In these pictures it looks more pink then red but be assured it really is red.

Isn't she lovely?

Recliner Progress! It's Coming Together!

Can you believe it!? It is actually coming together! I know I have talked about it before and told you my goal was to have this baby done by December, well It is now December! I am still not finished, but I have made some huge progress.

Yesterday I had the URGE! The DESIRE! and the WILL! to get busy on this thing. And I won't lie I spent probably a total of 8 hours straight just working on it too! From the time the kids went down for their naps up until the time to call it a night, I worked, and worked and worked. (mind you... I took breaks for helping make dinner, feeding everyone, bedtime prayers, stories, and songs). So not the entire 8 hours.  But a LOONNG TIME! My husband was such a stud too and didn't complain one time about his obsessive wife. He even made dinner! WOW! I love that man!

I am just about finished with the top portion of the chair now. The only thing holding me back is that I ran out of fabric buttons to cover (actually I just bent 4 of them in the process and that left me being two short. Just my luck!)  So a trip to JoAnne's is in order.

But here are some pictures of where "The Beast" is now.

A couple of the inside springs had broken away from the frame so Dan turned into Mr. Handy Manny and fixed them and then also reinforced the other springs to avoid them breaking later. What a guy! 

Yep those are PLEATS! Ever single one of them! AND I DID IT! Whew! When I took the chair apart and saw that, and knew I had to recreate them, I almost stopped right then and there. BUT, I DID IT! I amaze myself!

And here it is now. It isn't attached to the frame yet but as soon as I get those last two bottom buttons put on, and the last seam stitched up, its all staple and go! Well....for the top chair portion anyway. I still have the entire bottom to go. 

Isn't it looking great! It gets me excited to keep on going.

Good thing too. It is much too late to turn back now.

Baby it's cold outside! But where there's sun there if FUN!

It hasn't quite decided to be winter here in Washington. The usually gray, cloudy, and wet weather has decided to go away these past couple days! I for one AM NOT COMPLAINING! I am loving it! Yesterday the kids and I took advantage of the wonderfulness and enjoyed the sun. It was still very chilly but nothing a couple coats wouldn't fix.

 

 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Things have settled down a bit now that Thanksgiving is over. We had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Glenn here and loved having everyone over for turkey day.
Doesn't get any better than great food and good company!
Although the table was set with paper plates and plastic cups, it still looked beautiful to me.

 

A big thanks to everyone who helped with the food. It was nice to not be in charge of everything. Everything was delicious! And my favorite part of it all remains Pumpkin Pie! I don't think I had the chance to take a picture of it. It disappeared very fast.

As always the kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa stay with us. Every morning they'd ask "where's Grandpa" (usually there is no distinction between the two. "Grandpa" is either Grandpa or Grandma. We're still working on that one.)

It was nice to have sitters on black Friday too. Both Dan and I were able to go out into the craziness together. We hit Target, Lowes, and yes, I have the best husband in the world! Dan went with me to JoAnne's Fabrics morning sale and spent two whole hours at my side in the fabric cutting line! Sorry ladies he's already taken. 

I do have to mention how incredibly cute the reusable bags were that they handed out at Target while we waited in the line wrapped outside the building waiting for it to open at 5:00 a.m. They are soo cute and they even fold up to look like a cute wallet!

 

Can you say ADORABLE! And since my awesome husband was with me I got TWO! Wooohoo!

Grandma and Grandpa were a huge help while they were here. They babysat, helped cook, entertained the kids while Dan, myself, LaDean and Steve all watched a movie, helped with the Christmas decorations, Wrapped Christmas presents, and even made cupcakes with the kids. I don't think Ethan was much help but he enjoyed himself!

They're supposed to be cornucopias. It is a bugle and some runts candies.  

The men put up the Christmas lights outside while myself, Grandma and the kids put up the Christmas tree and my Santa Claus collection. I haven't taken a picture of my Santa's yet but will hopefully get one up soon. 

 

I hope to get some better pictures of the lights at night. I just need to get my tripod out. There's something tricky about taking pictures of lights. Everything looks so blurry.

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving.