Yay!!!

I've had a fun but interesting start to my weekend. I think I told you that I was heading to Tallahassee on Friday for the culmination of my grandson's week at Boy's State. For many reasons, plans changed and I ended up at home with my youngest grand daughter and Hazel (the dog). We had had a pretty fierce storm the day before with lots of trees, large limbs, etc. coming down and major power outages all over town and were expecting more storms as heavy, if not worse, to come through on Friday. Presley didn't want to go to Tally and back all on the same day and it wasn't safe for her to be alone with the weather we were expecting so she and I had a fun day of lots of games, talking, laughing and a few Disney movies.

And, I must say, the weather did not disappoint anyone who was expecting near hurricane force issues. Holy cow! It was a doozy. I don't ever mind storms...in fact, I usually enjoy them as long as we don't lose power...but this one was a bit of a "nail biter". At one point, we heard a very loud lightening strike. I was pretty sure it was in the woods behind my house but, I think we found out exactly where it was as we were heading out yesterday. Just around the corner, a HUGE ( and I mean a trunk with probably a 5-6' diameter ) came down on a house. It totally crushed the garage end and did a fair amount of damage to the main part of the house as well. I'm glad I didn't see that until it was over because I would have bet one of my huge trees would have come down as also. It was brutal...but, we never lost our power. Other neighbors must have because there were a lot of downed power lines still on Saturday. 

In any case, I haven't heard of any injuries so it looks like we all made it one way or the other. And so, daughter #2 arrived for a visit on Saturday morning. We were headed to daughter #3's house to visit and eat but made a run to Hobby Lobby on the way. I haven't been there in awhile and my hopes were to pick up some supplies so I would have some things to do to keep me occupied on the rest of our "typical" Florida weather pattern afternoons! I broke down and got a few things that weren't on sale - which totally goes against my better judgement but I didn't want to have to go back again next week - but I did put my foot down on a few non-essential things that were full price...and, might I say, I think almost always over priced! But, I digress. Lol

In any case, here's what I got along with a few things I have thrown in to give you a little hint as to what I might be up to this coming week. Do you have any guesses?

The party napkins were 50% off and, I will use the sunflower ones for dining very soon but I also can use them for crafting. The same with that pretty floral. I really don't have anything specific in mind yet but, if something hits me I will be prepared.

The canvases, wood discs, beads and paint pens are for some gift ideas I have and there is really no time like the long, hot summers to get some autumn, Halloween and Christmas things done. That way there is more free time to just enjoy the seasons and holidays when they get here.

When I was at daughter #3's house, we started talking about the 4th of July...which is approaching much faster than I had realized...and it looks like we will do a small get-together at their house again. Their house is perfect because we can literally sit on their front porch and watch the fireworks. We won't see as grand a show as we would if we actually got in a car and drove somewhere but, we've all seen so many grand firework displays over the years (if you've ever seen the display at UF's Gator Growl, you've probably seen more than you will need for a lifetime ) that we are perfectly happy with what we can see from nearby displays as well as the ones my son-in-law will set off in their driveway!

And so, today will probably find me once again perusing Pinterest to see what exciting red, white and blue food I can come up with to bring to the party and maybe starting on one of the crafts.

Wish I had more but, as you know, summer is not my favorite and unless I can eke out some holiday things, my life is not all that exciting this time of year! Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.

Bored!!!

Why is it that whenever you have a list of to-dos a mile long, all you want to do is sit and do nothing? And then, when you are told you need to sit and do nothing, you are bored out of your mind?! I had a little procedure done on my nose today and the doctor had trouble getting it to stop bleeding so, I was sent home with a pressure bandage and told not to over exert myself. I had planned to go to HL after the doctor but, truthfully, I didn't want to scare people with this thing on my face. So, not only can I not do any of the things I want to tackle outside but, I am really out of supplies to do anything inside...and I am BORED!

So, that has brought me to the computer. I've been looking at the sunflower crafts I did recently...

...and then back to my sunflower decor last year to see where the new items might find their homes. And then, since I am still pretty bored, I am perusing the things I have "pinned" on my Pinterest "summer" folder to see if there is anything else I might be able to accomplish before I totally forget doctor's orders and go do what I want! Lol I like each of these but I don't have everything I need to start working on any of them right now! I actually have a wooden box that I made a few years back that might work for this.

I have a hanging basket very similar to this but would need all of the florals.

And, believe it or not, I have a small wood box that could work here but again would need more sunflowers...and, even if I went to HL today, their florals are not on sale this week and I never buy anything in there that is not on sale when I know it will be next week...and, florals go on 50% every other week.

So, that is where I am right now. Honestly, I'm not sure my house will even accommodate one more sunflower anything, I think I'm off to see if there is anything else I can maybe repurpose or re-do. Nothing is safe when I am in this mood! There's no telling where this will end up! Lol Thankfully I'm off to Tallahassee tomorrow and then daughter #2 is coming to spend Saturday with me so, maybe by Sunday I will be able to hit the ground running again and all things in my house will once again be safe from my whims! Lol Stay safe and stay tuned!

 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!

 So it has been one of those days. Hazel left yesterday evening after my daughter came by for a "catch me up" visit on their travels and things to put on the calendar that are coming up soon - and to bring me flowers, wine and some groceries as a thank you. Don't tell her, but I really don't need a thank you. Taking care of Hazel is my pleasure. And, of course, I am already missing my little shadow but, when she is here I think about her first and foremost and so, even though she is so good and will not run off or will stay when I tell her, I don't like to keep her outside when it is so hot. Me? I'm a different story. I will do things outside even when I am miserable if it is something I want to get done.

To be honest, I was thinking we might be getting a rainy Sunday. We had a nice rainfall yesterday so the grass isn't in need as much, but, I love rainy Sundays. I have told you before...I give myself license to do what I want...not what needs to be done...on rainy days. And so, I thought maybe today would be a movie day. But, not yet at least and so, out I went.

There is a bit of pre-story in this case but let's make it the abbreviated version. I have had a grill outside one of my back doors for many years. I don't use it at all any more so decided it was time to go. I put it out on the curb with a "free to a good home" sign and it is gone! I thought that was that but, this is the door that Hazel and I went out the most and every time I walked out there, this was my view.

And, of course, it was OK until it wasn't. Those darn "new eyes" spied it one time too many and I knew it needed something. I didn't want to buy anything new or really get into any large moving frenzy out there until I came up with a plan. And so, for now, I shopped my yard. Over on the far side of my yard, I have about 6 old Adirondack chairs along with some other seats. We used to use this side of the yard a lot when the grands were young and the swing set was there. About the only time we're over there anymore is when we play games and need lots of open space. Then, some of us will play while others pull up chairs to watch. And, as things will do in humid, hot Florida, as the chairs were stacked, they began to get faded and moldy. Out of sight, out of mind...until today. I decided to grab one of the chairs and clean it up so I could put it in this area to just fill a void for awhile. It is doubtful that anyone will ever sit there but, who knows.

And so it began the way most of my outdoor projects begin these days...with Clorox and scrub brushes.

It took a bit of scrubbing but it cleaned up pretty well. In fact, it looks like new while it is wet but I suspect as it dries, the faded color will return. That won't be a problem as I have lots of spray paint from past projects in the garage so a quick coat and it should be fine. Of course, as I was doing that, I noticed how moldy the shutters on the small back window were so it was on to them and now the storage unit needs a good scrub. And, as I went to take a picture of the sky vine to show you how nicely it has come back, I spied the gourd bird house made for me by my brother and sister-in-law and knew it needed a scrub.

And now I am about to go out to get the ladder and get up there and get some of that unruly vine tied back. And then, as I was looking at these pictures I wondered if I might like a chair out on my front porch???? And so it goes. If you give a mouse a cookie. I'll be back.

I'm baacckkk! I was right...as the chair dried the faded color became more and more apparent and, I was OK with that because I really don't have much green furniture left. Almost everything got repainted in the bronze and browns years ago.

I had a few cans of this brown. I think it may have been what I bought when I was going to repaint my slide. No matter. It was perfect for this chair. I still need to do the underside and maybe a bit of a touch up because the dapple of the leaves is making it hard to see areas I might have missed...but, that dapple is also what allowed me to be out there all of this time without having a heat stroke!

Of course, in keeping with the theme of the day, as soon as I saw this color I knew one more thing needing to be done.

A few years ago when I got my new washer and dryer I decided to have a new exhaust hose put in as well. My plumber used a new fangled "hose" that looks a bit like a PVC pipe and cost way more than the expandable metal ones that get squished and can over heat. I'm sure it is safer and the "new thing" but I wasn't happy when I first saw that bill...but, I digress. In any case, the new vent came with a new outside cover...and it was BRIGHT white. I didn't snap a picture but it is on the front of my house on the porch - the only place it can go! And looking at that white thing against the red of the brick has driven me crazy since it was first done. I truly don't know what has taken me so long!

 It's still not attractive but, maybe if it has an Adirondack chair in front of it?! Lol Now I'm truly wishing that I had cleaned up 2 chairs at the same time. I really don't want to drag all of that stuff out and start again but, I'm not taking any bets.

So, it is now after noon and murderously hot out there! I don't like the empty space next to the chair so I think I will rig up some kind of a surface and, the potting bench needs some work as well as the whole layout but, that will be for another day. This mouse has had enough cookies for one day and is off for some lunch and feet up! But, I have more plans for tomorrow so I'm sure I will bring you along if you're interested. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Finishing Up

 So it is another HOT day here in Central Florida. My family arrived home safely last night but were off to a lacrosse tournament at 5:00 this morning, so I get to have Hazel here for a bit longer. I always had a dog. From the time I was in kindergarten until we lost our last Golden, there has always been at least one dog in my home and often times there were two...as well as countless cats, birds, fish, rabbits and hamsters! I love animals and I love having the company. I will be very sad when Hazie leaves and every time she is here, I reconsider whether I should think about bringing another pet into my life. Right about that time, the reality of being a pet owner hits me in the face and I realize yet again that at this stage of my life, grand dog sitting is the best option for me. Which, by the way, would be so much more difficult to do if there was already a pet in residence here. But, I digress. I will enjoy her while I still have her and then vacuum and get on with my life. Lol

In any case, I don't want to get too involved with any big projects because the family will be here at some point so I thought we'd see the rest of the 4th decor and then we can start to decide where we will be going from here. All that is left are the bathrooms and, as always, the master bath is given just a nod to the holiday.

Let's start in the guest bath. Can you believe I'm showing you the last of the decor and I'm still tweaking? Here is what the guest bath looked like when I woke up this morning.

And here is what it looks like now after FB sent me a memory this morning and I realized that I had the Southern Living metal basket under the sink and had forgotten to use it this year...and apparently last year either as I was looking at 2021 pictures as I decorated this year. It was under the sink instead of with all of my other 4th stuff and I just never thought of it. Far be it from me to not use something I have and love and so, a quick trip to the white flowers (I don't have any more red or blue flowers available right now and it's too late to go buy more), a fold of the towel that had been hanging there and another small flag and voila, something I apparently couldn't live without! Lol

 I love the flag canvas that Presley, Hud and I did a few years ago. We all just painted what we wanted and they all turned out so cute!

This was in 2018. Look how little they were!

The shelves over the commode are useful but also fun to decorate.

And just a peek at the master bath.

Can you believe that I found several bars of 4th of July soap the last time I was in Home Goods. I am crazy over soaps that have pretty wrappers for holidays and seasons. They smell so good but, because they're so pretty, I never open them to use. Lol

And, while we're on the subject of decorative soaps - we were, weren't we? - my holiday/seasonal OCD rears its ugly head yet again...lol. I am so "sensitive" to holiday colors and labels that I used to put my dish soap into a clear bottle always making sure the one I used was a color of the season. How much easier my life became when Mrs. Meyers came out and started having seasonal/holiday fragrances. And so, whenever I am in Target especially, I check what new fragrances have hit the shelf. I wasn't happy with my choice for this month but it was as close as I could get until I spied the blue label, They only had the hand soap but I didn't have any other that was better so now it kind of looks like red and blue? Don't you think? Ah, now I can sleep again! Lol I don't really obsess about these things but when they work out, I am happy. :) SO much better.

I think we are now done with the patriotic decor for this year. I have been looking for sunflower crafts to do but, so far, I'm running low on ideas. I do have a lot of outdoor chores to tackle so that might be what keeps me busy for the next week. Oh, and I just got an invitation to accompany daughter #3 to Tallahassee on Friday to see my grandson do his final presentation at Boy's State. That should be another proud Nana moment. I'll let you know how it goes. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Feelin' the Heat....

 Feelin' the heat...in more ways than one! Seems like for whatever reason, I had to re-log into everything on my computer this weekend. I don't have a clue why. That has never happened to me before. But, thanks to my trusty "password" book, I thought everything went smoothly. Until it didn't. When I went to Bloglovin to check on my posts - which is where I not only follow others but also check into my own blog - I kept getting messages that the page was down. I am incredibly technology challenged but, I must say, when my back was against the wall, I found all sorts of ways to try to get back to my blog. I was able to Google myself and get my blogs - thank goodness - but I couldn't get to where I could post anything new, edit, etc. It was like I was a reader and not the originator.

I can't even begin to think of how many hours I spent just repeating everything I had already tried thinking one of these times it would work...but, it didn't.

As I was trying once more this morning, I remembered having to reset everything this weekend and wondered if there was any chance - even though I have changed emails about 3 times since my grand daughter set this blog up for me - if I might have still been logged in with my ancient email of all those years ago...and, yep! There it was!

So now, I have my blog available so I'm good to go there but, my Bloglovin account which is where I follow everyone else is still not opening. I have tried to sign in on my phone and it says it is not working. I try to sign in through Google and I get the same message. And, this time I'm sure that I am in there with my current email. And so, I don't know if they really are having trouble - which they have had a lot of recently - or, once again, I have done something stupid. In any case, I can still write my blog and I've missed you all so, let's head into the family room and see what we see.

I'm still really loving the Uncle Sams I made last year.

Every year when I share this handprint wreath made for me many years ago when we still had "little" hands in our family, my blog numbers go way up. This has been "pinned" almost as many times as the leprechaun hat made from the terre cotta pots. I can only imagine how big this would have to be if we were to try with the current size of this gang's hands! Lol

So that is the family room for this year...not a lot of changes. I seem to be saying that a lot these days. I'm not sure if that is because there are really not any new ideas (at least new for me as I've been doing this so long I think I've tried them all) or, I just have so much already that something new won't fit...nope, that can't be it as I'm always up for something new around here...any new little treasure. I'll keep looking. Maybe I need to get to my favorite seasonal shop in Micanopy and see what I can find! I hope this makes it to you safely and, if so, I'll be back. Stay safe and stay tuned....ahhhh, it feels good to say that again. Lol

 

 

 

Blog 911

OK. This post is just a quick one to see if I have finally figured out what is going on with my blog. For several days, I have NOT been able to get on or do one thing with my blog. I just found this and so I am giving it a try. If it works, I'm good. If not, I will have to figure something else out! I'll let you know. Stay safe and definitely stay tuned!

Summertime!!

 When I left you yesterday, the jug was painted with "mineral" chalk paint and I was already doubting my choice of color. Since the background of the print is white and the other colors are pretty intense in their hue, the tan of the mineral just didn't look like it would help pop the image. And so, before I went to bed, I gave it a second coat but used the color "chalk"-which is a shade of white.

Once chalk paint has the time to cure a bit, it becomes rock hard so, I started the morning off by sanding the finish to distress it a bit. You have to use a bit of elbow grease to get it sanded down to the bottom coat let alone the glass. I also cut out the print a bit getting off much of the background.

It is a pretty easy task to decoupage an image printed on paper to a flat surface but, because I didn't want a lot of extra decoupage showing since I had no plans to decoupage anywhere else on the jug, I applied the decoupage medium to the back of the print instead of onto the jug as I would normally do. Everything went well until I got to the few places where I had really cut the image down into thin leaf stems. Those areas kind of glued to the wax paper and then tore off as I tried to lift the print. And then, as I tried to lift up the small pieces to reattach them, they stuck to my fingers. It was a bit comical...kind of like I was visited by Dumb and Dumber but, luckily, I got most of them off of my fingers and on to the jug and those that didn't make it just got covered with a bit of antiquing wax and no one is the wiser...except you because I just told you. Shhh-don't tell anyone else. Lol

Once the glue was dry, I gave the whole jug a few coats of matte acrylic clear coat. While that was drying, I pulled a bunch of twine and ribbons in the color family of the sunflower print and also found a free download for some sunflower tags, printed them, distressed the edges and got one cut out.

I simply tied the fibers around the neck of the bottle and added the tag.

And then, of course, I had to go and grab a small bouquet of sunflowers to see how it will look. Once again I have no idea where this will end up but, it does have a bit of presence so it might just work in those large, deep shelves in the family room. We shall see.

 Hazel and I are off to daughter #3's house to check on the cats, clean litter, give them a treat, change water, bring in the mail and packages, water the house plants and then water all of the outside potted plants. It sounds like a process, but I do this every time they are out of town - which seems to be a lot - so I kind of have it down to a fine science. I feel bad for the cats as they're there alone so I play with them a bit but then I look around and realize that they're living their best life - the A/C is lower than mine, the fans are on, the TV is set to "cat TV", the automatic feeder is good to go and there are enough cat toys and climbers to house a menagerie. No need to worry about those cats. In fact, they're probably thinking that they can't wait for me to leave so they can get back to their vacation. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.

What Goes Up...

...must come down. Or, so it seems, everything that is UP there must come down...and down...and down. It doesn't seem to matter what season it is - leaves are falling in my yard. And, because not all that long ago my brother and sister-in-law removed almost every leaf that was on the grounds of my 3/4 acre yard, I am saddened to see them starting to accumulate again. And so, I decided that raking those culprits up would be on my to-do list today...along with starting another "sunflower" project.

Well, I am here to tell you that it is much more fun to rake leaves when the rest of the sane world is doing it...in autumn and, in Florida, again in the spring. It is NOT fun to rake leaves in the summer! As I write, I have a number of piles ready to be picked up...let's just say that may not happen today. We shall see.

In the meantime, I decided on my next project. Let's just say that pickins' are slim around here these days. I have my grand dog for two weeks and she is so attached to me that I just can't seem to bear to go anywhere that she can't come. And so, the stores are pretty much off limits and I need to make do with what I have.

I remembered that I have a few sunflower napkins left and thought about ModPodging them on to a Mason jar - which still might happen - but then I remembered an old apple cider jug that I have that my husband used to throw his change in at the end of each day. It was just sitting there so I thought it might look cute "dolled" up and holding some sunflowers. When I got it out, my intent was to simply chalk paint it and maybe distress it a bit. But the surface is so large that I decided to print another sunflower image and see how that might work.

Here's where I started with a few different options available.

And, here is where I am right now. The jug has one coat of "mineral" chalk paint on it. I know it will need at least two and I'm not actually sure I'm liking this color with the print so, changes might be in store but, since it is no fun watching paint dry, let's take a peek and then move on to the sunroom in all of its 4th of July glory.

I still love the Uncle Sam that the kids and I made a few years back. He was so easy to do that even the youngest made one that turned out so cute...and, it is out on their porch with their other patriotic decor right now. I also like the little pillow that I did. I made simple linen pillow covers and then just painted the flag using acrylics mixed with a fabric medium.

Again, this room is long and narrow not only making it difficult to decorate but also difficult to photograph. 

So that is where I am at the moment. I have a long list of things to get to but thinking I might just stick to the ones that are indoors the rest of the day. I'll be back to show you how the jug turns out and what I end up doing to the Mason jar...once I know what I am doing. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.