Cookie in a cup

Been on pinterest and found cake in a cup and loved it!  So this was my husband's idea.  And with only one large cookie you don't end up eating a dozen cookies.  I made 3 cups, one for each family member.  Spray a microwavable cup with non-stick spray, add a large spoonful of cookie dough and put in microwave for 55 seconds.  Awesome!  This was peanut butter cookie dough so I added a little nestle quik on top of each cookie.  Enjoy!

Hair and Beauty Tricks

my diy leave in conditioner.  take your 3 ingredients, 3 oz water, 1/2 extra virgin olive oil and 1 oz of your favorite conditioner and mix together , or just pour all into the spray bottle and shake!  found on Pinterest http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/diy-spray-on-leave-in-conditioner
I wash, condition, and wrap my hair in towel (not to rough cuticle) then spray with diy leave in conditioner, let air dry awhile and then put up into high ponytail.  go about your day and let hair finish drying while you keep cool with your hair off your neck.

I usually use a cloth scrunchie because it's easiest on your hair and shouldn't cause breakage.  I don't make the ponytail neat and i don't comb.  I just finger comb it up and pull it into a pony, securing with scrunchie, and then tucking the ends into scruchie with last twist.

So this is how my hair looked at end of day when i took it out of scruchie.  Good enough for going out or just seeing the hubby at the end of the day ;)

DIY FACE SCRUB 1/2 c. Sugar, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp witch hazel, 2 TBSP olive oil, 1/2 TBSP honey, 2 drops essential oil (eucalyptus is what I use). Mix ea. Ingred with sugar. *keep only 3 weeks. Love it!

DIY eye cream for puffy eyes.  1 TBS aloe vera with shea butter and 1TBS hemorrhoid cream (for the puffiness)  For a more soothing feeling, keep in the refrigerator.

This contact container (which I have several around) works great to store my diy eye cream in.  One could be for a night cream with a vitaman E capsule broken and added.  This eye cream is blue because I used a blue aloe vera sunburn relief gel with hemorrhoid cream.  The cooling affect of the gel really feels good under my eye.  Be careful not to get in eyes.   Any aloe vera cream will work.  I am reading the benefits of coconut oil too so my next trial will be with some coconut oil. 

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Where is The White Picket Fence?

It is Father's Day and I am blessed to have a wise and spiritual leader as the father in my family.  This guy often gets "understands" things I don't get.  This I will talk about later.  But first I want to give him credit for helping me raise our three children.  Imagine being single with two small children and wondering how you are going to provide a roof over their heads, stability and happiness when their home was yanked apart by that dirty 7 letter word, "divorce".  So what if I'm happier, what about them?  So after doing it on my own for about a year I meet their now step dad.  I say to him, "How do you feel about starting your nest with two children already in it"?  He doesn't only not mind, he embraces it and loves my kids as his own.  And then we had our youngest son, who will always be branded, "the baby"  Sure there were tumultuous days.  Wow...does anyone really live a life without these?  Which brings up the title of my blog, "Where is The White Picket Fence?"  To some, this question may leaving you scratching your head.  White picket fence, what the heck is she talking about?  Oh its just this little idea I had from growing up of how families are suppose to be.  Once upon a time, my spiritually wise hubby told me (let me paraphrase in my own words, cause I can't remember his, to be honest!)  We should not look on the surface of our homes, whether families "look like" they are doing things right (who really is fooled into believing someone has a perfect home...seriously?)  But what maters is the end result.  Does it matter whether us, or our kids make mistake after mistake, if God is using that to get us to a better place spiritually?  Isn't what is on the inside of one's heart (that we eventually learn to trust God and not in ourselves, prosperity, intelligence, fun or anything else)  Isn't this what truly maters?  So to my fellow strugglers, "Trust in the Lord and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  (my paraphrase from the Bible)  so tear down those white picket fences and embrace that barbed wire because it may lead to a better ending.  Happy Father's Day to all you dads doing the best you can!

Face Time

 

I wasted my Sunday yesterday.  I got on the computer about 3pm and wasn't off til 10:30 pm.  Then as I cleaned kitchen and made my husbands lunch, I got very sad.  My husband and son were now asleep.  I didn't do anything family oriented or spend "face time" with them since we returned from church. I am happy we went to church!  But I began to cry, not just a little but alot (i'm on new meds for nerve pain, get to that later)  I was sobbing when I went to bed and woke my husband.  He was so tired, he gets up at 4 am.  His reply was we will reassess this in the morning and see how I feel and he mentioned again that he thinks my crying is because of  my medicines. 
Sometimes he complains when I'm texting or on computer, yesterday I believe he was relieved.  Relieved because the last 3 weeks I can't stop talking. I also talk to my cats, my plants, a silk moth cocoon that I saved in a jar for my grandson.  I also am so energetic, almost ephoric, I am hypersensitve to sounds around me, more aware of beauty of life (I'm on a high).  I like this high, really, most of the time!  But come supper time or last night at bed time, I crash.  The energy, the lack of focus, it gets to me.  I get overwhelmed.  Then I cry or more like sob.  I feel like a 3 year old.  My emotions are at their peak and can turn on and off instantly! 
Back to wasting my time.  I am gonna try to be more disciplined on time I spend on electronics!  And the summer is OH SO SHORT.  I don't want to waste it.  My family is most important to me and even though they probably need a break from me, I want to be more present with them.  And hopefully get my meds changed (or off them completely) so I'm more normal again.  I was a little crazy, unfocused, hyper without them.   Just praying the depression does not come back!   I am getting Physical Therapy to help with pain management so I may not need meds, I'm hoping! 

Creating Stuff...Again

I made this book mark by first doing a rubbing of the mockingjay pin from the front cover (see below)  then I placed the rubbing on top of a paint color card (free by the paint counter) that was color cordinated with the book and traced the mockingjay so that it indented the paint card.  Then I was able to to draw the picture on the card with a smooth writing black ink pen.  I wrote Catching Fire at the top.  I And where the card had writing at the top (name of paint color) I used a hole punch to put punches at the top (which remind me of shotgun holes)  I then used a color coordinated thin ribbon and tied at the middle.  The back also had writing (eg paint types, etc) so I glued another card in a matching color, red in this case to the back.  And since this was a gift to to someone I put their name on the back. 

I actually found this wire in my husband tool box, but you can buy jewelry wire by most crafting aisles.  I have used it for many things, including a ring that I posted in an earlier post.  This was so easy and I did it while I watched TV.  I just hand shaped the wire to look like a flower, then wrapped the last of the wire around an object about the size of my finger (I used a fat toothbrush handle)  then I used some needle nose pliers to secure the band around the toothbrush.  It actually fit my ring finger.  I then used some gold metal spray paint but you could be creative and use any color. 

These "dandelions" I made from the same wire.  Simply again I just hand shaped.

This time after I spray painted them I added a bead.  

I had some plain, clear vases that I swirled some acrylic paints around inside.  I used blue, neon green and white to get this effect.  The paint was a little thick so I added drops of water and kept swirling around til mixed and got an effect I liked.  Pour out extra paint.  Then let dry overnight.

This lovely picture is my daughter wearing a necklace I made her for mother's day.  I used the same wire and hand shaped the words,.  The necklace hooks right above the L.  I used needle nose pliers again to make the hoop and hook.  The necklace reads, "Lies Between" and is a favorite band in which her son's daddy is lead singer.  Check the band out at https://www.facebook.com/#!/LiesBetween2012 

My grown children played on this play center, now my grandchildren do.  I always wanted to buy a climbing wall and never did.  So while working with my husband building a shed roof and saw the pieces of scrap 2X4s, I thought they'd make great foot and hand grips for a climbing wall.  We had the scrap plywood, about 5 feet tall.  I spray painted it to weatherproof it because it already had paint on it but I'd preferred to water treat it and leave it natural to match the wood of the play center.   However, it wasn't much off since the wood has weathered gray anyhow. :)   My 16 year old son sanded the pieces so there were no splintered or sharp edges and I spray painted them yellow for contrast and to match the slide.  We then arrange the pieces on the wall, drilled through the wood pieces and screwed tightly in place.  Making sure to sink the heads of the screws.  Pictures of grandboys using it to follow...They liked it.  And it worked great!

I had a big ugly t-shirt. I decided to make it more fitting. I used a no-sew idea.  First make the marks with a piece of chalk, before cutting sleeves and around neck. I then cut a slit up the back and made cross cuts on each side so I could tie them up the middle. If you are not careful tying all the little cross cuts you will have extra material and the shirt will be crooked. This I learned from experience. So this t-shirt was trial and error. :)

The back of the shirt.  I made the ties inside the shirt to hide.

I'm not so sure I liked this idea after I did it.  But I bought some Hammered Spray Paint in Bronze and did up my outlit covers to match backsplash.

This is the hubby's project.  He had a "Badlands" Sticker and took an old license plate and spray painted it also with the bronze hammered paint.  He let dry then added sticker and used a clear coat over the sticker.  He added this to front of his truck.  And if you're near Indiana you need to check out Badlands!  http://www.badlandsoffroad.com/?do=page&id=2

The top of this bathroom cabinet got pretty stained and nasty from hairspray and stuff.  I had left over sheets of backsplash tile that I spray painted and clear coated to match the bathroom.  I just cut it to size and stuck it down (it had peel and stick on back).  I then spread some putty between the cracks for a finished look.  I didn't have white grout but dry wall putty premixed with a little water on your fingers worked pretty good.  Just wipe off the extra putty when done. 

Ideas for Shower and Bath

I love this product but last time I ran out I made my own.  Baby oil mixed with a little alcohol (to keep the oil from weighing hair down too much) and some fragrant essential oils ( I like lavender)  Trick to using this.  When hair is very wet in shower, flip head over and apply a dime size amount to the strands and ends, leaving the top of head for last so not to get an oily scalp.  Then don't rough the cuticle by towel drying, just wrap the towel around you hair for a few minutes to soak up water.  after trying to use baby oil in place of anti frizz serum, I've experienced the greasies, I've tried new formulas with alcohol and more alcohol and still got greasies.  so I'd say this diy is a fail.  but still the application of this product as per said here is a great idea and has worked for me for a number of years.  I will probably buy this project again instead of making my own!  :)  

Again buying smoothing products for my curly frizzy hair can be costly, but if you have a little fragrant body lotion around, you can just rub a little into dry hair.  Again not too much.  Put some in palm of hands rubbed into hands, then rub over hair smoothing down the frizzes!  This has worked for me!  Yay!

Okay, I love these razors and will always use Gillette.  Other brands just aren't as good.  So I bought my Venus razor and I did buy these razor replacement pods with the soap on them.  Great idea.  But expensive.  So with two men shaving in my house I have to buy them razors too.  These can be upward toward $20 so I just buy the Gillette razors that are on sale (look for ones where the blades are interchangable) and before I shave I either run my razor through a bar of soap before each swipe or if you have liquid soap in a pump bottle just pump a little soap on there before you shave.  Saves buying and using shaving cream.  Less mess too! 

Okay three people shower at my house.  And we've done away with the old washcloth long ago.  And I so do not miss having those washcloths hanging in or over the edge of my tub.  So walla...three bath poufs.  The mesh dry faster.  They are only about $1 a piece at your dollar store   "You should toss a mesh bath pouf, which is more resistant to bacteria, after eight weeks [sources: Crean, Fitness Magazine]. If you want to be extra cautious, you can also disinfect your bath sponge every few days"~ http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/basics/how-often-replace-bath-sponge.htm 

I attached them to shower wall with the Command Designer Hooks medium, that come in packs of two.  They really stay put! 

 I love an appricot scrub for deep cleaning my face and it smells great!  I also love the off brands of this scrub such as Dollar Generals.  It effoliates so I also recommend it for other delicate skin areas, like the hands that show age fastest and where as you get older you get age spots.  I also recommend to use or your chest, that also shows age from sun damage.  This scrub removes dead skin layer revealing healthier, fresher skin!

To keep your jewelry handy.  I also added a dish for earrings and rings.

The Night the Power Went Out and Other Crazy Things

The power went off in our neighborhood and I have half a battery left before my cell phone dies.  So I decide to text this little story for my blog using my handy but sometimes frustrating voice text application.  What happened to handwriting by candlelight, huh? 
My husband and son have went to bed and the powers been off for about 40 minutes.
I decide to come sit outside on the deck, it's cooler out here.  It is really, really dark. There are only a few stars in the sky. I sit for awhile soaking up the quiet, all the neighbors have went in.  I of course get bored easily so I go inside to make myself a snack and put some peach schnapps in my ice tea.  While inside my ADHD kicks in and I see my Epsom salts and think, "I have been wanting to soak my feet in those!"   I decided I better not run hot water with the power off because we live in the country and have well water, an electric pump and electric hot water heater. "Ah ha, I think, the watering pitcher that is outside should have warm water in it!"  I add it to my eucalyptus Epsom salt but it was indeed not warm!  So I let myself get use to the shock and roll my pant legs up and proceed to soak my calloused feet.
I sit with my feet soaking, eating my snack of crackers and cheese and drinking my peach schnapps ice tea.  The porch swing creeks as I swing back and forth.  It will need a little WD 40.  I try to call my calico kitty over.  She walks by to just let me brush the top of her back before moving on.  What good are cats anyway, fickle creatures?  I miss my dog. She would keep me company unlike my unsocial cats. 
In the candlelight I have lit on a table, I can see that the cat is watching something intently in the yard....all of the sudden I feel a little spooked... maybe I've watched too many "Datelines" and "48 Hours"?  I imagine someone sneaking up behind me and attacking me.  Of course my family would never know it,  they are sound asleep.  I'm certain, though that I'd fight with all my might.  I'd even throw the candle wax in their eye!  I'm planning it all out in my mind.  But really I have no reason not to feel safe in my little neighborhood I've lived in for a couple of decades.  However, doesn't everyone feel safe right before...
My feet are probably prunes now.  And my gosh this swing is so noisy! Creek, creek, every time I swing.  I think I'll put this story away and pumis my callouses now.
Before I get my feet out of my soakin pan, the electric truck comes down the road.  It is shining spotlights looking for the power outage.  I think, "This is the fifth outage this spring and it's always on the other side of the subdivision, dummies"!  Oh well, what they must think of me sitting out here with my feet in a mop pan talking into my cellphone? 

Feeling Creative!

I'm not sure why but since I quit my job, discovered Pinterest or both, I've had the desire to create things, redo things, etc.  I have to say I love doing it but it doesn't pay well!  It doesn't pay at all.  But I've had the joy of seeing a project finished, been able to give some things as gifts (poor gift receiver, lol) and save some money.  Since I'm making things, I think I'm buying fewer things.  This has helped me with my depression, but not always so much with my nerve pain.  But as with any ailment they say "don't stop doing things"  I just chose to stop doing hair...where I was semi creative.  So maybe it's my need to keep my creative side alive.  Well, here goes it...Some of my best, worst and inbetweens.  Some useful, some just silly.  And one by my son, who hopefully can use his creativeness in a successful career someday! 

This I made from a coat hanger, a pair of pliers, some black spray paint.

I decided to start making homemade cards to send to former clients (the ones who touched my life or might appreciate a card...aka the greater generation ladies)  I bought a beginner's calligraphy set, practiced til my arm hurt, and I bought an ink pad and a dandelion rubber stamp...cause I like dandelions!

One thing I did purchase was this awesome shower curtain from Walmart.com but I also remade my clock to match.  I took clock apart, removed painted on numbers with a razor, repainted the background, and painted on some thistles.  Getting a paintbrush that was a little more fine would of worked better for the thistles. 

This is one of those silly things I did while waiting on my food at Chili's.  I get bored easily!  It's a dinosaur if you can't tell and I made it out of a straw wrapper and sent pic to my grandson who loves dinosaurs!

Speaking of dinosaurs, guess who I made this for?  Yep, the grandboys.  Just make sure your mix isn't too runny and poor slowly in a pattern.  No mold needed :)

When you borrow a book from your son's friend's sister and keep it for a long time, you might want to make her a little thank you gift like this book mark. :)  I used paint cards from Walmart for front and back, glued together.  I did a pencil rubbing of "mockingjay pin" from book cover on white paper, then laying it onto bookmark I traced over it, pressing firmly so I could copy the imagine.  Then I traced the imagine on the bookmark in pencil, perfecting it, then with pen to finalize.  I used a hole puncher (which reminds me of gunshot holes) across the top to block out words that were on the paint card and added a red ribbon.  I copied the name using same font as on book, and I put the recipitents name on the back of bookmark.  I used cordinating colors of the book for the front and back.

I actually found some wire in my husband's tool box for this.  I drew an imagine of the logo of my daughter's friend's band for a visual. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150162097320895.302892.550440894&type=3#!/LiesBetween2012  Then wrapping the wire around a wide toothbrush handle I formed the ring part.  I then twisted with needle nose pliers the letters which by the way are LB with a C adjoining them.  I twisted any sharp ends over and pinched off after added a couple beads.

This was on a need to basis.  I have a lot of neck pain.  I have a rice filled tube that I was given but it doesn't stay put when I'm working and I often cant sit still.  So I looked them up on amazon and they were about $40 so I made this for practically nothing with no sewing machine necessary.  

Need fabric scrap, I chose a soft fabric.

Some no sew tape.

An iron.

Scissors.

Pins to hold in place while trying on.

Rice (for heat)

Ice pack (for cold)

I cut it this shape because I will wrap around my shoulder and secure in front.  Yes, my hubby says it looks like a diaper!  bah. lol  I cut so that I didn't have to secure bottom edge. 

I then used the no sew tape (which you should follow manufacturers directions for adhereing)  it sticks really well if you follow directions.  I left a gap at top for inserting either rice or ice.

Trying it on I decided where to put the stick-on velcro.  Not too high or it'll irritate your neck.  The stickiness wears off so I used tacky glue to help hold the velcro.

Now if you are going to use rice in this, either dump the back in and secure the opening.  Or as I did, I use it for both heat and cold so I left opening.  When I want to use for heat I have my old head neck tube I insert after warming in microwave for about 45 seconds (be careful not to get too hot, which may feel good on those achey muscles but will also turn your neck red)!  With this design the rice doesn't shift and stays where you position it on your neck.

I've found that Ice works best for my neck pain.  I believe because it's caused by a pinched nerve, the ice helps with swelling and releaves some of the pressure.  This cooling pack is kept in freezer til you need it.  You can cooling/heating packs by first aid supplies in most stores.

This is the finished wrap.  And it's been a big help with my pain in the neck!  Other pains in the neck have to be dealt with yet!  hehe

Ok, I was excited about this cheap barn sale find.  Then on an episode of "Seinfeld" I saw these exact chairs in a hospital scene.  Oh well, someone had a visiter sit in this.  lol

Again I found some fabric I liked.  I don't know my fabric types.  Obviously I don't sew.  But this is a heavy material.  After disassembling chair (screws were rusted in so hubby got out his power tools!)   I sanded down the frame and just rubbed some dark stain over it.  It still looks worn but that's what gives it it's shabby chic look.  I then borrowed a staple gun and went to work attatching fabric to underside and back of chair.  It takes a little practice to get it fitted.  But here you have it...not half bad!

Spongebob haypants.  I made this for grandsons at Halloween.  I'm really not into the spooky stuff anymore but saw this idea at Amish Acres. http://www.amishacres.com/  I have a friend that graciously gave me two bails of hay.  I then had my son stacked them on top of one another.  If you have something to hold them together, like placing dollrods between them, this may prevent a tip over...mine actually stayed upright for quite some time.  The mouth, shirt, tie and pants were painted on using cheap spray paint for about $1 at dollar store.  I used two wiffle balls painted with blue eyes and secured with some wire to twine that wraps around hay.  Also I used a plastic banana stuck into the hay for a nose.   For the arms and legs I had a broken rake and a broken broom stick that I spray painted yellow.  Added some gloves secured by rubberbands and some black boots.  Or if you want to get complicated you can make some boots out of paper mache.  My teenage son was the heavy lifter of the hay!  And the grandboys got to help and they thought it was cool!

I took this picture the winter we had a continuous snow storm.  I put one lone red christmas bulb on the branch sticking out of snow bank and took this picture.  One of my BBF (the one with the hay) framed it for me.  I love it!  And it's such a thoughtful gift.

This is my son making the DeadMau5 head.  I will not explain how he did it.  It took alot of materials we bought on Amazon.  And the video he followed to make it was on Youtube.  I will say you have to have use of jigsaw (which his dad helped with) and the gluing on of the felt (which I helped with) was harder than I thought!

There you have it.  The finished DeadMau5 head.  Now listen to you some DeadMau5!  lol  http://www.deadmau5.com/

I made this magnet on my computer on magnet photo sheets you can find at Walmart.  I made this several years ago for my mother-in-law who was diagnosised with bone cancer.  This is an actually double rainbow we witnessed on a trip to the cancer clinic.  She kept it on her refigerator.

This magnet I made for some of my girlfriends and I.  We've been friends since grade school!