Woodpecker Watching Weekend

Woodpecker Watching Weekend. Say that 3 times fast. Hmmmm, could be good for a laugh. 😀

Is there anything better than a nice relaxing weekend, where you actually just relax? Possibly, but a whole weekend to relax is wonderful. No kids. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but sometimes it's nice to just be in adult company, and then have quiet times with no kids. I don't think the Woodpeckers that I watched all weekend would have been as social if kids were running around playing, screaming, and having fun, as kids do. It's their job.

High in a dead, hollowed out tree nest was a family of Woodpeckers. Mother diligently bringing food to the babies. What an awesome sight to see. Behind our camper, next to the wood pile.....so close, yet so far away. The nest, of course is really high in the tree. Which made amateur photography challenging to say the least. But what fun!

Cake Decorations On The Fly

Honesty first.....I am not a baker. My cakes aren't beautiful, they are never baked from scratch, they will be lopsided to some degree, but.... there's a big BUT here....they are always made with LOVE.

Cats Don't Watch Hockey

Cats watching hockey? Well........it's not a common occurrence, at least not in our house. However, there is the rare siting of the wild, ferocious, saber toothed, feline reclining in the wild jungle (a.k.a. the family room), watching an invigorating game of ice hockey. What?!! Really?!! Okay. It's more like our cat thinks she's human and decides that she wants to sit on the couch and stare at the movement on the television.

I was actually looking at the first pictures of "The Lamp" and the cat pictures were the last pics just prior to the lamp, needless to say after about 10 minutes of giggling at what a goof ball my kitty is, I just thought I would share her antics.

My son, GG, and I were watching our beloved Detroit Red Wings one night. And in saunters one of our cats, Dahlia, and proceeds to get really comfortable on the couch. We didn't pay much attention to her at this point, because she does this whenever anyone sits on the couch. This time she didn't try to do her impression of a cat sweater by climbing on said sitter and covering as much of their upper body as possible. No, this time she positioned herself at the end of the couch on a pillow, propped herself up like her human counterparts and proceeded to watch the game with us. Of course, at that point we both stop watching the game and began watching her.

Really? What cat sits like this?

It's obvious, by the way her eyes started to droop after she was comfortable, that she's been watching my husband's behavior on the couch.

"My eyelids are a little heavy."

Again, like my husband, the next step is to pretend not to be tired. Wide awake, just watching the game.

"Who, me? I wasn't sleeping."

 She's a funny little cat. Cute as a button, and a bit of a terror monster, but she's fun to have around. We do love our little furry family members. I read someplace that children in families that have pets, are happier. No, I don't remember where it was that I read that information, and I don't even know if it's true, but they do tend to make us smile.

"What? You've never seen a cat watch T.V.?"

Just look at her. I kid you not, this is not staged. I don't think we could have gotten her to sit like this if we tried. And why would anyone want to do that?

"Hockey's great. Oooh! Oooh! Nice pass. Even better hit."

 I knew it, she spends way too much time on the couch with my husband, she has the pattern completely memorized and has duplicated it well. See the closed eyes? Yes, she's giving in to sleep at this point.

She obviously didn't have enough cat naps today.

Then the slouching starts.

Are you kidding me?!! How can she sleep like that?

Needless to say, my son and I laughed and giggled while we watched her fall asleep. I finally couldn't take it and scratched her head. She just looked at me as if to say, "Hello. I'm sleeping here." Crazy feline #1. Thought I would share the antics of one of my silly, furry girls with you.

Enjoy your day. Cherish your furry family members, they're great to have around.

Spinning in Circles

Yes, that's what I've been doing, spinning in circles. There are so many things that I want to accomplish, and can't seem to settle on one specific task to complete first. I've found myself going from task to task, and back to another task, repeatedly. That's right, spinning in circles. First off, life has gone crazy, lots going on here, but nothing exciting enough to share. It's just been family life, doctor's appointments (lots of them), teeth pulled, orthodontist appointment (different kids), cats, school, classes, dinner, boyfriend/girlfriend dramas. Yes, that's more than one set of drama. You get the idea.....family life. The one thing that I haven't had time to do, is be creative. I do so miss it.

One of the many things that has come up has been the catalog and order sheet for announcements, cap & gown, and all of the other accessories that go along with High School Graduation. That's right, time to start thinking about it. My youngest son, GG, will graduate in June, then it's time for an Open House. Not sure if that thought excites or scares me. We did this 2 years ago with the eldest son, CC. I learned a lot and am now prepared to open our doors and yard to all kinds of friends and family. Well, better prepared.

Two years ago, my son, CC, wanted a slight Asian theme to his Open House and invitations. This time around, I have a son that just shrugs and says, "I don't know." He's been most unhelpful trying to come up with any sort of theme to add to the mix. So it's idea gathering time and time to look at the past and see what worked and what didn't and what should be done differently to make the day easier for me. To get in gear, let's look at some pictures from the Open House 2 years ago.

We had 2 tents, one larger and one smaller. Paper lanterns with the school color ribbons hanging from the top.

Inside of the large tent. Vegetable garden in the background, and perennial bed to the right of the vegetable garden.

 What an absolutely gorgeous day it was, the weather was perfect. Sunshine, blue skies, and all of the plants were doing well. I love summer. It's a little hard to see the smaller tent, behind the umbrella on the right, it's more of a canopy than a tent.

Looking to the back of the yard while standing on the deck.

 As mentioned earlier, there was a bit of an Asian theme. The takeout boxes were filled with blue and yellow Jelly Bellies. The boxes were super easy to make, just a little scrap booking paper, ribbon and the printer. Easy and cute. The chopsticks were free. When we placed the order at our favorite Thai restaurant for a tray and half of Pad Thai for the Open House, and I can't remember how many countless egg rolls and spring rolls, my son and I decided to get carry out to take home. We asked for a couple of sets of chopsticks, and they gave us about 15 sets of plain chopsticks. I put them in a drawer at home and thought we would just use them...whenever someone got an urge to use chopsticks. This was well prior to me coming up the with the idea below, it just worked out well. A little paint that I had in my craft arsenal, and we were good to go.

Candy dish on the cheap and cute. Matching chopsticks to boot. 

 We had lots of seating. I wish there was a reason to leave the backyard like this more often. Someone needs to get married, or have a baby, or something, after this year's Open House. It was very peaceful and serene.

Inside of the small tent looking at the larger tent in front of the shed.

Again, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It started out a bit windy as we were setting up. The table cloth kept blowing up. But it calmed down later in the day. Perfect timing.

Inside of the larger tent looking toward the smaller tent. Loved the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. 

These pictures were taken before the guests arrived, I wanted to get some pictures before everything was disturbed, and I almost forgot to take pictures.

Another look into the larger tent from the smaller tent.

This was a fun project, making name cards to go with all of the different foods. It really helped the guests know what they were eating, as many people had not tried Pad Thai previously. This picture was taken after everyone had eaten, as you can tell by the untidiness of the surrounding area.

Name cards for menu items made from the left over scrap booking paper that was used for the invitations.

Plasticware is a must for any occasion when you are serving food. I had these flower pots sitting in the basement on a shelf, already painted white from 2009. I was going to use them for my (step)daughter's baby shower, and decided to make bouquets instead of using living plants. Using the same ribbon that I used for the paper lanterns, I decorated the pots. The bamboo clusters are from a bunch that I had in the closet that I occasionally place them behind chairs in a corner or use them decoratively throughout the year. Using 2 stalks, I scored and broke them to the desired length, then wrapped them with ribbon and hot glued it to the pot. I will use these pots again this year, but will decorate them differently.

Quick, easy, cute, and very sturdy plasticware holders.

Loved the paper lanterns hanging around the yard and in the tents, I actually left them hanging in the trees for a few days after the Open House. It really made the yard feel like a little oasis. The lanterns are from Hobby Lobby, they came 3 in a pack for $6.99. Perfect! Even more perfect, they were on sale for 50% off, so just $3.50 for 3 lanterns, and I still have all but one packed away in the basement.

Lantern hanging in trees really helps decorate the yard.

Just beautiful!

Nice shot of some of the plants. The plants in the urn didn't grow so well that year.

So at this point, I am formulating some ideas for the big day, no reason to wait until the last minute to try to come up with something. This way I will have plenty of time to make anything that needs to be made, and still have a buffer just in case I change my mind. I will try, try, try to remember to take pictures as I go along so that I share my thoughts and ideas.

Have fun, bundle up and stay warm.

To paint or not to paint? That is the question.

To paint or not to paint? It wasn't really a question. The question should have been "when to paint?". After many weeks of shying away from choosing a color that is not too intrusive, but not white, a decision was made. We went with a color called Oat Straw. It looked kind of dark(ish), very neutral, fresh and clean. Great! Well, I finished the walls and my son asked me why I was painting the walls white. This is not what I wanted to hear, not at all. Now that the walls are done, the color is so non-intrusive that you don't really know that it's there. Well, I do because after all of the repairs to years of nicks and dents from countless children in the house, I almost screamed that I never wanted to fill, patch or sand another thing....ever. The small repairs had me crazed. Then I just kept seeing tiny imperfections on the walls and just kept fixing them. I know, it's my own fault, no one else to blame but me.

Things are rolling along well, just need to paint the ceiling and a few interior doors, but the bulk of the job is done. It's been very slow progress as everyone in the house has, one after the other, gotten "The Crud" that's going around. Me being the first one and right during the time that was my turn to paint. I did all of the walls, TM did the trims, and we'll do the ceiling together......today. Thank goodness. I just want my kitchen back in order. Not to mention the fact that it's impossible to decorate for fall when the kitchen is in a complete state of disarray. So, back to the painting and then I can get back to the fun stuff, like crafting, and decorating the house. No pics to show today, because I need all of my energy to climb up the ladder. And down the ladder. And back up the ladder. You get the picture.

Go play in the dirt!
It's a great time of year to get the garden in order for the upcoming colder months.

Happy Mother's Day!!

To all of the Mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day!! Every day is really Mother's Day. To my Mom, specifically, Thank you for being the wonderful, strong, woman that you are. You have taught me so much during my life, and have given so much of yourself to my well-being. I Love You with all of my heart.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra Spectabilis)

In my own little mind, this should be a day of relaxation and enjoying what it means to be a mother. It's a good thing that I have children, now I can put them to work today purely for my enjoyment. Who's going to cook dinner? Who's going to clean the bathrooms? Which one will do laundry? What about the lawn? Mopping the floors? Pedicure for Mom, any one? Oh, alright! Not that kind of enjoying that I have children. Maybe just looking at their wonderful faces and being so happy that I have been blessed with such wonderful bundles of joy. Two I carried in the womb and rocked as babies, and two that came into my life much later, but all bundles of joy. Who said that? That was when they were sweet and little. If you have teenagers and young adults, then you probably understand my sentiment. On one hand, you want to hold them like the little ones that they were, never to let go and protecting them with every fiber of your being. On the other hand (once the gums start flapping and the sassy attitudes start flying), you want to ever so gently, catapult them out of the nest. Of course only so far as that you can catch them if they fall instead of fly. Ya gotta luv 'em!!!!!!!

Mothers of the very young, enjoy every moment. They grow up so fast, and change in the blink of an eye, it feels. Enjoy their enthusiasm about everything that they see, it's such a great learning experience. It also helps to keep you young by remembering how it felt when everything was so new to you when you were younger. The new and endless possibilities of everything. It's all such a new experience. Cherish the wide-eyed wonder of childhood.

Mothers of older kids, guide them, but let them be their own person. Watch how their personalities grow and help them become good, respectful human beings, and more independent individuals. Intervene, but not too much. Let them grow. Bask in the new found freedoms that you have. You no longer have to carry a bag, the size of a small suitcase, loaded with toys, snacks and something for every possible situation.

Mothers of teenagers, learn to laugh. Not at them or in their face, but remember to laugh. Some of it is just funny, they don't get what you are trying to tell them from an adult point of view. You can't make up some of the stuff that happens with teenagers. The girls are moody, the boys are kind of gross and goofy, but they are fun in their own way. It's a growing experience for both of you. You are still growing as a Mother and woman. Enjoy.

Mothers of young adults, remember, your kid's are adults legally, not necessarily mentally. They still have to get there, on their own, with your help. Oh, guess what? They don't want your help, they know it all!! In their own minds, just like we did when we were their age. What goes around, comes around. Try to remember how you felt and what you thought when you were a young adult. I recently asked my Mother how she managed to make it through those years. You know what? She laughed at me!!!

The only advice I have for Mothers of children well into their adulthood is......go ask my Mom. Heck, for that matter, ask your own Mom. She'll get a kick out of it and you'll learn a lot about your Mother.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Go play in the dirt!!