In Case You Were Wondering

Mommy & Daddy brought home a "squirrel" on September 12 . . . a noisy, wiggly squirrel.  The first few days were tough on us because tons of people were visiting and - for some crazy reason - they weren't here to see us!

We are still getting used to our new life of interrupted sleep and sharing our space and people, but we're adjusting so far.

Love,
Steve & Pippin

Welcome to Our Family

Our little blessing . . . Miss Katherine Leigh!   "Kate" was born September 11, 2012 at 11:08am weighing 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 inches long. We are proud, humbled, blessed, and already a little tired. ;)  Kate is more beautiful than we could have ever imagined!

Siblings Extraordinaire

In case you don't read Kristin's other blog, things have really been changing around our house!   Pippin and Steve are now the unsure jealous irritated depressed proud sister and brother to Baby Kate.  Well, no matter what our precious pups are thinking and/or feeling, they sure are cute!

Teacher Crafting

Today is our LAST official day of summer vacation, so I'm watching movies of "The Twilight Saga" and crafting.  If you'll remember back a couple of years, my mom and I did some "HOME Work" by taking extra slats out of the blinds, hanging curtains, rearranging some things, etc.  I planned to reupholster the chairs but . . . uuuhhh . . . that hasn't happened.  Todd is NOT happy about that but I can't find fabric I like, not to mention I'm daunted by the project and really want to buy chairs with lower backs.  Enough about the damn chairs.

And the slats from the blinds?  Wwwweeelllllll . . . let's just say they've been sitting on the floor of our imaginary baby's nursery just waiting to be used for something.  In one of my recent fits of insomnia, I created a use for those lonely little (big) slats.  I decided to make HALL PASSES for school!  Yes, it sounds sad but you'll probably understand my excitement if you're a crafter, a teacher, or a crafty teacher.

When I asked Todd to lend me his power saw skills, his response was "perhaps."  Living in the world of immediate gratification, I decided to get started on my own.  Come to find out, I didn't need his stinkin' saw anyway!  :)  Supplies: extra slats from faux wood blinds, cutting blade, duck tape, paint pens, and clear spray (optional).

Level of Difficulty for this project = 1462 on a 100 point scale.  It was so very, very difficult.  (note: sarcasm)

Today's craft area: the coffee table.

First, I took my blade along the natural notches of the blind slat and (didn't really) score it with a straight line.  And for safety's sake, I didn't use a mat or anything - just threw it across my knee.  Then I simply snapped the blind along the score line.

See that fancy, straight line?  Who needs a ruler??  (me!)

It made a lovely snapping sound.

Continuing the difficult work of this project, I cut my duck tape a little over 2x the width of the slat.  I got skull & crossbones for the boys' passes & dots for girls.

To protect the ends, I cut a tiny slit off the end of my large piece, stuck it on the end, and folded it over.  Just make sure it adheres well.  Told ya this was going to be difficult.

In preparation for any students with ADD/ADHD needs, I took a break to screw with the dog.  Couldn't help myself!!!

MOMMMM!  I iz not a pirate boy.  Argh.

After lovingly placing the tape around one side of the slat, I wrapped it around completely and made sure it formed a good bond by pressing on it with  my fingers.

From there, I fancied them up with some old-school paint pen lettering.  I must be too tired and lazy from summer to use my Cricut and actually cut out and rub on vinyl lettering!

Most likely, I will drill a small hole in the end and tie string so I can hang them on hooks.  The last thing I plan to do is spray over the lettering with clear acrylic spray paint to hopefully add some toughness and longevity to the hall passes.  Kids seem love to destroy any & every thing I make.

Oops, Steve Did It Again!

Last week, we visited our cousins for the day.  They are moving out-of-state, and we sure will miss them only being 1 1/2 hours away!  In order to spend some time with them before their move, Todd and I left around 11ish that morning and got home around 11ish that night.

Todd went in the house first while I drug some things out of my car.  When I came in, Todd was rushing around the house and with a panicked look on his face said, "Steve is gone!"  Not even a rattle of the cookie jar surfaced our tiny little man.  I immediately headed to the other side of the house while trying not to panic.  Calling his name like crazy, I guess I hoped to hear him call out, "Hey Mom!  I'm here!"  :)

Heading in to our bedroom, there was no sign of "white boy" as we sometimes call him.  (Yes, Pippin is "brown girl.")  Remember another of the many times he'd been "lost", I looked into our master bath and noticed the door to the wet area was closed.  Inside was a tired, overworked, slightly stressed horse named Steve.  Somehow his crazy ass got himself stuff in there.  Mind you, this wet area holds a toilet, door, and tub.  That's it.  It's not a large area!

Knowing he could've spent as many as 12 hours in there, I yelled that Steve was safe and had Todd usher him outside to potty while I inspected the damage.  It's Steve . . . you know there has to be damage!  In however long he spent in there, Steve-O went through a roll of toilet paper (some for play, some to add fiber to his diet), pulled a few robes off the door hook, and used all of that plus the bath mat to build himself a dog nest.  (Wish I snapped a pic before cleaning up!)  Big Boy must have gotten himself a nice nap while we were away.  Todd said he peed for almost a full minute, so he was definitely glad to be out of the confines he created.

No harm, no foul.  I have my tennis ball to play with now!

One would like to think he'd learned his lesson, but I'll bet he does it again someday!

A Pinterest "Meh."

I love me some Pinterest.  I'm AWESOME at pinning all sorts of things, but my execution is lacking.  Being that it's summer and I am a lazy bum haven't been motivated for major projects, I decided to try an easy project that popped in my mind.

The post I saw showed a flat paint with a same-color high gloss paint as a contrast.  Knowing my patience level and tendency towards the OCD, I thought it would best to keep it simple.  To the foyer I went . . . well, after Home Depot!

Before.

I considered doing chevron striping, and I'm sssooooo glad I didn't.  It would've sent me into a compulsive leveling and straightening from which I might never recover.  Instead, I did two wide stripes.

Taped off and first coat of paint.

Then I didn't like two big stripes & taped off/painted a smaller stripe in between.

 The tape came off much easier than I thought, and I was thankful for that.  There just isn't much of a difference in the two paints.

After.  Not much of a difference, huh?

Kinda looks like shadows, but Todd said it's not too bad.  So - it stays.

Overall it was an easy project - maybe 2 hours total.  I only wish it wasn't so "meh."  Oh well . . . off to find my next Pinterest project!

Summertime!

After a reallllly long, realllllllllly difficult year at school for both of us -- it is officially SUMMER!  We plan on relaxing, recuperating, and doing a few things around the house.  It won't be much, but it's what we need.  Todd and I will both be working with new people next year, so we need the downtime to prepare us for August.

For our official first day, I made the dogs "pops."  They LOVE their pops, and they are a healthy way to treat the dogs and cool them off during the hot Texas summers.

Pops are very easy to make.  Here's my so-called recipe:


DOG POPS

1 large tub of non-fat, plain yogurt
1/2 c. or so peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
leftover meats and veggies

Pull out the blender and add non-fat plain yogurt, some peanut butter, and whatever leftovers you have in the fridge.  (This time it was chicken, some corn, and a piece of zucchini.  Literally any meat and/or veggie we have goes into the blender.)  Puree and pour into ice trays to freeze.

Remove pops from ice trays after frozen and place in a sealable baggie.  Label as "DOG POPS" unless your dogs don't mind sharing.  :)  Enjoy!

Pippin and Steve waited for me to hand out seconds, then got embarrassed after I tried to take pictures of them begging!

SO PROUD

As of Friday, May 11 at 3:30pm, Todd OFFICIALLY has his Master's Degree!  After everything we have been through this past few years, he still did it.  I am a very, very proud wife.

Sprucing Up for Spring

A few weeks ago, I noticed (yet again) that the rockers we have on the front porch were definitely looking more than ragged.  It was time for a fix.  Thanks to Pinterest, I learned about an awesome sprayer gun thingy for spray paint cans.  I found one at the local Wa.lM.ar.t for less than $3!  I got my favorite Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2x in black, slipped on my spray gun, and got to work!

Have sprayer, have paint, have dingy chair - will paint!

Chair before (front) and chair after (back).  So much better!

FINISHED!  It was so easy, so fast and looks so much better.  Best of all - there was NO paint on my hands or really anywhere but on the chair!  How did I survive all these years without my easy spray gun????

Need to put my Cricut to work and monogram the chairs again.

Now I'm going through the house and getting ready to paint anything that needs it or is not nailed down.  :)

(**Note: I am not being compensated for my opinions or handiwork.  I just like sharing great stuff!)

Kristin Go BOOM

Had myself a lil' car accident.  Wellllll, "lil" is putting it very lightly.  Almost totaled my car.  It involved a red light that looked green (to me), some speed (by another), and a few automobiles.  Luckily, my car can be repaired . . . to the tune of over $14,000.  Thank God for good auto insurance and accident forgiveness coverage.

OUCH.

Actually looks a lot better than it really is.

Both my airbag and the entire right-side curtain airbags deployed.  Scary & stinky.

To add insult to injury, when the ambulance arrived on scene it ran into the REAR-end of my car.  Seriously???  We were sitting in a heap in the middle of the intersection, so it's not like they didn't see my huge Honda Pilot!  Glad I wasn't in the car or in between the crunch of cars.  Add another repair and another claim and another report and another contact.  FML.

Rear-end damage courtesy of Dallas Fire and Rescue.

I am so thankful that nobody was seriously injured.  As soon as I started to get out of my car, I was barely able to remove my wedding ring because my hand was swelling very quickly.  While the airbag luckily saved my face and head, it did hurt my hand and forearm upon deployment.  I refused treatment on the scene but wound up at an urgent care clinic the next day since I couldn't use my hand at all.  A week later (after being unable to use my hand for days), the swelling and bruising was slowly subsiding.

My big, fat hand - finally can see some knuckles.

Lots of finger bruising a week later.

Two weeks later, I am able to wear my wedding ring again although my hand looks a little green-tinted.  Just glad that was the worst of my injuries and my car can be repaired ---- eventually.  God was watching over me that day, and while I hope He continues to do so, I am tired of all the ridiculous stuff going on in my life this year!

Did you say KLAW???

Can you spell backwards?  I hope so!  Let's just say that the dogs like to go on a KLAW.  Step 1 should be 'Get on your leash.'  Instead, it's this:

Every time Steve barks, Pippin's citronella collar sprays . . . leaving the entry a fresh scent for our departure.  Geez.  Our dogs are nuts.  We are simply their humans.

Life with Steve

Dogs are bigger and heavier than they may appear on your monitor.  The video speaks for itself.  :)

Deception

Look at this sweet, innocent, lil' face!  Don't let it fool you.

Pippin has developed a new diet plan for our family.  You step away from your plate, she eats it for you.  Therefore, you don't overeat.  Isn't she sweet?  Sneaky girl . . .

My New Girlfriend

Using hoarder stockpiled a few gift certificates, I sprung on buying my new first Coach bag.  I pick her up today!

Photo courtesy coach.com

It's funny because I have NEVER been one to spend money on purses.  However, since I need a new bag, in between clothing sizes and don't wear anything but flip-flops when it's warm out, I went for the bag.