Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Life’s Adventures

I’m going to share a few recent occurrences that have happened to me over the pass two days, just so you can laugh along with me.  Honestly, I was not laughing while in the mist of these mishaps, but some how, now, laughing keeps me grounded.

Up first…..

I mentioned on the Amaze Me Monday party post that I made a quick trip to Kentucky over the weekend for a MX race for the boys.  Now most of these dirt tracks are out in remote locations and I don’t think to much about being stranded in a field in the middle of nowhere.  So when the GPS lead us off an exit and on to a gravel road, it wasn’t a big deal.  I did look over to the Hubs and asked him if he saw a sign for the track before leaving the paved road….. He did answer.  Not more than a few hundred feet on this road I realized this in not going to be good.

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( Photos taken from my cell phone)

Do you see how narrow this road is? 

In my most calm voice (anyone that knows me knows that does not even exist) I looked at my husband and remarked, “What if someone else is coming the from the opposite direction?”  There isn’t any shoulder to the road, only a large drop off into a cliff.   I’m not exaggerating either!

About a mile on this road (notice there isn’t a place to turn around) the road changes from gravel to sand.  Wet soupy sand.  The Hubs starts to speed up and I YELL, “Slowwww Down!”

He exclaims that if he slows down we’re going to be stuck!

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About two miles in we find a cross road to make a 101 point turn around!  With my biggest eyes (and they are huge even at unpanicing times) and whiniest voice, I say…… “I don’t want to go back on that road.”  The Hubs calms my nerves and says, “I don’t want to either.”

At this point I am putting away my phone and everything else because the RV is swaying back and forth from the uneven road (if you want to call it that?  more like a logging trail!) and the RV is fish tailing it from the rear, sliding in the soupy sandy muck, and all I think to do is put all objects that can become  flying missiles to my head away.  Really all I could envision was us rolling over and over again down the side of the mountain.

When we finally rolled back on to asphalt, everyone breathed a bit easier and started to share their stories of how freakin’ scared they were.  Literally I was shaking.  A million prayers have been said since Saturdays fright!

DANG YOU GPS for sending us down the wrong road!!!

I honestly don’t think I could recapture what we went through.  The closest thing would be the part of the movie “RV” when Robin Williams is driving the RV by himself through the woods.

Funniest move ever!

I told the kids that we just discovered the original “Wilderness Trail” that Daniel Boone blazed. The irony….  the MX track is named Daniel Boone!  No lie.

Next up……

On the way home from Kentucky, the radio station said NO RAIN in sight for two days in our area.  

Then yesterday afternoon I wanted to get outside to put my deck furniture back in order (had to take every thing down for the roofers) when  the clouds started to get a dark shade of gray.  So I called my neighbor, my mom, to discuss the weather.  As I am talking to her, she ask me what that sound is?  I told her I’m standing next to the window and I think it’s all the loose stones from the new shingles that went up last week.   When it dawned on me… that it wasn’t loose stones or other debris from the roof but in fact it was HAIL! 

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I ask you….

Who has this kind of luck?

Who has a new roof installed because of a wind and hail damage only to have it HAIL only days after the new roof gets put on?

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Thanks for letting me vent and sharing a laugh or two with me.

When I was younger, early twenties, my folks and I  had a psychic reading.  JUST FOR FUN!  The psychic told me that my life (mostly my kids) would keep me on roller-skates.  If it was one thing it would be another.  She wasn’t kiddin’!!

Carrie

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Amaze Me Monday #39

Hello Everyone,

I had another crazy week!  What am I saying… my entire like is one crazy week followed by the next!  My week started out with having an entirely new roof put on our house.  I did not prepare myself for the mess that this would ender, because by Tuesday, I was completely barricaded in my home.  At every door laid a huge pile of shingles with many more nails protruding.  By the time the Hubs got home on Tuesday night and saw the mess still there he decided to take matters in his own hands and had us all outside clearing a path.  The entire roof project consumed three days.  Just in time for my to go work the “Brittney Spears and DJ Pauly D” concert.  And by Friday, I was toast.  We finished school and I managed to accomplish nothing the rest of the day!  Well, not exactly, because I did have to pack for a weekend trip.  This weekend we traveled to beautiful Kentucky so the boys could race their dirt bikes.   When we take weekend trips like this, you can only guess what I do all Monday?!?!  LAUNDRY

Carrie

Bird Nest Napkins shared by Pam at Our Adventures in Home Improvement

Cool Magnetic Board Transformation shared by Sugar & Spice in the land of Balls & Sticks

Gorgeous Fall Shelf shared by Liz at Savvy Seasons

Incredibly Inviting Kitchen Makeover shared by Kim at Savvy Southern Style

DIY Easy Fringy Eternity Scarf shared by Laurie at Scene of the Grime

fringy scarf 2

Recovered Ugly Office Chair shared by Sweetwater Style

Monogramed Lamps made from felt and ribbon shared by Conspicuous Style

 

Amaze Me Monday Blog Party Link Up

Dittle Dattle

Friday, August 26, 2011

Fall Colors

I started to think about fall decor even though is 113F today here in AZ! Before I went to Hobby Lobby this morning, I walked around the house to see the possibilities. To my surprise most of all my family room decor is Fall colors!! I have to say I LOVE Earth colors! It makes me happy! :)
Take a look!
I got the candles and the seed balls above while we lived in Brazil. On my kitchen counter that faces the family room, I have a ceramic pitcher full of silk Gerberas{my favorite flower after orchids}.

 On my hallway I have a candle holder that I bought years back at JCPenny. The "boat" I bought in Buenos Aires and the ball seeds are from Brazil.

My family room has the wall entertainment build in. This was build before Flat Screens were invented! lol! So I made a pretend fireplace! I would love to make into a real fireplace someday!

LOVE this pillow from Buenos Aires!

My side table with my favorite things!

My almost all year around wreath.

My kitchen also has Earth colors! Got the frames at Hobby Lobby for $1.50 each! I know! I had to pinch myself!

Another wreath, this one is on my kitchen wall.

So for now, I just go some supplies at Hobby Lobby to make my entryway more festive! Hobby Lobby has all the Fall picks and scrapbook paper for 50% this week.

This is the wall on my family room, it blends really well with the Earth tone decor.

Happy Fall to all! :)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Tutu Lamp {Sort of}

For a while now, I wanted to make a tutu lamp for my daughter's room. I didn't have anything in mind, just that my daughter wanted to be a purple tutu. I thought that was going to take a while until I could find the it item.
It all changed to a single trip to Goodwill yesterday! I spotted a glass globe and the Tutu lamp project came to my mind! :)


The pictures don't do justice to this lamp at all! It's so pretty when the lights are low!
My daughter loves it! My oldest daughter wants one for her room now! :)



Material
          3 yard of tulle - bought at Walmart 99cents a yard
1 glass globe - Goodwill $1.99
scissors and hot glue
1 set of white lights - I used Christmas lights from last year
Cost: $5

cut the tulle in circles, no need to be exactly shape of each other.

 pinch the circle tulle in the middle, making a little flower shape

Glue the bottoms of the flower to the glass globe. Glue them fairly close together to keep their shapes.

At this point I wasn't too sure how this project was going to turn out...
 It looked liked a Clown wig! lol! But I didn't give up! :)

All done! 
Now just insert the lights inside the globe. I put a small plate under the tutu lamp on her bedside table. 
Daughter happy = mommy happy!
The end! :)





DIY Club

Before Blogging Project- Wall Paper Projects in the Kitchen

The last “Throwback Thursday” I showed you my Breakfast Room Curtains, so I thought I would continue in the kitchen with some more before blogging projects.

Wall-Paper-Projects

Not knowing what to do with the space between the cabinets and the ceiling, I added a wallpaper boarder to give a splash of a color and pattern, allowing me to minimize the accessories.

Christmas Kitchen

I know a few of you went crazy asking me questions about the tri-fold screen that you all catch a glimpse of when I showed my kitchen decorated for the holidays. 

wall-paper-screen

I have a corner sink and knew right away that I need help hiding the dust and cobwebs that would gather back in that far corner that I could not reach so I made myself this tri-fold screen.   I removed it from behind the sink so that I could photograph it better. (okay, the truth is that there are dirty dishes in the sink and I haven’t had time I have made one of the kids do them yet.) 

Here’s how I did it:

cut out three boards to a shape that I liked, the green is the ceiling paint, the center is a creamy white, I went around the outside with a gold paint pen,  ModPodge the wallpaper cut out to the center of each screen, applied a crackle finish, added a dark Umber glaze to highlight the crackle, and finally combined them together with a hinge.

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Close up of the cut out wallpaper and crackle finish.

Wall-Paper-Screen-Project

Close up of gold paint pen finish, and hinges.

Wall-paper-cut-out-kitchen-clock

The same treatment I used to make a coordinating clock

Wall-paper-Trivet

and trivet.

The trivet was made by my Dad.  He framed a floor tile and added little wooden balls to the bottom side.  I add a picture hook to the back side allowing me to hang the trivet when not in use, doubling as artwork.

Wall-Paper-Trivet-close-up

Close-up of trivet and crackle finish.

I have already had a busy morning…. cleaned the truck, sanded down the chest that I bought at the local flea market (oh, haven’t seen the chest yet?  Follow me on Facebook), washed down the siding and the back deck, edited and wrote this very post, and now I need to take a quick shower and go to work! 

Linking to Before Blogging Throwback Thursday Party

Hope you have a productive day as well,

 

 

Carrie

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

If only I had a pool!

Hello there! 

My little sanctuary is kind-of-sort-of coming together.  I say that because right now my backyard looks nothing like this at all.  In fact, all the backyard “goodies” are piled up in a heap as the new roof is going on.  I did have the whereabouts within me to take some photos the night before construction started, hence, the very dark photos.  

DIY-Chaise-Lounge-Chairs

I stained the chairs and the stand with SW’s solid deck stain in “Lodge Brown”.

*The “SPA” blue umbrella is leaning because I just plunked it down in the stand while it awaits the base to finished (DIY concrete in a flower pot with a PVC pipe in the center).

Lowes-Chaise-Lounge-Pattern

For some reason I was thinking that I had this plan in my inspiration file for along time.  For me to complete a project in one year’s time is not bad at all!!!  Giving myself a “You go girl” pat on the back!

I’m not sure if the plans can be order from Lowe’s or even downloaded off their website, but I did stumble on to The Design Confidential blog that has a printable plan for the PB Chaise Lounge,  the PB Umbrella Stand and Side Table, plus pretty much the entire collection of PB Chesapeake outdoor furniture!! 

Might I add, if you are planning on making a chaise lounge for yourself, please, don’t skip on the wheels.  They are heavy and it will require two people.   I was able to move the lounge chairs out of the garage and to the backyard by myself with easy even with a sore neck.

DIY-PB-Chaise-Lounge-Chairs

These lounge chairs are so comfy!  I love that I was able to snag the cushions from PB outlet at such a great price.   I am not crazy about the stone color.  What??? between the kids and the dogs, I don’t see them staying clean for very long.

Inspiration-colors

Let me tell you about the coming of this color palette.

  • It first started with a few purchases from Pottery Barn Outlet. Lounge Chair Cushion in stone and a Navy Blue Umbrella.
  • I was thinking nautical or even patriotic at this point.
  • Last Friday, I pick up a Double Chaise Lounge Cushion in a Jade Green and Stone stripe. (oh you haven’t see that yet?  Follow me on Facebook for all my sneak peaks.)
  • Then over the past weekend I picked up another great umbrella from Pier 1 in the prettiest “SPA” blue.
  • Now I am panicking a wondering how I am going to pull all these colors together?!?!?
  • And luck would be on my side when I spot this pillow (pictured above) at Home Depot.  It has all the colors….. Navy blue, Spa blue, and Jade green!     Most designers would have started with this pillow as their color inspiration but I’m different.  I like to make it hard on myself for one and let the end-of-the-season-sales be my inspiration!  lol

Outdoor-cushions-&-pillows

Oh, so I also snagged some new chair cushions and a few extra pillows for the dinette set.  The bamboo placemats I have had for years but have never used (price tags still attached).  With the recently overhead construction going on, I will have to wait to do a more spectacular tablescape.  This outdoor set is in need of some TLC.   I do have some plans for this table, just not sure if I will get to it this season. 

Carrie

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