Make it big and round!

    I like to consider myself pretty crafty and resourceful. So when the Hubs came into the house after putting out some holiday decorations and exclaimed he wanted to put a gigantic wreath in between the upstairs windows my mind started to churn. How much is a big wreath going to be? Do I have anything that big? What do I have? What's in storage still since the move? Ahhh!
    I went to a few stores to price out and nearly keeled over at the price tags.., this gigantic wreath was going to be over the $90 mark. *barf* Even with a sale coupon it was going to be over $50. *barf again* I just couldn't bring myself to buy one - not without checking what I had.
    A quick trip to storage to scan over the holiday decorations helped to ease the shock from the price tags. I had three medium-ish wreaths I picked up years ago at 90% that were uncovered in the move. My crafty mind churned once again. Sure they had a light pack on and said use only indoors BUT what if I removed the lights, cut the wreaths in half and linked them together to make a mega wreath!??!! OH and I had a box of plastic "unbreakable" ornaments I could zip tie on to decorate.
    I grabbed up all the items and made my way home only to realize I wasn't that strong enough to use the wire cutters to cut through the frame of the wreaths.., boo. I had to bat my pretty little lashes to ask the Hubs to cut and link. Once he did that with 2 wreaths he came to check in on the size. It was perfect!! No need for the third.
    My mega wreath was a big frail looking so I wrapped two strands of garland around to bulk it up. I zip tied the ornaments on and stepped back to admire my final work. It was perfect! The gigantic wreath that could have cost over $100 was sitting pretty waiting to be hung. My estimated cost is $15 with the garland being the most expensive thing in the bunch.
    What do you think? Not too shabby eh?

The spot the wreath is going to go -

a wimpy little wreath just wont do!

 

Call me "Craft-guyver"

(Ok don't - that was bad - haha)

 

What a beauty

- if I say so myself

There she sits

- pay no attention to the craptastic wood

- that's on the summer list of things to update

 

More thankfulness

    Where did I last leave off at? November 16th. So here are the next three things I am thankful for.
   
    17. Believe it or not, my ex-boyfriend. Ok so I dated a townie while I was going to college - yes I know - a townie. (It had it's perks like finding short cuts across town or a place to wait out a snow storm with his uber large family instead of the dorms before making the trip home). It started out so weird and to be honest it makes me giggle when I think of what an ass he was in the class we had together (I mean he was an ASS!) but our early relationship was awesome. I even became a nerd and learned how to play Magic the Gathering - yeahhh but luckily that whole thing tapped out. Of course the relationship started to fizzle as I was nearing my senior year. I was eventually going back home and the 2.5hr distance was less than appealing. He was having a hard time finding a path and by luck he was presented with one when a cousin came along. We were growing apart and when it finally came to a head it was ugly - like we did things to make each other hurt ugly - but before we both knew it we were fine with it. So much so when I spent my last Summer semester there we hung out and he even celebrated my graduation with my family and I. As much as I loved him and cared for him I don't think it would have ever worked any further than when it unraveled. Ok - so why am I thankful for him? Well he made me realize what and who I really, truly wanted to be in a relationship. I figured out what I really wanted out of relationship and what I didn't. His family also showed me that through the chaos and cluster that the siblings all cared for one another no matter who annoyed or peeved them off just minutes prior. So townie dating stigma aside, I learned a lot about myself, who I wanted to be with and had some great college experiences with him (seriously that back road short cut knowledge was stellar!)

A little shout out to former nerd me -

this was one of the themed decks created and a card I will never forget.

She looks pretty dang badass eh?

    18. Lets lighten this up - I am thankful for blue ink pens. I don't know why but I cannot stand writing anything in black ink. Blue ink is so bright and happy. That is why I always carry a blue pen with me just in case I have to fill something out and they don't have blue ink.

    19. Fruit snacks. I am thankful for fruit snacks because those 9 or so fruity little treasures tucked in that colorful plastic baggie brings me roughly about 7 or so minutes of peace and quiet around 9:45am. When the younger two are home with me that is about the time when the kitchen has become a disaster and I need a second cup of coffee so ripping open a pack of those and having them sit down in the living room is heaven sent!

    The month is nearing the end.., have you thought about what you're thankful for?

Catching up to catching up

    I haven't been online as much as I normally am. I've grown a bit indifferent about posting lately and I'm not sure why. But I'd like to keep at it and hope that someone out there is reading what I write. I'm sure at one point or another every "blogger" goes through that feeling.
   Ok - so enough of my sappy mood swing. Let's catch up to things that I am thankful for. I last left off on November 4th so I have a lot to catch up to! These are not in any particular order.

    5. Our "new to us" house. We totally out grew our 2 bedroom house two kids ago. Although it was a long and tedious process and decision, we found a house to call our home.
    6. Socks! I am totally thankful for warm, fuzzy socks. My feet get so chilly so I tend to layer on a few socks. (This was very useful when I was going to college and walking from the dorm to classes in snow!)
    7. My sewing machine my mum gave me. Although I haven't really truly set up my sewing/crafting space I've been using it far more than I did before the move.
    8. My cousin JP. She is like the little sister I never wanted - that's what I tell her. She's such a sweetheart and is sometimes too kind for her own good but she listens and lets me rant and rave.
    9. My friend LS. Even though she was only in New York for a few years, she was such an awesome friend before she moved back to Maryland. As much as I am elated that she finally found true love and had an amazingly beautiful baby boy, I miss her to no end! We had some great times before kids.., haha.
   10. My mandolin. One of the coolest Christmas gifts the Hubs got me. I just get a kick out of slicing something uniformly. I've made apple chips, apple fries, zucchini chips, beet chips...., and so on.
   11. The doctor when I had Bear. She was wonderful. She allowed us to have Lulu in the delivery room - bc what 5 year old doesn't want to cheer her mum on while delivering her sister? She was also great at helping me deliver Bear without an epidural (which in itself was amazing! If I could go back and redeliver the older two I would have done both without an epidural as well.)
    12. This one might be odd since I'm no longer pregnant nor will I be pregnant again BUT I am thankful for my cozy, purple maternity hoodie from Old Navy. I LOVE it. I can't bear to part with it.., EVER. That cozy hoodie kept me warm through all of my pregnancies. Yes, I apparently have an emotional attachment to a piece of clothing.
    13. Cuddles. I am so thankful for cuddles, especially when the kiddos know I need one. Those are the best! Two little arms wrapped around me hugging me with their warmth and love.
    14. Our dog, Jax. I wont forget the day we picked her up and I had her wrapped up in a Ninja Turtles towel. She slept in my arms the entire ride. Right after we brought Lulu home she became the protector. Although she's all bark and no bite, she's still a good "po-po".
    15. Coffee. I'm a mum of three...., enough said. Haha.
    16. This is going to sound like a back handed compliment...., but its true.., and its also not meant to be a compliment. Without getting into the entire gruesome back story..., I am thankful for my Hub's dad. We do not talk to him any longer, nor is he involved with us (a smart choice on my Hub's behalf)...., but I am thankful for him being a selfish, egotistical a**hat. My Hubs vowed to never be like that with our children. My Hubs is involved and very hands on with our children, has been since the minute they were born. He will not take fatherhood for granted like his dad did.

    Ok - there! I am caught up. And for that.., I am thankful. What are some things you are thankful for?

Catching up to four

    Things have been rather busy here. Some things have been out of sorts but others have been leveling off. Let's not forget we jammed a holiday where mass candy consumption is considered the norm. I am hoping that we are all back on track and things are closer to the "normal" we had going.
    With that intro under my belt.., here is the start of my list for things I am grateful for.., not just in the month of November but year round!

    1. My three children. They are unique in every way and they are simply amazing. Lulu is the dancer and singer of the group - she never stops moving or singing even when it would be in her best interest. She has a heart of an Aquarian for sure. T.W is the thinker of the group and he is true to his emotions. He will be the first to tell you if he likes or doesn't like something. He can crush my heart then cradle it into a loving, gooey mixture the next second. Lastly, Bear is my reader. She may be 17 months but she can sit down with a book and be still for a good 8 minutes or more. She has also mastered the adorable yet uber cheese smile.
    2. My Husband. 89% of the time he manages to make me smile or laugh, the other percentage is his silly attempts to make me smile or laugh but I don't - haha. He is a very hard worker, both on the job and at home. If it weren't for him the dishes would hardly get done and the laundry. Since the first diaper change in the hospital he always takes care of our children and is truly an outstanding father.
    3. My parents. It might have taken me a bit through those teen years but I am so incredibly thankful for their support and lessons taught. I believe some of my frugalness sprouted from trips to the store with my dad. Some of my crafting passion came from my mum - which brings me to #4 for today....
    4. I am thankful that my mum enrolled me into 4-H and allowed me to be creative. Without that I don't think I would have ever fallen in love with art. I would have never been able to look at a project and figure it out or put my spin on it. (Like T.W's mural on his wall that I will be posting about in a week or so once I'm done)

    What are some things you are grateful for year round, not just during the month of November?