Nail polish

My nail polish for today. 

That is all.

Error - does not compute!

My love of changing backgrounds and my use of Blogger has clashed Im afraid.  For some reason after the Halloween Holiday was over, blogger wont seem to let me switch to my cute new Fall/ Thanksgiving template. Im trying not to pout about it.   In the meantime, I am trying to make the bast of it and use a simple generic template from blogger.  UGH!

New personalized photo frame I made

My first soccer season is dwindling down at my new job at the trophy store.  We still are getting orders, but they are nothing like the crazy busy we were last week.  As tired as I was by the end - I have to say it was fun.  I really enjoy putting together trophies, knowing that they will be recieved and reward someone for their hard work.

I did find the time to put together one project.  A frame I have been wanting to make for my step son and his new wife (my new step daughter in law). 

The photo of it isnt the best, but the project came out looking good.  In fact Im going to make one and put one of the photos Otis and I had taken last weekend for our bedroom.

It is an 8x10 plaque with a 7x9 piece of silver/black flexi engraved on the front.  Their photo will go in the middle.  I love working with the engraving machine, and am already thinking of different versions of this for Christmas presents!  If you would like one let me know and I will let you know the costs etc.  I can pretty much engrave any saying etc you want onto the front - how cool is that?!!!

I havent dont much more int he way of Halloween decorating - at least not like I did last year.  Im finding with all the work Im doing I just dont have the energy for it.  Oh well, its life.

My main goal today is to relax, regroup, do alittle house cleaning, some fall yard work (which I dont want to) and then go fishing!  I really hope that happens!

Sports trophy season!

I have been super busy at work and havent had hardly any time to do any crafting etc at home.  We are in full on sports (soccer and football) trophy season right now with a ton of team orders to fill.

Buy the end of the day, the orders look like this...

All ready to be picked up!

As busy as it is, it is fun knowing that your making something that will reward kids (and in a small way their parents) for all the hard work they put into games and practices.  Its a good feeling to know you just made something some kids will treasure....and some will just throw on the floor in the bottom of their closet - but hey thats life! :)

Anyhow, time to go get ready for work!  And Im sorry that my blog is more about my life and my job right now - Im just so busy thats all I have time to blog about right now.

Makin medals!

I have been really busy with work lately so by the time I get home, I just want to hang with the kids, relax and go to bed.

I wanted to show the medals that we made yesterday tho - Arent they cool!  They look even better in real life.  It is alot of fun making something you know someone will treasure getting for years to come!

Oh - and if you would like the Meridian Trophy facebook page - I would really appreciate it as we are trying to build the page up.  And, if your in the need for Soccor, football,  baseball trophies - just give me a call! - I can hook ya up :)  We can even ship them right to your door!

Car trash can

BHG.com

This may be my favorite idea ever.  I want to do it in both mine and my husbands car as I really hate the trash that piles up. 

I love simple ideas to keep us all organized that don't require remodeling or spending thousands on storage solutions.

Chicken dinner!

I thought I share a meal that my kids really love and is fairly simple to make.

Cornish game hens!

Each one of the kids gets their own tiny bird.  They are teens so eating all or most of it isn't a problem.

Just butter then up and pop them into the oven- they come out looking like this.

Oh they look so yummy and smell sooooo good!

I don't know if its just because its a great meal, or the fun of being able to eat like your at a Renaissance fair.  But the kids sure like it!

The Halloween Mantel!

I have decorated the fireplace for Halloween! 

What I do...

This is one of the many things I get to do at my new job!  Make trophies!  Its actually alot of fun.  Knowing that someone is going to be very excited to get what your making for them.  That it will put a smile on their face - well, it's a really good feeling!

Gettin out the Halloween!

Ok - I cant wait any longer!  I'm getting out the Halloween Decor!  I just cant stand it anymore - The ZOMBIES are beckoning!

Libby went to Homecoming!

Last night my only daughter and babyof the family, Libby, went to her first High school Dance!  It was Homecoming.  Since she is only a freshman and 14 she went with a group of girls and just met the boys there.

We (Libby and I ) had gone to Macy's a few days before and were lucky enough to find the exact dress we had liked online!  We then picked out shoes etc.  It was fun.  Then yesterday while out shopping, Otis and I picked up some earrings to go with her dress.

The girls were so excited and all your could hear were squeals and music  from upstairs the whole time they got ready.

Here is a close up of her earrings and her curls!

 Here they are as they ran out the door!  They met up with more friends at the dance.  They both looked so beautiful!  After all that, I was too tired to craft or anything else- but it was so worth it!

My daughter is going to Homecoming!

This is my baby girl Libby.  Saturday is her first high school dance!  She is so excited.  We went shopping and got her dress, shoes etc so she is all set and ready to go.  Grandma and Grandpa were over the moon excited and taking photos. 

My dad kept patting me on the back and asking me "How are you feeling mother?"  I know that this is probably a new step in my life but I'm just so excited that I don't care.  So what if I'm getting older - I love the new changes in my life and in my teenagers lives.  Yes we are all growing up... In so any ways.

blog under construction~!

please be patient - blog under construction today - will be fixed by tonight :)

My daughter made cake pops!

My daughter has been wanting to try these for a long time so finally we just decided to go for it!

The recipe was simple -

1 box cake mix
1 jar nutella
melted chocolate to coat.

Libby made the cake, and crumbled it into a large bowl.  She then added the nutella and mixed until it was smooth.  We then scooped and formed balls.

We then stuck the sticks into them and froze them overnight as she had a babysitting job.

The next day they looked like this....

So yummy looking already!

We then melted some chocolate in my tempering machine.

She did have fun dipping the chocolate!

We did have a fun time!

Ring from a quarter!

I guess this is what you do when you can't sleep.  And you miss your Mr. Sweetheart so much.

You make him a ring!

It is a silver ring with the words "All my heart forever" engraved on the outside.

The best part?  I made it from this....

Yep!  A quarter.  It does have to be from a 1964 quarter of earlier I think and here are the instructions I used.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-silver-ring-for-25-cents/

It takes a long time.  But it is cool.

Still counting the days till my hubby gets home.  Ugh - still really miss him :)

Scanning photos

I have been busy.  I got an idea in my head the other day that since my sweetheart is in NY with his family.  That this is the first time they have been together in years, and that I have most of the family photos here - well, that I would find a way to share them.

I dragged out the old photos albums.  Then I realized that those old photo albums were LITERALLY rotting away the photos.  SO. Not. Good!.  So, I started peeling them out and one by one scanning them to my computer until my mom called and offered her scanner.  I grabbed it all and headed over.  Instead of taking hours to do 100 photos I scanned 700 photos in just around an hour.  AMAZING.

It is the Kodak i1220 and worked wonders for this project!

I then just put them on a zip disc and took them home :)

I am now in the process of downloading all the photos onto a disc as well as a facebook page.  The facebook page I wasn't sure about because its literally putting all the family photos "out there" but I wanted to get them the photos fast and so they could access them at several locations.  I may take it down eventually but for now it is ok.

I so miss my sweetheart and so hopefully sitting down with his kids and going over old times will bring a smile to his face.  Oh and I do think I get a tiny gold star for adding pics of his ex as well, but when I look at them - its history and the past and how can I keep them from loving photos of their mom and whole family.  I hope she doesn't mind and I do think she looks good in them. 

Ugh I miss my husband.

The 2nd day of school

I dont have much time before I have to gently waken (drag their hinnies out of bed) 3 teenagers for school.  Day 2 has got to be better than day one!

Yesterday..  The first day of school!  I got three kids up and ready for that all anticipated first day of school.  Them? no I meant me!  Actually not really because it means a whole school year of 6 am mornings and trying to get the hustled out the door.  Instead of the posed photo of 3 beaming kids, I only got a few candid shots of the kids and they got ready.

Anthony....

He is just brimming with excitement! Cant ya tell :)

Andrew...

He did at least sit down for this shot.

Most of the time he looked like this....

A mini panic attack about not having enough pencils

And then there was Libby...

She managed to look away from the computer long enough to get her pic taken - she was trying to facebook before school!

It went somewhat well - Andrew wants to be there and hour early, Libby would like to be there fashionably late, but finally the two of them headed out the door with Otis driving them to school.

Then all I had to do was wait for the special needs bus to pull up and send Anthony out, get ready for work and I was on my way!  I then had a conversation that was kinda like this.

"mom, I dont feel good"  - Anthony

"I know, hun.  Your tired but you will get used to it" - me

That was about it because by the time I turned around from the window to look at him he was throwing up- ALL over himself.  Oh fun.  I ran for the bowl and we did damage control.  After we got him changed, he still wasnt up to speed to we ended up having him lay down for a while and Otis took him to school about an hour later.

At least they all made it.

So,  as the alarm is just now sounding,  please PLEASE wish me luck!  Today needs to go smoother than yesterday!

Oh and did I mention that through all of this the bus never showed up?

Feathers!

Today we went to the fair.  We had a great time but we also did one thing I had a hunch was coming. 

My daughter got feathers!

No, She isnt turning into a bird.  Feathers are a very popular trend with teen girls right now.  When she first saw these, she didnt like them at all!  But!  It is amazing how a teen girls mind can change when her friends start getting them!

Here she is while the salesgirl is trying on different colored feathers in her hair.  You dont want to clash your feathers!

 As you can tell she had a hard time deciding! But finally settled on pink and white.  We spurged on 2 feathers.  They are supposed to last for 4 months in your hair with no ill effects.  Im a bit skeptical.

Once she decided they attach the feathers with a crimp bead and she was set to go.

And there she is!  All set for the first day of HIGH SCHOOL next week!  I cant believe my baby is going to be a freshman!

Anthony and his trophy!

I got a call this morning from my special needs son.  It was cute- he has just learned to use the phone..  He decided that he wanted to go see my new job and that he needed to meet my new boss.  I said ok.

Later in the day we all got ready and drove over.  Anthony was alittle nervous at first to go in.  We showed him around and my boss John came over and introduced himself to Anthony and my husband.  He then told Anthony he could have his own trophy and he could watch me make it for him.  We went into the back room and I made up the name plate.  When we asked him what he wanted it to say under his name, he wasn't sure then finally whispered "the emperor" so we typed it in and he watched at it engrave in the machine.  Then my co-worker Misty mounted it to a base and screwed on the figurine. 

All the way home he was over the moon excited about his trophy!

He ran right over when we got home to show Nana and Grandpa!

He has shown just about everyone his trophy and says it is the best one he has ever gotten!  Im so impressed with how nice my new boss is!  I also really like my one and only co-worker Misty.  It really looks like its going to be a fun place to work!

The best part was when he told me the trophy made him feel like a winner!

Headaches vs web/blog design

You know how they say there is nothing worse than trying to get sympathy for a headache?  Cause it is a major pain, hard to describe and pretty much invisible to everyone else!  I have found something much worse!  I'm not kiddin ya!  What is it?

Learning web building and blog design!

I know, your totally blown away. 

Why?  because I spent HOURS last weekend working on different aspects of the website I work on and my blog design.  HOURS!  Reading and re-reading instruction on how to do things that when I first go over them in truth it sounds like I'm reading the Chinese instructions.  To an entertainment center laying in 5 million pieces in my living room.  It is just that hard!

Then after the hours of goofing up, starting over, redoing, etc I finally have a breakthrough!  As I do my small football happy dance in front of the computer I always call in my husband to see the new and improved changes.  Can you feel the excitement?

My husband comes in and peers down at my screen....  5 minutes go by and he says nothing.... 

"Arent you going to say anything?" I ask him.

"umm, I cant really see what you have done" is his reply.

"  UGH!  do you SEE that button?  I made it a tiny bit larger.  And instead of popping up on the left, it is now centered!  CENTERED!  Oh and when you mouse over the word it is highlighted in red!  Can you believe it!  Frickin RED!  This is amazing!  My head is pounding from doing all this and you dont even notice the awesomeness of it all?" Im practically falling on the floor at this point.

"oh wow hun, it looks really good.  Love the work.  I'll leave you alone to finish it up." as he makes a backwards crawl out of the room.

He just doesnt see it.

Oh well, I love him anyway! :)  And in reality he does see it , he just doesnt see what a pain it all was to do.

Just like a headache.

Gnome Whisperer

After a long day I settled in for the evening to relax.


I heard a light knocking on my door and went to answer.


It seems I have new visitors to my home....

Three small gentle gnomes stood at my door.  They were very shy and quiet but seemed to want something very much.  They had the most pleading look in their eyes.....

It seems word has gotten around in all the popular gnome "hangouts" that I'm the one to see if your a gnome in the need of some umm, how shall we say it.... gnome lifting?  I guess Im the go to person if your a tired weather beaten and worn out gnome looking for alittle "work" done.


Hmmm I said, come inside and I'll see what I can do....

The relief on their faces was quick and truly genuine.  I was touched and quickly ushered them into my laboratory.....oops,  did I say that? ..... I meant craft area. 


Let the work begin...

"Insert evil gnome laugh here"

Bath and Body Halloween items

I was doing pretty well today at the mall with my mom.  Remembering my budget and reminding myself that I really didnt need anything right now.  Still need to get the kids a few clothes for school so that comes first.  Until that is, I walked past Bath and Body Works and saw their....

Halloween Items!

There Is something about Halloween Decor I just cant walk away from.  Not that I buy everything I see, more that I have to check it out!

I did end up splurging and getting a few things for the house.

Frankenstein plug in - so adorable!



Witches Kiss Lip gloss!  For my daughter :)

Skull Scent for my hubby's car.

Yeah I know, it isnt even close to Halloween yet.  Close enough that stores are setting out all their fun items.  This is going to be a long holiday for me.    Im never going to last!