Malorie and Grandma & Grandpa

Her she is.

Malorie Jane

We're behind the door, looking through the glass.

I think she was putting lipstick on, that's what took so long.

They took her into the nursery to observe her for a few hours (the little stinker didn't want to breathe/cry at first) and all we saw was Matt's feet through the  closed blinds.

Matt had them open the blinds.

She was not happy with being left.

The new dad .

Matt's Birthday

 Matt's turning the the big 31. We had his birthday dinner Sunday, complete with carrot cake.

The grandkids also filled in a hole for me.

Ozark House Painting and Fun

So what is the best way to paint a house? We have a side-split, so the east half needs an extension ladder to paint under the eaves and trim. But that's a lot of balancing and moving of ladders. The answer is to borrow an old bucket truck. This rust heap isn't insured or licensed, but the bucket works. The friend doesn't live far and its all back roads. The plus, it actually ran, plus-plus we no longer have mosquitoes. Negative, I've lost lung function. It has worked out fantastice. It also brought great joy to the grandkids. Nothing is funner (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/is-funnest-a-word.aspx) then riding in a bucket. Now that's Ozark White-Trash Living.

Hideously Lovely

What to do with two 'lovely' items? The mirror is gold plastic, the lamp missing a shade. I decided to 'dress' them up for my granddaughters. (A bonus is sending their parents over the edge with more tacky items for the girls' room).

So I tried on type of spray paint, but it was pretty blah for the purple I was going for.

Basically it was clear (the white is the primer) with some purple glitter. I then re-sprayed them with Glitter Blast (I forgot to take a picture  - this blogging is not my forte'). Oh, and buy a cheap shade.

Next was adding old jewlry to the shade. BTW you can see a peek of the purple base to the lamp. Just hot glue the spangles on.

Yes, its tacky. Yes its PURPLE. Yes it drives my son-in-law nuts. And yes, the girls LOVE it!

I Mustache U a ?

What is it with mustaches in the crafting world? In real life I don't like mustaches; I just don't get their appeal. Now a fake mustache? That's always funny. Anyway I found a cheap easy way to add the joy of mustaches in your life.

Gather the supplies you'll need. Paper, markers (pemanent), scissors (not shown), and thin vinyl (I got the thinnest there). You can get this in the fabric department at Walmart. I got 1/2 yard and spent a whopping 49 cents. BTW: I only used 5 cents worth at most.

Draw or trace different mustache/beard shapes onto the paper.

Lay the vinyl over the paper and trace the shapes onto the vinyl.

Now color in the shapes with the markers. Its best to color the main color and then add shading with any other color.

Cut out the shapes. I didn't cut the center out of the mustache/beard ones. I put them on the paper so they could be seen easily.

Place on any glass.   Mirrors work great.

Now this would make my day if I was greeted at the door with this.

Don't miss the opportunity to add some fun to other people's pictures. (Always keep extra mustaches in your purse or pocket if you go visiting.) How long before they will notice?







After seeing the fun of these mustaches my daughter said, "That looks like a lot of work and time for not much."
1. It was soooo cheap
2. It didn't take hardly anytime (getting positioned for the photo-shoot took the longest).
3. Doesn't "a lot of work and time for not much" sum up the vast majority of blog crafting?  :)

Apple Crisp

So how is the best way to make apple crisp? Its to use apples that would have otherwise gone to waste.

All over is fruit, nuts, etc. that is just laying on the ground. My neighbors are older and no longer pick their fruit trees, so when I notice that apples are laying around I ask if I can pick their apples. This 'gleaning' helps them have their yard cleaned and I get free fruit. When 'gleaning' be sure to pick up all the apples (or what ever you're getting) - even the rotton ones. You can compost the rotton ones, feed them to your chickens, or just throw them away; just be sure to clean them up as a courtesy. The food you 'glean' probably won't be grocery perfect, but it most likely will be totally organic.         So take your apples and prep them (core and peel and slice).    Add sugar and cinnamon (and I add a teaspoon of almond extract - I love it).

Change to a bigger pan because you misjudge. Mix flour, sugar, butter, and pecans (use your hands and mix until it is 'mealy').

Sprinkle over the apples and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Serve with ice-cream.  YMMMM!!!

The chickens enjoy all the 'bad' apples.