Stand Together Support

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Quick Post.
Two new buttons.
Check 'em.

Get your number{s} at Stand Together
and
Make Christmas Count for little Xander over at Life Rearranged


Also…
Check out what Mal ordered for her Winter Wonderland Wedding?!
Snow?!
You sure know how to make New Englanders feel WELCOME! :)

Nebraska Weddings and Clickable Question

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My DEAR, DEAR, DARLING, friend Mal is getting married.
In Nebraska.
Where she is from.
Mr B. and I are headed to Omaha.
From Massachusetts.
Where we are from.

Did I mention Mal is a Dear friend?
We're Boston Ballet Pals.
I believe we met 4 years ago.  5?

The friends I make at the Ballet every summer are INCREDIBLE.
Some I see once a year when they fly up from Texas {Medical School} to have dinner with me {and their other MA friends}.
Some I talk to EVERY day about their lives in Illinois {Chicago}.
Some I talk to EVERY month about their lives in Ohio {Graduate School}.
Some I email daily to hear all about Boston.
Some call me and SAVE my life every time they do.
They're built in cheerleaders and best friends.
Sure, we were co-workers first, but now, now we're best friends.

While I was patiently waiting for Mr. B to finish packing his "carry on" with my pre washed and pre sealed outfits, he commented on my odd MacBooking way I'd trained my fingers to work.

Ignore the chipping polish, I packed my matching outfit color for tomorrow. :)
I didn't really notice I was using the pad that way.
Weird, huh?

See you in Omaha.

Pinterest Challenge #13 - DIY Holiday Ornaments

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Getting in the holly jolly spirit, yet?
LMG and I had a blast turning some old, crackly bulbs into - well - what they're becoming is another post, but this the story about how we got clear bulbs from these beauts below.
Pour a little BLEACH into the bulb, cap with your finger, and GENTLY shake, shake, shake; shake, shake, shake; shake your booty, shake your....I mean...well...you know...
The outside coating came off after soaking in water.  
Once cleaned, set to dry in an egg carton.
Price for 25 bulbs...free.
That feels good.
You could CHOOSE any color.
We used what I had left from the Summer.
Pour about a tablespoon worth into the bulb and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!
Place again in the egg carton to let them drip out excess paint and dry.
I also have to make Pink ones...to which LMG emphatically announced...he would not like pink :).
Check back tomorrow and see what we turned those bulbs into. :)

Pinterest Challenge #12 - Ruffled Tree Skirt

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Did you guess what yesterday's sneak peek was?
A NO Sew Tree Skirt!  
They're ALL OVER pinterest and GORGEOUS.
Mine took three hours to make.
60 mini sticks of hot glue.
4 yards of fabric of choice.
Dollar Tree Dollar tree skirt as base.

I cut my strip two inches thick as the tutorials recommend.  
Then started gluing on the ruffle.
Here we are on our way
{When I ran out of fabric} :)
My fabric was a linen-y type gray and white stripe. 
$1.50 a YARD from Le Wal Mart!
That's right for 6 bucks for THIS!

When I got to the top, or the end, I was not so happy with the finished result, so I came up with something to finish the ends.
Taking a 2 inch strip of fabric, I sprayed on glue, and folded the edges over.
I then just whipped stitched it on at the top for a more finished look.  SEW SIMPLE.
Since the dollar tree skirt has velcro already, I just made some fabric flowers with my leftover fabric and put those over the velro spot.
This very afternoon LMG and I went to town at my Mom's House.
 J'Adore.

 I love LOVE LOVE!
Happy Holidays!

Inspired, want to make one....Mustard Seed Interior TUTORIAL!
 

Sneak Peek...

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I hope to finish this project today.
Between needing MORE fabric and HOT GLUE STICKS...it's taken two days.
Can you guess what this awesome fabric will become?

Pinterst Challenge #11 - Holiday Card Holder

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I pinned a ton of these totally awesome holiday card holders, on my December Board.
#1
#2
#3
They are all fabulous.
#1 wasn't ornate enough.
#2 wasn't really practical in that once the cards were there, it loses the cuteness
#3 wasn't, well, I'm NOT Martha...
So I started at the Dollar Tree - 'member when I was broke?
I picked these wooden plaques and shadow boxes up to do a craft with my VA niece and nephew.  
They were only here for 24 hours and most of that we were catching up.  
The boxes had metal doodads on the top that were easy enough to remove with a tiny, TINY, screwdriver.

So, enter LMG and a holiday card craft.

Using "birdhouse" paint, brushes, crackle, and mode podge, we chose three base colors for the boxes.
The green and red were for one project, the white is for another.
We planned to use scrapbook paper in the middle, so you can forgo painting there.
Once dry, apply crackle, let dry and coat with top color, we chose gold.
Let dry and allow time for crackle work.  
Measure scrapbook paper, cut, and using adhesive spray, coat the back and stick inside.
Elmers or white glue will pucker and bubble, spray adhesive is the way to go.
Once dried, and papered, give a good coat of hodgepodge to the entire box.
While those were drying, LMG and I decorated our plaques.  Let them drive, use a sharpie to add details, and modge podge.  I really like the look of this holder...just not the size...too small.  
Because I was a on a budget and those clips were #2.88 for TWO, I bought a whole box of mini clips.
Using our boxes, we hot glues clips around the box and one INSIDE each box. 
Hot glue ribbon onto all your pieces, hang and enjoy!
For under $5.00 you get a hanger that not only holds, but displays your cards.
LMG was out of his MIND between painting and HOT GLUING....I'm in that boys good graces :)

Permission to Move On

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I'm going to move forward.
The whole HS Reunion thing was so, SO....Saturday night.
I appreciate the Bertram's take that I didn't miss much.
And I was reading over Iyanla's words...
"I give you permission to stop wishing the past could be any different."
Moving forward can be hard because we long to make different choices "then".

I'm not a mother, or a wife, YET, but I think about the children in my life, Mr. B, my AMAZEballs friends, and nutty family and but for the grace of God, I have all of them, BECAUSE of the past.
It's why I LOVE working for the Ballet and 14 and 15 year old who are so introverted in their small world.
I love to SEE them, really see them.
Hug them goodnight, tell them I love them, and that I SEE THEM.
Because no friend of mine in HS ever did.
How in class of 346 I felt so alone is beyond me.
But, I think about that sadness and how it brought me to the Accountant, who changed my WHOLE LIFE.  Literally, my WHOLE Life.  Who, in spite of not being husband material, SAW ME.
I think about Anaise, a small, gregarious 4 year old, who in my senior year, in our HS preschool, SAW ME.
And the truth of the matter is, while I didn't  have friends in my hs class, He was leading me to BETTER, stronger, more faithful friends, all the while tending to our relationship, growing it, fostering it.
Sorry blog land friends, I really did start to write a post about my pinterest pins...but this was sitting there needing to be written.
So, I give YOU permission to stop wishing the past could be any different.  
What will that allow you to move into?  
That sentiment feels a lot like grace.

ALSO:

Ehem, on a totally and terrifically random aside, Mr. B and I have heard MOOING, distressed mooing outside our house all afternoon and into the evening.
Mr. B doesn't think they exist, just wait until mating season, Mr. B.  Just WAIT.

Protected wetlands aside, we have bears, fisher cats, polliwogs, skunks, and squirrels...but to the best of my knowledge there isn't any cows...at what point to we call the...the...um...a farmer?

It's beginning to look a lot like...

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I love the holiday season.
Maybe I love it a little too much :).

I love it a lot.
The sights, the smells, the friends, the joy.

THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF JOY!

Anyhoozle, I'm on a BUDGE. ETTE. this year.  
Like, I maybe have $4.00 left from NYC :).

Great.

So.

I want to make this:

For less than $4.00.
I'm off to give that a try.
It will be a small skirt, for a small tree, for our bedroom.
Living room tree is big and grand.

Though, any xmas decor at our house is DWARFED by my Auntie Les' house with a tree in EVERY ROOM.

Someday.

Oh.
And I'm praying for you.  And you.
You know who you are.
Two beautiful strong women who need a little faith today.
I have a little faith for you.
:)

Also...Question?

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Saturday Night was my 10 year High School Reunion!
Genuinely, I was busy.
Had Plans.
Great, family, plans.

But even sans plans, I don't think I would have gone.
This annoyed Mr. B.
He wanted to go as my date.
Meet my {friends}.
I explained, of the 346 people I graduated with, not a one would I consider a {friend}.

It was a bit of a back and forth.
I finally won because it was MY reunion.
And WE had plans. :)

I will spend a little more time with my thoughts and write a post about why, but I was wondering if you went to yours?  Or your 20th, 30th?

My heart is a little heavy with remorse.
Meh. 

Blog Update and Cousins

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My poor little blog was in blog identity crisis.
It's my own issue.
I just take it out on the blog.
:)
I read a bajillion blogs.
Literally.
A bajillion.
Poor Mr. B this weekend, when we were traveling to and from NYC.
All I talked about was blogs I was reading.

And how pretty they are and how envious I was.
Know what Mr. B said?
"You're capable."
I smile at how simply he can quiet me.
Comfort me.
So I set to it tonight.
What do you think?
I'm happier-ish :)...
That header...uggh. 
Tell me we'll get there. :)

Anyhoozle.
When we returned from our whirlwind slumber party in the city, did laundry, and rested, my cousins arrived from VA.

Nick and Nat and their rentals.
Nat is 12.
Nick is 9.
I am in KID over load.
LOVER load. :)

Nick is such a little LOVE bug.
I was missing LMG, but survived.
Natalie is a 7th grader and too cool for school :).
No seriously, she's boss.

She spotted {I made her look} at my new magnetic board and she liked it! {Click photo for previous post}
She and her mom, Tina, went to town and BEFORE they left MA, they had this...
ALL hand made by Natalie.  
Duck tape and hand made ribbons.
That's a niece after my heart.
Mañana begins ALL OUT CHRISTMAS-FICATION.

Side note: SEE DESCENDANTS.  Bring tissue.
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