Spring Bird Cages

I was/am in a crafting mood lately.

I picked up these ugly bird cages at Michael's right after Christmas for 60% off. They were a dollar to begin with, so I got them for $0.40 each.

I saw the potential in them right away, even though this orange color was not acceptable.

So, I bought a few and brought them home. Then, I got a can of spay paint, and went to work.

I set up a table and like an idiot, used my drop cloth to protect the table instead of an old newspaper. Psh!

I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed.

Then, after about 8 coats (and you could still see orange because, like an idiot, I didn't prime first) my co-worker who is also my neighbor came walking home from work and asked me what in the world I was doing.

So I told her as I continued to spray about 3 more coats on.

Then, when they were completely dry, I got some moss (remember from this post?) and put it in the bottom. Then, I added some flowers (also from this post...) and some eggs that I made up while crafting...I'll post those later.

Voila! Pretty spring bird cages! Not as nice as I would like. I'd really like some cute little birdy nests in there. But, my adorable 2 year old niece loves them. She came to "Aunt Heaver's" and right away said "pretty cage" and made my heart melt.

Marriage Challenge Week 9

I feel so terrible about how late this is. Yuck. I’m such a bad bloggy friend. Please accept my most sincere apologies.

This week’s marriage challenge is the following…

Keep the lines of communication open with your spouse. If you know, for example, that they way you are about to say something to him is going to upset him, let him know first that you are going to say something he may not like, but that you don’t intend to upset him. Then, try to phrase it in a way that might not be as upsetting. If there is no way around or (or even if there is) ask him if there’s anything he’d like to say in response. Be nice about it and be level-headed. No jumping into a potential argument. No judging him. No spouse bashing. Just open, honest conversation.

How do you keep the lines open in your home?

If you’re new, grab the button and follow along. Let me know what you have to say. I always like to read what you have to write!



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BookSneeze Review: Eat Your Peas for Mom

I received my first book for review from BookSneeze last week. The book I chose was Eat Your Peas for Mom.

Eat Your Peas for Mom was such a short read, but so full of truth for moms. The cover calls it “A 3-minute forever book” and it really is. It is a heart-touching gift book written from a child’s perspective for her mom and is chock-full of blessings for one’s mom. The illustrations were also beautifully done. The book opens with a scripture. Proverbs 31:28 (NKJV) says “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” It is one of my personal favorites, and one that I try to live up to, myself. In the book, the reader will see all the ways the person who gave them the book appreciates them. From things like saying “I’m sorry” to “thank you,” this book is truly meant to touch someone’s spirit. The author also includes things like calling herself blessed by her mother, and asks her mother how she became so wise or was able to make parenting look easy when, in reality, it is anything but.

I loved the colors of the text and the way the words were printed to look like they were hand written. This may be a little quirky, but I also loved the texture of the pages. They almost felt like a woven quilt, which, incidentally, a quilt is mentioned in the book. I love how soft they are and how they help draw the reader into the words of the book. I also like how she concludes the book by telling her mother to take time for herself and to start to pursue her own dreams in life. It turns from the mother being the cheerleader to the one being cheered for.

All in all, this book was something that would bless your mom for all the wonderful things she has done for you. I would even go so far as to say that if you also had another woman in your life that helped raise you, she would be blessed by this also. This book would make a great Mother’s Day or birthday gift for a child to give his or her mom to show how much she is truly loved, appreciated, and needed.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Last MHR...For Now...

I've more than met my MHR year-long goal. It's been a wonderful year of telling everyone how much Mike rocks.

That said, I'm not going to not post some great things about him, but I'm not going to be committed to posting weekly anymore. Maybe in the future, I'll do it again, but I just don't know for now.

Last week, Mike rocks because he took me to pick 2 new vases/candle holders. Thanks Hunny!

I'll post picks later!

Marriage Challenge Week 8

Hi all! Did you forgive your spouse.

I am not one to generally hold a grudge, but Mike and I did have a little fight last week. I remembered my challenge for you all, and made sure to forgive him right away so that it could breed nothing in me that I could wind up resenting him for.

It felt good.

This week's challenge: Do something for your spouse that he/she enjoys. For example, Mike enjoys watching certain shows on TV. But, he also likes to let me pick the programs we watch. A good idea for this week is to pick the program he wants to watch.

If you are doing the marriage challenge, let me know, grab my button and tell others, and follow along!




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$3 Spring Decor!

So, this is the kind of day it has been in my area.

I've been wanting to "springify" my house for a few weeks now, and now that spring is almost here, it's the time to do it.

While I was at Walmart, I picked up 3 bunches of artificial Narcissus. I have a dead tree in my yard. It's been dead for over a year now. I haven't gotten around to pulling it out yet (it's still a young tree, so it should come right out as compared to felling it) because hubby and I haven't decided what to replace it with.

Yesterday before the rain, I went out and trimmed about 6 branches off. Then, today I trimmed them down to a manageable size. I also trimmed off any unwanted shoots.

I plugged in my hot glue gun, and while it was heating up, I trimmed the flowers off of the stems. (This picture reminds me a little of Morticia Addams and the roses she would carry...hehehe!)Then, I sectioned them into 6 groups.

I ended up with 7 stems, since I was able to get 2 out of 1 branch, and I only used 2 flower bunches on some stems, 3 on some stems and 4 on a stem or 2. I didn't want them to look too symmetric, since nature is anything but symmetrical.

I hot glued the flowers to areas where the shoots came off of the stems.

Then, I put them in my glass vases.

My grandmother gave me some moss she picked up while living in Florida (like, picked up off the ground, that stuff can be everywhere down there), and I put that in the bottom of my vase.

Now, this weekend, I'm going to put some Easter eggs in the vases to give it another nice punch of color. I'm also hoping to get my decorating done.

Cost:
Branches: Free
Hot Glue: On hand
Moss: On loan
Flowers: $0.94 each ($0.94 x 3 + 6% tax = $2.99)
I'll post again once my decorating is complete. In the mean time, I'll be linking up here:

Frugal Finds: Walmart Clearance

So, I posted last night about how Mike left me run off to Walmart to do some craft shopping. It's what happens when the craft bug strikes at 8 pm. No one else is open.

Off I went, when I came across this aisle filled with clearance stuff. They didn't just have kids stuff either. They had women's clothes and men's clothes and boys and girls. I must say, I was impressed.

I bought Norah some clothes.

I got these pajamas for $3 each.
And these for just a buck each. (This one came without packaging so since I had 2 alike and the packaging showed the picture of the one without, I got them for $1 also!)

I got this long sleeve tee for $1.

And these sweat pants for $1 each also!

Then, I saw these cute leggings and got those for a buck too!

All in all, I got 5 pjs, 3 pants, and a tee for Norah for just $15!

I bought the pants and shirt in her size now, but the pjs I got for her next 2 sizes. Can't beat that!

For once, I didn't mind going to Walmart.

Hubby Rocks! YAY!

So, it's not last Friday, but tonight Mike sent me out to Walmart (normally I hate Walmart, but tonight it was a nice break from the house...and a crying baby) after Norah went to bed. I spent 40 minutes just wandering the aisles. I found some SUPER bargains, too! Keep posted for the next Frugal Finds post to see what I got.

Marriage Challenge Week 7

So, here it is Friday. I thought I'd give you a little extra time on last week's challenge since it came so late in the week.

How did it go? Did you hold hands a lot?

I got to hold Mike's hand one night as we fell asleep.

So, this week's challenge is a little more difficult. But I know you can do it and I know that you'll be really happy that you did.

Look into your heart and search to find if there is anything that you are holding a grudge against your spouse for. Then, let it go. Forgive him or her and move on. There's no need to inform your spouse of your choice to forgive (YES, forgiving someone is something we have a choice of doing), but you'll know you did it and you'll feel just a little lighter.

Now, a word about forgiveness. I know how hard it is to forgive someone who has betrayed your or hurt you. I understand that sometimes the hurt is so much that forgiveness may seem impossible. But, it is. Forgiving someone doesn't excuse what they did, and it doesn't take the hurt away for what happened. Forgiving someone also doesn't mean that they don't have to answer for what they did or that they get out of trouble. There are consequences for our every action. Forgiving someone simply means you won't hold it against them and you release them from it.

So, forgive your spouse for something. Then, try to forgive them for something else. Continue until you have no more grudges against them. You'll be glad you did.




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If you have a blog, grab my button and let me know that you're following along!

Last Week's MHR

Mike rocks because I know I can trust leaving him with N all day while I work!