The Secret to Having it All......: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Aug 31: Hurricane Irene

Monday, August 29, 2011

Monogram Monday~DIY Tote Bag

This is such a cute idea! You can get all of the supplies you need at Hobby Lobby or Michael's to make this monogrammed canvas tote bag.

All you need is a plain fabric tote bag, a doily, and some fabric paint. Great gift idea!

Destination Disney: The Letter "I"

Couldn't find many "I" pictures in my files.....here's what I came up with this week.

American Idol .....Peter's favorite attraction @ DHS!

Icecream w/Hot Apple Cobbler @ Liberty Tree Tavern...YUMMY!

It's a Small World

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

An earthquake....are you serious?

Thoughtful Thursday.......
Tuesday August 23, 2011 1:51 p.m.
-A powerful, "once-in-a-century" earthquake rocked Virginia Tuesday, rattling high rises in Richmond and shutting down two nuclear power reactors within 10 miles of the epicenter, but sparing the state major injuries or damage. Gov. Bob McDonnell and public safety officials said initial reports following the powerful 5.8-magnitude quake indicate its impacts were minimal.
-The East Coast gets earthquakes, but usually smaller ones and is less prepared than California or Alaska for shaking. The Washington area has had small, infrequent earthquakes over the years, including a 2.5-magnitude quake in 1997 that was within 25 to 30 miles of Friday's quake and a 2.3-magnitude quake in 1996 that was within 15 miles
-The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Maine on Tuesday. Frightened office workers spilled into the streets in New York, and parts of the White House, Capitol and Pentagon were evacuated.

On Tuesday at 1:51 p.m., I was busy in the kitchen, just unpacking the dishwasher, when something strange happened. The dishes in the cabinets began to rattle and it almost felt like something was inside of them knocking things over, but then I realized it was the house shaking....???? It was a very surreal feeling, I actually felt a little dizzy, a very weird feeling, like I was having some sort of spell or something. It only lasted a few seconds and after it stopped, I thought I may have imagined it, but I saw something on top of the fridge still swaying back and forth, indeed something strange had just happened. I tried to call mom, but no answer, so I called work and they confirmed that something out of the ordinary had just taken place. Once I turned on the tv, I found out that we had just experienced a once in a lifetime earthquake here in Virginia! I think it will take quite a while for me to forget the strange, almost eerie feeling that went over me. I am so thankful that there was no major damage done from this earthquake. It did however, remind me of the all the devastation that has occurred in other places all around the world due to earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes. I was reminded to continue to pray for the victims of these destructive forces of nature. I am reminded also, as we watch the tv closely to see what path Hurricane Irene will take, just how vulnerable we are to these storms. I pray that those in the path of this storm will use good judgement and listen to the warnings given. I'm not sure yet if we will have to leave home, although if the hurricane continues on the track it is headed, I think it would be wise.

Wordless Wednesday Aug 24: Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday- Aug 23 - Beds

Top Ten Tuesday
We got rid of our oversized matchy-matchy bedroom furniture set a few years ago and replaced the bed with new mattresses and a queen bed frame....no headboard. While Peter thinks no bed is complete without a headboard, I'm perfectly fine without one. He keeps mentioning the fact that we "need" a headboard....so, I have been on the lookout for one.....something different though...not your usual standard wooden bed. I found these options on Pinterest. Some of them are DIY projects....very "one of a kind"..... perfect! Here are 10 headboards that I like...now to convince Peter:
The first 2 headboards are made from old mantles...I {heart} these!!!

This one is made from an old paneled door:

I believe this one is from Pottery Barn....love an upholstered headboard:

Love that the top of this one is wide enough to hold lamps, etc:

Love the use of board & batten as the headboard:

Okay, so I will bend a little for this traditional wrought iron bed....gorgeous!

gotta love this beautiful upholstered headboard:

Just love this tufted headboard, it would work beautifully in our bedroom. The colors in our room are mocha/light jade/light tan/beige......perfect!!

I threw in this picture since I'm working on redoing Nathan's room....love the old painted doors for a headboard.

Hoo Are You???? Back to School Edition

1. Do you prefer to use a regular pencil or mechanical pencil? I prefer a regular pencil freshly sharpened with a good eraser.

2. What is your favorite color in the crayon box? I {love} a new box of crayons & a coloring book!!! I loved coloring as a kid and always loved coloring with the boys when they were little-although their coloring books weren't the cute princess or Barbie ones that I had when I was growing up. I always loved picking a pretty shade to color the lips in a Barbie coloring books! I looked on crayola.com to see which colors I liked best and found that the colors have changed so much through the years****{see list at bottom of this post}. Choosing from the list of colors from 1958-1971{I was born in '65}......my favorite crayon color was pobably Carnation Pink. Logan was born in '88, so I'm going to pick Vivid Tangerine for that era....and Nathan was born in '95, and I'll choose Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown because I know I colored in lots of animal coloring books with him. Today, I'd probably choose Robin's Egg Blue or Granny Smith Apple...don't they sound pretty??

3. Bottled glue or glue stick? Glue stick all the way!!!

4. calculator or do it in your head? I do it in my head most of the time{or on paper}, but also pull out the calculator at times.

5.Favorite subject while in High School? Math

******************************
Crayola® Crayon Chronology
Since 1903, when Binney & Smith introduced the first Crayola crayons, people have been fascinated with the history of our color names. Read on for a list of our 120 core crayon colors and the years when they were first introduced, along with discontinued colors and names that have changed over the years.
-----------------------------------------
Colors Available Beginning 1903
Number of Colors: 8
Black
Brown
Orange
Violet
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
------------------------------------
Colors Available 1949 - 1957
Number of Colors: 48
Apricot
Gold
Orange
Silver
Bittersweet
Gray
Orange Red
Spring Green
Black
Green
Orange Yellow
Tan
Blue
Green Blue
Orchid
Thistle
Blue Green
Green Yellow
Periwinkle
Turquoise Blue
Blue Violet
Lemon Yellow
Pine Green
Violet (Purple)
Brick Red
Magenta
Prussian Blue*
Violet Blue
Brown
Mahogany
Red
Violet Red
Burnt Sienna
Maize
Red Orange
White
Carnation Pink
Maroon
Red Violet
Yellow
Cornflower
Melon
Salmon
Yellow Green
Flesh**
Olive Green
Sea Green
Yellow Orange
*Name changed to "midnight blue" in 1958 in response to teachers’ requests.
**Name voluntarily changed to "peach" in 1962, partially as a result of the U. S. Civil Rights Movement.
-----------------------------------------
Colors Available 1958-1971
Number of Colors: 64
All colors previously listed plus the following colors added in 1958.
Aquamarine
Copper
Lavender
Raw Sienna
Blue Gray
Forest Green
Mulberry
Raw Umber
Burnt Orange
Goldenrod
Navy blue
Sepia
Cadet Blue
Indian Red***
Plum
Sky Blue
***Indian Red is renamed Chestnut in 1999 in response to educators who felt some children wrongly perceived the crayon color was intended to represent the skin color of Native Americans. The name originated from a reddish-brown pigment found near India commonly used in fine artist oil paint.
-----------------------------------
Colors Available 1972-1989
Number of Colors: 72
All colors previously listed plus the following fluorescent colors added in 1972.
Chartreuse
Ultra Blue
Ultra Orange
Ultra Red
Hot Magenta
Ultra Green
Ultra Pink
Ultra Yellow
Fluorescent colors name change in 1990.
Atomic Tangerine
Hot Magenta
Outrageous Orange
Shocking Pink
Blizzard Blue
Laser Lemon
Screamin’ Green
Wild Watermelon
-----------------------
Colors Available 1990-1992
Number of Colors: 80
All Colors previously listed plus the following fluorescent colors added in 1990.
Electric Lime
Purple Pizzazz
Razzle Dazzle Rose
Unmellow Yellow
Magic Mint
Radical Red
Sunglow
Neon Carrot
In 1990, eight colors were retired and replaced by eight new shades.
Retired Colors Replacement Colors
Green Blue
Cerulean
Orange Red
Vivid Tangerine
Orange Yellow
Jungle Green
Violet Blue Fuchsia Maize Dandelion Lemon Yellow Teal Blue Blue Gray Royal Purple Raw Umber
Wild Strawberry
Retired colors were enshrined in the Crayola Hall of Fame on August 7, 1990.
--------------------------------
Colors Available 1993
16 new colors added in 1993, named by consumers
Number of Colors: 96
Asparagus
Macaroni and Cheese
Razzmatazz
Timber Wolf
Cerise
Mauvelous
Robin's Egg Blue

Tropical Rain Forest
Denim
Pacific Blue
Shamrock

Tumbleweed
Granny Smith Apple
Purple Mountain's Majesty
Tickle Me Pink Wisteria
--------------------------------
Colors Available 1998
24 new colors added
Number of Colors: 120
Almond
Canary
Fern
Pink Flamingo
Antique Brass
Caribbean Green
Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown
Purple Heart
Banana Mania
Cotton Candy
Manatee
Shadow
Beaver
Blush
Mountain Meadow
Sunset Orange
Blue Bell
Desert Sand
Outer Space
Torch Red
Pink Sherbet
Eggplant
Piggy Pink
Vivid Violet
In addition, Binney & Smith produces several assortments of specialty crayons.
-------------------------------------
Colors Available 2000
All colors previously listed with the following exceptions. Thistle was removed from the 120-count assortment to make room for indigo; torch red was renamed scarlet.
-------------------------------------
Colors Available 2003
4 new colors added, 4 retired
Number of Colors: 120
New Colors
inch worm
jazzberry jam
mango tango
wild blue yonder
Retired Colors
blizzard blue
magic mint
mulberry
teal blue
To mark Crayola 100th birthday, consumers name new colors and vote four out of the box.
Note: Crayola Crayon Chronology is based on information compiled from company records and internal sources.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Monogram Monday Aug 22~Bedding

I really like all the beautiful monogram bedding choices that are now popular again.
Very classy look!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

5Q Friday Aug 19

1. Do you close the bathroom door when you are home alone? Um, yeah! I must have my privacy at all times...just ask my family...LOL
2. You have to walk around with a word on your forehead. That word describes you. One word. What is it? MOM..... because that's who I am. Even though the boys are grown, I want them to know that I'm always there for them. And then hopefully someday, I can add {Grand} to that..:O)
3. What store do you refuse to shop at and why? None really, I guess I'd say the liquor store since we don't drink, but I don't refuse to go there, we just never buy anything from there.
4. If you participated in arranged marriages for your child(ren), who would you choose for your child(ren)? I have been praying about this since the boys were little- I pray that they will find someone that truly loves them & makes them happy. I also pray that they love our family as well. I'm looking forward to being a great MIL and grandmother someday!! :O)
5. If you could pick how and when you would die, would you? I am so thankful that this is completely out of our hands.....God has a plan for each of us.