Right now, I'm knee deep...

...into decorating our home.  And like most people I'm doing it on a budget...like a visittheclearancesectionineverystore budget.  So the other day when we were out running errands I begged pleaded encouraged my husband to stop into Kirkland's to see what the clearance section beheld.  I was sooo excited to see this

 for

with an additional 25% off!!!  So each lamp ended up being $26.23!!!  And no they DIDN'T come with the lovely

green FrogTape on them...I just have the paint addiction.  This is how it looks with one coat of paint:

Now I'm sure it would have been easier to just spray paint them but we had a Home Depot going out of business and I got a gallon of Behr Hi Gloss Enamel for $14...so I plan to use it 'til the wheels fall off!  I plan to change up the finials and shades but I guess I'll wait until the sleet clears up outside.  OH! I also picked up a few of these

for a little over $5 each.  Strangely, there is no description on the boxes so I thought they were Christmas stocking holders until I removed the packaging and found this

Doesn't matter though...I love animals so they'll still come in handy.  I'll share what I did to them after the weather clears up.

The other day, some IDIOT...

...made the idiotic decision to steal my little's scooter from the back of our truck.  YES, the scooter that Santa had just delivered A WEEK PRIOR!!!!  And YES, we SHOULD HAVE removed it from the truck after our park visit was cut short due to a storm but that's now moot.  We work hard to provide what our kids need and want...and YOUR JOB is to help yourself to it????  MORON!!!!  INGRATE!!!  BLANKITY BLANK BLANK!!!!  Whew!  I'm good now.  But I couldn't bring myself to tell the little that his new scooter had probably been sold for a crack rock so I made the executive decision to replace it and THEN tell him.  The point to my rant is that, because we have nothing but Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Big Lots within about 15 miles of our house, when I visit the Westbank I REALLY make it count...like visitsevenstores count!  So once I put the scooter in the basket the Target Christmas clearance was callin' my name!  I think I squealed out loud when I spotted these ornaments:

Originally $19.99 for a box of 50, they were reduced to $4.50!!!!  Maybe there were so many because of the neon yellow balls but I don't care about that...I have BIG PLANS for those!  The smaller, star shaped boxes,

were $1.50.  AWWWWESOME!!!  Another store my little and I hit up was Marshall's.  I got three rolls of map wrapping paper before Christmas that I planned to use like wallpaper in Kea's room.  But once I opened it and held it against the wall I wasn't feelin' it.  So I stuffed the used roll in with my other wrapping crap and loaded the others into the truck.  Do you know the cashier actually threw her arms open and asked, "You want to return THIS???" when I put those two rolls of wrapping paper on the counter?  Yes ma'am I KNOW it's only $7 but it's MY $7 and I want it back...THANKEE KINDLY!!!  Once THAT transaction was complete, Kea and I browsed the home section.  SOOO much caught my eye but I had to limit myself especially because I'd just shelled out extra $$ to replace the scooter. But I did find a mercury glass candle holder (as a non-match match to the one I found before Christmas), these

faux binoculars that we can't have adventures with but will look good on a shelf; a lovely roll of steel gray velvet and satin ribbon on a wooden spool; and a wooden airplane puzzle for the little.  I kinda figured in my head that I had about $30 worth of merchandise which would cost about $23 out of pocket once I factored in my refund.  When we got to the cashier she scooped up all of my finds with their yummy red stickers and without a word walked into a back room...what the HIZZY is goin' on up in here today???  I didn't know if my clearance items were being quarantined because they were unwitting vessels of transport for cocaine or WHAT.  Just when I SERIOUSLY started considering grabbing Kea and making a run for the door before S.W.A.T. swarmed out of that room the cashier returned with some even LOVELIER yellow tags on my goodies.  She explained that the clearance items had an additional percentage off to which I replied, "SHUT.UP."  I THEN had to spend the NEXT five minutes explaining to Kea WHY I was "not nice to the lady" and said something "SO ugly".  But when it was all said and done, I got the

 

 two pairs of binoculars, that gorgeous candlestick,

that beautiful spool of ribbon

 and Kea's plane which he hid before I could photograph

for $18 or ELEVEN DOLLARS after the refund (see lady...that $7 DID make a difference...nah nah a boo boo)  I know one pair of the faux-noculars are going in Kea's room but I'm not sure yet where to use my other treasures.  I'm sure it'll come to me SOON {{WINK}}}


I'm linking up with these lovelies:

The Naptime Review

Flamingo Toes
Worthing Court
The Dedicated House
Ella Claire 









 

I can't believe....

...that it's been TWO YEARS since I last blogged.  I've sat here for the last hour in denial (NAH...NOT TWO YEARS!!!)  But I guess the fact that I had to spend twenty minutes recovering my password is proof that it's been a minute.  Life has just been so crazy for us...in so many good AND bad ways.  But the most important and exciting is that, after looking

and looking and praying and

 

signing our grandchildren away about a hundred legal documents...with a little help from our financial advisor...

...we were finally able to relax

 

and to praise HIM for our new future:

 

We've been in our home for six months and I've been working on making it our home every day.  Even though it's been EXHAUSTING at times it's soo much fun because look at what I've had to work with:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A COMPLETELY BLANK SLATE!!!!

 

And I hope that you join me on my journey to make it kompletely ours!

 

KEANDRA

These are the shoes...

...that my husband ALMOST got!  

We do a few races each year (Breast Cancer, MS) and John happens to love New Balance shoes.  While I was perusing the daily deals I ran across one for Blair.com where these shoes would be $29...with free shipping.



yes please.



I'm all excited, planning how I would buy two pairs so he'd have one when the first wore out.  Once I placed the order, I see a pop up screen: Congratulations!  Because this is your first order, you qualify for $10 off of your next order!  This is AMAZING!  See, I only ordered one pair at first.  I was going to have one sent here and one sent to my parents' house so my husband didn't know about them.  So, I thought I would end up with two pairs of New Balance for less than $50...awwwwwesome!!!!
When I clicked on the link, it took me to a page that says, "SCREW the $10...you're getting FIFTEEN!"  Well, I'm ready to start jumping up and down!  FINE PRINT: JUST JOIN OUR REWARDS CLUB WHICH AUTHORIZES US TO DEBIT THE SAME CREDIT CARD YOU JUST PAID WITH THE LOW LOW PRICE OF $15 MONTHLY!

WHA....?????

Nah, I'm straight...just give me the $10...click.  SIKE!  I then get the "thank you for your order which is processing" message.  I try going back...nope.  Oh well...I'll just call customer service.  And here's where the devil stole my husband's shoes right outta the box!

The customer service representative was an older lady...aww she's like my grandmother...LIES.  I was all like, "Good day, kind lady...might I bother you for a replacement code for the one the website swindled me out of?"  She was like, "No".  HUHN????  "Ma'am, I don't have access to the code so there's no way I can give it to you."




SILENCE.






SOOOOO, I just don't get a code?  "Nope".  Ok, my nerves are bad now.  "Well, can I speak to a supervisor?"  "She doesn't have the code either."  NOW I'm praying for God to slow my breathing down.  I KNOW God doesn't want you to hurt babies and the elderly but THIS....this LADY is not my favorite person right now!  I asked, "Can I speak to a supervisor?"  {{{SIGH}}}  I'll SEE if one is available to speak to you."  WT....????  So, she puts me on hold and after she (obviously) played "This Little Piggie"...TWICE...she comes back to the line, "Ma'am the supervisor said she doesn't have the code."  NO, I asked you if I could SPEAK TO a supervisor.  "I'm telling you what she said and she cannot come to the phone."  This right HERE...this is RIDICULOUS!  "OK, can you just cancel my order?"  "Ma'am I can't cancel..."


I LOST IT.


I didn't curse her.  I didn't raise my voice.  I just repeated, "Cancel the order" over and over.  It may have been about 320 times...I'm not sure.  But then this...this LADY HANGS UP ON ME.


OH.NO.SHE.DIDN'T

Yeah...she didn't.  Well, my breathing slowed down to a STOP.  I was like a stealth Ninja at this point.  I called back and when another representative came on the line, I was SYRUP PACKED IN SUGAR.  "HIIIIIII...I'd like to cancel an order please kind lady."  Because she really was.  I regret that she didn't answer the phone THE FIRST TIME I CALLED.  While she was "processing my request" I kindly asked for their mailing address which she kindly provided to me.  You see, while I was smiling sweetly and talking to her, I had the Better Business Bureau open in another window.  You'll be pleased to know that they HAVE been reported.  Because play with me about MY MONEY????  NO THANX!  Oh, and if any of you are looking for New Balance at a decent price check out joesnewbalanceoutlet.com .  They have a better selection and I've ordered from them before.  The customer service was MUCH better than what I experienced today.

You're welcome!. 

 

I've been letting ...

...my eyebrows grow.

I normally have EXTREMELY thick eyebrows and I like 'em that way!  I mean, I like them LUSH...not Al B. Sure-ish!  (For my R&B-challenged peeps...PLEEEEASE Google "Al B. Sure"...you're in for a treat 'cause I REALLY look like that if I let my 'brows go untamed!)  But because I'm not a professional, I have times when I cut one too thinly and then have to cut the other to match.  So, I've been letting them grow for the last month so I'll look cute in my sister's wedding pix!  Plus, my 40th is in November and I'm gearing up for a big celebration.  TODAY, I got to the point where I just COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!  Bushy brows bring me back to high school when the only taming I was allowed to do was a spit-and-slick!  Plus, I needed to take a picture for the aforementioned event.  So, I prayed real hard...used a SLOOOW and steady hand and got to cuttin'!  It's STILL not a professional job but I think it's decent

I think I'm still gonna go and try the threading (has anyone else tried that?) before the wedding.  I just saw on the Today show Friday that reapplying lip gloss is an addictive behavior...Kathie Lee said she wakes up from a DEEP SLEEP to reapply it!  She's a LIIITLE more obsessed than me but like my brother-in-law says...my lip gloss be POPPING!!!!

Do you know we can still smell it?  Marsh fires my BEHIND...there's something much more sinister going on out there...DUN DUN DUHHHHHH!!!!!

I've had these two projects 

recently featured over at Platinum Scraps.  We don't do the whole trick or treating  thang but we do dress up and go to the Children's Museum.  Kea 1st wore the doggie costume right before he turned two and he was LIVID!  He didn't want that CRAP on his head...his hands...he wanted OUTTA THERE!!!  We took advantage of the fact that he could still fit into it last year so we recycled it.  Man, what a difference a year makes!  When I asked him to pose for pictures, he really hammed it up...he was HEElarryous!!! With the double page spread, I happened to be going through our family box of pictures and ran across several different photos of me and  my older boys.  We used to take pictures a few times a year.  I thought for sure that once my family was complete we would go like ONCE A MONTH for pictures but that hasn't happened...my littlest hasn't taken pictures since his christening a year ago;  BAD MOMMY!  I've been kinda holding out because I wanted to take some on location shots. But, since Sears sent us a coupon for a free photo session plus $50 in pictures, I broke down and made an appointment. Hopefully I'll still get my outdoor shots before my birthday!

Lastly, if you like scrappy stuff hop on over to Kreatorville for the opportunity to win a prize valued at over $200!!!!  Don't miss out!!!!

For dinner tonight...

...I made sandwiches.  I used a 100% wheat bun with sesame seeds and filled it with turkey cold cuts, raw spinach leaves, tomatoes and pickle slices.  The condiments I used were mustard and mayo.  Maybe 10 minutes after finishing my sandwich, the sides of my lips and tongue were tingling and slightly numb.  Plus, I had a bitter taste in my mouth.  My husband (who ate in another room) came into the bedroom and told me he had the same symptoms that I did! Both of our little boys had the same dinner...with NOOO problems!  This was about an hour ago so the numbness has pretty much worn off.  I've researched salmonella and E.coli and gratefully it doesn't seem to be either of those.  I'm just wondering: have any of you experienced these symptoms before?

Thanx to all of you...

...who were so concerned about our well-being due to the marsh fires!  Even though it's rained consistently for two days, we're still keeping a low profile because the smell is still pretty bad.  My husband said he heard it's actually remnants from the BP oil spill burning and it DOES kinda ring true; if you could SMELL this crap you'd understand what I mean!  The great thing was that we got to just laze around yesterday...talking, laughing, NAPPING!  John couldn't get the grill cranked up in the rain so he made an assortment of chicken wings for us in the oven.  Ahmad is a chicken FANATIC...remember the page I did as an ode to his seasoned fowl obsession???  Well, one of his favorite ways to eat it is swimming in hot sauce.  A lot of places call them Buffalo Wings...we just call 'em HOT WINGS!!!  We normally buy him a large bag from Wal-Mart for about $11.  In the last month, that price has risen to almost $15!  That, coupled with the fact that Wal-Mart had packs of chicken wings on sale last week prompted our experiment today.  I mean, the sauce is WAAAY too easy to make for us to keep throwing money at the millionaire Waltons when Mahd is craving them! And did I mention that the teenaged disposal dude can eat an entire bag in TWO sittings????  YEAAAAAAH!  So the hubbs did a large batch of wings (like close to forty) and left some unembellished (HOW YOU LIKE THAT, my scrappin' sisters???).  He put BBQ sauce on some and made hot wings with the others.  The guys had fries with their wings but I ate mine with a spinach leaf salad.  They were DEFINITELY yummy for my tummy!  Have you ever been in a situation where you KNOW one more bite will make your belly POP all over the furniture but your mouth is still watering from the yumminess you've just experienced????  YEAH...that's how I felt last night! I'm proud to say that I resisted...there's always today,right??? ;)


I still can't access my beloved Kreatorville (SIGH) but I'll survive!  I've been busy playing with the September kit.   I actually have three pages that I've finished...I just have to print the pictures to put on them and do the journaling.  Is that weird...sometimes I design the page first and THEN stick pix, a few more  embellishments and journaling on them.  There's some GORGEOUS Fake Bake Shimmerz Enamelz in the September kit!  I haven't used embossing powder in YEARS!  My issue is this: I love when an artist has used it and it's all thick and LUSCIOUS looking!  And I didn't know how to achieve that effect...so I moved on to the next technique.  Well, out of the blue my girl
sends me a package with one of her beautiful handmade cards with a HUGE jar of this

included!!  The card said that she noticed that I gushed about commented on her using this on one of her cards so she decided to send me some.  Yeah...that's the kind of heart she has!  So I HAD to up my embossing game then!  Through trial and error I've realized that, if I add more powder to the embellishment while it's still warm and reheat (and repeat...and repeat...and repeat!) I can achieve that thick look I love SOOO much!  I can't wait to share how I used the embossing powder on my September projects!

I see that the September Page Maps newsletter has gone live!  'Member I was telling you that I'm one of the featured artists this month? I was TOO excited to see my double 8.5x11 layout on this page!

Didn't like that my name is misspelled at the top. I've been called "Kendra" soo many times in my life...don't like it, though!  It IS right further down

 

I laughed when I looked at the actually layouts next to the sketches. I think I had the ONLY project that isn't identifiable as having been inspired by the sketch!

I PROMISE you that I DID use the sketch to kreate it...even though you may not be able to see it!  OH WELL!!!  Becky told me to make the sketch my own...and ya KNOW I did! I'm obsessed with origami hearts right now so I thought the center of the life preserver we were photographed with was the perfect spot to stick one!

I've had this piece of Hambly transparency

for about FOUR years...glad I finally got to USE IT!!  Here you can see the cluster of STUFF I threw loving placed on the left side

along with my VERY SCIENTIFIC tear at the top of the page and the cluster of stuff on the right side

 

 

I don't know WHAT was on my mind when I put the collage of these two pages together because I actually cropped the ENTIRE right side OFF!  Here's the right page and a closeup

in case you want to read ALL of the journaling


OH!  I actually found the picture that was missing from THIS page...here's the revised version:

(To me, it's just 100% better with those beautiful eyes staring back at you!!!)

I HAVE to get some rest...I've gotten maybe 12 hours in the last three nights!  I have layouts to finish today and a little painting to do...IF my husband can stand it!  And of course...some chicken to eat!!!!