Going to my happy place

I try to keep things upbeat here on my lil ole blog, but sometimes, I need to use it for therapy. This is one of those times. The last few weeks have been tough, knowing that my grandpa was going to be leaving us soon, but not knowing when, and dealing with all the emotions that come along with that kind of situation.

But, this week been hell. Grandpa passed away yesterday afternoon. His passing really was a blessing, but I have also experienced some conflicting emotions, and there is at least one family member who is causing a lot of unneeded and undeserved stress.

Tuesday morning, my sis-in-law #3 had her baby. We FINALLY have another little girl on my husband's side of the family. Out of 8 grandchildren, there are now only 2 girls - one who is only days old, and one who is 15!

We got a phone call at 5:30 Tuesday morning, telling us that blonde little Baby E was born just before 4am, and my FIL, MIL, and SIL#1 were headed to Lincoln because there are problems. Where to start...

MAS -She pooed before being born, and she inhaled some.  It went into her lungs, and they are now filling with fluid.  They found out on Tuesday evening that she had an infection, and that's what caused the meconium aspiration.  She was on antibiotics, a feeding tube, and 100% oxygen.  She's now down to 27% oxygen (the lower the percentage, the better she is).  Her lungs were filling with fluid trying to get rid of the meconium, and they say she'll be in the NICU for another 10-14 days, at least.

Ear Tag -  She has a little knobbie just outside her ear.  My older brother and Awesome both have them, and my brother's oldest daughter has one.  They usually look like this, and are only sometimes an indication that something could be wrong.  In little E's case, it might mean something, though, especially given her other problems.

Cleft Palate - Her lips are fine, but she has a cleft palate.  The doctors think she may have the bone structure, but not the tissue.

Heart - I'm really not sure what's going on here.  All I know is that they did an echocardiogram, and are waiting to hear from the cardiologist.  Side note - I find ECHOs so riveting.  Bug gets one every couple of years due to his aortic coarctation and bicuspid aortic valve, and it is so fascinating to watch.

Due to all these issues, and the fact that SIL#3's hubby had a seizure before he was even born, the doctors have asked a geneticist check out baby E.

Needless to say, it has been a very stressful week.  Tomorrow is Grandpa's funeral, we're having our Easter celebration on Saturday, and are hoping to head to Lincoln on Sunday for a few hours.  Every few hours, I just have to stop what I'm doing, close my eyes, and imagine myself and my family a month or so from now, when the grief doesn't hurt so much, and (with any luck) Baby E is home with her parents and brothers.  Going to my happy place helps keep me sane, and allows me to see happier times on the horizon.

Please keep my new niece in your prayers.  She's been recovering well in the last 24 hours, but with all the problems, we know she's still a long way from the finish line.

Beaded Tie Backs

***Edited to add:

Thank you all for the GROCERY Sign love. It became even more of a treasure this afternoon when, after a long battle, my grandpa slipped peacefully away.

 

"To live in hearts we leave behind, Is not to die"

from Hallowed Ground by Thomas Campbell

Goodnight, Grandpa

1923 - 2011

BEADED CURTAIN TIE BACKS

My mom has been looking a new set of tie backs.  She wanted beaded ones, but she didn't want to pay a lot of money.  She also has a thing for dragonflies.  So...when we were at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, we noticed that some of the beads were on sale, so we took a peek.  This is what we came home with:

The strands were about 2" too short, so I dug through my stash and found a few silver, gold, and copper beads, along with some copper head pins that I used to attach the dragonflies.  I put them together like bracelets.  I strung the beads on wire, using crimp beads on each end, and adding lobster clasps.  So, I basically made two 9" bracelets.

Then, all I had to do was attach them to mom's curtains.

Using upholstery tacks, we put the tack through the little wire loop between the crimp bead and clasp, and stuck it in the wall.

Linking up here:

Metamorphosis Monday

Get Your Craft On

Amaze Me Monday 

Motivate Me Monday

Making the World Cuter

You're So Very Creative

Terrific Under 10

Show Me What Ya Got

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Twice Owned Tuesday

Ten Buck Tuesdays

Time To Shine

Show and Tell Wednesday

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Idea Sharing Wednesday

Penny Pinching Party

Your Whims Wednesday

GROCERY

So, I've seen some really cool "GROCERY" signs around the net, and I wanted one Since I couldn't find one to buy, I decided to make my own!

(Not the best picture.  I'll upload a better picture when I get one taken.)

What you need:
Wood Board (mine is 7" tall - not including the lip on the bottom - by 58" long)
Vinyl Lettering (my letters are 6" tall)*
Spray Primer
Black Spray Paint
Ivory Spray Paint
Sand Paper
Electric Palm Sander (optional)

*I found my vinyl lettering on Etsy from this seller.  It was a custom order, so you'll have to convo her.  I was able to get my 6" tall GROCERY letters and a 9" tall version of this for $20 (that includes tax).

What you do:
Find/buy a wooden board. If you have access to some old barnwood, this works really well. My board is one that came from my grandpa's farm. I had some cracks in it, and a chunk was broken off the top right corner. There are also old nail holes at each corner that just add to the character of it!  If yours, like mine, was found in an old barn and was covered in spiderwebs and some dirt, you will first need to clean and sand it.

Next, prime the board.  I like to use a spray primer and just put a couple of light coats.

Spray a few coats of black spray paint.  You'll want to make sure the board is pretty well covered, but you don't want the paint too thick.  I sprayed about 3 light coats.

With some 150-220 grit sandpaper, give your board a quick sanding so that a little bit of the primer shows through.  If you have an electric palm sander, you should just have to run it over the board once or twice.  If you don't have an electric palm sander, I strongly recommend getting one.  I use mine for EVERYTHING!

Center and apply your vinyl lettering.  Using the ivory spray paint, cover the board & vinyl with just enough coats to cover the black paint.

Once the paint is dry, carefully peel off the vinyl, and run the sandpaper over a few areas for an old, worn look, and you're done!

Did you make one?  Share it here!

Linking up here:
Metamorphosis Monday
Get Your Craft On
Amaze Me Monday 
Motivate Me Monday
Making the World Cuter
You're So Very Creative
Terrific Under 10
Show Me What Ya Got
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Twice Owned Tuesday
Ten Buck Tuesdays
Time To Shine
Show and Tell Wednesday
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Idea Sharing Wednesday
Penny Pinching Party
Your Whims Wednesday

Ruffled Lampshade

I've had this lamp FOR.EV.ER. The base used to be an odd (but pretty shade of green). I loved the green, but it clashed with my walls when they were green, so I painted it silver, and sponged some charcoal stain to make it look older.

Now, it's time to change the shade.  This is so super easy (and I was in a bit of a hurry), so I didn't take pictures of each step, but I think you'll get the idea!

All you need is:
scissors
glue gun
ruffles (I used about 4-5 yards)
lamp shade

First, you have to make your ruffles, which is also super duper easy.  Cut your strips of fabric at about 1 - 1.25 inches wide.  (A strip that is 1.5 yards long will give you about 30" of ruffle.)  On your sewing machine, set both your stitch length and tension to the HIGHEST number (or the LONGEST stitch and TIGHTEST tension setting).  Now, simple sew down the center, and the fabric will ruffle itself.

With your ruffles, start about 1/4" above the bottom of your shade, and glue your ruffle all the way around.  I lined the ends of my ruffle up with the seam that runs from the top to the bottom of my shade.  You also don't need to put a whole line of glue.  I found that just a few dots, about 3" apart worked just fine.  Then, just keep adding rows of ruffles until.the shade is covered!

I like it so much better, now!

Want to make one of these, but don't have a sewing machine to make the ruffles?  Email me!  And, don't forget about my Flickr group - I'd love to see your creations!

Linking up here:
At Home with K
House of Grace
A Diamond in the Stuff
Coastal Charm
Not just a housewife
The Little Birdie Blog 
My Girlish Whims
Blue Cricket Design
Someday Crafts
Women Who Do It All
The Thrifty Home

PARTY!!!

Hi and WELCOME to all my blog friends, old and new! I always love a good, clean, respectable party, don't you?  The ladies from 5 Minutes for Mom are such wonderful hostesses, so be sure to check them out!

Some of you know me, and some don't.  My name is Heather, and I'm a wife to a pretty great guy, Jeremy, and a mother to two ornery boys, Bug (10) and Awesome (turns 7 on Friday!).  When I'm not busy stalking my family with my camera hanging out with my family, I like to keep busy designing and creating many things we need, and even more things we don't need!  I also enjoy junking, genealogy, playing the piano, and reading, and share a bit of everything here on this blog of mine.  If you'd like to know more about me, I invite you to check out this post that I wrote almost a year ago.  I'm going to try for another 33 this year!

Feel free to browse around, and Follow me if you like what you see!  I'm also on Facebook, where I can share more of my web finds, and drop hints about upcoming giveaways.

Thanks for stopping by!

Winner!

And the winner is...

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KINDRA!

Congratulations!  You'll now be prepared in case of a zombie apocolypse!

Just send me your mailing address, and I'll have your books out to you this week!

Book Review and Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to have receive an advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After from the wonderful people at Quirk Classics for review.  DEA the third and final installment of this fun and quirky series.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have been married just a few short years when he lets his guard down during a walk, and is bitten by a dreadful.  When Elizabeth learns there is a possible cure in London, she's willing to give up everything to save her beloved husband.  She is joined in London by Mr. Bennett and Kitty, and believing they are at Lady Catherine's mercy, they soon find themselves jumping through some ridiculous hoops to help Lizzy have a chance at rescuing Fitzwilliam from a most undesirable fate.

I have read this trilogy several times, and they are as enjoyable the first time as they are the fourth. I am not a huge Austen fan (I prefer the movies to the books), and I'm not a big fan of zombie movies/stories (Zombieland is probably the one exception), but when you combine the two, you have a most entertaining story.

If you haven't yet read the PPZ books, this is the perfect opportunity for you. I am giving away the whole trilogy - PPZ: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and PPZ: Dreadfully Ever After - to one lucky reader.

In case the most unfortunate plague presents itself in your area, I am also including The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection of the Living Dead by Max Brooks.

For a chance (or multiple chances) to win this wonderfully fun package, all you have to do is leave a separate comment for each of the following:

1. Just leave a comment saying "Hi!"

2. Become a follower of my blog

3. Like me on Facebook

4. Mention this giveaway on your 

blog, facebook, and/or twitter,
http://tinyurl.com/PPZombiegive

and leave a link in your comment

I will keep the giveaway open until midnight (CST) on March 31st.  

Winner will be announced at noon (CST) on April 1st.