The Green Monster
Being a mother has been such a journey - a real adventure, one might say. I often feel like a lone warrior on a battlefield ready to fight dragons but usually wasting my time on wicked little ogres.
The most recent monster I had to slay was a green crayon. Yep. My beloved little princess had left a green crayon in her pants pocket and it went through the wash – specifically the dryer – and melted all over a full load of laundry. When I saw the ensuing disaster I almost cried. My work clothes, two brand new shirts for Lee, and a ton of Abby’s clothes were spotted by the green monster. Noooooooooooooooo!
But it was true. So I called my mom, Googled possible solutions, and checked Pinterest in the hopes that someone, somewhere, would come to my rescue. But alas, it was not meant to be. Oh, I did find help along the way, my quest started with the mighty AWESOME from the Dollar Store. It worked wonders at first. It certainly helped all of the synthetic clothes and denim. But the cotton clothes were stubborn. They didn’t want to let go of the melted crayon.
Finally, resolute that I would slay the beast, I resorted to actually hand scrubbing the cotton clothes in boiling hot water in the bathtub. I used one of Abby’s chairs as a washboard.
After a fierce fight that lasted for hours, I finally had to give up. Green crayon still spotted some of the clothes. Most were saved, but I did not win the war. Dejected, and with a sore back and neck from scrubbing, I threw in the towel. I was done.
And I tried very hard to not turn into a wicked queen around my precious, little princess… Ergh!
Penny Ball
So I was in a crafty mood before Thanksgiving rolled around. I wanted to finish a quick project because I just didn’t have the time. This year we were hosting Thanksgiving and the pressure was on. I was also excited to try something new with the fall tablescape and see if some ideas from Pinterest would pan out. I have told y’all that I’ve become addicted to Pinterest, right? Yah, I blame the lady from work who got me started on it. Anyhoo, back to my quick project.
I tried my hand at making a garden gazing ball. Out of a bowling ball. And pennies.
I know, I know. It sounds weird. But I saw it online and thought I could try it for my ever developing front yard. I’m still working on it out there. Did I tell everyone that we finally have grass? Actual grass!
Back to the penny ball – Lee got me two bowling balls from the thrift store last year. They were like 3 bucks each. They’ve been sitting outside, waiting for me to do something with them. Next I rounded up all the pennies in the house. It is amazing, isn’t it, how many pennies can come to rest in your home! So I glued less than three dollars’ worth of pennies onto the bowling ball. I used exterior Liquid Nails as the adhesive, which I don't recommend. For one thing it doesn't dry clear, so if you're messy, like me, you can totally see the glue. But, it was what I had on hand for the project.
I did not fill in the finger holes, which I could have. I just didn’t see the need. One side of the ball has to rest on the ground, so why not that side? Plus, I started around the finger holes and made all of my mistakes there. So that quickly became “the ugly side” of the ball. I tried to put all of the shiniest pennies on the opposite side so that their copper glint could shine in the sun.
All in all I'm happy enough with the end result. I've thrown it outside already, with the ugliest side down on the ground. I'm hoping that it'll get mostly covered with plants and kinda disappear with just a portion of copper peeking through the green.
For now it's just sitting there. Three pennies have fallen off so far. It's all repairable so I'm not stressing. We'll see how long it lasts.
Thanksgiving Pretties
Back on to Thanksgiving. Want to see my table? Yes, of course you want to!
I saw a sprig of rosemary tied into a wreath for a name card for the table. I liked the look but didn’t want to spend the time to tie them up into neat little wreaths. So, I went outside and cut sprigs from our organic rosemary plants I’ve planted throughout the yard. I tied them nice and neat with the silverware using some old ribbon I had hanging around the house. The only new thing to the table were the gold chargers. Ha! Does everyone know what chargers are? The boys in my family had no idea! Lee, and then Mike, wanted to know why I had set the Thanksgiving table so early. I told them the table is not set, and they both pointed to the golden plates. I explained that those weren’t plates; they’re chargers. Both boys rolled their eyes as if to say “Girls!” Yep, I fancied up the table setting with some cheap plastic plates that you’re not supposed to eat from. Yes, I am a girl. Sheesh. The centerpiece were other things I had around the house and repurposed for the day. The fall lettering was another idea from Pinterest. I’m pleased with how it all turned out.
Of course Abby had a hand in the tablescape as well. She’s demanding now when it comes to doing things that she sees mommy doing. She was only allowed to fuss over the items at the candleholders’ feet, which she rearranged and rearranged again and again. Apparently I’m as fussy as that because she must get it from somewhere! This year I had to make a deal with her that she would be allowed to decorate almost everything for Christmas. I would do the outside lights and such and she could do nearly everything inside. That kid is holding me to my word!
Thanks for reading three posts in one. I hope I can get caught up to December by Christmas!!
No comments:
Post a Comment
UnMaintained Thoughts