DitzaLee

A Little Bit of Instagram Love

2012-01-31T23:04:00.000-08:00

My much anticipated Christmas present this year was the Iphone 4s. I had toted my broken Samsung around for so long, I forgot what it was like to have a working phone. Since I have such an adoration for all things Apple, This was the top, and only, item on my Christmas Wish List. I have to say this phone is rad! I've become so accustomed to using it, that I forgot what life was like before I had it!! One of my favorite Apps is Instagram. Along with some of my other goals for 2012, I want to try to take a few pics every day, just to photo chronicle life. This app makes taking the photos SOOO easy! The 4s also has a 8mp camera, and quite a few available editing apps, so snap/fix/post just like that. Thought I would share with you some of the pics I've been taking. I've shot a few of my work-in-progress projects(which we will be getting to VERY SOON).

1. This is a starburst mirror I actually completed. It's sitting on a shelf all ready

to be painted & hung. This will be blogged for sure

2. This was the mess I had made over Christmas making my Kusudama Balls. They're beautiful! But very very time consuming. I still love origami though. Just in small doses.

3. This is Taz, he is seriously the best kitty we've ever owned. Having a kitty from (almost) birth is the way to go. He thinks he's human, and he lets Aidie carry him all over the house like a feline rag doll.

4. Oh, don't you just love those morning faces?

5. Aidie got a guitar for Christmas. Nuff' said.

6. Working on some paint chip art for my living room. To be blogged. :)

7. I love that he loves art.

8. I'm going to have a weekly segment dedicated to the dancewear I make my daughter. Any dance moms out there? (NOT the Abby Lee kind ;) LOL)

9. Shot of the blue skinnies and new Christmas BearPaw boots (warmest things ever!)

10. Pretty girl in the new outfit Nana bought her!

11. Glasses kinda day. Don't you LOVE my cell case? Animal print and bling, it's kinda my thing :D

12. Totally forgot I had this gem of a pattern. The directions are a bit technical, but with Big Al's help I know I can whip up a bunch of them. Pattern comes in so many different sizes. I want to make a few colorful ones for danceboots too.

13. I have my baby set up in my dressing room, on the floor, beside my serger. Not very economical (at all), but I've been getting A LOT of sewing done with it sitting there.

14. Made a TON of these crochet bun covers for Jalaya's ballet. I'll post a tutorial soon.

15. One of the things on my ever growing wish list is a Blythe doll. Yes, I'm a shameless doll fanatic (future blog post?) So you can imagine my excitement when Littlest Pet Shop included her in their line over Christmas. Bought one for 5 bucks at Wal-Mart, after Christmas. Aidie shares in my excitement for dollys (much to Daddy's dismay)

16. Again, my little artist

17. This was taken yesterday. Aidies been pretty sick the past few days. Had him to the Dr to find out the poor little guy has infections in both ears and a throat infection. He doesn't ask for much, just love. So I give it to him. In large, frequent, doses. Cause that's what Mama does <3

18. Trying to take more self portraits.

19. And more...

20. And more

So that's pretty much it for now. If there's anyone out there who shares in the love, message me! I would love to follow your photos as well! Hoping I can solve my computer issues here soon, wish me luck!

Easy Sweater Refashion

2012-01-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

This sweater has been one of the things that's sat in my project pile forever. The before pictures are from 2006 when I was pregnant with my son. I adored this sweater. It's such a great color with the rich orange and hints of red. I believe I bought it at Charlotte Russe, it was meant to be a dress, but I wore it as a tunic with leggings while prego. About every winter after that I've pulled it out to work it into something I could wear again, since it was much too long without that big belly in front of me. So I bit the bullet a few evenings ago and got to work on the refashion.

Try to ignore how fat my face was. I am definitely not one of those pretty pregnant people. I'm a get big in every area of your body prego person.
I cut a little hole in the sweater where I wanted the bottom ribbing to be attached. Then I ran a seam right above that just to be on the safe side and keep it from unraveling. I also ran a stitch above the bottom ribbing as well. Then I pinned and attached the 2 together. I then pressed it to get the little bump out of the bottom, and PRESTO!! I can now wear it as a regular ol' sweater that no longer has the awkward long space in the middle.

By the way, Allan HATES red lipstick on me. But I adore it. Thoughts?

So that's it. Very simple, took me about 45 minutes and I had a new sweater to add to my wardrobe!

Feels Like Home

2012-01-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!

Did you ever just have your hands into a million things, and the one thing that bugged you most was the one you kept saying; 'I'll do that tomorrow'. Then tomorrow comes, and the next day, and the next, and before you know it, it's darn near 7 months later and you STILL didn't complete the task? Yes, that's me.. Bad girl!!

But here I am. I hope you missed me, and I hope you still actually care what I have to show you. I have taken the time to photograph all the projects that I've started and completed. So I have a ton of things to catch you up on. I also have a few more projects, and another blog waiting in the wings to be published. Big stuff coming up and I'm really very excited about it.

Suffice it to say that my house hasn't been the neatest place in the past few months. Every corner has my art supplies and finished/unfinished projects waiting to find a home. And the adjoining room to my bedroom has been taken over by my sewing. But there's just so much stuff! I've been working non-stop and the creative flow has been so AH-MAZZZEE-ING!! Can you tell I'm excited?!?!?!??

I will have some photos up soon from the time gap. Even though I'm sure you're all sick to death of Christmas posts, I will show you some of my projects from that as well. This is going to be a bit tough for me to do since my computer is on the fritz a bit and takes forever and quite a few crashes in order to get everything edited and uploaded. But I'll do it for you! <3

Wanted you guys to know also that, I've kept up with all of you the whole way so I'm anxious to share what I've been doing as well. I love you guys to pieces! It's good to be back!

xoxoxoxoxo,

Jamie Lee

Quick and Easy Refashion

2011-08-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you a small project that took me about 10 minutes to complete. It was right before I was leaving for a grocery shopping trip, and (imagine this) couldn't find anything to wear.

I got this top on one of my thrifting adventures. It had been laying (at the top) of the refashion pile, so I pulled it out and got to work.

I'm really not fond of frilly sleeves. I just don't think they look nice on my arms. I wasn't born with skinny little arms that can be adorned with much. (other than tons and tons of bracelets, but that's further down) I just grabbed my trusty fabric scissors, and carefully cut along the seam, where the frill met the elastic.
I then tried the top on, and felt as if it was too long, so I just trimmed a few inches off the bottom and was ready to go! Simple I know, but just shows how you can easily add something you like to your wardrobe even if you don't like a few things on the original garment!

I had my fav little photographer take this pic, but it was so late at night, we had to sacrifice some light quality...

(also, I finally re-learned how to do a fishtail braid. Soooo easy, and looks so cute!)

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

Decopauge Dresser Debut

2011-08-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share this with you. I had so much fun working on this dresser. I had started it quite awhile ago, and didn't put any kind of stress on myself to get it done by a deadline. Decoupage is just such a relaxing thing to do. Other than some thought put into the design I was going for with the paper strips, the whole process was sort of meditative.

This is what the dresser had looked like in a former life. Sorry for the quality of this photo, I had to crop it in a lot b/c it was just a photo of Jalaya's room after we had painted it the obnoxious pink color that it is now. This was right when we had moved into our house. I had just taken this dresser that we bought from Value City Furniture. It was just a particle board job, (dresser had lived the first part of it's life with cartoon zoo animals I had painted onto the front of the drawers which matched Jalaya's nursery bedding) so I wasn't much concerned of how much I would deface it. :D This former dresser was just some fabric I had purchased on clearance when our Wal-Mart still carried bolts of fabric, some carpet padding for the foam, and staples. The knobs were just plain wooden ones I had bought at Lowe's and painted with acrylic paint.

I wanted to paint the parts of the knobs you would see with a coordinating blue color, like the dresser. I had tried to spray paint these little buggers, but the paint just wouldn't adhere over the acrylic paint that was already covering the knobs. Even after I sanded them, sp still didn't want to work. So, I gave in and just painted by hand with my overly huge bottle of blue acrylic paint.

The plate is a little correlle ware piece that I use for my paints all the time. Corelle wear is great. I don't have to worry about myself or one of the kids smashing it to pieces.

Yeah, sorry about the hair here, I was workin' hard :)

I wasn't so overly concerned of the texture of the knobs since they would mostly be covered with the buttons anyway, I just wanted them to be even and covered.

You know that fluttery feeling when a plan just comes together? I fell in love with these knobs. The buttons turned out even better than I thought they would.

All I did was fire up the glue gun, place some glue on the top of the wooden/painted knob, and press the button down over top until it stayed. Easy Peezy.

Now, the paper I used is all from Hobby Lobby. I bought most of it all at once, for both this project, and another one that's cooking as we speak. I cut the paper into strips and other shapes that I felt were visually appealing. I used my beloved Mod Podge to spread a layer on the wood, and sometimes if it was a more stubborn piece of paper, on to the paper itself. After I gently flattened the paper with my finger I spread a thin layer of MP over top of the paper, repeating this a few times in between drying. After all the paper was adhered I painted over the drawers and the top of the dresser with about 20 very thin coats of polyurethane. That was the final step in sealing the paper, and making sure that one of the kids don't find a way to peel it all off.

I had painted the body of the dresser before hand, I used a little Valspar paint sample I bought at Lowes, and I still have some left over. That took about 2 coats.

Here are some extra shots of the paper and knobs (attached). Don't you just LOVE these designs. They scream funky tween. They're exactly what my Jalaya and every other 8 year old girl love at the moment.

I really cannot wait until I have Jalaya's room finished and able to be photographed. Until then, at least I've knocked some stuff of the list! Stay tuned for sure this week, I have a few refashions and finished projects, and possibly a video or two ;)

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

The Case of The Contact Caper and Fair Fun!

2011-08-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Dolls!!

I know, it's been awhile. But let me tell you the deal. About a month ago I came down with a bit of pink eye in my left eye. It then, of course, spread to my right as well. I went to the ER and they gave me drops, which were heavenly but I could not get rid of the dang infection. So I battled back and forth with that...sensitivity to light..computers etc. FINALLY I got rid of it. Until I cuddled up with my Chunka watching Wizards of Waverly Place and fell asleep in my contacts. Woke up I would say, about 4am with the feeling of gravel and glass in my eye. I took the contact out thinking that would make it all better, but the sensation and pain was still there. I did manage to fall back asleep, only to wake up that morning unable to open my eye. That went on for a few hours, then I could finally squint a little, but the pain was agonizing! Not to mention I couldn't open my eye long enough for it to mean anything, or for me to get anything done, and the sensitivity to light was off the charts! The next day I called my beyond awesome love her to death eye doctor (Candace Macri) and she set me an appointment for a few hours from the call. She put numbing drops in the eye,( which was the most fabulous 15-20 minutes that I had in the past few days), so that she would be able to check it out. She confirmed that I had scratched my cornea several times over, and prescribed me antibiotic drops, which she instructed to hit hard and use every few hours. A few days after that it cleared up. But man! That was excruciating! I spent the time after that trying to find my house and my children after being stuck on the couch for days with a wet rag on my face.

So here I am now. I promise beyond all promises that I will have a week packed with awesome things for you guys.

For now I would like to share our weekend with you. We decided that before the kids went back to school, we would bite the bullet and do some fun things, even though we couldn't afford it, and potentially leaving important things behind to do so. But hey, we never get to go on vacation or really any big trips at all. So we felt as if we had to get out and have some fun before we lost our minds.

Our first big adventure was the Lawrence County Fair. We had a ball!!I I wanted to share a few (a ton) of pictures with you!

Jalaya and Kyli have been begging me to order some feathers on ebay so I could do a bunch in their hair. There was a booth at the fair from the owner of Glotique Sun Spa so I decided to just let her do it and cut out the middle man! I've been looking for a new place to get some color on the off season and they're awesome! If you're in the New Castle Pa area definitely give them a look. They offer some really great/different things. I think I may go get my nose pierced. I've been wanting to do that for years. Also, and even more importantly, they have a service called Lumiere Red Light Therapy this is probably the one thing that I would love to do more than anything. You can read about it here.

Jalaya and Kyli stood at the smoking booth forever. Mesmerized. They're both little divas so I think the brown teeth will deter them from nicotine just for beauty purpose.

This ride is from the devil.

Aww, don't I look so happy and unassuming? Like as if I was going to enjoy the devil ride.

Jalaya was ready to make me regret life

Somewhere between the nausea and the shaky hands, this photo was born.
I also took a video, which I'll upload to my youtube account and update once I do.

The kids were in line for this crazy maze thing. Aiden was entertaining everyone with his Michael Jackson dance moves and songs. Right as he was going into his next act his pants fell down. His eyes got huge, he looked down, looked up, pulled them up, and went right back to his performance. I haven't laughed that hard in a loooong time. Priceless, just priceless.

My Baby Boy is growing up. He did all kinds of scare your Mama things, including racing as fast as his legs would carry him over this bridge.

So that's our fair fun. The next one we'll attend will be the Canfield Fair which is even bigger (and more expensive) those pics should be tons-o-fun.

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

Thrifty Goodness and a Little Makeup Haul

2011-08-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

You know, I love reading blogs. As a matter of fact, sometime this week I would love to introduce you all to a few of my bloggy friends that I enjoy (stay tuned for that..)! Another thing I adore are posts about the goodies found in our beloved thrift stores. So I want to share all of the things that I love that are frequently shared with me!

My latest Thrifty Trip was not only fun, but I really acquired some cute stuff. Here's a photo of the bulk of it;

The button down on the left is a TJ Maxx goodie, with the tags still attached. I snatched it up so fast I almost made myself dizzy. It wasn't even all that busy in the store, so I don't know who I thought I had to swipe it from :) It's really an awesome top. It's in a large so I know I'll be able to adjust wherever needed, but it still has the roomy comfortable quality that I love. It's just so versatile. My mind's already reeling of all the ways I can wear it. I'll definitely do an OOTD post on this very soon.

Chunka was the one who actually spotted the books. There were 4 in a plastic packet for 99 cents. I never ever ever say no to a request for a book. I had no idea what they actually were. From first glance they looked so awesome, I was excited to google away when we got home.

They're called Doraemon. Wikipedia says it was a Japanese series about a robotic cat (goes perfect with our recent cat theme huh?) named Doraemon.

You read the books from the back to the front, which is so cool! They're in both Japanese and English. I can't wait to display them in Chunka's room. Awesome conversation pieces.

Jalaya and her friend Bri couldn't put them down. (BTW our house has become the haven for sleepovers. I love it! Kids are so inspiring, don't you think?)

I usually wouldn't buy these in the store, because I love to make them myself, but for 50 cents, you can't beat it. Especially since the Cheer Girls are very much into wacky headbands and barrettes for Jalaya's practice. There was also a 3rd one we bought, a blue Hello Kitty, FANTABULOUS!

UGH!! I took the photos after the sun had gone down, and also on a red blanket. Huuuuuge mistake. This dress is such a great print, but it doesn't really show through with the red underneath it. The dress is meant to look dip dyed, it has rich oranges, purples and blacks melting together. The dress is also a super soft cotton, and lined as well. It's another one I'll have to photo on. I also have to refashion it a bit. I'm not fond of the straps, so I'll surely remove them. I'll figure out how I want to tweak the rest very soon. The colors are fall-friendly I think, so I can see myself wearing it with tights, boots, and my rugged leather.

These jeans are another fashion item I can cross off of my list (colored jeans). They're light blue skinnies. I'm not going to rock them in the current color however, I'm going to dye them a darker hue. I haven't decided whether or not I want to cut them into shorts, or leave them to welcome me into cooler temperatures. The latter sounds like a better idea, even though I'm sure you cannot have too many pairs of cut off jeans :D

This crop top isn't for me. It's dancewear for my little chick. For those of you with girls in any sort of dance, you know the apparel gets a little steep. I'm planning on making the bulk of it, since the new addition of my serger to the family, but this top was too good to pass up. The top is Balera brand, raglan sleeve, and off the shoulder. It's much too large for Jalaya, but I'll tweak it so she can get use out of it for the next few years. Our favorite part are the holes at the end of the sleeves for her little thumbs to poke through. Like mother like daughter, she has to have her sleeves readily available to her hands at all times.

These adorable hats are also another find for Jalaya, Aidie got a bunch of bucket hats too, but he ran off with them as soon as we walked in the front door. You can see how cute they are in the photos above.

True to form, I had to make a Wal-Mart run before coming home. While I was there, I made my usual run through the makeup aisle. I wanted to try a lipstick/gloss that was extended wear. I'm thinking that the formulas have to be a little better now then they were before, always drying my lips out. So I got 2. I also grabbed a Hard Candy Skin Perfecting Primer as well.

I decided that to give the lips a try I would buy the 2 brands in more neutral colors for consistent wear. One is Revlon ColorStay Overtime Lipcolor in Bare Maximum. The other is Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color in So Pearly Pink. Maybelline has 2 ends just like the Revlon, one is apparently the primer if you will, the other is the color. Right off the bat I didn't like that the Middle part where the 2 ends connect makes up the bulk of the product. There really isn't much there. The way I go through gloss...wow...this wasn't exactly a thrifty purchase for me. We'll see how it works however. I'll do a full review once I have a few days of use. A video perhaps?

Now it's your turn, any recent thrifty finds? Or, makeup that you just can't live without?

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

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The Accidental OOTD

2011-08-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty good day. Other than the short spurts of rain, the sun shined all day, and we got to go thrifting. As you know, it's ALWAYS a good day when I get to do that :)

I had my own little paparazzi at the bottom of the steps waiting for me to leave today. Well, actually Jalaya was so happy I did my hair she just snapped away. She's my blogger photographer in training.

Here is also where I would like to introduce you to the "arm parties" al la' The Man Repeller
and further explained here.

The kids even like to get in on the action at times.

(I promise my legs don't look orange in person:P--and you think I could've got a 'hey mom, pull your shorts down' before the photo snap?)

Honestly though, I realized there's been something holding me back from posting a lot of my outfits. I haven't bought anything 'new' all summer. And while that's really not an issue at all to me, I'm confidant in myself, comfortable with my style, I don't know why, but it made me feel less relevant in posting. Isn't that all silly? As I thought of this more and more, I came to the conclusion that being able to pull it all off is nothing less than empowering. I should be showing how I do it, what I come up with... so.. that's what I'll do from now on.

Soooo, the next series of OOTD's will be very much purposeful.

And, just on a side note, when money frees up a bit, you will be bombarded with all of my new shoes. That is what I don't mind buying new ;)

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

Fun Treasures

2011-08-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Some of you less cat-friendly people are going to roll your eyes at these next few photos, but bear with me. I promise to be the same way when I finally get a puppy. Even more so :)

I went home for a small overnight trip a few weeks ago. While I was there, I stopped down to my Grandma Billie's old house and picked up a nightstand that had been rolling around in my brain for quite awhile. I also picked up a few of her vintage kitty figurines. I remember she had them all in a bookcase type stand with glass in the front (which is still down there, and burning through my redo file as well). As a little girl I would pull them out of the case and line them up. Grandma Billie loved Cats. I remember pouring through her Cat Fancy magazines all the time. That's probably why I have such an insane knowledge of all things cat related. They were my study guides while staying with Gram.

This Gorgeous Siamese cat is actually a perfume bottle. Avon made these, this particular one contained Moonwind Cologne. This was a great source of fascination for me as a child. Aren't those blue rhinestone eyes fab? I do believe my grandmother had 2 of these, however, they were wrapped in a box in her attic. In 90 degree weather, it wasn't easy on me being up there digging around, so I'll have to go back next time and check.

There are 3 of these little kitties. Have you noticed the trend? Gram had siamese cats for my entire childhood. They were MEAN. Beautiful, but nasty. I have a scar on my wrist still to this day from being bit by one of them. Anyway, the figurines above are another part of the collection she had.

I believe that my Gram made the little pearl necklace on this kitty. They're so precious!

On another note, the nightstand I brought home ended up having a bunch of pictures in the top drawer. They were mostly of my mother when she was a child. They made me squeal with delight!! With all the editing software we have these days to make our photos look just like the ones I was holding in my hand do? Amazing! I have to share these with you.

I cannot express to you how much I adore this photo. This is my mom at 8 years old. Same age my Jalaya is right now.

You know you love the tinsel tree!

Hope you enjoyed those as much as I do!

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

9 Baby Kitties Jumping on the Bed!!....

2011-08-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

You've probably been wondering where I am. About to write me off? I know I know, YOU LOVE ME! You would never! The week has been very busy, Al's been out of town a lot, we've had a lot of kids here, and my computer has some sort of virus...that's making me crazy! Have I mentioned how much I want a Macbook??? I think I have. But I digress, I'm finally here to show a little bit of the photo diary of the kitty birth. There are a few other things sprinkled in. So from here on out my blog SHOULD be packed full of posts let me tell you, because I've photographed everything I've done lately, so there's no excuse!

Anyway, back to the kitties. Lola's a completely awesome mother. I'm in love with her so much more now. I've made sure to love her up a lot while she's nursing her babies, she's so skinny again too! If only we could be like that!

Before you start on this journey, beware, It his heavily photo laden! I went a little crazy, and I can't bear for you not to see them all!

The first kitty born

Let me tell you, kitties don't cooperate for photo shoots. They pile on top of one another, they all look in the wrong direction at one time. But I managed to get a few you can make out.

Like I said..I love the shot of their little claws though

Other than the short labor video, I didn't take a whole lot more pics during the actual birth. I was so scared that something would go wrong. I hadn't assisted in a kitty birth since I was a little girl. I did a lot of research in the months preceding it, but still, Lola is a pretty tiny kitten herself. I just wanted her to be ok. So all eyes were on her for the rest of the time.

Lola ended up being the proud mom of 5 little kitties. We named them all as they were born. Which we know we shouldn't do, since we'll find good homes for all of them, but we had to. So, they came out like this; Hank, Bruno, Sophia, Riddick, and Harlee. We had no idea what their sexes were, but we named them anyway.

That, of course is not all. We've added 4 more little kitties to the mix. There are 3 boys and 1 girl. A good friend of mine had a cat that was basically a stray they had taken in. She must have had quite a few litters because she no longer had any nipples! She (my friend) had taken to feeding the kitties from birth with a dropper and formula. Since our cats were pregnant at the same time, we had planned on trying to have my Lola nurse them after she had her kittens. It worked beautifully. Right away Lola made them her babies as well. The new kittens are a few weeks older than ours, so I make sure to separate them from our kittens every few feedings to make sure there are no 'survival of the fittest' scenarios going on.

It's just a regular jumble of kitties! They curl up and sleep with one another in the most adorable (and uncomfortable looking) ways

So there's the story of the Jackson kitties. I'll keep you all updated on how they're growing, I'm excited to see what their personalities will be like. (Update: our kittens have begun to open their eyes!! Sooo Awesome!)

Stay tuned for more crafty/refashion/vintage/thrifty fun!

xoxo,

Jamie Lee

You Know, Birthin Kittens and Whatnot

2011-07-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

So, I didn't quite make my goal of uploading all of the weekend photos and sharing things I've been promising.

I did however, fulfill a precious request to be a midwife to my favorite feline Lola Lee Jackson :)

Cute little scrunchy eyed kitty photos to post, some really entertaining stories, and possssibly the funny labor video. I haven't decided on that yet, it's mostly of my very uncomfortable kitty and some priceless commentary from the resident princess in my household.

I also want to tell you about our 'wrist parties', some flylady lovin, refashioning, and some serious pondering on what makes a better glamour bunny.

Curious? Check back this week. Fun stuff in the works.

xoxo,

J Lee

My Fabulous Growing Gift

2011-07-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Aren't yard sales amazing? There is definitely a place in the world for people who inspire to do certain things but never get around to them. That's precisely when us DIY/crafty mavens come in to take all of the junk and unused items and supplies off of your hands at a small price :)

Such is the thing with my big gift. Jalaya walked into the dining room where I was a few weekends ago with a huge box in her arms. She had been yard sale-ing with my mother-in-law as she usually does on Saturday mornings, but this time she came home with a surprise for Mama!

I have to admit I almost thought there was a puppy in that big box for a minute. Then my common sense kicked in.

This is what I found upon opening the box;

FLOWER SEEDS! And lots of them! For every row of seeds you see pictured here, there are 4 more packets under them and all are different types of flowers.

Then, I lifted the Styrofoam containing the seeds to see what was underneath

COLORFUL CERAMIC POTS! OH-MY-GOODNESS. I was in heaven! I almost cried. Jalaya was thrilled beyond belief to be the bearer of my most favorite present all year. There are even little peat pots inside of each container to push the seeds into.

The story is there are 12 pots so you can plant a flower for every month of the year.

Great isn't it? For only 2 DOLLARS!!! You can't beat that price. So I'm thinking of setting up a makeshift greenhouse in my pantry to start the seeds. I don't think most of them will bloom before summer ends though... so maybe I should wait. On the other hand, I have no idea how long this kit marinated on someones shelf before they decided it was best to just sell it... What do you think?

Handsewn Seventies Loveliness

2011-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided to jump back into refashioning... it's funny to think that this has caught on so much. I've been doing this since I was a little kid! We never had tons of money, so they only way to get some of the latest things were to make them! However, then, I didn't have a sewing machine, so I was left to my own devices. A needle and thread.

Another thing plunging back into refashioning will help me with is my appearance. I love makeup, doing it, wearing it, mulling over it at the store.. so I'm never really without all of that. This summer's been all about the cutoff's and tee's. Most summer's, I can't be caught in anything but dresses, however, I really haven't had anywhere to wear them! That concerns me too, because before I never needed a reason. I'm slacking. My hair's always piled on top of my head, I haven't cut or colored it in forever!! Fix it?!? Pfffftttt... I'm in need of an overhaul! A glamour intervention! So, I'm going to just put it out there! J Lee is going to STOP being lazy in the beauty area.

But back to the project. There were a bunch of dresses that I had brought home from my grandma's attic. They all look hand sewn, being there's a lack of a tag, and overlocked stitches. I'm finally setting them out to refashion after the few years of procrastinating.

This dress is my favorite. I couldn't seem to capture how vibrant the colors in this fabric are. (Dont mind the messy attic, the weight room's up there, and you're witnessing the aftermath of a girly slumber party I haven't had the chance to clean up yet)

Actually, I couldn't seem to capture a good photo of this dress all together. One of my photographers was at cheer practice, and Big Al was laying in the air conditioning after a long day at work. So I was left to the attic mirrors

(that's a white tank I have on under the dress, hopefully before I sew it tomorrow I'll snap a before pic once more, sans the tank)
I wish I knew who made this dress. The stitching is so impressive. The facing is done very professionally, The patterns are matched up pretty well from front to back also. The only chuckle I got out of the dress was the fact that there is only one pocket sewn in, on the right hand side.

Love these buttons!

So here's the problem. The reason why this dress needs refashioned. It really has no shape. While the buttons are cute, that, combined with the v neck front and back, make it almost impossible to keep on. The fabric has a stiffness to it, or I would have called it a day and worn it as a bikini coverup. That stiff quality would make the dress better suited for shape sewn in. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but I would love to get some help, What do you guys think?

Check Out the Funky Photo Board!

2011-07-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

I finished the picture board for Jalaya's room!!

I changed my mind about the first initial fabric I had laid out for the project.

Plenty of other things I could use that for, I might toss it over to the throw pillow pile, one of the hundreds of to do's...

This is the first original picture board I had done for Jalaya about 5 years ago. It's pathetic I know, it was back when our Wal-mart carried actual bolts of fabric, I got enough of the fabric for both the board and the headboard that I had also covered.

Sorry for the crummy picture quality...they were taken by an even more crummy camera :)

The board actually started out as a regular cork board who lived in my room during my teenage years. The foam stapled to the outside is carpet padding from the rugs we pulled up when we moved in. There was no smell or anything else that would deter me from recycling it. So I used it for the cork board & the headboard as well. AAAnd I still have a bunch of it sealed up in a garbage bag in my basement.

I wanted to do the best I could to make the back of the board look as presentable as the front. The last one I had completed looked a hot mess! I folded the edges of the fabric under before attempting to staple it to the wood on the board.

Nevermind the dirty floor boards, I finished the project on my porch floor, very shabby chic out there ;)

I had a tough time with a batch of staples when I had to reload. They were stubborn and wouldn't push into the wood no matter how much body weight I put on the dang thing. So I spent a whole lot of time snipping them in half with the wire cutter and pulling them out, until I gave up and switched the staples all together. Which is probably what I should've done in the first place. Oh hindsight...

I cut some excess fabric off of the sides to make it easier to fold and staple. The foam was puffy on the opposite sides and the end result would have been bunched up and messy otherwise.

Those corners were a bit tricky to make neat. The staples aren't all flush with eachother but, all in all this was pretty easy to do. Now for the ribbon...

I drew up a quick sketch for how I wanted the ribbons to cross in the front to use as a guide. Then I placed the ribbon, stapled it, and pulled it taut to staple on the other side.

I love it! My little Tween loves it even more! There's a whole lot to do in her room still, being that she wants it painted blue. No more of the hot pink and green, which was the previous decor. She wants a lot of neon colors as well. Soooo, we're one step closer to complete!

Hope you like it! We sure do! Stay tuned for much more in the next few days. This week's packed!!

Jamie Lee

To Pin or Not to Pin...That Is The Question

2011-07-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you know about Pinterest, but for those of you that don't, it's quickly become one of my loves.

I just love this site! It helps me to keep track of things that I come across and really love without having to bookmark or save the whole site. That, and it also keeps a link to where the photo came from so that I can credit the photographer if I blog it or set a link to facebook.

Another thing I love about this site is the comradery between pinners. I love following others boards and repinning things. You get emails every time someone repins one of yours, then you can go to that persons page and follow them. 9 times out of 10 they will follow you back. It's such a friendly community! The site serves a lot of purpose if you're a blogger, and/or a DIY girl such as myself. It keeps your ideas and inspirations in order. Because, you know us artsy people, we don't have the best records for organization sometimes.

If you would like to check my pins out, go here.

For your enjoyment, here's one of my recent pins:

photo pinned at pinterest
via one of the blogs I frequently visit and love, Style Your Life

Photo can be found in my "Worth Loving" board. Just a bit of light hearted humor to giggle over. Sooo, if you haven't already, definitely head on over to Pinterest, ask for a request to join, and just wait for the impending obsession!

Until the next time....

Jamie Lee

My First Flower Garden, & My Summer Wreath

2011-07-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm so very proud of myself for breaking out of my old negative thinking that I had a 'black thumb' as I liked to refer to my lack of plant raising skills. Every woman in my family on both sides could grow a lemon tree in the dead of winter. I realized that my inability to grow things and/or keep them alive was more due to my inattentiveness than my thumbs. So, with the help of my dear Barbie, who bagged up a ton of perennials, and brought them to my house. I started my very first flower garden.

this is the flower bed on the right side of my house (looking up) Salvia lines the front, there are lilies planted behind them behind that is a pot of something that Barbie had brought to me, but, I forgot to ask her what it was, so that is yet to be determined. I'll show some closer photos of it, and if any of you know, don't hesitate to comment. It's a beautiful plant though. On the left side of the little garden I planted 2 different kinds of Hosta, which I discovered this year, are insanely easy to grow. My metal flower is just something I fell in love with at the dollar tree. You can'tbeat that!

This is the plant I was referring to. I love it, I do need to plant it in the ground, but I placed it right in front of the big TREE that's growing on the side of my house. Everything I've planted has run me ragged pulling roots from all of these trees!

This Hosta Plant was given to me by our Uncle Emmett. He gave it to me in one of the cement flower pots you'll see in a few pics down, it took so well when I planted it in the ground. I'm excited it's flowering. I need to fix the mulch issue though :)

This pot is gorgeous! Given to me by Uncle Emmett, Hosta (my favorite kind) is from Barbies garden, and Petunias are from Wal-Mart. There's a matching one on the other side of the front door as well. Oh, and don't mind that bag, it's full of sanding supplies for yet anotherproject I'm working on. Somehow, I didn't even seeit when I was taking the photo. Talk about one track mind.

This little pot of Impatients is just precious. They were given to me by my lovey June (whom we refer to as June-Bug). She's my next door neighbor, I was touched she gave them to me, I think I take extra special good care of them because they're from her.

Here are the Geraniums I had mentioned in my last post. This photo shows all the buds that are about to spring into flowers. I'll take an updated photo today because they are so full now!! I have the rest of the ones that came in the huge pot planted in elsewhere in pots on my cement steps.
There's so much more, I still have the whole other side of the house to show you. Also the Endless Summer Hydrangea that I got at Wal-mart for $7 because it was dying. I'll show you more tomorrow. I do want to show you the summer wreath I have hanging on my door. This is what it looked like before:

I bought this wreath at the thrift store last fall. It had a few gaudy fake flowers on it, and some plastic pumpkins. I took them all off and make a Christmas wreath with glass bulbs, and lights, it was fantastic (however, the photos of the Christmas wreath are missing in action)

I spray painted the wreath an awesome turquoise color (I'll update the brand and the exact color name when I find the can) then I made fabric flowers out of some scraps I had laying around, and a fat quarter of fabric that I bought for 75 cents at Walmart. I hot glued them to the wreath and dug around my stash for the big buttons. Finished it off with that. I hung it on the door, but then I didn't like the hanger for the wreath, it was a faded brass color. So I spray painted it the lime green color you see above, nothing is safe from my spray paint can.
There are so many more projects to share with you..Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Love,
Jamie Lee

Little Bit of Gardening, & A Sneak Peek

2011-07-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've been gone awhile. Allan went out of town for the week, so it was just the kids and I Mon-Fri. While I didn't get a chance to post, I sure did get an awful lot done. Our first adventure was a trip to Lowes to find a few dying flowers we could nurse back to life.

True to form, the kids had a blast. Like I said, everything's an adventure.

Jalaya making a face as I say; 'Jalaya loves Justin Beiber'

The bird bath at Lowes we all collectively fell in love with

The concrete outside was wet from watering the flowers, so the kids took their flip flops off and splashed while we drooled over the beautiful flowers! (Of course, Aidie wanted to splash not pose for any photos)

These orange roses were beyond gorgeous! I've realized that I need them in my backyard.

The kids were so good when we ran our errands that I told them they could both pick a snack in the checkout when we were at Wal-Mart. Aidie happily obliged for a picture of his choice.

AAAAAnd while I took a picture of Aid, Jalaya was already tearing into her candy bar. The remains were in her mouth.

I never actually got around to photographing the huge pot of geraniums that I bought for ONE DOLLAR!! They were looking a bit under-watered and sad, but they had brand new buds forming, and weren't leggy at all, so I snatched those suckers up. I've snapped pics of where I planted them after separating, so that will be in the next garden post. I also bought 2 Jacob's Ladder plants, and a Astible. Those 2 I did photograph and will also be included in the garden post.

I also wanted to let you all know that I'm not telling stories, I actually DID finish mod podging and painting the dresser, but I wasn't happy with the knobs. So, with the help of Big Al, I decided to make new ones, I'm still currently working on them, but I want to give you a sneak peek of the dresser:

And here's a peek at the knob project as well:

So, that's my update. I have a few more completed things that I will be sharing with you in the next few days, I'm thinking of making my love of gardening a weekly segment, what do you think? Lots more coming up, so stay tuned!!

Love you all,

Jamie Lee

Hope

2011-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine

2011-06-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hello

I'm still alive.

This medication stuff however, it's making me a little loopy. I just want to be honest. Dresser is finished. Front porch is coming together well. Still accomplishing. But feeling, I don't know, strange.

But I am still here, I'm pushing through it all. Tomorrow is my day to keep all of my promises made during the week *insert smile here*

Picture courtesy of this site

Love & Light

Jamie Lee

Right on Time

2011-06-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Two days in a row!! YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!

Today was a chilly day, I felt like being buried under the covers all day adn sleeping. But I didn't. In between bouts of sitting around listlessly I did manage to make myself useful.

I've been working on the finish of Jalaya's dresser. It's a decopauge/paint project. The dresser was bought for her before she was actually even born. I had painted some cute little zoo animals on it to match her crib bedding at the time, but now it needs to be more grown up. You know, because she's 8 and all. The dresser is a Value City Furniture particle board job, but just wait till you see the after. You'll be in love just as much as we are. I didn't take a before picture recently, but I promise I'll dig up the original. It's on a disc somewhere.

I won't tease you with anymore projects I don't have pics of yet. But I will leave you with a few cutie patootie dance pics of my lovey-girl.

Jalaya & Morgan with her adorable pinch her cheeks freckles

Jalaya and those gorgeous Booker girls

OH!!! Before I forget, I came downstairs tonight to make sure Lola had some water (she's with child(ren), but that's a story for another time and a more mature audience). I looked out the front door and right there, on my porch, right in front of my face was a big, fat, nasty RACCOON. He was devilishly chewing on my potted Impatients. Of course, he sensed me there and waddled his obese self down my 10 steps to go find another pampered flower to snack on.

(photo by google images)Trust me, this fella wasn't so attractive, and he ain't only eatin' flowers ifyaknowwhatimean.

Until Tomorrow...with a post much much earlier

Jamie Lee

Looking Forward

2011-06-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Whew! I almost don't even know where to start! It's been a whirlwind of craziness since I last posted (which was in March. March 4th to be exact, I should be stoned in the street for that). So, I will try to give you the short winded version, like I said, I'll try.

Back in March, I had landed the work at home job doing marketing for the company Al the hubby works for. The job really was best case scenario for me, with only a few months left of school, I would be able to have the kids right at home with me, with a sitter for the few hours a day I would spend working. It was a sigh of relief, a few extra bucks, and no worries about gas money, or any of the other headaches of working outside of the home. Then, like a miracle, another job opportunity fell into my lap. It was for an insurance agent here in town. I was still licensed in Property and Casualty, so it seemed like a no-brainer to take this job. It was considerably less money than what I had previously made in insurance, but when I went to the interview and got to talking and feeling the atmosphere, well, I thought; 'hey, this could be exactly what I need!'.

I left the job with Al's company and signed on for a part-time-until-fall (both of the kiddos would be in school by this time, so full-time job for Mommy!) position at the new place. The interview rocked my world, let me tell you. This woman is a few years older than my own mother, and has 4 boys. She has dark hair and full lips and is from another country. She told me of how I looked as if I could be her child, and that she always wanted a daughter. She promised me bonus after bonus. Bonus for auto, bonus for home, bonus for loans. She told me she was very generous in this area, and appreciated all the hard work it took to increase sales and new business. I left there pumped, with a new found excitement for life!

I was expecting to work about 24 hours a week, I had about a full month of training and getting acclimated to the office. I was pretty surprised actually, because my first day there I was already answering phones and doing paperwork. They put me right to work. And work hard I did. There really wasn't any time for me to take a lunch, and I noticed that it wasn't really pushed either. That wasn't a huge deal to me because it's a personality quirk of mine that I don't stop to eat when I'm eager to finish a job. I had a great deal of passion and excitement for this job, I loved the interaction with policyholders. I had a great desk, facing the door so I was the first face you would see walking in. I stayed a lot of late evenings too. I felt bad that this woman, who's husband had passed a few years back, would stay in the office so long after it closed, I wanted to know as much as I possibly could about her, her country, her culture, how she does business...how we could do even better! While I was working on my licensing agreement with the company, I discovered upon pulling MY license, that it expired at the end of the month. Thankfully I had completed most of the credits with my last job so there were only 3 more to complete to renew. The woman said she would go ahead and pay this for me. I didn't bat an eye at this, or really look at it like it was a huge favor. To me, I was her employee, doing her work, and my license issues were a work expense. So that was cool, I finished the credits and moved on to the next thing.

I actually hadn't gotten paid yet in all this time, I finally questioned it. She said that she would not pay me for the training (what?!?!?!?!!). She said the first 2 weeks were probation period, but the last 2 she would pay me for. With all the late hours and extra days I came in, my hours equaled about 56. I noticed she was clearly irritated, and questioned how I could have possibly worked that much. I said; 'I'm here ALL THE TIME!!!' Which I was. She cut me a check though, not through payroll but on her business account. It was on my birthday. Right on time for checks written out of my own account not to bounce.

Things pretty much went downhill from there. I came in often on the days I was to be off. She had advised me she knew the importance of family, and understood the need for a bit of flexibility in work when it comes to them. I also didn't have a car, so Al & I put our heads together and found a way to finance our Scion so I would have a reliable way to work. I missed a few days here and there, one, due to the car situation, and 2 because Aidie started to complain of a toothache. Al took him to the dentist (while I was at work), and discovered that he had not 1, not 2 but 10 cavities in his mouth!! (insert feelings of being a horrible mother here) 3 teeth needed pulled and the rest capped. Of course the dental office said they couldn't do this until September, and put Aid on an antibiotic which they said 'should' take care of the pain until he could have the teeth taken care of.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I was scheduled to work on a Tuesday, which normally was my day off, but she needed me so I said I would come in. I was up early getting ready, when I got a call from Al, who said he got a call from the dentist who advised they had a cancellation that day, and would we be able to bring Aid in around noon. I immediately called her and left it pretty much up to her as to what I should do. She couldn't have been nicer! Go go your children are more important than anything and you can't have your son in any kind of pain. So I missed 2 total days from the procedure and that was it during my employment there.

I have to say, all the overtime that I put in, the late evenings, even at times going IN to the office in the evening and staying to the wee hours with her, I only ever got paid for 40 hours on every check that came biweekly I was just not getting paid for my extra time. At one point it was discovered that my license had been expired. I guess in addition to the continuing education fees, there was also a renewal fee that was to be paid. I had gone through the company people when I was stepping into the procedure of renewing my license and they never told me this either. The penalty for expiration was a fee of $165.00. She told me that half of that she would take on, and the other half she would take out of my check $5 at a time because she knew we were struggling financially. I didn't argue, I was just happy it was getting done. Now, I'm not really getting into how tough it was to work there. I wanted so badly for the job to pan out that I was willing to overlook an awful lot of things. I was very sincerely mistreated by the office manager there. The kindness I have inside of me however, won over the feeling of ever being nasty myself, so I overlooked that as well.

Then, the craziest thing happened. Now keep in mind this is May already. It was a Tuesday, I was off work, and Allan was actually off work as well. That was so unheard of in May. May is when the roofing groove gets underway. But he was, and seemed to be excited about it. He was so adamant at telling me that he would be home that day, that I almost started to be annoyed. This, however, was a testament to how much he cherishes and loves me, because Tuesday, May 17, turned out to be the day I collapsed in my small bathroom and had a grand mal seizure. I would have died if he hadn't been there. He saved my life. He's my hero.

Things kind of spiraled after that. Never for me mentally, but outward actions from other people did. I had Allan call my work from the hospital once I was awake and coherent. She told him to tell me not to worry about a thing, to take care of myself. To get better. The hospital kept me for 2 days and released me with seizure meds. This may seem ridiculous to some, but I did text her and ask if she wanted me to come in on Friday. She said absolutely not. To take care of myself. She called me on Friday, again saying the same thing. On Monday I was getting ready for work, when I received another phone call from her telling me she did not want me to return yet. She felt as if it was too soon, and wanted to make sure that I was ok first. She said to take the whole week. She called me again later on in the week about a file I had. This file I had brought home with me on the Monday before my seizure for a project I had been working on. I had cleared this with her twice before I took it with me. I didn't think a thing about having this file since my incident, and hadn't cracked it open not once. She was positively LIVID I had this file. She told me that nothing was to be taken out of the office (even though I had cleared this with her, and she also had advised me to do whatever I felt necessary for the project, that she trusted me). She drove to my house, angry as a hornet. She had advised me to leave it in my mailbox, but I waited for her to tell her myself, to her face that she had given me the permission to take this file. She then told me she had never said that, and how would I know since I'm the one with the seizures. I told her I would be back to work on Monday, to which she replied she would rather my concentration be better, and that she would like to know what the neurologist said about my abilities before she allowed me back. Then she drove off.

The following week was pay week. We had paid the mortgage, I dropped a check off that Monday. There was half of it in the account already and the other half would be covered by my check. I had worked the previous Mon, Wed, & Fri, then the Mon before the incident, so I had a tiny but sufficient amount to be deposited. It never was deposited. And that's when the doo doo hit the fan.

I text her to find out why it wasn't there. She then unleashed the beast. She told me that I didn't have very many hours before I went out for health reasons. She said that I was to come back that Monday, but I was a no-show (again...WHAT?!??!??) then on and on and on. I wasn't reliable, I wasn't this, I wasn't that, all I do was mess up. One thing after the other. I said what I had to say in the most respectful way possible. I asked her if she wanted me to come back at all and she never answered. I also called her and left messages, she never called me back. That Friday, I received 2 letters in one envelope with return receipt requested. The first letter said that as of June 10 my employment was terminated. Under that it stated that the office needed more commitment and responsibility. The second letter said that I only worked 2 days, and that she had paid my continuing education fee, and the renewal penalty. So, she would say we were 'even'.

I know this is where your mouth is hanging open just like mine was. There are so many things to say, and at the same time, nothing at all to respond with. It was simply not an atmosphere where I would flourish. God shut the door. I'm not looking back. I'm looking forward.

So you'll be seeing and reading a lot more of me. I've put my ebay shop back up. I've organized my life in several very efficient and effective ways, and I'm pressing on. The seizure ended up as a huge blessing. I had been having consistent partial seizures and didn't even know it. They were the reason I felt as if I'd been hit by a bus, and had no sleep every morning. I have so much energy now, and it has cut my headaches in half. The most important thing to come out of it though, is my renewal. I had the clarity in that experience to know that life can end in a literal blink of an eye. One moment I was in the bathroom placing the shaving cream back to its home, and the next I was on the floor with no clue why, or even what year it was. I had come close to my story being ended. I see the world with new eyes. I want to do my best to make it all more beautiful too.

Thanks for reading all of that. I believe, claim, and already praise like a fool that life will continue to look up and be easier. The struggles are almost over. I would like to take you all on the uphill journey with me. If you want to come.

With a Grateful Heart,

Jamie Lee

C'mon JLee!!!

2011-03-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, where are the completed projects? Photos of new ones? Photos of what you got in the store? Photos of YOU???!?

Here's my excuse ~ Aid Man got a little bit sicker. We took him to the doc and she put him on Amoxicillin and Orapred. Lemme tell you a little something about Orapred. Or rather the pea-soup-spitting-strength-of-a-150lb-man-who's-head-spins-around-like-earth medicine. The same medicine that is listed in Chunka-Butt's (My Sweetie Pie daughter) medical file as 'DO NOT GIVE' I administered Aid's first dose kind of with one eye shut and the other squinting in trepidation. About an hour later, he was just very emotional, cuddly and then...fast asleep. So the whole week flew by in a flurry of 'cuddle me'. Which I did.

I'm behind on everything. Laundry's piled, dinner hasn't been cooked in a week, I haven't shined my sink in superb flylady (WILL blog about this tomorrow) style.. I'm a wreck. Aidie, however, is in great spirits, done with the medicine, and ready to go on with life.

Some good news is, I got a job!!! Yep, it's doing some marketing for the roofing company Al works for. I'm pretty excited about it. I get to work from home too. Isn't that a dream?!?!? I get paid for that, so I'll have lots of time to follow my passions as well. Oh, and talk to you! The only problem is, my computer is hitting it's twilight years. Yes, he's dying...I think. He creeps like a turtle, and although I have my good ole' Norton Anti-Virus installed, I do believe that he has a latent virus hidden in there somewhere. I want, I need, I'll DIE (nooooo not really!!....really?) for a MacBook Pro...I believe it will solve all of my problems in life. They, my beloved tippy top of a wish list notebooks, are just too expensive for right now. So I think I'm going to have to settle for a PC in laptop form. Either way though, once I can get into the swing of things (crossing fingers) You'll be seeing, and reading, a lot of me.

And...feel free to give me a nice big internet butt kicking if I don't post tomorrow.

Night Lovies!

Cranky Kiddos

2011-02-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

You should probably know, that with the exception of taking my daughter to both her Hip Hop & Broadway Dance classes (at Ludovici Dance Academy) I have been in the house for the last few days. My son has been very under the weather, with a cold and on and off fevers. He's usually just docile and even more of a cuddlebug than normal when he's sick, but this time he veered off that path in favor of being the Whine Boss. He acts as if it's my personal fault and problem that he doesn't feel well. He's just been so angry at me. It's my fault he's cold, he wants to nap and when he wakes up, it was my fault he had fallen asleep...you can't win with this kid! Oh, and he has a small obsession with Lady Gaga and all he wanted to do all day in between being The Snotty Terror was to watch interviews of her because he 'loves to watch her talk'. It's both hilarious and crazy inducing. On top of that I've walked around this house in between sweaty naps looking like that scary girl (another of Aid's obsessions) from The Ring movie. Hubby got home super early today, making me want to fall at his feet in gratitude, and also smell my armpits to make sure I didn't make him want to flee back to work.

Seriously though, I have a file full of pictures of projects that I've started and finished, and uh didn't finish... I desperately need to share it all with you. Here are a few things for you to check out!

This is a picture board for Chunka's bedroom wall. I initially had done it years ago, but she had grown out of it, so I wanted to replace it with something a little more funky. It's first life had been a boring old cork board that had graced my walls as a teen, then I took some tossed carpet padding, cut it to size and padded the cork board. I then cut the width of the board out of some cute pink and green polka dotted fabric, stapled it to the back, attached some pretty ribbon and hung it up. So now it's going to be just a little more grown. Chunk's heading head first into her tween stage. She acts as if I'm trying to ruin her seasoned little life by making her sleep in a room that's so..so.. childish!!

My supplies such as the fabric and ribbon are all bought (this time around) from Wal-Mart. Sad, I know, but our Joannes, Micheals, and Hobby Lobby are all about 25 minutes away in Boardman. So, most of the time the meager craft section is what I have to make do with in a pinch.

So, speaking of meager, that's the first thing I'm going to share in regards to my projects. Tomorrow, hopefully I'll be able to look like a hot, good smelling JLee/Mom again. Maybe I'll even do my hair! If I do, I'll make sure to take pics!

Until tomorrow dolls,

I survived Day 1

2011-02-19T20:48:00.001-08:00

Made it out alive. Was a bit of a bummer coming in 6th and all, but we'll get em next time. Also, just a little advice for those of you that may be thinking of competitive cheer; pack pack pack your lunches/snacks! What a money saver. A steady stream of fruit snacks, juice and a Nintendo DS made the day run smooth for my little monsta :)

Pictures tomorrow! I promise!

Ciao,

What? I should be blogging too?!?

2011-02-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, so the past few days have been a frenzy of preparing to stock both my Ebay Store, and my Etsy store. Both have my lovely DitzaLee moniker. It's something I have really loved doing so I love the confusion and sea of clothes, vintage things, and antiques.

However... tomorrow starts our big cheer weekend for Natalie's Cheer & Tumble. The David L Lawrence Convention Center is holding the GLCC competition, which you can check out here. We went to the one in Akron Oh too. It's a lot of fun, they don't like you to just stand around staring at each other between sessions, so they make sure to entertain you the whole way through. Father Daughter dance competitions, a huge screen that you can text message good lucks on and much more. But of course, that's not all. On to the Three Rivers Throw down competition at Robert Morris University on Sunday. Trust me, with a broken ankle and a 4 year old rambunctious little boy... this will be interesting. Thank God for Big Al.

I'm going to leave you with a few pics of our cheer girls (from last year, I'll have more after the weekend!)

our wild and crazy girls! (I made those bows!)

Until we meet again,