Cat and Mouse games...

My kitty just loves to cuddle when I am on the computer. She usually gets right in my face or sits in front of the screen as I am typing. Her name is Mocha. She is a pretty kitty!!

Taylor got her braces off this week. Missed a track meet to do it, but she thought it was worth it! She had retainers for 2 yrs., hoping we wouldn't have to have braces, but she did. She had braces about 18 mths.

Here we are having them taken off. It took 1 1/2 hrs. They took them off then, scrapped the cement off. Polished them. Then cemented a permanent retainer to the back of the bottom teeth, took impressions of her teeth for top retainers that are clear that she will wear for three months and one at night. Oh my!! I really feel for her. I have never had a cavity, let alone retainers. Poor Taylor had the snaggilyist teeth.

But now she has the prettiest smile. Yea!!!! Here she is looking at herself in the dentists mirror. She liked what she saw!

I have a personal day coming to me tomorrow. So I am taking the day off and heading to Joplin Mo. to the thrift shops. I will drop Taylor off at school and then she is going to a sleepover with her cousin to a motel with 4 other girls. So I have the day to myself!!! Don't you ever just like to shop by yourself! I do. I'm headed to my favorite flea market first thing and then on to Joplin to Hobby Lobby, and then Connie's Flea Market. It's huge! I hope to hit several thrift stores on the main street. I will try to take pics. It has been raining here with some local flooding. I hope all roads are passable. I'm taking a back road and some of the places have low lying areas. I do have GPS in the Suburban, so if I have to take another route I will. It's suppose to rain all afternoon and all next wk. I am tired of rain. I want to see some sun!!!!!! Well I had better get to bed, a fun day for me tomorrow! I hope to post lots of good finds on my day out!

Spring at my house...

has been coming along. A few geraniums here and there. I placed my little red ladybug boots in an old red wagon with a geranium out in the oval with two old metal chairs.

This arrangement is in front of our deck. Since forever we had large yews planted here and last summer I pulled them all out and planted clumps of maiden grass in its place. The grass is still small so I thought about placing some old things in the area to fill in. Well I kind of like the old things, but I know the grass will get really big and tall in a couple yrs.

This seatless chair is on my deck next to the patio door. I found it at a flea market this winter. I'm still looking for an enamelware pan that fits perfectly, this one will have to do for now. I have some antique gardening tools inside the pan. I placed my cute yellow boots with the red geraniums. I plan on planting some ivy in the boots. I took them out to the garage the other day and drilled drainage holes in the bottom of them. I love to use yellow and red in my yard!

Here's the old metal chairs with the little red wagon again in the oval. I bet I have ten old metal chairs around the yard. I cannot pass them up. I have seen them in antique malls for 40-50 $. I have never pd over 5$ for one.

Another shot of the deck area. I'll have to remove some of the junk as the grasses get fuller. Well tomorrow I will hit Lowes for some ferns for the front porch. Today I took an early lunch to get to an advertised sale at a local nursery. Ferns were 10$, flats of perennials were 15 and 30$ I got there 2 1/2 hrs after they opened and they were out of ferns. Bummer. I bet Lowes have some. Well I need to get some laundry done. Taylor has her cousin Brooke over to spend the night. They are in there watching a movie, giggling so loudly, I could hardly hear. Have a great Saturday!

What an honor is was....

for our daughter today to be named the "Dance Student of the Year" at her dance awards ceremony today! She had been named student of the month in Nov. and today was awarded Dance Student of the Year, for her leadership, attitude, and spirit. Wow, were we excited!!

The presentation ceremony was nice. Many awards were given for attendance, spirit, improvement, etc. It was semi formal and the little girls were all in frills and the older girls looked so elegant! Some of the dance praise teams preformed and were awesome!

Here is my niece Brooke and daughter Taylor. My SIL won a raffled shuffle Ipod, as there were many drawing and giveaways! It was a great time. They also preformed on Saturday in a middle school band competition. They both preformed flute solos and then preformed with their grade level bands. It's been a great weekend and we are very proud of you girls!

Great find in chalk ink...

from Hobby Lobby! This morning at 3am. I couldn't sleep so I was up reading the latest blog and I came across RuthAnne from http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/chalkboard-love/. She has a great blog, go check it out. Her home is to die for. The kitchen is by far my favorite!! Anyhoo! She was posting this great product for her many chalkboards she has in her home. The brand I bought from Hobby Lobby was all I could find. But I love it. The chalk flow is wonderful!

It has such a great smooth line to it, and it erases just like chalk. Comes in many colors. I chose the basic. It was $9.99 but I had my 40 % coupon from the web site. So it was a great price.

I just love it. I have an old door the hubby put a piece of chalkboard and I have an original chalkboard from an old classroom attached to my craft rm door.

I headed to a community that was having a city wide tag sale this morning. Only it was pouring down rain. I waited awhile and then thought oh I'm up I might as well go. It was about a 45 min. drive. It was a little disappointing, but I did find some bargins. The little ladybug boots I will add a geranium to and put out in my garden somewhere. The great tray I got for $1.00 I have been on a "roll" lately finding those rolling pins! I just keep adding them to my crocks. The fabric I pd. .25, the cutting board was $1.00 and I'm going to try painting the cheese board up. I have seen alot of you ladies doing that. gotta love those wooden spoons too! Well I need to get the WalMart and pick up a few things. Maybe by then the sun will come out and I can paint something. I've been planting flowers lately. Ill post some pics later. Enjoy your day!

Got my giveaway in the mail...

today from exhibitorsmall.blogspot.com I put the block saying in my mail slot cabinet over my sofa and the tea items I will enjoy!! thanks so much girls.

Today I had a dermatologist app. in Bartlesville and I left a little early and hit the TS. I found these cute cutting boards for $1.25 for both! Great deal. I will paint up the two smaller ones for sure. I googled other TS in the area and went by but it being a Mon. they were closed. I rescheduled my 6mth check up for a Fri. so the TS would be open! A lot of them are closed on Mon, and open at the end of the week.

I finally made some fly screens from Walmart. They are ok, I really like the old strainer look. I think I'll look for some and try my hand at some small ones. I did also make some candle huggers for a couple candles yesterday.

Here's a picture of my stove board I'm loving with the pantry cakes I made last weekend!

And I have made some more sunflowers to set around. For now they are in a wire basket on my Hoosier cabinet. I'll find a place for them!! Well it's almost 8.00pm. The daughter is at youth night at church. We had Easter church service yesterday in our new north campus. Another Baptist congregation GAVE us their land and church building about 3 yrs. ago. Their congregation had dwindled down and they moved over to our church building. Now we have a south and north building to do different activities in. The second service (Contemporary) has gotten so large we will be now using the new building for that time. And lucky for me it's about three blocks from my house! Have a great week everyone!

I'm lov'in my stove board...

that Mike made for me. I have been arranging things around a little in my kitchen this weekend. I finished up some prim sunflowers to add around my new boards. And I tried hand at the pantry cakes. I had a muffin tin that I liked the looks of. You all were right, they were easy to make! I will probably add some cheese cloth to some of them later.

This board is sitting on my kitchen bar. The little galvanized bucket holds napkins.

This has been a favorite! I took and idea from someones blog and bought an oil bottle at Walmart and added an old label I have had and put my dish soap in it. It sits on my window sill. I really like it there. I was going to make a label that said something about dish soap, but I had this one and I like the looks of it.

I have had fun decorating my newly painted dining room table. I found this set of scales a few tag sales ago for $7.00. I set a few things around it. I bought the carrots at Hobby Lobby. I love them sitting on the candle board! I have so enjoyed the real sunflowers I dried. I sprayed them with a sealer and have used them to decorate alot.

I also added an old wooden crate to the top of my icebox. I put some of my old tins in it. I don't have to get up in that cabinet much. I keep my light bulbs and plastic cups and silverware up there. Well that's about all here. The temp has been so cold all day today. That wind was blowing so hard. It is suppose to warm up as the week goes along. Wed. it should be in the 70's. I'm so sick of this cold weather. I won't complain once because of the heat this summer!! Well it's almost 7:00 and I need to go in there and clean up the dinner dishes. Have a great week~

Spring Giveaway

Ladies, looks like http://ragggedyangel.blogspot.com/2009/04/springtime-giveaway.html is having a great spring giveaway. Go check it out and enter now!!