Tax Day, Oy Vey!!

I want to start this out by saying I truly don't mind tax day, and I believe we should all pay our share of taxes, but I absolutely loath getting things ready for this big day in the United States.  I think I may need to hear from the rest of you on some easy organization tips to help prepare for this onslaught of receipts and paperwork.

So, if you have an easier way to control this misery, I am all ears!!  Well, not literally, my ears aren't really that big--other parts, perhaps--but not my ears. 

My husband has his own business and his idea of keeping receipts for me is using plastic baggies filled with all kinds of receipts--this time I am being literal--ALL kinds!! 

Of course, my procrastination does not help me one iota since I wait to the bitter end to do this.  Those of you who know me truly know I ALWAYS file an extension because of this issue.  This year I really didn't want to file another extension.  I thought I might catch the IRS off guard and surprise them with my return.  I imagine they won't be taking bets on this happening, but I like to think I am that important to them.

Come on, everyone, give me some tips on better organization throughout the year to alleviate this paper nightmare!!!  HELP!!!  I am drowning in it!!!  (Not being literal here.)

Easter Sunday Fun

Easter will be on Sunday, April 6th this year and I am wondering how everyone will be celebrating this special day.  This is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus for the faithful.  So, how do we celebrate?

One of the big events is coloring Easter eggs in many ways, shapes and forms.  Years ago my mother-in-law had me boil the eggs with the skins from yellow onions.  The eggs turned the most gorgeous shade of bronze.  What an ingenious way to color some eggs without spending tons of money.

I remember my brother and I would color our eggs with the little package of colors from the store.  We would write on them with the wax crayon and dip.  Then when they were dry we used the little transfers that came with the package.  Totally not a Martha Stewart display, but we were very proud of our eggs.

Of course, we all would receive new outfits for Easter Sunday with little hats and gloves!  Does everyone still do this?  I know when my girls were home we did.  

Then after church we had a great lunch and the ever popular Easter Egg Hunt!!  We live in Colorado so it never failed that the weather was cold for the hunt.  All the old pictures have cute little dresses hanging out of the winter coats!  Dang!  Well, it is still a memory.

If you didn't pick up your lily for the big day, here's one for you painted by Maria Soto Robbins:

Easter Lily Oil Painting

Stop by her Etsy shop ArtbyMSR to check out her other lovely items.


I also found an adorable baby bonnet while searching the Etsy shops:

Pink Bow Peep

This little bonnet is from BeautifulPhotoProps and Kimberly has some adorable handmade pieces in her shop.


I hope you find an Easter basket full of goodies in the morning, I know they were out there, here's some from the Scavenger Supplies art and craft supply shop.

Straw Baskets

Whatever you plan to do for this blessed holiday I hope you spend the time with loved ones and find time to relax and enjoy.


Let me know some of your traditions in the comment section.  Love to hear it.  Now I'm off to make salads.



  

How Do You Say Goodbye?

I notice as we age so does everyone around us.  Unfortunately, sooner or later we must start saying goodbye to people who are special in our lives.  My husband's mother passed away on March 15th after a brief illness.  Since my husband and I have been together since high school, I have known his mother for many years.  No, I'm not saying 'how long' what are you thinking??

My dad passed 18 months ago and I was in a proverbial fog during the entire time.  My mind told me to 'just deal with it and feel sorry for yourself later' and so I did.  My husband supported me as best he could, although he felt he was dealing with the loss of one of his best friends.  Now it was my turn to reciprocate.

My husband was quite strong, but we soon learned that it was now time for us to grow up and take on the adult role.  His stepfather is 80 and was not dealing well with this turn of events.  His sister has a brain injury and had her own issues dealing with the loss of the one person that has always taken care of her in every situation.  So, here we are . . . on the threshold of growing up and being responsible.

We handled the meetings for the funeral and all the steps necessary for dealing with this final farewell.  Mary had lost so much weight that the best decision on clothing was to shop for a brand new dress for her debut into the hereafter.  We found a lovely silver white dress with purples and blues artistically placed on the dress.  Since it was a sleeveless, we added a pretty hand painted silk shawl in the matching purples and blues.  Nice warm and soft socks to ensure comfort for the ride; matching nail polish; and special jewelry given to her by her daughter as a Mother's Day gift in past years and she was ready.

The entire family spent time going through old photos to find the perfect pairing of fun and style to showcase her life in a slideshow for the final farewell.  Meet with the minister to discuss music, scripture, and whittle down 84 years of a spirited life for a one hour service. 

Mary was a member of the Women's Auxiliary of the V.F.W., so we turned to those ladies for the get together after the services.  The ladies jumped in to prepare a nice spread of food; supplemented by our many friends and family, and we had a deluxe afternoon of eating and remembering the fun times with Mary.

As I looked around the crowd I noticed some of the older aunts and uncles present (one aunt is 97) and I knew it was only a matter of time until we would be meeting like this again.  Why is it so many families only come together at these sorrowful times?  Why don't we take a little time out of our busy lives to make time for the family while they are still with us to enjoy our time together? 

We left that day resolving to stop to see the aunts and uncles, if only for a cup of coffee and some fun memories, and I honestly hope we will make the time necessary to enjoy each other while we still can.

I believe we sent Mary off to her next transition with grace and style.  I know she would be proud of her family and the honor they had for her.

Now we need to continue with the healing process and keep trying to be the adults (oy, I took my mom and dad for granted all this time).  We must take time to be with family and friends more often.  And finally, we must say farewell for now to a special lady in our lives and remember the love she gave us. 

Movie Review - One for the Money

I was first introduced to Stephanie Plum and her wacky family years ago; I have totally fallen in love with each and every member of this Trenton group.  I tend to bond most with Lula, but that's a given with her taste in clothes, style and food.  I was delighted to learn that a movie had finally been made about this zany group, although I was a bit of a concern about Katherine Heigl being in the star role.  I just couldn't see it, but I kept an open mind.

 My friends, Sandy and Carrie, and I have always made a point to have a girl's day out to include lunch and a movie.  Some days it is a movie marathon when we attend two movies (heck, if we are out and playing, why not?).  We generally take turns choosing the movie, but try to make sure it is a good one with a light note.  Sometimes we have a bust (I won't point any fingers, but I will just mention Intolerable Cruelties out of the corner of my mouth) and then the person who chose it will NEVER hear the end of it.  The three of us are all Janet Evanovich fans and eagerly await the latest Stephanie Plum novel so the movie, One for the Money, was a given.

 We had a lovely lunch at Olive Garden, all choosing the soup, salad and bread option, gotta keep it light so there is room for popcorn and Junior Mints when we get to the show.  Then we were off and running to get there in plenty of time to find a seat. 

  

Since it was a week day and a matinee we didn't even have to play the 'senior' card to get a discount, although not all of us are able to do that even when it is an option--some out of sheer vanity and others for lack of chronological years.  We pick up our popcorn and beverages and scurry in.  

I must digress here to let you know about our inside joke about me buying my water.  I ordered a bottle of water at one of these movies and threw down my dollar to pay, when the cashier told me $4.75.  I gasped, with eyes wide and dry mouth hanging open, saying $4.75!?  The cashier promptly informed me that it was the ‘largest’ bottle of water in town.  Since then, I go with more money and an empty bladder.  Sheesh, what are they thinking?

Luckily, our seats are available and it appears we are going to have a private viewing, which is perfect since we love to laugh out loud.  

Katherine surprises us in her adept recreation of Stephanie.  She is able to play her with just the right amount of spunk and humor we have come to know and love.  I believe she has quelled her movie jinx with this hit.  

Debbie Reynolds is in the role of Grandma Mazur and is perfect at hitting the quirkiness of this all important part.  Sherri Shepard assumes the wildly dressed and hungry Lula with great abandon.

I won’t ruin the movie for you, but will say it is well worth the time to see it.  I actually believe this one may be worth buying and adding to your library of fun at home.

 

Mardi Gras 2012

My friend and I were making some Mardi Gras dog collars so our pet owners would be able to share the party with their beloved fur babies and we finally looked at each other and said, "just WHEN is Mardi Gras and how is the date determined?"  Good question.  All I knew is it has something to do with Fat Tuesday--whenever that is . . . 

So I did a little discovery and found it is NOWWWWW!!  Gosh, next Tuesday is Fat Tuesday and that is the end of the Carnival season.  Fat Tuesday always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  Now, I'm starting to put the pieces together a little.  Here's exactly how it is described in the offical Mardi Gras site:

Don't confuse Carnival and Mardi Gras! Carnival refers to the period of feasting and fun which always begins on January 6th, The Feast of the Epiphany. Mardi Gras refers to Fat Tuesday, the final day of revelry before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins.

They publish a parade schedule and it looks like there are non-stop parades and celebrations going on in the fair city of New Orleans.

According to the published info, Mardi Gras was first held by the Krewe of Comus on February 24, 1857.  The King of Carnival in 1892 was Rex and he selected the official Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green.  Purple stands for justice, gold for power, and green for faith.


They would have the feasting, parades, and a ball to celebrate this special time of the year.


There is so much more to learn about Mardi Gras and you can read all about it at www.mardigrasneworleans.com


As a tribute to this festive time we created some cute little collars for the discerning party pet.

Mardi Gras Madness

We have all sizes available so be sure to ask if you don't see your size.

Mardi Gras Harlequin

So many choices, so little time!!  

Mardi Gras Harlequin in Gold

Stop by Kady's Pet Couture to find a sampling of our imagination hard at work.


Then let's get out the beads and put on the party music!!

Bridget's Daughter's Birthday

What do you get a sixteen year old with a vivid imagination?  One who is an avid reader??  One who is compassionate and empathetic to other people's trials and tribulations?  One of my favorite shop model's birthday was fast approaching and my mind was filled with ideas, but what would SHE like??  It actually has been awhile since I was sixteen, but I know some of the fun of the birthday is the element of surprise.  So, with that in mind, I made a decision.  A Harry Potter Potion's box--what else?!?!?

Clutching my precious bottles and treasures in hand I went to my friend's studio (Kathy Kaberline of KK Originals) for some fun in creating.  If I can't think of something, trust me, she can.  We took a couple days off from our usual art work to get to work on this latest project.  Wow!  Did we have FUN!!!  Okay, so I have discovered it really doesn't matter what your age may be, we still like to paint and get our hands dirty.

We both donned our aprons (just to make us feel a little grown up) and we got started.  We set out the bare little wood box and studied it.  I had an idea in my head about how I wanted the end result so we discussed the possibilities and went to work.  Now, you need to understand that it is ALWAYS best to try these new and creative things in Kathy's studio because she has always been an avid crafter and collector--so, her studio is like being locked up over night in Michael's or Hobby Lobby.  Whatever you need, she has, trust me.

I really should have taken pictures along the way to show our progress, but my hands were way too dirty to actually touch my camera.  So, you can hear about it, but not see it.  Sorry!

We sprayed all kinds of colors and all types of sparkle on this plain little wooden box.  Then we let it dry while we crumpled paper, then painted it, then dried it, then ironed it, and voila! a cover was born.  I did use the computer to make the labels so I would have the original Harry Potter print to make it more realistic.

But really, we couldn't just use plain paper for our labels--so we tore our labels out in some fun shapes, then we distressed them, sprayed them, sparkled them, and smudged them to create an old and worn look.

Getting packed to ship

Here's a little sample of the bottles and how they looked when I packed them for shipping.  I tried to stick little pieces of cardboard between them so they wouldn't break en-route. 

The finished box:

The green paint on the top was still wet when I added a little salt to make it disperse the way it did.  I thought it looked like a dragon when finished.  The little lizard next to it has a little dragon's egg under his chin.

The inside of the box:

This is the lid with Hedwig's feather and some pictures of the gang in potion's class, as well as, Hermione making the famous polyjuice potion in the girl's bathroom.

We crumbled paper, then pressed it, then painted it, then; well, you get the picture; to make her a journal for her potion recipes or for notes in class. 

Then we stamped and sprayed the inside pages to finish it off.

I think it turned out cute and it sounds like she liked it.  Here's a partial shot of the finished product.  Didn't really take enough time for pictures because I wanted to get it shipped to her in time for her birthday.

Did you see Scabbers??  He snuck into the box to hide.

Happy 16th Birthday to Bridget's daughter!!!  

What Happened to the Countdown??

Oh, I know you were all waiting on pins and needles for the countdown to continue, BUT it didn't!  I got a terrible frog in my throat and he wouldn't get out.  I coughed and sprayed and gargled--the whole gambit, but the slimy little creature stuck around through Christmas!! 

So, needless to say, we had a very relaxing holiday week at our house.  Eating chicken noodle soup, watching movies, and just enjoying the peaceful holiday.  I want you to know the frog hopped out while I was sleeping and unfortunately for my dear hubbie, it jumped into his throat, hmmmm, well, I was taught to share.

Why don't we just move on to our New Year 2012!!  Wow!!  How did it get here so quickly?  And I refuse to do resolutions each new year because they all start out the same and end up exactly the same.  This year I'm planning to stay FOCUSED and trying to create some new pretties along the way . . . oh, look how pretty this is . . . it sparkles . . .