Coffee Filter Pompoms

Do you ever get caught up in what you should do, what you are expected to do, what you want to do and whirl about until you're just sobbing? That was me the other night.

I'm not sure why; maybe it was just melancholy. Hubs had to go out to a meeting and I was crafting for the first time in a very long time. When crafting I usually think a lot about life, not particularly about the craft I'm doing. So the sobs just hit me...BOOM!

You would think at my age life would be uneventful and easy but it rarely is for anyone actually, at any time. We're all pulled in several different directions at any given time in our lives. I'm the same as you, blogger chicks.

So after painting these little hanging lanterns I decided to put some coffee filters that I had dyed pink—various shades of pink—to some use. I have several hundred of them hanging in the craft room on a string. And it took a LOT of coffee filter! I still have a lot left though so I'll be making a tutorial on the roses I make from them to send to a woman who wants to learn. I'll post it on here at some point so you can make them also. They are easy, trust me.

Here I am just starting to glue them to the lantern.


It doesn't look like I've put many more on in this photo but I have. It's "filter" intensive; believe me.

Looking more like what I'm wanting in this photo.

Here is the completed lantern. Since I dyed these with red food coloring and the filters are very absorbent, there are many different shades of pink. Plus these are the round scalloped filters but when subjected to the dye water they aren't ruffled anymore. Next time I'll use them straight from the package, white and scalloped. It will definitely be a different effect but this is what I had at the moment and it is acceptable to me.

~*~

Winter Is Finally Here

Oooooh, what's a girl to do today? It's snowing like crazy out there. I took these photos of our street just a few minutes ago.


I'm just sitting here answering the phone for my mission and being the comic relief for these people calling in. I'm so glad they seem to like it when I chuckle along with them. This Mormon girl ain't dull for sure!

Anyway, I thought I'd do a blog since it seems to be a slow day for callers seeking help with FamilySearch. Just a few days ago I was complaining about the lack of "winter" around here. The first snow is natures assertiveness training and she's really dishing it out today, chicks. Love it!

So now I'm waiting to see these again in the spring.

Later on today I'll sit and do a little bit of this: reading.

I've already done some of this this morning.

And if the weather keeps up like this, then I'll be doing some more of these coffee filter roses to put in little pots around the house.

And I'm eating these at this very moment! Yum.

But if I go out today I'll definitely need one of these.

~*~

Keeping In Touch 5/29/2011

I've been remiss in blogging recently, but being in training meetings for my mission has taken up a lot of time. Sorry, but my mission is going to be taking up most of my computer time for the next year. I even thought of giving up blogging for this year but, truly, I don't think I could do that and survive. It's a passion and the Lord has said we must temper our passions in doing work for Him and I'll do it, but I shall definitely have free time for doing what I want so I'm continuing do it. I shall truly need lots of prayers from anyone who will be so kind as to include me in their prayers.
*

So that being said, I'm recycling some old photos with some new ones today. We don't go to church until 1 pm today so I have some time to myself while hubs is still sleeping.

Some little tussie mussies I made last year.

One of my gorgeous roses from last year. It's been a very cool and wet spring this year and haven't seen any flowers yet but there are buds forming. I can't wait to be able to share this year's crop with you.

Some of the little scrunched paper flowers I made. Easy peasy, chicks, and you can use scraps of paper to do it.

An old tin can I recycled for a breath-taking storage can for whatever I want to store in it.

This is one of the coffee filter roses I started making. This is one of the better ones, but I like the ones I'm doing now much better. They're fluffier and much, much easier to work.

And now for the real eye candy for me: Miss Caroline at her 1st birthday party. Love the drool on her chin. ;-)

Her Mummy and Dada took her on the ferry across to the islands in Washington. I think she loved the trip by the expression on her face.

And we wondered if any cake went into her mouth at all with this picture! We'll be celebrating it again when we all travel to California soon for our anniversary.

*

And in the spirit of Sunday I'm going to try and share a video of our General Conferences with you each Sunday. This is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's speech to the Church in April of this year. Please don't just click off, but listen to it and learn what the Lord would have us do.

~*~

Food Storage and 72 Hour Kits

First of all, a bit of eye candy for you. I've promised you beautiful things on this blog along with useful things also, but you'll pretty much see eye candy no matter what.

The vases I finished recently are now stuffed with some coffee filter roses I've made.

Little faux cupcakes that grace my living room end table.
~*~

Right after Easter this year hubby and I went to the stores and bought up a bunch of marked down candy for emergencies. (Yes, this is a boring subject today but one that definitely needs to be addressed.) We vacuum sealed some candy and thought we'd open it after several months to see how it survived. This past week we opened up our Milk Duds.

This is how they looked when I cut the sealed bag. Hubs said to throw it out. I beg to differ, man!!! Throw out chocolate? Is the man nuts?! Never. I peeled the cardboard box off it and broke it into tiny pieces and ate it. While it doesn't look quite appetizing, I can assure you it was delish—hard but delish. It softened up after sucking on it for a few seconds and then it was just fine.

Hubby and I recently went through our 72 hour kits for emergencies. We do this periodically and it's a good thing. Listen up. You can do this. You need to do this. Remember Haiti, New Orleans and other areas hit by natural disasters? Those people could have survived if they had some food and water. Besides, our church leaders tell us to do it, and I'm obedient in as many things as I can possibly be because I'm pathetic is so many other ways.

Hubs and I started with backpacks and put them on luggage carriers in case I couldn't carry it on my back any longer. Easy peasy.

Then we added extra undergarments, shoes (good thing I checked it because I could no longer get my feet in the shoes in my pack after all the surgery 2 years ago), towel, washcloth, dry packed food, change of clothing, which can be just any old thing you want to put in since it'll be an emergency and the fashion police won't care. I hate MREs so we opted to buy Mountain House at WM and will now buy some that is even better called Dri-Lite from a local sporting goods store. We got 3 dinners but just put oatmeal, cereal and pancake mix in the backpack for breakfasts and snack type things for lunches. See the blue bag in the bottom right. Never hurts to have a few of those in there. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! Pair of wool socks and gloves in case the disaster is in the winter time.

Hubs tent and plastic ware for eating and his little mess kit that contains cooking pot, plate and cup.

A ziplock bag can hold soap, toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner, comb and brush and any meds you might need. Rotate them for expiration dates.

I have a whole roll of toilet paper squished and put in a side pocket. You'll be very surprised how much you can get in a backpack. A coat need not go in there because in the summer you wouldn't need it especially, and if it's in the winter time, you'll be wearing it on your back. ;-)

A plastic bandaid can will hold an entire infirmary in it if packed right—bandaids, neosporin, pins and needles, lip balm.

I love having a whistle just in case we might get separated. Plus a length of cord can save a life. Side bar here:

Once with hubby was taking a scout troop for snow camping they came upon a pretty sheer cliff of snow and ice. Hubs is a large man—6"2' and about 200 pounds and the strongest man I've ever met. One of the other adults went across with the rope while hubs stayed on the starting side to sort of belay his across the chasm. Then the boys would have an adult at both ends to hold onto the rope while the boys were secured to it. A ways across this 300 ft. drop a boy slipped and started sliding. (He was an only child and very protected by his parents and I hate to think what would happen if he got injured or fell to his death on this trip. Anyway, hubs kept telling him to be careful but he got a bit cocky and started sliding. Hubs, in his best USMC drill sergeant voice told him to stop and grab the rope tighter to not slide so much. He listened and did what hubs told him but he was shaking badly when the guy on the other end got hold of him. He was sliding pretty fast and good on that rock covered with snow and ice. My man is a hero and I never doubt that he could save me from just about anything. But a rope can be used to throw to someone who might have fallen over a cliff or into a river.

Flashlight, my utensils and a foil blanket for warmth that packs down very small.

Lots of sweets and cocoa and herb tea. If you in a stressful situation there is nothing like sweet candy to help with the stress. And it's the best stuff for bartering you've ever seen. Have lots of it. During WWII cooking oil was the most precious commodity for trading. If you had sugar, candy or oil you could trade it for anything.

Hubby's jacket and the water filtration system. Easy and small to have. You don't want to get sick on the water if there is a major catastrophe. Light that goes around his head so he can help with hands free in the dark.

This is the back end of our garage where we have a 250 gallon water storage tank. I never worry about anyone stealing it because water weighs 8.3 lbs per gallon so that tank weight 2,075 full of water. And it's house water to drink. We got the tank from a man in our church who made them for about $180 each. Well worth it if a catastrophe hits. And there have been many lately.

Now, within the next couple of weeks I'm going to talk about food storage. We have a years supply of food and all the essentials. You can learn how and do it surprisingly quickly and easy. Here we had all our canned fruits, vegetables, pastas, peanut butter, nuts, ketchups, sauces, salt, pepper, spices, packaged dinners, cake mixes and frostings, vinegar, oils, canned meat, vacuum dried nuts, jerky, mayonnaise, mustard, candy, cereals, pancake mix, etc.

As you can see, I had a virtual grocery store in my basement. That was our former house and we have less than half the square footage here in our house now than this one—the former one. It's a bit tighter and we have to be more creative but it can definitely be done. The five gallon tubs contained dried carrots, dried onions, sugar, dried potatoes and dried beans. This was just part of it, the largest part, but there was more upstairs and meat in 2 of our freezers.

Here we kept toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, fabric softener, bleach, soap, toothpaste, lamp oil for oil lamps when electricity would be shut off.

So later on I'll tell you how to start your food storage. In reading an article this past week on food, there is no doubt it's going to climb in price and there are already shortages on some things. As Mormons we've been told to be prepared for these kinds of circumstances. Please, please listen and get some essentials for your home for the coming days. I doubt very seriously that you'll regret it but if it's not there, you'll regret not having it.
~*~

Froufrou Friday #4 8/27/2010

Inspiration finally struck.

Remember this post here? Well, Love Bunny dragged me off to the wilds again so I had to wait until we got back to do something with these tin pots. I decoupaged them with some old flowers decoupage I've had for years and then added a little clay rose I made. Add a bow and voilà, how vintage shabby french cottage can we get here?!

I just have to make some more roses for the other pot and decide where they'll go in this house. I'm quickly running out of space!

~*~