How To Hang Draperies And Curtains Like A Designer

Ever wonder why your drapes don't look like those in the magazines?  Even after you went out and spent a Small FORTUNE buying every single piece featured in the catalog or website?  Well, I came across this blog post today on Facebook & it has some useful information to help us out!  The post was featured by Madigan Made on FB, but originally came from Addicted 2 Decorating {{heehee...I just LOVE being a "Blog Stalker"!}}.  


I wish I knew how to show the entire post here, but...I don't...so please follow the link & go fix those drapes! (-;

Ruffles, the Drama Queen

Have you ever had one of 'those' experiences that you wish SO BADLY had been captured on camera?  You know what I mean... ;)

We had one recently during our long tiring extended vacation to Walt Disney World.  We left on a Saturday morning and came home late the following Wednesday night.  I know, you're thinking "ummm...extended?"  YES.  It was LONG!!!

On Monday we had plans to meet up with The Hubs' oldest brother, his wife and their daughter for a day of FUN in the Magic Kingdom.  But the 1st thing on Ruffles agenda was to ''Doe tee Mitty Mouse."  Now, anyone who knows Ruffles...or even spends five minutes in her presence KNOWS that she is High Maintenance.  She doesn't like loud noises, sudden moves, masks, insane hats, elaborate costumes, anyone who isn't ME...and a whole list of other things!  But, she wanted to see 'The Mouse'.  Go Figure.

Well M&M were right next to where we ate lunch & there was only a 5 minute wait, so we decided to give it a shot.  Besides Robot LOVES to see the characters.  He always has.  We went right in to Mickey's dressing room, and Mickey & Minnie were mostly out of our site due to the huge steamer trunk opened in front of us.  We occasionally got a glimpse of ears as they walked around and posed for pictures.  So...here is an excerpt of Ruffles' monologue while waiting in line:

"I donna tee Mitty Mouse."

"I toe et~cited."

"I wait my tuwrn."

"I tee 'huwr' ears!"

{{to some random lady in line}} "Mitty Mouse is BIG as Mommy!"

"Minnie hewre too! I tee Minnie, Mommy!!!"

"I toe et~cited.  I wait my tuwrn."

"We nezt, Mommy? Oh, I toe et~cited."

We finally get to our turn & Ruffles & I stand back so Robot can have his turn first and she can have a few more seconds to assess the situation.  She decides to pass Mickey with a wave & go straight for Minnie...I stop in front of Minnie~not TOO close, but close enough & Minnie waves 'Hi'.  Ruffles says 'Hi Minnie, Hi." and volunteers her name to Minnie.  

She then turns to me with a stoic face and deadpan voice & says "I say hi.  To Minnie.  Mouse."  Then the head gets thrown back, the mouth opens and TORMENTED WAILING ensues.  "I DONE!  I DONE!  GET ME OUTTA HERE NOW!  I.  TOE.  DONE!  BYE MINNIE!  BYE MITTY!  I DONE!"

It took every ounce of "Mommy~ness" in me to comfort her and NOT. LAUGH.  But really...when you have a child as dramatic as that one, you eventually just have to enjoy it, or you'll go mad.  ;)

This picture was taken directly after "The Incident" while waiting for the parade to start.  An entirely NEW debacle for Miss Ruffles to be "DONE!" with~and a whole 'nother story, lol!  Here's to 'Magical Memories' with our loved ones! ;)

Can I Just Go Back to Bed?

You ever have one of those days?  


You know~the kind where you wake up on time, the coffee is GOOD, you get chores done, schoolwork done, the children get along and play beautifully...and when it's time to head out into the world everything just rolls together nicely...your hair is perfect, the only makeup you need is powder because your complexion looks GREAT & that perfect outfit practically leaps out of your closet ready to wear...yeah~I love that day...


That was so NOT today.


I woke up late, the coffee pot parts were buried under the dishes I forgot to wash last night, the children could NOT get along {{thankfully a VERY rare occurrence}}, and I just couldn't get it together to leave the house...ended up with jeans, a ruffled tank & cardi and my gold thong sandals...yes, it was cute and I'm glad I was able to look put together for the Hubs, but I wanted to wear a dress {{my every day wear}} and feel the warm breeze outside.  


WARNING~Rant Coming On!!!:  However the {{LOTS OF}} extra weight I currently carry around prohibited me from donning one of my summer dresses... )=  This will be fixed.  Soon.  Soon, as in I have appt with a Weight Loss & Nutritional Team on March 13.  Hopefully sooner if they have a cancellation.  I am SO READY.  And thankful that M is letting me do it...
RANT OVER!


Back to my day, lol.  I did manage to get the dishes washed, but now must choose between the piles of laundry covering my entire sectional sofa or the bow order that is due tomorrow...it may be an all nighter...An imperfect end to my imperfect day...


And I Am THANKFUL For EVERY Second Of It.

Shoe~Topia

Have you ever been to Shoe~Topia?  NO!?!  Oh My~You MUST visit someday.  I am there now, & let me tell you...it's Remarkable Awesome Sensational WONDROUS!  


My trip to this Glorious {{NON FICTIONAL}} place began when the entire family went shopping for new Sanuks.  We are in Deep Deep LIKE with this brand of shoe...the 'Yoga Mat' style is SO COMFY & as we are planning our Big "DISNEY TRIP" in a few weeks, we needed to replace our old 'holey soled' ones that we wore out last year... (=

This year our store of choice held way more variety than last year...but not much that I was interested in. =/  I did pick up this SUPER COMFY pair here....

{{via}}

...but felt the need to look further...So I Did! (=

I found these two pair 

{{Sanuk Kiss & Tell}}

and

{{Sanuk Yoga XYZ}}

on Zappos & they came in today... {{LOVE}}.

I also bought these for Robot~>

{{via}}

{{via}}

{{And that's on top of the two pair of floppers he got two days ago!}}  Hey Man~Fla Residents need flip flops!

Ruffles got this cute little pair of Tommy Hilfiger's from our local Outlet Store...

She wanted to nap in them today...BTW~how CUTE is she???

They are too big for her TINY Little Feets, {{thus causing a small trip & scrape}} but with shoes vs sandals or flip flops you can get away with a larger size...Oooh oooh oooh...here is a cute one of both my babies {{don't you just love all the pics with backgrounds of trucks and curbside garbage?  But, you take the pictures where the kiddos will cooperate!}}

Okay...enough about them and back to my SHOES!!!

What's our count now...3?  Okay, I also picked up an ADORABLE pair of Fushia Floral Thongs from the aforementioned Outlet Store.  I rarley find anything for myself there, but this day I literally turned around and bumped into them!  The next night, we rode out to a relatives house for a quick visit and I left with a bag full of FOUR brand new pair of flip flops...See!?!  Shoe~Topia!!!  Here are my last 5 pair...

I'm telling ya~this was MY week!  {{And to go with all those EIGHT PAIR of flip flop/thongs/sandals, I picked up a small battery powered pedicure device~like a drill?~ AND two new bottles of OPI...

and

I Eat Mainly Lobster

Two PERFECT summer colors...good for ANY skin tone and appropriate for day or night...{{sigh}}

UPDATE!!!

HOW could I forget to show y'all my MOST Favorite pair!?!  These are no longer available unfortunatley, but I DO love them...they are SO comfy & will match EVERYTHING in my summer wardrobe...this is my GO TO COLOR for Summer!

Simply Vera by Vera Wang 'Mia' Coral Thong Sandals... ♥♥♥

New Giveaway!

I know...I know...I never win...BUT!~I entered anyway! (-;  A new giveaway posted today on 'a beautiful life' {{one of my favorite "lifestyle" blogs}}.  I am not even sure what the prize is {{!!!}} but I HOPE it's this little lovely right here {{click this link!}}.  I can just see my Little Ruffles wearing her name in my handwriting...I'd better sign off and start practicing my L's...TooDaLoo!

Ephesians 5:25 Love

My Sweet Husband hasn't had a proper closet in 3 years.  From the moment we learned we were pregnant with Ruffles {{March 27, 2009}}, his belongings have been relegated to one of those rickety 'travel' closets.  Sure, he had a few complaints, but he knew it was the only solution we had that was workable.  He is a BIG Believer in "Sacrificial Love"...it's what "marriage" is about...well...it's what marriage SHOULD be about.  Loving your Spouse as Christ LOVES His church.


My Bubby {{my nickname for the Hubbs}} works two jobs.  He graduated from college  {{Ruffles was 8 days old!}} with a degree in Geomatics and...something something something...basically he is a Licensed & Registered Surveyor in our state.  He also has a part time job working as tech support for our local Supervisor of Elections Office.  With election season upon us he is SUPER busy right now!  Besides working 10+ hours of OT for his regular job, M is logging quite a few hours at ''the other office'' as well.  


Except for today...today he got up early {{on his ONE DAY OFF}}...went to LOWES {{HE HATES LOWES}}...and bought supplies to build a new walk in closet.  For.  ME.  {{I do so love that man.}}  (=  


While trolling FaceBook a few minutes ago, I came across this video {{by a new artist that I am thoroughly enjoying BTW}} entitled 'Sex, Marriage & Fairy Tales//Spoken Word'.  Having already been humbled today by the Grace of God in blessing me with such an AMAZING Life Partner, I was increasingly grateful after watching the video.  I mean~I know that my 'M' is amazing {{didn't I just say that!?!}} but it always helps to be reminded.


Whether you are married or not, this video shares an important message regarding marriage and God's plan for it.  It is definitely a "MUST WATCH" in my book...Enjoy...

A 'Little' Something EVERYONE should Know...

STROKE: 
Remember The 1st Three Letters... "S.T.R"...

'During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They offered to call ambulance

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food~while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital~at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.
She had suffered a stroke at the party . Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.'

Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

{{Neurologists say that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.}}

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the 3 steps: STR . Read and Learn!
{{Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :}}

S * Ask the individual to SMILE .
T * TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently & without Slurring) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another 'sign' to look for 
~Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
  {{If the tongue is 'crooked'~if it goes to one side or the other~that is also an indication of a stroke.}}

Neurologists/Cardiologists say if everyone who gets this status shares it; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.......

My Mother In Law suffered multiple strokes one Wednesday afternoon in the Fall of 2002.  She had been ill with pneumonia and couldn't get out of bed easily so my {{then future}} husband and I would check on her every day during our lunch breaks and after work, bringing her meals and making sure she was doing well.  That day we were both running late after work and didn't get by her house until after church services.  As soon as we saw her, we knew 'something' had happened.  We asked how she felt and she said "fine".  She had experienced a 'dizzy' spell on the way to the restroom and "that was all"  She felt okay and had no idea that her face was showing obvious trauma from strokes.  Of course we were WAY beyond the magical '3 Hour' time frame and as a result D suffered partial paralysis on her right side from tip to toe as well as other neurological damage.


Of course M and I beat ourselves up for years about 'What could have been'...'If only we had checked sooner'...'If only we hadn't been running late'... But eventually we understood that what happened in D's life wasn't under our control and we weren't to stress over what did or will happen.  Jeremiah 29:11 says " "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." "  And personally I like this one... 1 Peter 5:7 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."


Despite that , we also understand that our Lord...'The Great Physician' allowed us this insight into the human body.  Not so we would shrug it off and say "It's in His hands" or "I couldn't remeber that anyway" but so that we could grasp the importance of recognizing the signs of a possible stroke and knowing what to do next.  I pray {{and I mean I literally JUST prayed}} that all who read this post will take it to heart and learn the steps to recognize and seek treatment for a possible stroke victim.  Hang it on your fridge, read it once a day or once a week even.  Keep it fresh in your mind.  So many things in life we have no control over but this...this is so easy and could help to spare years of trauma or even save someone's life.


{{D's Birthday is coming up this Saturday and we know she will be celebrating in Heaven.  She always loved Birthdays {{even her own}} and though we have missed her for almost 5 years now, it is good to know she is healthy now and no longer suffering...}}




**Note** I can not validate the truth behind the illustrative story.  I have read it MANY times and on many public forums.  I merely use it as an example of how easily a Stroke can be overlooked and the {{possible}} dire consequences...