The promised creation for my mom

My mom had given me the arrangement in the first photo at Christmas time and asked me to fix it for her.  she hangs it outside her front door and since most of the time we use the garage to get in, we never saw it.  It was not at all worth saving, except for the metal heart which had weathered nicely.  So I went online and to see if I could get an idea of what to do with it.  I pulled it all apart and only saved the birdhouse and the heart. Mom loves birds.  The bottom one is what I "created"  it is not the exact copy of the one I found online, but my idea based on what I saw, I think she will like it, and it is not just for Christmas anymore. I will try to get a better picture of the finished project, lighting is not great in my basement. Let me know what you think.

Updated photos finished project

Today I felt like creating, and I needed a new wreath for my front door.  I truly enjoy creating something beautiful from scratch, and I have been told that it could sell these things. There are two reasons I have not attempted this.  First, I do not know where I could sell them and second, I do not even know how much I would charge.  I am still using the left over materials that my mother has had for years, and adding a few new materials as I go along.   Maybe one day someone will see something that I have made and ask me to make something for them, but until then, I guess I will continue to make these for family members and as gifts.  I still have one to "redo"  for my mom,  as soon as I complete it, I will post it on here before giving it back to her.  I do have an idea on what I would like to do.  Please feel free to leave a comment so I know what you think. 

Scrappin' with Scraps

So I asked Kayla to save gum wrappers for me because I wanted to make something with them.  She gave me her gum wrapper for that piece.  When she went to school and someone would ask her for a piece of gum, she would say, sure, but you have to save the wrapper for my mom.  Today she handed me an empty gum package, except it had gum wrappers in it from her friends who have been saving them for me.  High school students chew a lot of gum.   I got the chance to be creative this evening while watching Criminal Minds.  I told Kayla I would make a card for the kids who had been saving the wrappers, she said "no mom, stuff like that would just end up on the floor of their cars" She took a picture of the Football card to show them.  The Football card has gum wrappers with their school colors.  The other two are obviously Saint Patrick's Day cards. (One of my favorite holidays) Let me know what you think.  by the way, If I have your address, I will be making a card monthly and send it out randomly.

Long Hours are They Worth It

I have not posted for quite a while, since I have been working a major case and working long hours on it.  I really have not felt like jumping on the computer when I get home.  I thought I would post today before I went home as my 40 hours are completed and the county is not allowing any overtime.  Bummer I HAVE to go home early on a Friday.  I do not think I have seen the end of the long hours yet, so might as well grab the time while available.  I hope I will be able to blog about it later.  My boss asked me the other night as we were working longer hours if I enjoyed my job and if I thought I could like to stay in it another 5 years.  My answer was a resounding yes, especially when I am working on a case such as the one we are currently working on, it make what I do seem like I am making a difference.  Those of you who know what my job is might have asked yourself the same thing, but I do love my job and I do make a difference.  I don't know if that will be the case on the case I am currently working, but maybe I will have played a major part in putting away some bad guys. 

So you might ask what are you going to do with your extra time today.  Well, I have an answer to that, straighten my house and spend some qualitytime with my family. They too have become neglected from my long hours at work. 

Craft area progress

On January 17, 2011, this is what my "crafting area" looked like.

This is the exact area tonight.  At least now I have a space to work on cards and scrapbooks, and I do not have to worry about waiting until dinner is done, or setting up in the middle of the living room. Plus I can see the TV from this spot if I want to.  I may however set up a small DVD player in here so I can watch the movies I want to watch while I craft.

In the background of this photo you can see the paper tray has paper just shoved where ever it would fit.

Same place, only now I can actually find a color that I am looking for and know when I am out of a color. (Which I do not think will be in the near future)

 I still have a few more things I want to organize in here, but, I am quite proud of the work I have accomplished in this small area of my home, let the organization continue.  But first let's make some cards!!! 

So, I was watching TV with my son while he was home with a sore knee yesterday and someone on the show came up with a "Murtaugh List".  Now, you might ask what is a "Murtaugh" list.  It is a list of things you are "too damn old for this" from the character Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) from the shows Lethal Weapon. So, I started thinking, what is on my "Murtaugh List". 

First, staying up late at night (1-2 am) and getting up at 7:00 am
Then there is people who want to compete with me for the friendship of another person.  We are adults here.
Jumping on Trampolines

I am sure I can come up with more, but will end this post and let you think about what is on your "Murtaugh List"

Conviction

For the last week, God has been working on me to the point I could feel it.  I have prayed about  a situation that had to be dealt with for over a week  today, opportunity arose, I could feel His presence with me telling me it would be ok and afterward, I really felt at peace. 

You see, I have been placed in a position to be a manager over people and I have been a push over to the core.  I get that from my dad.  One of the people I manage has had poor attendance to the point it has been detrimental to the work getting done.  Instead of dealing with it when it first started happening, I tried to dismiss it, true to my nature, but the situation did not go away and eventually got worse.  Today, after lots of praying, I confronted the situation.  I learned something about myself during the process, I will continue to pray on the work God is trying to do within me, but I know that the situation was put before me to deal with to help me grow.

Everything will eventually work itself out, maybe not to my liking, but what ever happens in the end, I know God has had His hand in it.