Friday, October 24, 2014

SwapoWeen 2014 What I Sent

I loved shopping for my swap partner, Mary. I also made a few craft projects including a miniature candy corn canvas wall hanging,  a colorful yarn spider web in an embroidery hoop and a Halloween rosette. I hand sewed the rosette including adding a little embroidery, buttons, ribbons,mesh ribbon along with both tacky and hot glue.I also picked out a few items for Mary's children.

SwapoWeen Halloween Swap Reveal

I participated in the 2014 SwapoWeen Blog Party event! The lovely Mary sent these Wonderful Pumpkin Autumn and Halloween delights! She and a friend even created this beautiful  kitchen towel and set of pot holders. They really did a nice job! We loved our Halloween package! Thank you Mary!

DIY Faux Canvas Wall Art

The interior walls of a home create an atmosphere and tell the story of your home and family. Wall art weaves the color scheme of a space and creates a mood in the environment. Consider for instance the decor movement in children's bedrooms throughout Australia. The Internet and publications are adorned with the adorable decor popular in home decor for children. Teepees, garland, yellow Lego head storage containers and black and white accessories to name a few are enormously featured decor ideas. A second trend is the collage appeal of wall art displays. A modge podge of items are grouped together in a space to create a cluttered often abstract design in a space. The collage often features canvas art in a variety of sizes and styles. The canvas art is then surrounded by mismatched items that may include word art, monogram letters, maps, pictures, frames with or without photos and anything else that one may fancy. The popular interior decorating magazines feature photos of such beautiful spaces that are often attached to a high price tag.

It is possible to avoid the high cost of purchasing art to decorate your home. You can create your own DIY faux Canvas Art. You will need a sheet of adhesive foam . The foam can be purchased at a local craft store. You will also need fabric, scissors, a glue gun and glue sticks. The foam cost around eight dollars for two sheets. It is available in a variety of sizes and prices. When it comes to the fabric be sure to choose a fabric that will help create the look that you would like in your space. Consider the color scheme of the space. Are you going to use the fabric print to create a flow of a particular color or colors? Would you like to add a pop of color or flare to a collage style wall of art? Are you creating a masterpiece for the baby's nursery? I chose a print that was in my fabric stash. I purchased the fabric on clearance when the local Joanne's Fabric and Craft store changed out the home decor samples.For just a few dollars,  I purchased a few of the samples to sew into pillows.

To create the faux art:

Remember that foam can easily be broken. Proceed with caution to avoid smashing or breaking the foam.

Cut the fabric to a length where it will stretch across the foam and have the ability to be stretched around the sides of the foam.

Remove the protective sheet from the foam to expose the adhesive.

Place the fabric onto the adhesive. Make sure to stretch the fabric to avoid bunching. Stretching the create a flat surface that will appear canvas like when completed.

Wrap the fabric around the sides of the foam. The foam that I used measured an inch and a half thick. Pull the fabric tightly towards the back.

Make sure the fabric has been pulled as tight as possible. Apply pressure to the surface of the foam and fabric to attach the fabric to the adhesive.

Once the fabric is completely in place, cut off the excess fabric. Leave enough cloth to pull it tightly in place. Lastly,  use the glue gun and glue to permanently adhere the fabric to the back of the foam.

Once complete,  you will have a DIY Faux Canvas Art Print. You can hang the print easily with the foam backing. I created three of the foam pieces in different sizes and hung them in an arrangement at different heights. I chose to hang my faux canvas in the dining room. The dining room can be seen from both the living room and kitchen. Pillows sewn from the same fabric print will join the living room decor creating a flow of this color scheme within the two rooms.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Tiny House Dreaming

I'm dreaming of a Tiny House! I'm mesmerized by the Tiny House Movement and the financial freedom that can accompany the lifestyle. I recently had to drive to the Orlando area for a school function. I had heard of an rv park that accommodates a lady that owns and rents out her small home. I wanted to go and take a look at the home. Unfortunately, I just didn't have the time to go take a peek.

On the trip,  I passed a modular home and mobile home dealer. To my surprise, from the interstate,  I could see a Tiny House on display. When I reached my destination,  I got online and searched for the dealership. I learned that the homes are popular tiny houses referred to as Vacation Cottages.  I also found a location not too far from where I was traveling that both rented and sold tiny houses aka vacation cottages. I snuck over to catch a peek. Although the office of the vacation community could not  show the available home without an appointment,  I did get to look around and take a few pictures. The tiny houses were absolutely adorable!

Homecoming 2014

A few of my ladies had the opportunity to attend the Homecoming dance. I really enjoyed shopping for dresses. Miss A. Shopped with my sister and Miss.J . shopped with the Dad and myself. Both of the girls had ideas of several styles of dresses that they were interested in and were headed towards jewel tones especially purples,blues and pinks.I was surprised when Miss.A came home with an animal print black and white dress . After shopping for several hours, we accidentally stumbled upon a wonderful deal on a nice dress. Surprisingly, it was also black and white.

The day of the dance, the Dad made an early dinner as the girls planned to bring along a friend. We planned the pick up an hour before the dance. So, we thought it would be easier to have dinner at home. (Prom they can dine out on the town.)

I had a lot of fun behind the camera and I snapped pictures and the three young ladies giggled.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Week Four A New Plan

Week three was so busy. I didn't even have the opportunity to plan. Now as for week four:
I need to reassess the situation. I know that there are many things that I have to do. I'll begin by making somewhat of a to-do list.

Work:

- Go to work. It may sound funny but it's an issue as I work my way through the probation period.
-Leave a change of clothing at work.

Work at Home:

-Write 20 blog post in the month of October.
-Read the Blogelina ebook.
-Tweek my Freelance Profile.
-Work on my Media Kit
-Choose a new domain name.
-Consult with Blogelina to learn if Mommies and Beyond dot com can be restored on a new domain, fingers crossed.

Home:

-Create a homework schedule for the little Mr.
-Find our Halloween Pirate Skeleton Wall Decal.
-Work on an organization project in the little Mr. Room
-Clean Master Bath
-Clip dog nails.
-Organize Coupons
-Begin Reorganization of my craft supplies and collect donations for a community service project.


Hobby:

-Add the final touch on my SwapoWeen Halloween Blog Swap Project.
-Work on My Ghouls, Ghost and Glamor Girls Swap.
-Enter 25 Giveaways
-Find ideas for my swap partners

Health:
-Swim 2 times. I swam today too!
-Drink More Water
-Eat Avocados a few times this week.
-Plan Either Paleo or South Beach Diet Menu ideas.

*Research Tiny House Movement.
-Dream about Tiny House Freedom
-Begin my Tiny House Plan and Project.





Week Two Plan Recap






School:
☆ I completed the order forms for Miss.J's Graduation including cap and gown and the class ring. Sent in the deposit for the orders.
☆Miss.J. and I sat down to discuss the next choice of college for her to apply to attend. It turns out that she completed the application that very morning! Yay, the girl is on top of it!

× I didn't complete the volunteer application.
× I worked an 11 hour shift the day prior to the community fundraiser. My family quietly left the house to handle the event responsibilities allowing me to sleep in until they woke me up at 8:34 a.m.
× TBA, the boy's teacher did not contact me for a conference. So, this will be rescheduled.

Home:
☆I remembered to purchase a Sunday newspaper. I really want to become more involved with couponing.
☆Purchased Snacks for the children.
☆I organized the pantry
☆I Cleaned the  refrigerator.

That's all. I was home very little this week . Did I mention that my job is supposed to be part time?  I would have to disagree. 10 and 11 hour days do not equal part time in my book.


Financial:
☆I sent in the payment for Miss.J's school trip.
☆I sent in the payment for Graduation and class ring.
☆Ipaid the rent.
☆I called about 401K plans . Learned that pt no longer qualifies for the program.
☆Found out about purchasing a school gym uniform for Miss.A.

Personal :
☆Hair was trimmed.
☆Found my Bag.

Work:
☆Took in a pantry meal of soup.
Went to work

Work at Home:

☆Wrote a few blog post.











Hobby:
☆ Entered 20 giveaways and Sweepstakes.


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Fall Traditions Homecoming Style

We are coming up on fun fall traditions! It is my favorite time of the year!  Pumpkins,  falling leaves, apple cider, Halloween and kick off to the holiday season!  It is such a fun time of the year!

Homecoming is just around the corner! This week our high school is celebrating by hosting a spirit week! Each day, the children may drees up with a fun theme. One day was Super hero day! When dropping the girls off at school,  I saw a handful of cute costumes.

Over the weekend, we picked up a shirt for Miss.J and early in the week, We picked up one for Miss.A. Miss A. wanted to match her sister by staying in the same theme. So,  meet Batman and Robin! (Really Bat girl )

So this morning, the girls wanted to dress up 80 style at the last minute. So we threw together some bright colors, bracelets and bandanas to note a few. So the fun of the fall
and homecoming season is upon us.






Ebola Epidemic Reaches The United States

The first case of the Ebola plague in the United States has been officially confirmed. The gentleman that contracted the virus was visiting his family in Dallas, Texas. The patient is hospitalized in quarantine. His partner and family including children have been ordered to remain in their apartment  home. The emergency responders that transported the man to the hospital have also been quarantined.

I believe that the ball has been dropped on the case . The man visited the emergency room only to be sent home with antibiotics and pain medication. Once he became increasingly ill,he was taken to the hospital by ambulance. In addition, it's been claimed that the hospital was informed several times that Thomas Eric Duncan had traveled from Liberia. It was confirmed when hospital staff learned that he did not have a social security number. So essentially, the hospital staff overlooked the symptoms of the virus, overlooked the man's citizenship and has probably exposed hundreds to the Ebola virus.

Take a step back, the Liberia government and even airlines share liability in the spread of the disease. This man was permitted to leave an infected region after exposure to a deadly virus. No only had he helped an ill pregnant lady with Ebola by carrying her into a hospital  (which turned her away due to the illness) but the Liberian government has announced that he was caring for and possibly residing with an ill individual with Ebola.

The man was then permitted to leave the country including boarding three airplanes with two layovers.He traveled from Liberia to Belgium to Washington D.C. to Dallas, Texas. The ramifications are disastrous.In addition, several children were exposed in the Dallas home to the virus. The children  then attended four Dallas schools for four days before the virus was identified. This is terrifying.

I'm truly frightened for the families of the exposed children, his family  and all the people potentially  exposed by this one confirmed case. I pray that all of these people and those around the world will be treated and cured of this horrible disease.