Feeling Crafty

While I generally hate everything about winter, one good thing about the cold weather is that I have more time to make things. February was a busy month for me! Here are some of the cute things I got done.

I scrounged two of these beauties from the weeds next to my Grandpa's house. They were covered in dirt and leaves and snow and were in really bad shape. I cleaned them up and turned one into this for Emily's room:

Pretty cute if I do say so myself! And the best part is that after this first, experimental one, I still have another matching one to make into something fabulous!

A couple of cool pictures, a magnet board, an Irish dancer vinyl, and some hooks to hang her dance ribbons from.

I have had a bunch of old solid core doors stacked in my garage for years. They were salvaged from a Habitat for Humanity demo but aren't the right dimensions for my house. So one day I took one of them and turned it into a headboard for the girls' bed. I am pretty proud of it since I did it all without any help from my husband. (I did have one of my best girlfriends as my assistant) I used the table saw (not the best idea to cut off the end of a solid core door) and the circular saw (to even out the cut made by the table saw -- worked so much better!) the palm sander, the drill and the nail gun. I nailed a piece of moulding to the edge of the door to cover up where the hinges had been and added legs from scraps of 2x4 since I didn't want to attach the headboard to the wall. Then I filled all the holes with fixall, primed and spray painted it heirloom white. This is not a very clear picture but I think it turned out so cute! And I love projects like these that I can finish in one day.

Just some cute Easter pots that I stole from someone else while blog stalking. I don't remember who, but she got the idea from Pottery Barn. The kids loved rolling the platic eggs in the glue and sugar. Every once in a while I catch Aleise licking one of the eggs.

Stay tuned for more projects that I haven't taken pictures of yet, namely an amazing couch reupholstery job done by my mom and me (okay, mostly by my mom -- and it is beautiful!)

p.s. I did do some of the work!

Tuesdays

You know the old adage, "washing on mondays, mending on tuesdays, ironing on wednesdays...?" Well, this is what Tuesdays look like at our house. Ten to twelve loaves of hot homemade bread.

I Scream, You Scream...

Look what I got today! I know that I probably did not save the optimium amount possible. I did end up paying money for this stuff, but I am still trying to figure out the whole couponing thing. I posted the picture more for the fact that I toodled around my local Albertson's pushing a cart full of 24 -- yes, 24!! -- quarts of ice cream. So clearly I have no pride. And, just for the record, only half of it went into my freezer. I shared the wealth. So 24 quarts of ice cream, 10 hot pockets, 8 Old Orchard juices and 5 transactions later I spent.....$46.15

Without the awesome chill promotion and a few coupons, I would have spent $207.88
So I had a total savings of $161.73, which I will obviously need to use on a gym membership! Anybody want to come over and share a bowl of ice cream?

Porter's Big Day

I don't know how it happened but one day I blinked and my first baby, my sweet little boy, was a tall twelve-year-old! And that makes me feel old. It also makes me feel proud and blessed to be the mother of such an incredible spirit. I know that God has great things in store for him and I am looking forward to my front row seat to see all that he becomes! Happy birthday, Porter Allen. I love you with all my heart!

Here are some of the great guys in my life. Porter received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday and was ordained to the office of a deacon. His great-grandpa Oscar Egbert (Pa), my dad Tim Hurst (Papa), and Kevin's dad Robert George (Grandpa) were all there to participate.

I can't believe I have a twelve-year-old! Here comes firesides, scout camps, young mens, basketball in the church, priesthood meetings, and *gulp* soon girls! Only seven more years and he will be Elder George. I better try not to blink, hang on, and enjoy the ride!

May the Luck o' the Irish be with ye!

Here is the cute crafty I made with my sisters-in-law that I promised to show.

And here is my favorite Irish dancer!

We will be kicking up our heels on Wednesday in a parade at noon in Twin Falls! Hope you get a lucky kiss on St. Paddy's Day and, as the Irish say, "May you live all the days of your life!"

(which, if you think about it, is really quite profound.)

In Memoriam

Porter's cat, Tiggers, died in January. He followed the kids to Grandma's one morning to borrow something and later, when he decided to come back home, he was hit by a car while crossing the road. Thankfully, the kids had already returned home earlier. It was a hard experience as he was our first pet.

The missionaries (okay, not just the missionaries but our very favorite Elder Shupe) brought Tiggers home to Porter six years ago when Tiggers was just a kitten. And, let me tell you, that cat was full of personality! Such a great friend to my kids, who are afraid of anything that can bark. He would sit in the kitchen window or at the front door and watch whatever they were doing inside, just waiting for them to come out and play. Whenever the kids would go outside he would follow them all around the yard (and to Grandma's too). He never left our yard without the kids but, for some reason, all the neighborhood cats liked to come over and pick fights with him.

Porter built him a house for a scout project and put him inside it with food and water every night to protect him from the other cats and keep him out of trouble. Then he would let Tiggers back out in the morning. The kids liked to sneak Tiggers into the house when it was cold outside. He would just curl up in the schoolroom until Daddy got home. When Kevin would come home and see the cat, it would have to go out.

What adventures our family had with Tiggers! He got sprayed right in the face after trying to make friends with a black and white kitty. I tried to wash him off with the garden hose while Pa held onto him. Of course, he got away in a hurry and we didn't see him for a day or two. When he came back home he was very dirty but he didn't smell anymore. After getting covered in june grass stickers, we had to take him to the vet to be shaved. He was so embarrassed when he came home looking like a naked lion that he hid behind boxes and toy bins all day long. He didn't want anyone to see him.

We rescued him from tom cats, bandaged up his battle wounds, shaved him with Kevin's hair clippers, and loved him lots. We miss him. Mostly I miss how he would hang his paws over the bottom of the railing on the balcony and stick his head out the balastrade. It was so cute! Having him leave was hard, especially for Porter. We buried him in the backyard. That night Porter gave me a hug and said, "Maybe we should stick with goldfish, they're not quite as sad."

(And for those who think it is silly that I am writing a eulogy about a cat, that is why he was our first pet. I get too attached. But even Kevin admits, "For a cat, he was a pretty good one.")

Look what I did for love

I adore Valentine's Day! Pink and red and hearts and love and sugar and kindness...what's not to love? We celebrated for most of the month.

Hugs and Kisses

We were in Utah and I went shopping with my sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law. As we often do, we checked out some craft stores and found some really cute ideas. Then we went home and found some scrap wood in Dad's shop, bought ribbon by the spool to share, and got busy! We didn't have enough time to do more than cut them out together but I got busy on them as soon as I got home. I think they turned out so well, I didn't want to put them away at the end of the month. But, guess what? We also made an adorable St. Patrick's Day one! I'll have to post a picture later. I love crafting with my sisters!




I put this one on the floor to take the picture, but it is usually hanging on the wall. Also, it doesn't show up in the photo, but it is covered with red glitter spray. So pretty!

Red velvet cake with fudge filling for dessert. Yum!

For breakfast I made these parfaits. Half a muffin in the bottom, then yougurt, bananas, the top of the muffin, whipped cream and sprinkles, topped off with a strawberry. I love it!

Making and mailing valentines to all the cousins.

Fun cookies to share with great neighbors and friends.

Here's sending you some virtual hugs and kisses and lots of love!

Emily Turns Nine!

Yes, I know it happened almost two months ago, but I am telling you about it now. After receiving light-up roller skates from Grandma and Papa for her party, she got to go skating on her birthday with her two best friends. One of the girls had never been skating before and I was so impressed with how the other two looked after her and helped her. They never once left her by herself while they skated. This is the way the three of them looked the whole night. What sweet, good girls!

I am incredibly blessed to be the mother of such a wonderful person! She amazes me with her kind and helpful heart, always looking out for and thinking of others. I love it that I get to be part of the plans that God has in store for her. I love you, Emily, with all my heart!