Weekend Review

 Family Portrait? Liv thinks buckets make good hats

It's Wednesday...so I know this post is overdue. Monday, Liv was teething and super clingy. Yesterday, I had a migraine. But today the sun is shining and the day is looking good.I promised to share my Southern Adventures in my bio...and that is what I plan on doing. Keep in mind...this is not Southern California where there are a million things to do on any given day. But this weekend in Northwest Louisiana, there were a few things going on, and the weather decided to cooperate...not too hot, not too cold (although since I've been here it hasn't been too cold ever).

The first thing I want to mention was the Barksdale AFB Defenders of Liberty Air Show. I have never been to an air show...and I did not go to this one. But...I could see and hear the show from my front yard. The main attraction it seems was the Thunderbirds. They are very loud and do some cool aerobatics. Snapping pictures was not the easiest thing to do, but I did manage to get a couple. From what I have seen in the news, they had about 200,000 attendees to the two day event.

Instead of going to the air show...I wanted to take Liv to a place that I read about. It is only open one Saturday a month, and only during certain months of the year, and only for a few hours; Chimpanzee Haven. We took her to see the Disney Movie Chimpanzee on Friday. I consider myself compassionate about animals, however, I do not agree with radical animal rights groups and their methods. I have been involved with shelter donation collections and whatnot in the past. After reading about Chimpanzee Haven, I wanted to see it and decided that it is my animal charity. The chimps at the sanctuary are retired from medical research, entertainment, or are unwanted pets. Their goal is to provide lifelong care for these animals. Many of them do have AIDS (and were intentionally given AIDS for research). I don't want to debate the right and wrong of animal testing...but rather...I am compassionate about their current situation. If you want to know more about the sanctuary, click the link above. They have a baby that was unexpectedly born on Valentine's Day. The dad has been sterilized twice, but seems to keep making those babies. :) I did not have a chance to see the baby, but it was really cool seeing the other chimps.

 Liv's first time having popcorn...enjoying the pre-movie show

Chimp Haven is about minutes from where we live, but it took forever to get there because we kept getting lost (remember I am new to Louisiana). And...it was a little on the creepy side when we saw a road sign warning against picking up hitch hikers because there was a prison. But we made it there...it was muddy because it had rained recently, and a little cooler than I had planned. Admission is free, but you can donate $5 to receive a flyer with all the chimps and their names.  I actually liked this setting more than the zoo because you were separated by a short fence and a mote...I'm not sure what keeps the chimps from crossing the mote. Next time I go I will have to ask. It was pretty crowded, but not uncomfortably. And...if you have to go to the bathroom, there are only port-a-potties. It's nothing fancy...but it does seem like a good place for the chimps.

This guy put on a show making his chimp sounds

 Yes...my jacket is outdated. It was cold..and its my emergency in the trunk jacket. :)

So Friday and Saturday were chimp days...Sunday was shopping day. Usually I shop on base because I would rather spend money on fun stuff than groceries...so I try to keep our food budget as small as possible. But with the Air Show crowds, there was no way I was going on base. I spent the morning planning and going through coupons. Then I made my way to Target, list and coupons in hand. I spent $156..saved $39 with coupons and my Target Red Debit card (save 5% automatically, no fees, no interest). AND...I got $15 in Target Gift cards to use later...which I used that same day to buy Liv her first potty. Pretty successful trip :) I'm by no means an extreme couponer, but I do what I can and I am always proud when those savings add up. I will probably do a blog post about couponing and grocery shopping another time.


So what's on tap for the upcoming weekend....hmmm....it may rain, and I have already been warned that Nick will be geeking it up all weekend with some new video game beta test. Maybe one day I will post a blog about how much I detest video games, but also why I don't put up too much of a stink. Off track...this weekend...our single dad friend wants to do something with the girls...we are thinking the Alligator Park. I'll keep you posted. :)

Cheers!
CC

Why I Went to Bass Pro Shop...and Ended Up Loving It

I am NOT the outdoorsy kind of girl AT ALL. Anyone who knows me can vouch for that. Sleeping in a tent and hunting and fishing just seem barbaric to me. Although, I'm sure other people enjoy it...I am not one of those people. So up til yesterday, I had never felt the need to go to Bass Pro Shop. But...someone told me they had alligators at the one at the Louisiana Boardwalk and curiosity got the better of me.

The Louisiana Boardwalk is the biggest shopping area in Louisiana. And when I say biggest, please understand...it is TINY compared to what I'm used to in So Cal. It is an outdoor mall kind of like Victoria Gardens or Irvine Spectrum but on a much smaller scale. They have stores, restaurants, a movie theater. It is right on the Red River with a view of the large casinos and hotels. It boasts on the web site that there are 70 stores, restaurants, and outlet stores. They have a trolly that rolls through so the lazier visitors have transportation (and typically the people who use it, could really use a good walk instead). The trolly is totally unnecessary, it is not that expansive of an area. There is a large fountain area as well. I like to take Olivea there because she can run and play and I have stuff I can look at too.

But the crown jewel of the Boardwalk is the ginormous Bass Pro Shop. I took Olivea and along the way she ran, picked up leaves, went in and out of stores that interested her, looked at her reflection in every window, and stopped to look at each display sign. I walked around what I now know is the back of Bass Pro Shop looking for the gators. But did not see them...so I went inside to ask. A friendly woman greeted me and I asked about the gators. She told me where I could find them (out front) and asked if Olivea had seen the fish yet. Fish? No. Turns out just past the fudge shop there is an aquarium. Wait...fudge shop? So I pass the fudge shop and head to the aquarium. It was a very good size one with large fish. Olivea loves fish. We watched the fish for a few minutes then ventured outside to see the gators. And yep...there they were, two medium size gators floating in the water among large turtles, relaxing and catching some sun.

And yet...in the back of my mind I kept hearing "fudge shop." So I went back inside and holy-fudge-heaven!! Buy 4 get 2 free...ummm yeah sounds good to me. I have already devoured 2.5 pieces and wow...so yummy.

So yes...go to Bass Pro Shop and see the amazing sights, but the most amazing will be the fudge. :) Nom nom nom!

Nap Time = Me Time

I had just put my daughter down for a nap when Nick came home early from work. I made myself lunch and sat down to eat as he went out to the yard to mow the lawn. When he came back in, I was still sitting at the kitchen table browsing the internet on my iPad. He asked what I was doing and I said "looking at birds." Nick: "why are you going to become a bird watcher?" Me: "No...just curious what birds are in our yard." He leaves the room, comes back and sees me staring out the window..."is this what you do every day when she is napping?" Me: "no...sometimes its just nice to sit in the quiet.

And that got me thinking...what do I usually do when she is napping?

I'm not one to nap. I usually wake up feeling groggy and grumpy and like I wasted the day. So...here's a short list of a few things I do while my daughter naps...what about you...what do you do with this time?

• Eat lunch (because I enjoy my one quiet meal of the day)
• Clean dishes
• Start laundry
• Pick up the trail of books and toys that are spread over the house
• Write a blog
• Browse the internet (email, pinterest, facebook)
• If its Thursday take out the all the trashes
• Read a magazine
• Knit or watching knitting and crotchet videos for new techniques
• Give myself a mani/pedi

I am so active when she is awake, we have learning time, meals times, play time, walks, errands...that when it is nap time, it's nice to just enjoy the peace. :) And it usually only lasts 1-2 hours, so I gotta enjoy it while I can!

Gift for a Geek

So what is a stay at home mom with no income supposed to get for her guy for the anniversary? Hmmmm....I decided to make something...but what? He's not one of those "10 things I love about you" kinda guys. I went into his office with a thought...maybe some kind of pencil holder using a mason jar....hmmm...no he has a bat man one I got for $1 at Target. And then I saw the thing that totally irritates me (besides the pile of empty water bottles), the paper towel he uses as a coaster. And like lightning it hit me...I'll make him some geeky coasters!

Here's my how to...you can recreate for your geek or use any kind of paper for any event. These were easy to make and I had all the materials in my craft area!

Materials:

• Cork square
• Mod Podge
• Tissue paper (or any other kind of paper)...optional
• Print out or picture you want to use
• Sponge applicator
• Exacto knife and cutting mat
•  Brayer 
• Sharpee or marker

Using a stencil or any kind of circular thing (cup, small bowl) trace the outline of the circle onto the cork. Using the Exacto knife, cut out the circle.













Dip the sponge applicator in Mod Podge and paint onto the cork. Lay the tissue paper on the wet Mod Podge and use brayer to smooth it out, but be gentle...the tissue paper can rip. You can skip this step if you picture totally covers the coaster. Mine did not so I used black tissue paper as a background.
















Apply another coat of Mod Podge to the tissue paper, then add picture and smooth with the brayer.

Apply two more coats of Mod Podge allowing about 10 minutes of dry time between coats.


Allow the coasters to dry completely and trim and excess paper from the edges using exacto knife. Mod Podge the edges and allow to dry.

My geek likes them...let me know if yours does too!

UPDATE: If the Mod Podge seems tacky after you have let it dry, spray it with a clear acrylic sealer.

Baby Hats

When I was pregnant, my mom dragged me out of the house to do a loom craft class. There, I learned how to make knitted baby hats using a loom. I love making them, but my daughter is not much of a hat wearing kind of kid. So now the hats I make, I sell on Etsy Love My Rose...right now I am adding listings since a few of my items have sold. I have pictures of other items on Facebook as well Facebook Love My Rose. I accept custom orders as well. These are just a couple examples....

Recipes

One of my other passions is cooking. I like to keep it Simple and Tasty...so I also have a blog called Simply Tasty where I share not just my own recipes, but things I try from other sources. I hardly ever follow a recipe exactly, so many times I tell you what I did differently and I always credit where I got the idea so you can make the original if you wish. :)

Dresser Re-Do

FACT: I have never bought a dresser. When I was about 6 my parents bought me some furniture...a tall dresser with a baby clothes cupboard on top, a three drawer dresser with a book shelf on top, and a desk. All matching. I decided at one point I wanted to save it for my future baby and have always done my best to take good care of it. The bumps and scratches it has I know and each one was heart breaking. But they survived and I was able to pass them on to my daughter...and they are in surprisingly good condition.

So...no that I no longer have dressers to my clothes in, and the fact that we are down to just one income means that we have to use Nick's dresser. Shudder. Nick bought his dresser many years ago at Wal-Mart or Kmart for about $79. I absolutely hated the way it looked in our room. So I decided to do something about it. No...I did not throw it into the fire....I refurbished it! And it really looks great. I did it for about the same amount of money it cost Nick to buy it all those years ago.

First, Nick reinforced the drawers with silicone. We let it dry for about two days before we did anything else. Next, we headed to Lowe's. I bought some paint, new drawer pulls (or knobs), and some wood embellishments. Oh and of course paint brush and a plastic drop cloth to protect the surface I painted on.

Here's step by step what I did to fix up the dresser.

1. Placed the dresser on plastic drop cloth and opened up windows.
2. Cleaned the dresser with rubbing alcohol. Since It has that cheepo wood finish stuff on it, I did not feel the need to sand it.
3. Pulled out all the drawers.
4. Removed the old drawer pulls.
5. Attached the wood embellishments with Mod Podge. You can also use wood glue...but I had Mod Podge so I used that.
6. Painted the entire dresser and drawers. I think I did 3 coats of paint. I used a half gallon of Valspar Hi-Def paint with the primer added in "Lincoln Cottage Black," with a semi-gloss finish.
7. I let it dry over night and then attached the new drawer pulls. 

Attaching the wood embellishments.

New drawer pulls.








If you  decide to do something like this...do a little research first to see what kind of paint works best with the surface you are using. Different types of wood require different types of paint, sanding, primer, etc.

Now for the before and after pics. :)

I had paint left over...so I painted my jewlery box to match.