So, i go to Target the other day...

as i sit here, i wonder what story to share with you? maybe the story of when i stopped at the bathroom in target and almost lost my breakfast because someone has blow up from the "backside" in and on the toilet and on the floor and on the stall?  and then how i go to the front desk and tell the dude there that they need to send someone into the ladies room for a clean up (oh, that poor dear soul!!) and how he thinks he needs more info so i tell him in the nicest way possible what's going on in there.  he still has a very confused look on his face so i get down and dirty with him and now he looks at me like he's going to barf and i think "geesh fellow, i tried to go easy on you but you just wouldn't work with me!" that story is a bit gross, so, how about the story of how i decided to paint repaint my front doors, but then again, wouldn't a story like that be as bad as watching paint dry?

or a story of how i went to water the bulbs that are coming up around my porch

and i forgot i was filling my water can...

so pretty much the only things i can think to tell you about are poop, paint, and plants...

no one wants to hear about that, so i'm off to make a DIY tutorial about making paper clay pendants.

check back with me, will ya?

how a GREEN lamp changed my life...

(Whewww, i wrote this post last week, but i could NOT get online, i felt like my right arm had been cut off!  so, without further ado, here is my old post where i make a short story long:)

how a green lamp changed my life, or at least my master bedroom!  let me just start by saying, i have paid my dues, so the fact that re-doing my master bedroom is high on my list of "stressers" is okay!  though i prefer to NOT go into the "ugly years", trust me, they were ugggggggleeeeeeeeeeeeeee! so now, i have a very wonderful life which means i have shallow things to stress about, which is great, but temporary, because in only 4 1/2 years, i'll have a teen age daughter and then we'll start the REAL stress...  

ok, back to my life changing lamp!  my bestest buddy, mental twin chris http://viewsbychris.blogspot.com/ just happens to be a real life interior designer.  poor her, she has me for a pal.  i paint, buy bedding and then see something that changes my whole plan.  i have a new idea faster than we can EVER finish a room, yes...yes, ADD decorating!  1st the master bedroom was light blue with black and white bedding then one day i was like "what the heck? this looks like something out of a jc penney catalog (no offense jcp!)" so i found those bird curtains, 'cause i'm all about sticking a bird on it!

well, these threw off my wall color, then my bedding and then me!

i had chris on the hunt for bedding and paint that would make these work but told her i was willing to sacrifice the curtains (and the wasted $$) if "we" found something else.  i prayed the mister wouldn't notice if they suddenly disappeared! i couldn't sleep at night, i spent hours scouring the internet for bedding, i read my benjamin moore paint color deck like it was the Bible... see?  shallow stress at it's best!

then 1 day i heard a voice from above, it was TARGET calling, so i hopped in my tank

and drove to the motherland.  there it was, the lamp that changed my world

so now.... i just have to change my wall color and my bedding, but the curtains can stay.  geesh, i guess i didn't save myself that much work (or $) after all, but... the curtains can stay!  didn't that just make your day?

tomorrow, i'll have some new items to show you, some new things for my vintage etsy shop

www.etsy.com/shop/givegrandmasugar

to say this shop looks a little sad, is an understatement... i'm sorry!!

have a great day, the sun is up and i'm headed out to put 8 miles on my new running shoes...don't be jealous!

The Shoes that beat out Mackinac Island Fudge!

remember we went to Mackinac Island the last week of our summer vacation? 

(are these homes dreamy or WHAT? do people that own these places know how lucky they are? 

well, then again...there is NO Target on the island, so lucky??...)

if you know anything about mackinac island in michigan, you know about their FUDGE!  they're kinda famous for it. fudge AND horse poop. 

because of course, there are no motorized vehicles on the island. ok, there IS a fire truck and an ambulance, but duh, ya kinda gotta have those. ok, where was i going?  oh yeah... the fudge.  there are fudge shops everywhere on the island and it's practically illegal to leave the island without purchasing it.  i'm not a huge fan of fudge, i like a tiny little bite, the kind they give free on the end of a toothpick, but a chunk of fudge? tooooooooooooooooo sweet!  so anywhere, darling and i are going into every shop on the island while the mister hangs around outside answering his phone.  we stop into "Decked Out", the most fabulous clothing, shoes, and accessories shop!! 

(photo by darling. weird face by me)

i yell to darling "go get daddy", 'cause we need some $$, of course!

(oh, who thinks he's a comedian!?)

they have a fan page on facebook if you want to check them out: Decked-Out-on-Mackinac-Island 

so anyway the whole point of this long rambling story is: i bought shoes at this shop and left the fudge behind, the end.

so lets move on to said shoes, cause they are awesome!

perhaps i should have wiped the bottom off...?

don't worry, darling did get a sweet treat on the island

although once we got on the boat to go back, we noticed they shorted us 2 pieces and it wasn't as pretty as the pieces in the showcase. oh well, it was some sweet, sugary stuff that she loved!

Happy Monday!!

10 Random Things Friday...

1. I went shopping yesterday, it was a success-I don't often say that.  If I were 7 inches taller it would do a world of help, I am not holding my breath...

 Dear Macy's thank you for takin' a chunk-a-change from me!

I use to shop at Macy's when it was Hudsons, I don't know why I hadn't been back, but I will, and that is a promise!

2. I got this jacket in grey, but...they have to ship my size from NYC!  

(Macy's would not allow me to take the bigger picture from their site, but this is the actual size of the jacket i ordered.)

I had the exact same thing happen with a sweater at Christmas.  Whoever that little woman in my city is, she has EXCELLANT taste and keeps stealin' my size!

3. Do you ever get something that is totally NOT you?  You see it, you think "why not?", take it in the dressing room and yell "Fashizzel" and you gotsta, gotsta have it?  Well that happened with this:

I know, I know...it looks a little like your Grandma's scarf, but I'm telling you, it's cute on! I wouldn't have believed it either.

4. PINK, PINK, PINK

5. Watch out Charlie Sheen's Goddesses! 

I <3 this dress!  

(and it's NOT as peachy as it appears in the picture)

and... there is a gem missing under my right arm so I got 15% off AND my shopping pal, BRAT (Beautiful Rich and Thin mom of 3) had Macy's coupons!! $41 for this dress, not bad, hun?!

6.   Size 5?!?!?!!!!! 

Aldo, I now know YOU are my real friend, but if you ever get rid of size 5 shoes i'll punch you in the face.  Oh yes, the joys of having tiny bound Chinese feet... Do you know that even my boyfriend Target is starting their sizes at a 5-1/2?  Shameful Target, shameful!!!

7. We will be spending our Saturday afternoon at the school Carnival...

Darling is soooooooo excited, The Mister and I...well, let's just say we're going to enjoy every minute of her youth, cause it's not gonna last for long :(

I know...this picture is GOOD! Can you believe I took it?!  See how it's all in focus, but blurry in the background?!  Oh, who thinks she's giving Ansel Adams a run for his $$?

8.

This is for sale in my 2nd etsy shop here:

www.etsy.com/shop/papercutsarecute

9. This photo is beyond disappointing after the ticket photo I realize, but I have GOT to get in the shower! I ran this morning (4.71 miles, thank you!) and I'm starting to smell myself...

This is the stack of pages I've got "done" during my recent scrapbooking frenzy!  Ok, I say "done" because my one friend (Scrappy Hitler) says they aren't done because I didn't put a title or journaling on each page.  I say I've got 8 photo boxes FULL and if I just get 'em on paper I'm calling them DONE!

10. 

Peeps in the HOUSE 'yo!

Smell ya later cats, have a GREAT weekend!!!

xoxo

OH, bonus randomness, go check my pal's blog for a GREAT giveaway!!

she wears crazy well

This girl is gonna crack you up!!

Can you buy a new brain at Costco?

Yikes...

Everyone is cranky here...well, not the Mister but darling daughter and I seem to be and did i mention my back window is down on my car and i can't get it up (that's what she said) and it's raining?!  Let's move onto breaking news, I have!

Poor Bret Michaels

he can't cut a break with his health, he's back in the hospital with a hole in his heart and a warning stroke.

Lindsay Lohan

is back in the USA but they aren't putting her in jail....what?  I know I'd be there trying to choke down a bologna sandwich while keeping Big Bertha's hands off me!

It's raining here and I need to go buy shower cleaner which I should have got yesterday.  Speaking of yesterday... I went to Target and got some black basketball shorts for myself 'cause i'm 4' 11 3/4" & the Piston's won't quit calling.  Plus I grabbed this...

is it a top? is it a dress? 

It's Iike the El Camino of shirts!

I then went to Costco to get Darlings school pictures printed.  I bought the CD which comes with a copyright release so I can print my own.  Oh they (the pictures) are too funny... the pose, the look on her face, the fact that her glasses are sliding down her nose! I couldn't help myself, I got an 11X14.

Anyway- I go into Costco and make my pictures, then I have to go out to get a cart, then I have to go out and get my coupon book, so I've just come in 3 times to the same store.  I shop, I check out, I remember I didn't pick up my pictures, I go in AGAIN.  The old guy at the door thinks I want him... He's over 50, I might!  The word on the street is, I have a thing for older men!  It all started in 4th grade with a little show called:

Magnum PI!!!!!!!!!!!

Mmmmm... delish!!!!

Come on Michigan girls... the Detroit hat?!

You're Welcome!!

So, after I got the pictures at Costco I remember I never got what I REALLY needed at Target, so I go back.  I've been to Target twice and Costco 4 times (plus their gas station once) and I didn't get any shower cleaner.

I hope you have a GREAT weekend- How could you not after that post?  It has celebrities, fashion, a darling girl, and an El Camino... is there anything more?  I think NOT!

a little plug about my BABY HAT DRIVE 

As most of you know, my daughter was adopted from China and I left a little piece of my heart there.  I'm collecting hats to keep the children and babies warm in the winter.  Many live in orphanages that are without heat.

1. make a baby hat, toddler hat, or kid sized hat (you can take the non-crafty way out and buy one if you must)

2. email me at: chinamommy_04@yahoo.com for my address.

3. I'll take care of shipping them to CHINA next fall.

any questions- please feel free to email me!!

Mama needs a nap!

Well, not really... I don't like naps, but I had a busy weekend!

The Mister got a boatload of mulch and in Michigan you gotta make hay while the sun shines or shovel mulch, whatever the case may be!

Don't be jealous of my outfit...jealousy is any ugly thing.

These are my "poop boots".  I had to get them because our old dog (RIP) use to poop giant poops RIGHT where I walked in the yard.  I hear these are boots for KIDS that live on farms, they call them "barn boots".

So how happy am I with my newish yard?!

Before:

After:

New Lavender rose:

Lupines (do you have one? go get some! they spread, come up every year and are gorgeous!)

it made a baby:

then I tore out that plastic trim by our front walk:

After:

After all the mulch and stones we went and got tile for our backsplash.  We ran to Home Depot, Menards, Lowes and some tile shop!  I wanted to make sure I didn't pick the 1st one I saw because I knew in 2 weeks I'd find another that I wished I got.  There was one place that we didn't go because I KNEW I'd go into tile overload!  We ended up with the 1st tile I saw.  We had to go to 2 different Lowe's stores 3 times to get all that we needed- apparently it's been pretty popular!

We're going to do the tumbled marble and then cut the little glass/marble mosaics and insert them randomly.

The Mister is really excited to cut around ALL the outlets:

1, 2

3

4, 5

6, 7

While we were at Home Depot we parked next to this van:

It seems that perhaps they're having some trim trouble... The Mister wondered if it whistled while it went down the road?!  I feel bad for this person, I think they need a glue gun, but the Mister's comment struck me so funny i just cracked up again while typing it!

We went to Target, I got new PJ's

I like the pink ones better but they didn't have the pants in my size (they had stars instead of stripes) the Mister said "you've got enough pink already"

I said SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

All in all it was a productive weekend, which i like!

I've decided I need all new Stainless appliances, so I'm going down to the studio because at the rate I sell things in my etsy shop it's going to take 72 years to make enough $$!

Have a great day!!

and...

Here's my little plug about the BABY HAT DRIVE 

As most of you know, my daughter was adopted from China and I left a little piece of my heart there.  I'm collecting hats to keep the children and babies warm in the winter.  Many live in orphanages that are without heat.

1. make a baby hat, toddler hat, or kid sized hat (you can take the non-crafty way out and buy one if you must)

2. email me at: chinamommy_04@yahoo.com for my address.

3. I'll take care of shipping them to CHINA next fall.

any questions- please feel free to email me!!

Is it stealing if the rings are STUCK on your finger?

Saturday the Mister and I were at Target to get some "stuff" for our trip.  We were walking through the jewelry when I remembered I had to show him these "eternity" bands so he would realize how much I NEED 3 diamond bands to go with my wedding ring.  If you know me, you know I happen to believe you can't have a diamond too big or have too many stacks of diamond encrusted rings round your finger!  I slipped my wedding ring off and slipped on the following 3 rings then put my wedding ring back on top to show him how AWESOME it looked... and it DID!

BUT...

My wedding ring was stuck SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tight to my finger I couldn't get it to budge!  My snobby ring was probably mad it had to sit on a stack of cubic zirconia rings.  Of course having the "freak-out-gene" I freaked out!  I'm tugging like crazy on my ring and my knuckle is getting bigger and redder by the second.  The Mister says QUIT tugging on that, so I licked my finger and tugged again... dang, he was right- it didn't help!  

I had to walk around Target with these rings on and my hand held palm up so it looked like I was carrying something because of course, the rings were on this giant cardboard thingy.  You know they have cameras all over that store so I was trying to keep my paranoia in check.

A big glob of lotion finally took the rings off but my finger, in retaliation, stayed red for a long, long time!

I believe this proves that the Mister should buy me diamond bands so I don't have to worry about taking my ring off to prove their awesomeness ever again!

Can I get an Amen?