Me and my bright ideas....

Hello again! I have really been under the weather. After a bout with the flu, I had strep. It just seems its never going to end. I have had my fill of winter. As I look out my window now, its dreary. Where is the sun? Please come back! 

I have an auction site that I use quite often. It's called Listia.

 If you don't know what it is, or you are interested Google it. You list your own items in any condition and you sell them for credits. The more auctions you list, the more fans you have, the more bids you receive, the better end result of your auction. My reason for bringing this up is I have been shopping for summer clothes. I live in a one red-light town and I am used to shopping in consignment shops where I previously lived. I went from city to country. We don't have any shopping options in this town but the Dollar General, and that's not my idea of what I want to wear. Anyway, its a really easy to get whats new (to you or the item), and I don't have to leave the house. It gives you the option of only looking for items with free shipping and to save money those are the only auctions I shop. I admit that last night I went overboard. I won 2 auctions, only thing is, they have a total of 11 thong & cami sets, and 4 bra and panty sets. That's not including all the extras that the nice lady put in both boxes. So now if I just could wear underwear and cami's all summer I would be doing really good. Unfortunately, that cant happen. Thank goodness at the end of last summer I bought out the clearance rack of maxi and sun dresses at our only store. On the bright side I have enough so I don't have to do my intimate laundry as often. Now I have a change for every day of the week!

I got off track. I am bad about that. I just want to share everything that I have been doing and catch up. About the Listia, I have been making these pop tab bracelets. It took me a minute to figure out how to make them really pretty so that they don't look handmade and homely. I used silk ribbon and I tied them off with buttons. They really are pretty. My thinking behind the bracelets are I can sell them on Listia to make up for the credits I have spent in the past few days. When I drop below a certain amount of credits I panic and have to list items to get my amount back up. Want to see a picture of the ones I have made already?

I know that they don't really look too attractive just laying there. Actually, I don't know if I would bid on them or not. Let me get one and take a picture with it on my wrist. Because I loved the black one I seen when I got the idea to make my own. Ok, here are some pictures of the purple silk ribbon one on me. 

Ok, I guess it looks better. I suppose if someone had never seen one before or didn't know what it was they would pass over it. I think it looks awesome just because I am proud of myself. I am craft challenged. That's why I post the things that I attempt to make. We have a laugh at ourselves and I have many, many ideas and more flops! 

Now another topic, my best friend crochets and I am so jealous. So I get this bright idea that I am going to learn to make these...

I look up easy crochet heart, (another Pinterest idea) and I watch the tutorial on you tube. I know the general idea of crochet. I can make a chain. Does that count? Anyway, I make half a heart. Just half because I cant figure out how to turn it around to make the other side. How silly is that. I am sure its so simple but I just cant do it. I wish I had a picture of my half a heart, it was a full hearted attempt though. Next time my BF and I get together she is going to teach me how to finish it. Last time I visited her I brought my pattern, which had been taken from my phone, and my yarn and needle and proceeded to try and watch her to learn so thats how I learned to crochet half a heart. So next visit we get to sit down, drink coffee, crochet heart garlands and have some old fashioned girl talk. Nothing better than a BF. I LOVE YOU! I will take pictures of my hearts once I figure out how to finish them. Eventually I hope to make these...

Arent they sweet. Know what I am going to do with the hearts that are solid crochet? I am going to cover my living room pillow and put a button in the middle to connect the heart to the pillow. I will post my crochet attempts. Its ok to laugh. I know they are terrible.

Its dinner time. I am going to be lazy tonight. I am going to be dining alone so I am having what I want. A kale, and berry nut salad and a piece of lemon pepper tilapia fish broiled. Yum. That' the only good thing about dining alone. I get to chose the menu. 

Bon Appetie!

Impossible Weather, Impossible Pie

Hello again. I am a little under the weather today. We are in the middle of a snowstorm. It's a bad one. We have more than 7 inches right now. My prayers that people stay off the road, and the elderly stay inside. 

Ok here is what we are here for. I did make The Impossible Pie. It was very easy. It did go in the blender and it came right out of the pan. I used more coconut, 2 whole eggs, and 2 yolks and 2 tsp of vanilla. This made a very firm desert. The more coconut you put in (I used 3 cups) the more solid your pie. Here is a picture 

of the beginning and the end. 

Well, here it is. Thats Nutmeg on top. IMO it's better hot but my bf ate it however. This literally lasted 1 day and had 10 of prep time with ingredients you probably have in your cabinet. One more thing, this is NOT the recipe where you use the Bisquick. I dont like that one. 

We are snowed in, I have a headache. I'm going back to bed.

Thanks for stopping to see the IMPOSSIBLE PIE.

Tried and true?

Hi again. Well, last time I told you that I was just gonna post when I have crafted or baked. Just me being supermom in general. Have I told you about my rugrats? I have an 18 year old son who graduates and is going to the Navy. I have a little boy who will be 9 in March. They are the light of my life and my best accomplishments. I am a very proud mom!

Well, let's get to it. One night my bf and I was outside taking a walk and as we were coming out the alley I seen this chair. Yes, it was beat up, and the pleather was ripped but the single curved line of the chair had me hooked. I made my bf carry it through town, past our city police man. We looked like what we were doing. Stealing a chair. I call it rescued though because nobody was loving it like I was going to. I brought it home and looked at it for awhile before I took it apart. Move forward a couple of years. I recently moved and I am in bad need of chairs for my kitchen. I dug that chair out of the back of my closet. I found the pieces for the back, to sit on and I couldn't find the bolts. Thank goodness my bf has a little of everything. I have this really pretty moss green cotton fabric with these little green leaves on it. There is also enough to make me valances for my kitchen window for spring. This winter has been so harsh that I will want a little green spring to come in. It also (without any knowledge from me) matches my kitchen table cloth. I got everything out and I proceeded to recover my chair.

Here are the items I used:

1. fabric

2. batting

3. glue gun

4. staple gun and staples

5. sissors

6. muscles (totally my idea)

Here is my chair. I thought for a long time it needed some kind of vintage 70's fabric but when you need a chair you will use anything. The reason I said you needed muscles is because if you have ever recovered a chair you need strong hands to pull the fabric tight to staple it. I just looked on Pinterest, found the basics of recovering and went to it. You cant mess it up. This is my first time and it turned out great. A plus, this time there is more cushion. A much more comfortable seat.

Moving on to something else. Have you ever heard of the sock pony? Getting curl in your hair by using a sock overnight? Here's a pic and some pretty basic instructions or you can look up sock bun on you tube.

Idk why it wont post the link. This worked for me. I love how the curl turned out beachy and soft. I used no product, I barely made my hair damp before I rolled it. I think that the weight of the sock determines how tight or loose your curl is. Next time I am going to use a thin dress sock and see if the curl turns out tighter. Here is an actual pic of my hair after a night of sock bun. 

I dont think it turned out too bad. Like I said before, use a smaller sock. I used a thick gym sock. 

I have one more thing I want to brag about and then Ill go off and find something else to do. I put Charlie Brown valentine's on my little scrub tree. I thought it may be cute and would perk up that tree. Now, I just need to go to the nearest .99 cent store and get some heart suckers.

My next project is the Impossible Pie. I will let you know what I think about that. I am not a coconut lover but something that comes from regular ingredients from my fridge and cabinets, all combined in a blender, and makes its own crust is worth a try even though the cook hates coconut. I am sure that my boys will have no trouble with it at all. 

Love and Laughter until next pin or post.

Projects and Pinterest

 I have decided that I am only going to post things that are going on in my life. Crafts I have completed, cooking and baking, and just things I like in general. 

I wont be here everyday but I will keep on keeping on. 

The ecard above is kinda what I am talking about. Like everyone is the perfect housewife and all the ideas on Pinterest haven't been tried out. Well, I am here to do just that. 

This is my kitty Jezebelle. Her little house is made from a pin on Pinterest. Just look for T-shirt kitty house and it should come up. You can also follow me (Crystal Wall) on Pinterest and its pinned to my kitty board. We used an old couch cushion, a flat pillow, a bread tie, and 2 coat hangers. Make the hangers look like a tent, put over the cushion, tie a knot in back and its DONE!

As you can see it worked perfectly. It might look better if I actually thought it was gonna work. As it is, she jumped right in it and laid right down. 

So my point is, sometimes Pinterest works. This time it did. I will pick another project before long and post about it. 

Under the Weather

I haven't updated in a few days because I have been under the weather. This morning I woke up to pouring rain and no sun. I went back to bed. When I got up at 10 I had a fever. I took a shower and just couldn't motivate myself so I went back to bed. (See a pattern here?) Well, here I am. I'm in bed watching Best Ink. Can't say I wish I was doing anything else at the moment.

Well, what did you think about the super bowl? Personally I thought it sucked. This time the commercials were the best part. It was a terrible example of football. 

Congratulations to Seattle Seahawks!

This picture cracked me up. I think I would have done the same thing!

Last night I decided to make chocolate chip peanut butter cookies from my app on ALLRECIPES. I wasn't all that pleased with the dough and the cookies, although soft inside were crumbly on the outside. They got eaten though. Nothing lasts long in my house. I'll post the recipe so you can try it out for yourself. I did add 3/4 cup of pb, plus I substituted the half cup of white sugar for brown. I would make them again but make sure my dough was a little more moist. My bf loved them and I am having one right now. I am gonna log off for now. NAP TIME!!!

  

• 
  

Original recipe makes 2 dozen     

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped semisweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

February, the smallest month for everything big.

 Good Sunday Morning to ya!

 I am not feeling well today so I am gonna take it easy, update a little and then kick back and watch the Super Bowl. I should have went to church this morning but I didnt. Pure laziness on my part. I just didnt want to get out of bed. I should have. The weather has finally cleared enough, and the temp has came up in the high 30's so I need to get myself outside. I don't know about you but I get cabin fever bad when it's winter and I don't get out as much. I have a tendency to get depressed, and want to spend all my time in my bedroom. I have to open my curtains and let the sun shine in or I might as well hibernate like a big bear. Thats not healthy. I need sun to live. I hope spring is around the corner but.....

    

  yesterday was GroundHog Day and that little sucker seen his shadow (as usual) and we have 6 more weeks of winter. This is how I figure it. Its Feb, Feb has 28 days, thats 3 weeks and some change. Then March will be here. I look at March as the saving grace. It may be cold and wet but I KNOW nothing can stop spring from then on out. It makes me happy. I hate winter. Idk how I ended up living in a cold weather state. Yes, West Virginia has 4 distinct seasons but do I really need below zero temps, and a colder wind factor?           

   

             So I say let's plan a day trip or a girlfriend working lunch. That way the husbands/SO wont think we are getting hair and nails done. Which we totally are! 

I guess I am going to get my lazy ass up and put some lipstick on as Liz Taylor says. I think I may pull a few snacks together and open my box of wine. Invite a few friends, turn on the Super Bowl, watch the game and be thankful that I could host such a party, with what the weather has been and all. It wont take a professional hostess long. Haha, who am I kidding. I'll be lucky to open some chips and make hoagies. 

I hope everyone has a great day. Please dont drink and drive if you are partying somewhere else. In my little town we can walk. Hey, the weather is nice today. WALK!

WELCOME TO LOVE AND LAUGHTER!

To be honest I forgot this was here. I just lost track of it. I am going to start writing again. Just to keep my thoughts in order. My life has been going great. I am still with Bub. Yes, the drama and laughter continues. I have moved back to my hometown, Richwood WV. Back with my parents and my grandparents, kids and immediate family. I moved home to be with my grandfather who has cancer. He is making it. We say prayers, its working.

I have a few things to be proud of. My oldest son is going to the Navy when he graduates in the spring. We are going to be getting ready for prom and graduation. He is the Chief Jr. Firefighter (thats a whole nother heart attack) as well. I am so proud of my boy who is turning into a man. 

This is my other little one, he is soon to be 9 in March and he lives in Raleigh Co, WV. He is my little motor mouth and keeps me on my toes.

Its Feb 1st, @7am. We are waiting on a snow storm. My kids haven't been to school since Christmas of 2013. Its been insane cold here. The snow hasn't been much of a problem but the ice and cold have been dangerous.

I had some drama with Bub yesterday. He got picked up by the WVSP on a warrant from 2010. He went to court and it all turned out ok, but he has to be in Sville on Monday morning. I hope the weather allows for it. I was very upset. He was upset, but there was nothing I could do but be strong for him and make sure he got all the paperwork he needed to make sure he didn't end up in CRJ. Thankfully he is home with me right now. He isn't awake (imagine that) but he is here. It scares me to think he might not be here and I am going to have to maintain control my by myself. SCARY, but I can do it. 

I have decided I am going to use this Blog as a diary of sorts, a bitch post, or just crafting, sewing or baking. Just whatever suits my fancy. At the moment I am trying out PINTEREST pins that no one knows if they work. Bub and I made this cat house from 2 clothes hangers, and a cushion, and a t-shirt. Here is the final product. So look up t-shirt kitty house on your Pinterest and see what you come up with! This is my Jezzebelle.

 Thanks for hanging out with me toady. I will be back in a few days to update.

~Crystal