A Day at the 4H Fair

This morning the kids and I went to the Shelby County 4H Fair to check and see what it's all about. Not alot to do but there is a whole bunch of animals. We saw cattle, sheep, rabbits, owls, pigs, ducks, roosters and hens. Maybe this will help Elle figure out that not EVERY animal is a goggie (doggie). I couldn't get pics of the kids petting the animals since I was holding Elle. There were some very nice little fellers showing us around and holding some of the animals.

 We learned today that these are a type of owl!

More owls!

These bunnies were soooo fluffy!

We saw pink pigs,

spotted pigs,

brown pigs,

 and black pigs too!  (He was hiding from the camera. Probably a bad hair day.)

Roosters say COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!

There were so many kinds of roosters! These pics of them turned out horrible.

 Pokey spotted roosters!

These looked like stained glass roosters!

They were sooo brightly colored!

And some Thanksgiving dinner!

These were soo furry we couldn't see their faces!

Then came the ducks and geese!

 Sheep were furry. Elle wasn't sure about the feel of them.

Some had hair cuts for the fair.

He was just waiting for his close up shot!

There's my animals! Baily animal and an Elle animal!

Brown spotted cows,

and black spotted cows, brown cows, white cows.

  Tire cows,

wide away cows.

These pigs were getting a bath!

Sweet momma and baby!

 Then came some goats!

 Shh. This little guy was sleeping.

 This is medium Billy Goat Gruff!

Can you put the fan a little closer??

Hello visitors!

Politics

Yesterday while at work, Kris was talking politics with a co-worker. Kris is a VERY analytical person. Anything you say he wants to break down and analyze every part of it. (Sometimes VERY frustrating!)   This is his way of learning and understanding. Okay, so he and I have been in the same discussion before. At the last presidential election, I tried to look at both parties and vote for what I thought was the lesser of two evils. This is very hard to do. Both guys had things I did agree with and did not agree with. Again trying to choose the lesser of two evils. (This was also the first time I had ever voted for a president.) I am one who feels that if you don't vote then don't complain that we put the wrong person in the office. My husband brings up the points about every person running for office says they will change this or that and they stand for this or that. Who is to say they are not lying just to get the votes? Most of them don't end up changing what they are saying they will change. If they do, things will not be fixed in this country in 4 years. It's a big place. Things may get worse before they get better before great change is complete. At the end of the term, everyone says, "things are not fixed so let's elect someone else with a different approach." Again, the government tries to adhere to the new plan of action. Again, a change that will take much time to complete and work correctly and get a majority on board. Now, truely there will always be people in the country that will not agree or care and still do things there own way or illegal. YOU CAN'T CHANGE EVERYONE'S OPINIONS! That's a given. We can't exactly go back to when George Washington laid it all out for us and told us how it was. Times have changed. Some for the better and some for the worse. Obviously new technology is great. Internet, motorized vehicles, indoor plumbing, etc... There are some bad and some good in everything. Obviously all internet is not soo great. But I love that if I need to know something I have all of the knowlege in the world at my finger tips. Sure I can go to the library and the info I'm looking for may be there, but it may not. Also, internet is soo much faster, this leaving more time to learn more things or play with family, hang out with friends. Now, like I said I know there is bad out there. Internet bullying, child porn, identitiy theft, etc... This all been around the entire time just not on the net. People were bullied before, people stole identities before, people abused child privacy before. There will always be bad people in the world, and that will never change. I do believe that crimes should have stricter punishment. You abuse a child, you should be in jail longer than the person who was caught with weed. Yes weed is illegal and no I'm not for it. But, on the other hand more people get hurt from alocohol than weed. People don't die from smoking too much week. People don't get in the car and kill other drivers and passengers from too much weed. They do with alcohol. People who kill or shoot another person, obviously there are circumstances. Was it self defense, just plain hatred, jealously, trying to get in to that gang? But in my opinion, some people can change. Some people will never change. In self defense I can agree with that. Someone breaks into your house, you feel threatened for the safety of you and your family. By all means protect yourself. Shoot them in a place that won't kill them if possible. (I would freak out and shoot anywhere and keep shooting until I ran out of bullets if I felt that much harm.) Sone people don't think rationally in those circumstances. Either way, That person should not have been in your house or causing you harm. If they live, give them jail time, when they come out they have that chance to reform or go back to old ways. If you kill someone maliciously, the death penalty. I realize there are the very few circumstances where the accused is actually innocent. That I dont know what to say. But, there are too many people out there robbing and killing, malesting children and elders and they need stricter punishment. Hell yes the jails are filled. It seems people go to jail for a couple years, get probation, break laws again (usually the same law as the first time), go back to jail for a few more years, repeat over again. Hello!!! If you didn't learn the first time you will not learn the second, third, or fourth time either. Figure something else out! Dont keep stock piling in the jails! IT'S NOT WORKING! The whole wefare deal. I completely understand sometimes things work out for the bad. Companies close, downsize, people get hurt. Those people should get help. These people that keep having babies and raise them or afford them should be fixed! I don't go to work to pay for your food, house, clothing, kids. I have my own bills to pay. If you can't afford to work because daycare cost too much then don't have soo many kids. It kills me too see these families where the adults dont work but they have expensive cell phones, name brand clothing and nice cars. Sorry my husband and I work for our things. If you have all that stuff you are doing something to pay for them. It must not be a legal thing. Those people need checked out. If it's illegal drugs, guns, prostituting then punish them and find a way to make them pay. Pot, legalize it and tax the hell out of it! Welfare recievers need to have a drug test. Randomize those! We have to have drug tests to work for their welfare pay, then they should be tested to recieve it. Wow this little rant has probably gone on long enough for now. I am going to get off of here now and go take care of my child. Feed her, bath her and teach her. That is what parents need to be doing.

Breaking the Bottle {how to}

Breaking the Bottle {how to}

I can see sooo many possibilities from cutting the top off a glass bottle. Although they may be short supply around here since we don't drink wine!

I'm about to try this out! I really hope this works for me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, well here's the update...I have seen alot of people's results and talked to alot of people that have done this. And well It works for others. I am thinking maybe I should have started with a different bottle. Smaller maybe or round.

It's okay we will try again. Im sure Kris will empty a few more of these bottles for me in the future!

Some Simple Jewelry

I have been in the jewelry making mood. Nothing fancy, just fun! Cheap and easy jewelry crafting. My husband even bought me MY OWN TOOLS!!! (He said he will be needing his snips when squirrel season starts.)

I have put together a few necklaces and will be working on kids pendants soon. I have started but not finished the kids pendants yet. But I will be getting a few done today, maybe. I even did a few rings! I cant wait to show you all of my crazy projects. Funny one day it's woodburning and the next, jewelry! I like to have some diversity I guess. (Or maybe it's just a short attention span!) Well here goes.

On this one I just measured my ribbon to the length I wanted it. (I held it around my neck for the measurement. lol) Added a cute charm, put clasps on the ends and sewed the ends of the ribbon over. Super easy and cheap!

I got some chain. found some sheer black ribbon and weaved it through the chain. Added claps on the ends and a very cute pendent. This pendent has two parts to it is but connected together. 

I have some river rocks in my flower pots outside. I decided to try the wire wrapping around a rock for a pendent. ALOT harder than I thought it would be.

Okay, so I got some kids pendents done. Some on stamped washers with charms and some on flat metal with some embelishments.

These are the glass rocks and I painted on the bottom flat side of these with nail polish! I glued the black one on an adjustable ring already but only have 2 more rings left. So, I have to decided which other colors I want done now!

All these are cheap and easy ideas! Hope you enjoy!

Wood Burning 2

Back to the wood burning I go! I made a few more signs yesterday and think I may sell some!

Yes, another "Coonhunt Blueticks". My husband wanted a couple for his friends and himself. They are almost like a little club. Kris even had "Coonhunt Bluetick" shirts made. Only 5 of them. I was a lucky recipient!

The "E" in the first one is a tad off but I kinda liked it. It has character. lol. For some reason even when I measure these out I cannot get the words lined up or even centered! I guess thats okay too! Just more character.

"Blessings". A simple sheer white ribbon hangs this one. But, I do now think I will cut the ends off. Don't really think I care for the "hangy" ends. This would be cute above family pictures.

"Rustic Sparkle". That's what I named my kind of crafting! I love the rustic but I also love the sparkle! Thinking of this for a business name! I think on some of these I am going to have to take more close ups and post in this. This has sheer-glitter ribbon and wire holder.

"Beautiful Bows". What rustic little country girl doesn't have bows!? She definitely will need a place to hang them! I will be making more of this one. a few different variations with the ribbon and font for words. I am thinking some cute plaid material for the ribbons. I know Elle has a bunch of bows already. Maybe some camo ribbons to hang from.

I have soooo many more ideas. I just need to get on it! I want to play with a way to do more fonts and figure out how to make them straight. Still alot of things I need to work on but, I will get it!

This one is a new addition. A friend ours was repainting her daughter's room so I thought what little girl doesn't need a bow holder!? I added a few cup hooks in the middle for to hang up jewelry.

Wood Burning

Some of you may know that I am not a sparkley and blingy high maintenance girlie. (although sometimes I like to be!) I have come up with a business name for my variety of craftiness. "Rustic Sparkle"!

I love it!!! I can be rustic and sparkley at the same time! I keep telling Elle that she can wear pink camo or wear lots of pink and blingy things to go out to shoot skeet and trap when she gets bigger.
I am not exactly sure where Rustic Sparkle came from. It just kinda popped in my head as I was looking at the signs I just did.

These will be for my hubby. He thinks he needs everything to say it!

I just used a simple wood burner. It's like a wood burning pen. The handle get really hot after a while and I gotta have a break.

Now I wanna make some that have wood burning and some sparkle to them!

 

Giver's Log

This is one of the best blog sites I have ever seen!
http://www.giverslog.com/?tag=13-ounces-or-less

Very creative and simple ideas. This California mom takes simple every day items and mails them. She calls it "Happy Mail". For example she mails a flip flop. Just writes the address and maybe a little note on it and mails it. Later she will mail the next one. A water bottle with colored pencils and a note in it. A tube of chapstick with a note wrapped around it, A clown wig, mask, and rubber nose in a clear bag! A big bouncy ball, a plastic egg, asand bucket, a shovel, a ribbon stick, a bubble wrap hopscotch game. Love these. anything under 13oz. you can mail. So creative! Who doesnt LOVE to get wonderful mail?!? I will now be on the search for items less than 13oz to mail to us-suspecting individuals! I am beyond excited! This is something tha maybe even my son will like! I cant wait for him to get here so we can start planning! I hate chewing tobacco, but, We have a lot of used cans laying around that will be put to use! (Some for organizing small crafts.)

I will be posting pics soon!

(But Im not mailing MY flip flops! lol)

Date Night

Last night Elle and I had date night with Kris. We went to Rural King, (we all LOVE this store!)  and had to take back my gun case because it was too short. We dont normaly go to Mattoon together without going to Rural King. Sometimes it seems we go to just dream. lol.

After Rural King, Kris took us out to the Alamo for dinner. It was so yummy! Elle was silly. She kept flirting with all the waiters walknig by us.

 For some reason Kris always looks like hes giving me dirty looks. (He really wasn't.)

 

After dinner we went to Arthur to watch the fireworks. Not long before it was time to start the fireworks, it began sprinkling. I know we are all praying for rain around here, but come on!! Really, during the fireworks! So, we sat in the car and watched them. Elle was soo tired she fell asleep on the way home. She looked like an angel with the light shining in her window from the gas station.

New Old Flops

A couple days ago, I decided it was time for a flop change. A friend of mine sent me a pic of flops that she re-did for her daughter. Shawnna took material and wrapped around the straps. They were so cute! I decided it was time to give a couple pairs of mine an over haul, and this is what came of it.

You just take about an inch wide piece of material and some mod podge and mod podge the heck outta the straps and start wrapping. I used toothpics and shoved the end of the material under the ends of the straps!

(please excuse the dirtiness! these are about 6 years old!)

Now its like having new old flops!  (Thinking I will have to get Elle a pair, her own size!)