Deco Ribbon Wreaths on the Cheap

Here is my first attempt at a deco ribbon wreath.  I went to my local craft store and purchased the metal wreath frame and since my craft store didn't have the one on the youtube video had, I had to make my own with pipe cleaners, which were 99 cents.  The ribbon is the expensive part, most online places sell it for $12.99 a roll, my local place sells it for $9.99 a roll and you get 10 yards of ribbon on the roll.  It comes in all sorts of colors, too.  I chose my favorite color, purple.  and I wanted it to be bright so, my accent is lime green.  I added the orange flowers that I had leftover from my flip flop wreath.  My cost for the wreath without the flowers since I had those, $30.00.  NOT $100.00 that some people are charging. 

If you can gather ribbon and anchor it with a pipe cleaner, then you can make one of these wreaths.  It is stunningly simple.  If you can twist pipe cleaner, then you can make one of these.  Simple and the best part, put as much poof or as little poof into the ribbon as you want.  No glue or glue gun was used for this project.  Since the frame is metal, I just bent the wire from the flowers around the frame to anchor them.  Easy.  My metal frame is green, I chose purple pipe cleaners and they blend nicely. 

The main goal is to match as much as you can with your pipe cleaners to your ribbon.  I still have some of the lime green ribbon left over.  I might use it for another one. 

Get as creative as you want with the thing, it will be yours. I want to add some yellow to mine so, it will really pop.  It will be great for Halloween, too, I can add in some black and remove the yellow after Summer is over. 

Tomatoes, Baby Birds and Knitting

Earlier this year, my hubby planted 8 tomato plants.  He planted them in the flower bed behind the pool.  He weeded and tended his plants every day, he Algoflashed them weekly, now we have tomatoes and more tomatoes.  We have been making salsa like it is going out of style.  We have canned salsa, we have canned chopped tomatoes, we have more tomatoes than we know what to do with.  Well, almost.  I know what to do with them.  I am thinking tomato jelly is going to be on the list of things to do with the tomatoes.  Yummy stuff.  Why not? 

We had 2 baby mocking birds in the back yard.  Now we are down to one.  One drowned last night in the pool.  I fished him out and put him in the flower pot next to the gladiolus.  Poor little buddy. 

 Notice him sitting in my persimmon tree.  He is so ugly, he is cute!  They blend pretty much in the tree.  The other little buddy has been peeping for his momma to come feed him.  I hope he stays away from the pool. 

I was knitting a shawl pattern out of a book and I couldn't understand the directions, they are vague.  So, after ripping it apart once, I realized I needed to go research the pattern, people seem to think it works but, I don't think so.  I can't seem to wrap my mind around it.  So, I am ripping it apart again and I will figure out something for the part that is finished.

I guess I will go back to my scarf that I have been working on slowly these many months.  It is pretty but, scarves take forever to knit especially if they are knit in lace weight yarn. 

Today was also oil the front door day.  I found a recipe on FB that was canola oil and vinegar, I changed it up and used olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.  The recipe does work to oil that dry front door.  I used 3/4 cup of olive oil, with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, mix well and place in a jar, use a clean cloth to apply.  I am going to try it again later in the week with less vinegar and a foam brush to apply it.  I pulled my flip flop wreath off of the door and I am going to let the door soak in it's goodness and then go back and put the wreath back up.  I was reading a magazine and saw another wreath that I want to make, I just have to go get the supplies for it. 

More on that later. 

Today is washing clothes and towels day.  Ugh!  It has to be done, it is one of those weekly chores. 

I had a really weird phone call today, a man called here and said he had just spoken to my father by the sink and he needed to speak with him again. I told him you have a wrong number, he said he didn't.  I looked over at my sink, and told the guy, no, you didn't speak to my Dad, he said he did.  Well, I know for a fact that he can't have spoken to my Daddy.  He asked me why I was so sure that he hadn't spoken to my father and I told him that my Daddy passed away in 1999 and he did have a wrong number.  He apologized to me and hung up. 

I was wondering if he were psychic and he was going to pass a message along to me from Daddy.  I guess not.  I bet he was thinking...I was off.  No, I am not off, he had a wrong number and wouldn't admit it. 

I guess it is going to be a weirder week than I thought. 

Why I HATE the New HEB in Fairfield

My hubby loves going to the new store in Fairfield.  This is in Cypress, Texas.  I have been there several times and each time has been worse than the first.  I hate grocery shopping since I spent 10 years in a grocery store, working.  I am nice to the employees when I go shopping since I do know what it is like to be the one on the receiving end being yelled at for some slight imagined or real.  Well, I can't take it anymore. I am fed up with the shit being dealt at this store to the customers. 

I do not want to hear about the cashier's date she had and yes, I had to hear that today.  Excuse me, you are taking my money, I want your undivided attention!  I don't need to hear about what is going on with the cashier's life and I didn't appreciate her little friend taking away the cashier's already small attention span. 

What really ticked me off was the fact that every single express lane had some woman who can't seem to read the sign that says 10 ITEMS or Less!  Each express lane had a woman who had 50 to 100+ items and making it impossible for those of us who had 2 to 6 items to get out of there super quick.  When I made a complaint to the boy who was directing everyone to the smaller line...he just looked at me with all sorts of surprise that I was actually complaining and couldn't give me a reason as to why in the world these huge orders were in those lines in the first place. 

I have dealt with stupidity and rudeness at this store more times than I can deal with.  I can't deal with it anymore.  Why should I spend money at a store where I am treated so poorly?  My answer...I am not!  I always come out of that store pissed off.  Why should I even do this to myself?  I am done. 

Now the store that I love is the HEB on Barker-Cypress and 290.  I will drive the distance from my home in Fairfield to go to my favorite store.  The people who work at this store seem to realize that the more I shop there, I can help pay their salaries.  The nicer they are, the happier I am.  I usually try to talk to the man on the chip aisle, he is very helpful.  He tries to suggest different chips for me to try.  I even asked him about low carb options and he did try to help me.  He is sweet. 

This is a much friendlier store and the store manager should be proud to have such a wonderful group of people working with him.  Everyone who works there is very polite and nice.  I appreciate it.  I really do and I am always polite since I have been there.  Even when I am having a bad day, I like shopping there, it cheers me up.  It isn't as good as purse or shoe shopping but, it is close. 

No matter the time of day, I find shopping at this particular store pleasant.  Several employees know me by sight and will smile and ask how I am doing today.  Small things like this, make shopping here nicer than the store in my neighborhood.  I REFUSE to settle for being treated like shit.  I am too old to deal with this kind of crap.  It may be fine for 20 year olds who have no idea what customer service is but, not me.  Apparently, taking my money and treating me like shit is the new norm.  I don't think so. 

Sun, Rain and Swimming

Yesterday, we dropped the top on my roadster and went to lunch.  It was a glorious day even though the weather man said rain.  Ha!  No rain.  We had rain Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which was glorious!  We needed the rain, badly.  I will never complain about it after the drought we endured and several parts of Texas is still enduring.  I put on my swim suit, and crawled into my pool for some much needed exercise, I had to work off that birthday cake. 

I looked at my knitting yesterday and well...I didn't do any.  I had other things to deal with.  We fixed the pool cleaner, it kept sucking up it's tail and we cleaned it out, had to make a run to the pool store for an o ring, some more of that pool enzyme that works so amazingly, and some o ring lube.  They had a smaller size than that giant tube of the stuff and I even managed to get a $5.00 off coupon for my next trip.  Amazing!  I have to see what I will need and go back to get it.  :)  I always need something with a pool. 

Then when I was going to turn off the pool, I noticed the psi on the filter was up...uh oh, time to change and clean out the filter.  So, we turned off the pool and Gary popped it open and we pulled the grids and put in the clean grids.  I keep an extra set in the hall closet so, we don't have any down time.  The pool needs to circulate and filter nightly.  I did notice that two of the grids are going to need serious replacing.  I went searching and found them for cheap.  I am amazed at how much they have come down in price.  I just can't order them until payday. 

I put the grids in their rubber trash can for soaking.  I put in the cartridge cleaner and oh wow, talk about gross, it loosened all the oils and dirt which is floating at the top of the can...ugh!  I am going to give them another day to soak and then clean them off with the garden hose.  Then they can dry for a couple of days in the sun and then they go into the boxes and back into the closet.  Then when the others are ready to be replaced, the whole process starts up again. 

Today was supposed to be laundry day but, I am not in the mood to turn on the washing machine.  I want to swim.  That is the only thing I want to do.  Unfortunately, since I had to add acid, that isn't going to happen until later in the day.  We have high alkaline water here and it is well established in this household that if you add water to the pool, add acid.  I buy the 50 pound bucket of dry acid for that reason, I will go through it in a season.  I only buy a 10 pound bucket of skimmer sticks for the pool.  I have had chlorine go bad and I don't go that route any more of buying the huge bucket.  My pool is small, I don't need anything major in the way of chlorine. 

I did find out that my pool is only 470 sq. ft.  It isn't big but, it works for me.  I can swim in it and still get some serious work out time in it.  It works great to cool me off on hot days and we can really pack the people into it for parties. 

It isn't cheap to maintain one but, I would miss it.  I have already told him if we ever move, he is putting in another pool for me.  I want a bigger one with the next house.  :) 

43

Yesterday was my 43rd birthday.  Was it spectacular?  No.  It was nice.  I enjoyed having family sit down and eat a meal with me.  We don't get to do it as often as we used to when my parents were still alive.  So, we try to see each other when we can.  Being the youngest of 8 it is hard to get everyone's schedules right. 

My darling hubby bought me a cake for my birthday, I know you are thinking, type 2 diabetic, not good.  Well, it was my birthday.  I have to choose my battles, and that cake was nice, he is sweet.  It was sweet and the rest is sitting in my fridge for my family members to come by and have at.  They know it is there for them.  I know my niece will love it.  He bought me a small German chocolate cake.  It is fabulous!  I can't have any more of it.  My one piece was well worth it.  I had a nice big glass of milk with it. 

Do I want to eat all of that cake in one sitting?  NO!  I had my one piece, I am over it.  Since I gave up sugar, I am finding that sweet things no longer tempt me.  It took me two weeks of pure hell to get over sugar and I am not going back.  I never want to go through the shakes and constant hunger of ridding myself of that stuff.  No thank you. 

Now, if I can rid myself of the need for carbs, that would be awesome.  I love carbs, they are wonderful to my mindset but, they are completely awful for type 2 diabetics. 

I went in for my 3 month lab results and here is what is going on with me.  LDL is still high, I have to give up the onion rings and other fried items...see carbs...my A1c is still looking good for someone who has no medicines and is using her diet to control the blood sugar.  I love that.  I still have the high blood pressure, the whole family has it, it comes from my Mom's side of the family.  Mom had it.  He said there was some albumen in my urine which means that I need to work on stress.  I can't deal with stress at all.  I have a blood pressure pill that helps save my kidneys so, I am taking it like I am supposed to.  It also means I need to work out more than I have recently. 

I have been under the weather for a couple of days and dealing with nausea isn't fun in my book.  It takes a lot for me to vomit and when I do, I generally get the dry heaves.  Not a pretty picture.  So, I had to start taking my Benadryl to help cope with the mucus issues. 

My sister said...face it, you aren't a spring chicken anymore.  Oh gee, thank you. 
 

Left Over Sock Yarn, What Can I Do With It?

I have oodles and oodles of left over sock yarns.  I have knit many socks and then there is that left over bit that has no use, or so I thought.  I have been converting a pattern from worsted weight yarn into sock yarn.  I am using a Lion Brand Pattern for a Mitered Scarf.  I have been knitting squares in my spare time and now I am working on triangles. 

I am using size US 3 needles for this endeavor.  I decided to go ahead and knit this for myself.  I keep looking at my squares thinking...quilt, or blanket.  I know this would take a long time to do but, it would be so cool looking.  I started my triangles today.  I have one knit so far and I have plans to double the amount needed for the pattern.  I am going to knit more squares than the pattern calls for as well since it is really short. 

I guess if I can find the time and have the patience to sit and knit all of the squares and triangles needed for a blanket or quilt, then I would take the plunge and knit it. 

 

The best part of the whole experiment, is it will be one of a kind, no one else will have the colors I chose.  I am using my own hand painted yarns...why not?