Attitude of Gratitude

I have so much to be grateful for and yet I know so many that have so many trials and tribulations going on in their lives right now. I sometimes feel guilty when I feel so good. But all I can do is keep those that need it in my prayers and let God take it from there. I have wonderful children, grandchildren and great granddaughter. Yes they can be a pain in my backside from time to time, but no matter what I still love them. I have many friends that I know I can count on if I need them. And for that I am grateful. I have friends and family who need all the prayers that they can get for various things, from just finding their way to having serious illnesses. I can not imagine having a very sick child who needs a heart transplant, but I have a friend who's is in that exact place. Her son needs a new heart and so far there has not been a match. It's sort of a hard thing though in this, as one person needs a heart which means to get one, someone has to die. That in itself is a hard thing. Again all I can do is pray for them. I have another good friend who has a very young family member who has cancer and is not doing well at all. Again all I can do is pray for them. There are many more to numerous to mention. So as I struggle at times to be happy for what is going on in my life when so many need so much. But I pray often and try very hard to remember everyone. If I forget someone, the Lord knows who needs his help.

I am grateful for my very best friend daughter and her family that had a fire in their home a week ago and although they lost their personal belongings EVERY FAMILY MEMBER MADE IT OUT ALIVE!!! If it would not have been for their dog who woke them up, this might not have ended in the way it did. I am grateful for a couple at church who are wonderful people and have not been blessed of having a child of their own so opted to adopt. Well this past week they found out that they will be blessed with adopting a son the end of August. They are so happy beyond words. This child will be so blessed in having these parents.

I am grateful that the Pinata I made for the church picnic today was a big hit. The kids all loved it. It was nice seeing all the smiling faces as they each took a whack at it. Well and of course all the candy that came out of it when it broke. Man the mad scramble :) Pictures were taken but I don't want to post on here as I do not have permission from any of the parents in using their kids pics. But I can tell you, this is something that we will do again.

I am grateful for a good friend of mine who called me today and asked if I wanted some free tickets to the Nascar race in Indianapolis tomorrow. And of course I said yes. I am so excited and such a Nascar fan. My daughter Amanda and I are going to leave around midnight or so to get there so we don't get caught up in the race traffic. It can be a bear and don't want to do it.

So all in all it has been a good week for me and mine. So many blessings have been bestowed on so many people I know along with some people I know who are in desperate need of some blessings. So I will continue to keep everyone in my prayers and let God take control of the situations.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and is blessed with all the things they stand in need of.

Pinata and More

I have been working on a Pinata for a picnic at church for about a week. It takes time to let it all dry between steps. But in the end I think it turned out nice. I decided on an Ice Cream Cone Pinata in hopes that the image would bring on cool thoughts with all this very hot weather we have been having. It's been a long time since I made a pinata. But it all came back to me very quickly. They are for the most part easy to make, very messy though in the beginning stages. You can be up to your elbows so to speak in the paper mache glue, which is water, flour and glue. But it was fun and I love seeing it all come together and it actually looks like what you want it to be. Then of course you need to make it strong enough so that can stay together, hold all the candy you put inside of it, that it won't fall apart when you hang it and of course that it stays together long enough for a few kids to take a whack at it. I am hoping this all holds true when I take it to the picnic. It sure hope that it does all that I hope. I guess I will find out tomorrow (Sat) when I take it to the picnic. I sure hope the weather holds out and it will be a nice day.

I made the cone shape part from a piece of poster board just folded up in the cone shape. Taped it all up to keep it together, cut off the top to make it even and then wrapped it all up in plastic wrap so that once you get it covered in the newspaper/paper mache gunk you can remove the form once it dries for about 24hrs.
Next I blew up a balloon big enough to fit inside the top part of cone and then proceeded to do the same as the cone. Making sure that you put a lot of layers across the top so that it is strong enough to hold the string without ripping when it is hung. You also need to make sure you put a lot of layers where the two pieces come together so again it doesn't come apart when hung. You then let this dry again for 24hrs. Once this is all dry you can cut your opening where ever you want it so you can pop balloon and remove it. Also this opening will be used to add your candy into pinata. I cut it on 3 sides for the opening. I then let it set with this flap down so that the inside could dry a little more and get the smell of the paste out of it. I let it set overnight and it was fine in the morning. You also need to make the small hole at the top where you will put your string to hang it from.After it was all dry and aired out I then proceeded to put the crepe paper on the cone end. There are many ways you can add this paper to the pinata. I chose to use just some white glue and self ruffle it with my fingers. It worked out ok for the look I wanted. You just keep adding it around and around till you get it where you wanted. I then let this dry overnight. So that when I turned it over to do the top it wouldn't hurt it as it would be dry.

Before I covered the top half I put my string in the top. I used some twine I had here. I also tied the string around a small stick on the inside. This way I knew when I tied it, it wouldn't slip through the hole. You also need to add the candy now as you will be covering the opening with the crepe paper. This will be come very heavy and top heavy, so you will need to prop it up against something as you are decorating it. I just set it in a vase on the floor and used an end table on one side and the card table on the other. It worked out fine for me. You can do whatever you need to depending on what type of pinata you make.

I decided to make my ice cream cone Neapolitan flavor. So just add the colors accordingly. You could do whatever you wanted as far as colors. Let your imagination run wild. I also decided to put a little red on top around the string to make it look like a cherry on top. Again use your imagination. You could use pieces of different color tissue paper or crepe paper to make it look like you had sprinkles on it. I think it turned out nice and I am sure the kids will love it also and have lots of fun.
This past week I also went to Goodwill and found some bargains. I found some toys for the grandkids and a small dresser I can use to put Randi clothes in that I keep here for her. The dresser is need of lots of TLC but that's ok. I can give it all the TLC it needs. I have some ideas on how to make it alive again. But that will have to wait till next week.





I hope you enjoyed seeing what I have been up to for the most part all this past week. And what I have in store for me next week.









I also played Bunco this past Wednesday and I won 3rd place and won a glass cake plate. It is to pretty to just put in a cupboard and its not like I would use it all the time...So I decided to set it out and put something under the dome. You see a lot of cloche decorations around so I did my own take on one. I just used a couple things I had on hand. The cup and saucer with flowers was a little to tall to fit so I just turned the cup on its side and it worked out just fine. I found the little girl figurine on one of my Goodwill trips for .75 and she works out just fine in there. I can already envision in my mind all sorts of things I can do with this when it is not in use holding a cake.

Enjoy your day, stay safe and do things you want.

No Energy Type of Day

I had every intention of going on to my next craft on Wednesday, but I watched my grandson Noah overnight on Tuesday while his mother worked and well lets just say it was a long night. Noah is 4 months old and is normally a pretty good baby for me, but that night he was not a happy camper at all. He came all smiles and giggles for grandma but within an hour or so of him being here (he was here from 7p - 9a) he started getting upset. I changed him because he was wet and he hates being wet boy does he hate being wet...but that didn't seem to help. He wouldn't take his bottle he didn't want to be held, sat down, rocked, walked...nothing. He just cried and cried and cried. I felt so bad for him and I tried everything. I talked to his mother and she said she thinks he is teething, so I looked in his mouth and sure enough he had the tell tale little bump and red mark. I rubbed my finger over his gums and that seemed to help a little but he still cried. Of course I didn't have any teething gel but I did take a cold washcloth and let him chew on that for a little bit. He calmed down a little. My poor baby. He cried for the most part the whole time he was here. Nothing I could do but let him cry and try and comfort him as best I could. He finally fell asleep at around 3a and slept till 6a. He did wake up in a better mood though and was happy to smile at me when I picked him up. But needless to say this grandma did not get more then an hour or so of sleep. He fell asleep in the middle of my bed surrounded by pillows and although I did come out here and try and get some sleep in the recliner, I just couldn't get to good sleep because I wanted to be able to hear him just in case. I have a bed for the grandkids to sleep in but I didn't have the heart to move him when he was asleep on my bed, he was finally resting.

After he left I picked things up and had every intention of just laying down for a few minutes to rest and then get busy as I had lots of things to do. But I ended up sleeping for 2 hrs. I know not much but it did help a little. But not enough to give me any energy along with the heat outside, I just decided not to do much. I did make a couple more butterflies using more food coloring in the water. They turned out a lot darker then the first batch. So at least now I know how much to put in the water if I do something like this again.

I went to church last night to hang up the butterflies on the ceiling. I took my camera to take a couple pictures of them hanging but do you think I remembered to take a picture...NO :( Oh well they looked cute and I will take a picture Sunday when I go to church. I will post them later.

My oldest daughter and I went out to the fair last night around 8p, we wanted to wait till the sun went down in hopes it would not be as hot. There were a lot of people out there but not as many as usual. I think the heat is keeping a lot of people away. I feel so sorry for all the animals at the fair. It has to be miserable for them. I noticed a lot more big fans in the barns this year and lots and lots of water troughs around for them. We walked around for a while and looked at things, got our Arctic Ice which was yum yum. I had a combo-Pina Colada, Banana and Coconut. Boy did that cool us off. We played the mouse game, of course didn't win. Walked around some more then I got my caramel corn. I got the 3 bag special, I picked out reg kettle corn, caramel apple and cheese and bacon flavor. They are all good. This place has all sorts of flavors including dill pickle. I am not sure about that flavor and a little afraid to try it. I will probably go out one more night late to the fair then I will be good till next year.

Today I need to finish laundry, dishes and then start on the paper mache ice cream cone Pinata I am making for the church picnic the end of the month. I don't know what I was thinking, but I am a week off and was thinking I had 2 weeks to get it done. It has to be done in stages to let it dry properly so I need to get the first step done today. Years ago when my girls were little my husband and I made a Santa and a Donkey Pinata for a Christmas party. All the kids had fun taking a whack at it. I think the little ones will get a kick out of this one just the same.

I did make a fleece blanket for my niece while she was here visiting from Georgia and I did an iron on the back of tank top for my youngest daughter. So at least I am keeping with my craft theme this month. Sort of my own Christmas in July. If only I would have tried to do something at least every other day craft wise, I sure would be ahead of the game. But that's ok I am happy with what I have done so far.

Have a wonderful day and take time to do things for yourself. Try and stay cool in any way you can.

Butterflies

Today I tried a new craft. I saw this on a website a while ago but can't remember where exactly. Anyway I did remember for the most part how to make these butterflies from paper towels and food coloring. I wanted to make some so that I could suspend them from the ceiling in my classroom at church for my Primary class. These kids are 3-4 yr old so I figured they would enjoy this and its nothing fancy but I didn't think they would mind.It was easy, a little messy and will remember to use some rubber gloves on my hands if I do this next time. The tips of my fingers are a little discolored from the food coloring but that will wear off no problem. I also wasn't sure how much food dye to use so I guess-stimated. I didn't use that much but I think I will use more if I do this again. Make the colors a little more bold so when paper towel dries it will be a little more brighter. Mine are more pastel in color which is just fine.You use one sheet of white paper towel for each butterfly. Fold it in half 4 times. I used some paper towels from the dollar store which are fine, but I think if I do this again I will use a more stiffer paper towel. I am not sure but I think it would make the wings a little more stiffer and I think the color would be brighter. But the ones I used worked out fine. Just a mental note to myself for next time.

Dip each corner into whatever color or colors you want. Just dip because it will absorb quick. I did a variety of combinations. You can do this step however you want. After you get your paper towel folded then open it up and lay it flat on a covered surface. I just laid newspaper in my yard and laid it on there. It worked out fine. Didn't take long for them to dry in this heat we are having.

After they are dry, fold them up somewhat like accordion style and put a pipe cleaner around it. Flatten out the wings and twirl the antennae however you want.


The pictures didn't turn out the way I was hoping but you get the idea. I will be hanging these tomorrow night in the classroom. I can't wait to see what the kids think.

Have a few more projects in mind for this week. Things I can do in my home where it is cool. We are under a heat advisory for the next few days. So staying in as much as I can.

Enjoy yourself and have a wonderful day.

Book Storage craft project

With the weather suppose to be really hot this week, I don't plan on doing much outside. Last week I was sick, (I still am but at least I can function) and I didn't do much but sit and rest. So I spent time on the internet looking for some new craft ideas. I found quite a few that I have saved and want to make. Here is the first one I did this week.
My great granddaughter Randi loves to look at books and I have no problem indulging her in this love. I love to read also, so if I can instill this into her from an early age I am all for it. I have bought some books at the store, I have some books from when her mother and my children were little. I have also picked up some at garage sales and goodwill. Well they are starting to get out of hand in a place to keep them. I started with just keeping them on the extra end table that Randi seems to think is hers. That was fine but now it seems we have to many books to really keep there now. I found this neat and inexpensive storage unit to make. It is made from record album covers. So off to Goodwill I went. I decided I would use childrens albums and I found a few. They were only .25 and I needed 5. Plus I got 20% off my purchases that day so these turned out to be only .20 so works for me.On the website I found this storage, the woman said she used a drill to put the holes in the covers. Well this turned out to be a challenge for me. My daughter Angela helped me with it. It's not as easy as it sounds, but she managed to get it done for me.
Although I think if I make another one, I am going to try a different method of making the holes. The hole punch I had was not strong or sharp enough so I will have to think about finding something else. Anyway, after she got the holes in the covers I proceeded to put them together using some ribbon I had on hand. The one I saw, the woman had used jute, but I was using what I had on hand. I didn't get a picture of my threading the ribbon through the holes but thats ok. I was going to try and do a continuous weave of the ribbon around the bottom but that didn't quite work out the way I had planned as it was difficult to hold the pieces together so I could weave the ribbon in the holes. I ended up just going one side at a time and it seemed to work out fine.
It's not perfect but thats fine. It will work for the intended purpose. I think also if I make another one, I will find album covers that are a little more sturdy. I think it might work out better. But it was fun and you learn from trial and error.


I think Randi will love it. And I am sure I will find more then books in there from time to time. It was a quick, inexpensive and for the most part easy project to do. You could put whatever you want into these storage boxes. You could use whatever type of album covers you wanted, your imagination can run wild with this. I am thinking I might add some ribbon handles on this so it will be easier to move around as I am sure that is going to happen.

I hope you enjoyed this craft and give it a try. I am looking forward to my next project tomorrow. It's between butterflies or fused plastic. Hmmm wonder what I will do?

Let your imagination run wild and have fun. I know I am.

Attitude of Gratitude

I have been sick most of these past 3 day and have no energy for anything last couple of days. But I did have my great granddaughter here first part of week and that is always a blessing then I watched my grandson the other night for a few hours and that is also something I am very blessed to be able to do. Even though I have been sick I have many blessings in my life. My granddaughter was here one night and she fixed me supper so I wouldn't have to. My son took out my garbage for garbage pickup so I wouldn't have to go out to do it. My youngest daughter did up the few dishes I had in my sink for me, and my oldest daughter fixed me supper tonight. Fresh artichokes, mmmm mmmm good :)

Since I have not been able to do much since I have no energy. And even if I did do anything I would just start coughing and couldn't breath so it was better if I just took it easy. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this bad. UGH Anyway I have been scouring the internet for bridal bouquet ideas for my niece who is getting married next April. My mother and I are going to be making the bouquets. My niece lives in southern Georgia so we have been passing ideas back and forth via Facebook. I also have been looking for some nice ideas to make her a photo album. I plan on cross stitching some sort of design for the front but haven't found the right saying just yet. I still have time so I am sure I will find what I am looking for. She really likes one of the pictures I sent her for a bouquet for her. Now just to find the flowers to make it.

I also have been looking for some new craft ideas. I found some sites that used fused plastic. I was intrigued. I started looking it up and man I am most certainly going to try this. I already have some ideas running through my head. You use your plastic bags you get at the store or any other type of plastic. I sure as heck now look at things that are plastic in a whole different light. I can't wait to start on a project next week. I will post pictures when I get going on a project. I am all about using what you already have instead of just throwing it away or putting it in the recycling bucket. I saw some cute ideas on how to refashion flip flops which I might just try. I am excited to get started.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and enjoys themselves. This summer is flying by. I can't believe school starts back up in a little over a month from now. Even the stores are gearing up for school. All the supplies are out now. Which even though I don't have anyone in school anymore I do like to go through the supply section and see what I can find. I think I have a pen fetish. I like new pens and all sorts of odd ones.

Primary Craft and Independence Holiday Weekend

This is the windsock craft that I helped the kids in my Primary class (3-4yr olds) make. Its made from a toilet paper roll, scrapbooking paper and crepe paper. The kids had a blast making this. I cut the strips of crepe paper in half so it wouldn't be so big and they could add more streamers to the windsock. After they made these we had to take a walk outside so they could see how they blew in the wind. They were all so proud of what they had made and were so excited to tell their parents about class and the lesson on "siblings" and how they were going to be good and play with their siblings and not fight. They are so cute at that age.

I also have had a very busy Independence Day weekend. Full of activities all day long. Was fun seeing family and friends and catching up. It was wonderful to see my nephew who was home on leave from the Army. He was in Afghanistan and has been back in the states only for a short period of time. It was nice to see him home safe. We were able to take some pictures with family that were here visiting. Also took a new 5 generation picture since my great granddaughter is older and a lot more attentive then she was last year. At my fathers side of the family picnic/reunion a lot of my relatives brought some of their picture albums of past family activities. It was wonderful for all of us to travel down memory lane. A lot of laughs and talking about how "cute" we all were when we were so young. We had lots of good food and drinks to enjoy. Fireworks, games and just sitting and relaxing was wonderful. The weather cooperated which is always a plus. I will share a few of the pics that were taken. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.
5 generation picture. My mom Betty, myself, my daughter Angela, my granddaughter Morgyn and my great granddaughter Randi.



daughter Angela and Randi








daughter Amanda & Ed

The 4 oldest Hill grandkids. They had taken a picture like this when they were all little around 4-5 and wanted to recreate the picture now. But this time they decided not to sit on top of the hood of the car like they did when they were little. Amanda 36, Katrina 36, Angela 35, Doug 33.


This is a picture of all the grandkids (gk), great grandkids (ggk) and great great granddaughter (ggg) that live here. Amanda (gk), Katrina (gk), Joseph (ggk), Morgyn (ggk), Randi (ggg), Angela (gk), Harley (gk), Josh (gk), Doug (gk), Bryce (gk) and Noah (ggk).

I hope you enjoyed viewing a little bit of my world.
Have a wonderful rest of the week and stay safe :)