PlayFULLdate

Spring Has Sprung!!!

I love spring! Park days and play dates, playing in the mud...making mud pies, yum, yum! Butterflies and Daffodils, dandylions, too. Lush green grass and blooming trees, the tweet of the birds...everything is fresh and fun!

Here's what we did yesterday....

No matter how many times you teach your kids the proper way to use the slide, you will still find this.....

Here is Roo...being the monkey I've always known she was! ;0)

Ask the ballerina what 2 things you never call me....

OLD or INCAPABLE!!! It'll get ya taken down every time! :0)
She thinks that since she is as tall as me now that she can take me....I have to show her differently a LOT lately....hopefully I can keep my bluff in for a few more years! LOL

Maybe the smallest should not be the first in the train down the slide? LOL

I was plum tuckered out at the end of the day...laying on the slide, when Jr. came hanging over my head...so I snapped a pic! She's so cute!

I hope you are enjoying your spring days (the ones that aren't full of rain, like today!)! :0)

Jerri

Spring Break?

I'm just curious to see how many of you are one spring break this week? We who homeschool get to choose our breaks, so we aren't breaking this week. I just want to keep on trucking so we can get done and enjoy the nice temps in May. We may take a break before then, if we feel the need, but right now we're doing fine. If you are on spring break this week, enjoy! If not, leave me a comment telling why you aren't or if you are waiting for another time period.

Thanks!

B-A-D DAY? Try this one on for size!

Mrs. Dalrymple and the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

Yep. That's what I said. Thanks for the line, Judith Viorst.
Have you ever bought paint? A gallon of paint? Did you trust that the paint-mixer-man put the lid on correctly (you know, pounded it with the rubber mallet)? Only to find out a couple miles down the road that he had merely pressed it on with his hands, then forgotten to hammer it in? Yes. It really happened. TO ME. Why me? Argh. Lavender paint. ALL OVER MY VAN!!! COVERING MY LEATHER SEATS!!! After trying to clean some of it up (read: scooping it from the seat into the can) while picking my older 2 girls up from sewing class, a friend said that I definitely needed to call the store (WM) and let them know what had happened. She suggested I call right away. There was a good chance I would not be able to get this paint all out. It was an ENTIRE gallon, ya know. It didn't turn completely on it's side, but tilted, so there was about 1/4 of the paint left in the can. Maybe if I had set it in the floor, instead of in the back seat, it wouldn't have tipped at all. It's not like I was driving crazy or anything.
So, I called WM. The VERY NICE MANAGER said if I could bring the van back up there they would clean it out for me. I weighed it for about 10 seconds, then agreed. I thought, "Many WM workers can clean this up faster and easier than I can at home by myself. And besides....it was the fault of an employee, and not my personal mistake."

I took the van back up there and 3 managers (including the store manager) proceeded to clean the paint out of my van. They took the seats out and worked and worked (in their white shirts and ties, mind you). It was going to take a long time, so they offered us a ride home. I felt bad enough as it was about the managers having to clean the paint out of the van, so I had my mom come get the girls and I. They are still working on it. I'm going to pick it up tonight, then drive it back in the morning, since I have to work anyway, and they are going to work on it some more. So far, it seems like it will all come out. The floor is the main concern, because no matter how much paint they seem to soak up, there is always more. Right now I'm glad I have leather seats. Can you imagine if they were cloth? Ugh. We have a really incredible team of employees at our local WM. I cannot say enough good about them. I realize they were probably worried about a law suit or something, but I would never seek such revenge. I'm just not a real vengeful person. They really are going above and beyond to make it right. I did receive another gallon of paint and more soda (since the box was soaked with paint). Other than that, the groceries actually made it out fine. I guess this was because I put all the groceries in the very back, but had set the pop and paint in the back seat, so as not to smash any of the produce.

Did I mention I got paint on my nice Nike's? And my jeans? The Ballerina got it on her jeans and shirt, too. Does anyone know of something good to get it out? LUCKILY, it was a water-based paint.

Do you feel better about your day now?


I think I'll move to Australia.

;0)

The Name Game

Okay. So we have a funky last name. I like it. It's long, and sometimes a pain to write out. I have to spell it out for people wherever I go. It's okay though. I've seen it misspelled just about every way possible.....or so I thought.

Today, my dear husband comes home after having to purchase a new transmission for his truck (do NOT get me started!) and proceeds to show me his sale bill. Oh. My. Goodness.
You have got to be kidding me!

HOW on EARTH do you go from Dalrymple to DOLLARNIPPLE???!!!!

I kid you not. I have NEVER seen or heard such an insane spelling of our name. It was just so funny that I had to share! I hope you get a good laugh to start off your weekend! :0)

Jerri

The Finished Table

Remember the table I painted? Well, it is my 13 yr. old daughter's, so a friend and I decoupaged it. (My friend didn't know what decoupaging was, so what better way to explain? We just dug right in!)

She came up with the letters and little pieces across the top. A BEAUTIFUL touch! :0)

Now, this table is in my hall. That is because we are currently painting my daughter's room. I'll have to take another pic once we finish her room (halfway there!). It will look even better against her freshly painted walls. ;0)

Side of the table. The other side is similar. For some reason, the colors didn't come out as bright and pretty as they actually are.

Front view.

Top view.

She loves it!!!!

AWESOME Giveaway!!!!!!!

My friend, Lori, over at Just Pure Lovely, is doing an INCREDIBLE giveaway from CarolinaPad. I mean, this is by far one of the BEST giveaways I have ever seen!!! (Especially for those of us trying to get organized, yet make things pretty as well!) So, click here to go to her post and enter. She is giving us 4 different ways to enter, so you can get your name in the hat 4 times!!!

What are you waiting for??? Get on over there and enter!!!! :0)

FINALE!!!

Well.............. Here we go! It's not completely finished, but the parts that aren't will either not be noticeable, or may take a while. While putting the room "back together" I decided I want a different end table, to paint the coffee table, and to either paint the entertainment center or get a different one (hubby built this one). I also decided that I'm going to take Mrs. Savage's advice and hang some fabric over those aged mirrors. I HATE those mirrors. Unfortunately, when we went to take them off the wall, we discovered they are GLUED to the sheet rock. We would have had to break the mirrors to get them off, and then possibly replace the sheet rock, or at least re-mud, tape, and sand it down. Ugh. So.... I left them. Regrettably.

Isn't he a sweetie? This is the most cleaning he's done in a LOOOOOOOOOONG TIME!!!
I don't know HOW many times we swept this floor today....more than I can count!

I just noticed that my lamp no longer matches. Hmph. Well, at least it wasn't expensive (read: yard sale find). :0)

This is the corner where my "happy" table is.

The pic below is a before picture, taken before ANY of this got started.

....and after!

Another before...........

......and after!

One last before......

.......tada!

I'm not really sure about the window mistreatments. My hubby REALLY likes them, though. I need something "westerny" to tie around them. Hmmmmm........
You can't see it very well, but I used upholstery tacks in the shape of stars that are "rustic" for the tops of the curtains.
My hubby said he is going to get the baseboard trim down this weekend.....I hope it happens!!! ;0)

Well.....I have a throbbing headache and am off to bed!
Thanks for peaking in on my little (H-U-G-E) journey. I have many more projects to attack, but they aren't nearly as big (or as daunting!).

Sincerely,

Jerri

SNEAK PEAK!!!!

Okay, I just COULD NOT WAIT to post a pic or two!! You'll just have to forgive the mess that you may see. The floor needs swept VERY badly!!!
I LOVE this wall. I think we are going to center the family pic above the mantle.

This is my peace inducing, happy feeling table. Now.....I just need to train my kids to QUIT placing things here that don't belong!!!! (like library books!)

This is something I worked on last week. I think setting on the floor, leaning against the wall, does not do it the justice it deserves, but couldn't help but snap a pic of it. It's an old window pane that I was given and, well, I just played with it and had fun. I can change things out at any time, so it can change with season or just whimsy! :0) I plan on centering this along our long yellow wall. I'll post a pic of it once it's hung.

Well....back to work! I'm up way too late, but there's SO much I want to get done!!!!

Thanks for looking!

Work, Work, And A Little Fun To Boot

I've been working a lot lately, but had today off....YAY!!! I miss Sunday Worship, although I have been attending Sunday School.
Somehow, I did manage to get a few fun crafts and such in this week (it was the BEAUTIFUL weather that motivated me!).
I made some cards (sorry, no pics!), did a LOT of painting (so much closer to having the living room done....maybe this week I'll finish!!!!!!), and re-vamped a lamp, a nic-nak shelf, and my daughter's night stand.
Here's a quick glimpse.....

The Night Stand was very old and I'm not even sure what color you would have called it. I got it at a yard sale for a buck. It has really pretty knobs for the drawers, but of course, I took them off to paint it.

We are going to try some decoupaging with it, too.

This is the before pic of the nic/nak shelf. I liked it just the way it was, but after painting I wanted to add some black accents to the living room. Instead of buying more junk, I looked around for what I could paint/change.

I just laid it on the couch to get a pic, since the walls aren't quite ready for stuff to go back up on them yet. I may add a little decoupage to this as well.....we'll see how the end table goes, LOL!

Here is the before pic of the lamp. It's a fine lamp and the color was fine before I painted the L-room yellow and tomatoe red. I've had this lamp for about 12 years and it was a Christmas gift from my sister. At least now I am keeping it instead of replacing it. All new decor for the price of a can of spray paint. :0) That's my kind of remodeling!
I have to give credit where credit is due, however. Mrs. Savage and the Nester have inspired many of us in the blog world to work with what we have to recreate our homes in ways that make us happy. I love their motto and have adopted it for myself, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!" Yes.....I can live with that!

Before.....
.......and after!
So what do you think? My living room is still a disaster since I'm not done painting. I need one more coat on one wall and then have to do the wall-divider trim that goes around the room. Then there's the "oopsies" to go back and clean up. When all that is finished, hopefully my wonderful husband will put the trim down around the wood floors we installed, um......a year ago? LOL!!! You know I'll post the pics when it's complete. :0)

Have a great week!

Happy Birthday, Junior!!!!

Happy Birthday, Jaslyn!

My baby turned 6 today.

I love you baby girl!

Even the Giant Is Not Immune

By now most of you will have heard about Wal-Mart's 700-800 person lay-off. It is dreadful, truly. I am praying for all the families that this lay-off will affect. Can you imagine the security of performing a job for such a seemingly secure company for up to 13 years and in one morning it all comes crashing down around you? I fear for some of these folk's mental/emotional mindsets. That is such a huge number to add to an already scarce market. The competition will be fierce. Fortunately, most of those employees of WM have nice degrees that may give them a step ahead. I hope you will join me in praying for these families affected with this huge lay-off. No one is completely untouchable, obviously. That is something we can all learn. I have held faith that my husband's job was more secure than most because he does, indeed, work for Wal-Mart. Obviously assumptions should not be made about anyone or any particular job. He does work on the Wal-Mart trucks, and the trucks must keep running in order for the stores to stay in business, but no one is irreplaceable. I think of all the institutions that sometimes lay off long term employees that are making higher wages, only to bring in bottom of the barrel new hires a few months later. It's so sad. I think everyone in our area knows someone who has been affected by recent economizing/downsizing of companies. We actually know several. So, as we have always done, we will continue thanking God for the blessing of my husband's job, which he loves most of the time, and pray for continuance, as well as pray for those who are now asking themselves what is next.

Sincerely,

Jerri

Winter Wonderland? I THINK NOT!!!

Well, like the other 150,000+ people in Northwest Arkansas, we spent the last 24 hours without power. Yay. Sense my sarcasm? Nah, not me! :0D

So...here are a few pics taken from a couple days before and then some taken during the outage. We DO have a fire place to keep warm by....that is a huge blessing as so many people do not have an alternate heat source and even gas heat requires electricity to run. We still don't have water....(not sure where it is frozen at b/c we emptied the lines of all water when the electric went out in hopes to avoid frozen and/or busted pipes). I also consider myself pretty innovative when it comes to redneck survival tactics. I actually cooked a hot meal over the fire in our fireplace. I like cast iron skillets, and those are versatile enough to lay (literally) right on the burning logs/hot coals. The only thing was that I'm not so wise in cooking HEALTHY meals this way. Maybe chicken breast, but as those were frozen rock solid, that didn't seem to be an option. Instead, we had sausage, made-from-scratch biscuits, gravy, and pork-n-beans. (by the time the biscuits and gravy were done, the sausages were getting cold and we didn't want to wait on eggs, so just heated up the beans....dear hubby's idea-we had his sister and her husband here so needed to stretch the meal a bit further) It was really rather tasty. AND we didn't catch anything on fire, lol!

Without further ado....the pics.

Someone had to keep us laughing! Before you think J's sis is TOTALLY crazy, these are those LED tea light candles. No real flames, although the flash from the camera made it look that way. I took one without the flash, but it was just too dark.

Fine dining by candlelight

Hey! You can see my "Tomato Red" wall in the background....we don't have stuff back on the walls, yet, though. Also, to the left is my yellow wall.

Junior just being Junior

Coloring by candlelight while waiting on dinner

Chestnuts (I mean sausage) roasting on an open fire......

Ah....this is the ice, yesterday before noon....before the lights went out. Yep. That's about an inch on the power lines. We received another inch+ over the evening and nighttime hours.

These are VERY tall trees....normally.

Close-up of our Wedding Tree

This was taken last Sat. I actually had a day where I was able to get some things accomplished at home like painting, laundry, etc. J said we just HAD to go see these eagles down the road. Well, when we got there they were gone, so we stopped off at this dried up creek bed and played/froze! It was fun, though! Here are just a few pics we took....

The above is J and Junior kicking around some Arkansas sand (aka silt...very fine and pretty!)

The girls in their "cave" LOL!

J gives a science lesson on the ages of some of the dirt layers. The girls are fascinated....for a minute! :0)

We found a few REAL caves, although didn't go exploring....this one appears to belong to a LARGE animal, which I don't care to disturb!!!

This is a trip we took to a local nursing home last week with our 4H group. The kids had made crocheted hangers and cards, and handed out baggies of chex mix. It was a WONDERFUL time and genuine connections were made by the girls. We are looking into the "Adopt a Grandparent" program.

These lovely ladies didn't want to play cards but INSISTED on WATCHING a card game....so the ballerina and her friend aimed to please!

Junior gave out LOTS of hugs....some people requested seconds, LOL! We realized how much hugging our family does on a daily basis, yet these folks may go weeks/months with one single hug. What a priceless and effortless gift to give.

Trying to enjoy some warmer weather with friends a couple of days before the ice storm came in.

Poor Dash got caught with no shoes!

So. Those of you who endured/are enduring the ice storm....what did you do? If nothing else, I pray you are all staying warm!!!


Blessings,

Jerri