Note Card Party 5.15

Hello Friends!  The time has totally gotten away from me today, but luckily, I checked my blogroll in time to see Vee's reminder!!

It's Note Card Party Time!

Here in NEOhio, it's COLD again.  Really.  The wind just whipped around our house and made the worst wintry whistle.  [Say that ten-times-fast!]  The past couple of nights we've had a frost warning -- after all of those lovely warm days!!!  [Oh, it's so difficult to feel like we're moving backwards!]  Luckily, our area escaped frost. Hurray!!  The clearance annuals live on!

And speaking of annuals... ummmm, this month's photos... AREN'T - ha!  These are all of our early spring arrivals this year... the perennial favorites.

Usually when I prepare my note cards for the party, I realize that one of these cards is not like the other [hmmm, reminds me of a Sesame Street game.]  This time is no different.  Three of these photos are taken outdoors, and the fourth is not.  Nevertheless, they are all... you guessed it... my favorite... FLORAL shots. Don't forget: all shots are linked to their original posts.

I look forward to seeing what you have up your sleeves this month!  Thanks for stopping by for a visit.  I always enjoy hearing what you have to say.  So please, let's chat.

I'll get the ball rolling ('cuz I just heard a funny joke).

Q: What do you call a person with no body and no nose?  (Answer follows photos)

A: Nobody knows.  [Get it?]

Oh well, maybe I should stick to picture taking... or not.  Let me know what you think. *wink

Happy Mother's Day ~ A Gift for Mom

I know, I know -- it's MOTHER'S DAY and I'm late with a Mother's Day Project.  But, I'm sharing my project for my mom anyway.  [There's no sharing of anything ahead of time around here since my family follows my blog.]  Besides, nothing says this project is only for mom's.  This "Cake Stand" is a great little project for any lady in your life, mom or not.  Add a little something to it (a sweet, or some other kind of treat), and you've got a cute little gift!

I actually used this Cake Stand idea for Christmas projects last year -- and couldn't share that ahead of time either, so I'll be sharing about it this Christmas.

I found the idea HERE, and was really excited about all of the possibilities.  After all, melamine dinnerware is all the rage now, and wow -- are there ever LOTS of cute patterns around!  I found this plate/bowl combo at Target, and loved it because it's got a look of pottery.  I was fooled until I actually picked up a piece!

It's a REALLY SIMPLE project, but I always feel a little paranoid about getting the bowl centered on the plate.

Let me backtrack for a minute...
For the two of you who may have never seen a project like this before... You glue the bottom of the bowl to the bottom of the plate, and TaaDaa!  You've got a cute little cake-stand!  It couldn't be more simple.  [E-6000 glue is recommended.]  However, like I said... I'm always a little paranoid that I'll glue it and walk away, and when I come back -- I'll realize that it's off-center.  So, I devised a little system to help me to center the bowl on the bottom of the plate.

I used a scrapbooking template -- but you could really trace anything round.  A jar would work well too, since you could see through it.  Here's what I did.  I found a circle on the template that was very close-in-size to the circle on the bottom of the bowl.  I used the template to trace that circle onto the bottom of the plate.  Granted, I was still "eye-balling" it rather than measuring -- but it's a lot easier to see if it's centered this way than once you have the bowl in place!

This allowed me to see exactly where to put the glue, and set the bowl.  It worked like a charm!

Some of you may be wondering why I didn't just trace the bowl.  My bowl's sides were a little steep, and I didn't want to risk any stray marker markings on a white bowl while working at an odd angle.  Also... at that angle, it's hard to see if you're really centered.

Now... all that's left is to lay down a line of E-6000 along the marker line, and set the bowl on the circle.

Here's the final result.

I added a little something extra, and wrapped it all up to go.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

MY BEST TIPS:

* work in an area with adequate ventilation

* allow at least 24 hrs. drying/curing time

* hand-wash only

See a similar project here --> A Tale of Two Pretties

Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific!

There's no shortage of 69¢ hair care products under our bathroom sink.  I'm just sayin'.  Shop the sales, girls! Just look at those flavors fragrances!

• Refreshing Waterfall Mist
• Kiwi Lime Squeeze
• Strawberries & Cream
• Free Me Freesia

Last night, after a busy evening of baking for me, I was sitting at my desk taking a break when my daughter leaned down to kiss the top of my head and say good-night.  "Mmmm, Mama - you're hair smells really good!" she said.  I couldn't wait to see if she guessed correctly that I had used the "Kiwi Lime Squeeze" shampoo and conditioner.

And then she said, "It smells exactly like..."

wait for it...

"... pumpkin muffins!"

Wow, umm.... not really the fragrance I was going for.
I guess I should feel lucky that the smell was at least identifiable!
And... that I was actually baking pumpkin muffins.
I guess.

Oh, I just had a depressing thought.
Today, my hair will smell like Cilantro Lime Chicken.  All day.
That's what a crockpot meal will do to ya!

Art Class ~ Showcase Recognition

I told you about my daughter's last piece of artwork for the semester HERE.  It was in the school's front hallway showcase for an extended period of time, and she finally brought it home just the other day.

Abstract Self-Portrait

That's my girl!

She calls this her "Avatar" portrait.

{You can view her other projects HERE and HERE.}

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     Follow me on Pinterest.

Welcome to My World 5.7

Here's something I've learned:  If you or someone you love has an allergy to sulpha drugs (as in prescription eye-drops for pink eye), know that variations of the sulpha-category of drug can be found in eye-drops that are on the store shelf as well.  Choose carefully -- or ask your friendly neighborhood pharmacist!

On the weekends, we're trying to make more of a conscious effort to plan our bigger meals around our son's work schedule, so that we can enjoy the family time around the table when he is here.  On Sunday, we enjoyed pork chops with fajita rub.  My hubby grilled the chops along with asparagus, and I made Creamy Scalloped Potatoes with this lovely potato:

Last night for dinner, I made Stuffed Peppers.  You'll find the recipe HERE.  I used brown Minute Rice this time, and liked the result!

Wondering what happened to THESE GUYS?  Me too!  The day after I posted these pictures, I went out to check the nest, and... nothing!  Absolute quiet.  No mama on the defensive.  I'm guessing these little fellas were older than I thought, and flew the coop sooner than I'd imagined they would.  Or perhaps mama told them to "hush up" when she wasn't at home?  I don't want to consider the other alternatives.  Hopefully "no news is GOOD news" --right?

We're enjoying the Lilacs.  My hubby and I were outside on Sunday evening weeding, and I could smell the fragrance of the Lilacs on the breeze.  Amazing.  I feel like they're open a little early.  They're  usually opening closer to my sister's birthday on the 24th.  On the other hand, the poppies are usually open by Memorial Day Weekend, and they still seem kind of small... leaves only, no buds.

I heard a song outside my kitchen window, and looked out to see this little guy.  Oh how I love Goldfinches!  In years past, I had a finch-feeder back in the garden with the Black-eyed Susans, and the Goldfinches seemed to love that.  They were always a bit camouflaged among those particular flowers!

That's all for me.  What's new in your world?