Just entered an exciting giveaway

I had to share how GREAT I think it is that there are women out there that put forth the effort to help other women starting new businesses!!  I am grateful for the networking, even if I do not win the giveaway!!  It was fun to look at everyone's pages and leave them a note.... How sweet they even all responded!!!  It gave me new found hope to keep up with my blog and get some more projects completed today.  In the works- a desk to paint (much to the chagrin of my mom because it is antique and "how dare you paint that"... the desk was $1 at Goodwill.. yes a great find, but I have zero emotional ties to it.  It is a great piece that will be in our entry on the wall of the stairs... ), One quilt that just has the binding to be completed (that will be done today) and one more quilt with that order that has the top completed and needs some TLC since it is going to be a gift from a grandma.  THEN... I am so very excited that I get to see my VERY good friend Jenette (Holyoak) Scott and I have a HUGE surprise for her that I am working on that is only in the "design in my head" phase and has to be completed by Dec 15 at 0600 when I get to meet her at the Phoenix airport for her layover.... I have not seen her since 6th grade and we reconnected thanks to facebook and have been in constant communication... so much that my little BriElle named her imaginary friend "my Jenette"... LOVE IT!!!  Ok, time to get busy now... uber excited about the new found motivation to blog and complete some projects!!! See COMMENT for link to the giveaway!!

Who rules the ROOST?

So we are all aware that if mama hen is not happy then good luck with the Rooster or the Chicks being happy... That being said- The mama hens of the world need to make a conscientious effort to realize this and take control of their destiny.. Afterall, the impact we have on our children could determine whether or not they fly the coop or stick their head in the chicken wire and get caught... The silly metaphors aside- this is a VERY serious issue that we all have a responsibility to address.  Will I let my child fail?  Or be lazy?  Absolutely not!  At what point do we quit trying?  Never!  Will there be tears shed? With girls- most likely.. and with tears, I will add, is someone taking accountability for their actions or lack therof. 
At our house, with a blended family, there are still personalities meshing and he said/she said and determining why one person feels this way or that way... outside influences that we have no control over are taken into consideration too.

I love my children and my husband's children... and here is where I realize that sometimes love is one sided.  THAT is perfectly OK and so I will just LOVE MORE.  Due to circumstances before I was in the picture... there are difficult feelings and goings on that need to be dealt with between others that do not include me.... Hopefully when grown children actually grow up, they understand and can heal.  Divorce is a difficult thing to get over.  However, all children do grow up and when they do- will they remember every bad thing you ever said about their other parent? YES they absolutely will.  Therefore, DO NOT speak unkind words about your childs other parent!  I repeat DO NOT! 
We all keep our little chicks wings clipped so that they cannot fly the coop too soon or before they are ready...
Until they realize that the sky will not fall because there was a little bump in their road... they still need our guidance. 
I have made a very large decision to stay at home so that I can be happy, so that I can make healthy choices for my family and so that I can live more simple... There will be sacrifices and lifestyle changes and a happy HEN.  THAT is what counts the most.  I hope that you will follow me on this journey and watch for a few more baby chicks that will be joining our family in the near future.

FIT for a King!

A friend who flips houses needed an 8 ft table and a matching hutch removed from a house... it had 1 captains chair (with arms) and 3 more chairs and the hutch had glass doors (most of which broke in transit)... cost $200 (those that know me have to know that is a ton for me to pay for furniture, but I saw something in this set that I just knew would fit to my liking- eventually)... so this is the UGLY captain's chair- FOR THE CAPTAIN OF OUR HOUSE!  This sweet husband of mine, drove me to Tempe, helped me load it on the trailer and drove it home and I can only imagine what he was thinking... this crazy wife of mine has really done it this time with this horribly ugly furniture...  Almost immediately he started working on an 8 ft bench to accommodate our children, since there were only 4 chairs.  He designed it, built it and (insert about 8 months later) I painted and covered it with Silver vinyl (this is not just ANY vinyl though- it is BOAT upholstery, given to me by my dear friend Amy- who lucky for me- completely refinishes boats and is so kind as to give me the scraps).... to make it easy to clean.
ok- back to the CAPTAIN chair...

Here's the deal,

pronounced DILL at my house...or at least by me and made fun of by kids...I am a true mama bear... ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that you do not mess with my kids.  Of course, nobody likes the parent that says, "my kid would not do that!" and I am not that kind of parent... My children have been taught to hold themselves accountable for their choices.  Celebrate when you make the choice that helps you succeed and kick yourself in the pants when you make the choice that landed you in warm or hot water... Take note that I did not say "make a mistake"  I treasure the person I have become because of choices I have made in my life that others would call mistakes.. Those choices have made me a better person, a person that recognizes when to serve others and when to keep my nose out of others' business... I feel that I do not have the right to have an opinion about another's way of life and on that same note- you do not have the right to have an opinion about mine.  Free agency is a gift, one that was given to me, to do with- as I see fit- not you.  I choose to know that I am not perfect and that I am enough.  Trying for perfection = unhapiness.