Thursday, February 27, 2014

Changing a Light Switch


I needed to change out a light switch
Instead of spending $$$ for an electrician
I decided to try it myself

I checked out a video on YouTube
And started in

WARNING
ALWAYS TURN THE ELECTRIC OFF
AT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER!!!!


Something we did after we moved into our home
Was to label all of the external circuit breakers
It sure does help when you need to fix something electrical


It seemed the 1st switch on the left was not working
I haven't had a front porch light for several months
And it really bothers me when I get a late night knock on the door


AFTER I had turned off the breaker
I took the switch out of the wall
And detached the wires
I needed to cut them because the were too tight into the switch
I also needed to strip a small amount of the wire cover off
Because there was not enough wire to wrap around the new switch screw


Once the wire was prepped
I twisted each piece around the screws and tightened with a screwdriver
Most homes are wired with 2 black power wires
Some have a green ground wire
But ours is grounded behind the switches so I didn't need to use a ground wire


I placed the switch back in it's new home
And just screwed it back in
Voila, complete

Remember
Always turn off any circuit breaker before
Attempting Any type of electrical work

That's what I did with my Thursday Afternoon
What did you do today?


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

7 Years of Learning and Joy


When I received a phone call to help a friend
Clean a few file cabinets I never dreamed it would
Turn into a full-time learning experience

Though I had a wealth of administrative experience
I had No healthcare experience
But a friend put her trust in her gut
And offered me a position I just couldn't pass up

On February 26, 2007
A friend became an employer
And an even greater friend than ever imagined

My job today still includes some file cleaning
But also includes the wearing of Hats
I'd never imagined I would ever wear


And even a Tiara every now and again


I have the joy of working with an amazing staff
Who have walked some tough times with me
As I've learned and grown
Grieved and found joy again


With this friend/employer
I've painted
Both walls and canvas'


I've watcher my grand-girlies
Be taken care of and loved
 


She (my friend/employer)
Has remembered dates that nobody wants to face

 

We have shopped together
In our Jammies and in the middle of the night
 

We had braces on at the same time :)
 

Enjoyed Christmas parties together 
With our awesome staff
Yes, in our jammies again


And even weathered some powerful storms together
Through it all
I would not trade a moment of it
For any other job on this earth

My friend/employer
My sister in Christ
You have blessed my life
And I am SO grateful 
These 7 years later
That you trusted your gut
And had me clean out your file cabinet 

Here's to Many more cabinets and years of Learning and JOY

Monday, February 24, 2014

Champagne Bucket Version 1



Hi Friends,

Now that the Olympics are Over
I am able to get back to a few simple projects I've been wanting to tackle

I found a nice champagne bucket recently
And have decided to add flowers to it for my dining table

Using 'fake' flowers is not something I do often

But I'm willing to give it a try


I went to my local Micheal's with my 
25% off your entire purchase coupon
This is a great one, especially if you purchase several items 
Which are already on sale

I got a square foam
But needed to cut off the corners to fit inside the bucket


I also purchased several types of white flowers
I thought they would work best for a 
Fresh, clean simple arrangement


Once I place the foam in the bucket
I just began adding flowers
This is my first real arrangement
So I'm sure I'll do Lots of tweaking over the next several days, weeks...








I am quite pleased with the look
I will be adding a fun spring vignette to the table 
But for tonight
It makes me happy

I'm joining these great bloggers
Marty at A Stroll Through Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow us Wednesday 

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Pampering Mom



It's been nice to have my mom 
Stay with me for the past several weeks
We've watched a lot of the Olympics
And had a few nice dinners
As well as a bit of fun

But today I was able to pamper her just a bit


I prepped her for a haircut


We were going to go short
But she decided she only wanted a trim


Once finished cutting
I prepped her for a little color freshening


What do you think?
Do you like her new look?


Okay,
I went ahead and had it washed out
And then blew it dry


Now what do you think?
I think I did a nice job
If I do say so myself

Another thing that took place while mom has been staying with me
Is she had a bit of facial surgery


I'm not sure if you can tell
But in the above photo taken at Christmas
Mom had 2 large facial tumors on her right cheek


She still has a bit of swelling
But the tumors are GONE
And I think the scars will be almost non-existent

She has recovered very nicely in just under 2 weeks
No make up yet
But YAY for nearly 78 

What did you do with your Saturday?
 

Thursday, February 20, 2014

It's "K" Day


It's "K" Day
She Says with a Huge Smile

I absolutely LOVE my K days
As I'm sure you are aware if you have 
Read my blog for any length of time


The temp was in the mid 70's
So, a trip to the park was in order
My K-Bel immediately took her shoes off and started climbing


My K-Baby
Not so much into taking the shoes off
But certainly Loved running around 
But especially loved this blue seal


K Day is Always a HAPPY Day


I just LOVE my K-B's


This 'fire truck' is always a hit


And today 
I even got to spend a few minutes with my
K-Bug
I can't believe she's growing up so fast

What did you do with your Thursday?

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

LOOK What I Found


I wish you could hear the 'giddy' in my voice :)

I found this beauty and I am SO excited

I've been looking for something like this
But had not seen anything...until

I stopped by my local Saver's
Great price
Plus 25% off for customer appreciation day

Did I score or what?


Now
All I need is for you all to share ideas of what to do with it
Oh, BTW
It is 10" tall 
and the opening is 6" across

OK, I'm ready for all of your creative idea 
Thanks in advance for sharing

Sharing At Thrifty Things Friday

Click HERE to see what I did with it 

Monday, February 17, 2014

After Work I...



Hi Friends,

Widowhood and learning to embrace it
Lends itself nicely to the need to do tasks after work

There are times when I just am unable to
Achieve completion of necessary tasks during the weekend
So, without further chit chat
Here is what I was able to do after work tonight



My kitchen light has been on the frits for about a month
Not so wonderful for evening cooking and clean up
I decided it was time to change a few light bulbs
However
Once I had removed the globe
I realized that it had these silly new fangled bulb thingy's


Tomorrow 
After work
I will be heading to The Home Depot
To purchase several more of these 
Since I had none to replace the burnt out ones


With that task incomplete
I decided to iron and hang the new curtains I purchased for my home office


As some of you may recall
When I redid my office a few weeks ago
I re~hung my old curtains 
(actually folded shower curtains)
And I received some much needed feedback
Regarding replacing said curtains

This past weekend I found something I may actually 
Enjoy living with for awhile


I will need to fluff and play with them for a day or two
In order to get the ties/bows even and the folds smoothed out
But I really do Love the new fresh clean look


One of the things I have been attempting to do
Since my husband passed
Is to add little touches of girlie to my decor
I really like the bows on these new curtains
What do you think?


My mom is still with me for about another week or so
I'm trying to cook nice meals for her
So tonight I made Parmesan chicken cutlets
I put them on the BBQ


This was mom's plate
She didn't even want to start with one piece of chicken
She had 2 and ate every bite :)

Now, I am sitting in my favorite chair
Blogging and watching the Olympics

What did you do after work today?
Or, what did you do for fun today?

Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine Gifties



Happy Valentine's Day

I decided to make a little gift for each of the girls at our office


I found these clear plastic boxes at Target
The $1 spot - 3 for $1


 I cut some squares out of scrapbook paper
And then used a corner punch to pretty them up


Target also had their 'pink' candy packages on sale
So I picked up several bags


 Also at Target
I found a pack of glittery hearts for just a couple $$
They came in all sorts of sizes
So I was able to decorate each box a little differently


 Added some candy


And then some more candy
Voila !!!
A perfect little treat for our office staff

Turning what could be a difficult day in the life of a widow
Into a Fun and Joyful Day

I believe when we turn our sorrow's into blessing someone else
God, in turn, blesses us

Happy Valentine's Day To you All
And Remember
Even if you don't have a Valentine to Love and Celebrate with

GOD is Always present
To Love YOU!!!