R.R.T. - Girl Scouts

I have a bone to pick with those sweet little girl’s we call Girl Scouts. You think that they are sweet? Did you know that they are secretly sabotaging our diet plans? Huh, did you know that? Well, there you have it! The truth is the truth, and the truth will set you free! That is my message to all of you girl scouts out there!

You want proof, well, here’s your proof! Have you ever realized when they come out with their delicious cookies? March! Right when we’ve finally decided to change our lifestyle. Right when we’ve decided to get ready for bikini season. Ok, right when we realize that we will never be in a bikini again, but we don’t want to be confused with a large mammal while on the beach. Yep, that’s when they decide to march up to Walmart in their cute little outfits, set up their table, and entice me to buy their little bites of heaven.

This is a true story:

Plot: to sabotage my diet plan
Setting: Walmart in Tifton, GA

As my sister and I walk up to the table, we notice the handwritten sign hanging from the front. This is what it said:



ME: We will have one box of somoas.

GIRL SCOUT: We aint got no somoas.

ME: (thinking about telling her that she should actually say, “I’m sorry, we have sold out of Somoas.” Instead, I keep it to myself!) Well, we are here so I guess I will buy the Tagalongs.

As we are driving away, we notice the other table of girl’s at the opposite entrance of Walmart. Sherri literally screeches to a halt, I jump out, and run for the Somoas. So, now, we are in the car alone with two boxes of Girl Scout cookies. This is bad! REAL BAD! I will let you use your imagination as to how many were left when we got back to my mom’s house.

Now, here’s my random rambling for today, what do you think the strategy is to displaying these little bits of goodness in March? Why not November? In November, we are gearing up for holiday season. In November, it won’t even make a difference if we ate two boxes of cookies on the way home! Woops! In November, we aren’t really concerned with swimsuits or whales!

So, there you have it! Now, I want to hear from you! Do you think it is a conspiracy theory or what?

Get out of the fridge!

When we say, “Marli Claire, get out of the refrigerator,” we mean it literally. For some really ODD reason, every time we open the door, she runs in and sits down. I have no idea why she enjoys sitting in the fridge. I have no idea why she throws a fit when we have to DRAG her out. I have no idea how long this phase will last.

Tutorial - Tank Top Refashion

Ok, first things first, I DO NOT SEW! I'm serious!

I decided to ATTEMPT to create a tutorial for these tanks after hearing from several of you. I use the word, attempt, because I am not sure that I can explain well enough for you to recreate. Please know that I have full confidence in your skills, it is mine that I am unsure of. I would love to see pics of your tanks/shirts.

Speaking of, this can be done with any type of shirt or tank top. Also, you can attach the rosettes however you like. I have seen them placed around the entire neckline which is adorable.

Funny story: I ran in to my beautiful friend, Corletta, while wearing this, and she asked to see the underside of the tank. If you could see the sewing on the underside of the tank, you would understand why this is a funny story!

Well, off you go, get to work, start creating!

Step 1: You are going to cut three circles for each rosette. Use a soda can (Coca-Cola Classic is my favorite, but you can use what you want! Just sayin’!) to outline your largest circle. The other two circles have to be smaller than the one before. [It doesn’t matter the size of the circles!]

Step 2: Pinch the back side of the three circles to form the rosette.

Step 3: Use a needle and thread to finish the rosette.



Step 4: Attach the rosettes in bunches to create the look you want.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

[Completed Reosettes]

[Up close and personal]

[embarrassed that this tank could be decoration in our bedroom]

[Marli and Me]

Random Rambling Tuesday

RANDOM RAMBLING TUESDAY - NOT QUITE A TUTORIAL

I don’t feel that I can adequately give you a tank tutorial just yet. These things take time! I want to perfect, then educate.

I happened upon an adorable blog, and saw this tank. I thought to myself, “DDDIY!” I am determined to prove myself wrong on this one.

I started out with 2 tanks: 1 very large boring black tank and 1 very small boring gray tank. [Notice the size of the tank that was cut up!]


This top looks much much much better on an actual person!


I probably should not share the following close up photo of the ruffles. You can see all of the imperfections. Oh well!


In one of Dr. Cloud’s sermon points on Sunday morning, he stated (not verbatim) that you should say aloud things that you want to be, even though you are not that person yet. My nephews would say, “CLAIM IT!” You can tell that I was paying attention on Sunday morning when you look at this next photo.


Can you believe it?



[SIDENOTE: ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE I DID IN THIS PHOTO, I DIDN'T CUT MY HAIR!]

Happy 100th Post - Happy Birthday "Marka"

We are celebrating two events today. First, this is my 100th post, but more importantly, it is Ma Ma Martha's birthday today (Matthew's grandmother). MC calls her "Marka," and loves Marka very much. We had a great time celebrating her birthday last night. Just wanted to share a few pics with you.

Random Rambling Tuesday - Caring Less

I have this extremely annoying habit of correcting others grammar when chatting. I have to blame my momma. She corrected us, and has now passed the torch down to me. I shouldn’t say she has passed the torch, because she definitely still corrects me. Matthew hates (secretly appreciates) this habit! Depending on who I am speaking with determines whether I keep the corrections in my head, or blurt them out. I mean no harm. HELLO??? Have you seen how many commas and exclamation marks I use? I don’t try to pretend that I am an English scholar, but it is something that I cannot help. Speaking of…

Something has been bothering me for quite some time. I’ve mentioned it to many people when the subject arises, and sometimes in casual conversation. Have you heard the saying, “I could care less?” Of course you have! For the life of me, I can’t figure out what it means. It doesn’t make sense to me. I COULD CARE LESS??? Shouldn’t we say, “I couldn’t care less?” Right? If we could care less, the statement wouldn’t be affective. Anyway, that is my random rambling for today.

What do you think? Explain!

[Sidenote: Please do not send me grammatical corrections to this post. Thank you!]

her side of the story

As we rounded the corner, headed to the church nursery this morning, it was as if Matthew and I could already sense something strange. The nursery worker was waiting at the door for us. She didn’t say “hello,” she didn’t say “Marli Claire, your parents are here,” and she definitely didn’t say, “Marli Claire was a joy to keep today.” Instead, she immediately picked MC up, handed her to me, and said (with fear, desperation, and exhaustion), “If I were you, I would get the book, The Strong-willed Child by James Dobson.” As I realized this lady was being serious, my smile began to diminish. She went on to say that MC had actually riled up all of the children in her class, and had to be calmed down. What would you say to this? I just smiled and said, “Well, we will see you all tonight!” As we are walking away, MC is just as sweet as can be, telling everyone we pass, “hello.” Matthew said that he glanced back and was almost 100% sure he saw that lady drop to her knees and begin singing, The Hallelujah Chorus. I’m quite sure this was exaggerated a bit, but needless to say, the worker was happy to see us walk away. We don’t know what happened in that room this morning, but this is MC’s side of the story:

Matthew & Jimmy - B.F.F.

We are sitting on my mom’s sofa in Tifton; Matthew gets a huge smile on his face, and asks, “Where is Plains, Georgia?” Why? Matthew had Googled Jimmy Carter, and found out that he teaches Sunday School in Plains. “Seriously?” I asked, “You seriously want to go to Plains, Georgia for Sunday School?” Oh, was he ever serious! Matthew immediately got on the phone with some Secret Service friends of his to find out more information. They made some calls, and got special seating in the church. I, of course, didn’t want to venture off to Plains, so Matthew coerced my nephew, Austin, to go on his great adventure. Let me say, IT WAS AN ADVENTURE! [Sidenote: I told Matthew that they wouldn’t let him get a picture with The Carter’s, but if for some reason they did, I would go when we came back down to visit my family. This comment was followed by me rolling my eyes.] They set off around 7:15 AM on Sunday, got there around 9:00 AM. When they pulled up in the parking lot, a German Shepherd searched the car. The car wasn’t the only thing searched either! When they made it to the door, THEY were searched. Neither of them had their driver’s license, which made them look “suspicious.” Matthew drove to Plains illegally. While being searched, they found a pocket knife on Austin. This made them look even more “suspicious.” They made him head back to the car with it. They FINALLY got seated and were given the rules. As they looked around the church, they saw many armed men seated around. The former President, Jimmy Carter, then came in and taught the lesson. Afterwards, to my surprise, Matthew and Austin were able to get a picture with Mr. Carter and his beautiful wife Rosalynn. [Sidenote: I’m going to Plains, Georgia when we visit my family again.] Now, I do know there have been some unusual comments made by Mr. Carter recently, but I also know that he is almost 86 years old, and he was still The President of our great nation at one time. Although meeting the former president doesn’t excite me enough to miss an incredible meal at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse, it was a great experience for Austin and Matthew.

2010 Collage - February

Marli Claire has changed so much in one month, which convinces me even more that I should document what has been going on in February. Let’s see…she loves to point her finger and say “NO,” she likes to put her finger up to her mouth to say, “shhh,” and throws her arms up to say, “I don’t know.” When I tell her to go sit with her daddy so I can get ready, she says, “Daddy at work.” Matthew can be right in front of her, and she would say that he was at work. She has recently become more attached to her paci, her Ellie (pink elephant), and her blanket. She enjoys fake crying, which is actually very entertaining. She is the friendliest child I’ve ever seen! She MAKES everyone around tell her hello and goodbye before moving on to the next group of people. She thinks she knows everyone, and that everyone should know her. This makes going in public extremely difficult. She is very clumsy, never watches where she is going, and runs into everything. In the past few weeks, she has had two black eyes, a gash above her nose and eye, and bruises galore. This also makes life in public difficult. Having to explain to everyone she speaks to what happened to her is draining. She talks incessantly, gives the slobberiest and best kisses, and is so persistent (aka strong-willed). I have no idea where she gets all of this from! She is so much fun, and I enjoy every second that I have with her.

Random Rambling Tuesday - DDDIY

(I ACTUALLY THINK I COULD HANDLE THIS DIY!)

As DIY (Do It Yourself) projects have grown in popularity, so has my interest in attempting them. I use the word “attempt”, simply because most of my projects haven’t come to completion. For some reason, I think I can do ANYTHING! I don’t mean “anything” in the sense of Phillipians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.) I mean, stupid things!

For instance, Matthew and I used to live in The Lofts downtown. Picture a beautiful loft apartment, with 16 foot ceilings. Now picture me deciding one day after watching television that I wanted our kitchen table to be a different color. Not only did I want it a different color, I wanted it to be different color right then. So, without consulting my loving husband, I got an electric sander and went to work. I like to think of my projects as “surprises” for Matthew! I, of course, couldn’t get the kitchen table down eight flights of stairs, so I had to sand it in the loft. Did you know that when you sand something, dust flies? It really does! It even flies up to the top of those 16 foot ceilings I was describing to you earlier. As I get about half of the table sanded, I get really bored with it, so, I stopped. (Sidenote: My boredom is similar to my sister, Sherri, wanting to run the paintbrush up the wall once just so she can be the first one to see what it looks like, then the job becomes someone else’s.) If you were to lift the tablecloth today, you would see what used to be a gorgeous kitchen table. Do you think that I learned my lesson? NO! Just the other day, I decided again, that I could take on the task of painting the front door, shutters, and bottom bricks of the exterior of our house. If you were to drive by right now, you would notice that our front door looks AWESOME. As for the shutters and brick, they are still the original color.

Why do I do this? Why do I think that I can do a job that only people in that field should do? I have decided the title of this post will be DDDIY (Delecta Don’t Do It Yourself). I’m actually thinking of getting bracelets made. You know the ones like WWJD, only they will read DDDIY. Those letters will serve as a reminder of the kitchen table, and the exterior of our house.

Now, tell me, have you ever attempted a DIY? Give me details of your successes and your not so successful projects!