Wood Shim sunburst mirror . . .

Mom's birthday. What to get? DIY to the rescue.

I have seen these floating around the web on several DIY sites and decided it was time to give one a shot.

All I purchased was a $3 package of wood shims, some gorilla glue and a 6 inch mirror.

I did prepaint the shims. Mom recently too the plunge and put COLOR in her white walled world. The mirror is a gift for her bedroom so I snuck over while she was on vacation and retrieved the accent color that is in her bedroom. I decided it was be way easier to prepaint than paint when it was completed.

I cut a piece of cardboard for the back just a smidge larger than the mirror tile. I simply began hot gluing the shims in a circular pattern and layering them. I did have to snap a few off so they were shorter and they would lay nicely.



I used the gorilla glue to glue the mirror on and simply placed the paint can on top overnight as a bit of weight to help hold it in place.

Ta da! I will take a picture of it in place when she hangs it.

Mmmmmm Icing . . .

There is a family that makes terrific cakes. The icing is to die for! I have always bought cakes and cupcakes from the daughter who is also a co-worker. She is pregnant and no longer doing cakes and her mother is retired. Aaaaaahhhhh! My icing! I decided to try a few recipes and this one was a SUPER close substitute.

Buttercream Icing

2 egg whites (large eggs)
3 tbsp. water (omit water when using food coloring)
1 1/2 c. Crisco shortening
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar

Mix well with a mixer on low. You can add Karo or Corn Syrup to make it a bit more fluid, but I did not need to.


I believe I have posted this video before about filling icing bags without mess, but it is worth it's weight in GOLD so I will post it again.

Shooting stars . . .

I caught these on Pinterest too and decided that they were easy enough to make and I already had felt laying around begging to be sewn.

I think a few of these and a small metal bucket (or perhaps a painted coffee can) would be an adorable gift for my kiddos (shhhh! Don't tell them!)


All I did was cut out a bunch of large stars and a different color small star. I simply stitched the small star on the larger one and then sewed two large stars together leaving the edges raw, it is felt after all! I cut a bunch of ribbons and used a lighter on one end so that they would not fray. I stuffed 4 ribbons in each star while I was sewing them up. Leaving one point open, I used a funnel and filled the stars with rice and finished off the sewing. Adorable!


(The only thing I would do differently next time is leave the large stars as a square and trace the shape on them. I would then sew them and cut around the seem. Those little points got stuck in my machine quite often.)

Poppers! . . .

I always like to try something new for family gatherings. The kicker is that it has to be EASY! I hate long and involved recipes with items that you don't normally purchase. These looked awesome on Pinterest and I gave them a shot . . .

Seperate crescent rolls and add a dollop of cream cheese to the middle of the triangle.

Add bacon and jalapeno pepper slices.

pick up three corners and twist together then pinch the sides together so the ooey goodness does not leak out.



Bake on a slightly sprayed cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Thankful . . .

I am thankful for my kiddos. They love me unconditionally (even if one was mad at me when I made him put lip balm on his lips in the car pool line this morning because he "HATES that stuff! Argh!"!) They put up with my craziness, my OCD, my DIY whims and my mood swings!
Thankful for my husband who doesn't beat me when I bring home a 100+ pound foster dog for "just a little while" and he eats the seat off his scooter! He puts up with so much!
I am thankful for a job I love. I am thankful that I have been at my job for 21 years and panic at the thought of ever leaving. I love what I do. (I am not saying I always want to get up and go to work though . . . )I am thankful for friends new and old. When I began blogging in 1995, our family felt so incredibly alone raising a special needs child with attachment issues and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Blogging gave me a village of families who do this same hard work EVERY. FREAKING. DAY. They understand me, stand by me, pray for me, listen to my complaining, encourage me when I want to give up, and virtually hold me when I cry. I could not be more thankful for my community of Trauma Mamas!
I am thankful that while I joke that we are "poor" that we have a home to live in, a car to drive, clean water, and food to put on our table. It may not be easy, but we make ends meet.
I am thankful for my mother, step-father and his extended family. My mother's family is not close and his has taken us in as one of their own. I appreciate their love, support and prayers.

I am thankful for my fur babies. I love the snuggling, the wet doggie kisses, the cat head-butts, and the sweet head tilts that melt my heart and make me forget you just pooped in the foyer. (almost)

Dustin update . . .

This weekend was strange. S. T. R. A. N. G. E. A friend came from a couple states away to spend some time with me. Friday, Dustin was having a very bad day. I sent him to bed early before she even arrived. I figured she would not need to put up with his ugliness.

She and I ran a bunch of errands on Saturday and attended an adoption event for a dog we were fostering. When we went home, Dustin and Harrison were playing wonderfully at the dining room table. They were not fighting. They were not yelling. They were not doing anything inappropriate. It continued that way for well over 3 hours. It was amazing.

Now, I must say that they were within eye sight at all times. I was constantly aware of their conversation and making certain that things being said were appropriate. I was still on alert, but it was nice to see them playing well together. I hate that I still have to be so vigilant, but with Dustin's past issues, he has to be supervised at all times. I can calm a bit as the kids get a bit older because they know right from wrong and will not allow certain things, but I am still very careful as he is taller than me and has NO impulse control.

It was a nice break. Today, it continued. there was a bit more bickering, but nothing like normal. Dustin is mild mannered today and quite pleasant to be around. I am savoring it, since I know it will not last. Sigh. We take all positives we can get!

The good mood Dustin was in definitely contributed to my good weekend with my dear friend. It was a nice break all around.

DIY Beaded Chandelier . . .

McCartney and I were shopping at Goodwill a few weeks ago. It was 50% off day and when we were leaving, we came across a big tub of mardi gras beads for a quarter each.


We bought a bunch and I immediately thought about making a light fixture for her bedroom. I knew I had a hanging light kit and an old fabric lampshade cover for it that had seen better days.
I knew I could do something with it. . . I simply used small small gauge wire and a pair of wire cutters.

I started by pulling off the old fabric from the outer layers. I decided to keep the inner layer so that the light bulb would have a bit of a covering. Then I simply started using the wire to tie the beads to the metal frame.


The chandelier turned out so cute. I used a plant hanger screwed into her window frame to hold the lamp kit. She thinks it is spectacular and I think we spent a total of $3 on it!

It really is the perfect bling for my little diva!