Something for Momma

On Saturday afternoon, baby girl was fast asleep. Dinner was in the oven. Hubs was working on something outside. And I was enjoying the quiet time. There's not much of that around here. So you really enjoy those few precious moments.

And I thought, why not make something. I took a look in that folder. I tell you, my hubby just laughs at this folder on my laptop. Full of all sorts of projects. And I saw this bracelet. Perfect I thought! It's definitely turning to Fall around here. Not necessarily jacket weather. But we don't have to have the AC on, 24/7!! That's ALWAYS something to be happy about. :)

With Fall in the air, I want to start bringing out my boots, scarves, and stuff like that. To me, this bracelet falls into that category. Way back when I was still pregnant. Like in the Spring, I went on a bit of a craft supplies, shopping spree. Buying lots and lots of supplies. For all these projects I was going to work. Not everything got done. This is one of those projects....

I managed to make 3. But not before hubs came inside. And saw me twisting wire around a jar. To which, he asked if I was making Slinkys now. Funny man!! But before you wrap the bracelets, they do sorta look like a Slinky. Just more stable.

Honestly, this was a nice project to work on. Not too hard. A little mindless wrapping of supplies. And now, I have a fun bracelet. That I won't mind, if it gets dirty. Or baby spit all over. :)Now I'm thinking about those things. What would be OK, to wear, with my sweet baby girl. Oh, she just rocks my world! ~Chels

Taco Tuesdays in a Crock Pot!!

I can't lie. Around here, "Taco Tuesdays" are a MUST!! I tell you, don't mess with our Tuesdays. When my hubby and I first met, we were poor college kids. Man, money was so incredibly tight! Most of the time, we'd hangout at the 4H house. Because everyone would just bring a few things, and we'd cook up a meal.

But on Tuesdays, it was "Taco Tuesday." We'd sometimes splurge, and go to our favorite Mexican restaurant. But most of the time, we'd go to Taco Bell. Get us a few cheapo tacos, and sit and talk. Some days, we'd head to the local park. Other times, we'd head to one of our houses, and catch up on our favorite shows. And when one of us was pulling an "All Nighter" at the library, the other would bring dinner. :)

When we got married and moved in together, not much changed. Other than, it's been a heck of a long time, since we went to Taco Bell! Now hubby has a better job. But we're still a 1 income family. Cooking is not just something I should do....it's almost necessity. To cut down on costs. And I'm totally cool with that. It's my way, to provide for my hubby. Since he works so darn hard!

I've been pretty good. We still eat our tacos every Tuesday. It's that one thing, that makes both my hubs and I, very happy!! Almost 90% of the time, we have ground beef tacos. I'm just not too skilled in cooking. Once in a while, we'll have leftover roast. I'll shred it, and cook it up with onions, peppers, and jalapenos. And if I'm being really lazy, I'll pick up a rotisserie chicken. I shred it up. And those tacos, usually get more "fancy" toppings than the rest. :)

But I feel like I'm in a rut! I want to keep our "Taco Tuesdays" going. But I wanted something a little different. And honestly, I haven't been wanting to cook much. I know I say this a lot, but it is so HOT here!! Living in the desert, sorta sucks the life out of you at times.

Well, you know what? Good friends are awesome! And not long ago, Rach blogged about this blog. She was working on a craft, for her boys. And had tried out some recipes. I thought, that this recipe sounded good. And super easy! Heck, Rach has 3 kids. Under 3!! And Mike is away, fighting that fire. If she can make these, so can I!

Life changing folks! So good!! I almost NEVER use my crock pot. I just don't know what to cook in there. And it takes up so much space. That it spends 98% of the time, tucked away under our kitchen sink. I know. Weird huh? But my hubs refuses to put cleaning supplies under there. Like most people. We've never had anything under there, except all the appliances, that we rarely use.

Thanks Rach! For sharing this blog with me. And helping me find this recipe. Something tells me, these are going to be regulars in our meals. They're easy, cheap, and so tasty! Heck ya! Things that we have on hand, all the time, chicken breasts and salsa. This is what we ate on Tuesday night. With fresh corn tortillas.You have to LOVE the local Mexican bakeries. :) Try this out! You won't regret it. Plus, clean up was super easy!! That's always a bonus in my book. ~Chels

Brilliant Idea!!

I'm trying to find things to keep me occupied. Inside. Preferably! I almost past out, Friday when I went grocery shopping. I walked from a close parking, right inside. At 10am! And thought I was just going to pass out. This heat, is really starting to get to me. And I'm coming to terms with, I MUST stay inside....during the "peak" heat hours. Ugh!

Like I said, I'm looking for things to keep me busy. Inside. If you have any ideas, please leave me a note! I'm going a little crazy here! But I've been looking for ideas, to make things. For our nursery. For our yard. Things like that. And I found something fun on Pinterest!!

Isn't it brilliant? A hula hoop chandelier!! Honestly, I've got plenty of Christmas lights. Hubs went a little crazy buying them up this past Christmas. Apparently, I just need some paint, lace, fabric, things like this. And a hula hoop! How fun! I'd actually like to make one of these. Maybe 3, for our back porch. But I'd prefer to hang ours with rope. What do you think?

Is this something that you'd try? Or that you even like? I'm I going nuts? I hope not. Because I think this would be so fun!! Especially under the summer sky. Just a little bit of twinkle, to make every night, extra special!! ~Chels

You'll NEVER Believe....

You'll NEVER believe what I've been up to today! NEVER!! Cleaning out old jars. You see, in our fridge, we have an entire door, of jars. Of jelly, salsa, dip, honey, sauces, etc. All these jars have nothing in them. They are essentially empty. But in the fridge.

I don't know what our problem is. Why we can't throw these jars out. Why we feel it's important to have an extra large jar of pickle juice, taking up all that room. But today, I got to it. I was pulling out jar after jar, after jar!! Why we feel like a jar with no jam should go back in the fridge....is just beyond me! I had like 30 jars on the counter....

I thought, I could make something with these. Then I stopped myself. Why would I do that? We can recycle them. Either way, I'd have to wash them. Peel labels off. And if I decided to recycle the jars, I'd have to get my hubs to drive them to the recycling place. Since we're not allowed to stick them in our recycling cans.

Well, about half through my washing, I just thought, my hubs will never agree to drive all these across town. Maybe I should make something. I swear to you, if anyone would have come over, they would have thought, this woman has lost her mind!! Talking to herself. With all these empty jars!

I took a break. While half the jars were drying. And I got on my laptop. I searched out easy crafts. To use up some of these jars. And you'll never believe what I stumbled on! This cute little picture. That lead to this post. :)

I think this would be such a fun idea! I've got so many jars. I could make of bunch of these. And put them around our porch, with flowers and candles. Brilliant. Now I just need to finish getting the writing and glue off, some of the jars. If you're wondering about that. Simple rubbing alcohol is taking it off, really easy!

Then I have to decide on some sort of color scheme. What do you recommend? I'd LOVE to hear your ideas. Or any other ideas, you might have. I'm telling you, we have like 40 or 50 jars in total. Maybe more. I'm totally embarrassed about this little fact....

On the other hand, I can finally stock the fridge again. You know with jam, cherries, pickles, etc. All of a sudden, our fridge looks so empty! But honestly, all the food is in the pantry. Just waiting to go in the fridge. :) ~Chels

Earring Making....

We are invited to a few weddings this summer. Oh, only 5! And I don't want to go out and buy 5 separate outfits. Especially fancy maternity clothes. It just seems like a waste of money. If I wasn't pregnant, than I might feel differently. But that's still a lot of dressy clothes....

Being that most of the people going to all these weddings....are the same people, I need to change things up!! I've decided on 3 dresses. That should cover me for the weddings, a few Bridal Showers, and a few Baby Showers. :) It's going to be a busy summer for our friends!!

But I figured I could have fun with my accessories. Heck, I thought, I could even make a few things. First, I bought some really inexpensive shoes. 3 identical pair, brand new, for a total of $15! I glittered a fun pair....for a really fun wedding! Not too hard. Spray glue, lots of glitter, than my hubs sealed them....with some sort of clear spray. Fun, easy, and inexpensive!

I've also been making trips to Hobby Lobby. Pretty regularly. Using lots and lots of 40% coupons. I've made a bracelet, a necklace, and a fun hair accessory. See were I'm going here? I've been trying to make some fun stuff, to liven up my "fancy" outfits.

Then I took to Pinterest. And found this fun picture. Unlike most "Pins" on Pinterest, this one had a link. That worked. And took me to this website. Where I fell in LOVE!!! Hello!!! P.S.-I Made This....I LOVE YOU!!

I really liked the look of these earrings. I know, they're totally over the top! But for one wedding that we're going to, they're perfect! I just so happened to have some rose earrings. Very similar to these. Our local 99 cent store recently went out of business....and for no good reason at all, I stocked up on their flower earrings. :) I don't know when I'll use 30 pairs....but for $2.50 I couldn't leave them behind. :)

I also had a rhinestone necklace, that had broke. It sat in my jewelry box....for 6 years. Well, I dug it out. It's very similar to the trim in the picture. I also dug through my hubby's tackle box. And I found some new fishing string. And Krazy Glue! Score. All I had to do, was find the bottom rhinestone things. I actually just went to Wally World. And found some beautiful rhinestone buttons. I think I got 2 buttons for $3. Not bad!

This is what I'm working on right now. I've actually got a few other projects from P.S.-I Made This. I can't wait to share them with you! But you should definitely take a look around this website. I'm so glad that Pinterest lead me there. :) ~Chels

Cupcakes in a Jar

I was searching through flickr today. And I found this picture. It lead me to this blog and the recipe for these yummy goodies! Don't they look good? I'm not a baker. But I might just have to try these. It would make my Wednesday a lot better. Do you think I can get the same result from a cake mix, a container of frosting, and some Mason Jars? ~Chels

Mod Podge Glass

I was just doing a search for colored glass. Last night, we went out for Cinco de Mayo and J's birthday. Lots of fun. Some friends of ours were performing. And the decor was beautiful! I really wish I was more risky. You know, to buy some of those bright accents. They sell them everywhere around here! But the glass, it was just gorgeous! The candles from inside made the glass glow beautifully. :)

Back to my search...all the glass was really expensive. Because most, if not all was "Depression Glass." You know, the antique stuff. In fact, Lola has a bunch of that stuff. And it really is beautiful. But really out of our price range.

But when I did I search on Flickr, I found these cute jars. And Hello! They're old glass jars. Like salsa, jelly, and spaghetti sauce jars. :) They were painted with Mod Podge. Um, I'm not crafty. So I have no clue. I'll probably call Lola before I start my project. But take a look...



Hanging in your garden. Oh that would be so beautiful for a cookout! Or just on a pretty evening.



Glowing along the fence. They would look gorgeous with our new hearts. :)



Could you imagine the collection that you could come up with? And they're not opaque. So I'm sure my hubby wouldn't mind a few pink and purple mixed in with the blue and green. :)

Honestly, I can't wait to start this project. You just never know what you're going to get when you do a google or flickr search. But I'm glad I found these little gems. :) ~Chels

Too Adorable

The weather got real crappy today. And now we don't have any TV. So I decided to come and work on my blog and all it's issues. I've decided to put all my post on private. Individually, I'll repost. Stupid me! It's going to be a lot of work! But I'm going to get it done. Hopefully this weekend. Our entire weekend is supposed to be filled with rain and wind. :(

But Lola sent me an email, that had this picture in it. She's planning some kind of party or something. And she thought I'd get a hoot out of the center pieces. Oh ya! They're so cute! Now I want to hit all the garage sales looking for old boots. I would LOVE to make a few of these for our BBQs this summer. So cute!



Would you make something like this? I even thought it would be cute to buy some rain boots. Those would be really easy, because you wouldn't have to worry about the water leaking out. Darn, these are cute! I'm going to have to go check out the Goodwill this week. :) ~Chels

Darling Earrings

Lately, I've been so fascinated with jewelry. The other day, I ran into my friend, Manders
at the grocery store. And she had on these earrings. Aren't they cute? I like that they're 2 toned too! But I can't find them anywhere. :( And to me, they're just a classic pair of earrings. Simple, elegant, and ladylike. I hope I'm able to find them somewhere. If you've seen these earrings, please let me know where you can get them. ~Chels

Cute Favors

So a bunch of our friends are getting married. And one of the couples wants to have a "Western" themed wedding. My friend was asking me about all of our decorations and favors. Unfortunately, the company that we ordered from, they've gone out of business. But they had the cutest things!

But I wanted to help my friend. She wanted some unusual, but fun favors. I found these. You get the little tub, 2 soaps (any color), and the little rope for only $3.50 a piece! And since it's a small wedding, I think this is completely affordable. They also come wrapped up. So you don't have to worry about any extra costs.

I hope that I can find some more things for her. My mom told me that she's going to go search through her computer. Because my parents help a lot with our wedding too. Hopefully we find some nice "western" stuff. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments. ~Chels

I Heart My In-Laws

A while back, I was talking to my mother-in-law on the phone. We were talking about our house. And the things I wanted to buy for my house. I've posted about a few of the things on here. But honestly, my hubby and I live on a pretty tight budget. We save for twice a year trips to the rodeo. Because we really enjoy going. And for the occasional trips home, to visit family. We live in a different state. And we each get one splurge a month. That's about it.

The rest of our money goes to the house. You know DIY projects, and just making the payments. So I don't buy much to "decorate" with. If I happen to find a good sale on something, I'll pick it up. If not, I just dream about it. Knowing that one day, we'll be able to afford stuff.

But I seen this a while back. For $15. And for most people $15 isn't a lot of money. Most people would just buy it. But I couldn't. Because I felt guilty. If I hadn't mentioned it, I'm also in college. So we live off of my hubby's income. That's it. He has a good job. But to juggle the cost of college, a new house, and living expenses...let's just say it's tight on 1 income.



Back to my phone call with my MIL. We were talking and I said that I really liked these hearts. I thought they'd look cute in our backyard. You know, 3 would look darling on the back fence. That's all I said. I didn't really think much about it again.

Today, when I got home from my classes, I found a big 'ol package on our porch. I didn't know what it was. I knew I hadn't ordered anything. And I assumed my hubby hadn't either. So I was in shock. Well, I drug the box into the house. Because it was too big and heavy for me to pick up.

Since my hubby was at work, I decided to open it up. I was curious. Inside was the sweetest letter from my in-laws. Telling my hubby and I just how proud of us they are. And inside, were 7 barbed wire hearts that my FIL had made. And you know what he made them out of? The old barbed wire fence.

See a few summers ago, my hubby and I went back to TX. And we stayed in this little house behind his parents house. There was this barbed wire fence behind the little house. I'm not sure what it was for. But it had wooden posts and barbed wire. Well, in the evenings, after I had helped my MIL (at the time, hubby and I weren't married yet) make dinner, I would go sit out there on one of the posts. And I'd wait for my FIL and hubby to get back from working.

When we got married, my FIL told a story about one day I was sitting there on that fence. My hubby had had a tough day working. He was beat, and a little dejected. But as they road their horses back in, my hubby seen me. He sat taller in his saddle, got a crook'd smile, and a twinkle in his eyes. Then he told my FIL, "Pops, I've found my gal. I know she's the one. Every time I see her, she makes my life better. I just know she's the one."

A few weeks later, we got engaged. It was the 4th of July. And I was sitting on the post of the fence. Hubby and I were watching the fireworks. It was really sweet. So my in-laws always think of us when they think of that 'ol fence.

Fast forward a bit. And my in-laws took down the fence. My BIL's small kiddos had tried to climb it and would get some pretty nasty cuts from it. Remember, it was made out of barbed wire. So they took it down. But when we got married, my FIL built us a bench out of the posts. He told me, that way I'd have a proper place to sit and wait for my hubby. He was always worried that I'd hurt myself on the barbed wire.

I love that bench! It's in our little entry way. And I do find myself waiting for my hubby there. I like to see his truck drive up in the evenings. :) But I never asked about the wire. Who asks about barbed wire? Well, my FIL had rolled it up and stuck it in the barn. So when my MIL mentioned these hearts, he dug out the old wire. And he made us 7!

I know exactly where I want to hang them. And now, there is a cute story to go along with our barbed wire hearts. I know we'll have them for many, many years. And guess what? I LOVE my in-laws with all my heart! ~Chels

$50

Do you remember me telling you about the $50 that I got from our taxes? Well, hubby put his towards a new patio set. He felt guilty, because a few weeks ago, he got some new boots. But he really needed them. He works on a Ranch. And his other ones, well darn it...they were getting holes in them. But hubby didn't see it like that. He felt guilty.

So I wanted to pitch in my $50 too. You know, we could get us a nice table and chairs quicker. But my hubby wouldn't let me. He said it was time for me to buy myself something. And he reminded me of this belt that I had seen. We had gone to the warehouse to get hubby's boots. Because they're less expensive there. And well, it's just a fun place to go. When we went to go pay, I seen this Tony Lama belt. And I fell in love!

On the website, it sells for $90, plus shipping. But in the warehouse, I think it was $60. So tomorrow I'm going to call them up. I hope they still have it. I'm calling first. Because the warehouse is over an hour away. I don't want to make the trip if they don't have it. And thank you hubby! I'm glad that you got your boots. And that you think I should get my belt. ~Chels

Cute Jewelry

Today has pretty much been a lazy day for us. No excuse. We've just been lazy. I think we just needed to re-energize our batteries. And with that, comes wasting some time on the internet. :) I found this shop. They have some really cute jewelry. Along with really good prices! Because if you like western stuff, you know that it can get really pricey. Here are 3 of my favorite pieces.

This is a brooch. I like that it's a pair of boots, but it still has some cute details. And it's only $14. They have a few different colors and styles too!



This bracelet is my favorite. It's simple, yet captures the western feel. I like how they alternate the horses and horseshoes. And the rope detail just makes me smile. The cost is $15.



Lastly, are these earrings. I like that they're button type earrings. And the bull rider reminds me of my hubby! But they gorgeous. And only $9 for all that detail!



These are such cute pieces! I'm definitely going to hint at these for my birthday and anniversary. Because these are pieces that I could use on a regular basis. This shop has many, many items. Not just western. If you like jewelry, I would recommend taking a look here. ~Chels

Much Needed

Lately, we've been all stressed out. You know, tax season. And we're first time homeowners. And I think you can say it, we're still "Newlyweds." Plus this stupid Census! Life has just been a little stressful lately. But we're holding it together. Our taxes are pretty much done! Yay! And I've filled out the 3rd Census. I'm pretty sure it's the 3rd. What's with all these papers?

Anyway, I was feeling stressed out. And desperately in the need of a laugh. Or some good news. So I googled "Longhorn food." OK, I was also in need of some good food. And you can't deny it. Football food is good. And very comforting. Insert these gems.



Aren't they cute? They're cake pops. Just decorated like Longhorns. OK, so I'm not all crafty. My Longhorns probably would look horrible. But, I would like to try and make plain cake pops. After doing a quick search, and calling Lola, they don't sound too hard to make. Basically, you bake a cake. Then you mix together the frosting and the cake. And roll into balls. Insert a stick and dunk in chocolate. Sounds yummy! ~Chels

Lights

It's starting to get warm. I just love spring weather! And my hubby and I are wanting to do more and more work on our yard. We have a really nice back patio. And with all the beautiful grass, I just want to sit outside. But I also want it to feel more inviting. More like an extension of our house. :)

Enter in, these cute lights.

And because they're not too girly, my hubby liked them too! I really like these ones. They're £16 a strand. We could hang these around our back patio. And they match these stepping stones that we put in the back. :)



And these are cute too! For £13 a strand. These would be cute to hang in our entry way. I know it sounds weird. But it's all country bumpkin cute!



What's with me and finding these UK sites? Oh well, but I really like these lights. These might be my splurge for the month. :) ~Chels

We're Going Home

Wow! We had such an exciting weekend! We went to the rodeo this weekend. It was a few hours of a drive. But my hubby and I really wanted to come. :) So we came. We don't get to go to a lot of rodeos anymore. So we really took advantage of the opportunity.

All of our friends are here. And it was really fun to be able to just hangout and have a good time. But sadly, our fun weekend has come to an end. We're on our way home. Yup, right now. But it was still a really fun weekend! I hope that we get to go to Vegas this year too!

Well, I'm typing this on my phone. So that's it folks! It's not really easy to blog from your phone. I hope you had a good weekend. I know we did. It might take the entire week for me to recover. :) ~Chels

Papa Loved Mama

I heard this song tonight. I really liked this song when I was young. I'm not completely sure why. But I did. I think it's because I liked to dance to this song. I've never been a Garth Brooks fan. But I really liked this song. So I went to YouTube to find a video. Surprisingly, I couldn't find a good one. So I found this video. But this is the song. ~Chels

Horse and Heart Bracelet

While doing some shopping for my friends, I came across this beauty. I was actually trying to find a gift for Lola's birthday. And I found this instead. I just love it! I love that the bracelet chain has horseshoes in it too! And it's only $15 plus shipping here. Now if I could only buy it... ~Chels

Rope 'Em Earrings

I was doing a little "online window shopping" on Etsy today. I found these earrings! Aren't they cute? I so want them. And about 10 other things from Hot Chick Physic's shop. She has some really cute things. At very reasonable prices. Heck, these earrings are only $6. I really want them. Can you tell my hubby? Do you have any favorite Etsy shops? Let me about them. ~Chels

Temporary Home

This song makes me cry everytime I hear it. Carrie Underwood's Temporary Home is such a beautiful song. But I cry. Even when I'm driving. People must think I'm nuts! But I really do enjoy this song. It's beautiful! But then again, I've like all of Carrie's music. She's a really good country artist. And she's sticking to her roots. I'm glad! ~Chels