Tonight I headed over to the Paper Source store in the Promenade to spend a bit of time playing with paper with two of my favorite crafting buddies.
Today we crafted with vintage map paper, stamps, shipping tags, and lots of embossing powder! It was fun! The class was well organized and included all materials necessary to complete the projects. I think my favorite was learning to make a gift bag from the map paper. It turned out adorable.
After planning this evening, over two weeks ago, I was beginning to question my decision. But even though it kept me out of the house a little later than I am used to, it was an evening well spent. As we were preparing to leave I noticed this saying on the wall...
Something I need to remember, “Do something creative everyday."
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« March 2015 | Main | May 2015 »
April 2015
April 30, 2015
A Night Out With the Girls
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April 29, 2015
Home Improvement
Tonight found us perusing dishwashers at the Home Depot. We were trying to decide if we should go with the white or the brushed metal. Since we hope to be doing our kitchen over soon, we want to make the right decision. Unfortunately, we really didn’t see anything that we liked, but we did decide to go with the brushed metal.
Next stop, bathrooms. We spent a great deal of time picking out fixtures for the bathroom the last time we were at the Home Depot. This time, Mark wanted to see how the paint color I picked out worked with all of the other items. It was Gentle Rain for the win, although I had already decided.
Finally, we got to visit the garden shop. There were jiffy pellets and bean seeds to buy for our current unit on plants. Then I got to wander outside among the azaleas and rhodies. So many beautiful colors. My real interest, however, was the fruit trees. It is time to add a few trees to the yard and I am thinking fruit trees provide color, shade, and fruit. That is a win in my book!
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April 27, 2015
Teaching an Old Dog, Well, You Know
I have enrolled myself in a couple of online classes to help me hone my computer and digital design skills. Trying to keep up with my classes weekly has been hard for me to balance that with school and everything else. Especially when I cannot even sit at my computer! Wish me luck!
I am always doing that which I cannot do,
in order that I may learn how to do it.
Pablo Picasso
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April 26, 2015
Notes on a Marriage, 4 Years In
Last evening we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary at a neighborhood restaurant that holds quite a few memories for us. While we talked about our lives and our plans, one truth kept resonating with us. We are truly blessed.
We are blessed that we found each other late in our lives.
We are blessed that we are each others best friend.
We are blessed that we complement each other, sometimes just a little too perfectly.
We are blessed that we enjoy the same pastimes.
We are blessed that we are committed to each others dreams.
The fourth wedding anniversary, traditional gift, is fruits and vegetables. This year we will celebrate by building a raised bed vegetable garden. We will also take the time to go strawberry, blueberry and apple picking. The modern gift for the 4th wedding anniversary happens to be appliances. Well, our dishwasher just broke, so I guess we will put that on our list also!
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April 25, 2015
This Saturday is for the Birds
Wild Birds Unlimited was my first stop this morning, and it did happen this morning. They were offering a shredding service and we had quite a bit! I loaded up the car and headed to one of my happy places. Once the shredding was taken care of was, I went inside to shop. After joining the frequent buyer club, I purchased a finch feeder for a friend, a new hummingbird feeder, and a new log for my seed log feeder.
I was so excited to put nectar in my hummngbird feeders and to set them up in the Japanese Maple tree in our backyard. No hummingbird sightings yet, but I am hopeful!The seed log, however, was quickly visited by one of the cardinals that lives in our yard. I took the photo above through our dining room window. It is so nice to see birds in the yard!
Through the slider, I can peek at the hummingbird feeders. Here’s hoping that there is some activity there soon!
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April 23, 2015
Happy Anniversary
Wednesday was a crazy day here weather wise. Shortly after 3 Jessica texted to tell me that the electricity was off in the house. Shortly before 3:30, the storms began. They were very short lived. In fact, there was no rain as I left school shortly after 4. Still no electricity at home. I texted Mark as I was on my way to an interview for a summer job. He suggested dinner out.
Well, it was our anniversary, and I really didn’t feel like cooking. So, okay. A quick trip to Fridays and this...Yup, as soon as we walked out of Fridays, a rainbow appeared. If you look closely, you may notice that it is actually a double rainbow at the base. It was beautiful. As the smaller rainbow began to fade, the larger rainbow became brighter in the twilight sky. It was a sight to behold.
What a treat!
Our real anniversary celebration will take place on Satuday as together we build a raised garden bed. I know, thrilling, but it is just what we wanted to do! Oh, we may also throw in a nice dinner out!
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April 21, 2015
Getting Ready for Summer
Little things make me happy. It’s true. Last night I had a couple of errands to run and I ventured across route 73 to AC Moore, armed with my 50% off coupon. I finally picked up a new grapevine wreath to replace the one that fell apart last spring. Really, I don’t know why it took me so long. Today, I am a very happy camper. Check one thing off the to do list!
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April 20, 2015
Around the Garden
Our weeping cherry in full bloom, I love it!
Sunday we planned out the placement of our raised vegetable garden beds! Can’t wait for fresh veggies.
Look at my peonies. I thought they were dead but here they are stronger than ever!
Greeting us as we walk out our front door, these beautiful hyacinths! The smell is wonderful!
This is our favorite spot. The year I met Mark, 2009, he helped me to build this little area in the back yard. We love to sit here in the summer to relax, perhaps read and maybe just soak it all in. Here’s to another season in our garden.
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April 19, 2015
A Great Day to Explore
Since the beginning of the week, Mark had been talking about taking me for a ride into the areas that he frequents when he is working. He has been entralled with the the colors of spring and wanted me to experience some of the same. So, Saturday, after fueling up at Starbucks, we hit the road.
I drove and he directed. It was a beautiful day for a drive.Just so happens there was a quilt shop on our way. We stopped, perused, but left without buying a thing!
One of the women I ran into at the quilt shop suggested we stop on Landis Ave to have ourselves some real Jamaican food. It was delicious!
Little did we know that the restaurant had only been opened about a month. Mark ordered the green curry chicken, it was delicious. If you like Jamaican food and don’t mind a little drive, check it out.
Downtown Vineland was very interesting. We photographed the trees that were in full bloom and some interesting architecture. I even noticed that the new mural in town was painted by the same mural artist that we worked with at school. It was a beautiful mural.
The Amish Market was calling our name so we did a bit of foodshopping for the week before heading out of town.
We drove back country roads and discovered a few beautiful parks and some lovely old buildings and we manuevered our way around south Jersey. I spotted a sign for a winery and suddenly our adventure took another turn. Wagonhouse Winery is located just outside of Mullica Hill and they have quite an extensive tasting menu, $10 for 18 wines. We sat outside, under a tent, and took in the sights and sounds of nature as we tasted a few wines.Again, while the wines were delicious, we passed on the purchases and meandered our way toward the WagonWheel Restaurant. Mark thought it appropriate that we kept with the “theme” of the day. Unfortunately, the restaurant, out of business. We stopped at the next best thing, a little outdoor stand.
Very cute and very popular. We had a light dinner followed by our first custard of the year. So glad we left room for that!
Delicious!
After getting back in the car, we continued to wind our way around taking in the beautiful colors of spring on an awesome Saturday drive. We never made it home until after 7. All in all, a great day!
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April 18, 2015
Bathroom Re-Do, Part 1
The first step to beginning any do-it-yourself project is deciding what you are doing. That is the phase we are in now. The vanity was easy. I was looking to replace our shredded composite wood color vanity with one that is white, and clean. This 30” beauty fills the bill and gives Mark the drawers he desperately wants in the bathroom.
The truth is, our bathroom is tiny. When I originally took down the wall paper I thought that made a big change. And it did, but the tub is chipped and the floor is falling apart around the heating vent, so it is time to make some drastic changes! White will make the room seem a bit more spacious. Since the vanity has the darker grey/black hardware I was leaning towards a light that also had that darker finish.
The gold tub is going and we are going to put in a standard white tub! A no brainer!
The hard part, the floor and the walls. I am opting to keep the white tile that is already surrounding the tub and the floor. Now, for the flooring. We are down to these three choices...Actually, I think we have ruled out the dark tile just because, it’s so darn dark! I was originally leaning towards the tile in the middle. I love the throw-back look. But, the tiles on the right are really quite pretty and they add a bit of dimension to the surface.
Paint color, along with the tile, our final decision. I was leaning toward a cooler grey, but now I just don’t know. If I had to decide today I would probably lean towards the middle swatch in the paint sample on the right in the photo above. Oh, decisions, decisions. I just want to snap my fingers and have it done, does that seem so un reasonable?
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