DEAR JOHN MOVIE REVIEW

Well, after reading the book Dear John, by Nicholas
Sparks, I decided to go see it in the theater. The book, in my opinion would be a B+ to an A-. The movie, on the other hand would probably score a B-. Of course the movie never does measure up to the book but it was pretty close.

My recommendation:

Grab a friend, daughter, mother or daughter-in law and go see it but I don't think husbands, boyfriends or guy friends would like it all that much. Or just wait until it comes out in video.

Oh ya, Channing Tatum (the actor who plays John)yummmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!
{I may be old but I ain't dead}

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Spring Fever Giveaway

There is a fabulous giveaway going on over at Larsen Loves. You might want to check it out and enter if you have "Spring Fever", this just might cure all that ails you if you enter and win. Remember, you can't win if you don't enter.

Canvas Project

I am joining the fun over at Strut Your Stuff. Stop by and check out all of the great bloggers that are sharing fabulous ideas...it is so inspiring.

I came across a blog awhile back (called Treasury of Memories) and found some great ideas usuing painters canvases. I love the idea of using so many different mediums to create ways to display photos. By using canvases, paint, scrapbook paper and embellishment and then adding vinyl lettering the possibilites are endless. There are so many really adorble embellishments that are used in scrapbooking that it only seemed natural to adapt them to other projects.

For this project I started out by paint the canvas an antique white. I then cut a piece of foam core that I painted black, glued down some scrapbook paper and then Mod Podged a photo that I printed off of my computer onto cardstock. I then added some ribbon to the left side of the photo and added a cute little metal flower.

Next I glued the foam core piece to the canvas.

I then cut some vinyl lettering and applied it directly to the canvas. To finish it off I wrapped the same ribbon I used above horizontally around the canvas and added a cute little buckle.

I also have joined the linky party at Life as Lori. Great stuff over there, check it out by clicking on icon below

Dear John...

It is no secret that I am a Nicholas Sparks fan. My all time favorite book he wrote is The Notebook followed closely by Message In A Bottle. If you have never read any of his books or seen any of the movies made from his books then.......where have you been?
I just finished his book Dear John and would recommend it, especially if you plan on seeing the movie. I haven't seen the movie yet so I can't say how good it is but the book was very good.

Nicholas Sparks writes books that tug and pull at your heartstrings. Oh, and by the way, grab a box of tissues to have handy, especially around pages 240-255.

A special thanks to daughter-in-law Randy, she let me borrow her copy to read.

Wordless Wednesday-Leftovers

Join in the Wordless Wednesday fun over at Embrace The Chaos. It looks like today's theme is leftovers. {These Cadbury Mini Eggs won't be leftovers for long around here, teehee}

Sign Makeover

I found this sign at Ross a couple of weeks ago. It is hard to tell but the frame is a green metal. The lettering is painted on. As signs go it is okay, but rather boring and common. With the addition of some scrapbook paper and some vinyl letters it looks fresh and updated.

I started off by choosing six different papers that complimented one another and also looked good with the green frame.

A little Mod Podge to adhere the papers.
It's hard to tell in the photograph but I added a very small gold trim around the edge and between the papers to give it a more finished look.
Yep, I like it a lot better now. It is now off to be stored in a rubbermaid until the bazaar.
Thanks for stopping by.

Let This Day Be OVER!

Have you ever had a 'train wreck' of a day? Well I am having one today. Everything I touch turns to shambles.

I unload the dishwasher...water spills on the floor.

I don't see the water on said floor...step in it with just socks on.

I paint a canvas for a project...it falls on the scrapbook paper I planned to use and smears black paint on it.

Do another canvas with some previously cut vinyl...get the image on crooked.

I cut an onion for some chicken salad...the onion is rotten.

I make frosting for a graham cracker treat...I somehow get frosing all over my pants.

UGH! Is this MONDAY or what?

Pie In A Jar

How Stinkin' Cute Are These?

I found the best little idea at Our Best Bites that I would like to pass along. These are called Pie In A Jar. You can go here to check out a great tutorial on how to make these little delights. They can be frozen and then put directly into the oven to cook. My stove went out on Monday and they can't get the part in until next week. The 'brain' that makes the stove work went out, and $200 later I may just have a stove again. There goes some of the money I saved by eating out of the pantry for the month of January, {you can read about the pantry challenge here.} I have come across so many wonderful blogs that have some delictable treats and I can't do anything about it. I have been using the microwave, my crockpot and a toaster oven to do my cooking.
Arghhhh! I can't wait to try these pies. I guess I could get started making them and stocking the freezer so that when the stove gets fixed I will be ready to go.

Hope*Dream*Imagine

Kojodesigns is also having a little linky party that I have linked to.

Head on over to Somewhat Simple and browse all of the other bloggers participating in Strut Your Stuff Thursday

I have a confession to make; I have become a plate addict. Yep, I can't go into a store without checking out the plates. I recently hit the jackpot at Ross when I found 8 of these cute square plates. I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with some of them.



Poor little naked plate, it needs to be dressed up.
OOOOOH!


Aren't these pretty papers?


The three papers I chose were from this collection.


Next I had to decide what I wanted to print out to put on the plates. I printed a test paper to make sure I got the size right then I put inserted a piece of scrapbook paper into the printer that I thought matched all three of the papers I had picked out.



After printing the words I then gently tore around the words until I got the size I needed. I then used black rubber stamp ink to dirty up the edges.


I applied Mod Podge to adhere both papers to the plate.



Make sure to press all over the papers after gluing them down to make sure you don't get bubbles forming.I added ribbon through some of the holes around the edge and knotted them so I could hang them up. Sooooooo, guess what?, I didn't like it. PLAN B: remove ribbons and...



...decided that I liked them better leaning against the back of a shelf. I also decided to add a few embellishments too.



Another confession: I AM AN IMPATIENT CRAFTER. You can see that the glue wasn't even dry under the key before I had to get the camera and take some pictures.


As Amy over at Keepin The Sunny Side says, "I Lurv them"



Thanks for stopping by.

. Stop by Creations By Kara for a "Look what I made" linky party. There are some seriously talented people who share things they have made.

Who Should He Choose?

If you have been following The Bachelor I would appreciate some input.

I am taking an unscientific poll:

Who do you think Jake should choose?

Tenley or Vienna

Please leave a comment if you have an opinion. Thanks!

TODAY'S PROJECT

I got some new scrapbook paper that I just couldn't leave alone and had to make something with it. This new set of blocks is going into my 2010 bazaar inventory. I will be posting every month or so the completed items at my other blog if you want to take a peak.

Sandwich Anyone?

Now doesn't that look like a good way to add protein to your diet?WARNING: Always check the bottom of the package before purchasing bread.

A Very Cute Valentine Idea

Look at what Amy made over at Keepin' The Sunnyside. These are so STINKIN' CUTE. She
even gives a tutorial on how she made them. Ya gotta go check them out! Stay awhile and check out her blog. She posts every day and does a fabulous job taking photos of her projects.

My Project For The Day

I have been wanting to make something that I could display pictures of all of my grandchildren. This happens to be a 12x24 artists canvas with six 3x3 small artist canvases glued down. I Mod Podged pictures of my grandchildren that I printed off of the computer onto card stock. Lettering is made from vinyl. I painted the large canvas Apple Barrel #2609 goose feather. The small canvases are painted black before glueing down the photos. I also rubbed a black stain around the edges of the large canvas to give it an aged look. I still need to buy some wide black ribbon to attach to the back to hang it with.

Welcome Blocks

I am getting a head start on my craft show in November. I figure if I make a project a day

between now and then I should have close to 280 items ready for sale. Ok, now I know

that is

probably not going to happen which means that I will more than likely be cramming

come October and November.

Today I am hooking up with Kara over at Creations By Kara for her linky party 'Look What I Made'. Head on over and check out what some really creative bloggers have made and shared.
I am also linking up with the party at Somewhat Simple

Findings From My January Pantry Challenge

For the whole month of January I took on a challenge to limit my grocery shopping to only fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread. The point was to use what food I had on hand and to use up food items that were getting close to expiring. Along with the grocery buying I also decided to quit eating out too. Hubby and I had gotten in the habit of eating out every Friday night. Along with that I was stopping and picking up a pizza now and then or other takeout 1-2 times a week. THAT ALL STOPPED. This is what I learned:

I had a lot of food on hand. Because our church has encouraged us to keep a goodly stock of food stored up I knew we wouldn't starve by any means.

I found stuff in my freezer that I had completely forgotten about that would have gone bad had I not used it. I even found a whole chicken in the back of the freezer that was dated Oct. 2008. I would not have used it but it had been double wrapped, so I cooked it. I acutally go two meals out of it.

This challenge forced me to take a look at the amounts of food I was making for every meal. You see, I have four children (who are all grown and married) and I never transitioned over to cooking for two. When I made a pot of spaghetti, it wasn't a small pot, it was large enough to feed eight people. Was that necessary? NO! I would end up throwing it out the next week because we got sick of eating the leftovers. I can't tell you how much food I was wasting, it was sinful.

One of the best things to come out of this challenge was that I found that I didn't have to fix large meals with all of the trimmings EVERY NIGHT. Sometimes just biscuits and gravy were enough of a meal for us. Making smaller meals really cut down on the cooking and clean-up time too.

The BEST thing to come out of all of this is the extra $5oo I was able to put into savings.

This challenge has really changed the way I cook and buy groceries. I think the next step I will make is to start couponing. I have heard that you can have a ton of savings just by doing this.

Does anyone know of any good blogs or websites that help in this area?

Strike A Pose...HELP!

What does it take to get a decent picture for your profile? I need to know. Ok, so here is a series of pictures I took trying to get just the right one. HA! It ain't gonna happen. Either I go get a face lift or have professional photos taken that have been air brushed. This one is me untouched and no make-up. I am soooooo brave for even posting this, don't you think? When did the crow land and walk around my eyes? I don't recall that incident.
Cheesy smile, chunky cheeks, droopy eyelids...



Who am I kidding, I never open my eyes from my eyebrows, they look like they were taped up to open up my eyes. (Another Cheesy grin)

Ummm, not my best side.

Don't like this one either.

I think it's time for new glasses.

Ok, I give up...stupid look {BUT AT LEAST MY DOUBLE CHIN ISN'T HANGING DOWN}

I think I will just have to stop this madness. I have come to realize that it isn't the camera with the problem, it's my aging face...hmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

I think I need braces. Ya that's the problem, it will solve everything (I wish).

So what do you do to get a good photo of yourself, I could use all the tips I can get.

GAME ON LADIES!

I challenge anyone who stops by this post to go and post some of their head shots, and ladies let's see some without makeup. How Brave Are YOU?