Simply Altered

I was going to stay on the house style mode, but you know me, bouncing around and enjoying the randomness of my blog.  You never know QUITE what I will come up with.  :)

I am SO predictable in every other aspect of my life, I guess this is one area I really just go with the flow.

We had our Annual Sisters Tea Party last Sunday.

What an event it WAS !!!  after roughly 15 years, I swear, they keep getting better and better.

We go all out!!!   as fancy / gaudy and wild as we can get.  Digging DEEP into our closets, to bring out the FLASHY stuff.   It was originally started for our children.  Now, those kids are having kids, so it is three generations down (no boys allowed!!!) , and EVERYONE has a “splendid” time.   To see the little girls seeing everyone in all their goofiness, is nothing short of priceless.

This happens once a year, typically a wintery Sunday afternoon.  My sister Kathy is the Hostess with the mostest, and does a BEAUTIFUL job!!   even hauling her famous silk flowers out to decorate with, a vintage wheel barrow, and floral everything.  It is definitely a garden party setting.  She even recruited her husband to be the “waiter”.   He was the ONLY boy allowed, and that was to do his job, and then stay in the other room!!!   what a sport!!

We also had a style show (emcee by my VERY animated neice)   Oh my!!!   The entertainment was singing and dancing by two of the most UNinhibited neices, and a fun game of Tea Party charades.

Oh yes, and everyone has a special “version” of their names….and all take on a different accent for the occasion.

Thanks Queen Katalina for all your years of “Tea Parties”   You never cease to amaze us!!!  You deserve a royal crown of your own!!!!

Yes, we can make a fun family gathering out of just about ANYTHING!!!!!!!

I am trying.

I am occasionally known  (from family members) for contradicting myself.  I know.  Imagine that.

So, I have also been known to contradict my OWN style in decor.

Struggling with what is REALLY me?   what makes ME feel good?  and warm, and inviting, and at ease?

I guess it is a combination with the different things I have tried over the last few years.

I took things down to basically bare walls.  I liked the openness.  I still do.  But failing to use just the “right” elements was making me kind of crazy and unsettled.  It really was, over time.

So, I began adding things back in, but sometime they were the WRONG things.   Items that were really not “me”.   Not good.

I am definitely not looking for items that are cool, trendy, flashy, or look like they belong in a house OTHER than mine.  Sleek and trendy hardly “fits” in my Cape Cod looking house.  I tried, and it did NOT make me feel good.

My authentic style just simply makes me feel…..GOOD.  Makes me wanna smile.

This is an example, as best as I can try to wrap it up in one picture.

Anyone with my preferred style would agree, this is BEAUTIFUL.

I took a detailed survey for the fun of it.  Here is the results of what defines MY style.

“Cozy Cottage Casual”

A warm traditional look made for relaxing with family.  Emphasis on English early-American furnishings, as well as cottage style and farmhouse.  Weathered and built for daily life.  Subtly patterned prints, rugs and runners.  Warm wood tones and distressed finishes.  Natural fabrics, and solid textiles, simple stripes, and florals in muted tones.

I whole heartedly agree.

I have more “Defining your style” advise to follow, trust me.

Is this something you have also struggled, or am I in this one alone?

I am making great strides in my Journalling!!   Remember, the post I made about my Christmas gift of a Journal and Journal jar?   I am doing it well.  Usually do it each evening before bedtime, I have missed a few nights, but I have tried to catch up, and this is the perfect time of the year to do it.  Makes me reflect alot, and keeps things in perspective for me.  Anything to chase away the Winter Blues!!

So, tonight, I did a few more of the journal “prompts” and it struck me.

This is SO perfect, in even MORE ways!!!

This venture in my journalling is a little more reflective.  Looking back at my memories.  Reflecting on my thoughts and what has transpired in the last 44 years.

….and then it hit me.  I did this very same thing….only MANY years ago, and with a much different perspective!!

both will be "priceless" ....someday!!!

I had a pre-teen/ teenagers DIARY!!!  yeah an official “Diary” and all equipped with a KEY  !!!!!!!!

I was a really REALLY “good girl” growing up, but I was a teenager afterall!!!!  trust me, it is STILL kept LOCKED at all times!!!!!   Nothing too earth shattering in it, but still, all the while, possibly not things I want my husband and teenage KIDS reading right now!!!  If I were not so sentimental, I would probably be better off burning it    :o  but for now, it is just safely “locked”  and only I know where the key is.  (wink-wink)  but honestly, I really am.

It was even accessible enough to me, that I could capture this picture….showing the diary vs journal idea.   Now, WHY would this diary not be packed away in my attic with the rest of my keepsakes??   no clue.  Maybe it needs to be??  

I am sure one day my kids will be reading ALL my “secrets”  haha…if I don’t burn them first.   But at that time, I will be long gone, and it will make for interesting conversation if nothing else.

It is not so much that either will contain anything racy or shocking, it is just that being such a private person that I generally am, yet I have it all right here…in print.

Go figure.

Oh my….

(and remember, if you are looking for the perfect and inexpensive gift idea, I think this is GREAT!!!   think about doing one for someone.   If you want to see the particulars, do a “Journal” search on my blog home page and you can see all the details  perfectly)   Later on, I will be giving some examples of a few of the “prompts” I have done so far.  :)

As promised, here is one of our family favorites now!!!  thanks to the culinary class that Madison is taking….yum-O !!!!!  She insisted on making this for us, and now by our insistance, has made it many more times since!!!  :)

Garlic Tomato and fresh Basil Pie:

1 tube Garlic Cresent rolls

4 tsp olive oil (or EVOO, as she and Rachel Ray call it)  LOL

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

3 tsp minced garlic  (we buy the pre-minced in liquid jars)

8 oz Provolone cheese slices

8 fresh whole Plum or Roma tomatoes

1/4 cup cup grated Parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper

Lightly spray 10″ pie pan or tart pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Separate dough into 4 rectangles.  Place rectangles in pan and press evenly over bottom and sides pressing perforations to seal.  Prick dough with fork and bake crust only 375 degrees for 13 minutes or until golden brown.  Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine oil, basil, and garlic.  Cook over low heat just until heated thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Cover to keep warm.  Arrange half of the Provolone cheese slices over partially baked crust, top with half of the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese.  Repeat layers with remaining Provolone cheese, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.  Spoon basil mixture over top layer, and spread out to the edges.  Sprinkle pepper on top.  Bake 375 degrees for 15 more minutes or atleast until cheese is melted thoroughly and crust edges are now deep golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into pie shaped wedges.

This is SO delicious!!!   It is even perfect to have as leftovers the next day!!!   A meatless meal, as a main course, or a wonderful side dish.

Here are some visuals of she (and her BFF) making it last week for us.

I am thinking I ought to blog SOMETHING about Valentines Day??  it is one holiday I could really do without.  We do nothing for it.  I even dated my husband in High School, and we did not recognize it then as teenagers, so we are certainly not going to start now, 27 years later.  :(    I know.  Call me unromantic, call it what you want, but I call it unnecessary.  I think it is a marketing scheme to capitalize on such a natural thing…….a thing called “Love” .   Hellooooo??????

But speaking of that “L” word, I decided I would gather a few things in my house that I love.  I would  have taken a picture of the PEOPLE living here that I love, but they were all gone for the day.

Glenn and Maison were pretending to be lumberjacks and cutting wood for the fireplace.

Madison was doing errands for her Grandma.

…and I was home. Alone.    {sigh}

I love this Sock Monkey.  There is a story behind it.  It is not necessarily “old” to me, but it is to someone special.  Who really does not love Sock Monkeys anyway???   I just have to smile when I look at it.

These jars/bottles are something I really LOVE!!!   I think I am becoming a collector of them!!!   A customer gave them to me, and after I added some rub-ons, and some jute…and filled them with interesting items, I love them even more.  I want them in every room now!!  :)   but for now, they are on my bathroom window ledge, catching the few rays of sunshine drifting in on occasion.  Add in a VERY vintage little clock, that has probably not worked in over 40 years, but I love it anyway.  Does anyone “really” know what time it is????

I used to hate this, now I love it.  Not sure what I was thinking when I bought it.  It was a black block sort of hanging picture, with some sort of canvas scenery mounted on it.  YUCK.  After many months of looking at it, TRYING to like it, I tore it apart, covered the canvas with this numbered paper, a little ink on the edges, and now…….I love it.  !!!!!!!!!  of course, you all know that “K” is my very favorite letter too.  :)  perfectly perched on top of the “repurposed” picture.

Do you love it???  do you hate it???   Last weekend, I took two teenagers to Des Moines, and I had a $20 Gift Card to Pier 1 Imports.  This beauty was originally $79  !!!!!  I did not love him enough to spend THAT kind of money, but thankfully it was marked down many times, and final price was $19.   Okkkkk  free for me??  I can love him for that price!!!   My kids laughed at me when showed them.  I love it though.  :)

Be sure to click to enlarge this image!!

it is my favorite of all things listed!!!  I have a fondness for old rolling pins and old wooden spoons.  This rolling pin IS old for sure.  It belonged to my mom.  :(   God bless her.  Her daughter Kim (aka, Machita) took it upon herself to list the family members names that lived in our home growing up….ya know, just in case anyone forgot the rightful owners to this rolling pin!!!!   Nicely written “Mom, Daddy, Kathy, Karla, Kim, Kristy, and Kelli”    I am sure this was a very nice and NEW rolling pin when my mom owned it.   I am also sure my angel mother just smiled when she saw her daughter had WRITTEN all over it!!! Unfortunately I might have not been so calm, but it was just not in my moms nature to get worked up over much at all.   When my mom died, this is the ONE thing , I was determined to get my hands on.  I did.  Although, Kim has warned me many times, during one of her visits to my house, it is going home with her.  I am SURE that she knows full well, that had better not happen.  :)

I hope you have a very nice Valentines day tomorrow.  Show the love in any way you can.  Looking over this RANDOM list, nothing in it, has much (or any)  monetary value…and they are amongst my very favorite things. Things that I “love”, and not one has a price tag that could come close to the story behind them.    Interesting.

Tomorrow……I promise a new recipe from my daughter, that has become one of the family favorites.  You will definitely want to give it a try….EASY, FRESH and DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

and to my MANY loyal blog readers….thanks for “loving” my blog!!!!

First a disclaimer.

I have spoke to my son, recieving his permission that I can post this info.  No offense to him, but he is the complete OPPOSITE from me, and this update is the proof.  He did not mind the focus being on him, as I think he is trying his hardest to make me CRAZY sometimes!!!  LOL.

He sees humor in this.

I am not sure I do….yet.   haha.

In my COUNTLESS attempts to keep his belongings at a minimum, and keep those belongings ORGANIZED!!!!  oh, it is kind of like beating a dead horse.  Daily.

I tell him he is a “hoarder” and a “pack rat”  and warn him that when he grows up,  he can always come back home to see me, and unless he changes his ways, I will probably not be able to go to HIS house!!!    (again, don’t flip out, I am ONLY joking…..kind of)    :)

Since the economy is not being kind to us this winter, and Glenn has PLENTY of time off, we decided to give Maisons room a complete overhaul.  Maybe this will help him be organized?!?!??!

This is my attempt to keep his old Tech Decks (from years past) organized.   I make a nice case to carry them in, how PERFECT huh??   I even “customized it FOR him!!!

Instead, this is what I dug out from every corner of the room, and bits and pieces in every drawer, cupboard, cubbby hole, ground into the carpeting,  etc etc etc

I did spill them on to my desk atleast all together….after I dug around everywhere for them!!!

Does this look like a Simple and ORGANIZED thing???   no.  But if I were to ask him to locate one specific piece of this, and gave him a few minutes, he COULD!!!  that is the scary part….and trust me, these were NOT all in one location, and mind you, the screws are the size of pinheads!!!!!

Now, THIS….his “collection” of pens and pencils that were ALL in his top drawer of his NIGHT STAND!!!!!   strewn everywhere, and mixed in with interesting things, like Pop Tarts, gum wrappers, EXPIRED gift cards, receipts etc etc, yeah, you get the idea.  I piled them all in this handy fabric bag and insisted he pick out 5 that he wanted to keep.  Seriously??  why on earth would you need or WANT this many pens in an entire house, let alone a 14 year olds night stand!!!!    I am sure when I had the challenge to clean out your pens/pencil drawer, he did not read my blog that day!!!  :)

and yes, he is a blog reader of mine, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt and let you know, he is the most loving, entertaining, and energetic boy I could have asked for.  He has his days, but I have mine too.     for the most part, he is  very good kid, and also my child that says he is NEVER leaving home, and even when he get married, he and his family will just live here to help “take care of us”.   hmmmmm……..I am thinking of a little different plan than THAT, but for now, I will not stop trying to get him organized and making him realize that 5 pens are just as good as the 300 he thinks he needs.

and one more note:  I will not share, his collection of hats, gloves, CLOTHES in general, phone covers, extension cords, duct tape, (yes, DUCT TAPE)  drawings ( he LOVES to draw, obviously)  CD’s, LiveStrong bands, stickers, key chains,  …the list goes ON and ON  !!!!

I will save those pictures,  in case I am looking for more blog material sometime, of course, again, with his permission.  

Aside from my paper crafts and my needlework, I am working on a few other repurposing projects I wanted to share with you.   I love this event, and enjoy giving my own contributions to it.

It is the Mahaska County Hospice “Chair Affair”

All items (chairs) are donated by local artists and auctioned off to members of the community, with all proceeds going to Hospice.  What a great charity event!!   I repurposed a few chairs last time it was held, and am working on three more for this years event.

This is the “before” picture.  Imagine these were all rescued from a trip to the landfill!!!   the two childrens desk chairs are very nice, but someone was done with them!!  and the one on the far left was a kitchen chair with the back broken off.  hmmmmmmm…..

click to enlarge

Cute???  yes??   I love it!!  of course, I love anything in off white / black and involving text !!!!   I think (and hope) it will be a very popular one!!

perfectly repurposed!!!

and here is the “after” picture of the old broken kitchen chair.  This one is going to be VERY hard to part with no matter how much money it brings!!!!    I love it.  It is my version of Mary Engelbreit.  :)

Let the bidding begin……   Ok, not really happening til April, but I am getting VERY anxious!!!

Can ya tell???

or moreso, I have S.A.D.   There, my name is Kelli, and I have Seasonal Affective Disorder.  (S.A.D)

Everyone together…..” Hello Kelli ”

Ahhh I feel much better already.  :)

I have been a little “out of sorts” and this is why.  I was diagnosed about 4 years ago, with this disorder, and it is very VERY real.  I am full blown in to the worst part of the year too.  I take medication for it, but it only does so much.  I need SPRING to arrive.  I really kind of DO love winter and snow and fires in the fireplace….but this takes this time of year to a different level for me.  I want to ignore that part, but I can not.  It keeps raring its ugly head at me.

I know everyone does get “tired of winter”, but trust me, I really do.  This goes far and above just “I am sick of winter” sort of thinking.  Way beyond.  It could incapacitate me if I let it.

I refuse, but it is harder some days than not.

I have reasons to feel it especially this year more than most, but I am not going to dwell on that.  I am SIMPLY trying to get through it,  with the help of my supportive family.

It is definitely the down-side to being “me”

{sigh}

So, back to the medication I have been taking .  I would hate to live with (or be married to)  me, if I was not on it.

But another form of therapy in worst cases is this.  Light Therapy.

Sounds crazy but they say in the CORRECT form, it does work.

I think I just need a tropical vacation.   Unfortunately that is not in my plans.

Instead I will stay here, try to get creative, try to “get happy”  and count my blessings.  I do have alot of them, and now more than ever I have to focus on the smallest of ones.

And with any luck….I will get out of my funk a little, and do some GOOD blogging.

What do you want to see??   I want and need feedback.  Can’t guarantee I can fulfill everyones needs, but I can certainly try.

Ok, enough about me.  :)

Thanks, as always, for listening.

I promise, I am still alive !!!  (some of my readers have been wondering….)

I have been busy

I have been bored.

I have had alot to report on.

I have had bloggers block.

Things have gone well.

Things have not gone well.

I have been  a little  of just about everything,  lately….

Regardless, a few more days (?)  and I will be back in action with plenty to report.

Stay tuned.

Please and Thank You.    :)

We all “dislike” Protector by Taser !!   whew.

It really is a matter of “TRUST”

Trusting in a higher power of your choosing…

Trusting in your own children…

Trusting your gut instinct…

I was pleasantly surprised of the comments I received on this new item.   I feel better that I am certainly not alone.  I will offer you some of my thoughts on the comments as it seemed repetitive to reply to each one like I usually do.

Here goes.

I have trusted my children alot through the years.  Sometimes the trust HAS been compromised, but in my “live and learn” philosophy, it has been gained back.  Parenting is a hard enough thing to do, not to mention humbling…..and just like my children, I have learned lessons on parenting the hard way as well.

I do agree that until the cell phone rules have been violated, whatever you do, do NOT pry, sneak and dig into their business.  Diaries, purses etc etc are off limits unless you have VERY good reason to be suspicious.  (and I emphasise VERY good reason…not just paranoia on a mothers part)  I have heard of parents that go “snooping” around in their attempt to avoid such issues.  It will not avoid them, guaranteed, it will MAKE issues.   Just like kids can break your trust, you can certainly break theirs just as easily.

I have learned (again, the hard way) that alot of cell phone talk, is simply mindless chatter that you will either not NEED to know, not UNDERSTAND, or simply have no business looking at.

Our rule now, is that as long as my husband and I pay the cell phone bill, we DO have the right to look at it,  and take it away.  I have done both, but I desire to do neither anytime soon.

On the same hand.  When they turn 18, they will either get the cell phone bill graciously handed to them….or give the cell phone up completely.  hmmmm……I am pretty sure they will pay their OWN bill, which forces them to have a job, a budget and a responsibility to pay bills….it will all be good.

I explained all of this to them the other day.  My daughter could probably give hers up and think nothing of it.  My son??  not so much.  He is ATTACHED to his!!!  isn’t that interesting???  I think so .    I reminded them that when I was growing up, and I left our yard, from that point on….my mother was not in contact with me.  Not at all.  She had to have FAITH and TRUST that I knew when to be back home, and hoped I was smart enough to do so.

Guess what???  I did.  My four sisters also did.  (ok, maybe not ONE of them, but she was well known to push her limits on everything!!) Yep, good old fashioned way of parenting.  I want to go back to that again.  {sigh}   My own mother survived it, and I am sure I could too.

I have JOKED to my husband, who gets a little more easily worked up,  ”As long as the police are not following them in the driveway, then it is all good”   HAHA  !!!!!   although it HAS chilled him out a little, and kept things in perspective on his part.

Our computer is also in the main most used room of the house.  It is RIGHT there for me to look at, and listen to (music).   Although I rarely look that way. I feel no need to.   I am also Facebook friends with my kids.  I see nothing on their that is unacceptable either.  I am THANKFUL !!!!

I also know that when you smother your kid, you can be pushing them away.  Now, when things go completely wrong??   thank GOODNESS that I have not experienced that, but I have a feeling this total control, like suggested with Protector by Taser, would only make things worse.  Some issues just have to be resolved in their own time.

I do NOT have all the answers.  I know what has worked  (and not worked) for us.

But I have alot of FAITH, TRUST, and CONFIDENCE in my kids, and like my wonderful mother had always told her girls….

“Sometimes a mother does not have to know EVERYTHING their kids are doing”

I went into parenting thinking I did need to know their EVERY SINGLE MOVE.

I am much smarter than that now, by taking my OWN mothers advise many years later.

God bless her.     SHE had all the right answers.  :)