My "New" Flintstone Chair

I have mentioned my wonderful WSU chair before.  I love it and it cost me a whopping $5.00.  And we carted it all the way from Idaho to boot.  This chair has a special place in my heart.
BUT...I bought a new sofa on Saturday, it's red and my plum chair just didn't match so I needed to change it's color.  It went from red to plum with the help of fabric paint, but I'm thinking, boy, I'm going to need an awful lot of fabric paint and that can get pretty expensive, may as well buy a new chair, right?

But, the lightbulb came on soooo brightly....I know what I'll do.  I'll paint it with acrylic spray paint.  Ever used acrylic spray paint on fabric furniture?  Don't.  Because now I have a yellowish red, rock hard Fred Flintstone chair.  It is not a pretty sight, and my bum hurts from trying to sit on it.

Relax, Pick Up a Paintbrush

Steve and I went for a drive this morning.  We had to go to Walker Basin.  Walker Basin is about an hour and a half from where we live.  He needed to make a couple of paint bids.  I enjoy going with him, I'm always up for a drive.

Now Walker Basin is really pretty, but it also reminds me a little bit of, you know, that banjo movie where the men are floating down the river?  It'll come to  me.  Let's just say, I wouldn't want my car to break down in Walker Basin.  But, at least I always have my pepper spray handy, although it is about 15 years old.  Will it still work, do you think?

Okay, my sister just old me, the movie is Deliverance.  Well, I feel better.

Anyway, on the way home I saw the best thing.  And if I was brave, or forward enough I would have stopped and taken a picture.  My husband is a painter so he really appreciated this scene.

Now, picture this.....Walker Basin is filled with all sorts of houses, but a lot of them are old, run down places that may possibly have been old mining shacks.  As we approach the property there is a man doing some yard work, he looks kind of old.  At the other end of the property is a woman sitting in a white plastic chair.  She's sitting in front of a run down fence and she's talking on the phone.  On closer inspection she's also doing something else.  She has a paintbrush in her other hand, painting the fence.  Now why can't Steve paint sitting down while he's talking to me on the phone.....it can be done, I've seen it.

Don't you love people who can multitask?

The Happiest Place on Earth

Hi.  Two things.  First, Steve and I went to Las Vegas this weekend for Mother's Day.  We had the best time.  I may have mentioned before that we don't do the "normal" Las Vegas things.  Although we do play the penny slots, we limit ourselves to $20.00 altogether.  Sometimes it's 10 minutes of fun, sometimes, like this weekend, it is more like 2 hours of fun.  We won a little and to us if we win $10 we are thrilled.  So we took our winnings, went to dinner, to the movies and went shopping.  We don't do the normal shopping either.  We love to go to Deseret Insdustries.  I found a chair, $12.00 and perfect for my bedroom.  Tell me, how much more fun can you have than that?

Now, the second thing.  We come home from our very fun weekend and we don't have any food or toilet paper in the house, so I'm off to do errands.  Actually I already did my errands, but I want to tell you about my morning running from store to store.  I won't bore you (if I haven't already) so I'll skip most of the details.  But everywhere I went I ran into friends, some friends I knew and some I didn't, but they all seemed like friends today.  Everyone was chatty and friendly, right down to the grungy looking teenage boy who held the door open for me and told me to have a great day.  He may have been skipping school, I don't know, but his mom taught him good manners!  Anyway, my whole running errands experience today reaffirmed that Disneyland is a poor second to my happiest place on earth!

Beautiful View

I love where I live, it's beautiful.  We have a fantastic view of the valley down below us and of the wonderfully blue lake.  It's not a big lake but it sure is nice to look out on.

I woke up this morning at 6 am and looked out my kitchen window and there were two young deer, close enough to touch.  They were nibbling on my trees, but as long as they don't make a habit of that, I don't mind too much, at least they weren't my fruit trees.

My husband and I were out spraying the weeds yesterday and I was checking out our fruit trees.  I am not a gardener.  I plant one every year and I'm not sure what goes wrong between the planting and the reaping....there actually is no reaping.  It's a good thing I have children who plant great gardens.  Anyway as I was looking at the fruit trees I noticed itty bitty little fruit.  I am so excited, our peach tree hasn't had peaches in years and this is the first time for our cherry tree.

Now all I have to do is keep the critters away long enough so we can enjoy the "fruit of our labors".  Wish me luck.

He's Never, Ever..........

I just finished reading my sisters blog.  I had talked to her earlier today.  And after reading and talking to her I started feeling like a bad person.  She has taken into her home a little six year old boy whose parents had all but abandoned him.  She gives him a stable home, which he probably knows little of.  She treats him as if he was one of her own, which means she also has to discipline him.  Well, apparently, he doesn't like that she is the disciplinarian in the family so he keeps trying to "get her in trouble" with her husband, who is very kind hearted and trying to make this little boy feel like he has a home. 

This little six year old has thrown things at my sister and has been quite disrespectful to her.  Yet, she keeps on trying.

After I finished reading her blog I began to feel a little bit better about myself.  We also have taken in someone who never has known a stable home, who feels abandoned and left alone in this world.  We wanted to give him a stable home where he would feel secure.  Well the first few days he was so well behaved and so affectionate.  We were one big happy family.

That lasted just a week or so.  I guess when someone starts to feel very comfortable, their true personality comes out.  So, now he is pooping on the floor and taking my slippers and hiding them.  That's not all.  Every time I get out of my chair while watching tv, he thinks it's okay to curl up in my spot.  Who does he think is the one who cleans up his poop and tries to make him behave?  Well, he doesn't like that very much so he has made my husband his favorite.  Who does he think feeds him and gives him treats when he is good?I do, that's who.  My feelings are a little hurt, but that's okay.  I'm still going to try to make him behave.  After all, he's only a dog and he may not know it, but I am his master.

But, I have to tell you.  He is sooo cute and I do know that he loves me despite his poor behavior.  So, of course we will keep him and keep working on his manners.  After all, he's only a dog, right?

By the way, as a footnote:  my husband went to the SPCA looking for a playmate for our coon hound.  There was a woman there trying to bring back this particular dog because her "daughter was allergic".  (Why did she bring the dog home in the first place is what I want to know...).  They would not give her back her money, but my husband was nearby and the SPCA lady said "this gentleman is looking for a dog just like that, maybe you two can come to some sort of agreement".  My husband thought, "wow, this must be my lucky day".

The woman returning the dog for a "refund" told my husband that this was the best dog that they had ever owned.  Now, how could they have owned other dogs if her daughter was so allergic?  I think, perhaps, that statement was not actually heard by my husband. He was already enamoured by the dog.  "This dog has NEVER gone to the bathroom in the house", says she.    All I can say is BIG FAT LIAR, and no, that is not too strong of a word to describe her.

Okay, now that's off my chest, I feel better.  He is actually a very sweet dog and we have already come to love him.  But he has to stop using my front door as his own personal bathroom.

Happy, Happy, Happy

Why am I so happy, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.....it's because I picked up a package from the post office yesterday ( I would have preferred to receive it from  my UPS friend, but, oh well).

Guess what it was!  Yes, finally after all these months of waiting and anticipation my Sticky Buddy is here.  And not only one, but two sets of Sticky Buddies. 

My husband came home and saw the big box on the kitchen table and asks me why I haven't opened it yet, "aren't you curious after all this time?"  he asks me.  Well, of course I am, but I am the type of person who thrives on the anticipation of an event.  And this definitely qualifies as an event.

So after I finish watching Cupcake Wars I go get my box and open it.  Oh My Goodness, it's all I had hoped for.  I unwrap one and immediately go to the chair where the dog and cat love to lay.  I run that Sticky Buddy over the seat of the chair and on the arms and the sides and the back..  No  more animal hair, hallelujah!!

So, I think I will test it on other things, like the quarters that they use in the commercial.  I dump my purse on the table and all my pennies fall out.  What the heck happened to all my quarters?  Oh yeah, the donut shop.  Well, I'll just have to test it on pennies.  I spread the pennies out on the table and run my little Buddy over them and magically they all disappear onto the roller of the Sticky Buddy.

I am in heaven, this is fantastic. So as I wander around  my house today doing some housework I am keeping my eyes open for anything else that I don't want to touch and pick up.  Because I have my trusty Sticky Buddy who is going to do all the work for me.

To the inventor of the Sticky Buddy, whoever you are, I love you.  Oh, and it's so easy, anyone can use it.