Mrs. Jones

Thanks For Your Help

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone for all the great input on my last

post about what to do with my wall of windows.

Here's what I have decided to try:

I want to hang window panels up high on a rod

and hang blinds on the lower windows only,

similar to the following picture except the rod will go above all 3 windows:

(Source: Sheffield Furniture)

I found blinds at Home Depot and Panels at Ikea,
but unfortunately even Ikea panels weren't long enough.
So I bought four cream panels for the top, and
dark gray panels to sew on the ends to make them longer.
I'm just trying to decide whether
to do a simple color block or add another stripe
(like in the following two photos).

(Source: Drapestyle)

(Source: Martha and Ash Etsy Store)

(Source: Houzz)

(Source: Unknown)

(Source: Google Search)

(Source: Houzz)

(Source: Milk and Honey Home)

Now I'm just waiting until Mr. Jones can help me.
I hate things I can't do all by myself!

Help!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:33:00 +0000

I have a dilemma, dear friends, and I'm hoping you can help me.

We bought our house because it is on a gorgeous lot.

With woods.

And deer.

And little bunnies.

This is my family room that looks out on the woods.

I thought this wall of windows would give me a nice view.

Not so much.

The blinds were on the windows when we moved in.

The upper blinds are supposed to be remote control to raise them up.

They broke within a year.
Quality.

But I can't take them off because the afternoon sun blasts into the room.

Like it's so strong you would need sunglasses.

To make it worse, see the line that is under the arch?

That's not the window, it's just the ugly blind.

So ...

1. My living room is actually a dungeon despite the potential view.

2. I'm an outside girl and I can't see outside when I want.

3. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TO REPLACE THEM WITH.

Please help.

(Oh, and it must be a budget solution)

Bookmarks and Journals

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:18:00 +0000

A few months ago, I made some bookmarks and journals for gifts.

I took photos to share with you, and then forgot about them.

But I found them yesterday!

I upcycled a tailor's tape measure I found at Target.

I love this color, but they also had pink.

I made bird's nest charms from tutorials I saw at Just Something I Made (she has an amazing collection of tutorials on her blog).

I made this one based on Andrea Singarella's beautiful inspiration.

It was frustrating, because I'm finding
I need to order good craft supplies online because
stores like Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabric
have a really terrible selection. Terrible.

It turned out ok, but I would love to order some
better supplies in the future and try again.

I bought these small journals at Target's Dollar Spot,
and just added some stamped charms.

Target also had these little chevron bags, which I used to wrap the journal.

It turned out to be a pretty cute gift for $2.00 plus supplies I already had.

For more gift inspiration, here is my Pinterest Board for Gift ideas.

Where is the Love?

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:09:00 +0000

Last night I was reading a post about Christians and Politics
on The Average Advocate blog (a good place to go
to read about humanity issues like human trafficking,
and what we can do to make the world a better place).
At the end of the post was one of my favorite songs,
so I felt the need to share it with you.

(A personal message to will.i.am: i.love.you)

"Where Is The Love?"

The Black Eyed Peas

What's wrong with the world, mama

People livin' like they ain't got no mamas

I think the whole world addicted to the drama

Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma

Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism

But we still got terrorists here livin'

In the USA, the big CIA

The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK

But if you only have love for your own race

Then you only leave space to discriminate

And to discriminate only generates hate

And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah

Madness is what you demonstrate

And that's exactly how anger works and operates

Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight

Take control of your mind and meditate

Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'

Children hurt and you hear them cryin'

Can you practice what you preach

And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questionin'

Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)

Where is the love, the love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged

New days are strange, is the world insane

If love and peace are so strong

Why are there pieces of love that don't belong

Nations droppin' bombs

Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones

With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young

So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone

So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong

In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in

Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends

Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother

A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover

The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug

If you never know truth then you never know love

Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)

Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)

Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'

Children hurt and you hear them cryin'

Can you practice what you preach

And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questionin'

Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)?

Where is the love, the love, the love?

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder

As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder

Most of us only care about money makin'

Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction

Wrong information always shown by the media

Negative images is the main criteria

Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria

Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema

Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity

Whatever happened to the fairness in equality

Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity

Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down

There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under

Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

Now ask yourself

Where is the love?

Father, Father, Father, help us

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questionin'

Where is the love?

Sing with me y'all:

One world, one world (We only got)

One world, one world (That's all we got)

One world, one world

And something's wrong with it (Yeah)

Something's wrong with it (Yeah)

Something's wrong with the wo-wo-world, yeah

We only got

(One world, one world)

That's all we got

(One world, one world)

Cheapskate Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:59:00 +0000

I thought I would share a few money-saving ideas for the garden.

I've had these iron baskets for a while, but I didn't want to go out and buy coconut liners or moss. I lined them with burlap and just inside the burlap I put a plastic grocery bag with a few holes punched in it. Then I added the soil and the plant. I could have skipped the grocery sack, but it helps the soil keep moisture and the holes allow for drainage. I did this about a month ago and they seem to be doing well.

I used Swedish Ivy for the first time because it was on sale. So far, I really love it because it is low maintenance. It does well when the soil is dried out, but hasn't been too finicky about wet soil or the extreme heat we've had in the month since I planted them.

I really love the look of sweet potato plants in baskets and pots (it's the bright green foliage). There couldn't be an easier, more dramatic plant to put in a container.

I'm too cheap to buy as many plants as I want, however, so I found Mr. Brown Thumb's blog post about how to propagate ornamental sweet potato plants. It is so easy!

You just take a cutting, cut off most of the leaves and stick it in water (Check out Mr. Brown Thumb's directions for more specific instructions). I kid you not, within 1 day the thing will start growing roots. Within 1 week, the jar will be full of roots and you can plant it. I have made several plants from the two on my porch. By the way, don't eat them.

I really love hydrangeas and want more, but I'm too cheap to spend $25 on a new plant. I suspected this would be more difficult than sweet potato propagation, and fully expected they would all die. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot and then left for a 2 week vacation. When I returned, they were all alive and growing. Nice.

I found instructions on the Backyard Gardening blog. I used 2 liter soda bottles with the tops chopped off to make little greenhouses and keep them moist.

I have had problems with weeds growing in between the stones in the back patio. With kids and dogs running through all the time, I don't like spraying poison. I had read once that vinegar kills weeds (plants as well, so be careful). I tried pouring vinegar on them, but it didn't work. So, I remembered the cleaning solution I made from 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup dawn liquid soap (I saw this on pinterest as a shower cleaner, and it works for that too). This essentially makes a vinegar gel that stays on the plant and takes more time to evaporate. I sprayed it on the weeds and it took about a day to kill them, but it worked.

Lastly, a gardener at a garden center told me to use epsom salt on some sale plants I was buying that looked wilted. If you put a little epsom salt in the water after you plant them, or mix some in the dirt, it will help revive them. I have since discovered that giving a little ES to houseplants and garden plants makes them healthier. Rose plants especially seem to love it. Outdoors I sprinkle the dirt below each plant with a tablespoon or two about once a month. Indoors, I put a little ES in the watering can.

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:47:00 +0000

Anyone heard of Craft Gossip before? It's a great place to get all kinds of crafty ideas and I have been a fan for a long time. Well, apparently they featured my ribbon organizing idea. It's always such an honor to me when a blog or website features my ideas, when I see that someone has pinned one of my ideas on Pinterest, and when anyone takes the time to read and/or comment on my blog. Thank you Craft Gossip, and thank you beautiful readers!

Recycled Art

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:31:00 +0000

I got really tired of the picture hanging in my bathroom, but it just stayed because I didn't know what to do with it. One day I snapped and painted it with chalkboard paint. I have enough chalkboards in my house, so I turned it into a lazy subway art.

I found these letter stickers at Walmart for about $2.50.

Pretty minimal effort for the subway art, which I really like. I can change the message any time I want, too. I'm not sure if I'll keep it though. What do you think? I would also really love to do this project from Little Green Notebook with a photo from California (maybe the beach? or the boat Mr. Jones and I got married on?) or I could frame a map of California. We'll see ... this is a better temporary solution, though.

I've been having an art "thing" lately. Anyone else catch this bug? Here are my art pins on Pinterest if you want to take a look.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Imperfect Wall Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Have you ever thought to yourself, "That project looks pretty easy. I could get that done today"? That's what I said to myself after I saw the tutorial at Salvage Savy showing how to make an antiqued mirror that props up against the wall (despite the warning in the tutorial that this is not easy). I thought I would get it done before Mr. Jones got home from work. It has been 3 months since I started the project. Not done yet.

I was going to blog about this project when I was done, but I saw that Nester is having an "It's Not Perfect But It's Beautiful" party, so I thought I would show you my mirror in all its imperfect glory (The other reason I'm doing this today is that I should be studying for a biology test. Perfect day to blog).

I thought a mirror that goes above the sideboard would look better than 1 or 2 that stood against the wall, so that was my plan. Let the problems begin: Supplies at my Lowe's were more expensive than planned. MDF board was way too heavy to hang on the wall, so the guy at Lowe's told me to get a thinner board despite me telling him it had to be strong enough to hold mirrors (The people at Lowe's "helping" me that day thought I was crazy and didn't try to hide that fact). Turns out, the board he told me to get was not only too floppy to hold mirrors, but warped in light speed. Mr. Jones told me we should just bolt the board to the wall, and then put the mirrors on the board. The problem with that was that he would have to do something special to the board so the screws would go into the wood and the mirrors would be flush. I absolutely did not want to glue the mirrors to the wall. Add to all that, the fact that antiquing mirrors is a real pain in the butt. There is a learning process, and it will not turn out exactly the way you want. Imperfect by nature. Then tiles crack, chip and break because your kid threw a pillow on it (not because I left it on the living room floor for 3 months).

A week ago I was deciding whether to throw it all away or get it done. I really want a mirror over the sideboard, so I chose the latter. Then I had a great idea: Hang foam board on the wall instead of the wood. The screws just go right into it, so it's flat, and it is really light. So I bought the foam board and screwed that sucker into the wall. Then I tried to use the special mirror glue to start gluing the mirrors on. I couldn't get it to come out of the bottle. As I'm jamming on the stupid thing and trying to force it out, I keep seeing all these "WARNING: EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE" notices all over the bottle. Just what I need to do is blow myself up trying to beat the glue out of a bottle.

So I grabbed some of those 3M tabs from my laundry room and put those on the mirror. Purely by accident, they happened to be velcro. This was truly incredible, because I can now pull the tiles off and stick them back on. The first row of mirrors were a little crooked, so I ripped them off and stuck them on.

This is what the back of a tile looks like.

There are some tiles I truly need to replace, but some of them have chips or scratches and I'm just going to use them anyway. After all, they're antiqued, right?

Some tiles are a little too antiqued for me, but I'm still using them. The one on the right is actually a little darker in the photo. With the tiles that are too spotty for my liking, I sprayed the back with a silvery-gold spray paint instead of black so it looks a bit mellower.

If you are wondering why there is a towel jammed between the sideboard and the wall, I did that in case the 3M wasn't strong enough and the tiles fell off the wall. I didn't want my dogs to get their heads chopped off while napping.

So that's it. The project is almost finished because I have a few more tiles to fix up, but it's looking good. We may even frame it some day. But maybe not.
Here the link to Nester's party if you want to stop by there. Here is a link to my Pinterest board of mirrors if you want to see that.

Happy Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:49:00 +0000

We studied this Bible passage in my Bible class this week, and I think it is so beautiful. It is about God and love. That's what it all boils down to, isn't it? Have a wonderful Sunday!

1 John 4:7-21

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Etta James, You Will Be Missed

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:02:00 +0000

Have a Blessed Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:48:00 +0000

Grapefruit-Carrot Juice

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Do you have a juicer? I thought long and hard before buying one, and then I saved up. It was a purchase I'm very happy I finally made.

Here is a recipe I tried from Whole Living Magazine. It is 2 grapefruits, 5 carrots and some ginger (I don't always use the ginger). Seriously, it tastes just like grapefruit juice. Mr. Jones even drinks it, which is saying a lot.

It's good to EAT fruits and vegetables, but above and beyond what you eat, juicing helps you get an amazing amount of nutrients in your body. I feel like I'm treating my body like gold when I drink something like this.

How I Keep Track of Books

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:01:00 +0000

I love to read. That set in about the same time I had kids and didn't have time to read. Then I really wanted to. Here's how I keep track of my books:
Part I: My Journal ...

I moved away from my home and friends several years ago. One of my friends from the old neighborhood moved close by recently and started a book club. She is Wendy at Simply Brookes. We shared lunch with some amazing ladies once a month.

Then she left.

I had this great idea to give her a journal to keep track of books she has read as a going away present. I took some quotes about friendship and some quotes from books we had read, printed them and glued them into the journal. I gave it to her at our last luncheon. Guess what gift she had for the rest of us? Yep, a journal. She explained that when she finishes a book, she jots down the name of the book and date in her journal. I can't remember for sure, but I think she also keeps a "to read" list on the last page of the journal and crosses them off as she goes (I need to do this).

I printed the same quotes I put in Wendy's journal and put them in mine. I used the friendship quotes as well as the book quotes because to me, books are intertwined with friends, love, emotions, home, family ...

I love quotes (probably obvious at this point), so in addition to writing the name of the book and when I finished, I write a quote or two from the book.

No need to be perfect about it. Write what is meaningful, and that is what I enjoy when I flip through the journal.

My favorite books from book club were East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. **Updated** I'm not sure how I forgot this, but I also loved Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. These are at the top of my all-time favorites list.

Some other books I really enjoyed this past year: Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, True Grit by Charles Portis, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne.

(Middlesex is in the photo above, but not my favorite. Glad I read it, but not sure I would recommend it).

Part II: GoodReads ...

This morning I found a website called GoodReads.com to keep track of my books online. I previously used a different website, but it's not there anymore. In addition to their website, GoodReads has an iPod app and an Android app. I have a list of read, currently reading and want to read books. I can friend people, read reviews, see quotes, post to Facebook or Twitter, rate books and get recommendations based on how I rated my books. I can post directly to my blog (haven't tried this yet) and make different kinds of widgets for my blog (my favorite widget shows quotes I liked from my books). Stop by GoodReads and friend me.

**Update** Thanks to Bonnie, whose comment reminded me that I have a Shelfari account and had completely forgotten about it. I will have to compare it to Goodreads and see which I like better. I'll let you know.

This afternoon I was catching up on Nester's blog and she asked how her readers keep track of books. So I'm going to link up to her ... check out the link if you want to see what others are doing.

Have you read any good books lately?

Thrifting for Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:47:00 +0000

I stopped by the thrift store today, hoping people would be getting rid of great things right after Christmas. There was no great increase in inventory, but I did find these:

True Religion Kate cropped jeans (retails for about $172.00) thrift store cost $4.95, and City Streets blazer for $3.95.

I just started shopping for clothing at the thrift store, probably about the time that I realized True Religion jeans retail for $175 to $300 and people in my area donate them all the time.

The City Streets brand isn't anything expensive, but I thought this blazer was really cute, and I love the seam sewn in a different fabric.

What I have learned about thrifting for clothes so far:

1. Get to know the good brand names. I'm still learning. I usually look through all sizes for True Religion, because I can sell them for more than $5.00 at a nicer resale shop if I don't fit in them.

2. Try them on if you can. You're just wasting money, and not saving it, if it doesn't fit.

3. Make sure to look over the entire item to see if it has any ripped seams, stains or holes. The store will try to sell only things in good condition, but they don't always catch everything.

Do you have any expensive brand names you always look for great deals on?

Halloween Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:52:00 +0000

We love to decorate for Halloween. Our neighbors really go over the top, and all the kids in the neighborhood have to stop by. They have a guillotine and an electric chair, among other things.

I won't show you everything we did, but here are a few new projects I did this year:

This was such an easy project. I had a cheap thrift store mirror that I hadn't found a place for. I put some paint remover on the back and scraped off some of the mirror paint (I've heard you can also use oven cleaner), then I taped on an image I printed. I got the instructions from this website. I stuck some of my candles in the dirt. They are so cool: they bleed when you burn the candle.

I have been wanting to make this wreath ever since I saw it on Martha Stewart's website. Painting rubber snakes is tricky, since paint on rubber just makes it sticky. I used spray paint for plastic but it still turned out a little sticky anyway. Totally worth it though.

I used my Christmas tree urn to hold my candy cauldron.

I used the lanterns I bought a while back from Ikea to use for Teacher Appreciation Week. I put battery-powered candles inside and hot glued plastic roaches on the outside. They looked amazing in the dark.

One of my kids was a deranged hockey murderer. Nice.

My daughter was a cow girl, and my other son wore a

Doppler Effect costume from Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory (See below).

We just stuck white duct tape on a black shirt.

You can also see the body parts and machete hanging from the tree in the background.

Do you decorate for Halloween?

Chunky Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:10:00 +0000

I've been seeing a lot of chunky scarves on Pinterest lately.

They look so cozy.

I found this one at Forever 21.

It ddidn't look that special on-line,

but I was pretty happy when it arrived.

$9.50

That is a pretty great price.

How the Cool Kids Decorate for Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Have you seen this? A family decorated their house for Halloween with a light show set to Party Rock Anthem. That.Is.Cool.

Help: How Do I Recondition Leather Furniture?

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Have you ever seen the blog Mr. Goodwill Hunting? Well it is written by Rashon Carraway who is a contributor on The Nate Berkus show. He does amazing things with Goodwill finds. Like this Baker cabinet he found for $75, which originally retailed for $17,370. Wow. Then he painted it gray and it looks amazing.

So, inspired by his blog, I dropped by the local thrift store, and I found a cute little gray leather chair. I looked at the bottom and it said Crate & Barrel. Googled Crate & Barrel leather chair and it appears they are selling chairs similar to this one for about $2,000. I'll take it. $20 is what I paid.

It actually looks better than the picture shows. There are no cracks in it, just some scrapes that I think will go away with some conditioner or gray polish. The only thing wrong with it is a small spot with packing tape sticky. I'm not sure how to get it off, and I don't want to try things and mess up the chair. Does anyone know the best way to recondition leather furniture?

True Religion Jeans

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:22:00 +0000

I have never loved buying jeans.

I have a big booty.

Even when I'm working out and skinny as I can possibly be.

Thanks to JLo and Beyonce I don't have a complex about it.

But I don't like buying jeans.

The other day I tried on True Religion jeans.

Hole.E.Cow! I'm in love.

They fit perfectly.

Perfectly.

They're comfy.

They make me look better.

I got my pair at a resale shop for $35.00.

They sell new for about $175-$400.

That's right.

Honestly, these jeans are one of those things
that are worth saving up money for and splurging.

That's how much I love them.

I'm also loving my resale shop right now, too.
A lot.

What clothing brands do you think are worth the price?

Raw Vegetable Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:55:00 +0000

I really love eating raw foods. I feel good about putting pure, healing, wonderful nutrients in my body.

One of my favorite raw food recipe books is Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet. She is the guru of quick and easy raw food recipes, and has videos on her website and youtube showing how to prepare raw foods.

One recipe I make a lot is Garden Vegetable Soup, which is a cold veggie soup that is similar to gazpacho. Here is a video showing exactly how to make it. The recipe is flexible and uses whatever vegetables you happen to have. Perfect if you have veggies that are on the verge of going bad and you need to use them up. One of the ingredients she recommends using is miso paste, and I am hooked. It has a really great flavor.

If you like gazpacho, you will really like this. I fill up 3 mason jars and eat it for a few days. Yummy!

Whatcha Watchin?

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:20:00 +0000

I don't channel surf, so I only know about t.v. shows from word of mouth. My dad told me about this one, and I finally checked it out. I'm hooked.

It's called Justified on FX, starring Timothy Olyphant. Mmmm.mmmmm.mmmm.

It's about a U.S. Marshal who gets sent back to work in Kentucky, where he is from.

On a side note, Timothy Olyphant apparently grew up in Modesto, California. I used to go visit my cousins in Oakdale, close by. I have such good memories of those trips.

What show has got you hooked?

Virginia Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:37:00 +0000

I'm a California girl, living in Virginia.

(awesome photo from Blahbethany)

Need I say more?

Jewelry Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:14:00 +0000

I thought I would show you my jewelry storage today. I put this in a while back, and it is great. So easy, too. Here's what I did:

I bought a poster frame at Target (clearance for a couple bucks).

I cut a peg board to the dimensions of the frame

(the guy at Home Depot can do this for you if you don't have a saw)

I took 3 scrap pieces of wood and mounted them to the wall where I wanted the pegboard to hang (top, middle and bottom). You want the peg board to come out from the wall and not sit right on the wall because the hardware will go through the holes and mess up your drywall. Don't make the wood too big though, because it will block the holes.

I screwed the pegboard to the pieces of wood.

I placed the frame right on the peg board and secured it with some hot glue.

On my dresser I have a silver dish for small earrings and flower pins.

You can also see my thrift store painting that I love, but Mr. Jones does not love, so I propped it up on my dresser. It really softens the very modern furniture I have in my closet.

Stop by Simply Brookes to see some other jewelry storage ideas.

Where do you keep your jewelry?

A Thought on Parenting

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:22:00 +0000

I had a thought this morning . . .

(view of the back yard as I was taking out the dogs)

I was laying in bed thinking about the day ahead with the kids.
Mr. Jones was up early getting ready for work.
He works so hard.
I wondered . . .

(something got missed last night)

What would happen if
I dedicated the day to working hard as a parent?

(we had a lego building marathon)

I tend to float through the day,
do what needs to be done,
get distracted by things that interest me.

(do these ever go away?)

Maybe today I'll try a little harder.

Pretty soon the house will be clean all the time,

Legos gone, dishes fewer, shoes somewhere else.

(i cleaned out the closet yesterday. just some of the guys' shoes. wow.)

I want to make the most of this day.

Have a blessed day, friend.

Organizing Embroidery Floss

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Jones) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:02:00 +0000

My daughter likes to make friendship bracelets.

This is what her stash of embroidery floss ~~looks~~ looked like.

I was wasting time on my new favorite website (pinterest.com),

and I saw a photo of embroidery floss wrapped around clothes pins.

I just happened to have two packs of

clothes pins from the dollar store (30 pins for $1)

I used two packs. $2.00

Looks so much better, don't you think?

I guess I didn't totally waste my time.

Have you become addicted to Pinterest yet?

(If you have no idea what on earth I'm
talking about, go here for an explanation.)

Here are my Pinterest Boards.