In His Grip

Three Word Thrusday

Time to relax

Garden Container Makeover, Again!

Two years ago I did a makeover on two planters that I had on my front porch.  My Hibiscus trees lived in these pots for a couple of years until during a crazy Kansas storm one of the trees blew over and broke the container. Off to Home Depot to find two more large containers for my trees, but I had an idea for this one lonely planter.  Paint it pink of course!  After all, when in doubt pink is always the right choice.

I took this container from a subtle black to the excitement of berry pink in the matter of a couple of coats of my favorite spray paint. 

Once the spray paint was dry, using an acrylic white paint and a sponge brush I lightly covered the detail just enough to make it really show up and have more texture.

In my own opinion, I think this turned out perfect and the bright pink geraniums that I chose to go inside were a perfect match.

Over the summer this pot will be almost covered in the vines that are planted in it but bright pink always has a way of showing through.  Believe it or not I like it that way!

I am linking up here:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, House of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely, Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More, My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom, Pinkapotmus

 

I Love My Job

There are days I just love my job.  Last week happened to be one of those times.  If you know me at all or have followed this blog, you know that I love doing creative things.  Projects with fabric are my favorite and that is a good thing as I own and operate a drapery workroom.  When this grouping of fabrics came through my door, I knew that I would be in heaven working on this job.  These cushions and pillows are for outdoor furniture.  Don’t you just love it!  I don’t often get to see my finished projects in the homes that they end up in, but wouldn’t you love to see this porch, deck, or pool side where these pillows and cushions will be.  I know just by the choices of fabrics, that this would be a super place to spend a summer day.

 

We've Got BIGGER Power Tools Than You

This weekend we had a big project that required a BIG power tool.  We found this new rental store near our house when we needed carpet fans during our recent flood.  Johnson County Equipment and Party Rental just opened this year and all of the tools are brand new and most not even used yet.  Last weekend Jeff rented a 9 horsed power bed edger to edger all of our flower beds and he was the first to use it.  So when we needed to dig some post holes for our new arbor Johnson County Equipment and Party Rental was our first call.  They had this super duper post hole digger and rented it to us for $30 for one hour. Again, never been used. 

As it turned out, this was a fantastic deal.  Our ground is pure clay once you get past the top soil.  There was no way we would have been able to dig these two 18" deep by 10" round holes in the short time it took this power tool to dig them.

In order to get the holes deep enough it took the two of us totally forcing all of our weight to get the auger to cut through the clay.  But finally, our holes were dug and we returned our BIG power tool within the hour time allotted.

My new arbor is now up and will be standing for a good long time, after all those holes are full of cement and are not going anywhere.  I love power tools.  There is just something about having the right tools available to get the job done, even if you have to rent them. 

Three Word Thursday

Angels Came Down

Trying for a Healthy Lifestyle

Jeff and I have been on a health craze lately.  It all started earlier this year when our church challenged us to do a Daniel Fast for a week.  We found some great recipes that we really like and decided to just try and eat a bit more healthy.  Then in February my sister Janet introduced us to My Fitness Pal.  My Fitness Pal is an app for your phone that helps you keep track of your caloric intake as well as exercise. As my brother-in-law puts, it is all a mathematical equation.  If you want to loose weight you take in less calories and if you exercise, you get some free calories for the day.  Easy, peasy, right?  No food is off limits as long as you record it and the app automatically calculates how many calories you have left in order to reach your goal.  If you want more calories for the day, you had better get out there and get some exercise.  Here is one of the great recipes we have found:

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Salsa Wraps

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh jalapeno peppers

1 tablespoon lime juice

8 slices turkey bacon

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

4 10” whole wheat tortillas

2 cups fresh baby spinach

1.  For salsa:  In a bowl, combine tomatoes, read onion, cilantro, and peppers.  Stir in lime juice and set aside.

2.  Cook the bacon according to the package.  Drain well and cut into large pieces

3.  To assemble wraps, spread tortillas with mayonnaise, top with spinach.  Using a slotted spoon, spoon salsa over spinch and top with bacon.  Roll up the tortillas and cut each in half. 

We added some avocado, and you can really add just about anything according to taste.  But if you keep with the recipe, you have a serving for only 227 calories.  It is fabulous, fresh and makes for great healthy meal.