Singing Butler

Since we will be moving in a few short weeks, I've enjoyed finding pictures that I'd like in my new home.

This picture caught my eye, and I loved it! I feel that it is very marriage appropriate, and decided to buy it for my bedroom.

This picture is SOOOO me!!! Look at her outfit! And it's as if no one else in the world exists!
I am going to hang this picture across the room from my bed so that I can see it every morning when I sit up in bed.

And it will remind me that there is cooking, cleaning, laundry and errands to do. And it will probably rain on my hopeful parade, as I walk thru my new home picking up dirty laundry and dishes, while I say something like, "You know, I'm NOT the MAID around here!!!" And then I'll go on to make sure everyone has everything they need for the day, and I'll then mutter something like, "Yeah, I guess I AM the maid."

WHAT??? You thought I was talking about the woman in the red dress???

My Roots Are Showing

Oh brother....

Like I've mentioned before, my maiden name is Blon. This has greatly affected my ability to always think rationally, add simple numbers(like the time I figured 10 tickets at the go carts, at $3 each, cost over $100), and catch jokes when they are told. Yes, I probably have experienced one or two of the blonde jokes in real life, which brings me to a conversation I had last night.....but the funny thing was, maybe I thought it was my mother-in-law with Blon roots! Let me explain...

Mom came to visit last night, and she was showing me pictures on her digital camera, of her trip down south. They just returned Thursday night, and they had a wonderful time.

She started telling me about the rice paddies in Arkansas, and how they were flooded. She was showing me pictures, but you could only see the small pictures so well on such a small camera screen. I saw a lot of water, and a little bit of green. She was just talking about all the water, and how people are afraid of their cars going off the sides of the roads, lest they drown in all the water!

She mentioned the paddies a few times, and I was trying to get a mental picture. She was telling me how they grow, etc. As I'm trying to get a visual, all I can see in my mind are Quaker rice cake circles, and I'm thinking, "You cannot convince me that rice cake circles grow in fields!" I'm envisioning puffy rice in clumps, and I just knew this couldn't be possible. I mean, I might be a Blon, but I'm no blonde, whether I've experienced a few of the blonde jokes in real life or not!

Fortunately for me, my hubby was sitting in the next room, and could hear our conversation. He finally chimed in because he could tell that what Mom was telling me was not connecting.

When she was telling me about the paddies, I thought she was talking about PATTIES!!! You know, like chicken patties, beef patties, that sort of thing. And that explains why I was seeing Quaker rice cakes in my mind!

Now in my defense, I have never been down south. I have never heard of a paddy before! So of course I thought she was saying patty! And you can see why I was thinking it may be her with the Blon roots!

It's a good thing I've been in the family for so many years, and they already love me! If I were just Dan's girlfriend, his parents may try to warn him before we got married....."Now Dan, do you realize there are going to be many times when those "Blon" roots pop up, and you are just going to have to pat Josanne on the shoulder, and say, "It's okay dear, we understand"???"

Having a Most Unforgettable Wedding

Ahh.....love is in the air, and we'll all be seeing weddings in churches across the land throughout the beautiful spring and summer months, with beautiful colors and handsome groomsmen-the occasional chance when glancing at church steps as you go about your activities each weekend.

A country wedding I attended last summer comes to mind, and I thought that the plaid cowboy shirts with cowboy hats on the groomsmen was a nice personal touch to the wedding, since the groom was a bullrider. It was actually a welcoming sight when we exited our car into the parking lot of the small country church, and the beautiful weather seemed to make the promise of a lovely, unforgettable wedding day.

Well, let me tell you!!! It indeed was unforgettable! In fact, I've been wanting to share with you all how to have your own redn...., I mean.....unforgettable wedding, or please share these tips with a bride-or-groom-to be!

These tips are in order as best as I can remember.

• Planning ahead is not necessary. Just decide you want to get married, and find a preacher! Oh....you may want to order invitations, but be sure to send them out less than a week from the wedding date.
• Rehearsal and decorating the hall the night before? Nah!!! Go CAMPING instead!!! I'm sure you have an aunt out there somewhere who would be happy to hang streamers all by herself-no biggie!
• Actually, that same aunt would probably be good for a few other tasks as well, such as doing her best to round up a recording of the bridal march around the same time all of the guests are arriving. She is also great at orchestrating the order of the wedding proceedings, since, you know, you didn't have rehearsal.
• Be sure the bride is not seen before the wedding. If you are the bride, make sure your mom has salads to make just before the wedding(for the reception), so that she is 45 minutes late. Your guests probably won't mind.
• Tell your usher to wear bling, ultra baggy pants and a long T-shirt. Have your wonderful aunt teach him how to seat people...as he's seating people.
• OH!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!! Don't have any music picked out for the ceremony. And pick a MAN to run the tape player--preferably one who doesn't know when the bridal march ends, and the processional begins. That is the only music you will need, but the preacher may ask someone in the audience if they'd like to sing something.
• Another VERY IMORTANT tip! Make it required that all bridesmaids have at least one tatoo, preferably on her back. If one of the bridesmaids doesn't have her own tatoo(check her calf too), they do sell fake ones that will wash off.
• After the bride walks down the aisle, since you have preferably picked a man who does not know when the bridal march ends, appoint one of the bridesmaids to stand on her tiptoes and give him the "slit throat" signal after the processional has begun playing.
• After the preacher reads his scripture, and speaks to the soon-to-be married couple during the ceremony, about love and commitment, and you exchange vows, and are now as one, have him announce the reception before he tells the groom that he may kiss the bride. This is a better time for the announcement, since everyone will be attentive and waiting for the new couple to kiss.

So there you have it! My tips for an unforgettable wedding. I've even shared them early enough so you can begin to plan your beautiful day!

Oh wait! I forgot!!! That's the EASY part--no planning required!

Oh, and there is one more tip that I got from this wedding:

• The bride MUST look beautiful(and she did!)! You want everyone to remember the bride, and hopefully forget the rest!

Did I mention the reception ettiquette? There isn't much, but just be sure that you shove the cake so hard in each other's faces, that you leave the guests wondering if divorce proceedings will begin on Monday. ;)

Hoses, Hospitals and a Helicopter

Finally!


I'm about to tell you about my life over the past 2 months, beginning with March 4th.

If you've read my Delightful Domestications blog, then you already have a clue what is going on! But if not, let the title of my post be some hints for you! You might need a lunch for this one! And you may wonder, "WHY in the world would she put this on her Chocolate Bouquet blog??? I thought this was her LIGHTHEARTED blog???"

Well, when you get to the end of this story, you will see that everything is under control, and God has brought a lot of good our way from these things. :)



PART 1

March 4th, 2009 started like most other days, nothing out of the norm. Dan was studying to preach that night, and he usually likes some quiet time to pray and focus, so I try to find things to do. I needed to go in town and do laundry, so I gathered it up, and headed for the laundromat.
While folding my clothes, I had set my cell phone on the folding table, and it buzzed. Buzzing lets me know someone called. I saw the number was Dan's cell phone, and figured that he just wanted me to pick up milk on my way home or something. For some reason, my phone didn't ring when he called, so he left a message-it was probably because their isn't signal inside the laundromat.

I went outside to listen to his message, and what I heard was not "Hi Hon, can you pick up milk on the way home?". What I did hear was, "JOSANNE, THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!!"

Now, I'm not very "cell phone literate", so I didn't know how to re-listen to my messages. In my panic, instead of listening to Dan's whole message, I closed my phone!!! I didn't know how to listen to the rest of the message!

I ran back into the laundromat and asked the attendant to watch my clothes and that I had to go because my house was on fire.

I got in the car and called Dan. He was terribly shook up and was sobbing. Since I was talking to him, and no one else was home, I knew everyone was safe. And so I asked about the next most important thing. "How's my cat?" And he let me know that he has just let her out before the fire happened. And then, I was ok, and I reminded him that we were all safe, and everything was going to be ok. I tried to calm him down before we hung up. He let me know that the house was basically gone. It wasn't just smoke damage, or a fire at one end that could be fixed-the whole house went up in flames, except for the garage, which they were able to save.

Since my daughter was working down the road from the laundromat, I decided to go get her before I went home, and to finish my laundry. I thought I could ask her manager to let her off work early because we had an emergency. When I walked thru the doors at McDonald's, she came out from behind the counter and had her visor pulled down covering her face, and she was bawling.

Remember my "Blon roots"? Well, let me defend myself before I go on! I didn't know that she had just gotten a phone call from our friend who was going to take my other children to her house so that they didn't have to go home to the devestation. So when I saw my beautiful daughter crying, I did what ANY mother would do!!! I hurried over to her and said the brightest thing in the world! I said, "Are you OK? What's wrong???"

And then my quick thinking made me realize that she already knew.

(Sometimes I'm such an airhead! lol)

We finished the laundry, I called my family members, My friend Angela, and other daughter came down and helped with the rest of the folding(along with the laundromat attendant-thank you Jackie!), and then my girls went with Angela. I stopped by to cancel one of my cleaning jobs, since my customer was in town, and then I headed home.

Neighbors were standing outside their homes, and you could see that some had been crying. Cars lined the road in front of our house.

When I got home, Dan's family was there-his poor mother had came straight from the hospital to our burning-down house. She had been sick-and I confess, she is the dear person in my life who passed out while visiting Glorious Gal, if you read my other posts. She had two hospital stays, but is doing quite a bit better.

The whole house was in flames in about 10 minutes, and it burned up in about an hour. We lost everything very quickly.

Almost all of our church family came out to offer their support, and as the days went on, we were so humbled to see how much our friends care. I mean, we all know our true friends care for us, as we do them, but when they show you their care and support thru a tragedy, it still makes you stand in awe.

I'd like to give a special thank you to Lori, my children's bus driver. Amber didn't ride the bus, and Dan thought she and Elissa were both old enough to come to the house. Dakota, on the other hand, is 10, and he is terrified of fire as it is. Lori LOVES children, and our children love her! Since Dakota was going home with friends that also ride the same bus, Lori took them home a totally different route so that Dakota did not have to see the smoke, the volunteer fire department directing traffic at the end of our road, all the neighbors out watching, etc. She saved my son a whole new level of trauma, and it is VERY appreciated!

The fire department fed us, the Red Cross came out and helped us with some necesseties, and friends and family continued to stop by, until we left for the evening and headed to church.

Since Dan was going to preach that night, and since he was sort of "pre-occupied" with other things that day, we had a worship service and prayer, but no preaching. But you know, the Lord gave us so much to worship Him for---His everyday mercies, His love to us, and on March 4th, 2009, He kept my whole family safe.


PART 2

April 5th, one month and one day after our house burned down, something was wrong with the furnace in the home we are renting. So guess what? Dan and Dakota both had to go to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning. THANK GOD they made it out of the house--they were the only two home, and . The problem was fixed the next day, and our rental home is back to the cozy feeling place we call home for right now.

Amber and I had been shopping that afternoon, and Elissa was in Indiana. When we learned Dan and Kota were going to the hospital(Dan's parents came over-he called them and told them he needed help-they were much closer to the house than Amber and I were), we met them there. Amber had been complaining of a sore throat, so I registered her in the emergency room too, and she tested positive for strep throat AGAIN.

Fortunately within a few days, everyone was feeling better. Kota still had chest pains for a few days, but I took him for a follow up visit with his doctor, and it was just how his body reacted to the poison. Dan, on the other hand, actually felt quite a bit better within 2 days. And that was a very good thing because.....


PART 3

Dan was working on April 9th, and was climbing a tree. He would tie in once he got up there, but was only about 12 feet up the tree so far. As he was climbing, one of his spikes kicked out of the tree, and he fell about 2 feet, into the nook in the tree. The jolt caused his arms to go numb, so he couldn't grab the tree, and he fell out of the tree the rest of the way-another 8-10 feet. He landed on his feet, and then fell back on his elbows. His arms and legs were numb, and the feeling in his hands came back rather quickly. As the feeling in his legs came back, the numbness was replaced with terrible pain. So his brother Tim took him to the hospital emergency room.

We spent several hours in the ER, and around 11:30, they sent him by helicopter to Erie Hamot Hospital. Morphine was not touching his pain, and they were sending him to Hamot for him to be seen by a neurologist. It was hard to see him strapped to the gurney, but we went to the airport and watched them take off. My poor baby Dakota asked me if his daddy was going to die. Thankfully I could be totally honest and tell him NO!!! They just took him by helicopter because the bumps in the road would be too painful for the hour drive. Even his skin in his stomach area being touched by a sheet made him feel like electric volts were shooting thru his body.

So what did we find out?

Dan apparently broke his back in the past, which we didn't know. He thinks it may have been last year-he does remember being hurt.

He had to have a fusion in his back, and has to have a second surgery in his neck in a few months. He'll wear a back brace during the day for 3 months, and total recovery should be 6 months for the back surgery he just had.

Dan spent 10 days in the hospital. He is doing rather well, even tho he cannot do too much, or he ends up very sore. But he is walking and going places, and has a regular appetite, and can attend church with us!

SO!!!

All that being said, please don't feel too sorry for us! Why? Because I can see how God has kept everything perfectly under control.

We knew Dan had a problem in his neck, but we did not know that it is basically a miracle that he isn't already paralyzed. We also found out that without having his neck fixed, in time, he will not be able to button his own shirt, and will stagger when he walks, as if he's been drinking.

Our fire and the carbon monoxide poisoning both happened during the day. Had either of these happened at night, we could have lost our lives! Amber's friend had spent the night for two nights just before the poisoning. It could have been TWO families that lost loved ones. But thankfully, it was none.

Even with losing our home and everything we own, we do have a place to live thru our insurance policy. I could not have made ends meet with my income.

But you see, whether you believe in the Hand of God or not, I absolutely do, and know that He has had it all in control. Knowing this and remembering that God has kept us all safe and taken care of, is a much better way to look at everything, than to get bitter and mad because it looks like so many tragic things have taken place. It isn't that I'm just an optimist by nature, because really, I'm not. But I've felt the prayers of friends and family, and when you nearly become a widow THREE TIMES IN TWO MONTHS, it helps you to also keep things in perspective. I can replace a house, my clothes, my knick-knacks, and I can work thru sicknesses. I cannot replace my family.

We're making it, and we're doing well. So please don't look on in pity-just stand in awe with me at the amazing ways of God. He knew all along what was going to happen, and what our needs would be.

I hope in your own situations in life, you can find something positive to dwell on. Seriously, if I can, I think you probably can too!

Have You Ever Noticed....

Have you ever noticed that you don't need something until you can't have it?

You are driving down the highway on a 10 hour trip. You're doing great! No need to stop for any reason.

Then you pass a sign just before the next exit that says, "Next exit 117 miles".

After you pass the exit, you SUDDENLY realize that you have to go to the bathroom REALLY BAD!!!

BUMMER!!!



You forget to eat during the day because you are so busy. You don't even notice a single hunger pang before you sat down for dinner! And as for a drink, you only needed one earlier when you needed to wash down your daily vitamin.

BUT!

Tomorrow you have to have blood taken for your yearly check-up, and you can't eat or drink after midnight, so you eat a late night snack at 11:00 p.m..

At 12:03, you are RAVENOUS!!! And you haven't been THIS thirsty since you ate cornbread a month ago!

BUMMER!!!



Your pantry is filled to the max, and you won't need groceries for a few more weeks. Your shampoo, toothpaste, and paper towel supply is fine. You're sitting good, and can relax!

BUT!

Christmas day, all the stores are closed.

And on Christmas day, you discover you are out of LIMA BEANS!!! You haven't had lima beans since you were 5, but NOW you are CRAVING them in a BIG way! It's all you can think about!!!

But you have to wait until the store re-open....tomorrow.

BUMMER!!!



Isn't it comical how our brains work? I'm certain I'm not the only one who goes thru this!

STAY TUNED!!! I have a thriller of a story to share with you-packed with action and suspense! I'll let you know what's happened in my life the last 7 weeks. You won't want to miss it! I PROMISE you won't be bored--not your average story of how I bought groceries, fixed my hair a new way, and went on vacation with my family!

Thank you for visiting my blog, and being patient over my absense. I think you'll understand why once I post my story!

Have a lovely day!

Dear Dad

If you read my other blogs, you're already aware that we lost our home and nearly everything we own in a house fire a week ago. This is my lighthearted blog that is meant to make you laugh, smile, or leave with a warm feeling. :)

I want to share a letter our 10 year old son wrote to my husband. Hope you enjoy! And remember to hug your kiddos and tell them how much they mean to you!

Dear Dad
I love you! I am sad we lost the house, but I am happy we didn't lose you. I thank God for you, and you'r the best father in the world. You saved our cat. and I thank God you'r alive today. I am happy with what I have now, I love you and mom. You and mom have helped me for ten years and I love you both.
You'r
son
Dakota

Children definitely know how to warm our hearts!

Still trying to find my baby Jazz! If you've read this blog's older posts, you know I love my cat! We keep going to the house, calling for her, but so far we haven't seen her. Dakota thinks he heard her meowing the other day, and there has been evidence that she has been there, but so far, we haven't caught her. I can't wait to hold her, pet her, and have her sleep at my feet again. I'll even welcome her 5 a.m. wake up call for me(where she stands next to me and meows until I pet her!)! I can't wait to let you all know we found her!

I hope everyone has a lovely day!

Will I Need A New Career?

Well, the last 3 weeks have been something else, let me tell ya!  I won't bore you with all the details, just the highlights!

• Dakota got sick in a hurry, so fortunately it was Sunday night when it really hit him, and we were able to get him to the doctor and on antibiotics by Monday, so we got him fixed up quickly!
• Glorious Gal had pneumonia, so we took her in while our little guy was recovering from strep throat.
• A dear family member and very important person in my life landed herself in the hospital while visiting Glorious Gal in the hospital-not sure if she wants me to say much, so I haven't mentioned her name :) 
• After everyone around me fell apart, it was my turn to get sick!  A week later, I'm still murmuring and complaining, carrying on and whining, in hopes of getting better!  It's a real good thing I'm hardly ever sick---women always say men are babies!  Well, I must admit that when Dan is sick, he's usually really sick, and in bed most of the time.  As for me, I need the sympathy of the world!!!   My whole demeaner says, "Pity me!  Pity me!!!"  Even tho my own strep test was negative(getting my culture results Monday), I still need lots of sympathy!!! 

So here you have it!  My life in a nutshell!

I've cancelled all of my jobs except one for the last 3 weeks, and my customers are just wonderful!  They've been patient with me while we've been dealing with all of this stuff!  But you know, if they get fed up, or I stay sick another 6 months and they can't wait on me any longer and find a new cleaning girl, I've realized I have other skills that could land me another job or two!

I could:

• become a wildlife officer!!!  Yes, believe me or not, I am 99.9% sure I saw a MINK  run thru my yard this past week!  I'm a city girl and will always be, even tho I live in the country, but I'm getting pretty good at figuring out what creatures are in my yard!  I was very proud of myself when I saw a huge bird in the side yard, and researched online pics of hawks until I figured out what it was--a red shoulder hawk.  My hubby is a falconer, so our family has become more familiar with birds.  He's had 2 red tail hawks in the past----wanna see?  

 

A few years ago when Amber did a double take out the bay window, we determined the huge black figure in the tree across the street and in the woods a little ways was a bear.  It entertained us for about 45 minutes while it stayed up there eating apples.  I've also identified other creatures in the yard-turkey, deer, mice, salamanders, snakes, woodchucks, and the occasional rare chocolate lab(more on him in a later post), so I'm a pretty good guesser!  So maybe I'll call my local game commission's office to see if they might need help, if I'm out of a job!

I could also:

• Be the next great American chef!  Just give me a $2 million dollar book contract, and I'll be on my way!  Just call me the Leftover Queen!  I has steak and a green pepper that needed cooked up, so I made spaghetti, poured Zesty Italian salad dressing over it, and added cooked steak and cooked peppers to the top of it.  Restaurant quality, let me tell you!  Thank you, thank you!  It's just a gift!  :)
• Be the newest and greatest weed-killer on the planet!!!  I know this to be true because I am the MASTER at killing every plant that ever comes in my house!  Which means, so sorry, Glorious Gal--the beautiful tulip plant you gave me is almost completely dead.  :(  Another gift of some sort(see how multi-talented I am?  Why am I not in higher demand?  It must be because I'm so modest and humble!)  "Need something to take care of that pesky weed that's popping up all over your yard?  No problem!!!  Just dig them up and send them to Josanne--soon the little ghosts of crabgrass will be visiting your yard saying, "Lift your roots and RUN!!!  RUN for your lives!!!"
  

And last but not least, I could be:

• A doctor!  As amazing as this may sound, I actually determined all on my own that I am SICK!  Yes, I just looked at all the symptoms, put two and two together(when I wasn't busy whimpering and whining), and came up with the diagnosis.  And just as amazing as that, I also determined that Dakota was sick.  I know--I amaze myself too!  And see, I already have a great bedside manner-lots of hugs and love to my patients, and pity too!  I'm already cut out for the job if there is ever a shortage!

But really, I just want to stay with the customers I have.  I've grown to love them, and they are special to me.

It's a good thing there doesn't appear to be a shortage in the above mentioned fields--I wouldn't trade my customers!  And I'm not cut out for any of those jobs anyway, no matter HOW bad they WANT me!!!  I'm terrified of bears, I'm so allergic to pollen that I can't stand in the driveway for an hour without being a stuffed up mess unless I'm well medicated, and I'm also terrified of needles!!!!

So send me sympathy, and pray for my recovery so I can get back to work!  And please visit my blogs again.  They'll be more active when the creativity juices overpower the "I'm sick(cough, cough, cough)!!!  Achoo, SNIFFFFFFF......" stuff going on in my head!

Want to Meet Dan(hubby), and See What I Put Up With?

I've already introduced my hubby Dan, with his big debut in my Sweet Revenge story-it should give you a feel for what kind of man I'm married too.  :)  Daniel is a great guy, and honestly, one of the greatest people I know.  He's just very.....youthful!  Yes, that's the word!  He loves to entertain people, and if our walls could talk, they'd let you know that he even likes to entertain himself!  Yep, he's Pavaratti in the shower!  

Anyway, I thought this was hysterical, and wanted to share it with everyone.  This is an instant message conversation between Dan and our niece, Lauren.  Notice what Uncle Dan says about Aunt Josanne 2/3 of the way down the page, and what Niece Lauren responds!!! And also, her dad is my brother...keep that in mind. :)   Don't mind the IM punctuation!

It really is a good thing our walls can't talk.  I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did!

 hi aunt josanne

hello

is this josanne

nope... I'm the cat

the cat?

randomly typing as I walk on the keyboard

this is lauren

oh

this is Snowball

MEOWWWW

msnroighjargagapoj

is this amber?

AAACKKKKK!!!!!!!! HAIRBALL

haha

who is this?

jOSANNE

this is josanne?

NOT

oh my gosh

oh okay

What?

what

This is your GOOFY uncle!

uncle dan

muke

NO.... Uncle Snowball

muke yourself

oh UNCLE SNOW BALL

muke muke

yeah yeah I hear ya

muke you

Double muke right back at ya!

CHOCOLATE MUKE YOUR-SELF 

What exactly does Muke mean anyway?

i DON'T KNOW?

hahaha cool word anyways!

mutant alien muke!

slimy muke

fuzzy muke

wart hog muke

ugly muke!

neo nazi skin head muke

alien muke head

nasty muke skin

hahahaha 

greasy pimply muke

greasy slimeball muke face~

you greasy grimy muke head

haha

Isn't aunt josanne so boring? 

yeah sometimes

what if she's in here with me?

well I dont know. Well 

I would be embarresed

Your face should turn red-she's here 

she really isn't boring 

way to backpedal

what?

lola skum muke

my mom said she was probably sitting with you

Yep

that's okay dad gets boring too

AMEN!!!!!!!

UMM is he sitting there?

who?

your dad

no he is sleeping on the couch

oh

Hey... I'm gonna turn in for the night

Enjoyed yaking at you cross-eyed hemorging muke blob

A Final Chocolate Bouquet To Make

Be sure to click on the picture for a close-up view--you can see the details much better in the larger picture!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and this will be my final bouquet!  You can see my others by scrolling down on this blog, or by visiting my Delightful Domestications blog for one other idea.

Easy to make, but it takes a bit of time-maybe an hour or two.

You need a glass vase

basket fill confetti

wire flower stems(clean, new)

wire cutters 

a floral foam block 

an assortment of Valentine's candy-Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, plus I have pink and chocolate fudge and chocolate filled hearts in pink and red foil.

Put some confetti in the bottom of your vase.

Cut your foam block to fit inside your vase.  Push it into the confetti so it's kind of firm near the bottom.

Add more confetti around the foam block--I added mixed colored confetti to mine.  Then I did another layer of red, and another layer of mixed.

Take your wire floral stems, and poke them down into the vase until you feel it go thru the foam.  Sometimes you have to work a little to get it thru the confetti paper, but you'll be able to feel the difference.

Add your candies to about the top half of the wires by poking the candies thru the middles.  Your wires may need cut shorter, depending on the size of your vase.  It's nice to add different heights of wire too.

The candies with soft middles are easiest.  I use a spare cut wire to poke the kisses first, then I add them to the wire stems where they already have the holes.

Mix the candies on some of the wires, do all hearts on some, or whatever you wish!

Fill the vase full of candies!  I added gold ribbons to the top of my vase-you can add a ribbon or two if you like it!

And last but not least, enjoy!

  

   

  

The Best Smelling Laundry EVER!!!

Well, my Blon roots have appeared once again!  

I made one of my weekly trips to the laundromat yesterday, and I only needed to dry our clothes.  I saw someone at the other end of the laundromat that I thought I knew, but couldn't see quite good enough to tell. I kept glancing that way while I put my clothes in the dryers and got my first load started.

I got the one load going, and my husband's friend Jeff came down my way-so yes, I did know him.  While I was talking to him, I looked around for my dryer sheets, and was a bit stumped-I was sure I brought them.  I went and looked in the car-not there.  Looked in my empty baskets-not there either.  I started to call my daughter to see if I left them on the counter at home, but then hung up because I spotted them!  They were spinning in my first dryer-the whole box!

 

Noooo.......of course in the first 3 minutes they couldn't just stay in the box until I found them.  I pulled out an empty box that had been at least half full!  So I stood there and sifted the clothes for all of the dryer sheets, folded them and stuck them back in the box.

I'll be able to re-use the sheets, but they sure made that one load smell great!  Can you imagine if I had left them in for the whole time?  Since the sheets are anti-static, I  think each piece of clothing might act like when you try to force two magnets together and can't.  Maybe I would have been the star of the local laundromat show for my levitating load of laundry!

Next time I'll just pay attention to what I'm doing!  Sorry Jeff(hubby's friend)!  The laundry is demanding my full attention--I think I proved I can't multi-task too well!  :) 

  

Make a Rose and Chocolate Hearts Topiary!

This is a topiary with roses and chocolate hearts that you can make with just a little creativity.  It almost looks wedding-ish or Christmas-y, but the hearts are for Valentine's Day.  I apologize my pictures are not a little lighter and clearer.  Click on the pictures to see a closer up of each picture.

What you will need:

A foam topiary(mine is laying down in the picture so you can see the whole thing.

A vase or basket

A small amount of Spanish moss

Two leafy garlands-I have a large leaf garland, and a garland with smaller leaves

Twelve or so roses

A gold swag or gold leaves

Gold ribbon

Heart shaped, cream filled chocolate candies, wrapped in red($1 a bag at Walmart)--you'll probably  need 3 or 4 bags-they're small

Corsage pins

Wire cutters

Scissors

    

Most of the items I used were very inexpensive, so this arrangement won't cost too much to make.  Just pick a foam topiary up from the craft store, and pick a vase or basket that the topiary base fits nicely in.  

Add spanish moss to fill in any emply space in the base if you need to, and just a little on top of the foam base to cover it.

Circle the gold leaves at the base of the arrangement(on top of foam base)-spread them out nicely.  Some fabric florals have wires in them so that you can bend them the way you desire.

Next, swirl your large leaf garland around the base, and then around and up the rest of the topiary.  Bend the wires in the garland so that they go around like you want them to.  Use a corsage pin if you need a little help to hold the garland in place-stick the pin in the foam.

Take your cream filled chocolate hearts, and drive a corsage pin thru the middle of them, and then place neatly over exposed sections of the topiary foam.  I added two hearts to the gold leaves also.

Next, add your roses around the garland wherever they look best(you gotta just let your creativity take over!).

Use the second garland and gold ribbon to fill in empty spots.  I remove the individual leaves from the garland, which are clustered together in 2's and 3's, and then attached to the vine with a plastic circle.  I remove the cluster, and insert the corsage pin thru the plastic ring.  Then I add wherever needs filled.  You can sometimes add 2 leaf rings to a pin for a fuller effect.

A beautiful centerpiece or corner arrangement!  With enough little chocolates that it can be called a Valentine's arrangement!  

Be creative and add or subtract your own ideas!  Enjoy!

There's a fine line.....

Okay, I lied.

There are MANY fine lines.......when I smile.

 

I've looked over the past 10 or 15 years, and there are a few certain incidents that I remember....

I remember in my 20's, I was trying to show Dan how I could still do a cartwheel.  So we went out into the yard, and made sure no one was looking, and I attempted to show him...I'm sure you are all familiar with the sudden pain that shoots through your body in one place or another, like a giant charlie horse.  I had the pain, but mine wasn't a horse, it had something more to do with a ham, I think.

I also tried to show my dear hubby how I could lay on my stomach, push my upper body up and fold my knees, so that my head and feet touched-that perfect triangle.  Well, my "I'm a dude" dude(see my Sweet Revenge story if you don't know what I'm talking about!) informed me that I looked like a perfect U, or an upright rectangle with the top line cut off.  

Just two weeks ago, a friend looked up at my hair and announced to my utter shock, "You're getting gray!!!"  Really?!!  Where?!!  I can just pretend that when I part my hair certain ways, it doesn't look like I've taken up frosting, in "Silvery Moon" by Clairol.  And I got to thinking, with friends like this, who needs.....oh, never mind.  :)

Am I complaining?  No!  Not at all!  

All I am actually trying to say is, in 2 days I will be 39, and I just ain't no spring chicken anymore!  Gray hair and wrinkles~I've earned them all!!!  I even got my wisdom teeth in my 20's(except they took them away, and just left me with beauty)!!!  And I made sure I let my friend know that I was proof that you can be gray and beautiful!  I mean, Dan's had gray since he was 18, and I still look at him and think, "He sure is handsome!"  Now we're just distinguished together!!!  Oh, and I let my friend know I was that, too!  :)

For my birthday, if we don't get hit with another blizzard, Dan and I, and Dan's brother Tim and his new bride, Niki, are going to a Japanese restaurant in Erie called Hibachi.  I hear it's quite an experience, and they cook at your table!  They also throw shrimp at you to catch, but you know, with me getting older and all, I think I'll ask them to set it on my plate, since the reflexes don't work so well anymore.  

I don't mind my age, I'm just a little scared, that's all.  I mean, what if everyone expects me to grow up?  

Actually, that's not really going to be a problem for me.  Now when Dan hits 40, that's gonna be a problem for him!  ;P

I guess it just really hits home when people call me "Ma'am".  As long as no one buys me a red hat and purple accessories for a few more years, I'll let that one slip......    :)

Just Wondering....

If one billion people in the world lost 10 pounds each, would the world be a lighter place?  :)

Make a Chocolate Bouquet

Please check my Delightful Domestications blog for another chocolate bouquet that I made with Reese's mini cups and Kisses!

Click on picture for a close up of the bouquet!

Valentine's Day is coming up, so what better time to decorate with a chocolate bouquet!!!  This is the time of year when candies are wrapped in reds, pinks, silvers, etc, so you can work with some of the colors you can't find just any time of year.

This was very simple.  In the first picture, notice the whole setting.  I have my porcelain vase with my hair flowers in it, my diamond shaped candle holder and candle, my square glass dish, my doily, and my vase of flowers.  

All I did was take a bouquet of flowers that I already had on my dresser, and pulled some of the flowers off of the wire stems(some of the stems are also plastic-those are mostly the flowers I left on).  I then took Hershey Kisses and placed them on the stems.  You may need to take a thin wire(clean-I used new floral metal wires, found in the floral department of Walmart) to make the whole before adding it to the stem.  

The close up picture shows you the red and silver Hershey Kisses I added.

If you would like more of the red and silver to make your setting more decorated, notice the changes in the last picture.  I added more Kisses to the bouquet, using metal flower wires.  I also removed the candle from the candle holder and replaced it with Kisses, and also added them to my square glass dish, and spilled them across the doily.  

A simple little display!  Make a display for your bedroom, or on your coffee table in your livingroom, or a centerpiece for your kitchen or diningroom table!

A Very Special Tribute

Today is a day or remembrance for all of us who knew Nicholas Masiker, a gifted young man that was taken in a car accident 2 years ago.  He was my children's classmate, my church's very talented musician and jokester, brother to Laura and Mary-Kay,  and our very dear friends' Larry and Brenda's son.  

Please take the time to look at my 6 blogs, as each one will have something different that we would like to offer for Nicholas' remembrance.  And as you read each blog, please say a prayer for this dear family, Larry and Brenda, and their two daughters, Laura and Mary-Kay.

Because my Chocolate Bouquet blog is my light-hearted blog, I wanted to share a story that Laura told at Nicholas' funeral.  The below story was written by Laura-enjoy. :)

It was in the early parts of the year 1997, my brother was 8 and I was 9. We were home schooled children, living in the country, and we had no television or computers. But, we had imagination and each other. We fought like cats and dogs to the point that we were either going to kill each other or Mom was going to kill us and we also played together as best of friends because up to this point in our lives we really only had each other as playmates.   It was in February that our dad’s uncle passed away who had been a member of the Navy for several years. To my brother this was cool--here we are going to a military funeral! I don’t remember much about the funeral, but I do remember that a soldier folded a flag and presented it to a family member, they spoke words of his military career, did a 21-gun salute, and honored him before the mourners. Right before they closed the casket, all soldiers present reverently approached the casket and solemnly declared, “Farewell, my departed comrade.” In all reality this was a very sad and solemn occasion but to an 8 and 9 year old it was just a fascinating experience.   It wasn’t too long after that my brother and I were home playing inside on a blustery day, when one of us had a splendid idea. Since we both loved to pretend, we decided we were going to play military funeral. Nicholas insisted on being the soldier so, unfortunately, I was the deceased, laid out on my bed in the finest fashion in solemnity and sadness. As I laid there stock still (only peeking a little) my brother carries his toy rifle around the room, marching with a sad look on his face. He folded the flag and presents it to a teddy bear. He slowly approaches my “casket” and looks down at me as his little body salutes. He stood there looking at me with sorrow as he sadly blurts, “Farewell, my departed cobweb.”   That was the end of our playtime…my mom and I succumbed to laughter as she tried to explain to Nicholas that he heard wrong. We laughed about it for several years.   Ten years later I stood at my brother’s casket and reverently looked at him in sorrow. He was 18 and I was 19, just beginning our lives as adults. We were good friends by this time and had a lot of fun times together. As I stood there focusing on every detail of his still form, memories rolled back in my mind taking me to a place when we were little and full of imagination. I didn’t do it in form, but I mentally saluted Nick and said to him in tears and indescribable sorrow mixed together, “Farewell, my departed cobweb.”   Unknowingly, my brother had declared silly words as a child that later on he became known by. I spoke at his funeral and relived that story to the laughing crowd, but I wonder how many people, as they traveled by his casket saying good-bye for the last time, said to him, “Farewell, my departed cobweb.”   It has been 2 years now! Time sure does fly by. I wonder who Nick would be if he were still alive and I wonder where he would be. But sometimes when the sorrow is the worst and I miss him so much I go to his graveside and talk. Sometimes I just sit and remember. Other times I weep. But every once in a while his deep voice comes echoing back from somewhere in the heavens and I hear the things he used to say, sing, and play and ever so faintly I can hear, “Farewell, my departed cobweb!”

CHANGE In the White House

Yesterday was a huge day for America!  The day our new president, Mr. Barack Obama was inaugurated into the White House.  Part of one of his campaign slogans was change.  We have a president that is facing many challenges that need his attention, and he has some new ideas that, if implimented, will change some of what we see and know in the United States of America today.

But I think many of us are overlooking who is really going to bring change to the White House!  And indeed, will also change the way other countries have seen the USA for years.

What am I talking about?  I'm talking about those two cute little girls that come along with the presidential package for the next 4-8 years!

I happen to have a 10 year old myself, and even tho mine is a boy, I've had two girls that have been ages 7 and 10 before, so I am talking from an experienced point of view-except, of course, I haven't had ambassadors and world leaders to my home(other than my royal kitty, Jazz!).

Envision with me:

Can you see President Obama in a very important meeting with a room full of world leaders, and Malia and Sasha sneak off to that end of the White House, standing in the hallway, elbowing each other and giggling, one daring the other to "do it!".  While Mr. President is facing the men, with his back to the door, suddenly all heads look past him.  He turns just in time to see two little heads poking out from one side, tongues stuck out and thumbs in ears while waving fingers at the men who are keeping their daddy company.

Of course, this could solve a lot of problems!  World peace?  Absolutely!  Now bring Michelle and  those little girls in here and let's have cookies and milk!  This is WAY more fun than war!

Or let's imagine that Queen Elizabeth is here, and upon entering the White House, her shoe sticks to the floor.  The First Lady says, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry.....gummy bears!", as she reaches down to  scrape the remainder off the floor.  

What would the Queen do?  Do you think she would take a deep breath, clutch her purse a little tighter, and walk down the hall to the livingroom, as if nothing happened?  Or, do you think she might chuckle and say, "Oh don't worry about it!  William and Harry used to do the same thing!  Let me tell you about the time Margaret Thatcher came over and the boys put a whoopie cushion in her seat!....."

Will they slide down the banisters?  When they think no one is looking, will they jump on the beds?  

I hope the media is kind to these little girls, and allows them to be just that-little girls.  I also hope that the President and First Lady will share a few eye-rolling moments with us, so we can enjoy their children too.  :)