In Which I Brag on Myself

Look-ee what I did! See that fabric cornice board? I made that-with styrofoam! I found some instructions for a lightweight cornice board here. But the thing I'm most proud of is...



See those ecru panels?

Canvas painter's drop cloths.

Really.

Got them at ThePaintStore.com for $7.53 a piece. They are 4' by 12' and already finished at the edges. They have a really great weight and texture. All I had to do was cut off the top to the desired length and sew a simple rod pocket. Ta-da!

Bottom line...I paid $1.88 per yard for my drapes. Ha! Fabric.com, I laugh at your $6.98 per yard canvas!

Please excuse the chair that does not match. It is due to be re-covered.

In other news...

I walked in the other day and my 8-year old had lined up in the butler's pantry all of her Webkinz that need to be repaired due to the Beast that runs our house and destroys all things near and dear to us, a.k.a Tess the Sheltie.

I said, "Whatcha doin'?"

She said, in her most serious voice, "THIS is the infirmary."

I just love that she knows words like 'infirmary' and uses them when I least expect it.

Here are the patients:




I'm not sure the one missing his entire face in going to make it.

I don't think he has health insurance.

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

Buy		Read

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl with April Henry is a good, solid mystery and a quick read. The main characters are three life-long friends who call themselves the Triple Threat. Cassidy is a reporter, Allison is a prosecuting attorney and Nicole is an FBI agent. Unfortunately, it’s very reminiscent of James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series and doesn’t hold up by comparison. The plot line was also reminiscent of the Gary Condit/Chandra Levy case and therefore felt a little predictable. I felt like the characters weren’t fully developed and seemed more like strangers to each other even though they are supposed to be life-long friends. I also felt like there were way too many issues or themes introduced that weren’t fully developed: online predators, infertility, pregnancy, domestic abuse, stalkers, etc. They weren’t integral to the plot necessarily so I felt like they either should have been left out completely or dealt with more extensively through the story line. As it is, it felt like they were briefly mentioned and then neatly tied up and the book moved on. I do appreciate Lis’ expertise in law, politics and criminal investigation which lend the plot an air of authenticity. Overall, an interesting read even if I wouldn’t call it a thriller.

Freedom Friday 04.17.09

Welcome to Freedom Friday! If you're new here, you can go to this post to find out who inspired Freedom Friday.

Today's principle is:

I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

The timing of this one could not have been any better since we just "celebrated" Tax Day on April 15th. I don't know about you but I've never felt charitable on April 15th.

Conveniently, I've already discussed this one a little in this post so click on over there so I don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Now I'd like to tell you about the April 15 Tax Day Tea Party I attended with my family. The main stream media would have you believe that these protests (which were held all over the country) were about high taxes. They would also have you believe that the people who attended these parties are Anti-Obama, Republican, crazy, racist, hate-mongering, right-wing extremists. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The parties were actually about out-of-control government spending. Of course, the enormous spending of today will inevitably result in higher taxes tomorrow. So I guess the parties were indirectly about taxes. And they weren't necessarily anti-Obama. George W. started this outrageous spending. The Republicans are as much to blame as the Democrats.

As for the kinds of people who attended the parties...imagine Mayberry meets Leave It To Beaver meets Dukes of Hazzard. There were grandparents, families with small children, teens, college students, good 'ol boys, small business owners, retirees, veterans...people from all walks of life. And they were so nice and friendly! I heard "Oh, I'm so sorry, is my sign in your way?" and "Oh dear, who do these sunglasses belong to?" and "Let's be sure to pick up our trash." In fact, my dad said, "Conservatives really don't know how to throw a protest, do they? Shouldn't we be burning something?!" There was fun music and for cryin' out loud, an ice cream truck! I was so proud to be able to show my kids that THIS is how change happens in America. We don't have coup d'etats or violent revolutions. Praise God, we have the right to assembly and peaceful protest!

The Tea Parties were about connecting with like-minded individuals and having our voice heard. And a good time was had by all!

Here are a few pics:








This Ain't New York had a great post about her experience. Very eloquent!

Big Mama had a hilarious post about her husband's adventure at the San Antonio Tea Party.

Something's Brewing and It Isn't Earl Grey

So the family and I went to the Tax Day Tea Party at the State Capitol yesterday. I plan to blog about it tomorrow for Freedom Friday but thought I'd share a couple of things to whet your appetite.

First, it was so fun to read all the signs that people had made. Some clever, some not, and a few just baffling. This one made me giggle every time I glanced at it. See the white one that reads "HELP! My gov't is robbing me!"



Every time I glanced at it my brain registered it as "HELP! My gout is killing me!" And I kept picturing a little old person that had taken a wrong turn and thought they were protesting in front of the nursing home.

Yeah, I'm that easily amused.

I turned over my camera to my 8 year-old to keep her entertained and it quickly evolved into a supermodel photo shoot starring her sister which resulted in the pictures like the following:




I also got a lot of pictures of the sky, the ground, and very surprised motorists driving in the other lane beside us on the interstate. And of course...



The all-important Ice Cream Truck with the irritating jingle. Shameless capitalist! He knew he had a captive audience of parents desperate to pacify their children. Good job, Ice Cream Guy!

More tomorrow. I must go to bed.

You're Invited

I'd like to invite you to a tea party...






No, silly! Not THAT kind of tea party!


THIS kind of tea party...



I've reassured my 8-year old that she won't really have to drink any tea. She was very relieved although quite disappointed that there won't be any cookies either. I'm also fairly certain there won't be any 18th century ships either. And I'm pretty sure we won't really be dumping crates of tea into the river.

What we WILL be doing is protesting out-of-control government spending. The main stream media would have you believe that tomorrow's Tax Day Tea Parties, which are being held all over the country, are simply about taxes. They argue that the tax rates now are the same as they were under Ronald Reagan. While that may be true right now, how do you suppose we are going to pay for all this outrageous spending that Washington is doing right now? Or rather, how do you suppose our children will pay for this outrageous spending? Yep. That's right. Higher taxes. Stifling, oppressive taxes. Our current spending amounts to fiscal child abuse!

So if you're going to be in the Little Rock area tomorrow afternoon come join my family from 3:45 pm - 6:00 pm at the Capitol.

We'll party like it's 1773!

Update to add: We will also be collecting canned goods and non-perishable items for the Arkansas FoodBank Network.

TOP TEN ITEMS NEEDED:

Canned meats/fish/poultry
Canned/Packaged Meals
Peanut Butter
Cereal
Soups
Canned Vegetables
Canned Fruits
100% Juices
Pasta and Pasta Sauces
Diapers