I Knew Who I Was This Morning, But I Have Changed a Few Times Since Then

Make Something Monday has moved to Tuesday this week because I am giving this project as a set of gifts, and I did not want to post them until after I had been able to give them to the recipients.

Maybe I have trouble keeping up with things these days.  I have sticky notes, notes on calendars, notes on scratch pads, and multiple reminders of upcoming events on both my phone and iPad.  It makes me sad, because I used to be able to memorize my entire grocery list when shopping, without having to write a thing down.  I guess it's just part of getting older.

However, trying to stay organized and on top of things is what inspired this project.  I needed to give gifts to some fellow board members, and I decided to make them to-do boards (based on the prayer memo board that I have previously made).  I used cookie sheets from the dollar store, scrapbook paper,round magnets, decorative rocks,  and ribbon.  They are really easy projects, and I enjoy making them.

I drilled holes and added ribbon in case they wanted to hang the boards on a wall, but also glued four of the round magnets on the back corners so that they could be hung on filing cabinets, desks, or the fridge.

It helps to get the paper in more securely if you round corner the corners, but I am sure you could skip that step if you needed to.  A spray adhesive or a spreadable glue that you could brush on would work much better than what I tried to use for this project.  Buttons and scrap costume jewelry pieces are great embellishments for projects like this.

Better Late Than Never - Happy 4th of July!

This was a glass vase that I covered with scrapbook paper, Outdoor Mod Podge, and glitter.  I don't particularly like working with the paper on glass (or maybe it was the shape, the wrinkles were terrible), and I don't really like working with the Outdoor Mod Podge because of the consistency and its tackiness.

Well Hello There, Stranger

So yeah, it's been a while since I have blogged.  I know, but blogging takes up a good amount of time and I have had my hands full with Little Man, Deputy D, and our new addition to the family, Bella.

Deputy D made  me start crafting again to try and relieve some of my stress, and I have fallen in love with Mod Podge.  I may not have time to sit down and blog on a regular basis, but I figured I might at least have time to post pictures of my projects occasionally.

If you decide to try your hand at projects involving Mod Podge, I STRONGLY suggest you check out Mod Podge Rocks and read her FAQ section and watch her videos.

I had some leftover scraps of paper from a different project, and here is my first attempt at decoupage using Mod Podge.  It turned out alright, but I like some of my more recent project much better.  Pictures will follow soon!

Truthful Tuesday - My Magical Secret Weapon

I pondered on Facebook a while back that high heels have magical powers.  And I really think they do.  I first realized it right after Little Man was born and I was struggling with being separated and a new mom at the same time.  I had found these beautiful gold-colored pumps with black lace and velvet bows.  I wore them to work one day, and I strutted around the office feeling pretty great about myself.

One of my co-workers commented in the break-room at lunchtime that there was something different about me that day, but that she could not put her finger on it.  I was puzzled, as I was not wearing a new outfit and I did not have a different haircut.  A wizened, older gentleman sitting at the table next to our smiled sagely and  nodded his head towards the floor where I was sitting.  "It's the shoes," he said.

I didn't think much about it at the time, but over the years I have noticed that whenever I put on a pair of high heels, my self-confidence sky rockets.  I feel pretty and sexy and strong.  I can't explain it, I just know that's how it is.

I have always loved shoes, but my obsession with high heels is a more recent one.  The heels keep getting taller and taller.  And yes, the taller they get, the more uncomfortable they become but I honestly don't care because I feel so good about myself.

Who knew that a shoe has the power to make a woman feel like she can conquer the world?  Ridiculous, you say?  Maybe.  But I am telling you that it is true.

Perhaps it is that the shoes make me feel ultra-feminine.  Perhaps it is because they make me taller.  All I know is that on days when I am facing a tough meeting or situation, I come armed with my tallest, most sparkly pair of shoes.  And I feel like nothing can bring me down.

Moral of the story?  Feeling down about yourself?  Have a meeting or presentation coming up that you are nervous about?  Just need a little pick-me-up?  Take my advice and go out and splurge on a gorgeous, sparkly pair of high heels.  It will make all the difference in the world!

Tasty Thursday - Yummy Snowball Cookies

A.K.A. Southern Pecan Butterballs or Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cookies or Emo Marie's Nemesis...

Last Christmas, I tried and failed miserably to make a yummy batch of snowball cookies after sampling some at a holiday party.  I scoured the web and tried several different recipes, but never found one that worked out for me.  Most of them turned into a crumbly mess.

I decided to try again this year because I really do love the cookies, and I found this recipe on the Facebook page of a blogger that I follow.  It worked out beautifully, and the cookies were really yummy.  I think the secret is that it uses butter-flavored shortening and powdered sugar rather than the more traditional-type recipes I had previously tried.

The recipe is really simple, just mix all the ingredients together and then form into balls.  I used a cookie scoop to measure the dough and then shaped it into balls.  Bake and then roll into powdered sugar while warm.  Once they cool, roll in powdered sugar a second time for a more complete coating.

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Cookies

Truthful Tuesday - Mother Always Knows Best

Except that sometimes she doesn't because she doesn't have a clue what she is doing and just wants everyone else to think that she does.

I am sitting here typing, almost in tears, because I am in way over my head.

Homework for Little Man has been an huge issue for us this school year.  We spend 2-3 hours every night on homework that should take 15-20 minutes tops, and there are tears and screaming and pleading before it is all said and done.

It's not that Little Man struggles with the material, he just doesn't see the point in homework.  So for him, that is the end of the story.  In his mind, he has done his duty by sitting through school all day and should be free to pursue whatever he wants once he gets home.

And tonight...  Well tonight was probably the craziest experience we have had to date because he spent over 30 minutes arguing with both Deputy Doug and me that it was not him that wrote one of his spelling words incorrectly.  When he was the only one in the kitchen with a pencil in his hand.  He didn't know how it got there, but he was not the one who wrote it.

Really?

The first few minutes, I just stared at him incredulously with my jaw hanging open because, for the life of me, I could not fathom that we were even having this conversation.  I, somewhat calmly,  reiterated to him that he was the only one in the kitchen and therefore it could only be him who wrote the spelling word, but he was insistent that it was not him.

How do you handle something like that?  He was not budging an inch.  And he cried and he screamed while I tried to keep my calm and employ some of the techniques that the autism specialist has been working with us on, when inside I was screaming and crying as well.  He finally gave in and admitted that it was him that wrote the word after 45 minutes of conversation, losing most of his privileges, and him seeing that I was not going to budge an inch either.

How naive of me to think that with the new year upon us and two weeks off from school (plus the fact that Little Man came home in an extremely good mood) that things might be different.

How did my mom do it?  She always seemed so sure of herself and what she was doing.  I have to wonder if she ended up in her room at night, hiding in a corner and rocking herself while trying to figure out what the heck she was doing.  Because that's what I feel like doing sometimes.

I love Little Man to the moon and back, but sometimes I have to wonder if God gave this precious little imp to the wrong mother.  Because there has to be someone out there that would handle this a lot better than me, and that would be more wise and know how to help Little Man work through these things.

I have a couple of names and numbers of mothers who also are raising boys with Aspergers.  Friends who have seen me struggling have been kind enough to try and find me someone to talk to who has been there and done that already, so that I can see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  I have been told  that one of the mothers has handled the situation by just embracing her son's quirkiness.  I have been hesitant to call because I am scared that they are going to tell me that my situation is nothing compared to others and I am just being a wimp.  Or that I am handling everything all wrong.  Or that I am a complete and utter failure as a mother.

But seeing as how I am pretty sure that I am going to need some kind of support to make it through this, maybe now is a good time to pick up the phone and call.  Maybe I am not the only mother who feels like she doesn't have a clue about how to raise another human being.  Maybe mother doesn't always know best and needs to admit as much.