Goodwill Find - Lamp ReVamp

I am becoming a weekly goodwill hunting addict. I found two lamps there recently for $1.99 each. One had a pathetic ill-fitted lampshade while the other had none.

This lamp was in pretty good shape, just need a fresh coat of Heirloom White spray paint.

I love the shape of this lamp, short and fat. I needed that for a tall cream colored table, so this lamp needed to be painted.

Lamp No. 1 with a fresh coat of spray paint and a new lampshade from Target.



Lamp No. 2 with a fresh coat of spray pant and a new lampshade also from Target.

confession ... i don't make pancakes from scratch

Does everyone make pancakes from scratch? I tried it twice, I didn't like it. Feeding 3 hungry kids at the same time, homemade pancakes just doesn't cut it. Does this make me less of a mom because I don't mix the batter and perfectly pour an exact amount onto a skillet? Does it make me less of a cook because my son can open the freezer, unwrap cellophane, put the frozen 3 stack of pancakes in the microwave, hit the 1 minute button and call it a day? Well, I don't think so, but I keep reading about how certain mothers would NEVER make pancakes from the freezer and from "scratch" is the only way.

I don't like that my skillet can only hold 3 pancakes at a time. I don't want a bigger skillet or a griddle, that means i just have to find somewhere to store it and I'd probably never use it for anything else, which would make me mad.

So shoot me. I make frozen pancakes. And I'm proud of it.

h a l l o w e e n

Our beggar's night happened last night. Our city doesn't allow trick or treat on a Friday or Saturday night for safety reasons ..... so here they are: A scary skeleton lacrosse player, the cutest, rockin' Hannah Montana I've ever seen, and a frightful, ugly zombie.

I know my organizing skills pay off now and then when my kids come home from trick or treating and immediately spill their candy on the table and declare "let's organize this mess." Don't ya love it!

h1n1, swine flu, pig virus ... whatever we've got it

Well, at least the medical community is telling us that they are 95% sure we have it. If you test positive for the type A flu, 95% of those patients are suffering from h1n1. It started last weekend with Brock and myself. He was home until today. Then 2 nights ago, Sophie woke up puking in the middle of the night. Tomorrow will be her day 3. From what I've heard [and what we've been through] it lasts 4 days. Fever, chills, headache, sore throat, vomiting, etc. Initially I heard [several months ago] that the symptoms were only a bad headache and fever/chills. Well, now h1n1 is all encompassing and you can easily experience every aspect of yuk possible. We all only threw up one time each, so that wasn't horrible. Honestly, I've had the flu much worse than this.

we've been busy

Just wrapping up some sporting events here. We've just been busy. Big N was head coach for the boys football team this year ... the Buffaloes. Here they are getting their trophies:

Brock was more interested in playing in all the leaves in the background (lol)

Sophie finishing her fall soccer. To brag a bit, the highest goal scorer on the team and fastest runner.

what an action shot

and we began a new sport this year for Brock ... hockey

talk about an exciting game. We're looking forward to this new [and long season] sport.

Last night Cole began basketball practice with Big N being head coach. He just can't say no.

d e a t h

it's a rainy, gray day

almost the type of day

you'd expect to get sad news

news of loss

it seems fitting doesn't it

death comes expected

and anticipated

but yet when it actually comes

you're still not ready

it still leaves a void

a hole in your heart

i can imagine nothing worse

than a slow, painful death

that's what cancer brings

it rears its ugly head

over and over

until you are beaten down

faith must be strong

lightly turning rosary beads

around in ones hands

questioning why He has done this

and then

finding solace in

knowing what you will find

at the end

is beautiful and painless

a release, at last

after a very long journey

Thrifty Finds

Linking up to rhonda's blog at southern hospitality. Goodwill find on the denim valance $1.99, hockey stick [free from a neighbor] and the hanging rings from Wal-mart. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to mount this. BB is playing house hockey this year and is a huge Columbus Blue Jackets fan. So that's what his bedroom is done in. The walls are a blue/gray color, not light blue as the first photo looks - had to use my flash because it's raining and that's a dark corner in his room. Wall color in second photo is much better.