Richardson's Randoms

Who Knew????

2009-11-09T18:29:00.001-06:00

…a Trick or Treating Pail could be so much fun?

Enters mischievous little girl.

Do you see the twinkle? Do you see the sparkle?

Momma is so patient and loving.

She has the prettiest smile around… even with a pail on her head.

Ashelyn thought she was so cute!

hmmmm…. Who should be next???

Can you see Me? I can see You!!!

Peek a Boo!!! How Do You Do?

I think it’s Bubba’s turn… don’t you?

No really… it won’t hurt at all… just try it!

See isn’t it cool? I sure think so!

Well… I guess I’ll humor sissy!

Yup! She’s right! It is sooooo fun!

Now… Wasn’t that just the funniest night ever?!?

Who Knew???

Best Found Photo Ever…

2009-11-08T09:17:00.001-06:00

So I found this uber awesome photo of Brent’s family from around 1976. Love, love, love the do’s, get ups, and especially dad’s muttonchops. Pretty much it is the best picture ever. I scanned this from a little button… It scanned great, gotta love the Picasa. We think Bj was around 12 in this photo. Wasn’t he just a cutie pie?

New Look for Fall…

2009-11-07T15:19:00.001-06:00

So I was thinking… It’s been over a year since I messed with my hair… That is way too long for me! Time for a new do.

Really, the only thing I changed was the color. I went with Red-Oak… just so you know, the color turned out totally different than the sample looked. Oh well, that’s what you get when you color your hair yourself. Lucky for me, I kinda like it.

I went shopping last weekend and picked up this dress, shirt, skirt thingee I have on in the photo above. The boys told me to wear it as pictured… I thought I better get a picture so I can see how I look before I venture out in to the public. Thank goodness! That is just way too much leg showing for someone with old chubby knees. It would maybe look cute with the right pair of jeans under it, but that is even debatable. I removed the straps and wore it as a skirt with a sweater over the t-shirt… mucho better… what do you think of my photography? I had to use the timer…please pay no attention to the snarl in the second picture… I snarl sometimes, what can I say? I’ll try it again another time. Misty is way better at the self photography… she has that uber long reach and the perfect smile every time… oh well that’s life.

Saturday Morning at GrandMa’s

2009-11-02T17:45:00.001-06:00

I love, love, love these reflection shots of the little ones. Ashelyn came over to visit with Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday morning with Momma, while Daddy and Gideon were working on things for the big Party. I thought she looked so very pretty in her purple and black, I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures.

Such a sweet little girl. She just wanted to go outside and play with the puppy dogs.

You know she needed a snack before she headed out to Wal-Mart with Mommy and Grandma. What a good little girl she was. Her babies had to come along as well. Good times!

Halloween Goodness…

2009-11-01T18:35:00.001-06:00

Here is our sweet little Lady Bug and our super sweet Bumble Bee. They hit the candy before the little hob-goblins showed up. The whole Doan Gang and extended family that live in the KC area met at Misty’s and Jakes for a little chili goodness and some trick or treating fun.

I love this shot of Ashelyn’s curls. I always wanted Misty to have curls… she did, but we had to perm her hair to get them.

She was so excited to get to trick or treat… she was all about the candy.

Here is the whole hee haw gang. It was hard to get them to stand still for a picture. You can see that the little ones are all looking in different directions. They were all so cute in their costumes. Check out Jason in his Gnome suit. How cute is he?

Bj couldn’t resist an opportunity to dress up and scare a few kiddies as they came for their candy. We’re a bit warped, what can I say.

Ella and Jenna weren’t sure what to think of Gid’s and Ashelyn’s Grandpa. They decided he was okay.

This was the best shot I could get of the little Doan Family the kids just wanted to trick or treat… they certainly did not want to stop for pictures… who even need those anyway?

Anywho… more pictures later. It was a super fun evening. Thank Jacob and Misty for hosting this fun family event.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist just a few more… Ashelyn was seriously eating three suckers at once… and momma and daddy let her cuz they said Halloween only happens once a year.

This makes me giggle. What a mess.

She was bound and determined to eat this one… she didn’t care that the paper was still on. Gideon was a moving target the whole evening and refused to let Grandma get a picture… pooh!

The Red Hot Chili Peppers of ACT

2009-10-30T15:07:00.001-05:00

We’re Red Hots or Red Hot Chili Peppers… whatever you want to call us.

You can see some of us were a little more into it than others.

A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Misty and Jacob for printing our t-shirts with their awesome new vinyl cutter. You all ROCK!

Here’s a picture of the whole ACT crew that participated in this years costume contest. You can see Michael is alive and well at ACT.

Here Michael is with his body guard… kinda scary huh? We have fun.

Before and After…

2009-10-25T21:06:00.001-05:00

BEFORE

Sad… but useable

AFTER

Glam, Glorious, Glitzy and Girly… Hers

Bold and Beautiful… His

Please don’t mind the towels beneath them… still a little tacky… had to protect my new floor.

Mine with a temporary topper.

ps… I tried to paint the lamp shade. When you turn it on it looks yucky… pooh!

Oh well I guess a new shade at least is on the horizon.

Bj’s with his man stuff.

What I used…

White hi-gloss spray paint for the handles… about 20 coats… I’m not even kidding.
Klean-Strip Easy Liquid Sander Deglosser… You wipe down the wood with this. I went over the whole thing twice.
Interior Water-Based Primer. I gave the entire thing two coats.
Dutch Boy Home Interior Premium Latex Wall & Trim Enamel in Semi-Gloss… Swiss Coffee

It took pretty much all day to get both nightstands complete.

I should have sanded in between the primer coats… I’m a bit of a slacker

Yes I am happy with the final outcome.

Bedroom Makeover in Progress…

2009-10-25T13:55:00.001-05:00

I fail at taking a before shot… but, what I did… taped off picture and painted the matt and frame American Accents Heirloom White. I also touched up the shelves to ensure they would match. I took a bargain spray from Home Interiors and added the light blue flowers and the bow… don’t love it, but it will have to do for now.

ps… Pay no attention to what is on the shelves… that too is a work in progress.

Here is a close up of the spray… It will work for now because it ties the quilt and the painting together nicely.

Here is the fountain the kids got me for Christmas last year. I love it! The base was black and for some reason our hard water made the paint bubble up… so I painted it with the indoor/outdoor Heirloom White as well. Then I added the cobalt blue and pearl white glass for a pop of color. I will have to wait to add water for a couple of days yet so that the paint has time to cure. I love how it turned out!

I shouldn’t even put this picture in, but it does show my lovely floor. Is that dust… I think it is… hmmmm…. what can I say, I was working and got excited to take a few pictures… should have dust mopped first. Oh well, please ignore the lamp and ugly night stand also… oh, and the missing switch plate… still need to change all electrical outlets and switches over to white. The lamp is also a work in progress. I painted the brass a gloss white and painted the shade as well to make a nice clear surface for covering. The fabric that is draped over it will soon be a new shade cover and table scarves. We aren’t fast by any means, but it will eventually be complete.

And NOW… my BEFORE

I have two of these little lovelies! Brent and I got these as hand me downs from his mom and pop. I know they were part of their first bedroom set. So… I’m guessing they are going on 35+ years. Certainly dated… but I know they can be improved greatly with a little elbow grease some primer and about a dozen coats of paint. Hey, check out those handles… aren’t they just a scary sight. We’ll see what a coat of paint does for them. Oh, and funny thing. The two night stands have different handles. I wonder what’s up with that. Anywho, stay tuned for the after pictures.

Her Voice Gives Me Chills...

2009-10-17T05:22:00.006-05:00

Absolutely Beautiful!!!
If I could only...

In my dreams I sing like this.

One more for good measure...
The Voice: Hayley Westenra

Ok... So Maybe I'm Warped...

2009-10-17T05:14:00.002-05:00

This Makes Me Giggle!!!

What can I say? I like Ukulele Music.

More From PompLaMoose...

2009-10-15T19:44:00.002-05:00

I love, love, love her voice!

I think they are so very fun and quirky.
I'm really quite jealous.

Can I get a Hallelujah?!!!

2009-10-12T23:22:00.001-05:00

Yes, it’s finally begun. Our new bedroom floor… I am uber excited. Yup… I’m walking on Sunshine… Yeahhhhh!!!! And don’t it feel good… Yup it sure do.

I think this one shows the pretty grain… I love, love, LOVE it!!!! My poor little sweetie has gone to bed and tomorrow is a full day of swim meets and choir concerts so it will have to be ~~Wednesday~~ this weekend before we get to finish and have a bedroom reveal. You may not remember the original post where this project began it was soooooo LONG ago…. but check it out HERE and HERE (~~Yes, I’m a very patient wife to wait this long~~… come on we’re talking March… who even waits this long for floor? Well apparently us. No really when you pay cash sometimes you have to wait forever and then nag, nag, nag and nag some more, then when you’ve given up all hope of ever having a floor in your bedroom, your amazing husband goes out and buys the PERFECT floor all on his own… so yes a little patience does pay off in the end).

Ok… I looked up patience and I pretty much fail… this is what it says…

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties.

Yes… I failed… I persevered because I had to… that doesn’t count apparently… but the rest of those words that means I did a good thing… not so much. What can I say… I was tired of ugly underlayment and cut up bits of carpet. I’m bad!

Isn’t it lovely? Isn’t it beautiful? A picture of the beauty in progress… no I’m really not excited… I was just havin’ ya on before… ya right!

ps… Don’t pay attention to the fact that the wall socket is missing its cover and needs to be changed over to white… and the floor vent needs to be painted a brown to match the flooring… all things in time.

Pomplamoose.... Gotta Love It.

2009-10-11T08:17:00.000-05:00

Baby Girl Lounge Pants

2009-10-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

From unused turtleneck shirt to Lounge Pants for my G’Baby Girl. Gotta love ’em! This is the second pair I whipped up today… The first pair I made from one of my son’s thermal shirts… sew cute… pun intended. They are so easy and there is literally no cost other than the elastic. Can’t beat that. If you would like to find out how to make some for your little one, go HERE.

I do a slight variation on her pattern. I work from the inside out… by matching up the side seams and putting the fold down the center of the front and back of the shirt it allows you to use more of the t-shirt… which makes for longer pants. When your little one has long legs like our little miss Ashelyn you will appreciate this option. The crotch somewhat mirrors where the arm holes were. I think you get the picture. Just flip the pattern and work from the fold. It works like a dream.

Kearney Homecoming 2009

2009-10-08T19:51:00.001-05:00

The gents were looking uber studly and the ladies couldn’t have looked lovelier. I can’t believe this is already Zach’s senior year. Crazy! And Alex a sophomore… how did that even happen?

Bj and I prepared and served dinner to Alex and Miss Kari, while Zach, Jenni and several friends went to dinner at an over-priced restaurant that gave the horrible service.

Our Sweet Baby…

2009-09-26T20:30:00.001-05:00

How could you look in this sweet face and not just fall in love? She is a growing girl, she’s up to 2 1/2 lbs… crazy! Still so tiny. She should top out at 4 to 6 lbs.

Notice the little pretty she’s wearing around her neck. The only color collar we could find was blue… that just wouldn’t do for our little girl… so, I cut a strip of fabric two inches wide by twice the length of the collar, surged the edges, flipped it inside out… the hardest part… seriously… I hate that part. Then fed it over that ugly collar and wa’ la’ presto chango a pretty little girl collar. Cheap, cheap… made with scraps. My sister, Renee, and her daughter-in-laws might recognize this fabric as a left over scrap from the g’baby girls’ dresses. Just goes to show that even a tiny scrap of fabric is good for something.

More Fun With Luminaries…

2009-09-26T20:16:00.001-05:00

Here are the three beautiful fall Luminaries Misty and I made for here house. I love how the colors pop. We went with three different sizes for a nice center piece option… just throw in a few fall leaves and a pretty table runner.

On the three I did for our home I went with three small jelly jars (all the same size). I love how they alternate with the pillars for a pretty kick.

Here the candle display is remade over for a nice winter theme. I HEART this one! It didn’t show up very well in the picture, but the two round snowball candles are sooooo uber cute… Love them! When we Mod Podged the center luminary we completely covered the upper lip. It turned out awesome… even earned the Eldest Son’s seal of approval. That takes some doing. I think he was thinking gift idea also.

The kitchen table is currently dressed for fall. It will transition easily over to a Christmas theme with just a few minor changes.

Fun stuff and easy to do. Hope you’re inspired to pick up a jar a Mod Podge and join in the fun. I’d love to see what you do, so be sure to blog and comment.

I {heart} luminaries!

2009-09-25T17:39:00.001-05:00

Beautiful fall colors!

Red, gold, burgundy, and orange…

Makes you just want to jump in a pile of leaves.The cool crisp color of a snowy winter night.

All these little lovelies take is:

a bottle of Mod Podge… we selected glossy
tissue paper cut in little squares or torn to size
a foam brush
jars of any size or little clear votive cups
embellishments of choice… we went with raffia.

Now think how many friends and family might enjoy these for a sweet handmade gift.

Funny Story... Scary Lady...

2009-09-16T17:04:00.011-05:00

So the story goes something like this...

My good friend, Anita, and I decided to kill two birds with one stone over lunch today. We went to the HyVee Grocery Store for both lunch and to order cakes for our sons' birthdays. We proceeded to the deli counter to pay for our awesome lunches from the HyVee Salad Buffet... truly a stellar Salad Buffet... I had to make do with the image above... didn't have a camera handy to take a picture and they would have thought I was crazy if I whipped one out anyway... sorry I digress...

Anywho, Anita went to the buffet first while I staked out claim to our table. Then we swapped places. Now I don't know if you've ever been to a HyVee Salad Buffet... but they are huge and people join the throng from all sides at all times... Peace Lovin' Me walks up to the buffet... I notice a lady at the end... yes, near the plates... but not really looking toward the salad section at all.... but is instead poking around the fruit and dessert section on the end... so I step up to the plates, take one and begin to fill my plate with salad goodness... when all of a sudden I hear and see her... yes the scary lady... go... Well hmmmmffff! So I say, I'm sorry did I cut you off... in all sincereness... I kid you not. And scary lady says... Well I'm from Southern Missouri and We don't treat people like this where I'm from.... then she proceeds to storm off around to the other side of the bar with her plate.

About this time a nice man and his sweet little boy approach the buffet from the other direction to get the little one some Chili and Cheese... nice man says Pardon Me... I step back and say... go right ahead.... And Then.... Yes, that's right... Scary Lady storms back around the buffet with plate in hand... still nothing added to her plate... storms right up to me... Not Exaggerating at All... and says And you have on a peace sign!!!! and I say... Excuse Me? Scary Lady again...You have on a PEACE SIGN!!! (see picture below) and confused and by this time a little frightened me goes... I thought you were getting dessert. At this point she storms over to the Customer Service Counter to complain about MY behavior... I'm not joking!!!

Now I promise you there was no rudeness intended, but scary lady has taken away a horrible impression of we folk from up North.

Now some of you might not know me very well, but if you did and do, you know that I will let almost anyone in front of me... so I feel kinda bad that it went this way... But I'm just sayin' SCARY CRAZY LADY from Southern Missouri... I am SOOOOO Sorry!

Oh, so when I went back to tell my girlfriend about my experience. Anita says... her words not mine... You are one of the nicest politest people I know... Now if it had been me, I maybe would have done it without ever having noticed I'd caused offense. I think your outfit must have set her off. She's judging you because of what you have on. She was kidding of course.
I just want to say...I'm not trying to make a statement with my outfit... I just Loved the Color!

Let me know if you've ever experienced something like this. I wanna hear your horror stories... we can commiserate.

Zinnias, Cosmos, & Goldenrod...

2009-09-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Beautiful!!!

A study in Focal Black & White...
I looooove this!

I Love this little pitcher wrapped in a Vinca Vine from my little garden. I added a little Cinnamon Fern to the mix for fun. The Goldenrod was picked from our field along with the tiny white wild flowers (they smell like heaven). The bumpy little gourds are the surprise that came up in my garden. Oh, and the red peppers around the large pitcher in the top shot are from my garden... hot, hot, hot! Made a nice color contrast with the Zinnia's and Cosmos I picked from fields and fields of them along the highway... I'm bad.

Havin a Little Fun in the Sun...

2009-09-13T13:55:00.005-05:00

Good Times...

Gid was having some serious fun using Jake's old tires as a jungle gym. I asked him what he was doing??? I'm jumpin' GramMa.

Jake showed Ashelyn how to spin on the swing... Yes, she loves it.

She was having a little difficulty here... but it didn't really phase her, she just crawled off and started over. All in all the kids had a blast.

Our Sweet Little Ashelyn...

2009-09-12T05:57:00.005-05:00

Ashelyn is getting to be such a big girl... so independent and inquisitive... much like her momma and daddy I suspect. I know she takes after her momma. Misty took this beautiful picture... she even downloaded to my computer so that I could use it... How sweet is that? It will shortly be adorning one of the walls in my living room... yea! yea!

Woolen Project...

2009-09-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Tamra, Lynn Marie, Uncle David and I went to the
Greenwood Antique Show this weekend.
This was my favorite find.... the clipped sheep's wool.
I have a project, that was inspired from a DIY on One Pretty Thing.
If you would like to see the inspiration go HERE.

Here is my take... semi felted woolen soap. (I'm still learning)
How cool is that?
No wash cloth necessary... I thought these would make neat gifts for men.

Doesn't get much better than this...

2009-09-06T20:55:00.004-05:00

Me on a quilt, basking in the sunshine, with all my babies... can't ask for more.
ps... I snatched this picture from Misty here.

How much is too much...

2009-09-06T20:28:00.007-05:00

Misty blogged this query here.
I think the answer is, I obviously don't have a clue.
Is there such a thing as too much?
Well maybe if you were to attempt to wear them all at once.

I'm pretty sure these will all be either Birthday gifts or Christmas Gifts.
The necklaces above and below layer nicely... three options for earrings...
a girl has to have options.

Soft pink, lavender and rose... pretty, pretty.

I heart this one... can I have it???