WW: Pantone Cabbage {Linky}

I cut this cabbage, but it reminded me of a paint swatch. It's a Pantone Cabbage.  

Peek-A-Boo

I noticed Warhol was looking very white. I gave him a bath.  That's recommended to help them shed. When I took him out he ran up my sleeve. It was cute. I think he was just cold.  

I had trouble getting his tank door open one handed, and the boys were in school, so they couldn't help me. Mr. Warhol kind of flipped out inside my sleeve. He took his top jaw and bit me. I had a tiny horse shoe bite on my arm. 

No harm really. I think he was terrified because I was squirming around trying to get his tank open. He was tightly caught in my shirt. He did not draw blood. A few days after the bite happened I had some small itchy hives. They are gone now. 

Sure enough he shed right away. 

After that shed he was cute again. Here he is playing peek-a-boo.

Check Out TreeSunCrafts #crafts

Check it out...one of my friends has a new Etsy shop called TreeSunCrafts. She also has an instagram page.

I ordered the 2020 ornaments. You know, to remember the year by:

When the boys move out on their own, I'll let them choose an ornament to remember their crazy year. Unfortunately I think we're in for more pandemic madness. 2020 was the start of it. 

The boys haven't left home, for quite some time. Just this weekend they ventured out to spend time with their cousins. Our boys haven't been out, since November. My nephews haven't been out, since May. 

All the kids have the option to go to school. Studies have show that they do better in the classroom. Sometimes I wonder if Isaak should be in school. He struggles with getting his work done. On the flip side the quiet at home helps, with focus. We were getting emails left and right about how this kid test positive, and that kid tested positive at their schools. It was making Mica nervous. Mica opted to stay home, Isaak felt the same way. 2020 was a crazy year, for sure. 

Now we have ornaments to remember the craziness. 

Since Theresa knows me, she put extra things in with my package. Who ever knew many years ago that some of my best friends are remote friends. Those friendships started before 2020.  I had some really nice surprises! 

My favorite...the wooden gecko spoon! Isaak has the responsibility of making scrambled eggs, and picks this gecko spoon to use every time.

She threw in two wooden coasters. I actually use them for a different purpose than coasters. One holds my keys, while the other I use for pins, needles and thread. 

She added this wooden Apel's Kitchen sign. I put in our window, but photographed it on a placemat. I kept getting odd lighting by the window. 

Lastly she put these bookmarks. I set them aside to give to Mica at Easter. He's the big reader in the family. I like that they aren't super girly. 

Please go over to check out Theresa's Etsy shop: TreeSunCrafts. 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. Theresa did give me some things, but it wasn't expected that I review them. She did not tell me what to write. 

AstroAI Ice Scraper and Extendable #snow Brush

Like many places, Nebraska has been hit hard with snow. I guess we're making up for the lack of snow late fall, early winter. The ground needed it, for our upcoming growing season. 

I just hope that where I teach in Fremont, Nebraska it doesn't flood when it all melts.  They had problems a few years back with flooding. 

I happened to notice that Travis didn't have a good broom type scraper. He said he had one, but it broke. 

It was great to surprise Travis with the AstroAI Ice Scraper and Extendable Snow Brush Remover:

You can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N18NBCP?th=1. It came just in time, for 0 degree weather + another snow dump. Are you getting snow where you live? 

Cost:

I think for all it does, it's reasonable. It is $32.99.

Colors:

I picked orange, but it comes in teal blue as well. I wouldn't mind having both of them; one for each vehicle. 

Pieces and Parts:

It comes with a bag to store all the pieces in. I'm not sure we'll use the bag. It snows quite often in Nebraska. I'd rather have the scraper, and brush ready to go. 

You can see how long it extends in the next picture. It is 62.4", when the average snow scraper reaches 39.7 6". The length helps for tall vehicles like the Subaru Outback that we have. It breaks apart if you do want to store it. We plan on using the brush more because we have a metal scraper that works really well already. 

On Amazon it shows that the scraper can go on one end, and the brush on the other. I'm still trying to figure that out. It looks to me like the orange bottom is the end, and nothing snaps on there.

The brush has a swivel button. This works wonders if you are trying to reach a certain part on your car, or truck. The plain orange button rotates the brush's direction. 

The orange button with an arrow snaps the brush off, and allows you to put on the scrapper. The first time I hit this button it was super easy. The second time I hit the button, I couldn't get it to pop off. I imagine in the deep winter, when I'm freezing, I just won't want to mess with getting the brush off, and putting a scrapper on. The idea is great! This one device that does everything! Realistically I think we'll only use this for the brush. In Nebraska I've found that a metal scrapper has to be used for our harsh winters.  

Have you had to scrape your car, or truck a lot this winter? 

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. 

WW: Table Runner {Linky}

I'm putting this up here early. Mainly because I start teaching my Advertising and Design course tonight. I'm nervous about getting there - It's not in Omaha, where I'm from, and getting set up. I'm a very visual person, and struggle with certain types of directions. Especially when I'm told to go down this road that changes into this highway name. Insert WTF! into my brain. Please just tell me to turn at the McDonalds, go left when I pass the gas station that has the green M. Seriously this part of me is not 44. I'm 14 trapped inside a 44 year old's body all the sudden! I'm totally ready for the class. I figured out Canvas, which I didn't know at all before. It was a struggle getting my documents to load! It kept erroring out on me. Finally I started uploading documents to their google documents, copied and pasted links to do it that way. All my documents are on there, ready to go. I even have a welcome video up.

As some of you know I've been working on a table runner. It's made out of toilet paper rolls. I did this to cling on to something beautiful during this time of uncertainty and madness.

My husband bought me this fabric:

I just thought it looks to Kindergarten blue. Plus we don't have that blue anywhere in our living room. It was gecko approved, but not approved by me. Desperate to not have to go out, I tried painting a scrap the color I wanted. It soaked in and looked lame. 

I tried red that we had laying around, but it blended into the orange that's the boarder around all the weavings. That didn't work. 

So I waited like a good girl should, until I had over $100 worth of groceries to get, and went to Walmart to get the fabric. 

Get this... I waited and waited! I called Walmart twice to get help. The second time they were just like, "Mam we can't help you. We called it in. You just have to wait until someone comes." What the *!#! I probably waited 45 minutes, for this fabric, when I was supposed to be at work. Thank gawd I had no meetings. Typically I begin work way earlier than I need to. 

I did find the fabric color I wanted. It became a double sided one; incase the one side got messed up. I started to sew them all into the fabric. The fabric was slippery, and the toilet paper weavings are thick. I squirted Elmers glue on the back sides, threw some encyclopedias on them, let them dry. Boom! Done! 

Mica got an unwanted sewing lesson. I want him to make a pouf, for his room. If you are like me, you may not know what a pouf even is. It's a pillow like foot stool. I think he'd be more apt to use his chair if he had one. PLUS it would be a great way to use up all the plastic bags we've acquired during this pandemic. He has zero interest, so we'll see. 

Do you have any pandemic projects that you've done? 

Remember to enter my low entry giveaway! 

A #giveaway for a Strong Woman

I feel really inspired to give something away. It's been awhile, too long, since I've had a giveaway on here. 

The newish job I have is going to be supported. All my likes in the form below won't be for me. They will be for where I work, and for other women bloggers that have been by my side. 

I'm going to share something really personal, but you all know I'm an open book. I don't believe in hiding things that matter. Sharing is caring. Whatever I go though something, someone else is going through that same situation as well. 

Ever since October I haven't had that special time of the month. This week I went to get my blood drawn; to see what's up with me. I found out that I get to go through the change of life slightly early. Oh joy! The first thing I asked my doctor, "Is this why I get so dang emotional?" She said, "Yes!" 

I cry when I have things to do, but don't have all the instructions to do the things I'm supposed to do. Then I laugh because I'm crying. Then I cry because I'm laughing. 

I did this painting quite awhile ago...

My doctor said, "Your ovaries are tired". That bird in the piece above is absent. I feel this emptiness inside me.

I ran across this article that talks about The Change of Life. I feel emotional, and empty. I feel like I have no one to talk to. All I'm ever around is my boys, and husband. It is what it is. Women - we should open dialog about all the things we have to go through. 

I looked up if asthma is worse when a woman goes though menopause. Apparently it is. I have extra asthma + the worry of getting covid, which also effects the lungs. 

Really I should be happy. I no longer want children + I don't have a monthly visitor. I'm free! 

I popped open my FB, and two of my friends that are my age just had babies. Even if kids where possible, I wouldn't want them. BUT...there's no denying that they were such an important part of my life, for so long. Now they hide themselves in their rooms, and barely say, "Boo!"

We've all been going through a tough time! I want to make some woman's day! 

I bought this fun bag, that I really always intended on giving away, but never did:

Inside I'm going to stuff it with random things. Like your favorite candy...

Mine is Dove chocolate, so that's sitting in my Amazon cart right now. I can get you whatever candy you desire because this post is about me, yet the giveaway is about you. 

Because we're in the midst of a pandemic I have some all natural soap + CBD hand sanitizer you can carry with you.

I have these cute RBG stickers + little elephant notebooks also in my Amazon cart. I'll buy them, once you tell me your favorite candy. 

It's giveaway time! You know the drill...you have to be over the age of 18 to enter. To make this easier on me I'm going to make this a U.S. giveaway. 

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

WW: Toilet Paper Rolls {Linky}

I decided when the pandemic happened that I wouldn't hoard toilet paper. I in fact bought a lot before the pandemic went down. 

Instead of hoarding toilet paper, I hoarded the toilet paper rolls. 

I decided to cut them, paint them, and cut them into 1/4" strips. 

Then it was weaving time! At first I didn't like how the process went. Weaving with thin cardboard isn't quite the same at weaving with fabric. I eventually got the hang of it. Clothes pins work great as clamps. 

The table runner is coming out pretty good. The sections will be painted with varnish. I have to decide if I want to sew them together, or sew them to a fabric backing. 

What crazy projects have you worked on lately?

Sleepy 😴

 Isaak and I are going to start taking melatonin. Ever since May happened I haven’t slept well at all. At first I blamed it on me having to wake up at 4:30 AM, for Fresh Thyme, but it’s stayed persistent. 

Isaak’s always been more difficult than Mica in regards to sleeping. He oftentimes pops up out of bed at 10 to get water, or to use the bath room. I often wonder if he ever fell asleep. His doctor wants him on a small dose of melatonin. 

I was always pretty iffy on the med. There hasn’t been a lot of studies done with melatonin and kids. But Isaak’s past the size of a small adult, so I feel better about it. 

Have you struggled in the sleep department, since the pandemic hit?

Happy New Year!!!🎆

I know I’ve been absent a lot more this year. It’s been a wild ride. 

It’s only going to get wilder! I’m starting to teach an advertising | design class early February. I wanted to get as much as I could done, while I was on a break from my full time job. Trouble is, I had so many questions, that I couldn’t get going on it very well. Like I couldn’t find my classes description on their site, their calendar didn’t show when their spring break is, and they use a different format from what I’m used to. I want to do a good job, but so didn’t want this to get in the way of my full time job. 

I kept waking up, feeling like...gawd what did I get myself into? The person in charge of me emailed me back her phone number, I called, and had a ton of questions. 

Now I’m feeling better about the class. Although I still don’t know where I’m going, and the students use PCs, when I use a MAC. I’ll get there. 

I also found out I have a phone “trial” on the 8th, for unemployment. They thought in May that I was playing their system, by taking the summer off, and collecting from them. I have to let my work know. I’m so annoyed about it! 

We spent the break eating junk, playing board games, and binge watching The Americans for the 2nd time. We each got our choice of games, so we played Pandemic twice, Heats three times, Shanghai Rummy 1/2 way, Dominos- Chicken Scratch once, Sequence once, Chinese Checkers once, and Stratego once. That’s a lot of games! 

What did you do during the break? 

WW: Meet Warhol {Linky}

All I asked for Christmas was a new white gecko, and a dresser, or some kind of hutched turned into a gecko hide.

We bought a dresser from facebook marketplace, and we sold our coffee table that we've had for ever. My husband thought about my grandpa a lot when making the gecko hide. He inherited a lot of his tools. It was a good project. 

My husband knows a girl that's pregnant, and wanted to give up a few geckos. We took one in. His name is, "Warhol". It's off of Andy Warhol. I just thought it would be fun to have a white gecko, and decorate some of his hide pop art like. As it turned out, the tank has a faux rock pattern. So long, Campbell soup can tank paper. he does have a tent made by me, with Brillo logo on it. Warhol the artist did a piece, with Brillo in it. Then the gecko Warhol has a big Campbell tomato soup can hide. So far he prefers his log hide because it's familiar. It takes them awhile to venture out of their comfort zone. 

Some of you might be thinking, Why a gecko? Well I'm allergic to all things furry, and feathery. I was told that all dogs and cats are no nos, for me. No matter what claims are out there that certain dogs and cats are allergy safe. They are in fact just better than most. More power to you, if you can have one. Geckos fit me. They are friendly, have fun habitats, and are easy to care for. My son's actually cuddles. He'll sit under a blanket for up to an hour. They also like to be swayed/rocked. No joke! It's the only time Warhol stays still. 

Here's Warhol in his moist hide. Also known as a Mason jar with wet moss in it. 

Here's me with him. 

He tries to climb up the couch, but doesn't get far. Leather isn't easy to climb apparently. 

Mica was holding him here. Isaak kept saying, "Mica you have him in the circle of trust." I imagine geckos feel safe in hands that are cupped because it seems like a hide. 

Do you own a pet? What's is its name?