Home Sanctuary

Tissue Paper Pom Poms with LED Lights

As promised, here are some photos of the tissue paper pom poms with LED lights inside. They were easy and inexpensive to make - and they made last weekend's party feel romantic and special. I followed Martha Stewart's instructions for making the puffs....and then put them on steroids with the lights! My phone photos don't do justice, but you can get the idea.

I love how the puffs look like they are floating on air. Fishing line worked great for suspending them over the dance floor. Here, about half of them are up and even with the house lights on you can see them glow.

 

Here they are with the lights turned down.

 

 

For centerpieces, I used wine glasses and vases (even ice cream sundae dishes) to raise them up off the mirror tiles. The mirror squares underneath reflected the light and added a great effect. We put votive candles all around to add more sparkle.

 

 

The house lights are on in this photo so you can see the detail of the pom poms. Fluffy!  

All in all, it was a lovely, romantic look for a budget price. Batteries and LED's were purchased online for a very small cost, but they are available at places like Radio Shack and Walmart if you are in a real hurry and cost is no issue.  (Link to lights)

Now, here is a little diagram of how we did the lights, just in case you'd like to try this yourself.

 

Simply tape the legs of the LED's (long legs on positive side of battery, short legs on negative side) to the small batteries. The lights will be "on" as long as they are touching the battery. Poke a small hole through the layers of tissue and stick one of the bulbs down through it to light up the bottom half of the puff. The battery and top bulb will sit on the paper and light the top half. You can get the best "glow" by folding the paper over in the centers to surround the bulbs to diffuse the light. We used blue lights with white tissue, but the color combinations could be endless, between the tissue and bulb colors available.

I really feel like we out-Martha'd Martha on this one! What do you think? 

The Ambush Cook, Kristina Kuzmic!

Happy Monday morning, ladies! I want to introduce a fellow Company Girl who is about to have her own show on Oprah Winfrey's network . . . meet Kristina Kuzmic.

Kristina's getting her OWN SHOW!! How cool is that???

Here's Kristina goofing off on her set. So cute.

I first "met" Kristina some time back, here at Home Sanctuary through our weekly Company Girl Coffee link ups... and I remember thinking "this girl's got something special." Her cooking blog was fun and entertaining, and her personality sparkled through her videos. I literally laughed out loud through them. So I was not surprised when I learned that she was competing to host her own show on OWN. I just KNEW she'd get it!

And she did. Yeah, I called it. psh.

"The Ambush Cook" premieres on Saturday, December 3rd at noon (ET/PT) on OWN. (Be sure to check your local listings for your service provider's schedule.) Here is the official trailer and description of the show:

  

Kristina Kuzmic has been passionate about cooking her entire life. In The Ambush Cook, a half-hour reality cooking series, Kristina ambushes people from their everyday lives and takes them to her kitchen for an intervention in home cooking.

From married moms addicted to frozen foods and take-out, to single bachelors who still go to mom's house for dinner every single night, as varied as Kristina's guests may be they all have one thing in common: they fear the kitchen! Kristina takes a no-nonsense approach to tackling the many issues that cause people to give up on cooking. From Braised Short Ribs to Pistachio Crusted Tilapia, her recipes are tasty enough to satisfy the most discerning palate, yet simple enough for anyone to follow. Failure is not an option in Kristina's kitchen. She is filling the world with better cooks, one ambush at a time!

The Ambush Cook will premiere with back-to-back episodes Saturday, December 3 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own/Official-Trailer-The-Ambush-Cook#ixzz1lD1AHzcn

I love the premise for this show, and if they ever run short of people who need cooking intervention, I humbly offer myself as a willing ambushee for the cause. I really need a new way to cook chicken for the fam, and Kristina promises that the show will help not only cooking 'fraidy cats, but people who might be stuck in a cooking rut, like me.

Now, Kristina and I have been emailing back and forth this past week, and she's got a couple of recipes to share with Home Sanctuary readers. I'll post one today and one on Friday as a reminder to tune in on Saturday. Sweet! You'll find it in the next post, below.

Let's give our "own" Company Girl Kristina a big boost today by showing her some love.

Follow her on twitter and like her on Facebook to help spread the word about The Ambush Cook, and then be sure and tune in on Saturday, Dec. 3rd for the premiere! You can leave her a comment here or on the OWN trailer site.

Good Luck, Kristina! Best wishes from the Company Girls!!

 

Company Girl Coffee 9.25

Warning: Reading and viewing this post may cause loss of appetite, involuntary shudders, gagging and general heebie-jeebies.  Any adverse reaction could be harmful to your mental health and should be monitored by people who know better than to post dreadful items.

Guess what I found in one of our garbage cans yesterday?  Besides the disgusting water sitting in the bottom from all the rain.

Something small and furry.  Something that is "almost" cute as a baby and then grows up to be a hideous creature with yellow teeth and a rat-like tail.

A possum.

Pretending to be dead is not a myth.

This possum probably dropped down into the can from a tree, and then couldn't get out.  I saw him all hunched in the corner and gently said, "awwww, hey there little guy!"

Then he turned his hideous face toward me and showed his horrid teeth and beady blue eyes, and I froze in terror before running for my life. Oh, the sickness! The revulsion!

I returned later with my strapping teenage son, who then proceeded to scare the living daylights out of me by hitting the can and saying "WATCH OUT" just as I peered in.

Girls, I screamed so loud and ran so fast I was like a bat out of you-know-where!  I came to my senses on my hands and knees in the grass, yelling "I will kill you for this!" to that kid, who was doubled over in laughter.

"Mom! I've never heard you scream like that before!" he managed to say. "It's DISTURBING!"

Yeah, disturbing, alright.  I'm disturbed that he thinks that was funny!  If you've ever seen one of these things up close, you know you will be haunted by their evil visage forever.  My scream was primal, honey. I don't even know where it came from.

Well, I am sorry for making you look into a disgusting trash can with a gross possum in it just before having a lovely coffee time with your nicer, classier friends.  Perhaps they will entertain you with sweet stories of fine china and genteel dining, or Sunday strolls in beautiful parks.

Let's hope.

Link up for a virtual cup of coffee with friends!  Add a link to your blog (preferably a specific post)...the subject is up to you!  Then try and visit as many blogs as you can and get to know some awesome Company Girls!  Easy and fun.

But first, An Embarrassing Story

My recent episode with the Men's Room in Walmart reminded me that it's been awhile since we've talked about this here little story:

The newly constructed house was a beehive of activity.  Every work crew was there, from the plumbers and painters to the landscapers and electricians.  Everyone was trying to finish the house on time, and I was in the middle of it.  The mural I was working on was taking longer than I had anticipated so I was painting as fast as I could to beat the clock.  I kept thinking I would take a break, but it was a 20 minute drive to town and I didn't want to take the time, so I kept going.

Oh.  Important side note: I should tell you that there was no electricity in the house.  Or running water.  That meant that there were no functioning potties.  In fact, the toilets had not even been installed. 

Not a problem at 9 am.

BIG PROBLEM AT 4:30 p.m.

Late that afternoon I suddenly realized that the uncomfortably full feeling in my bladder was now excruciating and I was about to experience a disastrous accident.

I looked around.  There were people EVERYWHERE.  A bush was out of the question.  The port-a-potty was tipped over, plus I don't care how bad I had to go, I would never use one at a construction site, EVER.  A bumpy drive to town?  I would never make it.

By now, I was starting to panic.  I spied an empty Big Gulp cup and knew I would have to use it.  But where?  I grabbed it and started looking for a private location.  Everywhere I turned, there were people--all men.  I felt like everyone was watching me carrying this cup, looking for privacy.  Did they know?  Could they tell?  Lord, pleeeeze help me hold it!  Those darn pregnancies...

Finally, I found a closet.  It was pitch dark in there.  Perfect.

Only there were no handles on the doors yet, just round holes where they would go.  Great, just great.  I couldn't even lock the doors, and there were two.  I'd have to take my chances that no one would come through the one at the other end of the closet.

I had no choice.  I shut the door. I fumbled with the zipper.  I set the cup down and squatted, holding it upright with one hand while reaching up to hold the door closed with the other hand over the door knob hole, balancing precariously over the cup, my knees about to give out...all in the pitch black darkness. Dear God, please don't let anyone come barreling through that other door!

Honey, I filled that Big Gulp cup right up to the brim.

The relief was euphoric!  Yes!  YESSSS! 

But short-lived.

Now I have a very full Big Gulp cup on my hands.  What am I going to do with it?  I gathered myself and tried to look nonchalant as I left the dark closet with that full cup.  There was literally NO PLACE to pour it out without being seen.  I cannot believe I am walking around with a huge cup of warm pee.

I decided I would drive it to a nearby empty lot.  I carried it to the truck and set it in the cup-holder.  Lord have mercy, I'm driving with urine in my cup-holder!

But no, not so fast.  Just as I'm pulling out, the foreman pulls up in his gigantic truck and wants to chat through the window.  My mouth is moving, but my mind is only on the very full Big Gulp cup sitting in plain view of this man.  Am I making any sense?  Will he think that's lemonade?  Beer?  Please let him think that's beer! (I don't drink but, hey.)

Finally!  He stops yakking and I smile a polite "good-bye" and drive slowly away so I won't jostle the liquid.  Seriously, the cup was that full.

Well, I learned MY lesson!  A 40ish woman who's had 3 kids and no bladder control has no business ignoring nature's call or there will be consequences.

And always, ALWAYS have a Big Gulp cup on hand, just in case of emergency.

Today's Small Thing is in the next post.

Thank You, Internet Cafe Devotions

Wow! Home Sanctuary has been listed as one of the "Top 100 Christian Women's Blogs 2008" by Internet Cafe Devotions! I'd like to thank whoever nominated my blog for this honor, because this certainly is a sweet surprise!  The list is long and lovely, and I am both humbled and excited to see my goofy blog named among them.  I'm listed in the category of "Beautiful Cup Blog," and I noticed several familiar Company Girls in various categories: Marsha's Musings, The Heart of a Pastor's Wife, and OrgJunkie to name three.  Go check out the list!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, kind company Girls!  You make this blog so. much. fun. every day!  And I am so passionate about the Small Things (and you girls) that I wish every woman in the world could have a chance to see what just a little bit of encouragement, effort and fun can do!  It's making such a difference in my own heart and home, and I am grateful to you for the opportunity to share a corner of the blogosphere with you.

A Moment Captured....

Quick story:

Yesterday's Small Thing was to capture a moment of real life.  Well, my real moment got captured alright, but not how I had hoped it would be.

My husband dropped me off at a car rental office to pick up a car for the next couple of days. Normally, he would wait to make sure I got it before driving off, but he had several errands to run and I assured him that I had it under control.  I stepped to the counter and went through the usual procedure.

"OK, just need to see your license and credit card," the man at the counter said.  I whipped them out and checked my watch.  I was to pick my son up at school in 15 minutes and had just enough time to get there, drop him off at home, run another errand and then leave for a hockey game.  This was going well.

"Uh, ma'am, your license has expired and is no longer valid," Mr. Avis Guy said and pushed it back toward me.  "I can't rent the car to you without a valid license."

Oh, you gotta be kidding me.  But no, it had expired last month and I've been driving illegally for several weeks.

By this time, Tom was long gone, and there was no way to call him to have him return with HIS license, because he lost his phone a week ago.

"There's a DPS office in the next block," the guy said helpfully.  "You could go renew it and come back." I immediately envisioned the DPS office, a dimly lit room with orange plastic chairs and a hundred people waiting for their number to be called.  I've been there before and remember it well.

I was stuck. I could see no other choice but to do as he suggested.  So I walked through the drizzle to the DPS office, hoping it wouldn't take forever.  

Have I ever mentioned what drizzle does to my hair?  Well, it gets frizzy AND flat at the same time. Did I also mention that I was wearing a stained sweatshirt?  I'm quite sure I was not wearing lipstick.  And I knew, as I hurried along through the wind and dripping rain, that I would be stepping behind a line and looking into a camera, operated by someone who could care less about capturing the essence of who I am.

I got up to the DPS counter with no wait time.  I guessed on only a few of the numbers in the vision screening and fudged just a teeny tiny bit on my weight. I'm certain that those few pounds will be gone right after I start my exercise program, so really, I was just speaking in faith. But before I could do a happy dance at my speedy progress, things came to a halt when the lady refused to take my debit card.  "Checks or cash only, Hon," she drawled.  "You could go around the corner to the grocery store and buy yerself a soda, get cash back and come on back here." She was also quite helpful.

So I trudged through the drizzle as she suggested, and returned with the appropriate cash.  I was madly texting my son to tell him to take the bus.  And despite her machine breaking down in the middle of the whole thing, I managed to step behind the line and smile like a drowned rat for the photo I'll be carrying around for the next six years.

I can hardly wait to see my moment of real life captured on my license when it comes in the mail.

The YouTube Me

Follow me on Twitter

For any of you Twitterers out there, I just want to let you know that you can now follow me on Twitter!   Be assured that I am not interested in posting every detail of my "exciting" life, but I will attempt to answer the question, "what are you doing?" at least every once in awhile.

Here's my profile:

https://twitter.com/companygirl

I'd love to see what you're doing as well!

Rachel Anne

Ultimate Blog Party!

Ever notice that the best parties are the ones that just "happen?"  You know, they're the ones that you don't really plan, but you invite a couple of people over....and then a couple more people come over....and then someone brings snacks....and before you know it, it's a PARTY!

Well, that's kinda the way I decided to host a lil' party with the Ultimate Blog Party by 5 Minutes for Mom.  I didn't really plan to, but then one thing led to another...and voila! 

Welcome to a thrown-together, last minute, but really great-because-great-people-are-there-and-there's-food party!

Let me show you around and tell you about myself.

Here's where I live:

No, I don't have a book about my house, that's a picture my daughter photoshopped for a class project.

My kids are older these days, but I LOVE to talk about family life, marriage, home and doing things to make this place a sanctuary for my family.

Here are my three favorite young people, my Elle, Em and G.T.

I'm a little scatter-brained.  Here's proof.

We have a lazy old dog and a stray donkey named Flash.  The cats have disappeared.

And since you're here, I'd love to invite you to come back to visit often!  I'm hosting "Sanctuary is in the Small Things, 2008" and each day I'm posting fun and EASY things you can do to make your home a great place to be for your family.  I've got music to help get you motivated every morning (that explains the funky tunes you hear) and prizes to give away each month. Feel free to browse around the "Sanctuary's in the Small Things" posts and see what I'm talking about. All the information you need is in the "sticky post" at the top of the blog!  We've got a great group of "Company Girls" that join in every day from all over the world.  We're having a blast so why not join us?

Enjoy the party!

Today's Small Thing, but first: an embarrassing story to illustrate my point

The newly constructed house was a beehive of activity.  Every work crew was there, from the plumbers and painters to the landscapers and electricians.  Everyone was trying to finish the house on time, and I was in the middle of it.  The mural I was working on was taking longer than I had anticipated so I was painting as fast as I could to beat the clock.  I kept thinking I would take a break, but it was a 20 minute drive to town and I didn't want to take the time, so I kept going.

Oh.  Important side note: I should tell you that there was no electricity in the house.  Or running water.  That meant that there were no functioning potties.  In fact, the toilets had not even been installed. 

Not a problem at 9 am.

BIG PROBLEM AT 4:30 p.m.

Late that afternoon I suddenly realized that the uncomfortably full feeling in my bladder was now excruciating and I was about to experience a disastrous accident.

I looked around.  There were people EVERYWHERE.  A bush was out of the question.  The port-a-potty was tipped over, plus I don't care how bad I had to go, I would never use one at a construction site, EVER.  A bumpy drive to town?  I would never make it.

By now, I was starting to panic.  I spied an empty Big Gulp cup and knew I would have to use it.  But where?  I grabbed it and started looking for a private location.  Everywhere I turned, there were people--all men.  I felt like everyone was watching me carrying this cup, looking for privacy.  Did they know?  Could they tell?  Lord, pleeeeze help me hold it!  Those darn pregnancies...

Finally, I found a closet.  It was pitch dark in there.  Perfect.

Only there were no handles on the doors yet, just round holes where they would go.  Great, just great.  I can't even lock the doors, and there were two.  I'd have to take my chances that no one would come through the one at the other end of the closet.

I had no choice.  I shut the door. I fumbled with the zipper.  I set the cup down and squatted, holding it upright with one hand while reaching up to hold the door closed with the other hand over the door knob hole, balancing precariously over the cup, my knees about to give out...all in the pitch black darkness. Dear God, please don't let anyone come barreling through that other door!

Honey, I filled that Big Gulp cup right up to the brim.

The relief was euphoric!  Yes!  YESSSS! 

But short-lived.

Now I have a very full Big Gulp cup on my hands.  What am I going to do with it?  I gathered myself and tried to look nonchalant as I left the dark closet with that full cup.  There was literally NO PLACE to pour it out without being seen.  I cannot believe I am walking around with a huge cup of warm pee.

I decided I would drive it to a nearby empty lot.  I carried it to the truck and set it in the cup-holder.  Lord have mercy, I'm driving with urine in my cup-holder!

But no, not so fast.  Just as I'm pulling out, the builder pulls up in his gigantic F3500 truck and wants to chat through the window.  My mouth is moving, but my mind is only on the very full Big Gulp cup sitting in plain view of this man.  Am I making any sense?  Will he think that's lemonade?  Beer?  Please let him think that's beer! (I don't drink but, hey.)

Finally!  He stops yakking and I smile a polite "good-bye" and drive slowly away so I won't jostle the liquid.  Seriously, the cup was that full.

Well, I learned MY lesson!  A 40ish woman who's had 3 kids and no bladder control has no business ignoring nature's call or there will be consequences.

And always, ALWAYS have a Big Gulp cup on hand, just in case of emergency.