Rose Petal Candle Holder

Like so many others I seem to be addicted to Pinterest. I love things that I can do where I don't have a mess of papers lying around and that get misplaced. Pinterest is amazing for organizing stuff and being able to find it again. I wanted to actually make some stuff I have come across on Pinterest and I thought I would give this a try. 

Being the crafty (read frugal) person I am I wanted to use things I already had on hand instead of purchasing new items just to make it. I still have thousands of red rose petals left over from when I got married seven years ago (wow has it been that long) and a glass vase that I didn't mind destroying remodelling. So I grabbed my petals, vase and my trusty glue gun and set to work. I ended up with this 

I kind of like how it turned out. I am a sucker for red and for using stuff on hand it cost me absolutely zip so that is a BIG happy dance moment for me. 

I have other projects in the works and I will be sharing them soon, right now I am off to get breakfast because I am a hungry girl. Happy Sunday all. 

Hugs and Smoochies

Arawynn <3 

How Fast Time Flies....

.....when you are having fun?

I know, I haven't been keeping up with the posts recently. Life has gotten in the way, like it tends to do. Some things that have happened in and around the Madhouse as of late include a wedding, a relationship and a birthday and well just random craziness.

My brother was married to a wonderful, sweet lady. I was the photographer for their wedding and I have been doing my best to get the editing done. I want them to have the best photos to remember their day. I am so happy for the two of them. They make me believe it is possible to find love and be happy, but I digress. The wedding was beautiful and simple. It suited them and they were both so relaxed. It was nice to photograph a wedding again, well the couple only parts. There is nothing worse then family that think they know better and get in the way of you trying to get "the shot". I know I am family but I was there to capture their day and I was having a difficult time doing so. I was their photographer so I am the one they should be concentrating on. At one point I had to get the family shooed away because I wanted to be able to work without my head spinning in irritation. I can get a little testy when I am working. I admit it.

Once the family were shooed away and I had breathing space I was able to capture some amazing shots and I had "the teen" as an assistant which helped dramatically. He even snapped tonnes of his own photos. He has much to learn but I think I have a budding photographer on my hands. Momma is proud.

Here is one of the pics I snapped of the happy couple.

"The Teen" also had a birthday recently in the Madhouse. I was actually pretty excited about it and made plans to make a cake and be all domestic like normal moms for birthdays. But like everything in the Madhouse plans fell apart. I bought materials to make a cake for him but of course the night I went to make the cake I realize I had no vegetable oil and it was too late to go get any. I ended up having to run after work to track down a cake I could use that would fit the cake topper I made.

I had a brilliant moment of craftocity and came up with an idea for a birthday cake for "the teen" I combined two of his favourite things My Little Ponies and Doctor Who. The Doctor Who thing I can totally get, who doesn't love Doctor Who? The My Little Pony thing is not so making of the sense to me. Seems there is a thing known as Bronies and my son and his friends consider themselves Bronies. "The Teen" resisted for the longest while, making fun of his friends for liking My Little Ponies but they eventually wore him down and assimilated him into their fold. So I pondered and came up with this...

The TARDIS is made out of a wooden box purchased at a local dollar store. It is covered in felt and is actually useable. I glued the felt on in such a way as there is a flap over the latch so it just needs to be lifted up and he can put stuff inside, if he so chooses. This is the first time I have attempted something like this and have to say I am very proud of my finished product. The ponies are not authentic My Little Ponies, as my son was quick to point out but I wasn't going to spend $10 plus on real versions to stick in icing. So dollar store ponies it was :)

If you are a Doctor Who fan you should know the quote. When "the teen" saw the cake his comment was "well done mom, very clever". He loved it. The burned fingers and many stabbings of my fingers as I made the TARDIS was well worth it. It is now on display in our entertainment unit. The TARDIS, not the cake *lol*

Lastly before I depart tonight is to comment on the relationship I mentioned above. I did meet a wonderful man in September, on the bus of all places. He commented on my foam board (long story) and it lead to him asking me out. He gave me his number so I could contact him. I took a few days to think about it and did eventually contact him. We met for coffee and had a pretty good chat. We have a lot in common and we did start dating. Unfortunately I had to end things because I don't think I am really ready to get into another long term relationship and I felt it was unfair to him to remain. It makes me sad because he is such a warm, fun, supportive person but I live in the Madhouse and I honestly don't think he is prepared for the madness that is me. I often say I am like Tinkerbell on crack. I am up and down and sideways on a daily basis and I have never really been alone before. I really want to enjoy the single life for a bit longer before I surrender myself to coupledom again.

Who knows maybe we will find each other again if it is meant to be. They do have that saying after all. "What is meant to be will find a way" or something to that effect. For now though I need to get myself straightened out before I can even think about being in a relationship. I think that is the smartest thing to do for the moment. Of course tomorrow is another day. We never know what will happen. Ah the joys of life. The madness of it all.

That is it for now, thanks for reading and sharing in the madness.

Hugs and Smoochies

Arawynn <3

Think before you speak...

I am sure many of you have heard by now, the story of Amanda Todd. It has been a week now since she took her young life because of bullying. It is such a tragic loss of a young life, and for what? It is completely senseless and the whole situation fills me with a plethora of emotions.

 Since I have heard of Amanda's story I have been wanting to blog about it and make a plea to the adults out there, parents and non-parents. It is all well and good to teach children that bullying is wrong but we have to remember that children take their behaviour from what they see around them. So next time you see someone doing or wearing something you may not agree with, stop, take a look around and see what little ears and eyes may be observing you, and think before you speak.

 I honestly believe that children learn how to treat others from watching the people closest to them. What message are we sending to our children if we are making comments about another person's behaviour and/or appearance in a cruel fashion. Or by trying to use fear and intimidation to get people to do what we want. Children will think that it is ok to treat their classmates and peers the same way and it becomes a vicious cycle.

 I have been the victim of bullying. It tears you down and makes you feel worthless and that is not a great feeling to have, especially at such an impressionable age. I have been called names, have had lies spread about me, my life threatened and honestly I still have no idea what I did to these people to make them dislike me so much and to think I deserved to be treated this way. No one deserves to be made to feel worthless. Everyone has worth, even if someone else might not appreciate that worth or it doesn't fit in with their views.

As a parents I worry on a daily basis about my son and if he is being picked on at school or otherwise. I have always taught him that if someone is putting him down or threatening him in anyway to go and tell someone he trusts, a teacher, principal or his father or myself. In grade one he was bullied by another boy in his class and when he tried to talk to the teacher about it he was told to stop tattling. This enraged me since I had told him that his teacher could be trusted and then she let him down. Eventually my son took matters into his own hands and he ended up being the one in the principal's office for defending himself and another classmate. While I was upset at his being in the principal's office I was proud that he stood up for himself and his classmate, showing that he wasn't going to stand for it.

 It is so much worse for children today when it comes to bullying. When I was in school there wasn't the level of internet usage as there is now and cyberbullying was non existant. Nowadays kids hide behind their computer screens and tear down each other online. Some of it might be in just playful jest but so often it isn't and what is that doing to our children. I scares me to know what is out there online and how cruel people can be.

 No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. So what gives someone the right to judge someone else for their mistakes or vice versa. So often I come across adults that are very judgemental and it worries me. Do they realize they are being observed by their children? I am definitely not perfect and I don't pretend to be. I have my faults but I try and be the best person I can be. I have been guilty in the past of being critical of others and voicing that but I am trying to change that and think before I speak because once words are spoken they can't be taken back, especially in the case of Amanda Todd. She is no longer with us because of cruel words.

 It starts with us, we influence our children, our children look up to us and we need to be concious of that and think before we speak. To the teenagers out there, it does get better. I know when in the situation it doesn't seem that way (trust me, I have been there)but high school does end and you won't be with those people forever. Keep faith and hang in there. Find something you enjoy doing and be you.

 My thoughts and prayers go out to Amanda Todd's family and friends. Such a sad, tragic loss of a young life. :(


 Arawynn <3 

I am still alive...

I know I am bad at keeping regular posts lately. Life has just been so darn hectic for me. I have lots in the works at the moment. Several projects I am trying to complete in among the typical madhouse life. I hopefully will get some up and posted soon. Just wanted to post that I am still alive and actually doing pretty good. Hoping once summer comes to an end I will have a little more time to sit down and form a thought. Hugs and Smoochies Arawynn <3

A Thrifting we will go….

It has been a while. Hmmm where did I leave off? Oh yes, Queen of the Grill. Well the weather has been pretty crappy out there since so I haven’t had much chance to get out and light up the grill but it is still my mission to cook outside more. Between the strong winds, rain and SNOW I haven’t been doing so well, but Mother Nature will not defeat me, I will grill more.

So two things happened in the madhouse involving “the teen”. A couple of weeks ago “the teen” decided to miss school two days in a row. Not cool, so off I went home to bring him to school. I discovered him locked in the bathroom when I finally got home. Ok, worked for me so off I went unhooking all the electronics in the house and proceeding to hide them all and sat down at my computer planning to wait him out. He couldn’t stay in the bathroom all day, or could he? Lesson learned: don’t call home first because it gives them a chance to grab supplies and being able to wait you out. That child is too smart for his own good.

I finally decided to unlock the bathroom door. Gotta love still having wire hangers kicking around. What do I discover on opening the door? “The teen” sitting crosslegged on the bathroom floor reading a book, with another book sitting beside him on the floor and a box of cereal. It seems he was planning on waiting me out instead. He had food, water, toilet and entertainment, what more would he need? I didn’t know if I should have scolded him or congratulated him *lol*

He did learn that I am not to be messed with. His little ploy land him with a loss of his xbox for 2 weeks and very LIMITED computer access due to the x-rated website on my computer.  Oh yes that was fun. I decided to check my history and discovered an adult cartoon game site. Momma was not impressed. I think he will be thinking twice about missing school or visiting one of those sites again. My oh my, I still have another 5 years before he is 18. How will I make it? *lol*

Well due to losing the electronic entertainment “the teen” accompanied me to the thrift store for the first time. He wasn’t too thrilled with the idea at first but he started to get into it. I think I have created a little thrifter.  There is a rush to thrift stores. Finding those treasures that you can use as is or turn them into something amazing. Using your imagination and decorating (and dressing) inexpensively.

I was on the hunt for things to decorate with. I thought it was about time I did something with the walls in my house. Due to it being a rental I am stuck and unable to paint it some outrageous colour like blood red. Oh yes I would love to have at least one red wall in my house, for now I have to settle for red curtains. I came across this amazing red fabric a while back in the free bin at work that would make awesome curtains, which I will make when I get my sewing machine working, but I digress.

I was on a hunt for things that caught my eye and brighten up our home. I was thinking creatively with each piece I looked at. Trying to see it differently and other uses. Of course to “the teen” I was just wasting time and acting weird. To me, I was in heaven. “The teen” ended up wandering off and finding his own treasures.

Here is what we came away with. I have some plans for a lot of it which I will share on here as I complete the projects. The controller is for “the teen”, why he wanted it I have no idea. The bottles are also his. He is doing a project in English and it involves making potions so these bottles are absolutely perfect. He has been bitten by the bug I tells ya. ^.~

I also got a lampshade but forgot to put it in the picture. Silly me. Doesn’t fit the lamp I brought it for but that is ok. I will make it work.

 

I really am on an Asian kick lately. Would love to have an Asian style room. Maybe one day.

Thrift stores are a great place to pick up books for cheap too. Just some of my book scores. Been wanting these books for a while now but couldn’t justify spending the money on new and the library always has a long wait list for the popular books.

I have big plans for some of my finds, can’t wait to get started.

So do you thrift? What are some of your fave finds from your thrifting trips? Feel free to comment and share.

Hugs and Smoochies from the Madhouse.

>Arawynn<

 

Technorati Tags: Parenting teen boys,Thrift stores,Frugal living,decorating,crafting,inexpensive books,creative rush

Queen of the Grill….

 

Oh yes, you read right. I have learned a new skill on my quest to become a strong, independent woman, and complete Mistress over my domain.

Now some of you might be thinking to yourselves “why didn’t she know how to use a barbecue, everyone knows how to use a barbecue, don’t they?” and to answer that I will have to admit that I have been terrified of barbecues from an early age. Mostly because my mother, bless her, instilled a fear in me and that girls  just don’t use barbecues because they are not safe. So that is how it was in our house as well, until now.

I got to thinking one night that the snow was finally gone and I was looking out at my backyard and wondering what I could possibly do with it. I noticed the barbecue in the far side covered up with a tarp to protect it through the cold Canadian winter, looking so lonely and neglected. What am I going to do with that?

So I mentioned my thought to a co-worker who, without hesitation said “Well barbecue of course!” to which I gave a horrified expression of confusion and terror. Of course this lead him to inquire to my expression and I had to admit my total terror small fear of the barbecue, which he found mildly amusing and then offered to come give me a lesson on barbecue basics and he promised to have me grilling like a pro in no time. To which I thought to myself “Yea right”. He also mentioned how it would save on electricity during the summer if I cooked outside as much as possible. Now of course I had to learn because what girl doesn’t want to save some $$$$$.

So I got a complete run down on barbecue do’s and don’ts and off he went, completely confident in my abilities to master the fearsome beast. I, on the other hand wasn’t so confident and it took me days to actually get up the courage to go out and grill something. So off I went with all my ingredients to the backyard, “the teen” peeking out the window probably waiting for something to explode…loved the vote of confidence there. *lol*

So I did everything my co-worker said to do. I admit I was damn nervous and was actually reciting the instructions out loud as I went to make sure I didn’t do something wrong. I am sure my neighbours must think I am completely mad. *lol*

There was a lot of sizzling and popping and at one point there was a small fire but I managed to cook four cheeseburgers and toast two buns (“the teen” doesn’t like his buns toasted) without doing damage to myself or the barbecue. I was pretty darn proud of my first grilling experience. Even more so when “the teen” devoured his cheeseburgers and said “You did a great job Mom, these cheeseburgers taste so much better than dad’s”  After hearing that my chest swelled up with pride.

 

 

I have gone out and barbecued a few times since and I have to say I am getting more comfortable with the idea. I have even moved up to steaks and OMG they were amazing. “The teen” is always asking what I am going to barbecue next. Guess I better get some barbecue recipes collected. *lol*

So I have learned a new skill, something I didn’t think I would ever have the guts to do and it has made me realize that I can do things I was scared of doing before. Next step….Power tools. OH YEA BABY!!!!

Hugs and Smoochies from the Madhouse

>Arawynn<

Shake my head…

As the mother of a teenage boy I have made it a mission of mine to raise him to not turn out like so many men I have met in my thirty some odd years. I have no idea what has happened to the male population but they all mostly seem to have been raised in a barn, with no manners to speak of.

I understand men have sex on their minds pretty much all the time. Don’t get me wrong I like sex too but unlike a man I am not able to see a naked man and get hot enough to stop whatever I am doing at the time to do it. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic and have read WAY TOO MANY romance novels in my time but I want a man to woo me. My idea of foreplay is not “Hey baby let’s get naked and f**k” I am sorry boys this just DOESN’T do it for me. Especially since at my age ( I know I am still considered young) but things just don’t rev up like they used to. Every fire starts off small and has to be fed to make it super hot. Yes I am a fire, I start of slow but with the right care and fuel, you are in for a bonfire.

It would be nice if fathers took their sons aside and told them that real life sex is not porn. Most women I know don’t get all made up and wear stilettos while having sex, I would be too scared of impaling my partner to enjoy it. Also most don’t think it is sexy to have your man juice sprayed all over their face and hair. Maybe some women are up for that (or paid to enjoy it) but I am not one of them so please keep your man juice away from my head. Call me old fashioned.

Why do men use porn for sex tips? Real women aren’t porn stars and will never look like porn stars so trying to make them into one will just leave you both feeling let down. Just my opinion of course.

“The husband”, I really should find another name for him now that we are separated, told me I was nothing more than “tits and ass” and that is all men would see me as. Well I am more than that, sure I may have a nice rack and booty but I have a mind too and I think it is totally sexy when a man sees beyond the body. I think I would be more likely to go for the guy that likes me for my mind than for my body. Because physical attraction can fade. If it is all sex, all the time, what happens when the sex is gone? Hmmmm I have an idea there.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a hater of sex. I’m actually quite the opposite, but I think there is more to life then sex. I am on a quest to find a real man that sees beyond just “tits and ass”. It might be a pretty tall order. All I seem to be finding are little boys obsessed with me being their personal porn star (without the porn star pay of course*lol* ) and nothing else really. You need more than just sex in a relationship and personally I think I deserve better than to be viewed as only “tits and ass”.

Oh I do love how so many men figure they can call you “so hot” and “so sexy” and you will be so grateful you will rip off all your clothes and say “take me now stud” I have had a few of these guys lately. I swear as soon as people found out “the husband” were no longer together the men came out of the woodwork  figuring I would just swoon and hop into bed with them, of course none wanted a relationship, just sex. Nice try guys, not going to happen. You want this bonfire to burn for you then you have to be single and want more than just my goodies. I spent 16 years with a man that only wanted me for my tits and ass and my bank account. I am not about to make that mistake again. HELLZ TO THE NO!!!!

Men….all I can do is just shake my head. Still on the search for my Prince Charming. Sometimes I wonder if fairy tales just set women up for disappointment *lol*

Hugs and Smoochies

>Arawynn<

Have people lost their minds?

Honestly I am seriously baffled at the insanity in my life and the insanity I see online.

I haven’t really talked much about what happened between “the husband” and I. Basically he met a woman on an online gaming site and “fell in love” with a woman he had never met, and probably would never meet. Even to the point where he got “cybermarried” to this woman. Just saying this makes me want to laugh out loud. Apparently this is a new thing. The promise to get married in real life when two people that have never met finally do meet. Maybe I am cynical when it comes to love but this whole thing seems completely insane to me.
The teen and I went through 7 months of hell while “the husband” chatted all night with this “woman” and her kids. Having “family time” together by watching movies together over the phone and bible time. I would sit here and shake my head at the insanity of it all.  “The teen” was definitely not impressed.  “The husband” , however, didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he was doing. Having an online affair right in front of his wife and child. The fact that this “woman” kept proclaiming she was a good Christian woman. Funny last time I read the bible I didn’t see getting involved with a married man in there. Guess I have a different bible.

Now, before people get in an uproar, I want to say that I know there are plenty of couples that meet through the internet and fall in love and meet and end up getting married. I am not talking about this. What I find infuriating are the men and women out there that using online gaming sites or social media to cheat on their spouses. Some even going as far as to travel to have booty calls.  Completely insane, imo  but not for all it seems.

Now it has been almost a year since “the husband’s” relationship started with this “woman”. I knew right away something wasn’t right. Then the lies started. “There is nothing going on”, “We’re just friends”, “You are so paranoid” among other phrases. I just knew in my gut that he was lying. In my experience women just “know” when their men are up to something. Could be just my spidey sense is on hyperdrive.
Now it has been a few months without “the husband” in the house and things are getting back to normal in The Madhouse, or so I thought. They say all things happen for a reason and while this totally threw our lives upside down it has opened my eyes to a lot of things they were closed to. I am actually doing a lot better and feeling a lot better about myself all around. Most days I actually am grateful all of this happened.
Saying that, however, I now have to say that I would NEVER wish what I went through on any woman. Even a woman that hates me and the feeling is mutual. So when a good friend of mine started acting weird a couple of months ago my spidey sense kicked up again and low and behold he is doing the EXACT same thing as “the husband” was. Involved with a girl in the states that he has NEVER met but it madly in love with and he had the gall to ask me to be there for him as a friend because he needed me to be there for him because what I went through gave him the strength to realize he was miserable in his marriage. Great for him, but I told him he was being stupid and he needed to stop this relationship NOW, until he ended things with his wife. It isn’t going to end well and if he got anything out of what happened to me he would know it is INSANE.

Now before everyone thinks I am a cold hearted biatch here is a tidbit about myself. I love my friends, all of them, even when they are being insanely stupid, but instead of coddling and praising for things I find insanely stupid I choose to say what is on my mind. It is what I want my friends to do for me. Sometimes you need that kick in the rear to wake up and snap out whatever you are doing at the time. Most are scared to be blunt because they don’t want to hurt feelings but if your closest friends can’t be completely honest with you who can? I would rather hurt feelings then finding out years later that all your friends thought your husband was a selfish, controlling a$$hat but didn’t want to hurt  your feelings.

So I told my friend exactly what I thought, because I care about him as a person and don’t want him to walk the same path as “the husband” (which is not as glorious as “the husband” thought it would be but he made his choice) not to mention as much as I dislike his wife I would NEVER want her to go through what I went through. No one should be put through that. I really think this “relationship” is a whole lot of stupid but if he was insistent on being with this girl then he needed to make a choice. I told him he should end things with his wife before he got involved with someone new because it was just going to make things so much worse when his wife found out because she will find out. Women have a 6th sense for this shit, hell if he learned anything from my situation he would know not to be doing this and it could blow up in his face.

I refuse to be a cheerleader for him in this relationship and I told him as such. I also have more sympathy for his wife than him right now because I have been where she is, only she doesn’t “know” it yet. If he was looking for someone to cheer him on and support him in this insanely stupid thing, I could not do it. Needless to say I haven’t heard from him since, and even went as far as to unfriend him on Facebook (for the sake of my sanity). Am I sad to lose a friend, Hellz yea I am. Friends are very important to me and I will miss my friend dearly, but I just can’t sit there and be a cheerleader for someone doing the same damn thing my husband did to me. Oh Hellz to the NO on that one.

I don’t know what possessed him to even ask me to be there and supportive in this. I want him to be happy but for the love of all that is holy don’t get involved with someone while you are still living like you are married it won’t end well. I swear people have lost their minds.

Maybe I am overreacting a tad, maybe I am still a tad bitter about what happened to me. Maybe the feelings are just too fresh to deal with this right now. All I know is I think he is incredibly stupid and I feel for his wife. I just don’t get it the fascination in tearing apart someone for someone that you have never met. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. *sigh* I do wish him all the best and hope it was worth it.
As for me I am done with this whole thing and going to concentrate on my own happiness for a while. I am actually surprisingly happy to be single, for now anyway. I am going to enjoy this time in my life, until love finds me, for good this time.

Hugs and Smoochies from the Madhouse
>Arawynn<

Technorati Tags: Cheating,Marriage,Broken Friendships,Insane stupidity,Happiness,Heartbreak,Sympathy,Online Gaming,Social Media

The Winds of Change are a Blowing!

There have been a lot of changes going on in and around The Madhouse over the past month, or so. Some exciting, some not so exciting but everything is an experience, right?


I decided to let my Closet Goth side free, within reason of course. I am still a mom and well “the teen” would be mortified if I showed up in front of his friends looking less then “normal”.  With him being in such a precarious time in his life where image is EVERYTHING. Which is funny seeing as his best friend runs around in a hat made of socks, but I digress.  To go along with my new tattoo (which I talk about here) I decided to change my hair as well. Normally, when in need of a pick me up and a change, I go red.


I LOVE red hair, I swear there is a Ginger Temptress hiding somewhere inside of me. I just don’t have the temperament for a brunette, but anyhoo. I decided to shock everyone and go raven black. I have always wanted to try black hair but never had the guts, worried about what people would think. However, since I am doing a lot of changing emotionally and mentally I figure, why not so I just went out and did it and I have to say I am in LOVE. People at work were shocked, “the teen” did his normal *shake of the head* and *roll of the eyes*. I am sure he was thinking “mom is on another trip around the bend”.


I have been complimented quite a lot on my new hair. I feel empowered and sexy. Something I definitely need. Working on all this change is exhausting though. Sometimes I look in the mirror and don’t even recognize myself. I think “who is this tattooed, raven-haired beauty staring back at me?”  Ok all this change is definitely maybe getting to me just a tad…I don’t respond to myself so that is a bonus right? *lol*


Here is the Raven-haired beauty that has been making the rounds of The Madhouse for the past month. I rather like her and hope she sticks around.

Other changes going on in the Madhouse. I decided to change around the living room a couple of weeks ago, much to “the teen’s” dismay. That child hates change as much as I do but I am trying to get him to embrace change. Sometimes it isn’t a life horrifying thing *shock*


Now I am not much in the strength department so lifting heavy things is not my strongest quality. Even so, I figured “the teen” and I could move the living room furniture no problem. Boy was I wrong *face palm* It ended up with me doing most of it by pushing and pulling things around the room because “the teen” has less upper body strength than I do. Is it wrong to make it mandatory that he work out on the weight bench every day to build up some muscles in those spaghetti arms of his? I am sure his future girlfriends would thank me. After much blood, sweat and tears (literally) the furniture got moved and things are falling into place. It was worth not being able to move for the two days following. *lol*


Now that everything is switched around I am much happier. This remind me less and less of “the husband” and more like me. It is quite liberating actually. I am always thinking of new ways to decorate that costs little to NOTHING, which totally fits in my budget *lol*. I am getting excited to actually decorate and make this our home. Hopefully “the teen” doesn’t go into cardiac arrest with all the changes  going on. Trying to get him to accept change has been an adventure. I am trying to keep things as normal as possible and not changing too much at once. He seems to have accepted the living room change now though, so that is a positive step at least.


There is more changes to come in the Madhouse and I will be sure to share. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking time to visit The Madhouse.


Hugs and Smoochies
>Arawynn<

Nacho Madness

This past week has been insane for me. So many appointments and I started working some extra hours at work. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything you need to get done, well done. However in all the craziness you need to find time to eat and well I like to spice things up a bit. I thought I would share one of my fave things to make. It isn’t very good for the waistline but they are sooooooo good.

Mmmmmmmmm, my mouth is watering just looking at that picture. Here is how you can make your own Nacho Madness.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Who really wants to scrape melted cheese off their baking sheets? Not I.

Put down a layer of tortilla chips. I used bite sized round chips for my nachos because I find them easier to deal with then huge chips.

Set the baking sheet aside and brown up some ground beef or whatever meat you wish to have. I have made them with ground sausage as well and they were delicious. For those Vegetarians out there you can omit the meat. Drain the ground beef and set aside.

Chop up some bell peppers and onions, I used a quarter of each bell pepper and half an onion. I usually use green peppers but the store was all out when I was shopping so I bought a package of red, yellow and orange sweet peppers to use instead. I usually try and use green onions but I didn’t have any on hand so I used just a regular cooking onion.

In the same pan that you browned the ground beef in saute half a can of mushrooms that have been diced. You can use fresh mushrooms as well but I was using what I had on hand.

Using a spoon, spread salsa over the layer of chips. I use medium salsa but you can use mild or hot. Depends on your taste and the heat you can handle.

Spread out the ground beef and the mushrooms over the salsa and chips.

Spread out the bell peppers and onions. I usually put diced jalapeno peppers on now but I was out so they were jalapeno less.

Sprinkle a layer of cheese. We love cheese so I use a lot. I use marble cheese. You could use any cheese you wish of course. I love to experiment with different flavours. Put the nachos in the middle rack of the oven at 375 degrees C until the cheese is melted. I like to put the broiler on for a few seconds to brown the cheese a little. If you do this make sure to keep an eye on them because they can burn very easily on Broil.

Fresh out of the oven but not quite done yet. I like to add fresh ground pepper and some sea salt before digging in.



I usually will put baking sheet on a towel or oven mitts on the table and we eat off of the pan. Less dishes to clean up that way. It is also more fun that way. The best part of these nachos is that you can change it up so you don’t get bored. Have fun with it and see what you can come up with. Enjoy.

Hugs and Smoochies from the Madhouse

Heart Hair Pin

In honor of the month of love which will be upon us soon enough, I made a cute little heart hairpin. I made it out of things I had around the house so it didn’t cost me a thing.
I whipped this little cutie up the other night while I was watching tv.  I have a tonne of red felt from left over from a bunch of felt tree skirts I bought on clearance a while back for about a quarter each. So I cut our two heart shapes, sewed them together and stuffed the heart with some fiber fill. The white daisy is from vintage dress trim my mother had given me. I cut off one of the flowers and sewed it to the heart. Then I hit up my button horde stash and found two buttons that I liked and sewed them in the middle of the daisy.  Then I finished it off by sewing it to a hair clip I had kicking around.
I think it is so adorable and can’t wait to wear it in my hair. Would be perfect as a pin as well.
Hugs and Kisses from the Madhouse

Domestic Goddess????

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I despise cleaning. Just the thought of cleaning makes me cringe. I am forever looking for the easiest way to clean something to get it done faster. This loathing stems from growing up as Cinderella. I had a list of chores as long as my arm and they had to be done specific way on specific days while my brother got to play video games and have fun. I once asked my mother why he never had to do dishes or cleaning of any sort and was informed that “he is a boy” O.o This is why I made the decision that “the teen” will be learning how to clean because I don’t believe just because you are a boy means you shouldn’t know how to clean, but I digress.


I used to imagine myself as Cinderella waiting for my fairy godmother to come and whisk me away to the ball and my Prince Charming, just to make chores bearable. Sometimes it helped, most of the time it didn’t *lol*


Well I have been on my own since I was 19 and I have never been what you would call obsessive when it comes to housework. If I could put it off for a bit. To me, some dust bunnies weren’t the end of the world and clutter was constant because we had 2 adults and a child who has 4 sets of grandparents buying stuff for him in a small 600 sq foot apt.


Well over the last couple of months I have discovered a new love of cleaning and dreaming of my fairy godmother and my Prince Charming hasn’t happened at all while doing housework. I have actually been pretty surprised with myself. Since “the husband” hasn’t been in the house I actually enjoy cleaning. I have cleared out my backyard and winterized it. I have been keeping up with wiping stuff down and picking things up and putting them back in their place instead of saying “I’ll do that later”


The biggest thing to change for me is discovering my love of vacuuming. I noticed a small stand up was on sale and I thought “for that price, why not” I had several vacuums at my old apartment because it was wall to wall carpet and you needed one with all that. Our current home is wood floors because of “the teen’s” asthma, so I never bothered to replace the vacuum we left at our old place because it was broken. After 6 years of dealing with sweeping and the floors not being completely dust free I finally had a vacuum again and I am LOVING IT!!!!! I find myself looking for things to vacuum.


I have vacuumed out my couch for the first time in ages. I used to take a small brush and dustpan to clean it before but that was killer on my back and patience. I have been able to get into places with the attachments where I couldn’t reach with a broom so there is less dust bunnies hiding behind heavy objects. “The teen” has watched me in confusion at how happy I am to be cleaning, seeing as normally he sees me cringing the entire time. I feel so domestic lately. Everything I look at I want to clean and I am not even pregnant. =P


I am liking this new me and my new, cleaner house. I have also changed from using harsh cleaning products to using water and vinegar in a spray bottle. I was skeptical at first and didn’t think it was as good as store bought cleaners but I did some research and discovered that vinegar is a natural disinfectant so I have been using that and have discovered I am not having so much health issues from breathing in harsh chemicals, which also makes me more willing to wipe down things since I can breathe. Vinegar is also a helluva lot cheaper than other cleaning products so win for the wallet as well as my nasal passages *happyface*


Domestic Goddess? Not exactly but I am on my way and feeling great about it, with no fairy godmothers or Prince Charmings in sight. Now I am off to go find something else to clean =)




Hugs and Kisses from the Madhouse

365 Fail…

Sorry for being MIA as of late. Life has gotten pretty hectic and full of madness. I have several ideas for posts and projects but getting them executed has proven a little difficult when life gets in the way *lol*
I sadly need to report that my 365 Project had to be pushed aside. I think I made it 11 days. I might have bitten off a little more than I could chew with that project, and time just got away from me most days. So I have postponed it for now. I apologize to those that looked forward to my photos. I will continue to share photos I have taken so definitely check back often.


I have been pretty busy lately, I had my company New Year’s Party, which was a lot of fun. I had my SIL come with me and we tore up the dance floor and had a great time. I had a lot of compliments about how great I looked and even was stopped by a lady and was asked if she could photograph my necklace because she loves Cameos (as do I) and she is a photographer (as am I) so how could I say no. I was actually flattered to be asked.


I am so glad I decided to go even though I hadn’t been feeling all that well that weekend. I had actually been thinking about not going but after pep talks from both my parents and some friends I was talked into going. They all said I deserved a night out to have fun.  I also didn’t want to be one of those people that say they are going to show and don’t and the company still has to pay for the meal. Emergencies happen of course but it seems there were a lot of people that don’t show each year after saying they will be there. Kind of like a wedding I guess, you always have people that don’t show and you still have to pay for them, but I digress. It was nice to get out and chat with some friends and I got to spend time with my SIL which, whom I hadn’t seen in a while so it was nice.



I had a few co-workers not even recognize me. Not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing *lol* I wasn’t feeling all that well that day so I did put on a lot of makeup to try and cover up that fact. I don’t usually wear much makeup to work so maybe that was it. It was cute. My SIL and I ended up wearing similar colours and we both had flowers in our hair. Great minds think alike ^.~


Other happenings in my madhouse of a life. I got a tattoo. Back in April I had sat doodling at the table the night my baby would have been due had I not miscarried. I ended up with a doodle that I absolutely loved. It was 4 stars, 1 larger one and three smaller ones, surrounded with curly cues and little star dust looking things. As soon as it was finished and I had coloured it in I knew I had to get it as a tattoo, close to my heart. I coloured the larger star green because that is “the teen’s” favorite colour and then the three smaller stars I coloured, blue, pink and purple.


The tattoo is in honour of all my pregnancies. The larger green star is for “the teen” and the three smaller stars are for the pregnancies that didn’t make it. I surrounded the larger star with the smaller ones because I am sure they are looking out for their brother in some form, where ever they may be. Even though I didn’t give birth to them they are always in my heart which is why I wanted the tattoo close to my heart as I could.
I have had mixed reviews about my new tattoo but I love it and it is special to me so I just let the negative comments go. I had a friend tell me that it was poorly done, but it is not meant to be perfect. The guy that did it for me asked me if I had wanted it done exactly how I drew it,. He liked it as I drew it and said he could have perfected the stars for me and could make it perfect but then it wouldn’t be the drawing I did and he believes that sometimes perfect is “too perfect” and I agreed with that. I loved how I drew it, it is special and unique to me and that is all that matters at the end of the day. He did a really good job and doing exactly how I wanted it done. It suits me, after all, nothing in my life is perfect. *lol*





Well I am off to make some pasta for me and “the teen” and get to some more purging. It has been so nice to get rid of stuff. Make me feel lighter. Have a good weekend all <3

Hugs and Smocchies from the Madhouse

Better late than never…

I took my day 5 photo but wasn’t able to get it up yesterday, for several reasons. I have decided I will be making the 365 project a weekly thing. I will still take a photo a day but will only post them on the weekend. Finding the time to take photos, edit and write and post while life happens just doesn’t seem to be feasible, at this point in time anyway. So I will upload all the photos on the weekend when I had more time. A week in review, so to speak.


Been feeling a little under the weather so I am going to keep this short, so I can go medicate and crawl back to bed.


I couldn’t decide which picture I liked more for Photo 5 so I am posting two photos. The first one is the sun as I was coming out of work on Thursday. I think sunset is one of the most magical times of day. The colours are so amazing.





The second photo for Photo 5 is of the fur demon. She loves curling up in front of my monitor as I work at my computer. I went to make a cup of tea Thursday evening and came back to my desk and found this…





It would seem “the teen” thought she was cold and covered her up in one of his t-shirts. Normally she would protest this but she just laid there chillin at the computer snug as a kitty can be.


For photo 6 I have one of my favorite things, a Cameo choker. I am such a lover of Victorian style and dress. I have been collecting cameos since I was a child. I found this Cameo pendant back in October while I was shopping for a birthday gift for a friend. I just had to buy it. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it but I knew I adored it so I bought it. It helped it was on sale for 40% off, how can you say no to that? *lol*


I finally figured out what I was going to wear to my company party but didn’t know how to accessorize my outfit and I thought of this Cameo. I had tried putting it on a silver chain but found the chain was too dainty and looked odd with such a large piece so I started digging through my massive stash of necklaces and found a choker I had already that I loved. It had a key pendant on it so I removed the key and placed the cameo on it instead and now I have a pretty Cameo choker to wear with my outfit.



and for comparison sake here is the choker originally.



Hugs and Kisses from the Madhouse.

Ever have one of those days?

I seem to be having a lot of them lately. >.>


What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, they say anyway.  This trying to stay on the positive side of things has certainly been trying *lol*  The week is almost over and the weekend is almost upon us. Time seems to be going so quickly these days. I remember when I was a child and thinking time couldn’t go fast enough and now I am wishing for it to slow down. Funny how things like that work *lol*


Been trying to decide what I am going to wear to my company party coming up soon. I have really wanted to make something  to wear because being a newly single mom, money is tight and I can’t justify going out and buying something new. I just can’t seem to get over my fear of making something. It looks so easy for the ladies that are average size but for those of us that are curvy it seems to be more of a challenge. At least I find it is a challenge *lol* I have a beautiful blue velvet coat that doesn’t fit me right and I think it would make an amazing dress. Just not really sure of my sewing skills to reconstruct it. *sigh*
 
“The Teen” and I went for a walk this evening and I took along my pocket camera in case I was inspired along the way. It had started snowing earlier in the day which seemed to warm things up temperature-wise. Which was absolutely wonderful. The walk was amazing as well. I love how winter can refresh you. The cool, crisp air (that isn’t too cold or crisp of course) just breathes a new life into you.
 
I did manage to snap some photos though, must keep to my 365 project. So here is photo 4 of 365.



I wanted to capture the snow at night and I am trying out taking photos at different angles to see what I like better. When I am not having to be on a time schedule it is nice to just play with different settings and angles to experiment. I have taken some amazing pictures this way.


Photography also makes me feel good about myself. My therapist did say I needed to do things I enjoy to lift my spirits so spending time with “the teen” and photography are big on that list. I got to do both on this trip. I think next time I will encourage “the teen” to bring along his camera as well. He has seen the photos I have taken of out of focus lights and he thinks they are so cool like *lol*  and he kept pointing at lights and asking me to take a picture of them like I did with the Christmas tree and bannister lights.


I am grateful that I have been blessed with the gift of looking at the world in terms of photography. It really makes me appreciate how beautiful the world is and see things from a different perspective. I see things I would otherwise miss. Something so ordinary to people can be something absolutely breathtaking when photographed. It would be amazing if everyone could take the time to see the world from a different perspective. It really does open up your eyes to the world right in front of you.


Hugs and Kisses from the Madhouse.

Just 5 more minutes…

That is what I was asking for this morning when it was time to get up for work. Managed to drag my tired behind out of bed and get dressed and making it outside to discover it was colder than the Artic. OMG it was crazy cold this morning and I had forgotten my hat inside (not really figuring I would need it since the day before wasn’t too bad) and of course because I had taken that extra 5 minutes on the snooze button I didn’t have time to run back inside to get my hat, another jacket and a fur coat and whatever else I could manage to find to stay warm in subzero temps or else risk missing my bus.


So off I ran to the stop, praying that my ears didn’t fall off on the walk. Thankfully the buses were running on almost normal schedule today unlike yesterday. But man, oh man were the sidewalks slippery. I must have been quite the site trying to run to make sure I didn’t miss my bus, while holding my hood in place and trying to keep my balance. Soooooo happy I didn’t end up slipping on the large sheets of ice. You can definitely count on getting some morning exercise when things like this morning happy.


One thing I find with the extreme cold is that it makes me unbelievably tired. Cold just seems to sap all your energy. It wasn’t so bad at work even with having little sleep. It was still a fairly long day though so I am going to be heading out as well. Just wanted to get in my Photo for today and wish all those that are in the freezer atm to stay warm and safe. Remember to bundle up to avoid frostbite. Not a fun feeling.


So for Photo 3  I decided to play with manual focus and my camera again. I managed to snap the following picture while swirling the camera. I absolutely LOVE IT. and “the teen” gave his seal of approval. so that is good too *lol*





Well I think I am going to call it a night now and make it and early night. I have a feeling morning will be here before you know it.


Hugs and Smoochies from the Madhouse.

Back to the grind after a week off, Yuck!

I bet you thought I forgot about taking a photo and on day two Tsk Tsk. I am a little late posting Photo #2 because it was the first day back to work after a week off and it was…let’s say…an adjustment.
I forgot about it being Sunday bus schedule due to New Year’s Day being on a Sunday and the Monday automatically because a holiday for those working in the government and whatnot. My work decided to give us Friday Dec 29 in lieu of New Year’s Day so off to work I trudged Monday morning and stood 40 min waiting for a bus that never showed. Needless to say my mood was not the greatest upon arriving to work thirty minutes late. I wasn’t the only one that had issues getting to work because their bus wasn’t running due to the holiday and Sunday scheduling.
Normally it wouldn’t be an issue but this great city of our decided to change a tonne of the bus routes and combine some routes while cancelling others. Every other year I had the choice to take one of two buses too work, both of which run on Sunday schedule in the early mornings., so for mornings like Monday it was never an issue because my bus was always running. However, since the change I have started taking a different bus which only runs every hour on Sundays and only starts at 9am. I realized after two buses should have gone by and didn’t that Sunday was New Year’s so the buses were on Sunday schedule and mentally swore to myself and trudged off to catch another bus.
Of course by this time it had started to hail. I have no idea where it came from. One second it was beautiful, albeit cold and then out of no where this wind picked up and a cloud of hard snow pellets started. I thought to myself “Great, just what I need” Seriously it is hard enough going back to work after the holidays and having a week off then to miss your bus and then get hailed on. If I didn’t know any better I would say the universe was out to get me *lol*  I am trying a new thing though and trying to think positively so I am glad that I am fortunate enough to have a job to trudge off to after the holidays and that there was less people on the bus this morning than usually, making it easier to find a seat. =]
So anyway, work was interesting. Everyone seemed to be having the same problem as me and being fuzzy from the holidays. So it was nice not to be the only one not seeming to be with it. The day seemed to go by pretty slow, which is normal for a Monday. Thanks to the once an hour bus I decided to walk to get another bus. I ended up stopping off and visiting my FIL briefly since his work is on the way to the bus stop I was heading to. Had a chat with him and headed back out to brave the walk over the highway. OMG the cold. It is amazing how cold it is walking where there is nothing to block the wind, but then I remind myself that I am glad I am cold because it means my body is working properly. It would be bad if I couldn’t feel the cold.
So I ended up having a good long walk after work, which I wouldn’t normally have had if the buses were running normally. I felt pretty good and refreshed by the time I got home. I had to pick up some groceries on the way home as well so I had that to help give me resistance to work my body. So all in all today I got in a lot of walking for the bus and exercise which is good for my health. See what I did there? Turning a negative into a positive. It actually made me feel better to think this way. Who knew? *lol*
Anyway, I ended up getting distracted when I got home with cooking dinner and chatting with my mother and other things I needed to do so I didn’t get a chance to post my picture but I did manage to take it. =]
It isn’t the greatest picture, not one of my better ones but I thought it was too cute not to share. I caught the little fur demon in my tree again. I was sitting at my computer and out of the corner of my eye I saw the tree moving and then turned and it stopped. I looked at the tree and all I saw was the fur demon staring at me through the branches in the middle of the tree. Normally I would tell her to get out of the tree but she just looked too darn cute for words so I had to snap a pic. I didn’t have much time so I only managed to get this one before she high-tailed it out of the tree “Since she KNOWS she isn’t supposed to be in there”
I still think it is a pretty cute photo of her, even if she was caught doing something bad *lol*


So day one after the holidays is down and onto day two. Counting down the days till the next long weekend, which is in February. “The teen” cackled maniacally when I was getting ready to leave since he isn’t back to school for another week. Why wasn’t I a teach again? Oh yea because I groups of children make me nervous. Who wouldn’t be afraid when they are outnumbered? =P
Hugs and Kisses from the Madhouse

365 Project…

Happy New Year all. I hope you are all recovering well from last night’s celebrations.
I have been meaning to start a 365 project for years now but never seem to actually get around to doing it and well with this new year and all the changes going on in my life atm. I thought I am actually going to do it this year. Part of my looking on the positive side of things for a change.
So I will be planning on taking a photo each day for the coming year and posting it on my blog along with whatever else is on my mind. These pictures are not going to be on any topic specifically, just whatever seems to capture my attention that day and I want to share. I hope that blogging this journey of mine will make me more accountable to actually completing this little project of mine. I have done a project on a smaller scale a couple of years ago, during one month but found that by the end of the month I was just not able to stick it out. I am hoping to keep with this one throughout the year. It is a pretty big challenge but I am up for it. Wish me luck *lol*
So after the ball hit in Times Square last night and the new year was rung in, I was wide awake and feeling crafty while I sat watching Mean Girls with “the teen”. My brother gave it to me for Christmas and he knows I could use the laugh right now. “The Teen” had not seen it yet and I put it on originally to watch alone while he played on the computer but he ended up coming over and joining me while I crafted on the couch.
I had seen a craft tutorial while perusing Pinterest earlier this week and thought I would give it a try. I had a bunch of red felt in the basement that I had set aside for crafting, although at the time I had no idea what I would use it for. Now it seemed to have a purpose. The tutorial seemed simple enough and something I could do while watching a movie so I got everything together and made myself comfy and pressed play.
It was great making something with my hands again. I miss crafting so much and I am getting back into it. It is amazing the accomplishment you get when you finish something. It is a little rough looking but I like it. I took permanent black marker and darkened up the edges to make it more grudge looking. I love it and can’t wait to wear it in my hair. I made it in a way that I can remove the clip  and slip in on a headband if I choose. Making it more versatile. I want to make dozens more in different colors and materials.
Without further ado, here is my first photo of 2012. It kind of reminds me of a Poppy so I could wear it in November as a pin for Rememberance Day.

I finally found a use for my millions of buttons and felt in my craft stash.
Well I am off to craft some more and be domestic.
Hugs and Smoochies from the Madhouse.