Notecards, notecards, notecards!

With so many weddings and graduations going on, you've got to have a need for these.

Chevron, dots and fonts in every color/pattern you can imagine!

Measuring My Husband's Worth

I try not to rant about firefighters being underpaid, blah blah blah, because it never seems to do much good with the politics of local government.  We've accepted this career as the one my husband chose, and the one he loves. We sacrifice the better life for my husband's passion for what he does. It's quickly becoming my passion. Knowing he fights to save others' lives is a feeling you only get as a wife. I'm proud. For example, we were on the way home from town one afternoon. Before entering the small town where we lived, I smelled this God-awful smell, and knew it was fire. My husband argued with me. We don't have many crops and I knew no one was burning fields. Tires, maybe? As we turned down our small highway, the black smoke filled the air and I heard the old antique firetrucks ahead of us. A mile or two down the road, we saw that an older man's shop on fire. Without hesitation, my husband pulled the car over and went to help. Keep in mind he was wearing a regular tee and jeans. The little man's wife was hysterical in the yard and it was almost as if I were watching a game from the sidelines.  The anxiety of knowing – whether he was safe, was anyone hurt, how much damage did they have, would they be able to recover or save any of those precious tools that I'm certain those sweet people worked so very hard for – it would taunt anyone. To see him return a while later was a relief, soot and all. I don't get to see that when he's working his regular fire job.

But this lady hit the nail on the head as she describes how much a firefighter's career is actually WORTH – what it means to lose out on so many other things (benefits, insurance, family time, holidays and birthdays, with the only goal to save others.  See the letter below to understand:

What is a firefighter worth?

There has been so much talk recently about things like containing costs, lowering taxes, and those who work in public safety being overpaid - particularly firefighters - that it could make your head spin. We've all done the "simple math," crunched the numbers, and it all seems to boil down to a simple question. What are firefighters worth?

I guess that depends. We live in a country that seems to have forgotten what our priorities are. A man can be a skilled athlete who happens to throw and catch a football well, and make millions and millions of dollars to do so. And we as a society are not only OK with that, but we gather in front of our televisions and cheer that man on. Meanwhile, a firefighter kisses his children goodbye before every shift knowing the harsh reality that it very well could be the last time he will see them, and he is fighting tooth and nail for decent health coverage and substantial pay to support those children.

He is the man that you call when your elderly father has a stroke. He is the person that will extract your 16-year-old son from a mangled vehicle on the highway in the middle of the night. He is the person that will be there in a heartbeat when your newborn infant stops breathing. He is the person who is exposed to countless dangerous scenarios and has seen horrific things during his career that would psychologically haunt most of us for the rest of our lives. We trust him to save our homes and belongings in the event of a disastrous fire, and we trust him to keep us breathing and our hearts beating when we face our most critical moments. What is he worth to you?

He sometimes will go days without sleep, and make life altering decisions on every call he shows up to. He has missed family meals, bedtime stories, Christmas mornings, school plays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving dinners, and his own children's birthdays. We all know that life is so very short, and firefighters sacrifice precious time with the most important people in their lives to save the lives of the most important people in yours. And now they have to defend and protect their pensions, well deserved health benefits, and their paychecks. It has been proposed by some that they lose many of their benefits, and work extra shifts that they will not be compensated for. There seems to be a serious misconception that firefighters are in it for the monetary gain, and more and more often have been portrayed in a negative light for actually expecting to be compensated for the sacrifices that they make to do their job. For an individual that has chosen this selfless career, it begs the question: Is it worth it?

Most of us are willing to pay a little extra for something if it is important to us, whether it be the shoes we wear, the doctor we choose to treat us, or even the cup of coffee we drink. It is something that we value, therefore it is worth the cost. Most would agree that our safety and protection is of unmeasurable value. Those of us that are skilled in math may look at the numbers and think that stripping those who serve our public of their way to earn a decent living is an answer to a financial equation. But firefighters and their families are not numbers on a piece of paper. They are human beings that are doing their jobs every day to the best of their ability, and possibly sacrificing their own lives for the life of a stranger. Not many of us in our right mind would do that for free, and no one should have to.

So before making our minds up that firefighters are the financial problem, sit down with a local firefighter and ask him about his job. Ask him about his wife and his sons or daughters, what kind of house he lives in, and what type of car he drives. And then ask yourself, if you were to take on such a career, what would you expect in return?

Tina Clarke

Proud wife of a Cumberland firefighter

Source: http://www.local61.com/mobile/index.cfm zone=%2Funionactive%2Fview_article.cfm&HomeID=244655#.UaezX0gh9Zo.facebook

Texture Queen

And that I am...

These are some of my latest invitation projects using burlap, wood and parchment.

For ordering information, visit www.facebook.com/meganslaughterDesigner?fref=ts

MORE DIY Tumblers

Made for a special friend.

Easter Peep Trees

Yesterday was Sunnybrook day at church.  Sunnybrook is a Christian ministry-based childcare organization who help children who have difficult young lives.  Kids who live in the country life of Sunnybrook get to express their belief in God, grow in education and experience all that family living has to offer, therefore developing them into their full potential. (www.sunnych.net).

Sunnybrook day at church is complete with Sunday School, "Big" Church as my stepdaughter calls it, and a Pot-Luck Lunch.  I had to decide what to cook.

I didn't want just vegetables or a dessert, but wanted something unique and bright as the children of Sunnybrook. With it being the weekend before Easter I assumed the luncheon would be Easter-themed.

So here's what I came up with.

Materials you will need:

1) 2 small flowerpots

2) 2 - 6" styrofoam balls (or in my case, 4 halves)

3) 2 extra pieces of dry foam (any shape)

4) Toothpicks

5) Dowel rods (I used 20 skewers, because I had them in the cabinet)

6) Wire (able to be twisted, but strong-holding)

7) 12 boxes of peeps (any colors you want)

8) Extra candy (edible grass, jellybean eggs, etc.) used for decoration

First, gather your flowerpots.  You can decorate these if you want.

Next, take 10 skewers and wrap them tightly together with wire.  I cut 3 - 6" pieces of wire and wrap in 3 places.  You will do this twice for 2 peep trees.

Since I couldn't find 6" foam balls at the last minute, I took two halves and toothpick-ed them together. Put as many as it takes to make the ball solid where it will not move. Also do this twice.

Next, cut your extra foam pieces to fit the size of your flower pot, leaving about 0.5" from the rim(s).

Then, take the pointed end of your skewer group and punch a whole about 3/4 of the way through the foam balls. Pull the skewers out again.  Then, punch the styrofoam in your extra foam that are in the flower pots.  After you have inserted the skewers into the flower pot foam, place the styrofoam ball on top. Do this twice. At this point it should look like this:

Then, add your edible grass or decorate as you wish.

Place each peep bird onto the styrofoam ball with toothpicks.  Some near the bottom may have to have several toothpicks to hold it in place.  You can make flowers or patterns or whatever you like.

Tips:

1) Do you project in a cooled area.  Heat makes the marshmallows fall off the toothpicks.

2) Add weight to the flower pots or adhere the pots to the bottom plate. 

The trees become heavy with the birds placed on.

To find out how you can help the children of Sunnybrook, visit www.sunnych.net/help.

"Mississippi Meets Ethiopia"

As a designer, every now and then, you'll get those clients that mention a project that touch your soul and stay close to you heart for years to come. True, everybody that asks me for designs has a story, and, never once, has the story been the same. And those stories are what allows me to do what I do - design to the person's particular needs or character.

I've been knowing the Powell family for years. I grew up with the middle daughter, Megan, of Frank and Lisa Powell and we went to church together.  Every single Sunday me, Megan, our other friend Kaitlin would play after church. Surprisingly, after all these years, we all got married in the same year, same month. Totally cool.

Now for the story...

Megan's older brother, Matthew, married Tiffani.  Tiffani and Matthew had Noah – he's one. Tiffani is now pregnant with a second child, Micah.  

For months, the couple knew God was calling them to do something special.  Little did they know, he had adoption in their plans.  They thought, with one child and another on the way, how could this be true?

Allowing God to show them that he would provide for them, they decided to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia and name her Matsy Grace.  Here's the video that was the ultimate deciding factor on the country they would be choosing to adopt from: http://thephilpotfamily.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-ethiopia.html

In addition to prayers, their greatest need is financial - and by that I mean $30,000!  Apparently, adoption in the U.S. in extremely expensive, but even more so in other counties and God was 100% leading them into Ethiopia.  The expenses include document preparation, translation, agency fees, travel, government fees, medical and orphanage fees.  Whoever thought it would be so much involved??

They are totally relying on God, but also friends and family to make this adoption possible for them. Tiffani asked me do help her with fundraising. My part – to create a postcard mailer to send to everyone to make them aware of their perfect situation.  I was so pleased in their decision, that the rest was easy.

And this is why I love my job.

Follow their journey at mississippimeetsethiopia.blogspot.com.

If you'd like to make a donation, you can in the following ways:

     •  Join the journey by faithfully praying.

     •  Mail a check to Frank & Tiffani Powell, 118 Appleridge Drive, Brandon, Mississippi 39047

     •  Make a donation to their PayPal account on www.mississippimeetsethiopia.blogspot.com

     •  Make a tax-deductible donation through AWAA's Eternal Family Program by visiting: https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx and 100% of your donation will be applied toward adoption expenses. *If choosing this option, be sure to select Eternal Family Program and type Frank & Tiffani Powell - Ethiopian adoption in the notes section.

DIY Decorative Tumblers

These fantastic tumblers/glasses make the best small gifts.

Supplies You'll Need:
• Pack of Permanent/Acrylic Paint Pens
• 1 Can of Clear Acrylic Spray
• Plastic Tumbler of Your Choice

1)  Paint initials, decoration, shapes, flowers, etc. on your tumbler with paint pens.
2)  Spray 3 coats of clear acrylic after the paint pens have dried, letting the tumbler completely dry in between.

Valentine on a Dime - DIY Gardening Tool Kit

I'm terrible at gift-giving, especially for Valentine's Day. I can't stand to shop.  I get overwhelmed in large department stores and usually leave emtpy-handed.  And, when I "attempt" to buy online I ALWAYS say "well, I just know I'll find that cheaper in the store" and never pay for my entire cart.

So this year, I got the idea from my husband mentioning several times he wanted a garden.  As a kid I worked in a garden, but it was truly work – not the kind of "I'm going to the gym to sweat" work my husband is used to.  But, for the sake of fresh vegetables, I'm all in.

This year I wanted to do something that my husband really NEEDED, but something that would be unique for both of us to do together.

DIY Gardening Tool Kit

Supplies you'll need:

•  Plastic container with a handle (approximately $2.00 in the Clearance section at Walmart)

•  Seed starter container - Any Size ($5 - $10.00)

•  Packets of seeds of your choice (read the labels for growing seasons and directions)

    * I purchased all types of peppers, squash, cucumbers and green beans.  These are 

      easier to grow for beginning gardeners.

•  Labels for organizing seeds (these are found in the garden section, or make your own!)

•  Gardening tools - Fork/Hoe Combo and a Spade.

    * Go ahead and purchase the more expensive metal tools.  These will last the longest.

•  Miracle Gro™ Seed Starting Mix

•  Men's Black Work Gloves - You can get these in any auto/home improvement store

•  Shrink Wrap or Wrapping of Your Choice

First, draw with paint pens, sharpies or whatever you like you make your container extra special.
Next, fill your container with all the supplies you picked up.
Finally, wrap with shrink wrap and blow dryer so it clings to the contours of the container.
Add a bow, and YOU'RE DONE!