claudelle69@hotmail.com, Author at Yearning to Create

Valentine Decorating

I love to decorate for the seasons and holidays, but I don’t do too much (compared to some people!) simply because I don’t have a quonset in my back yard to store it all in when it’s not on display.

LOVE is the TIE that {BINDS} this FAMILY TOGETHER

is my newest Valentine decor item – and I love it!!! I got it from Lazy Daizy Vinyl Lettering.

It’s still the middle of winter so I like to keep those little bits of evergreen, pine cones and berries around for filler. The pine cones came from the forests in my backyard where I grew up so they’re extra dear to me. They have sparkly silver edges because we painted the edges for my sisters wedding. I put the pine cones in her bouquet – check it out here.

On the after Christmas clearance racks I got this evergreen wreath for $0.94.

I haven’t done anything with it yet – it just hangs around looking wintery, but I made it a little more Valentinesyish by adding one of my kids hearts – they made these a few years back at Shauna’s kids craft class.

Ahh! There is my new wicker vase – you can read about it here.

Those LOVE blocks are pretty cool because on the back of the L is an H, and on the back of the V is an M. So if you get tired of LOVE, you can make it say . . . (did ya figure it out?). That was another one of Shauna’s creations from a few years ago.

These message blocks are new this year too. You can read about them here.

And I know I have a few more things too, but they’re still in boxes – not out in a quonset, but in my unfinished family room, waiting to someday have a home!!!

I think a holiday to remember the people we love is such a great idea!

World Peace

Every year, at least a month before Christmas, we start our Wish List. It’s one piece of paper divided into sections – one section for each person. There they write what they wish for (one piece of paper makes it easy for me to grab and take shopping).

Back in 2006, I wrote “World Peace” in my section of my wish list. I must have just watched Miss Congeniality or something! And truthfully, I really wasn’t expecting to get “World Peace” for Christmas! So, imagine my surprise when I actually got “World Peace” from my imaginative oldest daughter for Christmas!!!

This is what she wrote on the back . . .

And now . . . are you ready to see what “World Peace” looks like?

Ahhh!!! We now have “World Peace”.

The world thanks you Elle!

Thoughts at Easter Time

The stores would have us believe that Easter is all about the Easter Bunny and gifts and chocolate. But it really isn’t. It’s all about the atonement, crucifiction and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Which is why I like to include a picture of my Savior in my little corner of Easter decorating.

This teal frame is the other side of my Framed Shamrock. The picture is ancient but it matched the frame nicely and was the perfect size. It actually came from one of my grandma’s old Family Home Evening manuals from 1976, when Spencer W. Kimball was the prophet (do you remember when a new FHE manual would come out every year or am I really dating myself here?). My parents were downsizing to move into an apartment and gave me some of her old manuals and that’s how I found my perfect picture for this year.

I love the little Willow Tree angel gazing up at the picture.

All I did to decorate this year was add a few pastel flowers. It’s so refreshing to have some springy colours around, after all the dullness of winter.

Oh, we must not forget the chocolate!!! We love Easter treats too – they just don’t come from an Easter Bunny. Luckily my baby hasn’t noticed the treats in the cupboard yet!

Okay, these are my stair railings on my plywood stairs – strangely resembling little Easter Egg trees, paint buckets and pop bottles! Anything to keep small people away from the edges.

Those are the spindles there on the right – somehow they just have to get into formation in the grooves of the banister!

So Kat spent awhile evenly spacing the eggs and spreading out the colours. But as soon as Mac woke up and found egg trees, Kat’s work was destroyed. Now they’re in different arrangements all the time. Who knew stair railings could be so much fun!

(I haven’t posted any house progress pictures lately because no progress is being made! The less than flattering picture above is to remind you that we are still living in a construction zone. But even amidst construction, or lack of, I can still have my corners of prettiness – for my sanity!)

Here’s another Easter corner in the house – I just love this picture of the Salt Lake City Temple!

This magnificent building holds an especially dear place in my heart because I was married here! This is where I was married, and sealed eternally to my sweet guy. It is not a “til death do you part” kind of marriage, but an eternal one – meaning that we truly will be together forever. And our children are sealed to us forever too. Of course they’ll leave us someday and cleave unto their own spouses, but we’re still bound together into the eternities. Isn’t that a glorious plan of our loving Heavenly Father? Families really can be together forever! I find such joy and comfort in knowing this.

In this egg is a carving of our Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He was betrayed, arrested and crucified. This is where he truly suffered the most as he atoned for all our sins.

I love the words to the hymn “Reverently and Meekly Now” because it’s written in the first person – as if the Savior is talking to us. Verses one and four are my favourites:

Rev’rently and meekly now, let thy head most humbly bow.

Think of me, thou ransomed one; think what I for thee have done.

With my blood that dripped like rain, sweat in agony of pain,

With my body on the tree I have ransomed even thee.

At the throne I intercede; for thee ever do I plead.

I have loved thee as a thy friend, with a love that cannot end.

Be obedient, I implore, prayerful, watchful, evermore,

And be constant unto me, that thy Savior I may be.

And that is what Easter is all about!

Taco Soup – Food Storage Version

This is the easiest Taco Soup ever – and it can be made completely from items you have in your food storage.

You just throw it all in the pot and let it simmer for a few hours – until those dehydrated vegetables are soft!

These are the basic ingredients – and of course you can use the real thing, but throwing in the dried and canned stuff is so much easier than actually chopping an onion!!!

My picture of ingredients doesn’t show meat. I usually throw in ground beef (sometimes even stretching my ground beef by adding whole cooked wheat kernels), or wieners, or chicken, or no meat at all.

The basic ingredients are onions, carrots, tomatoes, beans, corn and whatever else you need to clean out of your fridge. I’ve even thrown in dried zucchini from time to time just to bug my family (did you know a large zucchini will shrink down small enough to fit in a small ziploc baggie when it’s dehydrated?). Whenever they see an unidentified green thing in anything, someone will always ask, “Is there zucchini in this?”

The only seasoning I add is Taco seasoning – as much or as little as you choose. Add water to get your desired consistency and there you have it. Quick, easy and delicious!

I prefer my tacos on the side rather than getting soggy under the soup! Sour cream, cheese and cilantro or green onions or chives top it off perfectly (I know I don’t have any green stuff on it – just imagine it!).

And even if you don’t have the garnishes, the soup is great on it’s own. We call it Chili!

Wicker Facelift

I found this thing at a thrift store. My best guess would be that it might be used for carrying wine bottles. But since I don’t drink wine, I decided it would make a pretty cute wicker vase.

The first step was to cut off the lid.

(My 13 year old, who doesn’t play with Barbie’s anymore, decided that the little latch part would make a perfect Barbie sized noose. So I tossed it before we got some disturbing Barbie things going on!)

Looks better already!!!

Then I took that bottle of Almond spray paint and went to work – in a well ventilated place of course! That stuff stinks.

I did two coats and then flipped it over and did my third coat to cover the bottom and catch the rest of it at a different angle.

And there it is – an adorable and cheap wicker vase! (love spray paint!) Warning: Do not use with flowers that will require water unless you put a narrow vase inside first.

Add some dollar store berry twigs and there you have it!!!

Now I just have to find a cuter spot for it, but that will come as I unpack those mounds of boxes! Still tons of things to find homes for.

I have found that since I discovered the joys of spray paint, I shop differently now – especially at thrift stores and garage sales. Colour doesn’t matter anymore – it’s the bones that count!!!

Easy Valentine Idea

Need an easy but fun Valentine idea for your special someone? Well, keep reading . . .

My guy enjoys these little red cinnamon hearts. I find that they burn my tongue and my kids say they’re too ‘spicy’!

But he loves them and so I did this for him for Valentine’s Day. I got the idea from somewhere, but the poem is my own creation. (I’ve typed it out after this picture so it’s easier to read.)

Feel free to use it, just give me the credit for my poetic prowess!!!

The simple phrase I LOVE YOU

Is often hard to say,

Or sometimes we just plain forget

To say it every day.

I want you to know that I LOVE YOU

So here’s what I have done:

I’ve taken little red cinnamon hearts

And hidden them one by one.

I’ve put them in your sock drawer

And in your sweaters too;

I’ve put them in your pockets

And probably in your shoes.

I’ve put them in your long johns

And even in your coat.

Why, I’d put them in the bathtub

If I thought that they would float.

So when you find a small red heart

Here’s what you must do:

Suck it slowly in your mouth

And know that I LOVE YOU!

(www.yearningtocreate.com)

He enjoyed it – and it was especially fun when, months after Valentine’s Day, he was still finding little red hearts!

Uncle Harvey’s Lovely ‘Box’

Okay – I think this is an amazing creation!!!

My Uncle Harvey has recently created his own casket. When I first saw these photo’s, I was enthralled! I’ve never seen anything like this before – and it’s gorgeous!!!

Yes, that’s Uncle Harvey – hopefully he’s not going to need his lovely ‘box’ for many years yet!!!

This is what he had to say about how this came about:

Thank you for your kind remarks about my lovely’ box’. An ex-pupil made it for me (he now owns a joinery factory) out of particle board to my style and specification. It was then painted “British Racing Green” – always been a favourite colour of mine. The painter did a great job and we have always used him whenever one of our cars needed attention.

Finally the graphics – a demanding job sorting out the appropriate photos and locating them in the best positions. An expert friend did this for me, but I did the pin stripe and fitted the handles and cover screws. Inside is finished to the same standard as the outside, and roomy enough for my dog if he’s still around.

The finished price of my box is the same price as the cheapest box available, so I am well pleased with the result. If you feel inclined, place it on your Blog – I might get some orders!

The center top panel is empty – that’s where the casket spray goes. The left panel is a great picture of my handsome Uncle, and the right panel has words. There are pictures around the entire box, with a larger one on each end.

I love how the whole box has such meaning to Uncle Harvey and those who know and love him.

Very impressive Uncle Harvey – and I’m sure your dog loves it too!

Edited to add: Unfortunately Uncle Harvey passed away last year (2017) and was laid to rest in his lovely box. Love you Uncle H!

Message Blocks

I unpacked these little blue blocks the other day. But today I added the Be My Valentine words, because we all know that day of love is coming up in less than a month!!!

Originally I made the blocks for a Relief Society Party.

The purpose of Relief Society being: 1) Increase Faith 2) Strengthen Family and 3) Provide Relief.

Now that I don’t need the R.S. words anymore,

I thought it would be fun to make a bunch more words for the family to be creative with.

So I printed these on cardstock and distressed the edges. I keep thinking of more I should add, so I have a list for people to add more words as they think of them.

Here are a few other loving variations . . .

But right now there is only one possible message that could be on the blocks . . .

. . . as she wrote her English Diploma exam today, with Math and Chemistry to follow next week. With them counting for 50% of her final grade, that’s a lot of pressure.

Love ya Min!!!

I think we’ll have fun with our message blocks!

My Little Tin

This cute little tin was a Christmas gift – filled with delicious homemade chocolates. Mmmm, someone knows my weakness (and yes, I ate them all myself – but not all at once!).

My mom grew up in NZ and used the word “tin” all the time. But it doesn’t seem all that common here in North America in the context she used it.

English lesson time here: when I say “tin” I’m referring to the noun, meaning “a pan, box, etc., made of tin” as opposed to the adjective – eg. a tin can. Tin, as we all know, is “a soft, silver-white metallic chemical element”. My guys says that not everybody knows that, but now that I’ve typed it, you all know now!

Anyway, I liked the tin – it’s a nice size and the lid is hinged in the back. I’ve got plenty of things already that are just for Christmas, so I decided to give this little tin a new look so I could use it year round.

Bring on the spray paint!!!

This was after three coats of spray paint. I know it looks like you can still see the red showing through – but it only looks like that in the picture with the flash. In real life it looks like . . .

. . . this – nice and dark. I used Oil Rubbed Bronze Krylon spray paint that I got in Walmart for about $4.64 a can (that’s a pretty accurate estimate!). I used maybe $1.02 worth of spray paint on this.

As you can see, I prettied it up a little with some natural hemp twine.

And now it sits on my dresser, being a cute little catch-all for those things we collect like buttons, pins, pennies, library cards . . . etc.

Love my tin (the box, not the metallic chemical element).

It really is amazing how spray paint can transform anything – how did I not discover it years ago? Stay tuned for some more spray paint projects!

Oh, and you can check out my Forget Not project here.

Now, go spray something!!!

Meal Worms (Not for the Squeamish!)

I home school my kids until grade 4 – that’s when they start public school. So this year I have Kat at home and she’s in grade 1. We have this wonderful facilitator who comes to our home once a month and does a science lesson with her.

Well, last weeks lesson was about bugs and so Miss S brought in some real live bugs for Kat to play with (although I think I was more fascinated with them than she was! I like bugs – it’s snakes and worms that creep me out because I accidentally killed a snake once by riding my bike over it, and now they’re all after me for revenge!).

We got to observe the three stages of meal worms.

The beetle stage – that light brown one emerged that morning and all he wanted to do was hang out on the cucumber – that’s how you give them liquid (a slice of cucumber about every two weeks). I think he drank too much cucumber juice though because he has since “crossed the bar”.

This is the boring stage – the little cocoons or chrysalis’s just lay around and do nothing. I wonder how long it takes them to emerge. This morning, there was a light brown beetle among them. He’s since been transferred to the beetle dish and I’ll see if he survives better without a cucumber nearby.

This is the grossest stage – maybe because they resemble snakes and worms! But they have legs so they’re not so bad – it looks like they have three little legs on each side, up by their head. And they hardly move at all. I’ve been wanting to see how they make their cocoon, but when I come back to look, suddenly there will be a new one already there and I missed it being formed. Today I did get to see one that wasn’t completely hardened yet because the tail was still moving. Fascinating stuff!

They have these nice secure lids so nothing is going to escape. Even when a basketball knocked them over, the lids stayed on! Phew!!! My family doesn’t seem to appreciate them on the table though so I’ve had to move them to the laundry room.

After observing the bugs with Miss S and her magnifying glass, Kat got to create her own bugs in the three different stages out of all this material that Miss S brought. (Sorry, forgot to take pictures and the worm balloon has since left us. You’ll have to use your imagination – think egg cartons, etc.)

Miss S is wonderful and does all these fun science projects with Kat and asks her probing questions and then listens and talks and laughs along with Kat – and Kat can talk the ear off an elephant!!!

So, why a meal worm post on a “Creating” blog?

I was thinking of the most amazing creation of all time – our world. I often see things (like the life cycle of a meal worm) that just remind me of what wonderful and glorious things our Heavenly Father has created for us. And I am just in awe – especially at this time of year, when it’s so exciting to watch the world start to wake up and spring to life after it’s winters rest. What a loving Heavenly Father we have to provide such an awesome place for us to dwell.

We are truly blessed!