Friends - Celebrating with one another!

You know I love my family, and my friends! I currently live in a small town where a group of us mom's have gotten together and made a "mom group". The only requirement of belonging is that you have a child attending the school in our small town. Well you can guess how very different we all are then!!! Some of us are nurses, stay at home mom's, some had a child graduate from High school this last year, two of us are currently pregnant, some are stay at home mom's, some are neat freaks, some don't know how to pronounce let alone use that contraption called an "Iron". However we all celebrate with each other all the small things, big things, I had to post a few pictures of us girls on a late night raid "decorating" a girlfriends yard who was turning 40! Woo Hoo!!! She is 18 with 22 years experience!!!

So here are some of my partners in crime -as we decorate trees with crepe paper in our friends favorite color "red"
We use our craftiness and lovingly "decorate" the yards of all our Young friends when the celebrate "milestone" birthdays such as 20, or if any of us every reach the age of 30/40 (don't you love living in the land of denial, if you have not tried it -you really should!)

To Modge Podging and beyond!!!

I warned all of you girls that I have gone off the deep end when it came to Modge Podging. Well while redoing my middle daughter's bedroom, she has built in bookcases that frame her bed. They were white! Yes, that bland color that any funky 9 year is not impressed with. So what is a mom to do...

Well this tight wad mom was at Target and found some wrapping paper on clearance for $1.84 a roll. So I bought 2 rolls and came home cleared off her shelves, and started to modge podge the wrapping paper on. It is not perfect- the paper is too thin to lift and smooth - but I liked the funkiness of the imperfection as it covered. Once dried I went back over the wrapping paper modge podged shelves with Varnish - I put 2 coats of clear varnish on. Now these book shelves are an original -just like my daughter, Paige! (Below is a picture of the bookshelves from a distance-sorry that you can not see the print as well as in the picture above)

I'm back to Modge Podging!

I know my family wishes that I had never found this amazing stuff!!! I simply can not decorate any area in my house without whipping out a jar of Modge Podge. (Between you and me I have started to water down Elmer's glue with a little water, and add a little varnish and off I go!)

The dresser from my middle daughter's room- had no "Personality" so I had to do something about it! After all my middle daughter had been paying attention while I madeover her sister's room in Zebra (see older post). So I started with a plain white dresser (see picture at bottom of post) I painted the top and sides of all the drawers and dresser "Hot Pink!" Well if that does not have personality I'm not sure what does.
Then I modge podged my beach fabric onto the dresser drawer fronts. I had read somewhere to fuse them to wonder under before modge poding. I so So wish that I had not done that step!!! It made it harder to modge podge!!! (The desk was much easier to do because I skipped this step) I just trimmed the fabric and modge podged on. Then added the dresser drawer knobs of my choice.
The middle daughter loves her "new" coordinated furniture! I ofcourse love the price (fabric $15.00 sheet from Target, Dresser drawer knobs $9.99 Target, self made modge podge from Elmer's glue that I bought during back to school shopping for .20 cents a bottle - I used 2 bottles, with some left over. So total price to coordinate a desk, a dresser, and a tv stand $26.00) Now that is my kinda of decorating.

What is better than a good time with friends?

I love an evening with good friends it really does not matter to me what we do- meet for dinner at a restaurant, meet for a chick flick movie, or spend the evening at one of my dear friends house. I think I just enjoy the connection of spending time, laughing and trading stories with dear friends who in some cases are similar to me, and in other ways very different from me. I have laughed so hard, I have cried, at other times as good friend have shared a struggle or something deeply sad -but a friendship is forged.

The only thing that I enjoy more than an evening with friends is a reminder of the evening such as a "party favor". Party favors are not necessary, but isn't it fun to see an item, or use an item given to you and reflect back on the good time you shared! My very favorite "party favor" is from Amy over at "Simply Amy"
She made each of us "Mom's" a Cd, with fun songs from SheDaisy "God bless the American housewife" to some fun songs from some movie we had seen together. Amy labeled all the CD with a cute cover and saying: "A good friend is better than therapy!" (Can I get an Amen!)

I went home listening to the CD thinking about all my good girlfriends, I have since then added it to my Ipod, and every time I play that play list I reminded how blessed my life really is!!!