Old Dress Shirt Wreath

 This is called, "What crap can I find around the house and make it into something cool."

Thus, the old dress shirt wreath was born.

Originally, I was going to make a cute yarn wreath, but I'm a cheapskate and didn't want to spend money on the supplies. However, I still wanted something cute for our front door. So, I dug through the clothing we had bagged up to go to the thrift store.

After some wrapping, sewing, and gluing, this is how it turned out:

This is how you make the wreath:

1. Cut an old dress shirt into strips and sew them together. 

You do not need to cut them precisely AT ALL. I mean, look at some of the scraggly strips I made.

2. Get a picture frame mat (or use an actual picture frame if you want to get all fancy) and wrap the long fabric strip around it. 

Now that I think about it, if you don't have a picture frame mat around, you could probably just cut a cool wreath shape out of cardboard. 

3. Make some cute fabric flowers.

4. Use a glue gun to glue a button in the center of each flower.

5. Use the glue gun to make any finishing touches on the wreath (like fixing stubborn material that won't stay in place).

That's it! Pretty easy, right? Now go! Rummage through your house and find items you are thinking about throwing out and make something cool out of them! 

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Failure List

Maybe I'm just a complete failure, but I can NEVER accomplish everything on my daily to-do lists.

Even though I accomplish lots of things during the day, written and unwritten, all I ever see glaring back at me at the end of the day are the items I did not cross off my list. As a result, I feel like a lazy bum who can't get anything done. The to-do list ends up becoming a failure list to me.

Well, I decided to do things a little differently yesterday.

I made a reverse to-do list by not writing anything down until I accomplished a task.

I had to restrain myself from writing anything down ahead of time and convince myself that I would not forget that there were dirty dishes filling the kitchen sink.

Looking back over my reverse to-do list, I think I did a pretty great job. I was able to get a lot done, and I accomplished every single item on my list.

Let's be honest here, I know I'm not the only mom that feels like a to-do list failure some days. Somehow, changing diapers, brushing my teeth, and playing peek-a-boo never make it to "the list," but those things are just as important as any other chore that needs to be done. So what do I do? Write them down!

Write them down, I say!

If you try this to-do list method, trust me, you will be amazed. At the end of the day, instead of feeling like a human failure, you will see everything you have accomplished.

What are your methods for accomplishing daily tasks?
If you end up trying out the reverse do-do list, let me know! I would love to hear about how it went.

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The Man Chair: Why Do You Want to Get Married?

In the Man Chair: Yeou Chiou
Age: 23
Occupation: Graduate student
Marital status: Single
Children: No

Question: Why do you want to get married?

Yeou's response:

To me, marriage is a pact between two people who truly love each other that bonds them “until death do they part.” I want to get married because of security. When people hear the word “security,” many think of jobs or financial security. When I talk about security, I mean the guarantee that I will be with someone I love and who loves me for the rest of my life.

It is difficult to find the right person. Plenty of people fear dying alone. We all want to be loved—we’re human after all. I hear that many marriages stagnate and fall apart, or end up in divorce. So it may seem that the "security" I seek is not as definite as it sounds. Those potential endings are quite frightening, but I believe marriage is worth the risk. It’s the pursuit of happiness. How can one be in love and not be happy?

My goals in life have always been to get my PhD in physics and get a job that I love. However, as I grow older and am shoved into the real world, I think about my romantic future. I see many of my friends getting married or having long-term relationships, and I get jealous. They all look so happy and well-suited for one another. I've always thought I would eventually get married, settle down, and start a family, but it never really mattered until now.

Over a year ago, I broke up with my first serious girlfriend and it ended in a disaster. Amidst my depression, I started to think about happiness and what it really meant to me. Before I met her, my life was fine and I was content. I didn't know what love was and always thought that it would just come with time.

Then, we met on the dance floor and it was love at first sight. I remember how I felt with her. For the first time in my life, I was truly happy. It was like reaching a new state of mind. I woke up every morning with a smile on my face, knowing she loved me. Having her in my life drove me even harder to do well in school because I wasn't just working for myself anymore; I was working for us and our bright future together. We connected at such a deep level. We were even talking about marriage before it went downhill. She cheated on me and broke my heart. I’m still haunted by it to this day.

I've changed so much since then. I was young and naïve and I've learned many things from that relationship. It’s empty inside without the love that was once there. I can’t go back to how I was, when now, I know what it feels like to love and be loved. One could say that I’m addicted to the emotions I felt with her. They make me strive towards my next relationship. Marriage is a huge step in cementing those feelings for me. Marriage is the security that I’ll be with someone who loves me unconditionally, someone who will be there for both the good and the bad, someone who I really connect with, and most of all, someone who I can be happy with.

What are your thoughts about Yeou's post?
Men and women: What are some reasons you want/decided to settle down and get married? 

Would you like to sit in the Man Chair or submit a question for the Man chair? Please email me. If you would like more information on how the Man Chair works, click here.

How My Mom Found Little Lord Fauntleroy's Inner Beauty

Via

When I think of motherly love, I am reminded of the summer before sixth grade when I cut off my long, blonde hair. I'm pretty sure I cried for a week straight over my new look where my hair rested just below my ears and highly resembled Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Despite my mom's numerous warnings to just make smaller changes with my hair instead of such a drastic one, I still told the hairdresser to cut it off, cut it all off.

As I watched the Fantastic Sams stylist make the finishing touches on my hair, I just stared at the mirror in horror, trying to force a fake smile on my face.

I remember going back to school in the fall and friends asking, "Why did you cut your hair? It was so pretty before," which, of course, made me regret my decision even more. I knew I should have listened to my mom, and I felt stupid for not listening.

The thing is, my mom never said, "I told you so." She already knew I felt bad and that my self confidence was teetering on a fence.

I remember her finding ways to help me feel beautiful again. I didn't realize she was doing this at the time, but looking back now, I can see it. She did and said things to help me understand I was beautiful, inside and out.

My mom successfully got me through the awkward tween and teen years, and always lifted me up when my confidence was low. She always stood by me and saw my potential, even when I couldn't see it.

Today, I stand as a strong and confident woman because my mother helped me find my inner beauty. I will forever be grateful for her love and her example.

I love you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

The Man Chair: Ways to Make a Man Feel Special

In the Man Chair: Kevin Tenney
Age: 26
Occupation: Mechanical Engineer
Marital status: Married
Children: No
Blog: kevinandkhand.blogspot.com

Question: What can a woman do to make a man feel special?

Kevin's response: I have thought about this question for the past few days, and I'll just share a few thoughts I had. The first thought regards encouragement. Speaking for myself, and I am sure other men will agree, we tend to have high hopes and like to take on the world. This can carry life through a lot of ups and downs. There are always new adventures whether it is graduate school, children, or a new job.

Through it all, one thing that has really made me feel special is that my wife has encouraged me to succeed in my biggest dreams. I think we just need to hear from time to time that we have someone in our corner that believes we can do it. So much strength can be obtained from that little bit of knowledge when life is tough.

Now, my second thought is that men feel special when women feel special. Let me explain a bit. When my wife takes the time to put on a dress or skirt, maybe a little makeup, and puts her hair together, I feel special. In essence, to make a man feel special, just be a woman. It's great to put your arm around your beautiful wife and know you have something great going on. I am not sure if that makes any sense, but it works, and I am sure women don't mind feeling a little more beautiful.

What are your thoughts about Kevin's post?
Men: What are some other things women can do to make you feel special?
Women: What have you done to make your man feel special?

Would you like to sit in the Man Chair or submit a question for the Man chair? Please email me. If you would like more information on how the Man Chair works, click here.

Did Something Die Under the House?

Last Thursday, Lorin and I noticed a weird stench coming from our dining room/kitchen area.

Lorin had a suspicion that the smell might be coming from the dishwasher, but I refused to believe it since I just deep cleaned that thing two weeks ago.

As I stood near the kitchen sniffing wafts of stinky air, I came to the conclusion that something had died underneath our house.

A cat? Maybe a pile of diseased cockroaches? ...A human?

I really hoped the neighbors couldn't smell it too (thoughts of William Faulkner's  "A Rose for Emily" came to mind).

I settled for the "something died" idea until Lorin and I watched a movie that night. As we were eating ice cream, we noticed the smell became even more potent.

I brought my ice cream spoon up to my nose and took a whiff.

The dead animal smell was coming from MY SPOON!

The dishwasher.

What the heck is in our dishwasher?

The next morning, we decided to hand wash all of our dishes and unscrew some nuts and bolts in our dishwasher drain to find the stinky culprit.

And, oh yes, did we find it.

This is not melted chocolate ice cream, people.

Lorin and I had to double-team this task, and there was lots of bleach and toothbrush scrubbing involved.

I threw up a little in my mouth when Miranda (who is learning how to brush her teeth) decided to stick the gunky toothbrush in her mouth while we weren't looking.

Well, after three hours of soaking, scrubbing, and scouring, the drain looked like this:

And that, my friends, is how to have a hot date with your spouse.

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Shabby Apple Instagram Contest!

I think my inner sweepstaker is making her way to the surface again because I am WAY excited about this Shabby Apple contest—so excited, that I am sharing it with all of you. 

$75 dollars worth of Shabby Apple clothing? ...YES, PLEASE!

If you would like to enter, this is all you have to do:

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