Craft: Lego Table

I have a 10 year old grandboy who loves legos.....what kid doesn't, right? They are all over the place...and I am constantly stepping on them...ouch!!!! The problem now is he has no designated place to play with them....a place where he can build them. I saw this table on someone else's blog and decided I was going to hook my grandboy up.

You'll need a Lack table(any color) from Ikea, 4 lego building plates(any color) and some Gorilla glue. More about these products at the end of the blog.

You assemble your table. It requires no tools. You just screw on the legs. Turn it upright.

You position your plates the way you want them. Glue them down with Gorilla glue. That's it....done!!!!!

The best part is I made it for less than $30. I can't wait until he sees it and starts to build on it. *** Product Info- *Ikea Lack Side Table( available in 12 different colors): $4.99( Ikea Family Member Price until 8/26), $9.99 regular price **** http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40104270/ **** * Lego Building Plates( available in different colors) $5.99 each **** http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL7VNY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 **** Hope you love yours as much as I love mine.

August 24, 2014---- The Week in Review

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by Kevin and Shari Hurst accepted and passed on to others. Brrrrrrr!!!!!

Found what I am going to have to buy when I move to Europe for a couple of years. Too Cute!!!

Visited one of my fave places here in Durham.... Rise. The donuts are delicious and varied in flavors. I tried the Maple Bacon one... can I say YUM? The staff are so welcoming and the art work on the walls are a rare treat to see also....all donut themed.

Fairies moved into the backyard this week. So excited for their arrival.

Maggiano's on my day off....I can never resist a Buy One Take One Home special. Their Eggplant Parmigiana is terrific.

What's the weekend without a trip to see my favorite girl Lynn? She's so sweet and conversing with her is a hoot!!! She's the type of person who is hysterically funny and doesn't know it. Love her!!!

Still training for a 5K....although it's been slow since I don't do it with any regularity. I was doing good....and then the skies opened up...like they have been a lot this week. I try to be grateful and not complain....especially since someone somewhere needs rain. Have a terrific week!!!!--- Bobetta

Review: The Amazing Miracle Cleanse

Everyone needs a good cleanse every once in a while to clear out the toxins and the yuckies. The Amazing Miracle Cleanse is a good one to use. When I was sent this to review, I was beside myself thrilled because cleanses are not something that I have had a lot of experience with. This is a natural detox and colon cleanse. The product itself does not smell great but it is manageable. You take one tablet daily for 2 weeks. It does indeed clean you out and will have you running back and forth to the restroom. After two weeks, I felt less bloated and lighter. I didn't lose anything but my focus was to be clean of the toxins more so than the weight aspect.

The product information is as follows: The Amazing Miracle Cleanse - Premier Colon Cleanse and Detox Plus Weight Loss - All Natural, Safe ,Gentle , Colon Health and Detoxification Program - Just 2 Caps a Day for 2 Weeks - 30 capsules. Do you suffer from constipation, chronic fatigue, acid reflux, gas, bloating, difficulty sleeping, diarrhea, low energy, a flabby tummy, or skin problems? WE CAN HELP !! You can flatten your belly without exercise , Get bulge free with our all natural colon cleanse and detox formula Makes the digestive system more effective,Maintains regularity and prevents constipation, Increases energy,Increases the body's absorption of vitamins and nutrients , Improves concentration, Helps lose weight, Increases fertility, and these are just some of the benefits. 2 MONTH SUPPLY - A little goes a long way. Just 2 caps a day for 2 weeks and that's it. Other cheaper cleanses don't work as well and you have to take them contstantly. Our unique colon cleanse is formulated for so that you only take it once very other month.A BETTER CLEANSE FOR LESS MONEY! Why not have a superior cleanse that ends up costing you less than one you have to take very month. The Amazing Miracle Cleanse formula will provide results within 12 to 24 hours in terms of helping rid the intestinal tract of excess waste, reduce bloating, help increase energy and may provide several pounds of weight loss within a few days. Included in the formula are effective natural laxatives, fiber, herbs which help soothe the intestinal lining and Acidophilus to help promote healthy bacteria levels in the intestinal tract. While this product may not be used on a daily basis beyond the 15-day cleanse period, it may be used occasionally for intestinal cleaning with the 15-day cleanse repeated 6 -8 weeks following the initial cleanse. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walks

Few of you know that I have a younger brother, Dennis..... my only brother. He would have celebrated his 56th birthday this October had he lived. He was a handsome, generous, gregarious guy who loved his family and friends so much. He was so freaking funny, too...with the best belly laugh ever...sounded like it came from deep within his soul, ya know? He loved all kinds of music(David Bowie was his fave),his country(was an expert marksman in the US Army) and was crazy about his nieces and nephews. We lost him 13 years ago suddenly...and to suicide. He was a sensitive soul... I believe much too sensitive to live peacefully in this realm. It was a tragedy for our family and humankind. The biggest part being he still had so much more to do and so much more to give. Statistics show our family is not the only one who has been affected by this silent, largely still not talked about, killer. You don't even have to go further than your television to see of what I speak is true....Robin Williams, Chris Benoit, Kurt Kobain, Lee Thompson Young, Mindy McCready, Don Cornelius, Tyler Clementi...sadly the list goes on... people gone way too soon. Everyone has been devastated by it in some form or fashion. For me personally, I have lost too many people in my life to suicide and I am sick to death of it....sick of the loss and heartbreak, sick of the look in my kids' eyes when their friends become hopeless feeling that's the only way, sick of the fact that my mother will never recover and laugh the way she did before "it" all happened, sick of the fact that my sister carries major guilt and that some of my friends have tremendous heartbreak due to the loss of their son or brother to it.....I'm just fucking sick of it!!!! I guess the biggest question in my head for a long time is what could I possibly do to try to help make a difference and honor my brother's life and so many others. It seems so huge, doesn't it? The hugeness of it all has probably paralyzed me more days than I should of allowed it to and now I have made the decision to not let it anymore.I am going to be proactive. I have my friend Jean to thank for that. She has been nudging me in that direction for a while... just in her brave silent resolve. She told me just last week when I asked her what we could do to make a difference....and her response was simply "I walk". So this year (Sept. 28th) I'm walking too...and hopefully soon in the coming years, it will become a vital part of my life and healing. I want to encourage you to consider walking, too, and in effect raise money for AFPS who are on the front lines of this crisis. ( http://afsp.donordrive.com ) This year I will be walking and collecting donations in my brothers' name, Dennis Clark, and Yusef Neville, a lifelong friend of my boys who recently took his life. Please consider donating. Thanks in advance. ( http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=589233 )

Nail Flow ( Words I thought would never pass these lips)

I have thought for a while that I needed to blog about my experience with, of all things, my fingernails. I know.....fingernails??? Crazy weird, huh??? It's a huge thing to me though because I am proud to say I have fingernails for the first time in my adult life. I had bitten them for over 50 years and woke up one day a couple of months ago and told myself that I was done ....really done....after half a century. Sure, I had always known it was a bad habit, but I think what pushed me over the edge is I realized that it's a habit that is passed down from generation to generation in my family. My dad did it, I did it, Mike does it and now Jay does it. Not good at all. So I said that's it and quit... and am so happy I did. I have always admired beautiful painted designed nails and, although they are not where I would love them to be, I'm getting there slowly but surely.... and having a blast in the process. As a reward to myself, I go get a manicure every weekend and pick a fun color and it's become an obsession. It makes me so stinkin' happy too.

What bad habit have you broken that makes you happy? Would love to hear about it.

Weekends, Van Gogh Sunflowers, the Bull City and other things..... Part II

I sprung out of bed this morning to continue my weekend....remember my weekend of possibilities and joy.....minus all the things that generally bog us down on our days off. I had scheduled time to catch up with Tiffany since I hadn't seen her in forever and, well, she's young so she has to pen you in.... lol. We decided to meet for an early lunch and movie.

Mattie B's Public House....had never been.

Great food....even better beer. Stella Artois....which I have a special affinity for. When I was a young teen living in Belgium, Stella was the beer to drink....and boy, did we ever. We even had a delivery guy back then who came by the house and delivered it. Those were special days to me.

Yep, then we went to see the new Planet of the Apes movie. I had never seen any of them before and it was definately interesting. Talking monkeys was a stretch for my very limited imagination. I will probably have to see it 4 more times to fully begin to understand it....but there was a cute baby monkey in it. Pulled on my heartstrings a little because anything's cute when it's little, right? After that, drinks were definately in order....and cheesecake. YUM!!!

My advice to you is when you are celebrating life, it must always be done with a margarita and cheesecake. There's no other way....trust me!!!!

Our next stop was to find what I am sure will become my newest favorite running shirt. Found it at Bull City Running on Hwy 54 and I love it!!!!! Don't you agree????

The salespeople are knowledgeable and cute as a button over there.

Now I just need to get my arse out and run, huh???? See ya out there!!!!

Weekends, Van Gogh Sunflowers, the Bull City and other things..... Part I

I LOVE weekends and I am absolutely sure that I am not the only one. It carries the promise of time spent with family and friends and the possibilities are always endless. You can breathe. You can enjoy. You can simply decide(oh yeah, you CAN make the choice) to put the mundane things like cleaning house, mowing yards and taking care of various errands aside for a while and just CHOOSE to enjoy life for a few hours and, if done right, it can rejuvenate your soul. I have had one of those weekends so far and I could not be happier that I did. Friday pm I got back to doing one of the things that I love....painting. I went to a Paint and Pour class at Bull City Craft with some girlfriends and, if you haven't guessed by now, yep, it was Van Gogh's Sunflowers. It always amazes me that you can start with this....

...and, a couple of hours later, end up with this......

(hey...it's art and there's no mistakes in art, right?). I went with some friends of mine and we had a blast...just drinking wine, listening to music and painting. This is a before and after:

We had such a blast...and a paint brush only ended up in a glass of wine one time....which my friend, Ilene, promptly polished off.... LOL. The night didn't end there either. After the class, we walked down the sidewalk to the Thai Cafe to have some of their fare. I had been there before many years ago and, for those in Durham who haven't heard, they are known for the best coconut cake in town.

We just decided to order a bunch of dishes and put them in the middle of the table and have at it. We had coconut cake, crab angels, pot stickers and fried squid ...all on the table at the same time...because sometimes you just have to bend the rules and throw caution to the wind.

Terrific night with great conversation and awesome people. What could be better???? Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Bull City Craft and Jessica, our instructor for the evening rocked. Her and her hubs own the place and are such kind individuals. I hope you check them out soon. Part Deux continues my weekend saga. Stay tuned.