Sprinkler Fun

A couple of weeks ago I went to Saskatoon for a Zumba instructor class! It was, in one word, AWESOME!! The instructor who taught it was such a ball of energy and a fantastic dancer. The class started off with an hour long non-stop Master class. When that part was finished, I could hardly believe that an hour had passed. Zumba is exercise that doesn't feel like exercise. It's more like an hour long dance party! It really gave me something to aim for - teaching a class just like that!
The rest of the day we went over the moves for the 4 basic Zumba dance styles. So, we pretty much danced all day. I think there is a lot to be said for song selection. As I drove home, I listened to all the CD's we were given and tried to pick out the tunes I liked best. Hopefully my class will like them! I am lucky enough to be teaching a free class at the church, so nobody can complain if I mess up until I get used to the new dances!

Here's me in my new Zumba shirt. My arms weren't long enough to get the whole thing...

I have to give a big thank you to my parents and siblings and everyone who watched over the munchkins while I took off to Saskatoon for the day. They were all enjoying a family reunion together while I did this and Matt was back home working. Thanks again!!

After the class, I met up with the rest of the clan and got to meet a few distant cousins I had never met before. We went on a hayride together to the buffalo jump North of Duck Lake. Definitely not the most flattering photo...

The rest of the week was spent enjoying time with my parents at their home. The kids had a blast in the blow-up pool on the one day it was warm enough.

The kids chased frogs. Only my cute nephew was brave enough to touch one.

 

They played with the cool tire swing. Most of all the kids had fun playing in grandma's playhouse. I can't believe I don't have a picture of it. I also feel bad that I don't have any pics of the little guy, but the best time for me to take out the camera is when he is asleep. I'll have to work on that.

We stayed there for a week. My brother Matt (yes, my husband and my brother are both Matthew's) graduated from high school, so we stayed to celebrate with him. The kid surprised us all (and himself too, I think) and graduated with honors!! YeeHaw! Great job, Matt!

We had a fantastic week. The kids are already looking forward to seeing Grandma and Papa again.

Home again, Home again, Jiggity jig

Dear Old Light Fixture,
As soon as I saw you, I knew I had to have you. I knew that underneath that hideous exterior, was something very special. You were alone, neglected and unloved, but your time has come! You will be stunning again....

Over two weeks has slipped by since I last blogged and promised to show you what my plans were for my fabulous friend, shown above. Let me just say, it has been crazy busy, but the transformation is complete!

This light fixture was all held together with a rod through the centre and a bolt on either end. I just removed the chain and took off the bolts to slide the spindle piece from the light fixture.

 I bought a can of black satin spray paint, and then one night at about 10pm, I started spray painting all of these yard sale finds. I'm not sure why I start these projects at such a crazy hour, but it seems like that's when I get things done. My neighbors probably think I'm a nut, out on my front step until 11:30...

I found this little number at a thrift store. Isn't she a beaut!

I bought this tiny bottle of Gorilla Glue. It says you're supposed to clamp everything together, but I couldn't figure out how to clamp it, so I just stacked a bunch of heavy stuff on top. A little bit of glue still managed to escape between the pieces, but it's not really in a noticeable spot, so I just left it. The base used to be a wire fruit bowl with a wood bottom. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of it before I put it together.
Ready to see the finished product??

Ta-da!!! Isn't it lovely! I made a three of these babies on which to serve dessert for a friends bridal shower. Wanna see them in action?? Notice the three small bowls at the centre of the table. Those were painted black too. We weren't sure how food safe the spray paint was so we broke out the doilies to save ourselves from poisoning. As if the food wasn't unhealthy enough!

Mmmm! Just take a look at all that scrumptious unhealthy stuff. The backdrop is made by wrapping a piece of funky fabric around a piece of plywood and stuffed into a borrowed frame. I didn't want to wreck the frame, so it's precariously positioned and held in place with painters tape. As a side note, painters tape doesn't stick very well to fabric. Not very well at all...       
           

Here's some of the cookies. Two of my good friends and I got together to decorate these. My favorite is the leopard print. Yowza! This was a really fun project. Congratulations Christy and Dave!!

Anyone have any ideas for the other spindle pieces on the light fixture?