Table Transformation for Free

I am slowly getting the house back to normal after the birthday festivities....slowly:o)

 As I was cleaning and doing the 9 millionth load of laundry today, I had the urge to just change something in my house. I am getting the itch to make some major changes in my home, BIG changes...terrible timing! We are doing a lot in the backyard right now, so the inside needs to be left alone.

So to kill the "urge," I went shopping in my garage and created a FREE mini makeover.

This is the table in my living room that is a dust collector. I found this antique table at a yard sale last spring. It desperately needs the paint removed, but I just can't stand the thought of torturing myself like that:o) So there it has stayed..all chippity. Is that a word? Probably not..anyway...

 I was given this table top from my mother's friend. It was once apart of an antique Hoosier cabinet...it had seen better days. She completely disassembled it, and gave me this table top.

I had every intention of putting legs on it and turning it into a sofa table...really I did!

However, me being the "lazy" that I am, just wiped it down and laid it on top of the dust collector table. Now I have an even bigger dust collector table...and I LOVE IT!

 Not bad for free, huh? And now I can go a few more days without having to completely overhaul my house:o)

The Business March 7th 2012, "Two Silent G's & A Bishop" Edition

Reunited and it feels so good! Since all The Business regulars are gonna be back at the mic this week, we called in some of our favorites and are planning to laugh through mouthfuls of burrito right along with you.

David Gborie (@thegissilent) is a member of Sylvan Productions, a team of comedians pulling themselves up by their bootstraps...ALL THE WAY TO THE STARS! His hustle and grind take him all over the Bay and beyond. We know he’s gonna be the talk of the town at the upcoming Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, OR. We’re happy to have him here, as it’s hard to tear him away from one of the 4,329,438 shows that Sylvan is currently producing.

Joe Nguyen is just your everyday Vietnamese Jew raised in Georgia. His jokes are well crafted and clever, his delivery is inviting and affable--so much so that he won the 2009 Russian River Comedy Competition. We are happy he had time to stop by, as he’s just here for a visit. This former local has relocated to the glittering promise land of Los Angeles, so catch him at The Biz while he’s back! And remember: you can always find him on Twitter at @vietjew.

Lauren Ashley Bishop baits a hook with irresistible beauty then BOOM--its sharp wit right to your face! She’s an LA girl by way of Arkansas, and has played the finest clubs in between. If you ever found yourself wanting to eat at Arby’s its probably because you saw her in their commercial; yes, she’s that good! (If you’ve wanted to eat Arby’s for any other reason, please consult a physician.) Additionally, the Huffington Post named her one of the 18 funniest women on twitter. Follow your heart to her feed @sbellelauren.

ALL THIS FUNNY PLUS THE REGULARS (Sean Keane, Chis Garcia, Bucky Sinister, Alex Koll, Chris Thayer and Caitlin Gill) FOR JUST $5!! No joke!!

Wizard of Oz Birthday Party

I am letting the pictures do most of the talking today.

All printables were made by me using Publisher.

The sign by the house says.."Grab your ruby slippers before the Wicked Witch gets them." The Dorothy house was made by putting a card board box together, cutting it in half, and then stacking it on top of each other. The ruby slippers were an after-Christmas clearance purchase. 

The dessert table. 

I made the cake using tons of Wilton fondant. I also made the ruby slipper cookies.

 A vintage puzzle my mother found.

 For the craft, I used these cute little bird houses from Michael's. These were "munchkin" houses. I got the idea from here.

Here are the girls painting their houses.

 Party Favors.

Each Dorothy basket contained a Toto, a coloring book, a little heart container, and a "be courageous" necklace.

 The girls also got an gi-normous lollipop.

 The mother's left with some strawberry jam...they were in the little blue container.

 Food table.

Everyone seemed to have a great time, and we are so thankful to have all these little girls in S.R.'s life!!

Participating here:

Happy Birthday S.R.!!

We have had a wonderful day today. Looking forward to sharing all of today's festivities with you guys. I wanted to show the birthday girl in her party attire...

We are so lucky to have this sweet thing in our lives...

Happy Birthday S.R.!!!

Sneak Peaks...

As promised, I am sharing a few sneak peaks from S.R.'s birthday party.

I just finished decorating ruby red slipper cookies. I have a few finishing touches with the party decor, and then I have to start scrubbing the house.

Some of our party guests will be arriving tonight.

I can't wait to share the entire party with you all. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Changing social power is reflected in the sales of newspaper offices

Newspapers across the US are shedding large downtown buildings in favor of more modest facilities, often away from the center of cities.

The downsizing is the consequence of reduced need for office space following staff cuts, changes in production technologies that reduce space requirements, and the outsourcing many printing and distribution activities. Examples include:

• The Miami Herald has sold its bayfront building and the 14 acres around it for $236 million and is planning to relocate elsewhere next in 2013. It will use the proceeds to pay down debt and pension liabilities.

• The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram has sold its home for the past 90 years and will be moving to new offices this spring
 
• The Boulder Daily Camera in Boulder, CO, sold its downtown facilities for $9 million and is moving to facilities outside the center of town.

• The Tribune & Georgian in St. Mary’s, GA, shed its former building by donating it to United Way of Camden Country in February to be used for work space and a training resource center for charitable organizations. The paper no longer used the building because it had moved to other facilities after outsourcing its printing operations.

The changes are not just indicative of the changing financial and operational characteristics of newspapers, but of the position of newspapers as major institutions in society. Over the past 150 years, newspapers used the wealth they generated to construct buildings in the center of towns—sometimes monumental and architecturally significant edifices—that reflected their importance and power in the community and their location at the center of society.

Social, economic, and technology developments have stripped that wealth from the newspaper industry. But cities are also changing and many downtown areas are no longer the locus of economic and political power in communities. As we continue to move more firmly into the digital age, the physical manifestations of where the center of society is located will continue to change.

Changes in media and media industries reflect deeper social changes that will continue altering our lives in may ways for many years to come.

Dr. Suess' Birthday on March 2nd....

If you guys are in need of a Dr. Seuss idea, you can check out my post from last summer where I made

 Thing 1 & Thing 2 t-shirts for the kids.

Comes with free printable & tutorial!!