Painted rug

I am in great need now for some of those foam, puzzle piece, floor mats that day cares use on the floor. I know you are asking "why in the heck does she need them?".  Well, let me show you this ADORABLE DIY that I came across in one of my crazy jumps.  Follow the link right below to the blog showing the before and after.

Painted rug:  After you pull your chin back up off the ground like I did (in sheer amazement that this is really a floor mat that is normally used for kids), you will see how incredibly easy this is to make.  And I can even make it easier, if you would like) with my  vinyl cutter,  I can cut a template thus making the painting part even easier.  Personally I am in love with the first floral mat because I love the colors that were used but also love the beige and teal and I can see the black and white going into a boys room.  there are a multitude of design elements that  can be used to design your custom mat to fit in your space.  If anyone has any ideas, other than are shown (paisleys, polka dots, mod dots, special flower types, let me know and Mamlaou can help you with the design.  Thanks!  Until Again....
Mamalou



                                                                                                                                         

After

Note to self. Nicole Moss dress is on the bucket list!

New Meaning to "Put a Bug in His Ear"

Have you heard about this?  My hubby and I were watching the STL Card's game the other night when Matt Holliday was forced off the field due to a bug flying in his ear.  I can feel his pain because I have had this happen before.  With the lights during the night games, I am surprising that it has not happened before now.  The thing that does surprise me is the size of this crazy moth.  Grotesque alert but check it out if curiosity gets the best of you :)

Matt Holliday's Moth

Sick not Dead but Losing Faith

Sorry that I have been unavailable for the past few days.  I have been sick as a dog with a sinus infection and cough.  I am hoping that these horse pills kick in soon as this is day #3.  

Have you ever started to lose faith, I mean REALLY lose faith?  Lose faith that everything is going to turn out good, pain free, bill free, etc?  I am probably just having a little pity party for one but I never thought I would be disabled at 41 years old and have more pain filled days than pain free days.  Due to the Enbrel shots that I take, my immunity is shot and therefore I pick up everything.  Sadly, the shots are not even reducing my inflammation.  It has more than tripled in 2 months.  I am losing faith and I keep fighting to get someone, anyone to hear me or better yet,  understand what I am saying.  I love my husband with ALL of my heart, every ounce of my being, but he does not lose faith.  He is such a positive guy and I love him for that but he does not know how it feels to question God and ask "Why?".   That is probably why he is the man that I married and love so much, because he does not question and is so strong in his belief.  I normally am also until recently.  Until the pain has consumed my life and the fear has set in that this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of life.  So many meds have been tried, so many have failed or made my situation worse.  How do you stay strong and continue to have faith when you can't get an answer from a doctor on what you have to look forward to?

My Latest Culinary Adventures

As I can admit out loud.....I am addicted to Pinterest and make zero excuses for it.  I now have officially 99 followers and 25 boards, everything from my love for shabby chic to culinary masterpieces.  So, this week I have tried out my culinary skills on a few of the recipes and I have to say, experimentation is good.  Also, making bread from scratch is not nearly as tedious as I imagined but never, ever choose the hottest day of summer to try it!

My first recipe that I went for was a bread item, namely pretzels.  I honestly had no idea how easy, theraputic, and well, inexpensive it is to make pretzels.  I normally would take a long drive down to Gus' when I have a severe craving for them but this would definitely be cheaper than the gas.  Keep in mind that I did this all by hand and it was incredibly simple.  I used the "Martha Recipe" which consisted of flour, water, yeast and sugar.  That is it!  I know huh, crazy.  They turned out fantastic and were loved by the family.  I even made some little mini pretzels that Marcus could hold on to.  Check out the pics below and follow this link for the recipe I used Pretzels

Twisted

Boiling

Ready for the oven

Different sizes

The finished product!  YUMMM!

Next, I made another bread item but it was for breakfast on Sunday morning.  Of course I had to follow a recipe from Paula Deen that I had pinned for Gorilla Bread.  It was incredibly easy and a nice spin on the traditional canned biscuit Monkey Bread with cream cheese being placed in the middle of each biscuit before baking.  It was good but very, very sweet and rich.....a little too much for me but I tried it and that is what is important. Below are the pics.

patted out biscuit with cream cheese

First layer

Ready for oven

Out of over, ready to be flipped

Flipped and done!

Stay tuned to see what is next cause I have an old clock that has DIY written all over it!

Mamalou

Last Day of Summer Break

Today was a sad day for my son.  He goes back to school on MONDAY...I mean Monday.  I know that  I shouldn't have shown such enthusiasm but it seems like the older they get, the more room they take up when on breaks.  Room for friends, room for junk everywhere, more laundry, more constant eating (and NOT cleaning up), more texting, more "Mooooommmm.....".  Yes, he is 16 now and you wouldn't think that still happens but let me tell you, it happens just as much if not more than when they are younger because at 16, they know everything already yet still cause a million interruptions plus a constant stream of trash behind them. 

I am however trying to hold on to each little minute as he is entering his Junior year in high school so this is really his 2nd last summer break before he is off to college.  What happened to my baby and when did he grow up so quickly?

I thought I would share the picture that I took this morning at 6am of him and Reina asleep on his futon.  Just like two pees in a pod, he is sprawled on one end and Reina on the other end.  I think she is going to miss the sleeping in also LOL.  

Until next time, 

Mamalou

Mamalou's Gems: About Me

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Mamalou's Gems: About Me: " Me This is me, Lisa (aka 'Mamalou') and my beautiful hubby Miguel. I am a wife, mom to a 16 year old son, step-mom to 4,..."