Author Archives: Carol Paxman

Gathered Baby Quilt

This is not a full blown quilt tutorial, there isn’t room for that. I will mainly focus on a cute little technique I found that makes unique quilts and touch on the construction. If you know how to make a quilt already, this is for you. If you are brave enough to muddle through then it’s for you as well. The materials will depend on the size of quilt you are making. I made a baby quilt using 12 squares. The squares are 10×10 when finished. You can make this larger, just adjust what you need. Each yard of fabric … Continue reading →

Summer Camp Is Worth The Money

Do your kids go to summer camp? Hailey went once, it was only a weekend camp so she wasn’t gone very long but I think it was good for her. As a single parent paying for a summer camp may be the last thing on your list. It’s not easy to afford this experience for your child, but it is worth it. A friend of mine recently sent her kids to camp for five days. She is a single mom and her daughter has become especially clingy. If my friend even talks about going out for the evening her daughter … Continue reading →

My Dog Is Ruining My Carpet

My little dog is having potty issues. She is basically driving me out of my mind. I’ve tried everything, I kennel her any time I’m not home and at night while I’m sleeping. Somehow she still finds time to pee on the floor. I’ve been spending a lot of time lately spot cleaning the carpet and steam cleaning it and I’m learning more and more. The most important thing is to try to clean up accidents as soon as they occur. This isn’t always possible but once the urine soaks through to the pad it’s really hard to get rid … Continue reading →

I Love To Weed, I May Need Professional Help

Sometimes people write blogs that inspire you to think about things. Recently Stephanie Romero wrote about Chores That Relax You. I could relate with the fact that she doesn’t find painting relaxing. I don’t either. I get all excited to paint but by the time I’m finished wrestling with all that blue paint, I’m done. It drives me crazy and no matter how careful I am I get paint on the ceiling, trim and carpet. Not relaxing at all. For me, it’s weeding. Although you couldn’t tell it by the state of my flower beds right now, weeding relaxes me. … Continue reading →

Love Can Heal Our Families

Lately I seem to be surrounded by people having babies. In my family there have been two little girls born in the last month and three little boys are due in the next few weeks. As I look at these families, the make up of them is all different. On baby will be born to a married couple with two other little ones. Both of the girls were born to moms who are in a relationship with the father but are unmarried. One will be born to a single mother with a four year old and the last will be … Continue reading →

How Did I Go From Single Parent To Empty Nester?

As a single mother we all wish for some peace and quiet. Well, now that I’m a single mother of a married daughter, I have all the peace and quiet I can handle. This is a relatively new stage in my life and it’s taking a little adjusting to. I’m so used to Hailey being here all the time, now, she’s not. My new son in law is wonderful, but I’m still not crazy about sharing my daughter with him! I’m not used to the house being so quiet, I’m not used to the house staying clean. Mostly, I’m not … Continue reading →

Clearing Clutter and Making A Few Bucks

I have been gathering stuff to have a yard sale. The problem is, it’s not quite enough stuff to make it worth the effort. The pile in my garage is growing, I need to do something about it. I also need to re carpet the living room because the dog has used it as her potty. I planned on having the yard sale to pay for the carpet. Instead, I decided to post all the stuff online through a local news station. This really is a convenient way to get rid of things that are cluttering up your house. I … Continue reading →

Giving Up Your Dreams

There are so many challenges to being a single parent. One of the biggest is the loss of your dreams. When we get married we all think that this is the person we will grow old with, the person who will share all of life’s ups and downs. The person who will support us when it comes to fulfilling out dreams. It’s hard to let go of that. The thing that still makes me the saddest is knowing that I no one else feels like I do about my daughter. There is no one to share the joys of her … Continue reading →

Getting Ready for Barbeque Season

I’m thoroughly enjoying this warm weather. Most evenings will find me on the back patio, reading or working in the yard until the sun goes does. Since I’ve been spending so much time out there I can’t help but notice how bad my outdoor furniture looks. I’m having a barbeque for to celebrate summer so it’s time to get the yard furniture in shape. Some furniture is easier to clean than others and since I’m a yard sale junkie my furniture is an eclectic mix of everything. The plastic furniture is the easiest to clean. Usually all I need to … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Car Safe and Clean

I just bought a new car and I’m a little obsessed with how to keep it clean. When I got rid of my old car I found that I have a hoarding problem, as clean as I thought my car was, there was a lot of stuff in there. I’m working on making some organizers to corral all that stuff but I’ve also come up with some rules to help keep it clean. No eating allowed in the car. I know it’s convenient to grab something and eat it on the way, especially when you are running late. The problem … Continue reading →