Homemade Coasters!

I have been looking for a new set of coasters to use in the house. I wanted to find some that I could get several of so they could be the same all over the house. I couldn't find any at the local stores so I ended up deciding to make some. Here is a quick tutorial of homemade coasters.

Items needed:
Tiles (found for 37 cents a piece at the local Lowes)
Backing (I used foam found at Jo-Ann Fabrics for 48 cents a piece) (cork is also an option) - this is used to ensure the tiles do not scratch the furniture.
Glue (I used some I had around my craft room)
Rotary cutter and mat (every crafter needs/has these!)

Take your tile and make an outline on the backing so you know where to cut it out.

Cut out your squares of your backing material. Don't worry about being too neat because the rotary tool will be used to clean them up later.
Put glue around your tile square.

Lay your backing on the tile and press down to seal it. I used some pretty quick drying glue so make sure you don't lay it on too crooked.

Do this with all the tiles until you are done. Let them sit for awhile to ensure the glue is dry. Using the rotary tool, and about a 45 degree angle, trim around the outside of the tiles to remove any excess backing.

After this, you're done!

Just put them on your tables and enjoy pretty and inexpensive homemade tile coasters. These ended up costing about $0.51 a piece which is much less than you would pay if you were buying them already made. There are always a lot of options regarding design in the tiles you can find at the store. I got these because they were inexpensive and had brown tones which match my furniture and decorations. I think they look fabulous!

Change is Coming

Well, it seems that change will soon be coming in my life. I will soon be starting on my medications for the MS. They will arrive by UPS today but I have to wait until the nurse calls to schedule a time to come and train me on how to use the syringes and stuff. I am not too worried about that part really. I wonder what kind (if any) side effects that I will have from the medication. The most common side effect is flu-like effects. I will be glad to finally get that going to help hold off exacerbations and slow the progression of the MS.

My husband accepted a new job yesterday. He had put in for it about a month ago and had pretty much given up hope that he would get it since it took them so long to give him any information. But they offered it to him and, after discussing it with me, he accepted it. He had been working third shift and will now be working a bit of a 2nd/3rd shift hybrid hours. So I will have a lot of evenings to myself at home. I guess at least I will have plenty of time to work on my crafting stuff.

Speaking of crafting stuff. I think my office/craft room is the next room project. My office is the only room in the entire house that I have not painted yet. I tend to be good at leaving myself until last. But I think I have finally decided on a color (a soft lavendar) and am even tempted to pull up the carpet and use the hardwood as a trial run for redoing the floor. I am relatively sure it is in decent condition. If it is not, I will still probably opt to put down laminate flooring instead of carpet. It would be much easier to keep clean, especially in a craft room. I have found some inexpensive ladder-style bookshelves that I want to use in there. I need some more storage space and that should help. I am also on the hunt for a new computer desk but am not having much luck. I just want one that has a place to put the computer tower and also a file drawer. I can only seem to find one or the other. I wish I was a bit handier at carpentry projects because I would probably just make one. However, that's not really gonna happen. Anyways, that's the next big project since I can work on it whenever I am home and not worry about waking Steve up because he won't be there.

So, lots of changes going to be happening and soon. I am considering doing another Emmaus weekend this summer if they need my help. I enjoyed working in the work room. It was nice to be able to serve without having to sing. As strange as it may seem, having to prepare to sing is very anxiety provoking (my perfectionist tendencies probably) so being able to just serve as I am needed instead of having to stress about practice and whatever is kind of nice. Plus with the workroom I can move as needed to keep from getting stiff. Now that I have done it once I will have a better idea of what needs to happen. We shall see as the summer gets closer and I have a better idea of what work will be like following licensure.

Ah yes, licensure. I finally got approval to sit for the licensing exam to obtain my LMHC (licensed mental health counselor). I hope that I will be taking the exam in May but it just depends on how fast they send everything through. I got all the info back to them asap so it's up to them now. I will have to go up to Des Moines in order to take the exam. I have to pass this stupid thing, it has been four years since I got out of school.

Anyways, this Friday is seeming to be a bit slow. I am hoping for a good weekend. I told Steve to pick something to do to celebrate his new job. We shall see what he comes up with!

And so the denial ends...

On Saturday night after church this weekend, I think my diagnosis finally hit me like a ton of bricks. As my husband and I were laying in bed talking before going to sleep, I just had the thought, "I will never feel normal again". Today is kind of a reinforcement of that. I feel so weird today, kinda woozy, a little dizzy, and just kind of out of it. I really want to go home and lay down on the couch and sleep for the rest of the day. If I had the sick time available from work, I probably would too. But because of all the doc appointments and my surgery on Wednesday, I do not only not have any days but I am in the hole with my sick days. The really sucky party is that I don't know if I am having an exacerbation or if this is from some complication with my ear surgery. I go back to the ear doctor tomorrow to get this taken care of, so hopefully she can tell me if this is a normal feeling. I think it will be awhile before I let them go back in and do the other ear, this sucks.

Weight loss this week: 2.2lbs
Total weight loss: 32.4lbs

A Whole New Week

The Lenten season will begin on this Wednesday, also known as Ash Wednesday of course. Generally I do not give up anything for Lent. I used to reason this by saying that I had given up enough with all of my medical problems. That's not really good enough in my head anymore, thank goodness. I have felt compelled to give up something for Lent, but also compelled to not talk about it with the general public. So, I am giving something up, something I will find hard but will try not to really talk about it until Lent is over and I can reflect on what the last 40 days has shown. It's not something bad or gross and it isn't even personal. But this is a time to reflect on the sacrifice of Christ so gaining attention for something that I am doing would be totally counterproductive.

Enough of that, this week was not an easy week. I ate a lot of bad food. I am proud of us for sticking with out budget for the first full week and look forward to this being a bit easier as we go along.

Weight change this week: +1.0lb
Total weight loss: 30.2lbs

I am having surgery on Ash Wednesday to have my ear drum replaced. It sounds like a lot bigger deal than what I think it will be. After all, it is an outpatient procedure that I will have here in town. I will be out of work for a day, hopefully not any longer than that. I am hoping I will be able to attend the first LIFE group at church that evening. It will just depend on how I am feeling. I can generally push past that stuff to get to stuff I enjoy though. I see the neurologist this afternoon to finally talk about starting on some medication for my MS. I have all the information the doctor will need to get me hooked up with the prescription co-pay assistance. I am glad I was a case manager once upon a time because I remember how to do all that leg work! Part of me wishes I could do more of that for my clients. At this time, I simply don't have the time and of course it isn't paid for by insurance which is also a factor. Who knows what the future might hold though!