Yahoo News! Interview: Remake America

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a representative  of Yahoo! News She told me all about a series on their site titled "Remake America." The series deals with six families facing real  financial challenges and the online community who offers suggestions. The families are given the help of a professional financial adviser to aid them in their quest for financial recovery. When the representative explained to me what this series was all about, I was intrigued. She then asked me if I was willing to interview one of the families in the series for them. Of course I said yes! With my background in finance, anything I can do to help others is something that I always strive for. An appointment was made and I made the phone call to Kirk and LaTosha. Before I post the transcript of this interview here is a video from Yahoo! News where you can get some background on the couple. LaTosha and Kirk live in the Houston area and together they have...

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How to Make Watermelon Water {Agua de Sandia}

How to make Mexican Watermelon Water or Como hacer Agua de Sandia :)   On these hot summer days, wouldn't you want to drink a refreshing natural drink? Well watermelon water, or agua de sandia, as it is known in Mexico is pure refreshment. To make this you will need the following: 1/2 of a medium seedless watermelon 2 liter pitcher ice sugar water First scoop out some watermelon into a bowl  and with a masher mash it up very well until it is a watery consistency. Next, pour ice into the pitcher, add the mashed up watermelon, add cold water and sugar to taste. We like it very sweet :) Sit back on your patio and enjoy it with your friends! Patty linking up to :   House of Hepworths   Whipperberry At The Picket Fence   Tatertots and Jello  

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T Minus Four Days to Camp

Here we are mid week and I am still getting the little guy ready for his first time ever going away to Camp Huawni!   I am anxiously awaiting a name stamper so I can stamp all his clothes and things with his name! It was supposed to arrive today but it wasn't here yet when I last checked.  Agghh! I hope it will be here tomorrow.  We have had a super busy last few days. First off, we dropped off the big guy at A&M for his robotics course. I was very apprehensive about dropping him off to be alone for three weeks so far away from me!! (ok, it's not THAT far but I'd rather have all my kids under the same roof. You moms know what I'm talkin' bout) So, Monday night I call him to see how he's doing and he didn't have time to talk to me!  Can you believe that! :*( I guess he's growing up and liking it. They will be keeping them pretty busy every day not only with academics but with fun activities in the evenings. The reaso...

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Transform With Chalk Paint {Nightstand}

This little nightstand is about to get hit by the magic wand!   You've seen me transform my cheap armoire before with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and now you get to see  this cheapo nighstand get the royal treatment next! A little background on this piece: It cost me about $30 nearly 12 years ago. It is made of fake wood and most people would trash it after having so long. But I wanted to give it a fresh new look. I want to show you what YOU can do with pieces you may have and think that they are not worthy of keeping. This time around I used the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite for the all over color but I added Smoky Mountain Grey from CeCe Caldwell's line of chalk paint for comparison. I'll tell you which one I prefer at the end of this post :)   Here are the steps I took with this piece: First I removed the drawer knob. I did not have to sand this piece because I was using chalk paint. Chalk paint is NOT the same thing as chalkboard paint. ...

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Make A Laundry Bag (Stencil and Dropcloth)

How to Make A Laundry Bag Out of Dropcloths Well it's T minus 10 days 'till the little guy goes off to  Camp Huawni and I am busy getting all his gear ready. The big guy goes off to his camp this Sunday so I am getting his gear ready first. One of the things on both their lists were laundry bags. Now, I know I could just go buy one but what fun would that be? So here is how to make your very own cheap laundry bag: You will need- Dropcloth some type of strong cording such as clothes line acrylic paint letter stencils stippling brush a sewing machine For my lettering I used my Cricut and Gypsy with the Storybook fonts I wanted to make the laundry bags look kinda vintage-y What do you think? The big guy's bag has his monogram on it and the little guy's has his name stenciled on the back The number 13 was used to signify the first letter of our last name ;) My mom, who is a professional seamstress and cou...

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Bittersweet Week {Hello and Goodbye}

Yep I finally did it. I took the leap of faith I needed to take and I retired early from my government accounting job. Today was my last day :( And just as I was doubting myself for my decision, I got an email wanting to book a wedding with me in the fall :)   {copyright Patricia Martinez Photograph y} Isn't it something when we start to doubt ourselves only to have little reminders that we are not alone? That maybe there IS someone out there watching us and making sure we live up to our potential. And that makes me feel a whole LOT better. So this week the kids finally got out of school and summer is officially here! It was bittersweet for our little guy as he bid farewell to his elementary school. We will begin homeschooling him in the fall and I will blog about this entirely new adventure. Our big guy, well he bid adieu to to middle school and is now a REALLY big guy going to high school. We are also getting ready to send the little guy to  Ca...

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Make Pretty Flower Cabochon Earrings

Well hello there my sweet peeps! It has been a CRAZY week here in our household. Why are the last few weeks of the school year this way? It seems like the teachers are trying to cram in as much as possible before the kids get out for the summer. Last minute projects, outdoor concerts, band competitions, end of year parties. Whew! It makes me tired just writing about it. It's gotten to the point that my craftin' has taken a back seat to every day life. And that just isn't ok with me. Know what I mean? :) So, here we are on a weeknight and I have been perusing the latest fashion magazines for ideas on how to pose my  clients for my photography business. You can see my portfolio at Patricia Martinez Photography and my blog at McKinney Children's Photographer . I love looking at all the new fashions especially the jewelry. I saw a very pretty pair of earrings that are all the rage but the price tag would drive my husband into a rage if I w...

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