Quick Update

Someday my blog (and life) will return to normal. Well, maybe normal is a bit of a stretch! Sweet Girl is still in the hospital. An endoscopy yesterday revealed quite a bit of inflammation in her duodenum. They aren't sure of the cause (bacteria?, allergy?) but it is "fixable." She started on steroids last night to reduce the inflammation. She also started her feeds again and so far so good. Still really no word on when we will go home.

I was going to add a picture but blogger isn't cooperating right now. Oh, well. Thank you for your sweet comments and continued prayers. You all are great!

{And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. Luke 5:31}

Sweet Girl

Well , I really consider this a "creative" blog rather than a personal one. But my family still comes first. I am writing this from Arkansas Children's Hospital. Sweet Girl was admitted yesterday because her vomiting had gotten really bad again. They are doing tests today and hopefully will be able to figure out the cause. The IV fluids are helping her feel better and we got some great smiles earlier today. I had to really keep an eye on her earlier because she was moving around in the bed so much. I was afraid she would rip her IV out! She is sleeping peacefully right now.

I hate to post without a picture, so here is an oldie but a goodie. Her face says it all, doesn't it?!


I have some fun news to share soon. All I am going to say right now is that God's timing is perfect.

{Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Psalm 34:8 }

Hang It Up!

Man, I've been struggling with what to blog about lately. I haven't been creating much, so nothing to show you there. I haven't been buying much, so nothing there either. Hmmmm.... I guess I will show you some of the unique towel hooks/hangers I have in my house. You will see that I obviously like to repurpose unusual items.

This is supposed to be used to measure/mark skirt hems. But I needed something to hold a towel next to my kitchen sink.
It works great! Please excuse the stains on the towel. It is "vintage" and I did not succeed in getting the stains out after I bought it from a garage sale. I still like it.

The next one is in our master bathroom. There was a boring brass hook for the hand towel. It wasn't working for me. This "hook" came from a box of junk from an estate sale. I'm not sure of its original purpose, but I just couldn't toss it. I knew I would think of something to use it for.

Again, I don't know what this is supposed to be. I picked up a bag of them at the thrift store thinking they were interesting.

I nailed it to the side of the cabinet and it "grasps" the towel perfectly.
This one isn't quite as unique, but it is one of my favorites. I had this great piece of trim and I am always looking out for these old hooks. Put them together and it makes a great accent (and towel holder) in the kids' bathroom.

Remember to always think outside the box when you come across a unique item. You just never know what you might be able to do with it!

An award! I got an award! Cindy at Tinta's Treasures gave me "The Lemonade Award." It is awarded to bloggers who show great attitude/gratitude. Wow! How sweet that she thought of me. Thank you, Cindy!

Now I am supposed to pass this along to 10 more bloggers. Yikes! How do I do that? I read a lot of blogs. I think they are all great. My brain is still sort of mush after my crazy week, so I am going to hold off on this one. That is bad, isn't it? Sorry. I'll do some thinking on this and try to get back to it next week.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their kind words and prayers for Sweet Girl. She had a great day at school today. So nice to see her smiles again!

{Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossions 3:16}

Thank You!

I just wanted to say a big "Thank You" to everyone for your prayers and kind words. Sweet Girl came home from the hospital yesterday morning. She is rehydrated and for now the vomitting has stopped. She was in a great mood yesterday afternoon and evening. It was so great to hear her giggling and squealing and to watch her scoot around the room. I think she felt better than she had in over a month.

After she had been in bed a couple hours last night I went in to check on her and she was wheezing. Ugh! Where did that come from? I've had a cold, so I suppose I passed it on to her. Laying in a hospital for an entire weekend probably didn't help either. Today she got a couple of breathing treatments and just hung out at home with me. Hopefully she will be able to go back to school tomorrow and then to hippotherapy.

Prayers are still appreciated. We still don't really know the source of the vomitting and are still working to get her feedings back to normal. She has also started on some new medicine. Again, thank you for praying.

{"Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God." Philippians 1:3}

Prayers for Sweet Girl

Hello! I don't have time for much of a post. My Sweet Girl has been in the hospital since late Friday night. For over a month now she has had trouble keeping her feedings down (she is tube fed). It got worse last week and she just didn't have anything left in her little system. She was dehydrated so she is on IV fluids. We are going to try to start her back on feedings tonight and see how she does. I would appreciate your prayers. Thank you!

All Things White and Wonderful

No, this isn't a post about snow. We live in southern Arkansas. I doubt we will be seeing much of that white stuff. This post is about some of my white "junk." I will warn you - my photos are pretty bad. I was in a hurry this morning and didn't take a lot of time with the photography.

I've had this great porch trim for quite awhile. My in laws had it in their shed for years. When they remodeled their house they removed it. Thank goodness they put it in their shed instead of trashing it. They must have known that someday they would have a daughter in law who would appreciate it. I have taken some of it apart and used the spindles for projects (angels, snowmen, etc.). The rest is in my shed now - waiting for just the right time and place.

Then they found these in their shed. Beautiful! I just got them at Thanksgiving. So many things I could do with these. I need to get busy! In the box with the brackets were also some flat spindles that I used for this project.

The strips of lath? Yes, they are also from the in laws. More projects await! The wire garden edging is from the thrift store. I used some of it to make this card holder that I sold in my antique booth. Who knows what I will do with the rest?!

Okay, I told you the photos were bad. The main one of this medicine cabinet didn't turn out at all. So, here is an up close shot. It is my favorite part anyway. Love the glass knob! The medicine cabinet came from a garage sale. I will clean it up and put it in my booth. I just don't have a place for it here right now.

I stopped by an unexpected garage sale one morning and immediately spotted this huge basket. I think it was priced at $5 or $6, but I asked the lady if she would take $4 because that is all the cash I had that morning. I was so glad she said yes! There are so many uses for a basket like this. I think for now I will use it to corral toys in the living room.

So, those are my wonderful white treasures. I'll have to be satisfied with making spindle angels instead of snow angels.

{"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." Isaiah 1:18}

Everyday Dishes

Where does the time go? I don't know how some of you get so much accomplished. I feel like I am always behind; wanting and needing to do more. I need to become a better time manager this year. I feel like I have been busy, but really couldn't think of anything to blog about. Sometimes I have too many ideas floating around in my head. This week, nothing.

So, I am going to blog about my "everyday" dishes. I do have a beautiful set of white ironstone. I've maybe used it twice. I don't have fancy china. I have everyday dishes. A few months ago I got tired of the ones I had been using. They were a sage green set from WalMart several years ago. Then my sweet friends gave me these as a moving present. Actually, they gave me four dinner plates and four salad plates (there is also red, but the page isn't showing them). Later my husband surprised me with the bowls and mugs. I love them! But it is only a set of four.

I set out to find something that would maybe coordinate with the Daily Bread dishes. One day at the thrift store I came across these great white and yellow plates. I maybe paid a quarter each for them. They are the same color of yellow as the Daily Bread dishes. Now, I know they are a different style, but I still think they could work together on a table.

On a separate trip, quite some time later I found three yellow cups - a nickel each! Then, just last month I was at Goodwill in another town and found four saucers.

The dinner plates have this stamped on them. The cups and saucers just have the USA.

When I bought the yellow cups there were also two green ones. They happen to be the same shade of green as my Daily Bread set. I also found four of these bowls. The yellow isn't quite the same and they are pretty shallow. I am still on the lookout for some different bowls and of course, any of the other pieces to add to the "set". Let me know if you spot them anywhere.

This is what I love about thrifting! You never know when you will find something you "need." Different towns. Different stores. But it all comes together. And for very little money! It just takes a little time and a little patience.

{"Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11}

A Year in Pictures

Wow! 2008 was quite a year; difficult in many ways. Looking back through pictures brought tears to my eyes several times. Thank you for being there for me and with me during the past 12 months. I hope that you will continue on with me as we journey into 2009.

I chose one picture for each month of the year. Some I chose for the memory. Some I chose just because they "spoke" to me. Enjoy!

January

There is just something comforting about a vintage apron. These are a few from my collection.

February

February was the last month in our beloved home. So many things I miss.....

March

We enjoyed a beautiful snow in March. Quite unusual for Arkansas.

April
Sorting buttons is such a peaceful activity.


May

Roses from a sweet friend. Beauty amidst the chaos of my life.

June

This is the month that we moved into our new home in our new town.

July

Blooming crape myrtles and a new apron for my collection.

August

Do you ever feel this way? I do!

September

I opened my booth in the antique store. {ReNew}al for my creativity.

October

Some dear, sweet friends came to visit and brought me "HOPE".

November

The beauty of fall is always a blessing.

December

Taking the photos for our annual Christmas letter brought me joy!

There you have it! A little review of the year. I look forward to more memories and pictures in the coming year.

{Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life. Psalm 139:23-24}