Let There Be Light

My parents visited from Colorado this past weekend. Time always goes way too fast when they are here. Mom and I try to hit as many garage sales, thrift stores and antique stores as possible. We didn't make any fantastic purchases, but did find a few good garage sales. Mom also helped me spiff up the antique booth just a bit for spring. That reminds me, I need to share some pictures of the booth. I haven't done that in a while. I will take my camera next time I go in.

I always seem to have a list of projects for my dad. He could stay for two weeks and I would still probably have things on the list. It seems to be never-ending. Dad got several things done for me. My favorite is my new light above the kitchen sink. I handed him an old flour sifter I had picked up at the thrift store and said, "I need this to be a light fixture."

He did it and I love it! The light that was here before was just too modern for my taste. I wanted something unique. It also needed to be inexpensive.
For less than $5 I think I got a pretty great light. Now I can really see all those dirty dishes in my kitchen sink.

Yesterday (and the past several days) it was around 80° here. Beautiful! Today the high is supposed to be 53° and rainy. We need the rain, so I really can't complain. We just got spoiled with such warm weather for a few days.

I took Sweet Girl to the dentist last week. She has a baby tooth that isn't coming out even though the permanent teeth are coming in. It is causing some problems. I should have taken her in quite some time ago. Getting her to stop throwing up just seemed a bit more important. Anyway, when I finally did call to make an appointment it was almost a month before she could get in. That was last week. The dentist was very nice but said there wasn't much she could do. No surprise, really, that we need to take her to Children's to get the tooth pulled. Guess what? They can see her on May 20th! That is more than two months away. Now what am I supposed to do? It is still better than when I called Children's to get her in for an eye exam. The nice lady on the other end of the line said, "We are booked up until the middle of next YEAR." Yikes!

Sorry about that rambling. That is just where my mind is this morning. Now I need to get my mind back to laundry and housecleaning. (How many times have I ended my posts this way? Way too many......)

{And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3-4}

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}

Eight Years Ago...

Very early in the morning, eight years ago today I went into labor with baby #2. No big deal except that I was at home in KS and hubby was at a conference in WY. I wasn't due for three more weeks, but I guess the baby had his own opinion on that. So, I got my three year old son out of bed, drove him across town to my dear friend's house and then drove myself to the hospital. A while later another sweet friend came to the hospital to be with me. She stayed by my side and was right there....

...when this guy entered the world. He was healthy and strong. That was definitely a day to give thanks. I had a healthy baby and I had wonderful friends who were there for me. In case you were wondering, hubby got home a couple hours after delivery.

Here is a quick little project I did a couple of weeks ago. I've had this old screen window (minus the screen) for several years. In this house I decided to hang it in the dining room, but it was looking pretty bare.

I found these chippy old plates at the thrift store. I'd never seen them do this. The white "paint" has come off around the edges and the underneath is black. Most people would probably look at them and think "trash", but not me.

I turned them into "treasure" with a few simple steps. I took a couple old dictionary pages and printed "Give thanks" on them. Then I just cut them out in a circle and glued them onto the plates, added plate hangers and ribbon and hung them in the windows. I do think I still need a punch of color somewhere, but at least I have more than a bare wall now. Not bad for a quarter! I think that is what I paid for the two plates. Everything else I already had.
This old scale came from the antique store. Yes, sometimes I do a little shopping of my own when I stop by to check on my booth. It was half price and I just thought it would be fun in my kitchen. It looks good outside with the pumpkins and gourds, too!



Just in case you think all I ever buy is things for the house or to resell in my booth, I thought I would tell you what I got for $20 at a garage sale on Friday. For boy #1: 1 hoodie, 1 jacket, 4 shirts and 2 pair of pants (all Aeropostle or American Eagle). For boy #2: 1 hoodie. For Sweet Girl: 1 skirt, 1 shirt, 1 pair of shorts and 4 pair of pants (all Children's Place). I have no idea how I would afford to clothe three kids without garage sales, thrift stores and hand-me-downs. I promise you they wouldn't be wearing Aeropostle and American Eagle!


I hope each of you has a wonderful week. Hubby is out of town all week, so it is going to be a long one for me!

{"She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes." Proverbs 31:21}

The Keys to Decorating

First, thank you all so much for the kind words and blog birthday wishes. It has been so fun to read all the comments! I won't do the drawing until tomorrow (Saturday) morning, so there is still time to leave a comment on the previous post.

Remember these keys? I spray painted them black the other day. Much better now, I think. My "main" rooms are just about unpacked and decorated. I think the "key" to decorating is added little touches as you go. Some things look a bit bare right now, but as I find just the right thing at a garage sale or thrift store I can add to what is already there.
We have no mantle! I guess the previous owners never got around to that. I would love to find an old one, but not sure if it would be the right size. Seems to me like the bricks go up pretty high on the fireplace. Does anyone have any creative and inexpensive ways to "make" a mantle? Please let me know. The mantle is always one of my favorite places to decorate. The bricks just aren't doing it for me!
I know the laundry room isn't very exciting, but I am trying to make the most of it. A while back I read a blog post about "creative concealing". I don't remember which blog or the exact title of the post. Sorry. Anyway, I was trying to do that here. Some of my cleaning supplies are partially hidden in my old locker baskets. That basket hanging on the wall is covering up the water lines (sort of). The basket is where I have all my cleaning rags. The old feedsack is hanging over the electrical box.

I put my dryer sheets in the old enamel pitcher. The clothespin bag holds stray socks until they find a mate.
I love these old glove stretchers. I need to find some stocking stretchers. Can you see the "curtain" hanging clear over on the left? That is a sheet I hung up to hide the hideous hot water heater. It is the first thing you saw when you walked in the back door and I was already tired of looking at it.

I think I am going to tackle my craft "room" next. It is actually a large pantry but I am going to use most of the shelving for my craft supplies. I'm feeling the need to be creative and that is hard to do when everything is still in boxes. I keep telling myself that it's not a priority but creating is my "therapy" so I think I better get to unpacking those boxes!

Okay, don't forget to sign up for my give away on the previous post. I'll be back sometime tomorrow or Sunday to announce the winner. Thanks again for all the comments.

{Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17}

My Blog Birthday Give Away

One year ago (tomorrow) I got the crazy notion to start this blog. What fun it has been! I hope you will celebrate with me. I need something to celebrate. The past few days have been difficult. We are dealing with some major plumbing issues in our new home. I miss my friends in my old town. It is starting to sink in that we are in a new place, I know hardly anybody, my kids will be starting new schools in just over a month.....Blah!

Oh, wait! I said I needed to celebrate. Will you join me? Please leave me a comment on this post and I will enter you into the give away. It is for all the things in the above picture. I may add to it as the week goes along. I honestly don't know who reads this blog. You may be reading and thinking, "I don't want any of that stuff in the picture." Leave a comment anyway! I'd just love to hear from you. I'll give the stuff to someone else. Ha!

Now on to other things...In keeping with the patriotic theme of my last post I thought I would show you pictures of my entry way.
I love all my Americana and wasn't sure where it would go in this house. I decided this little room with the piano would be great.
This is above the double doors leading into the living room.
This is right inside the front door. It really doesn't look that crooked on the wall. Oh, the paint color is off, too. The walls are actually yellow. I'd like to paint someday, but that will have to wait.
There is no coat closet, so this little armoire will have to do.

Okay, there are just so many photos I want to share. Sorry for the long post. Also, sorry if the photos and text are misaligned. I tried to do something different. Looks like it did when I started this thing a year ago - like I have no idea what I am doing. So true!

Here are my kiddos on the 4th. No, I don't think I will ever have a shot with all of them looking at me. Oh, well.

It poured rain on the evening of the 4th. Then there was this beautiful rainbow. Much better than any fireworks you will ever see!

Dew on the branches.

A bee on the crepe myrtle.
Deer in our yard on Sunday morning. There were at least six but I couldn't get them all in one shot.

Well, I guess I have been on the computer long enough. Please remember to leave me a comment. I'll draw a name on Saturday morning. Comment any time between now and then. Thank you for visiting my blog!

Happy Independence Day!

Dining Room & Kitchen

Well, I am starting to get frustrated with the unpacking. Seems no matter how much I do, there is still more to be put away. I just want all the boxes to disappear!

However, I do feel like I can finally show you pictures of my dining room and kitchen. You should be able to click on the pictures to see more detail.

This shelf has always been stained. I decided I needed a pop of color, so I spray painted it red. I like how it turned out.
Jars in the window sill....

Another view....
Each time we looked at a house I would have to see if there was a corner for my favorite cabinet. We looked at some that just wouldn't have had a place for it to fit. This dining room has a place that looks like my cabinet was built to fit right in. It is perfect!
This is a straight on view from the kitchen. See the window covering? I've already changed it. I now have an embroidered tea towel there instead of the red gingham tablecloth.
This little nook looks like it was made for a built-in hutch. That is what I would love to do with it someday. In the meantime, this will have to do. The dresser isn't the prettiest, but it is the right shade of green. It was my dad's when he was a boy. In my old house I used the old rake for towels in the bathroom. Now it is great for hanging my aprons.

The kitchen has some quirks - I think it must have been designed by a man. Ha! I'm not going to complain, though, because my old kitchen was tiny and closed in. This one isn't huge, by any means, but it is more open.
Someday I would really like to paint the cabinets. I think they would look good with a distressed white finish. And some handles and pulls. Someday....
Just keeping it real in this shot - dishes drying on the counter, etc. Hey, at least I washed them instead of taking the picture with a sink full of dirty dishes.
Here is one of the quirks. There is really no place to set my can of utensils by the stove. I have it shoved back in the corner, but it is still partly on the back burner. I figured it isn't very often that I use all the burners at once, so that will have to do.

So, that's the tour. Hope I didn't bore you with that. I'm pleased with how it is all coming together. Just wish it would come together a bit quicker!

Sunsets and Porches

Hello! We still don't have internet service so I am at hubby's office using his computer. Couldn't stand to go any longer without blogging. I've been writing down the things I want to blog about. The list is getting long.

So, this is the view from our backyard on the first evening we were there. I love how the clouds are peaking over the trees and you can see the sunbeams shining out.
I keep walking out on the front porch and thinking, "This porch is huge!" It really is. I knew there was a reason I never got rid of this table. It's been in my garage for a few years. Now it is perfect on the porch. I had my breakfast there this morning. Feel free to come visit me on my porch sometime.

It is going to take me a while to unpack boxes. I want to start decorating but can't do that until the essentials are put away. Had to do something a tad bit creative today.

These are old nesting boxes. I bought them several years ago when we still lived in KS. When we moved to AR there really wasn't a place to put them so they just ended up in the garage. This new house really doesn't have a mud room, but there is a space inside the backdoor that I could already tell was going to be overrun with shoes and clutter. Today I moved the nesting boxes in there. Each family member has two boxes. I'm not sure if you can see or not, but I put our initials in the middle. That's my creativity for the day.

Here are some other things I want to blog about. I'm out of time for today so I will have to save the details for future posts.

• neighborly neighbors
• fire ants
• walking on a country road
• guests in the bathroom
• blackberries in the woods
• new town, new thrift store, fun find
• found a doctor

Oh, my! So much I want to write about. Sure hope we get internet SOON!

Thank you to my friends who have called or emailed to see how I am doing. I miss you all!