2011 Valentine Decorating

I have never really gotten into present buying or decorating for Valentines Day. I'm not sure why. But this year is different. I think it's a direct result from working at Paper Source and being inspired to create something every time I step foot in there. I even have gifts bought for my kids way ahead of schedule. Again...Paper Source. Maleah got in on the fun of helping mom make some Valentine crafts for the house.

You know me, I keep things pretty simple. We cut lots of heart shapes out. Look at the concentration.





The hearts were made from some cute Valentine wrapping paper found in Target's dollar section and also from pages of a book. We taped a piece of pink thread in between two hearts in a dangly sort of way.


And then I hung a bunch of them from my chandelier in my dining room.



I also made a larger heart made from the paper of a book. I can't get enough of this look. I taped two of them together, punched a hole in the middle of it to hang up with the pink thread and gave it a little bling, which consisted of a little flower made of wrapping paper pieces I cut out and glitter glue in the middle.




We also put up some fun heart decals in the windows (sorry, no picture) and a string of heart lights all found, where else, in Target's dollar section! I love shopping that section of the store. You just can't beat the low cost of such cute things. Now I just need to figure out what to buy Mike for Valentines Day that fits our budget, that shows him how much I love him, and that is something he will really like. Now there's a challenge!

My birthday...and a time to reflect

I came across something my husband gave me one day before my 39th birthday last year. He wrote me a letter. This is what it said:

So, you've got one more day before your 39th birthday. Here are a few questions to help you take inventory of the last year.

1. What was the most interesting book you read?
2. What was the more interesting movie you saw?
3. What was the most memorable place you visited?
4. What was the most memorable event?
5. What would you most like to forget?
6. What was the happiest moment?
7. What was the saddest moment?
8. What was the average price of gas?
9. What was the average price of a home?
10. Who was the president of the United States?
11. Who was a popular musical artist?
12. Who was a popular movie star?
13. How old were your kids?
14. What world events shaped/impacted society?
15. What was the newest technology unveiled?

(Still part of the letter) If you were to answer these questions each year and keep a record of it, you could look back on your life and get a really clear picture of the kind of life that you lived; and it would be an awesome record to pass on to your children. By the way, answering these questions usually works best if you give the first answer that pops into your head, rather than really trying to ponder them.

Happy almost-birthday!

What a thoughtful letter...way to go, babe. It's always encouraging (and entertaining) to look back on your life and see just how far you have come. And since I will be turning my blog into a book on a yearly basis, I figured blogging about it would be perfect. So, sit back and join me as I reflect on the past year of my life.

1. What was the most interesting book you read? Hmmm...tough one. I love to read. But if I had to pick one it would probably be Eat Pray Love. Even though I didn't agree with everything in this book, there were some pretty deep parts that really made me think about my beliefs, my relationship with God and where I'm at in my life. I enjoyed reading it.

I do have to give mention to another really good book I just remembered I read. The Path by Laurie Beth Jones. This book helped me decide what I want to do with my life and made me take a hard look at what my God-given gifts are and how I am or am not using them. Excellent book! I highly recommend it.
2. What was the more interesting movie you saw? Coincides with #1. Eat Pray Love. Made me think. Plus, it was just good a chick flick.
3. What was the most memorable place you visited? This past summer my husband's family had a family reunion in Tennessee. This was the first time I had ever been to those neck of the woods. It was beautiful. I also had a wonderful time with his family. They are so fun to be around.
4. What was the most memorable event? We bought our first house. I have been waiting so long for this to happen. My goal was to own my own home by the time I was 40. Check!
5. What would you most like to forget? Some pretty rocky times in my marriage, but God is faithful and works all things for good. Each year gets better. I am amazed how God uses the really tough stuff to make us stronger and more like Him.
6. What was the happiest moment? I could never just pick one, but my kids make me happy. They are amazing. Sometimes I wonder why God chose me to have such amazing children, but I'm so grateful He did. Don't get me wrong, this parenting thing is the hardest damn, eh hem, I mean darn thing a person will ever do. It comes with much heartache and sacrifice, but the rewards make it all worth it.
7. What was the saddest moment? Realizing how old my kids are getting. I wish I could stop time. Jarod is soon to be out of the house and Maleah is growing out of her little girl stage. Makes me sad, especially knowing that we are done having children-unless, of course, the Lord performs a miracle.
8. What was the average price of gas? $2.79
9. What was the average price of a home? This definitely depends on what part of the city you live in, but in my neighborhood it's around $220,ooo.
10. Who was the president of the United States? Obama.
11. Who was a popular musical artist? Well, the music I listen to consists of artists that have been around for awhile and have been popular for a long time. But for the younger generation, I will pick Justin Beiber.
12. Who was a popular movie star? Here again, the ones I know about and watch have been around for a long time. And can I say, I'm really bad with names anyway. Or maybe I'm just getting older and I'm not staying up on all the latest actors and actresses. Who knows. But the only names I can come up with are Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks. STOP LAUGHING! I don't care if they have been around for a million years. They're still good actors!
13. How old were your kids? 18 and 5
14. What world events shaped/impacted society? We hit a pretty big recession. Lots of job losses and people losing their homes. I feel very blessed that my husband was able to keep his job and that the Lord provided for our needs.
15. What was the newest technology unveiled? The Ipad, although, I can say that I really have no interest in one. I have my laptop and that's all I need. I think the "technology world" is out of hand. There are so many things being made that are just not necessary or that are basically duplicating things that are already made and already "fitting the bill". Yep, I must be getting old.

In two more days I will be 40 years old. It's pretty hard for me to believe, and everyone assumes that this scares me or that I'm dreading it. Actually, quite the opposite. I'd like to think I'm not only getting older but I'm getting wiser. I have done some pretty stupid things back in my younger years and have come a loooooong way and learned a ton. I am excited to see what's in store for me in this new season of my life-what the upcoming chapters of my story hold for me. So, here's to many more trials, victories, memories and being the best me I was created to be. BRING IT ON 40!!!

Another Furniture Makeover

I friend of mine gave me this bookcase a while back. I love how it has that antique, distressed look. Unfortunately, when I put in my home something was not quite right. I left it like it was for a couple of months but every time I walked by it I kept envisioning how to make it better. I realized it was the color that was bothering me. It was too drab for my surroundings. So, I finally decided to paint it. (Notice the testing of colors on the side of the bookcase.)


I started out sanding it with a small block of hand sandpaper and then quickly realized this was too much darn work. My arm was sore after 2 minutes (of course, this is no indication that I need to get in better shape). So I decided to just slap on some primer.

After priming I gave it a very light sanding to make the paint adhere better. I picked out a turquoise color, Jamaican Sea, to match the colors in my living room. I applied two coats of paint. I wanted a distressed look so after the paint was thoroughly dry I sanded down parts of the bookcase to have a worn look, mostly on the edges.


I took Ralph Lauren's Faux Glaze Tint and added a bit of dark craft paint. I painted this mixture on the bookcase and then wiped most of it off. There were lots of grooves and crevices for the glaze to settle into, which made it look even more worn. Voila! This is the finished piece.

I apologize for the fuzzy pictures. I think it was because it was cold (more like friggin' freezing) in my garage and I don't think my camera liked that.

Christmas Decorating 2010

I learned something about myself while decorating for Christmas this year. When it comes to decorating I am a minimalist. (I think that applies to a lot of other areas in my life as well). The less the better. If I start accumulating too much "stuff" I feel unbalanced. That goes for having too much going on my life too. Anyway, I have quite a few decorations that I have used over the years, but they just didn't seem to fit our new home. They are mostly red and green and countryish, so I didn't use them, except for the ornaments on the tree. I couldn't change those up. Too many memories. Ya know, the ones that your kids make you in preschool and kindergarten that only you yourself could love and appreciate.


But for the rest of the house I did very little. I'm loving all things silver this year so that's basically the color I used most. My wreath that I put above the fireplace was super simple and inexpensive. I bought a grapevine wreath for $3.99 and wrapped garland around it, which was only $3.50. And then I draped some garland on the ledge above the fireplace. I will also put up Christmas stockings but haven't bought them yet.



And then there is my little tree I put on our dining room table. You can't really call it a tree. Mike chopped off a branch from a tree in our front yard and I stuck it in some pebbles in a glass jar. I hung my handmade ornaments on it.




And that's really it. I will probably put a few more things up here and there, but I am definitely keeping it minimal. I need it like it that way.

Thanksgiving 2010

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year felt a little extra special since this was our first Thanksgiving in our new home. I love knowing that we are making new memories in this house. It was a pretty low key day. Just Mike and I the kids and my mom. Mom kept me company in the kitchen while I cooked the dinner. Yes, she offered several times to help, but, of course, I had to do it all myself. Ya know, MY way. But I really do enjoy cooking so it was all good. Sharing good conversation and a good glass of wine was all I needed to keep me going. Thanks, mom!

Jarod, Maleah and my mom were getting their groove on in the kitchen to Christmas oldies. Jarod would pick out a Christmas song from Chris Brown (look it up if you're not in the know) and mom would pick out the Temptations. Can we say generation gap?!

And here I am stuffing my bird. I used an awesome recipe from Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network. The recipe is here. It was super yummy!

And what would the holiday season be without a picture of your honey next to the fireplace.

As a lot of you know, this has been a tough year on the homefront, but I am so grateful for the Lord's faithfulness and provision. I can look back and see just how far God has brought me and just how much He really is at work in my life. I'm a blessed woman!

Christmas Craft

So, I was reading my friend's blog today and and totally got inspired to get my craft on. She showed how to make a super cute bird ornament. As most of you know, I LOVE the whole bird theme...still. I even shucked my housework duties to run right out to Michaels and get my supplies. This project was super easy and inexpensive and I absolutely love the way it turned out.

If you want to know how to do it, check out Jami's blog at www.thenatos.blogspot.com. I also made glitter pinecones (glue and glitter on tips of pinecones). How fun!

I'm officially getting into the Christmas spirit and I am planning on doing plenty more Christmas crafts. So stay tuned...

Working Again.

I have not worked in 7+ years. That is so hard for me to believe. I used to work my tail off back in the day and knew no other way. I was a single mom raising Jarod and was the sole bread winner. I always dreamed of being a stay at home mom. That is why I am so grateful I married someone that has strongly supported me in being able to stay at home. If it wasn't for all of his hard work I wouldn't have been able to do it. Thanks babe!

BUT, things have changed. Jarod is soon to be out of the house (sniffle sniffle) and Maleah is in school all day. It made me have to think about what I want to do with myself. What do I like to do? What is my passion? Who the heck am I? Yeah, there has been some serious soul searching goin' on in my world. Soooo, I decided to get a job. Not only for the money, which is pretty much needed these days, but for myself. I decided since I love to be creative and get my craft on, I got me a job at Paper Source.

Now, for those of you that don't know what Paper Source is, shame on you! Get to your nearest one and check it out. It's such a great place. They have everything you can think of having to do with paper, and then some. You can get holiday and birthday cards there, your wedding invitations, gift wrap, etc. Or make your own cards. Christmas is around the corner. They have all the supplies you'll need and our staff can give you easy and fun ideas to make them. They also have fun, quirky gift items that are hard to find. Or you can go to one of their workshops that teach you how to do all kinds of fun, crafty things. I am learning new things every time I go to work and I love it.

Here is their website: www.paper-source.com

If you have been wanting to be more "crafty" but have felt like you don't have what it takes, stop thinking that! You do have what it takes. It's not hard. Everybody possesses creativity within them. Tap into it people! And get to your nearest Paper Source for inspiration and guidance.