Zinnia

Show Photos

2010-06-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend! Here are some photos of our space at the Farm Chick's Show. Amanda and I want to thank all of our fabulous customers who were so kind, thoughtful and patient, especially during the big rush on Saturday. You make us smile. Hope you all enjoy your new treasures.

Loosing It

2010-05-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging for over six weeks because I have been focused on other things, like....loosing 24lbs! I finally did it. Every January for the last 15 years I would set a goal of loosing 25lbs by my birthday in May and every year by the end of January I would give up. Food became a comfort for me many years ago and because I had always been thin I wasn't worried about gaining weight at all. Being fat was the last thing in the world I ever thought I would become. My anger, self loathing and poor health finally motivated me to change my lifestyle. It hasn't been easy but I am so grateful for the success. For the first time in over 15 years I am looking forward to summer. My next goal will be 15 more pounds by the first of September. Happy!

2010-04-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

HAVE A VERY COLORFUL AND HAPPY WEEK!

PHOTO: Party Poms At Etsy

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

One risen Lord.

One grateful girl.

Happy Easter!

Giveaway

2010-04-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Make sure you stop by my daughter's blog and check out her giveaway. She's celebrating her 100th post.

Hooray!!!

Happy Spring...No Joke

2010-04-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

I know it's April Fool's Day but I really dislike practical jokes so I am wishing you all a HAPPY SPRING instead.

There are a multitude of things that I think are very ~~sad~~ funny, like the Kardashians and those "real houswives". However, practical jokes tend to just make people feel bad or stupid and I don't see the humor in that.

So, Happy Spring, No Joke

photos: Kickcan and Conkers

LIFE IS SO GOOD WHEN YOU'RE ONE

2010-03-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, to be a one year old. Enjoying the blue sky and a few bubbles and then kicking back with a warm bottle and a fuzzy blanket.

Liking

2010-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few cute things I've found lately.

Tea towels from House

Wren Studio.

Galvanized containers from Areo Home

Zinc tags, also from Areo Home

Chandelier shades from Simple Linens

We Love This Cat

2010-03-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is our sweet girl Willow, aka Chick. Five years ago she was abanoned, along with about 20 other cats of varying ages, on the front door of the vet's office that we were taking our dogs to at the time. We were enthralled by her curiosity, playfulness and her sweet spirit. She does not have a typical cat personality. She's more like a dog when it comes to her interaction with us. She loves being with us doing whatever we are doing. If we our outside working in the garden so is she; if we are downstairs watching tv, so is she; if I am putting clean sheets on the bed, so is she. She loves to play chase and hide and seek. She is a good little friend and we love her. She is always helping us with.....

SEWING

PARTY DECORATIONS

OFFICEWORK

CHRISTMAS GIFT UNWRAPPING

UM, LETS SEE, OH YEH, LOOKING FOR NEW RECIPES

GARDENING

SHE WASN'T REALLY HELPING HERE!

RELAXING

SCRAPBOOKING

Book Review

2010-03-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished House Rules this morning. Another great read from Jodi Picoult. Very thought provoking insight into the world of Asperger's.

I also finished, a while back, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. This book was a real eye opener into the relationships between white southern women and their black maids in the 60's. It was written beautifully and was one of those books that you hated to see end.

I also recently finished Pearl S. Buck's, Imperial Woman. If you have never read anything by Pearl S. Buck you are truly missing out. Start with, The Good Earth, my personal favorite, and you will want to read all of her books.

Princesses, Mermaids and Fairies

2010-03-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

So, I saw on the news the other day that there are parents around the country who are putting on these huge birthday bashes for their kids. Kind of like mini weddings. True! They hire event coordinators and spend literally thousands of dollars on entertainment, decorations and food. The reason why this subject was newsworthy was because the economy is causing some interference with these parents checkbooks. Some are no longer able to afford such lavishness and are troubled by their predicament. They evidently don't know how to have a good old fashioned cake and balloons birthday party. I saw these adorable party supplies at Meri Meri and thought maybe they could help. Not ordinary, but not over the top either. And affordable! The little themed cupcake liners are especially cute. I don't know why I have a fascination with cute cupcake liners because I don't even like cake. Did I say that outloud? I'm just not a cake lover unless it's cheesecake and then I'm all over it.

These are princess and fairy centerpieces.

They have cute boy stuff too.

And if you are throwing your cat a party they have supplies for that.

For the bride.

And, for my daughter Amanda, who has always wanted to be a mermaid! Really! Is 20 too old to have a mermaid party?

Love These

2010-03-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

I want these hanging in every room of my house. Lovely....lovely....lovely!!! Amanda thinks they look like crystal hot air balloons. I found them at The French Garden House who also have many other amazing items but none as beautiful as these. Stunning!

Happy Birthday William John!

2010-02-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today is our little grandson's 1st birthday party. He's a real cutie-pie! I made this chipboard mini album for the occasion. These are my favorite little albums because they come with their own box to embellish. I used Cosmo Cricket's, Lil' Man paper...love the color combination. We're off to eat cake! Have a wonderful weekend.

Home Sweet Home

2010-02-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

"Home is a

gift to be opened

everyday"

--Mary Anne Radmacher

For me, my home is my refuge, my sanctuary, my self portrait.

Home is where I can be me.

I can put fake daisies in old thermoses and vintage earrings in a wire nest if I want to.

I can name inanimate objects Matilda.

I can collect shiny things....

and chippy things.

I can display things that only I think are beautiful.

And I can view God's Majesty all around me.

Estate Sale Woes

2010-02-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

One of my all-time favorite things to do is get up early on Fridays and head out to the local estate sales. We love them even more when they are unorganized and messy! That type of sale usually has an abundance of hidden treasures that require some digging which makes the prize even more valuable! Lately though, estate sales have become somewhat like going to battle. There are 5 times as many people at the sales now than a few years ago. Some people are unkind, pushy and rude. Last Friday I got to an estate sale 20 minutes early only to find out that we were taking numbers and I was number 56! The house was small and only 20 people or so could be in at a time.

I find it interesting to see what people are purchasing. Some, like me, are looking for vintage items, some are looking for books and videos only. Some of the men are looking for tools and some women are looking for jewlery. And then there are the people who I am sure I am going to see on the next episode of Hoarders. They are buying ugly knick-knacks, dirty pillows, blankets with holes in them and unopened packages of spaghetti. Now I do realize that we are in a down economy and some shoppers are looking for bargains but I see these, "hoarders" at most estate sales and their cars are jammed full. My husband says I am one to talk....I should let people into my barn and spare bedroom and let them judge for themselves.

I am not a hoarder. I am a repurposer (I think I made that word up). These vintage earrings willl become magnets...the thermos matches a larger one I have and both will be used as vases. The clear containers that once held face powder will hold scrapbook supplies as will the little tin molds. The vintage fabric will become accent flowers for pillows and other projects. The globe...hmmm....this globe is a 1948 large beautiful globe that I found at a second hand store and I don't know if it will go in a show or if it will stay with us. I think the surge in the amount of people attending estate sales is because of several things. The economy, ebay and Craig's List and the Go Green movement. People are wanting to recycle and re-use more and more which is a good thing....people are looking for things that they can sell on ebay and Craigs List and make a bit of extra cash. Some are making their living doing this. And some are finding great bargains on items that, in this economy, are difficult to budget for. Whatever the reason, it's making Friday mornings a lot more work these days.

A Surprise Inside

2010-02-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

This is the most amazing renovation I have seen in a very long time...maybe ever!! Not because it's a barn, although I like vintage barns.

Not because they did a great job; it looks like they did......

Not because they stayed true to the barns design; thankfully they did.......

But because inside this barn is an amazing SWIMMING POOL!!!

Absolute genius! What a great use of this space. Congratulations to Landmark Services, the brains behind this project.

Photos from Willow Decor via Between Naps On The Porch

Smaller Portions

2010-02-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm experiencing a very serious love hate relationship with blogging lately! Yes, I actually used the word hate and blog in one sentence. I could literally spend the entire day looking at my favorite blogs, finding new and interesting blogs, searching a million links for amazing ideas and looking for inspiration for my own posts. I am overwhelmed by all of your creativity, your devotion to family, your love and service to the Lord, not to mention your amazing photography skills. Sadly, therin lies the problem. I am spending too much time looking and not enough time doing. I guess I need to put myself on a blog diet. Smaller portions, less eye candy! Speaking of eye candy......

source

Oreo Truffles

allrecipes.com

1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.

Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Happy Weekend

2010-01-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hope you have a fun weekend!

Let Them Eat Cake

2010-01-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

For all you cake lovers.......Vanessa at V and Co. offers tutorials for these sweet projects and many more! She charges a small fee for most of her tutorials but a select few are free. The frosting on the cake is removable so if you were in the mood for chocolate or lemon you could just pop on another top! And the best part about this cake... NO CALORIES!

They Don't Have Blueberries In China?

2010-01-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last night, Amanda and I were in the office just blogging away and husband pops in to check and see if we had blogged ourselves to death. I happened to be on a blog that had posted about Kindles and the possibility of actual books becoming obsolete so I mentioned to husband that I was appalled at the thought of not having books and being forced to use a Kindle. Who wants to curl up with a blanket and a good Kindle? Husband, always thinking ahead, says, "we should buy Kindle stock."

While I was thinking that there is no way I would ever spend one dime to support a book annihilator, husband says, "They are sending blueberries over to China." Because I have been married to said husband for 20 years I understood his train of thought....we should buy stock in blueberry farms! Sometimes my head goes one way and husbands goes another. I was thinking about the extinction of books as we know them and he was thinking of stocks. So I said, "We are exporting blueberries to China? They don't grow blueberries in China?"

It was at this moment that Amanda decided to clear things up for her not so technical parents and remarks, "I think he means Blackberries." For a brief moment I thought we were still talking about fruit until I realized that husband got his berries mixed up! Heaven only knows where these conversations will go when she moves out on her own.

I Heart You!

2010-01-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

I've been visiting some of my favorite scrapbooking blogs lately and found this cute craft that would be perfect for Valentines Day. Kim Archer has a free tutorial that lookes very user friendly. I love the little details...polkadots, hand stitching and the stripes on the stems. You could give them as gifts individually or as whole bouquets!

3 Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed

2010-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

These are so darn cute I want one of each! Especially the monkeys! I stumbled upon this etsy shop and was seriously amused by all of Sarah's little creatures. What adorable faces and the fabric choices...sweet! You can purchase the finished product and/or PDF patterns of these cuties and so much more...owls, elephants, babies, kittens, bunnies and gnomes. I am definitely going to try out the monkey pattern!

Genetic Roots

2010-01-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while I sat paitiently in the waiting area of Inland Imaging for my annual mammogram appointment {so much fun!} I picked up an issue of National Geographic and started flipping through photos of erupting volcanoes, wild horses and smiling faces from around the world. A one page article entitled, Red Alert, caught my eye. The article, short but to the point, claimed that natural redheads would become extinct by the year 2100! The article went on to say that only 2% of the world's population possesses natural red hair and it is only a matter of time before the gene responsible for "gingers", as they used to be called, just disappears. Being a natural redhead myself, I was quiet alarmed by this report. What would the world become without redheads? I did a little research and found that a mutation of the MC1R gene is responsible for red hair and the other traits that go with it; freckles, fair skin, being prone to skin cancer and light sensitivity. To become a redhead both parents need to pass on two copies of this MC1R gene to their offspring. Some people can be carriers of the gene, possessing one functioning and one mutant version {I think the word altered or perfected would be a better description for this gene}. Carrier's children have a one in four chance of becoming a redhead. This is where the random, out of nowhere redhead comes from causing much confusion for some families. I'm assuming that I posses this gene since both my parents have natural red hair but because I only had three children I didn't get to test the 1 in 4 theory. I'll always wonder if that fourth child would have been a redhead! I don't think we need to worry, really, about the decline of the redhead because in 2006 Americans spent $123 million on red hair dye. Long live the redhead!!!

Images brought to you by, The Art of Being a Redhead

January...The Absence of Color Month

2010-01-14T01:56:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. After the vibrant Fall oranges and pinks and the festive, holiday red and green, everything looks blah! When all the Christmas fun is packed away my house looks naked! I took a trip over to Sis Boom for a little inspiration and look what I found!

Easily Distracted

2010-01-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

I've been distracted by scrapbooking for the last couple of weeks. I am a messy scrapbooker and the aftermath of creativity looks like a an embellishment bomb went off {notice I didn't share photos of that}. So, to start the year off right, I tidied up my space and organized my supplies. I'm determined to put scrapbooking high on my priority list in 2010. I've also been redecorating my blog...so many options, so little time. Hopefully I will make up my mind on a design soon! Hope your New Year is off to a blessed start.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

Praying that the New Year will bring an abundance of God's grace and blessing in your life. May He draw us closer to Himself and may we respond with humbleness and gratitude.

Through Rain, Snow, Hail and Customers Still In Their Pajamas

2009-12-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

We live out in the country a bit and as many country folks, our driveway is a little longer than usual. Not terribly long, only about ½ mile long. It keeps us away from the traffic noise, is nice for taking walks and causes a lot more work for my husband in the winter. Our mailbox is of course, down at the main road. Because I don’t really like to shop, I fairly regularly purchase products online. Some are delivered by UPS and some come in the mail. My mom told me long ago that if I wanted to receive “happy mail” I would need to generate it myself. So, that is what I do…generate a little happiness for myself in the form of scrapbooking supplies, books of all kinds, and an occasional Philosophy product.

I have a very sweet mailman that, bless his heart, drives up our driveway to deliver my happiness. He isn’t required to do this. He could leave the little pink slip in my mailbox forcing me to get in my car and drive into town to pick up my package. But for some reason he is kind and has gone far above his duty for several years. Nothing so unusual about this except that he comes in the morning and inevitably I am still in my “casual wear” without makeup, my teeth not brushed and my hair sticking up. The worst part is that I am usually braless!! So I grab a coat or jacket and put on whatever shoes that are available and head out to his car. I have told him on several occasions that I do in fact get dressed and comb my hair daily but he always looks at me like, sure lady whatever you say!

So, the other day he is delivering a package and I am not only dressed in real clothing but because we are just about to leave I have not only makeup on but lipstick, shoes that match my outfit and, I am wearing a bra!! So I proudly head outside, no need for a jacket or a bag over my head and retrieve my package. I thank him as usual but as I turn around I suddenly have the need to announce that I am dressed. I turn around and yell, “WAIT, I’m dressed!” Which, momentarily seemed awkward, but he just smiled and said, very appropriately, “you look nice, you must be going somewhere?” Okay, I wasn’t eliciting a compliment I just really wanted him to know that I wasn’t some kind of lazy good for nothing housewife that sat around watching TV eating bon bon’s. I do other stuff too.

About a week later I look out the kitchen window and there he is with another happiness package and, crap, I’m not dressed. So, once again I throw on a jacket, put on a pair of shoes and head out to his car embarrassed but pretending like I don’t care. He takes one look at me and says, “back to normal huh?” I quietly say “yeah” and head back into the house to watch TV.

Christmas Celebration

2009-12-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with most of our kids {Amber and Garrett could not be with us} at the Clark House in Hayden Lake Idaho. This is our new tradition, starting last year. The house is rich in history and the owner, who is a great storyteller, is glad to share all of the information he has gathered over the years. The house, in it's heyday, was the summer vacation destination for the rich and famous of the Spokane area. And actually, aristocratcs from all over the world vacationed there at one time or another.

This is the second floor landing.

We stayed the night on this floor in one of the 10 rooms with a fireplace and private bath.

We were served a fabulous breakfast the next morning in front

of these windows looking out over the lake.

We have been fortunate both years to dine in this private dining room. A mural of the house during all four seasons is hand-painted on the walls.

The arrangement on the mantel was spectacular!

My family plus Amanda's boyfriend Cody and Aunt Robin.

Cute!

Auntie Amanda giving kisses.

Favorites

2009-12-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

These are our favorite Christmas cookies. The recipe comes from my mom and is good either frosted or unfrosted.

Candy Cane Christmas Cookies

2/3 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbls molasses

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbls pumpkin pie spice

Mix butter,sugars and molasses. Add egg. Add flour, salt, baking powder and spice. Mix until well blended. Cook on greased cookie sheet for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Frost with pink peppermint frosting and dip into crushed candy canes. {I always double the recipe!}

Christmas At My House

2009-12-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

My New BFF {she just doesn't know it yet}

2009-12-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

Edie is my new BFF. She doesn't know it yet but I think we are going to be good friends. I know that I am sounding a bit like a stalker but I have to get to know the person whose mind dreams up this kitchen.......

paints this armoire....

and does this amazing makeover on her daughter's bedroom.

Yep, we're going to be great friends!

Pumpkin Rolling Contest

2009-12-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Learning how to do a photo collage has been on my to-do list for months. With the help of Teresa over at bloomingonbainbridge and Picnik I have created my very first one. If I had known how easy it would be I would have done this long ago. Oh well, I can mark it off my list, finally (although I'm sure I have much more to learn, like sizing). Teresa has such beautiful collages on her blog and all I had to do was ask and she kindly gave me the lowdown on collage making. Okay, so you probably couldn't care less about my photo education progress but I am thrilled! I probably won't be able to sleep tonight :)

I grew a bumper crop of pumpkins this year and as always, there comes a time when I need to get rid of them. I don't look forward to hauling them to the hill near our back yard, even if I'm using the wheelbarrow. This year though I had a brilliant idea! On Thanksgiving Day I told the kids who had gathered at our house for dinner to grab a pumpkin and head over to the hill. They each wrote their name on their pumpkin and then rolled them down the hill. Whoever's pumpkin got to the bottom first was the winner. The kids all thought it was a great idea. Not one of them asked if their was a prize for the winner which I thought was sweet. I got rid of the pumpkins with very little effort and the deer were happy that I finally let them have a feast.

THANKS AGAIN TERESA!

Vintage Noelle

2009-12-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

We happen to live near a cute old school that has been turned into a community center. Many of the people living in our area have relatives that attended the school many, many years ago. The school is heated with wood heat (boy did that bring back memories), has a boy and girl indoor-outdoor bathroom and the kitchen faucet is of the pump handle variety....really.. Amanda and I thought it was a great place to have a little Christmas show. We loved the cool blue walls with all the Christmas red. Thanks to all our friends who came out last Friday and supported us.

Peanut's Amazing Adventure

2009-12-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

This is the amazing and true story about a girl and her beloved stuffed blue elephant named Peanut.

This is a photo of my dear friend Claire, myself, and of course, Peanut. I met Claire at our new church about 13 years ago when she was just learning to walk. She aquired Peanut when she was 2 years old and he has been her steady friend ever since.

Claire and her family and Peanut moved away from Spokane several years ago but we keep in touch and Claire and Peanut come and stay with us once a year or so. We always look forward to her visit. Claire is not only beautiful but sweet as candy!

Claire has always taken Peanut with her wherever she goes. He has been on many adventures to Disneyland and Sea World and has even been to Germany. But nothing can compare to his latest adventure!

While Claire is in school each day Peanut waits patiently in the family car for her to return for him. One day, a couple of weeks ago, Peanut accidently fell out of the car and into the high school parking lot where Claire's sister Allie goes to school. No one noticed poor Peanut as they drove off! That same night Claire woke at midnight in a panic looking for Peanut but he was no where to be found. After much searching the next day and many phone calls to the school and elsewhere, Claire's mom, Julie, placed an ad in their local paper.

Claire was devestated. She and Peanut have been together for 12 years. She loves Peanut so much that she wants him to be the ,"something blue" at her wedding. Peanut was out there somewhere, afraid and all alone.

About a week after the ad was placed, a man named Don called Claire's home and had some amazing information about Peanut. Don had been working at the high school on the lighting for the play, The King and I. He came out to his car one night and found a stuffed blue elephant sitting on the front of his car. He wasn't sure why it was there but put it in his back window hoping that the person who lost it might see it. So, Peanut rode around with Don for about a week. Don then decided to head to Canada to visit some friends. Peanut went with him. The day before Don was to come home, his car slid on a patch of ice and ended up in a lake. Don managed to get out of the car uninjured but the car sank with all of it's contents. Peanut was now at the bottom of a very cold lake! When Don managed to get back home, a friend had clipped out the add about the lost blue elephant for him. Believing that the elephant that had been riding around with him was indeed Peanut he called his friend in Canada and asked if she would go down to the wrecking yard and see if she could rescue Peanut. The friend agreed and found Peanut wedged under a seat and covered in mud. She took him home, washed him on the gentle cycle and fluffed him up. Peanut had been saved! Don called Claire's mom and told her the unbelievable story and said that his friend would bring Peanut home on Saturday. Peanut is now safe at home with Claire thanks to a few great people that took the time to care. There really are great people out there and a God who cares about every detail of our lives! You can read the entire story with more details in the Wenatchee World.

Progress

2009-11-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

I'm making progress in the powder room. I have almost all four walls covered in patches but not glued down. I tried the gluing as you go method but that didn't work if you wanted to change your mind, which of course I did. So I am taping them up and rearranging until I like what I see and then the glue comes out. This bathroom is hard to photograph because it is so small. Love the tape dispenser and roll of toilet paper in this shot!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-11-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Happy 30th birthday today to my first born daughter Amber! May your 30's bring you much happiness, joy and reward for all your hard work. You mean the world to me.....have a great day!

Washington State Bar swearing in ceremony, November 5th 2009.

Gratefulness

2009-11-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling very unbloggy lately. Not, antibloggy just a bit uninterested and I think I know why. A few weeks back our Pastor talked about gratefulness, or the lack of gratefulness actually, and it has really stirred me up. Now, I would not consider myself an ungrateful person. Being thankful is important to me. But lately God has been exposing the depth of my gratefulness and I am finding it to be shallow at best. A small puddle of gratefulness instead of a deep sea.

On a regular basis I thank God for my family and friends of course. I thank him for my home, my car, my cat, and for food and clothing. The regular stuff. I often am grateful and thank Him for a warm bed, my pillow, my chiropractor, a full refrigerator, a full gas tank, hot water. More regular stuff. Or is it? To many people in the world, these are not regular at all! Luxuries, wishes, things only dreamt of.

My husband came home from a breakfast meeting with a friend yesterday and posed this question to me....what if, tomorrow you woke up and had only the things that you thanked God for today. What would you have? Would I be able to smile, talk? Would the sky be blue? Would my husband love me? Would I have a relationship with the Lord?

Gratefulness is not something we can tack on to the end of our list of Christian virtues. It is vital. We cannot worship God without being thankful. It's just not possible. In her book, Choosing Gratitude, Nancy Leigh DeMoss says, "We must choose gratitude, first and foremost because it is the only fitting response to a good and gracious God who has delivered us from our guilt and shame."

It's never too late to become a more grateful person. Unfortunately, it takes a bit of practice. If you would like to be part of a group of people that are each listing one thousand things that they are grateful for click on Ann Voskamp's button below {thanks Sara}.

When thou hast thanked thy God

For every blessing sent,

What time will then remain

For murmurs or lament?

R.C. Trench

Inspiration!

2009-11-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot of my perfectly dull powder room! For the life of me I haven't been able to get inspired with the look I want for this little, seldom used room until now! It has wonderful potential...beadboard wainscotting, a lovely chandelier that I purchased at Ballard Design and a unique mirror. It just needs a bit of pep, some energy!

When I saw this wall over at Sara's Art House I knew that I had finally found my inspiration. There is finally hope for this poor little bathroom.

I had planned on just picking out random scrapbook paper from my large stash but was so excited to find this pack from K&Company at Michaels. I knew I wanted a black damask pattern but wasn't sure what other colors I wanted to include. This color combination along with the different patterns is just what I had in mind. The only other ingredient to accomplish this project is time!

Shades

2009-11-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of my plain, boring, white lampshades in my living room. I'm thinking maybe one of these....on the lamp, not on my head. I'm just going to add this project to my list...we'll see what happens! I have however found the perfect paper for my powder room project and am working up the nerve to actually paste it on the wall because I think that once it's up.... it's not coming down easy! I'll show you that on Thursday. Have a great Wednesday!

1. Fullhouse 2. Unknown 3. Alice 4. Just A Girl 5. Alice

E is for Easy...C is for Cute

2009-11-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

I'm always on the lookout for vintage books that I can use on my scrapbook layouts, frame as art or decoupage with. Amanda and I stopped at an estate sale this summer that had tables heaped with books of all kinds. Unfortunately, we were on our way to an appointment and didn't have time to search through the book mountains. I just happened to see this book in a smaller pile that was near the stairs on the floor and knew right away that the pages would be so cute framed. I also loved that they were in my favorite colors, red, black and white and would fit into any room in my house. I waited until Michaels put their frames on sale for 40% off, added some scrapbook paper and .....instant art!

Pumpkin Art

2009-10-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

We don't do Halloween at our house but we do love pumpkins! Amanda and I finally got around to painting some of our home-grown pumpkins today while we watched Alias. We had to harvest them early and store them in the barn because the deer were having early morning pumpkin feasts. Hopefully, they won't like the paint smell or the thumb-tacks used for the fancy swirles.

Cute!

2009-10-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

I am loving all of these silhouette ideas over at Le Papier Studio.

Remember These?

2009-10-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Remember in my last post I mentioned a great estate sale that we stumbled upon on our way to Steptoe? Well this is one of the fun things that we found. Actually, Terry went down to the basement before I did and when he came back up he told me I would go "ga ga" over the basement contents. Sure enough, while I was going ga ga over an entire table of mismatched silver, he found the motherload of Raffiaware in a storage room. I haven't counted, but these pictures show maybe a third of what we brought home. To make the deal even sweeter, the set included the pitcher and ice bucket with lid! Score!!

Steptoe Butte

2009-10-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

My husband and I realized late Friday evening that neither one of us had any pressing obligations planned for Saturday. Let me tell you, this is odd. Usually we both have a long list of to-do's and have-to's and if one of us is even remotely free for a Saturday the other is usually not.

Something that we both love to do is get in the car and just go somewhere that we have never been before. We only had one day so our destination needed to be close. Terry has always wanted to drive to the top of Steptoe Butte and had been close on numerous occasions but never had the time to stop. So we headed out Saturday morning and the first thing we came across was a fabulous estate sale {more on that tomorrow} and after driving through the rolling hills of the Palouse area we came to Steptoe Butte. I did forget my camera which always makes me furious but I googled these images and now we can't wait to go back in the spring. It's a short drive to the top and as you can see the reward is amazing. If you are in really great shape you can hike to the top making the view even more rewarding. Most of these photos were taken by Chip Phillips who, if you google, has many beautiful photos of the Pacific Northwest.

We are exhausted but......

2009-10-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Mad Hatter Vintage Market was a spectacular success! Amanda and I had a wonderful time selling our treasures and making new friends. Our mad hats are off to Gladys and Celia of June Bug for all their hard work and amazing attention to detail. The grange looked magical and the food was outstanding {thanks Shari and Lynn}. You can find the names of all the vendors over at June Bug and links to some of their blogs. Special thanks to our new friends Becky and Holly from All That Glitter for the fun and the new treasures that we took home and to Celeste from Chaps for all the encouragement.

Vintage Market

2009-10-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Of all the work it takes to get ready for a show this is our favorite part....actually setting up the space and seeing what we were dreaming in our head become a beautiful reality. To some it might seem like an organized mess but we love each item and hope that they all have a Happy Ending in someone's home. The Vintage Market is being held today from 4 to 9pm and tomorrow from 9am to 6pm at the Five Mile Grange...admission is $4. Amanda and I will have photos of the whole show posted later on my blog and on hers!

Wishlist

2009-09-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wishing I had one of each of these....mothology.com.

Bippity Boppity Boo!

2009-09-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

As you have probably figured out by now, I have an unexplainable desire for everything pumpkin. Maybe it all started with Cinderella! I have been wanting to make pumpkins from an old chenille beadspread for some time now but am reluctant to use my front-load washing machine for dying fabric. These velvet pumpkins found at housemartin.typepad.com are in the first prize category in my pumpkin world and I wouldn't need to dye fabric. Unfortunatley, these are for sale at House Martin as a finished product and not offered as a do-it-yourself project, which means....I'll just have to figure it out myself! I can't wait to make a few of these to add to my pumpkin collection.

Boundary Lines

2009-09-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places

Psalm 16:6

Yesterday, our pastor used this great verse to remind us that God's commands are for our benefit. His boundaries are set in place to keep us safe and show His great love for us. We so often fight against what we perceive as constraints...rules that seem to be created to cause us frustration. Because of His deep love for us he places rules in our lives so that we can experience joy, happiness, and a life rich with blessings.

I found this cute Family Rules decorated canvas at The Pleated Poppy. My first thoughts were that it was sooo cute and looked like something even "not so into crafts" people would give a try. I was a bit disappointed because I don't have little kidlets at my house and I don't think that my husband would think it was "cute" to post family rules at this stage of the game but after yesterday's sermon I think it would be a great idea to make one with God's rules listed......rules that have fallen in pleasant places!

Amanda and I have been busy getting ready for The Mad Hatter Vintage Market being held this Friday and Saturday so I haven't had time for personal projects but this one will be first in line after the show!

You can find very detailed directions to make your own Family Rules canvas at The Pleated Poppy.

Yum!

2009-09-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Saturday morning breakfast request was Pumpkin Pancakes, one of our fall favorites. I was trying to take this photo before my husband found out I was going to blog his breakfast and was caught by Amanda...she understood because she blogs too!

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk or milk

1/4 cup sour cream, light is okay

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 tbs butter, melted

1 tbs vanilla

1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together in medium bowl.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl. Slowly whisk liquids into dry ingredients.

3. Oil pan and cook on medium about 1/3 cup batter per pancake, ENJOY!

Flower Power

2009-09-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

When I watch TV I always need to be doing something constructive. It may be looking through magazines for ideas or inspiration or I may sort through the mail that has piled up, put some paperwork in order or make lists. Recently I have found Kanzashi flowers to be perfect for a TV watching project. Kanzashi Flowers, according to Wikipedia, are Japanese hair ornaments. They obviously have so many other creative prospects. I found a video tutorial at, womansday.com/bloom, that was easy to understand. I did watch the tutorial about 3 times but after that I could whip a flower out in no time. I made this cute burlap pillow with a cluster of 3 Kanzashis. I finished it off with a vintage yoyo, button and earring. I have the book, Kanazashi In Bloom, on my wish list at Amazon. Diane Gilleland, the author has a website that looks helpful and fun and full of other ideas for the flowers. My next Kanzashi project will be large petals made out of paper to form flowers that I can hang from the ceiling for parties or just for fun!

Bright Idea!

2009-09-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm giving these people an A+ for thinking way outside the box. If one light fixture is good why not two or five or eight? This is evidently a brew bar in Auckland New Zealand called the Northern Steamship Company that tried something a little different in the lighting department. What a great way to add interest and uniqueness to a space that looks rather on the ho-hum side. If we ever build a house again I think I will do this above the dining room table....and in our bedroom....and in the office.....

Save the Date

2009-09-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak at some of the fun stuff that we will be offering at The Mad Hatter Vintage Flea Market, Friday, October 2nd, 4-9pm & Saturday, October 3rd, 9am-6pm. The market will be located at the Five Mile Grange in Spokane. It looks like it will be a great show with many wonderful vendors, tea, and tasty treats. Hope to see you there!

Orangeaphobic!

2009-09-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Fall officially starts next Tuesday the 22nd but I, as usual, couldn't wait that long. I spent Labor Day doing a little fall decorating around the house. I just love the opportunity to put splashes of orange everywhere and not feel weird about it. I really don't know why I seem to be afraid of the color orange. Possibly it has something to do with those mean kids that called me carrot top when I was growing up. I wish I had had the spunk that Ann had when Gilbert called her the same but instead I would just feel shame and hurt for being so different. I often wondered why God had decided that of all the colors of hair that he could have given me....he chose red. It took many years of enduring the teasing before I came to realize that God actually gave me something special. Redheads actually make up only one percent of the world's population! That makes me incredibly unique. I came to terms with my hair color when I was in my early twenties and have loved it ever since. So..back to fall decorating.....here are just a few fun photos from BHG.com and Countryliving.com to inspire. As soon as my camera batteries charge up I will post some pics of my own fall decor.

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN

2009-09-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

If you happen to drive across the Wandermere Bridge in Spokane on the morning of 9/11 you will see this man, proudly flying the flag of the United States of America as a tribute to all those who lost their lives on that fateful day.

I don't know his story. He may have lost a loved one or know someone who did. I have also seen a man in uniform holding the flag and don't know if they are friends or relatives but whoever they are, thank you for taking the time to remind us to be grateful for our country and to remember those who lost their lives.

Makeover

2009-09-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

I had always thought that silhouettes were something you made in grade school for you mom for Mother's Day until a few years back when I found a hand stitched silhouette of a mother reading to her young child. When I went online to research them I realized that they have a deep history, are somewhat hard to find, and can be enormously expensive. I have found a few more over the years and my mom was happy to give me two nice ones that she had had for years. When I spotted these frames at an estate sale for $3.00 I though, why not make my own silhouettes?

I took the nice, but not my style, pictures out of the frames, sprayed them with spray adhesive, and covered them with fabric. I went online and found these two free images, printed them, enlarged them on my printer and cut them out...carefully.

I then painted them with black acrylic paint and let them dry completely (the key word here is completely).

After they were dry....I mixed some white glue with a bit of water in a small plastic bowl and using a sponge brush I painted the glue on the backside of the silhouettes being very careful not to get any glue on the front. I then turned them over and placed them on the fabric and smoothed them down...carefully.

You can find many tutorials online for turning your own photos into silhouettes because why would your mother want a silhouette of somebody else's kid?

A Sticky Situation

2009-09-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love the taste of a good carameled apple? The crisp tart apple flavor mixed with the sweet smooth taste of caramel. They always sound like a great idea until I actually make them! I can never get the caramel to stay on the apple...just slides right off. I have tried different temperatures for the apples but no success. I have looked online for more detailed directions but they all are pretty much the same (Amanda thinks we should give the apples a good roughing up with sandpaper first...works with paint!!). I saw these little cuties over at the160acrewoods.com

and I think that I might give them a try (although she says she has the same trouble with the caramel sticking). If anyone knows why the caramel won't stick please let me know because I'm seriously thinking about glue and sandpaper.

FUNKY LUNCH

2009-09-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Kris called the other day and said that she wasn't sure what to do with all her extra time now that both of her little sweeties are in school all day. Not that she doesn't have a million things that need to get done but life suddenly looks a bit different. Her daughter Ella suggested fresh baked cookies served on a plate every day after school and I thought why stop there.....you could spend some of that time making these fabulous lunch creations. Your kids will think you are the best mom in the universe. Just trying to help out!

Lunch ideas from funkylunch.com

Too Much Fun With a Box

2009-09-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

If your kids love playing with boxes this is the perfect project. You can find all the instructions at This Blessed Nest!

Little Bouquets of Happiness

2009-08-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer I found a bunch of vintage yo yo's at a yard sale that were grouped together to make a clown and a dog. Even though they were cute I decided to take them apart so that I could use the yo yo's for something fun and unique. Later in the summer I found these bed springs at a yard sale and knew that I wanted to make vases out of them. I remembered that I had been saving the yo yo's and thought they would make sweet flowers. I added the finishing touch of vintage buttons and earrings as flower centers. These happy flower vases will be for sale at the Mad Hatter Vintage Market in October.

WORSHIP

2009-08-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Alias

2009-08-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

Amanda and I adore Sydney Bristow. What a girl! We love her work wardrobe and secretly wish we had her job. We have been watching the first season of Alias this summer (for the 3rd time) and never get tired of her great moves and sweet face.

Celebrating Fall (a bit early)

2009-08-24T08:50:00.001-07:00

Summer is not my favorite season. I know, to some of you that statement is sacrilegious but I really love fall. Not that there aren't some wonderful aspects of summer, like, huckleberries, lilacs, jet skiing, peaches, fresh corn on the cob, sandals, toenail polish, zinnias and sun flowers. There are also some not so good aspects of summer, for instance, heat, sweat, and bugs. Heat makes me feel lethargic, unmotivated, and crabby. I have fair skin and while I used to bake in the sun to get that perfect summer glow I no longer want to risk my life for a tan. So usually toward the end of August I start feeling fall in the air and it makes me wish for summer to be over. I love the colors of fall and the cool nights and sunny warm days. I enjoy fall foods and the chance to eat anything made of pumpkin. It's funny that I actually could eat as much pumpkin as I want all year but for some reason it is most enjoyable in the fall. I enjoy decorating for fall and the opportunity to use orange in abundance in my color scheme. Because I live with a summer lover I feel guilty wishing summer away so I usually try to rally towards the end but I am secretly wishing for a sweater a good book and a bowl of soup. I was inspired by Jerusalem over at My Little Life who feels the same way I do and just decided to be done with summer and bake pumpkin bread. So I decided to do a little celebrating myself and ordered my favorite candy in the world, pumpkin truffles from Sweet Shop USA ...... a fantastic way to start the fall season!

HOME

2009-08-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

A house is a HOME when it shelters the

body

and comforts the

soul.

Phillip Moffitt

Hi, My Name's Amanda....

2009-08-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was courageously blogging about my magazine addiction, Amanda got out of bed and came into the office to say good morning. I told her that today I was going to blog about my serious and costly problem involving magazines and she said, "Wow mom, way to fess up!"

Um...wow Amanda, look what's under your bed!

Like grandmother, like mother, like daughter, I guess.

You can check out her blog at, voyagetoutlemonde.blogspot.com.

Hi, My Name Is Cindy........

2009-08-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how comfortable I am revealing this little secret about myself but I am addicted to magazines. There I said it. It all started in my childhood years. Now, I am not blaming my mom....I have made my own choices. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to purchase magazines (they wouldn't have to) but I did grow up with a mom who had a bit of a problem herself (sorry mom for outing you but you know it's true)!

I grew up in a home where furniture was always moved around and color schemes were changed on a regular basis. When I came home from school chances were that something had been painted or re-painted and a new outfit for me or one of my sisters had been completed. I am grateful for being raised by a creative mom. I know that she must have been inspired by many articles and photos that she found in those magazines that she purchased so many years ago.

I am equally inspired by beautiful photos of other peoples living spaces and their creative ideas. It is my all -time favorite way to relax....sipping ice-tea while looking at decorating and craft magazines. The magazine industry, especially the decorating magazine industry, has been very adversely effected by the recession and so many have stopped production. I was very pleased to See that Ki over at junkcamp.blogspot.com and her friend Matthew Mead are starting a new magazine called, Flea Market Style. I wish them much success. So, while there are not as many magazines out there as there used to be there are a multitude of amazingly talented bloggers who share wonderful photos and ideas that inspire me daily. Thank goodness for that!

Okay, so this is a red trunk I have in my basement that is , guess what......

filled with magazines!

So is the bottom

shelf of this cupboard in

the guest bedroom.

And the bottom shelf of this bookcase in the office.

You can read about this new publication over at, junkcamp.blogspot.com.

Recycled Thermoses

2009-08-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

When we head out to estate sales we are usually on the look-out for certain items that interest us or have eluded us but these vintage thermoses (or is it thermi ?) just keep running into us. We think that they are darling all grouped together as vases. Most of them are actually in great shape and could still be used as...thermoses but I think they are definitely happier as vases.

I Love My Camera

2009-08-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have a minimal understanding of how to use my Cannon PowerShot S5 digital camera but in spite of my ineptness, it takes beautiful photos like these.

I wanted to take a photo of this Lilly that had just bloomed in one of my flower beds and as I zoomed in I noticed the yellow jackets busy doing what yellow jackets do. I was also stunned at the amazing color combination going on.

The texture was also incredible. The darker dots on the Lilly are actually raised up like hairs or thorns and you can see that in the photos. The vibrant orange pollen on the stamens is very thick and looks stunning against the fuchsia of the Lilly.

Thanks PowerShot...you make me look good!

Zucchini, Squash, and More Zucchini!

2009-08-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, nuts, chocolate chips, and orange rind. Blend in sifted ingredients. Turn batter into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes, or until bread tests done. Remove loaves from pans, and cool.

I have been trying out some new zucchini recipes and though this one from allrecipes.com was pretty yummy! More recipes to follow.

How Easily We Forget

2009-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

As I was looking at photos this morning and complaining to myself about the heat and how tired I am of sweating, I came across these photos of last winter!!!

Summer can stay as long as it wants!

The Freakin Never Ending To Do List

2009-08-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

My good friend Sara sends great website addresses my way and this is the latest...thanks Sara!

You can find these free printable lists at, erinvaledesign.com. I am a hard core list maker. If I lost my notebook that contains my lists for everything, I seriously wouldn't have a clue what I should be doing. Some people criticize list makers but it is my humble opinion that making lists frees up the mind to be creative and not be bogged down with trying to remember everything that needs to get done. Of course you could be like some people I know (I'm not going to name names) that aren't bothered by the fact that they can't remember what they should be doing therefore don't feel stressed at all. I on the other hand would be completely stressed out not having a list so I could check things off. Just to give you a picture of how list dependant I am....if I accomplish something that was not on my list....I will write it on the list just so I can cross it off!! Yep, I know!

I also just love the Dreamy Blog Topics List. Since I started blogging in March I find myself looking at life differently. Every day not only holds the potential for a Kodak Moment but now I am always looking for blog topic opportunities. There are more free printables at erinvaledesign.com so go on over and take a look. She has some great recipes too!

Cool Spaces For Kids

2009-08-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

I ordered this fun book from Amazon and when it arrived Amanda said,"but mom, you don't have little kids." She said it like I needed to finally come to grips with the fact that all my children are grown up. But there is hope on the horizon! Our 5 1/2 month old grandson Liam is going to need some cool kid spaces of his own one day. So I am getting ideas now so that I have plenty of time to get these projects accomplished.

Cool Spaces For Kids

Sam Scarborough

Liam at the lake.

Food Saver

2009-08-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Every year I swear that I will not plant as much zucchini and squash as I did the previous year but somehow it always seems to get out of hand. This year however, I am prepared to fight back. I purchased a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer and I am armed and ready for whatever the garden throws my way.

I decided years ago that there were two homemaking activities that I would not participate in. The first one was canning and the second was quilting. I like to cook and sew but these two activities require a huge investment of time and patience not to mention the math that's involved (really, I hate math that much). I think that the Food Saver and I are going to get along nicely. There will be no need to measure inches, yards, pints or quarts just cut, blanch, freeze!

I'm In Love With A Pool

2009-07-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have been dreaming about in-ground pools for years. The thought of being able to swim in my own back yard anytime of the day or night is euphoric to me. This stunning pool is my current favorite. We have the perfect piece of property for this "over the edge" style. The only problem is that I live in Washington where there are only a few swimable months. My practical side always gets the best of me when I am dreaming of pools and I start thinking of all the upkeep, the gallons and gallons of water we would be using and the many months of non usage. This pool in particular is really not practical because it is not fenced and is unsafe for little non swimmers and considering where I live, I would probably wake up one morning and there would be a moose in it taking an early morning dip!

Gypsie

2009-07-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Check out my (Amanda, not Cindy) blog here! It will not only be filled with junking adventures and updates about barn sales, but also with crafting projects, and an outlet for my excitement about wonderful websites. As well as featuring fashion and many unique things. It really is an "Everything Blog."

Oh, If I Had A Girl !!

2009-07-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Oh, if I only had a girl. When my girls were little I sewed for them a lot. Eventually, the day did come when they didn't think the look of home-made was cool. I understood and turned my sewing attentions to pillows, window coverings and such. But, I do miss sewing for little girls.

These sweet creations are from the very talented Chelsea at Pink Fig Patterns. Love the way she mixes pattern and color. If I don't end up with a granddaughter in the very near future I guess I will just have to borrow a little girl!

In The Garden

2009-07-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

The garden is starting to produce some fine treasures. The zinnias popped open last week along with a few of the small sunflowers. We have some small green tomatoes, a few peas and of course, too many zucchini. There are some beautiful billiard ball squash and the eggplant is beginning to flower

It looks like we might have a bumper crop of cucumbers and I can see the small beginnings of the pumpkins. The raspberries need picking everyday and the carrots need a good thinning. I am once again in complete awe of my God who created so many wonderful things for us to enjoy.

FOR AS THE SOIL MAKES THE SPROUT COME UP AND A GARDEN CAUSES SEEDS TO GROW, SO THE SOVEREIGN LORD WILL MAKE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PRAISE SPRING UP BEFORE ALL NATIONS.

ISAIAH 61:11

Fun, Clean & Simple

2009-07-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

When I have a bit of spare time or can't sleep I love to wander around blog land and look at decor. I enjoy seeing how others use their creativity to make their space unique and beautiful. I also come away with my mind full of ideas. I came across this charming home on lightlocations.com and just fell in love. Light Locations is a company that you can hire to find just the right location for a photo shoot or movie scene (currently, I am not in the need of this service:) but it has been fun looking at all of their options. This home seems very calming and tranquil....peaceful. The white background is fresh and simple and the use of color is minimal but exciting at the same time. I especially love the patchwork wallpaper application around the doorway. I saw a similar idea at Sara's Art House a while back and have been thinking about it ever since. I have been playing with the idea of doing this patchwork application in my powder room and after seeing this photo I am really inspired to get it started. I will probably use scrapbook paper instead of wallpaper because I will have more options. Enjoy the photos and take a look at the other options Light Locations have available on their web page when you have a few minutes to spare. You just never know when you might need a movie set location! Doesn't your life sometimes seem like a scene from a movie? There you go!!

4th Celebration

2009-07-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love watching fireworks and I am grateful for the freedom that comes with being an American. I also, as a Christian, am forever grateful for my freedom in Christ through his sacrifice on the cross. I love this photo of my husband praying at our 4th party thanking God for our freedom and for the blessings that we as Americans enjoy daily. I don't want to ever take for granted that my life is so much easier, more comfortable, and enjoyable than so many people around the world.

We set up tables with plastic swimming pools full of ice for all the wonderful food that arrives with our guests. Just another example of the blessing of being an American, the abundance of food.

The highlight of our 4th party for most of the kids is this amazing slip & slide. Built with hay bales, sand, and vinyl billboard signs, it just doesn't get much better than this for cooling of on a hot summer day!

Many of our guests had fun posing for photos in these frames painted red, white, and blue.

Last year we added snow cones for the kids. Big hit!! A bit sticky but they get cleaned of on the slide.

Some old fashioned games for the kids.

And, this is one of my favorite parts of the party, seeing happy little faces!

Strange Occurrences

2009-07-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

I know, you are wondering why on earth I would post a photo of a buffalo on our blog? My friend Kris thinks that I post really random subjects on my blog. This one's for you Kris!

Our family has been experiencing some strange encounters with the animal kingdom this summer. We all on a regular basis see, quail, pheasant, deer, etc. You know, your average basic country animals. We also see an occasional coyote, moose, and even elk herds. But a few weeks ago I looked out the kitchen window and across the 12 or so acres in front of my house running down the road, a group of buffalo. There were about 10 or 12 of them and I don't think that qualifies as a herd, just a group. And no, this one did not stand there for me to take it's photo. At first I thought that they were elk but decided that I needed a better look through the binoculars and yep, buffalo! So obviously someone near our home raises them and they escaped somehow but as we watched them run through our neighbor's wheat fields we wondered, how do you get your buffalo to come home? Can you herd them? I don't think you can trick them with a pail of oats like we used to do when our horses got out. Tranquilize them? I don't know how or even if they got home but we haven't seen them since.

Our oldest daughter Amber has had her own strange encounters with a crazy mother Robin who attacks her cats when they go outside. Of course they are protecting their nest but the cats didn't even know that the nest existed. These encounters traumatized poor little Peter for quite some time. Imagine just wanting to go out and get a bit of fresh air and a Robin starts flying after you pecking at your rear end! Also at the same time as the Robin fiasco, a mother coyote decides to camp with her babies in the back yard of Amber's office building. No one knows what caused her to move the babies into town but this story did not have a happy ending.

And, to add to our strange animal kingdom occurrences, my youngest daughter Amanda, called me out to the back patio the other day to look at something that was making her cringe a bit. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. This is a photo of what we first thought was a cocoon of some sort caught in a spider's web that was attached to an iron basket handle on the porch. As we were staring at it trying to figure out what exactly it could be, the little golden balls scattered into hundreds of baby spiders...now I'm cringing. I don't mind spiders too much but this was really creepy. These little golden balls were actually teeny, tiny, baby spiders all grouped tightly together to form a ball. We didn't want to kill them but also really didn't like the idea of that many spiders growing up on the back porch so.......we put them, basket and all, into a flower bed nearby. In all honesty I'm hoping that they ran into some bad luck! So, this concludes our strange experiences so far this summer with the always surprising animal and arachnid kingdom! Let me know if you also are having strange animal encounters.

Red, White and Blue

2009-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for our huge annual 4th of July party so I have been checking out some party ideas. Every year we try to add something new. Last year we added snow cones and they were a big hit. This year we purchased a few Uncle Sam and Statue of Liberty party hats and plan on taking photos of people wearing goofy head gear inside large, red, white and blue painted frames (like we did for graduation). We will of course have the gigantic slip & slide and the jumping castle for the kids. I'm also hoping to add some patriotic music this year. If I have any time after I get done doing all of my weeding I might just try a few of these ideas!

Fun table decorations from, The Hostess with the Mostess.

I wish I had a cute red truck to use as a yard centerpiece!

Looks like everyone gets their own pie!

Cute and easy.

Very cute, not so easy! I am a very spatially impaired person at times and the directions for folding these might as well have been in Chinese. If you want to give them a try go to Country Living Magazine.

I could do this!

Spray painted bubble wrap! Noisy fun! Photo from Better Homes and Gardens.

Hope you have a safe and wonderful 4th of July.

Phenomenon

2009-06-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Phenomenon: An unusual fact or occurrence

Okay, so you know when you hear a word that maybe you have never heard before or have seldom heard....and all of a sudden in the ensuing days and weeks you hear or read that word more times than you ever have in your entire life? Are you just more aware of that word for some reason? Did the word cause a memory that in turn causes you to notice it more? Or, is it just a weird phenomenon? (I know, now it will happen with the word phenomenon, just watch)

I took this photo at The Farm Chick's Show in the Kitsch Bitsch booth (sorry, but that's their name) because I thought it was cute and a very creative way to display these vintage swim caps. I haven't thought of or even seen a swim cap since I was in Jr High and had to wear them at our city pool. I remember how so very upsetting it was to go to the pool and possibly see a boy or two and having to wear an ugly swim cap that covered up my lovely locks.

So, today I was perusing blogland and what do I find? Swim caps!! A cute green one on this sweet little girl's head, although she is wearing it all wrong. The hair hanging out would have never been acceptable at the pool.

This floral stunner. Where were these caps when I needed them?

And, thinking way outside of the box, as decorations! Very interesting! Thanks to vivafullhouse for the last three photos. I'll be sure to let you know when the swim cap phenomenon ends for me.

Happy Graduation

2009-06-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

We had a big graduation bash in the back yard for Amanda on Sunday afternoon. The weather was perfect, we even got a bit of thunder towards the end! So many friends that have known her since she was little attended and of course her brother and sisters, aunts, grandparents, brother and sister in law and her only nephew, Liam. We ate pasta salads, bread sticks and an enormous amount of cupcakes.

Her brother Trevor, always the photo crasher, and her sister Amber.

Looking smart and beautiful! This photo was actually taken on graduation day.

We borrowed the frame idea from The Farm Chick's
Show and had so much fun with it. This is her very tall youth pastor Matt.

Here we are with the graduate.

With Liam, her sweet nephew and our first grand baby.

Amanda, Bo and Sarah, friends forever.

Wild Weekend

2009-06-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Amanda graduated from High School on Friday night and we were up bright and early, ready for all the shoppers at The Farm Chick's Show on Saturday morning.

Last year when we found out that graduation was on the same weekend as the show all we could do was laugh. But, we did it! The show was amazing as usual. We had some of the sweetest neighbors in the whole show and were glad to meet so many kind customers.

Here we are ready for the crowd!

Amanda was happy that her cute kid's table and chairs went to a good home!

We are already thinking about a fall show, stay tuned!

I will post more show pic's later this week and graduation photos too.

Thanks to all who stopped by Happy Endings this weekend!!

Graduation 2009

2009-06-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

She did it! Graduation Day finally happened. I know that saying, where did all the years go, is so clich'e but....REALLY, where did all the years go? You have been a delight to your dad and I from day one and we look forward to watching where God leads you in the future. GONGRATUALTIONS!!

Prayer Flowers

2009-06-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

I get the privilege every Sunday of teaching a second grade Bible study class. I love this age group because of their enthusiasm and desire to know God's Word and to understand His character. The world hasn't got a strangle hold on them yet and they still believe what grown- ups tell them! I love to listen to their honest, heart-felt prayers for dads that are serving our country, for strength to obey their parents and for their ill pets. And, as no surprise to most of you, I love the craft time of our lesson! Sunday we made these darling prayer flowers that not only look cute but are a great tool to help teach the daily discipline of prayer.

I printed the verse on mailing labels so they could easily stick them on their flower pots. Second graders have a hard time writing in small spaces so I opted to not have them try to fit the verse on the pot. We punched out flowers and wrote a day of the week on each one. I made sure we had some fine point sharpies for that process. We then glued them on pop sickle sticks.

After we had the flowers complete we spent some time thinking of 7 people, one for each day of the week, that we could pray for and we then wrote one name on each stem (stick). I put a hunk of floral foam in each cup and we planted our prayer flowers. We topped them off with some

paper shreds for the dirt.

The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

Psalm 4:3

Summer

2009-06-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

I admit that one of the reasons I love summer is because it creates more room for me to decorate! I love creating fun and comfortable outdoor spaces. When we built our house we knew we wanted a porch that was right off the main living space. We wanted it to be an extension of the house, another room that we could use in the spring, summer and fall. We are so glad we made that decision. We love to eat meals on the porch, watch the summer storms pass by and do our Bible studies while watching God's Glory all around. Here are a few photos of summer at my house.

Petunias, can't have summer without them.

This chair found at a yard sale for $40.00 was going to the Farm Chick's Show but last week it won my heart and gets to stay!

Snowballs in summer!

I am trying out these daisies this summer for Amanda because she gets tired of my petunia obsession.

More petunias...and every girl should have a pair of these, polka-dot rain boots for the garden. Happy summer!

Earthly Treasures

2009-05-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Once again Friday I was faced with the dreaded "Estate Sale Dilemma." Both sales started at 9:00 am and sounded like they had great stuff. Do you pick the one closest...the farthest....the one with the most items listed in the add? But this beautiful Friday morning I picked the WINNER!

I found this darling, vintage, singing, camping, cowboy wall art. (I know, a few too many adjectives but I don't know what else to call it) This was especially fun to find because it will go nicely with the cowboy headboard that will be for sale in our booth at The Farm Chicks Show.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this beautiful handmade quilt front. Someone went to a lot of work and never finished it. This was one of those sales that causes you to gasp every time you enter a new room or open a closet. I found a sweet tablecloth hanging in the bedroom closet that was covered in pink roses but when I got home, surprise...there were actually three tablecloths!

I also found some nice bling and a few pairs of great earrings to take apart and turn into magnets. But, the best thing I found was this scripture stuck in the bottom of the red floral waste basket. Thanks for reminding me Lord that you are preparing a place for me! I hope it is filled with junk! Sweet Holy junk of course, because I'm sure there will be no junk in heaven.

The pile of sparkly jewelry also reminded me that I need to make sure that I am storing up for myself treasures in heaven. That while going to estate sales and finding earthly treasures is fun, my real treasure is Jesus Christ himself. Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Show Time

2009-05-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at our Happy Endings space at The Farm Chick's Show.

Vintage lamps and hankies and a large set of pink toile dishes!

Amanda recovered this darling kid's table with red polka-dot oilcloth.

This is a set of four iron patio chairs with the seats covered in vintage fabric. Love the velvet pillow!

Silver, dishes, linens, and some very old jelly jars with lids.

Old silver place settings.

Kid's stuff

A cute child's red chair

And lots more!! We are so looking forward to seeing you all there June 6th and 7th.

The show will be a feast for your eyes and will inspire you for months to come. We hope that everything will find just the right home and have a Happy Ending. Blessings!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

2009-05-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm playing hooky (not an uncommon attribute of mine) to spend the morning with her on her big day. I'll be making huckleberry heart-shaped waffles for her in our waffle schmoosher that, for some reason, makes the noise of a psychotic, dying bird to let me know that it's done. Then we're off to get mani's and go shopping at our favorite thrift stores!!!
I have always loved this Polaroid of her and my Aunt Catherine (my mom is on the left). I enjoy finding old pictures of her. And I can't help to wonder so many things about what she was like at my age. It reminds me most, though, of how thankful I am to have her as my Mom.

It's Toenail Polish Season!

2009-05-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

One of the things I absolutely love about summer is that I don't have to wear socks! I really hate socks. They make my feet feel trapped, confined and hot. In fact, I don't really even like winter shoes. I have a hard time shopping for shoes in the winter because I would rather be wearing sandles. So, I am thrilled that it is finally here, toenail polish season, or summer, as some call it!

Since she mentioned it....

2009-05-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I thought I would show you my milk glass myself... This is what I've been collecting for at least five years now, and will continue to collect my whole life, I'm sure. I know I could buy them new, or find amazingly unique pieces on Ebay and Etsy, but that would defeat the whole purpose. The thrill is in the unexpected find. Each one I have stumbled upon, or rather they have stumbled upon me. Each piece was rescued from an unloving garage sale. Or was abonded at an Estate Sale. Or given away to be sold at Value Village. Now they are loved and cherished, and can have a Happy Ending.

I am much like my mother. I can't resist a yard sale sign. I get happy when I walk into our house and realize it smells a little Vintage. If I can't sleep at night, I come up with ways to rearrange furniture and think of new decorating ideas..... However.... She likes her stuff, and she likes it displayed everywhere. (to clarify: It is beautiful, but I have to have purpose and simplicity).I cannot handle that amount of things without a purpose. I don't display my milk glass as pictured above. A few of it is displayed together, but most is used around my room and bathroom with a purpose. Such as these two pictures. Using one to hold my favorite PrismaColor colored pencils and the other as an organizational tool in my bathroom. (YAY for organization and multi-purpose collections!!!) I used a vintage green glass cake plate and put the milk glass on top (along with soaps and everyday things) One is filled with cotton pads, another with Q-Tips and another for holding my headbands.

I'm all about having beautiful things and having collections, but even better is to make the beautiful things in my life also useful.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree...er Yard Sale!

2009-05-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Did I train this girl well or what? Amanda brought this little pile of vintage fabric scraps home from a yard sale and gave them to me knowing that they would make me very happy. Actually, she has a great eye for vintage items. She should; I have been dragging her around to estate/yard sales for years. I mean how many 14 year olds do you know that start a collection of milk glass? She is almost 19 now and is still adding to that collection and is just as thrilled today to find a new piece as she was back then.

Because the scraps were so small I thought I would cover some buttons with them

Now I am looking for the perfect sweater to put the buttons on...maybe red!

A Cute Little Project

2009-05-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Can you even believe this is the same little dresser? I really hesitated buying this at a yard sale last summer but am really glad I did. I know, some of you yellow fans probably think, what was wrong with it in the first place? An my answer is....it was yellow! I haven't put the hardware back on yet but I think this was a very successful transformation!

Red and white, always a good choice at my house!

PROM

2009-05-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Senior Prom was a smashing success!! What a fun group of kids. Many of these kids have been friends for years. What a great way to celebrate their upcoming graduation with a great evening all dressed up and having fun. It was fun to watch the whole process from mannies, peddies, and car washing in the morning to hair, makeup, and photos in the afternoon. Even the after prom party was a huge success with a movie projected on a huge white sheet in the upper level of the barn with Christmas lights twinkling in the background. Great memories and the photos to prove it.

The whole gang!

Amanda and her guy!

Look at those colors!

Sweet!

Planting Choices

2009-05-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

I adore petunias. They are dependable, hardy, and last all summer. I purchase several flats every year and plant them the week after Mother's Day. Every summer though, it's a surprise to see where the wind has decided to plant the seeds from the previous year's blossoms. I always plant petunias in this pot on the front porch but maybe..........

I should plant one of these instead!

The Perfect Vacation

2009-05-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

When people think of their perfect vacation, some dream of big places with lots of action and plenty of people around to share in the fun. Not me! Yesterday I was looking for vacation rentals online and found my perfect place on greatrentals.com. A quiet, cute house away from it all.

I could swim whenever I wanted.

And enjoy the view.

I could relax and read.

And dream happy dreams.

And do a whole lot of this!!!

Probably not even remotely affordable but a girl can dream!

Sara's Art House

2009-04-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

I love these verse paintings by Sara over at Sara's Art House. This girl is NOT afraid of color. Take a peek at her home photos to see how she uses bright bold colors in every room. I love the way she uses children's books and art as decorations. She has really created a fun home for her children to express their creativity. It will be fun to see someday if they grow up to be artists!

Yeah for Spray Paint!

2009-04-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

I found some metal trays with a not-so-cute
flower motif on them at Value Village a while
back. I knew they had some promise so I stashed
them away for later. I came across this lovely tray
in an issue of Romantic Country Magazine and
knew that I had found just the right idea.

So I sprayed and stenciled.

Cute!

Because these are metal they would be sweet

and useful hung up with ribbon and used as

magnet boards.

Easy Magnets

2009-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't have much energy last week but I did

find time to make a few cute magnets. They are

stuck to this tin cabin sign because I have a

stainless steel frig and nothing sticks to it but

cat hair!

These couldn't be any easier to make. Just get out the glue gun and attach leaves,
buttons, and magnets. I purchased the pretty velvet flowers from Maya Road. You can see if they have any left at, mayaroad.com. The yo yos, leaves, buttons, and magnets were all purchased at Joanns. You can make your own yo yos but I think they are enormously tedious so when I saw pre-mades at Joanns I snatched them up. Have a great last week of April!