Wednesday, February 25, 2009

New Lamps!


Well-to me.I found the lamps at a thrift store and the lamp shades at Walmart -clearance! Raced home -put them up and I'm happy!!!Had to share.On a side note-Brian found a sticker on the lamp that reads "Paul Hanson".
Vintage lamps-company stopped producing in the 1990's.Found some of his lamps for sale on line that go $200 and up!Score!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I love Black Paint



I painted my garage sale frames black,the plaque above my shelf,and the wood tray on my counter.It covers everything and it goes with everything.

Its been awhile..



I went to the Regional Stampin' Up! convention this weekend..fun fun fun!Saw new products and learned how to use my Big Shot -now I can make way more things! It was fun to learn techniques, and I still love making cards-ever since my first workshop in '98! They said, in the Great Depression greeting card sales didn't go down-I think everyone loves an encouraging note or card! I love getting real,handwritten mail.
I've been painting! I bought some end tables(brown laminate tops-bamboo legs),off of Craigslist and painted them black-for my bedroom. I put new nickel knobs on them.
Now I'm looking for lamps!
I went to the grocery store and found these candle sticks in the floral dept-for 3 and 4 dollars!! on sale yee haw!I'll try to get better pics-I'm having camera problems again with my "Olympus boyfriend" so irritating!
enjoy!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Old pics...





I was looking for a specific picture and came across these from 2005-I love looking at pics of my kids! I've heard the days are long-but the years go by fast..How true!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

I dare you!

In honor of Valentines day I'd like to suggest a movie for all the married folks to watch this weekend..."Fireproof." Without giving away the plot...I'd also suggest purchasing the book,the main character reads,in the movie-"The Love Dare".I am trying to do a "dare a day" and wow -I am seeing myself in a Whole new light!Which brings me to...I dare you! to read it too! Your mate might just thank you!

He loves me

My hubby had a card sitting out for me this morning,on the counter.I didn't know he was going to get anything?! (Because earlier he had asked what I'd like, and I said a pedicure next week)..Anyways,inside my card was a gift certificate to Ben Franklin craft store! Forget the flowers or chocolates-He knows what I like and he loves me.

In case you were wondering...

Happy VAL day!

Legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

National Friendship week

Got this story from a friend..I don't know who wrote this story but...I really appreciate MY friends.


"One day, when I was a freshman in high school,
I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.
His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books.
I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd.'
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.
They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.
His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him...
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes
My heart went out to him.. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.'
They really should get lives.
'He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'
There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.
As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before?..
He said, he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.
I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
with my friends He said yes.


We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.
I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!
' He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends..
When we were seniors we began to think about college.
Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.
I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship..
Kyle was valedictorian of our class.
I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak
Graduation day, I saw Kyle.
He looked great.
He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.
He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous!
Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.
'Thanks,' he said.



As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began
'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years
Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends....
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.
I am going to tell you a story.'

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story first day we met.
He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
'Thankfully, I was saved.
My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..'
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions..

With one small gesture you can change a person's life.
For better or for worse.
God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.

Show your friends how much you care.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Its going to be Okay...

This spoke to me..wanted to pass it along.


Week of February 13

It's Going to Be Okay
by Max Lucado

Bill Tucker was sixteen years old when his dad suffered a health crisis and consequently had to leave his business. Even after Mr. Tucker regained his health, the Tucker family struggled financially, barely getting by.

Mr. Tucker, an entrepreneurial sort, came up with an idea. He won the bid to reupholster the chairs at the local movie theater. This stunned his family. He had never stitched a seat. He didn't even own a sewing apparatus. Still, he found someone to teach him the skill and located an industrial-strength machine. The family scraped together every cent they had to buy it. They drained savings accounts and dug coins out of the sofa. Finally, they had enough.

It was a fine day when Bill road with his dad to pick up the equipment. Bill remembers a jovial, hour-long trip discussing the bright horizons this new opportunity afforded them. They loaded the machine in the back of their truck and secured it right behind the cab. Mr. Tucker then invited his son to drive home. I'll let Bill tell you what happened next:

"As we were driving along, we were excited, and I, like any sixteen-year-old driver, was probably not paying enough attention to my speed. Just as we were turning on the cloverleaf to get on the expressway, I will never ever, ever forget watching that sewing machine, which was already top-heavy, begin to tip. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I saw it go over the side. I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck. As I rounded the corner, I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces. And then I saw my dad just looking. All of his risk and all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream, all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there, shattered.

"You know what comes next don't you? 'Stupid, punk kid driving too fast, not paying attention, ruined the family by taking away our livelihood.' But that's not what he said. He looked right at me. 'Oh, Bill, I am so sorry.' And he walked over, put his arms around me, and said, 'Son, this is going to be okay.'

God is whispering the same to you. Those are his arms you feel. Trust him. That is his voice you hear. Believe him. Allow the only decision maker in the universe to comfort you. Life at times appears to fall to pieces, seem irreparable. But it's going to be okay. How can you know? Because God so loved the world. If God can make a billion galaxies, can't he make good out of our bad and sense out of our faltering lives? Of course he can. He is God.

From 3:16, The Numbers of Hope

Monday, February 9, 2009

Self Inflicted Craft Projects! (S.I.C.P.)

I got up this morning already thinking about my "to do's"!! I needed to relax,slow down, & get calm-so I read my devotionals..As I listed off the "things to do"..I realized they're all Self Inflicted Craft Projects! Paint some end tables for my bedroom,make Valentines for friends and family,sew pillows for couch..Every one I choose to do-and I want them done now! I'm getting some coffee, and I'll work on one today,and I'll remember-it doesn't HAVE to be done right now.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Finally!


I've been trying to add my new camera to my computer since Dec...I put the disk in and attached the USB cable and camera but nothing!!! Today after I prayed "please let me figure this out!!" ...I went to the Help section and read about attaching a device..It read
1.attach USB cable to computer and camera.
2.Turn power on device... ?????
Yep-That's right! I didn't have my camera on!! So stupid and simple Aurghhhh!!!
When I turned on the camera, all my pics (365) came onto the screen waiting to be transferred! Here's one of Ryan from Christmas... I am going to start clicking away ..Finally!!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

In Case you've ever felt invisible...

THE INVISIBLE MOTHER by Charlotte

"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response,
the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone
and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see
I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone,
or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the
corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands,
nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a
clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer,
"What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around
5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum ma cum laude
- but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be
seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of
a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous
trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was
sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.
It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling
pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped
package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great
cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her
inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what
you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great
cathedrals we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The
passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a
tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,
'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that
will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman
replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into
place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you,
Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one
around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn
on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile
over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now
what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction, but it
is not a disease, it is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.
It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a
great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they
will never see finished, to work on something that their name will
never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no
cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime
because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my child to
tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving,
'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade
pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses
all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine, or a
monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.
And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if
we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world
will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that
has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."

Keep on building...

He makes me smile..

4 months old,pure sweetness-so proud!


Simple Purchases...

I went to bed-then got right back up to write this little post...
all because of Vanilla/lavender dryer sheets! As I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking about the "worries of tomorrow". I laid down and went to pray-then smelled the wonderful,clean vanilla pillow case! I actually thought "Yum,I love clean sheets-thank you God for little dryer sheets and for my washer and dryer-working away all day!" I immediately thought about the other little,simple purchases in my life that bring me happiness.Not big purchases,but splurges that make me smile.

1.Maple Syrup-the REAL stuff-sweet,pure,nothing like it!
2.Dawn Lemon scented dish soap-cleans squeaky clean!Love that smell.
3.Real cheddar cheese-no artificial anything.
4.Hot coffee in the morning-made-waiting for me,BY my lovely husband.
5.KLOVE online-FREE happy music on my computer
6.Email-devotionals,family,friends,pictures,-instant connection!
7.Thrift stores-the hunt,the prices,the find!
8.DVDs-whenever we want to watch! I can remember NO TV/cable & having to pay for a movie-when I was a wee child.
9.Stamping-so fun,relaxing and satisfying!
10.McDonald's side salads-$1.00!Lettuce,tomatoes,carrots,croutons and dressing!YUM!
11.Magazine subscriptions -open that mailbox-Yee Haw!
There are of course simple pleasures that don't cost a thing(kisses from my hubby,hugs from my kids,laughter around the table,singing in church)
but I was thinking about the inexpensive kind of purchases.(My husband would question #9!) How bout you? As for me-I'm going to go relax and sleep on my sweet smelling pillowcase!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Great Song

I watched Facing the Giants last night, and I love this song in the movie..


Completely
Ana Laura

The secret of life is letting go
The secret of love is letting it show
In all that I do
In all that I say
Right here in this moment

The power of prayer is in a humble cry
The power of change is in giving my life
And laying it down
Down at your feet
Right here in this moment

(Chorus)
Take my heart
Take my soul
I surrender everything to your control
And let all that is within me lift up to you and say
I am yours and yours alone
Completely

This journey of life is a search for truth
This journey of faith is following you
Every step of the way
Through the joy and the pain
Right here in this moment

(Chorus)
Take my heart
Take my soul
I surrender everything to your control
And let all that is within me lift up to you and say
I am yours and yours alone
Completely

Right here, right now, and for the rest of my life
Hear me say

(Chorus)
Take my heart
Take my soul
I surrender everything to your control
And let all that is within me lift up to you and say
I am yours and yours alone
Completely

I am yours and yours alone
Completely

Click on this on youtube to watch it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao9BsO_vjG8

Just what I needed

Today's Truth
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

My head is a jumbled with things I need to do,want to be done,changes,the future,etc,etc...I'm glad God reminded me He isn't jumbled or stressed but has a perfect plan for me.

"Stress in a Box"

..That's what I call all the Christnmas decorations that are now, so nicely packed & stacked in the garage! I am all done with taking down decorations! yeah! Its funny that I was procrastinating for a month, and it took two days to get it done! My house feels bigger, and I'm excited to refresh,reorganize and redecorate! I have two birthday parties to plan for next month, and its nice to have the house free and clear for party decorations. I was so busy with the boxes,that now I have three mounds of laundry to tackle. I'm going to try and stamp in between laundry loads!
Heres to a great day!