I love before and afters, don’t you?
It’s so much fun to see what a room looked like once upon a time and then in mere seconds… wallah! The Big Reveal.
Out with the old in with the new.
Just. Like. That.
Speaking of makeovers, I hope you’re in the mood to browse the big changes in our kitchen. Let’s start with the way things looked before.
I was busy minding my business walking the hall with a clipboard in one hand.
On a legal pad of paper was a long list of things I needed to take care of before checking them off that morning.
As I floated down the corridor to my next stop I happened to look up and noticed a petite woman in a doorway. She seemed stuck in her wheelchair as she tried to pull herself forward but the chair wouldn’t budge. I stopped to ask if I could help and she said yes that she needed to just get over the threshold. Continue reading
Timing is everything they say.
Like a snowy white Christmas.
Some years we get one,,, and some we don’t.
The holidays.
Do you make big plans to skate through them like me?
This year I had ideas for spectacular crafts and I plotted a unique shopping trip and tore out festive recipes from magazines with the very best intentions.
Then before I knew it time got away, life got even busier, and I have come to accept that it makes more sense to simply slow down and glide.
Enjoy the season.
Stress less.
Dean Martin was my grandma’s boyfriend.
That’s what she said every time he came on the television when I was a kid.
Of course she was teasing me, but to her Dino was the cat’s meow. She thought he was handsome and funny and she loved all of his movies.
I don’t think it hurt that he had a velvety singing voice either.
But, what I remember fondly about Dean Martin is his Christmas album.
Do you remember my dear friend, Mr. Gene?
I mentioned him here in this post.
He was a sweet fella who wore debonair hats and plaid jackets every single day. I never saw him in a pair of blue jeans.
Not even once.
He was classy and sophisticated but in a simple kind of way. He loved horses and his country and served in World War II.
I’ll never forget the smile on his face when I asked him how he met his wife Ms. Jean (spelled with a J).
While strolling around an outdoor ice skating rink one evening they collided.
Smack dab in the middle of hundreds of other skaters whizzing by they fell… literally.
And he was smitten.
Just like a scene from an old black and white movie.
So I shared with you the other day that last week was a bummer, and I was behind on that chicken stir-fry recipe post along with the story about my once self-declared permanent bachelor husband and our dinner out for Chinese…
If truth be told… sometimes we don’t consider.
Well, I didn’t tell you that tale because I’m all that and a bag of chips. Snap! I told it because my husband and I both marvel at how often we have made our best laid plans…
…and then God does something unexplainable or amazing or funny that can only come from Him.
We’ve mapped our routes, sent out announcements to the world and then he does something spectacular or jarring to remind us of this…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8
Has that happened in your life, too?
He’s amazing like that…
The Lord knows my thoughts and ways have gotten me in trouble more times than I care to remember…. thankfully, he has a rescue plan.
When I stop struggling, I nearly always end up loving his way better than my own… even if it didn’t sit well at first.
He sets a desire in our hearts to want what he has set us apart for.
He’s had good intentions all along… even before we were born…
“I knew you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart for me before you were born…” Jeremiah 1:5
They’re so fun to share…
So did you like the colorful felted wool acorns I shared >>>here? They are so pretty to scatter around the house this time of year and they make really sweet gifts, too.
Who wouldn’t want to receive a tiny gift bag of these?
In my last post, acorns were made with wool felting, but here they are rolled from quilt batting.
You can review the how-to in the wool felted acorn post >>>here, then use these suggestions to complete them.
Cut batting into 3×3 inch squares.
Cut one corner away and separate the batting plies until you have an open center — sort of like a ravioli noodle.
Push the opposite corner towards the cut corner until the square is inside out and makes a nest, similar to the center photo shown above.
Dip the nest in hot water and begin rolling between your palms until each piece turns into a tight ball. A drop of dish soap in the palm of your hand can help tighten each one also.
Rolling… rolling… rolling…
Then hot glue an acorn cap on top and enjoy!
He’s a tricky one…
this mummy is…
… he shows up in odd places.
Pottery Barn Mummy Pillow
Does he look familiar? Maybe you have seen him before?
And so the story goes.
Once upon a time, there was a mom surfing the net. She had no rhyme or reason she was just surfing. After a few clicks on a few random things, she came across the most stunning autumn craft she had ever seen…
She wanted to make them so she jumped in her van in search of wool roving… felt skein… or something like that…
Painting pumpkins makes me giddy… and shooting them even more so.
I found that out this week.
I’ve never painted pumpkins before, at least not a solid color.
White pumpkins have been a decorating trend for years, but I had only admired them on other people’s stoops, straining my neck as I drove by.
You know the homes I mean…. the ones that have it…
...major autumn curb appeal.
The ones with gorgeous mums and big wreaths on their front door and a scattering of pumpkins positioned just so.
While camping with my family over the summer I bought this old copper boiler from an antiques store. It was sitting outside in a corner of the shop’s front porch covered in cobwebs and rusty grime. With a little elbow grease I could see flowers displayed in the tub or maybe I would use it as a novelty storage bin I thought. Since it was left out to rust and the price tag was reasonable, I purchased it with hopes of gussying it up and giving it a new life.
Modern Hen home 