Sunday Smiles

Where did my weekend go? 

It has been another lovely and productive weekend. I am sad it's almost over, but next weekend my daughter and her friend are coming for the weekend, so I have something to look forward to! 

I found myself smiling a lot today. Smiling at the simple things in life that I thoroughly enjoy. I thought I would share a few of them.

My beautiful Miranda sent me a text of the photo she took with her new Insta Camera. She is in love with it! It's similar to the old Polaroids and takes the cutest little pictures! Of course, when the subject is this beautiful, it doesn't matter what kind of camera you use...:)

I went down to my Aunt Loretta's this morning to visit for a few minutes and get a few pieces of fabric she picked up for me. One of them is this awesome black and white with city names from all over the world. See Prague there on the left? That's Miranda's dream destination. She is hoping to move there this year to teach English as a second language. I will be making her something from this fabric to take with her if she goes...:)

Leaving Aunt Loretta's house, I stopped and picked a few branches off her red bud tree to put in a vase. 

I love the color of these tiny blooms!

I had fun covering this lamp shade today. I needed a larger bedside lamp and I had this one in the closet. It needed a shade, so I purchased a plain white one at Wal Mart for $5. It was a little too plain though, so I got creative today. I used some crocheted lace from my stash. It was thrifted at some point. I also used a little mustard gold burlap and a couple pieces old earrings to create the center of the rosette.

I love the way the lace looks with the light on,,,,so pretty!

I got a new B H & G yesterday and am looking forward to sitting down to look at all the beautiful decor inside...:)

I lit a candle on the table earlier and was instantly enchanted with the reflection on the calendar. So pretty...definitely made me smile.

I finally remembered to take down the Valentine's day clipboard  artwork and print something new for spring. You can see some more of our newly installed trim here too!

Here's a closer view. I am so ready for spring!

I went to a Memorial Service for a dear man today. He was the husband of my former Sunday School teacher. She is one of the most beautiful ladies I have ever had the privilege to know. It was one of the sweetest services I have ever attended. He was 95 years young...:) His birthday was the day before mine so he was exactly 50 years and 1 day older than me. Such a precious man and such a pillar in our community, I smiled through my tears many times throughout the service. 

When I got home, my cousin across the road invited us over to eat. They had a cookout so it was outdoors. We have had amazingly beautiful days this weekend after a cold week. It was so nice to sit outside in short sleeves. I was sitting under the oak trees and looked up to see a beautiful crescent moon peeking through the trees at me. I tried to get a good shot, but that was nearly impossible with my iPhone. You get the idea though.,...another smile for the day!

And the last smile for the day is this delicious lemon blueberry bread my sweet Mama baked today. She made some banana blueberry last weekend and it was so delicious. I mentioned at Aunt Loretta's earlier that I would like to have some more so she baked this one today, I am about to go lightly toast it in the toaster oven and spread a little butter on it for a snack. We indulge a little more on the weekends that through the week, so I am looking forward to this yumminess! 

I hope you smiled many times today. And, I hope this week gives you many reasons to smile as well. Have a beautiful week my friends. Thank you for visiting!

Until next time.......

 

 

A Few Random Tidbits

Hello and happy Saturday to you! 

If you read my craft room update post last week, you may remember me mentioning that I wanted to sand and stain my desk chair and that I might work on it this weekend. Well, I did it! 

Here is a before picture...

Here are a couple before close-ups.

While I liked the character of the imperfections, I didn't like the way the finish had an almost sticky finish. I think it was from years of use along with natural oils from the hands that touched it over the years.

So, I sanded that sticky finish off and stained it with dark walnut and here it is after.

I left some of the character and tried to keep it as original as possible. I like it much better now. I still need to wax it too, that should help shine it up!

You may also remember me mentioning  that I wanted to repaint this coral frame a new color. I was having a hard time deciding on a color, but Donna from Distressed Donna Down Home mentioned maybe using a mustard color. I thought about it and decided I would try it. Here it is before.....

And here is the after. I couldn't find a perfect shade, so I mixed two colors and this is what I got. It isn't quite as bright as this picture depicts. I don't know why it looks so bright here. I am thinking of getting some dark wax and waxing it to age it a little. I do like it though! What do you think?

Here's a little glimpse of what we've been working on around the house too. We just used plain 1x4's for the crown molding and 1x6's for the baseboards. I wanted something inexpensive and simple since I am trying to incorporate a farmhouse feel in my home. I really like the way they turned out! We still need to fill in nail holes and caulk, but it is a major improvement.

Since this post is full of random information, I am also sharing a few of my new favorite healthy snacks. The hubby and I have been trying hard to eat healthier and lose a little weight. I am loving all these yummy snacks and thought you might want to try them too! 

A friend at work introduced me to these delicious things! They are addictive...kind of like Cheetos! It's hard to put the bag down once you start eating them.

Another friend at work was telling me about these.....crunchy dried okra. I love okra in almost any form, so I had to try them. They are oh so tasty! So crunchy and taste just like they should...okra! Yummy!

I'm pretty sure most folks have tried these little beauties before, but if not, you NEED to! They are heavenly little things. We love the Cuties too, but Halos are normally better priced. These are my new favorite healthy sweet snack. We are still eating some of the foods we love so much, but trying to eat them in moderation. I have always loved sweets and still do, but now I just try not to eat them as often. It's paying off...I've lost 10 pounds so far!

To end this totally random post, I wanted to share a couple photos of my old calico girl, Sugar. 

Sugar passed away Thursday, February 19th. She was 3 months shy of 20 years old. Most cats do not live to be 19 years old. This old girl was a tough cookie! She was more pleasant in her old age, she was quite feisty as a younger cat. I got her when my son was 3 weeks old, so she has been a part of our family forever. She was a unique cat too. She was a polydactyl cat, meaning she had six toes instead of five. Her front paws looked like mittens...:) She lost her hearing a couple years back and was beginning to lose her vision. The hubby and I often joked that she was going to outlive us though. She had recently begun to decline and Wednesday night when we brought her in to keep her warm that night, she passed away peacefully in her sleep. She is buried in my yard next to my old Cocker Spaniel, Honey. I need to make a marker for her grave. The hubby and I both felt it strange pulling in from work Thursday afternoon and her not being in her "spot". She was such a fixture around here and she will be missed. 

I wanted to apologize for not replying to all of my comments recently. I had a super busy week and did not take time to reply to everyone. I am so sorry! I appreciate your comments so much and they always bring a smile to my face as well as my heart. I chose to visit your blogs and leave comments with what little time I had this week. I do hope you'll forgive me!  So, what have you been up to this weekend? I had a productive day, but also watched some TV and read some of my book. Tomorrow I have a Memorial Service to attend, but I am hoping to get started on a couple projects in my craft room as well. It is too clean...lol! I need to get in there and make a mess! Hope you have a lovely Sunday my friends.

Until next time.....

Tuesday Tweaks

I can't believe it's already Tuesday evening! I love 4-day work weeks and wish we could have them every week. Today I am sharing a few photos of some other updates around the house. First up is a sweet and simple new table vignette. I used one of the thrifted tablecloths I bought the other day. It is quite worn, with a couple spots on it, but I still really like it. The soft, muted colors are so pretty. I chose to use a silver plated tray this time, along with one of my lemon cypress trees, my February calendar clipped to a book (I still love this look),  and a small white, metal church. Simple and sweet.

 The buffet got a new look as well since Valentine's Day is over. Milk glass, vintage books, and a few other things. 

I love these little plates I found at Michael's over the weekend for $3 each. I got my 15% teacher discount so that made them $2.55 each. They are so cute!

My sister always buys me a bag of Robin Eggs when they start putting out the Easter candy...she knows they're my favorite Easter treat!

I mentioned yesterday that I cleaned up the guest room over my long weekend too. Here are just a few photos. This room is so tiny and it's difficult to get decent shots. I'm standing just outside the doorway here. Some of you may remember this mirror project from last year.

This is from just inside the doorway. The aqua cart in the corner got moved back to my craft room after this was taken. I didn't make any major changes in here, just cleared out the clutter and tweaked the vignettes. I still love the board and batten ceiling the hubby and I created in this room. It gives a lot of bang for the buck!

The headboard was of course thrifted and repainted last year. I finally put the new thrifted spread on the bed. I love it! A vintage ladder leans in the corner to the right. It will eventually find a new home on the porch when it's built.

This is what hangs on the ladder wall.

To the left of the bed is a vintage dresser that belonged to my Granny Valentine. It got a makeover last year as well. I didn't change much here as I still love the way it looks...:)

The window wall is so pretty with the light flooding in and streaming through the colored glass bottles and things in the window.

So pretty...:) I love the cobalt blue bottle with the fat bottom.

The last wall is the closet wall. This closet holds extra blankets and jackets, some luggage and a few other items. I still love the black and white trees and birds curtain from Ikea. I have another panel to use for another project someday!

This sweet little guy sits in his wagon beside the little blue chair. He is old! My Aunt Loretta gave hm to me. She bought him at a yard sale. A lady was going through a divorce and the bear had belonged to her soon to be ex husband. Kind of sad that she didn't just give him back to him...:( Isn't he sweet..:) The chair came from a church I used to attend. They were getting rid of a bunch of them and I wish I had grabbed more, but sadly I only bought this one home. It's in original condition and I will not alter it at all. It's chippy blue and perfect...:) You can see some of the chippiness to the left of the bear.

And that concludes the guest room tour. Quick I know, but like I said, it's a tiny room. As always, thanks for visiting! I hope you have a lovely Wednesday. 

Until next time...

My Happy Place

Hello friends! Today is day 3 of my 3-day weekend and I am so happy about all I accomplished!The weekend started out with a wonderful dinner at Longhorn with my sweet hubby. I ran into Michael's to pick up a few things and then we came home. Saturday we got up and went to haul some donations to the Hospice Attic and then we went to pick up an antique plow that used to belong to the hubby's Granny and Grandpa. It's really neat and I will share it soon. We are going to use it for decor in a flower bed at the end of our porch if when we get it built. After that, we had Mexican for lunch and then I ran to Beall's Outlet and Tractor Supply and came home. I got busy and cleaned out the guest room. It had become a catch-all room recently. I'll share pictures soon. We also got all our trim up!! We still have to fill nail holes and touch up and paint the doors, door trim, and window trim, but we are one step closer. Sunday, I piddled around the house and did some more cleaning and then went to a birthday dinner at my Aunt Loretta's house. She had a delicious country dinner cooked. I enjoyed a nice evening visiting with family....:) Today, I detailed my car! it is sparkling clean. After that I came inside and made homemade mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and mushrooms & onions. The hubby grilled ribeyes. We cooked a yummy lunch because my son was home for a couple hours before he left to go back to work. He is working away from home right now. It was nice to see him. After he left, I got busy cleaning my craft room, which is what I am sharing today. I know most of you have seen my craft room before, but I have several new readers since I last shared an update, so here it is!

My craft room is my happy space, but lately it hasn't made me very happy. It has been a dumping ground and it was quite a mess. When I started cleaning up the mess, of course it led to tweaking, rearranging a few things, and making it shine. Here is my big desk. For those new readers, this is a vintage mail sorting case that I bought from the post office I used to work at for I think $20...might have been $50. It's been so long I can't remember!

It houses a large amount of my craft supplies. The 3 baskets on top hold Christmas crafting items and laces. 

I love my vintage Fire King cups...they are so bright and cheerful! As are all my supplies in my apothecary jars.

I used to have fabric under this piece of glass, but I wanted a change, so I placed some doilies and cupcake liners underneath. I love how it turned out!

The right side holds more supplies....from fat quarters to glitter, baker's twine to beads.

This revolving bin was one of my favorite buys for my craft room. It came from harbor Freight and cost under $20. It holds a ton of stuff! Vintage sheets fill the freezer basket on the shelf and the little grey shelf holds my washi tape.

I love this happy spot....so colorful!

This is just inside the door. The chalkboard was a medicine cabinet I bought for I think $2 and took apart and painted aqua. I sprayed the back of the mirror with chalkboard paint. My kiddos preschool hand/fingerprints and poems hang to the right. I love my vintage metal file drawers I got for a $2.99 each and painted aqua, That's a stack of vintage pillowcases on top, along with some vintage silverware, lace, and ribbon scraps. 

The blue Ikea cart is my project cart. It's where I am keeping projects I am currently working on or am planning to begin working on. The hooks above are actually for swag valances. I use them as hooks to hold embroidery hoops, frames, a wreath form and other random items. They come in handy!

The top holds embroidery supplies and some seed packets. The middle holds some fabric circles I cut for yo-yos and some fabric and a new pattern for some tops I want to sew. The bottom holds my recipe binder and some recipes that I have been categorizing and organizing.

Next up is my sewing table that used to be a vanity. My mother-in-law gave got if for nothing or next to nothing at a yard sale because they were trying to wrap it up and just wanted to get rid of it. The hubby added a couple of shelves to it for me. The sewing chair was a great find too!

Next to the sewing table is a three drawer shelf with a Scrabble board on top. I love this vintage lazy Susan Scrabble board. That's my burlap message board above it. I keep cards, postcards, and other items from my blog friends on it. The top of the shelf holds my stubs jar (I've saved every ticket from every movie, concert, play, and so on that I have attended since I started dating the hubby). 

Here's another shot of that wall. My desk is to the right of the little shelf. It's made from a glass top and two small bookcases.

Here it is, along with one of my all time favorite thrifty finds...my vintage desk chair. I had planned to paint it white, but I am thinking I am going to sand it down, then stain it dark and polyurethane it. That's the plan. I might start on it next weekend.....might!

I have plenty of space to work on the desk...in fact, I'm blogging from here right now.

Moving around the room. Here's the window wall. My $5 wood file cabinet is to the left of the window, and a thrifted table on casters under the window. 

I placed my new Decor Steals storage tray on the table, but nothing is in it yet.

The corner to the right of the window is a storage corner. One shelf holds fabric and paint and the other is filled with some of my Etsy items. I have them in an L shape so you can't really see in there too well. The back of one shelf creates a wall to the left of the large post office desk you saw at the beginning of this very long post!

Here's the back of the shelf, along with my ladder, wrapping papers, and tool box. 

And here we are back where we started. If you stuck around to read the entire post, thank you. 

It was a long one I know! 

I hope you enjoyed the tour. This is my happy space, it's a small space and probably too cluttered for some, but I love it. I love all my personal items and thrifty finds, handmade things, and upcycled things. This room holds more projects than all the other rooms combined I think. 

I hope you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead!

I'm partying here...

Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday

and 

The Enchanting Rose for Roses of Inspiration

Until next time.....