Rejoicing at the colors!

I am enjoying autumn in all it's splendor and hope that you are, too. School is well underway. God has been most gracious to push me along in spite of a million things competing for my attention. I saw a sign on Pinterest once that said "I am easily distracted by shiny objects". Sometimes, I think that describes me to a tee! More often than I care to admit I am brought to the realization that every thing that sparkles and shines isn't worth such attention or time. I may have talked about this incident before but because I am too lazy to go back and check my posts I risk repeating myself (which really is not all that unusual).  I remember one early summer morning sitting in my living room, trying to read my bible. I looked up to see the light filter in as the sun rose. It was beautiful! The light shone and I could see little sparkling rays and for a moment it took all my attention and my breath....... then truth entered in. The sparkles were dust! It was the dust that was catching the rays of light as they fell to their resting place. I was distracted by dust, of all the things. How profound is that?!  And, how pathetic am I!

There are probably so many lessons there but these are the two that keep pressing on my mind. One, just because it is pretty and sparkles doesn't mean that it is real, lasting or worth my time. Two, and this one I am still wrestling with, is that there is beauty in everything that God has created-even the things that we would be quick to throw away or disregard. Yes, I know that they seem contrary to each other and I can't have it both ways and yet here we are. I know you can take either observation to the extreme but at face value the Lord has used both to instruct me.

I always dread Autumn a bit as it means summer is over and it is time to get back to work. I am always glad for Autumn once I have resigned myself to the fact that I cannot avoid it. Autumn in New England is beautiful but the colors don't last long. As the trees start to turn it only takes one rain fall to strip the leaves down to the ground. If you are after beautiful fall pictures you cannot wait for a sunny day because it many not come until after a rainy or windy day that removes all those leaves you are trying to capture. I remembered my dust lessons and decided to seize the day- Carpe Diem! These are pictures I took around the area that I live in.

Beauty!

Still a lot of green on some of those trees!

The rain had already taken some of the leaves before I got here.

The church in the distance is the one across from my house.

There is much here to distract me but also much to be thankful for and much to enjoy. I won't complain about wet leaves on the floor or colder days or shrinking day light hours. There is a beauty to each of them and they have their place just like my pretty dust. I hope you are enjoying this season of autumn!

One of my favorite quotes:

There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.
                                                                                                                                             John Calvin

God's confetti!

How He Cares

Today was a day of cleaning and organizing. I have been terribly disorganized since, oh, ... March! It is not an easy thing for me to be disorganized. I don't think a home-school family can function well if you are disorganized (at least I can't) and truly, I have not felt like I was doing anything well during all the chaos. The kitchen is working well and the dining room is done. I still don't know what to do with the room that used to be the dining room but it will come to me, eventually. It is time.

The room we refer to as our office had become a catch-all for anything that I wanted out of sight when someone stopped over. All my photos that I had intended to scrapbook were left in various piles in the small 10x10 room. In addition, there are school books. As home-schoolers there are school books in EVERY room of our home. You get used to it! There are paid bills, receipts and miscellaneous things that needed filing, and on and on. Mr. has his music and keyboard in there...You get the idea.

Today was a rainy day; no outdoor activities could entice me today and Mr. had been patiently pointing out the need for some organizing and editing. I do not edit well. As an ex-military brat we moved every three years and things got cleaned out because the military will only pay for so much to be shipped. You learned to let go of things. Fast forward to today. We have not moved in over a decade and I have gotten accustomed to holding on to things that I may need later. Translate: I have become a hoarder! Getting rid of things is like cutting off my arm! I had to do it though and have had some practice as we have been moving things around and cleaning things out since March. Sadly, those things I was on the fence about ended up in the office and I had to deal with them.

As I sat cleaning I came across photos of my mom. I had brought them back from her house three years ago. There were photos of when she was little, photos of when I was little, photos of when my girls were little. My mom lost her battle with breast cancer three and half years ago. When she first died my heart literally ached for her. I missed her so very much. Now, I still miss her but it does not hurt like it used to. I remember her often but do not desperately miss her every day like I used to. The profound sadness has been replaced with just a yearning to talk to her. And a hope that one day I will see her again and we will talk around the Throne of Grace. Today as I came across the pictures the ache came back. I miss talking to her and so much has happened since she left us.

She was horrified when we bought this house. She was actually crying when she first saw it; worried that we had made a horrible mistake and that the house would bankrupt us. She would be so surprised! She was my reluctant cheerleader. She could not see what I saw in this house but as she watched us work through some of the rooms she came around. Then, I couldn't stop her from talking about it!

As my memories flooded in I was overcome with thoughts of my mom. I miss her. I decided I needed a break so I went downstairs and checked my emails. I decided I should call a dear friend that has been out of town just to check on her and see when she is returning home. She lost her good friend a few months ago. (I blogged about her here.) As we talked I was encouraging her and she was encouraging me. Funny, how God's uses his children to do that. After the call I went to sit in the living room for a minute and thoughts of my mom came rushing back, again.

That is when I noticed a small postcard on the table. One of my girls had brought the mail in and laid it there. It was upside down showing only the writing. I read it and it was from the very woman I had just spoken with! That's funny, I thought.  I turned the post card over and on the front was a picture of a carousel.

When I turned 15 years old my mom took me to the expo site in Spokane, Washington. She gave me my first camera and got a sitter for the boys. We spent the day together like two girlfriends. It was the first time I had seen my mom in that light. It was just us girls! We had lunch, did some shopping then went to ride the carousel. We grabbed for the brass ring and both of us got it! It was a wonderful day and we made wonderful memories that day. The picture on the postcard was that carousel! I could not believe it! How?



My mom on the Looff Carrousel, Spokane, Washington 1979

My friend could not have possibly known about that carousel or that day thirty-five years ago that my mom and I shared and yet here was this postcard. It was a tangible gift of grace. God, no doubt, had given me this blessing. I was reminded once again that my Father in heaven knows my every thought, ache and struggle. He is intimately involved in the lives of his children. He works all things together for our good. All things. There is nothing that is out of his sovereign control. A 15 year old's birthday, a rainy day meant for cleaning, my mother, my grief, friends, old pictures, an very old carousel, and a well timed arrival of a postcard all worked together today to remind me that I am a child of the King and he cares for me. Whatever this world has to offer cannot compare to that. While I linger on this earth He is with me. While I linger I will praise him for his goodness and his tender mercies toward those he calls his own.

Dining Room Completed-Check!

I started the dining room without really knowing how I wanted it to look in the end. I already shared the whole black and white story. That my Mr. was on board was a huge bonus because honestly, I had no other ideas floating around in my brain. I do like to do a little decorating for different seasons and wanted something that could handle the reds of Christmas, the pinks and purples of Spring, the oranges and rusts of Autumn and the whites, sand and sea glass colors of Summer. I think the black and white with the accent color fit it just right. So, here we go.....


The picture of my house in approximately 1900. My grandmother's
silver now has a designated home.

Finding a place for all the bbq cookbooks is always an issue!

Note: the books between the cow are Mr.FixIt's!

I found the curtains at Wayfair. It was the first time I've ever ordered from them. I like the quality of the curtains. The table and chairs were Craigslist finds. I refinished the table.
The rug is an indoor/outdoor rug. I like them for places where people are going to be eating because you can hose them down. Although the floors look really good in the picture, trust me they are not and refinishing them is not in the budget right now. Purchasing a rug that was 80% discounted at RugsUSA was the way to go for now.

 The stencil was ordered from Royal Design Studios. Mr. painted the walls and ceiling white for me. I usually like the ceiling to have a little color but in this case white is the only way to go.

The chairs still need to be repainted and recovered but that will have to wait a while.

 It took three days to work on the stencil. I did not work on it all day, every day. Truthfully I worked an hour or two at a time. The big time consumer/headache was all the little places that the need just a portion of the stencil. Some of it I just took a paint brush and freehanded it. Don't look too close if you stop by, there are little things here and there. I think I will keep the white and black paint handy for a while as I sit and notice a spot here, a not quite filled in line there..... At some point I will comes to terms with the imperfections and remind myself how much money I saved doing this instead of the wallpaper.

I found this mirror on a local Facebook yard sale site. I was so happy when Mr. like it too!  

Paper mache acorns!

Concrete acorns found at Vintage Thymes . The candle holders were made by my girls in our art class six or seven years ago. I love them.

Those cabinet doors need to be replaced at some point. A friend suggested using antiqued mirror. Smart lady!

Did I mention I just love this mirror? It was an antiqued gold and covered in dust and yuck. I cleaned it a bit then pulled out the silver Rub 'n Buff and wah-lah!  

I like the burlap on this pretty little wreath found at the Wrentham Country Store!

I had to sneak some beach and summer in here somehow!

And with that the dining room is done. Of course, I am already thinking of a few other things. A skirt for the bottom of the bookshelf would be nice and I am thinking the buffet needs to be painted or re-stained or something.  All that can wait.

For now I am just going to enjoy the room.

Autumn is in full swing. Country fairs and pumpkin picking are filling my thoughts. Mr. and I went for a walk tonight and I was smelling the mustiness of wet leaves on the ground. I love that smell and found myself wishing someone's fireplace was going so that the smells would mix..... one of my favorites!

Soon my thoughts will turn to Christmas and all the preparations. I have a beautiful new kitchen to prepare meals, cookies and pastry in and now a lovely dining room

 to serve my family and friends!

I can't wait!

Keeping Busy

I can't sit still for long. I am enjoying the new kitchen and bathroom and the screened-in porch has been serving us well but there is still work to be done. When our electrician rewired our kitchen he had to get rid of some knob and tube wiring that ended up feeding into the two rooms that connect to the kitchen. One was easier than the other and in what is going to be the new dining room the joists were cut through. A comment was made that with such an "accident" you can't ever really patch it right.......right. They haven't seen my Mr. at work. You can't tell anything was ever done. And, with that the new dining room was underway.

I went online shopping and went into a few brick-n-mortar stores looking for lighting. I finally rested on this one.



Home Depot : http://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Decorators-Collection-Nottinghill-Collection-5-Light-Chrome-Chandelier-21085-017/202814835?N=5yc1vZc7o0Z1z0u7isZ1z0u7itZ1z0w30yZ1z0w31a

I saw a picture on Pinterest of a beautiful black and white dining room and so I showed it to my man. He liked the look, too! Sweet! Now where can I find that wallpaper?



http://www.countryliving.com/homes/makeovers/dining-room-makeovers#slide-16

I went looking on the world wide web and found it but also found it was wwwwaaaaayyyy more than I wanted/could pay for wall coverings. Plan B was to find a stencil. I went through several possibilities. I want the room to remain bright which for me means more white than black. You have to pay attention to your stencil and which part is actually cut out. It is the part that is cut our that will get the overlay paint. In most cases it was reverse of what I wanted to do and painting the walls black first to try to cover over that with white was not something that sounded like a smart or easy job to me. I did finally find something that the Mr. and I agreed upon.

In addition, I found a new/old oak pedestal table on Craigslist and refinished it.

The top and the base were stained two different colors and a little too
orange for me.

Sanded, tacked down and a coat of wood conditioner done. I started staining.



After one coat I decided that it needed to be darker. Since it was oak
I decided to stain it close to the color of the kitchen floors.

I chose to paint the base the same white as the kitchen cabinets and stained the top to match the hardwood flooring in the kitchen. I have not gotten to the chairs yet. They will require a spraying when I figure out what I want to do with them. They were a Craigslist find, too!

My school books and games were all cleared out of the shelves and everything has been given a fresh coat of flat white paint. When you are dealing with old horse hair plaster flat paint is best as there is no sheen to reflect the light and show the bumps and undulating surface.

The room before....

Someone else is enjoying the process. Found her just sitting on the floor
doing school work surrounded by white.

Ahhh, white. Not a color for walls I usually embrace but it is a breath of
fresh air.

I am loving the "clean slate/fresh canvas" effect that the room has right now but we all know it won't stay that way!

Stop back for a visit soon. I am sure something will be different.

Vintage Bazaar Trip

As I have previously stated, change is not something that comes easy for me....unless we are talking about decorating! I was raised as a 'military brat' and with that came several moves. Typically, a military family moves every three years or so. With it comes the opportunity to reinvent yourself and your home. You walk into a fresh new canvas for the decorating! As a 'dependent' (the military's term for family members of the soldier) you learn to make fast and strong friends... friends that stay with you in some form or another for your whole life even though they passed through for only that short period. Most times their families had there own rotations so chances are you were ships passing in the night and only got a fraction of the three years. You learned to make your new quarters "home" and you did it quickly.

While I am no longer a part of a military community I believe that it is something that never leaves you entirely. My eyes still well up when I see soldiers come home to their families- either walking, in a wheel chair, or in a flag draped coffin. Pride still swells my heart as I hear our national anthem, see fighter planes fly overhead or see the veteran carry Old Glory in our town parade. And, the urge to shake things up every couple three years or so creeps in.

While I don't move across country or across an ocean anymore I can move furniture! My husband knows the look as it crawls across my face. My eyes dart around looking at something that suddenly seems it could be better utilized as something completely different than what it was intended for. As quickly as that look crosses my face another crosses his face. I can almost hear him thinking "oh...no." And, the conversation begins. "What if we........" Notice, I say WE. Psychology- make him feel a part of it.

I love taking old things and finding new ways to use them or just giving them another chance to be enjoyed by someone else. Remember my bathroom vanity?  I like when paint is chipped or the wood is discolored from old age. I like scratches, dings, and things that have come unglued. They remind me of me. No need for comments about me coming unglued!

Brimfield Antique Show is a great place to satisfy the wandering eye but this year I never got there. We were a little busy with things around the house. Ha-ha. So, this weekend we headed to the Vintage Bazaar in Salisbury, Massachusetts. I love seeing the creativity and ingenuity of other people who have a love for the unlovely. Talented men and women take old things and make them beautiful-giving them another life and purpose; kind of like what God is doing with me. (Don't ya just love it when those things come clear in your mind!)

It is New England, after all!

Glass garden flowers!

Loved her work!!!

Don't you just love all the colors!

I loved the whisk pendant light! C-L-E-V-E-R!

Mr. FixIt is a good sport. Most guys would rather have their finger nails pulled off with pliers than attend such a thing. At one point he did remark that everyone was dressed so shabby chic. I am shocked he knew what that was but his inner guy took over when he found a few things that he liked, too!



The smoker was not for sale but ya gotta love the yankee
ingenuity! An old oil tank (home heating kind) cut in two,
insert a grate and pipe that leads to an old wood stove!
Yes, he had envy written all over him!

While I walked away without buying anything for our home I did enjoy the autumn-like weather. I put my boots on for the first time this season! Spending the day bouncing ideas off Mr. and just enjoying the time together-priceless. I got to see lots of lovely things and walked away with some projects to be stored in the memory banks for another day.


Just checking out some vintage dishware.

Just because I liked it!

And I left with this reminder- that we have a choice-everyday........

Embracing the Change

I am not one who likes change. In order to be "okay" with change it has to be my idea.

I love summer. Winter seems to last so very long in New England. Sometimes I am certain that it takes nine months to get through it! By late February I am like a kid with my nose pressed against the window watching the maple trees in my yard for any sign of buds. After the March sun taunts me and April brings the rains the trees relent and burst with the green that makes my heart jump.

 

The promise that summer will soon be here keeps me going through what seems to be an insufferable May. School ends and ahhhh, Summer!

This year has been a different beast. We have been so busy in the house that summer snuck (is that a word?) by. The weather never really got hot. No heat waves; no need for round the clock air conditioners. No late night runs for Relief Ice Cream- you know, when it is so hot you go somewhere/anywhere air conditioned for ice cream. Our trips to the beach were few this year and that is unusual for us. (I would live at the beach if we could figure out how to do that, keep working, and keep our church family.) So, as summer gave way to cooler weather and the calendar forced me to turn to September internally I shook my fist.

Our first week of school found me mourning the passing of an all too quick summer and wincing at the thought of the season that follows Autumn. I prayed that God would help me be content. Then God, in his infinite grace and mercy gave me a couple really warm days with temperatures in the 90's. It was the warmest days we have had all summer! But it was the first week of our new school year! And then I remembered that this is one of the perks of doing what we do and we used our liberty and freedom afforded us in home schooling to play hooky. Mr. took Friday off and we ran for the beach like our lives depended on it (insert slow motion running and sappy music here). I packed our lunch, we left early and spent the entire day enjoying the sun, surf and sand. There was hardly anybody there; just some young moms with little ones and older couples whose kids were all grown. We had a big area all to ourselves right up on the water. It felt like we were stealing an extra day from summer. Now, I know God probably did not do this just for me but it sure did feel like it.

 

A large jelly fish that washed up. It was dead but it was still beautiful.

 

 And with that, I was able to make peace with the idea this summer was at an end. Then like the turning of the page (or leaf) the cooler air was ushered in. I am ready for Autumn now. God did not need me to agree with him about the timing of it all but he was most gracious to bring me along in the way that he did. He is very patient with me and I am content.

A love note from my Mr.

 

I do love Autumn in New England. I like the word Autumn instead of Fall.  The leaves are starting to turn. The mums are beginning to bloom. It is time for the season of harvest when we store up the fruits of our spring and summer to carry us through the winter months. This year I have stored up a lovely day shared with my family on a beach that I can bring to mind when I am knee high, thigh high or waist high in snow banks. I have stored up a gift from the Lord that showed me his love for me and grace toward me even though I did not deserve it. For now, it is time for pumpkins, corn stalks, and decorating! It is time for apple picking, cider and donuts, for country fairs and festivals, sweaters and boots! And now...

 

now I am ready for Autumn!