.sweetness.

well...its 3am and i'm still awake so i will grace you guys with a second blog post of the evening, i know you are thrilled...just humor me here :)

i bought the cutest little fan today to go in my middle girl's room...for only a dollar!!...i was soo happy with that purchase and apparently so were *both* of my older girls. the cutest thing ever, they were taking turns showing each other the *right way* to hold a fan and fan yourself. m says: "kbug you hold it like this in your hand and you cover your mouth and nose with it but not your eyes"

k: "this is for my room, can i play with it... how do i do it right, mommy, like this?" and thus begun the trial and error process of teaching her the right way to "fan out" the fan in front of your face and then fan yourself...
all the while garfield-rescue-center-e.f.r. decides to lay down and take a nap with our youngest little princess. it was so sweet...i walked in to check on a. and garf was just laying there curled up beside her as if he were her personal guard. garf loves the girls and they love him. a runs around saying "keee keee keee keee"
and if you couldn't tell...i'm a proud mommy who loves her precious babies more than life itself. my prayer is that they grow up and love God and that they are godly women and mothers. i pray that i don't fail in leading them in how to grow as a woman of God.

ps: here are a few items i have on my wish list now(hint, hint wes) AND two family photos we had taken back before Christmas by a good friend of mine:

and now the wishlist...in no specific order...well...maybe:

adorable bedding by the land of nod
love this bed frame and the colors
the kaitlyn bed - by garnet hill...would be adorable for my little girls!
and these chairs would be *darling* for how i want to do my dining room!

treasured finds!

if you knew my sister Heather, you would know that she and I are a lot alike and we probably disagree as much as we agree about stuff... well not really... we agree more often than not and we always manage to have a good time with each other, especially shopping for anything from thrift stores to antique stores to the shopping malls.

creativity seems to run in my family and Heather and I love to decorate and recreate together so I am going to share with you some of our recent finds and what we've done/are doing with them and some things that Heather has created specifically for my home... I hope you enjoy!!

fyi - Heather is also available to make custom decorations for your home if you want.

these two finds are from a local antique store - i will leave the green chair alone and change the cushion on the black chair and maybe paint it... we shall see. and i can't forget the coke crates! Grandpa, my mother-in-law's dad, had a whole lot of these crates he wanted my husband, Wes, to list on ebay or craigslist, but of course I had to grab a few of them first and they are great!

the two "pots" to the left were just too cute to pass up(there are two green ones and three of the white ones) & so was the mirror below(this is the before picture)

the candle stick below was a horrible silver color that Heather and I spray pained black to go into my middle child's room... and the mirror was an awful color of wood that we spray painted as well. they cost me *maybe* $5.00 total for the two of them and the black spray paint!

this little pink vase and pink fan cost me $1.25 TOTAL! What a steal, right? How could I pass that up? I couldn't and these will be perfect in my little girls room!!

this mirror was F R E E with everything else I purchased that day... I couldn't believe it... another find from a thrift store! and the bottles I got from the antique store that I got the black and green chairs from.

this little gem has already played many roles at my house and right now serves a the remote holder on my coffee table... the price tag on it... $1.99!!

now these are some things that I'm really proud of for my kitchen! the corkboard and green hook hangers came from a local shop called PlumTree which is FABULOUS! the red decor is from Planters Walk, another fabulous local antique store, and the white tray and flower plates came from the ever so fabulous Target... and best part... they were on CLEARANCE! Score!!

i LOVE this piece, it has been on my table and on my counter... it's been together and used separately. it's so awesome and i got this for a steal! i've seen these for $80 and i believe that i didnt even spend $10 on this at Salvation Army... a long with the 2 glass bottles below!

i just adored the colors in the entertainment-ware and it was only $3.00 soo... you guessed it! i bought it!

the fork & spoon - different pieces but i really liked them a lot. they were a dark wood color, but Heather painted them an antique white and distressed it a little and i think it really added character to it.

i had decided against getting barstools because we never used our old ones much... these, for all 3 were only $30 and I plan to make a small cushion for each one with coordinating fabric and ribbon... and since there are 3 and i have 3 girls, i plan to put each of their first initial on one of them

this thing was only $20!! i'm going to clean it up a bit and either put it on my mantle or in my formal dining room... we shall see and only time will truly tell where i like it the best

i love these candle holders but i haven't always loved them... they were $10 for both of them at a yard sale back in June and they were a horrible brass color... I didn't want them but Heather insisted that I get them bc we could surely do something with them... and we did... and now I absolutely love them!

my oldest daughter LOVES horses so I raided a local antique store and found this that we use as a door stop in her bedroom... i'll post photos of her room as soon as it is completed with the walls painted.

here is another candlestick that I plan on painting the bronze colored part a pale pink and using it in my youngest daughters room that we are transitioning from a nursery to a big girls room!

the next four images are from my oldest daughters room, the "horse room"... the table is a tv tray that Heather painted and distressed to make the decor in the room. the white mirror was originally brown and gold(7years ago) and i bought it and painted it silver and now we have repurposed it and painted it white to fit in. the butterflies all looked like an aged plaster color when Heather painted them to match the colors in the bedding. the coat rack was free at a yard sale bc the middle piece was missing, but we think it adds character and rescued this beautiful piece!

this armoire was priced at $15 from a yardsale!! can you believe it?? i couldn't either!

the following 3 images are things that Heather custom made to match my youngest daughters crib bedding... and it's perfect!!

this bedside table was going to be thrown away because it had been left out in the weather and had started to crack, BUT we threw a little bit of black paint on it and it works awesomely in my daughters room!

this toy box was marked a whopping $5 at a yard sale... and now its serving a wonderful purpose to declutter my daughter's room!

i love this table... my sister, Heather, used an old round table (you know the kind you saw at your grandmothers house with the long skirts around them that you would climb under and hide in) and painted it black and free handed my little girls first initial on it and i loved it from the second i saw it! it fits beautifully with the pink and black decor in her room!

and a baby makes 3.

well... kind of anyways. in our case another baby makes 3 children...make sense? good!

Our youngest is a hoot! She turned ONE on September 4th, 2009 so she is now about a year and a half. Needless to say, my littlest girl is getting around and learning A LOT! well... My heart was melted today and yesterday. My little girl said "I love you" yesterday and today!! Just as plain as day she said it! Now maybe not as plain as if I were to say it to you but all who heard definitely know that's what she said. But that's not all or the biggest thing either... She also told my sister, Laura that she missed her! "I miss you" and it was as clear as it could be as well! My sister had to ask to make sure she knew who she was talking to! It was so cute! And I love being there to hear my sweet angels mutter their sweet sweet words.

Okay... Here comes the one that pulled my heart strings the most... But first a little background: We say prayers with our kids every night. And every night, the oldest two, for the most part, say the same thing. Again there are a few exceptions but it is typically the same prayer every night. Well... I'm laying in my bed(the reason for that is a whole other blog post) not feeling so hot and on pain meds, when my precious little baby girl climbs up in my bed and gets beside me and says "Dear Jesus... Thank'a day...." And a smile couldn't have been held back. My sweet little angel... And the name of our Savior coming off the lips of a 16month old little girl. Way too precious for words. And I can't help but wonder how HE felt hearing this precious child of HIS say HIS name, the name Jesus... If my heart leapt how did HE feel? And how must HE feel when we go to speak to Him in prayer? I love hearing my name roll off the lips of my loved ones and I feel needed and wanted when that happens... And I have to imagine that's how Jesus & God feel when we come to Him in prayer.

I love how daily, my Savior gives me subtle reminds that He loves me so much and even through something from my one and a half year old... How awesome is He?

Father,
Thank you for loving me and for blessing my life with these precious children that know your name, just as you know mine. I can't fathom your love for me, knowing how much I love my own children and knowing that that's nothing compared to your love for your children...

lets. get. creative!

I love being creative and having fun! And I love shopping... Especially at thrift stores and antique stores and flea markets. I love a good find and in the last 6months I have found a lot of them... So I have decided to start blogging about the things that my sister and I find, re-do and things that we decorate. I hope that you enjoy reading about and seeing it as much as I enjoy doing it! (Oh.. And reader beware... this is a little bit of a lengthy post)

My style has changed a lot in the last 10years but the staples seem to stay the same. I like simple.
elegant.
feminine.
antique.
modern.
chic.
whites.
brights.
clean lines.
distressed furniture.
curves.
among other things that you will learn about in my blogs.

When my husband and I first got married we fell in love with some bedding we saw at Pottery Barn but as newlyweds we could not afford it so we improvised and bought the pieces that we loved at places like Marshalls, TJMaxx, Ross, etc. We ended up having a very similar bed for less than half the price of the Pottery Barn bedding. We have khaki sheets, pale blue comforter, khaki, white, and blue pillows and topped it off with some throw pillows that had iridescent beading on it. We were so proud of ourselves!! Our next venture I went with DEEP DARK colors... That didn't last too long because as much as I loved the dark colors, I much preferred the brights and whites and the energy that seemed to come from decorating in an open and airy style. Sticking with one "style" or "theme" is hard for me because I can find something I LOVE from any style, this goes from bedding, to decor to clothing and music, I'm a pretty interesting person, but I like to think that that's part of my charm :). So I will leave you with a few things that inspire my decorative side and some things that I just plain out like. And with that... I bid you au revoir or for you southerners out there "Ya'll come back now ya' hear?!"

...And hopefully you will continue with me on my blogs journey through life, projects, decorating and my mindless ramblings...


Here are a few blogs and sites that I like/love to follow for decorating tips, inspiration, etc:
www.modernchichome.com
www.anthropologie.com
www.vintagegeneral.com
www.laniebethsinclair.com
www.onekingslane.com
www.hgtv.com
www.junkinlady.blogspot.com
www.vintagebellastudio.blogspot.com
www.coastalliving.com
www.shoeboxdecor.blogspot.com
www.chichomeblog.com
www.shabbychichomeblog.com
www.littlecrowninteriors.com
www.shabbiestchic.blogspot.com
www.thedeskofannie.blogspot.com
www.potterybarnkids.com
www.potterybarn.com
www.crateandbarrel.com
www.restorationhardware.com
www.yesyoumaigh.blogspot.com
www.ericaharless.blogspot.com


And here are some images that I love and inspire me in decorating, as well:

Why is it that Christians are the best at making people feel isolated, unloved, unaccepted and unlovable?

The title of this blog is from my twitter a few days ago and I've really been thinking about it a lot lately... And just pondering on why I really feel that way and I wanted to elaborate on it for everyone. Part of what got me thinking was a friend of mine tweeted back and asked me if I had gone to high school? Sooo... Here is my explanation.

In school I never really felt that way, my friends really accepted me and loved on me and high school was a really hard time for me in a lot of ways because my mom was in a nursing home, she died and my dad remarried... All within the years I was in high school and I had the most loving and supportive friends a girl could have asked for... I had some of the most fun of my life my senior year of high school and it was every bit because of the friends that I had at my school. I felt more accepted and loved at school than I did at church, and that's not something I had ever thought about until I started feeling that way again recently.

See... I don't think that churches should have exclusive cliques, especially when it comes to adults. What are we teaching our kids? I love church and Bible study and interaction with other believers but it's not something that seems to come along with being unconditionally loved, accepted, etc. I can hang out with my friends that aren't in church every week and who prefer to go out and party and feel more accepted than I do when I go to church. Those friends will call, text, or email me to see if I want to hang out, go to lunch, go to a movie or to see where I was when everyone got together the last time because I was missed.

Now... Is it just me or is the above situation how it's supposed to be? Because I thought that the church and other believers should be the ones that are reaching out and encouraging others and edifying the body of believers. It's no wonder that the bars are fuller than the churches when people act like that. People want to be loved and accepted, people want to be missed and encouraged and to feel like they belong to something.

The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Now I'm pretty sure that this is talking about believers getting together and spending time in fellowship with one another, not believers getting together with non believers because they don't feel accepted in the church. Don't get me wrong, I have a few friends from church that I hang out with, not all from my church where I attend but that's okay with me. My husband and I have always wanted the types of friends that are talked about in the Bible, David & Jonathan, iron sharpening iron, etc but we have never really had that and I think that its sad, especially since my husband and I have both grown up in the church and we are raising our kids in the church. I'm not bashing my church or any church that I have ever gone to or my friends that I have past or present... I'm simply stating that with the exception of a few people this is what we have found to be true. And we aren't the only ones who feel and have felt that way, within our own church, other local churches and outside of the church.

Just with the scenario that we have experienced in our personal lives, I can relate to why there are some people that want nothing to do with the church and with Christians. And as a Christian that frustrates me... If we can't encourage, love and minister to each other, how can we expect to do that to others that don't know HIM or have a relationship with Christ? Why would someone want to go to church where they have no friends and feel left out when they can go hang out and "party" with their "friends" and feel accepted and wanted? And even if they come to church and come to know Christ, whats to keep them from going back to that lifestyle if we aren't there creating relationships and loving on them and encouraging them? As the body of Christ we are called to love and to show love and if we aren't then we are sinning, it's simple as that. If you cause a brother to stumble than are you not just as guilty? If by not showing love and acceptance and encouragement to another believer causes them to go out and return to the lifestyle that they were seeking salvation from are we not to blame for not showing them Christ's love? unconditional love and acceptance?

Just a little something to think about... And hopefully encourage and inspire you to go out and be the change that you want to see!!