Best of Luck, Will & Kate

I’ve only had 5 hours sleep in the last three days but I just had to pop in this morning and wish you a happy Royal Wedding day.

The Union Jack is flying off the porch alongside Old Glory and we’re fairly buzzing with anticipation inside. 

Our first party is this morning at 11. My almost 9 year old daughter and I are co-hosting a Wedding Brunch for 7 of her favorite friends. It just so happens that the mothers of these young ladies are dear friends of mine so it works out smashingly for the both of us. (Note that I’m typing with my British accent… I’ve been practicing all week long and my children fear I’ve gone round the bend.)

Yesterday our local paper came by to take some photos for a small piece on what’s happening around town to celebrate the wedding. It was a real crunch time, but with the help of my lady in waiting (read: super friend that came to do everything from ironing to driving nails and then taking most of these photos for me) we finished making the tablescape just in time for the photo shoot.

Michaela was so excited before bedtime she was hovering above the ground. I expect there will be a nap this afternoon as she didn’t get to sleep until well after 1 AM and then was up to see Catherine take her ride to the Abby and marry!

This isn’t exactly what the table looks like now – it’s been reset without the antique linen tablecloth and teacups but both will return for the Sunday afternoon High Tea and Reception for a few of my “big girl” friends.

The fairycakes are from a local bakery, The Sugar Plum Tree Bakery. At the last minute I decided to have them done instead of making them myself. I’m so glad I did – don’t they look just scrummy!

I wanted to leave the little girls with a memorable favor from the occasion and I settled on these sweet tiara napkin rings.

I very clearly remember watching Lady Diana and Prince Charles marry  nearly 30 years ago. It wasn’t a tea or even brunch (at 2 in the morning). My mom and I sat in lawn chairs watching a borrowed TV (since there wasn’t a place to put the TV in our “formal” living room at the time). Now I’m making the same sorts of memories with my daughter and I’m thoroughly enjoying it!

Have a festive day and I’ll be back in a few days with all the details from both parties (and the guest bathroom reveal! YAY! I got it done and I love it!)

I’ve linked up to:

 

Even In Death He Rested

Many around the world are in awe of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ this weekend. It’s unfathomable that God would lay down His life for a wretched, putrid, filthy sinner like me.

One of my favorite quotes regarding Christ’s sacrifice is

He paid a debt He did not owe

because I owed a debt I could not pay.

There is something I’ve noticed in the Christian community. A lot of emphasis is given to the days leading up to and including Resurrection (or Easter) Sunday except for one day. Saturday.

On Thursday there are frequently Passover suppers or communion services commemorating and remembering Jesus’ last supper with His disciples.

Friday is, of course, referred to as “Good Friday” and some businesses close, kids are let out of school and special church services are held in the evenings.

Then on Saturday we take a break from “Holy week” and move to the Easter egg hunts, bunnies, chocolate eggs and more frivolous, counterfeit, even Pagan celebrations.

Bright and early on Sunday morning we’re back to celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord. The day that cements all Christianity. (See Mark 16:1 & 2)

It’s sad, but many are missing the point of that Saturday altogether.

Some have suggested that Saturday was a day of hopelessness. Jesus’ own friends we’re in hiding – denying they even knew Him, fearing for their own safety since they could easily be connected with this man that was executed just the day before. That Saturday is often seen as a very dark day.

But I see that day as a very powerful testimony from my Savior. Jesus was simply doing what He had always done – something He’d done since before He laid down His kingly crown and put on human flesh and something that scripture says will even continue in Heaven.

He rested.

His work – the hardest work ever done – was finished and He rested.

I challenge you this weekend, as you’re in the Scriptures reading the greatest story ever told, that you don’t skip over the powerful message of that hope filled Saturday (in your Bible it’s called “the Sabbath”).

Grab your dictionary and look up Saturday.

Sat·ur·day

 /ˈsætərˌdeɪ, -di/ [sat-er-dey, -dee] 

noun

the seventh day of the week, following Friday.

Then look up Sunday.

Sun·day

 ˈsʌndeɪ, -di/ [suhn-dey, -dee] 

–noun

1.the first day of the week, observed as the Sabbath by most Christian sects. (Note: just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s biblical…)

Then do a little Google search on translating the word Saturday to other languages besides English. In 105 different languages it translates to “Sabbath” which means “rest”. (Ever heard of a sabbatical?)

In Spanish it’s sábado

In Italian it’s sabato

Then ask yourself, “what day did Jesus Himself keep holy for worship?”

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16).

Let’s make this interesting, shall we?

Look through your bible and find me just ONE text that changes God’s chosen day of worship from Saturday (the seventh day of the week) to Sunday (the first day of the week.) If you can find just one text that changes the day of worship that:

1. God set up at the end of the Creation week (Gen 1:1, 2:2, 3)
2. God reiterated by blessing Israel in the desert with a double portion of manna on Friday and none on the Sabbath (Ex 16:14-30)
3. God established in His unchanging law written in stone with His own finger (Luke 16:17, Ex 20:8-11, Deut 9:10)
4. Jesus kept while He was on Earth (Luke 4:16) and said He was the Lord of (Mark 2:28)
5. Jesus expected His followers would still be keeping 40 years after His death and resurrection (AD 70) when Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome. (Matt 24:20)
6. We are told we will keep holy for worship of God even when we live in Heaven (Is 66:22 & 23)

Just ONE text… Then you can have this:

Yes – I’m wagering my home. No, it’s not paid off, but a good chunk of it is. It’s a lovely home with 4 huge bedrooms, beautiful oak floors throughout, a big fire place, a giant yard in a very nice part of town.

How can I risk my home? Because I know that there isn’t ONE command in Scripture that changes God’s law regarding keeping the seventh day Sabbath holy to now keeping the first day, Sunday.

So what’s the big deal?

Well, it’s a life and death kind of thing.

If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).

For a complete study with questions and answers click on the “Sabbath Study” tab at the top of this page. And for even MORE information check out www.SabbathTruth.com.

Have a blessed Resurrection (Easter) Sunday. What a wonderful way to start a week!

Enter A Post Title (or not if its been a long week…)

First I must apologize for leaving most of you hanging for the last couple of days. I’ve been very distracted with a couple of things – my bathroom makeover and getting ready for our Resurrection (Easter) weekend activities.

I’m TIRED. Almost too tired to write this little post – but I have to tell you about the winner of my bitty giveaway last week.

Cindy won with randomly drawn comment number 13 which was a tweet! Please don’t ask me to explain Twitter… I do have a Twitter account and I do follow some tweeters but that’s as far as my understanding goes. I desperately need some teenaged person to explain the whole thing to me. Pretty much what I already get is, the little birdy is cute. Beyond that I’m lost.

Well – congratulations, Cindy! Your prize went postal a couple of days ago and pretty soon you should be enjoying your own little cuppa.

I’ll take a much needed break now and cease my work for the Sabbath. The bathroom remodel can wait until the sun sets in the western sky again. I’m making progress but it’s very slow. The dining room is done and I’ll share what I did there soon. By the end of this coming week I hope to be done in the guest bath. Really I do… I have a couple of days worth of company that would probably prefer there be a door on the bathroom if they need to “go”.

I wish you and your family a blessed weekend focused on the One who gave Himself for you.

Gala is as Gala Does

The coach has turned once again to a pumpkin minivan and the glass slippers are shelved with my feet in an Epsom salt soak.

In reflecting on this year’s THSC Gala I was having some trouble processing it. This was only my second time attending and there were some very prominent differences from last year. 

This year the emcee wasn’t smarmy and the entertainment wasn’t more of a distraction than it was entertaining. 

The food was served on time rather than two hours late and the servings were completely adequate rather than scant.

The speaker was interesting and gave an inspiring testimony and the honored guests were real people rather than just a bunch of judges and politicians. 

The auctioneer wasn’t nearly as annoying, though I still think he didn’t get the memo that it was a room full of single income families with anywhere from three to a dozen children each he was begging money from…  (And really, do you think a room full of homeschool parents truly need to purchase personality tests for their children? If anybody ever knew their kids…Now, if they were able to purchase the actual personalities that would be different. One more note: if you’re going to call it a “family getaway” provide more than 2 adult tickets in the package.)

Even though it appeared that the salad had been under the heat lamps a bit too long, the dressing smelled of the feet of a teenaged boy, and it looked as if the chicken had been garnished with a purple hairball, the food was still remarkably tasty for hotel catering and more memorable than last year. 

They were even gracious enough to supply what I’m told was a very delicious and interesting vegetarian plate for my babies’ daddy. (That’s a portabella mushroom…)

We had a perfectly lovely time and I think I was dressed much more to the occasion this year than I was last, but something was missing. I wasn’t able to put my finger on it until I was speaking with Lisa afterwards and she mentioned that she’d had a great time too, but it seemed like a lot more fun last year when so many things went wrong. I started to think about it then and realized she was right! (Please don’t mention that last part to her). It’s when things go wrong and we laugh ourselves silly over it that the true memories are made.

We’ve had the opportunity to laugh at the foul ups several times now – sometimes on different trips and other times all on the same trip and those are the truly memorable occasions. When things don’t go exactly as planned we find the humor in it rather than the disappointment.

The way I see it you have two choices. You can have things go wrong and wallow in the misery and pout or you can decide to laugh at yourself and the situation and make some wonderful memories. Choose the joy rather than the bitterness. Choose the laughter rather than the stress. Choose to look for the positive rather than the areas of defeat. 

A  merry heart is good medicine. Praise the Lord in all things. Rejoice in the Lord always, seriously – REJOICE.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway which ends Wednesday, April 20 at 11:59 p.m.
Click here to go enter.

“We’ll Have a Gala Old Time”

Tomorrow night is the annual Fundraising Dinner and Awards Gala for the Texas Home School Coalition. I attended last year knowing that a dear friend and her husband were receiving the “Leaders of the Year” award – the evening was a complete blessing and this year it’s not as far from home so we’re going back and this time my babies’ daddy is going with me.  (As leaders in our local Homeschool group we get the $55 a head dinner complementary. The only thing we should be out is the gas money and whatever I spend at Ikea on the way…)

I never quite know what to wear to these “black tie optional” sorts of things… Well -- I kinda know what to wear and I surely know it won’t look good on me and I definitely know I can’t afford it. So I punt and hope I get by.

I’m not overly concerned, though. I remember seeing some typical “Sunday dresses” and a pair of white rubber-soled sandals last year. I can do the shoes. They’ll pinch and I’ll whine most of the evening, but my shoes will look good.

This is me and my sweet friends all dolled up for last year’s event. Aren’t my shoes just the cutest? And marked down from $70 with my coupon I only paid $7 for them. It doesn’t get much better than that. Plus, they draw the attention to my feet (one of my better features) and entertain everyone around me as they wonder “how in the world that woman is still upright on those skinny little heels…?”

My to do list for today looks like this:

• Lose 50 pounds by tomorrow (without resorting to amputation)
• Find something for my top half that looks halfway dressy but not trashy
• Knit my babies’ daddy a dark suit or tuxedo
• Learn how to knit
• Figure out some way to do my own mani/pedi and save the $50 for bathroom redecorating
• Forget the weight loss and buy an industrial strength, full-body Spanx.

I promised you a giveaway for today and I want to make good on my promises…

Today’s little sumthin’ sumthin’ is a china tea mug, English Breakfast loose leaf tea, a single serve infuser from Ikea and some shortbread fingers. Perfect for a little “take-care-of-me” moment at the beginning of your day. If you’ve never had loose leaf tea you’re in for a surprise – it tastes much different that the bagged kind. I’ll even tell you how to brew it next week.

Winning is quite simple. All you have to do is subscribe to my blog and leave me a comment letting me know. If you’re already a subscriber, just leave a comment telling me so.  If you Tweet, blog or post about this giveaway on Facebook, come back and leave me another comment and that will give you an extra entry for each. (Not everybody gets that for some reason…)

Be sure I have a way to contact you if you’re the winner. I’ll leave this little contest open until Wednesday, April 20 at 11:59 PM. 

DON’T FORGET – YOUR COMMENT IS- YOUR ENTRY(S)! 

Yes, it’s more shameless promotion, but I hope to make it worth it for you too. I’m planning a biggie giveaway when I hit 100 followers… 

What do you have coming up this weekend? 

If you’re planning to be at the THSC Gala stop by my table and say “hi”. We can talk about how over dressed and ridiculously thin everyone else is…

Today I’m linking up to:

Calgon Moment Winner

Thank you so much for hangin’ around here every once and again to see what it is I’m rambling on about. I really do appreciate my readers. You are all so sweet!

I let Random.org do my drawing for me and comment number 5, Anne, is the WINNER!

Anne – get ahold of me or message me on Facebook your mailing addy and we’ll get this little box with a “mommy break” inside sent off to you. Have a cup of lemon ginger tea and a tea cookie or four on me.

I’m in a very generous and giving mood right now, (don’t tell my kids) and I’ve got another follower appreciation giveaway posting tomorrow so come back then.

Yes, you might be sensing a theme here…

Bloom Where You’re Planted

We pause at the start of this post to say: Don’t forget to enter my little giveaway! Enter by midnight tonight! Click here for that post. (Then come back…)

This is a little tiny project that I took on Monday morning. It’s not done yet, but there is significant progress. I accomplished this much in about 15 minutes – literally doing it in my bathrobe on the back deck while calling to the kids to rise and shine through the open kitchen door.

Remember the cracked flower pot on the table on my porch?

This is it so far… (“so far” because I’m not quite done yet… It needs some more embellishing.) Currently it says, “Bloom! (please…)”

Chalkboard paint is THE fastest drying paint on the planet. Well, except for maybe liquid paper. Seriously – this was DONE in 15 minutes WITH the plant transplant included.

I can’t believe how quickly I finished this and without a drop of paint on my hands or even my work paper!

I’m going to have to practice some serious restraint to keep myself from covering every surface in my home with chalkboard paint… In my ambitious mind’s eye I envision several really cute items going into the the (coming) Etsy shop with this stuff on it…

I’d love to give you the glowing report of my “before and after bathroom and dining room challenge”. Wouldn’t that be great? Yeah, well… I think so too. But it’s not even close!

In case you missed it, on Sunday I decided it was time for a little makeover in my dining room and guest bathroom. I have made some progress – The first thing I did was whittle down the job just a bit. (While at the same time increasing it exponentially…) I scrapped my idea for crown molding in the dining room for right now. When I figured that I could buy crown molding for about $50 or buy two gallons of paint for the bathroom for about the same I decided painting was going to make the biggest impact. 

I spent about an hour in the paint department of my local Home Depot looking at hundreds of little paint chips trying to decide what color to paint the bathroom walls and cabinet. I finally decided on two yummy shades of yellow. Which just happen to be the exact colors I picked for my living room 5 years ago. I’m not exactly sure what that says about me…

I did accomplish a little more. I managed to pick colors for my master bathroom and bedroom as well. I know, I know… that wasn’t part of the plan. Well, Plans change. As soon as I scrape together a little more moola I’m headed into the “master suite” for a little revamp. Currently the walls are a dark taupe in the bedroom and a slightly lighter red than the dining room in the bathroom. According to all the psycho babble I’ve read those are not  cheerful or restful colors. I won’t tell you all my plans right now, but my hint is “vintage spa”…

I’ve begun the prep work by tucking all the decorating tidbits away and removing all the cabinet hardware on the cabinets and and screws and nails out of the walls with the plan to fill all the holes and start over fresh. Hopefully I’ll be able to move beyond the prep work today between homeschool co-op classes, park time and mom’s meeting tonight. (THE best night of the month!) I’ll keep you posted!

And one more time now…

Don’t forget to enter my little giveaway! Enter by midnight tonight! Click here for that post.

Today I’m linking to the Hip Homeschool Hop

Sunday’s (Decorating) Ambitions

The more I think about the more I’m fed up with my dining room and my guest bathroom. The “fed up” list is actually much longer – but this is where I’ll start. I don’t want to overwhelm you.

For a loooong time now, I’ve been putting up with this “un-settled” pier and beam house that is cracking at every seam. Drywall seam, that is. It’s time to learn some simple cosmetic repair (aka: cover-ups) to get me by until we can get under this house, jack it up and place some shims. That’s gonna be awhile…

Today I give you the “befores” in hopes that there will be some significant “afters” for later in the week.

The main thing plugging up the works is the extreme lack of money. That’s one of the side effects of your babies’ daddy being out of work since before Christmas… So I have to work on a super tight budget. But the first thing that will go is these nasty (cheap) drapes. We’d be much better off with some blinds that we could control the light and heat with in the afternoons. The sun comes streaming in here like, like… well, like a big ball of fire, illuminating every dust particle and cat hair in the air. It makes me want to wear a filtration mask all the time… The sun I can do something about. The dust and cat hair will have to wait.

The dream would be to completely repaint the room (I’m growing weary of the oxblood red I think it’s really called something else and is much darker in person.) After, of course, repairing the drywall in all the corners and above and below the windows. (And patching the holes left behind once I remove those drapes.)

Sadly, for now I think I’ll just do some light repair and touch up the paint with what I have.

If I can squeeze it out of my “rainy day money” I’d like to add some crown molding in here. That would take care of the 1/2 inch gap at the ceiling.

The guest bathroom is another story altogether. I’d also like to repaint in here, but again, I think I’ll probably have to wait and just do some patch repair and touch up.

See – there’s a little drywall work to do. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but it’s buckling outward.

I’m working on forgiveness and mercy, so I won’t go into a long story about how I feel about the previous owners decision to paint latex over oil based trim paint. (No, that’s not a shadow on the door trim…) Nor do I feel that we need to discuss their choice of olive green trim and cabinets with burnt orange walls. I’ve made it “work” for the last 6 years with the shower curtain, but now I’m ready to move on to more neutral colors.

Unfortunately, there’s not $75 worth of rainy-day paint (and primer) money to drop here. Who doesn’t love a decorating challenge!?  (Unless that challenge is finances :0)

That light fixture above needs to go too. And the mirror from 1980. I’ll be haunting the Habitat Re-Store for awhile, it seems.

More of that yummy avocado green. Or is it more of a Spanish olive green? How about just “yuck” green. The tile isn’t bad… very workable there in a neutral sort of way.

All in good time… all in good time, my friends. Now the decorating wheels are turning… Hmmm… Maybe I should add one of those nifty PayPal buttons to the ol’ blog…

Spring Done Sprung - Inside and Out

We’re in full-on sPrINg here and it’s beautiful! We’ve seen giant patches of bluebonnets coming up and I can barely contain my excitement and anticipation for the annual family war photo session.

Here’s a little of what’s going on in and out of our house right now…

The little chalkboard stake is another find from Canton last year. I think I need to add a pretty bow to it…

I give a little tute on how to make this wreath here.

Stay tuned… I’m going to give the cracked pot on the little table a makeover…

Remember these beautiful blue and green eggs from two years ago? I store them in an egg carton in my Easter bin. The classically shaped Easter basket is from the Pottery Barn Outlet.

The kids love to eat lunch outside now that it’s warm and sunny all day. This little deck chair is a discarded satellite dish that my Jacob repurposed.

I can’t have enough white pitchers and creamers. I’m in love with having one kind of flower, in basically one color palette, in each one.

A Spring table centerpiece for a Sabbath afternoon.

I purchased the little nest at Home Goods in a box of 3. I gave one to a friend and kept one for myself . That leaves one for you! Watch for a giveaway soon…

I changed out the berry garland on the skinny, little, worthless mantle for this floral one leftover from a wedding I did almost 9 years ago. (Same goes for the ribbon.) The little tin eggs are a Cracker Barrel find.

I decided to keep the battery operated candles out all year. At least for now. They did require a battery change since Christmas… they’ve been coming on for 5 hours each evening. What did we do before programmable candles?

This sweet cloche below was another Canton find at Laurie Anna’s Vintage Home booth. (And the pastry stands on the mantle above too…) The moss was an overpriced purchase from Pottery Barn and the nest and bird are from a sweet little shop in Fredericksburg, Texas called Hen Feathers. If you come visit me I’ll take you there.

The postcards I made using clipart from Hallmark card making software and some colored glitter. The paper mache (nesting) egg in the center was from Pottery Barn Outlet. The paper mache ducklings and “chocolate” eggs and bunny are other Fredericksburg finds. I’m telling you… I’m worth the visit :0)

The “Easter” basket (which gets a lot of use all year long) is another Fredericksburg find… I need to go visit there again… The birdhouse church is from Cracker Barrel. Keep your eye on their after holiday sales…

The flowers in the basket above and on the armoire below are more leftovers from that same long ago wedding. The blocks below are from Home Goods. You have to visit often since the merchandise changes frequently. It’s a hard life… but someone has to live it.

Leave me a link in the comments to pictures of your Spring décor. I’d love to see it!

I’m linking up to the parties below. WOW! There are some great ideas and inspirations… Take a bloggy walk and see what they’ve got.

Vintage Inspiration Friday

 at Common Ground

 

 

Open House Party

at No Minimalist Here