Garage Sale Finds Reinvented....

Remember when I told you that we scored pretty big at last weekend's garage sales? I shared in an earlier post this week about our old chippy white tool box that we got for $3 that now sits on top of our computer desk and about our globe that we got for $2.  Well, another one of our finds was a gold frame.  I'm pretty sure he didn't spend more than about $2 on it, if that.   He brought it home knowing exactly what he would do with it!  Since we are so inspired by farmhouse style, we've been slowly adding more and more of those details to our home.  We put it over our Eddy West half-moon table in our entry way, and we love it!

Here is a shot of the frame before he reinvented it! 

We also found this old wooden desk chair.  We've had one of these on our wish list forever, so it's awesome to cross one more thing off that long, long list.  It was in pretty sad shape, and it was missing the wheels on it, so we cleaned it up and added some polyurethane and wheels to make it as good as new!

It's so encouraging to be able to make small changes to each of our rooms in order to have the things that surround us also inspire us with the style that we love and appreciate.  It's even more encouraging that those small changes are only costing a small amount of moo-lah plus the labor that we put into it.



I'm linking up with Mustard Seed Creations and The Inspired Room today!  Check out all the things that have been reinvented out in blogland and all the things that are inspiring everyone this week!


Happy Weekend~

pure randomness.

the globe and the old toolbox..two of the garage sale finds from last weekend

total spent in those 2 items=$6

other pictures from a birthday party that we went to yesterday

this park is 7 minutes from my house in traffic

the kids swam in the lake

loved every minute of the splash pad

built creations in the sand

and ran on the playground until they couldn't run anymore

I never thought I could enjoy Florida..

it was always one of those places I loved to visit but always ready to leave

I can officially say...I love it's beauty.

There's so much more to it than flat land.

absolutely gorgeous.

Dusty Lu and A Winner....

If you want to meet a talented and nice girl...head over to Dusty Lu's to see some fabulous inspiration!  I love talented people,  but I like nice people even better.  Right?  You'll see beautiful pictures of her home like the ones that I featured today, but you'll also learn some fresh recipes and so much more!   She's a designer and by the looks of her beautiful pictures...a wonderful photographer!


*** I also want to let you know the winner of my give away with CSN Stores.  I had 30 actual people that left comments once I counted them up.  Each person either got 2 entries for stating that they followed my blog and told me about their favorite vacation (just cause I wanted to know) or 6 entries for following my blog and blogging about the give away.  I put the correct number of entries next to each person's name and came up with a total of 84 entries based on the number of entries given to each of the 30 people.  Hopefully, this makes sense!  Anyway, I used a random generator to give me the winner.  I'm happy to tell you that #26 belonged to Christy , who was the 9th commenter. Congratulations!!!  

Christy, I've emailed you and Jessica from CSN Stores, so be looking out for an email from her with your $40 gift certificate!  

Thanks to everyone who entered the give away!!

Weekend Recap and a Linky Party...

 beautiful weather....

grilling out with friends...

wrap-up with our college students that served on leadership all year...

soccer games...

swimming....

went to see "Date Night" 

Have you seen it?

funniest.movie.ever.

great conversation with dear friends from Georgia, who stayed the night with us..

cleaned out my pantry and a linen closet

did a few loads of laundry...

It was absolutely a great weekend with family and friends!

Oh!!!  My husband hit a great garage sale Saturday morning, and I can't wait to show you what he got!

I'm looking forward to seeing what you did this weekend...

Our Daily Bread...

Warning:  There are no pretty pictures of earthly houses today...
only a glimpse into the window of my heart. 
Prepare yourself...cause I'm putting myself out there.

 
Today was a wonderful day spent with my friend Tahra.

We both home school our kids, and we met through a group that we are involved with in Orlando.

When we arrived, her home was filled with a familiar smell.

fresh homemade bread.

This is something else that we have in common.

We both grind our own wheat and bake our breads.

The bread finished baking, and as we talked, the most genuine conversation erupted.

We began to talk about the pressures that we feel to have it all together.

our homes.

our children.

our marriages.

we talked about how often we give in to the temptation to get our identities from these things

...our significance

Do you know what I'm talking about?

We both know the truth.  

We know that only God can fulfill those deep things in us.

We know that our significance can only come from Him.

but...

we both admitted that we find ourselves getting caught up in it from time to time.

I don't know about the rest of you, but it usually sneaks up on me and jumps out at me from nowhere.

I can feel like I have whipped this struggle into submission and then something happens...

and I'm knocked out from under my feet.

I took pictures of the fresh baked bread because I wanted to show you our day together.

It wasn't going to be a long post.  

Just a picture with a few words expressing what a wonderful time we had on this beautiful Friday.

but as I said earlier...

these things that we sometimes get our significance from sneak up on us.

I came home to find out that a couple of friends spontaneously stopped by today.

They'd never seen my house and so my husband gladly gave them the 4 1/2 minute tour.

When I got home and realized that I'd missed seeing them when they stopped by.

it didn't take long to realize that it did something to me.

Instead of regretting that I'd missed seeing such sweet girls...

I became panicked.

...over the few loads of laundry undone.

...the dishes in the sink.

...the bathroom lids with my boys urine all over them.

oh, and let's not forget to mention the dried toothpaste in the sink that they often forget to rinse out.

...the 79 toys laying around completely out of place.

I had quite a sad little party...

the theme of the party was "get your significance from how your house looks!"

Have you ever hosted one of these?

The truth is...

I'm disappointed with myself.

If there is one truth that I know that I know that I know.

It's that my life..my heart...my soul ...my mind..

it is only at peace ..true peace

When I am getting my security...my identity..my significance from the one who loves me regardless of the dishes in the sink and the unfolded laundry.
I was just saying to Tahra today how far I'd come in this struggle.
and then BOOM!  
In a matter of just an hour, I was hit square in the face with it.

I knew what I had to do after about 15 minutes of hosting that party for myself.

I turned on my favorite worship music play list.

sent my husband with the kiddos to soccer practice

and I cried.

and cried.

and cried some more.

I offered my terribly broken self to the Lord.

I acknowledged how very much I need him in this area of my heart and mind.

I confessed to pride for thinking that I and my big self was soooo far from this struggle.

And, I thanked him.

thanked him for renewing my mind.
thanked him for loving me regardless of the absolute mess that I am.
thanked him for giving me an opportunity to see my great need for him.

God is my daily bread.
He is the only one that can literally take my panicked self and bring peace.
Peace that transcends my own understanding.
I can never bring that kind of peace about myself.  
My husband can never say anything in those moments that make it all better.
nothing..no one...can put my significance in it's rightful place.
Only God can do this for me.

And so there is Peace.

All that yuck that was overwhelming me not two hours ago...

gone.

Isaiah 54:10

Though the mountains be shaken

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of Peace be removed,"

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

** linking up with The Inspired Room **

A Great Give Away!!!

I was contacted by Jessica over at CSN Stores to do a great giveaway!  Have you heard of CSN Stores?  They have thousands upon thousands of items to choose from at their online stores.  I just read what I wrote and I could totally do commercials. *insert smile*  You can get school supplies, home decor, bedding and furniture!  You can even get pet supplies with them.  I've looked at their track lighting, and there is an endless supply.  With over 200 stores, there is sure to be something for everyone, so be sure to go check them out!  I want you to see what I found over there...Do you remember when Rie from Home and Harmony gave away these lovelies below?  I found them!!  I found them!!!  If I was winning the $40, this is what I'd get!!

This is the way the give away works.  They are offering one of my friends a $40 gift certificate to any of their great stores.  $40....that's a fabulous give away!  One thing that you do need to know is that there may be shipping charges, or in the case of Canadian readers, international fees.  There are many products that don't carry a shipping fee so head over to them now to see what you'd like to purchase with your $40 or put toward your purchase with your $40.  

So, here's how this thing goes....I can't tell you how many give aways I've entered and not won so I know how frustrating it can be!  I'm taking a different spin on this...I'm going to give you either 2 entries or 4 entries depending on what you choose to do.


for 2 Entries in the give away leave me one comment to let me know that you are already a follower or that you are a new one and let me know your most favorite vacation ever!  Just leave one comment letting me know that you are a follower and go ahead in that comment and leave me your favorite vacation...that'll give you 2 entries. 

for 4 Entries in the give away, you can blog about it, but be sure you come back and leave a 2nd comment to let me know that you did! 

One last bit of information just to make sure that I push you  into information overload...Jessica over at CSN informed me that this giveaway is only open to USA and Canadian residents!! :(

The give away will end on Tuesday of next week, April 27th.  Oh, and please leave your email address in the comment so that I know how to contact you if you win!  Especially, if you are someone who doesn't have a blog.  

Sweet Treats and a Birthday Boy...

Source: Southern Living 
delicious cupcakes...is there anything better?  Today is my dear husband's birthday, and I have to say that the only thing sweeter to me than these cupcakes is  him.  I adore my children.  I'm such a proud mom, and maybe before the last couple of years, I would have justified loving them more than I love him.  But my husband...he's my companion...my dearest friend...my mate for life.  It takes effort and energy to make our marriage a really good one, and I can honestly say that he puts all of himself into making ours the best that it can be!  I'm so grateful for him today...grateful that he was born and grateful that God gave him to me.  It is an honor to live beside him in life.  Happy Birthday Andy!

7294 Cottage Way...

 

This gorgeous house belongs to my dear friend Tracey from 7294 Cottage Way!  I met her when we were both newlywed babies.  My hubby and I got married in 1996 and moved straight away to Wilmore, KY so that he could attend Asbury Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity degree.  Not long after we landed in Maybury Wilmore, we met Tim and Tracey, who were both there getting their degrees for ministry.  I can't tell you what a God-send she was in my life...what a God-send they were in our lives. 

Never did I think it would be possible 13 years after we first met that we would be living in the same city..in the same state..doing life together again.  Except this time, we have 5 kids between us  and a couple of dogs!  We started out so long ago learning how to be married, and now...we are learning how to be married and have children and have animals and be in full time ministry all while decorating our houses together! 

She has a real gift for making her home a place that people want to sit and stay a while...I know we sure do.  often.  

They've done a lot of work to their kitchen.  They've added the subway tile backsplash and butcher block counter tops and the most beautiful farm sink.   She also painted her kitchen cabinets, and hey look so much better than the builder grade cabinets that were there when they bought the house.  She has this beautiful collection of scriptureware  beautifully displayed on this perfectly cottage style shelf that she and her husband created recently.  I love the old chippy white wooden toolbox on top of the sideboard.  Do you see those nice  snacks on top of it with the granola, nuts and chocolate chips?  These are the same jars that she also housed those evil Reese's peanut butter eggs in at Easter that got the best of me!!  Tracey was made to be next to the Sea so she has shells in sweet places all over her house.

Her kitchen and family room are completely open to one another.  Don't you love her new pillows made from that gorgeous Pottery Barn fabric?  She picked up that old antique wooden tool box to store magazines next to her sofa for easy reading.  Above her sofa, she has that perfect old chippy door that she got from Renningers Antique Extravaganza in Mt. Dora, Florida, and on the other side of the sofa sits that gorgeous glass filled with shells and that happy little bird.  She completely refinished her beautiful armoir, which she picked up from Craig's List.  She tried several pieces before she was convinced by me,myself, and I to purchase her armoir!  It was originally one of those Old World wooden armoires that Pier 1 sold around 20 years ago.  I love her turquoise barrel next to it...it adds the perfect finishing touch to that side of the room. 

Did you see her swan?  I die over this swan every.single.time. I walk through her front door.  It also came from Renninger's, which is one of those antique shows that features hundreds of booths!  Okay, back to her house.  When you walk in her front door, you see a sitting area that features this coffee table and the family picture wall.  She's great at the details...and to me, this bird's nest on her coffee table is proof! 

 Her master bedroom is so calming.   When I said earlier that we are having a blast decorating our houses together, I wasn't kidding!  I'm gonna give myself a shout out for finding those a.m.a.z.i.n.g. lamps.  I was in TJMaxx and saw 2 of those lamps sitting side by side, and I knew that someone that I loved had to have them!  It was one of those times when I couldn't justify spending one more dime for our home, but I'm so glad that I can look at them every time I visit hers! 

I hope you'll head over and meet Tracey ...you are sure to love her!!  Her friendship is such a gift to me, and I'm choosing to unwrap it with Emily over at Chatting at the Sky today.