Thankful Thursdays #2

Is it really Thursday again.... already??   I shouldn't be surprised, this week I am enjoying 'spring break.'   [though it's not exactly springy outdoors]  We have been out and about almost everyday. This morning our venture was to the library for story-time. Afterward, our play-group came over for lunch!
'Keeping it real'. I have had a lot on my heart and mind lately.   A couple weeks ago we [husband & I] experienced a hard, disappointing 'event' and have been slowly working through it. [especially me]  I know God has a plan, and that his ways, and timing is best.  But, I battle with laying down my personal desires and truly wanting the Lord's will, whatever it may be.  Like any situation, good can come from it and I am thankful the Lord is at work. He is teaching me to trust and obey, not to worry, but rest in his peace...  Psalm 37:4 : Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
So though I may be struggling today and having a bit of a "pity-party," I still want to Praise and thank the good Lord for "this storm" and my many blessings. 


Today, I am especially thankful for....


-Rejuvenation.  

  re·ju·ve·nate

 verb \ri-ˈjü-və-ˌnāt\

transitive verb

1

a : to make young or youthful again : give new vigor tob : to restore to an original or new state <rejuvenate old cars>

This week being spring break, I have been able to enjoy a slower pace of life. I have had an abundance of time to rest and relax... to rejuvenate.

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-Grace.  I'm so thankful for God's grace. I fall and fail over and over again, yet he still loves me and calls me His child.

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- Safety & Shelter.  I keep thinking of the people of Japan.  I was traumatized watching footage of the tsunami waters washing people, homes, land, and lives away.  Here I sit writing on a dumb blog when there are thousands and thousands of people with no food, no shelter, no family, and no hope.

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What are you thankful for today??

God bless each of you in whatever you are facing,

A sad lamp "reveal"!

So, you know how some projects/makeovers just don't end up as you imagined or hoped? Yup, that's how the lamp from 2projects & a sneak-peek turned out! 

I 'm going to get right to it and show you..... Oh, and feel free to laugh, I sure have been!  {grin}

This is how it originally looked...

Then I saw the following items and 'got some inspiration'........

RUFFLES

Old Navy Jersey Tiered Dress

Too bad it's baby size, right??  [wink]

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BROWNS

 

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SATIN

And then it looked like this....

 What a mess! 
I think it's cute sometimes [for about 2 secs] and then I LOL because it is so tacky!


Next, I pulled out a plain-jane shade, and it NOW looks like this....

Wheww! Much better!


This baby has had quit a few looks in the past week....



One another note... I wanted to make sure you had heard, the lovely Janet over at I Heart My Glue Gun! has hit 100 followers and is having a fabulous giveaway! - - Head over there and show her some love!

Two New Projects & a Sneak-Peek!

I stopped by Mercy House last evening and found a couple great pieces.  Most everything I bought was 50% off ticket price. [due to the "daily special" being 'frames, lamps, & furniture.']  
Here are my 2 favorite finds, both waiting for makeovers...

This collapsable, cherry chair is beautiful. And how cool that it folds??!
It was originally $8.00 and I paid $4.00!!

I've been looking for a large lamp for our bedroom... with a little love this baby will be perfect!

Originally $4.00, I paid $2.00!

Here's a sneak-peek of what the lamp currently looks like....

Have I mentioned how much I love Krylon?? [sigh]

I'll be back next week to show these pieces off!
Happy Weekend!

Thankful Thursdays #1

I'm on a quest! ... A quest to be more thankful & grateful.   The Bible talks countless time of us giving thanks and praising God, in all things.
On this [God-given] Thursday, I'm excited to write my first "Thankful Thursdays" post.

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Today, I am thankful for...

- First & foremost: My Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ.   I am a selfish sinner and would have no life, and no hope without Jesus Christ and his blood.   I Praise God for Calvary and the plan of Salvation!


- My faithful, hard-working husband, Blake.  He takes providing for our family seriously, and I'm grateful for his hard-work ethic.  He goes above and beyond for us.

 - I'm thankful for our precious son.  Little man is our joy, our sunshine.

- Christian music.  Kari's Jobe's CD is my 'lifeline' album. Her music ministers to my heart and soul, like none other.  I am abundantly blessed each time I listen!  
  

[p.s. If you don't have her CD, you need to. It's a must-have!]

  

- Health.  In the past 2 years, we've had five family members & friends diagnosed with cancer, two of the five have passed away.  This morning I am reminded again how truly blessed we are to have good health. 

I could go on all day....

What are you thankful for today??

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High. -Psalm 7:16-17

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.Psalm 69:29-31

Want to know why....

..........  why my windows are always so smudged and dirty??        

let me show you. ...........

  

Because of this little chick!
  

  ......... my daily dose of laughter!

Wshing you smiles, and joy today!

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

Strawberry~Shortcake

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Finally, after much tweaking, here's my Strawberry Shortcake recipe.  I hope you'll enjoy it too!


  

Sift together in a bowl:

                  

2 cups flour

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut in until crumbly:     8 tablespoons Butter

Beat together:
   
1 large egg
2/3 cup Milk
 2 tablespoons vanilla.  OR lemon extract
Add to flour mixture

Pour into a buttered [greased] 9 inch baking dish. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.

  

Easy, delicious, and nothing but southern goodness!

Sheet.Music Nest

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I have yet another sheet-music craft to share with you... it's cute and perfect for Summer!

*for other sheet-music projects, click HERE!

To get started, you will need:::

A glass or ceramic bowl,  saran wrap, another bowl for glue solution, paper or sheet music

First, cover your work-surface with either tinfoil or parchment paper, to avoid a sticky mess.

Take a glass bowl [the size you want your nest] and wrap it in saran wrap, wrapping the outside and bottom, and folding the edges into the inside of the bowl. 

Next, take another glass bowl. In it mix water, [approx. 1/4 cup] and two good squeezes of regular glue together. [*I added some tacky glue in addition]  Make sure to mix it well.
Cut strips of paper, different sizes. Soak the paper in the glue solution, until thoroughly wet. 

With the bowl face-down, start covering the bowl with the strips, laying & pressing them in different directions.  Do so until the bowl is completely covered.  Let the bowl dry.

While the bowl or "nest" is still a little damp, gently pull it off the bowl, pulling on the saran wrap.
 As you can see, the bowl lost some of its shape after taking the SW off. {far right pic.}

I "groomed" a few pieces of paper that were too long, and set it back on the bowl [on top of a glass] to dry a little longer.....  Now, the little cutie is showcasing my eggs!

Happy Tuesday!

Goodwill

How I love hitting the jackpot... at a thrift store, that is.  This fwarm fuzy feeling comes over you, you feel greatly accomplished, frugal, and a sense of satisfaction.  Okay, I'll quit with the mushiness but you get the point. [wink]
 I stopped by Goodwill last evening while running errands. I've been searching for spring items, for our entryway.
 Here's what all I found.....

   

This little duo was $1.75!
I had a hard time getting the plant out, but finally!!

Here's a sneak-peak of what I'm doing with it....

Easter is right around the corner.... $0.25 each!!

[ Love the colors! ]

You can't go wrong... $0.45 each. These will be used for a SPRING project I'm working on!

I love the shape of this vase! - - $0.95 

[ Bring on the spray-paint! ]

I'm loving this bottle. $0.95

It says, [on the back, top] " Federal law forbids sale or reuse of this bottle."

  

Hmmm... now I'm really curious what it was used for?

  

That wraps up the decor items!

Napkin rings, in need of a little love! $0.45 for the set

 

You can never have enough party invites.?!

$1.95 each

Happy, restful Weekend!

DIY Wall-art & Pennant garland

Here are the two super-easy, projects from Alex's room. post....

 Personalized Canvas' and Pennant garland.

Canvas Art
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All you need to get started is: scrapbook paper, canvas' and glue of some sort. {I use Elmer's spray bond}

I first cut the paper in strips, to create a 'border' around the outer edge then glueing the paper into place.
[I left the centers blank to use less paper, you wouldn't have to]
  

I wanted a contrast, to I used yellow "honeycomb" for the centers. - - I cut the paper to fit, and also glued them on.

As you can see I choose to personalize this project. Next, I got my vinyl "Alex" letters ready to add.

Ta-Da!! 

Pennant Garland
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To get started you'll need:  fabric, scissors, rick-rack trim or ribbon, and fabric glue or a hot glue-gun.

I got 1/4 of a yard of 8 [semi]coordinating fabrics. [this is a fabulous project for scraps you have on hand]
I guesstimated a triangle approx. 4 1/2 inches long and used it as a template, so they would all match.

  
I cut [probably] 10 triangles of each fabric.
  
To assemble them, I coordinated the triangles in the order that I liked and [one by one] hot glued rick-rack to the top of each triangle.

There you have it... cuteness!