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Tres chic and usable too!
And be sure to check out these headboards at Too Much Time on my hands...
thinking my boys may have VERY similar ones soon..... how fun!(Tim needs to come home for R&R .... lol.. oh HONEEEEYYYY I have work for you...;) )
The Old Painted Cottage...
Found this today and I love it! Romantic Prairie Style...
so that's what you call my eclectic cross between old fashioned and beachy? ok so it's not all me but I love the look and the creativity! Can't wait to try some of it out.....Scroll down and look at her dining room redo!
Tres chic and usable too!
And be sure to check out these headboards at Too Much Time on my hands...
thinking my boys may have VERY similar ones soon..... how fun!(Tim needs to come home for R&R .... lol.. oh HONEEEEYYYY I have work for you...;) )
Tres chic and usable too!
And be sure to check out these headboards at Too Much Time on my hands...
thinking my boys may have VERY similar ones soon..... how fun!(Tim needs to come home for R&R .... lol.. oh HONEEEEYYYY I have work for you...;) )
Painted counters...
Ok, so I was so tired of my counter tops .... plain boring pale beige, stained and chipped, knife marked. We've been looking at different treatments - Rust OLeum paint, The Faux Granite kits, etc.... all are cool but $$ or just not what I was thinking.....here's a "before" photo of my counters....
Not hideous but just not what I wanted to keep ....
Then I found this tutorial at Creative Kristi ... for how to paint your counters to look like granite! Yes you heard me right paint.....after watching the tutorial and seeing how lovely her counters were I decided to give it a shot! I love the look of granite but it's so $$ ... choose a "sample" or photo you like of a particular overall color, I knew I wanted black because I want to paint the kitchen white ... but you could do any color...
My partners in crime....
These views are after a few coats -- primer, black, grey, black, metallic grey, silver and some blue have been daubed on. (If you are ever tempted to have your sink in the corner DON'T it's such a pain to reach that corner to clean! -- this is also why the board across the sink, so I could paint that corner without sitting in the sink, yes I had to take it up and down but easier than the alternative!) ..... There will be a point in this project where you think .... what the heck was I thinking?! Keep going ... there will also be a point where you think ... I like THIS! and it will all of a sudden look like granite/marble.... STOP lol! Definitely take the time to scuff sand and prime the counters, wipe with the tak cloth..... you may also be tempted to just do all one color and then the next -- DO NOT DO THIS you will wind up with funky looking cabinets, (no I didn't just saying), the layers of daubing are what create the marble like finish as each layer when dry creates a type of resist for the next layer, especially the metallic paint which I wasn't sure about at first but I think worked well in the end! I also used the brush along the edges, and know that it will look different/brighter your contrast colors will show up more after the first coat of acrylic sealer. Once it looks the way you think you want, leave it and walk away for a bit come back and see if you think it needs more of any one color (particularly the overall one, in this case black) .... if not put on your first coat of sealer. If after that you think it's not right, don't panic you can fill in on top of the sealer and continue sealing after that! Yes I did do this....
and eventually ... you get.......
"Granite" Countertops for less than $70.00!! ta da.....
Then I found this tutorial at Creative Kristi ... for how to paint your counters to look like granite! Yes you heard me right paint.....after watching the tutorial and seeing how lovely her counters were I decided to give it a shot! I love the look of granite but it's so $$ ... choose a "sample" or photo you like of a particular overall color, I knew I wanted black because I want to paint the kitchen white ... but you could do any color...
My partners in crime....
Polycrylic sealer, Anita's Glossy Craft Paint (Glossy Black), Anita's Metallic Craft Paint (silver), DecoArt Crafter's Acrylic (navy Blue), FolkArt Acrylic paint (Mettallic Gunmetal Grey), Anita's Acrylic Craft paint (Charcoal)..... 1" brush (she doesn't use but I liked it for getting right along the edges), Cardboard, glove. Not pictured: paper towels, tak cloth, 60 and 220 grit sandpaper, Kilz2 primer, 3" brush for primer, ziploc bags for storing brushes between coats.
and eventually ... you get.......
"Granite" Countertops for less than $70.00!! ta da.....
They're not quite done still need a couple coats of sealant but you get the idea...... :) I love it and it looks even better in person(my friend was totally fooled --- yes!).Just takes time but really it's not hard at all, now to paint those cabinets white and change the hardware........
Thanks Kristi!!...... Let me know what you think!
ps... the fridge is actually a past paint project as well... we used RustOLeum's stainless paint to paint our existing fridge (I should probably clear coat it) and it came out nice but warning it reeks to high heaven, seriously we spent the night in a hotel because everyone was getting headaches!! ;)
Quite the adventure....
Our marriage has been! 22 years ago today my soldier boy and I were married and the crazy ride began! I think I'll emulate my friend and give you a few bullet points.....- We met while working at the Grand Canyon summer of 87
- Attended Northern AZ Univ. together
- From College ROTC to Senior Enlisted Active Duty --
- 10 Anniversaries together -- 12 Apart (including the first two thanks to Korea and the Gulf War)
- Home approximately 10.5 of those years does that mean we've only really been married half of our marriage? :)
- 4 beautiful blessings -- two of which are Korea returnee babies! and amazingly he was home for all of their births! Hooaah! although he did leave the day after Sara was born to go back to AIT ....
- 9 PCS moves, 21 addresses, 322 days in guest housing/tent sites/hotels/friends homes, 13 tactical addresses, and countless miles on vehicles!
- Lots of practical geography & social study lessons for homeschooling -- how many miles to? we're moving where?
- Countless Dr. visits, ER runs, broken vehicles/appliances, a few surgeries and Fisher House visits, caring for friends,......etc
- 6 year or longer Deployments -- two extended indefinitely, that was FUN! lol ... and we're in the middle of number 6.
- BDUs/DCUs/ACUs/Greens & Blues and the ASU now -- can the Army please make up it's mind? (fyi we should have kept the BDUs/DCUs :) )
- Lots of fighting and making up, lovin on each other and kiddos
See a need, fill a need....
So the looming deadline for the govt budget or shutdown is quite the "talk of the town" in my circles..... just gotta say though I love the military, already seeing an ok this would really suck but how can we deal with it mentality kicking in, although I have to say it truly angers me that Congress and the President would continue to get paid whilst our troops would not. How is this a good leadership model? And ummm hummm who needs a paycut and to deal with reality....but I digress.....
I wanted to just point out a couple things I see at this time.
- We who name the name of Christ need to take this opportunity to minister to those around us, to be an ocean of calm in the midst of chaos. Even if we are ourselves are in that boat too! Here's what I mean -- so there's the chance we could all get 1/2 pay this next payday, Yippee!, but is your 1/2 pay equivalent to or possibly even more than someone elses full pay? ( ie MAJ vs PFC?) It's all perspective! Surely you could spare enough to buy that young mom on your street or in your study group some groceries, diapers or fill up her car? Babysit so she doesn't have to pay CDC while she's going to the Dr? Offer a ride?
- Some of the things I've already mentioned are just practical ways to help others around you whether you make more or less than those around you. Does it really matter if you earned your rank or if you've been more fiscally responsible than the one of the same rank who hasn't? (yes it's important for daily living and getting your budget under control but in the middle of a crisis, um NOT!)
- Be sure to explain to your children what's going on -- not in a scary way but in a lets get through this together, God will provide, think of creative things to do way.
- We should be looking for ways to minister to one another here's some other thoughts:
- Share meals if you can - not military or govt worker? Invite someone over who is for dinner! Make it a standing invite even! (every Monday night for example....)
- Maybe a recipe swap day or a frugal living program at PWOC or FRG meetings? (sure we can all point fingers but wouldn't it be more productive to look for ways to help each other?)
- Make your own laundry soap and cleaning products ( Homemade Cleaners is just one of many sites)
- Carpool if at all possible
- Service members who live off post -- consider taking a cot to the office and saving gas by sleeping over a night or two each week. If there's a bus available take it even if it means your hours are wacky (remember this is temporary)
- If you regularly buy in bulk or have property and animals, share with those around you without expecting payment later (milk,eggs, meat, etc)
- Skip mowing the lawn this week (grass is healthier a little longer anyhow)
- Consider ending your cable contract or suspending it, same with internet service if possible you can use the library or go down to the slowest speed (and trust me you won't die if you can't skype with your loved one who's overseas! I love it too but you can survive without it and who knows you might actually get letters to treasure!)
- Now's a great time to quit tobacco! (have you really added up how much that habit costs?!)
- Allow others to live with you for a short time if necessary - camping gear and airbeds work indoors too or let them camp in your yard!
- Got mechanic skills? Help out that wife who's husband's away and car just broke down! Same with bicycles
- Start a military ministry in your church -- ask families to have a list ready and expect a group of people from the church to show up on this day and get it done!
(feel free to post more ideas, thoughts etc....)
Giving Thanks....
How...?!
How does one give thanks sometimes? When prayers go unanswered and seemingly unheard; loneliness and a sense of failure are constant companions or the heart yearns for community and finds none? When life just isn't what one had hoped or thought? Or when those we love are selfish, unforgiving or cold and do not even seem to see us or our needs, the blood spilling from broken hearts? How long does one continue to hope when all hope seems an exercise in futility? When nothing seems to have a point or make a difference, and you wonder sometimes if anyone would even notice if you weren't there, or would they just say a few words and move on? If you feel like you are walking through wet sand that just keeps slipping back into the places you've already been, doing laps around the desert like the Israelites of old who could see the Promised Land but just couldn't seem to get there? When you've articulated needs to others and the only answer is "I'll pray for you", or the implication that if you just try harder, pray harder,eat better, exercise more, or had more time daily with Lord,etc,etc.....it would get better (thereby unwittingly adding to the burden of things not done) & things that are broken within or without continue to go unmet, unseen, unheard, unsalved?
When DID we stop saying thank you in our culture or in our own lives? and HOW do we begin again? In the midst of calamity as big as the tsunami in Japan or as "small" as a wounded lonely heart? As Christian's sometimes we feel we shouldn't even have to ask and others who bear the name of Christ are often more hurtful then helpful or can't bear to look upon your honesty and so they don't. Doesn't Paul say "in everything give thanks?" Yes, Yes he does but walking that out is not so easily done, and to simplify anothers or even your own suffering down to trite answers is to trivialize the sufferings of our own Lord and Savior........
I appreciate this books beautifully written words and well chosen imagery already but more than that her honesty to lay bare her heart and ask the hard questions....... where is the grace in daily living? In a world where there seems to be none some days?
17..
Ross is 17! (yikes!) What a wonderful young man he's turning into even when he makes me nuts! Wasn't it just yesterday he was born in Heidelberg?! and his sister's were fighting over who's brother he was? (they don't seem to do that so much anymore... lol)....
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| Mom don't take my picture! |
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| Group Ninja game at his party |
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| Ross and his "toys" and Yoda.... :) |
