simple Analogy

A Bit of Nothing

* Christmas cards are done!

* I'm tired of "loving" my thread.  You can read what this is in this interview with Natalie Chanin.  It makes all the difference in the world (no knots, snarls, tangles) but when I have to love as much thread as it takes for the project I'm working on...  Noah volunteered to "love" it for me yesterday.  I jumped at that good fortune.

* My FOE arrived.  They really need to sell this stuff at my local fabric/craft stores, cause the shipping was more than the elastic.  I hate that, but what could I do!   

* I had my first really negative comment today.  Someone thought that carving your own stamp was stupid.  (Ouch!)  Ok, maybe it does seem a little ridiculous when all the craft stores are loaded with them.  But how many times have you gone to the craft store looking for just the right stamp, and come out empty handed.  More times than I can count.  So personally I loved the carve your own stamp craft.  I can make just what I have in mind.  Plus, children can make whatever their little minds imagine and have fun at the same time.  Creative time!  My philosophy is that it is worth every extra moment it takes to inspire creativity in a child!

So about comments... I love them!  I have gotten to know several of you just from your comments and replies.  I like to know what you enjoy reading.  I enjoy your suggestions, your anecdotes, your encouragement.  I also enjoy constructive criticism.  (Just be tactful so I don't feel like and idiot!)

* One more performance and I can pack my flute away for the rest of the holidays! 

* I purchased pictures for my room from the Friday Outlet:  this, this, this, this, and this!  Oooo, can't wait for them to arrive.

* Working on the crafts for my annual Nursery Christmas Party for the children.  My volunteers are so wonderful.  I sent out a plea for cardboard.  Boy, did I get cardboard!

* Making Mexican Cocoa for teacher gifts.  Megan made some for us a few years ago and we loved it!

Hope your week is going well.  Hang in there!  It's almost FRIDAY!!!!!

The Week of the Trees

This weekend, we cranked up the radio (set to non-stop Christmas music) and decorated the tree. This week is my week to decorate several houses for Christmas, so I make sure to get mine done first.  Joel and the boys dragged the boxes from the attic and helped me set up and fluff the tree.  Landon learned how to wrap the lights, and Noah helped me put on all the ornaments. 

"I think this is the prettiest tree you've done."  "We're paupers but we have a millionaire's tree!"  Praise from my husband. 

"Mother, THAT is a VERY pretty tree!"  From Landon.

"Ooo!  Pretty!"  "Where's my VeggieTales ornament?"  From Noah.

This is the view when we're curled up on the couch.  I use copper, white, and green ornaments with family keepsake ornaments mixed in.  Like Noah's VeggieTales ornament.  There are lots of snowflakes, ribbons, and flowers.  We also have a stuffed mouse that we hide in the tree.  I found some glittery copper palm fronds for half price at Michael's.  LOVE THOSE!  And we have a new addition... a fairy, which was a gift from the friend I decorate with.  Too wonderful!

I feel like a kid!  I can't wait till Christmas!

Favorites

Thanks for all the anniversary wishes!  Joel and I went out for dinner last night and then followed our yearly tradition of visiting Pottery Barn to see their Christmas goodness.  Joel's favorite.  He was really into the woodland theme.  My favorite.  I like the unlit version better and can totally see it hung with a wide velvet ribbon.  We also stopped by The Great Indoors to see their Christmas offerings.  Gorgeous!  I'm so ready for the holidays!

I started another project and I'm sure many of you know just from this view of the back what it is.  All those knots really slowed me down at first, but I think I've got a system and it seems to be going a little faster now.  Happy Friday everyone!

The Great Reupholster

When we got married everything in our house was white.  White walls, white carpet, white countertops, even white couches and dining room chairs.  Of course you know what happened to the whiteness once our kids came along.  As the years went by, the white has been phased out.  No more white walls or countertops, no more white couches, no more carpet.  But the white dining room chairs have remained.  I know it's because we really don't use the dining room very much at all.  Out of sight, out of mind - at least my mind.

Joel has been asking me for about a year now to recover the chairs.  Mom even bought us the fabric to do it as a welcome home present after we moved back in from the hurricane reconstruction.  But there they've sat for 9 months just begging to be recovered.  I finally got around to recovering them for Joel's birthday last week.

This is the before picture.  Disclaimer:  If you're thinking the white wasn't all that bad, it's because I took a picture of the very best chair.  You should have seen the one Noah sat in when he was a tot.  Too embarrassing to show!

Mom came over and helped me recover them with a dark tan upholstery fabric that we found for $5 a yard!  I unscrewed the seat from the chair, she stapled the new fabric on, I scotch guarded and screwed them back on.  Every trace of dingy white has been erased from our home.  Um, everything except for the door to the garage which never got it's new coat of paint.  I don't really remember why, when we were painting EVERYTHING, that one got left out.  Guess that'll be the next thing on the home improvement front.  In the spring- 

***Thanks for you help, Mom! 

Plans

Ever since we moved back in, our room has been kind of put on hold.  No curtains, no pictures (except the big one above our bed), old tree - you get the picture!  Plain.  So for my combined birthday/anniversary present I asked to redo the room.  I'm in the planning stages.

Things I know I want to do:

new curtains and rod

new pictures - I've been drooling over Alicia Bock's photography for the longest time.  I'm thinking now is the time if I have enough wiggle room in the budget.  Plan on spending some time here if you click the link.  You'll want to look at them ALL!

paint the frame and mat on the big picture above our bed

bedside tables - I think this small shelving unit will be just the thing for my side of the bed!

reading lamp

tall up-light

ditch our large banana tree

Things I haven't made up my mind about:

duvet - I have a huge pale blue Ralph Lauren featherbed in storage at my mom's.  I keep forgetting to bring it back to my house.  It may be just fine without a duvet.  We'll see.

paint - We painted the room a golden color, but the more I look at it the more it just blends with the wood of the bed and dresser.  I really don't know if I want to go through the trouble of painting all over again, but you can see that my thoughts are heading that direction.  (Loving the Restoration Hardware Flax or Cappuccino.  Try them on the wall by clicking the color swatch.)  ****This one's been squelched.  When I hinted at repainting, Joel gave me a look like, "You've GOT to be kidding me!" and so we'll just stick with the golden color on the wall.  I don't really know if I would have been up for painting anyway!  Maybe in a year or two.

It's a lot to do on my small budget, so it's a good thing I can DIY with the best of 'em!

Making Notes and White Pumpkins

Yay for small white pumpkins with a ribbon!  I turned some crystal goblets, votive holders, and jars upside down to use as pedestals and put a pumpkin on top of each one to decorate the food table for Tracy's shower.

A missed Sunday nap can really catch up with you in the middle of teaching geography.

It's a bummer when your car is dead in the water.

How would you like this cause on your death certificate... "Scared to death by the meter reader while opening blinds to the back yard."  Yep, that's what mine almost said.

You know it's time to go get groceries when you've just fed the kids the last bite in the house for lunch and it was noodles and bacon & eggs.  Not all mixed together, but still!  Bluckk!

It Must Be Done

It can't all be sewing and fun around here.  I clean my house every Friday.  Well, almost every Friday.  Most of the time it gets done in some form or fashion, but today is the Big Clean.  Our contractor is showing our house to some potential clients.  Ok, but will he take all the credit for the loveliness I call home, or will he tell them we worked like mad right alongside his people to make it this beautiful.   We'll see - and so we clean.

Patchwork Pillows

I finished the pillows Friday night!

 

  

 

Both have a covered zipper on the back.  My first zippers!!!!

 

The minute I set them on the couch, the boys were there trying them out.  "These are NICE!"  "Oh, it's comfortable."  "Ahhhh!"  "It makes me want to sleep out here!"  "Can you imagine having one of these to sleep with?"  Don't you know that made my day!!!!  I foresee pillows in their Christmas future.

We're all loving our new pillows - even Joel, who's using one of them at this very minute!

The Feathered Nest

It seems I'm feathering my nest.  Filling my home with my creativity.  Making it a welcoming, peaceful, comfortable, beautiful sanctuary for my family.  How about those adjectives!  We spend a lot of time in the living room... playing games, reading, watching movies, computing, talking, praying, schooling.  My living room is so inviting and cozy now that my gallery is hanging on the wall behind my couch.  Just wait till those pillows are done! 

Click on any picture to see it larger.  You can see the set I used on flickr.

He's Back!

 

We've only been meaning to hang these magnetic boards in Landon's room since we moved back in.  That would be five months.  Good grief!  Joel hung them for me Friday evening and Noah and I did the messages right before we went to pick Landon up from camp.  He came back H-U-N-G-R-Y!  The boy ate a piece of fruit for breakfast, pizza for lunch and dinner - EVERYDAY!  Did they not have anything else to eat?  Yes, but it didn't look that good to him.

We used magnetic pattern blocks if you're wondering.  They are great to use for problem solving, patterns, fractions, art... the list could go on and on.  You can use them on cookie sheets, the fridge, the back of a folding chair...