Lighter and Brighter

I have a new obsession… making my house lighter and brighter!  I don’t subscribe to any one style, I love an eclectic mix, but the cottage whites & blues with clean lines appeals to me.  Sometimes I find that style a bit cool and I want a warm, inviting home so I’m trying to mix styles to bring my dark wood, dark leather home a little brightness.

A few weeks ago I painted my first piece of “good” stained furniture.  About 13 years ago we purchased an antique Ethan Allen china cabinet.  Over time and through a couple of moves the top piece became damaged and broken.  At some point we trashed the top and the bottom half became a buffet for our dining room.  This past year we became progressive and got a flat panel TV so our lovely buffet became our living room TV stand.

I primed and I painted – just using normal paint left over from my kitchen cabinets.

I distressed it a bit, probably not enough.  Not loving the slightly shiny look, but overall it is an improvement.  It has brightened up that end of the living room quite a bit.  Now if we could only get the monstrous TV down to a more reasonable size…  

 

As a side note - - after painting this piece I jumped on the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint bandwagon.  Oh my goodness!  Wonderful paint!  Although pricey, it is SO easy to work with.  More on that project coming soon.

Time Out on Weston Farm

I’d reached the point of exhaustion with way too many things crammed into an already hectic schedule.  So, we decided to call a time out for our family and head to my BFF’s farm in Weston this weekend.  Ahhhh bliss.  Restful.  Quiet.  Calm.

The kids swam, ran across acres of land, swung on the tire swing, played dress up.

 

I walked calm, rock lined paths.  Met the neighbor cows.  Watched chickens wander. 

We ate delicious food… home smoked (all day) brisket, baked beans, macaroni and cheese (gourmet, four cheese mac!)  We chatted over coffee and delicious homemade crepes for breakfast.  And enjoyed margaritas by the pool (some seriously good, easy to make margaritas – I’ll have to share the recipe.)

We adults sat and watched a bonfire and viewed the stars.  Just sat, without jumping up and running after kids - they remained occupied with more important adventures and no electronics!  Delightful!

Check out my BFF’s blog where she is documenting their change from suburban Dallas living to living on a farm.  She’s brilliant and crafty and her husband is oh so (so, so, so) handy!  

Danielle, (my son peeking through) and me.

One Word Wednesday: Servers

Servers

A Little Line

I squealed in delight like a small child, clapping my hands and cheering!  In an instant it bubbled up in my throat and spilled forth of its own volition.  Why?  He drew a line!  A line from on point to another, WITHOUT help!  At three years, eight months old, he finally did it - and it has taken session after session of therapy for Cerebral Palsy to get him here.  It made me feel better about my outburst to realize that his therapist has a similar response.

And so, I'm reminded that it is the simplest things - the little lines - that matter.  The one on one time sitting with him, showing him how to use his fine motor skills.  Patiently tapping down my irritation and desire to do it myself, to move faster.

I've been working with him on the iPad in quiet moments.  There are dozens of apps that are free for download to help with fine motor skills.  I'm thankful that he loves them.

Moments

A million moments seem to have passed since I blogged last.  Great moments, funny moments, difficult moments, easy moments... busy moments!  I've composed a dozen posts in my mind and snapped hundreds of photos.  I fully intend to catch up on the projects and life that has been going on behind the scenes as soon as I get a down day.

In the meantime, tonight, I tried to explain to my eldest niece why I've quit my full time job to stay home with nine children.  One of my brothers went through a divorce earlier this year and has custody of his five stunningly beautiful, but rambunctious children.

It is hard to explain my decision, especially since part of me wants to climb the career ladder, to make a difference in my community, to change lives, to become successful in all the worldly ways.  I want a nice, neat, clean, normal life.  And, yes, I want an easy life.

But, as I tried to explain tonight, the wiser part of me acknowledges that easy, clean and neat aren't always the best.  Not for me, not for my children, not for my nieces and nephews.  Rather, I have the opportunity to be stretched and to grow, to show love on an hourly basis.  I get to learn to adapt to the challenges of nine unique children, to show them Christ.  I will most definitely make a difference in my community just by being active in their lives - no matter how small!  My days won't be empty, they won't be easy and I'll most definitely fail.  But I look forward to the sweetness, joys, fulfillment and learning that will only come from being where I am called to be.

You can do nothing with children unless you win their confidence and love by bringing them into touch with yourself, by breaking through all the hindrances that keep them at a distance. We must accommodate ourselves to their tastes, we must make ourselves like them – St. John Bosco

One Word Wednesday: Cuddles

Cuddles

The Gift of Time

(Written a couple weeks ago... I just happened to fall asleep every night before managing to post it! )

About once a week I sit and visit with my parents for an hour or so.  Generally it is just me and them. We talk about everything or nothing in particular.  There is no real structure and it isn't even the same day of the week every time.  In fact, I don’t know if they even realize that I specifically try to come once a week.  Maybe my random dropping by bothers them! :-)

My father experienced some rather serious health problems several months ago.  Looking back at those precarious few weeks has helped me draw the conclusion that the gift of time is one of the most meaningful things I can give. 

Time.  Funny how our lives are made up of time but no one has any to spare.  We rush from task to task, jamming everything we can into our hectic schedules.  It is almost a badge of honor to be busy.  Even in our slow moments we are consumed by outside influences and distracted - ringing mobile phones, linking to the internet through various smart devices, telling the world what we are doing via social media – it never ends!

I’m tired - consistently tired.  I can’t remember the last time I wasn't tired.  With four children, my sibling’s children I get to enjoy, a husband, a full time job and volunteer work my schedule is packed.  I love it for various reasons but I've begun to see the value in stopping.  It is only in slowing down that I can really think, muse, remember, and examine what is important. 

So, this year I’m doing my best to slow down and spend time with my loved ones.  Reading a book with my youngest, stopping to look my oldest in the eyes as she tells me about her day, squeezing my son a little longer, braiding my nieces hair even though it puts us a bit further behind schedule, grabbing teachable seconds - - little things, small moments that count.

And, Lord wiling, I’ll keep on visiting with my parents and conversing with them a couple hours a week.  Treasuring today, worrying less about tomorrow, enjoying them and learning from their wisdom.

Applique

The most adorable applique idea on was on Pinterest recently.  Someone had created cute silhouette t-shirts.  I fell in love with them and had to try it out myself.

To begin, I literally placed a sheet of paper on my computer screen and traced the image that I wanted to use.  At Hobby Lobby I found some simple iron-able fusible web (Steam-A-Seam2) and cut it out to match my traced image.  A preheated iron, a simple T-shirt and about an hour later I had the perfect silhouette applique shirt for my 5-year old.  And if my image had not been so detailed it would have gone much faster!  It only took me about 10 minutes to cut out an initial and fuse it onto a hoodie I had purchased on clearance.  Tomorrow I'll stitch along the edges of the silhouette and the initial so that it is even more durable.  The fusible web is permanent but I want to make sure that these shirts are usable after many washes. I'll complete the extra step just in case.  There are tons of different patterns available for appliques online.  Make a rocket ship or puppy shirt for your son or try a silhouette or bird for your daughter. What do you think?  The sky's the limit and it's simple - try it for yourself!

Family Express

I don't believe I've made Rice Krispie Treats before this Christmas.  I don't know why I haven't made them, but they are going to be my new go-to for a quick treat. THEY ARE SO EASY TO MAKE! Even better, you can shape them into just about anything with minimal effort.

With the afternoon off work and a niece visiting I decided this today was the ideal time for a project.  My kids were thrilled to create something and even happier to find out that it involved Rice Krispies.  A train - five cars, five children - perfect. Simple (which equaled very little work for me) but it would keep the kids entertained for a while. The kids tackled decorating their designated rail cars.  Halfway through the project my niece stopped and began writing letters in icing on the platform ... F-A-M-I-L-Y    E-X-P-R-E-S-S  ...she finished off by drawing a heart underneath.

I hadn't thought about this project being family time, just a fun thing for the kids to complete.  Many times in the hustle and bustle of daily life I forget how important it is to pause and intentionally have fun together as a family. I forget how the simplest efforts - a Rice Krispie train - show our children how important family is and how to work together in team. I'm grateful that this simple effort created a memory that will linger in the minds of my young ones!

Raising the Bar

Height and drama, everyone wants that in a room, right?  One of the down sides to owning a home built in the '70's is that neither height nor drama are generally characteristics of that era!  In an attempt to visually add, I've been moving my curtains higher and wider.  Most of the windows in my home have been redressed but my dining room was lagging behind.  Slim on time, it was a quick project I could tackle in 15 minutes.  I'm not sure that I am loving this style of curtain any more, but it will do for now.  I'm enjoying the illusion of a slightly taller window.

Before - dragging hem, vacuumed many times!

After

After - close up.

We have a way to go, but see how far we've come?  This is a shot of our
dining room when we purchased the house in 2007.  Decor is the former owner's!

A New Year Filled with The Simplest Efforts!

Michael and I have discussed the upcoming year many times, musing over what 'resolutions' we'll have, what changes will come in 2013 and reflecting on 2012.  To be quite honest, it is a bit overwhelming.  Every time New Years Eve rolls around I feel the pressure of restarting, digging deeper to find the drive and stamina to push on to fantastic resolutions of grand gestures and world changing living.  My list always includes the resolution to continue becoming a better wife and mother, to love God and others more, and (of course) the obligatory weight loss! While all noble goals, I tend to falter with exactly where to start and what the measure of success is.  I'm a black and white rule keeper and somehow vague resolutions don't translate well for me.

The past two weeks I've been off work for the Christmas holiday.  Determined not to 'waste' my free time I made a list of simple projects that I wanted to complete during my vacation.  I decided to tackle the list piece by piece.  Every day I purposed to do a simple task -nothing grand, just something that took minimal effort and was easily completed in a few hours max. Amazingly I've checked most of the items on my list off.  One day included hanging several pictures in my master bedroom, another provided time for me to re-caulk my bathroom tub and shower.  I rehung curtains, caught up on laundry, resumed a weekly exercise program and spent one-on-one time with both of my sons.  It was easy, it was fulfilling, it was fun!  And so, the idea for my "New Years Resolution" was born.

This year I'm focusing on simple efforts.  I'm going to love in the little actions. I'm going to divide tasks and tackle projects piece by piece. And hopefully I'll make my family's world and myself a tiny bit better each and every day, just by focusing on the simplest efforts.

"We cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love." -Mother Teresa