Ever Have One of Those Days: That burning feeling

When you just have the burning feeling...

 It is so beautiful outside ~ you just can't stay inside... 

60 degree weather with no wind hardly to speak of... so it FEELS like it's ACTUALLY 60 and not some crazy wind-chill number... ( I still don't get the whole wind-chill factor thing!) 

This rusty ol' building is our barn. This tWIgGy tree is our FIG TREE... HUGE FIGS ON THIS THING COME THE END OF SPRING....  I love 'em. So do the bats. We've had bats in our barn because of this tree! I eat 'em right off the tree while picking.(the FIGS not the BATS)  This tree is the reason I want one of those fancy-schmancy dehydrator thingies...

Look it has buds on it already! 

This is our lil' helper and budding photographer!   She stays with us every day. I can't believe she is getting so big~ she'll be 2 in March! 

The dog is Gracie-- our Scardy-dog.  The only person on the planet that she ALLOWS to get this close~~ 

Our Lil'helper- Aubree 

This is Aubree-- helping stretch out the hose. Earlier she helped me to hang and then remove that basket of laundry (on the ground between those two trees-) to and from the clothesline. 

What can I say- cheap labor. 

She works for hugs and kisses! 

Today was a perfect day to burn one of our ever growing brush piles. 

It's an accumulation of brush that Honey has cleared away from the fence and low branches that make it difficult to mow under the trees and junk that just won't go into our compost bin... 

the pile of brush was HUGE!

Remember that fire I showed you at the beginning...? 

That wasn't me having a 'FLASHY- MOMENT' 

 although I did work up a good sweat. 

That fire took all of about 8 1/2 minutes to burn to nothing! 

See the FIRST RESPONDER TRUCK? Volunteer Fire Dept.  gotta love 'em! 

Somebody reported a grass fire.  Heh... 

OH, yeah!  

Getting a second look. Making sure we had it under control. 

 If  He'd been here just a handful of minutes sooner...

 He might not of thought so! 

Not to worry ... that shadow of a man to the left of the screen

is Honey to the rescue. He actually does have a hose in hands!

I didn't get pictures cause it got dark; but while the last of the fire was burning out

Aubree and I roasted marshmallows. 

Well mine were ROASTED. It was so HOT Honey had to do it for us-- 

his were more like Marshmallows Flam-be!! 

Then Weston and Easton came over and brought their Mommy and Daddy ~~ and I don't get it...

none of these kiddos liked black Marshmallows! 

It was a good day. 

God Bless you 

and 

Thanks for reading!!

slow and steady wins the race--living room progress

Last week I had decided I'd finally jump on the  

'SUBWAY ART' -TRAIN  

I came up with what I thought to be a pretty good idea. 

I've made no 'bones about it' -- y'all know how slow I operate, 

we'll in the mean time, Gail (my repurposed life) beat me to the punch!  

(not surprising, I know...LOL)

You can just imagine my surprise when I saw hers...isn't it lovely? 

Well, I didn't shown mine cause it was a FAIL.

But, today I decided what the heck... so here it is. 

I call it my take on Subway ART /  ransom NOTE!

Funny we chose almost the same color --and the subject matter isn't too far off either! 

I'm having to make a few adjustments...hopefully it will turn out better than this when I'm finished. In the mean time you can look at Gail's up there-- ah~ isn't it dreamy? 

In other news...

 Since painting the living room, I've been searching  for inspiration (as you all know!) 

I also took a few minutes to turn my drop cloth curtains upside down. 

They were last like this with the green side up. 

I've flipped them around for now -- the green just clashed with the gray walls. 

I like 'em better this way anyway. 

Seriously, I'm liking these that Rose made-- 

Aren't they the cutest? 

Don't know if I'll be doing this or not. That would require spending money on more drop cloths.

I don't want to spend any more money than I have to! 

One other little change I made was to these 

Outdoor Life Plaques. 

They are from the late '50's .

I made these years ago and the quality of decoupage isn't the greatest but I like these vintage magazine covers and so does Honey. 

Ah, CHEAP almost free ARTWORK!   

I just touched up the paint around the edges. They had been green.  Now they are black. 

I hung them in a different spot and arrangement. 

So, that is pretty much it for now. 

I've just been playing around with the furniture and things I've not got everything how I want it, yet. The walls are still bare except for these 3 plaques.  

 I thought I'd just show you a few things I've been doing -- just so you'd know I'm not procrastinating TOO TERRIBLY BAD. I just work slow... Plus, if I show you what I've been up to, then y'all will ask questions and make comments-- and it will help prod me along to get finished!  

See, I have ulterior motives! 

God Bless You and Thanks for reading! 

POWER!

And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. ~~Hebrews 9:22

Be blessed today 

and 

Glorify God! 

Thank you for reading. 

I think I'm onto something!

OR

I've accidentally started a new trend... 

* edited to say-  this is a frugal farm house design photo.

Don't hate me because you don't have ANY fish!

*********************************************

Just dinkin' around the house today. 

It's raining again and gonna be chilly over night-

I'll be trying to stay busy inside today, maybe cook something warm and comforting for Honey and I.

Yesterday it was sunny and 54 degrees with a slight easterly wind -- we chopped and stacked fire wood. I was able to gather small oak branches from around the yard that have fallen . That makes good kindlin' and I don't want to hit it with the mowers come spring time.

There was a fallen tree behind the barn we've been needing to get cut, Honey and the youngest son were busy knocking out the tree cuttin' and then we all stacked more wood!  Hopefully, we won't have to buy anymore firewood this season. 

Since my post about Momma's wash pot-- we've had snow (haven't we all?) and lots and lots of rain. 

I was glad for a break in the rain for a couple of days.  I was over near the lake last week and we need the rain-  but NOT ALL AT ONCE! 

Go over and see  

frugal farm house design   and Check out her den-- cozy! I think it's pretty. 

Thanks for reading

and 

God Bless you. 

RE-decorating an Empty Nest- finding direction

 

It recently occurred to me-- that my own creativity was being squelched by BLOGGY overload and magazine HYPNOSIS!  I've been watching all of you transform your homes into post card styled, picturesque, rooms with expanse;  homes fit for any shelter magazine and decor themed periodicals.

But you are not to blame.  

You can't help it... because you have free flowing creativity and ambition! 

You can't help it... because you are able to manage your bloggy time, amongst all the other details of life, like cooking, cleaning, painting, shopping, gardening, etc. 

You can't help it... that all of your great crafty ideas and decorator skills keep me MESMERIZED and keep my eyes glued to the screen watching and waiting for your next design idea to pop up on my feed.

 

After all, I'm just looking for direction...

I posted on Tuesday, that I was having anxiety over choosing a paint color. 

Really... I was having anxiety over SHOWING YOU  the paint color I've chosen. 

What happened to me? 

I remember years ago this bit of knowledge that someone threw out there for me to munch on; it was this-- 

In general, women don't dress to impress the men, we dress to impress the ladies. 

It's true. Think about it. When we attend a gathering we ask, is it casual?  We wonder what the other ladies will be wearing.  We want to be comfortable yet, trendy. 

When this knowledge was bestowed upon me-- it was like a light bulb coming on and illuminating my closet. 

I got over that notion really fast.  I decided I would dress for me. I would dress to for comfort and personal preference. 

 I've forgotten this! When it comes to decorating this applies equally as well.  What I mean is this- 

I don't need to dress my home and my blog to impress other decorators and readers; I do want you to read and comment and interact; you all are important and I DO LOVE YOUR FEED BACK, but I also need to be me and be free to express myself. 

I need to decorate my home for my own tastes,comfort and preference. 

Modern and Minimalist styles of decorating are nice ...I like to look at pictures of these spaces. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a minimalist. 

Beachy- Coastal styles are soothing and comforting I'm sure, but I don't want to conform to that anymore than I want to conform to a Mountain lodge atmosphere. I don't live in a big city or near the beach or in the mountains. I live in a rural pastoral setting-- 

pastoral:

–adjective

1.

having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or othercharacteristics generally attributed to rural areas: pastoralscenery; the pastoral life.

2.

pertaining to the country or to life in the country; rural;rustic.

3.

portraying or suggesting idyllically the life of shepherds or ofthe country, as a work of literature, art, or music: pastoralpoetry; a pastoral symphony.

4.

of, pertaining to, or consisting of shepherds.

5.

of or pertaining to a pastor or the duties of a pastor:pastoral visits to a hospital.

6.

used for pasture, as land.

I can't help but wonder where I'm going in the scheme of RE-DECORATING our NOW EMPTY NEST...

 most like you're wondering where I am going in this VERY BLOG POST! 

Earlier this week while reading up some of the familiar places I like to hop... I came across a few ladies that have some really great tips for making my space MY OWN. 

I'll let them tell it. .. but I will sum up my post with a few quotes from them. I am grateful to them for their words and pictures.  I think it was necessary for me to read these articles in order to move forward in my RE-decorating plans... 

I read a PURE STYLE HOME article 

I liked this quote--(with my own comment to follow) 

{In my basement I threw together a bunch of old seascapes I'd collected and mixed it with aquas and warm tones.  I love being in the room and it feels good in there but I don't feel that it's really very appropriate to our home.  I don't live on the coast and it's giving off a kind of inauthentic vibe...  even if only to me.}

Thank you for posting the picture of your basement and commenting that it had an 'inauthentic vibe' (your words) ... I needed that confirmation, yours is the second post in the same amount of days,that I've read, saying that we need to be true to the personality of our home, while keeping our surroundings in mind (my words). I'm currently trying to figure out a new decor scheme for our home with a tricky little fish nic-named Billy Bass (who is a keeper,btw) without decorating my house like a lodge (which it is NOT) or decorating it like a beach house (which it is NOT) -- So now, I finally have permission to be different! LOL and you're right it's scary!

I also read Room Service -Decorating 101

# 6 The "Interior" should relate to the "Exterior" when you design a space. This is my view from my Dining Room and Family Room . . . I live in the country, so a modern space would not feel right in my home, nor would a "Beachy Feel" My home calls for a "Country Feel".

Both of these blog authors nailed it for me when it came to the expression I want to have in my home. 

I like my country home; but FEEL as though I am wandering aimlessly through this new venture. .  I've got no idea what my style is-- I have an idea book with bits and pieces from magazines inside they give me inspiration, I've got lots of ideas inside my head and try to jot them down as they come. (I don't seem to move as fast as some of you) I'm working on the AMBITION PART...The best thing is the newest inspiration that I have and that is you! The ladies that lead with great tips and ideas and MY readers who give me such great comments and gentle nudges! 

I'll leave you with a verse; 

This has given me pause for thought and I'm encouraged by these words--

 

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Prov.31:27

That's the ambition part I was talking about. (smile)

I hope to have at least the living room finished soon. 

Most of all I hope to have the courage to blog about it AND PUBLISH IT!  

************************************************************** 

NON-SEQUITUR PHOTO TO FOLLOW... 

It's me! 

This was taken in the car on a road trip to Stephenville,TX (also known as TEXAS HILL COUNTRY) 

Jan 8,2011 --taken by my almost 2 yr old grand-daughter.  Not bad for 22 months, huh? 

God Bless you 

and Thanks for Reading! 

The ANXIETY OF CHOOSING Paint!

 Ok- I'm just popping in to show you the paint.
Wasn't really sure what color to go with... I chose this grey/gray (which is it,really?) because I was having such a hard time actually picking a color...HAVING ANXIETY ALMOST....

BUT! then I remembered how soothing my bedroom is to me

bedroom

                                                          ...and went with a similar color

Ooops! Paint GRAY... yes that's it. 

No big deal cause it was only $5 

AND!!! 

if I don't like it

I've only lost $5 and little time. 

Here is a close up... and I love it already, 

because it really makes this ORANGE '70's string art swag POP! 

I'll be back with more once the whole room is finished. 

I'm going with the gray and going to do what Donna FJI says 

and 'sleep on it' 

God Bless you and 

Thanks for reading! 

PS- 

after almost 1 week's worth of rain...the SUN IS OUT! 

I'm joining this party---