2009 Highlights

I cannot believe this year is over.

And looking back over the projects I did this year, I have realized that I was one busy chick!

You guys are the ones who inspired me and motivated me to get things done, so I thank you!

Here is a run down of my favorite projects since I started my blog:

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My Hutch Re-do…

Click on the picture to see the “before”.

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My “Goodwill chair makeover”  where I turned two ugly chairs that looked like this…

 

to this…

Click HERE to see the transformation.

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My guest house bedroom furniture makeover…

Click on the picture to see the “before”.

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I loved my little burlap monogrammed stool that I got at Goodwill for $3.50.  To see how I made it click HERE and HERE.

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One of my personal favorites was the work my hubby and I did on this hutch…

to make it look like this…

Click HERE to see how we did it!

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Click HERE to see how my two year old helped me re-do this buffet table I got at Goodwill…

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One of my readers’ favorite post was…

My Ballard’s inspired cafe shelves tutorial.  Click on the picture to see how to make one of these for yourself. 

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I made some curtains for my kitchen and den from drop cloths.

Click HERE to see how to make some for yourself.

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I fell in love with burlap this year!  Click on the pictures to see how I made each of these…

A burlap tablecloth.

A Goodwill chair re-do with burlap.

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Click HERE if  you want to see my tutorial on how to make a Pottery Barn inspired collector’s shelf.  These are great for kids’ rooms!

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And I have to include our unexpected kitchen renovation.  Click on the picture to see the process.

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Of course, I cannot look back on this year without mentioning the passing of my precious mother in September. 

(This picture was taken a couple of weeks before she passed away.)

My blog took on a whole new meaning during her illness.  You blessed me more than you will ever know with your sweet comments and emails.   I shared many of my thoughts and feelings during that time.  Some of my favorite posts about Mom were…

Liquid Prayers

How beautiful are the feet…

and

There is none better. 

 

“There is none better” is the last post I wrote before Mom passed away.  I had no idea that when I was writing it in the hospital, I was spending my last moments with Mom.  I was brought to tears once more as I read it just now.  But I praise God that I have these moments written down.  Moments I can look back on and treasure all the days of my life.  Moments I wouldn’t have written down if it were not for this blog.  It was my mom who encouraged me to start this blog this year.  Thank you, Mom.

And thank you to ALL of you.  You will never know what you mean to me!  You were a bright spot in many of my darkest days!

I look forward to spending 2010 with you and may God bless you and your loved ones in the year to come!

Wednesday’s with Wanda

This post is both personal and priceless to me.

Looking back over this past year, I could have never imagined that it would be my last with my mom. For the most part, my life was on cruise control as a wife, mother, daughter, etc. And then it came to a halt on August 6th, 2009. The day we found out Mom had caner. Life changed drastically.

I spent many hours with Mom at her house and at doctor’s visits. Moments I wouldn’t trade for anything this world has to offer.

But life also changed drastically in my heart. Things that used to be so important to me, just didn’t see important anymore. The things that used to stress me out, didn’t anymore.

What mattered most was my family and my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mom always knew that. She had spent a lifetime preparing for the day she would be with her Lord.

Throughout my life, I have had the honor of watching that preparation…the hours my mom spent in God’s word. If there is anything I know for sure about my mom, it’s that she loved her Bible. Or should I say Bibles.

These are just a few of her bibles.

They were in every room of the house, on every bookshelf, and by each bed.

Mom loved to write in her bibles too, and I am so glad she did. Some of the writings are her own thoughts, some are sermon notes, and some are inspirations she gathered from other Christian books she was reading.

I wanted to share with you some of her writings. These writings focus on the importance of reading and studying God’s word. I have no doubt that the peace and grace that I saw in my mom as she faced death was a result of the time she spent in prayer and bible study. They mean so much to me, and I hope they do to you as well.

I will write underneath each picture just in case you cannot read my mom’s writing.

(God still speaks to us today through His word. When He does speak, the words of the Bible come alive, and glow with a brilliant relevance to our lives. He uses the Scriptures to place truth in our minds, inject truth into our decisions, and impress truth on our hearts. He comforts us and corrects us. Our hearts are captured and stirred by His word.)

(Read the Scriptures with an expectation that God is going to speak to you. Listen for His voice. Depend on the Holy Spirit to open your ears. Read the Scriptures until His voice sets your heart “ablaze”. Do not be satisfied with checking off the day’s reading assignment----long to encounter Him in His Word.

(Read the Bible daily. Although the amount of Scripture read may vary from person to person, the believers who read it daily are better prepared spiritually for the journey ahead. Walter Price)

(Read the Scripture in the morning. Even if you intend to read more later in the day, do not start your day without the intake of God’s Word.)

(The Words of God. Oh who could express what they ought to be worth to us! Each word carries with it all the life of God, all His saving power and love. God speaking in His Son. Surely we who know Him will be ready to cast aside everything for the sake of hearing Him!)

(Wherever you look in Scripture, look to Jesus. Let every passage tell you something of His Father, and His Spirit, and thus Himself. Make it your aim in all your use of the Scriptures to “see and savor more of Christ.” Be on a treasure hunt to satisfy your soul more and more in Him. In this way the Spirit of Christ will be at work to transform you into His image. The aim of the law will be fulfilled more and more in your life. And you will magnify Christ in your life until He comes to complete the work He has begun.)

(As we read the Bible it begins to form us and mold us until we become to look like Jesus Christ.)

(The hope for America is to come back to the Bible!) Amen!

I also wanted to share some of Mom’s writings that seem even more poignant since she passed away.

(We have no control over how we die or when, but we do have control over how we live. Our hope is in the Lord! We must live for Him and Him alone!)

(I only have one life to live and I want to live a life of obedience to God. John 14:23 “If anyone loves me he will keep my Word and I and my father will come and live with you.”)

(Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple. Psalm 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.)

(Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.)

(Everything that happens to us is for a reason. When trouble comes we should not say, “How can I get out of this,” but rather—“What can I get out of this.”)

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My desire for this coming new year is to spend more time reading and studying God’s word.

I used to spend time in His word every morning until I had kids. I would tell myself that I was just too tired to get up so early…I just couldn’t do it, and I’m sure God would understand.

But can I make a confession? I have woken up excitedly in the wee hours of the morning and even in the middle of the night to get on my laptop to see if someone had left a comment on my blog. I wasn’t too tired to do that!

No offense, but the living Word of God is so much more important than the comments left on my blog. The Bible is FULL of comments from God to me (and you).

I want to be excited about hearing from God through His scriptures. I may not be too excited those first few mornings that I start getting up early again. But through obedience, God will deepen my desire to seek after Him, and He will bless me.

That is my prayer.

Thank you for letting me share the thoughts beneath my heart,

Christmas Wrap Up

The Tip Junkie is giving us one last chance to share anything related to Christmas that we haven’t shared yet.

I didn’t get to post pictures of the very little bit of Christmas decorating I did in our guest house.

So I would like to share it now.

I love these stackable Christmas boxes that were my mom’s (given to her by her sister, Nancy). I knew they would look perfect in our guest house.

They tell the Christmas story…

And they looks so cute next to my burlap chair. You can see the post about how I made an old Goodwill chair into a burlap beauty HERE.

I put my Willow Tree Nativity on the buffet table in the guest house.

I bought the frame at Goodwill for $1.50. It was that ugly gold, so I painted it black and sanded it down, and covered the inside with burlap. I did this project earlier this summer, but I thought it would be perfect behind my Nativity.

The star is an ornament I got half off at Kohl’s. I think I paid $2.50 for it. It goes perfectly with this Nativity set.

See the little angel under the tree? My sweet Mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. It’s called the Angel of Remembrance, and she gave it to me in honor of my precious Mother who passed away this past September.

I will treasure it forever!

I love that the angel is holding three branches. For me, it symbolizes my Mom watching over her three children, me, Cyndi, and Blake.

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Another thing I wanted to share about Christmas is my handmade ornaments. I usually make them every year to sell at craft shows, but this year I wasn’t able to.

My mom and her sister, Nancy, are the ones who started making these over 15 years ago. I loved them so much and started making them too.

Here are some examples of ones that I have made over the years.

This is one of my favorites. He’s one of the oldest…he has a chip on his ear and a missing foot, but I still love him! Sort of like the Velveteen Rabbit. I love the little gingerbread man he is holding too.

I made these snowmen on a sleigh before my fourth son was born. I just love these little guys!

And this guy is my all-time favorite, my Woodland Santa. He has a gingerbread tucked in his pocket too.

Well, that’s it. My last little bit of Christmas to share with you. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful Christmas decorating and traditions with me as well. I look forward to spending another Christmas with you next year!

I am linking this post to Tip Junkie’s Christmas Show & Tell, and Blue Cricket Design’s Show & Tell.

Blessings,

Wanna win a Free Blog Makeover?

You may have noticed in November that my blog got a new look.

It was created by some super talented girls at Designer Blogs.

They are having an awesome giveaway for the month of January…

4 Free Blog Makeovers!

To enter the giveaway, just click on the picture below.

(And if you don’t mind, mention that you heard about the giveaway from me in your comment. Thanks!)

And if you don’t win the giveaway, you can still get 30% off a blog makeover. That’s a great deal!

Goodluck!

Another Fun Tile Creation!

Hello, all!

I wanted to share with you a quick little something I made that I absolutely love.

It’s another cute little tile!

I showed you how to make coasters from tiles a while back ago.

You can read about those HERE.

Well, I saw on another blog how to make coasters with tiles using rubber stamps instead of decoupage.

It looked so simple that I went to Lowe’s and bought some more tiles. And since I didn’t need any more coasters, I decided to make something else.

I used a black StazOn ink pad that I got half off at Hobby Lobby and a stamp that I have had for years in a closet. The StazOn ink is permanent and will not smear or come off . (Great for coasters.)

I stamped it in the middle of the tile and hot glued a little gingham bow to the top.

This little tile would be cute anywhere! You could hang it on a wall or sit in on a desk or dresser.

I decided to add something to the back so it could be hung on the wall.

I got my favorite material, burlap, and cut a square piece a little smaller than the tile.

I hot glued the burlap square to the back of the tile.

Then I used some jute string to make a “hanger” on the back. I hot glued the string in place.

To give it more of a “finished” look, I used some little decorative buttons I had left over from another project.

I hot glued the buttons over the ends of the jute string.

And now it is ready to hang!

But for now, I have enjoyed displaying it on my buffet table with my Christmas decorations.

I love black and white gingham. And this little tile matches my GW topiaries with gingham bows (that I added) in my hutch.

This project was so easy to do, and I am brainstorming some more little projects with tiles. I would like to use some bigger tiles next time. Wouldn’t they be cute monogrammed? Hmmm….

I am linking this post to all of my favorite parties throughout the week. If you need some inspiration, just check these out….

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Get Your Craft On at Today’s Creative Blog (Tuesday)

DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land (Tuesday)

Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design (Wednesday), and

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Have a blessed day,