Sharlotte's Reflections

Do you have one of these?

2012-04-27T22:44:00.000-05:00

My husband and I are empty nesters and we're about to move from our current home.
We are trying to get it in tip top shape to sell, so that would include the ususal:
cleaning, removing clutter, and painting.
Without thinking, I almost wipe this clean, thinking that it's just a dirty spot.

Do you know what it is?

If you guessed some type of measurement, you'd be correct.
It's a record of our boy's height as they were growing up.

It was a ritual.

The boys would walk by and say, "Dad, you better measure me, I think I grew!"

How can I Windex this all away?

I'm thinking we need to take it with us...replacing a door frame isn't too hard, right?

Camping...

2012-04-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

I'm so not a camper...I like spending time outdoors, but I want to be able to take a warm shower, get clean, and sleep comfortably at the end of the day.

My puppy is kinda like me...she doesn't like camping either.

We're both a couple of "softies".

Texas Hill Country...

2012-04-27T17:26:00.000-05:00

We trek up and over to the hill country a few times each year and each season brings such natural beauty...it's just amazing.

Here are a few shots.

Enjoy!

As the sun was setting, we met a couple new friends.

Can you say, "Aww..."

It was a good day.

I'm not a violent person...

2012-04-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

I'm not violent, but sometimes I just wanna rip off some heads!

I know, yuck...but it was the appropriate thing to do,

I promise.

These were the menu for the Crawfish Festival in Llano, Texas last weekend.

Have you ever eaten them before?

Well, there's not much meat in one, so you have to work on a bunch to get your fill. Luckily each person was given a BIG scoop of them - so much in fact that your plate was o.v.e.r.f.l.o.w.i.n.g with these little gems.

I know you're dying to ask...

yes, you have to pull off their heads; then peel the rest of them like shrimp.

Honestly, it wasn't too bad, in fact it was easy.

And, they were really good.

Really.

The plate was also served with corn, potatoes, and bread.

Yum.

Do you see the red spices on the corn and potatoes?

Yep, that's gotta be red pepper because these babies were H O T!

Thank goodness for the bread - it was a "fire-putter-outter" for my burning mouth.

You'd think I'd stop eating it, right?

Nope.

Ate every bite of potato, corn, and the very last crawfish.

You know what they say...

2012-04-26T19:25:00.002-05:00

When life hands you a bunch of lemons...

...make some lemon cookies!

Here's a recipe I ran across on Pinterest.

I tried them and they were yummy!

Vignettes...

2012-04-18T21:32:00.001-05:00

It's fun to make little vignettes, isn't it?

Especially when you use treasured items.

It's the simple things...

2012-04-09T01:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, it's the simple things that bring a smile to your face, right?

Add sweet smelling carnations and it's almost perfect.

He Has Risen!

2012-04-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

google images

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said, "you are looking for Jesus of Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you."

Mark 16:1-8

Resurrection appearances:

google images

Matthew 28:9-20

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene

Jesus appears to two believers traveling on the road

Jesus appears to the disciples including Thomas

Great Commission

Mark 16:15-16a

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..."

Preparation Day

2012-04-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

google images

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion, that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Mark 15:42-46

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, "After three days I will rise again." So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

"Take a guard, " Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 28:62-66

Good Friday

2012-04-06T11:40:00.001-05:00

google images

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means,
"My God, my God why have you forsaken me?"

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!

Mark 15:33-34; 37-39

The Last Supper

2012-04-06T11:29:00.003-05:00

Google Images

...then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins..."

Matthew 26:27-28

April 1

2012-04-01T02:00:00.000-05:00

April

Can you believe it?

Since April is a month known for rainshowers, I made a little something new for my front door.

It's simple and I can still use the umbrella {which I love!}!

I found this idea over at Susie Harris' blog ... it's amazing...full of ideas!

Thanks for the inspiration!

New Topiary...

2012-03-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

This urn from an old Christmas tree was left at GW.

It was marked a bit higher than I like to pay, but it went in my basket anyway.

It was nice and sturdy and had this left-over pole from the tree. perfect.

I added green paint to a styrofoam ball...

...and let it dry thoroughly.

Putting it on this dowel really made it easy to paint...

kinda looks like science fair project, doesn't it?

Then the green ball was pushed onto the leftover tree pole.

Next, I snipped apart the greenery and used a toothpick to make a small hole for the "stem" of the snipping.

After taking the toothpick out and adding a drop of hot glue, the topiary was taking shape.

It was kinda mindless work, great therapy at the end of a long day, right?

And here's the finished product.

Now, just look at this sad, sad arrangement.

I know, very sad...but the urn?

bea.u.ti.ful!

Yep.With the left over supplies from the first project and a new styrofoam ball, a second one was made to keep the first one company.

I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for her Metomophosis Monday.

Thanks for visiting!

Texas Bluebonnets...

2012-03-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

We took another little road trip today and along the way we had to stop to look at the bluebonnets. There were fields and fields of them...it was breathtaking! It's kinda a Texas tradition to take pictures amongst them...it's fun to see families making memories.

We didn't pose with the flowers but here are a couple shots...

Beautiful, wild, Texas tradition.

Date night...

2012-03-24T20:53:00.001-05:00

Friday night was such a nice evening...perfect weather. So perfect, we decided to take a little road trip.

We drove down to Galveston and had dinner on the beach.

Gotta love sand therapy.

I couldn't help but think about the lyrics to Glen Cambell's song...

"Galveston, oh Galveston,

I still hear your sea winds blowin'..."

Such great memories!

Front Doors...

2012-03-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

I currently have a front door that has a lot of glass.

I don't particularly like that anyone can see inside.

www.homedepot.com

But....

when I saw this house, I loved the symmetry of the front elevation...

Southern Living

...and the double front doors.

Here's a pic from the inside looking out...

Houzz

I really like their width and height.

These are a bit too wide...

Houzz

...but I do like having a transom above the door.

I've never had double front doors, but they are very welcoming!

So, the questions are...
double front doors?
clear glass or solid?

Foyer...

2012-03-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

From the inspiration house {Southern Living}, I also fell in love with the foyer.

The planked walls are neat..

dark floors...

wide baseboards...

and the puppy is cute too!

It's here!

2012-03-20T19:13:00.000-05:00

Happy first day of Spring!

Yea!

Inspiration...

2012-03-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

About a year ago I ran across this house in a Southern Living Magazine.
I was looking for inspiration for a new home...
...this was it!
Hm...do we dare build ourselves?

I loved the simple elegance...

the doors...

the shutters...

the transoms...

the fans...

the steps leading to the front porch.

Hm...I think we should!

Stay tuned!

Hello again...

2012-03-19T19:35:00.001-05:00

Well hello!
If you're still here at Reflections, I'm glad. Thanks for hanging around and checking every now and then for a new post. It's finally here.

I've been behind the scenes, looking at all the amazing things around blogland, Pinterest, and Houzz. I found this post at Maple and Magnolia and was immediately inspired. Can you even believe how beautiful her sleeping porch is? I too love the fact that she used a lot of what she had to make this work. It was the bed that really caught my attention, just look at all this comfy whiteness...

On a recent trip to Salvation Army I spotted an amazing bed. Sadly I passed on it... I hadn't thought about getting a new bed for our guest room until I revisited Maple and Magnolia the next day. When I saw the above picture, it hit me...that SA bed would be p.e.r.f.e.c.t! What's a girl to do? I hopped in my car and told myself that if the bed was still there, it was meant to be. Running through my mind was all the other great pieces I've turned down in the past only to go back to get them and find they were gone.

Well, halleluja...it was still there!

So, here it is...ready to be transformed. Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T02:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to you!

I'm joining Susan of Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to drop by for loads of inspiration!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

China - Autumn by Lenox
Crystal - Navarre by Lenox
Flatware - Ebay
Peacock Chargers - ZGallerie
Bobeche with crystals - antique
Round/Blue Christmas Ornament - antique
Peacock Centerpiece - local decor shop

Christmas Trees...

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-06:00

doodles & blooms

I'm really interested in all the Christmas trees out there in Blogland. What kind do you have? How many do you have?

I've been to homes on tour that had a tree in every room, differently decorated. It was amazing.

I've seen Charlie Brown trees,

reindeer trees, tall tree, skinny trees, wide trees, and flocked trees. I think they are all beautiful!

Tis the season, right?

I have two trees...one that is holding my angel ornament collection the other that hold everything else. Mostly it's where the annual shot of my children are hung. It's so much fun to see and remember them at those stages. Since they are older, there is quite a collection. I've also added "just for fun" ornaments...they always make me smile too.

Let me know about your Christmas trees!

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Wrapping Up...

2011-12-19T17:44:00.000-06:00

Are you "wrapping-up" your Christmas buying? I am too, almost finished but I wanted to stop for a minute and show you a really neat idea. I found it on Pinterest at this site.
All you need is a brown paper lunch sack, jute, and your cover.

Quick, Easy, Neat.

I found the "Joy" at Graphics Fairy and printed out the size I needed. With a dip in really strong coffee, the paper was exactly the aged looked needed.

See...easy and very cute!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Merry Christmas!

I'm such a cry baby...

2011-12-18T18:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, I admit it, I'm very tenderhearted.

I cry at the drop of a hat, really.

I tear up when I'm holding babies, or while listening to beautiful music,

or during movies {yep, even some commercials.}

I get teary-eyed when my college aged son texts me or my married son calls "just because."

I get misty-eyed while listening to my mother play the organ at church or

my husband belting out in his amazing tenor voice.

Are you getting the picture?

Is anyone else like this out there in blogland?

If so, I thought I'd share a really great waterproof eye makeup.

It stays on through all my teary-eye sessions - no kidding.

Today was a true test:

my husband and I sing in our church choir and the music today was beautiful and powerful.

When the orchestra played and the organist pulled out all the stops...well...the tears just begin falling - uncontrollably.

I'll bet I teared up through 8 songs.

I had visions of black streamers running down my face and of this striped face projected on the large screen monitors. ugh...was this waterproof makeup working? I sure hoped so.

After the first service I checked the mirror backstage and thankfully my new acquisition worked...

no streaks, no black stripes, no puffy eyes.

Now, I don't have advertisers on my blog, but if I did, I would definitely promote Mally products. They are amazing! Truly, they do NOT come off until you take them off.

And it comes off easily with regular face cleanser!

Really!

Guess where I accidentally found these amazing products?

QVC.

You know...that famous place that has everything you "need" and never knew you did?

So after a really long day

and

as I sit typing this post,

my makeup is still on and looks good as new.

Really!

If you happen to try it, let me know what you think.

As for me? I'm sold.

{I have the eyeshadow, liner, and mascara.}

Winter Whites...

2011-11-27T13:23:00.001-06:00

Love monochromatic decorating with beauties like these...

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.