Labor Day 2013

Happy Labor Day!

This holiday, the first Monday in September 

celebrating the economic and social contributions of workers,

began in 1894.

It's been a longstanding tradition for barbeques and family gatherings 

as well as an official end to summer vacations.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful day!

See you Wednesday with a Fall tablescape!

Thought for the Day....It's a New Year!

I'm beginning a new post series...Thought for the Day.

It comes from my study of the Bible and things I'd like to share.

I hope you will follow along each Friday.

I know...it's not January...

but I was a teacher for a long time and as each August rolled around,

it always felt like a new year;

new students

 new routines

new schedules

new friends.

I was reading my devotion this week and the verse of the day was:

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

The message in the devotion was, "... that each day God gives us a new beginning. Because of Jesus'death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and we have a shiny new day before us.  This day is special - it will never come again. This day gives us another chance to praise and glorify God in all we do and say."

And...if you don't feel like rejoicing today, talk to God about it and I'll bet He'll give you a reason 

because 

He loves you.

Have a blessed weekend!

The above devotion is from "Living: The Gospel Life: daily devotions for Christians on a mission". You can learn more from: livingthe gospellife.com or 1-800-325-9414

My Bible is the Life Application Study Bible, New International Version (NIV) printed by Zonderan

Click here for more information.

Fiesta!

A few weeks ago, we took a couple days off and stayed at a friends cabin down by the water. 

It's a wonderful place...quiet and comfy with all the necessities of home.

I was planning on working on a few projects and didn't plan on much more,

until I took a second look at these dishes:

Fiestaware!
I've known about these dishes for a while, seen them around,
but truthfully, I just haven't given them much thought.
However, during the quiet, relaxing time by the water, I took a second look,
a good long look.
And I was smitten!
They have a good weight, classic simple lines,
and they're made in the USA!

Just look at these colors:

So, if one was to purchase a set of dishes, ahem, how in the world would one be able to choose?
Would one base their decision on these cute, cute pitchers?

Hm...I just don't know...that would still be a hard decision!
I'm kinda liking that yellow one, or the coral one, or the blue one.
Oh, good grief!

 Well, I did finally pick out my favorites,
want to know which ones?
I loved the soft yellow and the bright peacock blue,
well, and the coral ones too.
And the blue...
now that I'm thinking about it,
they would match perfectly with another set that I have.
hm...
Well, thankfully, I was able to use all of them, mix them or match them for a few days.
Adding colorful napkins and cute polka dot glasses we dined in style!
A HUGE thank you to our special friends for a restful and colorful few days down by the bay.
We love you guys!


I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday
and
Kathleen over at Cuisine Kathleen for her Let's Dish.

Little Dresses

My husband and I raised two boys so everything in our home was boy, boy, boy.

Needless to say, when I saw these precious little dresses, I was hooked!

Isn't it the cutest?

If you have little girls in your world, 

you've probably seen these or even made them for your little ones.

But for me, they were something new.

Now for the neat part...

guess what they are made from?

pillowcases

Yes! Pillowcases.

These little dresses are easy to make, you only need a few materials:

pillowcase

seam binding

elastic

thread

and of course:

scissors

sewing machine

The pattern and directions are from Nancy's Notions, you can find it here.

Her directions are very easy to follow...and the sewing is basic.

Once I made the first one...I wanted to make another. 

And after I got the hang of it, it only took me about 30 minutes per dress!

The possibilities are endless!

I think they are so sweet and perfect for warm summer days.

However, I'll bet a little blouse or t-shirt would be cute underneath on cooler days as well!

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

Be sure to drop by for loads of inspiration!

Now, what am I going to do with the dresses I've made?

Glad you asked!

At the top of Nancy's Notions pattern (link above) it mentions an organization called:

Little Dresses for Africa founded by Rachel O'Neill.

It is a non-profit organization that sends these dresses to little girls in need. 

They mainly are sent to regions of Africa, 

however they are also sent to needy children here in the states.

For loads of information, see Rachel's site here.

And by the way, they also have Britches for Boys!

You can find that pattern here.

Home Tour - Laundry Room

Hi all...today is the final part of our tour.

It's also one of my favorite rooms because it's a cozy place to be when "working".

It's the Laundry Room.

I know, that sounds really weird.

But...the laundry room in my previous home was a matchbox. 

Walk to it and back out.

So when we were planning this space, I wanted to make sure it was a usable space.

This is probably my favorite shot.

I love all the storage...and unlike the kitchen, this storage is being used.

It's great for tall items like vacuums, mops, and brooms.

This shot is actually from the far wall...but I think it gives a good perspective.

To the left is the entrance to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms and kitchen.

To the right is the door to the exterior.

Having a sink has already proven to be invaluable. 

It's great when our puppy has muddy feet or when you just need to hand wash items.

The farm sink has a front apron which is also comfortable when working.

If I could change one thing, it would be to add a sprayer. 

It's amazing how much you miss it when you are used to having one.

The washer and dryer were brought from our previous home.  

They are fine for now, although they are probably not the most efficient machines.

The cabinets above make detergent and cleaning materials easy to access.

The opposite wall stores our freezer. 

This storage isn't completely filled, however it does a great job holding miscellaneous things

like trash bags, dog food, and my husbands "drop off" point.

One of my favorite parts about this room is its easy maintenance.

The flooring is actually "Old Chicago" brick...similar in color and texture to the rest of the brick in the home. However, the brick company recommended it over the exterior/wall brick due to it's durability. 

Apparently it's stronger and can take "walking on" better than the other.

Who knew?

Anyway, it's super easy to maintain...just wet mop or vacuum.

Thanks so much for following along on the "finished" product.

"Finished"...ha...we all know that isn't really true.

It will be fun to compare these pic to ones taken later to see things that have changed.

If you have any questions about anything mentioned in the tour or about our experience, just let me know in the comments or my email.

I'll be glad to share!

Summer time...

Our weather has cooled a bit and early in the morning, you can sometimes feel cool breezes mixed in with the warm breezes,

is fall on it way?

Not sure but I must admit, I'm a bit ready for cooler weather.

However, 

the calendar says that it's still summer, 

so I thought I'd put together one last table with a warm, summer theme.

It all started at Big Lots. My sister and I were shopping there and she found these plates.

She loves anything sea related, so these babies caught her eye.

The colors were so unusual,

so when she asked if I wanted them, I had to think twice.

But then,

the wheels started turning and before we knew it,

we had a table in mind.

We added a few things here and there, it was so much fun!

Enjoy!

I hope you had a very happy summer!

In case you are interested:

Seahorse Dishes: Big Lots (they're plastic!)

Square Plates: Target

Napkins: World Market (neutral), vintage (coral)

Flatware: Tuesday Morning

Glassware: Mexico (via Goodwill)

Centerpiece: 

    blue bottle - Pier 1

    basket - thriftd

    candlesticks - Gardenridge

    candles - made from beeswax - Oregon

    seashells - Sanibel

    ponytail plant

    red coral (plastic aquarium ornament - see post here)

I'm joining Kathleen over at Cuisine Kathleen for her Let's Dish 

and 

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday.

Be sure to drop by for loads of inspiration!

This Little Light of Mine

Welcome to another week of transformations!

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

Metamorphosis Monday.

Drop by for loads of inspiration!

My husband and I rescued this light from the trash....

yes,

the trash.

Now, I've never rescued anything from the side of the road before, 

but,

after finding this beauty, 

I'm keeping my eyes open for treasures being tossed!

This big guy was complete with wiring, glass panels, and even light bulbs...

yes...all in working order.

Just look at all that personality!

And I had the perfect spot, ready for a bit of illumination.

Although first it needed a good cleaning,

a couple coats of silver paint, 

and a really strong bracket to hold it in place...it's really heavy.

So here it is in its new home,

my master bath.

It really casts a warm glow in the room.

And during the day, it's pretty to look at and

I think it adds so much to the general character of our home.

As an added plus, the painted finish matches really well with the other "purchased" fixtures.

It was a great find and even better for the budget!

Thanks for dropping by.

See you soon for a summer tablescape!