busy-ness and simplicity



December is going to be busy for us here at Waldenhouse.

I know, big deal.

Who isn't busy in December?

I don't particularly care to have every square on my calender filled.

But this year?

I'm not sweatin' it.

I'm going to do what I can.

Let go of what I can't.

I'm going to scale back my to-do list so that I can be with people.

I am not going to send out family Christmas cards this year.

I am going to Atlanta for a day, with my friend Caroline, to meet Pioneer Woman.

I am not going to dress a "perfect" Christmas tree.

I am going to hang Spinner's homemade garland around the tree.

I am not going to feel guilty about missing workout's.

I am going to spend a day in Asheville with dear husband.

And then I am going back to Asheville two days later with my mom and aunts.

And I am not going to worry about being away from the boys.

I am not going to worry about my home looking perfect for our annual Christmas party.

It is what it is.

I am going to let my boys be boys.

I am not going to worry about the unknowns in our life.

I am going to be thankful for all the knowns.

I am going to enjoy the season.

I am going to celebrate Christ.

Excellent


Great story!
(click on post title to read)

Experiments

I came home from a night out with friends to find this:

a tattered blue bowl filled with water containing a handful of angel
hair pasta, white rice, and a popsicle stick.

A sticky note was attached reading, "no toching ples. stil working on it."

Hmmm. . . .

DIY Lamp

In keeping with my mission to turn the things in my home that
I am not crazy about into things I am crazy about I have
done something I never thought I would do.
Use a glue gun.

This little lamp was my project. I have had it for years. It lights up a dark corner on my kitchen counters. It's the right size. The right brightness. The colors are okay. But it's just a little too. . . cutesy for me. So I grabbed some spray paint from the garage, some old burlap from the attic, and my new glue gun.

I painted it olive green and used some brown acrylic paint to add a little dimension to the flower. I took the burlap and glued it to the shade. I only burnt (burned ?) off two fingerprints in the process!

I think at some point I will add some chocolate brown trim to the shade but for now that detail will have to wait. The busyness of the holiday season begins tomorrow for us so the growing list of projects forming in my mind will be put on hold until January as I make way for holiday trimmings.


Until then I will enjoy the new look of my kitchen lamp. I will certainly be spending plenty of time in this area over the next several weeks!

Shopping the House

As a church planter J doesn't exactly rake in the big bucks.
I'm fine with that. Really I am. Except when I
come across the most fabulous piece
of furniture or home accessory from Anthropology. Or
Sundance. Or a myriad of "cottagy" on-line
stores I have stumbled across. Or great finds
from some of my favorite antique shops.
Home items are, hands down, my weakness.
It's only then that I wish we had a little
more cash flow. But we don't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, I have had to change the way I look at
cozying up our home. And you know
what? It's been fun. Slowly but surely I am learning
the art of "thrifting" along with using
what we have. And we have a lot. I don't like all
of it but I am getting creative in finding ways
to make changes to those things to make
them feel more like us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have been reading over the last few months
then you know how much I am loving
paint. Sprayed, rolled, brushed, distressed, all of it.
Paint really changes the look of old worn out
furniture and has made me fall in love with
pieces I have had for years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lately I have been looking around at my
walls. Some spots I am happy with. Others, not
so much. So today, with the rain coming down
in sheets I decided to shop the house
and make a change to one space that has
been bugging me for a while. I am pretty happy
with the results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I failed to take a before picture but for those of you that love the before and afters I have dug up an old photo that has the area in question in the background. Please disregard the quality of this photo and concentrate on the picture behind Tank. It's a lighthouse, next to an old wooden house with awooden canoe in front. In Maine I suppose. I have no idea why I own that picture. It doesn't really speak to me and fits no particular theme in my home. It had to go. And the table, it had a lamp, a few books and a clock on it. Blech.


So, I shopped the house. I found a tray. Two old plates.
And some wooden picture frames with outdated
photos that I have been too lazy to update.
And here are the results.

I got a whole new look with stuff just laying around.
Tucked in cabinets collecting dust. The frames were
all stacked in a box because our realtor thought
we had too many family photos around.
Now my items have new life and I can look at the
wall beneath my stairs without cringing.
So, go shop your house. You might be surprised
at what you can pull together to freshen up
your space.

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