Yes, it's 3 in the morning... please pray

There are some things that keep you up thinking... and internet searching... and praying.

There are things that have you on your face... praying.  

This is one of those things.

Please pray for us.

Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

1 Kings 8:28

A Week in Winter

Today, as I was watching my four year old daughter run around in her knickers at my in-laws house, I sat reading Maeve Binchy's last novel, A Week in Winter. I've been reading it solemnly because I feel like there will be a huge void in my life without Ms. Binchy writing ME new novels.

There isn't a time that I haven't walked into a thrift shop and not searched for Maeve's books.  It will be somehow different.  Somehow less exciting.

I ended up buying this book on eBay since it is hard to find.  And I really, really wanted to read it.  So far it's as amazing as any of her other stories have been.

I truly cannot even describe the feelings that Maeve's novels have provided me.  It's like coming home while being as far away from home as you can imagine.  It's like falling in love with people that you've never even met... because they actually only existed in this amazing story teller's mind.  But you can't quite admit to yourself that they aren't real people.  You want them to be real people and real places.  At least I do.

I love imagining the places where she allows us to escape to.  In this novel, she takes us to the Ireland countryside along the western shoreline.  In her book she describes the shoreline to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.  In my mind, I picture Highway 1, just south of Carmel, near Big Sur.

I have this image of a tall, slightly run down stone house where most of the story takes place.  It overlooks the ocean and is cold and unruly.  I checked google images and came up with a few, but nothing as awesome as the image that she allows me in my mind.

 It's like these... but much grander and on a lovely parcel of green overgrown land.

I'm only about a hundred pages in so far, but I feel like I've traveled the little road that leads to Stony Brook and I'm just longing to help spruce up the old stone house and the stone cottage that Rigger and Carmel live in.

But for now, I'll be happy enjoying the gorgeous view of my little cottage here in California.  Or at least its roof.

...... but I miss the anticipation of a new Maeve Binchy book.

My living room, In Progress!

So I decided to spend my Labor Day cleaning house.  The hubby's truck is in the shop so he had my car for the day (he had to work... on Labor Day!!!).  Not much else to do other than attempt to remedy the situation that has me stuck, right?

So that's just what I did.  My wonderful husband finished fixing a table that had been destined for the dump until he rescued it.  It had a decent size crack that he managed to fix with some wood glue and then he painted it white for me.  It turned out lovely!

That piece of furniture is what motivated me to do some rearranging and cleaning in the living room.  It looked so darn beautiful sitting there in the corner of the room while everything surrounding it looked all shabby (and not in a chic way).

I bought a lovely rug a few months back on Joss & Main which really brings the room together!  I was really hesitant about making the purchase online but I am delighted with the bright green wool rug!  I had sold our "old" rug on Craigslist just in time for this beauty to pop up on the site.

We were also lucky to come across a cute chair and sofa bed set on Craigslist for just $100.  I'm telling you, I love Craigslist!!!

So with a lot of muscle and a bit of elbow grease, I managed to rearrange and tidy up while the hubby was at work.  My daughter motivated me by commenting on how strong I was while I dragged a dresser down 3 small steps (that lead into the bedroom).  

I don't know why I didn't do this sooner!  It's amazing what a huge difference this made.  I still don't have a lot of horizontal surfaces to work with, but just changing the set up of the room made it feel so much more homey!  Our artwork and family photos are still in storage so the walls are still bare.  I don't really want to hang anything until I am more confident in where everything is staying.  In this small house, we won't have the luxury of moving things around so I'm pretty sure that the living room will be staying in this set up.  But who knows.  Once we get the corner bookshelves up, I may end up changing things a bit. This is the corner that is screaming for those bookshelves.

However, I did have my husband hang up the curtain rod and I hung up one of my Grandpa Matsu's wood carved paintings.   Much to my dismay, I'll have to wait to hang the curtains until I have some rings.  Our ceilings are low and taper down to 72" at the wall, so shower curtains ended up being the perfect length.  Of course I wanted them to be cotton so I spent quite a while searching eBay for the perfect panels.  Then I had to wait... and wait for another matching panel to go up for auction at a reasonable price.  The shower curtains have been stored away so I had completely forgotten that they needed rings or hooks to be hung!  Oh well, at least the rod is ready when I am!

But for now, I'm breathing in this room with a sense of relief (and possibly, a bit too much pride).  It's been 4 1/2 years since we've had all of our things out of boxes so we'll have to wait and see if we'll be unpacked before 5 years hits!

But for now, I feel good.  I feel less anxious.  I get anxious when there is clutter and chaos.  I don't feel anxious right now.  Praise God!

Long Time, No write

I haven't posted anything in an incredibly long time.  Honestly, there hasn't been anything interesting to write about.  My husband and I are extremely stretched right now so I haven't been able to do much of anything to  our little place.  Most of our stuff is still in storage because of a lack of furniture to put it on or in.  Our biggest dilemma is not having the book shelves that I so long for.  I have a lot of books and movies packed away that cannot be brought out until we get some shelving. I am picky about my shelving though.  I want them to be real wood so that I can have them for a long time.  My last three shelves were made of veneer and they warped and fell apart far too quickly under the weight of my books.

Ultimately, this is the look I'm going for in the living area, minus the desk.  And the ladder (which I adore, but...) which just wouldn't make sense in my tiny cottage with low ceilings.

Alas, I hunt for real wood shelves on craigslist and in thrift shops that could work in this formation.  We've come across a few that seemed like they might do the trick, but we just couldn't fork up the cash at the time.  I'm sure we'll find something when the timing is right.  In the meantime, I look around our little cottage that we've lived in for almost a year now and can't help but feel frustrated that it still looks like we just moved in.

Every day I have to fight my bitter feelings and give it to God.  I have to remind myself that a year ago we didn't even know where we were going to be living in a few months.

Sorry for the doom and gloom.  I get frustrated when it comes to my home.

I'll post a few photos soon so that you can see where I'm going with the colors and decor.  I've picked up a few things here and there that suit my taste.  The funny thing is that none of them are really where they're supposed to be (meaning, in the place where they are supposed to be in my mind's eye... the ultimate design of our cottage that is tucked away in my head).  Some of them are stored away in cardboard waiting to be framed and hung on the walls.  Some are on the wall on an old screw that was left by the former tenant.  Most are just packed away awaiting a flat surface to be placed on.

Anyways, it feels good to be typing.  Even if there isn't really a topic, per se.

It's been a while...

I've been pouting the past few months.  Pouting because I haven't been able to decorate our new house. Pouting because I haven't been able to garden.  Just plain pouting.  That's actually why I haven't been blogging.  I know, I know.  I'm a big baby.

But the sun has been shining lately and spring is just around the corner.  We've been tidying up and I feel so much better.  It's like a breath of fresh air.

I've been watching the tulips sprouting through the ground the past month or so.  

We're getting ready to plant seeds in our garden and we're looking 

for a swing set to put in for our daughter. 

Enough with the pouting already!

My sister's bathroom

Several months ago I mentioned that I would post some photos of my sister's bathroom once she was finished decorating, but I never got around to it.  Well, here are a few shots.  I thought I had another of the little furniture piece that she painted, but I guess not.  That will just have to wait til another post!

If you want more info on the towels and soap dispenser, see this post.

Merry Christmas to all... and Peanut Butter Bonbons

It is very early Christmas morning and I have not gone to sleep yet.  Busy making Peanut Butter Bonbons and playing Words with Friends with my mom and my sister.  Super busy.  ;)

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  This time of year is always so busy but the fact of the matter is that it truly is the most important celebration of our lives!  Christ is born!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

~John 3:16

I just adore all of the music and decorations that celebrate Christmas!  We didn't get to do much decorating this year because we still don't have any shelving nor much furniture, but we are learning (ok... I am) to be thankful through every phase of this transition.  I want the house to be completely adorable and ready for people to come visit but I think I am focusing too much on what I want than on what we have.  Thank you God for giving us this house of ours in which we can relax and celebrate your birthday!

Thank you for the late nights spent wrapping gifts (that I can afford to give) and for the even later nights spent making treats and making Christmas morning even more amazing for our little girl!

I thought I'd share the Bonbon recipe since I mentioned making them.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Bonbons


1 cup of chunky peanut butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 (6 oz.) bag of semi- sweet chocolate pieces (I just use a cup of chocolate chips)
2 Tbsp soft margarine
1 1/2 cups of raisins 
2 Tbsp shortening

Combine peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar, mixing well.  Stir in raisins.  Shape into small balls.  Melt chocolate with shortening over warm (not hot) water.  Dip balls into the chocolate.  Place on waxed paper until set.  Refrigerate.  

So simple yet so awesome!  I always omitt the raisins because I'm not a huge fan.

I remember the first time that I made these.  We were still living in Copperas Cove, Tx and we had some of my husband's fight team over.  Talk about needing to make more!  They weren't training for any fights at the time so they didn't need to watch their manly figures.  ;)

They're still in the fridge otherwise I would have tried and made a pretty arrangement for your drooling...  I mean, viewing pleasure.  They don't look so hot sitting on the waxed paper.  LOL!

I had better try and get some sleep now.  I need to be up in about 5 hours to head up to my sister's house.  Have a Merry Christmas!

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life,

 and this life is in his Son.

 ~1 John 5:11

Silent Night

December 14, 2012 is a day that we will all remember and mourn.  Twenty innocent children lost their lives in a tragic way.  Eight young boys and twelve young girls.  Six brave women who are heroes in all of our eyes.  

As stories unfold, I cannot fathom what the people of Newtown are experiencing.  The pain, the sorrow, the questions.  But one thing that strikes me is the constant talk of prayers and that they are with Jesus.

I find myself crying multiple times a day over this horrific tragedy.  At one point, as I was reading some more about the victims, I was sniffling and trying to hold back my emotions because my 3 year old daughter was sitting next to me.  I guess my muffled cries sounded like laughter and she looked up at me, smiling, and asked me, "Mommy, what's so funny on the computer?"  I had to smile at her through my tears and pretend that everything was just fine.  

All we can really do is pray for the families of everyone involved.  Pray for little Noah's twin sister, Arielle, who will certainly have a huge loss to overcome.  Pray that she never feels guilt for having survived when her best friend did not.  I will be praying for her.  A lot.  

Pray for all of the mommies and daddies of these beautiful little angels.  Pray for their grandmas and papas who must feel so broken.  Pray for all of the Sandy Hook students who will never be the same.  Pray for the counselors, Pastors, policemen, firefighters.  Pray for the husbands, boyfriends, and siblings of the beautifully brave women.  

Get on your knees and pray.  Newtown needs your prayer right now.  Fall on your face and pray for them.

Super deal on rugs!

I went to Kohls on Saturday night and was thrilled to come across an amazing deal on a few bathroom/kitchen mats that I've been in need of. Our house has been coming along quite slowly due to financial restrictions but we really needed a few rugs to help with warming up the floors and with decreasing the amount of dirt that was being tracked inside.  

I am quite picky when it comes to materials.  I really like natural fibers and am not a fan of "plastic" rugs that have come onto the scene in the form of indoor/outdoor rugs. I'm a hypocrite when I say this because we have a huge one sitting in our living room right now.  But in defense, I am rather looking forward to selling it on Craigslist and purchasing a nice wool one.

Anywhoooooooo, I grabbed a couple of these nice little woven mats by Eco-Brights and took them to the price scanner. I wasn't expecting them to be on sale because they weren't included on the little "sale" pricing screen.  So you can imagine my surprise when they popped up clearanced out at $2.99!  I wanted to cry.  I did have to fan myself off though.  I immediately sent photos of them to my sister but the snob (JK Diana) didn't feel the colors worked in her place.  Luckily they'll work in mine!

I ended up getting 4 of them.  The colors are a little off in the photos but what can you expect from a cell phone, huh?  They ended up coming to $2.39 since I had a 20% off coupon.  Not too shabby for a girl on a budget, huh?

I love them because they really hide the dirt (until I get to wash them... weekly, of course)!  They also remind me of my Grandma, which is always a good thing.

I got a larger one that wasn't on clearance but it was originally $90 and I only paid $28 for it.  It's now warming up my kitchen floor.  It's a lovely teal with bright green stripes.  One of these days I'll be ready to post more photos of the place.  It's just a slow (yet praiseworthy) process right now.

HALLELUJAH for our trials! (It's not always easy for me to remember to praise God through these things, but it's wonderful to have friends who are there to remind us that "decorating a house" is not much of a trial.  Wisely said.)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, -James 1:2


Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 4:6-7

November Moon

Tonight after church I was standing at my car with my dear friend and we were mesmerized by the beautiful moon peeking between these patches of clouds.  They were almost in a circular pattern that hugged the moon.  It was spectacular.  Of course I had to try and take some photos but they were horrible.  Taking photos of the moon requires a lot more from a camera than what my old cell phone can handle.

Luckily when I got home tonight my husband had been looking at a very similar sky and snapped some of his own.  It doesn't have the same patches of clouds that I saw but they are really beautiful photos.  Thanks Patrick!

It reminds me of that prayer, "I see the moon and the moon sees me.  God bless the moon and God bless me."

On our way home from my sister's house today my daughter had asked me who made the moon.  It was such a sweet question.  Of course she went on for a while with, "Who made bad wolves?"  and "Who made mean doggies?"  But we'll pretend for now that she only asked who made the moon... because it's quite fitting for this post.

God bless and good night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fun Fall Pinterest Ideas!

I just love this time of year.  I think I actually say that about every new season every single year, but I really love the coziness of Fall.  I also love decorating in the deep hues of the changing palette of nature.  It doesn't look like I'll get around to it this year (we're still living out of boxes, much to my chagrin).  But I thought I'd post a few of my favorite Fall Pinterest ideas.  Have fun!

I found this cute photo and loved the look right off the bat.  Unfortunately the link went to some jewelry website so I'm not sure whom to give credit to.

This adorable front porch was designed by Laura over at Finding Home.  She brilliantly re-purposed that awesome log holder out of what believes may have been an old propane tank holder!

Good old Martha Stewart!  I love, love, love the little pumpkins used as votive candle holders!

This felt leaf garland is simply too cool!  If I had my bookshelves up already I would totally make this and drape them all across!  I'm not sure who this is by either (let me know if it's you!).

These vases are simply filled with water and twigs and floating candles!  Great idea Julie!  

Courtney over at A Diamond in the Stuff has a post on really creative mantel/ shelf ideas.  One of my favorites is this Thanksgiving themed cutie!

It wouldn't be complete without something from Better Homes and Gardens!

This is an awesome idea for a nice smelling candle straight from nature!  It's a video, so make sure you watch it!

Last but not least is another natural room scent.  The idea comes from Monica over at The Yummy Life.  All natural, all wonderful!  They would make an awesome hostess or Christmas present as well!

Happy Fall!!!

I voted and painted today

I won't post much on politics here.  I am not one for debates.  But none-the-less, voting is important and so many people have devoted their lives or even lost their lives for our right to vote.  The good ol' US of A is a country founded on freedom and we should respect the Founding Fathers who drafted the Constitution!  

***

I spent the afternoon cleaning, sanding and priming our dresser.  I got in 2 coats of primer and was racing to finish before the sun went down.  This daylight savings is crazy when it comes to 3:45 sundown!  The sun wasn't completely gone for another hour so I was able to get in a few touch ups.  Hopefully I'll be able to complete the turquoise coats tomorrow.  We'll see how it goes! 

 We really, really need that dresser done.  We have baskets of laundry lying around with no where to go.  If I haven't mentioned before, we had to downsize our closet size drastically.  Our house is in shambles so getting these projects completed is vital to my sanity.  I cannot stand disorganization.  It makes me anxious and somewhat angry.  I find it quite humorous (ok, that's not how I would put it if I weren't on a public forum) that I ended up marrying a man who is the opposite of tidy.  He's like five 3 year olds enclosed in a room without supervision.  Except he can cause more turmoil in less time.  Yeah, he's like that.

Annnnnnnnyways, here is a teaser of the dresser's current primed state!