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