A Lovely Gift

Each year when my birthday rolls around, my husband is somewhat distraught about what to give me.  (Just for the record, he always manages to pull off something very nice.)  This year, he managed to really hit the brownie points lottery – he made me a console table for my living room.  This item has been on my “would like to have this one day when you have the time to make it” list that sits in a drawer in the kitchen.  I have an oddly shaped living room due to a stone corner area, and that side of the living room looks rather odd.  I wanted a table to fit in that small space under my gallery wall (which is still unfinished).  You know, the kind of table that I can decorate and store a few little odds and ends out of sight. 

Since he was going to be on the other side of the country during my birthday, he got to work early and finished it before he left!  I got to paint it and glaze it (my favorite part) after he put it all together.  Seriously – how awesome is that?  He gets the “Best Husband Award” again.  I guess that makes it thirteen years running now. :)

Here he is priming the drawer fronts in the garage.

The table is ready to paint… My favorite part.

The table top is aspen coated with a golden oak stain.

The table is painted in Valspar Nightfall green (Winter 2012 collection) and glazed in Martha Stewart Black Coffee.  I absolutely love this table!  I put the drawer pulls on myself – pretty scary to think of messing up my beautiful table while trying to drill a hole in the drawer front!  Eeeeep!  However, it turned out beautifully and fits perfectly in that space between the doorway and the hearth area. 

It was definitely a happy birthday to me moment!  Thank you, Paul, for such a wonderful gift!  I love you!

What is your favorite birthday gift?

Baby Blanket

If you read my last post, you will recall the lovely windfall of yarn that I received.  Still so blessed by that!  Anyway, I couldn’t wait to start a project using some of those glorious fibers.  I picked out several skeins of the same soft-textured yarn.  I had six different colors, but not the same amount of each.  Undeterred, I began making granny squares.  This was my first group.  Those colors make me smile – so bright and cheery!

Let me insert here, that granny squares, while easy to make and great for scraps, are not my favorite things to make.  Why?  Because of all the joining you have to do to finish the project.  Ugh.  They do look so nice when they are done, though.  They are also great for when you have just a few minutes of time.  I like to take my bag while riding in the vehicle, sitting on the couch watching a movie, or even while the kids are doing seatwork.  Before you know it, you have a stack  of completed squares.

After using up all the yarn, I had an unequal number of squares of each color.  That meant that I had to put together a random arrangement of squares – not my best mad skill.  I really don’t do random things very well.  But after about 30 minutes, I had the squares arranged in a sufficiently random-yet-balanced way that was pleasing to the eye.  My eye, at least.

Then came the fun part – the joining of all those blocks.  This is where I really wanted to shove it all in a bin and forget about it.  Maybe bring it out for my grandkids to finish one day.  But I did not quit.  I steeled my nerve, and set to the task at hand with a vengeance.  Once I got started, it was not too bad, and it went rather quickly.  I used the single crochet joining method rather than slip stitching them all together.  I think it gives a little more definition to each block, as well as a bit of texture with the raised ridge.

After I finished all the joining, I went around the edge with  single crochet, then again with a shell stitch, giving it a lovely little scalloped edge.  I love shells on the edge of my blankets!  This is the finished product.

Project completed.  Happy me!  :)  Now I need to sell it…  Anyone need a baby blanket? 

My Valentine

On Valentine’s Day, our thoughts turn to love, romance, and chocolate… No exceptions here!  I am celebrating my 15th Valentine’s Day with my one and only Valentine!  Our first Valentine activity was during my senior year of college (some of you may remember that) at Ambassador Baptist College.  We were thrilled to (finally) attend this activity together.  Long story, if you don’t already know.  Here is a picture of the two of us that momentous day!

Now, fifteen years later, we again celebrate this special day for sweethearts.  We have grown and changed over the years, but inside we still carry the same love for one another.  Now, however, that love  is deeper and stronger, having been through many tests and challenges.  I am thankful for what God has given us.

“It is love that asks, that seeks, that finds, and that is faithful to what it finds.”   - Anonymous

Happy Valentine’s Day 2013!

The Jolly Lolly

My youngest child has a penchant for sweet things.  This is, I suppose, somewhat natural, but I think he has gone a little overboard in his love for sugary treats.  I try to moderate the intake of sweets and desserts in our home, because we all know that too much junk food is bad for you, right?

When Paul and I went to Charleston, we wanted to bring back something for each of our children.  We found a wooden cutlass for Josiah, and beaded bracelets for the girls, but nothing we saw seemed appropriate for Daniel.  That is, until we found a giant swirly lollipop!  I knew from the moment I saw it, that it would put a bigger smile on his face than any toy or trinket we could bring home.  So, I caved in and bought it…

His delight is quite obvious in the picture, even though I told him that he could not eat it all at once! :)

I really wonder how many licks it will take to eat the entire thing.  Has anyone ever finished an entire giant lollipop, or do they get tired of it and throw it away after a few weeks?  Just curious!

Happy Anniversary!

This weekend, my husband and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary—separately!  No, we aren’t fighting, and we don’t need marriage counseling (at least I don’t).  It just happened to work out that way this year.  So while I am sweating it out with the four children in Mississippi, Paul will be sweating it out in El Paso! :)

So many things have happened in these twelve years, and most of them good.  I will recount some of these for you here.

• 12 years of wedded bliss (the honeymoon doesn’t have to end)!
• 4 sweet children that live with us
• 1 precious baby who lives with Jesus
• 2 RVs
• 4 states of residence—WV, NC, IN, MS
• 1 mission house
• 1 rented mobile home
• 1 cute little house (which, by the way, we are hoping to finish the paperwork and complete the closing next week, HOORAY! That means we can purchase a house in the area where we now live!)
• 1 Dodge Ram 3500
• 2 years of part-time evangelism (while teaching at ABC)
• 10 years of full-time evangelism
• 300,000+ miles traveled in meetings
• 16,000+ pictures
• Hundreds of sermons—I don’t think I can even figure out how many! :)
• Hundreds of friends all over the world
• 2 mission trips
• Dozens of adventures
• Countless everyday blessings
• 1 thoughtful and funny husband
• 1 extremely happy wife

Like I said, just a sample of the good things…  I thank the Lord for the husband he has given me, and for the wonderful life we have had together so far.  I am looking forward to the next 68 years!  :)

Happy anniversary, Sweetheart!  I love you and I am so glad to be your wife!

My Choice

Sometimes things just do not go the way I think they should.  For instance, cars break down, people get sick, trips have to be canceled, plans changed, etc.  You get my drift…  It happens to everyone.  Why then, do I get so bent out of shape when it does happen?  Sometimes I find myself grumping around the house in a bad mood because things just didn’t go my way.  Thankfully, that is the exception rather than the rule, but when I do catch myself grousing about my “miserable circumstances,” I am generally ashamed of myself.
In many ways, your life is what you make of it.  If you dwell on the bad things, you will be unhappy.  If you think on those things which are pure, honest, lovely, of good report, etc, you will be happy. 
Too much of our time is clogged with feeling sorry for ourselves and wishing things were different.  It has been my goal to see the positive side of things as often as possible.  Sometimes that is very hard.  I do not consider myself to be an optimist – I am much too skeptical.  I consider myself to be more of a realist who accepts things as they come and tries to deal with them in a positive attitude.  So, when I saw this sign at Hobby Lobby, I knew I had to have it.  It totally encapsulates my philosophy.  I want my children to make it their philosophy as well, so I want to keep it highly visible in our home.  Hopefully, it will cut down on the whining.  I’m not holding my breath, though. :)

What a wonderful thought – we cannot control our circumstances, but we can control our outlook.  I want happiness – the joy of the Lord – to be my choice!