Just another Manic Monday!

Happy Monday! Im ready to show you my finished project window hanging thingy that i posted pic of Friday but first i wanted to show you that even I have and know how to work a glue gun.... Meet Tiny Tim.... and yes my lil glue gun has a name! simple lampshade i had with leftover accent ribbon and chandalier crystal (hard to see in pic,,, sorry) but anyhoo I heated up Tiny Tim and clued that ribbon right on.

Taa Daa!!! After Pic.......

Here is my new and revamped Old window message station. My hubby taught me how to use the drill last night... Oh watch out I'm armed and loaded now! as you can see i updated the paint color to a Taupe color, added Chalkboard contact paper to the panes of glass i wanted.... I added some cute goodwill pedestal bowls to the holes Mr. Brad put in for flower pots.... staple gunned some hanging ribbon in Chocolate brown and a pattern that corridinates. as you can see i clipped clothes pins decorated with ribbon and chip board so that we can clip bills, school papers, notes, etc... up to the board. and yes this is the lamp you saw the quick update to the shade above. I plan on using the bowls for chalk and such... the moss ball i made myself and i have them everywhere in my house along with the cool numbers.... my oldest daughter's friend was here last evening and she was like "mrs. Lauren whats with all the numbers around the house? It's like they are following me or something, everywhere I turn there is another number..." HAHAHA I could only think about when Eve said that was.... the episode of sesame street where the numbers chased the monster! anyone remember that one? LOL

so anyways here is my finished message station. Thank you Susan for the awesome window. and i think i should give you some Waverly Curtains in exchange and to show my gratitude (note the chalkboard word in my pic) Have a great Manic Monday and to show Im a Manic Monday type person Im off to see The Duggar Family from TLC at my church tonight. yes Im a crazy person!

man im feeling Imperfect today

my new centerpiece for a really boring area above my entertainment center. i took a wire basket thingy, old mail, some moss balls and tied it all up with vintage measuring tape (which i got free from a sweet old man at a yard sale... the perks of smiling at the elderly)... and ouilla!
Imperfection couldnt be lovelier.... thanks nester for the quote.

so many projects, so little time!

Today I decided to start my project list!

This particular project has high expectations and "oh my do i hope i do you proud Susan Hammond!"

This window was given to me by one of my most favorite thrifty friends! Her wonderful husband crafted this ledge/pot hot holder and attached it too an old window. ( thank you MR. Brad!)

I will post the finished project as soon as it is hung in place in my Nest.... it's new home.... Thank you Susan. You can check out Susan's awesome blog at.....

http://thehammondfamily.wordpress.com/

More goodies....

Please friends dont be jealous of my great treasures. :) I am going to tell you where i got them. now you locals can stop on by to my new favorite weekend retreat. Its on Middlebranch past Easton before Diamond Rd. Slow down, be quick, or you might drive right on by the "home sweet home". No really thats its name! It's my needle in a haystack find (thank you Lisa for such an invigorating find). This wonderful store is only open on Fridays and Sat. from 9-4....

Please stop in a pay the lovely owners your patronage!

Cool swirly birds!!!

Ok I thought I had it all untill i found this cool website. Now i know that there is more I need to make my home complete. and that is some swirly birds ( i love) and a really cool bicycle

friends i have to tell you about a neat wall art website i ran across today( lewas desins)... as if I had nothing else to be doing but jumping around checking out others decorating blogs.......... i saw this and thought i would share it with you. the website is http://www.lewasdesigns.com and i love the birds that she has created!!! check her out. also the one i am going to purchase is the awesome Bicycle wall art shown going down a stair case. check out her Blog and website Now! did i say yet that i love the swirly birds?

just some more pics of our thomas train day.

A day spent with Tommy!

what a fun day we had at Boston Mills with our really good friends and the boys! we got to ride on the real "Tommy" as Trent would say! Man did we have some fun memories.... the boys getting their first tattoos, seeing a really creepy looking Sir Topham Hat, Trent throwing a huge fit because he was not able to actually get on the train tracks, Charlie's nose picking on the train (classic) and finally ended up our amazing day eating lunch at "Linking Wizard".... Wink wink!

"Enter all and I will give you rest"

PART 2

STARTING TO LOOK LIKE MY VISION. ... THE END OF DAY ONE. SAT. MAY 9 2009... JUST NEED A STONE PATHWAY....

COURTYARD MAKEOVER ,Happy Mothers day present to me, PART 1

BEFORE AND DURING........

My Yard Sale Treasures

One Man's trash is my Bliss!!!

so I'm on my way to run an errand and I get totally distracted by a Yard sale sign down the road from me....my two smallest children screaming in the back seat" yes a yard sale mommy turn the car around" ( so proud to be their mom, I have taught them well). off the beaten path we went. Here is a snap shot or two of what i found. then I will tell you how much I paid.....

OK ready for the final price for my bounty? ("I'm ready, I'm ready" -spongebob)

$5.00!!!!!!!!

-yes, for all of it! I paid - .50 cents for the old chair( one of my many new redo projects in the future. -$1.00 for the antique chandelier (see close up shot... gorgeous and perfect for my old house!)

I also paid only .50 cents again for the wire basket/planter.

and my son got his own jeep (just like his Poppi (my daddy) I paid more than i wanted to but hey i got the power wheels minus battery for only $2.

Man i am not a patient girl by nature. but the more the holy spirit has led me to be more patient, the blessing sure have flown. I say this because I'm a instant gratification type. It has been so gratifying to yard sale and goodwill hunting to have this lesson taught to me. I have been able to find most of what I want for my house and what my kids want without giving into the debt trap to provide it for them.

I love to see how a little lesson in patience has created so much Bliss in my manor!!

Spring sprung again

Here is some more spring inspriration for ya! and my Audrey filling up the birdfeeder. one of her jobs. which she loves!

I really was thinking this morning How wonderful life really is. I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of everything from the school pickup line to "what to make for supper" that I forget myself and the " growth" I earn for as a christian. I recently picked up my passion for decorating or well I should say "re- Decorating" again. When I say redecorating i mean i take something that i love even if its ugly and re-purpose it. I give it new life. I compare my passion of giving a treasure that may be trash to someone else new life, just like my life before and after christ.

My new project is our courtyard. I have an old bench, and a few other odds and ins that are getting "re-decorated" for the courtyard. I still need a lot of mulch and a lot of plants but I promise to post pics of my work in progress soon. I hope these days never end.

Spring has sprung!

Well it is finally Spring In Dreary Canton Ohio! and I couldnt be happier! Last time i sat down to write there was snow on the ground. Ok so now that you know im such a procrastinator, i will tell ya im so excited to see the flowers starting to bloom and the buds on my tress getting bigger by the day. I m so happy to wake up to birds,lots of birds, singing. It just makes me so happy. I feel like spring is God's way of saying " see you can make it through another gloomy winter".and Make it I did! Here I would like to share my springtime photos of my home.

(Top to bottom)

-part of my front yard
-my lovely birdbath that my kids got me last year for mothers day. and appropritley a dove sitting on the edge.
-hyacinths that I had no idea i even had! :)
-oh oh oh my cherry blossom blooming~!

The Dining Room Table

I was thinking how people always say "the Kitchen is the heart of the home". I disagree. In our home it's the Dining Room. The dining table is a vehicle for so much more than a blessed meal to eat. It is where crafts are created and messy projects are done. It's where books are read by Mimi. It is a make shift office for my very business - Like daddy when they visist. It has been the center piece for so,so, so many birthday parties and gatherings. It has been the back drop for many nights of friends, families, board games and sometimes Too much Wine. (Good Times) This table has been surrounded by love,tears,laughter,shared stories, secrets keeped,heartache spilled out, surprises, and so much encouragement. We never set "just enough" place settings. There is always a few extra "adopted family members" running through the house. This table is where many bible lessons and life lessons have been taught. But still It is so much more. It is a ministry to my family, our guests, myself.The Bible says "where two or more are gathered in my name, I AM there also". How cool is that to think that Christ is always at our Table. and to know that christ is there at my table... that makes my Dining Room Truly the Heart of our Home!
I look forward to these times and memories that will continue to flow through my dining room with friends and love ones. I ask you blogger friends and family "what room is the heart of your home "?and Can you see Christ hanging around in there with you?

More snowing and Mowing

Ok all you people in the South I never want to hear you complain about your weather again unless it's like a Hurricane or something!!!! We have like Sub-zero temperatures, our poor fireplaces and Furnaces are working way too much over time and our Utility bills are going to put us all out on the streets! But my kids still insist on going out to play and Im not going to complain about fresh air for the kidos. Trent has never really been old enough to go out to enjoy the snow before and he absolutley loved it! I think he may have thought that his lawn mower magically turns into a snow blower when you can't seee the grass! Amazingly he stayed out side with daddy to play for a good half hour. and seriously have you seen the news... it's Cold out there! I also took the chance for some photo opps of some things in my yard that I thought was kinda neat that I will be able to look back on and remember this day exactly how it was. I was thinking in all this snow about sin and how even thru the ugly God's Grace covers us like snow. -PURE- White snow. So I challenged myself to think about the Grace in the snow even when the roads and pathways are so slickery and not so "Gracefull" ! (Kinda like my life)

Before as my Thrift store bargins: a bowl, some sugared glitter pears, and an old wooden cheese ball plate and dome.



After new life for old things! all for under $5. Gotta love thrifting! I was so excitd about my find that I share it!

Quotes

Here are some quotes I came across in my many pieces of paper that I thought was worth noting.
(two of these people were Homeschooled... take a guess which two?)


- " I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work."
-Thomas Edison


"Life is a great Canvas; throw all the paint at it that you can."
-Danny Kaye


"If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want."
-Anonymous


"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
-Albert Einstein

The Great Binky Bereavement

Ignore the baby turtle and focus on the annoying binky! Ok so it has been like weeks since Trent has had his binky "magically disappear" and today out of the blue he is throwing a huge king sized fit. Audrey comes running through the house like a wonderful big sister should do and proceeds to tell me that "Trent wants his binky and I told him I will go get him one". I told her no way we dont have any more. she says "yeah huh mama, they are on top of the fridge"! OMG what now I'm lying to a almost 5 year old? Man again I ask myself why do kids know more than we do? If you are wondering if I gave into the Binky fight.... I held strong.(and moved the binkys to the trash can!) Trent is mourning his binky with a very cute pouty face.

Sign of great Things.

my parents sent this picture of Winston Churchill to me and look at the resemblance. Winston Churhill reincarnated (I dont believe in reincarnation but lack of a better word) . I wonder what is in that head of his? I firmly believe that God has great things in store for this lil man.

Stomach Flu Mess... Yuck!

Ok this weekend we got hit with the stomach flu. How is it that it's always like a chain reaction? One throws up and you just have a gut feeling (no pun intended) there will be more to come just not sure which one it will be.Who will be next? So needless to say the washin machine was in overtime with sheets, blankets, pillowcases,towels, etc. luckily when mom got sick ("what!!!? a mom CAn't get sick!) daddy was home to take care of me... What a man. I just am pondering today why it seems that some catch the bug and some do not,but we live in the same home and breath the same air. And as I was pondering this question I thought "why is it I always end up being one of the ones who is sick"?

Maybe I need some kind of "Super MAMA Vitamin". I will say however the perk of being sick was that I got to stay on the couch yesterday and watch my favorite football team (Pittsburgh) kill the Chargers uninterrupted!!! Can I have a Holla from my Pittsburgh Followers?!!!

Baby It's Cold Outside

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Okay first off I should explain the pictures.... cause there is always a story behind the obvious in this house. starting with the queen bee instigater : She is cold but she is the one who started the whole riot of "Mama, Mama, we want to play in the snow. mama, mama can we can we prety please oh pleassssseeeeee! Mama!!!" so after a search and rescue mission for hats, boots , gloves, etc. they have set out for the snow. The top right picture is of the view from our deck of the back yard. what a tranquil sight? It is so quiet, and calm untill I hear the girls down in the lower yard yelling "snowball fight". Awww the tranquility is over! our dog Sebastian loves loves loves the snow! he loves to roll around till he is covered in it. I think he thinks he is in the movie Snow Dogs. Now Audrey has been telling me for over a week" Mom I really need to make a ssnow angel because I'm an angel"... so today she got her wish! then like a goofball took her gloves off and froze her hands up.and that was then end to Audrey.s snow day.

As you can see Olivia and MacKezie made their own ramp to go down. They said "this is the best ride ever"! Trent and I stayed in where it is warm and cozy. The kids had enough of the snow ans came inside tied (woohoo) and ready for some of mama's Hot chocolate. I love Snow days because it's God's way of blessing you with free entertainment. As I end this blog this morning I think that Everyone should have a snowday and take a moment to listen to the snow Angels!

this is what happens when you do laundry!!

The Mess.......
















The Culprit!!! Busted!!!