Random catch up

I was checking blogs like I do every day and realized it has been a month since I blogged. Whew..where did January go? Now it's the middle of February already...crazy!

We are anxiously awaiting Ian's arrival. The nursery is ready and Mom and Dad are eager to see their little one. Grandparents have bags packed, ready to travel at a moment's notice.

I received two g'parent gifts recently. One is a handmade hooded bath towel from a friend in Dallas. The other is a silver picture frame with places for photos of birth, 3, 6, 9, and 12 month photos from a friend at church.

In other news, parents have had some illnesses this winter, kids have encountered decisions to be made, we have prayed for all of these.

Our church is engaged in a study course, Forty Days of Community. It is a challenging book designed to foster love within the church that is so poweful that it spills over into community action.

I attended GED graduation this past Saturday. One of my students' mom hugged me and said she wanted to meet the teacher who got her son to do what she couldn't...finish his GED. He's around his late 30's now. I was so proud of our group. They really worked hard. I have another group testing soon.

Arbonne has lots of new products out in the RE9, About Face, and Figure 8 lines. Check it out at www.arbonne.com

I recently discovered my computer is too slow to run the latest software update. Oh my!

I faithfully read various blogs so keep blogging people! I'll try to do better on my end. :)

Ian and the most important women in his young life

This is Great-Grandma Thompson, Grandma Proffitt, Karen & Ian, Grandma Dickinson, and Great-Grandma Pullen.

We all can't wait to meet Ian in a few weeks and love on him.

Nifty find

This table was part of a neat set I found on the bottom shelf in Lowe's this week. The 3-pc set was a great price. I wanted the lamps for my house, and we ladies at church needed a table in the upstairs bathroom (a place to put our Bible, you know).

So I bought the set, broke it up so to speak, took the table to church and put the lamps in my house. Everyone's happy! (And, no, the lamps didn't need to go to church with the table b/c there's no electrical outlet for them....)

More redecorating....

Someone recently asked me if I had re-decorated every time I changed residences. The answer is, "Sort of."

We bought furniture when moving into larger places, sold furniture when downsizing, and replaced furniture when it was worn out (by cats or kids or guests). We went through the mauves of the 1980's, went darker with navy in the 1990's, and now have added even more color in our current abode.

Accessories came and went , too. There were the days of the homemade crafts hung on the walls, and yes, I even have a paint-by-number with nostalgic attachments hung in the same room as my daughter's incredible art. I've had the floral swags for a good while and I'm ready to ditch those dust catchers. I've had hideous cowboy art (but, thank goodness, no velvet paintings) and some cheesy posters along with beautiful photography done by hub.

Over the years, I've refined, added, subtracted, and arrived at a beautiful home where we and our guests are comfortable. Lovely but livable. Restful but colorful. A reflection of my sensibilities, indeed. You feel welcome here.

Even after 30+ years of marriage, there's still re-decorating to be done. It never ends, young ones. :) I'd like to replace the floor coverings in this house, complete the exterior landscaping, and replace the dining room furniture. Perhaps those projects will be for next year! :)

New Year, New Kitchen

I spent the first week of the new year re-doing my kitchen thanks to friends Vicki and Leanna. Leanna just bought a house (her first) and is busily re-doing it to her liking. What fun I've had doing that so many times! Vicki has a gorgeous kitchen which I would love to imitate (which is the sincerest form of flattery, right?) Anyway, with their inspiration, I tackled the job.

This beige and white kitchen came with this house. I immediately added the wallpaper border (with hub's help) and a few French accessories. I hated the beige countertops. I loved the white cabinets (like I've had in several houses). I have a white refrigerator. I have almond dishwasher and stove. Yuk! yuk! YUK!

I thought I'd love to have a dark granite countertop, but the money is outrageous. So Vicki showed me how easy it is to stain the cabinets which is what I did this week. A little stain, a lot of work, new knobs and ceiling fan....voila! new kitchen!! And guess what...the almond countertops don't look so bad any more now that everything goes together (with the exception, of course, of my white refrigerator and microwave ..sigh! )
Thank you, friends, for the inspiration!

Deck the Halls

Well, Christmas is right around the corner. It's coming early for our family on Dec. 22.
The decorations are done, the gifts are wrapped, the groceries selected, the menu planned.

Hurry, Christmas!

Goofy in Love

yes, that's my son looking goofy at a kiss from his wife....ah, love! It can make a grown man melt!