Finished Object Friday

Welcome back to Finished Object Friday! :) Today I just have a small project to share, but it makes me smile! A while back I posted about a little spray painting project... well, here it is:

The red candlestick on the table. You may remember it was one of my bargains... although it didn't look so great before:

I sanded the rough spots off and gave it a couple coats of cherry red paint - the same paint I used for my lamp. It looks soo much better and I love the curves and shape. Now I just need to figure out how I want to use it... any suggestions? :)

Now it's your turn! I can't wait to see what y'all have done. :) If you are new to FOF, check out the guidelines. Happy Friday, everyone!

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Christmas Gifts for Dummies! Quilted Tree skirt. . . finally finished. Pumpkin Shirt

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My confession....

Ok, I must confess... I know confession is good for the soul! (It also makes for great blogging material! *ahem* On with the confession!)

My confession is that I've been rereading once again! Why do I have this habit? Shouldn't once around be good enough.

Well, not really. There is always something else to catch the second time around, or third, or fourth...

What is it THIS time? Well, in the spirit of a complete confession:

But not just Anne of Green Gables! Oh, no! When I get in, I get in deep. I'm rereading the whole series! There is something about Anne that just feels like fall to me. I'm not sure why... perhaps it is pictures like this:

So sweet! But pictures aside (besides the movies aren't the books - they never are!) here are some of the things I have enjoyed:

I love Anne of Green Gables: "watching" Anne grow up, the girl's writing club, and her friendship with Mrs. Allen.

I love Anne of Avonlea: meeting Davy and Dora and Mr. Harrison (and Ginger, the parrot) and who could forget Lavendar Lewis and Charlotta the Fouth? the Avonlea Village Improvement Society and the bright blue town hall.

However, my favorite book is probably Anne of the Island: I love Patty's Place and Gog and Magog (the guardian dog statues), Rusty the cat, Phillipa Gordon, Miss Patty and her niece "ceasing not to knit," and of course the ending.

I'm currently reading Anne of Windy Poplars. I love Rebecca Dew and Spooks Lane. I'm finally starting to like the Pringles. Elizabeth is a sweet little character, longing for Tomorrow to finally come. and maybe I'll even like Katherine Brook... but I haven't got that far yet.

I love the themes of love and family: the lasting friendship between Anne and Diana, Anne (finally) discovering what true love is in Gilbert, and the care Matthew and Marilla have for a homely orphan girl.

One of my favorite quotes:

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." (Anne of Avonlea)

L. M. Montgomery certainly had a way with words and with creating characters! She created a person that is so real to many. I think there is a little bit of Anne in all of us.

I am enjoying the series immensely the third (or fourth) time around. If you haven't read the books, I hope you pick one up soon! The movies are nice, but the second jumbles all the stories together, and you don't want to get me started on the third - I don't have any idea where it came from!

What rereading have you done recently?
Do you have a favorite part of the books that I didn't mention?

The story of the pumpkins

This past August I decided to plant some pumpkin seeds. They sprouted nicely, you may remember, next to the cantaloupe. I didn't have to worry about punkaloupes, because neither of them bore much fruit. ( I did get a couple of tiny cantaloupe, but the vines died...)

A couple of weeks ago, while doing my grocery shopping, I got an idea. I bought a couple of smallish (baking) pumpkins, and when I got home quietly "planted" them among my pumpkin vines.

... and waited the next day until Mark went outside to mow the lawn. I ran to the side window and watched. He walked over to the pumpkins and looked, and looked, then bent down and lifted the pumpkin to look at the stem. Then grinned real big, and lifted the other pumpkin. He then turned to see me peeking out the window. :) We both had a jolly laugh over it, and had a few giggles since then. :)

Then the pumpkins went on to decorate my front porch.

...during which time, the pumpkin above mysteriously walked over to decorate my bird bath. (I think a few of the little munchkins that ride scooters around the neighborhood had a little to do with that!)

One of the other (more practical) reasons I bought those pumpkins, as well as planting the seeds, was to try my hand at making my own pumpkin puree. Pioneer Woman posted a tutorial last fall and as canned pumpkin seems to be a little scarce this year, I decided to try it.

All that scraping is hard work! I did get my puree finally...

(sorry for the blurry picture)

However, might I recommend canned pumpkin while it is to be had... It is nice to know that I can puree a pumpkin if need be, but it's also nice when it is in a can! :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a pumpkin pie in the oven...

Really! See?

Sunday Blessing

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Refrain:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
For that great, great love of Thine,
Peace on earth and joy of heaven:


from For the Beauty of the Earth
by Folliott S. Pierpoint

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Whew... I've had a fairly busy week. I'm sure all of you have as well. I took the butterfly picture on Monday afternoon. That little guy enjoyed posing evidently! :) My windows are all finally back in place as of Saturday! (Thanks to hubby for his help!) You all are right... I am enjoying the nice clean view! :) I hope each of you has a wonderful Sunday!

But the windows ARE clean!

Today was a beautiful day. So beautiful in fact, that I had the urge to do some special cleaning. I washed my dining room windows. (Yes, just the windows in ONE room...just keep reading...) The fact is, our windows aren't simple, you know, wash the inside then the outside. Oh, no. They are double, and not those easy fold out ones. These are the ones with three frames to take out before you can clean the outside of the inside frames. (got that??) :)

The windows ARE clean, though!

They are clean here:

and here:

(Screen outside)

and here:

(The back frame should be at the very top - won't go because the outside frame is warped - how? Great question! I don't know either.)

Eventually maybe all my windows will be back in their proper places. And I am reminded why, yet again, I have vowed not to wash any more windows and to hire a pro. The house should have come with a warning label: "Warning! Windows to be washed only by professionals! Your personal sanity is at stake!" :)

Happy Window washing!! (And hope you week is off to a great start!) :)

The Well-Behaved Child

If you are like me, you have probably noticed many children who are out of control. Example: the wailing child in the grocery store! I’ve wondered myself what are the best ways to prevent such outbursts. I recently finished reading The Well-behaved Child by John Rosemond. In the book, Mr. Rosemond outlines Biblical basics for effective discipline and gives several methods of discipline. He begins by establishing what effective discipline is and why it works. He helps parents understand why children misbehave and how they, as parents, can prevent common misbehaviors. The middle part of the book gives several common misbehaviors and specific methods of dealing with them. In the last chapter, Mr. Rosemond describes several ways to have a strong family life that results in better behaved children.

I really enjoyed reading Mr. Rosemond’s book. His timely words of advice are well seasoned with humor. His methods of discipline are reminiscent of older times. His principles of discipline just make sense. Examples: Using what he calls Alpha speech – being brief and to the point when giving commands; the parent as the leader and expecting obedience; and the agony principle – forcing the child to suffer for his decisions, instead of parents agonizing for him. His approach may seem rather strong at first, but I think often parents are too fearful of damaging their children’s egos. There is just so much good in this book, I can’t stuff it all into one short review. I encourage you to read it for yourself!


This review is done for the Thomas Nelson Book review blogger program. I am really excited about doing this. The only thing I get in exchange for the review is the book.

Sunday Blessing

Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.

Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus Who died,
And is now gone above.

All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins,
And hath cleansed every stain.


from Revive Us Again
by William Mackay

Saturday Happenings

It's been a busy day around the house for me today. Fun too! Yesterday I bought several fall flowers to perk up my porch and walkway.

Earlier this week, I worked up my main flowerbed and got rid of the flowers that refused to bloom. :) I planted lots of perky pansies this morning! :)

I also have a fun spray paint project in the works:

(I'm getting a few runs in my paint... maybe I need a few lessons from the spray paint pro.) :)

I also have some stew bubbling in the pot - it's for tomorrow's dinner. :)


I hope you are having a great Saturday as well! :)

Finished Object Friday

Once again, it's time for Finished Object Friday! The last couple of weeks have been busy for me, but I have made time for a little sewing! My adopted grandma, April, had a birthday at the beginning of the month and I made her an apron. (The apron was a little late, though, but hopefully worth the wait!) :)

(sorry the picture is a little dark, it wasn't the best day for pictures.) :)

I've had this fabric for a while. I bought it especially for her. :) It is soo cheerful! It was fun to make up. I like the way the pocket turned out:

I gave it to her when we had our potluck last Sunday. I also gave another belated gift, to a special little girl. It fits her just perfectly... I was worried that she would have to grow into it.

Funny story. When she first opened it, she thought it was a diaper bag because her mommy uses the one I made her for a diaper bag. Here is Gracey's "You made me a diaper bag?!?!" espression - it's priceless!

Silly girl! I explained that it was a tote bag for her goodies or for her violin books. She was happy then. :)

So what have you been up to recently? I sew SO enjoy the projects you share! Link up below! :) (MckLinky worked well last time, so I'll give it another go... I think I'm liking it really well!) :) Happy Friday!

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Head Scarves for Little Girls Another Pumpkin Project! My finally finished Bathroom.

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Chari Tree Chat

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was quite busy... I just wanted to share some of the highlights. :)

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I hope you have taken time to tell your pastor (and his wife) how much you appreciate all that they do! We celebrated our pastor and his wife this Sunday. We gave them their gifts Sunday morning in church and then had a pot luck at my parent's home for Sunday dinner. Part of my contribution was decorating the cake.

Here they are posing with their cake. :)

It was my first time making the frosting from scratch (the colored frosting - not the chocolate.) It was yummy frosting! :) I enjoy decorating cakes, but unfortunately it is something I can't do often - my wrist isn't up to it.

This was another of my favorite highlights from this weekend:

I haven't rocked Faithie to sleep in church since over a year ago. I thought she had outgrown napping on Sunday morning. (I have rocked her some when I babysit them, she loves my chair and her blanket.)

Speaking of the girls, they are growing up so fast!

and this little one is now walking all over the place. She is so proud to be able to (almost) keep up with big sisters! :)

I hope you are all having a great week!

Sunday Blessing

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

from And Can It Be?
by Charles Wesley

Neither wind nor rain...

shall stay these thrifters from a great deal!! :)

Mom, Angie and I went thrifting yesterday. The local Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary hosts a great sale about twice a year. We went to the "presale" yesterday - in the middle of a rainstorm. The sale is in two different buildings, and the best part is the "Garage Sale" building - where we got most of our deals! Here are some of mine:

The great thing about the garage sale is that they really keep the prices low. I got all those games for a dollar each or less.

I picked up some knitting items. You can't have too many circulars. I also rescued some dishcloths! (I saw them at the last sale, and later wished I would have picked them up. 25 cents for both!) :)

I bought a pretty yellow tablecloth, cozy cream throw, and an old battenburg lace tablecloth that I may use for curtains in my spare bedroom.

I love this... the are some old opera glasses that fold into the case. (You can see it closed in the top picture.)

And I found this cute picture. It looks brand new! Just perfect for the spare bedroom!

And I love this glassware. The one on the left looks perfect to hold a bird's nest!

I don't know about you, but THIS is my kind of shopping! :)

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

What I've been up to...

Mark and I got back yesterday evening from a fun little weekend trip. We went to San Antonio and surrounding areas for a few days. We enjoy taking mini vacations, just to get away for a few days. We enjoyed seeing things and tasting different foods.

We drove around San Antonio a bit on the first day, saw the Alamo, Mission Conception, and the Bexar County Courthouse. (Mark and I have a goal of someday visiting all the courthouses in Texas - there are 254 counties, so it may take us a little while!) :)

There are several old missions around San Antonio, in fact there is a Mission Trail. Several of these missions were moved from East Texas because of hostilities with the Indians and the French. The most picturesque and best preserved is Conception, unfortunately we were unable to go inside the mission because they are in the process of restoration.

Saturday we visited Fredricksburg. We toured part of the National Museum of the Pacific War and did a little shopping downtown. Sunday we visited Max Lucado's church and heard him preach, then just rested. Monday we headed back after stopping at Krispie Kreme's (I had never been in one.) I enjoyed watching them make the doughnuts.

It was soo much fun hanging out with my hubby and best friend! If you would like to see more pictures, click here to see the album.

And we have a winner...

Drawing the name...

And the winner is.....


Are you ready???

Maresa!!!

Congrats, Maresa! Hope you enjoy the bag! (Email me so I can get it out to you: charitree (at) gmail (dot) com) :)

It's been fun having another giveaway... I may have to do more soon. Honestly, I was about as excited as some of you would have been when Mark drew the name! :) It's been fun, but don't forget to check out my Etsy shop... I'll be adding some more things soon!

Last Chance!

Today is the last day for my giveaway!! To enter, leave a comment on the giveaway post. The cut off time for entries is tonight at midnight (central time).

Sunday Blessing

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

from When I Survey
by Isaac Watts

Finished Object Friday

I made this bag:

for this precious little freckled girl who turned five last week!

The bag is a little big for a five year old, but it is perfect for her violin music to take to lessons, and she will be able to grow into it. :)

(Due to a variety of circumstances, I haven't given it to her yet...but she doesn't read my blog, so I think we are safe!) :)

Here's the rest of her gift:

Yes, I am going to try to help train the next generation of knitters! :) She has been interested in knitting for a while. (Did you see her first project?) The other day I asked her if she still wanted to learn to knit and she said, "Yeah!" Later she asked Angie, "Is knitting fun?" :) Well, I hope her Aunt Chari can make it fun! (The recommended age for the needles is 8, but this child is very dexterous with great fine motor skills... we'll see how it goes!)

So it's time for another Finished Object Friday. Our first one for October - anyone else shocked that it is October already?? Christmas is just around the corner! I can't wait to see what all you crafty people have been up to! If you're new to FOF, find out more here.

**Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway, if you haven't already! It officially ends Monday night! :)**

I am trying a new link system! I think it will be easier for me to manage - it seems much more user friendly. I've been meaning to make the switch for a while, and am finally doing it! Let me know what you think.

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Tract Holders Kid Prints Go Beachy Chic! Vintage Hoop Tote

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