I've been just a little quiet....

But with very good reason!! Not only did we move into a new home this year, (YES!!) have to undergo a bit of reconstruction in our living room - because of water damage, had some fun decorating our new home (though I don't feel anywhere NEAR settled yet... with time..)

Just a couple of my wintery touches... ;) 

 BUT our family has had a HUGE surprise!! Something I never expected to happen...

Yes!!! I am expecting!!!! I am in the second trimester, and though morning sickness wasn't too bad, I'm happy to be feeling much better and to be getting some energy back!!

At 19 weeks this past Thursday, I'm finally starting to "pop" a bit and am enjoying my little bump! ;) I have felt a few little flutters, but am excited to really start feeling my little one!!

It was such a surprise to find out that The Lord has sent our next little one to us this way! We were starting to discuss getting geared up for the next adoption! ;) (I had been feeling a bit of "baby fever.") And while we thought we'd wait til our active, very busy toddler was just a tad bit older, God has other plans, and His plans are perfect!! (Even though this Matron of Honor is due just two days before her dear sister's wedding!! YES! God does have quite the sense of humor!!) ;)

So, just a little "catch up" post on my blog... And I've got a few book reviews to catch up on as well. ;) I've been a bit remiss on a couple of my programs and I don't want to be disqualified. It takes me a while to get through a book these days for some strange reason!! :P

Happy Graduation!!

to Lauren!

This past weekend we went to visit Mark's family and to celebrate Lauren's graduation. The graduation was very special. (It gets very personal when you are the only one in your class. Yay, homeschooling!) :)

Funny... the only group family pictures we got had a cow in them!

Lauren and Dustin both work at their local Chick-fil-a. :) The cow made a surprise (for Lauren) visit.

Lauren had quite a special ride to and from the graduation! (Thanks to a special gentleman in their church for sharing!) :)

The next day, we girls got some fun shopping in. Here we are on Sunday, stylin' our new outfits!

We also enjoyed time with the other family that is visiting. :)

10 second inspiration

Ok. So maybe execution of said inspiration took a little longer than ten seconds... And add to that writing the blog post.... :)

I was admiring some of the mantles over at Nesters. I'm not sure why that brought on the inspiration, because this has nothing to do with my mantle! except that I suddenly remembered this picture:

It belonged to my grandmother (My dad's mom). I'm glad I snagged it because when my inspiration struck, I realized that it would look great in our bedroom! (and a lot better on a wall than in the drawer...)

So here it hangs...

There were actually a couple of other places I thought about hanging it within this arrangement, but this seemed the best fit, and filled it out a little at the bottom.

Here's the before:


Fun, huh? What inspiration has struck you this week? :)

Finished Room Thursday + A Giveaway!

Yes! The office is officially de-cluttered (not counting drawers ahem...)



Now, I know this room won't be in a magazine anytime soon. :) It's not someplace that I have really decorated. (Actually, I'm hoping someday to do a complete remodel... replacing the love seat with a rocker and the desk for a baby bed.) But since that isn't right now, it's nice to have a less cluttered place to spend time. :)

Remember what it looked like before?

Whew. I must say, having so much of that stuff put away properly is very freeing. And it really spurs my creativity. and it's energizing! hmm... what's next?

And I must tell you that this makes it all worth it:

(Posted with approval.) :)

And that you all for your encouragement!! As a thank you, I am having a little giveaway!

I have an extra copy of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I bought it to read a while back, and then this version came out. (You may remember me sharing a similar version of Pride and Prejudice.) I am enjoying reading Sense and Sensibility for the first time!

The copy above that I am giving away isn't fancy, but it's a new book. If you would like it, please say so in your comment. I will draw one name of a person that comments in that way, and drop it in the mail to you. :) I will draw the winner on Monday evening.

Day Three:

The yarn monster...

...has been vanquished!!


Whew! This bag is supposed to be a works in progress bag, but I ended up stashing so many things in there that it took over! It's much better now! :)

So I'm pretty much finished... I still need to go through that basket on the floor.

I also have this pile in the hall that needs to go to that needs to be sorted to different places:


Thanks for all the encouragement. oh, and for letting me share my clutter. I hope it didn't scare you too much! :) Blogging my progress really did help me get things cleaned up. (Although... we won't talk about the drawers - those are for a later time!)

Come back tomorrow for the overall "after" picture! :)

Day Two:

Whew... once I got started today, I just about couldn't stop! Thank you all for your encouragement. I really was thinking, "I've got to blog this..." I did a lot more than I had planned today!

First off, here is a larger view of what the office looked like before:






And a closer look at my corner:

Coffee mug check, coupons check, hair stuff check, candy check, knitting needles check...
And the after shots:
I started at the bookshelf.


Worked at the printer and ironing board area...

That tray is one of my best organizing tips. The mail, especially sale ads for the week, usually ended up on the printer. So when we needed to print, we moved the piles to the ironing board, and when we needed to iron, back the piles went! :) So I found the tray at a thrift shop and put it to good use! There isn't much in it now. I did put our paper there, rather than have it wrinkle sitting upright in the shelf below. The box with the cords is Mark's project... I'm going to let him deal with it. :)

Now the biggest difference!


Whew! I feel so much better!! Everything tends to gather there - my own little drop off. I do still have a basket by the lamp, but it's better to keep things contained, and I will try not to let my stuff outgrow the basket. Oh, and tomorrow I am going through the basket on the floor at right. We don't need another clutter gatherer at the moment, and that is the only purpose it is serving! :)

Up next:
The battle against the yarn that is trying to take over the world!!

Brutal Honesty

...brutal for me that is.

I like many bloggers, try to put up a good front. I stage and crop my photos to give the best possible view. I want my blog to be full of pretty pictures and enjoyable to look at.

Unfortunately, my home, like most, tends to get a bit cluttered. *ahem* I have been working on getting more clutter free. I've been sticking a few things in a donation box, and trashing a few things and generally trying to make my home look better.

Saturday, my big project was our bedroom. I've come to realize more that our bedroom should be one of the last places to get cluttered. So I dug in. I didn't take any "before" pictures, so you'll just have to use your imagination. Here is my official clutter free zone:

(No, the blanket on the bed doesn't match, but I'm keeping it real here! It's warm and my grandma made it for me.) :)

This area below is my main struggle to keep neat. It ends up being the drop zone - especially for clothes. No more! (And I've made it through a Sunday basically clutter free - it's one of my hardest days to keep clutter free.)


This is the newest furniture in the bedroom. Mark finally has an official nightstand! :) I got it for a song at a garage sale! Now all it needs is a good coat of spray paint...



So now we come to this week...

My project this week is our office. This is the room we basically live in - the computers live in here. :) I won't slam you with the whole room today. Believe me, it's scary! I am going to get an area done each day, and I'll report here. You all will be my accountability group. :)

So here's today's project... Before:

I know, scary huh? So much stuff, and dust bunnies so big I had to name them. I named them all "Fred" just to save time. :) (Oh, and sorry for the blurry picture... I wasn't going to mess it all up again just to get a clear one!)

And After:

Yes, there are a few piles still... but it is an office after all, and there needs to be a few working piles. Just so they don't take over.

And I feel better! Come back tomorrow for the next installment. (I know you are all waiting with baited breath!)
Happy Monday!

A little decorating...

I've been doing a little here and there to our guest bedroom. I still want to get it painted in the near future, but I've been more focused on other projects at the moment. :)

The theme of this room is a cross between gardening and nature. These pictures were my inspiration. It was love at first sight when I saw them.

The rack on the left was a gift from my sweet mother-in-law. The top holds a bird's next that I found in my yard - it had fallen from the tree - and some neat looking plastic eggs. She also gave me this awesome galvanized watering can.

Last month I found some little watering can figurines by my (new) favorite artist - less than a dollar for both!!

Can you find Peter in the picture below?
He looks quite at home in my little garden room, provided Mr. McGregor isn't anywhere around! :)

(Hint: On the bed, peeking out!)

The room is coming together! The next steps should be paint and curtains. I'm not in a big hurry, though. :) Thanks for coming on the little tour of my guest bedroom! Drop in again to visit!

For more great show and tells, visit Kelli's blog! :)

Sanctuary on a Shoestring - Just a little green!

I wanted to join in with Company Girl Coffee this weekend. The small thing for yesterday was to share a tip on saving money. I thought I would share my tip here for my readers as well as Company Girls. :)

I am not big into "saving the earth" stuff, I feel that God has put the earth here for our use. However, I feel that we are stewards of our resources and should take care of the earth as we can. I do like to reduce the amount of plastic in our home, especially when it comes to bags from the store. That's why I have started using the bags below for the bulk of my grocery shopping.

So where does the tip come in? :) The grocery stores I do most of my shopping at (a chain owned by a local family) for the last couple of months or so, pay 5 cents for every shopping bag I reuse... eventually the bags will pay for themselves! Yesterday, as I finished at the checkout, I received a free bag with my over $25.00 purchase! (It's the new green one on top!) :) Oh, and I really enjoy using these, they are a lot neater and easier to carry than little plastic ones, and you can fit more in them.

Speaking of bags... I do like to get plastic shopping bags occasionally ... white ones, like at Wally World. I use them to line all our small trash cans like in bathrooms. I don't buy small can liners! :)

Thanks to those of you that gave your opinion on the Swiffer last week. I did buy the starter kit - with my coupon (another great way to save $$$) I only spent around $15 - $16 for it. I will be saving money on the pads by knitting some like these, or even using a microfiber cloth as Brittany suggested.

I hope everyone has happy Saturday... It's laundry, cooking and cleaning for me! Our church starts revival services tomorrow, next week will be a busy one!

Blessings!
Charity

Monday Meanderings

Happy Monday, everyone! :) I am trying to start my Monday off on the right foot. I have a list (almost) a mile long that I would like to get done today.

I don't always write to-do lists, but I do find that when I do, I tend to get more done, or at least feel a greater sense of accomplishment. (And the pretty paper helps too!) :)

Mom and I got some great deals at Hobby Lobby on Friday. Here is one:I've had my eyes on this duck for months! You can't help but smile when you see her! Maybe I should name her! Any suggestions? :)

Here is part of my little mint patch. A sprig of this is wonderful in a glass of iced tea! The perfect way to cool off on a summer day! Come on over and share some with me!

I've already crossed a few things off of my to-do list as you can see. One was to sweep the front porch. The entrance to a home is important and the first thing a person sees when visiting. I love looking at the entrances to other homes and comparing how welcoming they are. It doesn't take a lot of effort to make a welcoming entrance. (Another blogger, Lady Lydia, has some tips for improving your entrance. While you are there, do a little looking around. Her articles are great inspiration for Keepers at Home, I especially liked the most recent one. If only I had read it when we were first married, but it still applies.)

Another thing on my to-do list was to write another Time to Bloom post. Ripples and Wildflowers is now up for your reading pleasure, and for food for thought. :) I would love to hear more of your thoughts on the topic.

Well, that's all of my meanderings for now... I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Blessings!

Around the house...

Today was a beautiful sunny day and I spent most of it at home! :) I enjoy having those days in which I don't have to go anywhere. As I was watering my rose bush, I came across this:

Isn't that such an intricate web? I guess it's a regular garden spider, but I've never seen a web like this one. I don't mind spiders in general, as long as they are not too large and NOT in my house! :) (and not poisonous)

As for the bush, no blooms yet this year. I don't think it really likes its location. However, it has sent up a couple of new sprouts from the base. Maybe I should relocate it. Probably in a temporary pot until it is happy again. The clay that it is in is very hard - probably discourages blossoming.

Anyway... the tour moves on! :) My family gave us this pot of periwinkles for our anniversary. I just love getting plants! I hope they stay as happy and perky as they are right now!

Speaking of happy flowers, these guys make me happy! :) My favorite colors!

I have four of these lantana plants, I can't wait until they are taller than the monkey grass and you can actually see them from the road! :)

And lastly, my front porch. There are more flowers than you can see easily, they are small. I have several pink trailing verbena plants as well, again, hidden by the monkey grass.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour and the initial picture didn't scare you too badly! :) I hope every one is having a wonderful week and first few days of June! This year is just flying by! I can't believe it is almost halfway over. Stay tuned for a fun tutorial later this week. :)

Blessings!

Show and Tell: Cherries

I haven't done a Friday Show and Tell for a while. I have been wanting to "Show and Tell" some of my cherry collection. So here it is!

First a little arrangement in my dining room. This little part of the counter kind of juts out into a little nook. Melissa sent me this beautiful cherry picture recently, her mom was gracious to deliver it! ;) The lamp is a gift from my mother-in-law shortly before we were married. (She finds the neatest things!) The black and white picture is of my grandparents shortly before they were married. My grandmother worked at the local drugstore where the picture was taken.

I took this picture before the above one and decided it needed a little extra touch. I love what a difference just the little bit of ivy made!

This is a teapot and cream/sugar set I got for my birthday several year ago from Mom and Dad. The cake plate was my grandmother's.

I love Mary Engelbreit! She has so many cute cherry things! Here is a teacup/saucer and little soap that are M.E. The coke salt/pepper shakers are a gift from my aunt and uncle several years ago. And the coke candle was my grandmother's - she added the cherries to the top! :)

To see other show and tells click the picture below: