Thankful Thursday #2

As I glance out the window, I see clouds and remnants of lots of rain! A cold front has found its way down here. I am wearing sweater turtleneck as I type! (Yes, I am cold natured!) What a difference from just a few days ago.


I am participating in Thankful Thursday over at Truth 4 the Journey. Join us there as we share things in our lives that we are thankful for. See my sidebar for the button to take you there!



1) I am thankful that the boys have no school for the next two days due to fall break! No carpool! (I'm a little selfish here!)


2) I am thankful that my entire family has had the flu shot.


3) I am thankful that Child #2 is on a church retreat to the beach. He needs some down time, He's carrying a tough load this junior year--AP classes galore!


4) I am thankful for my friend, Robin, who is going to ride a 1000 (yes, thousand!!!!!) miles to raise awareness for cancer research. She leaves on Sunday--I will be there to see the team off, will take pictures and have a website for tracking and praying!! These people are amazing!


5) I am thankful for all of the prayers for my Mama! Y'all are so sweet! She goes back to the surgeon in the morning for results from the biopsy and to have stitches removed. Please continue to pray for Mama Lib! Thank you! Update (10/16/09): Talked to my parents who just got home from the doctor. The biopsy showed cancer but in a very limited area. She caught it quickly with the self-examination. They were given 3 options. One is to do nothing. Two is to simply have chemo. Three is to be aggressive, have the breast removed and take 4-6 weeks of radiation. They are leaning toward #3 as am I! Please continue to keep them both in your prayers. We are all very much at peace and know that God is in control. :)

6) ---I added one more!! I am thankful that I have my very first photo shoot on Saturday with an adorable 20 moth old in a pumpkin patch! I am thankful that God is providing opened doors for this passion of mine to photograph others. He provides beautiful people and things to photograph....I can't go wrong as long as I stay focused on Him.

Sweet Blessings!

Procrastination is My Middle Name

I love the Proverbs 31 woman--it's a love/hate relationship actually! "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks...." I am not really being that vigorous this morning in tackling my to-do list. My arms are really not strong at the moment either--I just took a body pump class at the gym, and my arms feel like wet noodles! Don't ask me to do another bicep curl or push up, please ma'am! Those of us who have studied Proverbs know that chapter 31 is talking about wisdom--not a REAL LIVE woman. So, have I thought about completing my lists? Yes, I have. Have I thought about finishing the window treatments in the study? Yes, but I have run out of $$ to purchase the darlin' rods that I think would jazz it up! So, I wait. I procrastinate once again with a home project due to lack of funding!!

I did complete a project last week where I was amazed at how quickly it went! You too can do this one! I have read for months that the Nester makes window mistreatments. Instead of following a pattern, having the perfect lining, etc., she simply takes what she has and works with it. That's one of my decorating goals, y'all. It is a slow process...one that will take years!! But, last week, I gave her way a try. I have procrastinated for 3 years now in having window treatments in the playroom--which is now the "man room!" Lots of football, baseball, running and biking decor, a big old tv, a comfy couch and a universal REMOTE. What more could the men in my life need in this room?? (Maybe a cute little refrigerator for Gatorade and snacks! ) When I told them that I was going to make curtains--they don't have a clue as to what a window treatment is!--for the man room, they were not too excited like I had hoped! Silly Mama! But, I was pleased with the outcome of this simple, easy peasy, upholstery tacks, window treatment. It has pulled the room together. Take a look at these pictures.

Such cute--oopsy, I mean "cool" vintage baseball fabric from Martha's Fabrics. (That place is wonderful!)
Measure the length of the window and cut until your heart's content! I like the shorter version. I did--just had too!!--line the panel with white fabric. Lots of afternoon son in that room. I did not want sheers there.
Tack up each side where you want it. It droops in the middle. Then, take the middle and tack it up. Go to the left side and find a new middle that droops. Pull it up and insert a tack.
Now, continue this until you get the look that you want. My thumbs were about to fall off after doing all that tacking on two panels, but I survived! I believe that I used 6 tacks per panel.

Pretty cool, huh? I spent 9.00 on the cute fabric, 2.00 on the lining ( Wal-Mart), and 1.27 on the upholstery tacks (Hobby Lobby--I think!). So, Mama spent a whopping $12.27 to cutesy up this room where the majority of the occupants really don't care if the windows have fabric on them or not!! But, this was one project that I did finish quickly and no procrastination was involved once I finally gathered my materials!

So here is my question for you, my precious readers!! What is it that you procrastinate about? Do you know why? And, do you have the perfect solution??? I TRULY look forward to hearing your responses!!

Sweet Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

I decided to participate in Thankful Thursday on this gorgeous day! Unfortunately, the computer and I are not seeing eye to eye, and I am not able to post the cute little button onto this blog post! Sorry. I am thankful that y'all are ok with this and will overlook it!! You are great bloggyland friends!



Here are 5 things that I am thankful for today!



1) That even though Child number #2 is sick with a virus, he is feeling better, and it is not the flu!


2) For a wonderful husband who encourages me to follow my heart's desire and still keeps me grounded in Truth and what will work for our family.


3) For Wendy Blight, who encouraged me to be obedient after I heard a whisper from God to talk to a friend who is really struggling with her marriage. This was way out of my comfort zone!


4) For the ability to run even though I am in the early stages of plantar fascitis(spelling??)---I can't wear my cute shoes right now! But, I CAN run, and I give Him thanks!


5) That my precious 81 year old Mama is following up with an appointment with a surgeon this morning after noticing that a knot in her breast had changed its shape.


So, what are some things that you are thankful for today? If you want to join me over at Truth 4 the Journey, that would be great!


Sweet Blessings!

Cut and Paste Pillow

I did not fall off the face of the earth! I've been tooling around doing stuff! Fun stuff! Going fun places and meeting with fun people! I took some time away from the computer :).

Two months ago, I lucked up on a great Wednesday yard sale and found this cutie chair for $8.00. It has been sitting in my study (the room which is a work in progress) ever since then looking quite sad! My friend Teresa and I went fabric shopping and FINALLY found some fun fabric to work with my color scheme--which I have finally decided upon! Y'all, take a look at this green zebra print! I love it!! It's going to be in a corner of the room that does not get noticed until now! I have another recycled chair in black and white zebra on the far side of the room. They are far apart enough that they look pretty cool and do not clash!

The chair still is in need of paint--after patching up a slew of nail holes, I'll get around to it. But it is raining here, and painting in the rain is not my idea of fun!! So, I leave you with these photos to tell the story.

The original pillow has been tossed into the trash. It was filled with goose down and quite expensive 20 years ago! It now had a musty smell that simply would not go away. And, I couldn't wash the thing--I'd have feathers all in my washing machine! So, I created a new pillow. Y'all, it is SOoo easy to make a new pillow....promise! I bought fiberfill stuffing this morning and was ready. All I did was measure an 18x18 square and cut it out. I did not actually paste the fabric together, but you could always glue gun it if you wanted to! Then I pulled out my handy dandy sewing machine, blew the dust bunnies away and plugged her up! Being the talented seamstress that I am (I took home-ec in 8th grade and made a beautiful apron!), I decided to use my favorite stitch...the straight stitch!! Only four sides and I was done!! Stuff that baby and sew up the little opening and fluff it and you are done! Finished! Then, I redid the bottom of the chair in the same fabric. I love that ginormous stapler! The original faded pink and red roses was not looking too swift! Gone!! Green zebra stripes instead! Can't wait to see the look on Hubby's face when he sees this manly study turning into Runner Mom's study!!

That's one of my rainy day projects that I completed today! I am quite excited! I'm getting there, slowly but surely! If you want to see more cool do it yourself projects, hop over to Kimba's blog for DIY Tuesday. There are some really darlin' ideas out there! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Sweet Blessings!

Racing for a Cure

" I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!" 1 Timothy 4:7

What a busy weekend! I'm still recovering! Early Saturday morning, Hubby and I participated in our local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k. I ran with his company to help raise money to fight this disease. They hand out pink sheets that you can write the names of survivors or those who are resting in the arms of God after their long hard fight. I started my list, and the names kept coming! It is amazing to see how this cancer touches the hearts and lives of so many people.

One of the most powerful parts of this race was the Survivor March. Last year, we got to the race so late--due to lack of parking!--that I missed this. Y'all, they had the women in groups with signs designating those who had been cancer free for a year, 1-4 years, 5-9 years, etc. It touched my heart so that I just cried! Then, I recognized a precious lady from my church in the march! I had no idea that she'd had breast cancer. Talking to her Sunday, she said that she's been cancer free for 6 years. Wow! The picture at the top of the post shows a darlin' lady with her flowers that she received at the Survivor Breakfast. I love the scripture under the picture. Think about this. She has fought the battle of cancer. She finished the race of the chemo and radiation--the loss of hair, weight loss, and nausea. She kept the faith throughout, and she persevered. She beat the disease!

The middle one is yours truly and Hubby! And the last one makes me laugh! A Book Club decided to take it a step further. They adorned themselves in pink sequined dresses, red wigs, tiaras and hot pink boots and were asking people what you could do to detect breast cancer early on--self examination and a mammogram. I got a cool prize for being smart!! Ladies, if you have NEVER had a mammogram talk to your doctor and schedule one. They are not bad at all!! I promise! And it could save your life! Do it for your family! Do it for Runner Mom ! Do it for YOU!

The race was a great one. The competitive runners were first--yes, me!, then the fun runners, walkers, and dogs!! The dogs wore cute pink bandannas! Hubby and I finished and needed to get back home to start on the next leg of our long weekend adventure, so we left before awards. I checked last night to see where I came in. In my age group, I came in 4th. Not bad...then I looked at the lady who came in 2nd. It was not a lady, but a business man that we know!!! Somehow, they put him in the women's group--I'm sure he was NOT happy about that! Hmmm...if you move him to the men's division where he belonged, then the lady in third would have placed 2nd, and I would have come in 3rd. Not bad for a tough and hilly 5k! Oh well, I'm sure this guy looked cute wearing my hot pink medal!!

If you have the opportunity to participate in a Race for the Cure, PLEASE do! It is an amazing race to be a part of--whether you run, walk, or volunteer. Get involved!!

Sweet Blessings!

Surprise!

Don't you just LOVE surprises? Especially when they are delivered by a man in a brown truck? And YOUR name is on the box? Whoo-hoo!! I received a big'ol box the other day and did a little happy dance.

One of my readers, Amykat, sells a really cool product that hasn't made its way down here to SC--yet! She and I were chatting about this product and the next thing I knew, that precious little gal from Texas sent me a sampling of her wonderful product line. Have you ever heard of Scentsy? I had not, but now...it's another story! Y'all, this stuff is really cool! You have a beautiful electrical warmer/light that heats up these cute little scented bars of yummy smells! You simply heat the bar in this little dish that sits on top of the lamp. Then it melts, and a delightful aroma fills your home. My house is smellin' spruce and citrusy!

Now, the really neat thing about this is that when you want to change fragrances, you simply heat up what's in the bowl until it is liquid. Then, you pour what's left back into the original container. It hardens and reshapes itself into a block until you want to use it again. No waste!!! No smoke!! No burning down the house!! I really "heart" this stuff!

Check out Amy's blog and go over to her sidebar that has Scentsy on it. With Christmas coming, this would make a great gift for moms, sisters, friends, or yourself! Enjoy!!

I'm working on my fall fluffin' post! I still have out all of my summer fun decorations--it's still 87 degrees and extremely humid. It's hard to think cooler weather when you don't feel it! I did change out the front door wreath. One step at the time! Y'all have a great day!!

Sweet Blessings!

Tasty Tuesday--Apple Walnut Cake

Hey, y'all! I'm over at Jen's for Tasty Tuesday. When we celebrated the 4th of July, the sister of my friend Phebe made this FABULOUS apple cake! Delicious!! Since I had already stuffed myself with hamburgers and hotdogs and potato salad, etc., there wasn't much room left. But...it was amazing!

Since apples are finally in season--the prices are still sky high!--I wanted this recipe to share with my friends. So, here it is. I hope that y'all enjoy!!

Apple-Walnut Cake with Cider Sauce
(I made mine without cider sauce and made a few changes as I usually do when I bake a recipe. The following recipe is mine as I made it. I am including the cider sauce recipe although I did NOT use it.)

2 cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider ( I used apple cider vinegar - This gives it a unique flavor and texture along with the whole wheat flour)
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour ( I used 1 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 1/2 cup white)
2 large Granny Smith apples (3 1/2 cups), peeled, core and sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Cider Sauce
2 cups apple cider
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10 inch tube pan with removable tube insert with nonstick spray. (I use what ever pan I feel like using or whatever is available at the given time and coat it with shortening and flour)

2. Whisk sugar, oil, apple cider, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until blended.

3. Stir in flour until blended. Stir in apples and walnuts.

4. Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes. (I found the three different ovens in which I have baked this cake have varied in timing - shorter or longer. I recommended keeping your eye on it and test with a toothpick until it comes out clean. The change of ingredients I make also alters the baking time somewhat - especially the vinegar.)

5. Let cool in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Remove sides of pan. Cool completely before lifting cake off bottom of pan.

6. Cider Sauce: Whisk cider, brown sugar, cornstarch in a medium saucepan until blended. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Boil 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla; stir until butter melts. Let cool to warm or refrigerate until serving.


Sweet Blessings!