From somebody's trash to my treasure. I like to re-style & re-create what was once a cast off. Isn't that what Jesus does with us?


Sunday, January 29, 2012

Wonderful Surprises

Hello!
I get SO EXCITED when January is almost over!! That means that Spring is just that much closer!!! Anyone else long for the spring and warmer weather like that?
As if to brighten my winter days with a little warm hug, I received a wonderful email from Kimberly Taylor saying I had won the most beautiful and fabulous of surprise packages.
SQUEAL!! Of course I rallied my family around me at the computer just to show them it was true and to make sure I really was not just dreaming! More squeals!
For over a year I have longed for a ruffle pocket book. I've seen them all over the internet and wished I was as crafty as many of the ladies on the blogs I've read. The very morning that I found out that I won this prize package, I looked at a picture of a ruffled purse and thought how wonderful it would be to win one.

Now I was going to have my very own ruffled bag!!!! SQUEAL!! (Yes, lots of squealing around here!!)
I never really win anything, so this was really a big deal! And from Kimberly Taylor. I love her blog. www.kimberlytaylorimages.com/mimi charmante
The ruffled pocket book is made by Jeanne Oliver. She has the most beautiful things in her store. http://jeanneoliverdesigns.com/blog/

 Do you see this sweet little red cross bag? I won that too. It holds a little tablet and some pens and cards in my ruffle bag. It's great! I also won a beautiful bauble bracelet that I neglected to photograph. Oooops!
What a wonderful pick-me-up for mid - winter blues!

I hope you win something fabulous today!! You deserve it!
Tammy

Saturday, January 28, 2012

And the bus pulled out....

It was a sad morning on Friday. Our Chinese daughters left the parking lot and headed to Washington D.C. to depart for China. Enough can't be said about how pleasant and precious they were. We made lasting friendships! Here are a few picture highlights from their 1 1/2 week stay with us.
Crest toothpaste in Chinese  

Our Chinese New Year Celebration at a local Art Center





再見  Goodbye sweet Jennifer and Ming.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Happy (Chinese) New Year

Happy New Year Everyone --
This is just a quickie to share with you a picture of my two lovely Chinese exchange students who are with us for only five more days. I have so much more to share... including wonderful pictures of the NewYear. I'll have to do that a bit later though. For now, here's their beautiful faces.
 Tammy

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Winter Yard Sale

Last Sunday we were coming home from church and my little curly-top girl says, "Mama I want to have a yard sale!" A yard sale??????  In the middle of winter? (I am not a winter girl!) "Yes Mama. And I want to give away healthy snacks. Can we do it right now?" And just like any good mama would do (hee hee hee) we rolled from the car to the kitchen and pulled out the carrots, strawberries, blueberries (organic ones even!) left-over christmas clementines and some fresh, pink lemonade. Honey set up baking us some home made french onion soup with crusty bread and melted cheese, and the girls and I ....well, we gathered up blankets and coats and set out for the end of the driveway! It was barely 40 degrees, but there we were. Smiles and all. Right at the end of the driveway with our Free Healthy Snacks sign curling up in the chilly breeze.
We waited. We prayed. Waited some more. Finally little curly-top says with a cold pout, "Mama. God hasn't answered my prayer." I knew what she meant. I prayed harder. Begging God for one customer in the dead of winter to brighten a little girl's day. Finally, he stops. The most unlikely character. A beat-up dirty truck. Half off the road. Half on. Smiling, crooked teeth between a hairy lip and unshaven chin. Long sandy hair pulled back in a knotty pony tail. Bare arms revealing multiple tattoos.
"What have we here?" He bellowed. His friendly demeanor eased us all. "Free Snacks" He went on. Finally he decided on a cold lemonade. It matched the way we felt on the outside so well. "Free, huh? Well, we can't have that!" And he shoved two dollars into a plastic cup. "God bless you" we called after him. He turned around and smiled, "And God bless you!" We cheered!! Our first customer! 
Soon after, Honey delivered hot bowls of crusty french onion soup while we served customers two, three, four, five AND SIX! 
We giggled and snuggled into our blankets some more,wondering if the warmth we felt came from the hot soup or the joy of a stranger! 

Friday, January 6, 2012

On The HomeFront

I am looking forward to this new year and what all God has in store for us. It's very comforting to know He leads us every step we take. Especially when we are taking steps that we don't really want to take. Here's what's on our home front for our most immediate future: 

Will we be getting a new chandy for our kitchen? I so desperately want a new light above our kitchen table. My husband and I can't agree as of yet. However, I just showed him a barn light that's very close to the one I have above my sink and I think he is giving in. hee hee  Although I would love a chandelier, it is not practical in this space.
Will we be remodeling our bathroom? That is one sad looking room. But, serving its purpose right now.
Pinterest
I would much rather have one like the above picture. I have a claw foot tub tucked into a corner of my mom's garage just waiting on a remodel. Hoping it's sooner than later!
Will we be adding a new roof to our house? Sadly this is the one thing we will most likely be doing this year.  We've gotten by five years longer than we should have, and now it's looking like a new roof is in our near  immediate future!
Some other things I would like to add to our home this year are:
WHITE SPACES! MORE OF THEM! I love the creamy, white spaces that I find all over Pinterest. They are so calming and relaxing and just invite you in. I want my house to be a cozy haven that doesn't "interrupt" the gaze from one room to the next. 

I would love to find the last three chairs I need for our farm table. If I could find two oval backed ones like this ....perfection!!

Pinterst ... where else?
How about you? What are you looking for to decorate or update your home this year? It's fun to think and dream. It's even more fun when you have an idea of what you want and can go looking for it!
My husband surprised me for Christmas and gave me a trip to Lucketts Virginia. We are taking the truck!!
Happy Decorating,
Tammy