Spring Fling

I have eagerly embraced Spring and am all about the warm weather! Though today was a particularly rainy and stormy day in South Central PA, it was a good day to make a few little changes to the house. I love this picture of my girls. When I look at this picture of them, I feel like they are right there.

This little white table and chairs was given to us by Julie (thanks Juls!) I was delighted at how cute it looks in our youngest daughter's bedroom. This was the perfect touch for her. She loves sitting at it and playing with her dolls or crafting.

We just celebrated my mom's 67th birthday! She does not look 67 at all! We went with a garden and bird theme. I used these cute little bird nests on each plate and these lovely flowering Maple branches from our tree in the backyard to add a pop of Spring color.

We had some wonderful Spring visitors this week too. Much to my surprise I look out my front door just as we are starting our school day, and there on our front lawn are three beautiful mallard ducks. Two male and one female. We spent the next 20 minutes throwing every last morsel of bread to them that we had. The girls and I were beside ourselves with joy.

They were very friendly birds and came almost to our front porch to greet us. This male was very protective of his female and barely left her side. We kept praying them off the road as they wandered that way.

Finally hovering just above some trees at our neighbors were some more mallards and when our ducks saw them, up they flew. We figured the Lord just gave our ducks a little break in our front yard so we could observe them for our science lesson that day! What fun!
Have a happy weekend!

Fashion Forward

Hello Dear Friends --
I've been a little giddy lately about a party I'm going to soon. My dear friend Julie is having a sleep-over, 40th birthday party at a beautiful bed and breakfast. I made a little list of some shopping I want to do.

• Yummy, cozy pj's. 
• A fabulous dress. 
• And some slinky heels. 

I've managed to get one thing on my list: TA- DA ... my jammies! I love them. They are so cozy!

 I also bought this fabulous necklace that I hope I can find a dress to match. Ha! Usually it's supposed to be the other way around (smile).

It's hard to tell here, but it's three strands of pearls and this pouffy little flower hanging off the one side. So feminine. So beautiful. I hope to find my dress and shoes soon and I'll be sure to share those! It's been so long that I have shopped for myself. But these are a few other goodies that I have picked up in the last couple weeks.

Cute, pink sneaks from Target.

Wedge sandals that go with most everything ... and last but not least .....

my yummy, fushia trimmed umbrella! I've always shared an umbrella - black - with my husband, and now this is my very own. It's wonderful to find some things that make you feel beautiful, isn't it? 
Hope you are enjoying your week!

Dinner Tonight

Oh, hello friends! 
I am preparing for a wonderful week of meals! This is always a battle I fight: knowing what to make and making something that everyone enjoys. It's not so much the making of the meal, I like cooking. It's the routine and running out of fresh ideas. But tonight I am prepared! Hooray! 
Monday - Chicken Mexican Wraps: chicken cooked in the crock pot with salsa and taco seasoning. Wrapped in flour tortillas and loaded with lettuce, a little cheese and maybe a touch more salsa. Oh, and don't forget the chips!
Tuesday - Chicken Salad sandwiches: Crock pot cooked chicken, shredded and cooled. Pecans, grapes, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and onions. I made this fresh this morning so all the goodness will meld together until dinner tomorrow night. This just speaks to me of a great Spring time meal. I feel the sunshine already!
Wednesday - Chicken Bundles - I know, I know. Enough chicken already, but I'm on a roll! Ha! Shredded chicken (cooked in the crockpot - how did you know?) and loaded into crescent rolls with a tablespoon or two of cream cheese. Wrap those little guys up and bake in the oven with some fresh parsley on top! YUM!
Thursday - Bar-B-Q
Friday - Pizza Casserole

Three of these recipes are new to us. At the end of the week I'm going to have everyone vote on their favorite and we'll celebrate with rainbow sherbert for a treat!
Have a Yummy week.

Hang or Lean?

I've had this beautiful picture for some time now without a frame. Finally, I looked at my old, blue, chippy shutter and then back to my picture. A marriage was made!

I wanted to get your opinion. Do you think I should hang the shutter on the wall? Or do you like it leaning up on my fireplace mantle? I haven't tried hanging it yet. It's pretty heavy. I'm sure Honey will do it though if I ask. He's that kind of guy! (sigh!)

Have a beautiful weekend!
Tammy

flirty and feminine

I love Ruche.com. They have a sweet look book called A Melodic Daydream. Here are some of the beautiful accessories and dresses you can find there. I would love to own each one of these! Enjoy!

Lovin' it!
Tammy

Party Favors

I've really lost track of how many parties I have hosted since Thanksgiving. It's been a record for me. Every detail has been a joy to create. I finally feel like it's something I am able to do and do well. This Friday we are having a sleep over party for my little girls. A party "just to get us through the rest of the winter season" kinda party. Know what I mean? This one will be a little more simpler and less detailed. I'm tired.

Nonetheless, the party must go on! It's a Veggie Tales Sweet Pea Beauty Party. We are crafting heart mobiles with key Bible verses to remember that our true beauty comes from within. "You are wonderfully and fearfully made" the Psalms tells us. God made us for His pleasure! Imagine that! It makes me so happy to be able to share this good news with precious little girls. Just think how this could change their perception of themselves in years to come. BEAUTIFUL!!

Some of the mamas will even be spending the night. It is sure to be a double blessing!

All photos courtesy of Jersey Icecream Store

Have a wonderful weekend!
Tammy

Vintage Crafting

Hello dear friends ....
I've been inspired lately to do a little crafting of my own. Have you been to Stampington & Company before? http://www.stampington.com It's a wonderful crafting website with lots of ideas and crafting supplies. If you go to The Studio at the bottom of their page, it will bring up dozens of ideas for you to try at home. That's how I got started. I have a whole list of things I want to explore and try.

Isn't their inspiration board charming? I love the text and burlap and all the little bingo and flower details they added. This inspired me to come up with my own version. I started out with a piece of burlap that I cut to size to fit an old kitchen cupboard door we had. (saving for a project just like this!!) Then I applied a modest coat of Hodge Podge to the whole piece and stuck it down good. Then I started ripping and tearing out of my old books. (It's a great stress reliever if you're looking for one! HA!)

Then I slathered more Hodge Podge on my tattered book pages and pressed them onto the burlap. Simple. Simple. I just love how my vintage jewelry looked when I hung it from little tacks on the board. I may keep it this way for awhile and then embellish it a little more later.

Then I took this cute little white frame I picked up at Luckett's Store, and put some burlap behind it, .and......WAHLAH... another cute "frame" for my jewelry to hang from.

Happy Weekend!
Tammy

White Friday

Oh, it's the weekend! Hooray!! It's my man's birthday Saturday, and the girls and I are going to spoil him good!
We are excited! Tonight we started our celebrations with a little "pre-birthday" dinner and "pre-birthday" chocolate chip cookie cake. I tried a new chicken Parmesan recipe and it turned out yummy.  Tomorrow the real partying starts! hee hee

BEFORE

 

 

A couple weeks ago we were out shopping and Honey spotted two shirts he liked. He had them in the cart for the longest time and then at the last minute put them back. Well, the girls and I snuck out a couple days later and bought the same two shirts!! I can't wait to see his face when he sees them! He's obviously going to love them, right? hee hee I love surprising people!

AFTER

He wants to spend the whole day with just us. Isn't that cool? It's supposed to snow, so we may be in the backyard making snowmen! Then we are meeting some of my family and going to his favorite restaurant, Outback Stead house. What a treat!!

Did you see my little shabby bench? She's finally all chippy and white and in my living room. I love her new creamy, white color!
I hope your weekend is as wonderful as you are!
Tammy

Hello Dear Friends --
Today Honey and I went on a wonderful trip to Virginia. It was his gift to me at Christmas. If you live in my area of the world, Luckets Store and Design House is the place to visit for all things vintage and home. It's fabulous! Today was their annual Ground hog sale and I scored two white, cane chairs for my farm table. Exactly what I went for. Honey saw them from across the road and we bought them almost as soon as we got out of the truck. Great job, honey!!

While we are on the subject of furniture and white, I thought I would share these before pictures with you.

I have grown very fond of the little chairs that my girls sit on. They are just so adorable. My mom gave us this little bench, but I am not crazy about the wood color. In a couple days I hope to have an after picture for you looking all white and shabby!
Until then, have a happy weekend!
Tammy

Pinterest Inspiration

Hi Friends --
I was browsing around Pinterest and was inspired by their creative projects!

I hope this gives you some ideas today to get creative on your end!
Tammy

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

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.

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

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! 

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

Into the New Year ...

Since I was little I was an actress. Acting in all my elementary school plays and musicals. A one-girl act in talent shows with the loving support and encouragement from my mom and grandma. My grandma was my seamstress. Always making my costumes. Always coming up with the creative ideas behind my talent. She was self-taught.The love of learning and creating flowing like blood through her veins. It seeped from her pores. Contagious. Then she came to know Jesus. What a Savior! Her conversations about Him as vibrant and glowing as if she had met Him in person. She did. One lonely night in the living room of her trailer. In front of the tv. Having witnessed the death and divorce of loved ones. Shattered hopes and dreams. A habit she needed to break. Friends she needed to make. There, my grandma met Jesus.

elizabethannedesigns.com

 

 I majored in Communications in college. With an emphasis in broadcast journalism. Then two years later switching to print media. I dj'd a bit. Wrote for a town newspaper. And had hopes of editing Vogue or Mademoiselle magazines. (High hopes for a small town girl.) The Big Apple was gearing up for my arrival.

watchmedaddy.blogspot.com

 

Then I met Jesus. Not in the living room or by the tv. But in a quiet Wednesday night prayer meeting in my local church. Having witnessed the death and divorce of loved ones. Shattered hopes and dreams. A habit I needed to break. (or two or three) Friends I needed to make. Jesus met me there. I can remember singing, "I surrender All. All to Jesus, my precious Savior. I surrender all...." It's a beautiful hymn I've sung many times since. The Lord took me from majoring in magazines to majoring in missions. I traveled the world. Touching hearts and souls that were seeking. Seeking for what my grandma found. A love for Jesus. I left Him there to fill the bleeding holes in their hearts. Hoping  that my life was contagious enough. They wanted to know my story. HA! It's so simple. Hardly worth telling. Except when someone wants it. Wants Him. Then it's like blood flowing through their veins. His blood.. That covers all our sins. A must have. Essential. Contagious.

thebellacottage.blogspot.com

 

Now I'm back on the mission field in my own home. Hoping to inspire two little girls that cling to my every word. They want to "be like me." I want their every breath to be Jesus. I want them to see the fire that still burns in my grandma's heart at 85 years old. Her walk with Jesus is still contagious. That's how I want to be. Yesterday. Today. In this New Year. Let's do it together!