Friday, September 26, 2014

Another Chandelier

You all know the drill by now....when I get something, it's getting a paint job!


I found this pretty gem on a FB Yard sale site for $35.  I don't think I could possibly have enough chandeliers!

Some of the gems were missing, but I knew I could replace them after I painted it.


She turned out perfect!  Can you guess where I hung it?  I didn't want to hard wire it, so I made it into a corded light that has a switch for on and off.  That way, if I ever want to move it, I can.

I carried it all throughout the house looking....I am bad about not having a place for things when I buy them.  But in my defense, I seem to always find a spot. (snicker)


Don't you think it looks nice over the bed?


Kind of romantic, right?  I think a medallion would look nice with it, don't you?


Not too big either....


And such a pretty view from the kitchen!

Life has been busy around here.  Lots of testing still going on with my health.  It looks like I will be having an endoscopy and colonoscopy done sometime in the near future.  I thought for sure my gallbladder was a mess but after having a HIDA scan, it proved all was working properly there.  So we'll see.  Prayers always appreciated in that area. (wink wink)

I've played hairdresser yet once again with my oldest daughter's hair.  


Her roots were growing out, so she decided to do an indigo blue instead of purple.  This kid cracks me up....not afraid to be different either!

Here is a picture my youngest drew of her for art class when Sara had purple hair.


I think she nailed it!  

And here is the artist...


One day she came home from school and I made her smile so I could take a photo of her before I let her in.  My girls, for some reason, won't let me take photos of them.  Think me posting them on here might have something to do with it? lol

Me and Louis have been hanging out a lot and playing.  I swear, I think he can read my mind when I pull out my phone or camera.  He knows he's about to get his photo taken and he poses every time!


See that little bell?  I love hearing it ring first thing in the morning...he makes me smile.

So far, Sara hasn't had too many problems with her allergies with him staying inside.  As long as we keep him out of the bedrooms and the back room, she should keep doing fine along with taking her allergy meds.


And as for this man saying that he's never been a cat person, well he sure can't fool me.  Just look at him laying there snuggling with Louis!




Now isn't that just the sweetest?!!

I hope all of you are doing well and that your week has went great!  I know without God in my life, I could say that mine was awful.  But thankfully, God has been right there with me through it all and I have been blessed!




Sunday, September 21, 2014

To Keep or not to Keep, that's Always the Question

I found a beautiful little coffee table that a friend had for sale and just had to have it.  I thought it would be beautiful painted white of course.  I knew where I was going to use it, but now am rethinking that.  So for now, I'll share the before and after and you give me your opinions on what I should do.   I really need to build onto this "already HUGE" home of ours to be able to use these beautiful pieces of furniture I find!

Here is the before:


Those lines, the detail, the daintiness of it...what was I supposed to do?  I just couldn't resist!

And here is the after:


I just love it!


Now tell me, what would you do?



See the ottoman?  That is where I had in mind...but now I don't know since I love to prop my feet up when I'm on the sofa.

Decisions, decisions....


Monday, September 15, 2014

Another New Piece

I just couldn't pass this armoire up when I saw it's beautiful detail and lines for $50!  I knew painting it white and distressing it would make it look new again.  
This was the seller's photo...the drawer was busted up and needed major work, the inside had no shelves and a few drawer pulls were broken and needed replaced.  See the big scratch on the front?  It was a deep scratch!


Needless to say, the hubby and I drove to get it and boy was it solid and heavy!  Worth every penny of it in hard work!


This is after we did the work on the drawers, making them into one large drawer and replaced a few of the handles.  I had some pulls from another project that fit perfectly.
Now to start painting!
Here's the inside of the drawer.  We adjoined the two together and then lined the inside with left over beadboard.  The picture doesn't give it justice at just how big and deep it is now.



This is what the inside looked like after I cleaned it up and started painting it.  I didn't want to paint the inside so I left it alone.  But I still needed shelves for all of the junk I had to store in it.


This is the armoire it was replacing and how it looked inside.  I wanted the shelves to be similar to accommodate all of our stuff.



And what it looked like on the outside.  I've had this beauty for many years, adding the crown moulding, appliques, glass knobs, painting it white and I even hung a piece above the doors making it look even more beautiful!



But...it was time to move on when I found this beauty!


Isn't she just beautiful?!  She's just an inch smaller than the other one.  


And she is holding all of our stuff with the added shelves.  I love armoires!  They hide all of the yucky cords and electrical junk so nicely making a room look less cluttered in my book.


I love the side view too...she's pretty on all 3 sides!  My other one was a plain Jane since it was meant for book shelves on each side as a unit when I bought it new.


I love how the detail really stands out with a little distressing.


I think she really turned out great!  All of the junk is hidden neatly in those drawers too....and easily accessible.


Sorry for the dark photos...I never can wait until daylight to take photos, lol.

And I played hairdresser again.  This is Chrissy...she asked me to make her hair look like Hannah's.  At first I didn't want to since I was scared that I may burn her hair, but she really wanted it done so I said yes.  Didn't it turn out beautiful in color?!  And it felt like silk once done...such a relief!


Now Hannah wants her hair to be white, lol.  So it looks like I'll be playing hairdresser again soon....

I hope you all are enjoying this new week!
God is so good!



Thursday, September 4, 2014

Our Porch

This is long overdue....but here is our porch during the summer months.  Between the dog hair, all of the rain, pollen, and saw dust from making the window wall,  I have had my hands full with trying to keep it clean.  I have to admit, I gave up for a month!  Isn't that awful?  I was telling the hubby yesterday that our home is beautiful on the inside, but the outside was beginning to look like Sanford and Son.  So....I rolled up my sleeves, pinned back my hair and got to work!  

I don't know why I've  always had my chairs facing the stairwell, go figure.  It came to me to face them the other way facing the swing...now why didn't I ever think of that before?!  Now it's perfect for sitting on the porch!


I really need to wash the house down.  It is filthy and that drives me insane!


Most of my flowers are dying off because of too much rain, so I rescued what was left and put them all up here.



Maybe I can keep my cushions out for awhile since the sun is shining beautifully today.


See how perfect this is for visiting and relaxing?  I am still scratching my head on why I've never done this before.  Oh well, I guess it's one of those senior moments I hear everyone talking about....


One of my ferns died...always a sad day when that happens.  I love ferns!  Mammaw did too...


You may be surprised...but this is where I do the girls hair coloring.  They pull up the stool and this is where I mix everything and work from.  Those fumes will kill a person if you're not outside!   Can you imagine what people think when they are driving by?  


I love to come out and swing....there is something about having a swing on a porch.  I grew up with one on Mammaw's front porch and I have so many sweet memories of sleeping, playing and courting. 
shhh, 
(don't tell the hubby that I courted before him)


It's a great day to enjoy the sun!


So there is our porch...now I must go play with this little booger because he is climbing the walls and ready to pounce!


It's almost Friday...I can rest then because the girls can play with him!


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Written by my Mother

My Mother wrote this months after I came home from the hospital from suffering with septic shock.  I ran across this tonight and it made me cry so hard.  There are no other words to say other than God spared my life and blessed me.  


Melanie's Miracle

"This thermometer can't be right.  Honey, if you had a temperature of 106, you would be flopping all over the bed and talking crazy." 

One of the paramedics who had responded to our 9-1-1 call on August 18, 2011, when my daughter's flu-like symptoms continued to worsen sent his partner to the ambulance for another thermometer.  My 41-year-old daughter Melanie lucidly answered questions and responded to instructions as the paramedic continued his exam.  He picked up the pace when a check of her blood pressure indicated severely low numbers.  A second reading of 105.7 with another thermometer confirmed the emergency.  My son-in-law Mike and I followed instructions and rushed to fill bags with ice as Melanie was strapped onto a gurney and whisked into the waiting ambulance.  The paramedics prepared to start two IVs while her body was packed in ice.  I managed to ask if they had any idea of the problem.  "It looks like sepsis," one said as he shut the doors and Mike climbed into the passenger seat.  The ambulance pulled out of the driveway on the beginning of an ordeal that would prove to be one of the darkest periods of our lives--and also one that manifested the Lord's awesome power and grace.

My thoughts were jumbled as I waited for news at their home that afternoon.  I had a vague idea of sepsis and I knew that it was toxic.  I tried to hold myself together for the arrival of my two young granddaughters who had spent the afternoon with a relative, thankfully spared from witnessing their mother's health crisis.  I was forced to hide my fears when the girls arrived home that evening.  I explained that Mommy had gone to the hospital because she was sick, and they seemed satisfied that she would be getting medicine to make her better.  Their excitement at picking out outfits to wear for the start of school on the following day was a blessing. 

I kept the telephone in my hand for regular updates from Mike.  A call around midnight confirmed the paramedic's diagnosis.  "The doctor told me that Melanie is a lot sicker than they originally thought," he said.  "They're transferring her to ICU at Charleston General because they don't have any beds available here at Memorial."

The days and nights that followed were a blur as Melanie's condition plummeted.  She was put on a respirator because her blood oxygen levels were critically low.  Three blood transfusions were performed.  A feeding tube was added, along with a central line into her neck for administering the potent antibiotics designed to attack the blood infection.  Tubes, wires, and monitoring lines were connected to nearly every part of her body as doctors fought to save her life.

Mike stayed with Melanie around the clock until exhaustion forced us to call for help.  Because of the girls' school and need for some kind of normalcy, I knew that my role was to be with them.  My blessed sister Judy was the answer to our prayers, and she arrived to spend days with Melanie while Mike took the night shift.

News of Melanie's crisis spread quickly through family and friends, and prayers for her healing were nonstop.  Facebook friends posted pleas to their friends who, in turn, asked their friends for still more prayers.  Requests were made to international ministries (CBN, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, and others).  The prayer warrior at Kenneth Copeland Ministries zeroed in on the doctors and nurses, asking the Lord to give them the skill and knowledge to treat Melanie and "...to let no stranger's voice enter their minds."  People around the world were praying for someone they didn't know.

A former pastor visited Melanie in ICU one evening soon after she was admitted.  He said that he felt a peace settle upon him as he entered her room.  "I have to tell you that I don't usually experience that kind of peace when I'm with someone so critical," he remarked after the visit.  Two other ministers that neither Mike nor Melanie knew also appeared at her room.  As she lay sedated, they asked for Melanie's total healing and fast recovery.  The wife of Mike's boss was anointed for Melanie at church and the prayer cloth was tucked under Melanie's body.

On August 24, an earthquake hit the East Coast of the United States at 1:55 p.m. Melanie's Aunt Judy was with her as the first tremor hit.  Blessedly, Melanie remained heavily sedated as second and third shocks rattled her bed and shook the ceiling tiles in her room.  Judy pled the blood of Jesus over Melanie.  She remained in her induced coma and not one alarm sounded on the monitoring equipment that was attached to her body.

The speed of Melanie's deterioration began to stabilize.  During her second week in ICU, the elevated white blood cell counts began to drop, indicating that the treatment was starting to take effect.  Her blood pressure and heart rate began to stabilize, and the pneumonia that had formed in her lungs started to loosen.  The powerful narcotics that had been used to keep her sedated were discontinued on August 28, and Melanie regained consciousness when the respirator was removed that same day.  Her first whispered words to me when I visited were "Saved...going to church."

Doctors and nurses--everyone connected with her care--were awestruck at the speed of Melanie's total recovery.  Followup MRIs and other tests showed no damage whatsoever to her body.  Muscle weakness in her left shoulder and upper arm was attributed to the constant blood pressure monitoring that had been required, and physical therapy to strengthen it was the only suggested followup.  On September 2, 2011, Melanie was released from the hospital.  She walked unassisted into the waiting arms of her husband, daughters, family, and friends.



Some may not believe you can rededicate your life to God, once in grace always in grace is what they call it.  I believe that you can grow distant from God.  I had stopped going to church due to frustrations and a broken heart.  I didn't realize it, but I had grown distant from Him even though I loved Him so.  I knew when they took me away that I was dying.  And I knew I had to make peace with God and the ones that had hurt me.  

God healed my relationship with my Mother, and gave me hope once again.  

This is for someone that needs to know, God loves you and sent His only begotten son to die for you...yes you!  He loves you, let
Him be your KING.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

As if I need More Furniture

I always find some of the prettiest furniture (that I don't need) but have the vision of it being painted white and distressed.  As if I need more furniture, I make sure they are pieces that I love just in case I want to swap them out with some of my older ones.

Here are 3 that I bought this past week....I just couldn't resist!


I still have plans for that chair...but the two chests have a new lease on life!


One of the drawers needed repaired so it is still drying.  But you get the picture.  I have no clue on where I am going to put it yet...but I love it!


This little chest called for glass knobs as soon as I seen it!  It was a great deal too!  


Remember this chest?  It stuck out too far and made it kind of tight for passers by, not to mention knees, lol.


So this little chest fit perfectly!  I love the openness of it.  The legs match my coffee table too.


I love how it turned out and did I mention I love to paint everything white?  I still want to make some small appliques for the half moon on the bottom front and sides. 


It fits in so well with everything so much better.


See the difference?   


Of course I wasn't going to part with this beauty...Hannah got it.  Doesn't it look lovely with her bed?  Plus she has more drawers to hide her "junk"....and she has plenty of it!


I had these book ends that came off of the cornice above my bed once we made the canopy.  They were a little too much with the chandelier and all of the frills.  I found a new spot for them....the shower!  They just give a little something to hide the shower rod.  Plus, they look pretty with the shower hooks, don't you think?


I just wanted to share my sofa...I love this thing!  Hard to believe it is red, green and yellow underneath isn't it?


Oh when I look back...I am so happy to be all white now!  It makes my heart feel calm....


I have a little fella wanting to play hide and seek...guess who's doing the seeking?  So I must go hide....

I hope you all are having a blessed week!  I know I am so far...God has been so good to me!