My savior saved me...again

This is a short and sweet Sunday morning post, just wanted to share a little blessing that is on my heart today.  Last night was night two without husband here so I slept inside in mom and dad's house, I was feeling kind of blah and started watching my little brother Matthew and I just love him so much he's so precious and innocent, but suddenly those sweet thoughts began to turn to worries and scary thoughts about the future and I was starting to feel the tears coming on, I just knew it was satan trying to bring me back to that place.  A place of worry and fear, he was tempting me to give in to all that negativity and waste the precious time I have right now.  I stopped and began to pray and I prayed for awhile.  I asked God to help me see all the things I do have right now, all the time I still have and all the time I've had.  I asked him to please give me some kind of peace about this to take this burden of worry from me, I wanted to give it to him.  Well a series of events began to happen that had me laughing and crawling into bed the threatening, depressing thoughts were almost gone but still bothering me in the back of my mind when suddenly my cell phone rang!  It was my husband, and it was plenty late he should have been asleep but he had just decided to call *my husband does not do that just so you know* he didn't really have anything to say and neither did I but we talked for a bit and then got off the phone, I felt calm and at peace and was ready to go right to sleep.  I didn't feel that way because of my husband but because of the Lord.  I know that little call really came from him, it was my savior saving me from myself all over again.  And I just wanted to write this little blog post and tell the Lord Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul it was just such a reminder that he is constantly with me and hears and sees it all.

Have a Beautiful Sunday

Sunday Social

Today *for the first time ever!* I'm linking up with Neely from A Complete Waste of Makeup 

1. What do you value most in life? My relationship with God, it's amazing what having the Lord present in your life can not only do for you but for those around you.

2. What do you think is the greatest invention in your lifetime and why? Well it's not of my life time but I still think it's the greatest invention ever...running water, it makes our lives SO much easier.

3. What do you think is the secret to a good life? The ability to not only forgive but to forget, and to focus only on the present thinking on the future usually causes nothing but worry and pointless fear.

4. What would you most like to be remembered for when you’re gone? I hope to be remembered for being a not only A good mother, wife, daughter, grandmother, etc. BUT A Godly one and for creating a safe, warm, home full of love for everyone that walks through our door.

5. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?  I'm proud of marrying young, and continuing to be a stay at home wife even with the pressure and attitude from other people that it is somehow less than any other job.  And for staying married to my husband lol I know that sounds weird but the secret of marriage isn't just 'love' it's commitment love is feeling like anything else that can come and go but no matter what either of us does we're committed to working it out, trusting God, and upholding the institute of holy matrimony by staying together.

6. If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you? ooooooh!  I think America Ferrera she's beautiful and curvy ;) and I just love her attitude! 

Second Hand Sunday

Once again this is a short and sweet Second Hand Sunday with an amazing project by my father, a favorite and recent thrift store find, and something special of my grandfather's.  Enjoy!

 

This is the upper part of my grandfather's shop the machine room we call it now his shop in general is where I remember him spending just about ALL of his time it's a wonderful place and beautiful to me, it smells just like him so when I'm missing him the most it's nice to just go out there and sit ♥ but I want to draw your attention to the lovely old white french doors!  We don't know where exactly he found them but I think it's just so unexpected and utterly beautiful it just pops against the dark wood and tin roof!  What do you think?



And then there is this, my soup tureen!  I got it for $6.00 at a thrift store and I cannot decide if it's super cute and old school OR if it's just disturbingly ugly!  It's got veggies all around the top of it that are raised, and the bottom part looks like a basket so it's supposed to be a basket of veggies but I'm just in love with it either way!

   

ok and it came with the cutest little matching laddle!

Now this, is my parents refridgerator!  And it is BEAUTIFUL and amazing and wonderful and it's just so cool because my dad made all of it.  Including the frosted cabinet doors.  The fridge has a wood covering that my dad stained to match the other kitchen cabinets and our hard wood floors.

...and just in case you didn't believe me here it is IN ACTION ... lol



 Do you have any thrift store finds that you just love?  Any old family teasures?  If you have something you'd like to share just grab a button and link up!  I'd love to see what you have!  

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I have a doorlemma

So recently my husband and my dad installed AN ACTUAL DOOR in Fort Lester which gives me an extra 3 feet of wall space!  Yeah, that's right.  Three.Whole.Feet.  And a real door, with a real lock, with real keys, it's a wonderful and amazing feeling!  I don't feel like we're constantly under construction!  It feels more like a house, it's so great!  But...unfortunately the best laid plans of mice and men...you see they are boys *ok men but you get the point* the men appear to have gotten SOMETHING on our once pristine, white door.  Several spots actually and of course they are black marks, a few seem to be black sharpie, and I do not know what the rest is.  I've been scrubbing all weekend with multiple cleaners and it's just NOT working.  I don't have a lot of money to work with right now so I'm trying to come up with some ideas to cover at least the bigger spots up.

this is the view from the inside a deffinite improvement over the plywood barn doors I'd had for a year but obviously we had some construction left lol

In the custom of my carpenter family any wall or just anything really that is going to be covered up but someday will have to be opened again for repairs or changes we write on, leave notes and dates, or just write names and whats happening in the world!  My husband wrote a note to me on our wall ♥ we each wrote something and didn't let the other see it until we were finished I felt a litttttle bad after reading his LOL because the below picture is what I wrote to him...

And this is what it looks like with all that extra wall!!!! And the door!  I LOVE it...but like I said there are just a bunch of markings and other yucky spots on it we can't seem to get rid of it's a metal door and my dad said it's probably been like that since we got it.

So I'm brainstorming, hang up a calendar, a coat rack, a picture?  Any other ideas???  Painting it is going to be hard because we're in the middle of winter weather here and spray paint is really the only way to go...and we'd have to pop the door out of it's hinges paint it outside and put it back.  Any ideas would be amazing because right now my husband is sitting here telling to drape a scarf over the top of the door...HELP ME...please.

Love, OCD Me



Second Hand Sunday

 So today is just going to be a quick second hand sunday post!  It's rainy weather here and we've been in construction and projects and such so been a little busy!  But I had some stuff saved for just such an emergency! My first second hand find is actually from my mom!  I saved this stool from eternity at the dump!  The cushion had fallen off the frame and my mom was ready for something else.  But I just loved the colors of the cushion and brown of the wood!  It's just faded and battered enough to be perfect for me.

So with a little dusting polish and alot of super glue it's just fine and looks perfect in our little space!

Now this is a second hand treasure of my dad's!  Please excuse the gasoline cans lol!  This is an old horse trailer that couldn't be used anymore so it was heading to the junk pile until my dad decided to paint it white and put up some lattice where the doors are and close it all up...and there you go!

It's now a cute dumpster!  So we don't have to make dump trips as often and it just looks so cute on the ranch!  I love it when my dad gets creative LOL

   Do you have any thrift store finds that you just love?  Any old family teasures?  If you have something you'd like to share just grab a button and link up!  I'd love to see what you have!  

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Get ready for Second Hand Sunday!

Just thought I'd do a little 'pre-post' here!  This sunday is going to be the start of my first weekly post!  Second Hand Sunday is going to be where I *and you if you feel like linking up which I hope you do!* post photos of my favorite second hand treasures, thrift store finds, and family heirlooms, or keepsakes!  Anything that is refurbished, reused, or recycled!  Hope to see you link up on Sunday! 

♥...Take the button if you'd like...♥

 see you sunday!

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Bits & Pieces

Here are some bits and pieces from our weekend, photos, words of wisdom, happy moments, just this and that...Hope you enjoy!

My mom snapped this picture when we weren't looking (obviously) this is us on the ranch standing on an old stump for no reason at all lol and I decided to pair it with my favorite quote from Pride and Prejudice, it's the one that reminds me the most of my husband and I.

I snapped this today while my the husband was out working on the fence with the rest of the guys, I had just finished cleaning up the house and was just loving the smell of clean room, lemon floor cleaner, candles that smell like cotton, and my tea.  I was also thinking of how much I absolutely adore Pride&Prejudice and how sweet and calming it is to drink my tea while watching those adorable little cartoons of Beatrix Potter's.

...And of course we had to pose for just one lol!  The quote is from a Miriam Stockley song that we love to play while we're driving in the rain.

I LOVE having my husband home, he insists on driving!  And while it is hard for me to give up the control once I stop twitching and start looking out the windows I get to see all the small beautiful things I always have to miss!  Like this old barn in a field by our house...absolutely beautiful!  Luckily my honey doesn't mind pulling over so I can take *better* pictures!

ahhhh the one of the funnier parts of this weekend!  Meet my husband's arch nemisis...THE SHOPPING LIST!  We made a quick trip to the store before dinner *which means I had to stay in the car so it would actually be cheaper quick* and I handed him his list and he snorted and said "Really?  It's like 5 things you think I can't remember 5 things?"...well here is how it went once he was back in the car with the bags...

Him: *as he tosses the now crumpled list at me* "I was in and out in under 10 minutes you females I don't understand what takes you SO long or why it's so hard for y'all to get in and out *yes he is looking SUPER smug right about now* oh and that list?  I didn't need it at all...well maybe a little but not really"
Me: "yeah babe you're AMAZING...did you get the coffee creamer?"
<Insert Awkward Silence>
Him: "F***!!!!!"
Me: *looking super SMUG   Understanding* "Maybe you needed it a liiiiiitttle more than a little bit?"

...Could you hear the car door slamming and him grumbling where you're at?...I bet you could! HAH!...I laugh with Love though don't worry!


And My favorite quotes of this weekend are...


"If you're to busy for God, then it's time to change your schedule"-Joyce Meyer
...you can totally expect a longer more in depth post on that quote later this week

"I hold an old fashioned notion that a happy marriage is the crown of a woman's life"-Beatrix Potter

...So How was your weekend?

Amish Forgivness...it's not just for the Amish

Amish Forgiveness

...I know how weird that sounds because...

1) I am obviously not Amish

2) I could (I'm pretty sure this is obvious also) Never be Amish I do not posses whatever those people have to be able to live like they do it's utterly amazing to me!

3) You're probably thinking "what? is that a special kind of forgiveness or something?" and if it is it's obviously not for you because well, you're most likely not Amish either!

So I'm going to explain what I mean by this, I've missed my 'Thankful Posts' for the last two or three days I think.  Because as bad as it sounds the closer it gets to Thanksgiving the less I feel thankful.  I've been letting myself get overwhelmed and stressed out thinking about what's going to happen in January when my husband will be out of a job, when we'll be civilians, how we'll adjust to that, feeling lonely like I have no friends, starting to slip back into self pity, feeling like I failed my diet, getting upset at my family because I don't think they're doing what they should, letting jealousy and bitterness cloud my days and my feelings, and just letting stress and grumpiness and the need for everything to JUST GET DONE is making me lose site of why I'm doing it in the first place and is definitely keeping me from enjoying it, even getting something I've never had before; The Christmas Blahs!...anyway the list could go on and on and I'm sure I've lowered your opinion of me enough for one post.

But, I know how I'm feeling isn't good for me or anyone around me.  I know that I'm in a place in my life that is good for me where I'm realizing that this time of the year is for being anything BUT selfish.  For being kind and generous not just to your family and friends but strangers on the street!  I've been trying to get into the Christmas spirit, and I mean the REAL spirit of Christmas remembering that it's to celebrate the birth of Christ and God's greatest gift to man kind.  Not about presents or decorations or baked goods or holiday get togethers, not about the perfect Christmas card or best Holiday dinner.  But it's hard to pull yourself away from what has sadly become the main stream idea of what Christmas is about.  I don't want to lose sight of

The Real Reason For The Season

So lately I've been trying to focus on what I want to give this year, what I want out of this holiday season, and more importantly what I want to give people and make sure my family and not only those closest to me but strangers on the street take away from meeting me.  Even if it's opening the door for someone, tipping a waiter or waitress, letting someone cross the street without getting grumpy about how long they're taking, making sure no matter what rush I'm in a take a minute to smile at the person and genuinely ask them "How are you today?".  These may seem like small things but I've realized how much I need to REMIND myself to do these things how out of practice I am with them in my every day life and especially during this busy season, when really isn't the whole point of this season is to share goodwill and the love of Christ with your fellow man?

I've struggled with forgiveness my whole life.  As I'm sure most of us have.  For different things and now that I'm older definitely more serious things.  I saw a movie tonight at Bible Study, and I am shocked and pleased to say that I now realize Anything and Everything can and should be Forgiven.  I never realized before though that God did exactly that for us when Jesus was given to us and died on the cross for us!  He forgave us for everything and anything we have done and will do.  So why is it for us that it's so hard to forgive certain people for things that they do us?  We need to follow the example of Jesus. 

Luke 23:34 "Forgive them Father For They Know Not What They Do"

On the cross.  After he'd been betrayed, beaten, and was bloody.  Almost dead, crucified for doing nothing but good.  He asked God to forgive his persecutors!!!! How can we possibly find anything hard to forgive after the example given to us by Christ on the cross?  But sadly we do.

This film was called Amish Grace.  It's about the 2006 Amish school shooting that resulted in 5 girls being killed.  Shot by a man with so many problems and hurts, he'd lost his daughter and wanted revenge, wanted to offend God so he took the lives of these innocent girls.  And one girl prayed for him before he killed her.  It was an amazing movie, eye opening, touching, it is something everyone should watch.  The man killed himself after taking the lives of the girls.  And some men from the Amish community even one who had lost his daughter went to the killer's house and spoke to his wife saying "We are so sorry for YOUR loss, if there is anything we can do for you please let us know" the woman was in shock how could it be possible they could be this kind?  They told her they'd forgiven her husband already.  I won't give away anymore of the story and there is much more.  But it just showed me I have no right, none at all.  To hold grudges, to not forgive, to be angry and bitter about stupid insignificant things because it hurts me more than anyone else.  It hurts my own soul.  This movie made me realize what Thanksgiving is really about, made me rethink forgiveness, made me rethink so much in my life.  It was such a blessing to see and I hope anyone who sees this will rent it or buy it...it is definitely worth it.

Do you have a hard time forgiving?  Do you remember when this awful thing happened? Do you feel like you need to rethink your idea of The Christmas Spirit?  Do you have alot to be thankful for this year?