You Decide

Since we built our kitchen I have wanted these exact stools for my island. I told my sister, Kris, the second hand diva, and she kept her eyes open until she found them on Craig's List for the price I told her I wanted to pay. Don't they look fabulous here? Thanks, Kris.

My only problem is that they always look like this- and worse because of all the junk and gunk that gets dropped down there by my kids. It's driving me crazy to see this every time I come into my kitchen. The other problem about this particular mess is that this is the main walkway through the kitchen.

Option 2 would be to go back to the bench that my husband built while we waited for the right stools to come along. The problem with this set up is that all that junk and gunk is harder to clean because the bench is so large, and you have to move the whole thing to clean under it.

So, help me out here. What would you do if this were your dilemma?

Hiding The Pop Tarts

I’m going to be honest with you; When I went to the store today, I bought Pop-Tarts. It happens about twice a year. I throw all caution to the wind and I put a box of sugar and preservative laden, frosted, toasted goodness in my cart. And I hope that the kids don’t see them when I stash them in an appropriately high cabinet. One that isn’t for food. Where they would NEVER think to look.. When they go to bed I sneak a shiny foil wrapped no-no out and into the toaster. I hope they cannot smell the forbidden treasure as it is toasting. And then I sit down and enjoy that sinfully good morsel all. by. myself.
Tell me you’ve never done this. Go ahead, tell me.
Maybe it isn’t Pop-Tarts, but I am sure you have a secret, guilty pleasure all of your own.

“So, why,” you may ask, “are you telling me this?”
Because I am sure you can relate!

Resolutions

I gave up on New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago.
Nothing ever seemed quite right.
Too hard.
Too easy.
Too perfect.
Too ridiculous.
I decided I didn’t want to try to come up with a “perfect” plan just because it was a new day, a new month, a new year– besides, in two weeks I would break my resolution and feel lousy
anyway.
That’s the thing about me. I don’t want to fail, so I don’t want to try. I want to control the
outcome of my life. I want to be master and commander of my universe. It tends to get in the way of a little thing called FAITH.
Looking back on my life so far, the times that have brought me the greatest joy and have been the most fulfilling, though, have been the times that I have listened to God say, “Go.” and I went. Not the times when I asked where– not the times I asked why– not the times I asked for how long.
The times that I have gone simply because the Lord led me have been the most rewarding
because God accomplished great things in me and through me.
It’s a new Year. Listen. Go. Do.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Merry Christmas

CSN Stores- This Time, For YOU

Remember the clock I showed you in my last post? The one I got for free doing a web review? Well, CSN is at it again. CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be a chic handbag, corner tv stands or even cute cookware!
This time I am offering you a chance to win a $45 dollar coupon code from CSN. (This cannot be applied to international fees.)
Leave me a comment with link or an address showing me what you would get from any CSN store, and I will choose a random winner on Thursday, December 23rd.
I can't wait to see what you would pick!

____________________________________________________________________

Very scientifically, without telling her why, I had my daughter pick a number. She picked 2. Kathi, that is you! Congratulations, you have won the $45 "gift certificate" to CSN stores. Happy shopping.

Jonah's Room

Ten years ago I painted this room periwinkle for the baby I was going to have.

I thought the baby might be a girl so I went with periwinkle. But just to be safe I added touches of lime green and navy blue. When she was born I added in pink and purple. I loved that room.

A few years later, I updated the room for a girl and her sister. I added a cute fairy wall paper border and took out all the lime green and navy. I loved this room, too.

Last summer, I rearranged all the rooms. This one became Jonah's room. It is the smallest room in the house and since he is so much younger than his brothers, I put him here alone.

He is happy to have his own space, and everyone else is happy that he is not bugging them at night. He doesn't kick the wall to wiggle the bunk bed. No one cares if he sleeps with the door open. Nobody wakes him up at 6 am when they get ready for school.

You can't see it, but the walls are yellow on yellow stripes. The walls were painted satin and then I painted the stripes with semi-gloss. Even though you can't see the stripes, if you look closely, you can see the clock.

I love this room.

The Rains Came Down, And The Floods Came Up

And the house in the 100 year flood plain stands firm.