THE BABY KEEPS GROWING || toddler's room

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop my baby from growing!  Some days can be really long with a 1.5 year old, just being honest, but I love her to pieces and really do cherish our time together.  We just moved her into a big girl bed so I thought it was a good excuse to post some updated photos of her bedroom!

We do have the metal/mesh side rails, I just think for pictures it looks better without them ;-)

All of her furniture is painted with various shades of green, I used Chalk Paint® and Milk Paint {surprise surprise}.  One of the many things I love about Chalk Paint® and Milk Paint, is that I can just paint over the furniture when I am ready for a change.  No need to sand, strip or prime! Love the stuff!

Just as she grows, I know her room will continue to change and grow with her.  Of course there is more I would love to do in her room, but for now it works and it's a fun space for her to play in!

xoxo

house updates + thanksgiving treats

I am sure enjoying these days leading up to Thanksgiving, it's one of my favorite holidays!  We are really trying to wrap up some projects around our home before the first of the year.  Come January, we both have some larger work projects and it would sure be nice to have some things finished around here ;-) You know how I showed pictures of our painted kitchen cabinets a couple of weeks ago?  Well, the blue that I painted my little office area just wasn't working for me.  I tried to like it, but I couldn't.  So, one afternoon I just started re- painting it and I am much happier.  It isn't permanent, but now I don't cringe every time I look at it!  I painted the desk with Chalk Paint® {OLD WHITE} and I painted the office chair with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint {KITCHEN SCALE}.  I lightly sanded the chair to distress it, and added a little antiquing wax to darken it.

Matt finished modifying the basement entertainment center and now it's my turn to paint it!  It will take me a while, but I love to see things starting to change in the basement!  Carpet for the play room is scheduled for December 16th, so we now have a deadline...

And the barn is progressing!  Siding and roofing should happen within the next two weeks!  We keep changing material selections and colors, it really is such a process to build and remodel.  Having an endless budget would make it a lot more fun, but we don't, so we are trying to make smart decisions and still have a barn that has a bit of character.

And here is the neighbor's barn across the street, I love it!  So fun to get to view both barns out of our windows!!

And we are celebrating Thanksgiving with Matt's family.  I really love Thanksgiving and the slow paced day of reflecting on all we are thankful for.  We have some intense family situations on Matt's side and mine, but still so much to be thankful for!  Our contribution for the feast is home made rolls and then these fun sweet treats...

favorite pumpkin pie recipe

seven layer bars

acorn treats

Wishing you a blessed and memorable Thanksgiving with family and friends!

xoxo

PAINTED BATHROOM CABINETS || before + after

A few months ago I decided to paint our master bathroom cabinets.  Although we hope to remodel that space eventually, it falls very low on the priority list.  It functions and it is clean, by clean I mean not falling apart ;-).  There is no need to move that project to the top of the list, we have plenty more 'urgent' projects that need to be tackled!  But, I still want to start making changes!

The original maple cabinets are in good shape and they were very easy to paint.  I used a rough grit sand paper to scuff up the cabinets.  I scrubbed them down well with TSP and warm soapy water.  I wiped the damp cabinets with a dry cloth and waited for everything to be completely dry.  Easy-peasy!

I knew that I wanted to slightly distress the cabinets.  I wanted black to show through when I distressed.  Instead of painting the entire cabinet black {GRAPHITE}, I painted one, thin coat along the edges, where I planned on distressing.  I rubbed the edges with a hard beeswax so that when I sanded the second color, the black would show through, not the original maple.

I applied two coats of FRENCH LINEN and then lightly sanded the edges to reveal the black paint underneath.  I waxed with Annie Sloan's clear wax.  The original hardware was a bit modern for my taste.  They must have been a custom size because I couldn't find any knobs or pulls that would match the existing drilled holes!  Instead of filling and sanding the existing hardware holds and then re-drilling new holes, Matt cut down a sheet of metal to make metal plates.  We sprayed them with a matte black textured spray paint and we used that to attach the new hardware.  Still time consuming, but not as time consuming as filling/sanding/drilling new holes would have been!

There is a lot we want to do to this space with the timing is right.  But for now, I will keep making simple changes and 'tweaking' it here and there ;-)

BANANA + PECAN MUFFIN || a recipe

So I leave tomorrow for California.  A two day paint training workshop for Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint retailers.  I will miss my little family dearly, but I am really excited to have a few days to myself, and get my creative juices flowing!  In the mean time, I have been filling the freezer and refrigerator with meals and treats.  I made these easy and yummy banana + pecan muffins and I thought I would share the recipe!

BANANA + PECAN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) ripe bananas, plus 1 for garnish (more if making mini muffins)
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup of toasted pecans, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan, regular or mini, with paper liners. Lightly toast pecans.

2. Peel four bananas, and place them in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until mashed, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar, oil, and egg; beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat until combined.

3. Fill muffin liners three-quarters full. Slice remaining banana into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; place a slice on each muffin. Top each muffin with toasted pecans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes for regular muffins and 20 for mini, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store, covered, at room temperature.

PAINTED FABRIC || painting fabric with Chalk Paint®

A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from a lady; they were moving her mom to an apartment and needing to downsize.  She wanted to know if I would like to come look at the items they were needing move.  I loaded up the girls, picked up a girlfriend and we were on our way.  She had a beautiful table and chair set.  Absolutely beautiful!  But, it was a big set and I didn't have room.  So I came home with a pair of chairs and some smaller treasures.

The chairs were in really good shape, and super comfortable.  Since I don't have the skills necessary to reupholster these beauties, I decided to paint them.

Here are the details on how I painted fabric with Chalk Paint®.

- Vacuumed the fabric and trimmed the loose strings.

- Wiped down the wood with a warm, damp rag.  After allowing the wood to dry, I painted two coats of Milk Paint {Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint ~ ironstone} on the wood.  I was fine with the paint chipping, so I did not apply the bonding agent.

- For the fabric, I added water to Chalk Paint®.  I added 4 parts {OLD OCHRE} Chalk Paint® to a mason jar and 1 part water.  Shake it good to thin the paint down a bit.  By thinning the paint down it helps the paint to cover easier, and it makes it a bit softer to the touch once it dries.

- Once the fabric was painted, I touched up the painted wood with an artist brush.  I didn't tape anything off, so naturally I had a bit of the fabric paint color on the wood details.  I sanded the edges of the wood to give the wood a distressed look.

- The last step was to apply clear wax to the wood and the fabric.  The wax helped to soften the fabric and also provides a protective barrier.

I am very happy with the results.  The fabric is not 'crunchy' or hard.  It's not super soft like cotton or linen, it feels more like an outdoor fabric.  One day I may have these chairs reupholstered, but for now I am very happy with how they turned out!  And no sewing skills were required ;-)

OUR KITCHEN || before + after

Last weekend I finished painting our kitchen cabinets.  I got the 'bug to start painting" about two weeks ago and worked on painting the walls and cabinetry during nap times and in between making meals.  One of the many benefits of Chalk Paint® is the ease of use!  I truly was waxing cabinet doors while my little ones sat on the counter top and helped me make dinner.

Above are the 'BEFORE' photos.  Now, in all honesty, we plan to do a major kitchen renovation next winter.  New cabinets, countertops, new walls/laundry room/pantry, etc.  With that, I feel there is extra freedom because if I don't love the colors, we will be changing things.  Plus, I was a little less careful with the painting than I would have been if this paint job was going to last me longer {I didn't paint the inside of the cabinets or take the doors off of the hinges to paint.}

I chose black {Annie Sloan's GRAPHITE} for a majority of the cabinets because we have black appliances in almost every cabinet.  I distressed the edges and applied the dark wax over the entire cabinet.  I am really please how it turned out and the appliances now blend into the cabinetry.

I painted the upper cabinets next to the sink white {Annie Sloan's OLD WHITE} only because I didn't the kitchen to start too feel to heavy with so much black.  I left the cabinets doors off of the uppers and distressed the edges.  I also painted the walls a soft cream, and that helped to lighted the space as well.

We have a little nook area off of the kitchen and that is temporarily housing my computer/home office area.  We took these cabinets from the office of our vacation rental, people vacationing don't need an entire wall of built-in file drawers!  We will build new cabinetry for this area when we remodel, but for now this serves a great purpose.

Although this will all be changing in a year or so, I just needed to give it some color.  I am a firm believer in the fact that our homes should be inviting and reflect our personality.  Not that our homes are perfect or designed perfectly, but that our spaces help to make being in our homes more enjoyable.  By just adding a bit of color to our kitchen, I am enjoying cooking and baking so much more!  Color really does make a difference!

Next week I will post more details about the paint colors and applications I used!  Until then, enjoy your weekend!!

HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE WORKSHOP

It's so hard to believe that we are already 5 days into November!

I love this time of year!  The change in seasons, the busy-ness of holiday activities, warm and cozy nights at home with my peeps, it really is a sweet and special time of year.

Next month, my sweet friend Anne and I are going to host a holiday-centerpiece-making-workshop.  For the past few years I have hosted wreath making classes, and those are a lot of fun.  But this year, I thought I would change things up and bit and offer a centerpiece making class!

I haven't ventured into the storage shed {I may never come out alive….it's that bad} to get down my Christmas decorations.  But, I thought I would play around with a few fresh greens to give you an idea of some different centerpiece options!  Disclaimer: please ignore the ripped wallpaper in the background, Matt hopes to have paneling installed on the walls by Thanksgiving….wahoo!

We will provide hand made wooden boxes {that can be decorated for any holiday or season} and at the workshop you will choose paint color and  finish.  We will be using both Chalk Paint® and Milk Paint to finish our boxes.   We will teach how to apply a solid paint color or a washed/stained finish.  We will have numerous fresh greens, pinecones, various ornaments, candles and all sorts of embellishments to add your own touch!  And let's not forget the festive drinks and snacks!    It's going to be a fun time!  Plus, you will go home with a beautiful, unique and fresh centerpiece, and inspiration to create a memorable Christmas season for you, your friends and family.

Please email {info@mdhaneyco.com} or call {5033857.8176} to reserve your spot!

THE DEN || custom cabinetry + more

I dream of one day having a library in our home.  Shelf after shelf of book, I just love the look of a well stocked home library!  Maybe in 10 years or so I will have time to read again ;-)  Until then, I wanted to share some pictures of a library Matt just finished for a client.  We have done work in the past for these clients.  They are the cutest little couple.  And she has a beautiful decorating style, their home is just beautiful.

I can't seem to find any 'before' pictures.  Just think dated Ranch office {that's not meant as derogatory, that's just the best description!}

We removed the dated wood paneling and added new lighting.  Matt built and installed beautiful alder cabinets, paneling and faux beams.  The fireplace got a face lift with new tumbled stone surround, and the old brass fireplace metal was painted matte black.  The new carpet is a soft, lightly textured basket weave.  Not only does the den look beautiful, it ties in perfectly with the rest of the home.  You may remember these bathrooms that we remodeled a few years ago….this is the same home.  I also want to note that I only met with this sweet client for one consolation, she did a great job of pulling everything together!!

I think it turned out beautifully!  Thank you so much for the opportunity D & M!!

PAINTING KITCHEN CABINETS || part 1

It has already ben eight months since we moved!  We haven't done any major renovations on our own home, since having children {about four years ago}.  It's not that we forgot how time consuming it is to do a renovation on our own home, it's that we can't find the time to do it…..without little people helping. We thought we would have the basement completely finished before football season started.  Nothing has changed in the basement for two months, and we still have a ways to go!  Anyways, the point is…..we plan on doing a major renovation to our kitchen next winter.  But, I am quickly realizing that it may be a couple of years before we renovate.    Since we moved into this home, I haven't touched the kitchen.  Well, the rain came this week and I decided to start painting the kitchen!  I started with the walls, and yesterday I painted the kitchen island.  I was reminded of how much I love Chalk Paint®!  It truly is an amazing product!  I still have more cabinetry to do, but I thought I would share some tips and tricks for painting kitchen cabinets.

Use steel wool or a scotch bright pad to remove gunk, spills and food.

Wipe down cabinetry with low-odor mineral spirits or a degreaser cleaner.  Finally, wipe cabinets with warm water and a clean rag, let cabinetry dry completely.  Tape any area that need to stay 'clean'.

You can see that the first coat can be a bit scary.  The first coat always looks bad!  The dry time is fast.  Once the paint is dry to the touch, you can start with the second coat.  After the second coat is dry, you can distress the edges, if that is the look you are trying to achieve.  I always distress in areas that look like they would naturally get worn and beat up.  If distressing, sand with a high grit sandpaper and wipe down the cabinetry.  You don't want any paint dust on the cabinets when you wax!  Wax with soft wax and you are done!  This island {which is really big} only took me a few hours.  I finished it during the girl's nap time and then finished waxing while I was making dinner….it really is that easy!  I will post more pictures when I finish the other cabinets.  Until then, I have listed a few tips below!

Helpful tips for painting cabinetry with Chalk Paint®

-The simplest way to paint cabinetry with Chalk Paint®, is to paint them in place.  You may choose to remove the doors and drawer faces for painting.  Make sure to mark each cabinet with a labeled  piece of tape, then you aren't playing a guessing game when it's time to put the doors back on.

-Remove knobs and pulls, place all of the hardware {including screws} into a ziplock bag.

-If you are painting the interiors of the cabinets, remove the shelves and support clips and be sure to mark each shelf accordingly.

Painting over previously finished cabinets:

-Make sure that the surface is clean and free of loose particles.  Use a scotch bright pad or steel wool to lightly scrub the surface.  Next, remove any old, greasy, waxy or oily residue (you can use low-odor mineral spirits, TSP, Crud Cutter or any cleaner that cuts through grease}.  Rinse with clean rag and warm water and let it dry completely.

-Fill any cracks or holes with wood filler or speckling.  Allow to dry and sand smooth with fine grit sandpaper.

-Typically there is no need to sand or prime.  Although in areas that receive a lot of use, it might be wise.

-Tape any areas that need to stay clean {floor, appliances, etc} and begin painting!  It typically will take two coats of paint.  Distress if that is the desired look.  Wax with soft wax.  Cabinets will clean with a mild soap and warm water.

VINTAGE VANITY || painted with milk paint

Customers all always asking me which I prefer….Milk Paint of Chalk Paint®?  My answer is usually the same; it totally depends on the piece of furniture and the scope of the project!

This vintage vanity is feminine and very detailed.  Not to mention old with really darling curves an.

Four years ago {when I was very pregnant with my first} I stripped and sanded {well, my not-pregnant-sister sanded for me} this vanity down.  This was before Chalk Paint® or Milk Paint had become popular, before Pinterest, before I could google 'low odor' or 'natural furniture paint".   Anyways, I researched about Milk paint and I was able to locate a brand of Milk Paint that was carried in Portland.  I painted the vanity and a dresser a light green…I was hooked!  Milk Paint gives a very authentic finish, it adds to the character of an old piece.

Last month I participated in Carlton Crush-a local street fair/carnival event.  My theme was white pumpkins with pops of muted orange and pink.  I painted the vanity with a new color of Milk Paint {MMSMP apron strings} and used it as a display piece.  Last month I had no intention of selling it!  Now I need room in the studio for more furniture pieces I have picked up, so I am going to sell this darling vanity.  It would be perfect in a girls' bedroom, bathroom, home office or even in a living or dining room!

46" Long x 30" Tall x 19" Deep

White Milk Glass Knobs

$195 ~ free local delivery available

MILK PAINT || my favorite colors {at least for this week}

I promise to start posting some 'after' pictures!  We have been busy with projects {both Matt and myself} but I am so bad about documenting the finished project with pictures!!  Maybe next week?!?

On another note, I have slowly been getting the studio organized and it feels so good!  A few months ago I started carrying the line 'Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint'.  Next month I head to California for a two day training so I figure I better start working on color samples!  Here are my favorite Milk Paint colors….and when you see them in my living room you will see why they are my favorite {for right now anyways ;-}

MMSMP colors from top to bottom~

LUCKETT'S GREEN

BOXWOOD

KITCHEN SCALE

FRENCH ENAMEL

FLOW BLUE

EULALIE'S SKY

ARTISSIMO

GALVANIZED CLOCK || adding a touch of industrial

So, the Fall Vintage Sale was awesome!  A huge success and so much fun!!!  I was tired for days afterwards, and of course hardly snapped ANY photos!  I can't believe it….I only snapped a couple with my phone, right before we went to open the gate and let the flood of shoppers rush in!  Thanks so much to all of you lovelies who came, and to new peeps, it was fun to meet new faces and hug on the old ones!

On a different note, I have slowly starting gathering and ordering items for when we have a downtown space.  One of my favorite things so far has been this galvanized clock!

Anything galvanized has become so popular over the last few years.  I love that it can really go with anything and yet totally changes the look of a space!  I bought two of these clocks….one to keep and one to sell.

DETAILS::  33.5" W x 33.25"L.  $128

If you are interested in purchasing it, just let me know!

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

When Fall rolls around, I love everything 'pumpkin' and 'spice'.  I wanted to make some cupcakes and was going to resort to spiced cupcakes, but decided to add a 'Fall" twist with frosting instead.  We ended up with chocolate cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting….perfectly chocolate with just a hint of spice!

When I make cupcakes, I usually use a box mix-just being honest.  I love the texture and you can't beat the ease of adding a handful of ingredients and turning on the mixer!  I almost always have cream cheese on hand, so these little babies took no time at all!  Below is the recipe, if you can even call it that…..Enjoy!!

RECIPE

Chocolate Fudge cake mix-prepare cupcakes per box instructions.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting-

8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temp.

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. of vanilla

2-3 cups of powered sugar, depending on desired consistency.  

With a hand held, or stand mixer, mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Garnish with dried cranberries or anything else that sounds good!

ADDING 'FARMHOUSE FLAIR' TO A RANCH HOME

As most of you know, we sold our home and  moved about 6 months ago.  We just moved a few miles, but we now have a couple of acres.  Just enough space to grow a big garden, raise some animals and give the girls room to run and play.  The house we bought is a classic ranch and we are slowing adding a little farm house flair.

Construction for the barn started a few weeks ago.  This beautiful barn is actually very similar to what ours will look like.  Matt put a lot of thought and time in to designing the barn….I can't wait to see the walls go up!  I won't bore you with all of the details (widths of batts for the board and batt siding, color of siding, style of barn too, etc.…..but we sure had fun figuring out all of the details)!  Our goal is to make the barn look likes it's original to the house (1948).

We have plans to add 'farmhouse flair' next Spring.  We will paint the exterior, add corbels, cupolas, shudders, all of the extra touches that give a home personality and character.  We are having the chimney re-built and I am struggling with the type of brick to choose.  All of the little details that can really make a big difference!  In the mean time, we started switching out the exterior lighting.

Here are a few inspiration photos….

Arn't those homes darling?

I am so weird about remodeling my own home.  I am always wanting to hurry things up and just be finished, but on the other hand I really enjoy the process!  Does anybody else have the problem when it comes to projects around the home?

xoxo

BEFORE + AFTER || oak table

Matt has wanted to build a farm house table for our dining room, but the reality is, it's falls short on the priority list.  My wood working skills do not even compare to my handy husband, so I knew there was no way I would attempt to build my own!  My in-laws lent us their extra oak dining set since we sold our last dining room set with our house.  A few weeks ago I was telling Matt's mom that we just couldn't agree on a new dining room set to buy.  Matt really wants to build something but I want something sooner than later.  :-0

She said we could just have the dining room set we were borrowing!  Perfect!  The next day I started painting..

The table is in great shape.  Solid oak and the perfect size for our dining room.  I painted the base with Chalk Paint® {Old White}.  Just one coat since I wanted it to be heavily distressed.  I then applied one coat of clear wax and a bit of dark wax to age the base a bit more.

The top is painted with Chalk Paint® {French Linen} and thinned with water, for more of a washed look.  I sanded the edges and applied two coats of the Annie Sloan lacquer.  The lacquer has a matte finish and is very durable, great for our family who uses this table almost three times a day.

I bought four metal chairs and two upholstered chairs to replace the oak chairs that were part of the original set.  I love mixing different styles and finishes.  Plus, these chairs are pretty indestructible…..good for a family with little people and messy big people ;-)

A FEW {more} FALL TOUCHES

We leave this morning for Crater Lake.  A few nights away with my little family is always so good for my soul!

I thought I would post a few photos of a bit more Fall decorating around the outside of our home.

Have a lovely weekend friends!

**corn stalks and pumpkins from our garden

**fire wood delivered and stacked

**our front door dolled up for Fall

**our new barn is ready for the concrete foundation

A FEW FALL TOUCHES || using what I already have to decorate for fall

This time of year always gets so busy for me (and I know for so many others!)  The tourism is so seasonal here and our vacation rental reaches the peak of busy-ness in August and September.  For me that means a lot of cleaning, gardening and paper work.  But, even during the busy-ness of life, it's so important to make time for family and friends.  Saturday was spent hosting a booth at Carlton Crush ( a darling, local festival ).  It was a long, fun, successful and exhausting day, but the good kind of exhausting!  Sunday we spent the day at Pacific City with Matt's parents….celebrating his dad's birthday.  Pacific City is one of our favorite places to spend the day.  We drive the truck down onto the sand and set up camp for the day.  Football, fire, food and lots of sand and salt water….the best kind of day!

And today has been our first 'slow' day at home in a while.  So, the girls and I have been cleaning and slowing adding touches of Fall.  When decorating for Fall, I like to go 'all natural' and use things from nature.  Mostly branches, berries, pumpkins and gourds.  It's easy, cheap and looks great.  A couple of years ago I painted all of my fake orange pumpkins white and light green.  I used Chalk Paint to paint my pumpkins, but I am sure any paint would work just fine.

As you can see by the dining room photos, the room is in progress.  When Matt starts paneling the stairway to the basement, he is going to add an opening to the dining room and panel the entire room.  We contemplated wall papering but we would need to tear off of the layers of wall paper and it honestly would be easier to panel the room than to try to remove the wallpaper, patch the holes and hang wallpaper.

The girls and I are planning on adding some Fall touches to the their bedrooms and the outside of the house later today, I will post pictures later in the week!

xoxo

FALL CLASS SCHEDULE

Just a quick note to let you know that the Fall Class Schedule has been updated on the 'paint + classes' page of the website and I will post it here as well.

I am getting ready for a booth at this weekend's Carlton Crush Festival, as well as tending to my sick baby girl and recovering from a yucky flu bug…so I probably won't  do a fun blog  post this week.  But next week I will be back 'on my A game'!

Have a great week!!

BEFORE & AFTER || a sewing table

A few weeks ago I picked up this darling little sewing table at Goodwill.  It was only $8 and I was looking for a little table for our master bedroom.

Now I forgot to take a 'BEFORE' picture, but I took one shortly after I started.  I think it's even better than a true 'BEFORE' because it shows how the first coat of white paint looks.  It looks bad and if you haven't painted with Chalk Paint® or Milk Paint, you may get nervous or discouraged after the first coat.  Fear not, the second coat always looks great!

A majority of the table is painted with PURE WHITE Chalk Paint®.  It took two coats, and then I distressed the edges.  This is an old piece and I want it to look old and full of character.

I then painted the doors and the fluted detail on the legs with TROPHY MMS Milk Paint.  After one coat of the Milk Paint, I sanded the doors, I still wanted to see the beautiful (but damaged) wood underneath.  The entire piece received one coat of clear wax and it was tucked into the little corner in my bedroom that afternoon!

One of the many things I love about both of these paints is the fast drying time.  I can finish a piece in one day and have it decorated or functioning that evening!!  I am an instant gratification kind of girl and this paint works perfectly for refinishing a piece quickly!  Love it!

BEING THANKFUL AMONG THE MESSINESS

I am learning to embrace the way I am 'wired'.  Creative, orderly, energetic, hard working, sympathetic and a lover of beauty.  But, I also struggle with not letting these things demand how I will live each day.  Living with people is messy, both physically and emotionally.  I can choose to love on the people around me or get frustrated because they don't allow me the time or the ability to keep things orderly, clean, organized, etc.  I can easily loose perspective!

Everywhere I look we have un-finished and half finished projects.  The chickens are crammed into a little pen with a shanty of a home.  The excavator will break ground this week for Matt's barn.  The basement looks like somebody started construction and then walked away.  And those are all such trivial complaints!   All around me friends are hearing hard medical diagnoses, family and friend's marriages are falling apart, people are loosing jobs, and I can hardly even think of the heartache happening in the Middle East.

But, I am learning to embrace the messiness of life and enjoy the beauty in the little moments.  Life is hard and when I start to feel overwhelmed by it all, I kiss my babies and thank God for the goodness around me!