If Only...

I was heading here this weekend...thinking West Michigan needs something equally as awesome.

Before & After : Table & Chairs

In addition to renovating an entire house, we've been doing lots of furniture projects for inside of the house. Probably my least and my most favorite project has been our dining room table and chairs. The set was a pick up from a flea market, but the original red and white picnic table look just had to go!
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Least favorite because I really struggled to get the paint colors right (and I normally pride myself in my easy color selections!) When I did get the color right, the paint store mixed it in the wrong finish, and to make matters worse, we didn't discover it was the wrong finish until it was all painted. On top of that, I misjudged the amount of fabric needed to cover the chairs and had quite a challenge getting the last chair done. (Shh, it may be a little pieced on the underside to make it fit, no one has to know!)
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My most favorite project because I do love how the set turned out, and it looks great in our new kitchen!
chair beforechair aftertable after one coat of primerand the finished product!table top paint: Benjamin Moore Dove White (ceramic paint)
chair paint: Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray (ceramic paint)
seat cushion fabric: Amy Butler Wood Fern Ivory

My Grandma's Basement

Was full of treasures, here's some of what I found!
two Claire-sized suitcaseslots of costume jewelry that my mom and I are going to sort through
Little Golden Books
I totally remember reading The Poky Little Puppy!
vintage tablecloths
so my little helper can water flowers with me!
for a fellow blogger (can you guess who?!?)
Jackpot!
This was my mom's when she was a girl and it was in perfect condition!
I used it in the surprise playroom makeover I just did.

Smooth Sailing

Now in the shop!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. A two hour nap on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I needed that!
2. Waking up to find that Eric had worked on one of my painting projects for me.
3. A successful surprise playroom redo. That was my first time picking items out for a house other than my own, and it was so much fun!
4. My parents for helping paint and such to get the playroom redo done.
5. Finally getting to the point of cleaning our renovated house, that must mean the projects are winding down.
6. A really fun Friday night spent with neighbors.
7. Watching my little girl running around with neighbor kids, she's getting so big!
8. A husband who really wanted to go to the antique market on Sunday. Wow, he's come a long way from the days of my dragging him to the market!
9. Glossy spray paint, my new favorite find.
10. Our overnight getaway is this upcoming weekend!
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What are you most thankful for today?
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While typing this, I asked Claire what she was most thankful for, here's her list:
tutu's
trees
parks
balloons
videos
cheese
tables
grass

Fresh Start Sunday

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial.
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
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1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)

Favorite Picture of the Week

After scooting around on the carpet in our basement all winter, she finally got to try it outside!

M.I.A.

Sorry for the severe lack of posts recently.
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My computer is still occasionally in and out of the land of the living, and I'm not sure why. Pretty sure the new hard drive was supposed to take care of that.
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And I've been neck deep in projects that include fixing up my childhood dollhouse for Claire to play with, painting a chalkboard, helping clean out my Grandma's condo (wow, that woman has a LOT of stuff!) and putting together a surprise basement re-do. Oh, and finishing up an entire house remodel before summer. How could I forget that one?!?
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I've got all sorts of fun posts in mind, and once my computer is ready to cooperate, I'll get back to regular posting!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. Plans for an overnight getaway with Eric are official! Ahh!
2. A fun time with my mom and aunt cleaning out my Grandma's condo, and some great treasures found too! (I'll post pictures soon!)
3. Having our house full of friends on Friday night. Things get a little crazy with eight adults, a three year old, 2 two year olds, a one year old, and two newborns!
4. Eric taking Claire for several hours on Saturday so I could make some serious headway on projects.
5. Blooms on the trees in my backyard.
6. Claire is back to sleeping through the night after a few weeks of getting up several times each night. I suddenly remembered what it's like to have a newborn.
7. Watching my little girl turn anything and everything into her own personal stage. I think we've got quite a performer on our hands.
8. Finally being able to enjoy a full church service this week. The last few weeks have consisted of either working in the nursery, or escorting a certain two year old to the potty multiple times during the service.
9. Eating a nice breakfast out this weekend with family.
10. An upcoming week full of so many fun things I might just burst!
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What are you most thankful for today?

One Year Ago Today...

we were wrapping up our vacation here...after enjoying beaches like this...and watching lots of these...and drinking lots of these (for me)...and these (for Eric)...and spending an entire vacation alone with my favorite person...best.vacation.ever

Fresh Start Sunday

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Tattered Flower Wreath

Do you ever work on a project and have to just pinch yourself a little when you're done?!? I didn't have a plan for what I was going to do when I started making these tattered flowers, but I'm so happy with how this wreath turned out!
Loving the color of the yarn, Aqua Ice, yummy!
And the fabric is all from Paula Prass' Summer Soiree line.My biggest dilemma now: keep it, or put it in the shop?!?

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. Amazing progress this week on our bathroom redo. It's so nice to be beyond demo and to be working on putting it back together.
2. Painting with my dad Friday night. He showed up to help with the cutting in, probably since he knows it's not my favorite part of painting!
3. My computer is back, with a new expensive hard drive, but at least it's back to working again.
4. Receiving warning that my hard drive was bad, so I could make sure everything was backed up.
5. Awesome thunderstorms last week and searching for worms with Claire afterwards.
6. Construction on the house next door to us is D.O.N.E. Let there be peace again!
7. New neighbors who seem so nice, and have kids!
8. I haven't changed a diaper in weeks. So glad potty training went so well!
9. Working on projects in the yard and around the house with Eric. Yup, we're a great team!
10. An entire Sunday afternoon and evening spent outside with my family.
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What are you most thankful for today?

Fresh Start Sunday

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
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Philippians 2:1-2 (NIV)

Inexpensive Art

While some people may enjoy investing in artwork, I prefer to keep it inexpensive. That way if I change my mind or preferences, I'm not married to it.
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We needed some new artwork for our master bedroom at our house that we're renovating, so I pulled out some of my favorite IKEA frames, and started searching online for what to put in them. I came across Paper Mojo and loved all of the options of really great papers at great prices.
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Because I couldn't make up my mind, I ordered two slightly muted papers, and two brighter papers. (At only $3-$3.50/sheet, why not?!?)
I love orange, but am just not brave enough to decorate a room specifically in orange, so this is my first time adding just a bit of it! I opted to use the muted papers and save the brighter papers for a future use.
I a.d.o.r.e how they turned out, so now I'm off to search for more rooms around my house that could use a little art!
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And lucky for you, Paper Mojo is having a sale right now where everything is 20% off! The sale ends Tuesday, April 13 though, so go shop, FAST!

The Good, Bad & Pretty

Alright, I'm braving our dinosaur of a desktop to share with you.



The Good:
I won a blog makeover from Small Bird Studio! How awesome is that? The giveaway was taking place on Gussy's blog, and from the sounds of it, there's more fun giveaways coming this month. Talk about some sunshine on a very dark and rainy week here in MI.



The Bad:
I heard the three words from the computer technician I was so hoping he wouldn't say...
bad.hard.drive.
I'm trying to be a brave girl and not cry over petty things that may or may not be lost from my computer, but it is pretty traumatic nonetheless.



The Pretty:
In my unplugged state, I've gotten a little crafty, there's your peek!

Unplugged

My computer has been mad at me for a while.
(Hence the severe lack of posts lately)
It locks up just about every time I use it.
I hate to be without it, so I've tolerated it as long as I can.
But I've reached my limit.
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I'm bringing it to the computer doctor today.
Here's hoping it's a quick (inexpensive) fix.
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But who knows, it might just be a little refreshing being unplugged!
Right?!?

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. A really nice family-filled Easter weekend.
2. The amazing sacrifice made for us 2000 years ago.
3. A family medical-scare that thankfully did not turn out to be a concern.
4. The ability to rely on friends for prayer.
5. A fun day spent at IKEA and outlet shopping with my mom and Claire.
(yes, we survived 11+ hours in the car and out and about with a 2 year old)
6. My baby girl who is now officially 2.5 years old. Wow she's big!
7. Amazing progress this week on the house we're renovating.
I'm starting to feel hopeful that we'll actually finish it.
8. The rain this weekend that is turning everything green.
9. A Saturday afternoon nap while it was raining out, ahh!
10. A wide-open week ahead!
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What are you most thankful for today?

Happy Easter!

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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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1 Peter 1:3