Princess moves on

We're so proud of Princess whose photo was a qualifier in the Reflections contest at both the school level, and now district.  Moves on to Region next !

Flowers for a special someone

Potter took some flowers to a special friend when she turned sweet 16.  It was so fun to drive down together and she loved the surprise!

Happy New Year!

We started this year as every other, with a big 'ol mess of lucky goodness on our plates.  A few siblings joined me, and we had a good day of football, wrestling, and food.

My mom always insisted we take just a bite to insure a prosperous new year.  I found this article online that explains a lot.

source

The True Story of Traditional New Year's Lucky Foods

"As funky fumes of sauerkraut blanketed our house year after year, the younger me resented the letdown of New Year's Day. The excitement of Christmas was officially over, it was time to head back to school, and of course my family's good luck food wasn't something kid-friendly, like cookies or ice cream. My mother cooked up her annual big pork roast, mess of sauerkraut, and a pot of black-eyed peas. I wanted none of it, dining sulkily on a pallid pile of mashed potatoes.

Now I'm the one who's gladly stinking up the house with kraut, pork, and peas". 

This is me, minus the black-eyed pea part of the tradition.  I love it, and it has become so much a part of me.  I am very thankful to my parents, for I find that most of the rituals of my youth have been important enough for me to continue with my own family. 

Updated Master Bedroom

 So, in our home tour (over there ------>>>)  you've seen the master bedroom when we moved in.    Well, over the last couple months I've been adding and changing a bit.  

We ditched the apple green/ teal for a coral/teal.  So bright and new!  Here's what we did. 

Last September I came across this color palette in Better Homes and Gardens:

...and I fell in love!  

I used it as the basis for a few of my choices in there, and I'm continuing to look for a few pieces as well.  

So, most of these updates were in Sept/Oct.  But the crowning jewel happened almost without warning just the other day. We scored this new (old) bed pictured above.  A Broyhill solid cherry queen bed for $30 in the local classifieds.  Oh, how I love the classifieds!

Our old bed was bought in our first year of marriage from one of those discount furniture places.  It's held together pretty well till we turned the bed and switched walls in the master bedroom.  It turned rickety and we've really needed to replace it, but could only dream of affording a new one.

Bam!  Perfect deal.  I snatched it up immediately. 

They had a dog who scratched it up pretty good in spots, and they added painted hunter green accents in some places.  We'll strip that off down the road because for now it's great.

Look at those chunky legs!  Mwah!

One other wish was for a new comforter.  I ultimately decided to keep with the white look, but I love the added texture we got in this duvet.  I used all my birthday money on it and 4 months later I still think it's perfect.  The comforter is fluffy and incredibly warm too. 

We have a queen bed but I buy king comforters, so we don't have to fight over covers!  So far so good.

The throw pillow is my fave! It looks much too orange in this pic; it's a pretty coral shade.  Here is the stock photo:

society 6

It was my full-price splurge in the room.

I didn't get a good photo of the print over the bed, but it says 'Love You So Much' in a perfect light coral.  

I like the modern feel of the frame mixed with the traditional lines of the furniture.

We ditched our little bedside lamps for these IKEA wall sconces.  Perfect use of space and they are awesome to read before bed.

I use my grammy's old coverlet for a throw blanket in here.

 One very exciting thing is that Strider found a way to create a reading corner in this little master bedroom.  We've wanted one for years!  We pulled in an IKEA chair from the family room and rearranged till it fit.  I added a tiny ottoman from elsewhere in the house so we can prop up our feet when reading. I have a thrift store lamp there and the corner is home to Strider's guitar.

The gallery wall I'm making is about half done.

Love my puckered bedding.

This space makes me so happy.  

It's fresh and new. 

It's a refuge and a sanctuary and definitely feels separate from the rest of the home - exactly as it should be.

Thanks for touring our updated and cozy master bedroom!

Source list:

Bed: Broyhill (local classifieds find)
Seersucker duvet set: Target
Down alternative comforter : Amazon
Pink throw: my Grammy 
Teal pillow: Target clearance
Coral pillow: Society 6
Arrow chair pillow: Society 6
Lamp: D.I thrift store
Gray/silver lamp shade: Walmart
Wall sconces: IKEA (local classifieds find)
White chair slipcover: IKEA
Clock: D.I. thrift store
Ceramic owl: Ross
Love frame over bed: Marshalls
Gallery wall frames: D.I. thrift store

Resumes are just paper

I needed this today.  A Better Way to Introduce Your Friends


Not because I spend a lot of time at parties.  I don't.  I don't even enjoy mingling, ever.  But it resonated with me as I just applied for a job here in town that I thought I was qualified for, but ended up not.

I was answering a newspaper ad for a decorating job, which by all accounts was my match made in heaven.  I prepared the best I could, psyched myself up, gained confidence from Strider and others - and then was crushed by the first words out of the boss' mouth.

"Yeah, I know it didn't come through in the ad this way,
 but we're looking for X, Y, Z".  

I was stunned.  In my mind I seriously already had the job and was figuring out my schedule for this new little part time gig. I was that perfect for the listing.  And hey, it's a small town.  How hard could this be?

Instead I was told to "go ahead and fill out an application.  I always keep them on file".  I never got a chance to show him my "resume", a 65 second slide show that showcased my talents and knack for all things beautified.

So, that was that.  I thanked him and went to the front desk. After 16.5 years at home, I stared at the 3 page application like it was written in Arabic.

Really?  You want to know about the medical office job I landed 20 years ago?  Sure.  Oh, by the way, I can take blood pressure readings and draw blood.


I fought back tears as I felt completely inept and out of touch.  I don't possess skills he was looking for and my 18 years of homekeeping aren't anything that's impressive when I write it down in pen.  I love my life and improving my surroundings but my passion doesn't show up in a LinkedIn profile.

I felt completely empty.  I almost called my husband when I got into the car, but I knew I'd just cry.  

By then end of the afternoon I was okay.  My spirits had lifted somewhat.  I remembered that I am more than a resume.  I was humbled by the experience and I realize that I'll have to train and work hard if I want to get back into the work force (which I don't know that I really want to do).

It was a good lesson for me in a lot of ways.  I know that I am good at the job I DO have, and right now that's good enough.    

Wise words from Julie B. Beck

Guidance in prioritization:


Essential - Necessary - Nice to do