Friday

Like my original title?  It's all I can come up with right now. 

This is the dresser as I dragged it out of Stacey's shop to start sanding.  It's VERY heavy!  Very.

I took all the drawers out and started sanding.  I only had 120 grit paper and it was taking a long time!  Long!  I was praying to God that Johnny and Stacey would show up (I am fixing it at their farm) and Johnny would have some lower grit paper.  My prayers were answered!  The old finish flew off the top with the lower grit!

You can sort of get the gist of what the top looks like now by this photo.  The wood is gorgeous!  Going to look superb finished!

I have always been interested in refinishing furniture.  Just never took the time to do it right.  I have been inspired by all the ladies in blog land!

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I am also finally taking the time to post on the lovely book I received from Myriah Mae's book swap. 

I received a Williams-Sonama's Winter cookbook.  I really love cookbooks that have outstanding photos.  This one does.  It also has a nice selection of comfort food.

Here are a few recipes that have caught my eye:

Herb Roasted Chicken and

Butternut Squash Bacon Risotto.

I don't think it's possible to wrong with Williams-Sonoma anything.

Bargains

Henry and I picked up this chair for a little over $17 at Salvation Army.  Not sure if I will keep it or resell on Craig's List.

It's an Ethan Allen.  Older but in excellent condition!  See my mess in the background?

See these naughty nuggets?  I was watering this window box just after I planted it.  The hose had many holes in it, so Henry and I go soaked and muddy.  I had to strip him down and put him in the house while I cleaned up.  I think the window box will be beautiful in a few more weeks.

A planter soon to be overflowing with color.

My aunt was able to get Rye and me tons of flowers at cost.  Thanks Stace!

Henry just after having an ice-cream with daddy.

How Great Thou Art

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.



what things?  Read 6:25 - 32.  Don't worry about what you shall eat, what you shall drink or what you shall wear.

Really?  Can I trust God for my basic needs?  How Great Thou Art!

Sue Jr. & More

My mom's name is Sonja Sue (called Sue by the fam and Sonja by the general public) and, no, she's not from the south.  Not even southern Maine.  It's kind of a southern name don't ya think?

Like all bratty kids, I have complained of my mother's ways.  But the older I get the more Sonja Sue looks back at me in the mirror.

I specifically remember being totally disgusted at the thought of second hand junk.  It was a never for me.  It's amazing how those never's come back to haunt you.

I have gradually begun to enjoy second hand items given to me.  But now.  Now, it has happened.  I find myself on the search for second hand items and can't bring myself to purchase them new.

Which brings me to this...

I walked into Goodwill on a mission to find a good deal on a piece of furniture.  And, also like my mother, I have a thing for a chest of drawers.

With thoughts that my husband was going to kill me and willing to face certain death, I made the purchase.

Just wait until I refinish it.  I have been researching some cool finishes and now I am so excited!

Now, how are you like your mother?

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I also got some really cool fabric at Joann's.  And finally made a gift for my friend who celebrated her birthday a month ago.

Are you in love with this fabric?  I am.

Sewn into a simple pillow.

I was short on filler so I sacrificed this pillow which wasn't the best job anyway.

Voila!  A large, overstuffed, luxurious throw pillow.  And the fabric is fabulous.  Such a great weight and great colors.  Now, I just need to fork it over!

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Against Dave's better judgement, I let Henry open the door in our bedroom which leads to no where but has a view of the back yard through wooden bars (there are no steps).

We heard screaming and thought he had slipped through the cracks.  Horrified Dave rushed into the room to find this

He shut himself out of the room in the very small space between the door and the railing.

Happy Tuesday and remember God loves you!

I Love You, Lord

And I lift my voice to worship, You, oh my soul rejoice.
Take joy, my King, in what You hear.
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

Amen

Pig Pen Playdate

Here's what a typical hourly conversation with Henry goes:

H: Eee-aw

M: Donkey

H: Shayshee

M: Stacey

H: Oink

M: Pig

H: Cat

M: Meow

H: Duck

M: Quack-Quack

H:  Bye-bye cow.  Bye-bye ee-aw.  Bye-bye neigh-neigh.  Bye-bye Shayshee.  Bibbit?

M:  Biscuit.  This is Biscuit.  Biscuit is small.  Biscuit is _____.  (from a book we read).

H:  Yellow (his version).  Bob?

M:  Bob the Builder.  Can we fix it?  Bob the Builder.  Yes we can.  Scoop, Munk, and Dizzy....

H:  Ming-ming?  (from Wonder Pets).

M:  What's going to work?  Team Work!  What's Going to work?  Team Work!

H: Bob?  (And we do this several times).

From this conversation you must be able to tell Henry's ardent LOVE for animals.  Especially since he talks about them all the time.  Yesterday he came out of Stacey's house saying, "Bok-bok, oink.  Bok-bok, oink."  

 And then literally ran to the outside chicken pen.  He even fell down and scraped his knee but that didn't stop him for a second.

He hasn't really run around on Stacey's farm because she has the biggest dogs on the planet and they are a little intimidating to a grown adult let alone a tiny tot.

But yesterday Henry ran by himself to the pig pen and ASKED to get in!  The little guy had NO fear!!

So cousin-uncle Tim took him in to the chicken and pig poop riddled pen!  And Henry got covered!

At one point Dave asked if this was okay health wise.  That's the difference between growing up in the city and the country.  My mom would just say it's good for the immune system.

We had to strip him down when he came out and there were several other outfit casualties just from association to the little guy.  But he had fun, so who cares, right?

See him chasing the chickens?  He even wanted to chase the pig so we had to make sure he had protection.  The pig is nice but much, much stronger than the little guy.

I remember chasing my neigbor's chickens with Vinny and then wondering why he was so angry with us.  We actually let them out of their pen every time we went to see them without permision (we never got permission ha-ha).

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On another note.  I really, really loved Oswald Chamber's devotional today.  For your edification:

Be instant in season, out of season." 2 Timothy 4:2

Many of us suffer from the morbid tendency to be instant "out of season." The season does not refer to time, but to us - 'Be instant in season, out of season," whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would do nothing for ever and ever. There are unemployables in the spiritual domain, spiritually decrepit people, who refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.

One of the great snares of the Christian worker is to make a fetish of his rare moments. When the Spirit of God gives you a time of inspiration and insight, you say - "Now I will always be like this for God." No, you will not, God will take care you are not. Those times are the gift of God entirely. You cannot give them to yourself when you choose. If you say you will only be at your best, you become an intolerable drag on God; you will never do anything unless God keeps you consciously inspired. If you make a god of your best moments, you will find that God will fade out of your life and never come back until you do the duty that lies nearest, and have learned not to make a fetish of your rare moments.

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Easter on the Farm

It was a beautiful day and place to celebrate the resurrection of our King - Stacey's Farm.



Henry in the kitchen door of Johnny & Stacey's house.



After dinner chit chat.

Someone conquered some fears today and got right in the pen with the pig and the chickens at Aunt Stacey's house.

Aunt Stacey had an Easter egg hunt for Sam and Henry too.  Henry was really, really good at finding the eggs!




Pre-dinner chit chat.

The bubs is still under the weather.  We stayed home until Easter Lunch and then came back home and mister man is in bed early tonight.

Rejoice in Resurrection Sunday & More

Have you shared your joy for resurrection Sunday with a stranger?  Does the Gospel message ever leap out of your mouth to the Chinese woman at the cash register?  It's amazing the dreams I have been having about telling people about Christ.  They have been convicting me to share.  Share.  Share.  We have a message to share.

Hana and Henry.  Roof top deck.  On the car.

1. The amazing glass lamp I bought at Goodwill that actually works!!  I just found out tonight (bought it a while ago)!  It makes me never want to buy a lamp anywhere else!

2.  My messy work station where I assembled the first Easter basket my Bubs will ever receive from his parents!  I went shopping with my friend Beth and her girls tonight.

3.  Lighting a candle was a must because this damp weather is accentuating Maggie's smell if you know what I mean.

4.  Got my stuff I bought together.

5. My cute little manly basket/ bucket.

6.  Because of my last minute shopping there was no grass.  So I made my own.

7.  Freshly cut grass.

8.  Half filled Easter basket - Candy - the most important part!!

9.  The finished product.

So excited for my little man!  I will be watching Sunday service online.  Sad I will be missing Easter morning at church but so grateful to God for this gift Henry He gave us.  So, so, so thankful.  Thankful we can share the Easter message with our little boy.

Departure of Miss Hana Marie

Miss Hana Marie departed early Friday morning.  We all miss her very much.  Even if she loves the Fresh Beat Band.  Ha-ha. 

Just for you Hana!!

Hana is such a good girl.  We can't wait until she comes back!!

We got an Easter gift from my mom and Dan today.  Do you see Henry's reaction to the delivery.  Like, you are not getting me that stuff fast enough!!  He loved it!!

My mom is ALWAYS on the ball.  ALWAYS, when it comes to holidays.  I could learn a lesson from her.  I haven't even purchased a piece of Easter candy. 

Henry is feeling a little better today.  He has had gains and retreats through this nasty virus.  Last night was a rough night.  Very rough.   I think Dave and I got most of our sleep from 8 - 10 am.  Unfortunately I don't think the nugget can make Easter Sunday church.  Which means I cannot.  Kind of a bummer.

I Have to Share the Opportunities!!

I am reposting a great giveaway opportunity from Just.Lovely.Things.  I have been blessed by winning free things on blogs.  Give it a try.  I hope I win too!  Here's the post:
Today I have the wonderfully talented Maggie from Gussy Sews



hanging out answering some questions (the abc's!) and throwing a little shop credit your way!


Now first, meet Maggie!

The sassy & sweet one woman show behind Gussy

She taught herself how to sew 2yrs ago, quit her job and built the Gussy empire

(okay maybe empire sounds cheesy, but lets just say Maggie is bad ass)

Between writing a successful blog (with great business tips & tutorials),

being featured in magazines, speaking at conferences, staring in "how to do your hair" videos =)

and making all the fabulous products for her line..

she also somehow finds time to take her cute pup Bauer out for walks,

maintain a healthy (and adorable) marriage.. and be so down to earth all at the same time!





I asked Maggie to play the ABC's or 20 questions..

here is her pick





A= Are you available - no way! zack and i have been married for 3 years this June (2011)

B= Best Blog Friend - ruthanne of eclectic whatnot (www.eclecticwhatnot.com)

C= Cake or pie - umm, how about cheesecake? ;)

D= Drink of choice - non-alcoholic: fountain Coca-Cola, alcoholic: strawberry margarita

E= Essential item you use everyday - MASCARA (!!!)

F= Favorite color - pink

G= Gummy bears or worms - worms

H= Hometown - grand rapids, mi

I= Indulgences - chocolate. seriously. i need a piece every day.

J= James Dean, Jimmy Fallon or Justin Timberlake-

huh? just kidding... how about justin timberlake (reminds me of middle school)

K= Kids and Names - just a puppy, Bauer (9 months)

L= Life is incomplete without? - gratitude

M= Must have fashion item - skinny jeans

N= Number of siblings - 1, an older brother, Matt

O= Organic or Over rated - overrated :}

P= Phobias or Fears - i get really anxious when i need to fly.

i feel like i hold my breath the entire time I'm on the airplane.

working on this... it's been a process.

Q= Favorite Quote - i have two :)

1. inspiration is all around you, and

2. to stay balanced you must constantly shift.

R= Reason to smile - Zack :)

S= Season - summer

T= Tag 3 of your fav blogs - http://www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com/, http://www.kellehampton.com/, www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog

U= Unknown fact about me - i was a cheerleader all 4 years of high school, and i loved it!

(WOOOOHOOOOO &lt;--- i added that in!)

V= Vegetable you don't like - eggplant

W= Worst habit - i like to hit snooze ;)

X= X-rays - i don't think i've ever had one taken.

Y= You are (in one word) - sassy

Z= Zodiac Sign - cancer





Most of you that follow the Gussy blog know about Maggie,

how she got started and what she is usually up too..

so I hope you feel like you got to know a few random extra facts about her

that make you love her even more!

If that didn't work, what about a giveaway??!!

{of course you LOVE giveaways!}

How about a $40 shop credit for one of these beauties??

Go check out her shop its packed full of goodies!

I'm giving you 6 chances to win!

{for each thing you do on the list, leave a seperate comment}

-must be a public follower of my blog

- follow Gussy Sews blog

-fan Gussy on facebook

-follow Gussy Sews on twitter

-tweet about this (with a link back to here)

-re-blog about this (with a link back to here)



Contest is open til Tuesday at 6pm (pst)

Winner will be announced shortly after, along with my product review!

I Won, I Won!

I am so excited I won this giveaway on Casey's blog.   I am so grateful for Casey's blog, her gifts that bless us all and the truth she speaks!  Go Casey.  And I love this new blog she introduced me to and I won the prize!!  So, so, so grateful to Casey and Mary.  Check out the lovely art work on Mary's new blog:

Become a follower of her blog!

We Have Value

Many of the thoughts I had earlier this week in this post continue to be on my heart.

I started reading the book Loyalty, The Reach of the Noble Heart by Bob Sorge and it has given me a lot of food for thought a long with some of the devotionals this week from Oswald Chambers and Watchman Nee.

Thought 1:  Pride is such a battle in the Christian walk.  In all of us.  I can't remember where I read this but it was a warning sometimes we think we will never get off track in our Christian walk if we make through something big with God.  Like the sudden death of a loved one.  Bankruptcy.  Betrayal.  A church split.  A divorce.  What ever your big thing is.  Beware of the little things, the little thoughts.  Take every thought captive.  Check your (my) mental attitude.  We are not warring against flesh and blood.  We have a powerful enemy who is much more powerful when we take ourselves out from under the covering of Christ and walk our own way.  It's pride that keeps us away once we have stepped away.  We have all been there.  We make a decision and stick by it because we are too proud to admit we are wrong.  Whether it's not returning to church, not praying, not winning souls for Christ, talking about other people.  We all make little decisions to step away from the truth and then it's our pride that keeps us away.  He's always there waiting for us to turn back to Him.  Nothing can separate us from His love.  Not even ourselves.

Thought 2:  In this book Loyalty it speaks of the parable in John 3 where three personalities are represented:  Christ (the bridegroom), the Lord's servant (the friend of the bridegroom) and the people of God (the bride of Christ).  It goes into how the servant is loyal to serve the people of God but then sometimes the bride (the people of God) becomes enamored with the friend (the servant) and the servant likes this attention.  The servant enjoys getting the praise that belongs to God.  Haven't I been there on a daily basis?  We are such creatures with an insatiable need for love and affirmation that what we are doing can become about us and not about Him.  Or we can infringe on His praises.  That really put my motives in check and the need for them to be in check at all times.  And, of course, we all have feelings, but this is probably the reason why we are totally crushed when we don't get the praises from people when we "do something for God".  Great food for thought.  Shouldn't everything we do point to Him?

Thought 3:  What is this life all about?  If the Gospel is true and we are going to spend all eternity in heaven and one soul is more valuable than all the earth, what should my priority be?  Should I be about my Father's business, getting to know Him more and more even in the mundane things of life?  Or should my life be about my comfort and my protection?  These are questions that would make no sense to someone who doesn't know God personally but continue to be burned into my heart more and more each day.  Is anything really a sacrifice when it comes to giving something up or over to the Creator of the Universe and our soul?  Hmm.  So simple to answer but such a battle to live in this world.

Good Friday to you. 

Thank You, Jesus, for taking the sins of the world and not making sin the issue but whether we would accept the free gift of grace to have eternal life with You.  Thank You for Good Friday.

Linking up over here today:

Bonfire & DC Day Trip

Stacey invited Hana & I to a bonfire with her friend Karen + 8 + one on the way.  Yes, that's almost 9 kids!!!  Hana had a blast with one of the two girls terrorizing the 6 boys!

Mrs. Fire herself.  Or maybe it's Stacey Fire McKenzie.

Super cute little boys.  It goes 3 boys, girl, 3 boys, girl + unborn baby.

Unbelievable valley view from the bonfire seats.

And the sun goes down.

And the full moon appears...

Hana's moon art (Hana is my niece who is visiting from Maine).

Can you tell this little nugget is sick?   I pushed my love buckets too much this week, I think.  By the time we parked the car, which took A LONG TIME mind you, hiked across the mall and made it to the first museum in DC, this little babe was burning up.  His little body was on fire.  I felt so bad.  Thank God for our super hero Myriah Mae who ran to our rescue and located some children's fever reducer.  We waited in the air conditioned museum while Rye pulsated across the pavement in the 90 degree heat today.  She is our super star.  Poor little man was a rag doll in my arms.  Totally not himself.  We ended up heading back to the car because I couldn't bear to see my little man feeling so sick and uncomfortable.  Hana was such a good sport and so understanding.  Love that girl!!  Love that girl Rye too!!  She's the woman for the job if you need something done!

Enjoy the photos Hana took from the car (ha-ha) and some on foot.  She is quite the photographer!

I love this picture Hana took.