~ Take heart!~

New year, and new thought, or theme, or words to live by... whatever you want to call it.....

    ~ For me, the word of my new year, or phrase of my new year is "Take Heart"

*image from Pinterest

Inspired by the following scripture:

 John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

What a wonderful and encouraging message!

 We have no need to worry or fret because our Savior and Redeemer overcame this world!

This is the year to focus on encouragement, keep on keeping on, service, a cheerful heart, a smile, a kind deed, etc.

We have been doing a whole house re~fresh. It started with the painting. We gave every wall a fresh coat of paint. Our color choice: Polar Bear, by Behr paint.

The color that was on the walls already was a soft beige color, but as we began painting, it became obvious that the soft beige color was absorbing so much light in our home, and lightening up the walls made such a huge improvement!

The above picture is the 'Before" picture...

 During: What a major difference in the color. 

We also added beadboard wainscot to the entryway.

After: 

So much more light floods through the entryway now, and everything feels so light and fresh.

With the beige walls, carpet, tile, etc.. in addition to our home having a Dutch hip roof, not all the light filtered into our home. 

Now it does!! 

We are constantly thinking that one of us left a light on.. .*smile*. 

It sure feels happy and bright now.

We really went all out, including getting new carpets.

We were going to wait a few years but decided that with all the new paint that new carpet was needed as well.

 Our previous carpet was original to the build of this house thirteen years ago and had become dingy and worn, as carpeting does. 

No matter how often I shampooed the carpet, it just never was nice a clean.

After riping up the old carpet, we found literal piles of dirt on the subfloor. I think it was from when the house was constructed, and no one thought to vacuum before the carpets were installed.....go figure!

  We also bought a new sectional.

Some friends asked for our previous living room furniture, so it worked out nicely.

We took all of the old carpeting and padding out ourselves, as the installers wanted quite a pretty penny to remove the old carpeting and padding. In some of the rooms, we had carpet coving, and so when we removed it, and after the new carpets were installed, we put in new baseboards.

One of my favorite re~fresher projects was this hoop and doilie wall. I had seen this idea and loved the sweetness of the look. Hand crocheted doilies aren't really a thing anymore, but they are so pretty, and of course, anything like doilies takes a great deal of time and the workmanship is beautiful.

For about a year now, I've been collecting various doilies with this project in mind. An acquaintance of ours had quite a few doilies her mother-in-law had made, and I was able to buy them for a good price.

I scoured the thrift stores for old wooden embroidery hoops, including a hand quilting hoop as one of the doilies was quite large.

Yep... I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. 

I still have one very, very large doilies that I need to scout out a large hand quilting hoop for.

        Next on the list... finishing the master bathroom, in addition to installing a barn door between the master bedroom and bathroom.

Lastly, I'll leave close with some nice everyday things...

Pomegranates. Once every few weeks, a man comes to town and brings produce from California. Pomegranates, oranges, avocados, etc. 

We bought one bag of poms from him and ended up with cups and cups of juicy and delicious pomegranate seeds. I froze most of them so that they wouldn't go bad.

Winter sunsets. With the cold temperatures at night, it's hard for me to remember to step outside and take a picture of the sunrise or sunset, but when I remember I am always amazed at the beauty of nature.

Homemade beeswax candles, scented with lemon cookie fragrance. 

Ocean sunset. From our kids' vacation in Florida.

 

~ The List ~

The List is something we use in our home to stay organized and accomplish our household goals.
But first... a few more fun pictures from Gardner Village.

 The Old Water Mill. 
Inside the building is a darling furniture and accessories store.

 Witches playing baseball...

 Cute covered bridge.

 Here at home, we worked on The List. 
Garden Charlie got a mini make~over, with a cheery new neckerchief. 

 I've had this old wooden ladder for many years, and I've been wanting to use it as a display but I also wanted to deepen the finish. I finally took it out of the garden shed and stained it.
Also on The List, cleaning and staining and sealing old gourds that had been stored in our garden shed.

 Giving the garage door a make~over was also on The List.
We taped off what would become the faux windows.

 After two coats of charcoal chalk paint, we taped the carriage door hardware to the garage to determine placement.
We both liked the placement of the hardware that is on the right side of the garage vs. the left side, so that is what we went with.

 Finished project. Cross that one off The List!
Also, the driveway is painted, the garage floor is painted and as you will see in the next picture, the porch stairs and porch floor are painted as well.

 Getting projects crossed off The List becomes very important at this time of year. 
 So many things that need to get done before the cold sets in. We race the weather, the snow, and the freezing temperatures.

 After a long week and weekend of work, we were treated to a beautiful moon rise.

Another thing I've been wanting to get done is to change out some of the dinnerware that I display on the hutch.
 I wanted to display that cute pumpkin Fall dinnerware.

There are still a number of things on The List, but working together and having things written down I have no doubt that in time we will accomplish our goals.
Last night, my sweet husband put 'Stabil' in all of the gas motors to winterize them. If that isn't done, then in the spring the motors won't run. 
A few more things to do on the list 
 ~ Ready wood in the wood stove 
~Empty hanging pots; store

For those that live where the winters freeze, I'm sure that you have a list too. Things that you need to get done before the weather turns. 
Wishing all good luck on accomplishing the things on their lists.

Do you make a list for winter preparations?

~Attitude of Gratitude.
Thankful for a few last zinnias to fill a vase. The rest of the zinnias froze.
~Thankful for the last harvest of butternut squash.

~ Sunny upcycle ~

The laundry room received a sunny up cycle do~over.

Our youngest son had a bunch of old galvanized roofing, left over from his garage. 

We wanted to use that galvanized tin in the laundry room. 

I had also curbside picked an old headboard a few years ago that was all solid oak.

 I just knew that I could up cycle the wood from that old headboard. 

The before: beige clay colored walls, and not a whole lot of character.

I had hung an old window on the wall, and I loved it, but I wanted the room to have more personality, and be a place that I enjoyed being in, as the laundry room is a room that we all use every day.

After determining that we wanted to add the galvanized tin for wainscot, we secured it to the wall and added a baseboard.

Then, we added the top section of the old headboard. The headboard wasn't long enough to top off the tin, so we then added a few sections of 1"X 8" pine boards to add length to the headboard section.

Then, we added 1" X 4" pine "battens" . Now the 'seams' of the tin were covered.

Then, I painted all the wood to finish it off. 

I'm still deciding if I want to give the wood a bit more distressing, and add some dark wax to it. 

I put the old window back. Added the old washboards, the Warren Kimball print, the large red metal box filled with greenery.

 The old copper mailbox is for dryer lint.
A cute "Pioneer Woman" tea towel on the dryer with a glass container for detergent.

 An old pine shelf up cycled with barn red paint, and dark wax holds a prim light, old canning jar filled with clothespins, an antique iron and a small faux geranium.

Above the window, a shelf was installed as a cornice, and a cute hand painted sign sits on top.

I sewed a simple curtain with Waverly fabric.

The sunny up cycle and re~do of the laundry room turned out exactly as I hoped it would.

Almost everything we used was up~cycled, or thrifted, with the exception of paint, and fabric and the new rag rug in colors of black and mustard. 

Nothing more satisfying than having a room turn out beautifully and all on a shoestring budget!

~Attitude of gratitude:

~Feeling thankful for cozy evenings in front of the fire. 

~Grateful for all the sweet potatoes I was able to harvest.

~Grateful for a good nights sleep.... especially considering how rare that is for me.

~Feeling thankful for a clean house, and decorated for Fall/Halloween. It feels cheery and festive.. ready for the holidays.

~ June: Junking and Jaunts ~

Hello friends.
Boy, oh boy.. it's another month that has just sped by, and tomorrow July will begin anew.
We've crammed a lot into June.
We've been to yard sales, and garage sales, estate sales.... we've been junking.
The above shelf was a yard sale find. Also the Quaker oats cans.. love them! I gave the shelf a little make over with some paint, and a bit of sanding.

I always find something great when I go junking.
Above junking finds: Shelf {gave it a make over with some black paint} bottles, plant, and the pig with the goose... affectionately referred to as "Petals" the pig, and "Gertie" the goose.

 Delightful mirror. 
We snagged it at a yard sale, only it wasn't actually displayed at the lady's yard sale.
She had it in her house, and they have been renovating their old house.
She asked me if I was interested in a really big mirror. She showed it to me, and the price couldn't be beat. I bought it on the spot.
 It also received a make-over {painted}. There is some hazing, and speckling on the mirror, but I honestly like the aged look of it. 
Isn't the scalloped edge on the mirror sweet?!
I imagine in it's former life, it was part of a mirror and dresser set.
 I painted our mantle white, and had been looking for a large mirror for the mantle.
 This mirror fits the mantle perfectly.

We took a jaunt to Park City.
It's always fun to take a trip to Park City.
We went to lunch and did a bit of shopping. 

 We managed to squeeze in a trip to the zoo in also.
 One of those summer activities that is always a lot of fun.

Lastly, our 'grand~dog' turned one year old.
Her name is Luna, and she loves water! Our oldest son and his wife live by a river, and they take Luna down to the river to swim, fetch and play.
Honestly, I was surprised that they got her to stand still enough to snap this picture!

So, what ever you're doing to soak up summer, I hope you're having fun!

Attitude of gratitude :
~ Feeling grateful for this day! I've been asking in my prayers for our Heavenly Father to help me find ways to serve.
Just this morning, I made a batch of naan, and took some over to my neighbors. It's not a big deal, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to foster goodwill, and show kindness.
Honestly, I am a home~body,and because I'm not out and about, and also because we live in a teeny tiny town, opportunities to serve just don't present themselves every day.
Of course, I always feel blessed to serve my family, but I am looking for service opportunities around me elsewhere as well.
A few days ago, traveling along the highway, we saw 2 elderly men trying to push a pick-up. We stopped gave them some help, and they went on their way. They were so grateful! Just for a teeny bit of help, and they thanked us profusely.
Yes.. I am feeling grateful for this new day, and for each new opportunity to serve.

~ April Mash Up.. aka... stuff keeping me busy this spring ~

 Goodness.
Now that warmer weather is here, we have been super busy.
You know, that old adage.. "make hay while the sun shines"?
Well.. we've been making hay!
Catching up on our 'to-do' list, and getting projects squared away.
We've thrown in a lot of fun too.
Yard sales, trips, anniversary celebration {the reason we took a trip}.
All, great stuff.

 Snagged the above dishes at a yard sale.
Both sets of dishes for just a few dollars.
Neither set is complete, but that's really ok with me.  I really love the design on the dishes and there are so many great pieces, that it really doesn't matter if the sets are complete.
Both sets of dishes, from what I've researched, are from the 1930's and 1940's.

 I've been busy painting.
Inside and outside {as you will see, later on in the post}
Inside, I re-painted this old buffet table.  Believe it or not, I've had this buffet for about 10-12 years. Found on the side of the road.....literally.
I repainted it with a soft yellow paint, and dry brushed some white glaze over it, and replaced the knobs with giant glass knobs. This buffet has had many a transformation, and has been used as storage in many a room in our house.
I'm digging it in it's current finish, and in it's current location: as a entry way table.
I also snagged the mirror from our youngest son. He had it in a closet and wasn't using it.
So, a coat or two of white chalk paint later, and a marriage to the buffet, and presto- change... a great combination for the entry.
Oh, and I spray painted the buffet lamps a brushed nickel color, and white chalk painted the lamp shades also.

 On one of our yard sale buying jags, I bought the above oak framed artwork for just 25 cents a frame. After scrubbing the frames, and taking out the dated art work, and painting the mat boards with black chalk paint, and the frames with white chalk paint.......

 presto - change... some cute and simple art work.
I hung the daisy-like pictures in our master bedroom.
Love the simple graphic flowers, and the 'shabby chic' frames now.  All for a dollar, and little creativity and elbow grease.
That's what I call a win!

 We've been having a lot of rain storms.
So far this week, it rained on Mon., Tues., and Wednesday.
Finally, the clouds have cleared a bit and today should be a warmer and dryer day.
For all those folks that have had little faith, I say, "Have Faith"!
In this time of drought, the Lord will provide!!
Heavenly Father has blessed us with lots of wonderful rain!

 My sweet husband and I just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary!!
Yippee!! I've been wed to my very best friend for 28 years now!!
We celebrated by getting away on a little anniversary trip.
We went to sunny St. George.
We had so much fun!! We shopped and shopped.
We shopped all the thrift stores, and antique stores, etc.
I found the above treasures at a thrift store, and right away I knew just what I would do with each item.

 Previously, I had a small picture on the right side of my dining room hutch.
I've really been digging French Farmhouse décor, and wanted to add some copper accents and baskets in our dining area/ kitchen.

 Ta-da!
After giving the large platter basket a coat of gray paint, then a dry brush coat of white chalk paint, I now have just the look I wanted in that space!
Oh, I just adore that old copper fish.
Those old copper molds were all the rage in the 1970's.  I loved them then, and I love them now..... although I am partial to the fish shaped molds.
And, who doesn't love a great basket?!!

 Ok... so back to the painting.
Remember how I mentioned that I had been painting indoors, and out?
The above picture is of our youngest son's house : Dunravin , it's the name of his house, and it has needed to be painted for a long time.
He has been the owner of Dunravin for about 16 months.
All of the electrical has been replaced, the plumbing, the insulation, inside painting, etc.. etc..
On the outside, we were waiting for good weather this spring to give the house a make-over.
Boy did it ever need it!
I'm not really sure what color it was.  Our son called it baby poo yellow/green.  Yeah.. that's about right.

 Now: Yay!! A fresh coat of paint has done wonders for Dunravin!!
A soft gray color : Gray Mist by Behr. 
The body of the house is done, but we are steadily working on getting the trim done.
Of course on an old house, it's much easier said than done.
Windows have to be caulked, scraped, some wood filler used, and then painted. Trim work is hard work because it is so high off the ground, and there is so much of it.
One of our biggest challenges, has been the weather. We'll have a few hours of sunshine, and then the rain begins.
I have a newer picture than the one above {taken last Sunday}, we have made progress and I'll have to post those pictures one of these next times.

Finally, a rainbow!
After a few days of rain, across the meadow was this beautiful rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow... if you look to the left upper hand corner, you can just see a faint double arch.

Yes.. this is a busy time of year.
All of us are busy, busy. Yard work to do, renovation projects for some of us, etc.
We also have a fence to build here at Mill Hill Meadow this summer.  So, if I am absent for a bit, you'll all know that somewhere I'm working my fingers to the bone ****giggle**.
Miss you all, and I hope to catch up on what you've been up to, very soon.
Smiles, and hugs... ~~~ Kerin

Attitude of gratitude:
~Grateful for my wonderful family! I couldn't get half the stuff done with out all the help that they give me!
~ Feeling grateful for the rain that we've been blessed with! Although, I seriously want to wring the neck of the farmer just East of us. He's had his wheel lines going night and day, even though it's been pouring rain for 3 days. What gives??
~I'm so thankful for good health!! We all caught the cold that is making the rounds, but thankfully, in just a day or two, we all felt great again. We are blessed not to have had the cold hang on, and not to have had that horrible cough that others have had. Whew!
~I'm thankful that the drive-in movie is open again!! We've had a blast on the past few date nights; going to the drive in!! Cup of chili, drive in movie, and my sweetheart = a great beginning to the summer!!