Saturday morning...

You know I'm all about a peaceful Saturday morning...

Coffee in hand...feet propped up...sweet bliss...

Not today.

As we speak I am playing hooky from the biggest, messiest craftroom you can ever imagine...

Last night in the quiet of the evening, I had the bright idea to start rearranging, reorganizing and dare I say purging my craftroom...

What was I thinking?!!!

So this morning I snuck out of bed, crept past the trail of plastic bins strewn throughout the hall and dining room, made my coffee and found a nice spot on the couch (out of view of the rest of the house) and had my quiet time with God...

He spoke...

on slovenliness...of course! 

Just like him, huh!

So now here I sit, summoning up my mojo to get started.  Wish me luck!  I'll share pictures as soon as I can find my camera in all this mess!  AGHHH!!!!

Have a wonderfully productive weekend,

Patty

bird poop...

My hubby was outside doing some watering as I was rushing out the door to work this morning (nothing unusual there). I stopped to chat for a second about the usual day to day stuff and started to get in my car to leave…

That’s when I noticed it…

Right there, front and center, smack dab in the middle of my windshield was a special delivery from a fine feathered friend. As I said, I was running late and there was no way I had time to go inside and grab some paper towels and Windex. So I did the next best thing…I frantically started hitting the windshield wiper fluid button and wiping away.

You know that never works…

Just as I am backing out of the driveway resigned to the fact that I will be making it through the day staring at bird poop spread across my windshield, out comes dear hubby waiving a towel…

He noticed it, too.

I gotta tell you…seeing him come through the back gate in his flip flops, faded jeans and T-shirt made my heart flutter. Isn’t it the littlest things that remind us of why we stay together through it all?

Anyone who’s been married a while knows what I’m talking about. Marriage takes patience (by both parties), forgiveness (by both parties) and a whole lotta prayer (again, by both parties).

I’m just curious, what has your man done lately that made your heart flutter? And remember, this is a family show…lol!

Blessings from this old married woman,

Patty

June gloom in late July...

We've settled into what Californian's affectionately call June gloom...

Overcast mornings in the 60's...

Mild afternoon's in the 80's...

It's nearly August so I'm definitely not complaining...

and neither are the flowers as they enjoy a little reprieve from our triple digit temperatures of a couple weeks ago.

My hubby even managed to put in a new orange tree...with a peach and a plum to follow in the weeks to come...I think I heard him even say something about a chicken coop...Be still my heart!

I did manage to catch a few things blooming...

What's blooming in your neighborhood?

Blessings,

Patty

imprinted in my mind...

I met the loveliest woman yesterday...

I am on a committee with her and fell in love with her can do, generous spirit...

She is bright, articulate and full of this amazing energy...

She is one of those ladies that you know instantly has an intimate, loving relationship with the Savior...

She knows Him...

And it shows in her very being...

After the meeting was over, in closing,  she mentioned she has stage 4 bone cancer...

I would have never know it...

She definintely was not defined by it...

I am in awe...she is not afraid...she fights the disease and wants to live...

but she truly believes God.

I can only pray that I have the faith and grace that this beautiful soul possesses.

She is forever imprinted in my mind and on my heart.

I'm sure you know people like that...

I desire to be a person like that...

Drawn near to Thee,

Patty

Saturday morning...

I'm sitting here pondering my options on this peaceful Saturday morning...

Isn't amazing the number of things we can choose to do each day...

Of course, there's always the chores...

I think I'll call it freshening my nest today...that's sounds so much nicer.

And the groceries need to bought...Hmmm...How does nourishing my family sound?

There's always plenty of laundry...keeping my loved ones warm and cozy.

When you think about there's nothing hum drum or mundane about keeping our home is there?

How blessed I am to have the opportunity to show my family love today...I might not have it tomorrow!

Just something to think about...

Have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings sweet friends,

Patty

For such a time as this...

I volunteered to help at our Women's retreat this year...

The theme is, "For such a time as this".

I created this little pocket with bookmark and scroll as one of the little gifts planned for the event.

I love everything about Women's retreats...

the study, the friendships, the food, the worship...

I come away tired but renewed, if that makes sense...Physically tired from lack of sleep but spiritually renewed to take on whatever life has in store. 

Blessings,

Patty

snowballs and distractions...

I started this snowball quilting project with my mom and sister in law a couple of months ago (my idea of course) thinking it would be so easy to get a couple of quilt squares done a week and then by the end of summer we could have a little quilting party and exchange squares and assembly our quilt tops so that we would have them all finished when the weather cools this fall...

Clever thinking, huh?

I got off to a gang buster start but somewhere in June I got distracted (no surprise there)...

I don't know if anyone else noticed but it's mid-July...

I'm even starting to see Christmas posts!

So I've decided I better leave my decorating ideas brewing in head for a bit and start sewing...I pulled out my reproduction fabrics...stacked them all pretty and now I'm inspired. 

Sometimes that's all it takes for me. 

What about you...what inspires you to get going?  I'd love to hear...

Blessings,
Patty

cottage style meets crafty girl...

I know, I know...it's Monday already.  Thank goodness for coffee...

I had a chance to work on my dining room this weekend.

I was able to redo a wall grouping that was past it's prime. 

When we moved in I put up things from our old house until I knew which way this one was calling me...

I'm thinking cottage style meets crafty girl...

I'm trying to repaint and reuse what I can and fill it all in with Thriftstore finds...

I've had these plates for a few years and they still make me happy...

I fell in love with Kim at Savy Southern Style's buffalo checked curtains but they just aren't in my budget right now, so I found this gingham fabric at 50% off and made a couple of simple panels...the lace in the middle is just a runner and two placemats that were given to me by a friend in a bag of old lace that her mom had given her...

I still have the buffalo check on my wish list but for now these will do...

Isn't this daisy lace adorable? At $5.99 a yard, it was probably the most expensive thing in my makeover...

Of course, I used my 40% off coupon, but I'm just saying...

So what do you think?  I still need to recover the chair cushions and hang a few plates but it's getting there...and the best part is...

It makes me smile...

I hope you find something in your home that makes you smile today!

Blessings,

Patty

I'm linking up to The house in the roses for Show off your cottage Monday,

 Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures...

and Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphis Monday...

Saturday morning...

It's my absolute favorite time of the week...

Nothing beats a Saturday morning with a nice hot cup of coffee, a little something sweet and time to dream about the weekend...

I'm thinking about all the fun I'm going to have with what the mailman left at my door...

I just love getting goodies in the mail...don't you?

Even when I'm expecting something that I've paid for, I still get giddy...

So you can imagine how excited I was when I received not one...but two boxes that I knew would be filled with crafting goodness from two sweet ladies, Alli and Gina, who I was partnered with in a jar swap at Kids Napping, I'm Scrapping ...If you have a minute go over and visit their sweet blogs and tell them Patty said, "Hey!"

Just look at all this loot!...

Hand made scrumptious flowers...

adorable vintagey tags...

beautiful vintage lace and buttons...

brads and glitter and stickers and old wooden spools of thread...

Just so much crafty loveliness for this crafty heart to play with...

It's way too hot to play outside so I think I'll get comfy in my craftroom today and see what I can create with my new stuff.

Oh yeah,  my dining room is coming along...

I just thought I'd leave you with a sneak peek of what I'm working on...

I can't wait to reveal it to you on Monday...

Have a wonderful weekend,

Patty

I'm linking to A Few of My Favorite Things Saturdays...

breakfast for one...

One of the things I like most about blogging is the inspiration I get from all the wonderful blogs out there.  I have just been loving all the beautiful yellow tablescapes I've seen, so I took a stroll around my house looking for yellow to create a sunshine tablescape of my own.  I added a quick trip to the Goodwill store to fill in the gaps and this is what I came up with...

I started with a round placemat that was on clearance at Kohls and added this yummy sunflower yellow fiestaware...

I layered the yellow setting with a white salad plate from the Goodwill store just to break it up a bit.

A napkin ring was wrapped with this pretty daisy ribbon that I had in my stash...

I embellished a plain white napkin with this cute lemony ric-rac...

The adorable little polka dotted planter was another Goodwill find...

The clear juice glass and the daisy candy jar, filled with lemon drops, again...Goodwill...

It's always fun to enter a Thriftstore with something specific in mind and just kind of close off any other color.  In my case this made everything yellow or daisy related just stand out.  For $5.00 I found five things  that really helped to put the finishing touches on my table.

Now I'm all set for my morning coffee, and a nice leisurely breakfast...

Have a wonderful day,

Patty

I'm linked up to Treasures and Trinkets at My Cottage Charm

BNOTP for Tablescape Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday...

do ya like it...

I'm excited to show you my progress in the dining room.   I've had such fun gathering little oil paintings, mirrors and frames for my grouping from this Thrift Store and that...

Nothing on the wall cost more than $5.99...

It is so freeing to gather what appeals to me...not my neighbor or my best friend or even my mom...(love you mom)...

At one time it would have freaked me out to leave the frames all mismatched and the gold tone ones...no way.  But now...I love them just the way I found them.

Even my husband didn't say he hated it...or "You're not going to leave those like that, are you?"...

That's high praise coming from someone who measures and measures within an inch of his life...

I hope you love it, too...but you know what, it doesn't matter because it's my dining room...in my house...and that's all that really matters, right?

(But do you like it, don't you?) Ahhhggg!!!

Blessings,

Patty

Coastal Charm for Todays Thrifty Treasures,
Nifty, Thrifty Tuesday,

Ruby Tuesday,

2nd Time Around Tuesday,
It's a Very Cherry World for Rednesday...

You can't take it with you...

I thought this post was worth sharing on both blog sites...

"Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed- and men praise you when you prosper -he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light o life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish."

Psalm 49:16-20

All my life I have heard that saying..."You can't take it with you," never knowing that is was scriptural based. What a vital scripture for us to remember, especially here in the U.S., where compared to the rest of the world we are definitely that rich man. And doubly so here is blogland with so much creative inspiration that appeals to the aesthetic.

I love to visit the blogs of so many amazingly talented women...I am inspired to make my home more beautiful because of them. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my home and latest finds with any who visit my blog, too.

The Psalm is not saying to not enjoy beauty...to not create a beautiful home...It is saying to not be overawed...It is saying that, riches without the knowledge of who the giver of all good and perfect gifts, will cause a man to perish.

I am blessed not because of where I am fortunate enough to worship God from...I am blessed because I can worship God...that I was chosen and adopted by the One True God to come into his presence whether it be here in my lovely sunroom, outdoors in his beautiful creation or from a prison cell. I am blessed because I can...not by where I am.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...Praise Him all creatures here below...Praise him all you heavenly hosts...Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost...Amen.

In awe of Him,

Patty

I'm linked up to Spiritual Sundays,   I Owe it all to Him Retreats, Tea Time Tuesday and Gratitude Wednesday...Be sure and go over and see what beautiful things await you...