Mosaic Monday and a Family Update

I spent some time yesterday playing with my camera. It seems that no matter how many pictures I take there is still more to learn about my camera and even what is appealing to the eye. So I read and practice trying to gain knowledge and skill.

The pie pumpkins above were accidentally grown in my compost pile from last year's pumpkins.


I found the sweet little nest on the ground in our neighborhood common area and I have been collecting acorns while on my walks.


I got this old weather worn desk drawer at a garage sale for a dollar; I loved the look of the aged wood. Do you see what is attached to the nest? It is the sack of a bagworm. I wonder what kind of bird made this soft little nest.



When I last blogged I mentioned that things were not going very well for my family. My husband had just been laid off for the fourth time in five years. The first three times was while he was working in the RV industry. He'd had a very successful career with one company for 15 years when the poor economy caused that company to file bankruptcy. He got jobs quickly but each one of the companies fell victim to the poor economy and had layoffs.

The last job he had was with a well-known company in medical sales. We thought that he finally might be safe from economic woes and have some job stability in a different field, but that wasn't the case.

It has been so difficult and heart breaking to see my sweet husband going through this again. There were so many people with this company who were hired during the same time frame as my husband, many of them were coming from layoff situations too. My husband has talked to quite a few of them and he feels so bad for them. It is almost as if companies hire people, use them for a while and then toss them aside with no care or thought for the people and how these job losses affect them and their families. The way this particular company handled this was absolutely horrible, thoughtless and corrupt. It was shocking!

I actually feel more sorry for those who remain than the ones that got laid off. They got their already low pay cut in half, their car allowance has ended and they are doing the additional work of those who were let go. They are also bound to a non-compete contract and can't look for jobs in their field. They are being used and abused.

For the last few weeks my time has been spent encouraging my husband and quite frankly it has been spent in earnest, fervent prayer. The only time I felt true peace was in my quiet time place reading and journaling through the Psalms and praying. I don't know what I would do were it not for the LORD to help me through these difficult days/months/years.

Thankfully God heard our prayers and my husband will start on his new job on Tuesday. How this job came about and the story behind it is amazing and we know it was God who provided.

The news gets even better! Our daughter recently finished college and was job searching too. She just got a great job and will start November 1. Her graduation ceremony is next Saturday and we just found out that she is Salutatorian for her class. That news made this homeschool mom very proud! It seems that when we homeschool we have more to prove and the success of our children is personal and very sweet!

After so many bad things have happened, we are very thankful for these wonderful blessings.



Now that we have that little business out of the way, I'll show you the next group of pictures.

I don't know why, but I love old things. I always have. I am happy that now with upcycling and recycling trends and the poor economy that old stuff is in style and very popular. I never follow decorating trends but this is one that suits me.



My home is filled with family treasures from my husband's parents and grandparents. I have also found things at garage sales and Goodwill.

The bowl with the eggs was passed down from my husband's grandparents. It is a set of three.

Here are some collages I created using different color techniques. The one above just has the colors desaturated to give it a bit of a vintage feel. One of these days I want to try my hand at some of the textures that are available. Like I said at the beginning of this post, there is always more to learn.


Here is the black and white version...



and lastly, the sepia tone.

Thank you all for reading this blog and for your sweet comments. I appreciate you all and thank you for your prayers and your encouragement during this time of trials. We are hoping that things will be calm for season, we have certainly had enough storms to last for a good long while!

I'll be linking this post to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Fall Pictures

These are a few pictures I took at Stony Creek Farms and Potters Bridge on Thursday. I love to visit both places in the fall. I love this old turquoise truck! It is my new favorite color!


I apologize again for my absence. We didn't think things could get much worse, but they have. I'll spare you sad, pitiful details. We are weathering this stormy time clinging to God and each other. We have faith that God is in control and we trust that He will work all things out for our good and for His glory.



I love fall! It is my favorite season to photograph.



The leaves are really beginning to show their colors. I wasn't sure we would have much fall color this year due to our dry conditions during August and September.



Instead of being afraid and worrying, I am trying to focus on our blessings and the magnificent beauty that surrounds us.


Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Mosiac Monday

Sharing this post on Mosaic Monday with Mary at the Little Red House.

Diet Update

This picture was taken October 2009. I am usually the one behind the camera and rarely ever see myself in a picture so this was a rude awakening for me. I had allowed the pounds to creep on. Working part time in a plus size women's clothing store didn't help matters either.

At 192 pounds, I hardly recognized myself anymore, with a round face, double chin, large belly and what I called my bubble butt. I hated it! It was painful to garden and I had difficulty even putting on my shoes. Not only that, I was beginning to have serious health issues. I had become a diabetic and I was having dangerously high blood pressure. My hips, legs and feet hurt all of the time. I felt terrible.

I am a stress eater, and there had been significant, never ending, stress for about four years. I put on 20 pounds in 2009 after my dad's bout with lung cancer, my mother-in-law's nursing home injury and surgery, her significant weight loss and end stage Alzheimer's. My husband also lost his job. I needed a lot of comfort food! I love to eat and I am a sugar/carb addict. The more I eat, the more I crave.

The worst part was the guilt. I have over 100 diet and nutrition books in my personal library and have read many more from the library. I am a health nut wannabe. I was not being true to myself and I felt so incredibly guilty for eating all of the processed junk food. Something had to change.

On January 1, I started a healthy diet plan. Eating only fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean cuts of meat. No sugar, no coffee and nothing processed. After the first three or four days I no longer had cravings and I started to actually enjoy what I was eating. The weight came off...without exercise. I have lost 35 pounds! Really, I lost a total of 38 but those last few pounds keep fluctuating.

I used the timer on the camera and took a few pictures to record my progress.

The sad part about losing weight is that I can no longer wear my favorite denim jackets and the clothing budget is rather small right now.

These jeans were actually too tight for me and I couldn't wear them when I started my diet. (I had already packed away the larger size.)

I am down four sizes! I know that I still have some weight to lose and it will come off more slowly now, but that is OK. I'm happy! At 48 years old, I never thought I'd see a size 12 again!

The best part is not even the weight loss, but the health benefits. I no longer have high blood pressure and I can control my diabetes with diet so I have not had to get on medications. After seeing my mom suffer for years with diabetes and eventually die from surgery complications due to the disease, I am motivated more than ever to stick with this healthy eating plan.

My next goal is to start exercising consistently. I don't think I'll lose much more weight until I do that. Really, my husband doesn't want me to lose any more weight. I'm 5'7" and I weighed 110 pounds when we got married and he honestly likes the size I am. So my goal now is just to be healthy and more physically fit. If I lose more weight in the process, hopefully he won't mind too much.

I know weight is a very personal and sensitive issue, I hope that I haven't offended anyone by sharing about my weight loss. I wanted to share just in case there are those who might need encouragement to change their diet and get healthier!

Master Bedroom Makeover

My bookshelf project was featured in the top ten picks for the Make it 4 Monday, at Cottage Instincts! That just made my day!









Right now I am focusing on creating beauty inside the house because the garden is a dried up mess from the heat and lack of rain during the month of August. I cried yesterday when I walked around looking at my flower gardens. I don't know how much of it will survive, but I think I lost my Kousa dogwood. I am heartbroken over it.

Life has been so sad lately that I just can't bear the thought of my crispy garden. So, I am trying not to dwell on the things that are beyond my control. Usually the garden and nature bring me joy and comfort, but not as much lately. It has been so hot and humid that my asthma has been a problem. I honestly haven't ventured outside very much.

Instead, my focus has been on creating a serene and peaceful master bedroom, which sadly had been sorely neglected. The budget is tight so I have had to be very creative with my resources.

I bought this little candle at Goodwill. I liked the shape of the container and knew I could paint it to display on my bookshelf.



I removed all of the stickers, scraped off the flower with a razor and cleaned it up.



Here it is on the bookshelf after I painted it turquoise and "antiqued" it with brown shoe polish. I found a necklace at a garage sale for a quarter. I removed the chain and used the pendant in the indented space on the container to dress it up and give it a little bling!



For the last nine years the master bedroom had builders beige paint and plain unsightly blinds on the windows, with no window treatments. Earlier this year, I found this roll of sheer fabric at a garage sale. The couple had recently closed a drapery shop. I got about 20 yards of sheer drapery fabric for $8.00. I dusted off the sewing machine and made sheers for the three bedroom windows.


It is so romantic and serene in the bedroom now. I love the change!


I am not very good at taking "before" pictures. I get ready to start a project and dive right in, so this is the only before picture I have. It was taken only because the dog is not allowed on the bed! I got quite the shock that morning when I went to the bedroom and saw both the cat and dog all cozy on the bed.

I had the floral comforter for about 16 or 17 years. I loved the colors in it and never could find anything that I liked better, so I kept using it. It was definitely time for a change!

Two weeks before my mom went into the hospital, she and my dad surprised me with a visit. Yep, 10:00 at night, they showed up on my doorstep, totally unexpected! They had driven from my nieces house in Oklahoma.

My mother loved garage sales, and that was one of our favorite things to do together! While she was here we went to several garage sales. I found this pretty comforter set, in pristine condition, at a home decorators sale. It had been in her guest room and the bed had not been slept in. I got it for $50.00! It came with the comforter, dust ruffle, two pillow shams, and a decorator pillow. I knew it would be perfect for what I had in mind for the master bedroom makeover.

It now has very special sentimental value because it reminds me of the last time that I spent with my mom. Who would have ever dreamed that just two weeks later she would be in the hospital, and after seven weeks of fighting to recover from surgery, that she would pass away. It is still unbelievable to me. I am so thankful for that sweet gift of a surprise visit.

The bedroom is still a work in progress. I am almost finished painting a small dresser that is my bedside table. I still have pillows to make and several other projects to do. I had hoped to accomplish a few of the projects over the long holiday weekend, but instead I have been under the weather with kidney stones. Hopefully this soon shall pass! Sorry for the pun!

I am linking this post to:

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/category/yardsales-and-thrifting/

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/09/before-and-after-party-choo-choo.html