OMG

I love these votive holders with the pegs on the bottom. So far the only place I have found them is the thrift stores in town. Last night I just popped into Goodwill real quick-like and found 8 of the red ones that are in the top pic - 69 cents each! So, of course I bought them all. They will be perfect for Christmas, and look so pretty! I have a few different colors so it's nice to mix them up for each different holiday/season. I'd like some green ones and possibly more pink since I only have 2 pink ones so far. I had looked them up online before stopping at the thrift and they were going for like $5 each! So, I also got a really good deal. I also love the amber colored ones, they glow goldish with a candle lit in them. They make me happy :) Also, after looking at my white walls behind I realize that I really need to paint!

Projects from the weekend

So, I'm working on these stars. I'm not sure if I am going to make a swag with a few of them in a row with solid colors in between, or if I am going to just do a bunch all the same. Then I was thinking of a wreath, or some sort of hanging arrangement. I cut the star shape for the pattern with my cricut and then just used the pattern with the fabric. I had bought the fabric before I knew for sure what I'd be doing because I knew that with the long weekend I would have time to work on some sewing! I spent most of my sewing time on this apron. This is my first apron to make, I think it turned out allright. I love the fabric and the retro-ish pattern. I found the rosettes at a thrift stores and I absolutely love them! I
have been saving them for something that I would like. They just make me happy :) So, in between laundry and other stuff I worked on these projects. I also made some sort of pinwheel paper things on a stick that did NOT turn out as cute as I wanted them to. I had a vision of these super cute pinwheels in a vase as a centerpiece, but they turned out sorta lame so I was disappointed - therefore no pics of them. I will refine the pattern, so maybe by this next weekend it will work out and I will have a cute patriotic centerpiece!

Oh, I finally got a real American flag for our flag pole on the porch! Hooray! It really made my husband happy because he was in the Army and didn't really appreciate my "frou frou" patriotic-inspired flag. He likes the real thing the best :) so now we're both happy!

Flipping my pillow

You know how sometimes your pillow can get uncomfortable? You get into bed and it has conformed to the shape of your head so there's a little bit of a lump, and if you've been laying on it for awhile it gets hot? So, you turn over thinking it could be that side of your head and you might be comfortable on your other side anyways. But, you're not. You put your hand under the pillow and there is a coolness under there and it feels good. Suddenly you realize you need to flip your pillow! It feels cool and nice under your cheek, and no lump! Finally, you can rest.

Spiritually, this is how I was feeling before last weekend. I am not a morning person so I have been neglecting my morning devotionals. I do go to a Tuesday night bible study and read my bible during the week and go to church but it just wasn't feeling right. I felt "icky". I would feel good after church and hopeful that this week would be better, I can turn my bad attitude around. But no, I couldn't.

I had been so excited to go see Beth Moore because I have done her studies and really like her style. She makes sense to me. But, when I got there I realized that I was really looking forward to hearing what God had to say to me through her! And boy, did He ever! I felt like the study was tailored just for me and my life situations! My heart grew so heavy as I realized exactly how I have been, and remembering past hurts. She said that by dwelling on past hurts you are really in a sense worshipping them instead of God. Whoa! That is the last thing I want to do! And that we need to discipline ourselves and get control of our minds! Also, God entrusted us with gifts and we need to use them to bring glory to His kingdom. It was so funny, at one point she was talking about being disciplined with our devotions in the morning (!) and that some of us use the excuse "I'm just not a morning person" and she was like, Get Real! That is totally me! My friend Kristin looked straight over at me when she said that. My mind is still spinning with all of the things that I learned. I'm not exactly sure what my gifts are yet (my husband says I have patience) and how I can use my past hurts constuctively. Maybe I can help someone else who has been in the same situation I have? I don't know, but what I DO know is that I can't do it on my own! The awesome thing is that God is there with me, to help me "flip my pillow" so to speak! This past week (except today) I have gotten up early and put on some worship music and prayed and read my bible. And I have felt that cool refreshment that can only come from the lord!
Okay, I know the picture is blurry - she moves a lot!

5 days and counting

So this Friday Kristin and I are driving to Boise ID to see Beth Moore! I am so excited! Beth Moore is fabulous and I have done two of her bible studies so far. Well, actually I've done one of them twice - the Daniel study and also the Believing God study from Joshua. She makes things very easy to understand and also has a silly sense of humor! I have a sneaking suspicion that I might cry.

Talking myself down from a bad mood :)

Okay, so I am having a less than stellar day so therefore I need to pull myself up out of this funk. My strategy for doing this is as follows: I am going to list things that make me happy. Attached are a few visual aids.

1. Daffodils and spring flowers. I have daffodil, tulip and iris bulbs in my flower beds in front of our house. The daffodils always come up first and then the tulips. The irises don't bloom here until summer. Yesterday my red tulips bloomed and one yellow one. It made me smile :)

2. Every morning when I get up to let June out to potty there are the most melodious birds chirping. I'm not sure if the pic above is one of the chirpers, but it is so super cute. I took this pic last Friday after work down by the pond. We get tons of birds out at our house.

3. The compote dishes I looked for-ever in town for. I have always loved the style for a candy dish. I had been searching all over town for the compote with the ruby flashing with no luck. During the search came across the blue one in an antique store on the drive home from Portland. I was SO excited when I saw it, my heart skipped a beat b/c I thought there was a chance a ruby/clear one would also be there. I finally ordered the ruby flashed one from ebay and when it came in the mail it was just so perfect :)

4. My cat Truckie! He gets his name b/c my husband at one time worked at an auto dealership and the sales guys were shooting this cat with water to get it out of the wheel well of a truck because they were jerks. My husband immediately rescued him and brought him home. He is mostly an outdoor cat but also loves to snuggle :) This pic was also taken last Friday night, I was taking pics of the bird when I heard Truckie meowing.

5. This last one is a little random, I'll admit. But, it is my favorite kitchen tool! Well, one of a few. I bought it from pampered chef - one the large end is a melon baller and the other end is a little claw scooper. I have used the claw scooper side to take off the stems of strawberries. It also works well for tomato stems. I love to just rinse the strawberries, take off the stems and then put them back in the plastic box they came in to just eat easily :)

So, that is my top 5 for today :) And I do feel a little bit better, so my goal has been achieved! Hooray for happy thoughts!

Concert details

So the Superchick concert was totally awesome! I loved it! We had great seats, right above the stage so a great view. My husband also enjoyed it, which was a bonus! He is a musician, plays drums mainly and also guitar, mandolin, piano, bass and sings. He plays by ear which is just amazing to me! So, he was especially dialed into the musicians. He really liked their energy and sound. We were not supposed to be taking pictures, but I didn't have my flash on so I figured I was okay so snap some pics. Except for the last pic I forgot to turn the flash off, but they were not singing or anything but I still felt like a dork! Whoops! The openers were good as well, a real variety of music. The first opener was a band that the drummer from Superchick had started (I don't remember the name) and they were good. They only did a couple of songs but they sounded good. The next was Britt Nicole - she had great energy and a good voice. It was super cute b/c there was a girl in the front row who was clearly a huge fan and she was having a dream come true moment! Then was KJ52, he was a rapper and was good. Then was Disciple - they were high energy and lots of distortion, very loud. But, also good. Finally Superchick and I just loved every minute, sang along with the lyrics. They also tested out a couple new songs off of their upcoming album and they were rad. I can't wait for the new album!