Whisper of Wednesday

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."~ Melody Beattie ~

I love Clementines! This is a bowl of them on my kitchen table. I don't eat oranges normally, but LOVE when these little gems are in season. I've eaten them for breakfast, with dinner and as an afternoon snack. Yummy!

Attitude of Gratitude ...the little things...

The following 'story' is not mine. I credited the author at the end. Yesterday was one of those days where the 'little things' became big things and sure did get in the way of my gratitude. I am so very blessed. In this economy, I still have a job. I have a home with an affordable mortgage. I have two beautiful healthy wonderful children. My piece of crap car gets me to and fro! I have groceries in the pantry and in the frig. I am lucky to have the internet at my fingertips. I am resourceful and intelligent. I have just renovated an entire room with spending very little money ending up very impressed and satisfied at how much more organized and feasible the room turned out! My extended family is all near me in miles and healthy. I have the best friends in real life and online! They inspire me daily. I have more blessings than time to count them all!!!

I hope this will inspire you to 'count your many blessings'.

We get so caught up in the little things of life. We believe they matter, and to us they are so big. But others would feel fortunate to have our life situation, which we take for granted. In our day to day lives, we focus on negative mind chatter, and we fail to recognize our blessings, which stare us is the face.People are so involved in the story they create, they miss the big picture of life.

I walk into work. I listen to a co worker who is complaining about how she can not tolerate her job because our boss is so unthoughtful and unappreciative of us. She argues that we work really hard during the day, and she feels we deserve to be more appreciated.This woman is miserable because of how she perceives the situation we work in, which she views as "Intolerable”.

Personally, I feel our work situation is a blessing. I feel privileged to be there, and although it has its difficulties, I have learned to enjoy it no matter what. In reality these stories or perceptions that we create in our mind are irrelevant to the big picture of life.We tend to create negativity in our life and forget our blessings.

I work in a Dialysis access center, where we help people who have kidney failure. These individuals have to be on dialysis in order to live. Being on dialysis is a hard way of life, because they sit in a clinic 3 times a week for 4 hours a day for the rest of their lives. Many times their arteries and veins narrow and they are unable to dialyze, our services are their life line. We open up their veins and arteries so they can go to dialysis.

One morning, my co worker was complaining about the little things. The negativity of her story seemed to have consumed her. The more she spoke of her story, the more upset she became.The same morning, a patient arrived at our facility. The normal motions of our work began. After we worked on her, the physician realized we could not help her, her veins were so narrowed, she was barely getting blood into her heart. When we recognized we could not open up her veins. We put a catheter into her leg, which was the last life line she had available. When the doctor told her what was happening, I could feel the sadness in her presence. There was no sobbing, but tears rolled from her eyes.To me, they felt like tears of courage. She had dealt with this for many years. She knew that her life lines were running out. She had told her mother on the way to the center, she did not want this catheter.Then I thought about my co worker and her complaints. I realized how silly it is that we get so worked up over the little things.

I realized how truly blessed we are. We have our health and we have our freedom.Many of the everyday things we seem to get wrapped up in really do not matter. When we stress because our server forgot our ice tea, or we have to wait in a long line, or someone pulled out in front of us.Do these things really matter? No, they do not. They are just little things which prevent us from seeing our blessings in life, our blessing of health, our blessing of having food. Many are not fortunate to have what we take for granted. If we all appreciated our blessings instead of focusing on the little things we would be much happier. Author ~ Jennifer Kahtz ~

Manic Monday

So the day didn't start out well at all! I'm driving into work; the entire 2.5 miles and as I am turning IN to the campus (I work at a U) .... my car begins making this horrible noise that sounds like the fan is devouring the engine. Oh JOY! I coast into the parking lot. I mean seriously, it's Monday.

I call the mechanic. You know, the guy you want to be your friend, but you'd rather NOT go visiting often! Tell him my woes, I'm sure all the while sounding just like a woman. It's making this racket you see. Ha! I call my mom, the only human I know not working today. She had set up a few morning appointments, can't come til later. Mom is a beautician and usually off on Monday's. She has to keep the world a better looking place for all of us. It was her rotation to clean the beauty shop and then she was stopping by to cut a lady's hair that is home sick. House calls??!!?!?? Does your beautician make house calls?????? Oh right, my mom is 73! From the old school.

The plot of my dramatic morning thickens. How to get the car to the shop? How to get lunch, since I skipped breakfast? How to get back to work? Does the car need towing? Will it blow up?

I leave for lunch. The car starts. I am driving it across town and it keeps making this noise. Like you are holding paper in a fan only 500 times worse and LOUD. I get to the shop and the guy goes out to listen. I'm reading some home decor magazine in the waiting room and listening to some bad court scene playing out on the television in the room. Loverly. I hear the rocket engine banging around outside, then he turns off the car. Ten minutes later, I hear my car start and just hum it's regular engine tune. I toss the magazine and head out there. This is the culprit of the blood curling, money flying out the window to repairs ...rocket engine in flight and NO this IS NOT a 'junk' store find though it appears to be ...sound:

A cap off a motor mount that fell down beside a belt. Yes, a part needs replacing, but I can drive the car without it. Too busy at the office today to call back and find out how much the part will be. Just glad the car is still running another day!

There was GOOD news today! I won a SWEET give away from Casii over at http://grannypantychic.blogspot.com/ . Here is the loot:

Can't wait to play with those roller stamps! They will be a new item for me!!! How fun! THANK YOU Casii!! See there IS a bit of Sunshine even on a cloudy day. *wink*

Weekend Wonders

Wonder what I've been up to? I've been a BUSY girl!

Kelli and I went scouting yesterday ~ a small antique mall and another trip to the junk store. My antique store find was this:

I wasn't sure where it would 'land' in the house. I just thought it was too cute, at a price that could not be beat! $5.00!!! It is now on the wall in my kitchen. Of course, I went 'shopping in the house' for a few items to keep it company.

Wonder what I picked up at the junk store this time? I got something REALLY cute for 3 bucks. Sorry, you'll have to wait to see it. I know, wonder why I am such a tease eh?

Wonder what I did next? Well, with my daughter and Kelli's wonderful assistance; the prep work for some makeover painting on last week's junk store finds:

Four solid wood frames (88 cents each) and a long mirror ($2.00). All of these will find a home in my Inspiration Studio. (Notice the name of my room keeps changing?). Wonder what that is in the lower corner? A bulletin board that also was painted white. I have 3 matching ones from a long ago purchase. So they are getting painted and will go in my studio over my desk.

Here are the frames after spray paint fumes that filled the air:

I love that these frames are solid and each a bit different! Can't wait to pick out photos, which will be matted and then arranged with the mirror on one wall in my studio.

Wonder what else I did? Cause that isn't all.

I cooked homemade chicken pot pie for dinner. Yummy and EASY!

Wonder what time I went to bed last night? Let's just say it was morning hours! Wonder why I did that when I had to work Preview Day at the U today? Me too!

Oh and yesterday I decided my fireplace mantel needed a makeover. A friend commented a few weeks ago that the same exact picture had hung over my mantel the ENTIRE time I have lived in this house. Which is exactly twelve and a half years! Wonder why I haven't changed it? Well now I have! I shopped the house, but still needed something. So after greeting parents and prospective students today... I snuck off to TJMaxx, Ross and Tuesday Morning. Nothing really jumped out at me. Still not sure it's exactly what I want the mantel to look like but here it is:

The mirror is something I picked up years ago at an antique auction. It has resided on my bedroom wall since. Yet, I rearranged my bedroom after moving out my craft table into the now studio. The mirror was out of place and not really suited for my room any longer. The candle stands are today's find at Ross for $6.99. The bird came from Pier1 clearance for around $2.50 last weekend. In fact, everything up there except the mirror and todays purchase was a clearance find at some point! Yes, I have friends that have lovingly called me the clearance rack queen. I can smell a clearance isle when I walk in the front door of a store!

With that I will leave you with this quote today:

If we take the time to gather together the moments and opportunities we too often discard and waste, we find we can weave them into something beautiful.

I wonder what YOU have weaved into something beautiful? Please share it with me ~ a moment, a meal, a family activity, a unique thrifty find. Beauty is everywhere around us. We just have to take the time to see it...feel it...and realize it IS indeed there.

Hope you had a WONDERful weekend!

Champagne finds on a beer budget...

In November I purchased a coffee table for my living room. Partly because I was hosting Thanksgiving for 18 people in my home with the need for more table space and in part because I haven't had a coffee table in years due to kids, space, living room arrangement. Of course, I was on the hunt for something that worked, yet was inexpensive. I found this coffee table at a local antique mall marked $60. It is solid wood in better than good condition. Just happens the owner of the booth was there that day. I told him I was interested in the table and he said he would 'make me a deal'. He asked what the table was marked I told him. To which he replied, I'll sell it to you for $30. SOLD! I would have rather had a rectangle table, but this wooden oval at that price would work. It also matched the colors of my other furniture in the room. Bonus. No fix up work, great deal. Got it home and this is the photo. DANG, I NEED a rug to break up the color.

This is a BEAUTIFUL rug from Neiman Marcus:

It is 5x8, a bit larger than I'd like and also $446! So I hit the local TJMaxx and found a similar rug, a bit smaller; 3.5x5 for $29.99! This is my rug:

Along the same colors (the grey/blue is lighter in real life) and a lot better DEAL!

I'm not a huge rug lover. So I didn't want a large overpowering rug in the living room. This one works perfectly for me. Added a clearance accent bowl from Cato's (yes the clothing store) that ties in the current colors in my room: blue, burgundy and tans; along with natural wood tones.

Although it actually began in late September with moving my daughter into my son's 'old' room and a total makeover for her; this year is about getting my house organized and made over into things I LOVE; not just things. I am still figuring out my 'style' and that is ok. I am loving the process along with the bargain hunting!

Today I am off to pick up spray paint to revamp some junk store finds into wall decor for my Craft Studio; plus to haunt a thrift/junk store in a neighboring town.

My house isn't perfect. Heck, my life is FAR from perfect! I am not perfect and wouldn't want to be. Yet I have learned to love life's imperfections. It makes us all wonderfully amazing individuals. So I leave you with this thought today, as I head out looking for junk treasures with their imperfections that give them a unique appeal. It makes me happy and that is what matters most. Loving the imperfections.

Shiney Old Things

Did you guess this was this? A beautiful shiney white solid wooden chair found at the junk store. It only has a few nicks on it that will need touched up. And how much did I pay for it?

$9.88 !!!!

My teen daughter wanted a stool for her room. So she could actually sit while putting on make-up in the mornings. I had searched Target and Walmart, but didn't want to pay the price for the nicer type stools. I was tickled to find this solid wood, already painted and pretty much in tip top shape one at the junk store. $10!!!! Much better on the budget. Plus I didn't have to do a thing to it! The stool matches her bedding, is the perfect size for her dresser and small enough to tuck away in a corner. SCORE!

A Room Makeover

Monday was a holiday from my regular ole day job. Ya know, the one that pays the bills at this humble abode. It was also an opportunity to finally have a bit of time, along with a set of extra hands (my teen daughter) to organize, clean, move around my ... hmm....my extra room? Craft Studio? Sunshine room ~ well it IS bright yellow! Not my choice of color, but that of my daughters when this was her room. Several months ago she was able to 'upgrade' to the larger bedroom vacated by her brother. That makeover included fresh painted walls, carpet cleaning and a new bedroom set. Since then we have scouted all sorts of places for clearance items to give it the final touches. Maybe one day soon that will be a post ...because I am beginning to really LOVE the accents in there!

I scouted photos of scrapbook and craft rooms over at my favorite scrapbooking site, 2Peas, while sipping coffee. One particular room had an item in it that jumped off the page with such inspiration that I became giddy with excitement and had to phone a friend! In her poor uncoffee'd awakening, she may have gotten the impression that I had the winning ticket to the Georgia Lottery drawing. ALMOST!

In the inspirational craft room photo was an adorable kitchen hutch used as a bookshelf and storage. Under MY carport, ready to post to freecycle.com was my previous kitchen table, chairs and hutch. Duh, what was I thinking? Now I could totally organize and set up an entirely new studio with a bit of elbow grease and a few bits of 'decor'.

I knew I had to act fast Monday, if I was to have free teen labor! Ya know boredom, texting, friends would surely have her itching to leave in a flash. Not to mention this is the daunting MESS that challenged us ~ The before photo of just my desk, the entire room was a mess with boxes of this and that, Christmas wrapping, etc. Needless to say the room needed major help!

An after photo. I chose mint green and blue to accent the white. Used my former kitchen table and one chair as my 'new' crafting table and the hutch as a bookshelf for my scrapbook albums, storage for my paper and shredder. I purchased a sheer at BigLots for $9, but may add another one to add more color depth. Tied it with blue ribbon. I also picked up a small mint green rug.

My 'new' crafting table (old kitchen table) with the desk hutch I purchased several years ago on major clearance at Target. The lamp was a new purchase at Target; tied some extra ribbon to it.

The reused kitchen hutch, minus the worn cardboard 'backing' on the top:

Changed out the knobs on the hutch to these ADORABLE finds on 50% off at Hobby Lobby:
The old loved computer desk that was a 'hand me down' from my ex hubby, added the green plastic bins(3 around the room) from Big Lots at $1.50 each:
The bed is my daughters old twin without the headboard, but still using her bedding. I would like to turn it into more a 'daybed' look and yes, those beads will be coming down!

There you have it! A 'new' look, using mostly 'on hand' items to transform my mess into a workable craft studio, computer 'office', guest room (for when my son comes for a visit). I still have the walls to decorate...however a trip to the local 'junk' store and I hit the jackpot! This is just 3 of the little items I picked up there ~ a green bowl for $4.88 and 2 white tin small planters to hang on the walls for $1 each.

Here is a sneak peek photo of another addition to my room found at the 'junk' store:
Can you guess what it is? Check in tomorrow to see this complete beauty and find out just how much I paid!

New Blog Name !

My blog has a new name! ~Design to Shine~

I asked for help coming up with a new blog name from a close-knit group I belong to of women, scrapbookers and long time friends. I chose this one after looking up the definition to ‘design’. Which Webster’s says in part as this:

Design ~
1: to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan
2 a: to conceive and plan out in the mind b: to have as a purpose

I told these remarkable women that I have a new concept in mind for my blog and that I wanted to include the word ~Shine~. The reason for this particular word is that it has been my personal word for over 2 years now. At the beginning of a new year, I tried to choose another word. Yet, in many of the inspirational writings, I read daily this one word kept coming back to me. Therefore, Shine it shall be and still is for 2009.

I am still on a personal journey of growth within; ever evolving into a more authentic me.

Hopefully you will join me …for this adventure called life! Every day there is an opportunity just awaiting each of us. For that junk store find, we can apply a little paint and a lot of love…place it in our homes, our lives and admire our creativity, our handy work and the joys of simple pleasures. Every day there is that opportunity to SHINE our inner light into the world. Maybe it is with a sweet smile to the grumpy co-worker, catching the door for someone or to our children. Possibly, we are presented with a way to ‘pay it forward’ or extend a ‘random act of kindness’. Just like the endless possibilities we see in an old tattered wooden frame to become renewed and beautiful with a coat of paint … our lives we ‘design’ on a daily basis also. We create them and we each have a purpose.
Mine is to polish it a bit and allow it to ‘shine’. Light always illuminates the darkness. A flicker has the power and potential to become a flame, then a roaring fire that spreads it's warmth to others. We each have it within us...that power ... to SHINE!

Hope, Courage, Freedom

A Day in History ~

In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. ~ President Obama

Thrifty Finds of Home Decor

I hosted Thanksgiving at my house this year with 18 people attending! What was I thinking? I had just downsized my kitchen table to a cool new pub style, because it is just my teen daughter and myself now at home. Plus it gave me more room in the kitchen and opened up the space! My tiny kitchen looks larger, less stuff and I am loving it! I purchased this at the same time we redecorated my son's room into a totally new upstyle room for my teen daughter. That project is another post! I still hate the wallpaper in the kitchen and hope that becomes a project for 2009! The small frame on the wall has now been replaced with a neat find from TJ Maxx.

So I needed more 'seating' table space to host a bunch of people. I went to a local antique mall and found a solid wood coffee table ($30) that matches perfect! There is barely a scratch on it! Just last weekend I found a beautiful small rug (another TJ Maxx find) and love the way it breaks up the wood on wood from the flooring and table. Added a clearance bowl find along with potpourri (found on clearance for 97 cents a bag at Kirklands!). Everything ties in with my blue and burgandy colors currently in the living room. Would love a new sofa, but have decided to wait until my daughter is out of the house. This sofa is still comfy and has a bed for guests. Hoping to come across a few decor pillows to add a little color there!

I have slowly been transforming rooms into 'what I love'. One of the things I've said over and over since my son moved out on his own is I want to get my house 'in shape'. I want to have it functional, more my 'style'...if I even have one! and of course, at a bargin! So this year of 2009, not only do I wish to SHINE .... I want my home to SHINE too. Not as a show palace, but with things I love, reflecting Love lives here! I am newly obsessed with several blogs that are home decorating on a budget. Thrifty finds made over that turn out AMAZING! These ladies and gents have talent and I hope to gleen some inspiration from them.