Good Vibrations

Oh what a stressful week!!!! We are suppose to be painting, remodeling, and having fun this week but unfortunately that wasn't in the cards. Our new house is crying for help but unfortunately getting smothered by the previous tenant. I am going through the 7 stages of grief. Sometimes people take advantage of kindness, not realizing that what they are doing is affecting everyone around them.

With all the drama going around (I hate drama), I seriously needed to keep my mind off of revenge, feeling sorry for myself, and anger. My mind works in mysterious ways. To relax I read books, this didn't work this time as I would read a line forgot what I read and reread the same line... 10X in a row. I was far beyond irritated this week and didn't want to take it out on the kids or my hubby.

The only way to solve my dilemma was to learn something new. When I learn something new my brain doesn't have time or room to focus on anything else. I went over to ravelry (if you knit or crochet - this site is AWESOME) and found a granny square to work on. I just started learning to crochet in July making this my first granny square blanket ever!

So far the granny squares are working and helping me with good vibrations. No negative thoughts only positive thoughts. So decidedly so I named this project good vibrations. The colors make you instantly happy.

So keeping with the theme of happy thoughts tomorrow is the Barn Chick Blog Party be sure to come check out all this barn goodness. Also something coming this month will be a book a month giveaway, dishtowel parade, dishtowel giveaway, and grand opening of my shop (a long time coming)! So keep those good vibrations coming and don't ever let anyone affect the way you feel!

Trash or Treasure?

I have a little secret that I have been keeping from all of you.

It looks a little like this...

(Vintage paint by number paintings... going in dining area)

And something like this.....

(Mixed match plates...I won't care if someone breaks one)

But who wouldn't have secrets like this if they could get this...

.

(Old medicine cabinet with old glass door .. $5 at flea market)

We are changing a few things while we move this month. The large old crate in the top picture will be our new coffee table and in the same picture the lamp base will be painted and shabby chic-a-fied.

Aries wants this in her new room....

(Tent from the movie "The Holiday")

I want that in my bedroom. I think Rob would have a problem with that though. Thrift stores are helping this tent dream come true.

(The curtains with the ribbon & crochet edging are going to be part of THE tent)

The hobnail lamp is going in our powder room, that sounds more chic than saying the bathroom. Miss Aries is getting the lamp with the flowers in her room, next to the tent. First question was "Where is the heart shade?" (please reference the lamp in the tent picture) Does she want her room to be the exact same room? I think I may need to hire the set designers!

My secret is almost over ...

(Tarnished silver plated platter for living room coffee table)

Some may think this is trash and some may think this is treasure (cause it is) but wait to judge till you see our before and after pictures of our new place. I guarantee you will want to go treasure hunting with me afterwards!

Sundays

Sundays are my day. Rob takes the kids to his parents while I get a day to myself.

Usually my days are filled with crafts, cleaning, watching a movie, and cooking.

The house is always so quiet on these days.

Before I clean you can tell kids live here, their evidence is everywhere.

At lunch I get to cook what I want and trust me that isn't Mac & Cheese.

The movie can be rated R and I will get to hear the whole thing without rewinding.

Pins, scissors, and thread can be left out worry free. Boredom sometimes sets in reminding me that I have 3 children and how my life would be dull without them.

Big Screen Smile

While working on projects I need to watch movies that inspire me. Some people listen to music in the same way. The movies I pick are artsy, have a plot, make me smile, and are a bit quirky. My all time favorite movie is Amelie. Every time it comes on I need to watch it. My dear hubby bought the special addition DVD for me as a birthday present awhile back (which I will never lend to anyone) because of the smile it creates on my face. It's a foreign film with subtitles and music that is unmistakable. The colors are vivid, the characters have charm, the scenes make you want to be French, and Audrey Tautou (she plays Amelie) is breathtakingly beautiful. My favorite quotes in life come from this movies "you will never be a vegetable because even artichokes have hearts" and "it's better to help people than a garden gnome". If this doesn't make you want to run out and watch this movie I don't know what will. 

(Amelie)

Another one of my favorites is 500 Days of Summer, and not only because it stars Zoey Deschanel of whom I am huge fan of, but because it tells you upfront that it's NOT a love story. Sappy chick flick movies are okay once in awhile but I don't watch Dirty Dancing or Beaches every time it comes on, and it's okay if you do, that's just not me. I do, however, watch this movie. Again the music in the movie speaks to me and I would love to get the soundtrack. It's plot is deeper than I think most people get. How someone can see potential in you even if you can't see it yourself or the fact that someone who breaks your heart can move you in the right direction. 

(500 Day of Summer)

So what movies move you? What big screen films make you smile and you watch over and over thanking god we have DVD now and not VCR tapes you have to rewind? 

Shabby Chic or Cottage Chic

Decorating has all that has been on my mind lately. A quiz recently stated that my style is cottage chic, I think it pegged me right. Any thing vintage, a little shabby, whitewashed, retro, or has charm I love. Everyone goes through decorating phases in their life. 

For awhile I liked bright colors and mosaic pieces. I have never been afraid of color and even painted a couple rooms smurf blue. Thankfully (that is what my husband says) I got over my bright color phase and moved on to earth tones. One of my previous jobs I worked in (an imports store) made it hard to resist the exotic pieces that came in on a daily basis. My living room is filled with dark furniture, warm reds, earthy greens, and antique golds. In the winter the living room is the place to be all cozied up but in the summer it makes it feel really dark and hot. 

Now that it's a time of change, with the move right around the corner, it's perfect for a decorating change. A more shabby cottage chic style throughout. Our plan is to do one room at a time, making the changes as we go. Old large kid hazardous coffee table is out, new rustic vintage coffee table in (found at flea market for $20) and our current TV cabinet is getting a face lift with paint and new hardware.

My crafting has been trending more on the cottage chic style with lighter colors and vintage finds like the kusudama flower ball in these pictures. It was not on my list of things to get done but I couldn't resist. Having gone to auctions with my mom in the past couple of months I picked up a bunch of old Farmers Almanacs. If you have ever flipped through one you will realize that woman had too much time on their hands and created really weird recipes like tuna pineapple salad sandwiches (YUCK) but that there are really neat advertisements and drawings. The original idea was for these to be framed and  to hang my neat finds, leaving a lot of unused vintage paper. Instead I was able to create this kusudama flower ball,  made with the left overs, and some vintage buttons I had stashed away for later use. Isn't this shabby cottage chic wonderfulness?

Crochet Along Coming Along

I have been trying to stay true to my previous post about not starting any new projects until the ones I have started are completed. This has not been easy! The day dreaming of the new house situation has helped. 

I also found out that crochet and embroidery are the easiest things to do when you have 3 children running around. My sewing projects have kinda taken a side seat for now till I can have a permanent place for the sewing machine, which I am sorry to say, is sitting on top of my dresser right now surround with a lot of other junk. 

Aries dream quilt is so close to being complete (only needs bias around the edge) and I have completed several dishtowels that will be featured in the dishtowel parade. They will then end up in my Etsy shop, a blog giveaway, and down the road into a customers quaint cottage.

For now I have been working on the Crochet Along Quilt. I must confess that this is the first thing I have ever crocheted in my life and I am not following a pattern, instead I am creating one. A notebook has been sitting by my side, pen in hand, and notes have been jotted down as to exactly what I have been doing so I can do it again. 

Since this is the first thing I have ever crocheted before I have been using the yarn I had. When I bought the yarn I thought it would just be a practice yarn ,having no idea what I was buying or how much to buy for a project, I only bought one white ball. I ran out of this said white yarn ball the other day and needed more, but what kind did I buy? I couldn't remember.

I ran out to the store with the last of what I had in my pocket, a small 4 inch strand, and started comparing. Now I  know some of you out there are cringing at me. I know this from the look of other yarn lovers that were at the store, staring at me with a confused look as I held up my piece of yarn to other yarns in the store. Oh, I studied yarn yesterday. Some yarn has a softer texture which I noticed is called baby yarn and had cute little pictures of babies on their labels, so this is what I am calling it. Other yarns were fatter and stronger (felt more like wool than yarn to me) and I quickly bi-passed these. I picked out what I thought was the closest thing to what I had before and started working on my quilt again (it is not the same thing as the one I had was softer but the strand size is the same). This little shopping trip has made me realize that I still have a lot to learn about crochet and also I will make sure to buy enough of what I need the first time. 

The Wait

Some people call it anxiety. Some call it a journey. Some call it patience. The reality is that it's something you want now but know that you can't have it right away. I call it the Veruca Salt syndrome!

The pregnant woman who is past her due date, the young child sitting at his desk listening for the school bell, the patient sitting in the doctors office are all feeling it. I have the Veruca Salt syndrome right now. 

I am spying, pacing, pulling my hair out waiting for the people who are currently in our new house to exit so that I can start painting, decorating, and cleaning. As the time is ticking down it is only getting worse. I feel a lack of ambition on our current residence. There are boxes to be packed, windows to be cleaned, bags to go to the thrift store and instead I sit here dreaming. 

I am reminded daily that my constant whining and nagging will not make the time go any faster. When I saw the truck this weekend a glimmer of hope ran through my body. Lots of activity this Friday but none today and hopefully the most tomorrow ( I told you I was spying - I have no shame). So for now I sit here and ............WAIT!

To My Husband

It doesn't feel like we have been married for four years or together for nine.

We have a true marriage, one that I know will last for years. A marriage and love that our great grandchildren will talk about, like my grandfathers love for my grandmother.

When I was younger I imagined a husband who would stand by my side, no matter what life would throw at us. A man that would be hands on with our children and a proud father. Someone who would make me laugh so hard it would take my breath away. You are all these things and more.

You are a man who works hard everyday to provide for his family. Family is number one in your book and you would gladly choose a night at home with us than anything else.

Nothing can come between us not even that ketchup bottle that is often left out overnight on the counter by accident (this drives me crazy).You often tease me because for some unknown reason I always think our anniversary is on the 23rd. "What husband knows his anniversary date and his wife forgets it?", is the question you always ask me. My reply to this is the best husband a wife could ever ask for!

Word Math = YUM!

I have been working on a couple of dishtowels to put in my shop (opening very shortly).

The cupcake features a vintage button on top and is hand embroidered.

I really like this one and I am thinking of making it in several colors.

Once more dishtowels are complete there will be a dishtowel parade!

I am also thinking of doing a blog giveaway featuring one of the dishtowels.

Make sure to become a follower of my blog so you don't miss this YUMMY giveaway!

My Little Man's First Haircut

So today, while Odyn's blonde baby curls were damp with sweat, I realized that I have been putting off cutting his hair. I decided today was the day. It was little selfish on my part why I didn't want to cut his hair. The excuses of not cutting his hair included he was too little, it wasn't THAT long, and (my personal favorite) that I was going to dress him up as a cherub for Halloween and needed his hair to be kinda long and curly.

(Before)

Yes folks I was delusional. My son's hair was so long in the front it looked like a toupee, making him the youngest Donald Trump impersonator. At bath time washing his hair was almost like washing Aries hair. I was making my little man a girly man!

(Don't mind my cookie face or my toupee)

The real reason I didn't want to cut his hair is because once those tiny curls were on the floor he wouldn't look like a baby anymore but a toddler. The sad thing is he does. I know I can't keep him a baby forever but can my kids please stop growing and slow down a bit.

(After)

On another note, doesn't he just look handsome?  I don't know what I was so freaked out about, after all it's not the last first haircut in this house ..... Aries still has never had her hair cut :).

(My little man)