Inspiration!

This weekend I made a quick trip to Augusta to show our townhouse. While visiting I visited one of my favorite shops and thought I would share a little inspiration with you. If you are in the Augusta, Georgia area, you will not want to miss this place. It has something for every budget and is full of inspiring ideas

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The Savvy Shopper

3309 Washington Road

Augusta, Georgia

Check out this fireplace!



Just one of the many vendors.

My favorite here was the blue dresser.

(Sold one just like it at a yard sale)

The potential I gave up!

I loved this red!

Like I said if you are in the Augusta area, this will definitely need to be on your places to stop.

Have a blessed day!

31 Days Abandoned? MIA

I am not sure what made me think that I could post for 31 days straight with no advance preparation. In order to maintain my sanity I had to release myself from this unrealistic expectation! With this said, I did complete some long awaited projects, and some new ventures along the way.

 The trash can is finally painted and is no longer an eye-sore.

The french doors are trimmed and painted, and green tape removed!

YES, I AM SLOW!

In the mean time, part of the reason for abandoning this blog is, that we have  started a new Women's Ministry at our church. I am a part of the leadership team and is requiring more of my time. Our

 Kick- Off event was October 22.

We called it Mugs and Muffins. Each lady was asked to bring a mug that was exchanged randomly with another lady. You were then asked to pray for that person and connect with them. We are praying that this will be the beginning of our women better connecting and getting to know one another, as well as minister to each other. Here are a few pictures from that event. 



I will be making every effort to post on a more regular basis. I will let you in on what projects that I am completing around here, as well as more on events with our Women's Ministry.

Have a Blessed Weekend!

Getting It Done: Day 14 Finished Project!

This little bench has been waiting for a change. The finish was in perfect condition and the cushion just needed a little change.

I took a reproduction grain sack towel that I picked up at Target and it was the perfect size to recover it.

Here's a closer look. I love these towels. It is headed to my space later this morning.

More completed projects to come.



Getting It Done: Day 13, A Box of Pumpkins

Today was my volunteer day at Rachel's House, our crisis pregnancy center. Along with being there today, I managed to finish this little box of pumpkins for my booth. All that I have taken so far have sold with the exception of 1, 'tis the season for pumpkins. I have ironed a few linens to take, and have a few items in my car that need to be tagged and taken before the weekend.  For right now there won't be anymore shopping, just getting all the items that I have ready. Tomorrow I will be working all day, so my Getting It Done, will probably consist of getting our Dave Ramsey budget down on paper.

Have a blessed Friday!

Getting It Done: Day 10, 11 and 12 Everyday Life Is Not Always A Blog Post

I am realizing that I was totally unprepared for 31 days of continual blogging. I should have been preparing mid September, hence the lag in blog posts. So with that said, here is a little catching up. My days are pretty ordinary, hence the title of this post. Some days of getting it done, I am realizing are just the mundane day in and out sort of things.

Here is the run down for the past several days.

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Day 10:
Monday: Both bathrooms scrubbed, bed changed, laundry,laundry, and more laundry, time to prepare dinner before  Dave Ramsey class at church.
Day 11: Tuesday:
Planning meeting@ church for our new Women's Ministry, haircut, errands, then time to prepare dinner.

Day 12: Wednesday

This is the status of what we call the green room in our house. This was once our garage that we closed in and the paint is much bolder than anything I had ever used, so we just started calling the green room. Right now it is the everything room. It is the ironing, clothes folding, paperwork sorting,computer, storage facility, etc., aka. THE DUMPING GROUND. There are several unfinished projects in here, that I need to finish for my booth, they require painting and  it has been raining here everyday this week. I do not like to work on paint projects in this type of weather, especially since I don't have an outdoor location. Today I filed paperwork, moved a piece of furniture, finished painting 3 more sets of pumpkins, and went to church.  Hopefully I will be showing you some finished items soon, and the after picture in this room. There you have it. I am not a project a day type girl, even though I would like to be. Just being real. Like I said I should have started working mid September and there might be some more exciting things to share by this time. I am still in hopes for much progress before the end of the month.

 I would love to hear what all of you have been up to.

Getting It Done Day 9: Apple Butter Recipe

One thing completed today. Canned 6 small jars of homemade apple butter. Here is the recipe I promised.

All Day Crock Pot Apple Butter

5 1/2 lbs of Granny Smith Apples

4 Cups sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Cook 9-11 hours in crock pot.

I cooked mine on high for about 45 minutes, then cooked on low all night. Mash apples w/ potato masher and cook a little longer to thicken.

Pour in sterilized jars. Clean jar rims. Put lids on and boil in water bath for 5 minutes.

This one is so easy since it cooks in the crock pot. Let me know if you give it a try.

31 Days of Getting It Done: Day 7 & 8, What I Have Been Up To

Playing a little catch up, but here are the pictures that I promised.

Friday, I went shopping to stock my little booth, and a little shopping  Saturday morning too.



The pumpkins you see are ones that I have been busy making. All 26 of them!

This is the pumpkin season, and they have been selling very well.



One of the pretty bowls that I purchased.

A portion of my booth.

Today my large farmhouse table and chairs sold, so I had to run and temporarily set up a small card table until I can get another table and chairs ready.

This has really kept me hopping, and if I am to continue I have got to become better at managing my time.

Tonight there is a crock pot full of apple butter that will be ready for canning.

I will be sharing the recipe soon.

Have a blessed Sunday!

31 Days of Getting It Done: Day 6, Tired of Busy

Today will be another no picture day!

I am determined to do this for  31 days, but right now I think I am running on empty.

I have too many irons in the fire, and taking some out is what I am hoping to accomplish in these 31 days.

I promise pictures tomorrow.

I will be working on my booth, and I promise to show pictures of what I have done to prepare for this fall weekend. There is a huge Barbecue Competition which will be a big event for the area and hopefully lots of shoppers at The Little Red Wagon.

Today we hauled more furniture to set up, and I am working on pumpkins to get ready for sale this weekend. I will have some pictures of those too.

Until tomorrow.  



31 Days of Getting It Done: Day 5, Catching Up

Today will have to be a no picture post. It has been one of those days. I have been up since 5:30, and the one thing I can tell you that I checked of my list was,  to read my Bible and pray. Both important.

Here is how the day went:

• Up at 5:30, Load of clothes in washer and dryer
• Read Bible, pray, drink coffee
• Vegetable soup in crock pot for dinner
• Price some things to take to my booth at The Little Red Wagon (flea/antique market) I have a booth, went and started setting up my new booth
• Flu shot
• Straighten kitchen and too bad I didn't have a camera, or I could have been on America's Funniest Home Videos. Edgar decided to stick his head in the dishwasher to lick a dish and in the process, hung his collar on the rack. He panicked slinging the rack out of the dishwasher, while still attached to him, against the wall, breaking a plate. It happened so fast it was surreal! When he got loose I am not sure who was more a nervous wreck, me or him.
• Back to Little Red Wagon to take a piece of furniture with my wonderful husband
• To church
• Home
• Dinner
• Bed

Soon, soon, soon I hope to show you more progress.
Have a blessed evening!

31 Days of Getting It Done: Day 4, Helpful Resources

I will be out of town until tomorrow AM so in order to keep up with my 31 days I could not actually work on things here at the house. I thought you might like a few helpful resources and blogs that I have come across. These might be of help to you if you are trying to get it done like me.

Check out lil blue boo for The"Mother-of-All" Fall Cleaning Checklists.  A must have for some thorough fall cleaning.

Go here to order the book "I Used to be SO Organized"  and read more about the book.

Simple Mom has great tips for creating a more simplified home.

These should get you started and I will be back home tomorrow. I would love to hear what you are spending the next 31 days doing around the house.

31 Days of Getting It Done: Day 3, The Big Picture

     To get us started on this 31 day adventure, I thought you should know that I am being real, and to help me be accountable, I should give you just a little, teeny, tiny idea of what needs to get done around here.

Childs table and chairs needs to be painted to take to my booth.

This window has needed a curtain  for quite some time.

This trash can is ready for some paint.

Just so you know I am keeping it real over here, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more to come.

31 Days of Getting It Done: Day2 Priorities

"Everyday I have a choice to make: God's priorities or mine?"

"Without a deeper exploration of God's priorities for you, you'll just juggle your existing commitments and end up even more frustrated."
                                                      From Glynnis Whitwer's book
                                             I Used to Be SO Organized

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world,  and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:28
31 Days of Getting It Done Day 1

31 Days of Getting it Done!

     During the month of October I will be sharing 31 Days of  Getting It Done. I hope to offer helpful hints, inspiring projects and a little bit of everything around the house.
     I have just finished reading Glynnis Whitwer's book, " I Used To Be So Organized". My reason for reading the book was simply this, I USED TO BE SO ORGANIZED! Recently I asked myself "So what happened?"
     I think I have figured out the answer and hope to offer encouragement and inspiration as I make an all out attempt to bring back the order that "once was".
     My first recommendation is: READ THE BOOK if you can. She askes us not only to examine habits, but to examine our hearts as well, and start there.
     Second, start with one small thing that you can accomplish in a day or less, so you can see progress and check it off the list!
Something easy to do today:CLEAR ALL THE PAPER CLUTTER. Sale flyers, old notes, junk mail, old magazines, etc. If you get as much junk mail as I do. It can pile up fast!
     I hpe you'll join me, and let me know how you are doing.

Guess Who's 1

Here's the Birthday Boy before the party.

Getting ready for a little cake.

After a little taste of cake!

This and That, again!

I know that my posts have been very sporadic and sparse. My life feels a little sporadic, and not
 scheduled these days. With all that said, here is a little of what I have been up to.

We have been enjoying the cooler temperatures here. This morning it was a wonderful 57 degrees! We even have lots of leaves falling. Hints of fall for sure! A welcome relief after the scorching temperatures that we have had this summer!

We attended my best friend's, son's wedding out of town this weekend, and I was responsible for decorating for the rehearsal dinner. All of the decorating was done on a budget. Since I have a small supply of decor that I gladly lend, everything we used was either free, borrowed, or loaned to us, with the exception of the apples, and ribbons that were used to tie the napkins. One day I will have to put together a post on some of the budget ideas that I have used. The table runners are actually tablecloths that were folded to make runners Wal-Mart after fall clearance last year, $2.00 ea. I used them in February for a friend's, daughter wedding reception.

Last but not least, I got to spend time with this little one. Since he started walking, I can barely get him to be still long enough for a picture. The 50 cent thrift store outfit that I bought him a while back was pretty cute for his wedding outfit.

Blessings to you all!

Garage Sale Update

I promised an update on Rachel's House Garage Sale and here it is. It was definitely a success!

At this point we were winding down. If you look at the pics from my previous post you can see just how much is gone.

One of my favorite purchases!

This clock was a steal @ 2.00!

and I could hardly resist this for Judah.

At the initial count we raised  $5,500 for Rachel's House. It was a lot of hard work but fun to be a part of this, and I can't think of any better reason to have a Garage Sale, to save a life.  

Garage Sale Preview

HOME DECOR

IMPORTANT TO HAVE ONE OF THESE

 TRYING TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE BIG PICTURE!

I am exhausted and 5:00 AM will be here early.

Have a blessed weekend.

One GREAT Garage Sale!!!!

I know I must stop taking such long breaks in between blogging. It has been a pretty busy summer, and it will be time for school to begin again. Here's one of the fun things that I have been up to. Our crisis pregnancy center is having it's annual Garage Sale fund raiser. I have been co-ordinating set-up in the children's area at our church. We were busy today, pricing, organizing, sorting and getting everything ready for the BIG sale on Saturday morning! Believe me, there is a TON of GOOD stuff here. Most in excellent condition!

Just a tiny bit of the home decor section. I should have remembered to take pictures at the end of the day. All of those tables are now filled, with no room left, and we brought in more tables at the end of the day. This was taken early this morning. 

This gives you an idea of the number of tables that we originally set up.

Now these tables are pretty close to completely full. You are not able to see all of the hanging racks or furniture in the entry way. What is unbelievable is that we have another full day of accepting donations before the sale on Saturday.

Not only does this benefit a great cause, but it has been a lot of fun working with the wonderful men and women who are giving their time to support Rachel's House.  If I remember, I will take more photos tomorrow prior to the sale. Off to get some rest.  

My Love of Color

Several months ago when we started our kitchen remodel, I looked forward to having a very neautral kitchen/breakfast room. I envisioned these colors being the look that I wanted. Very neutral, beachy, cottagy white, you get the picture.

It took me very little time to realize that I was going to miss color. I mean colorful color! My daughter is one that loves color too, and was not going to let me go into neutral.

When we saw this rug, I went from neutral to lots of COLOR!

I 've had this fabric for a long time, and had even decided not to use it, however I have changed my mind. I will be adding some simple cafe curtains over the kitchen sink.

 

My little red recipe book with my favorite recipes will stay out to add a hint of color 

 

along with this cute little dishtowel that is hanging on the stove to add a few pops of color. Don't get me wrong. I love looking at a cottagy, white, beige, totally neutral room, they are beautiful, they just aren't for me. I am looking for some other ways to add color to this room. Artwork, etc?

So what are your thoughts on color, and what would you suggest to add just the right amount of color to my rooms? My room is pretty bare right now, especially the breakfast area. I hope to hop on those curtains pretty quick and show you what I come up with. For now, have a blessed day!

It's Been a Long Time!

Wow!! I have been away for a while! and I am not sure if there will be anyone out there to read. I have really needed some time away to refresh and think about exactly what it is that I want to do with this blog. I want the things that I share here to be helpful and encouraging and sometimes just fun, to those who are reading. We will start back with a little fun. I will give you a little hint about what I was up to last week.

We saw this.

Did a little bit of this.

This was the preferred mode of transportation.

Ate here.

And saw this cutie every day!

If you guessed we were vacationing at the beach you are right! I am missing those ocean breezes already, as we endure 100 degree temps here in south GA! We had a great time, and eventually Judah decided that he likes the beach too. He wasn't too sure at first, but my husband and I love spending time at the beach, so we figure we had  to get him started early. Next year it should be a little easier, when he has figured out that the sand is not there to eat.

I have some new posts planned that I hope will be helpful, practical, and sometimes like I said, just plain fun! I will be also trying to get together a little summer giveaway, so I hope you will hang in there with me. What about you? What has everyone been up to lately?

Have a blessed week!