Come Away

The older I get the more I appreciate God's creation.
What I might have missed as a youth - captivates me now as an adult. I'm drawn to discovering the beauty in the woods, specifically, and even more specifically the woods in the Autumn. :)

We spent the weekend at a place that I affectionately call "our cabin", although it's neither "ours" or even a cabin, really. My husband had been recruited to teach a youth retreat and the girls and I got to tag along - just so happens it was at our favorite place. The camp is called Hidden Acres - it's out in the middle of corn fields and then BAM a camp, surrounded by trees. Beautiful. Restful. It's become so very dear to our family as a place of respite and renewal.

Saturday morning I woke up early and stole a few minutes alone outside. The sun was on its way up and it was chilly. Perfect. In my jammies, robe, and leopard print rain boots I trekked through the woods around our cozy cabin - camera in one hand, coffee in the other. I hadn't used my real camera in awhile and it was fun to play around with the functions again. I'm a sucker for the close up macro shot. :) It's all dirt and broken nuts and what not - but so beautiful!

The beauty of dying. Every plant is fading and wilting - yet, it's beautiful. I'm sure there are deep thoughts I could tie in with this, but today is just a post of beauty. Stopping to appreciate what's right under our feet.

The light coat of dew was fantastic! Look at those perfect beads of water.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29 

The sun continued to make its way to the surface - and it happened fast. Thinking about scripture and talking to God (alone) always refreshes me. As a mom to young kids - the quiet has become valuable to me. These pictures are special because I can feel and remember the quiet. 

We are blessed to serve the Lord with our lives in full time local church ministry. It's a dream come true for us, really. It's easy to let weeks and months go by without getting some good down time - to come away from the day to day and refocus. I needed those calm mornings. While my hubby was busy preaching to teens on the other side of camp, I was enjoying my indoor fireplace and hot coffee and some time in the Psalms. The girls ran around outside, played in the bunk beds, and explored camp. Time was a treasure this weekend, to this mom heart. 

November has begun and the usual activity of holidays, family visits, ministry appointments, special activities, etc. is upon us. We'll go back to "our" little place here in a few weeks - only with 50 other family members, so it'll be a bit different. I'm thankful we had this time this weekend and I'll look forward to going back in the spring to take pictures of things coming to LIFE! 

Where do you go for refreshment? Have you made time to come away from the busyness of life? 

Happy November, friends! Hoping it's the best one yet! 

.:Autumn Afternoons:.

Despite the temp's reaching back into the 70's and even 80's this week... {bleh} We are enjoying a beautiful autumn. Oh how I love it! Neighbors trees have dropped golden leaves in our yard, I was gifted two beautiful RED mums for my front step, and we picked up our first pumpkin! The colors, the smells, the feel of it all never fails to capture my attention.

It's a laid back Saturday here in Iowa and I've been able to really focus in on enjoying my family and our home. These no-where-to-go Saturdays are small treasures to me. Piddling around in the kitchen, making crafts with the kids, extra baby snuggles - it's all wonderful and most days we are so busy it's easy to miss those moments. Even now as my two youngest sleep it's calm and sunny and watching the trees sway and lose their leaves is perfect! Of course the mug of hot cider was a bonus as well :)

Autumn really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Tonight we'll have some Creamy chicken wild rice soup - my first attempt. It's been simmering away in the crock pot since early this morning and the house smells heavenly. I'm sharing the recipe today because it's SUPER easy, pretty inexpensive to make and I'm hoping will be a crowd pleaser as my kids love rice, chicken and veggies.

What you'll need:

1 c. uncooked wild rice (I'm using aldi's rice blends - red, white, basmati and wild)

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 c chopped onions

3/4 c chopped celery

3/4 c chopped carrots

4-5 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

6 c low sodium chicken broth

2 c water

2 T poultry seasoning** (keep reading down below)

3 T butter

2 T olive oil

1/2 c flour

2 c milk

salt & pepper to taste

 

You aren't supposed to peek, but I can't help it!

Before I include the link to the instructions let me touch on the seasonings. This summer I found this gem in the grocery store and have been using it for so many things. It's awesome in soups, on burgers, ground turkey, etc. So instead of buying poultry seasoning I'm using it. Cavenders! It's salt free, too! 

I found this soup recipe on Little Spice Jar's site. It's super cute and she has some great things there! Go check it out here. Her food photography alone will have you drooling :)

As we get deeper into the autumn season our schedules are full. This year we let our oldest take part in the one day cheer clinic our local high school offers. She practiced one day after school and then the next week she and her little cheer friends performed at the football game. It was cute. My hubby was out of town so it was just me and my three little girls - which, was insane. But we survived and have some cute memories to boot.

These girls are such a gift. Some days they really drive me bonkers but then we have precious new mercies the next day. I'm so thankful for all three of them!

Happy Saturday friends! I hope you have a good one, a calm one, full of warm soup and family and all the wonderful things that make this season so special.

My grandma's soup mugs passed down to me :)

There is so much to be thankful for.

As October opened up yesterday I spent a few minutes on my front steps sipping my coffee. It was much cooler then it has been, the sun was slowly making its way up behind our neighbors house, and I could see my breath. Without question this is my favorite time of year. It's the season where, more then others, I find myself lingering. One more glimpse of a sunrise, one more second watching the squirrels in the yard, one more glimpse of that yellowing tree. Life comes alive as the seasons change and I am so thankful for Autumn. There is so much to behold.

In scripture we can read over and over all the passages that talk about giving thanks. This time of year lends to extra thought there as we prepare for Thanksgiving and holidays. It's on our mind. I jotted 1 Thessalonians 5:18 down on my mini chalkboard so I could try and have it on my mind daily. The Lord has done some wonderful things in our life this week and I'm happy to share it with you. In all things we give thanks! The good days and on the bad ones.

Yesterday I stopped by a friends house to pick up a bag of kid clothes. The generosity of people just giving away their kids used clothing blows my mind! I've had to buy very little for my own kids because we are blessed by these great hand me downs. The Lord provides for us in the area often and I am so grateful! Winter coats and boots were a part of this bag and it's exactly what we needed! My girls love ripping open the bags and sorting through whats inside. August, my 4 year old, tried on every coat and jacket proudly shouting, "I love this one!". Such a joy! Give thanks!

While she dug through her new clothes I noticed a card that fell out. I don't want to steal the blessing from this friend but I do want to share why it matters SO much to me. The back story is - our budget has been trimmed immensely this month (and until December) as we pay for my husbands seminary class. There is little to no wiggle room and as far as fun fall extras go, there won't be many. I totally support my husband and his pursuit of his higher degree, 100%, but it does make things feel a little dry at times. I've had to pray and give this over to the Lord many times. So far we've made it through September and I've only pouted a few times about not being able to buy fancy fall coffees. :)
{My splurge} Insignificant, I know. But I really enjoy them and I do find that they add to my joy of fall. Also, who doesn't love pumpkin everything even in coffee?!!?

So, as I opened the card and read the words - I cried. It was EXACTLY what I needed at that moment in my life and the Lord knew it. He always knows! But it wasn't just the coffee card - it was the heart behind it. This already generous friend, who I should be thanking and giving coffee to... was gifting me! It's a busy time in our ministry lives and her appreciation was a blessing to me. Give thanks!

On our way home from picking up the clothes I noticed a curb full of solid wood furniture. For a few months I've been debating what to do with our dining room table. It's coated with glitter and glue and really just looks ragged. We've talked about painting it or staining it or doing something. Right now it's covered in a cute fall table cloth. I saw a nice looking table so we stopped to check it out. It looked like the Duncan Phyfe table I had drooled over on Craigslist! Upon closer inspection, it may not be the real deal - but, it's beautiful! I loaded that beast in my mini van all by myself and back on the road we went! I'm not sure if we'll use it as a dining table after all, knowing how my kids lean and push on our current table. But, I do NEED a laundry table and I do LOVE how pretty this table is! Plus, it was FREE! Give thanks!

So this morning I'm thinking and remembering all the Lord has provided - and I just mention these few fun things, but He has done much more. And not even just "stuff" but in relationships and conversations. We've had a fantastic first two weeks of youth ministry and our adult cell group ministry that meets in our home. The Lord has changed my heart in many ways in how I view people, their hearts and what our deepest need is. It seems the constant theme of every message I'm hearing recently is about loving people, struggling with them, and being the body together. It's been great! And busy.
My home looks like we've been busy. And we'll just keep on serving the Lord and living this crazy good life together.

October holds many good things for our family. I'm eager to see how the Lord holds us and guides us! We have a lot on the calendar and I'm looking forward to every single thing!

Give thanks! There is always so much to be thankful for!

Our favorite season

Ah, yes. Autumn, we welcome you! I've been waiting since last year :)
Last night I put together an overnight breakfast casserole and threw some apples in the crock pot to make cinnamon apples. {You can find the casserole recipe HERE} Because our week was so jam-packed we didn't get to really celebrate the first day of Autumn on the first day - but, we made make up for it this morning over a big family breakfast! Now it's calm. Tummies are happy. Daddy and baby are napping, my middle girl is deeply into some play and my first born is watching a show on TV. I LOVE these Autumn mornings at home.

The house has been decorated for Autumn. This year I had $0 to spend on anything extra, decoration wise, so it was a good challenge to dig through my bins of decor and place things in just the right spot. I kept it simple! And I love how it looks! Though, I admit, I did spend $3 on a plastic table cloth at Walmart for our dining room table. That poor old beast - it's in sad shape. It's cheaper to use a fun table cloth right now then try and paint it or figure out what our plan is. And speaking of Walmart - if you haven't seen their BHG Autumn collection, check it out! Super cute stuff! And I need to mention that the Pioneer Woman has her collection there now, too. :)

My girls are still growing and changing and making life busy and fun!
Jane is 15 months old, has tons of teeth, finally starting walking and is such a joy. She recently has taken up wrestling her sisters and I'm so thankful they all love each other.

August and I have completed TWO days of preschool so far this year. Ha! I'm so bad at this organized at home education stuff. :) Thankfully, she's a smart cookie and so go with the flow. Recently we were gifted an enormous box of colored beads and she loves making her jewelry! While I do believe math and reading and all of that is so important - this girl loves learning things of the home with her momma, and I'm enjoying having her around during the day. She loves cleaning, cooking, organizing, caring for Jane and all things a little momma would do. :)

Ava continues to thrive in 1st grade! In the near future she'll be doing a cheer clinic at her school and seems to be doing pretty well in her piano lessons on Thursdays. We've entered the stage of life where she is invited to birthday parties and has already enjoyed TWO parties this month! I'm not sure we are ready for it - but, here we go. :)
She's also been asking some good questions about God and creation and general "why" questions. This is so encouraging as parents! We pray that soon she will come to know and Love Jesus as her savior!


Iowa is beautiful in Autumn. Thursday we had some family pictures taken and I fell in love with the field of flowers we visited.

I am truly thankful to the Lord for bringing us here. Couldn't you just spend a few hours sitting right here? I could!

My husband and I are learning so much right now about life and ministry and loving people. It's a busy time in our lives as we serve the teens - using our own house as the meeting location on Sunday nights. We are hosting an adult cell group on Tuesdays and life is really full. I need to sit down and journal everything, someday, when I have the time. But right now I am thankful. I'm thankful for the Lord's love for us, His care, His provision.

Sometime soon I hope to do a post about new book recommendations and thoughts about ministry life. I'd love to hear what you are reading and ways you are involved in your local church!

Happy Fall ya'll!

Hip Hip Hooray, September!

All my fellow lovers of Autumn are rejoicing today that we have entered the "BERS". September, October, Nov, etc. :) Despite the 90 degree days we'll have for the rest of the week - the calendar does not lie and I'm very much looking forward to all things FALL. I'm proud of myself - it's September 1 and I don't have a single fall decoration out, yet. That's a new record. But after the last few weeks we've had - I have plenty of excuses. Even today I'm sitting here with a spinning head and we've only been awake a few hours.

My morning began EARLY as my husband shook my shoulder and asked me to move the van out of the driveway. Our tandem parking driveway can be slightly annoying. Though I will admit that our world is pretty spectacular at that time of morning before anyone else is moving. But today I was drained so I climbed back in bed. I dozed for a minute or two but couldn't get back to sleep, which is fine because I noticed a 4 year old at my side of the bed ready for the day. We came downstairs and I poured a mug of cider for myself. As I went to open the microwave door to warm it up I saw a fuzzy dark thing run across my feet and right into a mouse trap, thus causing me to react by ripping the handle off of the microwave door and screaming. I may have thrown the handle, too. It's all vague. We (my two older girls and I) just stood there. Did that really just happen?! Thank the Lord it wasn't a snapper trap like we have in other places, but one of those black box kinds. I don't even want to know how they work. After getting my grumpy first born girl off to school I attempted to brew a pot of coffee only to notice our glass carafe has not one, but TWO, cracks in it. Serious?! And things went like that for the next hour or so. New discoveries of broken things, busy baby and little girl, tired mom brain, fear of mice...

For those curious I risked it and brewed a pot anyway and it was fine. Not keepable, but for today, it worked. And boy was that good a good cup of Joe! I didn't even cry because I totally 100% believe that the Lord loves me and cares about even a microwave handle and broken carafe. And what I didn't yet mention was that I seem to have contracted some sort of weird respiratory cold, to boot. Awesome. I think Monday and Tuesday confused themselves.

So begins my favorite season. :)

Ava is back in school in FIRST grade! She loves going and we love sending her. This year she is learning Spanish and we've recently begun piano lessons in hopes she can learn some discipline and keep those busy hands at work. Yesterday she asked me if I knew what a parallelogram was. Geesh!

August and Jane enjoy their time at home with Mom, and I just started preschool with August yesterday. Jane is still not walking and will be 15 months next week. :) Her sisters pretty much haul her around this place. A little spoiled, I think.

I'm ready for the changes coming our way. I'm SO excited about cooler days, new colors, routine and ministry opportunities that start back up.
Yay September!

It's 99 degrees and I'm thinking about Christmas.

Sing on Mr. Crosby. "And may all your Christmases be white..."

It's not a major announcement or surprise to see this post from me, is it? :)
I made it alllll the way to July 17th this year before I started longing for cooler weather, the holiday season and wearing jeans. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for holding out this long - and actually, really enjoying summer. And truth be told, I still am. We've got plenty left and I'm in no rush. Bonfires and s'mores, walks on the beach (next month!), and iced caramel macchiato's are on my mind - along with these laid back mornings, quality sit down and read time, late bedtimes and all the summer fun things going on in our city. But. It's 99 degrees with a humidity percentage in the thousands and I'm thinking, just thinking, about Christmas today.

We all have our favorites. Autumn and winter are mine. We'll leave it at that.

My husband gets home from his trip in TWO days. I'm giddy just waiting for him. We've made it all the way almost with little to no problems. Though, I'll recap some unfortunates:
- It's hot. Wicked, wicked hot and uncomfortable. I'm slightly nervous to see the energy bill next month after all these days and nights of nonstop air conditioning.
- Tuesday night I had to take August into urgent care. She woke up from her nap and was in tears saying her ears hurt. She also had gunky eyes. So, at 6pm we dropped her sisters off at friends and went in. Did you know kids can get infected swimmers ears? And eyes? I know it now. She has both. Did you also know it's near impossible to rub medicine into a 4 years olds eyes? We need to rethink that one there, Docs. ;) Today she looks and is acting much better.
- I found a dead bird in my garage yesterday as I was setting back up for my two-weekend-long yard sale. I CANNOT handle that sorta thing. I may have sent out a plea for help on Facebook. One of our awesome deacons may have stopped by to rescue me.
- Today we discovered a massive wasps nest right above the front door. Awesome. So, instead of buying spray and dealing with it... we open the door and run as fast as we can to get into the van. It's a sight everyone enjoys, I'm sure. I'll continue on with this plan until my husband is home. Nature is not my favorite right now.
- The girls and I splurged tonight and bought an almost SIX dollar watermelon (with seeds) only to cut it open and discover its the weirdest and grossest melon we've ever tasted. It's pale pink and tastes like melon rind. What am I supposed to do about that!? And.... what am I supposed to do with this watermelon craving?!
- Last negative: My throat. I just ended my antibiotic prescription a few days ago and now my throat glands are swollen again. Discouraging. I try to ignore it. But honestly it's seriously bumming me out. Back to gargling AC vinegar and salt water. I dunno. If it doesn't relieve soon I might seek an ENT. Do adults use those?

Well then. That was entirely too grumpy sounding. Ultimately, we are doing so well and the days have really been great!

Back to Christmas in July. Much happier.
We are in Iowa this Christmas and I am SO excited to be home with my babies for that special time. The Pausley family is all flying/driving here and there will be reunions, birthdays, etc.
Here are a few ideas I'd like to do this holiday season:

Only, obviously, ours would say Pausley.

I reeeeeally want to do SO much handmade this year. Loving these gift tag ideas!

I already have the door. Just love this easy, natural, old-ish looking vignette.

I remember buying one of these in college for a fundraiser and thinking I want to make them when I have a family. It's time.

So, there ya have it. My cold-weather musings tonight.
Back to reality - the sun is going down and another nice n' warm day tomorrow. :) 

The Stuff of Summer

Hello from 1st Street! We are in the fullest part of our summer and enjoying every day, or at least, trying to. All my lists of projects have taken the back burner to the rest of life - and raising my three girls has really taken ALL my time. It's all good. We've gone through VBS week at church, a youth service trip here locally, a trip to Omaha to visit family (and the amazing zoo!), lots of days at the park and splash pads, etc. and I was able to jump into a ladies bible study on Wednesday nights. This weekend my husband leaves for Brooklyn, NY for 9 days and then at the end of the month we'll head north to camp in Michigan!

So many great memories have been made. Today I'll just share a taste of our fun!

At the end of June I celebrated my 33rd birthday over dinner and a Matt Kearney concert downtown. Such a great date with my guy! Now that I'm 33 I've found TWO gray hairs and notice more and more my squinty smile lines around my eyes. WHAT?! So soon?! :)

The girls started their summer workbooks last week - it was time. Our weekly routine has been going pretty good, but we are starting to have some fighting and fussing. Enter school books and somehow they magical soothe their brains. 

The Fourth of July was great this year! We went to a parade and spent the evening with friends watching fireworks. 

This Sunday we had a unique opportunity to attend an old fashioned car show where my husband preached. Afterward it was all funnel cakes & Sky rides! 

There is still so much summer left to live and we are thankful for that. :)

But I need to secretly admit that this odd 75 degree day made me smile to think that Autumn is next.

Some Summer: Life updates and summer projects

Helllllloooooo friends! Are you still out there? {grin} This poor little blog is so neglected. I do think of it often, and it seems there is always something to write about...but, the time! The time, my friends, it just isn't there. There is too much life to live right now.

But, all is calm tonight. I have a sleeping baby and two little girls enjoying a new game (together!), and a hubby who is out evangelizing. This unexpected me time caught me off guard, but I'll run with it.

Summer time is moving right along. We've already been through a week of vacation bible school and a week of SOS (students offering service) with our teens. Two major summer events - done! Coming up next is the start of our summer study series on Wednesday nights here at the Pausley home, a trip to Brooklyn for our missions team, and ending the summer with our annual trip to Lake Ann. Ah, it goes too quickly!

We celebrated the life of our beautiful Jane this month as she turned ONE. Yes, I cried. Yes, I still get a little weepy when I realize my last baby (more than likely) is one year old. She was a champ with her first cake - dove in face first and all. :) I love that baby!

She's just about as cute as they come and is into everything. Although she is not walking, she somehow manages to get around this house at the speed of sound. Her favorite locales currently are: the toilet, the fridge, the dishwasher, climbing down off of the deck into the yard, and attempting to get out the front glass door. How have I not found more gray hairs yet?! She's an amazing gift. I'm treasuring these last few weeks of bottle time in the mornings and bedtimes and the fact that she actually snuggles in for them. I am really going to miss having a baby around. {sob} Can't even continue this part of the post. Moving on...

The big girls are in the summer time grove. Sleepovers in the basement, later bedtimes, parks and splash pads, going on walks, etc. We are loving it. I need to admit though - all my planning and structure is GREAT, and helpful, but many days we end up tossing the routine and just doing what works. They are flexible and I'm grateful.

I have two half finished projects sitting around per my usual habit and my husbands dread. The old ugly chair fabric has been stripped and the old desk has been half painted. Ha!

I'm looking for just the right fabric for the chair. This beauty will go up in my bedroom with my newly painted desk, for my own little "office space". Having my main work desk in the front room of our home is not working out. And as much as I love having my bills spill over on the floor as guests walk in... eh, not really.

The color is "Pot of Cream" by Behr - paint and primer, of course. The desk is in good shape structurally speaking, but has all sorts of scratches and flaws (which I like!). The primer fills in the scratches and keeps it looking rustic/shabby, but clean!
I found some drawer lining contact paper at the Dollar Tree and threw that on the insides of drawers. I'm not really a black/white style girl, but it works until I find something I really love.

Also, let's take a minute and appreciate the baby gate suspended from the stair rail in the background, please.

Good grief. Keepin' it real! 

Another coat to go and then I'll rough it up.
I'm looking forward to having my own little place upstairs to journal, pay bills, think. :)


I hope your summers are going well. Maybe I'll get to share more fun things here soon.
Have a great week!

Spring! {amongst other things}

Another season passes and a new one begins. I got a bit spoiled here in Iowa with our 80 {yes, 80!} degree days for a few days. Reality settled back in and the cooler days just make us eager for those warmer temps!

It's a lazy day here and even now my eyes are heavy and making me feel like I need a nap. Still almost 10 months after my last baby was born I need/require/want SO much sleep! The dishwasher is swishing away, my hubby is reading and my two littlest are napping. It's a calm day and for that I am thankful. I feel like we are finally in a good groove and life feels normal now, like we always had three girls. Some new things are on my plate these days and I'm enjoying the added structure. Last month I joined up with the blog, All Things with Purpose, as a contributor. You can see that post here. It was great to jump back into blogging and share some of what's going on in my home! I'm currently working on the next "edition" which will be mostly about hospitality and Good Friday. My fave. :) I'll be sharing something on that site on the first Monday of each month, join me!

In T-minus a few weeks we are heading to Florida to attend The Gospel Coalition in Orlando. Alone. Without kids. Woot Woot! While a big chunk of my heart always, always, aches to leave my babies... the other bigger chunk does a happy dance just thinking about time alone with my beloved guy and some awesome teaching at this conference. Plus, Grandpa and Grandma have a pool - I'm sure my girls will love that bonus time with them! But anyway, yes, I'm so excited for our trip and I'm thrilled as I looked over the 84 names that will be teaching and preaching and leading workshops. I'm sure it'll feel like we are drinking from a fire hose, but I need it. And I need some sun.

Speaking of my children. Ah, I love them. At 6, 3, and 9 months we are loving these ages.
Jane is now crawling and getting into anything she can find. I love this baby! She says Mama and Dada and adores us. She also loves her sisters, it's beautiful. We are so thankful for this easy going, precious, little baby girl.

Ava and August are treasures as well. Ava is quite the reader and is constantly making her own books. I remember doing the same thing, it's cute. August is our peace-loving middle child who just dances and primps her life away. All three girls are so different and we really enjoying our days with them. Gifts!

Projects. A friend of mine sent me a note a few months back that said something along the lines of how she didn't know how I did all my little projects with three kids. After I laughed out loud and reminded her how sometimes social media makes reality a little more... pretty, I just told her it's a little at a time. My current projects list is extensive and ranging from upstairs to the basement and now to our back yard/deck. I'm in WAY over my head but that's one of the blessings of being a homemaker and keeping busy. By the end of spring I hope to have:

- Deck power washed and restained

- New mulch down in all the flower beds

- Small raised salad garden planted (???)

- Finish master bathroom painting that I started in January ;) 

- Plan and organize and MASSIVE yard sale

- Paint the dining room hang up my wall of plates. Eeeee! 

- Paint a small desk in my bedroom

- Make dining room curtains from sheets. Pinterest better be legit on that! 

- Create a REAL laundry room space in the unfinished side of the basement. 

- Find a free or cheap hutch. Paint it. (dining room project)

There is always something to be done and with summer approaching I'm hoping for an energy surge and lots of days to throw open the windows and get busy.

I hope all is well where you are. I'm hoping to hop on here again tomorrow and do a quick post about the yard and some BIG plans I have for our outside space, and a sneak peek at what I'm whipping up to bless our cell group on Good Friday. Join me!

Come.On.Spring.

Am I right? I mean, I'm all about treasuring each moment and enjoying the seasons... I even LOVE, LOVE winter time. But, the itch for spring is definitely here! This morning I woke up to the sound of birds and even now as I sit in the quiet of my TV room there are adorable little pudgy birds chirping away at our feeder outside. They are ready. We are ready. I'm pretending I didn't see this little sight from the Weather Channel. (Buzzkills!) Winter storm Thor... we don't like you.

 

But rather then belly ache, let's focus on something pretty instead. :) And speaking of birds earlier reminds me - Spring has arrived inside our home! Our deck might be ice coated but the interior is green and blossoming. Here's a peek at what I've been up to this weekend.

 

I'm feeling the warm breeze of spring already. {Sigh} But seriously, this was a fun time for me to go through what we already owned and fill in pieces with frugal buys. The little bird was found at the Dollar Tree! The bunting was cut from my old hymnal! I love cheap and free :) I will say, if you have any "fun money" stashed away Hobby Lobby has some awesome deals right now. I picked up the boxwood balls, some silk flowers and that cute round basket on my buffet this weekend. Super great prices and 40%! Also, Burlington Coat Factory of all places. I was really surprised at the aisles of clearance stuff that was in GREAT shape, and super cheap. Housewares were all marked WAY down.

So anyway. We are eager to put this cold February behind us and look forward to some sunny days.
I hope you are having a fantastic weekend! Enjoy your Saturday!