A little bit of FAITH goes a long way!

Meet Faith. Yes, okay so I named my orchid. I've never named a flower or plant before.
Why this one? Because Best Bud and I wanted to use an orchid in a terrarium.  We both had a good time selecting a special orchid.
The little orchid I picked out was not picked out because of its color, or little tab that foretold us what it would look like in the future. In fact, Faith was the smallest orchid in the whole bunch. She wasn't blooming and looked very dry in her half dollar size round little pot. Her only redeeming quality was that her leaves are two colors.
Looking her over, I decided she was the one I wanted. With her being so small, she would fit in my little apothecary style jar.

So far she is doing well, and as you can see blooming beautifully!

Old Memories- rediscovered!

What do the words memories, family, weekend project, and repurposed bring to mind?

I'll tell ya!
For my birthday this year I was blessed with an amazing gift that I would receive several months later, that was covered in over 20 years worth of dirt, dust and who knows what else, and yet it is one of the most precious gifts I've ever been given?

See? This is a double glider swing hand made by Chad's Uncle Hugh back in November of 1981. Uncle Hugh owned a saw mill, as a matter of fact it was in his front yard. He liked to build things, and so that particular year he and his friend, Lowell made several of these for the family.

My memories in regard to this swing start with dating Sweetie. This swing was parked over to the left of the family home. If we could draw back the folds of time, you would see Sweetie and I swinging on it, first on opposite sides, then together on one side. Me urging it along with my short legs, Chad slowing it down with his much longer legs! And then I smile as I see his mom and myself swinging and talking.  I didn't know at the time that she was investing in the girl that would eventually become his wife. We had some good talks on that swing, and to me it symbolizes the special relationship we have today. We can still sit and talk about anything, just as we did years ago.

Over the years, his family moved to a different location on the farm and the swing was set aside in one of the barns on the property. I never forgot about that swing...

So, when I was told that was my birthday present - I was touched and thrilled. My father in law lovingly reminded me that "it had been in the barn for years and would need a lot of work." He wasn't joking! It was delivered to us several months later, and we immediatly started talking about restoring it to its original usefulness, (besides, there are girls lined up to date Cory- but that's another story!)

So, this week we started the process. First the power sprayer took off layers of dust and dirt, then the wire brushes peeled of paint layer by layer. Then we taped, then painted it red and black.

And this is the finished product!

Now it is ready for more memories!

Wrought Iron Mirror Re-purposed into a Memo board!

Recently, Best Bud and I went to a city wide yard sale in Kentucky. The townspeople lined the streets selling all sorts of things from socks, to Tupperware, to old and non-used items. It was HOT. We utlilized the shade trees and stayed as hydrated as we could so we could visit as many yards as possible. We didn't pick up much this year, as quite honestly, there wasn't much there we wanted or needed. However, we did come away with a few things. One thing I came home with was this wrought iron frame. According to the owner it had once held a mirror, but once that broke, she decided she was finished with it. When I saw it, I thought 'project!'.  I've seen all sorts of things done with old frames, so I figured an old mirror would work too, right? One of the neat projects I had seen was to string wire from side to side and use it as a memo board.

I bought some wire and some cute little, and colorful clothes pins at Hobby Lobby, enlisted some help from Sweetie, and voila! I now have a really unique memo board that can hold all sorts of things from pictures, and tickets, to a recipe, ect.

Here is the finished project. Pretty neat, huh? I love it when I can get a project started and finished fairly close together! Now, to just get it hung so I can use it!

De-Cluttering Our Lives

It's already mid August! What a challenging year this has been! How are your new year resolutions coming? Mine? Actually quite well. I know, shut up! But, see; I'm truly excited! We have gotten some projects completed that have been on the list a long time!
So far, this year we have been totally involved in home improvement! It started with the setting aside of funds to get new windows. We had the old single pane kind.. ugh! Ya know, the kind you prop open with a stick. Yeah..that kind.
Before we could do that, the water heater decided its contract was up, so it leaked all over the garage. So, we replaced that. Um.. the windows took three months to put in. I know.. long story. We had the windows wrapped so we don't have to get out the super tall ladders to paint them anymore! Yay! We replaced the square columns on the front porch as they were rotten. Now we have round ones! We painted the front door and side panels, and the gutters, and the garage door. We added two flower beds, one up front and two in the back yard! Stained the playset. Umm.. then we added a whole row of burning bushes along the ditch to the side of our home.
Then there was the day we realized our airconditioner wasn't working. Yep, had to replace that! Thankfully in the weeks we put that off, the little seperate unit that cools the upstairs still plugged along. Otherwise,eww..I don't want to think about it!
Sweetie's dad put in some shelves for us in the garage! Now we are garage organized! Whoo hoo! He even has a workbench now! It is so fabulous to go out there and actually find something! Yay! (I know, but it is so exciting!)
By end of September I will have (Lord willing) finished cleaning out the attic. It's amazing the stuff we have kept. Why? Who knows? I guess it's just part of that, 'maybe I will use it again' frame of mind.
The kids rooms will be next, as a neighbor and I have committed to throwing out the clutter this year! So far so good! We might even pull off a yard sale when it is cooler out.
High hopes! Great goals! Really fun, when for the first time in a long time, I am actually taking things off my list, instead of adding to it! How long will this last? If I keep watching the Do It Yourself network, I will always have a project or three ongoing! But that's okay, right? As long as it is within reason..time and money wise that is!
Personally, I've been able to declutter myself too. I am learning to successfully say NO~! For some, it isn't hard to do that. For me;it is. I am keeping track of my time. This keeps me from the frustration and stress I gave myself over trying to be everything to and for everyone! Admittedly there has been some flack from others as I have said no to something they wanted when they were banking on a yes. But, it truly is okay. Wow. I think I am maturing. Eeeks! Don't tell.

So, on to the de-cluttering.. one goal is to spend less time on the computer!