Thrifty Thursdays #3

{Thrifty Thursdays #3}

There were so many projects linked up this week at Thrifty Thursdays  that I just loved!!


One of my favorites was this PotteryBarn Knock-off Clock from too much time on my hands:

{Time is on My Side}

Would you believe that was made from old pallets???  I have a bunch sitting behind my house because I want to build an old table from it.......maybe I'll start with the clock!

One of your favorites were these light saber treats from The Cellar Door Stories!

{Light Saber Pretzel Rods}

My Star Wars obsessed boys would love them!  And it would be way easier than the R2D2 cake that we put together one year!

Beth from Twotinytowheads redid a thrifty re-do by turning this jewelry armoire into  practical and pretty storage for her little "towhead's" markers and dress-up jewelry.

{Jewelry Armoir Re-fashion}



Do you need a spring wreath idea?  Creative "Try"als took a trek into the woods where she found the supplies to make this:

{Sagebrush Wreath}

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas that were linked up last Thursday.  I really enjoyed looking at all of your different projects!!

So it's time again to share your creative....thrifty ideas!

Thrifty Thursday

Here are some very simple rules for the link-up:

1.  Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating

2.  Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3.  Please copy and paste my link button somewhere in your post
or blog so that others can link back.
4.  Share some comment love....I love to to read your
comments so take a look at someone else's project
and leave them a comment.



Read more ...

Conflict makes me sad....

{And in corner number one....}

So there's a big "Bru-ha-ha" in the homeschool world right now......do I even want to enter into the waters of the conflict???  Sure....I guess I'll dive in...

Before I do, let me give you a little bit of my story.....

I initially was a college drop-out.....I left for Ithaca College at age 17 and returned home 5 weeks later...quite broken.  I made a deal with my parents to attend a local Christian college for 1 semester.  In my mind....I was out of there at the semester's end.  I didn't want to have anything to do with God.

Well....I got assigned a roommate who would kneel by her bed every night to pray....very weird for me.  I would actually hide in our bathroom and peek out until she was finished....it just really freaked me out! 

My RA asked me to be a part of a Bible study.  I got involved more because I was lonely and bored at night than I really wanted to be a part of a Bible study.  But, while in it, I noticed that when those girls prayed......it felt like they were really talking with someone.

I completed the semester willing to come back for the following year.  To make up for my lost credits from dropping out, I took summer classes at the local Community College.  It was in one of those classes that I was faced with a choice.....do I really believe in an historical figure called Jesus Christ?  I remember closing my pink notebook and praying in the middle of the lecture.....yes, I do believe (My professor by the way didn't!)

That was a changing point in my life......no I didn't have any wild ways to put aside, but life became clearer for me and I suddenly had purpose in my life and I understood that Someone loved me and died in my place...

Fast forward to one night in the back of a car with a bunch of friends.....Geneva College at that time was amok in controversy over some different theological positions. Being very new in my belief, I stated...."I am not sure that we can really know the mind of God....."  Well, one of the passenger in the front seat turned around, pointed a finger in my face and told me that I wasn't really a Christian.....all because I disagreed with him on a theological "truth".....

Right now there is a lot of mud-slinging in the Christian homeschool community because Ken Hamm---founder of Institute of Creation Research was dis-invited from some of the regional Homeschool Conventions....not because of his academic opinion, but basically because he pointed his finger in the face of another respected speaker and believer and said....."You are not a Christian!"

I still vividly remember the emotions that I felt that night in the backseat of the car......sick and weak....how can another believer hold the scales of judgement in their hands.....isn't that God's job?

I feel the same way about this whole controversy......I posted some comments on a blog and have gotten some rather interesting responses......again, I just said that only God was present at Creation.....do we really know how He did it?  What if we find out that we're wrong??? 

Is a Young Earth viewpoint necessary for entrance to Heaven?  Is the purpose of Genesis really to be an historical, scientific record....could God be bigger than our interpretations???

Wow....didn't know that position would create such strong emotion in others...

The reality is this....we are probably not all going to agree.....My friend, Nancy and I have very different viewpoints on the age of the Earth and various things....yet we are still very close friends.....and have had great discussions.....postive and open....yet we never change our individual positions and still walk away friends.

So, why is this issue of Old Earth vs. Young Earth, global flood vs. regional flood turning into one of squabbling little kids screaming...."No...I saw the toy first!"

How sad our Christian world is when we spend so much time and energy attacking each other..........

At our church, the pastors rotate being "on call".  Recently, it was my hubby's turn.....it was a heavy week with many broken lives desperately seeking help....a listening ear.....Godly counsel....

Lives that have been destroyed by a spouse addicted to alcohol.....gambling......pornography......   Lives that have been fractured by divorce....adultery......cancer....the death of a loved one.

I don't think in any of those cases, the wounded person even cares about when dinosaurs existed or how old the Earth really is or if evolution is true.....they are desparately seeking One who loves them and can help them put the pieces of their life back together....

When Jesus began his public ministry, he unrolled a scroll from a passage in Isaiah that would have been very familiar to his listeners.....he said:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
      for the Lord has anointed me
      to bring good news to the poor.
   He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
      and to proclaim that captives will be released
      and prisoners will be freed.

Jesus' mission.....one that I'm eternally grateful for since I was one of those brokenhearted prisoners!

You know....if somehow evolution was proven tomorrow as some irrefutable scientific law, it would not shake my faith....because my faith is based in a mysterious relationship with the Creator not in the complete understanding of His creation....

my thoughts.....

Linking up with:

Read more ...

How to paint a room. . . . .

Many times I am able to completely paint a room in about a day.....people often ask me how I do it, so here are some of my tips.....

Tip #1:  Painter's Tape

Take the time to tape.....really, it takes less than 30 minutes to tape off your baseboards and cabinets or trim....

When I first started to paint, I also would tape my ceilings....tape is what gives you that gorgeous finished line.....in my kitchen project, I have painted so many colors on the wall that I needed to use a small watercolor brush to paint my finish line on the ceiling....so I skipped the tape.

Truly....tape makes painting "mistake-proof  (Unless, of course, you happen to drop a gallon of dark brown paint on your cream carpet.......tape doesn't help that! )

Tip #2:  Use an edger

An edger makes life so easy!  I usually do one wall at a time and I begin by edging.  I usually work left to right.....I'll edge an area and then I will roll it right away while it's still wet. 

Edging and then rolling eliminates lines left in the paint from the edger.  (Just always make sure that the wheels on the edger are free from paint....I carry a damp paper towel with me so that I can keep wiping them off.)

Wow....look at that gap in the molding....never noticed that!  And that was done by a professional builder!!  I guess that my cuts aren't all that bad!



Tip #3:  Don't clean your brushes

Instead of washing your brushes every time you finish painting, you can put the brushes on the tray and put the entire tray into a garbage bag.  Just seal it with a twistee.

Usually, by the time I work my way around the room, I will come back to the start of my "circle" and my paint will be dry enough for the second coat! 

(Because usually....hours will have elapsed because of all of my "interruptions" to make lunch, do laundry, answer a millions questions......you get the picture!)

The "big reveal" is coming Friday.....that is if I get myself motivated to "stage" my kitchen for photos....right now there are legos, art projects, ear buds and other miscellaneous things that just do not contribute to a pretty picture!  Whatever you see in the photos will not reflect my true life at all!

Happy painting!  You can find Behr products HERE at a discount.

Linked up with:

Read more ...

Hubby's World Magazine Review

{Good News!!}

 

I've posted before about my hubby's book.......honestly, the past few weeks have been somewhat discouraging.  Amazon had sales one week of like....4....not quite the start you want....

But recently, things have been exploding and it's super exciting!!  One thing that I mentioned was that WORLD magazine was potentially reviewing it.  We had no idea what they would say......would they like it? hate it? tell readers to ignore it???  (If you are not familiar with WORLD magazine, it's somewhat like the Christian version of TIME magazine.)

We just trusted, prayed, and hoped that they would say nice things.....

Because we don't get any magazine subscriptions, we weren't even sure when the April issue would be published......but today, our FB accounts were abuzz with posts by friends saying that the magazine came in the mail.....

I was nervous to read it.....was it a 2 sentence blip that said....boring book...don't buy???

Well.....here it is....Heat vs. Light and Love......overwhelmingly positive!!  Written by Marvin Olasky himself!!

I cried as I read it......I was so incredibly relieved, thankful, and proud of my hubby!  Truly, he spent so many nights scribbling his thoughts on scraps of paper.....there was a constant stream of "really smart philosophical" books by his beside forever as he researched and confirmed his thoughts.....

If you get a chance check out the review or hop over to his website No Argument for God.

Gratefully!

Read more ...

Shopping the house....

{A little bit 'o spray paint}

I've been working on my kitchen re-do and trying to spend the least amount of money that I possibly can!  So I had these brown stars hanging in my kitchen.....

Since I am going a lot lighter with my walls and trim, I decided to put a coat of Rustoleum Heirloom white on them.....



After they dried, I took a piece of heavy grit sandpaper to them....following the edges and then just scratched them up....

I love the change.....but even more I love that it didn't cost any money!

What are YOU working on??  Link it up on Thursday to Thrifty Thursdays!

Linking up with:



Read more ...

Kitchen sneak peek.....

{Want a peek?}

I've been hard at work in my kitchen.....I have listened to your suggestions.....taken my time, done my research, compared colors of linens, rugs, and place mats and finally settled on a paint color!

This week I'll be sharing with you how I did some of my re-do and I will reveal the whole kitchen at the end of the week!

But here's a sneak peek........

And the best part??? I've only spent about $75 for the WHOLE thing!!  (That includes curtains, rugs, linens, paint......and actually, I had a $50 gift card to Home Depot that offset $40 of that cost!)

I can't wait to show you!

Read more ...

Spring Notecards...

{A touch of spring....even though it's freezing COLD!}

Back in the winter, I stumbled across the cutest blog site called:



I really, really wanted to make these notecards......

....they looked so easy!  So I grabbed some pretty paper from the Paper Place on Main and I already had white cardstock......I cut my hearts and pulled out the sewing machine....

Problem.....my machine is a dinosaur and I still haven't figured out how to adjust my thread tension....GRR!

So I put the project in the trash and would gaze longingly at the site hoping to someday make them.....well....I just "borrowed" (stole ) my Mom's sewing machine!  I'm going to try to make some again this weekend!

You can get the complete tutorial HERE if you'd like to make some, too!

Happy Crafting!

Read more ...

Thrifty Thursdays #2

{Thrifty Thursdays #2} 

To launch this second week of Thrifty Thursdays I want to spotlight some amazing ideas that were linked last week....



My absolute FAVORITE???  Without a doubt........these "eggs."  To find out what they were (and we ALL have some around the house!), go over to the V-Spot and meet Viv!

{Faux Robin's Eggs}

Another favorite came from Kathy at Dandelions and Dustbunnies!  One word....YUM!!!

{Cool Mint Oreos}

Rusty Rooster Vintage took a thrifted wooden cross and customized it into a beautiful work of art!

{Altered Wooden Crosses}



So it's time to share again your creative....thrifty ideas!

Thrifty Thursday is a place where you can link up:

crafts....

decorating ideas....

recipes....

homeschooling ideas...

budget saving ideas....

Goodwill makeovers....

sewing projects......

Here are some very simple rules for the link-up:

1.  Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating

2.  Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3.  Please copy and paste my link button somewhere in your post
or blog so that others can link back.

Read more ...

Making a plant....cheap

{Spring Mantle Idea} 

So I have a problem with house plants.......I kill them.....never on purpose, but pretty much without fail.  Even my husband has better luck with his plants.....(but then it's really his Administrative Assistant that keeps his alive!)
 So when I saw Liza Mae's mantle idea, I wanted to copy it, but she had living ivy on her mantle and she confessed that it was one of the most expensive parts of her mantle.

Did I really want to spend a lot of money on a plant only to have it die in a two weeks???


So, I went to my favorite store....The Dollar Tree!

Moss Sheet: $1.00

Fake Ivy:  2 @ $1.00

Ceramic Vase:  $1.00

Floral Foam:  $1.00

So easy.....cut foam to fit into your container.  Cut the moss sheet to a shape that matches the top of your container.

I just cut apart my ivy vine into pieces......I started by putting larger pieces on the outside edges and then I put smaller pieces coming from the middle.

At the last minute, I remember that I had bought an old tin container for about $1.50 at a craft store and put the floral foam in there......

And those burlap covered books.....

...nothing but old books....

.....hot glued with burlap!  Total cost:  FREE!!!

The bottles were thrifted at a cost of about $1.00 each!

It doesn't have to be expensive to be beautiful!



Linking up with:



Read more ...