Making connections

Making connections with other people is high on my priority list. Lately, I realized that I have many blog-type connections (meaning: reading and commenting on other people's blogs) with people in various parts of the country/world, but very few in Indiana, where I live. So, I'm on a quest to connect with similarly-minded folks who are nearby.

Oh, and I started a Pinterest account. It's another way to connect and it's even easier than blogging. :-) But I still like a good written account of everyday life and ideas, too.

So, here I go on my quest to find crafty bloggers in Indiana. Wish me luck!

Have Done instead of To Do

I updated my 101 in 1001 list to more accurately reflect what I have been up to...not just dreams of what I might be able to accomplish.

I think that life sometimes sneaks up on me when I'm not looking. Because it might be frustrating to look a "to-do" list and see all of the items that were not completed, I took some time this evening to add to the list many of the adventures (positive and negative) of which I have played a role. According to my list, I have been really busy living.

Leaving one or two projects for a later season in my life frees me up for the activities of right now.

Planting a tree may be a beautiful thing, but right now is the time for comforting a 16 year old following the death of her mother.

Installing a fence in the backyard will be important whenever I have a dog, but right now is when I can impulsively dash off on 18 hour road trips on a weekend.

Despite what the lists say, I Have Done a lot. There will always be things To Do, but that doesn't mean they are for right now.

What have you been given right now?

Apron Swap

Join the Apron Swap at Domestic Day! I am!
http://domesticday.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/apron-swap/

To-Do list update

I just realized that I have finished a couple of the projects on my 101 in 1001 list. And I just realized that the end date for that is coming up soon. I think it's all still very do-able. Especially since I only have 51 items on my list. So, I have about 7 1/2 months to complete some very important tasks. :-) Wish me luck!
Oh, and I've got to take some pictures of my projects and post them here. That can be item #52.

Craft Hope

http://crafthope.com/

You know that place where your gifting intersects with a need? That place where joy and excitement surge at the thought of how you can serve? That's how I felt looking at this website.
Sign me up for the next project. I'm so there!

a challenge and a change

Challenges have been coming my way fast-and-furious style lately. So, I've been doing some thinking. Thinking and praying and reading and writing. Lots of relationship issues, but also some deep personal imbalances that I'd like to overcome. I've been reading Captivating by Stasi and John Eldredge. It's brought up many fascinating and undiscovered aspects of my role as a woman and has given me courage as a single woman to step into the life that God has called me to. Although there are criticisms and many items can be taken out of context, the book, as a whole, is a beautiful view of downplayed aspect of Christianity--how God reveals Himself through His creation.
I also came across this blog post at humblemusings.com. http://humblemusings.com/archives/2009/06/04/it-cant-happen-to-us/
It really made me stop and give some serious thought to my disgusting apathy and self-centerness in recent years. Apparently, Russian journalists think that apathy is a more widespread problem that just with me. My question is--what now would God have me do with this knowledge?

Quick update; latest craft!

Really, I'm still around. I've just been busy. Here's one of my latest projects...a Gratitude Wrap from SouleMama. I really like her stuff & her book just came in the mail. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

This was for an 8 year old girl's birthday. She seemed to really like it because she immediately went and wrote me a thank you note and put a fairy sticker on it. :-)

Pink and Green--such a happy color combo! I did this patchwork style because I didn't have any fabric large enough.

I posted these on Flickr, too. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9617895@N08/?saved=1

Memorial Day projects & Dove Update

The kitchen has been a very busy & exciting place for many reasons since last weekend. First, my roommate & I decided to fix up the kitchen, instead of the back bathroom which had been our original plan. We initially wanted to get a better way to hold our spices, so we bought a shelf divider for them and moved them to a shelf over our sink. After cleaning the spices out, we realized that we should clean off our baker's rack (that is in desparate need of sanding and a clear-coat finish). It holds our microwave, toaster, toaster oven, spices, cookbooks, knives, and some decorative stuff. We got rid of a bunch of junk and cleared off the entire botteom shelf. As these things usually go, we realized that we both hated to look at the open shelves all the time; so we transformed some tab-top curtains that my parents gave me for Christmas into cute little cafe curtains to cover up part of the shelf.

After realizing that the curtain really transformed the kitchen, we decided that we should use the fabric in other places, too. See, I was initially hesitant to use the curtains because they really didn't seem to work--the shape & color were just a little off. But after using them in one place, we realized that they had serious style potential.
So it went on from there: we painted the kitchen chairs black (totally dramatic for me 'cause I really like things painted white & airy) & recovered the seat cushions with the curtain fabric. Then we put up the two existing valances over one window with a black curtain rod. In order to make the third window coordinate, we cut off the top part of another curtain, sewed up a hem, and put it up with a matching curtain rod. But we didn't stop there! My roommate turned the remaining curtain parts into a table cloth for our little breakfast table & a napkin to line the former spice basket. It is so totally chic!
The next project in the works is a decorative shelf to go over the stove that will fit our spice shelf. We've started this by cutting a 1x6 board down to fit the length of our shelf (this was left over from the shelves in my room) & painting it with black paint left over from our family room trim. Then we're going to mount it using brushed silver shelf brackets. It's going to be mounted upside-down because the brackets won't fit behind the stove because we cut the board too small. In order to make it sturdier, we'll put nuts & washers on the underside of the board to hold it in place.

I love our kitchen now! Future project: painting the pantry red & dressing up the pantry doors with chalkboard paint & trim. :-)

Update on the doves:
The two eggs hatched about 3 weeks ago (at the time of this post). We didn't notice it for a while; but since they got too big to conceal, we've been watching them grow and develop. They flew out of the next on Wednesday, I think. sigh...I feel like a proud parent. I still see them around the yard; one of them might be making a nest in our other planter. Go figure. Mr. and Mrs. Dove have returned to their nest after leaving it alone for several days. They were making repairs and improvements this morning after last night's major storm. I'm looking forward to more wee doves!

Additionally, over Memorial Day, I was finally able to plant some wildflower seeds and morning glories. We also cleared out a garden space for part-sun & part-shade plants, such as a fern, coleus, & some lilies of the valley. I hope that they will grow up to hide our gas meter & air conditioner, at least somewhat. Ok, well, got to go. The pictures of the doves aren't too great, but I'll put up some of the kitchen soon.

Gardens & Doves

Gardening is hard work...and I've only been at it for less than a month. But my roommate's dad helped us rototill the plot, which saved us energy and money. And we started many seeds indoors early this spring, so it's helped speed the process up a bit.
Right now, we've got a tidy little vegetable garden with the following hopefuls in place: 2 rows of potatoes, 2 rows of green beans, 2 rows of peas, 1 row of spinach, 1 row of lettuce, three small rows of 2 different types of onions, and a little space for tomatoes, green peppers, and a cucumber, eventually.

My roomie and I were going to get all sorts of work done around the house and garden this weekend, but decided to kick back, relax, and talk about stuff instead. It was wonderful! We discovered that each of our main love language is quality time, which is why we often get into fights about petty little things when we haven't been around one another much (I recommend discovering your own main love language via Dr. Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages for Singles; there are other versions for children and couples, too. It can really help families, couples, parents, and friends understand each other better.). Oh, and we discovered that our local Marsh store is about a mile away from our house and that her pedometer is WAAAAY off (by half a mile), which explains why we can't run there in five minutes. I can hardly wait for the exercise we will get while grocery shopping!

In the process of putz-ing around the house & eating our meals outside, we discovered that a sweet mourning dove family has taken up residence in our hanging ivy planter on the back porch. It's a protected spot, safe from the reach of our vicious kittycats, so I guess that Mr. & Mrs. Dove thought it'd be perfect for their nest. The last time I checked, there were two eggs. Mrs. sits on it so faithfully, still and quiet so noone would suspect her being there. She's flown off a couple times when someone comes outside, and Mr. has tried to pull the "Pay no attention to that dove in the planter--chase me around the yard!" bit. But I think that both the humans and the fauna are getting used to each other.

I think that God is using these quiet days I've had lately to bring me back to the simplicity of a relationship with Him. I fully believe that He is willing to answer my questions and doubts if I just take the time to be still and communicate with him.

Be still and know that I am God. Ps. 46:10
~Amy >^..^<

Pictures of the house and garden soon, I promise!

Spring Fever

I don't know about anyone else, but it's taken me a while to feel the refreshing rush of springtime. I LOVE winter...Christmas, snow, crocheting blankets, bundling up & reading magazines, and imagining spring and summer projects while pretending that I was a home improvment expert. Yes, I was clinging onto winter's slow-down, laid-back aspects like a blankie. Winter protected me from having to do any projects around the house, or so I thought. I enjoyed hibernating in many ways this past year, but the winter blues had really start to set in during February. Even when Easter decorations started to pop up in stores (late February!), I wasn't buying it yet. But now, on April 24, I'm in the midst of truly enjoying spring! I still am hesitant to believe that we're not going to get another sudden frost before May, but I'm willing to embrace each sun-soaked minute so far. Oh, and I am relishing those chills that come from a quick breeze tickling my un-scarf-covered neck. My back is killing me from picking out grass clumps from our newly tilled garden plot, but I am so excited about planting my first ever garden! Both my roommate and I have helped our parents garden in the past, but this will be my first attempt at providing large quantities of food for myself. Photos to appear later. They will just be pictures of dirt, but there will be pictures. (We did start some seeds last month, so I guess there will be some seedlings, which is probably the cutest word ever, but other than that--good old American dirt).

Oh, and in a totally separate vein: the Roloff's from Little People Big World are going to be on Oprah. I love LPBW and I really want to visit their farm someday. And the Portland area, mostly due to the burgeoning crafting scene out there. Everything seems so cater to the creative types out there.

And additionally, I'm helping my good friend/coworker with her wedding reception this Saturday. I'm trying to be superorganized and prepared for anything (think "Wedding Planner" movie), which is somewhat unlike me. Wish me luck!

A short post...

...to let the world know that I am still around & still working to fix up my house (which I love & is perfect for me!). This house has been a bit of a money sponge and has caused some friction in my time, but it has been a total God-thing. I can't imagine a more perfect house for me right now. yay! I will post some pictures later on. :-)

~Amy

9 Days Away from Closing

On September 15, I toured 3 houses. On September 19, I (we) made an offer on one that seemed to meet our needs and fit our budget. On September 20, they accepted the low-price offer. Ever since then, this has been a series of open doors & positive answers.

I am buying a house in 9 days.














This picture was taken from the website http://www.indianamls.com/

It's been a long time since I started looking that actually owning a home seems surreal.
I spent so long looking for my dream house, and I thought I could never buy a house unless it was perfect. Well, after realizing that I wouldn't want to own my dream cottage with my roommate, only to have to move out of it later whenever I got married, I have felt very content and at peace about this house. It meets our needs & that's what is important. Investment expert Larry Burkett, in his book Investing in Your Building Years, says that a home is the wisest investment to make for a person my age. Through that, and in other ways, I've gotten a lot of confirmation about this purchase. Yay!

There are only two bumps in the road between now and closing: convincing the sellers to install a high-efficiency furnace (because the existing furnace is broken) and convincing the insurance company to insure the co-owner's belongings (she's not a member of the armed forces--neither are her parents--so she can't become a member of my bank/insurance company). Other than the thought of spending my current savings in the first month of owning the home, I am so excited to own a home!

I am buying a house in 9 days. I have to keep saying that to myself so I can believe it.

Well, I've got to get back to work.

i think i'm in love...

with this website:
http://minlillaveranda.blogspot.com/

oooohhhh aaaahhh so beautiful and restful.

I think I'd add a punch of color here & there, but the mix of painted white & vintage is so laid back, old-country chic.

And check out the floral arrangements here:
http://freshfloralart.typepad.com/

I think I love hydrangeas now, too.

Whistlestop, Moving on, & ToL

I was just surfing some blog sites & found this wonderful link:
http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/index.html

And wonderful gifts can be found here:
http://www.whistlestopcafe.com/

Plus, if you're interested in starting your own Whistlestop Cafe, you can get details there.

I love the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" and Fannie Flagg's books, too.
{Confession, I haven't read any of them, but I listened to "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl" on tape once.}

Well, I've been pretty busy at work, so I haven't updated much.
The house thing: right now, with the house we had made offers on, well, we were rejected. We were going to take a break in the searching, but then I saw a house I wanted to look at. So we're back on the hunt, but with some experience behind us and a fresh perspective: we are OK with renting a little while more, just not in our current rental because of the mold problems. It would just be really, really nice to find a house that suits us for a price we can afford in a good neighborhood. We saw a home yesterday, but it was full of wood paneling & dropped ceilings--everywhere! It was like there was a sale on wood paneling & the home owners went crazy! It's even in closets!!! Ever heard of drywall? yikes! So anyway, for the price of the house, it's not the best option. But our realtor is AMAZING! (at least, better than the previous)

Oh and in more WONDERFUL news--my favorite, first-job-out-of-college cafe, Tree of Life, is bringing back soups! (It's like "bringing s*xy back", but much more hoped for, anticipated, dreamed about, and wanted! at least by me and my roomie) I nearly pulled my car over this morning to cope with the excitement and surprise. So, I'll be chomping down on potato bacon soup in no time! ****little blessings****

Ripple along!

I can't wait until I get a few more projects done so I can start a ripple blanket. Take a look at some of these beauties at the "no end in sight ripple along" blog:

http://neisripplealong.blogspot.com/

There are
so many
fun color
combinations
to try
with a
ripple crochet
project!

Granny Squares!

The coolest granny squares can be found on this website:

http://www.grannyalong.blogspot.com/

and here is a link to one design that I can't wait to try:
Daisy Granny Squares
http://www.warmingfamilies.org/crpatt9.html

Better Homes and Gardens

The January 2007 issue of BHG is probably my favorite issue in so many ways: funky pancake recipes (I loooove pancakes!), black and white color schemes that don't look excessively modern, a gooooorgeous bedroom with turquoise & brown, instructions for terrariums, and other bits and bobs of interest.



My mom always used to say that I shouldn't be so nit-picky about the way the house looked because "Better Homes and Gardens isn't going to be photographing it any time soon." Well, if they were to photograph my house, I'd love for it to have the same feel as the January 2007 issue, starting with the turquoise/aqua blue dresser (or in my case, enclosed desk-turned-wardrobe).


Well, I musn't flit about anymore because I have stacks and stacks of work to be done. Enjoy the blue! I know I do!

Things I'm liking more and more

Aren't these the most beautiful candleholders? *sigh* They have all the elements of decorative things I like: painted white, candles, bird motif. I'm definitely saving up for these (or something I can buy in the states). Found at LauraAshley.com.






Also, these plates are adorable. I want to use them together, mix 'n' match. We're going for an "Italian Bistro" theme in the kitchen, but these might find their way into the cupboard. Found at Target.com. (but I saw them first at www.rosylittlethings.typepad.com).

I'm a Snapdragon--which happens to be one of my favorite flowers

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

Also, I'm working this weekend, which means no time at home to declutter, clean, and pack for moving. Yes, I'm signing a final offer on Monday (this is the third one...blargh!). We're praying that the appraisal and inspection will be positive so that we can move by the beginning of next month!
I'm one step closer to moving into the house! I've been trying to think of creative names for the house: Pennsylvania Cottage (b/c it's on Pennsylvania St.) and Pussywillow Cottage (b/c we both love pussywillows). That's all I have now...I'm needing some inspiration.

See the bottom of my blog for my 101 in 1001 list; I've only got a few on there, but if we move, I'll have about 1000000000 more. :-)

A dress a day--what a great idea!

http://www.dressaday.com/dressaday.html

I just discovered this blogsite & I've got to say that I love it...so many vintage dresses....sigh...