I love it when a plan comes together. (A before and after.)

I completed a project!

This is a big deal. I am the queen of leaving things half-baked when is comes to up-cycling and repurpose-ing (am I making up words with hyphens now?). Ironic, considering my children's tendency toward the same half-baked-ness drives me absolutely batty. *ahem*

I'm really not that bad. It's a matter of lacking storage, really. If I had a garage or barn where I could store pieces until I had a chance to work on them, nobody would notice. As it is, my dining room is my work space and often my storage space - I paint, saw, and sand there if it's too hot, cold or humid, or the piece is too heavy or cumbersome to take it outdoors.

So it was with this latest project which involved a heavy wood door that I turned into a headboard in our master bedroom.

 Before - big bed, no headboard.

Let me give you a bit of a timeline.

Sometime this spring I brought 3 old interior doors home from work. I saved them from the Dumpster after they were torn out during a renovation project in our 100-yr-old building. For a few weeks those doors leaned up against a wall in my house. Two of them are still there awaiting future projects. The third was the perfect height to turn lengthwise and use as a headboard.

So I set about making plans. Surfed Pinterest boards to find a simple design I liked. Picked up some paint stripper thinking if the wood underneath those layers of (probably lead-based) paint looked any good I would give it a rich-looking stain.

Over weeks I had paint-stripping and scraping sessions which involved me carrying this heavy door outside, spraying or spreading paint stripper on it, waiting oh-so-impatiently for the stuff to do its magic, scraping, sanding, and eventually moving the door back inside, frustrated that I couldn't remove the paint as easily as I had hoped.

(I took pictures during this process and promptly lost them when my cell phone went kaput because who really backs their stuff up to the cloud?)

I finally abandoned the idea of staining the wood and sanded the old paint off as well as I could (wearing a mask, of course ... which makes me sweat just thinking about it.) I even got out the Dremel to sand the intricate little corners ... which I then abandoned because it would have required more time and effort than I was willing to give on this project.

I decided to re-paint the door using the bright blue paint I had purchased for our master bathroom (another item still on the to-do list).

I painted it. Painted again. Did a little distressing with sandpaper. Realized the door had a sour/musty smell that did not go away with layers of new paint. Googled it. Discovered shellac was probably the answer. Bought some shellac. Got busy with life in the height of summer and moved the door so I wouldn't be tripping over it. Finally decided it was time to knock this sucker out and vowed I would complete it by the time I went to bed on Sunday.

So I went to town after church yesterday and bought a $3 piece of wood for the ledge and $2.36 worth of heavy duty wood screws. The crown molding I already had - it must have been an extra piece because it's been floating around in our closet since we bought the house. I grabbed a scrap 2X4 from my in-laws', which I would use as a little extra support for the door to sit on.

There were a couple of casualties.

I broke off one of those 3-inch screws that was supposed to hold this large piece of wood on the wall above my head. My fault. Because of course the walls in this house are not straight, and of course I had to push my luck and try to use a 59-cent screw to bend a solid wood door to the shape of the wall. FAIL. Don't try that, kids.

Also? I need a new level.

We should have a moment of silence for this guy. I remember buying this when we installed the tile floor in our front room. It has been with me through many a project, but I didn't realize I had left it on the bed and I sat on it. Oops.

Once I made up my mind on the paint scheme - Paint over the shellac? Leave the shellac as the top layer with the aged/yellowish look? - it was relatively easy going. Here's a shot after the door was up but before I installed the ledge:

The ledge was easy - cut to size, paint, and tack it on. The crown molding? No. Crown molding is from the debil. If you are a whiz at cutting and installing crown molding please don't tell me how easy it is. I will never do it again. I will buy those cheater pieces so I don't have to figure out any corners.

Fortunately I'm a whiz with spackle and sandpaper. And paint. Paint covers a multitude of mistakes.

Voila! The finished product.

I have some finish work to do on it - a little more spackle and touching up the paint, but I think it looks pretty cool. I'm not sure yet what I'll put on the ledge, but I love the idea of some large black and white family photos.
 

We have lived in this house for 14 years. We have added character with paint, wallpaper, flooring, furniture, etc., to every room of the house except this one - until just a few months ago when I finally painted the dirty white walls a soothing green (it really is pretty, but the lighting in these photos makes it look kinda' drab). More and more as the kids get older and stay up later I tend to retreat to my bedroom for some quiet time; now it feels less like a punishment and more like a haven where I can read a book, watch what I want on TV, take a snooze, or on the rare occasion that he's home, enjoy some quality time with my husband.

 Before:

 After:

I love it!

Now if I could just get that master bathroom painted ...

School's out ... hello, summer!

One of my friends posted on Facebook the other day that she already wondered where summer had gone and it hadn't even started yet. That describes my feelings perfectly.

And I felt the same way last year - that there were so many things scratched down in the little squares on my calendar, the carefree days of summer would be gone before I had a chance to enjoy them. That's one of the bummers of having a spouse/parent who works away from home. Steve is as involved as he can be, communicating with all of us via phone and text, and making the trip home as often as possible. But he's not here to help with all the little things on a daily basis - the running around, attending activities, making a thousand and one decisions every day, and things as simple as cleaning up the kitchen after supper.

Some days I just need to tag out and let my partner be in charge. But that's not an option here, so I go for the next best option: I take some time for myself to recharge and then dive right back into the fray.

Today was the last day of school for our kids. It was mere hours after we got home that I started getting the questions about when friends could come over or when I could take them to go and do. I'm glad my children have such active social lives, but sheesh! A few minutes of downtime is ok, too. Alas, Rachel has already made plans for the weekend.

I have weekend plans myself. I'm taking a road trip, flying solo to West Virginia to spend a couple days with Steve. He'll be working but that's OK with me. I plan to sleep, read, enjoy the silence during the day and enjoy his company in the evenings. This is one of the benefits of having a spouse who works away from home: there is always someplace to take a little getaway. I can't even tell you how much I am looking forward to it. Every minute, from driving by myself to sleeping next to my husband to doing absolutely nothing for at least two full days ... I can't wait!

Let another busy, fun-filled summer begin!

Be still.

It's snowing that perfect kind of snow right now. Snow globe kind of snow. Big, fluffy flakes floating down slowly, landing gently, layer upon layer.

It's perfect for a day like today when I'm feeling reflective. Introspective. When I'm thinking about the Big Picture and wondering (as I do periodically) if I am doing the right things and going in the right direction.

I am incredibly blessed, and for that I am thankful. I am surrounded by people who love me and I know it. I have an amazing husband and two healthy children, a modest home, all the essentials of life and then some. Praise God.

But there are days when something tweaks me. Someone's unkind words swirl around and swoosh down into my ears and rattle around in my brain causing a noise that keeps me awake at night. A mustard seed of doubt grows into a monster the size of which I don't have the energy to fight at 2 a.m. So I refuse the invitation to duel.

Most things appear much better in the light of day. And while my first instinct is to busy myself and turn on the television to drown out the sound of the uglies, I don't. Instead I sit in the quiet and allow myself to breathe, and I wait for those hurtful words or that thing I struggled with to realize my heart and soul are not welcoming environments for their types. Return whence you came, dudes. I don't have time for you.

On days like this I always think of Psalm 46, which talks about God being our fortress even when the world is crashing down around us. Verse 10 reads, "He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'"

Be still. Nothing else matters. In a world that is constantly telling us we should be on the move every minute of every day, it's hard to be still without guilt. But we are commanded to do it. Over the years I have learned, and I continue to learn just how.

Stop the madness. Watch the snow. Be still.

Things are looking better already.

Dude. That was awesome.

I got a massage today. For one whole hour I left my phone in the truck, I left my cares behind, and I let Ms. Julia and her amazing hands do their magic.

OK, that sounds kinda' weird. And honestly, even though I had a massage one other time - five or six years ago when Steve got me a gift certificate for Christmas - I was a little intimidated by the whole idea and only sought out a masseuse again because the pain in my neck and lower back were so intense some nights I could hardly sleep. And girlfriend does not do well without her sleep. Also, repeated trips to the chiropractor (whom I adore) were not providing any lasting relief and the last time I saw him he told me - again - that massage would do me a world of good.

So, like any procrastinating busy mama would do, I thought about it for a couple days. And then I hit the Yellow Pages, checked some web sites and made a couple phone calls. I settled on the lady who has been doing this for 20 years. I figured she has seen it all, so she wouldn't bat an eye at anything I was gonna' lay out on that table, no matter how self-conscious I was.

Because really. Two pregnancies, several handfuls of extra pounds hanging on, and a bit of stress-induced wrinkling and flaking does not a bikini body make. And here I would be revealing it to someone I didn't even know.

I wish I could say that my self-consciousness melted away when I walked in that door. I wish I didn't have so many issues with feeling like I somehow don't deserve the luxury of having someone else take care of me - even if I am paying them to do it! But those issues have been a part of me for a long time and they weren't going to go away over a one-hour massage. I will say, though, that Julia made me feel as comfortable as I could about the whole thing. And I really, really did enjoy that massage.

What I was not prepared for was feeling so lousy by the time I got home. It was like someone had opened the floodgates and any junk - emotional, physical, psychological - I had been holding onto for God knows how long came rushing out my pores. My neck and shoulders felt so much better, and my lower back felt like I had had a good workout - sore, but in a good way. But when I got home I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep. So I did.

When I woke from a long nap I felt refreshed. My body was (is) still a little tender, but I feel like I have hit the reset button. I feel ... good. Glad I did something for myself.

Ready to do a little more of it in the future.

Still raining.

Or very wet, at least.

There was sun in the forecast today.

There is no sunshine outside my window. Boo.

But! It's ok. Because I have laundry to do. And this in my lap ...

So I'm warm and happy ... and optimistic it could still clear up before I head out this afternoon.

Ahh, Monday. 

My Happy Place.

*Poof!*

And another two weeks have gone by since I last posted. Not because I have nothing to say; I've written a dozen blog posts in my head while going about the business of life. Just haven't had the energy to sit down and write at the end of the day.

I still don't, really. So I'll share some pictures tonight and tell y'all a little more about what we've been up to some other day.

~ ~ ~ 

No matter how busy we are or how much we have going on or how cluttered and chaotic the house gets, I have a place to go and sit and enjoy some peace and quiet. 

My garden has been a place of pure joy for me this summer. I put a lot of work into setting it up - literally, building the frames and shoveling a whole lot of dirt before it was ready for planting. It is a kind of extension of our patio, so I can sit at the patio table and enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning while I watch the plants move with a gentle breeze and shine in the morning dew, or listen to the sound of my wind chimes and the buzzing of hummingbirds nearby.

Yes, I stare at my plants. It's amazing how calming and peaceful a ritual it can be.

 

And they are beautiful, these plants ...

 The sweet banana peppers are abundant.

 Beets are tucked in between the taller green beans and the peas. I love the dark red veins in the leaves.

 Cucumber vines climb a trellis.

 Lettuce! Some of which I enjoyed on my cheeseburger tonight.

Blossoms on the sugar snap pea plants.

I'm training the summer squash plants to go vertical.

And still waiting to see how the eggplant ... uh, plant ... turns out.

Overall they are beautiful and healthy, but I can't claim it's because I talk to them.

I do converse a lot with God out there, though, and that probably has a lot to do with how peaceful it is for me. It's also pretty nice to be able to walk out my front door and pluck a few ripe cherry tomatoes off the plant for my salad or a handful of green beans to go along with dinner.

But sometimes all I really want to do is sit quietly and take it all in.

It's my happy place.

Quiet.

It's quiet here. Breakfast is done, kids shuffled off to school, dog taken out. I can hear the clock ticking. The refrigerator hums. The dog's nails clickety-click on the tile floor as she searches for a spot to settle in.

I'm enjoying the last few sips of my coffee before I dive into whatever I decide to work on today - probably the master bedroom and bathroom. Because somehow that's where everything without a home goes to live. It's one of the struggles - and benefits, really - of having no place else to put stuff. We sure don't have a whole lot of room to keep more stuff than what we really need or use or love. And since clutter makes me anxious, and I don't like being anxious, I'm forced to sort and purge those things regularly.

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."                   

~ William Morris

What a great euphemism for life: we should sort through the clutter occasionally, and get rid of or pass along what we don't want or need. Old routines that don't work anymore, friends who drag us down, commitments that have us ... over-committed.

I don't even watch the news much anymore. Which is saying a lot because the news used to be my passion. But these days, with plenty to keep track of in my own life, the alternative to not knowing every detail of what's happening in the world is knowing all the details and being in a constant state of emotional unrest. It doesn't mean I don't do my own small part to make the world a better place; it just means I have made a conscious decision to focus my energy on my family and my home and the things that make my world a better place.

I enjoy the quiet. I thank God I am able to take the time to watch the sun come up and feel it warm my house as I wake up and prepare for the day. I look around and I see a home that I love and pictures on the walls of people I love. It makes me happy. With all this, what more do I need?

Monday, Monday, Monday!

Happy Monday, folks!

Wow. I am just in awe over my surroundings lately. As I was walking into the house from the front yard yesterday I had to stop and take it all in. The fall colors are just amazing. The air has been nice and warm during the days and cool at night and I am lovin' it. Sounds like we have a few more days of this and then it's going to turn cooler again. I'm ok with that, too.

Yeah, I totally teased you with that comment about the fall colors and I have no pictures for you. I'll try to remedy that today because I plan to spend some time outdoors. (And as I type I'm looking out the window to see leaves floating down onto the ground. Gorgeous!) I keep saying I'm going to do some cleanup in the yard and then I go out there and get started and I get distracted by something else. Lame. I need to pull the rest of the plants out of the veggie beds, plant some perennials I bought on clearance, and do some general tidying up and tucking things away before the snow flies. Because ... ugh ... it will be here before we know it and if I don't get this stuff done I will be kicking myself.

And - excitement abounds! - I have someone coming to install a water softener today. Praise Jesus! This is something we have really needed since we moved in, but somehow it always got pushed to the bottom of the list. (It's pretty easy to push things to the bottom of the list when they require spending a chunk o' change. And they're not as fun as a big-screen TV. *ahem*) After today I won't have to scrub the showers so hard, the dishwasher will work better, my skin will be softer, the faucets won't be all crusty, and my coffee will even taste better. Hallelujah!

AND ... why not continue my randomness with a few pictures from the weekend? OK, I will then.

The kids and I visited one of our favorite local parks on Lake Michigan Saturday afternoon. There's a great playground and sculpture park and you can watch boats going in and out of the harbor all day long.

I let Sam and Rachel go off and play while I stretched out in the grass and soaked up some sun. Until Rachel came racing over and hollered, "Mom! Take a picture of me!"

I obliged.

What a joker. Believe me, she is never, ever this still or quiet at home.

Both the kids' favorite: the zip-line-type-thingamabob. 

(Ha! Notice how Sam's feet touch the ground?)

Hm. Yeah. He doesn't get quite as excited as Rachel does about having pictures taken.

Still cute, though.

Exhibit B, the self portraits:

Sometimes the outtakes are the best.

"Jack's on crack."

Jack is the GPS unit I keep in my truck. He's my lifeline when I'm traveling, particularly to faraway places I've never been.

I am safely home now, but I was convinced while driving to West Virginia to see Steve last week that Jack might get me killed. Or worse - stuck somewhere in the hills of southern Ohio after dark.

About the third time Steve called to check on my progress during my trip down there I told him "Jack says I'll be there at 8:56, but I think Jack's on crack." Jack was telling me the speed limit was 55 mph (probably because I was technically on a state "highway"), but for the last hour or so of driving I couldn't go more than 35-45 mph because of all the hairpin turns and switchbacks in hill country.

I made it there, though, safe and sound. And after a lovely week of doing lots of nothing, I'm home. I wrote a few blog posts in my head on the way home; nine hours of driving alone will have ya' doing that. But in the couple of days since I've been back I haven't done much writing or much of anything else except spend time with the kids. Because by golly I actually started to miss them those last few days I was gone.

It was so nice to have some time to myself and very little responsibility, but there did come a time when I had my fill and I was ready to return to life at home and what little routine we've had here for the summer. One week away and I'd had enough. (Poor Steve - he hasn't been home since the 4th of July. I know he must be missing it so. Having us go there to visit him is great, but it's nothing like being home.)

Today we had a contractor here pouring a concrete patio off the front deck of the house. It's a perfect day to be working outside with temps in the low 70's and a nice breeze. Home improvements always get me excited about the next big thing and what else we can do to make our home more cozy and a place where we all love to be. This project is perfectly timed to help turn my attention back home, too ... because even though I was ready to come back from West Virginia, I am longing for the simplicity of the days I spent there. I want to be here, but the reminders of all the things left undone or half done while we played all summer are adding up.

The new patio won't be finished until tomorrow when it's sealed, but it's already inspiring me. I spent some time today cleaning up my gardens and trimming back plants that are past their prime, and now this evening I'm turning my attention indoors to face the music. It's time to start clearing some cobwebs.

Father's Day fun.

Of the eight or nine days we were in West Virginia, Sunday - Father's Day - was the only day the guys had off work.  My brother Jim's family had been visiting too, but they had to leave Sunday morning, so instead of all of us doing our own thing for the day we stuck together with our friends and all went out to have some fun.


First we headed to the Parkersburg Multi-Cultural Festival, despite quiet protests from the guys about "tree huggers" and "crunchy hippies." We ladies figured once we got them there they would have a good time, and I think they did. At least it was fun watching the kids have a good time.

And while Sam and Rachel took one more round in the bouncy play area (best. kids' activity. ever.) Steve and I shared an apple dumpling from one of the food booths.

Yes, there is a pastry-covered apple in there. YUM!

There was music from all over the globe, children's activities, choo-choo rides around the park ...

... lots of informational booths, food vendors - Amish friendship bread, hot sauces, honey, Mexican food, corn dogs, you name it - henna tattoo artists, vintage jewelry makers, belly-dancing lessons, and lots and lots of people-watching. After spending much of the afternoon at the park, we went to dinner at a local seafood restaurant called Fishbone Gill & Grill.

Dinner was awesome. We sat outside on the deck, the kids had a place to play, and we had a good ol' time.

Family pic overlooking the Ohio River.

Da boys. The dads might have imbibed a wee bit that day. 

My dinner (half eaten). I couldn't get over how beautiful these grilled shrimp kabobs were. Tasty, too.

You can hardly make it out, but this is a pic of a huge coal barge passing the dock at the restaurant. (If you enlarge the photo you can kinda' see the barge stretch from one side to the other.)

The gang. That's my brutha Jim on the left (nice white legs, bro), our friends Travis and Nada and their son Colton (protesting having his picture taken), and the rest of us. All of us pipe lifers.

Quite the crew, eh?

I know it was Father's Day, but we had so much fun it was a day this mom will remember for a long time.

SUNday!!

OK, well it's really Monday, but the sun is shining today and it was shining yesterday and the day before. And I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see the sun shine.

I don't know what's up with me lately but my ambitions don't get much further than being added to my list of things to do before I crap out on 'em. I try to hit the ground running in the mornings (ok, running might be a bit of an exaggeration) but often I end up getting off to a good start and then I'm ready for a nap by lunchtime.

What the heck?

Maybe I'm still trying to shake the vacation hangover. We did lots of chillaxin over Christmas break and it was so nice. Lots of good food, lots of long naps, just hanging out and enjoying having some family time. Then as it all wound down I was geeked about getting back into a routine and getting organized and planning projects for spring and getting caught up on things I need to finish ... but the past few days I feel like I've been dragging my butt through a foot of mud.

I really hope I'm not fighting off another round of illness. Actually, if I'm fighting something off I hope I'm successful.

I tend to be pretty hard on myself when I look around and see that I've accomplished a whole lot of nothing during the day. I tell myself I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be a homemaker, the least I could do is use my time wisely.

But today? Today I am going to listen to my body. The sun is streaming through the windows onto the couch and I hear it calling my name.

The list will still be here tomorrow.

Do Not Disturb.

I bought a new candle today for the sole purpose of lighting it and smelling it in all its "island getaway" goodness while I soak in the bathtub.

You know, to relax. De-stress. Let the water wash away all my cares for a half hour or so.

Am I the only one who feels like it's work to actually take that "relaxing" bath?

For one thing, the tub needs to be cleaned. It has been used more for rinsing out the mop bucket and hand washing delicates than for actually bathing in lately.

(I know what you're thinking. We have a separate shower for that.)

And then there are the kids. They need to be in bed and securely on their way to dreamland before I can count on having any time to myself.

The telephone? Easy. I can turn it off.

Dog? She'll snooze in her crate.

Front door? Locked.

But I don't have any bubbles. Hmph. I'll have to rummage through the bathroom cupboards and see what I can find.

And I'll have to steal elder child's boombox to play some relaxing music.

On second thought, I don't feel like cleaning the tub. Maybe tonight's "island getaway" will be accomplished with the new smelly candle sitting next to my favorite chair while I read a good book.

Maybe sipping a rum-flavored drink, too.