Life in the Sandwich Years

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Re-Do # 3

When we first looked at our house, I loved the big country kitchen. It wasn't untilwe moved in, that I realized I didn't have that many cabinets. There wasn't a pantry, so I had to use two of the lower cabinets to hold food. It made it hard getting to things and hard to see what I had. So, after a few years, I bought this small "jelly cupboard", or so it was called, to be an additional place to store food.

It worked pretty well until our children got bigger
and I started buying more groceries! So, it was replaced (that's another story!) and we moved it into the living room to be a place to display my "country" whatnots! When we were give a piano, it was moved to our master bath to hold, well, you know, bathroom stuff! When we put our house on the market, we moved it to storage to make the bathroom look as big as possible.

When we finished our addition/remodeling project, I wasn't sure I was going to keep it....I had a pantry now, and I didn't really need it in the bathroom. I was pondering it one day, and the Lord reminded me that I only have two drawers in my kitchen and I've always thought it would be nice to have drawers to put my dish towels/cloths and aprons in. How about a small cabinet instead? So, I sanded and painted and sealed it...and added some medallions to make it look a little less "country" and...here it is....

It also holds my cookbooks, so I can remove a "not so lovely" shelf that was in the house when we bought it 37 years ago! So, after all that moving around, it is right back where it started...

making things easier for me in my kitchen!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Re-Do #2

OK, furniture Re-Do #2 is done!

This was the bottom half of my old china cabinet.

If you remember, our daughter took the top half,

turned it upside down and is using it as a TV stand.

I was really planning to get rid of the bottom,

but then I had a thought.

So, I (well, the Hubby helped!) took off the

doors and the hardware...

...I sanded it, put two coats of paint and two coats

of polyurethane on it and Hubby put new knobs

on the drawers and made a shelf.

The result...

Voila!! A sofa table!!

As the guy on Duck Dynasty says...

"Happy, happy, happy!"

Happy that it is DONE!!

Next time, Re-Do #3

Sunday, March 10, 2013

mickey d's house

(flowers on one of the dining tables)

It was our turn to prepare and serve dinner at our nearby Ronald McDonald House Saturday night. Three friends and I have the privilege of doing this four times a year. We had the blessing of meeting several families. One dad told us his little 3 year old daughter was run over by a full size truck. Her internal injuries included two breaks in her pelvis and a lacerated liver. He said she was in a great deal of pain, but, she is expected to make a full recovery. Another dad told us this was their 5th trip since Nov with their 11 year old son. He suffers from severe reflux. They were hoping to go home Tues. A newborn, 14 days old, was there because he caught an infection from his mother through her breast milk. His grandmother said, "He is a fighter!"

Every time we go, the stories are different, but the parents are always worried and tired. Even in the midst of their concern and fatigue, they are always grateful and they express their appreciation over and over. Of course, we are glad that they enjoy the meal and hope that it makes things a bit easier for them. But, I always feel that we should be thanking them... for the privilege of meeting them, hearing their stories, and praying for them.

I am so glad that Deborah (one of our group) had a heart for this ministry and introduced the rest of us to it. It's just a little thing, but I know little becomes much when God is in it! :)

Friday, March 8, 2013

one page at a time

A while back, my daughter told me about the
"book page" wreaths she found on Pinterest.

I liked the look and felt sure, after reading the tutorial,

that I could probably make one.

A few weeks later, Judy received one for her birthday

and (on January 23rd) posted pictures of it.

That inspired me to go for it! So, about two weeks ago

I bought the chipboard wreath at Michael's

and a book at the Dollar Tree. I used a box cutter to cut

the pages out of the book. Then I cut one side of the page with a pair of scrapbooking scissors to get a scalloped edge.

Next, I folded the pages (one at a time) and

hot glued them on the wreath...

starting on the outside edge and working to the middle.

I worked a little at a time, when I had time,

and this morning....voila!

I finished it!

I like the result! It took a little time but it cost less than $5!

Now, I just have to decide for sure
where it's going to hang.:-)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

and the winner is...

Debbie at It's All About Purple!! If you don't know Debbie, I would encourage you to visit her. She loves life (and her Hubby!) and purposes to live each day with enthusiasm. She takes beautiful photos and loves her Jersey shore! I have so enjoyed getting to know her! Congratulations, Debbie! I will be in touch.

Since this give away is celebrating my 500th post, I decided to choose 5 of my favorite things:

---a DVD by Louie Giglio, one of my favorite speakers, teachers, and writers. In this presentation, he explores the "indescribable" wonder of our universe. It is eye-opening and inspiring!
---bath gel in my favorite scent (Warm Vanilla Sugar) from Bath and Body Works
---my favorite candy..Ferrero Rocher...chocolate and hazelnut...YUM!
---my favorite hot tea...Honey Vanilla Chamomile
---and, last but not least, "Silky Hands" hand cream. We sell this at the doctor's office where I work and it's wonderful!

I hope Debbie enjoys her gifts! Thank you to all of you who left, as always, such kind and encouraging comments. Hope you hang around for the next 500 posts!! :-)