before and after...a year late!

Some of you know that a little over a year ago,

we built an addition onto our house and did some

some other remodeling.

I promised (a couple of times) to show pictures.

Well.....at first I was waiting to get the furniture in place. 

I was re-purposing some pieces, so it took 

some time. Then I was waiting to get some things on the walls.

And then.... I just never did it!

So, because I know it is important to do what you 

say you will do and because I am so happy with the results...

here you go!

This was our old living room...

a nice sized room , but long and narrow.

This is taken from by the front door looking

toward the hearth and wood burning stove.

 

 This one taken from the hearth looking toward

the front door on the right.

Our kitchen and dining room... to the left.

This is the new family room added to the front of the house...

from the front wall out...400 sq ft.

 

We moved our dining area to the space that was the 

living room.

The buffet is where the piano was and the window

on the right was where the front door was.

The area by the hearth and stove is now a sitting area...

nice place to read and have our morning coffee .

This is looking from the new room back to the old living room.

Kitchen to the right .

The wall behind the black cabinet is new.

It was open to our old dining room....

which is now our new study/office. 

 This picture taken from the same place as the one above.

 

 The white door opens to kitchen and that's

a bay window on left.

This is the new pantry in my kitchen...never had one before.

It's great!

You see the door to study there on the right.

Dining area is to left.

 

We enclosed the back porch , and for the first time 

in 36 years, I have a laundry room!

I have a sink, storage and our freezer is in there, too.

I loved the brick floor so we kept it and they did put a sealer 

on it which gives it a little shine.

This is what our house looked like before...

 

 This is the after...with a little snow! :-)

We are enjoying it all so much. It still makes me smile

every time I pull in our driveway and walk through

the front door.

I told someone recently...it's big enough when everyone

is here, but not too big when it's just the two of us.

I guess that means it's just right!! :-)

pick a pocket

When Hubby and I married back in1973,

costume jewelry was popular...big colorful beads,

big earrings. A few years later, styles changed and it 

was gold or silver chains, hoop earrings.

So, I gave away my old stuff.

In the last couple of years, the trend has turned back

(surprise, surprise!!)

to colorful accessories.

I have two medium sized wooden jewelry boxes

which are perfect for small things

but there's not room for bigger pieces.

So, a while back I bought an organizer

that hangs in your closet at Ross for 10 bucks.

This afternoon, I finally started to fill it up!

The pockets are small at the top and get larger as

they go down. And it's two sided, so there's twice

as many pockets to put stuff!!

It was kind of fun figuring out where to put each piece...

and it's nice being able to see the top of my dresser again! :-)

It's a beautiful day here in middle Georgia!

Hope it's nice where you are, too! :-)

who says?

Who says you can't buy yourself flowers?

I bought these a week ago at Kroger for $7...

and they are still beautiful!

Here are some quotes I have seen recently.

Not sure who said them, but they are pretty good.

What do you think?

If you want to get something done,

stop talking about it and get busy!

Courage doesn't always come with a roar.

The South: where ya'll is a pronoun, the tea is sweet,

 macaroni and cheese is a vegetable, and

summer starts in April.

Hard work is better than being talented

when the talented won't work hard.

and...

What if I can't find my big girl panties? ha! ha!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend! :-)

the message of love

The Message of Love

 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love,

 I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries

 and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says

 to a mountain,  “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned

 as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. 

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do,
 I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

I Corinthians 13:1-7 

Happy Valentine's Day to you and all those you love!

meow!

We don't have a pet now and haven't had one for a few years.

But for most of our marriage, we have had one or more dogs....

mutts, mostly, but we also had a Cocker Spaniel.

 We've also had parakeets and fish and we even took care of

some baby squirrels who were separated from their mama.

One pet we have never had is a cat.  I think they are pretty to look at,

but have never cared to own one, (Can you even own a cat? ha!)

I have a friend who LOVES cats and when I visit her, her cats

are very affectionate...which I'm not that crazy about!

Something about them just makes me "antsy"!

My friend says they know that and that's why they do it! :-)

Well, it seems there is one from down the street

that would like to live with us.

He/she spends her days in our yard...

watching and chasing the squirrels and birds,

keeping guard over our fish pond (which is covered

with a net for the winter so, right now she can't get to the fish!),

and greeting us as we come and go.

He/she is a pretty cat and looks well taken care of.

We've never fed it or encouraged it to stay, so I'm not sure

what the attraction is. Hubby says it is the "critters"!

The owner's yard doesn't have trees like we do...

or a fish pond!

Maybe she is a reminder from God to be kind to strangers

and to love those people you aren't that "crazy about"!

To be tolerant and accommodating and patient...

to share what we have...even our yard! :-)

wednesday hodgepodge

1.What makes love last?

Selflessness...putting the other person first.
You can talk about a lot of other things...
respect, honesty, commitment...
but the basis for all those is selflessness.

2. The Beatles made their US debut fifty years ago this week.

 Are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite Beatles tune?

Well, I was a fan way back then...just like all my friends were.
I watched them on Ed Sullivan.
We all picked our favorite...mine was George.
I had some of their records and my favorites
were "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday".


 3. Valentine's Day-your thoughts? Do you celebrate in any way?

 Do anything special for the people you love? 

Expect anything special from the people who love you?

Hubby and I usually go to dinner. For years, we exchanged gifts,
buy we don't do that much anymore.
Sometimes (if our daughter prompts him ha! ha!) I get flowers
at work. He did ask me last night what I would like...
so I think we just may go shopping together to find a little something.
I do something small for the grands...it's fun surprising them!
And sometimes, I surprise my co-workers with
goodies.

4. Steak or burger...you have to choose. 

Now that that's settled, how do you like it?

Steak...medium!

5. The Hodgepodge lands on the birthdate (February 12th) of Abraham Lincoln,

 16th President of the United States of America. Lincoln is quoted as saying,

 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test

 his character give him power.'  Do you agree? Why or why not?

 Yes, agree. I recently heard that the main responsibility of someone
 in power is that they use their influence and many resources to help people.
So, I guess that would be the test...does he use his power to do good
for others or to benefit himself.


6. Honest Abe's image is featured on the US penny (1 cent coin) so

 I'm wondering...what do you do with your pennies
 (or your country's equivalent)?  

It's been suggested the US stop making the penny,

 and two bills have been introduced proposing just that,

 but neither were approved. What say you?

I spend them!! Not sure how it would work not to have them.
They would have to change sales tax...probably increase them.
Not crazy about that prospect!


7.  Do you think pop culture deserves serious study?

Hmmm...not sure what that means! Guess I'll have to pass!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am really enjoying watching the Olympics. As always,
 the favored are not necessarily winning and the underdogs
 are rising to the occasion and are making it to the podium.
I feel so sorry for Bob Costas. He is such a fixture at the
Olympics and it is such a shame that he has this severe
eye infection. Seems like his meds should be working by now.
I understand Matt Lauer (not my fav) will be filling in
for him for a day or two. I know he must be disappointed.
Praying that he will be better soon!

facelift

No, I didn't have a facelift...

but my old hope chest did!

My parents gave me a Lane hope chest for

my 17th birthday.

I came home from school and it was sitting just inside
 the door with a huge pink bow on it!

I was so surprised!
For a couple of years, it held dishtowels, cookbooks...
you know the kind of things you put in a "hope" chest...
hoping you will need them one day!

After my "hopes" came true and I was using those
things in my own home, it held wedding pictures,
photo albums, and keepsakes.
Then, the children came and it held baby blankets,
and baby books. And as they grew, honor roll certificates,
 baptism records, mother's day cards, report cards
 and hand-print pictures.
A few years later, it was yearbooks, diplomas...
and their wedding pictures!
Then, some of those baby blankets came out again to
be passed on to their babies!

After 43 years, the chest was looking a little sad...

So, I tried my hand at the new "chalk paint".
The name brand is pricey, so I found a recipe on line
and made my own. It worked well and I am pleased with the results!

I knew I wanted to put a cushion on the lid, so I found
 the fabric at Joann's and a tutorial on line.
With some hot glue, a staple gun and Hubby's help
we got it done.
The new knobs are from Hobby Lobby.

So, the outside looks new, but what's inside
is still old and precious...
baby books and diplomas, report cards
and mother's day cards...
hopes replaced with memories! :-)