The Artful Life

Visit Sweet Pea Home

2012-01-25T07:58:00.000-05:00

The Inspiration I was looking for ...

Check out this blogger's dining room.

Sweet Pea Home

Everything I love in one room.

So Inspiring.

Missing Them/Winter Blues

2012-01-25T07:19:00.001-05:00

I really need to keep myself busy for I have the winter blues.

I miss my babies and my babie's babies.

I am missing my family.

There are moments, when I feel like this, that I don't want to talk on the phone or be social ....at times like these, I just want them.

(Kristina and Stephen)

(Our daughter and son in law)

(Grandson, Maddox)

(Grandson, Adan)

(Grand daughter Savannah)

(Our son, Zachary....funny man)

(My sisters, Terrie and Mindy)

(Our daughter in law, Cassie with our son, Zach and little Adan)

We miss squeezing those Grandbabes and smelling their heads and kissing those cheeks.

Grammy and PaPa love and miss you

We are there for you always even though we are far away. Praying they know that.

Ok, gotta pull it together and live this day fully.

Beginning with prayer.

I ponder Flooring...

2012-01-22T10:37:00.002-05:00

Task #1

FLOORING in kitchen and dining room.

Well, here is the first thing we need to tackle in the house.

The flooring in the kitchen is, in a word, TRASHED!

I don't want to even speculate as to what happened to it, but it needs to be taken up and replaced.

So, here's the dilemma.....What flooring to put in it's place.????????????

Floors that are staying are the oak flooring in the foyer, the neutral carpet in the Living room, and the same carpet in the Den.

We have a foyer hallway that leads into the kitchen is a light, natural finished oak and I like it, but I'm not sure if I want to run it through the kitchen and the dining room.

What are your thoughts on flooring?

Tile? Stone? Wood?

Wood, the same as the foyer?

A darker wood?

Don't think I'd like two different woods like that on the floor running into each other even though I like the look of dark, rich floors.

Whatever we use in the kitchen, we were thinking laying in the dining room as well.

Stone? Love this and it could be the same tone as the wood in the foyer

That's a thought.

Tile?

I like how similar tones in different materials look, so I'm also considering using tile or stone in the kitchen and back to the lighter natural oak for the dining room.

What to do, what to do????

I'm not usually stumped and can be very decisive when it comes to someone else's decor dilemma, but I find myself a little confused when it comes to my project.

So, what cha think???

Here's kind of where I'm at right now..

Use a tile or stone in the kitchen that will pick up the oak tone of the foyer flooring and then lay the wood floor that matches the light oak foyer flooring in the dining room.

I'm going to some showrooms to play this week and see what combos I can find.

BEFORE's....I need you guys!

2012-01-21T15:07:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post these pics of the house we are attempting to purchase in PA so that you can see the BEFOREs and I can chronicle this journey we are embarking on.

She looks so cute from the outside...

Great neighborhood...

but, as I look at these pics, the list of projects just keeps getting longer. I smile and cringe at the same time.

(back of house, patio)

Landscaping, Fix pavers on Patio....Add personality, maybe a sunroom in the future plans

(Basement)

O Lordy! Tear it up and start over. The list is too long to go there just yet.

(Den)

The Den is a nice little family room attached to the kitchen. I see possibilities and I've seen it empty so please ignore the strange decor here

(Dining Room)

Paint n Style

Make it stunning!

(Full Bath on 2nd floor)

Needs some fixes, but all the expensive fixtures are good. Just needs cosmetic love

(Grandbabe's room)

I want to make this room special for when our Grandbabes visit. A special room just for them.

(Guest Room)

This guest room is already put together in my head and I have everything to make it a comfy spot.

(Half Bath on main Floor)

I love little powder rooms

(Kitchen)

This kitchen needs flooring, paint, and some swagger for sure, but the bones are a good base to build something special on.

Thinking of changing the cabinetry color, countertops, and making that island something special...adding pendant lights above it and the ideas are coming fast with this room.

(Living Room)

This room is the first one you see when you come in the house.

I'm thinking of adding some cozy IKEA furnishings, thrifting finds, and archetectural salvage, this room could be something special.

Now we come to the worst room in the house. So much work required here. Gotta tear up some bad decisions from the previous decorator, but it's so doable.

(Master Bathroom)

This Master suite will be sweet!

Elbow grease and patience required.

(Master Bedroom)

And finally, a place to create. Not just a want, but a need to feed the creative part of me.

I'm really excited about this room.

(Future Studio)

So that's the tour!

It's gonna be quite a journey.

Counting on you all the do this with me.

We are gonna need some advice and inspiration to make this place ...home.

What's up with us in 2012

2012-01-19T08:43:00.001-05:00

Now that Christmas is behind us and we are looking into the next year, I just can't believe we are half way through January 2012 Already!

Hubby and I met with the home inspector yesterday on this house we are hoping to purchase. or should I say...this house that has great bones, but will be quite the project.

I told hubby yesterday, as we were walking through the house that this will be about 6 months of my life getting this place the way we want it.

I'm looking forward to it, but it's gonna test my skills as I'll have to do much of the work myself. He is confident that, together, we can make this home.

On the outside, it's a beauty, but there are big holes the walls, poorly executed projects from the previous owner that will have to be redone, and some tearing up of surfaces that will need to be repaired or replaced.

I like an adventure and a challenge. Once again, my blog friends with all of their knowlege and sharing will come in handy.

Our house in NY is supposed to be closed next week, we have the moving truck set to come and put our belongings in storage, and if all goes well, we will close on this house in PA by mid March.

God is good and faithful and cares even about these things.

That's the truth.

Blessings, we'll chat soon,

House Hunting in PA

2012-01-09T07:27:00.003-05:00

So, Day 2 of house hunting in PA is complete and we found what we think is a gem...a diamond in the rough.

Great neighborhood, but this house is good as far as the bones go, I'm sure we'd have it inspected thouroughly....but, the way things look, I'm sure there's a story there.

There are interesting holes in a few walls, it's needs a good scrubbing, and new flooring in the kitchen,

There's also a remnant of a family's life there.

a pair of little boy's shoes laying under the playset in the backyard, some broken toy guns littered in the grass....as I said, there is a story

but...

It has some potential.

Could be home.

A place for a new beginning and a new story.

House & Health...

2012-01-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

Day #2 of my personal Weight Watchers challenge and my whole life challenge with the 50 pounds of fat I've been fighting with for the past 15 years.

Did so well yesterday. I had forgotten how eazzy peezzy this program was to follow and how aware you become of what goes into the pie hole all day long.

I woke this morning feeling a little less bloaty, but the heavy feet hit the floor reminding me of why I'm doing this in the first place so I'm instantly motivated for this second day.

Sadly, my back is out and wow, I've become that woman. You know the whiney, body aching, woman I never wanted to be.

I am off to look at possible future homes today. I'm so glad I don't have to do it alone. A new friend and a realtor who is a hoot is going with me because my hubby has to work.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Blessings to you and here's to, as I raise my glass of lemon water, what's ahead and to shrinking numbers and better health.

See ya!

On Faith

2012-01-05T07:47:00.003-05:00

Ok, I've gotten a few notes from friends and aquaintences and folks confused about our life.

"what are you doing? Where are you now? Last I heard, you were..."

Awww, thanks for asking.

Here's the gist.

*moved from Ohio in 07

*moved to WV, stayed there 3 years

*Went to Buffalo NY, bought a home there, hubby got a great opportunity in PA

*and now we are here workin' it out

*Now it's 2012 and here we go again

Life in the Oil n Gas industry and my hubby's passion for it and my passion for him has this wife living a gypsy life.

*He promises, as much as he can promise, that we will be here for awhile.

hahaha, whatever that means. Love that man :)

God is good and faithful and big. bigger than my issues, problems, and I'm His. So let's live!

***

On Faith, we are looking for our next home.

I know,

you've been down this road with me before.

Wanna travel it with me again?

If all goes well, Lord willin' and we are praying daily, we will be able to move on from our house in NY by the end of the month so we figured that it's time to start really looking.

We thought about renting for awhile, but when rent here is being dictated by landlords jacking it up because they think we folks who work for the oil and gas companies can afford to shell out 1200 bucks and up a month, we've decided to pursue buying.

Take a chance, live on faith, and go for it.

so, here's a few that I've set up to look at this weekend.

Now this one is in a great location and has loads of potential...

because it's pretty much a blank canvas.

and I like a blank canvas.

Now, the next candidate is a favorite, but of course, comes at a higher price tag.

The appeal of this one?...

Check out this cutie patootie kitchen!

Next in the line up...

A beauty with mountain views. All the way around the house.

This one...Price tag is right and I've never been crazy about the layout of bilevel houses, but...

It's move in ready, empty, nice neighborhood and the price is right.

plus

check out those dark floors.

I could work with this

Now, always in my search, I run across a home that is just out of my reach even if I stretch really hard stand on my tippy toes and grunt, I could barely reach this one.

A cozy retreat in the woods with indoor and outdoor spaces that make me drool

Oh rock fireplace in dining room

Oh kitchen beauty with windows to the ceiling

Oh unique sunroom, the hours I could spend

Inside is as beautiful as the outside

I try to find a flaw and talk myself into deleting this gem from my favorites, but in spite of the fact that it's a little too far away from hubby's work, and that it doesn't even have a garage, and the yard work could be challenging, and ok, what else can I come up with/\???

Bears! yes, there could be bears...

Oh, I try to find a flaw, but on my favorites it remains.

Hey, I'll let you know how it goes.

Appreciate your prayers for a smooth process with the sale of our current home and moving on to new adventures in Pennsylvania.

1st day of the New Year

2012-01-01T16:28:00.001-05:00

Hey, Hey, Hey

It's New Year's Day!

My hubby and I, along with our cute lil Grandbabes are wishing you and yours the most wonderful, prosperous, and blessed New Year ever!

***

On this first day of 2012, I'm in NY with my hubby having a septic inspection done on our house because we've accepted an offer and, if all continues to go well, we'll be moving on to PA very soon.

It's been an interesting ordeal and a test of this girls patience.

We've been living between our home in NY, our kids houses in Ohio, and a hotel room in PA since September 11th.

Hubs and I have decided, since we live like traveling bohemians, that we shoud take on gypsy names.

so Esmerelda and Melosh it is.

We googled gypsy names the other day....teeheehee

I miss painting and creating. I managed to make my grandchildren's Christmas ornaments, but small projects was all I could manage in the hotel room. I'm excited to check into a 2 bedroom apartment soon with an actual table that I can spread out on and maybe actually complete a project or two. Ya know, if I don't create something soon, I might just explode.

I have a project that a friend of mine has been waiting on and I might just have the room to finish it in the new temporary digs.

Looking forward to what adventures are ahead in the new year.

God be with us all.

So, as the adventures of Esmerelda and Milosh continues, I'll keep you updated on our gypsy jaunts.

Blessings,

Tina

2011-12-20T19:15:00.002-05:00

Thankful

2011-12-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

Wow!, this life............What a ride!!!!!!!!!!

I'm talkin' roller coaster ride!

The house is sold YAY! It's not, the buyer backs out BOO! that's happened twice.

We live here, we live there, now we are moving again the first of the year, but in a better place for us.

God, thanks for never taking your hand off me off my life and for your favor and for your love, mercy, and grace.

I am enjoying this path you've set before me.

Thanks for loving me

I am praying all of you who stop in from time to time have the most wonderful Merry Christmas and remember that although there are other holidays surrounding this time of year, Christmas, in particular, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, God's gift and path of salvation to the world.

Merry Christmas!!!

Looking forward to new and wonderful things in the new year.

Praying I've good news to share soon.

Blessings,

Tina

A New Phase of Life

2011-12-07T09:33:00.002-05:00

My daughter has begun a new phase of life.

My little wandering heart of a girl with a vintage edge is finding her niche as a stay at home Mommy exploring her passion there and learning how to deal, discover, and live this life well.

After working in the corporate world for the past few years as a single mom raising her daughter,

She met a nice guy and decided that he's the "one"

Along came the unexpected news that they were expecting a miracle baby

They were married in true Kristina fashion...outdoors, real and she did it her way.

The little one was born and the decision, for many reasons, was made that she would leave her job and

She'd stay at home and take care of these precious little ones full time

Although she is enjoying the change....it is after all, Change.

it comes with it's transitions and challenges and it's joys

She posted the other day on her facebook page that she is thinking of writing a blog about it.

She's trying to figure out what to name it

She has so much to share about life, art, her style, her perspective, and what it's like to transition, trust, and take a new direction in her life.

She also would like to read and learn from others out there.

Any suggestions for a blog name for her??

Looking forward to what she has to share.

Again!

2011-12-06T15:35:00.002-05:00

I was browsing through Pinterest on this most depressing day and saw this...

Little did you know, blogger whom I stumbled upon, that you would bring an encouragment to me today.

Our house is back on the market....again. This buyer walked away because there are rumors she could be laid off from her job.

She may return in a week or so, but until then, we wait.

God is in control.....Trusting

Pop on over to this blog, Between Here and Home, and check out her project. It's beautiful!

Party Perspective

2011-12-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we traveled to my hubby's company Christmas party in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Silly me, when he kept saying that we were driving to Indiana, I thought he really meant we were driving to another state...Indiana. DUH!

Anyway, the best part of it all was the weather and the beauty of the sun on the mountains mixing with the haze. I snapped this so so pic and it still showed the layers of mountains ahead enough so you can see. So weird to have such lovely weather this late into the year.

After 20 years of company Christmas events, I'm just about over it all. Of Course, Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with it and being around the excess of alcohol consumption combined with over inflated egos and self promotion, We found ourselves seated in a corner with our sensible glass of wine and people watching. drooling, stumbling, the mouth, the grossness...blah!

We were back in our room relaxing by 11 and glad we were.

We aren't fuddy duddy's by any means, but wow......Wow, is all I can say. Trust me, there was a time, but watching others fall down that steep path, is so eye opening and sad.

~~~~~

Family and memories are so important to me as I access

this time of year.

I saw this print in a store the other day and it reminded me of my Savannah

How very much I want my grandbabes to know the real Christmas and want them to be as free in their souls and full of life and love as she looks in this picture.

I hope all of you are enjoying your Christmas festivities, family time, events, and goings on.

My heart is going to the baby whose birth we celebrate this time of year. Can't get my mind off of that. Maybe God is trying to tell me something.

A Season

2011-12-01T12:39:00.002-05:00

Some seasons of life are tougher than others. Patience, though it is a virtue, is not my strongest trait.

We've lived in a hotel in Pennsylvania now for the past 2 1/2 months having put our house in NY, that we searched for and finally bought and LOVED, on the market.

We've had some interest and, last night, we accepted an offer even though it's a little lower than we'd hoped for, we've decided to accept it. As long as the buyer agrees and the papers get signed today, we will officially be able to move on......whatever that means.

I must tell you, I'm learning to live in the present, enjoy each moment, I'm praying more and reading God's word more often.

I'm trusting and letting go of what I think I want and reaching with open hands for what He has for me.

One day at a time, with a smile and a peaceful heart.

This is a season of life.

Blessings,

Tina

Gettin' ready.

2011-11-29T18:55:00.000-05:00

We are all getting ready for Christmas

round here.

How bout you?!

Our little Maddox got his new elf hat on and he's workin it!

Give Thanks

2011-11-23T08:50:00.001-05:00

Well Hello and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We are a little melancholy because we don't get to go be with our family for Thanksgiving this year,

but we are making the best of it.

There won't be a table of homemade yummies, but there will be a table at a local Inn that we'll share with some new friends and I'm sure there will be some yummies prepared by sweet people who are working on Thanksgiving. That calls for a big tip.

God Bless and Enjoy this day and most of all...

GIVE THANKS

Happy Birthday to Dad

2011-11-10T13:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Dad

This is He and Me

From a long time ago

and this is he and my grandson today

Sounds so simple and even normal, but if you knew our story, you'd celebrate what a miracle this is.

Our relationship gives me hope for other things that seem hopeless and hope for situations I'd given up on and handed to God.

again, Happy Birthday Dad

Oh my Hair

2011-11-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

My Hair!!!

It's always been an issue.

I get comments on it

like...

...it's so "different"

..."distinctive"

..."interesting"

hmmmmm,

but my hair is this seperate entity that lives on top of my head and does whatever it wants to do on any given day.

Short hair is my thing.

The longer it gets, the more crazy power it thinks it has to mess up my days and cause me grief so I reign it in by clipping it short.

I have hits and misses with it.

This isn't too bad

But what the heck was I thinking with this?!!

Really?

So, I'm thinking of doing something like this.

So cute!

I also have a goal of getting rid of these annoying glasses I wear, get contacts for the first time in my life, and finally shed the rest of this weight.

I've had a change happening on the inside of me and my heart and I want the outside to reflect that.

Ever felt that way?

Ya, I'm sure I'm the only one.

Christmas Open House

2011-11-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

I took a little break from Grammy duties (which I love by the way) to check out a local store's Holiday Open House. Homespun Treasures in Walnut Creek, Ohio

Silver, Gray, with some bling.

I loved this idea with the bottles. Couldn't bring myself to purchase one, but thought...a wine bottle, a can of chrome spray paint maybe, and a rub on transfer could do the trick.

This lamp was so pretty

There was also a shades of gold display with these awesome pots and vases

Although I'm not doing any decorating in my own house this year, I was eating up the eye candy at this open house.

I guess it's begun

2011-11-08T13:16:00.002-05:00

Counting my Blessings

2011-11-06T16:08:00.000-05:00

I am ONE woman

SECOND to none according to my Hubby

A woman living in THREE states

and Grammy to FOUR babies.

and

I count it all joy!!

Happy Sunday Everyone

ORANGE

2011-10-31T10:07:00.001-05:00

There are times when I see an image on line or in a magazine that is totally something I would do.

this would be one of those moments.

Armed with a sharpy, oh what I would do.

~~~~~

but here's a little orange inspiration on this Halloween day.

Martha Stewart

Not a color I've ever thought of living with, but today, I just could be swayed.

Beautiful!

Just Life

2011-10-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

I just returned the other day from Ohio. Our little Grandson #1 is now a One Year Old.

and walking and talking and sooo sooo cute.

We had a great time at his birthday party.

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be Grammie to these little people

and now there's the most recent Grandboy. Personality galore and cute as a button.

Family is so important to us. Recently, as many of you know, we moved from Western New York to where my husband is working in Pennsylvania.

It's an interesting perspective this life as an Oil Man's Wife.

He gave me a little tour yesterday of his world up here where he proudly works in the gas industry.

He finds his surroundings beautiful and so do I.

We had a bit of snow yesterday that wasn't even sticking to the ground down in the city, but as we climbed the mountain, there was more and more.

He donned his safety gear and out of the truck he went to perform the task he came to do.

Notice the smile. He loves it.

I watched him work and perform the task which will ultimately get energy out of the ground to keep us warm and provide for so much.

At the same time I was waiting for him in the truck, I kept thinking what is so evil about this? Why is the oil and gas industry so demonized? This is what we are supposed to be doing. Providing energy to our own country. Using our own bountiful resources. This was the neatest, cleanest, well organized site I had ever seen.

America, we can do this and do it better than anyone and people like my husband are vital to the getting us where we need to be energy wise.

I can soooo get on a soap box here. All I wanted to do was run up against a crazy environmental wacko and say "look at how they care for the surroundings" "Look at what is right under our own feet." Don't believe what people tell you on the news. Investigate for yourselves."

and hey,

on a personal note to OWS

This is what a hard working American looks like. Out in the weather, on a Saturday evening, doing what needs to be done for his family and his world and not asking for a thing he hasn't earned for himself.

On the way down the mountain, he stopped the truck to fill up our water bottles in the natural spring that will not be destroyed and is appreciated and well cared for while they are up there doing what needs to be done.

Ok, done with the soap box.

So, You may have noticed I've added the tag to my blog header and it's now

"The Artful Life of an Oil man's Wife"

My attempt to create in the midst of traveling with my energy guy supporting him, loving my family, my God, and my country.

That's pretty much what it's about for me right now.

The White Queen

2011-10-26T21:58:00.002-05:00

It's almost Halloween and I am spending some time helping our very creative and picky Grand daughter with her costume.

This year, she has decided to be

The White Queen from Tim Burton's, Alice as played by Anne Hathaway.

How gorge is this?

Well, we've got the dress, we've perfected the makeup tonight (wish I had a better pic.), the choker necklace...

and...

as you can see,

The attitude (for her) is the easy part.

Oh Savannah.

You are soooo funny.

Smiles, T

Restraint

2011-10-21T13:14:00.000-05:00

Just want to write and vent and I'm resisting for this very reason.

I know you've been there and get what I'm saying.

Needed to see this today

2011-10-20T14:06:00.001-05:00

Gypsy Wagon

2011-10-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

Since our house hasn't sold yet and we keep moving from one place to another, I'm thinking this home could be an option that would suit my lifestyle.

What do ya think?

At least it's inspiring some artful ideas.

The plan for tomorrow is to apply paint to something.

Happy Birthday Punkin

2011-10-14T08:21:00.000-05:00

Savannah Rain

That is her name

Little under 4 pound blessing that came into our lives 7 years ago today.

then we didn't know how she'd do in life, born early and with some problems with her tummy.

Always knew she was special, but didn't know how much she'd bless our lives.

Happy Birthday Punkin

Cutest little first grader ever.

Hubby's Knee

2011-10-13T12:52:00.003-05:00

Well, we got the news about the Hubby's knee

We were so relieved to find out that he has no tears, rips, or breaks in there.

Weird thing is, he has a cyst called a Baker's Cyst. (I haven't looked it up yet)

It ruptured, the Doc thinks it must have happened when he was running on the treadmill the day before all the pain started.

Bottom line is, no surgery!!!!!!

whoohooohooo!!

He's so happy.

The doc says all should be back to normal very soon and he has no restrictions other than running.

Sorry, babe, your runnning days are over.

Full Swing / Update

2011-10-12T07:19:00.000-05:00

Hi There,

It's Full Swing into Fall and my life is in full swing as well.

I'm digging being on my new favorite escape, Pinterest.com, and creating inspiration boards and finding more creative bloggers.

I've needed the escape and you might understand as I give you the rundown on what's been going on.

I found this inspiring photo of a blingy Fall entrance and it makes me mourn as we are trying to sell our house in NY.

We had an offer that we accepted only to find out yesterday that the buyers decided to "walk away". Oh well, moving on. Apparently God has something better planned.

Until then, we are living here.

We aren't really "roughing it" It's nice and comfortable and kinda funky in the decorating realm.

blonde woodlike flooring, a full Ikea style kitchen, funky carpet, and a 3 room suite to boot!

I'm not complaining...

except for the fact that my husband has somehow injured his knee.

The adventure with that began with his waking up a week ago Sunday with a sore knee, the progression of swelling and pain, a trip to the ER, WHO DIDN'T EVEN DO AN XRAY!....AND THE HANDS OF AN INCOMPETENT BOOB OF A DR. WHO HAS YET TO GET A PHONE CALL AND A LETTER FROM ME.

oK CalMinG Down..now...

I took a trip out the other day to explore a bit and ended up in Target.

I really adore all kinds of lamps and lighting and Target has some nice options that I hadn't noticed before.

These are so much cuter in person and are bigger than they appear in this pic. Lamp and shade on sale for $15

And for a little reflective bling.........here ya go.

********

Well we find out if Hubby's knee is going to require surgery tomorrow at his appt to get the results of the MRI he had on Monday. Could be a break or could be a torn Miniscus (however that's spelled)

either way, I discovered I can dress his knee brace, or cast up with some snazzy duct tape

also at target.

Hey, if he isn't willing, it doesn't matter, he can't outrun me right now.

teeheeeheee :)

Have a lovely day,

Keeping the Faith,

2011-10-05T14:39:00.004-05:00

Anybody know where I can get one of these?

I just want one

Use of Words

2011-10-02T16:14:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I was in Ohio and stopped in at my ole stomping grounds...

Dutch Valley in Sugarcreek

I visited with co workers and sweet people from the past and I was told that I just had to go into

The Coop

and check it out.

Nathan Patternoster is a genius decorator/ designer and had a corner of the place all put together for a girl like me.

Please excuse the phone pics, but here's what I saw.

The text and typography goodies, I love it.

How bout this chair....

This is my favorite saying right now.

Love Love Love

That's all

Be blessed,

Tina

Artful Heart

2011-10-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a girl, who shall remain nameless, who loved to paint and make art.

Where o where has her artful heart gone?

She used to paint on anything, even on a trashcan, mailbox, and flirted with the idea of painting on a toilet seat once, tree fungus, rocks, and a few things that have yet to be identified. (really)

She loved it. She painted on paper, canvas, and found crap, and scraps of wood and such.

Nature and birds and all things I, I mean...SHE, loved and was inspired by.

She collected nests and sticks and junk and sat them around and painted her versions of these finds.

She prayed for people and then would paint what came to mind about the people she was praying for.

She moved, bought a house, got a job, got distracted, and (somehow) lost her artful heart.

She forgot how much putting paint on a brush and applying it to make art really ministered to her heart and kept her sane and reminded her of who she was/ is :)

Picking up brushes for the first time in a long time, she searches for inspiration and wonders if she's still got it.

I guess I'll, oops! ...SHE'll just start painting for herself again, the way she did a long time ago.

I'm sure an Artful Heart is waiting to beat again.

Floods

2011-09-28T07:08:00.003-05:00

It flooded here earlier this month and it's raining again. It's supposed to do that for the next 3 days.

As I went down to breakfast this morning in the hotel in Williamsport, PA, I was talking to Linda, the breakfast lady, who says her home is safe, but her brothers is not.

The FEMA workers were sitting at tables with laptops and phones and I assume they were planning out their day.

My issues seem so small right now.

Please join me in praying for the people who are still cleaning up from the flood from earlier this month and for those dealing with the anxiety from the promise of rain in the forecast for the next few days.

Thanks

Good Happenings!

2011-09-26T10:17:00.002-05:00

Well, our sweet girl is a Mommy again!

Everything went wonderfully and she and her husband and our little Grandgirl are blessed with the addition of a baby boy to the family.

Welcome to the world Maddox Michael.

My poor baby girl was and is so tired.

Maddox was born on September 14th, the day before his Grammy's birthday.

He's healthy and handsome and likes to stretch.

I got to go to the Grandgirl's school for, get this, "Granola with Grandparents" day.

Yep, we go, have coffee and a granola bar and see the her room and meet her teacher.

One of the greatest things I've ever heard from a teacher that made me so proud of our girl is this...

Her teacher came up to me, introduced herself and said; "Savannah is a very good girl, and such a nice person"

A "nice person" she is, with a good heart and just overflows with joy.

We had a fabulous time.

Our little Grandson, Adan, started walking only 2 days after I saw him. Darn it, I missed it.

He's a joyful little cutie too.

Almost a year old. I can't believe it.

Lots of changes and happenings in our lives.

We said so long to our good friends who are being relocated by his company to North Carolina. So happy for them, but a little sad for me. We've known eachother since 8th grade and what a sweet couple of people. We'll always keep in touch.

We also witnessed the wedding of two of our friends that we worked with since we moved to Buffalo, NY. How sweet to watch their journey that led them to the day they said I do.

And here we go again!

I saw this pillow in a gift shop last week and I giggled because here we are doing something again for what truly feels like the first time.

The house is back on the market in NY and this is my first day in PA.

Hubby loves his new job.

You may recall, if you've read this blog before, that we've done this a few times.

Apparently my calling in life is that of a gypsy, or wanderer of sorts.

Oh well, I'm armed with some small canvas', an assortment of paints and my favorite brushes.

It didn't take me long to find art and collect a list of galleries to visit.

found this mural on the side of a building just around the corner from where we are staying.

I'm in awe of this kind of vision and talent.

It's inspiring!

So, I'm hoping to be inspired, reclaim an artful heart that's gone missing, and use this time wisely.

If you pray and believe, please pray for an offer on our house that we can accept and move on.

Can't believe I'm saying that, but it feels right.

Blessings,

Tina

Wanderer

2011-09-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

1 week from today, we will be welcoming the baby that wasn't supposed to be.

Our daughter was told there wasn't a chance, without great measures being taken, for her to conceive again.

Guess What? Doctors don't know everything.........Amen :)

*****

But, today, I'm in a hotel in Pennsylvania waiting for the Hubby to finish his 2nd day at his new job.

Yes, I said Pennsylvania.

We are adding yet another state to our list of homes.

Nomad, Gypsy, Wanderer, whatever I'm to be called....apparently, it's my calling.

Our house in New York, that we have lived in for the past 6 months, is on the market and has had a showing already. Hopefully, it will sell quickly and we'll be able to move on.

I've been told by more than a few others that they couldn't do this, just to be dragged around the country and never settle down, have roots, etc.

I'm not being dragged, I willingly go where this man goes.

I happily go where this man goes.

With 30 years since the day we met and 28 years of marriage, I'm blessed beyond measure.

Happy to be a nomad, gypsy, wanderer...........It's an adventure as we wander together.

*****

Here we go!....again :)

Changes

2011-08-24T10:14:00.001-05:00

Yep, "People are gonna think we're crazy" That's what I told my husband recently when we made the decision to leave the company he has worked for this past year and a half.

Especially since we just moved into our house a short 6 months ago!

But, we feel this is a direction change that absolutely must happen. I posted on Facebook this morning that " With Gratitude, I'm facing the morning. A change in direction in the road ahead. So comforted knowing God goes before us to lead the way."

This past year and a half has provided valuable lessons learned, maturity gained, and has also placed us in contact with the most wonderful people.

I've been able to reconnect with a sweet childhood friend who just happened to live a short distance from here and our parralell lives and experiences is something that both of us know is no coincidence. God has caused our paths to cross at the most strategic times in eachother's lives and this one was no exception.

I've had the privilege of working for an amazing young man who is good at what he does and shows promise of being a leader of exceptional quality because he genuinely cares about people. He's a go getter and it's been a fun ride these past 9 months I've worked for him.

I've met a wonderful steady person who never considered my annoying questions too annoying or made me feel silly for asking questions as a woman who had been out of the office workforce for a long long time. She's a joy and I will miss her.

When I get right down to it, it is always about the people. I'm grateful for all of them.

I'm not sure what all the future holds.

I'm finishing projects, getting ready to get this house back on the market ( I can't believe I'm actually writing this).

But

here we go!

I do like an adventure. and isn't it a good thing that I do? :)

*****

As you've been reading, I've talked so much about our Living room project in this house. I thought I'd show you where we are with it.

Freshly refinished wood floors

and She's all dressed and ready to be lived in.

I thought about painting my double doored cabinet, but I like it the way it is in here and hubby's carved walking stick collection has found a home.

***

The tiling in front in the entry turned out great

***

I feel Fall approaching and with the studio all set up in front of a sunny window, it's pumpkin painting time.

Have a blessed day

Our Daughter

2011-08-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

Our beautiful daughter and her husband are expecting in just a few weeks.

A little boy that she was told would never be.

God knew better :) He always does.

Our Grandgirl is so excited to be a big sister.

She has the sweetest expression on her face in this photo.

I adore our daughter. She's a devoted Mother, Wife, and a person of tremendous character with strength unmatched by any other woman I've ever known.

She amazes me.

Where this heart is

2011-08-14T16:13:00.000-05:00

Still an artist by heart, I haven't put a brush to canvas in a while.

So focused on getting our house projects done, I've neglected to get my studio together enough to get in there and be creatively productive.

Since I've been working these past months my blogging has been on the back burner and my hubby was telling me last night that he even misses that part of me and he spent so much time encouraging me to get back to creating because it makes me happy

I love that man

As I sit here on a Sunday afternoon, I'm just grateful that I can just be, just rest today.

We've come through a bit of a stressful time, a bit of a health scare (turned out to be nothing, Thank You Lord), and we are now able to look forward to whatever is to come.

My family has been my focus.

These beautiful Grandbabies that make my heart feel so full.

Being a Grandparent has been the absolute best experience in my life.

I adore these little people

And very soon, God is blessing us with another grandboy.

I think his big sister is excited for his arrival.

Savannah, You are pure Joy. Adan, your smile is contagous. Little Zoe, we pray for you everyday,

and Maddox, Grammy and PaPa can't wait to meet you.

Walls, (livingroom part 2)

2011-07-27T15:10:00.001-05:00

You may remember from my last post on our floors. It was an adventure and, just like this project, we didn't know what we were about to tackle.

Oh , how life challenges us.

We tore down wall board which is like paneling with a wallpaper like pattern on it.

it needed to go!

The first pieces revealed a , not so bad, surface.

But,

It got worse!

We made the decision to take drywall compound and do a sublte texture on the walls and just paint over it with a neutral color.

which made the patching easier because we knew we didn't have to be perfect.

In the process, we made more work for ourselves by knocking off part of the ceiling texture.

Oh , my hubby. What a guy!. He kept his cool the whole time. He did a pretty convincing patch job on that too.

The texture was easy,

I spread on a layer of drywall compound in one small manageable area at a time,

then lifted the spatula to create peaks in the surface,

then, I lightly ran over the peaks to create the texture I wanted which is hard to see here, but it has some pits in it. and makes it interesting.

All done and painted a sandstone color, it's looking good so far.

*****

So much more to tackle in this room, but what a difference so far.

We are Floored!

2011-07-26T14:51:00.001-05:00

Hello!

Well, I certainly couldn't show you our wood floor redo without reminding you of what our horribly outdated livingroom looked like when we came to look at this house

(Yes, we bought it anyway.)

My apologies to anyone who digs this style but wowee, it ain't me :)

With it's wallboard covered walls, country florals, and pink carpet, I knew it would need a change for us to love it and the only redeeming qualities for us were the windows that allowed light to stream in, the nice thick wood trim, and of course, the promise of hard wood floors under that blanket of pink.

So, it began

and revealed...

a whole lotta UGLY!!!

We thought, Oh Lord, what have we done and actually talked about carpet being a possibility, but we both had always wanted a room with lovely hardwoods.

The stairs didn't give us much hope either

but, we went to Home Depot and rented a floor sander that worked, but not as well as we imagined it would. This ugly was deep in the wood and took several hours and we decided that the darker spots and the scratches that were deeper than we thought would add, you know, "character" :)

And it did!

By the way, I adore my husband!!!

It goes without saying, he didn't know what he was getting into with this and was a trooper.

Did I mention that I adore that man?

The surprises have been...

*It was a lot harder getting the finish off than we thought, I think because the floor was so old and had never had the finish sanded before.

*We were happy to know that not every little imperfection in the floor needed to come out in order to have a beauty on our hands, or under our feet, if you will.

*The stain muted and blended the darker and lighter spots together along with giving the left over scratches here and there a beautiful finish.

*And, finally, I didn't know how much I'd love it. It makes the room for me. Whatever else goes on with these other surfaces, I will always feel like the floor is the highlight.

***

The process,

*remove carpet, padding, and all staples, nails, etc.

*Sand, with a palm sander, all the edges next to the wall and areas where the big sander won't reach

*Rent a floor sander and let it remove the rest of the finish...follow instructions and let it do the work

*remove all dust with a sweeper and attachment to get in the corners and edges and use a tack cloth to wipe up fine dust. It's easier if you attach it to the end of a pole sander.

* apply stain of choice or, if you have better floors than we did, leave it natural and skip right to sealing. Allow stain to dry, clean any dust from surface.

*Use Polyurathane. The oil is wonderful and leaves a good hard finish. We used a brush and actually applied it by hand, but you can see some brush marks here and there where we stopped and lifted. If that bothers you, do what a friend of ours did. Use a lambs wool applicater on the end of a sanding pole and apply the poly that way.

*coat 1 poly and let dry thoroughly (about a day) *sand with a screen sander on pole sander

*coat 2 poly, let dry

*Sand again with screen (it really begins to shine after that second coat)

*Then poly with 3rd and final coat.

*let dry and cure for a few weeks or per poly manufacturers instructions.

Next up!

How we worked with ugly walls that refused to be smooth.

UGH! plaster!

Thanks for stopping by,

tina

Shadow (boxes) of the Past

2011-07-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing how, when you move from one place to another, it's often like a rediscovery of things you forgot you had.

The things that were tucked away, too precious to get rid of, and not something practical to display when living in a small apartment.

I was unpacking a box shortly after we moved in and realized I was rummaging through treasures that were given to my husband by his mother.

Inside this cardboard treasure chest, among other items wearing their age beautifully, were a pair of old hair trimmers...

and a rusty razor that both belonged to my husband's grandfather.

Wanting to display them and also needing some kind of wall art in our main bathroom, my first thought was

Shadow Boxes.

I didn't want to run out and get anything, but remembered that I had two small shadow boxes in my stash of stuff in my, not yet put together, studio, I dug them out.

a few coats of sharp, black paint...

and covering the back of the shadow box with a wall paper that I found in the house when we moved in seemed to look pretty good.

I wired the metal treasure on the thin wood backing through holes I drilled for support.

and I think they look pretty cool!

My hubby loves seeing them in there and that makes me happy.

update on the wood floors comin' right up!

Blessings and thanks for reading.

Tina

Yay!!!

2011-07-21T21:16:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness! I'm so excited!!

I just got on the internet and it's stayed on for more than a minute.

Little did I realize just how much I've missed blogging and searching and surfing and doing all the wonderful activities the net provides.

Since I've been absent from blogging, We've been in the process of remodeling the livingroom in the original part of the house. It's been an experience. I have pics to post and I'll get to them soon.
I PROMISE!!

Oh could it be that this net problem is finally fixed?? Dare I hope??

I do, I dare hope!

Anyway, We travel tomorrow to see family in Ohio. A quick trip to hug and squeeze grandbabes, kiss kids, and visit with some friends. We get to bring our grandgirl home with us for a week and my hard working hubby is actually taking a few days off this week to enjoy.

it's shaping up to have all the elements of a great week.

Well, I'm super excited to have my internet back so I can go catch up with my favorite bloggers.

Just thrilled to check in and report that we are still here, living just a few short miles from the gorgeous lake Ontario, living life, working, and watching our garden grow.

Thanks for hanging with me.

More to come!

Blessings,

T

still here

2011-06-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

hi gang, im attempting to blog from my phone haha no punctuation or caps how little personality this post has anyway im having internet troubles i promise to be back soon i miss reading your posts sooooo much hopefully soon i need a creative blogger fix

I'm in the middle of IT

2011-06-16T17:38:00.001-05:00

Seems I'm in the middle of everything lately.

Or in the process of...

Or in transition to...

So, here's a little look at what I'm deep in the middle of right now.

This room is what we call the "front livingroom" of our house.

This is what it looked like the day we came to look at the house for a possible candidate for us to make it our home.

Yes, in spite of what it looked like, we did buy it.

It did have it's potential and it's the old part of the house. We spend most of our time in the great room which is an addition that was put onto this house and we love it so we are able to take our time and play with this room and redo as we go.

And so the carpet came up. I was so hoping to see a nice wood floor, but not so much.

It's gonna need a little love and a lot of sanding.

doable :)!

I think :/ ??

The stairs have the same problem, but they do scream...

SAVE ME!! Make me beautiful again!!!

The walls were covered in a wall board that was not going to stay, so down it came and we are left with sad ole plaster walls that need even more love themselves.

And so it has begun.

See, that's me, in the middle of it...

The middle of a mess,

but loving it.

I'll let you know how it goes, as it goes.

Blessings, T

An Amish Country Wedding

2011-06-12T20:17:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we had the great joy and privilege of witnessing our daughter get married to a sweetheart of a guy. Our Kristina looked beautiful and so happy and peaceful as did her new hubby.

Our little Grandgirl was so excited to see her Mamma get married in a ceremony that took place outside of a lodge, in the middle of Ohio's Amish Country.

We laughed and had the best time with our family and sweet friends.

Our good friends have known our new son in law since he was little and they were invited to be a part of this special day.

As you can see, the Grandgirl was soooo done with getting her picture taken at this point.

Our son and his wife, with the Grandboy were there and looking fabulous

It was a special day and I can't tell you how much it meant to us to have our family together and celebrate another wedding.

Both my babies are married to wonderful people and they have babies of their own.

A new one on the way for our daughter, Another Grandboy!!! will be coming in September!

How blessed we are.

An Amish Country Wedding,

God bless you, Kristina and Stephen.

Sunroom

2011-05-23T08:28:00.000-05:00

There is a sunroom in our house.

8 big windows and a sliding glass door.

I knew I wanted to make some definite changes to this room, but didn't want to spend a bunch a bucks making those changes.

As you can see, this is what it looked like when we came to look at the house.

Cute, but not our style really.

(before)

It was painted with a harsh yellow paint, palm tree print valances, a palm tree border to match the curtains, and white wicker.

(before)

So, as I said, we wanted a manageable and low cost change so here's what we've done so far.

I found a small can of pure white paint in the basement (thanks previous owners :)

and gave the yellow walls a dry brush of white.

It didn't take long at all!

My green cupboard got a white wash too and now is home to some favorite beachy gatherings.

I think having the brush in my hand and seeing the instant results really got me inspired to just keep going and I did.

The only major thing, cost wise, that we felt necessary to do was to get some great furniture and we splurged on a Martha Stewart conversation set. We only bought the two chairs and loveseat (cuz that's where I drew the line moneywise) plus it gave us the opportunity to get some good finds for a coffee table, side tables, you know, I think that really adds such personal style to a room. What makes me love it is the it has pieces of us in it. Things that bring back good memories.

I'm beginning to love this room.

I found my collection of these ole chipped lovelies and plan to get some plants to fill them for this room.

for now, they wait.

My daughter gave me this awesome old wire laundry basket and stand. It's a fave!

Any suggestions for it?

I like the wild paisley pattern on the pillow and the combo of yellow, cream, chocolate, and green. It even has whispers of blue that pic up the blue tones of some of the shells and heart shaped rocks in the little wooden box in front of it.

Happy accident

a little burlap on top of the white washed ceder chest that I made in high school makes a good coffee table and a place for a good scrabble game. It's working out great!

Thought the ceiling fan was perfect so it's not going anywhere

and I was planning to make either muslin or beachy striped valances, but I happened into a local store that had the perfect valances for only $1.69 each so I couldn't resist.

They are sooooo pretty

Just outside the sunroom was a lonely chain that hung from the soffet of the house in a little nook that was begging for this gal.

So, home with us she came.

Still settling in, still working on projects, but loving living in our new home.

Blessings,

Farmin' hahaha!!!

2011-05-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone, and thanks so much for the sweet comments on our son's wedding. The well wishes are really appreciated. It made Hubby n I remember the days of being that young and just getting started. Wow! that was a long long time ago and yet, it really doesn't seem like this year that we will be married 28 years!

Anyway, meet my Hubby, the farmer!? hahaha

We decided that since we have a little patch of land to call ours, we'd grow something on it.

So, clearing away the sod we went. That was backbreaking. Those grass roots were deep!

Felt good to get the hands, and the rest of me, dirty though

We got all that sod off

and thanks to a sweet friend at work, we got a their tiller for the weekend and broke up that dirt getting it ready to plant the good stuff.

A little watering and it seemed like we should have to do more, but guess that was it for now

The sun came out, we said a little prayer that something would grow and produce so Hubs can make his salsa he's dreaming of.

We kinda went a little crazy with seeds. We have plenty left over. We overestimated the seeds we'd need for the size garden we made.

and, I made my first novice gardening mistake.

I bought this lovely and just stuck her in the ground without making sure she was hearty enough to live there.

She's dead now, but she was a beauty in the beginning.

Sorry lil hydrangea. you were sacrificed in my learning process :(

I have plans to buy the right plants in a week or so to correct this mistake and get me some lovely fluffy hydrangeas to dry for the house arrangements.

That's the plan anyway :)

Well, things are growing!,

but since my garden was drowning a bit from all the rain we've been having, my man dug a trench to drain out the excess. It's working so far.

Hey, we are new at this. I'm laughing along with you :)

All is well here in the new digs.

Off to check out what you've been up to in blog land.

Blessings,

A Wedding

2011-04-18T13:53:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday, April 16th, our son, Zachary, married his long time girlfriend, Cassandra.

So I watched my sweet husband, who served as best man, with his boy...

Our sweet boy with his little boy...

and the uniting of that little boy's parents in marriage...

and the blessing of family

Congratulations Cassie and I'm proud to call you daughter,

We are proud of you Zachary and blessed to call you son.

and thanks for bringing Adan, our little Grandboy, into our lives.

What a sweet family and a wonderful day.

Grandbabes

2011-04-12T21:42:00.001-05:00

I am finding myself snapping pics everywhere. Inspiration strikes even in the ladies room of a local restaurant. I was digging the tile in there.

We have a master bath that needs a total redo.

I really liked the ceiling light over the mirror too.

anyway, I spent the day at work and then I painted the dining room.

It all is halted as I begin to prepare for this weekend.

We travel back to Ohio to witness our son and his sweetheart of a fiance' get married.

We get to visit our daughter and her fiance' and spend time with her as she has just learned that she is pregnant with our 3rd grandbaby.

It's a miracle really. She was told a few years ago that she had what the Dr. called secondary infertility, meaning no more babies without medical help and extra measures, but apparently, some things happen that doctors don't know.

So, we are looking forward to meeting this new little person this fall.

We are so blessed with these little ones and also with our daughter's fiance's little girl who we already call our grandchild, so I guess that's 4 all together. Geez, this fam is growing!

I can't wait to squeeze the lil grandboy this weekend

and spoil the lil grand girl all next week when she comes to visit Grammie n Papa

She's too funny, full of personality, this one.

God is good and we are blessed.

Good days ahead.

Now, off to read some of your blogs

Out with the dated stuff

2011-04-06T22:19:00.001-05:00

When we moved into this house, we noticed an overwhelming presence of brass.

Brass faucets, hardware, lighting and it went on and on and on...

Little did I know what a difference it would make. Just the gesture of replacing the brassy dated items has brightened and given our new space a fresh, it's starting to look like our's, look.

We are off to a good start I think.

Hubby replaced our chunky brass faucet with this baby.

Love it!

We had a very goldee brass bar sink in the island and a new stainless one did the trick

I had no idea that these old yucky recessed light covers could be popped out and given a new look by...

replacing them with white ones that blend in with the ceiling.

Not expensive and they look so much better. We picked up a box of them at Home Depot

I'm beginning to love my wood cupboards and no longer have the urge to paint them since they are wearing new jewelry

Aren't they pretty??

We are enjoying so much living in our new house.

We just had our first weekend house guests and the guest room is ready for the next friends who stop by.

I'll have to show you pics and tell you the story of putting that room together.

My heart really wants so much to put together my studio and put brush to canvas once again.

Right now, this future creative space is littered with stacked boxes full of art supplies, books, and other items full of potential.

I'll get there.

"She's back" and our first home project

2011-03-31T07:55:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!!!

I'm so excited to be back.

I mean I'm back in so many ways. Feeling like my ole self again.

I feel as though I've taken a bit of a detour in my life and I'm back on the creative track where my heart lives.

We are in our new house and working on projects to make it ours, really ours.

In between the wonderful times we are spending at home, I spend my days in this uninspiring place in front of a computer. I like my job, but wow, it's not me. I've put up pics of the Grandbabes and that makes me smile and I just gotta spruce up this place where I spend 30 hrs a week.

Maybe a post on that later

Hubby, he spends many hrs a week split between being in the field in his truck and this place. As you can see he has done a much better job of surrounding himself with family pics and, well, he's been at this working in an office thing longer than I have.

Here's the first big project we tackled in the house.

We have this great room, which we love!

But,

It had this eye sore.

Remember the show "Dynasty" with big mirrors, shoulder pads, banana combs????

Oh the 80's

Well, that's the look and it had to go

That mirror was swallowing the fireplace and came to a disturbing point at the top that made me cringe everytime I walked in the room.

So, the original plan was to tape up the mirror, a la DIY, and get that sucker down

So, we began removing the strips of mirror that were on each side of the big mirror in the center only to discover...

Whoever put it up must have been worried about earthquakes or some serious shaking of the house because it was glued to that wall with some industrial strength mega glue that didn't want to relent and was bringing pieces of the wall with it as it came down.

So, we sat back and decided to either tear down the center mirror that had an extra helping of that glue behind it and go buy drywall or make it work.

Our intention was always to put and pretty mirror back up there with a thick wood frame...

So, this is what we came up with.

I glued a piece of paintable wallpaper on top of the mirror to eliminate the point, hubby repaired the sheetrock damage on either side, we were able to match the living room paint perfectly because the previous homeowners left the old can of paint in the basement and I took it to Sherwin Williams and they matched it up, no problem.

We took some molding and found some rosette squares (whatever they are called) at home depot for the corners (yay, no miter cutting) and took some of that mega mirror glue and framed in that mirror so it looks like one I would have bought and put on the wall.

After a coat of white paint (also found in the basement) and a layer of antiqueing glaze (I made add another coat later for a darker look, we'll see) and the addition of some metal sconces I already had....

We are loving it!

Thanks to my hubby for his hard work and brilliance.

So, here's the before...

And here's the after!!!

Thanks for stopping by

We've done some other updates that I'll post about soon

Really, I will !

Hi!

2011-03-10T00:59:00.000-05:00

We are in our new home.

Hubby and I are making changes and making it our own.

I'm taking pics as we go.

Stop back soon and I'll get those pics loaded to show you.

Right now, it's 1 in the morning and I am recooping from painting our bedroom today.

hint, It went from a peachy pink with a rosey border to a soft, wispy blue gray color that I adore. Hubby even picked out the color we used. Ya!, I'm impressed too!!!

Thanks for hangin' in with me.

Blessings and thanks for all the well wishes.

Soon,
T

IT'S HAPPENING!

2011-02-25T11:18:00.000-05:00

HERE WE GO!!!

WE ARE MOVING THIS WEEKEND!!!

MY BOXES ARE ALMOST ALL PACKED UP WITH BITS AND PIECES OF OUR LIFE AND WE ARE MOVING THEM TO A NEW LOCATION.

I'M EXCITED, NERVOUS, SOOOO, SOOOOO VERY HAPPY TO BE MOVING INTO OUR NEW HOUSE.

EVEN IF IT IS ON A WEEKEND WHERE THERE IS A BLIZZARD HITTING US HERE IN BUFFALO, NY

SMILES :)

SEE YOU AFTER THE MOVE!

BLESSINGS AND THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL ENCOURAGING COMMENTS.

Frustration and a little self-talk

2011-02-17T10:43:00.001-05:00

So,

Are you sooooooooo weary of hearing about our new house???!!

Honestly, I am!!!

The rundown goes a little like this.

(feel free to check out now if your as over this as I am)

*We are in the process of buying a house

*Our bank loan expires on February 28th

*New York State is an anal retentive, highly regulated state that requires lawyers to be involved in the sale or purchase of a home.

These attorneys don't make much off the work they are required to do so (I'm kind of guessing) they don't consider it a priority in their lives so they don't give two shakes about the fact that our bank loan expires in 11 days and we may have to pay extra fees to renew everything if we want to continue on, which of course we do.

*We were told by our realtor that was told by the sellers realtor that we could get an early move in date for this coming weekend (which of course has to have a whole seperate contract drawn up by the unmotivated attorneys)

BUT, we learned yesterday (2 days before the said early move in) that the sellers have NOT moved out of the house.

Which is fine! Why were we told they did?

I'm mean, it's their house still so they can stay as long as they want, but the realtor miscommunication has been frustrating.

*Our lease on our apartment also expires on the 28th and we have to be OUT!

*So, now we are looking at the last weekend of the month because the sellers are moving (according to the new news we received yesterday) this weekend.

OK, OK, I can hear you out there (or maybe it's a still, small voice) saying...

STOP!, STOP complaining

I hear you, whoever you are.

I'm listening

I sound like a princess and I'm really not princess-like.

Well, not entirely princess-like :)

I know, in my heart, that all this will work out and probably just in time...

just in the perfect nick of time and in a few weeks all this frustration, hold up, and fear of the unknown will be a memory that will make us even more grateful to be inhabiting our new space.

I'll be back into decorating, creating, and living again and sharing those wonderful things with you instead of the embarrassing venting about things I have no control over anyway.

(therapy, self-talk)

So, I'll think on good things. I have soooooo many good things in my life and Hubby and I are sooooo excited to begin our lives in this home we've wanted for soooo long.

If my husband was here hearing this right now, he'd be saying that I'm allowing this to steal my joy and this day from me.

He, as usual, is right.

So, I made myself a Spring decorating inspiration collage to get me from here to there.

Sometimes, that's all it takes for me to get a perspective change.

***

I am excited to get moved, spend moments this summer sitting near the water's edge of lake ontario (which is just a few miles from our new abode) with my Hubby.

Oh, there's a peace that comes over me watching those sail boats

I'm also looking forward to having a paintbrush in my hands again

I miss painting and I'll have plenty of space to be creative when we get moved and settled.

I'm having little homemaker dreams right now.

I think I'll camp here for a little while.

Happy to be ending this post better than where I began.

Thanks for reading

(if you finished this post, you deserve a prize)

Valentine Birthday Wishes

2011-02-14T20:10:00.001-05:00

So, these are the men in my life.

My son, Zachary, My Hubby, Ted, and our Grandson, Adan.

This photo was taken just after Adan was born this past October.

23 years ago, I was preparing to go to the hospital and receive the best Valentines day gift I ever recieved.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Son.

2/15/88

Love you Zachary,

Mamma

Island Dreams

2011-02-09T17:53:00.001-05:00

So, I'm doing a little dreaming today. I can't seem to get this kitchen in our new house (that we haven't moved into yet) off my mind.

Specifically, the long island.

We are kind of thinking that we are going to leave the oak cabnetry for now.

but, the island could be really dressed up with new counter top and some moulding and a brand new finish.

so, I began doing some research for some options of how we might transform this and make it a really cool focal point.

I like the idea of making it look like a piece of furniture.

A little bead board....

some molding...a little paint, new hardware, and this could be awesome!!

I'm dreaming,

Dream with me and let me know if you've done this or have any ideas or inspiration for this project.

I'd love it!

Thanks Much,

Tina

A Bargain Hunter Post for ya

2011-02-06T16:20:00.003-05:00

This a blog I recently wrote that was published on The Bargain Hunter online

***************************************************************

A few posts ago, I talked about how my husband and I have spent the past several years hoping, dreaming, praying, and searching to buy a home of our own.

We've moved a couple of times from one little apartment to another and, after lots of looking, saving, and a few disappointments along the way, the time has come!

We, now, get to be like those people on the HGTV show, House Hunters, who say…."and the house we choose is…"

Yes, that's right, an offer was made and accepted, the deal is almost done, and we should close and move within the next few weeks!

We received an e-mail from our realtor last night, who is amazed at how quickly and smoothly this purchase has gone, and he wanted to inform us that the original date for closing on the house could be moved up. All the paperwork and requirements are gathered.

Most people I've met here in Western New York stand with their mouths open wondering how what is normally a long and difficult process colored with red tape has been so easy for us.

I was thinking of that and analyzing that with the hubby and there are a few things that pop into our minds.

First of all, we acknowledge the grace of a good God, who has seen fit to bless us, and whose timing is perfect.

The next thing is that we heeded the advice that the decisions we make today, affect the outcomes of tomorrow.

Four years ago, we decided to begin making very specific decisions that were sacrifices at the time. As we look back now, we can see how those decisions, put into action, have helped us today.

When we sold our home in Ohio and moved for my husband's job to West Virginia, we made a bit of a profit from that sale. It was enough for a good down payment on a new home. We really could have jumped right in and bought quite a nice house. The only problem was that we also had a good bit of debt.

I remember now that we were listening to messages at church about delayed gratification, giving up what is good for what is great, and about personal responsibility. We also were studying money concepts by Dave Ramsey called, Financial Peace.

I didn't really want to live in a tiny apartment after living in a three bedroom house for 12 years, but wisdom prevailed over our wants and we made the conscience, and uncomfortable, decision to pay off as many of our bills as we could with the profit from the house. We vowed to never have credit cards again, and to begin a plan of chipping away at our debt with our ultimate goal of living debt free, except for a mortgage. This seemed wild and out of the realm of possibility at the time, but we did do it.

Because of not having credit cards in our lives, our credit scores were great. The bank approved our mortgage with a good rate right in front of us because there wasn't really anything outstanding on our file to check out.

Now, as I re-read what I've said in this post, I realize it can sound a little boastful. Many are struggling and times are tough, but please understand… I am grateful. I want to tell you that there is hope.

Yes, those decisions, made a few short years ago, have allowed a wonderful thing to happen in our lives, but the best thing of all is the peace that has come from not being a slave to credit card debt.

We've been there. We've been upside down, underwater, and over our heads. We've had that feeling of drowning in debt and having no way out. I suck in a deep breath as I remember those days. Honestly, remembering those chains makes us never want to be there again, if we can help it.

Today, what I want to tell you is, there is peace that comes from good money practices and if you don't know where to start, start where we did. It will be the beginning of your exhale.

Contact any place that provides Financial Peace University classes. I know that Newpointe Community Church in Dover, which is where I got my materials, gives regular classes.

Have a discussion in your home about debt, make a plan to tackle it, and most of all, make a plan to begin today to make positive decisions that will bring good results for your tomorrow.

We haven't arrived by any stretch, but our goal today is to make good choices and, based on the results we've seen, we are getting excited about our tomorrows.

Let's live, give, and get free.

Blessings,

Tina

Snow

2011-02-02T15:31:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I've been gone for a while.

I'm here, I've just been so preoccupied with life.

Let's face it, we all are, right?

Outside this little apartment, the snow rages on. It's not out of the ordinary for Bufffalo, NY to have a lot of snow and snow that piles on and doesn't melt.

This is the view outside my bedroom window. A lovely view of the snow pile

and outside our living room patio door.

Bless that mail man's little heart on this day.

We will be moving in the next few weeks into our new home and I'm looking forward to spending time on day's like this near our fireplace.

We've been kept warm lately by our talks with our Grand Girl on Skype

I love skype. It the best.

I get to see her, hear her, and laugh with her.

She's fascinated by this and gives us a close up now and then during the convo

The most beautiful eyes ever .

And

one of the funniest people I know.

Well, it's snowin' and blowin' here.

I'm off to stir my chili, check out a few of your blogs, and pack another box

Blessings to you all

Kitchen Changes

2011-01-23T18:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here's my issue.

We will be moving into our house in the next 2 to 3 weeks. This is so exciting for us because, if you follow this blog, you know this has been a along time coming.

There are a few things about this kitchen that I know, eventually, will have to be changed and I'll let you in on what those are.

#1. We want to be wise about our investment and update finishes.

Although I like the style of the cabinets, I'm concerned that a wood, oak , finish is not something I want to live with forever.

The counter Tops are a disturbing pinky, rose cranberry color that will be ok for awhile, but I'm thinking that I dont'w ant to be married to that and feel like I have to decorate around that hue.

The recessed lighting is also brassy along with the handles on the cupboard doors, and the prep sink in the island. I'm sure those will have to be replaced just for sanity purposes.

So, I've been looking at and saving pics for inspiration.

Why does my heart lean toward white cupboards??

The Stainless steel finishes mixed nicely with the wood and vintage touches is sooooo my style.

How can I inject my desire for this type of feel into the new space??

I need bright, warm, vintage, comfy, homey and making hubby happy. My hubby also loves the look of napa style, wine country, and making me happy.

Just thinking of a good compromise and a recipe for a happy kitchen.

suggestions are not only welcome, but wanted!!

In Transition

2011-01-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

Hi, I've not been doing much besides working and living in the process of buying this house.

My paintbrushes are calling me to hang out but I just don't have any time right now for them.

I know this is a season that we need to go through to get to the point where we are actually in our home, where I'm working regular hours, and where live will (hopefully) return to some sort of normalcy.

Is that too much to ask?

Maybe

And "normal" means what?

Just want you all to know that those of you who've left comments here have been a huge blessing to me and I appreciate it so much.

I long to share the things that I like to share here like crafting and living and art and family, but my world feels wrapped up in this transitional phase right now and I can't seem to pull it together to do these things.

And

I miss reading and relaxing with all of the blogs I love to visit regularly that give me such great ideas and laughs, and inspiration.

It will come

So, thanks for hanging in there with me and for continuing to comment and write wonderful posts on your blogs.

Let me ask you this...

How do you focus when your focuser seems broken???

How do you get through those transitional times of life?

Blessings to you