A Take Home With A Story
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Today I'll show you what we took home.
You already saw the beautiful mirror that my daughter purchased.
It's new green paint looks fabulous in her living room.She also got a few old bullseyes.
We hung the set above her kitchen window to give it a little architectural interest.
What did I take home?two good-sized pieces of vintage architecture.
An old corbel
and what I think is the base or the top to a column. 
The nice thing was that they both fit inside my carry-on bag.Then another TSA agent picked up my bag and tested it for explosive matter.
She asked if she would be hurt by anything when she opened my bag.
I explained that it was just filled with a couple of old architectural pieces.
When she opened it she told me she had to call her supervisor.
The supervisor came over to examine my bag.
After I told the two about the wonderful store where I purchased the pieces they decided that I appeared to be a reasonably sane woman and I likely wouldn't be using the blocks of wood to knock anyone over the head in order to hi-jack the plane.
Don't you just love it when the items in your home can lead toa great story?!?!
Don't forget to enter the HouseHold Words Giveaway
Finding Treasures
>Saturday was such a crazy busy day! We spent the morning helping with a neighborhood clean-up. Then I had groceries to buy and last minute Easter goodies to purchase. It seems that this year every store sold out plastic eggs, which meant, because I am a procrastinator, I had to go to more stores than I had planned. I prepared items to bring to a big family dinner that evening. Once we returned, there was house cleaning and more holiday and dinner preparations for Sunday. It was a very busy day! But would you believe that I actually found some time to stop in the thrift store? Yes, I did.
I have these wonderful treasures to prove it.
There is another treasure I found at the thrift store, but I can't show you. It isn't something I purchased. Saturday I found myself getting grumpy. You know how it is when you feel like you have to do it all and be it all, and with a holiday it seems those feelings are multiplied. Well, I decided that I wanted to break
"fill the well."
We all know what makes us feel better, those treasures that refresh our souls.
and everyday,
to fill your well.
Living Without Regret
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Recently a friend of mine told me that her silver collection stays behind closed doors because it's too tarnished. I replied, "I love the look of tarnished silver!" I really do. I often love the character and charm that imperfections give to things. . . and people, for that matter.
That conversation got me thinking. Why do we rob ourselves of happiness just because things aren't as perfect as we think they should be. And why do we put off enjoying things because "it has to be just right." I know that I am guilty of this and it's something that I am trying very hard to change. My neighbor, who has terminal cancer, wisely advised me, "It's not the things you've done, but the things you haven't done in your life, that you regret the most."
My husband came home the other day to report that the business next to his was selling off clothing items that belonged to a man who had recently passed away. He said that there were literally hundreds of items that belonged to this man that still had the price tag on them. It made me wonder why this poor soul kept all of those really nice, expensive things tucked away. I felt so sad that he never took the opportunity to find happiness in actually using the things he owned.
I'm hoping that when my friend sees my display of tarnished silver, she'll be inspired to go home and enjoy hers, polished or not.
I've decided to take a good look at my life. What am I doing, or not doing, that is keeping me from enjoying my life to it's fullest? I want to start living my life with no regrets.
Celebration Time
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with a concert in the park,
followed by fireworks.
In the morning we'll watch our hometown parade.
Who doesn't love a parade?family barbecue in the backyard.
At dusk, we'll go to a near-by town to watch more fireworks.
My best memories of summer celebrationsare of our family
ooooohhing and aaahhhhing over fireworks.
summer celebration memories
this weekend?
A New Outlook
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I was blessed to spend this past weekend inWashington DC watching these
because my daughter and son-in-law both graduated.
Hooray for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But I also took some time tonotice all of the little things
that are often over looked.
Beautycan always be found
in the details,
even within our own homes.
IFS
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HOUSE OF YOUR DREAMS
in the home you're living in right now.
How would it look?
But, do you find yourself saying "If only..."
If only I had hardwood floors, then I would be happy with my home.
If only my appliances were beautiful stainless steel, then I'd have my dream kitchen.
If only the furniture came from a high end furniture store instead of a thrift store and hand-me-downs, then I'd love to entertain.
If only my walls weren't decorated with children's hand prints and the floor with toys, then I could decorate my home with beautiful things.
If only my house was bigger, then. . .
If only we had enough money to make home improvements, then. . .
The problem with the "If only's" is that you choose to delay your happiness and miss out on JOY you could be having right now.
If you learn nothing else from my blog, I hope you learn that every day you should do a little something to find the JOYS of home. That's my goal. Let me illustrate with photos of my own home.
Our main bathroom looks picture perfect. It's not! The tile floor has cracks, the top drawer falls out if you pull it too far. The cabinets are low end wood laminate and the sinks have rust stains that cannot be removed.I could have chosen to live with the "If only's." Instead, I painted the cabinets, replaced the hardware, and stocked the linen closet with fluffy white towels.
The flooring in our home was not pretty, at all. If I lived in "If only" land I would not have torn out the ugly carpet and tile, painted the subflooring and personalized our stairs. Would I love to have beautiful hardwood? Of course! But look at the creative opportunities that I would have missed. 
The kitchen has the same cheap cabinetry as the bathroom and the appliances are white. It had the ubiquitous U-shape of the 1970's until we decided to tear it apart and make improvements on a budget of a thousand dollars. The "If only" attitude would have robbed us of wonderful memories of working together and of preparing our turkey on top of the washing machine because hubby was installing the sink on Thanksgiving morning.
The beautiful fireplace I told you about yesterday is still not finished. It's missing the surround on the firebox. No one notices because I painted the whole thing black and loaded it with pretty candles. Would I love to have a finished gas burning fireplace? YES, but I can enjoy it this way until our finances allow us to finish it. 
Our master bedroom has painted subflooring and a master bath that needs major work. The furniture is from the thrift store, the draperies are drop cloths, the walls are painted with mistints. But it can still be beautiful and on a budget.With an "If only" attitude I would never have discovered the depth of my creativity. I would not have had the opportunity to help others design their homes, and I certainly would never have started a blog.
Don't let the thief "If only" rob you from the JOYS of home that are at your finger tips.
Please stop living with the "If only's" and do what you can, with what you have, to find the JOYS in your home. This weekend would be a great time to start!
Shelving Memories
>I finished decorating my bookshelves. I did use a few books, mostly vintage ones that I've collected with wonderful titles like How To Be Happy Though Human, Rest And Be Thankful, How To Live. And books with foreign titles that I would love to be able to pronounce.
I packed the shelves full of mementos from foreign places; places where family and friends have been, places I hope to one day visit. I wanted each shelf to tell a story. This may be too much visual clutter for some, but I love it!
There are remembrances of Germany, where my husband spent two years on a mission for our church, and of Russia, where my middle son served. There are souvenirs that my daughter brought back from Africa, where she volunteered at a school for the deaf. 
Tokens from Holland, Denmark and England are under a cloche, safe from toddler hands.
There's keepsakes from the time my daughter spent serving the people in Argentina.
One shelf has things from France. When I was in junior high I took French for two years and dreamed of touring Paris. This shelf keeps the dream alive.
I added in photographs and paintings and even old silver trays. The silver trays reflect light back into the room and are a great place to add more personal photos and postcards held on with pretty magnets (the next thing for me to do). 
I thought about adding small lamps, but since my boys and their friends spend a lot time in this room, I knew it wasn't practical. That's why there's no pillows on the love seat. The pillows just got their way and ended up on the floor. Instead of letting it make me crazy, I just removed the pillows.
Decorating should include your family's lifestyle. It should be comfortable, inviting, inspiring, stir positive emotions, and create wonderful memories. That's my goal when I decorate. I think I achieved it in this room.
Bouncing Back
>I'm back! Wow, it has been an event filled summer. I was blessed to witness the births of two beautiful granddaughters. They are happy, healthy and growing quickly as babies do. I have also said my earthly goodbyes to my mother-in-law and brother-in-law. As a family we have peace knowing that our loved ones who have passed are out of pain and in a much better place. We know that we will see them again and that they too are happy and growing.
I have appreciated your kindness, thoughtful comments,and patience!
Thank You!
New York, New York
>My daughter treated me to a bus ride up to New York city for a weekend visit.
We stayed with a really cute and gracious couple who live there, which was nice because they knew the area and could help us find great ways to spend our time. We spent much of Saturday shopping flea markets.
We had so much fun! It was part of a perfect day in the big city.
We went to one market that's housed in an old parking garage.
Oh there were so many things that I would have loved to take home, but I resisted.
We also shopped at the Hell's Kitchen flea market.
I did find a little something there that I couldn't resist.
This cute little suitcase.
Isn't it the perfect topper for my stack?
A Humble Picture
>Recently my daughter enlarged a photograph for me. It's a picture that she took a few years ago while in Argentina. The photo is of a row of homes. The first home belonged to a family that she knew. I love this picture for several reasons. It represents a time my daughter spent far away from home, serving strangers she grew to love. It's also a reminder of some very important life lessons, that she learned, that helped shape her into the incredible woman she is.
I wanted to frame the photo to give it the importance it deserves. I measured my picture and bought a large frame with a double mat. I always buy my frames from thrift stores and give them a coat of spray paint to freshen them up and make them look good as new. 
I thought I'd try a spray paint makeover on the mat board too. I carefully took apart the double mat, and sprayed the frame and the inner mat black. The larger mat got a coat of heirloom white. 
When everything was dry I put in the photo and reassembled everything.
It looks like I spent a lot more than just two dollars for this piece of art.
There's another reason that I love this photograph so much. It is the perfect picture to show that it only takes a few lovingly placed items to turn even the most humble of houses into a home.
reminds me that I am truly blessed.
