Overdue

Good morning!

I know that I am much overdue for a blog post. You may have noticed that my blog activity slowed down about 5 weeks ago. This is because I now have 4-month old Mr. M with me on a full-time basis.

I could bore you for hours with tales of my days even though pretty much every one involves feeding Mr. M, changing diapers, rocking him to sleep, putting him down for a nap, etc... He is such a sweetheart and I am thoroughly enjoying my experiences with him! Right now he is swinging next to me and chewing on his tiny thumb. And when I look over at him, he smiles back.

So I'm sure you'll understand when my posts continue to be spotty. I miss you; I love you; I've got to go....Mr. M needs a bottle!

Hugs, Leslie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's Dr. Love from a Thanksgiving past. See that pile of plates? On top are the paper plates for the kiddos. We had a full house that year!

Thanksgiving is my favorite-est holiday. I love to have people in, the more the merrier! This year will be smaller: the four of us plus my dearest friend Connie and her husband, along with their newly married daughter Amy and her sweeheart husband Curtis.

I enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I love setting the table with linens and china and silver. I don't mind cleaning up afterwards (Dr. Love helps!). I love sitting down all together to enjoy the food. Most of all, I love going around the table having each person tell what they are thankful for!

I home some unique things on my thankful list this year:

Charlie had an appendectomy in February and Miss B just had one this past Sunday. In both cases, God worked out their situations: neither appendix ruptured; each of them got the right Doctor for their surgery; each of them bounced back quickly. Two new babies (grandnephews to me) were born healthy & happy. Miss B made the leap to high school with great success. Charlie moved to a Christian school and God provided the wisdom & financing for that.

A few weeks ago God was gracious and gave me a peek into His reasons for moving us here. As you know, I wasn't thrilled about moving away from Crown Point and Bethel Church and all of our relationships there. I struggled with the change for a long time, even naming this blog "Contented in West Lafayette" as an attempt to come to grips. Recently, God used Dr. Love to help our church purchase some prime property for an incredible price in order to further a ministry to Purdue University. If we didn't attend FBC.....hadn't moved here..... Dr. Love hadn't accepted the job at PRF (which also threw me into a funk 2 years before the move happened!)......etc... I am thankful to see how God was working out details several years in advance and I can't wait to see what's ahead! Above all, I am humbled that He chose to use us in spite of ourselves! He makes everything glorious!

Wishing YOU a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Hugs, Leslie

My Dishwasher is Broken

1. (see above title) It's been broken for about a month now. Dr. Love keeps saying that he's going to take a look at it and I keep asking him to wait. After Miss B & Charlie cleared their plates & the rest of the table, it used to take me another 10-15 minutes to finish up loading the thing and hand-washing the pans, etc... Now it takes about 10 minutes to wash while someone clears and someone else dries and yet another someone puts away. And then there's no dishwasher noise for an hour. And I don't have to time the dishwasher not to coincide with showers. And in the morning, there's not dishes to put away. Plus, every time Charlie complains, I am determined to wait another week for the good Dr. to do his thing. I'm evil that way.

2. There are a lot of leaves in my yard. Some are in huge piles waiting for the wind to die down to be burned. Some are scattered, needing to be raked.

3. Today is my last free Friday. Not that I'm not looking forward to the Young Prince's arrival at SmallPeoples House on Thursday.

4. I bought some beautiful fabric for a quilt for someone I don't even know. I can't wait to get started on it!

5. My husband is terrific! He makes me giggle almost every day. He flirts with me. He fixes stuff. He does algebra & biology & spanish homework with Miss B & Charlie. He cooked dinner last night while I had a nap! He smells good. He's coming home for lunch today.

6. If you haven't read Tales From the Coop Keeper...you must go there right now! I get deep belly laughs every time she posts! I've gone back in her archives and read every single post word for word.

7. Facebook is my friend. This week I connected with a former pastor's son who was 6 the last time I saw him. Now he's a Pastor with 8 kids! And two other former pastors. We went to a lot of churches when I was young.

8. I'm trying a new recipe tonight. The ingredients are penne pasta; fontina, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses; roasted eggplant & zucchini.

9. I like when my cats cry to find me. Not so much when they sit on the stool and nibble the raw meat on the counter when I turn my back to find a spatula.

10. Did I mention my husband?

Sheep (again)

Psalm 119:169-176 (NIV)

"Let my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word!
Let my plea come before you;
deliver me according to your word.
My lips will pour forth praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
My tongue will sing of your word,
for all your commandments are right.
Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments."

At book club yesterday morning, the "buzz" was all about the sheep from the field behind us that keep finding ways over & under their fence to visit our back yards. Yesterday morning one lone lamb was spotted and my neighbor shepherdessed it back to it's own pasture.

This morning was my turn to look out and find two of them hurriedly eating what they could scrape up. I carefully opened my door and quietly sneaked out to get as close to them as I could without spooking them. It was cold and my hands were shaking as I attempted to snap pictures. This one saw me first. It bleated to it's partner-in-crime and they took off down the line of backyards, about four homes away, to the place where they'd gotten in.

I'm often like those sheep. I sometimes perk up my ears when someone other than The Master calls. I even reach out my neck to check out what's being offered. Dumb me. Just like those dumb sheep. They took off running back to safety. HIS arms are open and He takes me back. Every time. "Let my soul live and praise You, and let your rules help me."

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Ornament Swap/Birthday Celebration

I am participating in "The Enchanted Forest" Ornament Swap! It's hosted by Yarni Gras! over at Yarnigras Swapper Spot. Signups close on October 31st, so if you think you might want to join in, hurry here to check it out!

We had a nice birthday celebration for Miss B and Charlie. Sunday afternoon we took them to our local mall and let them choose their own gifts from their favorite stores. Then we took them to dinner.

Tuesday morning they showed up wearing these sweaters which were chosen at different stores and donned that morning without prior agreement. We never realized that they were doing the "twin thing!" When they were little, I didn't dress them in identical outfits but in things similar to what you see in the picture that follows. Up until now, I haven't realized how much bigger than Miss B that young man is getting to be!

Then yesterday, on their actual birthday, they exchanged the gifts they'd chosen for each other. It was so sweet to me how each of them thought about & chose (with their own money, no less) something special that they knew would be appreciated. For dinner last night, I fixed something that Miss B especially likes and made a caramel apple cheesecake that Charlie requested. It was quick though, so that we could do our normal Wednesday night stuff (youth group, nursery, choir, etc...).

I'll leave you with a picture of the cheesecake....Enjoy!

Pink Saturday/Giveaway Winner!!

To celebrate Pink Saturday, today I'm showing you this sweet little pink vase that was my Mother's. I don't think I ever knew where it came from; maybe if my brother reads this part of the post he'll have some idea and will let me know. I like knowing where things have been and how they get from place to place...one of my quirks. The vase must as old as I am. The beautiful lady with the pink rosy cheeks is my Mom; it's my understanding that this picture was taken before she ever met my Dad.
Here's a close-up of the mirrored tray. Actually, everything on it was my Mom's. By the time I came along the lipstick was old but she kept it as a memento of something (I think) in her jewelry box. I remember on Halloween she'd use it to brighten up my cheeks.

And here's a tray of baubles that appeal to me. They're all second-hand. I especially like the man in the frame--that's Dr. Love.

After this week, I'm planning to take a short break from posting for Pink Saturday. But I'm sure that I'll still visit all you Pinkies and I'll post again in time. We all owe a great deal to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound who takes time each week to email all 150+ of us and then puts together and posts the list of participants. THANK YOU Beverly!

Regarding my giveaway, I appreciate every one of you who took the time to visit my Etsy shop and offer encouragement and suggestions. Because of your input, I'm working on my policies, having a banner done and adding better pictures of the nursing aprons. I've also added a few new things and later this week I'll have a table runner similar to my giveaway and some pot holders from the same fabric.

Because so very many of you commented, I am giving away both the apron and the runner!!

So without further ado, let's join Dr. Love as he pulls the winner's names:

The winner of the pink nursing apron is:
Sandi @ My Yellow Door! Sandi's blog is Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations. Congratulations Sandi! Please drop me an email with your address information so that I can get your nursing apron mailed out to you this week.

And, the winner of the table runner is:

Candy! Her blog is Rock Candy. Congratulations Candy! Please drop me an email with your address information so that I can send your table runner to you.

That's it for this week. Wishing you all a Happy Pink Saturday!

Hugs, Leslie

Giveaway-LAST Day to Enter!

Woohoo! My Dear Readers, you far exceeded the 50 entries that I'd hoped to have for my Etsy Shop opening giveaway! Because of YOU, I'm giving away both the nursing apron and the table runner (previewed here in it's unfinished state). If you haven't entered, click here to get all the information you need. Don't forget, this giveaway closes at 7:00 EST tonight!

The winner will be announced tomorrow in my Pink Saturday post.
Happy Weekend!
Leslie

Red Wednesday/Don't forget my Giveaway!

I've been more or less following Red Wed-nesday hosted by Sue at It's A Very Cherry World for a few weeks. Every week I think that I'm going to join in and then I get lazy. Well today's the day!

I have something red in almost every room in my home. I found this little basket in it's original brown wicker at Goodwill for pennies. I like the shape of it and how the handle is low. When I redecorated this bathroom at the end of the summer around the toile shower curtain that a friend gave me (thank you Cheryl!), I knew that red was the obvious choice to add a little punch to the black/white/tan mix.

For those of you new to my blog, I'm doing a giveaway that closes Friday, October 23rd to celebrate the opening of my Etsy shop. Click here to go to my original giveaway post and enter!

Thank you Sue for hosting all the red fun!
Hugs, Leslie

Pink Saturday/Etsy Shop GIVEAWAY!

It's Pink Saturday once again hosted by sweet Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound. Check out her blog for a list of all of this week's participants!


This week I opened my Etsy shop with a very small selective assortment of vintage dishes and hand-made nursing aprons. It seems to me that I'm never able to pass up a pretty dish at a next-to-nothing price but then it sits in my cupboards. So I listed all of my orphans on Etsy. I don't know why but I think that nursing aprons are the next best thing to...well, to nursing I guess! I so wish I'd have had one back when my own kids were nursing...they never liked being under a hot blankie and I didn't like knowing I could be exposed at any moment if they grabbed it & pulled!


Here's an example of the nursing aprons. They are made from woven cotton and have boning at the neckline so that Momma can see baby as he/she feeds. The closure is a set of D-rings; impossible to accidentally remove. They have two small pockets on the lower corner to hold onto pacifiers, etc... and they are completely machine wash & dry.

Here's the GIVEAWAY info:

The apron that Miss B is modeling in the picture above is one that I made in pink especially for Pink Saturday. Now, I know that not all of us can use one of these handy-dandy aprons ourselves and we might not have someone in mind to gift it to. So I have something else in the works as well involving this fabric: I'm envisioning something in a table runner. I adore the harlequin pumpkin fabric and purchased it especially for this (giveaway) purpose.

So here's the deal: I'd like to have at least 50 different individuals leave me comments! If that happens, I will give away both the apron and the table runner so I'll need to know which you'd like to win. And if you win the apron but would rather have one that's more boyish in color, I'm willing to make one up in blue in lieu of sending the pink one.

for 1 ENTRY - go to my Etsy shop, SmallPeoples House, and take a look around; then come back and leave me a comment about what you like/don't like about my shop or the items currently for sale (not enough selection? prices too high?). Let me know also if you'd like the nursing apron or the table runner that I plan to make. Don't be afraid to leave constructive criticism...I'm new to Etsy and welcome your input.

for a SECOND ENTRY - sign up to follow my blog; leave me a comment that you did. If you are currently a follower, leave me a comment to remind me.

for an ADDITIONAL FIVE ENTIRES - post about my Etsy shop and giveaway on your blog and link back to my blog; leave me a comment that you did this.

I'm going to leave this giveaway open until Friday, Oct. 23rd at 7:00 PM EST. At that time Miss B will help me draw the winner's names and their name(s) will be included in next Saturday's Pink Saturday post.

I think I covered everything. Happy Pink Saturday!

Hugs, Leslie

GIVEAWAY Tomorrow!

Hello everyone,
I'm planning a giveaway tomorrow in celebration of my new ETSY shop and Pink Saturday! Please check back to enter!
See you then,
Leslie

SmallPeoples House ETSY Shop

I'm so excited! I spent yesterday sewing up some nursing aprons to try my hand at selling on ETSY. Today I photographed them and added them, along with a few vintage dishes to my shop. SmallPeoples House on Etsy is officially open for business!

Come on over & check me out :)

Pumpkin Table Runner Tutorial and a Giveaway!

Judi over at Green Fairy Quilts has written a fabulous tutorial for a really cute table runner that I might even try myself. She's also giving the orange/green one shown in this picture! Hurry up & go check it out for yourself.

Hugs, Leslie

Pink Saturday

This is Mudgie playing with one of her favorite toys--a pink weiner dog. She really loves all things pink! This picture was taken about a month ago. The reason I chose to post this is because she has been very sad this week.

On Sunday, to show her displeasure for some imagined slight, Mudgie's sister Henry decided that it would be a good thing to use their shared toy basket as a litter box. Although she was caught in the act and punished, the basket & toys had to go because their Momma wasn't about to sift though & decide which toys were wet & which were not.

Then, on Monday a D-O-G came to visit and actually stayed for 3 nights/4 days! It doesn't matter that it was a weiner dog-it was still a dog! And it barked! Mudgie took refuge upstairs.

As to visiting another Pink Saturday member, I didn't get that done this week. But here's a new sight that Mudgie found last week and loves: Daisy the Curly Cat . Go check her out and tell her that Mudgie sent her!

As always, thank you Beverly for hosting the Pink Saturday doings. Please go visit her too for a list of all this week's participants!

Hugs, Leslie

Homecoming Dance

As you know, Miss B is a Freshman this year and tonight is her very first homecoming dance. She bought her own dress & shoes weeks ago and is meeting up with a group of friends. She's a whiz with nail polish but I treated her to a mani-pedi this afternoon. She wanted to wear her hair down and asked me to curl it. I know that I'm biased, but sometimes when I look at her, I can't believe this beautiful girl is my daughter! God certainly blessed me with her, and I am honored to be her Momma.

The very best part was when she walked over & stood next to her twin brother in her three inch heels and still didn't come close to his height! If you missed my Pink Saturday post, scroll down to see Miss B as a baby.

I love you my sweet girlie!

Pink Saturday

Another week has gone by and it's time for Pink Saturday again! Our wonderful host Beverly at How Sweet The Sound hosts this for us and it seems like we add more great blogs every week! Last week I visited Mimi at Our Family Attic for the first time and boy, did I find a kindred spirit! And, she visited in return and won my giveaway! Pink Saturday is all about meeting new blog friends and sharing our love of the color pink. Please take time to go see Beverly, scroll down the list of this week's participants and meet someone new yourself!

My pink this week is a photo I came across yesterday while searching for something else. Does that ever happen to you? If you've read my blog much in the past, you're sure to have seen pictures of Miss B and maybe even one or two of Charlie. Well, this picture is from Easter of 1995 when they were 6 months old. I still have both of their Easter outfits and they both got quite a laugh when I brought them out last night. I love the delicate smocking on Miss B's dress and her pink baby lips.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a happy Pink Saturday! Hugs, Leslie

A Quilter's Giveaway

Judi over at Green Fairy Quilts has a fantastic giveaway going on. It includes her new pattern, seen here, and the fabric needed to make it. You'll just have to supply your own background & binding. Head on over there to enter!

Hugs, Leslie

What Makes My Life Better/Giveaway Winner!

My Pink Saturday post this week was the question "What makes your life better?" and a giveaway of the pink pillow shown along with that post. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to comment and answer my question. Many of your answers listed the company of your husbands, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends. Some of you enjoy your pets (doggies & kitties) and/or your hobbies such as reading, listening to music, and creating homemade things. A few of you listed your home and it's location, your health and a good cuppa' of coffee. Some of you mentioned God and your relationship with Him. I want you to know that I read each of your responses thoroughly and I feel as though I know each of you a bit better!

As promised, now I'm going to tell you what makes my life better.

Nine years ago I was floundering. I was newly divorced with two elementary-aged children and I worked full-time for a funeral home. I'd been at my job for almost 15 years and for the most part it defined who I was. That's not to say that I didn't love my children; but my work was all-important.

I wanted my kids to get some moral teaching and it occurred to me to take them to church. I, myself, had been brought up attending Sunday School and church and even went to a Christian college. Even though I didn't agree with everything I'd learned, I remember being taught to be nice to everyone, not to steal, lie, etc...

I chose a church based on what I knew of their children's ministry and loaded up the kids on a Sunday morning. After taking them to their class, I sat myself down in the auditorim.
It was a bit strange to me. There were no hymnals anywhere and there was a giant screen at the back of the stage. The seats filled in and then some people gathered up on the stage and the singing began. Now, I'd been going to church my whole life and I knew every song in the book backwards & forwards. I knew all 10 stanzas, if there were that many, to all the songs. I knew the harmony parts too. But I didn't know the tune to any of the lyrics showing up on that big screen. I focused on the words...."I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus".....and other similar thoughts.
Then, the pastor got up to give his sermon. I was used to a preacher who found some scripture in the Bible to back up his ideas and then ranted & raved for 45 minutes or so. This guy was different. He read from his Bible and then explained it's meaning as best he could from his own studies of the Greek & Hebrew languages and studies of the cultures at the time the Bible was written. Over the next few months, I continued to attend services there. Instead of being yelled at, I heard about God who loves me for who I am, Who made me the way I am, Who wants me to rely on Him for help. Who, if I'll just give up trying to control eveything myself, will make my life better.

I wrestled for quite a long time. I like to be in charge. I like to know how things are going to turn out. I like to make them turn out my way! I slowly began to pray, not even really knowing how to start. And I began reading my Bible, not understanding it all that much. My heart changed and as it did, I could see signs of becoming a better Mom. I stopped yelling at my kids and even began to have some patience with them! My priorities changed and with it my life became much more fulfilled. I discovered a purpose to all the motions I'd been going through.
My attitudes changed. Instead of living here on earth for myself and my own intentions, I began a relation with the Creator of this Universe. Not because He is going to zap me for my sin, but because He loves me in spite of my sin.

And that's it. I love my husband, my family, and my friends. I enjoy my home and the city where I reside. I love my kitty-girls and the laughter and comfort they provide. I enjoy reading and sewing and decorating my home and cooking (but NOT cleaning!) and listening to music. I appreciate my good health. All of these things add pleasure and meaning to my life. But, for me, I realize that all of these are blessings from God.

I hope you realize that I've written this with love to you, my dear blog readers. It is not my intent to preach to you. Just to share, as friends, a little conversation. Thank you again for letting me know what matters to you!

And now, back to the giveaway' I used this random number generator to determine my giveaway winner. So, without further ado, the winner of my Pink Saturday pillow is (horns blowing, drums beating)....Mimi! If you have time, go check out one of her 4 blogs....my favorite is this one. And Mimi, please be sure to contact me by email with your address so that I can send you your prize!

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

What Makes Your Life Better? and my First Giveaway!

Last week I visited several Pink Saturday posters that I'd never been to before. One I found that I really like is CollectIn Texas Gal. It was her first time to participate and she a four-generation story of sewing. She's in again this week & I've already peeked at her current Pink Saturday post. Get on over there, it's good!

To celebrate Pink Saturday this week, I'm offering you, my dear readers, the chance to tell me the things that make your life better. Current things, past things, things that cannot be touched and things that can. Whatever comes to your mind, leave me a comment & let me know! And because I just passed my 100th post, If you comment, I'll put your name in a drawing to win the pillow pictured here. And probably a little somethin' else too. If you're a follower of my blog, I'll add your name a second time. Not a follower already? Sign up! I plan to write a post on Monday, September 21st about the things that make my life better and I'll announce the winner at the end of the post. So the giveaway is open until Monday at 9:00 A.M. EST.

Love Pink? Gotta' have more of it? Go see Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. She organizes and hosts Pink Saturday every week for us all to enjoy. Thank you Beverly!!

Hugs, Leslie

You'll Get Your Quilt!

One Sunday after church, a Mother asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. Her daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mother was perplexed.
Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mother asked him what her daughter's Sunday school lesson was about. His answer: "'Be not afraid, thy Comforter is coming!"

DIY Thursday - sconce makeover

This is my first time to participate in DIY day at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land. I follow Kimba's blog and enjoy seeing what everyone does but I usually haven't taken pictures of my own projects to share.

I painted the sconces in my hallway. I forgot to take a before photo but you can see the gold (brass?) in this picture of the bracket & globe:

Here's how it looks now on the wall. I left off the nasty brackets. I think these were hanging facing down when Dr. Love took them off for me and I wasn't here when he put them back up last night. I was thinking to try them this way though, so I'm glad he faced them up--they provide much more light this way.

Here's the celiling light that's in proximity to the sconces. It's coming down tonight and getting the black treatment too. (yes, I'll clean off the cobwebs first)

Thank you Kimba for hosting DIY Thursday!

Hugs to you all, Leslie

Pay It Forward

Amy over at Obsessive Creative Disorder is hosting a Pay it Forward event. Following are the rules, copied straight from her blog:

"Who doesn't love new, beautiful, unique handmade items? How about if you could get that new, beautiful, unique handmade item for free? How about if you then shared your talents with others? Now I know that last one sometimes makes people nervous...but I know there are enough of you out there that are up to the challenge. So please, read on and leave a comment. For all bloggers who leave a comment with blog address or email on this post and commit to do the same pay-it-forward on their blogs I will do the following:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I send you. But you may be pleasantly surprised.
2. What I send will be made just for you, with love, by my own hands. You'd be surprised how much of our personalities come through online.
3. I will complete all gifts this year - 2009 (scary I know!).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world, that you can touch and feel, and not something cyber.
5. I reserve the right to do something strange. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. If you find it truly horrendous, just let me know. Perhaps you'll send it forward to someone who will absolutely love it.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post (one for each).
7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you to confirm. I am willing to post overseas (I am in the US)."

So that's it. Leave me a comment and, if you are one of the first five, I will send you a gift handmade by me just for you. In return, you must link to Amy's blog (and to mine), post the original rules, and agree to send a handmade gift to the first 5 people who comment on your post.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? And fun? My favorite rule is #5 which (paraphrased) says "If you don't like it, I'm okay with that. Give it to someone else who will either abhor it also or could very well have worse taste than you and absolutely love it!"

Game on!
Leslie

Pink Saturday

I was walking around the house with my camera in hand just a few minutes ago, looking for something pink to catch my eye for this post. Miss B stopped me to watch a video of a song that she really likes. I like it too so I decided to add it to this post and since I was able to add a pink border to it, I'm letting it stand on it's own. Please take three minutes and watch/listen to it--I promise it's worth your time! Before you play it, scroll down to the bottom of my page & pause my playlist.

Don't forget to go visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for the official list of all this week's Pink Saturday participants!

A Bracelet Giveaway

Marie at lemondropvintage is having a giveaway. She's made a wonderful charm bracelet full of vintagey things sprinkled in & among some newer things. Go ahead & check out her blog & enter to win...just don't get in my way because I really, really hope to win her giveaway! But if you win, I promise to be happy for you. As long as I get to borrow it sometimes!

I wear bracelets more often than I wear necklaces. I don't like matchy-matchy earrings & necklaces and I pick my earrings first. I don't have but a couple go-with-everything necklaces. I wear scarves much more frequently. I do like to add a bracelet or six though! Currently I'm wearing five stretchy beaded ones in reds & blues. I'd wear a dozen of these if I could sit still long enough to make that many. Usually I top out at three or four of one color and move on.

What jewelry do you wear most often? Why?

Vintage or Ugly?

What do you think of this sofa? A friend of mine who both blogs and frequents Craiglist posted it along with some commentary on how to preview pictures on Craiggy without having to click on the whole post. She titled this an ugly sofa.
I commented by wondering what it says about me that I like this sofa (but the orange carpeting has to go) and another friend commented back that she just knew I would and she called me a Vintage Vamp!
I kinda' like that (can you see me smiling?).

Friday Treasures

As I mentioned yesterday, Dr. Love has today off from work. We went together this morning to drop off Charlie at school and run some errands.

We started with breakfast at IHOP where I had the stuffed french toast with strawberry topping and I sneaked some of the Dr.'s hashbrowns to go with them. Yum!

Then we stopped to get the oil changed in the van, got the chemicals needed to close the pool for the winter, stopped at a few garage sales (bless his heart!), went by the library, stopped at Goodwill (isn't this a neat-o sewing/Christmas thingy?!), stopped at a few more garage sales (he has LOTS of gold stars today!), then finished by opening up a separate account for SmallPeoples House where I deposited my first paycheck. That was exciting!

The following goodies are from our stop at Goodwill:

an 8" Berenguer vinyl babydoll for 99 cents

2 vintage Playskool puzzles for $1.99.

Both of these items are for SmallPeoples House, of course!

Once again, enjoy Labor Day!

Leslie

My Week

Since tomorrow is a holiday for my dear Dr. Love, today is officially the end of my week! I was very busy...SmallPeoples House (my new in-home childcare business got off the ground, I did some sewing and I tried three new recipes (no, I haven't ironed anything this week).

Here's a picture of the flowers Dr. Love brought home to me. He knows that I looooooove tulips, and slightly used flowers (these were the centerpiece at a dinner he attended) don't bother me in the least (I worked for a funeral home & got "used" flowers all the time!). These white tulips are particularly beautiful to me, especially against my red wall.

Here's a couple of pictures of the new pillow slipcovers that I did (except for the crocheted-looking one):

I gave myself a pat on my back for thinking to remove the previous cover on that bolster, tear it apart and use it for a pattern!

And here are SmallPeoples House pictures:

My $15 Craigslist changing table with the new changing pad I purchased and a .99 cent Henry the Octopus toy from Goodwill.

The $1.00 garage sale high chair with the towel that I used for a bib. I need to sew ties onto it!

Two of four gates to limit access around the house. The wooden gate I purchased new to fit the wide entryway to the game room where there are numerous Legos and other assorted choking-sized toys. The plastic gate keeps my second story off-limits and was $1.00 at the same garage sale as the high chair.

Toys, all from Goodwill or Once Upon A Child. The basket has a bunch in it too.

Little Missy K's favorite toy (I like it, too!):

And, best of all, our napping chair!

Wishing you all a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Grace & Peace,

Leslie

SmallPeoples House

It's September 1st and the official opening day of SmallPeoples House! Today was a short & easy day: I had only Miss K and only for 31/2 hours. After her Mommy left, we played a bit, had a snack of strawberries, bananas, orange bell pepper & dry cereal. Then we had a little walk outside where we looked at some flowers and picked up a leaf. After a diaper change (every girl likes to be clean!) we read a book for a while and then Miss K fell asleep in my lap. She got in a good 1/2 hour before Mommy came to get her. Everything went well and now she officially my first "client!" I get to visit with her again on Thursday.

SmallPeoples House is my new childcare busi.ness, operating in my ho.me. In order for us to be able to send Charlie to a pr.ivate school, I need to ea.rn an inco.me too. I am excited about this new venture.....way better in my book than having to dress a certain way, be to work on time & take orders from someone else! I have another client lined up....he's a 1 1/2 week newborn and he'll start coming when his Momma goes back to work in November.

And now, I'm ready for my nap!
Leslie

Pink Saturday

These hydrangeas are from last summer. We moved into this ho.me in July of 2007 and the hydrangeas that were here didn't bloom at all. I told Dr. Love while standing next to them in the fall that if they didn't bloom in '08 I was going to pull them out. Wouldn't you know, they had big, beautiful, gorgeous pi.nk blossoms! This year, only one had blooms and they were puny. Shall I threaten them again? Or just rip 'em out?!

Beverly at How Sweet The Sound continues to host Pi.nk Saturday for all of us pi.nk-lovers. Every week she contacts the over 150 bloggers who participate and complies a list of links to add to her own Pi.nk Saturday post. Head on over to her blog to find links to the rest of us. And leave her a little appreciation comment too.

I tried to visit some new folks this time and one of the blogs I found is Kat Collects. I like this gal very much! She lives in Washington state (which I love), has a son in the milit.ary along with a 14 year old daughter and has an eye for vintage, flowers, arch.itecture and various other interests that match mine :). Go visit her and tell her I sent you!

Leslie

Look Mom, He Followed Me Home!!

One of my favorite websites is Awkward Family Photos. I surf there every few days and almost always at least one of the photos cracks me up. Like this one.

A Shirt Story

Back when Dr. Love and I were preparing for marriage, one of the things we discussed was our budget. We both were working full-time and one of the things we included in the budget was the cost of taking his dress shirts to be done at the cleaners. We had an agreement that I would never have to iron his shirts.

After a year or so of marital bliss we decided that I would (could!) quit working and we worked on our budget again. Needless to say, one of the things that would have to get slashed was the cost of our dry cleaning. To me, ironing became a small price to pay for getting to stay home! So I purchased a nice iron and a wonderful over-sized ironing board.

That was five years ago. Thus begins my shirt saga. Now, Dr. Love has many shirts and for this I am eternally grateful. Because for some reason I can't keep up with the ironing! Is there enough time in the week? Yes. Do I enjoy having 10-15 shirts staring at me from the bottom of his hamper? No. Sometimes they get washed & hang for weeks in the laundry room all forlorn until I finally get around to pressing them. Sometimes the very last shirt is taken off the hangar from the closet one morning and the next morning I am hurriedly ironing a shirt from the laundry room toput on his back that day!

To add to this ironing chaos, my son now attends a school with a dress code. He must wear a collared shirt (tucked in and belted) every day. He's allowed to wear polo shirts except on chapel days when he must wear a tie. Does he wear polos? No. He prefers dress shirts. And I lobbied and willingly signed him up for this! The bright spot in this particular part of the shirt saga is that I am teaching him to iron for himself (something hubby can very well do but what kind of wife would I be if I allowed that?!). I've started small: he irons one of his shirts each time I'm ironing them. He's been warned that we'll be working up to his doing his own ironing. Ironically, he's worn a polo shirt every day this week!

It is with great pleasure that I direct your attention to the picture at the top of this post as there's a good end to my story: this morning I knocked out six shirts and,except for the shirt that Dr. Love is currently wearing at work, for the first time EVER I'm caught up!!!!! And lest you get the idea from the picture that I'm analytical, I arranged them by color to make you laugh.

Here's the cliffhanger: Will I work hard to stay caught up OR will I take eight weeks off? Tune in..............

Tuesday Ramblings

I just read a great post by Brenda at Cozy Little House about home decorating entitled "What Does Our Home Say About Us?" and it started me thinking.

I'm drawn to old stuff. Not antique furniture, just old junk. But my house is filled with the things that I love (my apologies to Randy Travis). Old things that once belonged to my Mother; vintage finds given to me by friends who "just knew" that I would appreciate that particular bric-a-brac; pretty things that I find interesting... A friend once told me that my decorating style is "interesting." Sadly, I took that as a personal criticism and every so often I bring that back up and chew on it again. But really, what's bad about being interesting?!

More important to me than what my home reflects about me is what does my life reflect about me? I say that I love God more than anything & anyone : does that show in my day-to-day life? Can Dr. Love, Miss B & Charlie get a glimpse of Him? What about the people who live on my street or those I run into at the grocery store, library, Goodwill? Sometimes I get so caught up with "being" the right person or "doing" the right things that He is nowhere to be found! Please forgive me Lord Jesus for my selfishness, renew my heart one more time and help me to live my life for You!

On another note, here's a slideshow of my sun room. I think Dr. Love & I have finally gotten those pesky old tins to stay perched above the windows. A little fishing line, a few self-stick velcro coins.... Most of the tins once contained Mrs. Steven's candy. Her company was in business in Chicago from the early 1900's through the early 1960's as far as I can tell. The glass fishing weights are from our family vacation is Seattle a few years ago; they've been in a bowl on my coffee table and were finally hung this weekend. The leaves windchime is one that Dr. Love picked up many many years ago when he was traveling internationally for his job. He had never unwrapped it and I was pleased to find & hang it for him to enjoy! The sweet little gourd birdhouse was made by and given to me as a birthday gift this year by a friend. All of my plants have to be out of Mudgie's reach...she is a real plant afficianado and every time she manages to taste one she gets sick on my carpeting! The last picture is of Henry-she is more skittish than Mudgie is so I don't have a chance to snap a picture of her face very often.
If you'd like, you can play "I Spy" as you watch....find some dust, a toy gun, a pair of flip-flops, some nail polish, an ant trap and a paint color sample.

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Pink Saturday

Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ always hosts Pink Saturday for us. Click the link to go to her blog and find a list of this week's participants. Great job Beverly and Thank you!


I have three pictures for this week's edition. This first one is my new family room window treatment. The fabric was $4/yd at Wal-Mart and a kind friend sent me some muslin that she picked up thrifting so I used that for the lining. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I have big plans for that room....new paint on the walls and some slipcovers for that blue love seat & ottoman and the matching couch.

This next picture is the cake at the wedding reception I attended last Saturday. I like how the couple's first initials are shown in the frosting and I think the K (which is the first initial of their last name) as a topper is very elegant.

Lastly, I met this sweet baby boy tonight for the first time...he's about 40 hours old! I'll have to come up with a blog name for him as I'll get to have him every day to play with when his Mommy goes back to work in November.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Leslie