In His Grip

Three Word Thursday

Happy Independence Day!

Family Fun At The lake

Our family, or some part of our family, has spent time at Lake Vermillion in the summer for over 25 years.  This year is no different.  With 17 of us here, our family brought along our own personal vacation home to make way for more comfortable sleeping for all. 

Our little vacation home is sitting up in the woods above the boat house with a great view of the lake.  We have a hammock to take naps in as well making for a homy place just feet from the lake house.

This is the first year in a long time that all of our kids have been able to make it to the lake at the same time.  Ryan and Paula have not been up here for 4 years.  So good to have them with us.

Although we have get to hang with these two a lot at home, they always make for a good. time.

This is Kyle’s first trip to the lake and we always enjoy bringing someone new along to experience the lake fun.  I’m not sure he knows what he got himself into, but he is stuck here for a whole week, after all he is 10 hours from home.

My kids and the people they have chosen to hang out with make me smile and my heart is full.  If these people were not our kids, we would still pick them to do vacation with. 

Three Word Thursday

Love and laugh . . .

Pink Tricycle Planter

I have always loved a creative garden with unexpected things used as planters, lots of color and as my husband calls it an “Ozarky” look.  He is always having to hold me back from making our garden the junk yard of the neighborhood.  You can imagine his surprise, shock, disappointment when I told him I would be putting an old tricycle on our front porch as planter.  However, he is always a good sport and lets me do my own thing up to a point.  The “junk” (my treasures) in the garden was acceptable, but bringing it to the front porch was another story.  I assured him it would be tasteful and bring a feel of whimsy to the front of the house.  (I am not sure that helped my case or not.)  He kept his opinion until the planter was complete. Seriously? It’s a trike we can move it if it is too much of an “Ozarky” eye sore.

This is how the trike started out.  I purchased it at an estate auction last year for $10 knowing that I could come up with some kind of fun way to use it.  Some might say that it was just fine as it was, but I was inspired by a couple of photos on Pinterest.

These bikes, can be found here and here, gave me the idea of painting the tricycle completely pink.  How could that be wrong I ask?

After painting the trike watermelon pink with my favorite Krylon spray paint. I searched around in my stash and found containers to do my planting in and then proceeded to wire them to the tricycle so that they would not blow away in the crazy Kansas wind.

I love planting containers and getting my hands dirty.  The satisfaction and reward of well planted flowers is the best.

My little pink trike is the cutest planter around and Jeff and decided that it can stay on the front porch as it turned out lot better than he thought that it would.  I am not sure why, after all these years, he questions, my creative processes.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout. One Project at a Time, Kathe With an E, Cozy Little House, Sugar Bee Crafts, Cozy Little House, Life With The Crust Cut Off

Three Word Thursday

There’s never enough . . .

Where Have I been?

I know, I know, I have not been here for a looooooooooooooooooong time.  There is no excuse other than life has just gotten away from me and I have not taken the time to record it here.  I have thought about lots of posts and believe me if you are missing my creative posts of projects around the house there are pictures galore ready to post.  They will be coming.  But this time, I really am back.  Even if it is just a short little ditty, you will be getting things from me regularly.  Here are just a couple of things that I did not post about, but I thought about it. 

We went on many dinner dates just the two of us.

We went out with family.

More family.

We had a girl’s day out antiquing at first Saturdays and found this . . .

and this . . .

and this . . .

and much much more.

We spent a Saturday morning supporting Anna in her fist 1/2 marathon.

And Lindsey in another 1/2 marathon were she PR’d.

Once again, we traveled up north to get the lake house ready for summer and enjoyed this beautiful sunrise. 

We celebrated our 32nd anniversary with a fire side dinner while at Lake Vermilion.

After finishing up at the lake up north, we head south for Memorial Day weekend to hang out at Beaver Lake in Arkansas with these great folks. 

This pretty much brings you up to date as to what is going on around here, other than the little bits of creativity.  And I will bring those to you over the next couple of weeks.  I really am back.

Three Word Thursday

Creativity takes courage

Simple Spring Mantel

Simple Spring mantel, seriously, I am going simple?  Normally, when it comes to decorating “simple” is not in my vocabulary.  My mantel has looked like this.

And this . . .

And this . . .

And many more looks.  My mantel decorations change often during the year according to the season.  The mantel is one place when you decorate it for a season and the whole room seems to carry the festive feel.  Going simple is a change for me, but I like it.

Now that I spend one day a week at Picture Perfect Interiors, I find myself loving the pretty things that surround me when I am there.

Shirley, the floral designer at Picture Perfect Interiors, helped me put together this arrangement.  I told her I wanted it to look like I just grabbed sticks from the bushes outside and stuck them in the vase, you know, simple.  I remembered a little nest that I had purchased earlier at the store and just stuck it in.  I love how fresh and Springy this looks.

Once I had the arrangement by the fireplace, I knew that I need something on top of the mantel, still simple.  I picked out this weathered finial and moss ball from Picture Perfect Interiors knowing I had a couple of items to add to it making it just right, yet simple.

On the other side of the mantel, I added this green urn I purchased at a garage sale for .25 cents years ago and added a boxwood ball on top and greens around the bottom.  Still simple, I think?

So you have it a very simple Spring mantel.

Next, I will show you my “simple” Spring dinning room table and buffet arrangement.  Check back soon.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout

Three Word Thursday

Slavery never ended

New Window Treatments–What a Commitment

Because I make window treatments daily at Stitches By Sturman, my windows in my home often get over looked or go for far too long without an update.  I recently made new draperies for my dinning room, but am not really sure that I “love” them.  When you work with fabric and design everyday, it is hard to decide on just that right fabric/design.  I tend to change my mind a lot and see a new, better fabric regularly.  When I commit and purchase the fabric, by the time I get the draperies finished, I may have come upon something that I like better.  It is a dilemma that happens to me each time I make a change in my home.  However, that being said and because I do not have an unlimited budget or time on my hands to recreate something different, these have to do.  It’s not that don’t like them, I just want to “love” them and I just not there.  The room is not totally complete yet, so maybe once I have the room just like I want it, I will grow to “love” the draperies.

Here is the finished look.  The embroidered fabric was given to me by one of my designers.  There was less than 1 1/2 yards, so I needed to use it wisely and bring it into the design.   So if you fall in love a fabric that just is not in the budget you are able to use it as an accent and bring more attention to it. 

The rod was one that I already had and I painted with Anne Slone’s Chalk Paint, Pure White.  The wood rings were some that were extra from old jobs and just painted them too as they were all different finishes.

Once I have the furniture and and wall décor complete I will do a repost and maybe by then I will “love” these draperies.  Until then, I some more work to do to make my dining room one that I will enjoy having family and friends share a meal.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout

Three Word Thursday

Spring will come . . .

Happy Easter Morning

Happy Easter!  Our family has been celebrating Easter morning for generations.  I have been blessed to be raised in a Christian family, so Easter morning was always a big deal in our home.  This picture I am guessing was taken around 1972 when our family lived Tulare, California.  Yes, our dresses, shoes, and accessories were new for this special Sunday.  My memories of Easter morning are full of baskets full of trinkets and candy, going to church, coming home to Easter Sunday dinner and the knowledge that Jesus not only died for my sins, but rose again on Easter morning.  I am thankful for my heritage and the parents that brought our family up with a faith that each of us live out today. 

2013 Spring Break Recap

I know that I said I was back to blogging, and I have been thinking about it.  During that thinking time here are some things that I have been doing.  My girls are both teachers so for the last five years we have gone out to the desert near Palm Springs for Spring Break.  My Mom has a snowbird place there.  She calls it “the spa”.  When she and my Dad first went there the park was called Imperial Spa because of the natural hot springs that make up the pools and hot tubs.  So each year we travel to “the spa” to drive back to Kansas City with my Mom.  These two beautiful gals were my travel companions and they are a hoot.  We have the best time together. 

We spent the entire day on Saturday traveling from Kansas City to Palm Springs. I have to say for an airport, Palm Springs airport is the pretties one I have ever seen. 

We spent all of Sunday shopping around Palm Spring.  In the middle of down town we came across this giant statue of Marilyn Monroe and the girls had to have a picture taken with her.  Yes, she is wearing panties.

We left Palm Springs and headed to the middle of the desert.  And when I say middle of the desert, that is exactly what I mean.  Once inside the park, we are perfectly happy sitting by the pool.

Although we are in the middle of the desert, there are hot springs everywhere.  This lake is just across the road and over a little hot spring stream from my Mom’s, it is full of tropical fish that live in the hot spring fed lake.  The water coming out of the ground is 160 degrees.

Out in the desert you come across all kinds of things that have just been left behind.  We have seen this truck off in the distance for years and decided to check it out.

Like I said, there all kinds of things that you find abandon in the desert.

Friday was Anna’s birthday so we wanted to do something fun and adventurous.  We rented this little vehicle and headed out off road into the desert.

One of the places we went on our off road adventure was the “bat caves”.  This is a large pile of rocks in the middle of no where. 

From the “bat caves” you can see for miles.  The large body of water in the distance is the Salton Sea.

Another place in the desert is your typical oasis.  Water is literally bubbling from the ground in several pools with all these palm trees.

After a week of fun in the sun, we began our 22 hour trek back to reality, Kansas, and about 6 inches of snow.  Seriously?

Three Word Thursday

Pink is happiness . . .

I lost My Purpose?

If you have followed this blog for any time at all you recognize that I have not been around much this year.  I am still here doing my creative thing. I just have not been posting much.  There is no excuse or reason other than I have lost sight of my purpose for this place where I share my thoughts, creative ideas, and just a bit of my life.  However, I feel  I am back on track, my purpose has been renewed and I am ready to reenter the land of my blog-o.  So let the blogging begin once again and thank you for your patience.

Shine A Light on Modern Day Slavery

We all need to be aware of just how many slaves there really are in our world today. End It

My Exposure to the Fight Against Modern Slavery

My 2013 started out at a conference called Abolition 2013.  Wow, what was I thinking?  This was a faith based equipping conference for folks they are calling “abolitionists”. It was three days of training to understand and effectively combat human trafficking and the sex trade industry in our modern society.  Why, you ask would I attend such a training?  Well, to start with, for the last year and half I have been involved in a ministry through our church that ministers to the dancers at the two “gentlemen's” clubs south of our city. Over the last several years I have found myself researching the fight against modern day slavery and the rescue of women and children caught in the sex trade industry. Research on this subject can be a bit tricking.  So a good portion of my fact finding has been through books I have found within our library system. Exodus Cry came up on one of my few internet searches and was thrilled that such an organization was right in my own backyard as well as a conference bringing others with the same burden together.  At the conference, I was able to accumulate a number of safe websites to find what kind of work is being done here in the states and around the world. This subject matter is very difficult for me but then again, I cannot seem to get away from the need to end such practices not only within my own community but across the globe.  My heart has grown beyond my own ability to love the women that I have met in the clubs.  I am not sure what the future holds in regards to my involvement in this fight against something that has been ignored for far too long.

 . . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes . . . Isaiah 61:3

My First Christmas In Heaven - Repost

*This is a repost from Decdmber 17, 2010, my Dad's 1st Christmas in heaven.  In light of the recent tragedy in Connecticut, as well as the passing of a few friends and family, I wanted to repost it.

 

My First Christmas in Heaven 

By Wanda Bencke

I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below

With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear

For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

 

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear

But the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring,

For it is beyond description, to hear the angels sing.

 

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart,

But I am not so far away, We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me dear ones, You know I hold you dear.

And be glad I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

 

I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.

I sent you each a memory of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold.

It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.

 

Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do,

For I can't count the blessing or love He has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear,

Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year!

 

This poem was sent to me from my friend, Donna.  Our family talks about what holidays must be like in heaven for Dad.  Seriously, Christmas with Jesus, angles, and streets of gold, how can our mere attempt at holiday decorations compare?

Homemade Christmas

There is just something about a homemade Christmas gift that I just love.  Not only does it have that one-of-a-kind, special quality to it, you know that it was made especially for you.  Every year I am on the lookout for that special homemade gift idea that I can make for the special folks in my life.  My goal is for the gift to mean just a bit more than a gesture given at Christmas time.  This year I found these great ornaments at Homegrown Hospitality.  Stephanie is a fabulous artist and offers online classes several times a year and these ornaments were part of her “Welcome Home for the Holidays” class. Once I decided that these "JOY" ornaments were what I was going to make it seemed everywhere I turned, JOY was there.  Panera, one of my favorite meeting spots, had "brimming with JOY" as their holiday cup designs.

In this season of life I will choose JOY.  When I have had a tough day and things do not go my way, “I will choose JOY.”  When circumstances are disappointing, “I will choose JOY.”  When life is fantastic and I find great surprises along the way, it is easy to, “choose JOY.” 

In this Christmas season “I will choose JOY,” and am reminded of one of my favorite Bible passages.

Psalms 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,

and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Join me and "choose JOY" this Christmas.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout

Three Word Thursday

Let It Snow!!!!!!