Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Sea Legs

After being on a cruise ship there are two things I know. Sea legs really do exsist and I've discovered a new phenomenon known as cruise brain.
We had a fabulous time on the cruise and now we've started our land tour. I wobbled around today thinking that everything in Alaska must be floating. Especially the restaurant at dinner and the top of the mountain.
I'll share a few highlights from the trip so far.
We saw a bunch of wildlife including whales, seals, orcas, eagles, black bear, brown bear and moose. We hope to see more in Denali.
Formal nights were a blast.
It is fun to have a lounge to hang out in to listen to music and dance. Dancing to We Are Family is at the on the top of my list as far as memories go, even if my nephews ran for their stateroom as soon as I got up to dance.
Those dance lessons really paid off.
Bill and I never got to the  lesson where we were supposed to practice dancing with others on the floor. It didn't matter because as soon as the good band finished their set and the trio came out everyone left the lounge. I made the mistake of making eye contact with the lead singer so we couldn't bail on them. Bless their hearts. We don't think they will be cruising with Celebrity again.
We need to find a lounge and dance more often at home.
The service was amazing. I don't know how I will cope with having to turn down my own bed. One night our steward propped our books on open on our respective pillows. So cute!
I can't remember how to put my own napkin in my lap after a  week of having it done for me. I also think shrimp coctail will have to be an appetizer at home more often. Don't even get me started on dessert every night. When someone yells "whale" they may be refering to me. The boat had a gym. I found it by accident on the last day.
Our ports felt like an ad for Gorton's fish sticks. It was foggy, cold and drizzly. Perfect weather for Texans trying to beat the heat.
Speaking of whales. I was hanging out whale watching and saw one. I opened the door to tell Bill. He was napping. (naps on a ship are legendary.) I guess I yelled loader than I thought because suddenly everyone was out on the starboard side looking. My brother even said, "Yeah, I saw it and then I heard some lady yell 'whale.'" Umm...that was me.
I have much more to share but I will leave it for now. I'm off to bed but I'm not sure if I will be able to fall asleep without the gentle rocking of the ship.
Katie

Friday, July 26, 2013

Epiphany

 

I turned 50 and something happened. It was like I went through an epiphany or something. I'm not sure I am all the way through it but I think that it has been long enough that I'm not just in a "mood."
 I was the only girl in my family so I played alone most of the time, unless I wanted to learn to throw a football or a punch. (let me tell you, that latter lesson came in handy.) I was also very shy and quite fearful. I was bullied a  bit. 
Over the course of my lifetime I've gotten used to operating in a manner that is prone toward and adept at reconciling difficulties and orchestrating peace. 
Let's face it, that is not real life. 

I think as an adult I had a misconception that in order to be a good Christian I had to give up my rights, lay aside my wishes, turn the other cheek and say "yes" to everything. Give, serve and give again until I was drained. It sounds Biblical doesn't it?




I allowed myself to get drained one too many times and I said enough and backed away from just about everything. 
I stopped taking "it" because being door-matish suddenly didn't seem very Christian to me. 


This has not been a popular move. Others have gotten used to the idea that I will always do something, take care of something, bring peace to a situation.


My learning to say no was not on their wish list of top 10 items, because it meant they couldn't say no. 
I've been cajoled, guilted, pleaded with, reasoned with and yet I feel unwavering in my conviction that I'm not really available for boot scraping anymore. 


What does this mean?
For one thing it means that it's a lot quieter around here and possibly a little lonely sometimes. 



It means that there are fewer places to go because I am not running around orchestrating everything.
But,
it also means that my stomach doesn't hurt and I am far more at peace with myself and with others.



There is bitterness and anger when one is operating out of comfort zone instead of a desire to serve.  I'd had enough of that!

There were a few things that went by the wayside during my epiphany. 



Things that I thought were integral to the calling that God had for me. 
Teaching women the Word was one of those.
I find myself asking the Lord if that was a miscommunication on my part or am I being disobedient?
What happened to the desire I had to lead women to spiritual healing and understanding?



I don't know. 
I had a glimmer of an idea yesterday and I may try it out when I get back from Alaska.  Yes, I am in Alaska.  
 I used to teach a Women of the Bible series and I learned a ton by preparing for this study. 
I may interject some of these amazing women in a post or two on "Let's Add Sprinkles". 

I feel a little like I have been hiding my light under a bushel for the last 4 years.



I don't think for a moment that anything I have learned or gone through was wasted and I still don't understand it all. I have had a few, "Oh, so that's why You were doing that!" kind of moments. 

Light bulb moment.

Five years ago I thought I had it all together and I thought I had most of life figured out. 
Haha. I was totally in for a rude awakening. 
"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead." Philippians 3:13.
For me, that means I need to forget about what I used to do for the Lord and look for new ways to serve Him. It also means I need to quit looking back and wondering what I did wrong. I need to be open for new ways to be used in a healthy way.  
Don't get me wrong, sometimes He requires us to be doormats. 




 But not in the immediate, fall back, safety net kind of way that was my comfort zone. 
Not that.
 Katie 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Antique Washstand

I got it in my head that I wanted an old white washstand.



 I'd seen a few cute ones while antiquing out in the country.
They ranged in price from $250-$400 but they weren't painted white. I did see a blue one but I didn't want that color.
I saw a white one while antiquing out at the lake but it was a little more chipped and worn than I normally prefer. It was also about $225 and it looked like it had been left out in the rain. 



The abandoned cabin in Colorado had one on the porch but the mice had already taken up residence. 
I finally found one in my price range when a local furniture consignment store was having a sale. 

I tried it up in Rebekah's room. I thought I would like the look of two semi-matching pieces as night stands.
I didn't care for it. 



Rebekah moved out last weekend and took an oak bookcase for her extensive book collection.


I was really happy to get rid of the last bit of oak in the living room and she was happy to have some more book storage.

Once we painted the old oak kitchen cabinets in the kitchen, all my other orange oak furniture downstairs didn't seem to make sense.



With a few changes this little piece will fit in great.


I took off the towel bar.






Usually I prime first and then paint with oil base enamel.
I was feeling excessively lazy so I skipped the primer.


It was a mistake because then the enamel 
needed two coats and
I had to wait for about 10 hours for the washstand to be dry enough for the second coat. 
I learned my lesson. I won't be skipping the primer again. Primer dries in about a half hour.



I hit the handles with ORB spray paint and them scuffed them up when they were dry.






Washstands like this would have had little porcelain casters.
I didn't have any in my stash so I ran up to an
 Ace Hardware. 



I was planning on re-doing the banister this summer but the bathroom remodel has me a little done in. That project is on hold for now.






I got the old ice cream bucket for Christmas. It's perfect for dog toys.








I think it is darling.



It brightens up the corner of the living room and
I get another tabletop to decorate.
I love that it is another little spot of white in the room.


It's so cute.
Katie

Linking with,
Savvy Southern Style  
Funky Junk Interiors 


Thursday, July 18, 2013

Ice Cream at the Park Store

Every summer we would load up in the station wagon and head to see my grandparents in Wisconsin.
We took sight seeing detours along the way, each summer stopping at different destinations.


 I'd like to interject two things at this point. 
We always wore hoodies. I love hoodies! 
I was and am terrified of heights. That is why in one picture it looks like I am clinging to a pole and in the other to my brother.


We saw many wonderful sights in the North Eastern region of the country.
Instead of staying in hotels we would camp along the way. 
Many of the campgrounds had little camp stores.
We would get a soda 
or 
an ice cream.



When I saw this sign at the salvage store in Fort Worth, I knew we needed to have it. 




Bill was a boy scout and the kids were all in scouting at one time or another so we all have our own connection to this type of sign.




There are two little camp stores out at the lake. 
It never fails...
as soon as we pull, I get the urge for an ice cream.



I love the one we get to by boat! 
To this day I can hardly pass up an ice cream sandwich or a nutty buddy when I see a little mom and pop shop. 




I thought this sign would be a cute addition to our back yard. 



It came out of one of the state parks.
Bill's brother wondered if we stole it?
Ummm, no.




It's still in great shape and it was a bargain price at only $25.00. 



It wasn't the only sign that had and
I thought it was an odd thing for them to have.
 I did wonder how they ended up with it. 


I just set it on the fence behind our fire pit. Our little corner is ready for ice cream on a hot summer night. 
Want to join us?
Katie 
Linking with, 
Savvy Southern Style  
Funky Junk Interiors

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Beauty of Stain

The phrases "I've been around the block a few times" and  
"It's not my first time at the rodeo." come to mind when I think about this painted furniture craze. 
Yes, I know, I said craze.


And yes, 
 I have painted my share of furniture in the last two years.
I love, love my painted pieces.  
They were ho hum and I thought they would look cute painted white and they do.


I was late to the party because 
my husband was pretty against painting good wood furniture and 
I watched my parents spend hours refinishing stuff that had been painted. 

Here is the thing.
Stained wood furniture appears to be the step child in the home furnishing world these days. 
I can say step child because I come from a blended family. ;)

Look at that inlaid key hole?

To be Pin-worthy everything has to be painted. 
I was reading a big blog today and the post talked about how some chairs were going to be painted.
 Let me tell you the chairs were gorgeous as they were. 
Drop, dead gorgeous! 
 But, I am sure they will be painted.


 Everything is being painted.
This design style is huge. 
It has been my experience when something is this huge, widespread, popular and "everywhere" that it will go out. 
Not just sort of unpopular - OUT. 
Anybody else remember country blue and mauve?


Well I do and it took forever to get it out of my house.
It was huge. 
It was a craze!
Every since then I have been wary of design aesthetics that are that incredibly popular.
I may have a painted a piece or two but I refuse to go all out, full boar with the trend because it is that- a trend.

Antique Spice Cabinet- My first heirloom.

What happened to appreciating beautiful wood finishes?
The patina that only comes with time, use and age?

Look at the scratches from opening the drawer.

Since when did we stop seeing wood furniture as beautiful?


I get why we would paint stuff that is broken or from the 70's or 80's. It is dated and out of style and it wasn't good furniture to begin with. 
I have seen some blog posts where people are contemplating painting beautiful antiques.
Thankfully a few of been talked out of it. 

This trunk is from the back of an old car or wagon. 

 Haven't we all seen Antique's Roadshow?
We all know what happens to the value once a piece has been refinished.



I admit that sometimes since I have been blogging, I have been a little like a sheep following along with the trend. I realized pretty quickly that a post showcasing a cute white piece received much more traffic than a post about a stained one.
I think we can all see how prevalent the trend is by hopping around looking at different blogs and visiting blog parties. 
The trend may have even started in blogland. 


Here are some things to think about before you wield the paintbrush.
  • Is is a family heirloom?
  • Is it valuable?
  • Is it over 100 years old?
  • Is it signed by a famous furniture maker?
  • Would my parents have stripped it? (haha)
  • If it is a mishmash of finishes, then paint it. 
  • If you are trying to blend a mishmash of different furniture styles in one room, painting a piece or two will bring cohesiveness to the room. 
  • A stained piece in an all white room adds depth and contrast.
  • Ask yourself if it is beautiful as is. 
  • Some of the furniture from the 70's, 80's and even from the depression tended to be a lower grade. 
  • The economy was prospering in the post war years so that furniture tends to be a better quality.  
  • The bottom line is that it is up to your taste and your style, I just hate seeing beauty covered under paint.  


I think I've loved antiques long enough and since "I have been to this dance before", I know that stained furniture will come back into style. I, for one, will be sorry that I won't be able to find any antiques that haven't been painted.
Thoughts?
Have I been banished from blogland? 

Katie