Thursday, March 31, 2016

I Won Something!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. 
I am one of the unluckiest people. 
I never gamble because it would be money down the drain. 
We used to have a neighborhood Pokeno group. 
It's a good thing that we were guaranteed a prize because I rarely ever won a round.
They draw names for the parking spot at the front of the teacher parking lot. 
I'm convinced my name isn't even in the running because I have yet to win the spot. 
You can imagine that I was shocked and tickled to finally win a blog giveaway. 
 Linda @ Itsy Bits and Pieces let me know that I won one of the magazines in which she was featured.
Leaving a comment on this blog post was all that was required. 
So fun. 
I received the package in last Friday's mail. 


It was dark when Bill brought in the mail so I waited until the next morning to open the package. 
The wrapping was just too cute!


I love, love the vintage keys. 


The lunch sack had some adorable bits of vintage ephemera. 


The seed package is close to my heart.


The vintage flashcards tickled me pink. 
You will see these little bits and pieces again as I sprinkle them about the house. 
They will show up in various seasonal displays. 


This is my kind of magazine. 


Congratulations, Linda on your feature in this adorable magazine. 
Be sure to check out her cute blog.


Thank you so much for the gift. 
I adore it!
 I think I'm going to do a giveaway. 
Details are coming soon. 
Katie 

Linking with, 
Thoughts of Home Thursday

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Watering Hole Update

My friend, Marty over at A Stroll Thru Life, has been busy working on a watering hole of her own.
 She took it to a whole new level. 
I hope you are enjoying the splish splash of your fountain already in Arizona, Marty.
She has lights, spigots and a little waterfall. 
Amazing. 
Now that Bill is feeling better he should take ours up a notch. 


Our annuals are in and pretty soon it will be time to roll our pool up from behind our fence. 


I seriously can't wait to get my floaties on!







Our pool doesn't need a cover. It is tucked up under the trees. 



I've cleaned up the deck and fluffed the deck cushions. 


Our deck cushion covers got completely obliterated in the hail storm. 


Our Ikat pillows completey faded in one year so I'll be remaking those. 


I just want to say thank you to Marty for the shout out and link back to the post about our pool. 
I'm thrilled that a reader took the plunge and rolled a stock tank into her backyard to create an oasis. 
It is a wonderful and frugal way to beat the heat!
Congratulations, Marty. 
Katie

Linking with,
Thoughts of Home Thursday 


Sunday, March 27, 2016

Because He Lives

Happy Easter!


Jesus was dead and suddenly He wasn't. 
I'm in awe of this. 


Bill and I have just taken a trek through the valley of the shadow of death.


He has lived with the physical symptoms of a misdiagnosis for far too long. 
He has felt like garbage. 


I felt like I was watching him die. 
I had this terrible sense that our golden years were not to be. 



The mortar for the wall around a portion of my heart was already at the ready. 
 I didn't realize this, of course, but losing two parents as a child messes with your psyche.
I didn't know the future but I thought that God was going to call Bill home. 


When our Savior died there was a dramatic earthly manifestation of this spiritual event.



 The sun went dark. 
The temple curtain was torn in two. 
The earth shook.
The graves opened up and the dead arose.
 Walking dead.
Can you imagine? "Hey, weren't you dead?" 
 

 I almost couldn't get through the passion story this week with my little ones. 
We get to live because His heart started beating. 
He took a gasping breath. 
He opened His eyes. 
He moved His fingers. 
"We get to go to heaven and live with Jesus some day." 


I tell the story with the knowledge that I don't want to go to heaven yet. 
I didn't want Bill to go to heaven prematurely. 
 I'm not sure anyone really wants to end this life to begin the next unless there is pain and suffering. 


I know my sins are forgiven and I live differently because of that but living on this side of heaven is a balancing act. 
The moments that I know without a shadow of doubt that Jesus is right there next to me are few and far between because those deep times of trouble are, thankfully, far and few between. 
I know He is always near but I don't always sense that He is near,  if that makes sense. 



I started to get emotional telling the passion story because I was suddenly struck with the knowledge that we live now because He lives. 
By His grace Bill is still here. 
Because of His victory over death, Bill has new life. 
Bill's heart beats because Jesus' heart beats. 
Bill was dying.
He was wasting away. 
Now he is not. 
Jesus was dead. 
Now He is not. 

Bill's resurrection from walking dead to life didn't come with an earthquake but our earth quaked anyway. 
Bill has been given life three times. 
At his birth. 
At his spiritual birth when he acknowledged his sin before God and accepted Jesus' payment for his sin. 
He was given his third chance at life with a correct diagnosis and life saving insulin. 
The awakening breath that Jesus took on Easter morning has a deeper meaning for us this year. 
Bill was in the shadow of the tomb but we weren't there by ourselves. 
By God's grace and mercy, He was there with us. 
Blessings to you,
He lives! 
Katie 





















 

Saturday, March 26, 2016

A DIYer's Nails

Have you seen those manicure photos on Pinterest?
Some of those nail artists are amazing. 
 I adore a pretty manicure. 


It is nearly impossible for my nails to look pretty for more than a day. 
They chip almost immediately because of the chemicals we use at the school.
All my crafting and DIYing doesn't help them either. 
Do you have the same problem?
 I've thought about getting a gel manicure for a long time but I worried about the harshness of the remover and sitting with nails in tin foil didn't sound like fun. 


CVS has a line of gel polishes by Sally Hansen. 
They require no special lamps for setting and no special solvent for removal.
I thought I'd give them a try. 
  

It is a little pricey initially. 
The polish and the required top coat were about $10.00 each. 
The manicure is supposed to last 14 days. 


Let's see how a deep red does. 
Day 1

 

Are you kidding? 
I already broke a nail. 


 

It was an easy fix. 
 

On day 3 they were not looking so good. 
I touched up the tips to make the manicure last one more day. 

 

This was before removal on day 4. 



This is great polish remover.
It took off regular polish without much effort. 
 I love that I can get a manicure to last four days even if I have to touch up the tips at some point. 
The pink lasted 5 days.
Does it last 14 days?
No. 
It lasts twice as long as regular nail polish. 
Sally Hansen makes this line and it includes some cute colors. 
Pink and burgundy are the only ones in my collection at this point. 
This pink is gorgeous. The burgundy reminds me of my favorite OPI colors.  A rosy red is next on my list.
Kroger had this line for two dollars cheaper than CVS. 
If you are hard on your nails, you might want to give this a try. 
Let me know in the comments what you think.

Check out a sneak peak photo of our new marble back splash on Instagram. 
 Forgive me if my I'm a little slow to blog the next few weeks.
Our accreditation team visit is just two weeks away. 

Bill is coming back to life on insulin and we continue to process the past six years. 
I'll have some deep reflections on this. 
We want his story to help others so I apologize in advance if I'm sharing too much. 
Have a blessed Easter. 
He lives and so do we because of it! 
Katie 


 




Thursday, March 24, 2016

Early Spring Front Yard

The weather has been gorgeous. 


 Warm temperatures and sunny days.


 I planted some annuals that are prefect for early spring.


These will bloom until June or July. 
At that point we will need something for the high temperatures. 
 

 The hail pummeled these but they have bounced right back. 



 Our Easter will be pretty low key. 



 We're still coming to grips with Bill's diagnosis. 



How could he have been misdiagnosed for so long?


He is already starting to act like his old self. 
 


God was very good to us. 





The tile guys have been here for three days working on the backsplash. 
 
 
It is going to be gorgeous. 
 

The bulbs are finished. 
There will be roses soon. 
 


Spring has arrived. 
Have a wonderful day!
Katie