I've been a busy Gal

Last Sunday, I had to take our daughter Hannah to the DR.  She was super sick and running a fever.  After her being tested and diagnosed, while I was checking out....she almost passed out.  I had to grab a hold of her and as I looked into her eyes, her pupils were so small.  I yelled for someone to please get her a chair and they ran to get one.  She sat down and I grabbed her legs to keep them elevated.  The nurses were all so sweet and so concerned.  They ran to get her a soda since she hadn't eaten or drank anything for breakfast.  I had bought her a biscuit on our way but she just couldn't eat anything.  Her throat was so sore and we found out that her ears were really infected which made her stomach nauseous. 

So, long story short....I work when I do not feel good or if something is bothering me.  I was so worried about her, but I knew God had her in His hands.  

This is what I did....

 I made a canopy for the little roof we made last weekend.  I didn't want anything that was water repellent so I used some old outdoor fabric I had stored away.  Some really smart people even mentioned using a paint tarp...which I thought was brilliant!  Maybe I'll do that for the little roof we plan on making for the side garage door.

It's such a nice change to actually have a little shade for this door....the sun really shines bright back here!

We trimmed out the door which made a HUGE difference I think!

Hanging my wreath on the outside really did the trick in shabby-ing this space up!

This is where I bring in our groceries so it's a nice welcome for us to come home to.  Around the bend is the deck...I have more plans for a little something that I think will be adorable!  I want to be able to keep our neighbors dog from tracking his muddy paws all over my white porch, lol.

I finally found some beautiful hanging baskets at our local hardware store (Smith's Truevalue) that were so healthy looking.  I just couldn't resist!

Do you spot anything different to the built in seating?  I added some cute fencing (another way to keep critters off).

I love all white but anyone knows when you start doing it you need texture or it will all fade in together.  The fencing gives me that texture that I am wanting along with a little charm and protection.  I mean, we do have deer that walk and run across our deck which scares the devil right out of us...especially at night.  When I was in the hospital years ago, my aunt Judy was staying here at night and then coming to stay with me during the day.  When I woke up, she told me a story about sleeping in the back room and hearing something walk across the deck...I will never forget her eyes.  She was scared, lol!  

Anyway...I hung some clothesline with some pretty shabby clothespins.  I still want to hang some white Christmas lights all around the top.  See the scrolly piece at the roof line?  It used to be in the master bath.  I changed a few things in there...

I found this little shelf on one of the FB yard sale sites.  Can you believe I didn't have to paint it?

I'm still trying to decide if I want the large shutter in the corner or a smaller one.  It hides the yucky things for the toilette.  I cannot stand for yucky things to be seen!  The shelf fit perfectly in place of the scrolly piece and picture.  We all need a little change now and then don't we?

And here is one more thing I worked on.  Adding more ruffles.  After making the cornice for the columns, my ruffles that I made at the top were not seen once I hung the rods inside.  So I cut a piece from the bottom up above the ruffles and added it to the top. Which brought them down  to be seen.

Much better...but I have more plans for the cornice.  See how there is no texture on it?  I am adding some fencing to it.  I cannot wait to do it!  Have you all looked at Kris's upper cabinets when she did  at her's  Junk Chic Cottage?

I just love it!  

So there ya have it....now I'm off to do some more things.  Oh, Hannah is doing much better!  Thankfully....now I can relax a bit.

More Work on the Deck

Happy Sunday everybody!

It's a beautiful day here today and I have lots left to do on my "to do" list.  But I am slowly marking things off (and adding more) every day.  

You all know how I've been working on the back deck, right?  Well, the entry was driving me a little bonkers because of all of the straight lines.  I had said earlier that I was thinking of moving my scrolly piece that I had in my "laundry room" to it and I did just that.  Of course it sparked all sorts of new ideas for me...which is usually how it goes.  I tell ya, I am ADD when it comes to focusing on one task at hand.  

So here's the scrolly piece in the laundry room...

I loved it but we all know that lint and dust gathers especially in a room like this so it was no fun trying to keep it clean with all of the little scrolly pieces.

So this is what I did in it's place....I love it!

You all should know by now just how much I love china....

Much easier to keep clean too!

And here is the scrolly piece over the entrance to the deck which can bee seen from our yard and driveway.

It is much prettier in person.  I've had so much fun hanging all sorts of iron work back here.  I found some old bracket hangers from last year that I had stored away and added them to the corners.

Don't they add a little more charm?  I am loving my deck!  Mom came up the other day and she said "it's so nice back here."  We both really hated it back here years ago...always so hot and you couldn't walk on the deck barefooted without burning our footsies!  The white floor has really helped and the roof we built sure has too!

I made bench cushions for the bench areas....they sure feel nice on the fanny.  (grinning in comfort)

I found this little birdhouse stored away and it got a new paint job.  Hanging it on the window sure did add some pretty pink color....

And here is a project we finished on Saturday.  One of those "honey, can we do this?" as I was working on other things.... lol  Like I wasn't busy enough!

Of course I will be painting it in a little while.  I think it'll add that charm and character I am wanting so bad this year.  We are making another one for our other door by the garage.  I am planning on trimming out this door also...I think it'll look better once I do that.  Please excuse the dirt...the pollen has been awful so I am not cleaning the floor or washing the house down until it dies down a little.  Until then, I think I can stay busy don't you?

Happy Easter

Hannah and I went to the store this evening and I asked her what Easter was all about.  She always gets confused for some reason with Christmas and Easter. 

 So, as I was making the girls their Easter baskets (a ritual I do every year), I wanted to do something that would help them remember what Easter is all about in a simple way.   

They both know the story, have seen many plays and heard sermons preached in church all about what Jesus did for you and me.  

But this little poem just jumped out at me as I searched online for something cute and simple.  I found the border online also and thought how cute it would be together. 

I know they are getting too old as some would think for this...but they are my babies and they look forward to their little surprises on Easter Sunday morning.  

I think this is simple enough for anyone to appreciate what Jesus did, don't you?  

Normally, we go to church but I have other plans.  I am taking them to see Heaven is for Real.  I read the book when I first came home from the hospital 3 years ago and it was such a special read for me.  I want them to experience something new that will maybe hit home with them, make them think a little more since they are 15 and 19.  That age, we all started to wonder, ask questions and doubt.  So a movie it is...hopefully plant some new seeds that will blossom into something great!

May God bless your Easter and remember....Jesus gave us life ever after!

Adding a Little Character

The deck needed a little character I thought...and what could I do?  And cheaply....

The first thing that sparked the idea was adding an old door to the back of this make shift bench we built last year.  The old door did the trick and made me want to do more.

So I added a window in the open space above it.  Perfect...but then I wanted more!

So I came up with the idea of building an open frame around the uncovered part of the deck.  I knew I wanted to add more old windows, so this idea was perfect!  The frame only cost a little over $20.  I already had the stain and the door.  
My kind of project!

Mom had found an old crib by the road that someone was throwing away.  I've used parts of it in different places.  These spindles have been in the garage calling to me to do something with them....so this is what I did.  I can't wait to go to our Farmers Market and buy some HUGE hanging baskets of flowers to hang on the brackets.  I think that'd add the finishing touch, don't you?

I left a window out of this open space on purpose and on the other side of the other two.  Trying to not get it too busy looking....I am not a fan of that.

I pulled out all of the cushions I made last year and the umbrella cover.  The smelled so good!  My cushions all faded from the sun, but still were in great shape.  So I seen no need to make new ones....easy peasy!

I also painted my table white from the pink I had done last year.  It just looks better with all of the white I think.

I made the sign over the entrance...but want to find a large scrolly piece.  I may take the one down that I have in the laundry room and put here if I don't find one soon.  Things like this drive me crazy...

I cannot wait for the petunias to get all nice and bushy!!!

Flowers make everything look so much prettier!  They fill in bare spaces and add a cozy touch....

This deck is still in a "work in progress" state...so I'll be posting more photos of the updates, and when my flowers grow. (Happy Face)

I've held onto this wicker chair all Winter long in the garage....I am so happy I did!  It used to be in our Master Retreat.

I had to buy some ferns....I love how they soften up surroundings and give that beautiful green pop to blah colors.

Last night, I came out carrying my cushions and knocked over my petunias here....I have to replant them with more dirt since most of it is laying on the ground, lol.  I was so mad at myself for being so clumsy!

And to think, this all started from an old door....

~Bath House~

I always seem to come up with ideas on how to make things look and function better in my sleep.  Ya see....in our master bath, there was a pipe that ran up the wall on the outside of the drywall that drove me nuts.  I cannot stand for things to not look finished when everything else in the room is.  I could never figure out why the builder didn't enclose it.  Was it just an afterthought?

I tried camouflaging it with a shutter but it just wasn't working perfectly.  For years, I wanted to build a cabinet on top of the base beside the sink which hides the plumbing.  But we all know how that is...time flies by and I seem to be ADHD with ideas, jumping from one to another.

So finally, one early morning when I couldn't sleep too well, this came to me.

 I scowered the garage and my storage room for wood, moulding and the drawers that came from my old sewing machine cabinet that was Mammaw's.  I worked all day long figuring, measuring, cutting, nailing, and gluing.  I had no plan, I just made it up as I went along.

Sorry for the bad photo...it was late and I was tired.

Originally, I had visioned a door so that I could store shampoo, toilette paper and so on, but the outlet made that impossible!

Don't judge me with the drawers....evidently the drawers weren't square and the top of the base cabinet wasn't level.  I still need to sand them down to fit properly...but you get the idea.  I had already painted them a pale blue years ago and decided to leave them that color since they were blue.

So I thought I could then store my cotton ball container in it...but it was too wide at the lid.  I just left it here for the time being.

I knew a trip to Home Goods was a definite.... to find a slim and tall glass container to fit was the goal.

But until then, I did this.

Loved how the topiary looked. But not too crazy about the hand towels.

So off I went today and found this.  It was a an old timey straw container that was the perfect size!  I just had to take it apart to remove the guts that held the straws.

Perfect!  And the drawers hold the hubby's shaving stuff and toothpaste, tooth brushes ect.  All the little stuff....

I had a time with not being able to make ithe cabinet flush against the wall.  So I re-hung the moulding and then added the tin plaques to kind of hide the gap.  

But doesn't it look so much better than seeing that old pipe?  Plus it's more practical with it's use.  Not just clutter...

Well...then one thing led to another.  I had bought a shower curtain with the plans of not using it that way.  I was going to use it for new curtains.

Here's what I did have....

Now this....

Sorry for the wrinkles...but I like it that way.  The steam will eventually help release them...but I really do like wrinkles.

Ruffles are always prettier too! 

I added another tin to the bottom of the mirror since it is one of those cheapies to spruce it up a bit.

I love birdhouses...so I thought this looked cute here after I found a new cotton ball container.

And I love my "Shabby Chic" rose hooks!  

And of course...my new/old door!  The other door is one that we made years ago when we made the space into a closet.  This bathroom didn't have enough storage back then...but now it definitely does!  Every little bit of space we could find, we've used.

This photo was a card my Aunt Linda gave to me years ago when she moved away to Florida.   She has since passed away, but her humor lives on.  I sure do miss her giggles...

When I remodeled this bath, I knew I didn't want towel bars.  I wanted hooks.  This picture and metal scroll piece were the perfect size for the bare space in between.

 I love a lamp in the bathroom.  A very long time ago, I visited a beautiful home and she had a lamp on her sink...I fell in love!  So ever since, I've had one in each of our baths.

This bath may be small to many...but I love it!  It functions great and is pretty at the same time!

Sara bought this little sign for me one Christmas....now isn't that just the cutest sign?!!  But we don't skip baths on Sunday....