A Lesson In Line...

I read the sweetest post today...

A Lesson In Line
Her name was Shelby.
She works at the market where I buy my groceries. Yesterday while waiting in line to purchase my groceries I learned a lesson in compassion and the importance of kindness.
Shelby couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, slight in build and shy in nature. Shelby was having a bad day. I mean a really, really bad day. The line was long, and to go along with that long line were some very bad tempers. I watched with sadness as the people in front of me seemed to take out every
frustration they had ever had in life out on poor Shelby. Shelby was trying her very best but even her best was not good enough for these people. Criticisms were muttered under their breath as well as much sighing and eye rolling. One lady kept changing her mind, paper, no plastic, no plastic, no paper, can't you move faster, what's wrong with you, I hate this store, . . . . ..don't squish my tomatoes, watch out for my eggs . .. . and then the unthinkable happened. Poor Shelby got so flustered that she dropped the entire carton of eggs right there on the floor. As she looked down at the shattered mess I couldn't help but think that she was feeling right then just liked that ruined carton of eggs looked. I saw tears well up in her eyes as she surveyed the damage and I wanted to run over to her and scoop her up and hold her in my arms as if she were my baby.
Shelby was beaten down. She was beaten down by unkind words and unkind actions. As it came time for me to be rung up, Shelby looked at me with a timid face all the while preparing for the next assault. I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Shelby, I am so sorry that you are having such a bad day." She looked at me as if she didn't know how to respond. I think she was wondering where I was coming from and what did I mean by that. I then proceeded to tell her that I thought she was doing a great job. Her whole face relaxed into this big, beautiful smile and I literally saw a flood of relief come over her. I told her that I wanted to go buy her a soda or a cup of coffee and bring it back to her. At first she said, "excuse me?" I repeated myself and then she politely said, "no thank you." I then proceeded to tell her about my first day on the job of a local fast food restaurant and some of the mishaps I had been through. I even managed to get her to laugh a little! As I was leaving I told her that she was going to be fine, just take her time and do her best. That's all anyone can do.
As I was leaving I heard the gentleman that was behind me in line say, "Shelby, you are doing great, don't you worry." A smile then crossed MY face because of the goodness and kindness of others. I realized that it takes the same amount of time and energy to be kind as it does to be unkind. I saw first hand that words DO hurt. I also saw first hand how easy it is to "shatter" the self-esteem of another human being. I saw that we can choose to show compassion just as easy as we can choose to show intolerance. I realized that can choose to be patient or we can be impatient. The bottom line is that it is up to us. We
can either "tear down" or "build up." We can either spread darkness or spread light. There are many other Shelbys out there in this world. When we encounter one it will be up to us how we choose to respond. I know I will choose to respond with love!

What a great challenge for me to invest in the lives of those around me! :o)


What did I do today? Well... I've been gone a lot lately so it was mostly catch-up! Cleaning... Emailing... The usual! So I didn't get a whole lot accomplished on my projects other than a couple coats of paint on the new drawers, cupboards and stuff. Just need to:

*Sand the edges of the chair... ( I painted it navy, then white. I'm going to sand the edges to give it a worn look so the navy will show through.)

*Put sealer on the table, windows, chair, and drawers.

Then I should be almost done on painting all the stuff in the dining room! YAY! We can have our dining room back! All the stuff looks terrific though! I do love crackle painting! :o)


Tomorrow To-Do List: (After more "catch-up!")
*Sand the edges of the chair
*Put sealer on the table, windows, chair, and drawers
*Finish putting up wainscoting
*Prime wainscoting
*Paint another coat of navy on wainscoting trim
*Paint 1-2 coats of white on wainscoting
*Paint Burgundy on wainscoting and wipe off. (So the Burgundy will only stay in the grooves)
*Seal wainscoting
*Put trim above wainscoting
*Put trim in corner cabinet
*Install light above corner cabinet
*Hang doors on all cabinets that I took off to paint


Okay, okay.... So, chances are I won't get all that done... But it's on the to-do list anyway! ;o) Nothing like setting your goals high, eh?!?

If you could build a house, what kind would you build?

I was on my message board tonight and one of the threads was exactly that. So I got to thinking.... Hmmm... What kind of house would I build?



To start out, I wouldn't want to build a house. I like old houses. I really do! So let's just paraphrase that question...

"What is your dream house?"



*Sigh* Ahhh yes... My dream house...

An adorable, blue cape cod with a wrap-around porch in the country. Kind of like these...


Cute, aren't they?!?

Porch swing to sit on in the evenings... Red geraniums and ivy in hanging pots... A wind chime tinkling in the warm breeze... An old red barn and a few out-buildings for my "treasures..."

Inside I'd have high ceilings... Nothing formal... All country/cottage decorated... Grapevine wreaths... Barnboard... Wicker baskets... Warm yummy, bakery candles... (Master's Hand Candles, of course! :o) lol) Quilts... And of course my bottles!!!

An entryway...
A cozy living room...
A big, open kitchen/dining room...
Several bedrooms... (Depending on how many kids came along! *grin*)
2 bathrooms... (Less than that and someone always banging on the door just as soon as you get in the shower... Any more than that and there's too many to clean. 2 toilets to scrub is enough!!! lol)
A mud-room/laundry room that all those kids can come into after they've been out having mud-fights. (Those were the best!!! Micah and I had the greatest mud-fights! lol)


*Sigh* Yeah... Sounds lovely! My dream house!
But you know... You can make any home lovely inside like that. All it needs is a paint... Hard work... And a little creativity! ;o)




What have I been up to? I was gone this weekend, so not much got done on my "project." But I did get about 2/3 of the wainscoting up today. YAY! I really think this is going to be very nice when it's done! It'll really tie the room together! I'm so excited!!!


We went to an auction on Saturday! FUN, FUN! I love auctions! We got a bunch of tables and stuff. Mostly for tools and candles. That'll be nice to get more organized!!! Organized is good! Also got some new "projects." An adorable old trunk... 2 ancient-but-lovely porch pillars... a small table that is "crackle-worthy..." LOTS of shelving that we tore apart for the wood... (Hey! All those for 1.00! Can't beat that at Menard's!!! There's a lot of lumber in those shelves!) Yeah... It was fun, fun, fun!!! Now I'm in the mood to go to another! I need to stop though! I've got to finish my current projects first!!! :o) lol


Speaking of which... I should go see if that primer is dry!



*Sigh* I can't think of any cute quips to finish my post off with...
Awww well... I'll just be back soon! ;o)

Why I like doing what I do...

Top 5 reasons why I like doing what I do:

1. It keeps me happily and safely occupied... Off the the streets and it prevents me from embarking on a life of crime.

2. I get a thrill... Almost a "high" from rescuing poor, dirty, lonely and otherwise rejected "treasures."

3. If it weren't for thrift stores (And Christopher & Banks) I would have no clothes at all. Besides that, when someone at church says, "What an adorable sweater! Where did you get it?!" I can sweetly smile and say, "Goodwill... 99 cents." Gets 'em every time! (Most of them are goodwill shoppers too!)

4. Otherwise, I would be sitting on the floor as I wrote this. (Thrift store chair!)

5. Lastly... I can fill my bottle addiction 100% guilt-free! It's .99! So what if I already have a room full... It's only .99! I confess... I love bottles. My one true weakness. *Sigh* Short ones... Tall ones... Fat ones... Skinny ones... Big ones... Small ones... You get the picture! :o) As long as they're that slightly green/bluish tinted color, I'm in love. My future husband won't have to bring me chocolates or flowers... (Although I do love flowers) A bottle will keep me very happy! :o)

Anyway... Those were just some random thoughts that came after mom asked me that question...

Why do you like doing what you do???

What made me laugh today:

You’ll never guess what came down our chimney today!!!

Not Santa... Not the Big Bad Wolf... But an Owl!!!

Our life isn’t normal! :o) lol
We have crazy things happening all the time! This is the 2nd time we’ve had something venture down our chimney. Last time it was a duck. I have no idea how they make it down, but they must find a way because we have an owl in our fireplace as I type! We're going to call Nebraska Game & Parks tomorrow to see how they'd get it out. The duck we just grabbed, took outside and released... but this 'lil fellow has a sharp beak and tallons!



Other than that... Not much new to report… I did the wainscoting on the front and gave the inside another coat of navy. I also did some trim along the bottom and hung hooks to hang our mugs on the shelf inside the cupboard. Now I’m just waiting for another trip to Omaha (probably on Saturday or Sunday) to get wood for the shelves. (That would be the first wood other than trim that we’ve had to purchase!) I’m so excited for this to be done! It’s going to be so pretty!

Anyway, I think I’ll go spread plastic across the dining room floor and get all the extra stuff that I want painted out and ready for tomorrow morning. I’ve got our:

*Dining Room Table ~ I’m just crackle painting the legs. The top will stay wood. I’ve decided that I love tables that have painted legs and wood tops. I want to try it on ours. Couldn’t hurt! After all this is just the table that we got for free at an auction! What is there to loose?! :o)

*A Chair ~ I want 6 different chairs and I’ll paint them 6 different ways, all using navy and white. That way they’ll kinda match, but not quite. Cute and cost efficient! :o) A set of 6 chairs is expensive!! So I'm making my own unique "set!" I’ve got 2 now (Both we got free when we got our free table) so just 4 more to go!

*2 Cabinets ~ They would be the 2 that we got in Omaha at my new favorite salvage yard.

*My 4 Stools ~ I figured that I might as well paint them as long as I have the plastic, paint, and brushes out. It’s getting bad though… I’m starting to get attached to them. I don’t know if I want to sell them. THAT’S WHY I BOUGHT THEM! Ack! It’s so hard being me! “I’m just a girl who can’t say no…” At least when it comes to furniture! I need to refinish my ‘lil buffet turning into a ‘lil kitchen island. I wonder if 2 of them would be the right height for it? Hmmm… That would be a good excuse to keep them! :o) After I was married, we could eat at the island for breakfast... And then after the kids started coming along, they could have their breakfast there when they got up, after daddy and I had already eaten and he had left for work. Awwww.... *sigh*

*Maybe a few windows ~ I have some windows that I’m going to paint and put chains on to hang. I’m going to try selling a few at that craft fair this spring. Again, not necessary to do now, but I might since I have the stuff out anyway. We’ll see.


I do believe that’s it, however I might take a run through my “to-paint” stuff and see if there’s anything else. I hope I marry a guy with a very big shed out back for all my projects! :o) lol

So… Enough typing… I’m going to go spread out that plastic!!!

Still Workin'!

Hey there!
Still working away on the corner cabinet! I SO wish I had pictures! I'm creating away, but you can't see it! *Sigh* Soon... Pictures... Soon...

But guess what?!? The main structure is DONE!!! Yay! I even got the first coat of navy on it. Just need to put in 2 more shelves and wainscoting on the bottom. Then painting, painting, painting and I'm done!!! I can't wait! So far I've spent.... Let's see... $2 on the cabinet door... And the paint! That's it? Yeah! Cool! I just realized that! I've done it all out of "stuff" that we have around here. Old doors... A "landfill piano" that we tore apart. (Landfill Piano is what we "junkers" affectionately call those upright pianos. They say that they're not worth the gas to take them to the dump. Now I beg to differ! They have the BEST old wood! Tear 'em apart! This one was here when we moved in and we already had one of our own which had sentimental value) And all that kinda stuff! Too cool! I'll bet by the time I'm done, it'll cost us less than $20! Yeah! I need pictures!!! :o)

Oh! And we ended up in Omaha again. Went to a NEW salvage yard and.... I LOVE THIS ONE! Only I want to go back when it's warm! :o) lol It's all outside and it was COLD! Besides that, I forgot my coat! Brrrr....
We got a small cabinet that will fit perfectly between the refrig and the oven. We also got the MOST ADORABLE little drawer thing. It's got 3 drawers and looked so forlorn sitting there. As soon as I saw it, I got that feeling. You know that feeling? The one where you know you just HAVE to have it?!? You know it may be silly... Not make sense... Look pathetic... But hey! You want it! Yeah... It gets me every time!!!
Anyway... Neither one had a price on them, so off we went to find the guy. We tracked him down and asked...
Us: "Hey! How much is this little cabinet?" (We started with that first one.)
The Guy: "Well... Ummm.... How about $15?"
Us: "Okay! We'll take it... How about this one?" (Pointing to the 2nd one)
The Guy: "How about $25 for both?"
Us: "Yeah!!!" (Okay... Breathe! Stop acting so excited!!!)

SCORE!!!! It's DARLING!!! Love 'em!
Will post pics when I can! :o) Really!


Also stopped at a thrift store and picked up a set of 4 stools. They are so darling! I mean... They're not darling now, but they will be! We're going to do a craft fair this spring so... I picked up the 4 of them for 35.00 and I figure if I repaint them (They're a nasty green) and purdy them up, I can sell each for that amount! Wouldn't that be nifty? We'll see!


Anyhoo... It's late and I really should go clean up my mess in the kitchen before I head to bed and dream of hammers, paint brushes and my beloved saw! (Have I mentioned that I love my new saw?!?)

Blessings,
~Nicole

More Progress!

I'm back again... But still no pictures. Our camera is on the blink... So I'm just going to have to write about what I've been up to. Which is sad... Because nobody ever really reads what someone writes... They look for the pictures! But until our camera gets new life, I'm just going to have tell you what I'm doing. Fear not though... I will post pictures as soon as I can! :o)

Let's start with yesterday!
We went to Omaha... Scoured Goodwill's... AND... I got a Radial Arm Saw, baby! I probably wouldn't have gotten it, except a friend suggested that I should. I'm so glad that I did! I used it today and I LOVE it!!! THANK YOU!!! :o) It's going to be really nice!
I so desperately wanted to go to the two salvage yards in North Omaha... But we lost track of the time and missed it! *Humph* I was so bummed!!! To finish our escapade, we went to Menard's and got wainscoting and some trim. It's going to be really terrific in there when I'm done! Can't wait to post pics!

So that brings me to today... It took me about 1 1/2 hours to saw through our floorboards! "Why did it take so long to cut through 18 inches of trim?!" you ask.
Okay... So we start with 8 inch floorboards. I think, "Hey.. No problem! I'll just use our jig-saw. (Bad Idea) Let me just say this... Our jig-saw is a terrifying cross between a jack-hammer and a chain-saw! SCARY!!! I made it through about an inch of floorboard... and 2 jig-saw blades when I decided that it was time to stop and figure something else out! (Good Idea) So... I considered just using my teeth, but I refrained. After all, I survived braces, I don't want to loose my nice teeth. But, 1 1/2 hours later... After using a mix of drills and handsaws... I finally got the floorboard off! And believe it or not, it looks good! The remaining floorboard that is supposed to stay looks intact and the "cut" is actually straight! Looks like I used the right tools. :o)
Then I got the doors for the back mitered. I LOVE MY NEW RADIAL ARM SAW! (Did I already mention that???) 45 degree angles, baby. I was puzzling how I would do that since our circular saw is scary too. Though not quite as scary as our jack-hammer-chainsaw-jigsaw. So that's as far as I got. I need to do some electrical stuff before I move on to more cutting/nailing/screwing/cutting/cutting/more cutting... Did I mention that I love my new saw?!?

Anyhoo... I'm off to bed... Hopefully I'll have some more progress to report tomorrow!

Alas, plans have changed...

Well...

Plans have changed! We're going to work on a few projects in the kitchen before we dig into the living room. The far east wall is Mom's "thorn in the flesh." It's kind of cluttered and jumbled. We have to stove, refrig, a table and our mirowave stand all squished in there. The microwave stand is going to go... I'm building a corner cupboard there. It should be adorable when it's done! It's just... I'm not exactly sure what all that will involve!! :o) I'll post pics. later!
I'm pretty much going to make it all from scraps that I have around here. I've got 2 old doors for the back. (That's all the further I've gotten!) I cut those down to the right size last night and then primed them. They match, but they were 2 different sizes. I have to cut them down in different places so that they'd match. Can't wait till it's done!!! Cute!

Also, I want to put wainscoting in too. It'll be waist-highth'ish? We'll see how that turns out! Should be cute!!!

Anyhoo... That's what I'm up to now! :o)

I'm "cool" now! I have a blog!

Well… My first question is:
Can you believe I have a BLOG?!? LOL I never thought I would… But I’d really like to have a place where I just post my latest projects and ideas! Mostly my Interior Decorating/Trash to Treasure escapades! :) You just never know what I might be working on next!

What plans do I have now? Well… Mom and I were pondering over what to do with our living room. It’s awful! To start out with, we have one of those lovely “cottage cheese ceilings!” ICKY! And on top of all that, it’s cracked down the middle. I think it’s from a shifting chimney which has since been fixed, leaving, of course, that crack. And… we had a leak from the upstairs bathroom tub (bad pipes) when we moved in, so we had to cut some of the ceiling out for that. AND… The roof leaked when we moved in, it’s all brown on one side. Not a pretty ceiling! lol Time for it to go!

I was cruising the blog of a very amazing woman. A girl after my own heart! She also had “cottage cheese” ceilings. Her house is ADORABLE! Anyway… she tore out the offending ceilings and replaced with tongue ‘n groove boards. I LOVE IT! I think I got mom talked into it too! Yeah baby! We’re going to re-do the living room!

Why am I so excited to redo the livingroom? It’s the sore-spot of the house as opposed to what it’s supposed to be! Cozy… Homey… A place where we spend time together…

The poor couch is sagging. We got it about 10-12 years ago on a garage sale. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great couch! It’s held up well, surviving all 3 of us kids tearing around and jumping on it. But it’s time for it to die, rotting in some landfill! (Dosen’t that sound morbid?!) So a “new” couch is in the plans. (Okay… New for us! We’ll probably scour the goodwills, craigslist, ect… lol)

I’m on the lookout for an armoire for our TV. I prefer a very old, beat-up barely alive one. One that I can turn into TREASURE! Yeah!

We’ve got plank flooring under our 60+ year old carpet (Betcha didn’t know carpet could last that long, did you? It doesn’t! lol There’s no shag left. We can sweep it now. It’s bad!) But because of the dogs we don’t want to put new carpet in. It just dosen’t work for us! So I’d like to sand the dickens out of it and paint it! (Also an idea from my latest heroine of a woman! You’ve got to look at her blog!) Adorable! Mom’s kind of hard to convince on this one though. We’ll see.

I want to paint the brick on the chimney. It’s brown that clashes with the mantel something fierce! Nasty! I don’t like to gold either… But it’ll have to do! I don’t want to paint that too.

And last of all, everything is just kind of mumble-jumbled around. Furniture stashed here and there. There’s a stand that I want to tear apart for its spindles. (Muahaahaa!) And there are 2 ugly brown upholstered chairs that will find a temporary home in our dumpster before taking up permanent residence with our couch in a landwill somewhere. (Don’t worry… If I consider them trash, they must be something truly awful!

So yeah! Ideas… Just ideas at this point. Mom likes to stop and think about things for a while before we start.

Me?
I’m itchin’ to go start tearing out some cottage cheese ceiling! lol