redoing the redone

i just walked thru my living room the other day and thought "wow, i love this room, i'm so glad i don't have to do anything to it."

yeah. until yesterday, when i spotted this gorgeous buffet thingey at the thrift store...i ruminated for about 20 seconds before i decided it was a "must have." i was not too sad to say goodbye to my old target armoire, which will now be in the garage holding necessary items.

i'm liking this look. kind of mid-century, but still OLD. now, i just need to not go crazy with the redoing and redoing and redoing. i have been known to have a problem with that, haven't i?


oh. one tiny other thing. i did get a new lamp. and i drug this end table out of the garage where it was holding the recycling bin. so THAT doesn't count, does it?

:) happy friday ya'll.

ohhhhhhh. freaky cool.

check it out big here.

that's me smilin'

if you know me well, you know that my smile is one of the things i am most self-conscious about. i have crooked teeth, and that really bothers me. so much so, that early on i got an aversion to the dentist. it's rather severe.

even though i have an ADORABLE dentist. i mean, really, really adorable. i am always worried i will tell him i love him when they give me the crazy gas....:) ha. still. i do not see him very often.

lately, well for the last 6 months, i have had pretty consistent problems with one of my teeth, and sometimes a second. the gums hurt, there is yucky smelling goo, and i am just sure they are rotted to the very core. then, a couple of weeks ago, a THIRD tooth started bothering me. since then, i have had fantasies of going to my 30th reunion next summer with NO teeth. grrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeaaaaaaaattt.

about then, i started doing some serious praying. finally this week i made the appt. that i have been dreading. still praying daily. no headaches lately, but to be honest, that one tooth still feels kinda funky.

anyway, long story short, i have not been to the dentist for 4.5 years. YEARS, people. after full rounds of xrays and pictures, here's the scoop:

i have 1 tiny cavity. very easy to fix. i have 2 lower teeth with fractures, which concern the dentist and he would like to build them up and/or add bridges. none of this is cheap, and i will have to budget the dental work over the next year.

HOWEVER, no periodontal problems. no abcesses. no root canals. NOTHING. just one tiny cavity, and some preventative work. and a pat on the back from the cute dentist, who said, you have very very healthy teeth.


:) thank you Lord!

sunny tuesday

lilies are going strong....

one of the succies has decided to bloom.
one also decided to die, but i chose
not to photograph that for you.

come for lunch?
i made an extra kabob for you!

i like tuesdays - made it thru the dreaded monday, but still plenty of time left to get stuff accomplished. this is my view of the world from my lunchtime spot, the best dang place to "eat out" in the world ;)

have a good day!

air show

Then the Spirit lifted me up,
and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—
May the glory of the LORD be praised
in his dwelling place!
Ezekiel 3:12

for the last 4 days, i've been listening to the sounds of blue angels overhead. it's that time of year for the SF airshow, held this past weekend. i have never been to the show, but i would like to go sometime. i spend a good amount of time outside, watching, though. and listening.

the thing about it is the sound. the sound of those jets. it gets DEEP inside when you hear them. i noticed this weekend, that often when i heard the sound overhead, my eyes would well up with tears.

it could be because these military planes represent the freedom of living here in the usa. i love that little kids get to see these spectacular planes, and get an idea of the kind of things we have to ensure that freedom.

but, i have to admit, as noble as that thought is, and as much as i wholly support the sentiment, i don't think that's it.

i think it's the sound. the SOUND of jets seems to me to be the sound of the Lord. i was thinking i was nuts, til i was talking to a friend this weekend, who said when the angels did a particularly low "fly by" she raised her hands and shouted "hallelujah"! that was confirmation for me. i believe God is in that sound. a demonstration of who He is, His power and might. there is much scripture that makes a case for God being a God of LOUD sounds...and there are lots of sounds that remind me of God, like thunder and waves crashing (remember when God gave me a vision of this sound as his laughter?) and music, too...so, not such a big surprise, i guess.

but still. don't be surprised when you get to Heaven if you find a couple of blue angels zipping around :)

kitchen done :)

schwew! okay, i'm not really done, i have trim yet to paint. but MOSTLY, i am done with the kitchen.

i ended up painting all of the upper cabinets on saturday so that i could get the curtains hung up... and lo and behold, i decided not to decoupage the cupboard doors. they are pretty nice and clean, so i am content.

can't even tell you how happy i am in this room. it's best in the early evening, with the sun coming in the west window. look at those roses glow :) seriously. i can hardly wait til about a month from now when i am canning. it will be a wonderfully warm and happy place to be.

oh. found a neat home for the chickies i bought. i decided to make them wall art, so they got their own little nook to live in! an old funky baking tin, and a 50 cent frame i spray painted.

sigh. ;)

yay friday!

yay friday is right. for the first time this month, i am having a "me" weekend coming up. sadly to say, those are my favorites :) but, the garden needs a major weeding, and the house could use cleaning too. it's all good. i have noticed there is alot of color around here lately. i like color.


tomato update. wow. they are SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW. after a big start. i think all the rain was kind of not good. i have blight on quite a few, and the topsy turvey planter guy died. but, still, they come. and oh are they yummy!!!


here's the progress update on the "unfurling" plant. he's out there!! this pot is fantastic, must be happy in it's location. i love when the teeny tiny stuff gets amazing. much more satisfying than buying stuff that is already big and pretty. go elephant man! (that's the plant, people).


one more addition to my dear collection of deer. this one is kind of more "traditional" but i love the leaping, and the colors really fit my decor. how many ceramic deer can i find? many, many more, i am sure ;))

anyway, hope you all are blessed and colored this weekend. He reigns!!

progress?

the first time i got an email from the president, i admit it surprised me. how did he get my address? the whole thing was kind of intriguing, yet creepy.

now, i admit that i just throw them away without opening them. if he were on facebook(which i'm sure he is), i'd probably unfriend him for being boring :)

paper or plastic?

i thought you guys would appreciate this photo of how the nice man at the grocery store individually bagged almost my entire grocery order - apparently, so that they did not mess up my nice recycle bags. i ended up with 6 plastic bags tucked into my 2 handi-wipe bags.

now that's thinkin' green ;))
he he.



oh. time for a pink kitchen update. i got the nook wall painted chocolate last weekend, and got the chairs recovered with some leftover upholstery fabric, too. yesterday i went and got a curtain rod and those little clip dealys that you put on them...but i was not sure how much fabric to use...i think i did not use quite enough. however, that window gets alot of kitty traffic, so maybe it's fine. next up, this weekend i am going to paint more white trim, and maybe try to decoupage some fabric on the cupboard doors. i have an idea of how to do it without totally ruining the cabinets, but who knows :)

i still kind of love the color.

tuesday cheer

i can tell that today is the day that i need to get outside. after several busy weekends, and busier weeks, i am so missing the back forty. luckily, it does fine in my absence. although there are a fair share of weeds to deal with, i don't think they are winning quite yet. the lilies and coneflowers and nasturtiums and dill blossoming right now are taking care of that.

sigh. don't ya'll feel better now? get out there and enjoy the beautiful day!!

go ye

rob hotchkin

caleb brundidge

this past weekend was my evangelism school weekend. it was great, as i expected. i really love it that the guys from extreme prophetic were able to come visit little ole sioux falls (from phoenix). we are so blessed here to get major players to come and minister, whether it be in music or teachings...yay God!

anyway, the weekend pretty much was meant to encourage us to think of evangelism NOT as a thing reserved for, um, evangelists. the point is that evangelism is a lifestyle, one that Christians are called to live. i liked that thought. i like the thought that every day, God presents opportunity to do His work on earth, and we are His chosen workers!!! wow, that blows my mind. i guess i was encouraged that i do some things "right" in that i am fairly bold about God in everyday conversation, but boy oh boy, i could do so much more.

rob and caleb were both great, rob is a dynamic speaker and sweet spirited guy, funny and humble and radiating God. he made it look easy. he just TALKS to people, gets into what they are about, and what their needs are. he loves people. he is genuine. he made me want to be like Christ. he is the one who coined the description of himself as a "recovering intellectual" - which i love!!

caleb is the one is was afraid of. i mean, wow, i will never be a cool looking black dude! ha. i have never talked to him before, but this weekend i saw that he is a guy with strengths and vulnerabilities, just like all of us. i think my favorite part of the weekend happened when he was helping us to do some "freeing up" worship before we went out in the streets. because i know he teaches prophetic dance and flagging, i was a little afraid. however, i was able to break past it and DANCE. probably for the first time in my life!! i have always been too self conscious to dance. i was amazed at how it felt and i thought "Lord, this is kind of easy!" ha. later at lunch, i was telling caleb about my insecurities, and he said "don't think of it as dancing, think of it as moving. God wants movers, people who are free and able to move without fear."

so there you have it. i'm a mover now.

oh. and there were quite a few neat encounters at the mall, where we ministered. including one young kid (heard about this, did not see it) who gave his life to the Lord, while selling hair straighteners.

:) happy monday.

cool day

check out the new chickies i got for the kitchen!

happy friday everyone. it has been a busy week, and i am tired and ready for the weekend. the cool weather is still kind of perplexing me, the cat and i were bundled up on the couch last night with the afghan. yes, it's july here in sd, and the afghan is still a staple of daily life! weird!

thrifted this $5 table on wednesday.
gonna put some of the succies on it this fall.
it's sitting right by my office desk window.
sweet!

otherwise, all is well. i have a couple of big projects to pitch next week, and i'm still doing okay, even though the job market is very grumpy. i have so far seen no real decline, i just have to justify myself much more than i used to :) ha. plus, the little slow down has been nice...i think a relaxing summer is a good gift to enjoy.



so, what does a girl do on a beautiful fall afternoon in july? make cookies, naturally! in celebration of friday, and chocolate, and this very wonderful life.

happy weekend all!

why care about Israel?

lately, i have found a lot of discussions about israel going around in the christian circles i travel. i must admit, i've always gotten kind of confused, as an american christian, about how to feel about israel. i know God loves israel, but you know, WHAT ABOUT ME?

last night i heard an interesting teaching from a guy named steven collins. you can read the article here if you like. basically, he presented evidence from the bible that the US is what God labels "israel" in the bible, and that what we CALL israel is what God calls "judah." this is his interpretation of the 12 tribes of israel...he used alot of scripture to prove his point, but still, it was a bit deep for me to grasp.

the thing that kinda makes sense is that we (US) have a huge nation that was formed on the principals of the bible, and that we are sadly straying so far from those roots. and that God must be calling us to repent, at least that is what i am feeling deep, deep down inside.

something to think and ask God about, for sure.

ps. after re-thinking this guy's stuff, i have to say that i am not sure i'm buying it. i thought that his "clues" that helped him reach his conclusion (that the US is clearly in the bible) were quite a stretch from the actual scriptures he used to support them. not sure, but i think there is a cause for discernment here, not everything that everybody says is necessarily a Truth from God.

pretty pink

oh. oh. i forgot to tell you about the neat poster i got in the mail last week from jill bliss.

she's an artist i found on etsy. love her stuff, her drawings are done with colored sharpie markers.

this green and pink one matches the new kitchen digs pretty nicely. and the new/old spraypainted pier one frame is good for the thrifty side of me.

art. makes. life. better.
that's all i'm sayin.'


ps. this is the actual plant that i found a pic of. cool!!!

beautious

ah. had a great time at the arts festival with janet and kristie lou. we have been there together 3 yrs. in a row now. a TRADITION, which i love.


lou and i both bought a bird. lou's is a wonderful piece by sarah kargol. she paints monsters. this one is a monster riding on a swimming bird (duck?). very very cool.

mine is a garden bird made out of wood and bottle caps. i think i love him.


i came home to somebunny waiting for me. nuthin' better.


also came home to my asiatic lilies' decision to bloom. sigh.


also getting used to the new haircut. not sure yet, but i think it has promise.


happy weekend friends!

toe love

so i got my first pedi yesterday. carey and i were talkin' about how weird it is that i am 46 and have never had one. especially since i kind of love my toes. they don't change all that much with age, and they don't gain weight, either :)

anyway, what a fun experience! i admit it was kind of like having a root canal when they were digging away, but aside from that, the little spa treatment was great. the greatest thing was sitting by carey and chatting, while 2 asian women chatted in their language, and of course we wondered what they were talking about. i don't think it was us! maybe, but they didn't act like it. carey asked for a "flower" because that is the hip thing to do, and i LOVED watching my lady make mine!!!! she was good. very steady hand, and i even got a little gem in the middle :)

now, i hope gardening with socks and boots on will not be too much of a bother. ha. at least for TOEday, all is well :) happy weekend!

jumping on the wagon

i've been meaning to tell you about how i am finally getting with it. getting rid of plastic shopping bags, i am!! i tell ya, it's taken awhile, as i have resisted the urge to be "trendy" about being environmentally responsible. i'm also cheap. (to be clear, i don't go around freely throwing away plastic, either. i save those bags until there are mounds and mounds of them in my house, then i drop them off at the salvation army, who uses them in their thrift store).

these bags were 99 cents at the grocery store this week. i kind of like them! even though they are made from that weird handi-wipe fabric that i hate. i do think i look kind of trendy when i carry them. might need to buy some outfits to match, you know, to really show how green i am :)

ha. i hope i remember to use them. i bought 5, and i really think that is the most groceries i will possibly ever buy at one time. i could be wrong, but i think that. on second thought, i should probably pick up a couple more, as i do like to eat.

minnesota will no longer shun me, of this i am pretty sure.

a day late

and a dollar short, as my dad used to say. that's how i feel this morning, after an amazing rainfall last night (about 1.2" here) that left me wishing the rain barrel had been plugged in. oh well. God takes care of things, with or without a rain barrel i guess. notice that i cannot QUITE shut the garage door when bert is in there now. sigh.


the storm last night reminded me of the spirited conversation i had with lou about weather radios over the weekend (by "spirited" i mean that i ranted, and she just sat there :))

she is convinced they are a necessary item for when she is sleeping and the storm comes (i am pretty sure there is a bible verse about that). i am convinced they are silly. i kind of have eyes, ya know? anyway. as i was driving home last night from hyvee heading north, i would have turned one on, had i had one, because it looked .... weatherish. like bad and swirly and blue-purple. like i needed some kind of confirmation that it was dangerous.

however, this morning, the urge has passed to obtain such a thing... i am such a livin' on the edge girl!


in other news, tomorrow these feet will be, um, cared for. by another besides me. for the first time in their 47 (almost) years. i feel sorry for that person, but they are excited ;)


here is a shot of my morning coffee view. all is well when i look at this when i rise.


hope you have a great wednesday all!

stuck

so far this tuesday:

• my computer email was stuck and required a visit from the mac doctor, and two+ hours of database rebuilding (10,000 emails deleted)

• the city has chosen TODAY to remove all of the electric poles in my neighborhood, and has run their vehicle (revving included) constantly since 8am, right outside the office window

• i tried to wash a load of laundry, and the washer got stuck on the spin cycle til i turned it off and jiggled it

• i could not get the grill started to grill my lunch veggies, and when i tried to start it with a candle lighter, it blew up with a giant WHOOOOOOSH and nearly scorched my entire body - however, it then worked and i got to eat







i am wondering if the afternoon is going to get better, or worse. might want to pray for me if you can.

fire free fourth

hey all.

hope you had a great weekend! i had a relaxing time in lincoln, although the weather did not exactly cooperate. it was kind of dreary on both friday and saturday, causing us to skip the fireworks, and make the call to stay indoors.

on saturday, we did trek down to the haymarket in lincoln. the farmer's market was going on, and it's a good one.


i got a "monster" succie to accompany some of my other ones. isn't he cute?


i also got some new bling, a leather-ish cuff to wear. it matched my outfit at the time. of course.


i came home yesterday to an ever-growing garden, complete with a beautiful clematis greeting (and a very sunny day).


apparently, it rained in these parts over the weekend, too. i brought home the rain barrel that kristie's dad made for me, and just need to get it hooked up....and painted, of course. life is good over here on the forty, thanks lou for the fun weekend.