Please Read!!

Please take the time to read this and please please consider praying over this.


http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2012/12/from-my-heart.html

Black Shabby Chic Dresser

More DIY dresser fun.
A mid century, cheap, sad dresser for $30

 The legs on the dresser were so unstable

 The fake wood was chipping away. 

 

There are some dressers you HAVE to paint.  This dresser was sad!  But after much wood filler, paint, new (old) legs (which I already had and some new handles...

 

 I decided to accent the drawers with brass handles which I found for smokin deal.  I thought it would add some detail with the birds. I love good knobs/handles...it's like jewelry on a dresser. 

 

 

When I purchased the brass handles they were completely brown but I sanded them a bit to bring out the gold which I thought complemented the distressed dresser.

Before

After

Turned out to be a great dresser.  I was really pleased.

 

 

Purchased dresser for $30

handles $40

left over paint 0

 

Sold dresser to a really cute newly wed couple on CL for $180

 

 





Oily Skin??

A little trick I learned a while back...

If you have oily skin you'll appreciate this...I think?  You know those little blotting sheets for oily skin,

 

 

Well guess what else works like a charm!  I know it sounds totally gross but think about it, it is completely sanitary.  My skin tends to be on the oily side and when I don't have my handy blotting sheets on me this is what I do.  My girls are like "mom, what the heck are you doing????" lol

 

"Captivated" Official Trailer from Media Talk 101 on Vimeo.

This One's for you, Friend

I can't imagine a lot of people would want to live in LA, and now after several visits I see that not a lot of people would actually "fit in" in LA.
 
When Dawn mentioned they were pretty sure they were moving back to LA, honestly, I thought they were crazy.  What?? I thought Dawn had discernment and strong convictions???  For sure she was off her rocker, hit her head, mild brain damage???  No way this was from the Lord.  I didn't understand why they would want to raise their kids there?? Why the heck they would want to move away from their home, parents who lived minutes away, and close friends???  Clearly, I was not discerning well.

Fortunately I have had many opportunities to visit with Dawn thanks to hubby's job that requires trips to LA.  I remember my first visit, getting to go with her to her woman's bible study.  Not at all what I, SBC raised, was use to!  All of a sudden it was like we were in a different world and she not only understood their language but she spoke it too. I felt so out of place, kind of a twilight zonish feeling.  Not bad, just different.  It wasn't her Scottsdale group of girls anymore which felt odd...but at the same time, comforting because we had all prayed for her.  I sat there and began to cry because I realized my friend would not be coming back anytime soon.  She was where she was suppose to be and even though she didn't feel it at the time, I could see that she was going to be okay.  It was sad but so good.  And I can tell you every visit there after God has confirmed how fitting LA is for the Gregg's.  You know the saying "it was like the mother ship calling them home"... that phrase comes to mind every time I am out there. No doubt in my mind they are where they're suppose to be.  It's amazing now to see how God was preparing them for this sooooooooo many years ago, before they even knew the Lord.

If you've known Dawn for 5 minutes you know she is gifted with the ability to articulate well.  And I say 5 minutes cause you won't get much fluff out of her, she likes to get to the heart of things quickly...love that!  I'm not sure how she does it but when she speaks, it all makes sense, common sense, logical I guess.  And she does it so quickly.  She's prepared no doubt, cause she's a thinker.    Most likely she has thought this conversation out long before OR she has experienced something similar.  Not to mention, her gift of discernment...which is a bit freakish if you ask me.  It's like she's in your brain sometimes lol.  It's great hearing about her conversations/ challenging conversations she has had with people God has placed in her path.  The way she is able to talk with them, in such a loving yet truthful way, AMAZES me to no end!!  It's crazy to me how she gets peoples wheels turning.  And LA is a place that needs to slooowww dooowwwn and think!  I guarantee when someone walks away from having a convo with Dawn they are still thinking and thinking and thinking...I know it for sure, cause that is the affect she has on people and they love and respect that about her...well, not all love it...actually some hate it, but deep down, they love it.  They're just being prideful cause now they have to re-think something they really don't want to lol. 

Another great thing about Dawn in LA...she does not have a judgemental bone in her body!  Truly, not one.  Watching her interact with friends, neighbors, strangers etc. is so great.  It's such a beautiful picture of love.  If you don't think you are a judgemental person, spend some time in LA interacting with people and you will soon realize how easy it is to judge.  Like Dawns pastor said, people come to LA to find themselves...there are a lot of lost people there.  I know I know, lost people are everywhere, it just seems like a different kind of a lost to me, one I am not that familiar with?  I can tell you though, it's a lost that Brad and Dawn identify well with.  A kind of lost their souls are drawn to and grieve over.  When you hear them speak you hear their deep deep love for the people of LA.   It is so obvious their souls are deeply burdened and it is clear they are severing a purpose their hearts have longed for. 

So I can't really end this post without mentioning something I actually can't speak a whole about lol...does that make sense??  It's something I don't really get or understand.... modeling, acting, TV, film etc.  In fact I know Dawn thinks I am a total dork because I am clueless.  That's okay cause here's what I think...I don't need to get it.  For the Gregg's modeling, acting, t.v, movies, and filming are simply vehicles into peoples lives.  Vehicles God has gifted them with.  And its so fun to see them use their gifts.  It's the intriguing part of her family I enjoy getting to know and all the more reason they are there and I am not! Trust me, if you are not a model, aspiring actor, director, filmer OR, don't have knowledge of who won the emmy's, golden globes or know the latest gossip on whats going on in Tom Cruses life then conversations are just not go very far there lol.  No but serious, you can't live in LA and not know this stuff.  Which is another great thing, her kids know this stuff too but it's with a biblical understanding.  She is so great in pointing out the culture to her children.  She is helping them discern. They talk A LOT about this stuff and she challenges their thinking and informs them so that they too will be prepared when conversations come up. 

Really, I feel like I can go on and on.  Every time I leave LA I tell my husband, "wow, I just can't picture the Gregg's anywhere else!"  If they were fish, this would be their water.  Seriously, if only my brain could explain what my heart sees every time I'm there. 

Gregg's we all miss you dearly oh so dearly... but we would never wish you back on account of us.  You are exactly were you are suppose be and I am praying BIG things happen in LA!!

all my love, prayers, kim crawford, tears, dorkiness, and confidence

lucy

Blue Dresser

$30.00 Craig's list find
A heavy well built dresser with real brass handles. In good shape...just needed a good cleaning and some paint.

 Brass handles I later soaked in vinegar and salt.  Cleans them right up.  How to know if it's real brass...put a magnet to it...if it sticks it's just brass plated. 

AFTER...

 Handles cleaned up nicely don't ya think?

My $30.00 dresser was re listed on Craig's list for $135...SOLD
$30 dresser
$15 paint
sold for $135
equals $90 profit...not too bad
I realize I could have listed it for more because as soon as I listed it I had several calls.  It was a well made dresser.  I guess I am still a bit insecure in my work.  $90 profit for some dresser fun is worth it tho, for me.


Off to a friends house for some more dresser fun...



JUST A THOUGHT I HAD THE OTHER DAY

You know when you meet someone for the first time and you go to shake hands and they give you a very limp hand....ewwww, spit, blahhhck, ptooo!!  It literally grosses me out.  Honesty, gross!!  I cant pull my hand away quick enough.
That's how I feel when I hear a passive, mediocre, wimpy, safe, middle of the road, on the fence, soft, thinks he's profound but sooo not, kind of pastor.

BITTEN HARD BY THE PROJECT BUG

Man oh man...I woke up the other day and I could not do enough projects in to satisfy!  I started off with moving things around in the girls room...then I went to the garage and pulled out one of the three dressers i have been meaning to get to, and started to sand it.  Then I began to spray paint some of the handles I purchased for a cabinet I am going to work on soon. Then I jumped in the car with the girls and headed to the thrift store since I had not been there in a while.  I found a SCREAMING deal on a Mid-Century love seat. The cushions need to be re-done cause they are pretty ick.  The wood was completely dry and had multiple scratches...Here are some before and afters.

 This is not the greatest picture cause the sun was behind the chair so it doesn't show the condition the love seat was in.

 

AFTER:

Look at that sexy leg!!

 So now I am trying to decide what fabric I am going to do the cushions in...or just sell it?  I am thinking if I keep it (which I literally have no room for it) I will do a white cushion cause I think that would look really nice up against the dark stain.  Here is an example of another one I found on line.  I like how they did one large cushion for the seat.

So now I am off to sanding the dresser I started, finish the handles I began spray painting, and several other things I'm dying to get my hands on.  It feels good to be back...the weather and life really left me with no desire to do much in the way of design.

Fear and Frustration

Lately when I think back to the conversations I had about giving our womb over to the Lord, emotions begin to come up.  Emotions of fear and frustration.  In the past week we have seen two families lose their babies...one to SIDS and the other just 54 minutes after giving birth.  I got in bed the other night completely overwhelmed with deep sadness for theses families, when I began to pray for them, all I could do was cry. 

The couple who lost their baby to SIDS had given their womb to the Lord years ago and until recently they had nine beautiful children...all gifts from the Lord.  Nine. beautiful. healthy. children.

 The other day I was told that I was crazy because I desired to have more children.  If I would have allowed my flesh to take over I would have had a few choice words for that person.  The church seems to be caught up in numbers.  It says in the Bible that CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING!  With comments like that it is obvious some hearts don't truly believe that.  It's the only blessing I can think of that we want to limit, out of fear I imagine.  Whether we are blessed with 1, 3, 5 or 9 the fear is not in the numbers!!  The true fear is completely handing your womb over to the Lord to do with what He pleases.  Think about it...9 beautiful healthy children, really, that is our fear???  We should all be on our faces singing praises if God saw us fit for that many rewards.  Christians, the fear is that we live in a sinful fallen world...that is freaking scary!  Lets get honest...when we see or experience multiple miscarriages, tubal pregnancies, having a downs baby, or a still born, or see someone carry their child in their womb for 9 months only to hold her in their arms for a short 54 minutes of her life...........that is the bone chilling, scared stiff, I don't know if I can, fear!!!  But then as you draw closer to God, the Creator of the Universe, He begins to overwhelm you and overtake your heart with a Greater Fear. Proverbs 9:10, and then with absolute fear and trembling you begin to slowly hand everything over to the One who IS faithful and trustworthy of it all.

We as believers need to be careful (and I speak for myself) of how we communicate to the world our view of children.  We need to look to the examples of how Christ communicates His view on His beloved children. 

 Children ARE the blessing...the sickness and death are not. That is the result of sinful fallen world.

Lord, from the depths of my heart, I beg you to please let these families taste your goodness very very soon.  Use this for your great Glory to turn hearts toward you.  Allow people to see how faithful and how trustworthy you are!  You are worthy of it ALL!

When We Let Go and Let God...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBzPi2GbkI&feature=player_embedded
just incase video does not come thru.

Sweet Salvage...

is the name of the place my mom, girls and I visited today.  INSANE!!!!!

Sweet Salvage is the perfect name...it is sweet and about 90% of it is salvage.  If you like that kind of stuff you will be in heaven!  It's pretty big and they have A LOT of stuff!!  It reminds me of Bungalow in Scottsdale but waaaaaaay cheaper. 

Here are some of the pics i snapped while i was walking around. Sorry I took them with my phone so they are not the best pics...

Who in their right mind would stand in a line like that????  Me!...but i have never claimed to be in my right mind!  I waited a total of 63 minutes in line!!!  Honestly, my pictures did not do this place justice. 

So you are probably wondering what the heck did I buy that I would stand in a line for so long...

Instead of typical (because we all know I am not typical!) planters I went with these.  The one on the right is an old rusted (LOVE RUSTED) wash machine bin.

 the one on the right I bought at a different thrift store.  They get pretty pricey if you buy pots at a regular store.  Now that we are landscaping our back yard I am in need of some cool planters.

To show you how big this pot is...  It's pretty big.  I love it so much!!  It's going to look great with all the other rusted stuff I have outside.

 I always wanted one of these but I could never find an S.

For all who have sat at my kitchen island and complained about the very uncomfortable stools I had...I love that these new/old ones add a bit of an urban touch in my house.  I may scruff them up a bit more or maybe paint them???  Actually looking at them now in the pic I think I'll paint the light brown in the middle a different color and leave the rest. 

I did buy one other really cute thing but it's a gift so I can show it...ohh it's so cute.

So, if you decide to go to sweet salvage...

1.  Be prepared to find great stuff!!

2.  Be prepared to deal with a crowd of people and a long line. They told me it's better on the weekend but I find that hard to believe.  They do put out new stuff every night so it shouldn't be too picked over if you decide to wait and go on Sun.

3.  They are only open every 3rd Thur. Fri. Sat. and Sun. of the month

4.  You may want to leave the kiddos at home (my very patient mom and kids sat in the car for an hour while i waited to check out...did i say VERY PATIENT mom and kids.  I treated them to lunch afterwards and begged for their forgiveness lol.)

5. Call me before you go, cause I wanna go back!!!!!

Here is their blog if you want to check them out a little bit more and get directions.

It's a Hello Kitty Birthday Today

WAKE UP, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!...Were the first words out of her mouth today.  Oh the joy this child brings to me on a daily basis!

My Madi Sunshine, you make me happy EVERY DAY!!