random art creations :: office sneak peek

Last night I stayed up till who knows what time with some old wood, paint, hot tea and my kitty.  Here's what I came up with...
"Have Faith in God and you will have VICTORY"

Thought I'd share...

Also, all the work on Marc's office:
bought 2 amazing desks at the thrift store for $25 each

painted each high gloss Maxi Teal then covered them with a gorgeous black & white graphic fabric then had some glass cut for the top--coulda spent a LOT less buying new desks but would they be this fabulous?  I think NOT!

The rest of the room is on hold because of how much money we've spent thus far but on its way are floor to ceiling curtains in stunning bay window, round conference room table (a.k.a. black dining table), 4 chairs, cozy chair for this corner and I think that about does it....oh and more art.  The one above might go in there if I make a sister piece:)

I forgot to take a close up & this is actually with my phone so a better picture with an actual camera is a must to showcase this room.  I also bought the chair at a thrift store and recovered it in polka dots:)  Happy space, huh:!:??  Will have to make a follow up post with more pictures.  oh...one more thrift store find...miracle actually!  Hold onto your pocket book....the mirror.....$20!!!!  I know!  

This is all I've been working on this week and it feels good to have half of it finished!  I still have to finish the 2nd chair but attaching the buttons are the big challenge...first for me too!

So, yes, this is quite a boring post if not for some pictures.  ni night....let the excitement return tomorrow after some rest & pain meds:)  could use your prayers as well...thanks!

Remember....God loves you & has amazing plans for your life...oh, and YOU are beautiful!!!

love n hugs n polka dots

T

Packed full of adventure :: PAINT, sweets, music & money

Ever notice life, in all its excitement, flying by you faster than you can grab the camera?  Sometimes at the end of the day I get excited to share with you some of my adventures....only to remember I didn't have the foresight to capture them on film.  Stories, at least in my book of life, are much more colorful when told with pictures....I mean, HELLO...just read my writing & you'll agree.

So my goal and promise to you is that I will not only have my camera in my purse at all times (already have that one down), I'll actually pull it out....then USE it!  Imagine what this story could sound, er...I mean look like after a couple weeks or months of faithful practice.

Picture time: I've been really enjoying Instagram but my phone is a bit...uh....well utilized, we'll say....so the pictures it takes are....uh.....less than perfect.   since my camera didn't see past the lining in my purse this week...this is the best my sweet sturdy phone could do:)

these awesome flowers growing right outside my front door....thanks Pam!

my friends at Sherwin Williams & Lowe's have been making my projects great!

mini carrot cakes--you can have 10 and no one would even notice...YUMMMM

live music enhances ANY moment...thanks Alistair!!!!

afternoon playtime with his "pennies"

funky 3D art by Nate Jensen that caught my eye at Discount  Electronics
not only was Lance Armstrong on the wall, there was Sandra Bullock, George W. Bush,
Willie Nelson & some other folks....all pretty funny!

So the concise recap of my adventures from the past few days....ever mindful of decorating life each step of the way:

• T finished swim lessons--now loves the water:)
• thrifting (lots)
• sanding
• painting (3 days worth actually... of nasty oil based paint which resides sporadically on my body, in my hair, on the driveway, in both cars, on coffee mugs and bits on my purse:)
• sealing
• designing
• tearing apart
• rebuilding
• repurposing
• recovering
• baking---yes, ME baking cupcakes from scratch.....simultaneously painting...one, yes, only ONE batch burned in the nutty process
• live music poolside
• goodbye to a friend...moved to NYC (NYC best be good to Vivian)

we even did a few videos I'd love to share....but until my video editing friend can join this process I'll have to keep my  Live Decorated snail pace & you'll have to just live with it.  Wanna know the truth?  I talk a LOT!!!  Which in turn means loads of editing so my videos aren't 15 minutes or more.  

Video's coming soon:

• Exterior staging (2 months ago)
• Garage Door funnies (2 months ago)
• Bless Your Man--building my shelves for the laundry room (which I finished about a month ago) 
• and random little bits of our goofy lives as they happen...and how YOU can Live Decorated.

                                           Tip for the day:

Don't stress about what you DIDN'T accomplish today!  Focus on the highlights of the day & tell God what you're thankful for.

Today my list of "didn't make it there yet" run a full sheet of paper in length....and if you're like me you'll stay up all night trying to catch up so tomorrow starts off right.  

STOP!  

Praise God for who He is!  

Thank Him for what He's done!  

Cast ALL your cares on Him!  

Drink a glass of water...

                                                                  ::::::::::::::::  then GO TO BED!!!!!

I'm finally cooking! miracles do happen

I'm used to calling a recipe a "menu" because that's all I'm used to reading when it comes to food so I had to share this video Marc & I filmed today of me cooking my first meal in....uh....maybe....uh....OK...who knows when!  We're on day 9 of this Fat Sick and Nearly Dead lifestyle shift that will NOT just be a little "get skinny" diet but an entire change to our lives, habits, health & kids!

I'm sitting here typing while my tummy grumbles ....first time in ages.  Loving it!  When I was skinny (and mildly healthy) I loved going to bed between 2-4am with a rumbly belly but since I've been pregnant or nursing for 4 years I'm used to stuffing myself silly in the name of "making enough milk for the baby".  Ha!  He's now 18 months and if my milk dries up we'll all be just fine:)

Enjoy my silly but very serious attempt at dinner...with a twist at the end.  If you don't wanna sit through till the end...let me give you a tip...Marc ends up finishing my work as always:)  No seriously...

its about time for a reboot!!!

My body has been screaming at me for some time now.  Apparently snickers, ice cream, Chick-fil-A and pizza don't make up a balanced diet.  So here I am on Day 4 of my Reboot....and regardless of my energy level now I'm loving how my physical future looks.  The Bible says my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.....this run down temple is getting a swift kick in the bootay!

The scale says I've lost 5 lbs but I really don't care about numbers...I care how my clothes fit!  And once I've conquered my cravings, reboot my body & my taste buds I'm sure I'll get excited about some form of exercising...then the shopping starts:)

Today at the local Farmer's Market with my family....(find a market near you)

crazy quilt = my life's pattern

My Aunt Sunday has this "crazy quilt" (as I've named it) that just puts this great big 'ole smile on my face each time I cozy up with it. I've tried MANY times

Listed :: we're back!

Miss me?  I'm just sure of it!  Wednesday afternoon Marc informed me the photographer would arrive at 1pm to shoot our house & we would put it on the market when the pictures came back.  Ha!  Do you know what that meant? 

I had to get the entire house ready in less than 24 hours as opposed to the week I thought I had.  OK, Honey. 

So well into the wee hours of the morning I toiled and moved furniture & painted & hung artwork.  Even moved a pull-out couch from another house (with the help of my husband after the boys went down).  Whew!  Even when the photographer was shooting the living room I was still mopping the bedroom.  When he was shooting the master I was painting the laundry room shelves (I had only built the day before).

So when Marc said..."hey, let's head down to Aunt Sunday's"  I nearly jumped out of my seat...."yes!....leave now?"    Couldn't ask for a more perfect time to leave...the house is clean, sheets ironed, no trash, everything PERFECT....let's go!  In 2 hours I had the car packed.  After about 46 stops we arrived about 12:30am.

So, you must know....I'm only about 18 posts behind on my Home Staging Project.  I'm sure I'll have time to get to that....uh.....next week?:!:!!)!!(!)   house pics & staging tips soon....really!  For now, here are a couple of pictures from our trip.


 Inspired by the Kentucky Derby ladies sporting their fancy outfits & big hats I had a bit of a Hat Expo of my own.  My Aunt Sunday has about 873 hats & I went hog wild.

 still in my bathing suit I couldn't help myself---hats inspire me.  I had about 6 more on but didn't remember the camera bit!

 this one wasn't my style at all, hence the tight cropping....did I mention I need a camera crew?   

 I love just about anything vintage....here is what's left of her compact & pill box collection after Melissa & I selected our favorites (I held back a bit so as not to wipe out the collection completely:)

vintage hand bags....HELLO!!!!!  Marc said..."what would you do with more vintage bags?"  Men! 

 Grandma Barb's Cape Cod collection was handed down to Sunday & this is just a corner of the display cabinet....you like how I stacked 'em up?

 My boys always have a blast but when the weather allows for pool time our stay is much more enjoyable! what cuties!

 How perfect is Aunt Sunday's timing & hospitality....I love that I was able to capture Marc & T in the background as Sunday goes in for a morsel.

 This was the sunrise view at the pool during my morning prayer time....its so easy to focus on my Creator when the view is breathtaking.

 another fantastic view....Long Pond at Sunset. 

 The other side of Long Pond...all you see are the lily pads with their beautiful blooms.  The water is hiding so cleverly. 

Tough shot but I love the view into this gigantic tree with the plant growing from its base.  Nature....isn't God creative?!!!

Our journey was in many ways a divine appointment....we are so blessed to be walking out God's plan for us and blessing others along the way.  God is faithful & He loves YOU!!!! 
Thanks for taking this journey with us....and for having patience if you're hangin' on for the staging tips, pics & videos!  It's a lot more behind the scenes work that I'm not great at.  Staging & decor...EASY!  Video editing...NOT EASY! 

Hugs n sweet smelling flowers in your hair...
Trish