Wired Up!

Today, I put words & talk into action. I actually completed a DIY project! Whew... that was hard. I bought this lamp at a yard sale during the summer. Yes, count the months... SIX months ago. I've been staring at it, tripping over it & shuffling it around my house WAITING for it to magically remake itself. Turns out, they don't do that no matter how much you want them to. Instead, I needed to get dirty - or get covered in paint & fabric strings.

I forgot to take a pic of the full "before" photo, so these will have to do. You can still get a sense of the hideous color and condition that the lamp & shade were in.

The mustard seed with dirty seams color just didn't quite cut it for me, so I bought some really great turquoise spray paint and made it better. My only prepwork on this was to clean the lamp base with a wet rag and tape off the metal and cording (they don't need to be turquoise, too). Then I tore off the shade material, leaving me with two wire rings.

Spraying the base took 2 coats. I bought the "good stuff" rather than the cheap-o cans of paint. I will never go back. The only reason I had to hit it with a second coat is because I missed a few spots completely in the initial spray. If I had been more diligent, I'm sure one coat would have been sufficient. But let's move past paint...

I found some great material (which I unfortunately did not photograph before shredding it and tying it to the shade rings. Oops! I bought 2 fat quarters & 2 pre-cut yards of material that would complement my choice of base color.

Then I spent more than 2 hours sitting in front of the lamp & the television tying the shreds onto the shade rings in an organized, yet haphazard manner. I'll let you be the judge on whether it is full enough, colorful enough, matchy-matchy enough, etc. You can judge, but I'll still like it anyway.

This little light of mine... I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Living the rag life,
Fame

Ever So Thankful

We are regularly thankful for the "easy" things (the in-the-moment items), we can be reminded to be thankful for the "forgotten" things (things we take for granted)... but how many can say that you've expressed your thanks to God and to others in your life for the silver linings... the blessings that come from "pain"? Praise God through the pain, through the trial, through the fire.

Our pastor gave us homework to do this week: list the easy & the forgotten stuff, look for the thankful moments in the painful circumstances... and then ACT on them. Say thanks to those that have been a part of your reasons for being grateful.

Today, I'm thankful for chickens that provide food & enjoyment for my family, a new cat that gives me something to care for, money to pay bills nearing their due dates, shelter & comfort that I overlook daily. I have grown into the pain of my stroke, and I am so grateful that I suffer through what is considered minor "aftershocks". I walk. I talk. I eat. I breath. All of these things I am thankful for. 

The trial of my son's ADHD... I have not come to grips with the silver lining of this yet. I am thankful that it means he is an extremely intelligent being, and I am enormously grateful to the Lord who gave him a wonderful disposition. So many other boys with this illness are aggressive & combative. My son can be argumentative, but he is soft-hearted and empathetic.

God, thank you most of all for my husband, who held me up to you during the most painful parts of our lives together. He has been strength when my own has failed. He guided me back to you when I wandered. He grounds me. Thank you.

A Turquoise Gem

I've had this small night stand sitting in my craft room for-ever. My husband despises it (and the 3 other small tables that seem to be lingering around the house) because it takes up precious space in our small, humble abode. So! I. Finally. Did. It. I refinished it.

It only took 2 days. I've put it off and procrastinated at every opportunity because I thought it was going to be difficult. That's the lie that procrastination tells me, whispers in my ear... "it's difficult", "it'll take so much time", "it's hard, hard, hard". Big fat liar!

One piece of sandpaper, two coats of latex paint & one coat of polyeurethane later...

Voila! A beautiful new table for someone's bedside! Now I just need to defeat Monsieur Pro C. Stination on those other tables.

 

May Our Thoughts Be Pleasing

What better way to start the day than a devotion that says to me "keep your mouth shut". Hmmm. I've been challenged in this area my whole entire 36-year life. When God reaffirms this statement (okay, so I paraphrased), it's time to pay attention.

 

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

"A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly." Prov. 12:23

"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret." Prov. 11:13

I am thankful that I married a man that will listen to me ramble, raise his eyebrows when I've said too much, and be patient with me when I forget that I can be silent. I pray for the understanding to know that in all three of these times, I can be still. I also pray that the Lord keeps my idle words from springing forth. I hope that you find the strength with me not to blurt out folly.

God bless!
Fame

Thirty-Second Blog

When I started this journey into cyberspace, I wanted to craft glorious stories of my daily life that would draw people in to read and read and read. Then I visited a few of my favorite blogs and found that I was looking for something but had to muddle through long (but funny or poignant) recollections of how the author had happened across whatever s/he was "selling", discovery of an amazing donut shop, the best bread recipe known to man, the secret to Olive Garden's salad dressing. Whatever it was was sorta buried. I didn't mind delving into a portion of their lives to get the goods, but three paragraphs later, I just wanted what I had come to find. That led me to believe that there's a shorter way to do this... three parts in 30 seconds. Part 1: Greet & intro, Part 2: Tell what you know, Part 3: The parting shot. The "glorious" part is difficult; three parts will be much simpler. And, Simpler is my new existence.

**Special Note: I'm sure I'll break my cardinal rule some days, but I solemnly vow to keep it simple to the best of my ability!

Simply Love a Latte

When your daily scripture starts out "Simply love", you know it's going to be a fabulous day! I simply love my God, my husband, my son and my life. I simply love to smile. What a great day!

Today, as I enjoy life, I enjoyed it with a wonderful (and inexpensive) homemade Chai Tea Latte. My new lifestyle (without paycheck but certainly not with a "job") doesn't afford me the luxury of my favorite latte. What's a girl to do? Make her own, of course.

Knowing that steamed milk is what makes it a "latte" as opposed to just tea with milk... I remembered hearing/reading/knowing to use a microwave to steam milk. The time to test it is simply now!

 

Chai Tea Latte
6-8 oz. water (leaving lots of room for additions)
4-6 oz. milk
1 Chai tea bag
3 sweeterner packets (or 2 teaspoons sugar)
2 mugs (1 smaller for milk & 1 large for water and final drinking)

Heat water for 2 minutes in a large mug that has plenty of head space. Place the tea bag in the mug and allow to steep about 2-3 minutes, depending on the desired tea strength, dunking the tea bag several times to get a full flavor.

Once your tea has brewed, remove the tea bags & add the sweetener.

 

In a separate mug, microwave the milk. This will steam your milk into a froth, start with 1 minute and then continue in 20 second intervals until you get the bubbles you are looking for around the top edge of the milk.

 

Add the milk to the tea, stir. It may be too hot to drink immediately, so be patient. Don’t scorch your mouth or you won’t be able to enjoy this luscious drink!

*If you prefer an iced beverage, pour the latte over whole ice cubes (not crushed, or you’ll get an instant watery latte). Be advised though, that since this beverage isn’t as thick as those made by baristas, adding ice will result in a thinner latte; for a thicker beverage, use whole milk.

*For a stronger, spicier Masala flavor, find a genuine Indian Masala tea blend. They can be found in ethnic markets or gourmet marts, such as Central Market or Sprouts.

I love a latte, and this is my favorite. If you try it, let me know how your version turns out!

With a Latte Love,

Fame

Let's call it... My Sabbatical

In my bible devotional today, I realized why I am on my current journey... what I'm now calling My Sabbatical. Webster defines "sabbatical" as a break or change from normal routine; leave. Hebrews 4 (Holy Bible, NIV) describes a day of rest according to God's own example, what we refer to as the Sabbath. I realized that (one of) His intent for my Sabbatical is to find, learn & grow my faith. Not just to rest, but rest in Him.

As I worked my way towards this period of time, I was looking most forward to removing the stress and tension that my employment caused me. Now, I see that I should have been (and will be) looking forward to spending time with Him, and my family. Seeking His Word today, my eyes gravitated toward this passage.

Hebrews 4:10 "For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His."

Though I know that I still have work to do... the laundry doesn't "do" itself, I know that I rest from my previous job, and I will seek solace and peace in Him who is mighty and Good. Today, I pray that you will seek Him in your resting period, whether it is a moment, an hour or the entire day.

 

Welcome Home!

I'm not sure where to begin. I'm starting over... no job, no income. This is my attempt to loose the words running around in my head, the thoughts floating through my consciousness. I hope you enjoy my rantings and glean some pearls of wisdom from them.

I'm home. Each day, I care for my husband, my son, the chickens, our home. I manage household duties, a domestic diva extraordinaire! I'm new to this life, as I'm new to blogging. I hope there'll be an audience gather along the way. If not, at least I'll have a release for all this pent-up information.

Come, follow me.

Fame
the Camo Rose