ThankFULL!

We are all so blessed aren't we?! Sure, life can throw you curves and get you down but at the end of the day there is always, always something to be thankful for. Some days I am overwhelmed with how grateful I am for my life.

That quote hits home hard. Everything that we have is not really ours. It is God's. We are just entrusted with managing it here on this earth. Whether it is our home, our finances, our children, our spouse's soul...it will all leave this earth one day or we will leave it. We cannot take it with us when we go. Does God delight in how I manage my blessings? Am I being a blessing to someone else? Am I telling God "thank you" enough? All I know is that I am trying....everyday.

Several of my Facebook friends have been posting what they are thankful for and it is so encouraging to read those each day. I just have to throw out all the things I am thankful for both big and small. Because there is so much we do take for granted until they were to disappear from our lives. So I will list my things I am thankful for but just know that even if all of these things were to disappear...I would still LOVE my God and trust in Him...because "the Lord is good."

 

I am thankful for:

• Christ's sacrifice for my sins which were/are many
• My husband/my best friend/my partner in parenthood: He is a blessing to me and Jonah and strives to live and be an example of Christ. He is not perfect but I love him anyways.
• My son Jonah, my baby boy and light of our life. He shows me what true love it everyday.
• Our warm home and the shelter it provides.
• The ability to work and the position I hold that provides for our family.
•  Our parents marriages: Godly parents are a blessing and the fact that both sets of our parents are still married is a blessing to. Not very many people can say that these days. They provide great examples of what marriage looks like and how it can change and grow through the years and still be intact.
• Our parent's faith: They made sure we learned about God at early ages and they have lived imperfect lives that are washed in God's grace but they continue to love and trust Him, providing wonderful examples for us.
• Our parent's help: Both of our parent's have helped us out in various ways over the years and I am always thankful for their help (without overstepping boundaries), whether it's watching Jonah so we can have a date night or coming to the house to help with a big project.
• Our siblings: I am so thankful for the brothers, sisters, and brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws that I have. They each bring their own uniqueness to my life! Life would be boring without them that is for sure!
• My Church Family: Not many people can say they have attended the same church for all of their life and still love it! Our church family is small and close-knit but we still welcome visitors with open arms and love. You will not find a more friendly church that ours. We are a group of imperfect folks that are all on the same mission, to further His kingdom. 
• Little luxuries of life: warm water, electricity, Internet, AC, lots of TV channels to choose from, comfy beds, indoor plumbing, working vehicles.
• I am thankful that we are debt-free! (except for our house)
• Thankful for good mail days. I love getting mail!
• A toddler that can communicate with me now! Wait.....I take that back LOL
• Having a great camera to capture all of life's memories.
• Thankful for the great teachers I have had in my school days. So many taught me things that I use everyday. Teachers are special people!
• Thankful for the seasons that bring their own special events and holidays. They make life more interesting! I think that is why God created them.
• Thankful for coffee in the morning and thankful that International Delight makes the Caramel Machiatto flavor.
• Thankful for vehicles that are dependable and for a hubby who knows how to work on them.
• Thankful for dreams and ideas that keep us excited about days to come.
• Thankful for my girl-friends that each bring something unique and fun. I have old and newish friends and I love them all. I may not get to hang out with them as often as I used to but I do think of them all the time and recall fun memories we've made together.
• I am thankful for my washer and dryer. They make laundry day so much easier.
• I am thankful for my small town that I live in. It is small and has it's little dramas but it is home to me and it is a wonderful place to raise a family.
• Thankful for my grandparents both alive and passed on. Each one teaches me about life and show me what love looks like. All of my grandparents are hard working people that have earned their years to rest (even though they are all still active). I am thankful I've been allotted this time to continue to learn from them.
• Thankful for potatoes. I've never met a potato that I didn't like. Same can be said for bread. I love me some carbs but they don't love me unless you count hanging around on me as love.
• Thankful for bursts of creativity where I can make and learn new things.
• Thankful for my health. Our health is something that is so hard to get back once you've lost it.
• I have many more things but I will stop here....I am thankful for it all!

Hutch Re-Do With ASCP {Before & After}

I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!

Sorry I just had to say that...and technically it's still not finished because I still have a couple more shelves to put another coat on and wax and some hardware to put on (need longer screws than what they came with), but I am considering it DONE.

The background on this piece is basically that I bought it at a yard sale for $25. It had been sitting on the seller's in-law's wrap-around porch for 2 years and it was completely covered from rain but not from bugs and general dust and pollen. So it was filthy!! It was however a very solid piece and I just thought it had great lines. I know my hubby thought I was a little insane when I called and told him I really wanted to buy this huge hutch and paint it. But he helped me haul it home and that was a feat in and of itself since thing weighed a TON.

Here are some BEFORE shots.

 This is just the top part. Like I said....It is a huge piece.

 This the bottom after being cleaned up and hardware removed.

 This is the very top which had the clean lines I was drawn to.

So this thing sat like this in my basement for a couple of months while I pondered all the insane amount of work that this was going to take to get it to the painting stage. I envisioned needing a palm sander and spending hours sanding every inch of this thing so I could prime it. Then I envisioned two coats of primer (and several hours) and then probably two coats of whatever paint I decided on (more time and work). I was exhausted already so I kept putting it off.

Then amazingly I heard about this chalk paint for furniture where you didn't even have to sand or prime. I cannot for the life of me remember where I first read about it (probably Pinterest) but I was immediately interested and began extensive research into it. I read several reviews from other bloggers (love the blogging community by the way) and of course everyone mentioned how expensive it was. But all I could think was "who cares, at least you won't have to sand and prime." I was sold. So as luck would have it, there was a stockist in the next closest city to us. I went in and the sweetest clerk helped me out and told me all about it and I was fired up to get started.

So here is my review of the Annie Sloan Chalk paint (ASCP) and some DURING photos.

• I paid $28 plus tax for my quart of ASCP at my stockist and got Pure White. I later went back and bought the clear wax too but applied that with old t-shirt rags.
• The cost is worth it!! It goes a long way, covers like not other paint I've ever used and can be watered down (very slightly) to make it last even more.
• It cleans up just like any other water-based paint. Super easy to clean up and I had way less drips than with other types of paint so hardly any mess...and I am a messy painter.
• Hardly any distinct odor to the paint. The wax has an odor but it's not harsh.
• My piece had a lot of imperfections in the wood and the paint just covered it all and masked it beautifully.
• The top of the bottom piece was a wood veneer (plastic stuff) and I painted right over and you would never know the difference.
• I do wish I had known to thin the paint a bit with a tiny amount of water because I think it would have saved me from having to buy another quart of paint to finish out the top. Although, this piece really was so large with so much surface area that I may have still needed another quart. I had to do two coats to get the coverage over that dark wood that I wanted.
• I was scared to death of the waxing part after reading lots of reviews and some that it didn't turn out right or they used too much. I didn't buy the brush just because my stockist didn't have any in stock and I was ready to move on the waxing stage and didn't want to wait to get a brush. I had success with using a cloth but probably would have had more even wax coverage with the brush. I will be getting one in the near future though!
• I really cannot think of anything to complain about with the paint. It lived up to my expectations and then some.

Now time for the AFTER pictures. Some plain and some with it decorated for Fall.

If you have questions about the paint just let me know. I will try to help. My stockist can be found HERE.

Linking up here:

 

New Pages & New Jonah Stuff

Well Jonah has found his little voice and now we can't get him to be quiet. LOL! I love hearing the things he says and he will repeat just about anything we say. So we are having to really watch the way we say things (we don't say bad words anyways) but just having to watch our tone and any other derogatory things we might let slip.

The theme of this week has been "I do it mysef!." Whether it's taking off his jacket by himself or opening the door or going to get his toy.....whatever it is he does NOT want any help with it from anyone. He even gets upset if Michael (Daddy) tries to help and Daddy is his favorite! LOL

It is taking some patience from us but we are catching on. As long as he is being respectful to everyone, that is all I care about. He is still very good about saying thank you and please, too.

Jonah is pretty much talking in sentences now and it is just amazing how quickly they catch on with the talking. He has learned several of his little friend's names and once he knows their names he does not forget who is who. He seems to have a really good memory for a 2 year old.

Jonah still loves a routine (just like his Mama) and when something is outside of his routine we've found it's best to let him know what's coming next so he doesn't freak out on us. For example, last night we had a funeral visitation to go to so I was explaining where we were going and what we were going to do (i.e. hug some special people). He wasn't thrilled with the idea because it wasn't in our routine but he did pretty good.

He has been really playing well with his toys and he officially loves trains and trucks the best! Total boy and I love it! Good thing Santa is bringing him a train table this year. :)

I have also had time to work on two scrapbook pages layouts. I used free templates and some papers I bought online. I love how they turned out. I just love scrapbooking fall stuff!

Random Thoughts....

Just felt like sharing some random thoughts this morning.

• I feel like I have nothing in my closet to wear besides jeans. I know Christmas is coming up and I will get clothes, probably. I am kind of liking not having my closet crammed with stuff I won't ever wear though.

• This getting dark at 5:00 is for the birds.
  
• Last night I organized all my magazine clippings into an expandable file by recipe type and other categories. It was like manually pinning stuff. LOL So now you know what a facinating life I live. Ha!
  
•  I really WANT to lose 5 pounds before Christmas. Not sure if that is realistic considering all the holiday meals coming up. Maybe if I only eat salad until Thanksgiving.
  
• I will always buy my jeans at Buckle from now on. They really are better than any I've ever worn before.
  
• The terrible twos are back for a bit in the form of Jonah wanting to do everything "by mysef!"
  
• This was the same child that would never hold his own bottle the whole first year of his life.
  
• Now if I could just get him to change his own diaper. LOL Seriously though, I think he is starting to get ready for potty training. We are discussing the idea.
  
• I am really disappointed in how the election turned out. That is all.
  
• I am really tired of reading everyone's opinion on it on Facebook, too.
  
• I am probably going to put up my Christmas tree next weekend. I am so excited for Christmas this year. Jonah is starting to understand more about Santa as we tell him things.
  
• I have 80% of my Christmas shopping done already. I am pumped!
  
• I need to clean every surface in my house but just cannot find the motivation. Sure I keep the laundry done and the counters wiped and the dishes cleaned, but the rest of it has got to get done sometime soon. Ugh!
  
• Feeling blessed to have a husband that helps me around the house MOST of the time and does so much for us.
  
• Blessed to have a job that helps provide and give us some extras. There are many days that I wish I didn't have to work and could stay home with Jonah but I know that I am blessed to have the opportunity to work at a great company when so many people are out looking for work. I pray that our economy can come back and jobs can begin to open up for folks.
  
• I am toying with the idea of hosting a Christmas cookie decorating party for Jonah and some other friends. It seems like it would be fun thing. But then my cynical/realistic brain kicks in and makes me think it would probably be a lot of trouble/time/money for a gigantic mess to clean up. But maybe it would be worth it for the memories??
  

Happy Halloween!

Hope you have a safe and fun Halloween!

The Cheathams

First Stay At A B&B {Our Fall Getaway}

Last weekend Michael and I stayed over-night at a Bed & Breakfast on Lake Barkley. We had a wonderful stay and enjoyed getting to talk to each other without a toddler interrupting us (though we did miss Jonah a lot). We stayed at Maple Hill Bed & Breakfast in Eddyville, Kentucky. It was only about an hour drive from our house so it was the perfect distance for us to go.

I have always wanted to go stay in a bed & breakfast hotel and I'm so glad we chose this one. It was everything I expected and there were so many nice little surprises too. The home was full of antiques and the rooms were beautifully decorated. Each room had a clawfoot tub and high ceilings and a fireplace. Our room had the best views out the back of the house of the lake and bay. It was a messy rainy day when we got there but the next morning was cool and beautiful.

The owner had it all decorated for fall and halloween.

These are some of the views from the back wrap-around porch of Lake Barkley. The colors were gorgeous!

The friendly owner took a picture for us on the front steps.

This is the view from the front porch. They really had a 180 degree view of the water.

This was our room that I snapped a few pictures of when we first got there. All the lamps were on and there was beautiful music playing from the TV. The bed was firmer than ours but still comfortable and the bed linens were so soft!

Another view of the room where the fireplace was. It was just an electric one but still it made the room feel cozy.

The other side of the room there was a small table and chairs and of course all our junk. LOL. The room was really plenty big enough for us to hang out in.

This was the dining room downstairs where they serve breakfast. It was beautifully decorated too. Loved that chandelier. We opted to get our breakfast delivered to the room.

The night we checked in, we decided to eat at Patti's 1880 Restaurant nearby. We love that place and it is a popular favorite that people will drive a long ways to eat at. If you are ever in my neck of the woods you have to try it out. They are best known for their flower pot bread (brought out in a terra cotta flower pot), their strawberry butter and their 2 inch pork chops. 

Patti's starts decorating for Christmas on Labor Day weekend and they were still putting out decorations when we were there. They also have a big lighting ceremony on their grounds soon. There is a petting zoo and wedding chapel at this place and several little shops and they go all out for Christmas. Each room in the restaurant is decorated in a different color scheme. The room we at in was decorated in white and blue with ice skates and polar bears. It was so pretty!!

I was the crazy tourist person taking pictures all around us.

I even took a picture of our food. LOL. I got a chicken alfredo type pasta. I could not finish mine.

Michael got the special of rib eye and shrimp.

Such a pretty wreath!

We saved a little room for dessert. Patti's is know for their desserts as well. We had the chess pie with coffee ice cream and whipped cream on top with caramel sauce. It was divine! We shared!

I snuck a couple of pics of the decor in the room next to ours once a big party left. I loved the color scheme in there too.

Our waitress kindly took this shot for us but it turned out blurry. Better than nothing I guess. LOL

We had a great time and were so happy to see our little man once we got home. He was well taken care of with his Nana and Papaw.