a happy/sad sunday

today kevin preached his last sermon at copperfield bible church.  in 4 days they'll be leaving for "amabama" as jonathan says!!!  the church presented him with an appreciation gift & i was honored to be a part of it (the presentation, not the gift!!!).  we got him a desk for his new home office & i've been hiding it in my garage ever since i picked it up at the store last weekend.  and i've been trying to keep kevin out of my garage for a week!!!  the other day i was working on my dresser & he & faith came over - he walked right in the garage & i thought, "thank goodness the desk is covered, but there's that one little corner exposed!"  "hey, kevin, want to go inside & see the bathroom cabinets & desk??"  after he saw everything inside, i said, "let's go out through the front door!"  whew!  close call!!!!!

here's a picture of the desk......he actually picked it out, told sarah what he wanted & she "postponed their purchase til they got to alabama....just in case he saw something he liked better.....!!"  ............

for the presentation, i had wrapped a doll desk that belonged to suzanne's american girl doll with a note on it saying that the church wanted to give him a "special token of appreciation" -- you should have seen the puzzled look on his face!!!  i'll bet he was thinking "WHAT am i going to do with THIS?!" - but the note went on to say that THIS desk was just a prop - HIS desk was hiding in my garage & there was a picture of it on the screen behind him.  everyone got a good laugh from that.  (it's so "kevin", i just had to do it!!!)

his desk will stay in my garage til the movers come on tuesday to put it in the truck.  that's gonna be a sad day!  it was a sad day at church today - but i didn't cry!  even during my little presentation speech!!   they're like family to me..............it's really hard to see them go.  people at church asked if i was taking the day off wednesday to see them off......NOPE!!   i do not want to watch them drive away. 

tonight we had our "last supper"!!!  well, actually we call them "sunday night family dinners".  for years we've gotten together & had dinner on sunday night & then kevin would go to their house & play XBox on the computer with his brother & sarah & i would stamp; the kids would watch movies or play with suzanne, then sarah would take them home, kevin would get them in bed & sarah would come back over to finish our stamping time.  sometimes we'd just talk, or we'd plan workshops, or we'd talk with suzanne.  then our church started have awana on sunday nights instead of wednesday nights.  we tried to do our dinner nights on other nights of the week, but it didn't work out as well as sundays.  whenever there was no awana, we'd do our dinner nights.  it was really nice.

well, tonight was our last one.  we did it the way we've always done --- "what do you have?  i've got 4 tortillas"  "i've got some chicken & some cheese"  "good!  we'll make....!"    tonight we had chicken salad sandwiches & chips & cake.  sarah had the chicken & just enough mayo; i had craisins; neither of us had celery, so we just threw in a little celery seed salt, some salt & pepper for taste.  i had bread & cheese; sarah had chips; i had drinks & left over cake - just enough - left over from last night.  it was a great meal!!!!

we laughed & almost cried  & had the best time.  i gave them some going away gifts --- "pieces of us", so they'll remember us.......

 i made this house last year.  on the inside i put my address & wrote "we'll always be neighbors"

 a tin star from my star collection; a wooden heart christmas ornament from my tree & "initial" ornaments from my tree - "s" in cool carribean for suzanne & the rusty "d" for me.

 texas snowmen.... self explanatory!

our family portrait!  me, suzanne, kristi - we always teased jonathan about kristi.  she was "his dog" but she had to live at our house because sarah's allergic to her!!! 

i also gave them some other things from around our house, but forgot to take pictures of them!!!  silly me!!   the kids each got one of my willow tree angels - jonathan got a little boy hugging a dog - him & kristi!! - & faith got a little girl posing in a way faith always does!  faith loved hers & jonathan was tickled pink!!!!  he was ssssssoooooooooooo happy!!!!  he kept looking at it & saying, "i love my gift, ms. dorothy.  i just love it!"  his happiness just radiated!!!!  that made me happy.

so now they will have little pieces of me & suzanne to take with them to "amabama".

i'm gonna go cry now............................

oh - before i do.............sarah & i then went out in the garage to work on a couple projects while kevin did something on my computer!!  she can't leave!!  who am i gonna do projects with?????? 

now i'm gonna go cry......................

it was HOT & MUGGY out in the garage & sarah & i were sweating like crazy. when they were all going home, i hugged jonathan & he said, "ms. dorothy, you're nice & sweaty!"

what a precious compliment!!!     i'm  nice&sweaty!!!  .........i'm NICE & sweaty!!!!!!!!!

i'm gonna miss them somethin awful.

now i'm crying........................

be blessed!  5 days til the weekend!!!







God answers prayers.....

.....sometimes even before you can pray them!

tonight at prayer meeting we asked for prayer for rain.  before we were even done with our other requests, the thunder started. 

and it got louder & was practically non-stop.  rolling thunder.  building shaking thunder.  (it's an old foundation-less building, so it shakes!)

 and then there was lightning & RAIN!!!!  not a lot, but a good amount.  and it's still thundering 2 hours later!

i pray we get the amount of rain we need.  (well, THAT would be a lot!!!)  i pray we get more rain as the night goes on. 

the thunder was such a comforting sound!  as we were praying i just kept silently thanking God for the fact that HE's in control of everything.  He can make it rain or not - whatever He wants.  i so want Him to be in control of my life.  to do whatever He wants.  and for me to accept it.

thank you, God, for all You do.  for all You are.  for loving me.

so blessed!

vacation's over

.....for now!   it has been a very productive long weekend though!!!

i took 5 days of vacation -- wed thru friday last week & mon, tues this week.  with the exception of my trip to dallas friday night & saturday, i've been sanding, stripping, painting & haven't stopped.  this afternoon i was getting close to calling it quits!  i'm getting a little tired of it all!!!  it'll be good to take a  break from it for a little bit. 

i've got my bathroom done, the guest bathroom done (have to put the doors on tonight), the bookshelf, desk, chair & all 8 dresser drawers are all done.  this afternoon i sanded the headboard & dresser & did the 1st coat of paint on them.  i'm glad i did all the bathroom cabinets before i attempted the dresser & headboard!  i don't think i would have finished them!  yeah, i would have, but i would have been real sick of it!!!!  this afternoon i was almost ready to toss the headboard in the dumpster!  i've always wanted an old rustic door for a headboard - i came "this close" to heading out to an antique store to find one!!!!  would have been much easier than all the work it took to do the headboard.  but now that the 1st coat of paint is on, it looks really nice, so......all the hard work will be worth it.

before i start on the kitchen cabinets i have a couple other projects that need to be done...........so that'll give me a break from the black paint.

i really like how it's turned out though!

 one more drawer to poly!

 before

 during


after!!!

gonna go take a shower & read & get to bed before 11pm.....or sooner!!!  i don't think i'll be up til 3:30 tonight!!!  (& i woke up this morning at 8:30 - i'm tired!!!)

it's been a good vacation though!   i've got to make some birthday cards, so there should be something stamped to show you soon.  it's been awhile!!

be blessed!!!

contemplations

usually in january bloggers do a post about their "word for the year".  i didn't know in january what my word was, but i've been thinking that it's "contemplations" because i've done a lot of contemplating this year.

and i've done some more of it just now.

just thinkin'------do you realize that "tomorrow" never comes?  today is always here.  yesterday was.  but tomorrow is always tomorrow.  it never comes.

just thinkin'.


i need to stop contemplating & get some sleep.  but i keep contemplating!

tomorrow isn't here - it's already today & i've got a dresser & a headboard to sand & paint today.  i've got all the drawers painted so they'll be ready to poly.  i finished both bathrooms!!!  i'm not going to take pictures until i get the drawer knobs on.  but i have to wait til hobby lobby puts them on sale because i want glass ones.  & i don't want to pay full price for them because i need 8.  everything looks really good though!!!

this frame needs to get painted too -- this picture hangs in my kitchen.  it's my "diploma"!!!!!!

 i have my "RW/MRS" degree  (respectable wife/MRS).  and like so many people who get a degree, i haven't used mine in awhile!!!!!!!    (and you didn't know my name used to be Mara Fizdale, did you??!!!!!!!!)


funny how my favorite song is "tomorrow" by chris young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVjll5eR88

i think i'd better contemplate going to sleep!!!!   

be a blessing today & tomorrow!!!!

good advice------really????

so easy to read.  so hard to do.............

desk reveal

sunday afternoon i was going to start sanding the desk.  i figured that since it was sooooo sunny out & there'd be so much sanding dust, i'd work in the back yard (aka virgin islands) & get some sun while i worked!  so i hauled everything out to the patio & went to put on my "painting swimming suit" (the old one that i wore when i painted the house & got paint all over it so now it's my "painting swimming suit".  maybe  a better name for it now would be my "painting tanning suit"!!!!)  and i slathered on the suntan lotion!!!!

while in the garage i thought "oh, i'll put a rubber band on the paint can so i can rub my brush on it rather than on the edge of the can so i don't have to clean up the mess on the can...."   works for martha stewart!!!




 i get the rubber band almost all on & SNAP!!!!! 



THIS is the result:

black paint all over my face, glasses, neck, clothes, legs, garage floor!!!!!
it would have been easier to clean the edge of the can!!!!!!!


so, after i take a bath in the sink & slather on MORE suntan lotion, i go back outside (forget the rubber band trick - i'll never do that again!!!)   ...........these are what i find.........where the heck did THESE come from?????????  and what did they do with the sun?   (must admit, they are pretty & we NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED rain soooooooo badly!)

and it's thundering.


so i haul everything BACK to the garage.......................& decide to do the picture frame & put another coat of paint on the shelf. 


we got a total of about 5 drops of rain! 



so i haul everything BACK to the patio!!!

and sanded til it was dark & i couldn't see anymore - but i got it all done!

so i hauled it all back to the garage & painted the desk & drawers!!!!!!


i LOVE how it turned out!!!!!!

remember this?



well, now it looks like this:

i painted the lamp too!!  it had that yucky green paint on it & to me always looked like dust!!!  (i prefer my dust natural!!!!)

if you stand still long enough i'll paint you!!!!!

i REALLY LOVE this!!!!  i can't wait to get started on the dresser & bed!  but that won't be til probably late next week because i AM going to dallas!  suzanne couldn't fit everything in her car.  and she took her friend sara with her.  i have to take the rest of her stuff to her & bring sara back home.

i'll be driving on fumes -- fumes in the bank account!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
but that's ok because.............

even if.......even then..........i will be happy with the Lord, i will truly find joy in the God who saves me!!!!

here's the painted shelf & painted picture frame.  i like the way they turned out too!!!

well, the only project i'll be doing this weekend is hauling things into a dorm room.......but i'm blessed & love my little girl!!!  i can't believe the summer is over already & she'll be gone until..................who knows???!!!!!!

i tried some "tweaking" in the comment thingamajigger, so try to leave a comment.   

have a blessed weekend!

bookshelf reveal

the bookshelf is done! 

 the books are back on the shelf.  i moved the "change" picture from over the bed to over the bookshelf.  i like the change!!!  the tree in this picture chages from green leaves to fall leaves to no leaves & snow on the ground depending on where you are standing & looking at it.  it's really cool!  i got it 6 years ago to celebrate my divorce & the changes in my life.  my life has been changing for 6 years.  that's a good thing because it was so stagnant for a long time.

i love it!!!!!!

i just want to look at it!!!!  i love the "character" it has.


i got an early christmas present from some friends this afternoon......

black paint & liquid sander!!!! what a blessing!!

i think my next project will be this shelf. 

 just to see how it works before i move on to ....

this:

 i've had this desk for 24 years.  i stained & poly'd it when it was new.  i think it's gonna look good all spiffied up! and that chair too!!  it's stained, came that way, but looks so orangey.  (except for the dust which shows up loud & clear white!!!!)

and this picture frame needs to be black too....

the bed will be done after the desk - or vice versa, i can't decide!!!  funny story:  kevin & sarah have the EXACT same bed!!!!!!!

the dresser will probably be last, just because it's more involved with all the drawers & having to remove the hardware.......

 whew!  i need to dust!!!!!!

one piece that WON'T be getting painted is this:

 this piece matches the pieces in the living room.  i like them this color. & i want to keep it this color just in case i ever move it to be with the other pieces.   i think the contrast will look really nice when it's all done.

i'm excited to get started, but boy is this gonna be a long project!!!  but it'll keep me busy & off the streets!!!!

spent the day in the bahamas with these 2 cuties!  we had so much fun-----too bad they're leaving me in 2 weeks........................    :o(

have a blessed weekend!!!!