Happy Birthday to Me!

Birthdays are still my favorite, though 31 is not quite as exciting as 30. My hubby did great this year, he watched Zane so I could work on the yard uninterrupted (that's what I wanted) while he installed these under cabinet lights above the stove.

Before

AfterWe ordered in Chinese, also what I wanted, and he bought me these snazzy slippers.

And best of all he watched Zane while I took a 3 day road trip to Pittsburgh to visit my longest friend and her new baby.

Freezer Jam

I love feeling like I'm domestic and there's nothing more fun than being domestic with a friend. Today, I went to my friend, Anca's house, and we made grape freezer jam. It 's so easy. A single batch can be made in ten minutes. Just follow the recipe that comes in a box of this and you've got it!

Mask Night

If you have a good health food store near you, you might find this amazing facial mask that actually makes your face pulsate. It's a powder that you can mix with either water or apple cider vinegar. It's definitely one of my favorite masks.

The Nursery and the Office/Guest Room

Here it is, folks, the final before and after pics of the house.

The nursery with orange shag carpet with pink flecks. I actually loved it and planned on making area rugs out of it, but it was just too old and nasty.

If you look closely you can see the shape of every frame the previous owner hung on these walls.

After. A great surprise to find gorgeous hardwood floors under the shag.

If you ever come to visit us, this is where you'll stay!

The Master Bedroom

Before. Oh darn it, I cut off the cat border.

After.

This dresser was given to my grandmother when she got married.

Her initials and the year she got married are on the front.

Zane in the womb, rocks from the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada, and a doily my Great Aunt Lydi made.

The Living Room

Before. No, the fireplace is not real, but the heart border is.

After.

In Defense of Art

In the beginning of October our church hosted an art show and Saturday night they hosted a "coffee house" with live music and the art from the art show was displayed for all to enjoy. On Sunday an art pastor from Austin, Texas, spoke during the service and if you are at all passionate about any form of art I highly recommend listening to it. Even if you just "merely" enjoy art, which you have to admit if you're breathing you probably do, I recommend listening to it. It encouraged me and reminded me that God is not only interested in that which is practical, useful, and purposeful, but that He enjoys and wants me to enjoy those things that have no function other than to bring joy.