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Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

 

Happy Valentines Day!

I have the cutest guest blogger today. My Sam.

Hi everyone! It’s Sam. I’m back. Mom asked me to write a guest post for Valentines Day.

So, before I start I have to say that I don’t have strong feelings towards this holiday. I know some people love it and celebrate everyone in their life and all the ones they love. And other people hate it, they think it is a holiday where people spend too much money and/or it makes them feel lonely.

I think it’s just nice to have a specific day to show people in your life that you love and appreciate them.

With that being said, I don’t usually go above and beyond with presents for this holiday. Well…I usually don’t go above and beyond presents ever because I’m still in college, working part-time and money is tight.

So, I was thrilled when Mom suggested I print out this free wall art from Houzz.com for a Valentine’s Day present.

Justin and I don’t have a ton of decoration in our apartment. This little section above our couch in the living room is my pride and joy. Unfortunately, Justin doesn’t agree.

Justin strongly dislikes the anchor wall art that’s hanging now because we have anchors all over (I’m a little obsessed), so even though he may not appreciate home décor as a gift, I think he’ll appreciate this.

I’ll have to keep you updated on that. 🙂

Here’s the finished project! I love it!

Happy Valentines Day!

~Sam

What My Husband, A Cabinet And A Chandelier Have In Common

What My Husband, A Cabinet And A Chandelier Have In Common

My husband travels for work…a lot. The other day, someone asked me how I deal with that.

Good question.

When our children were small, it was difficult. I missed him, the kids missed him and truth be told it was difficult being a part-time single parent. And on the flip side of that, he missed us and felt guilty for having me manage everything at home.

Now that we are empty nesters, life, of course, is different. We still miss each other but can make up for the time apart by making the best of the time when we are together.

Why am I over-sharing this with you?

Well, Wade and I had a super fun weekend making the most of our time together and because of that I didn’t get my project started that I wanted to share with you.

Bad Wendy!

But, I will tell you about it.

I have decided to paint this cabinet. Parts of it are stained, parts are not stained and most parts are different colors of stain.

It’s going to be amazing and I am even going to try my hand at a wax finish.

So I’m looking forward to that, even though I didn’t start it when I planned to. What I did do this weekend was answer some questions about our newly upgraded closet. The other day when I posted about our upgraded closet, some of you noticed and asked about the chandelier. Well, Number one: it’s still in there. Number Two: I still love it. And Number Three: Wade is starting to enjoy the projects I ask him to do. 🙂

You can read all about the chandelier here:

You Light Up My Life

Now I have to actually get started on the cabinet so I can share with you later this week!

~Wendy

 

This Email Proves That Patience Is A Virtue

This Email Proves That Patience Is A Virtue

I started to write a post about organizing and then this popped up in my email box.

What?????

People, this is huge for me!

I have been selling with Etsy since October of 2012. There are hundreds of thousands of sellers. To be found among those sellers and then actually sell something is a small miracle in itself. But to have “Etsy” pick your item, and list it in a feature to be seen by millions of buyers?! That is a big deal.

From a seller’s standpoint, more “views” of your item translates to more sales.

For example, Tuesdays are typically one of my lower days of “views”. I average about 100 in a 24 hour period.

Today  (Tuesday)  at noon, there were 166 views.

Considering that patience is not my strong suit, this just goes to show that patience is a virtue. I’ll work on that. 🙂

Starting out 2017 very grateful,

~Wendy

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

When I was younger, my family would drive up from Iowa to my Aunt and Uncles house in Minnesota for the holidays.  Some years on Thanksgiving, my Aunts sister’s family would be there also.

Our family is not a family of singers, but I knew when the Anderson family was there for Thanksgiving, we would all be joining hands at the table and singing the Johnny Appleseed song before our Thanksgiving meal.

To this day, I sing that song in my head before every Thanksgiving meal. It brings a smile to my face and reminds me of what is really important.

Family.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family,

~Wendy

The Lord is good to me…amen, amen…amen, amen, amen. 🙂

 

Christmas Presents in September

Christmas Presents in September

When I was eleven years old the only thing I wanted for Christmas was a pair of cowboy boots. Not just any pair of cowboy boots, but a pair of shined brown leather inlay boots with an R toe and a Yuma heel.

We found them at Kinney Shoes in the Crossroads Mall in Waterloo, Iowa.

And they were $45.00.

My parents and I talked about how wonderful they were but how that was A LOT of money to spend on one gift.

I didn’t care. They could get me one gift and one gift only. I looooved those boots. I was even ready to throw in the negotiation that I would never ask for another gift my entire life.  🙂

Sadly though, I didn’t need to go that far because they didn’t have the boots in my size. After collecting my broken heart and crushed spirit, we left the store.

I pretended that it was okay. They were just boots. I would find something else to love.

When the time finally came to open Christmas presents, I received several great gifts. It was a wonderful Christmas spent with my family, cousins, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents.

But as we were cleaning up the mountains of Christmas wrapping paper, my Dad happened to notice that there was one gift left under the tree that had been missed.

And it was for me.

I removed the wrapping paper and inside was a box from Kinney Shoes.

And inside the box was the most beautiful pair of cowboy boots I had ever seen. I wore those boots until they were way past the point of too small.

And now you are saying to yourself…..Thanks for the story Wendy, but what on earth does this have to do with a DIY blog?

Well, remember that my parents were here all week helping me get ready for the Market on Old Lake George sale?

They bought me this for an early Christmas present.

And my Dad helped me make this.

The excitement of opening this box made me feel like I was opening that Kinney Shoe box all over again.

Thanks again for all of the help and wonderful gifts Mom and Dad.

~Wendy

Incase you are wondering, the bench is getting some TLC. I’ll show you the finished product next week. Have a great weekend.

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

Wade and I returned to Minnesota on Monday morning after completing our 25th Anniversary trip to Hawaii. I was going to blog as we were enjoying so many beautiful sights on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii, but then those blog posts starting turning into watching someone’s video of their vacation. We have all graciously watched those videos or looked at someone else’s pictures, but let’s be honest, it’s not the same as being there.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love photos of sunsets, beaches, museums and the like but unless you have actually been to those places, it’s just not the same. Let me take a moment and share only a couple of highlights.

This was our view from our hotel room in Waikiki. If you haven’t been to Oahu, find a way to go. It is amazing.

If you can stand one more set of pictures, I do want to share a little about me and one of the main reasons we saved and spent our pennies for this vacation.

I asked my Dad via email to send me the details about his Dad/my Grandpa. Here is what he shared.

We visited the Punch Bowl Crater Cemetery one of the days when we had rented a car to drive around the island.

Here is my Grandpa’s grave site.

Visiting his grave was the most emotional moment of my life. And believe me, I am a very emotional person. Tears even slip out of my eyes as I am remembering this day. Such intense feelings of sadness, joy and pride all at the same time.

Although my Dad was about 3 when his Dad died, I am positive that Grandpa Clarence is smiling about what a great son he created in my father.

This cemetery was breathtaking. I am so happy my Grandpa is in such a peaceful place.

Wiping my tears and moving on.

We left the island of Hawaii relaxed and rejuvenated on Sunday evening.  We arrived home at 12:30pm on Monday. Having slept very little on the plane, the first thing on the agenda was a nap.

Catching up with Jack and unpacking were next. After a great nights sleep back in our own bed, it was time to run some errands on Tuesday.

One of those errands included a trip to Hobby Lobby.

This wall has been screaming for help since we moved here 1 1/2  years ago.

Today was the day that I found the perfect piece and used my 40% off coupon.

It looks like it belongs there, right?!

So cute.

See you on Friday. Thank you for letting me share.

Wendy