PAINTING CHALLENGES & TEXTURES PART 6

Hi everyone!!...What a week!!...In between all the normal activities we have been painting the house...Last weekend we painted Luke's room...Then I proceeded into the hallway and into the diningroom...Now, Tim, being the perfectionist wanted to complete each room as we go...But he can't paint everyday and my time of painting is dictated by what mood Luke is in and how long he will LET ME paint...Along with if Taylor can help watch him...He has gotten paint on several shirts and pants already...Painting the bedroom was easy because he wasn't allowed in the room...So I have to paint while he is sleeping or watching his favorite cartoons so it has some time to dry before he is around that area...Or I've resorted to only painting the tops areas when he's up and about..I'm the door and trim painter.....I had 6 doors in the hallway alone....So I told Tim he was going to have to follow where I go...So last night he got the walls painted in the hallway and diningroom....We need to go through and get the baseboards painted now which surely will be easier and less of a challenge with Luke walking around....Let me say the transformation is amazing!!!!...From all the white trim to the drabby taupy color we always use....

And I even talked Tim into putting the shelves, cabinets, and peg boards back up this afternoon after lunch...It didn't take long...So now I can get everything back in it's place and make room for other items to be put there while painting in the livingroom, kitchen,kitchen dining area, bathrooms, and laundry room...But for the next so many days the baseboards will be top of the list to finish those areas...And then on to the kitchen or livingroom...

I must say that I'm sooooo behind on posting and catching up on my favorite blogs...I did get on OFTEN to read emails and see if Linda {Behind My Red Door blog} got her issues of Country Sampler...She is in the new issue, but hadn't gotten her issues...I was sooo excited to see that she had finally gotten them and could enjoy seeing what everyone was seeing that had already gotten their current issue...How frustrating!!!...I can't wait to see it Linda!!!!.....I hope you're enjoying the whole experience!!!!!!!!!!!...Go on over to her blog and read about it!!!

Well, onto some painting...I think I will paint some areas that can dry while Luke is sleeping tonight...Tim plays basketball at the church on Monday nights, so he won't be painting tomorrow night...So no telling where my paintbrush may lead me..HA!...I need to get some pics of some purchases I received to share with you...I will try to do that soon...

Ok, onto some more texture pics....

a x-stitched bread cloth....

A favorite quilt in Luke's room that hangs on the back of the rocking chair...I lay back on it at every naptime and bedtime and rock him to sleep....

another part of the quilt....

a long piece of quilt that hangs in Luke's room...I love blue and white quilts...I have them all through my house....

Til next time....Have a blessed week!!!...hugs, Jen

A SAMPLER FOR SALE & MORE TEXTURE PICTURES OF MY HOME~PART 5

Hey everyone!...I can't believe I haven' t posted since last Wednesday...It has been busy around here...On Thursday night Tim and I had a date night dinner while Taylor watched Luke...Then onto Walmart to pick out paint colors....Then on Friday night we began painting in Luke's room...We finished last night{Sunday} and arranged the furniture in a better layout...Now I still have to distress his shelves...I painted them while I was pregnant, but they weren't distressed and stained, so it will be done before they are put back up...I also have some primitive signs picked out to purchase...So when it is finished then I will show pics...Now onto the hallway with 5 doorways...ha!...

SOLD!!!...I have a primitve sampler/pillow that I'm going to put on ebay, but thought I'd offer it here on my blog first...It is perfect to put in an old

farm chair or old bench!!!....It measures 13"x 7"...So it is a good size sampler!!....It is stuffed with wood shavings...I love the texture of the wood shavings instead of polyfil..Stitched on evenweave.....Priced at $24.99 + traveling fee....So let me know if you're interested....Just email me!!

Now onto some more textures....

gourds.....

cupboard samplers.....

crates that were used to hold blueberries...After 10 years of owning them they still have the blueberry stains...

Paper mache boxes I have all through the house that I've painted....

Have a blessed Tuesday and stay warm...hugs,Jen

MORE TEXTURES PART 4

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!!....I've been working in the house and just got Luke down for nap, so I decided to post on here while I had the chance...Luke can climb out of his bed now and instead of waking up and playing some he is out of the bed as soon as he wakes up....So naps are varying in time now....It makes it hard to plan things I need to get done while he's sleeping...

I know that this is Whatcha Working On Wednesday, but I can't show what I've been working on...I'm doing a swap with Robby that lives in Scotland....I just finished her swap and it is fixing to be on it's way to her...I can share that she requested Halloween items....So yes, I've been doing Halloween in January....And now I'm going to start on some patriotic items....You say..Why patriotic sooo early???...Especially since I had already picked out new samplers to do....Usually in January I stitch items for my home for a few months and vacation from ebay....There are sooo many pictures that I want to make for myself!!...You'd think since I x-stitch to sell that my home would be full of x-stitch items, but that is not so....I sell most of what I make!...But this year one of my goals is to fill my home with many new x-stitched pinkeeps, samplers,etc for me...But first I have to do some patriotic things since I don't have any...You ask why again???...Well, I'm not ready to share just yet.....But soon!!!

More textures!

Primitive fixins

trenchers.....

Treenware.....

Reproduction cutting boards I made......

Ripped and frayed edges of fabric....

Have a blessed evening and be sure to do something just for yourself that you enjoy!!...hugs, Jen

TEXTURES IN MY HOME PART 3

Old Jars........

A favorite little bag from Remember When Farm......

Black wax jingle bells from Cabin Creek Farm.....

My favorite shaker basket...I have 3...same color...same style...

Have a blessed Monday!!...It will be a busy one!!!...hugs,Jen

TEXTURES IN MY HOME PART 2

It was a restful Saturday...Tim was gone most of the day at the church to supervise the UPWARD basketball games...Taylor was at work...So Luke and I played and worked in the house some...Then when he layed down I layed down for a nap...When we got up it was time for dinner...

After dinner I got the chili ready to put in the crockpot and into the refrigerator, so it can be turned on in the morning and ready after church...You just brown your meat~drain~a can of diced tomatoes~an onion or two~ and a can of Chili Magic with some water added...I love it!!...It makes the chili more of a soup consistency then a thick chili...I could have it several times a week since it is more like a soup..YUM!!!!.And soooo simple to prepare especially when you have a toddler hanging on your legs!!!...HA!.

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Here are some more textures in my home to share with you....

My collection of linens and evenweaves to x-stitch on...

I love wooden bowls!

Another favorite advertizing box...

Have a blessed Sunday!!!...Remember that it is the Lord's day....hugs,Jen

PRIMITIVE TEXTURES IN MY HOME

Wow!...It's been really noisy here today...They must be doing military maneuvers on the military base nearby...Military helicopters have been flying low over the house off and on all day...And Luke hasn't liked it at all...They are really loud and the house vibrates and they must go at a slow pace because it takes forever for them to pass over especially when there is several...

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Ever wonder why we buy our toddlers alot of toys for Christmas?!?...Luke has followed me around all day while playing with a matchbox car, a flashlight, and an orange {unpeeled, of course}....And the orange HAD to sit on his tray at lunch, too...Really funny since he won't taste an orange for anything....

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And then when I get through blogging we are going to dust...Luke LOVES to dust!!!...He has his swiffer duster and I have mine and he will dust all over the house right along with me...HA!...cheap labor!!...I better enjoy it while I can!!...But the funny thing is on days when I see that he is bored I will give him the duster and you'd think I'd given him a new toy...He loves to dust!!!

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This is the little red lantern I got while I was antiquing with my sister right before Christmas...I had gotten it to put in the hall bathroom, but the outlet is right at the end of the blue bench I have on the counter like the one in the master bath...It is used for the blow dryer, hair straightner, etc, so I think the bulb won't last as long with it being unplug constantly...So I guess I will have to put a battery operated candle in there...And I have some on the way...In the meantime the little red lantern has found a new home on the shaker cabinet beside the front entry...I'm really liking it there!!...It's soooo cute!

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As I was going around cleaning and rearranging today I wondered why I loved primitives so much...A lot of people just don't understand!!...One reason I love primitives are the textures and the worn and torn look of something that has been loved and well used...So I decided to snap some pictures of textures in my home..I will be sharing pictures for my next posts!!!

A tattered quilt I bought for Luke's nursery before he was born...

the tattered pieces i cut from it to make something special out of it....

One of my favorite old advertising boxes...I love worn wood!!!

and textiles.....

These are some of the textures I love from my home!!...I will be back to share some more with you!!...hugs, Jen

This is the french toast recipe I made for Christmas Day and New Years Day...Sherry from "Gathering Hope" requested it....So here you go Sherry!.....hugs, Jen

"FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE"
1 loaf bread (french, italian, white or wheat your preference)
8 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash (pinch) salt
Praline topping (recipe follows)
Maple Syrup
Slice bread into 20 slices - 1 in. each, arrange slices into a generously butttered 9x13 flat glass baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.
In a large bowl, combine: eggs, half & half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt, beat or whisk until blended not bubbly. Pour over bread slices, making sure all slices are covered evenly with the mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day preheat oven to 350
Praline Topping: 1/2 pound butter (2 sticks) softened, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 cup chopped pecan, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl blend-well, spread evenly over bread. Bake for 40 minutes until puffed & lightly brown.
Serve with Maple Syrup

Wow!...The first full week of 2009...It's a busy one in our home...We have revival this week and Tim is on deacon duty, so it makes for some late nights since he has to clean up and lock up afterwards....Then Upward begins again with basketball practices during the week and games every Saturday...Tim doesn't coach... He is the director...But he is at the church many evenings and Saturdays making sure everything runs smoothly...

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Taylor will know tomorrow about her class schedule and then I will know my schedule...UGH!!...A little afraid what it will be!!

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Christmas came down the 26th...But I will leave it on my blog for a while since I didn't get the slideshow on til the week before Christmas...I can look at Christmas anytime of the year for ideas....

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The house seems really bare, so I've been doing some rearranging and some planning for some new furniture pieces made hopefully in the next few months...And when I started this blog I think I told you that this house was a project in the making...We moved in 8 months ago...And I've been very honest with everyone that this isn't my "forever" home...And I've refrained from really doing any personal touches until now...But in two weeks if all goes as planned...We will be starting in Luke's room and painting...The trim will be the blue/gray that we used in our former home in the upstairs...So that means the rooms will be tore apart as we go through the house...All the shelves, cabinets, peg racks, etc will be coming down with everything on and in them coming down also!!...UGH!!!...But I told Tim I want this to be as FAST and PAINLESS as possible!!!...So I'm NOT looking forward to this!!!...But I'm looking forward to the outcome...

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But in the meantime I want your advice on some rearranging I have done....I took the table out of Luke's room and put it at the end of the kitchen counter inbetween it and the faux fireplace...My question to you~~Is it too much???...Too cluttery???...What do you think???...

When we get finished the cabinets will be the "taupe" color I had at my former home...I really like that shade and it goes really well with the colors I use in my decorationg.....I just can't stand the white anymore unless it is on the wall....

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I have many things lined up to share with you...From my sampler collection to all my new decorating projects...So happy 2009 and I hope it is a blessed year for all of us!!!!...hugs, Jen

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!....I LOVE YOU!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

From our family to yours...

Many pictures were taken to get this shot at church Christmas Eve...Luke wasn't cooperating and this is the only one with him facing forward accepting defeat!!!...ha!..I think Taylor was tired smiling by then...

We missed the ball drop!!!..UGH!!!....We were watching a Bon Jovi concert...oh, well...priorities!!....ha!

UPDATE!!!.....Can someone tell me why when we post that the time at the end of each post is hours earlier than the actual time???...It was after midnight when this was posted!!!!!!!...My time is in the new year and the post says 9:13 pm...{not quite there yet}..Oh, well!!...LOL...I really did post this in the New Year right after midnight!!!