Fresh

I love that word and all the excitement it brings with it! Just think about it. There's nothing like fresh sheets on a bed. You climb in and the laundered yumminess is quite sublime. It never grows old for me. That wonderful feeling of Friday nights on clean sheets. I look forward to it. It makes me enjoy the task because I relish the outcome. Fresh flowers are the same way. I always check my local grocery for clearance flowers that need a new home. I love snipping and placing them into simple vases around the house. They are cheery and bring a sense of "cozy" to each room. I love seeing them. Again, it never grows old and I look forward to the next bunch I will bring home and put on display.
Fresh fruit that drips down your face and arms can't be described in words; it needs to be experienced.  It makes me anxious for warmer weather and the bounty that it brings. Sweet citrus, ripe melons and juicy berries all at their peak of goodness.
Fresh starts are by far the best of all things fresh. I mess up so many things, so many times, but I can usually start over. I can cut out pattern pieces again, rip out stitches, scrap a bad batch of cookies or catch up on scripture reading when I fall behind. I am so thankful that His mercies are new every morning! Each day I can move through it knowing that I might not achieve all that I set out to do. I will probably fall short in my own eyes or that of others. I will probably feel a sense of guilt over something I did or didn't do, but I can look forward to a fresh start Lord willing. I do hope you experience something "fresh" today!

Savor

Have you ever just "connected" with a writer after reading just a snippit of a story?  I have found this to be true with Shauna Niequist. I ordered Bread and Wine for my Kindle just after Thanksgiving and have been touched by so many of her life stories. It was an exciting surprise when my sister-in-law gave me her devotion book, Savor, for Christmas. She has inspired me to take time to talk to friends more deeply, write letters to people who are important to me and even develop a cooking club starting in the near future in order to experience deeper fellowship with women. God always knows what we need and when. I am savoring that thought today! If you are looking for a new read for 2016 you might want to check her out.

linen sprays

I am a habitual sheet washer! Every Friday

I strip the bed, wash and then hang them out to dry if possible.  There is nothing quite like climbing into a bed freshly made with crisp, clean sheets. My husband even looks forward to Friday for this reason.  If it wasn't such a chore to make a tempur pedic bed, I would wash them daily. That's a bit excessive and obsessive to be honest. I do however believe in linen sprays. I usually purchase mine at TJ Maxx.
They are typically 4-6$ each regardless of brand. This spring and summer I have really been enjoying Pecksniff ' s rose & peony spray in our master bedroom.  I have been using a lovely lavender spray in our guest bedrooms. If you pull your sheets back in the evening and give the bed a quick mist, your sheets will smell nice when you crawl into your cozy bed. A cheap way to bring some sweet zzz's and avoid daily washing.

kitchen tile going down soon

Well we are finally  placing our tiles down on the kitchen floor. My husband is VERY particular  so we lay them all out to make sure the tiles look right together. We have really liked using Ditra board by Schluter. It is so easy to work with. That's  the orange  grid you see under the tiles. We are using Noce

 Roman stone. We are doing a staggered pattern with 18 inch and 12 inch tiles. Can't  wait to put it down  permanently.

Hardie Plank painting....yet again!

Well as much as I would like to think that we were done with painting all the Hardie plank for this house....it is not over yet. Painting outside today. Great weather for it. This board is made of cement and is more durable and fireproof than wood or vinyl siding.  You can buy it primed or painted in a variety of colors. We found it much cheaper online and primed only. These will be the siding for the front and back porch areas. Last 2 places to get it. Back to work now!

Whoa baby...it's been awhile!

Obviously this blog has taken a really long backseat. We are still building our house. Crazy I know! I have had so many friends ask me about posting again. I will take pictures and post about house progress very soon. Today though I am giving you some pics of some monogrammed burp cloths that I did using my Brother LB 6800 and the monogram it program. I just love this cotton hot air balloon print for a little baby boy. How about you?

Catch Up Pictures

Have been working on so many things at once that I have quite a few pictures to post.
First, I finished Beth's quilt and have a picture of her (and me) with it. She is lovely-Beth I mean. She loves her  quilt which makes me very pleased.
Second, I finished a simple fringe scarf in a mustard colorway of alpaca and silk that I bought on Etsy from A Yarn or a Tale-love that shop.
Third, I finally finished my first crocheted afghan. I used Nature's Choice organic cotton yarn in a mixture of almond, walnut, espresso and french vanilla. This thing is so warm and soft. It is a good lap size or larger. I am short so it covers me from neck to feet.
Lastly, whipped up a cute vintage 80's material scarf for Mary. She loves anything nautical and my mom gave me a huge chunk of this material while I was in Knoxville last weekend.

The house is moving very slowly since hubby works all day. I did manage to get some more Hardie planks painted and nailed in all the remaining electrical boxes. We have rid the yard of all the trash and have gathered up all the supplies that need to be returned. Hubby is working on the trim so that we can get the siding on, so in the meantime I just keep painting planks(storing them in this handy dandy holder hubby designed to allow them to dry).