Glimpses of Home

I've been reorganizing, taking a fresh look at how my home is arranged and making little adjustments. Call it spring cleaning. Or boredom. Or following too many home decor blogs!

I took this picture after I split the bookshelf in half. The wall needed balancing, so the bottom half stayed and the top half got turned upside down,(so the trim on the bottom of the shelf mirrored the other) and put on the other side of the window. It works. The tops are unfinished so I need to add a table runner on top of each, but with generous littering of pictures frames, the rough finish is not too noticeable.


This picture sums up the sources of all the furniture in my house.

Table: garage sale
Chair: gift from my parents when Mitchell was born. It was my nursing chair.
Bookshelf: free from my aunt

I'm sure I could find more to say about my decorating style, and why I still have a flowered couch, but in an effort to keep this short and sweet, I'll end it there!

For more Glimpses of Home, visit Chatting at the Sky.

You Capture: Quiet

Quiet.

That's what I love about country life.

For a while now quiet has looked like this:

The wind whispers. The soft sound of snow blowing, drifting can almost be heard.

This profound quiet will soon give way to a peaceful drip, drip, dripping. 

And after the mud has dried, the sun returns and gives this country blooms.

The world will venture out of hibernation and the echos of cattle grazing across the fields will return.

This place is still.  Peace and quiet.

~~~~~
This is the last day for entering my giveaway
for a chocolate and cinnamon mill
to add flourish to your favorite drink!
Your chances of winning are good- only 16 entrants so far!
SO.... head on over and enter. NOW!
*grin*
~~~~~

This has been another edition of 

You Capture: Quiet 

hosted by

I Should be Folding Laundry

Unwrapping the Beauty of an Egg

On the way out of dance last week,

in the hustle of crowded hall 

filled with girls exchanging slippers for boots, 

a friend approached 

and handed me a grocery sack wrapped gift. 

A simple gift, given out of her surplus. 

And now, when I open that egg carton, 

I wonder at their simple beauty, 

their color, 

and the joy in little gifts.

Don't forget to check out my giveaway!
Where one of you will receive a gift to unwrap!

This has been another edition of:

To read of others' simple gifts unwrapped, visit Chatting at the Sky for Tuesdays Unwrapped.

Party On {Top}

We try not to be snobs, but some days we just can't help it. Especially Sunday mornings, our default mode is coffee snob mode. We know lovely people have worked hard to prepare coffee for the church, but our van drives, almost as if it had its own will, straight for the lovely local coffee shop. It's only a few blocks out of our way, and they have this heavenly drink of Rooibos red tea, white chocolate, honey and whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

MMMmmmMMMmmmm.

If I could, I'd go there once a day. I'm not sure, but I think my husband succumbed to the lure daily in the not too distant past. We are trying to do better. We took Dave Ramsey's class. We know a daily coffee shop trip is not in our budget's best interest.

Knowing this, you won't be surprised at how thrilled I was when my friend gave me a gift of Tazo's Organic Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte Concentrate. It tastes almost exactly like my favorite $4.00 drink. All I have to do is add milk and heat it up. Of course whipped cream on top never hurt either. I can grab a mug of happiness and pretend I'm at the Mill, enjoying their brew. The environment is not to compare, my house being considerable louder, and much less decorated, but my taste buds are more easily fooled than my other senses. And the price is just right.

When I was given the opportunity to do a little shopping for my readers, and offer a giveaway, you can now understand that after I looked at all the options, the kids bedding, home decor, etc., my eyes were drawn to cookware.com's chocolate mills.

Aha! Just the thing I would love for making my favorite drink at home! My mug of happiness lacked flourish. A party on top. Chocolate flakes sprinkled on the mountains of cream! 

Much better!

Except I'm not keeping these lovely gadgets. I'm giving them to one of you. So YOU can concoct your own mug of happiness. With a party on top.

Ways to enter:

1.  Leave a comment on this post telling me what you like in your mug.
2.  A tweet about this contest that includes a link to this post and an @ktinajoy. Leave a comment here letting me know you did.
3.  Any new followers will also be counted as an entry. Come back and tell me here so we can be friends!

This giveaway will end Thursday, March 11th at 8pm. The winner will be chosen at random, using an integer generator and I will announce the winner that evening.

Thanks! And Party On! {Top}

I am being compensated in no way for this post. The compensation is going to the winner. Because that's way more fun!

Saturday Evening Blog Post

 

Want to share your favorite post of the month? I do! 

I picked The Best Birthday Party Ever, 

because it's a favorite memory .....and I love the pictures! 

If you'd like to share too, head over to Elizabeth Esther's  site and link up!

Morning Dose of Hope

I wait for the LORD,

my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 130:5

Guide me in your truth and teach me, 

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 25:5

More on hope here.

This post includes a {very}subtle hint about what I'm giving away next week.

I can't help it.

 I'm a doting aunt now.

In other news: I've got a giveaway coming up soon!

Smile: Take 2

I Heart Outtakes

So....I showed you pictures of our little indoor beach vacation a while back, but I've saved the "best" for last. Ava took a while to warm up to that lens in her face. 

These are my first shots.

Of course, children aren't the only ones who act a little funny with a lens nearby.

  

My last one of the day. Who can resist the face of sweet Victoria, my niece?

I love the age of little eyes trying their hardest to focus.

Almost every picture is an outtake!

 

For more outtakes, weekly photography challenges and resources, check out

The Doll I'll Never Admit is Better

There was a rule. It was unspoken, but it grew from a childhood of scorn for all things branded. Whether it be chips, toys, or electronics, if it was a popular brand, our family probably didn't have it. Despite my attempts, I did not inherit this rule. Not me. I do not believe cheaper is better.


Not me. Really.


I have not broken this rule. I did not break the no way will anyone in our family ever own an overpriced, over hyped doll rule.

I did not let my daughter buy an American Girl doll. Not me. What a waste of money. It's just a doll.

Now, when I want to feel better about myself and my silly rules, I remind myself that at least I didn't buy it for her. Nope. She bought it herself.

~

Megan  literally vibrated with excitement while I grabbed a Starbuck's mocha (conveniently across from the store entrance) to help me survive the experience. Mocha in hand, I followed Megan as she marched in to American Girl with her wad of cash, fresh from her birthday card, hand in mine, and with a bit of prodding, approached a gentleman and asked, "Can you show me where Lanie is?"

He  led us to the middle of the store, past fantastic glass encased displays of dolls, to her choice: this year's doll that looks amazingly like my own girl. Blond with long curly hair. And a penchant for outdoor adventure. And bugs. At least, that's what the book about her says.


Megan took her time. She looked at the accessories, weighed the cost of doll plus one extra. Is the doll laptop worth $26 or is the hammock? If she had a couple hundred more dollars, would she buy Lanie's camper and where would she put it? She made a full sweep of the store, admiring doll couches, puppies, sunglasses and endless matching outfits.

She chose carefully. The doll and the hammock. Oh, the decisions of a nine year old.

She filled her big red bag and checked out, chatting comfortably with the cashier.We made our way to the van, and I clicked the light on so she could immediately open the box. She fretted that the doll's hair would be mashed in the back just like a Barbie's straight from the box. No worries. Lanie came complete with a hairnet, and bouncy hair.

For days, she's done her schoolwork with Lanie nearby, admiring each detail.

 

It turns out you often do get what you pay for. But I will never admit it. Not me.