Valentine's Day...All Year Long?

Valentines Day is coming quickly! I am not focused on Sunday, but have it perched in the back of my mind. I feel like there has been so much going on in the life of my husband and I that a flowery day in February need not be put on such a pedestal as to take over what is important in our daily lives.

Such as, our working together with grace and love. 

For example, our bathroom "remodel", seems to be all consuming.
It is coming along well, but mistakes have been made. 
Like my being certain that I could make that warped piece of car-siding work. which it did not. and I had already glued it. and partially nailed it. sigh.  
Or my husband accidentally cutting the red wire on the in floor heating mat while cleaning up the floor tiles before grouted. Pulling up tiles were necessary. sigh.
Neither of us got upset at the other when these things happened. We just helped one another with the process of making things right.

That is for us, in part, what real love is. Working together, not getting mad over the small things in life and laughing with each other....a lot.

We do not get upset if each of us is interested in different things. 
For example (again, or would that be redundant?) my hubby likes those detective style TV shows and I do not. We just watch different televisions in our house. No big deal, when the shows are done, we come together to watch what we do like - life is good, and when each of us watch the differing shows, when one falls asleep, the snoring does not interrupt the climactic choice of the perfect wedding dress! (I love you honey!!)

We pray together each night. faithfully. Our love of the Lord and surrender to Him is the biggest part of our love relationship and the most important. 

We hug, a lot.  We hold each other's hand, talk, and have dinner together. 

These small things may not seem like a big deal, but going without them makes such a chasm in a marriage that some cannot bring that breach back together.
We have made it a priority to not allow ourselves to let that chasm even start.

Do we do thing without each other? Yes, yes we do. I do things with my best girlfriends, my hubby plays music with his friends. My hubby does Daddy - Daughter date nights, I have my photography business that takes me away at times.

Life is our Valentine's Day. Will we celebrate the 14th? Yes, but in a small way like a card or candy or something homemade.

Which brings me to this! Some wonderful homemade items that I have found. Here are a couple that are incredibly easy and are without sugar or artificial sweeteners!

Like this Quinoa Bark from Half Baked Harvest (which is in my refrigerator right now) 

Or these No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Fudge Bars from Chocolate Covered Kate  Oh Yum!!!!!!

What will you be making or giving this Valentine's Day?

p.s. I think these are just the sweetest gifts to give: "Bee" my "Honey" on Valentine's Day. From Joanna Gaines 
 

A Look Into Fibromyalgia

First off, to get understanding right away, let me ask you this: have you ever been falling asleep and reach that point where you are still "consciously aware" of what is going on around you but are unable to rouse yourself to movement or speech? i.e. you are napping on the sofa and hear the children fighting but cannot speak or move to stop them...because you are asleep, or supposed to be?

OK, ground work laid. 

That was me, last night....for a couple of hours. I could literally hear myself moaning and whimpering but could do nothing about it. I could not wake myself enough to stop. I know this to be true as I finally did wake up fully at 3:30 am and got out of bed to talk to my sweet hubby (who was preparing for a grueling day of work) and he had sadly been laying awake listening to me. My heart aches for him. That he lost sleep over me.

You see, although not all nights (less than more) are like this, there are those nights and actually days in which the pain can be this strong. Medicines are good at taming the beast but not always fully effective. I am not complaining as I know that I have many more good days, active wonderful days in which I fully enjoy life, my family and can work, serve and shop without feeling frustrated. 

They call Fibromyalgia the "Silent Disease" as those who suffer from it look to be without any issues. We do not look diseased in our outward flesh...tired yes, but don't we all have those days! 

I put these words to cyber-paper not to draw attention to me, on the contrary, my goal is to bring awareness to this relentless affliction that so many out there suffer from and for those who have but do not have an official diagnosis. Please know that there is help, there are those who will listen and there ARE ways to help yourself cope and feel better! 

I find that submerging myself in things that truly bring me joy is the best medicine. Keeping active, making myself get up in the morning, doing what I need to do and then what I want to do can make days much better. But I also know that there are days when I need to just sit. Relax. Take it easy. I cannot do it all like I used too. 

And I keep this little saying in my head: It is a Great day to HAVE a Great day!

Gloomy, Gray Day?

Some days are just plain ugly outside. But I know that it does not have to be that way inside!

What makes your gloom get kicked to the curb?

Music  -  that is my go too....loud and proud!

Reading  -  I love to read but just have not had the time for extra books as of late. (I do have one on my night stand beckoning me to slow down and breath)

Cleaning  -  who does that! Seriously, did I just ask that?

Creating  -  yes please!

A link or two for your Tuesday gloom and creative hearts.

Engineer Prints: To Die For!

Key Lime Cake! (I think I can make it sugar free for my sweet hubby!) : Yum!

Valentines Desserts: 15 Of Them!


I hope you have an AMAZING gloomy day full of joy!

Paula

Life has been, ahem, crazy.

With the addition of  the In-Law Suite to our home, which allowed my Mom to move in, and the work that we needed to do to our "side" of the house due to the addition -  we have been, shall I say, working what feels like 24/7.

Mom fell in November and broke her hip (can we all be overwhelmingly grateful for her being where she now is!)....it was a clean break allowing for a relatively easy surgery and partial replacement. Mom moved from the hospital into a rehab facility where she stayed for a mere two weeks and then back home with us! Amazing how quickly she pushed through it!

My hubby is working more hours at work than one should be, but he has no choice in the matter and we will power through the next 3 weeks and be grateful for the extra money it affords us.

I am finding it quite difficult to fall into my soft spot of DIY work. Sigh. I love and long to work on projects that challenge me. There seems to be such an abundance of "normal, has to be done to survive" work at this point that I find myself simply longing to be creative and unable to do so. 
But I do not see creative to be too far in my future and my mind swirls with anticipation at the ideas that I have! 

I cannot promise at this point how often I will be posting in the early 2016 year, I desire to write often, but do need to sleep at some point, so I refuse to lock myself into a schedule. I will do my best at life, at work, at DIY'ing and most importantly with God.

I ask grace from you all and know that if you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Paula

p.s.  My photography business has been quite busy recently (throwing that into an already packed schedule) and I will be posting some of the pictures here on the blog...here is one taken on my Iphone (why is it that photographers NEVER have their good cameras when they really need them!) that i found to be just a remarkable site! I did not actually count, but I know there had to be at least 150 ice-cycles!!

Well, ...

It has been nearly a month since I have blogged. So much has taken place and little of it very exciting. 

Sad, I know.

I got pneumonia. That stunk.

My Mom got sick from me, not pneumonia but a respiratory infection and at 80 years of age, it was enough to make us all stand up and pay attention.

Mom, well in 4 days, me...not so much.

She is a feisty one for sure!

I feel as though for the first time in my life that I am dealing with a bit of depression. I am sure it is weather / Fibromyalgia related but non the less has taken me by surprise and I have to say, I. Don't. Like. It.

I know that I need to focus on two things very closely. Jesus and something I find relaxing and exhilarating all in one.

Easter is shortly here and you know BOTH of the above mentioned focus views are involved in Easter.

I find that as I submerge myself fully in this season I am excited at the love of a Savior who gave His life for me. I am humbled and loved. Life is good. Life is full when I surrender.

Also, loving my family around an Easter feast is such a joy for me. Many would find it daunting or exhausting but I find it exhilarating! 

Deciding on the tablescape    making the menu   decorating   cooking   baking.

Just typing this makes me sigh. The kind of sigh that you get when you sink into a hot bubble bath or take that first spoonful of your favorite ice cream. Yes, THAT kind of sigh.

Audible. Loving. Peaceful sigh.

There actually were a couple of high points in the past 4 weeks and I will get those photos picked through and up on the blog in the next couple of days.

But until then, I will leave you with this.

National Pancake Day

Tomorrow is National Pancake Day!

I will not be able to celebrate it as we are traveling today and tomorrow.

We are a sugar free home, so our pancakes will have to wait for another day to be celebrated and, ahem, eaten.

How celebrated will they feel??

But you should know....sugar free, done the right way can be just as yummy as the full sugar counterpart!

Dates as sweetener...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here is what I am talking about!



Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Chocolate Covered Katie!!!

Here is the link to her amazing recipe.

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Cinnamon-Roll-Pancakes-565898

Thank you Katie for all your hard work and knowledge that makes like so yummy for the rest of us!!!


Have an amazing weekend all!

Wise Words

Be who you were created to be.

Stop comparing yourself to others.

Walk confidently in the gifts God has given you.

Shine your light.

Twirl.

Author Unknown.

I love this! I am going to make this a print and put this up in my house!

I hope that today you find that you are willing to take the chance, to twirl without worrying about others looking at your.

I hope that today you find that you are willing to walk confidently in the gifts God has given you.

I hope that today you find that you are willing to stop comparing yourself to others.

And I hope that today you are willing to be who you were created to be!

I am going to twirl. Twirl with abandon! Do life big!!!

Just Some Thoughts and A Door Knob

How is that for a title! 

First, some thoughts:

As I was looking through some of the blog spots that I have saved in my computer, I noticed that about 90% of the homes that these bloggers have are, hmmmmmmm, how shall I say this.....

majestic.

My home and what I do is not majestic.

On the contrary, it is very modest. And I am so very OK with that!

So I hope that all who read this blog love the normal

okay, okay.....quirkey

not over the top things that I do.

I kind of feel like decorating, table-scaping, etc. would just be easy with a huge home and a family income that is three times my husband's and mine.

I am not whining or wishing for something different here, so please do not take it that way.

On the contrary, I love my life and my home and feel as though what I can share that you all tell me you love is something that EVERYONE could do.

No matter their house size or income.

I hope that all made sense.

Now, on to the door knob!!

My Mother and I took a stroll (a marathon hiking time would be more accurate!) through our local antique mall the other day.

4 stories, a mom that had not been out of the house in ages...

you get the picture!

She fell in love with a green night stand that I had to go back and get as she could not pull the trigger that day & made the decision to purchase it the day after we went shopping.

And she bought for me this beauty!

It was a great price....$6.

Yes! I know! Score!

I want to make it work for our laundry room door, which my sweet hubby says is doable, and now I am very anxious to get that started!

But in the mean time, here are a few photo's that I took of this lovely door knob!

It was the best at this photo session....I did not have to tell it one time to be still or move this way or that!!

Yay me!!

Dog Nappin'

I bought a dog bed....big news I know!

or not.

I was certain in the store that both dogs would fit nicely in the bed.

My hubby thought differently.

Soooooooooooooo, I wanted to make one as I had spent my wad on the store bed. 

Free works for me most of the time and this was no different.

I found an old pillow that had been flattened from over use!

I then went to my basement to see what I could find for material.

I found a nice tan stripe that will work nicely!

I measured the pillow length and width, cut the top and bottom from the material.  I wanted it to look a bit more of a bed style and not just a pillow cover which meant that I needed "sides".
I cut strips of the material 3 inches wide and 10 inches longer than the circumference of the pillow.
This way the "sides" are 2 inches tall after sewing (there is that 1/2 inch seam allowance!) and I had plenty to fold in when getting to the end of the sewing. 

I finished the edges of the back of the pillow sides as I wanted to have flaps to stuff the pillow into and take it out of for easy washing....you will see that in a moment.

Sew right sides together all around the pillow top attaching the side to the top.

Repeat with the bottom....can you see here the opening I left to put the pillow into? If you are confused, I explain it in more detail in this post: http://inpayne-paula.blogspot.com/2015/02/throw-pillows.html

This is the blanket that was in use and ALWAYS a tripping hazard, 
probably the dogs way to get back at us for clipping their nails and giving them baths....we are such terrible humans!!!

As you can tell from the pictures, he took right to it!

OR NOT.

If not for my hubby commanding him to stay, Ernie would have bolted.

I feel so appreciated.

The bed is done and it really was about a 45 minute start to finish job.
And the best thing ever.....BOTH DOGS SLEEP TOGETHER IN THE BLUE AND GRAY BED!

Again....I feel so appreciated.

By The Seat Of My Chair

My Mom bought a chair....a rather ahem, ugly chair.

The lines of the chair are great! The price was even better, $3.00 at an estate sale.

But the upholstery.....feast your eyes on this.

And might I just say, it feels as nasty as it looks.

The chair was unstained and honestly very well taken care of. Probably never sat in because it was so ugly and itchy. 

Just sayin.

I grabbed my seam ripper and tore apart the seat cushion. I needed to do this for pattern making purposes.

I also like the cording around the edges but did not want to rip it all apart to retrieve the filler cord. I decided to buy new.

Said cord at a fabric store...5 bucks for 10 yards

Clothes line cord at wal-mart, 98 cents for 10 yards.

I cut 100 inch lengths of 2 inch wide coordinating fabric. 

Two lengths of it.

Sit at that sewing machine and sew the most un-glamorous job ever.

Dory was going through my head...."just keep sewing, just keep sewing".

Whew! Glad that is over!

Now for the fun stuff.....cut two pieces of fabric for the "seat" of the cushion using the old material as the pattern.

Now lay the cording on the edge of one of the pieces you just cut and sew onto the right side of your fabric.

When you come upon a corner, snip the fabric that is the seam side of the cording....being very careful NOT to cut your glamorous seem you worked so hard on.

Now repeat on the second seat fabric piece that you have.

Next I cut another strip of fabric 100 inches long but this time it is 6 inches wide.
This becomes your cushion depth, per the original cushion to allow for the old stuffing to be re-used.

You guessed it, sew right sides together, one at a time.

HOWEVER....I left the entire back of the cushion un-sewn to allow me to place the "stuffing" aka internal cushion inside of my new cushion cover.

Turn right sides out and stuff.

I did hand sew the seam in the back of the cushion but this was done while watching an extremely educational show on t.v.  (eat streets.....I HAVE to know these things for our next trip to Texas!!)

I love that I did not use the same material for the cording as I used for the actual cushion! I think it gives it a great look and is just quirky enough but not a "what were you thinking" kind of thought!

Next: onto the chair body....wish me luck!!