Another Table Story

Do you remember this table? This was my spring break project.

 

Didn't quite turn out like I had wanted so I brought it in and left it alone for awhile.  Well now that it is summer and the son and daughter are at camp, I thought it would be a great time to mess with this project again. I had actually applied wax over the top of all of that mess to see if I could make it look better....it didn't.  So this time, I had to strip it AGAIN, sand and steel wool it A LOT, while thinking to myself "what the heck did I do?"


You see I am a lazy decorator.  I know what I want, but usually do not have the patience to get it done and when I do something I want it done, not have to wait for each layer to dry. That is just too much time.


Anyways after 3 days, this is what it has turned out to be.

This is the top.  I stained it walnut.  I chose a satin but it was still a little to shiny for me.  Out came the fine steel wool and I dulled it done some.  

I then broke out the spray paint. Yes, white again.  I sprayed two coats. Then when my husband said "Needs another coat" I decide I am stubborn and do not want to go back again for the umpteenth time to the hardware store to buy another stinking can of spray paint.  No, not gonna happen.  This table has consumed enough time. So out again comes the steel wool, this time #3, and I scuffed it up to reveal the red paint that I never could get off the first time.  I stepped back and inspected and scuffed some more. Stepped back again........DONE!! SHE'S DONE!! Not the best pictures but it is the best my little camera would do.  Hallelujah's are going up and that my friend is how we 'git r done' around here.

Book sorting, garage cleaning and book sorting again....

I first started sorting through the many book cases in our house. Pulling what we won't be using this year, won't be using again, setting aside what we would be using.  Then I moved into the garage where, yes believe it or not, more books awaited.  I pulled all of those boxes in, cleaned out 3/4 of the garage and felt very accomplished.  This is what I was left with in the house

So I then sorted through all of these boxes, what to sell, what to give away for free, what to take and trade in at our homeschool bookstore.  I widdled these boxes down to one give away, two trade in boxes, 1 sell box, and packed away 2 boxes for future years.  I sat back and smiled at all of my hard work.

Then the phone rang, a homeschool veteran had graduated all of her kids and wanted to donate some books to the homeschool group. " Could you take them?" she asked..............long pause........."well of course I can" I answered.  She told me that she was on her way.

My garage was once again full of books, 12 boxes of books to be exact. I invited over everyone to have a give-away.  I widdled it down to 10 after I consolidated....

I then went to the bookstore with my 2 boxes and got that down to 1.  I am back to 11 boxes of books in the garage.

This is a reflection of how my summer has been going.  I am feeling like I take a few steps forward and then slide down the hill and have to re-work it all to climb forward again.  I do not feel like I have accomplished anything and we start school in 2 weeks.  I have had to blow in the brown paper bag a few times to calm my anxiety down.

Reminded of Matthew 6:33-34 ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I remind myself that all I can do is one day at a time, give my plans to Him, and trust that it will all work out.

Forgiveness

The other night we watched "Invictus".  Have you seen it?  It is a couple years old and it stars Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman and is based on the true story of Nelson Mandela (played by Freeman) and the head of the rugby team (played by Damon) joining forces to win the the world cup and ultimately unite a nation.


I like watching movies that make me think and connect with the world that I may not always see.  This is one of those movies.


I have been kicking around one line imparticular spoken by Matt Damon's character.  He states "He (Mandela) came out of that prison cell after 30 years ready to forgive the very people who put him in there."  There was something powerful about that line that I kept on repeating it to myself for the rest of the movie and even days later.


There is power in forgiveness.  Power to unite a country so torn by division that no one believed it could be done due to the atrocities that had taken place. That same power can unite a family torn by lies and hurt, a marriage torn apart by infidelity.  That very power can unite you back to a Father who loves you so much. He can repair, restore, and renew.


I thought of Jesus- God sent his only son to this world for us. For you and for me. To live here for 30 plus years, to be put to death in a terrible way, he was buried in the tomb.  After 3 days he rose, prepared to forgive the very ones who placed him there.  To forgive those that had denied him.  To forgive you and me of our sins. It didn't matter what we had done, how big that we may think we have messed up.  He forgives. I pray that I am able to extend that same forgiveness to those that I may come in contact with through out my life.  I am thankful that I have had the experience to feel that power given to me.

Our 4th of July Celebration

We celebrate 4th of July because our country is free and I am thankful!  We ate and we laughed and we celebrated!

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.  ~Erma Bombeck

MIA

Yes, I have been missing.


There is no spectacular reason why.  A combination of a few things.


I am still alive and I have things to share with you.


First, I have been busy moving our homeschool group from Yahoo groups to BigTent. Let me start by saying I am not computer savvy. I have a MAC which I don't have a clue at all of the stuff that it can do but sometimes it takes me hours to do something that would take a knowledgable person 15 minutes.  All though BigTent is easy, like all things new, it takes time to realize all that you can do and how to do it. So after spending hours at a time working on that, I leave the computer wanting to blow it up, throw it in the pool, drive over it a couple of times. Yes, it is the operator not the computer, but still it gives me something to take my frustration out on....Better then the children or the pets or the hubby :) The only thing I want to do is get as far away from the computer. 


Then of course I have children and a husband who desire to get on the computer or need mom for something so after hours of doing what I have to do, I don't feel right just doing what I want to do. Make sense? Besides that it takes a lot from me to post something.  I am not the english major, I read and re-read. I know that I do not do things correctly half of the time and so when I am focused on what I am saying and how I am saying it, to constantly be interrupted gets me frustrated.


The second big thing that has kept me away are the projects that I have been putting off.  During school time I put a lot of things aside which then makes my summer packed with a long list of to do's. 


So all of that to say.......I'm back :) Batteries have been put in the camera, the BigTent move has taken place, I am ready to share so stay tuned.....You've been forewarned :)