{ the white chair }

{paper and ink}

2012-05-11T11:55:00.001-05:00

{paper and ink} love:

What is it about vintage

that is so intriguing?

I took some time the other day

to treasure hunt

with my 9 and 11 year old daughters...

We found a few batons for Clara to twirl

{she's happy!}

and a few other useful things.

Then we came across

a few old typewriters

and were absolutely

in awe.

Maybe it's the

'klink, klink, klink'

of the keys

or that your eyes can actually see

the ink

transferring onto the paper.

I am 'one of those'

that prefer lists on paper

over notes on my i-pad,

reading a book written on pages

rather than a nook

and the smell of fresh ink

as I inscribe

a handwritten note to a friend

rather than an e card,

whatever that is :].

Oh, I know those things can be convenient

and save a forest, too.

But there's just something about

paper and ink...

I love.

Typewriters are being listed today

in my boutique.thewhitechair.etsy.com

Have a beautiful weekend!

deborah

small and simple

2012-05-05T10:06:00.002-05:00

small and simple

{the many, many things that life is made of}

"One of the greatest blessings in life

is to learn

to be content

with and fulfilled by

the small,

simple things

in life;

after all,

these make up the majority

of the human experience."

Dr. Laura

To say it in mathematical terms:

small + simple x lifelong = influence

Have a wonderful weekend!

deborah

unexpected gifts of grace...

2012-04-28T18:40:00.001-05:00

Roses, Hydrangeas and a touch of Grace

{unexpected gifts}

A couple of weeks ago

a dear friend
gave me these pink roses...

for no other reason than to simply

show her usual thoughtful kindness.

She is of the substance

that as time goes on
I have become aware of how much richer my life is
because of her friendship.
One that presses you to become a better,

stronger, and much wiser woman.

A role model of an inner joyful heart

no matter the
external influences.

She will even ask about different

things that I have shared with her
over years of our friendship

and say that she asks only to get an update

so she can continue to pray
with better understanding.

{and she prays}

She has not even once spoken

ill to me of anyone else
especially and including

those that have positioned themselves
as an enemy.
{Really. It's true.}

Full of selfless, kind encouragement

and never self promoting,

she prefers to remain quietly

behind the scenes
of her highly successful husband

and amazingly beautiful and super high achieving children
that really could all be supermodels but they are all deep
into making this world a better place,
like their parents.

{and she has many children so this is a huge task}

She brought me pink roses
on a Wednesday.
Several days later
I took a huge bundle of hydrangeas to her
from our yard.

She loves this type of hydrangea
because it reminds her
of the flowers that grow so well in another country
where she, her husband and children spent about 10 years
living out 'an adventure.'

I ran into her at a class a couple days ago
and we stayed after to catch-up.
After several minutes she asked if I noticed her eye
as she ran her finger over it.
I said that I hadn't.
She smugly with eyes down told me that she had been hit by a car
and continued on about something else.
{not herself, of course}
Wait a minute, I thought.
"Excuse me, can we go back to where you said
that you were hit by a car?
You were in a car, right?"
"No. I was in a parking lot."
{pause}
I picked up my lower jaw off of the table
where we were sitting
and tried to reattach my eyeballs to my face.
My expression was most likely self explanatory...
I did not need to verbalize any more questions.

"Yes, I was walking to my car
and this person apparently didn't see me
and perhaps was in a bit of a hurry.
The car hit me and threw me about 20 feet.
I landed on my side and face, knocked out...
the whole CT scan, MRI and tests...
I believe it's a miracle that I'm not gone
or hooked up to breathing tubes, you know?
{and then added "with all the pins and screws that I have..."
that's another story-a book that I want her to write
called GRACE}
And you didn't even know it did you,
but when you brought over those beautiful hydrangeas
I was laying down recovering and my daughter saw you
coming up the sidewalk...
Thank you."

{whispers of grace}

If I mentioned her name here
it would bother her deeply.
She truly sees herself as a behind the scenes,
'no recognition needed here'
quiet servant.
She's intelligent enough to run a corporation,
{and with her quality and quantity of family- she does}
Eloquent enough to meet with Kings and Queens,
{and she does}
Graceful and caring enough to be a type of triage nurse,
{and she has}
Humble enough to take in the drug addicted prostitute,
{and she has}
Wise enough to lead a church,
{she had to when her husband was hit by a car}
And not so busy that she cannot be a friend.
{and she is a wonderful one, at that}

My pink roses are dry now.
I hung them in our kitchen
against the black chalkboard wall.
Perfect reminders of what a small gift
that a bundle of flowers can be
when received in a dark moment
covered with an indescribable gift of
grace.

deborah

{images taken by me using instagram}

playgrounds and perfume...

2012-04-24T17:07:00.003-05:00

{playgrounds and perfume}

Once upon a time...

in a land not so far away

there was a sweet little girl

who loved to go to the playground.

{simple joy of a playground}

Then I blinked and she turned 17.

{at the park wearing perfume}

Now she loves interior design,

fashion, hair, and make-up design,

graphic design, and... design.

All of this 'creativity' can create

quite a mess in a small bedroom...

Art supplies, sketchbooks, clothing,

make-up, more clothing,

homeschooling books, lots of
perfume bottles,

and beverage glasses from who knows when

that had an unidentified type of juice

now turned 'science project...'
{ok I'm embarrassed}

This presented quite an organizational challenge, as you can see...

{viewer advisory caution}

{my heart rate elevates just looking at it!}

{breathe!}

{ok, now I'm praying!}

We needed a storage solution that a teenager
and her mom could live with.

Preferably:
Unconventional.
Unusual.
Unpredictable.
Unique.

Then an idea:
Large open utility shelving, bookshelves,
or maybe a painted china hutch.
We could make her bedroom a type of
walk in closet.
As long as there's plenty of room
for creativity
and a maybe a chandelier...

Kind of like this:

So with fear and trembling

that I might encounter

the "Oh mom..." teenager sigh
I went ahead and shared these crazy ideas

with her.

And pause... "I love it!"

Yea!

Now we can all be happy.

I won't have a zone in our home

that looks like a bomb went off

{well, at least one less anyway}

and she can have a bit of order to her

own little space.

So off to the trail of

Thrift Stores

we went!

{little brother helping in the hunt}

The vision was simple:
Clean and open shelving
filling a long wall.
Perhaps 3 or 4 bookshelves to adjoin
and paint white, or ballet pink...
or bright yellow with
plenty of space to categorize belongings.
{sort of boutique-ish}

Not too difficult, right?

But we just couldn't find the 'right fit.'

Then we noticed a group of huge
black shiny file cabinets.
"Perfect for a large office" I thought.
Then I pulled out a drawer.
"Wow, look at how much space there is!"
{idea}

"Crazy" I told myself.
{But I loved it}

So again, I asked
'rather choosy and set in her own style'
teenager
a silly question
"What about file cabinets as storage?"

"Yes! I LoVe it!" she responded.

Enough said.

A few days later:

{neatly in a row}

{everything has a place}

{and labeled!!!}

{and her P.O.D. wall art is still visible}

{and her friend Betsy is so accessible}

Unique.
Definitely unpredictable.
Certainly unusual
and yes, unconventional.

Just what we were looking for.
Well, sort of.

What have you been up to?

xo deborah

finding the fine line...

2012-01-20T00:51:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking lately about the whole world of virtual communication.

I enjoy facebook, blogger, etsy, instagram, and the convenience of email.

I, like everyone else, can get lost in the computer screen for hours on sites like

flickr and now pinterest.

I think it's wonderful that there are so many different platforms for creativity

and opportunities for individuals to work from home.

It's crazy how fast a new online site can pop up.

I know this may make me sound

out of date or old but, it's hard to keep it all straight!

It can become additictive.

And worse yet, it can promote a loss of a connection with reality.

I have checked my facebook more than I need to.

I have blogged when it may have been better to meet a friend for coffee.

I have put alot of work into my etsy and wondered if it was time well spent.

And now pinterest.

I can find everything there!

Recipes, decor ideas, hairstyle tutorials, exercise plans, even a gazillion + more makeover ideas

for my face, my home, my yard, my garden, my life.

I read a woman's to do list for 2012.

It had dozens of BiG projects listed.

I couldn't help but wonder how all this doing would affect her marriage

and her relationships with her children.

I thought I was having a bad day the other day.

My husband was sick and out of state all week on a business trip.

Our 6 children all had the flu.

I had the flu.

The laundry mountain was HuGE

and my energy had flatlined.

After a few days of doing nothing I got out my computer.

I read several blogs of people that I follow

and I came across a difficult post of a woman who recently

lost her home, her marriage, and many other, what once were, blessings.

This is one of my very favorite on line people.

It jarred me.

I was so stunned that this woman had been going through all these tragic events

and I was completely clueless.

It reminded me that in the virtual world

what's being presented doesn't always line up with reality.

It is a difficult fine line.

If I am real, there are those who read that as whining.

And I have a conviction that if I'm not real, I am promoting a virtual fairytale image

that benefits no one.

???

I am not quite sure where that balance is.

In the blogosphere of interior design and inspiration

spilled milk and a ripped open garbage bags caused by family dog

aren't axactly inspiring or material for readers who want to sit at their computer

with a cup of coffee and wander into blogging bliss.

I love order, peace, elegance, beauty, simplicity and lovliness

but frankly, my world just isn't so.

No one's is.

I can fall into "Should my_____ be like that?" ditch.

Or maybe it's more like a swamp.

I get concerned about the influences that these images of virtual perfection

can bring into our own homes, our own relationships with spouse and children,

our standards and expectations.

Houses get dirty and need upkeep.

Marriage takes hard, selfless, devotion and humble committment.

Children need both of their parent's love, attention and affection.

The inspiration that I've needed to continue 'make overs' on these most important

priorities has not come from time on blogger, facebook or pinterest

but from being quiet before God.

No electronics needed.

No cell phone needed.

If you find that fine line between being real on your blog

without sounding like you're whining

let me know.

I want to continually stay there and write from that place.

I'd love to hear your thougts on how you stay real in a virtual world.

xo deborah

{images: pinterest}

{realistic} Renewal

2012-01-17T15:39:00.000-06:00

Realistic Renewal

I love newness.

Starting fresh.

Reflection and renewal.

But sometimes I forget to stay real

in the vision of what my 'renewed' looks like.

Words I'd like to describe my life:
purposeful
simplified
strategic
streamlined
peaceful
prepared
pure

{yes, kind of like that}

I ran into a lovely young woman the other day

who told me all about a program

that she is involved in right now.

She's living with an amazing, wonderful family

along with several other

college-aged students:

Push-ups and sit-ups for each piece of

clothing left on floor,

{light bulb! watch out Martin kids!}

cleaning the whole house every week

with other interns,

spiritual and physical disciplines

to prepare these young people

for real life, etc.

I couldn't help but look at how I'm training my own children.

And another good friend who has a few children

and a very, very busy demanding life

who is so beautiful and intelligent

that is having our whole family over for dinner this weekend...

I started to look at my own life.

Our family schedules.

Chore lists.

Our health habits and spiritual disciplines.

Our corners of clutter
that I constantly clean out.

Last week I went to our local warehouse
and bought x-large garbage bags
for donations and garbage.

We are always donating to Goodwill

{and then I drive around the corner to the front door
and go treasure hunting}

One of my mantra's to our children is

do not compare {with others}.

But I need reminded of that truth

just as often as they do.

The rest of the lesson is:

do not compete.

do not complain.

but be content.

Then I woke up this morning and

all 6 of our kids have the flu.

My husband is out of town on a week long business trip.

And I have the flu, too.

I have to laugh.

Then I'm laying in bed thinking

of all the things that I
could/should be doing.

{Mom's don't schedule sick days, right?}

And then one of my kids came to me

to say that the shelves in the garage fell...

The storage shelves.
"It must have been windy in the garage."

Decluttering these shelves
and the entire garage
was on my list of things to do

and it is just moved to the top.

A section dropped a month ago and a bottle of beer from my sister to make beer bread fell onto my 5th grader's backpack and shattered.

We washed her back pack but her friends keep saying

"What's that smell?"

Do those women that I admire have dirt in their corners?

Do they have unexpected messes
like shelves that fall?

Does everyone have a maid?!

Does anyone else get sick

when all 6 of thier kids get sick

when husband is out of town

for a whole week!?! {sigh}
{believe it or not this has happened before}

And then I pulled out one of my favorite books

written by Lisa Whelchel.

She's real.

I love real.

Not that the women I've mentioned aren't

but my mind I can become idealistic,
often only seeing people

at their best.

I read a few pages and then returned to my

little 'hospital of sick beds'.

Real is so refreshing to me.

The shelves and all contents

are still on the floor.

Perhaps tomorrow I will be over the flu

and will simplify, organize and donate
but until then I am going to cherish the
quiet togetherness that only a
simplified sick day
can bring.

Hope that my realness
brings you refreshment, too,
knowing that we all have corners, messes and
unexpected realities.
{darn it}

xo deborah

{images: my messy house and pinterest}

contemplations for newness...

2012-01-10T18:14:00.000-06:00

Contemplations for newness from a historic wise woman...

A quote that jumped out at me recently:

{it will become 'wall art' in our home soon}

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy

in whatever situation I may find myself.

For I have learned the greater part

of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by

our circumstances

but by our disposition."

Martha Washington

hmmm... enough said.

What thoughts or inspirations

are "ah ha" moments to you these days?

xo deborah

{simplicity} of the season

2011-12-20T12:45:00.001-06:00

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication~

Leonardo DaVinci

Some of my favorite Christmas decorations

are little framed photographs

and other things filled with sentiment.

I love the idea of buying an ornament each year

for each child but somewhere after the third or fourth child

I lost track of so much 'stuff' and gave up!

Here's a peek:

{this candle is 1 1/2 inches tall}

A particular two year old {years ago}

needed to have an explaination

that little things in gift shops on vacation

are not free.

You need to pay for them before you can

place them in your pocket and go outside

to sit on a bench with Grandma Shaw...

{notice the $1.95 price tag}

This little one offered Mommy a spot of tea

by saying

"Would you like a cup of tea, deerling?"

{rather than 'darling'}

The first of four ballerina princess sisters

I love her countenance.

So sweet.

A photo of my grandparents.

They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary

in 2010 and then 5 months apart were laid to rest in 2011.

I miss them. They enriched my life more than words can say.

My diningroom tree topped with beautiful dried pink roses.

A treasure from Grandma Dietz.

Roses given to our youngest daughters

after participating in an

'Inner Beauty Pageant' a couple of weeks ago.

Each little girl showed her talents and gifts

and all contestants were encouraged and crowned

with applause and roses! So amazing!

{Lily played the viola

and Clara danced and tumbled to a 'Mary Mary' song}

My mother and I.

It was our last photo together

so it is greatly treasured. :]

Stockings {kind of} hung in a row.

Seth and his buddy

getting ready to bake gingerbread cookies.

{Don't be impressed by my culinary skills. We used a mix:] }

My favorite candle to burn during December.
I love this scent, year after year.

Lily's sheet music

for our nightly dinner music

strings concert.

{practice schedule}

What are your favorite things
this time of year?

May your heart and home
be filled with love
this Christmas season.
xo deborah

choosing to be simple

2011-12-03T10:36:00.000-06:00

"I believe that a simple

and unassuming life

is best for everyone.

Best both for the body

and the mind."

Albert Einstein

I got out a piece of white chalk

and scribed Einstein's words onto the wall

of our family dining room a few days ago.

In such a beautiful, beautiful season

it is so easy to get caught up

on the 'Commercialized Crazy Christmas Train.'

The train goes way too fast and can take

passengers to destination that they

really didn't plan to go

making it nearly impossible to take in

the wonder of the season.

Simplicity doesn't just happen in our family.

We have to plan for quiet.

We say no to some 'opportunities'

so that we can say yes to peace, love and joy.

I love this time of year!

Candlelight and Christmas lights

with a quiet cup of tea...

How do you choose simplicity?

xo deborah

New York, South Florida or Home?

2011-11-29T01:37:00.002-06:00

"Start packing your bags..."

I can hear Frank Sinatra singing in my head.

"It's up to you! New York New York!"

{There he goes again!}

I have a decision to make soon.

Do I want to go on a little get away?

Almost all expense paid.

That makes it even more tempting.

And if so, New York or South Florida?

I love New York.

I love Central Park.

I love the subway.

I love Times Square.

I love riding in a cab.

And I LOVE the diversity

of cultures!

Times Square Church

One of my very favorite places.

Looks refreshing enough.

I have the opportunity to

take a little time away...

I could go to New York City.

One of my most favorite places to visit.

Beautiful.

Nice.

And we could take a drive south

to the shores of New Jersey

where we recently took our oldest daughter

and showed her why we say

her eyes are ocean blue.

{that was a memorable day, she just stared in awe at the waters}

We don't have an ocean view where we live

so to experience the majestic view

is just that.

An experience.

Back to that decision.

so I could go to New York.

Or...

I could travel to south Florida

and enjoy a little heat and humidity

for awhile.

That sounds sooo nice to me right now.

I am sitting by my little space heater,

wearing lots of layers,

and drinking hot tea.

{maybe I should stop drinking the tea...

my whole house has gone on to bed}

My husband and I have a favorite

little place in the Keys

that we could go visit

along the route to Key West.

The first time we were there

we fell in love...

with Mahi Mahi.

{It's Ok, we were already in love with each other...}

{Please allow me a little reflecting...}

We were enjoying our well prepared meal

and soaking up every second of the

spectacular view as the orange Florida sun

disappeared over the curve of the waters

of the gulf...

{sigh}

When SMACK!!!

Our son flipped off his seat

and hit his little 2 year old mouth

on the edge of the glass dining table.

He must have been looking too.{?}

But then again we may not ever know if he

was trying to see the sunset

since WE were obviously distracted...

Like most first time parents

we panicked!

"Where's the nearest hospital?!!!"

we abruptly asked our waiter

as we grabbed a finely pressed linen napkin

to place over our son's mouth.

He looked at us with a blank stare

as if to say "What's a hospital?"

Oh brother...

"I don't know where there's a hospital...

but there's a fire station down the road."

"The food wasn't hot!

His mouth has no fire!!!" I thought

keeping my thoughts to just me, thankfully.

"Oh, EMT!"

"Just save our food! We'll be back!"

And we heard a manager say to us

as we sprinted for the door

"Don't worry about the bill or your food."

And to that we stated very matter of factly

"Oh, we'll be back."

Gotta finish that Mahi Mahi.

After all, where we are from

there isn't such a thing as

'Fresh Seafood'

They may call it

'Fresh'

but I don't know that it's

geographically possible...

Our son had bit all the way through

his lower lip

and of course

we thought he'd likely need

a facial surgeon

{lots of those in that region so "whew that's covered!"}

and a week in the hospital

to get put back together.

So, 20 minutes later,

after being seen by paramedics

{"Oh, he'll be fine. Mouth wounds heal from the inside out"}

our little man was good to go.

{probibally to bed}

So we went back

and finished our

delicious, room temperature,

as the sun had already gone down

but still so nice,

dinner.

Which would you choose?

New York City

or South Florida?

Or like Dorothy

would you say

"There's no place like home."

images:

estatebound.etsy.com

eyepoetryphotography.etsy.com

xo deborah

understated inspirations

2011-10-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

a collection of

"a few of my my favorite..."

{Rachel's inspirations}

{reminders of all that is good}

{timeless beauty}

{lovely organization}

{a place to be still... alone or together}

{treasures from history}

{a space for uncluttered conversation}

{a style 'all your own'}

{unwavering femininity}

{having my own little corner in a big world}

{creativity}

{time for rest}

{watching for and seeing the good in everything}

{making a place for hospitality}

{placing love at the center of it all}

{light in otherwise dark places}

{extravagant in kindness}

{simple in devotion}

{welcoming and purposeful in duty}

{treasures of wisdom}

{acceptance of individual design}

{self acceptance, no matter how initially perceived}

{live a planned life}

{and join in the dance}

{dance to the tune of "Love"}

Xo deborah

cHaLK boArD inTeReST

2011-10-18T09:12:00.001-05:00

What is it

about chalkboards?

Maybe it's that

I am a list maker...

Or that all of that

'blank space'

provides a place

for creativity
{and maybe more lists}.

Would you paint your fridge

with chalkboard paint?

Xo deborah

{weekend plans}

2011-10-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

Kids are out of school

for conferences...

Got a full tank of gas

and lots of things still undone on my

to-do list.

I have the choice to invest time

in either people

or projects...

Projects can wait

and need to.

{road trip}

I'm off to see a very special little lady

that by the grace of God

still inhabits this earth.

I will simply sit and hold her little fraile hand

and hopefully give back to her

just a trace amount of the loving kindness

that she gave to me

when I was little and fraile.

Life is so sweet.

Don't miss it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Xo deborah

{simple joys}

2011-09-22T12:53:00.002-05:00

{Simple Joys}

I ran acrossed this photo

the other day

and finding it was like a mega-dose of

good medicine.

I could just sit and stare.

Such sweet joy on her face.

This little peanut

is now a junior in highschool!

I was gathering photos

because I was asked to teach

100 little girls

about how they they were

made special.

So FuN!

{sneek peek}

If your father is a real King

that makes you a real princess.

"God is the King of all the earth."

Psalm 47:7

While teaching the lesson

I got to read to them

Psalm 139

"...all the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be."

Love that.

In this crazy world

it is reassuring to this

mother's heart

to know that

Someone is always there.

What little things are bringing you joy?

Xo deborah

childhood doors

2011-08-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

{Doors}

I went looking for pictures of doors

so as to create a treasury list

on my etsy website

but I couldn't figure out how to

make a list... axactly

and didn't really want to take the time

to figure it out...

{today anyway}

so that will be for another day.

I saw doors that reminded me

of days long ago.

This looks like a shed Grandpa used to have

acrossed the street from his house

where he kept some of his farming equipment

and sometimes some of our

little kittens and puppies.

The old legion hall

where as a child I 'suffered through'

with absolute boredom

Saturday night after Saturday night

watching my mother play Bingo...

{I got over it. I'm ok now.}

This photograph reminds me of the old barn

on our property that we kept our horses in

and all those chores

that came with them.

My brother, sisters and I learned

many lessons in that barn.

{some lessons we probibally didn't want to learn}

And the there was the old school house.

I looked forward to running through those doors every morning to see my friends,

to read and learn new things,

and to have a nice warm meal.

{except for those 'flying saucer' things...

mashed potatoes on fried bologna

with melted imitation Velveeta? eew.}

My favorite childhood door.

This photograph reminds me of

my very favorite door

to go through as a child.

This door was always open.

If not in the physical sense,

it was always open to children

and grandchildren in the way

of being welcomed.

The door had a thick coat of oil paint

applied every so often

to keep it fresh and presentable.

When this door opened in the spring

the smells of boiling chicken and rhubarb pies

met your senses with generous hospitality.

In the summer the sight was of a messy kitchen

{usually to the credit of the man of the house

and cleaned up by the woman of the house...}

with corn boiling, tomatoes being stuffed into jars for canning, and of course,

creating the very best pickles

that I have ever had in my life!

Fall was harvest time.

Back to school.

Bonfire cookouts on the weekends.

And then the holidays:

Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing.

{one year I was helping to place the turkey onto a platter for carving by the 'man of the house' when he and I dropped the BIRD! It went sliding acrossed the kitchen floor, gathering up all the dust bunnies along the way and landed with a greasy 'thud!' and was lodged under the table,

twisted into the legs of a chair,

was hot! slippery! and now dusty!

We poked that runaway with the tongs of new and improved bigger forks, wiped it off, and gracefully placed it upon the platter

just in time to present the feast with a calm smile to all the chatting relatives waiting in the other room.

And no, I didn't eat turkey that year.}

And Christmas Dinner.

Wonderful memories.

Anytime I walked through that door

I felt:

loved

welcomed

accepted

special

warm

and

knew that I belonged.

That door remains

but only in a memory.

Oh, it is physically still there

but is no longer opened by the kind hands

of the warm, receptive hearts

of the people who once lived there.

The Chef has been promoted

on into eternity where he may be cooking up

his pot roast even now, as I write

and the once strong and tenacious

little farmer's wife

has taken residence in a good place

where she doesn't have to clean up

the kitchen anymore.

People are taking care of her now.

My very favorite childhood door...

Grandpa and Grandma's

back porch door.

Only strangers and salesmen

used the front door.

They didn't know

{them}

any better.

What do your favorite childhood doors

look like?

{all images from etsy.com}

Xo deborah

confessions of a paint-a-holic...

2011-08-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Ok...

Today I was scrolling through

'A Bowl Full of Lemons' blog

{great info by the way}

and saw that in a recent post there was

one of those link parties going on.

I noticed one entry called

"Who paints this?"

They asked readers to not think of them
as crazy.

Then these two creative women explained
that the hot pink sofa was a prop
for a daughters birthday party.

{they admitted that it's stiff and crunchy}

They asked the question

"who paints this?"

Here's the confession:
And I answered
"I did."

Really.

I did.

I painted my sofa and love seat!

A soft creamy, leather like white.

Before you think I'm crazy
{maybe I am!}

and click out of this post,

please give me a second to explain:

We have 6 often messy kids.

We have 2 hairy drooling dogs.

We have 1 perfect cat.

And we feed our local high school's

varsity football team

{largest school in the state}

messy, drippy, Italian feasts weekly

all season long.

{usually around 12 weeks with play-offs}

And there are about 65 guys
plus parent volunteers.
That's 780+ plates of food
consumed in the dining room, family rec room,
living room, den, back deck,
screened in area under deck
every fall.

{That's crazy!}

We have a sofa and love seat
that was covered in a
celery green micro suede.
I loved it when it was clean.
But several years later
it was getting harder and harder
to get clean.

"Maybe I'll just donate the furniture
and start over."
But that didn't make any sense:
*The kids aren't grown
*The football team was returning
for a new season.
*And my slip covers were tired.
Very tired.

Then an idea.

It came from my sister.

She painted a set of GW chairs
that she had in a
covered outdoor seating area.

She used a semi-gloss dark gray paint
and they looked like
vintage leather chairs!
Not crunchy or stiff.
Just leather-like.
Hmm.

My thought process:
I love the structure of the furniture.
It's the fabric that I have a problem with.
I could donate and $tart over...no.
What do I have to loose?

I got out my semi gloss white paint

I painted the loveseat
and hired one of our daughters
to paint the sofa.
She earned some cash.
No more cleaning furniture for hours for me.
We are all happy!

My 'confession.'

The pink couch is entry #4

and my confession is #181

in the link party

over at

"A Bowl Full of Lemons."

Have a creative and happy weekend!

Xo deborah

abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com

{cocoa couture} a treasury of chocolate luxe

2011-08-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

Love this sofa.

And the glazed stone walls

and the textured pillows...

So simple.

So feminine.

What a little gentleman.

My favorite kind of chocolate.

Handsome browns...

Aren't these so sweet?

Champagne cashmere.

A low sugar treat for my little people!

Pretty vessel.

Love open gates.

Ok, so these aren't brown

and her feet aren't tan

but aren't these unusual?

I had to throw them in!

{you'll find them on etsy.com}

Vintage treasures.

Warm fuzzy.

A thoughtful tray from my boutique.

Meet my maid.

She's wearing a champagne dress and pearls

to bake a roast and clean my house.

{she's never burnt the roast}

She models in her free time...

purses, jewelry and clothing for my boutique.

Some of my favorite little people.

Thank you for stopping by!

Xo deborah

{image credits: etsy.com, flicker, and me}

for the love {like} of nature

2011-08-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

{ good to know }

When I married my friend

23 years ago

I thought I knew him

really well

and I thought he knew me

the same.

And we have so much in common.

A few of our favorite things

to do together were:

go fishing

play tennis

play basketball

flag football

etc

or just watch the sun set

as we had a picnic dinner

on a hill or by a lake.

Well, years later here we are

{at my prompting}

fishing at dusk,

enjoying

{or so at least I was}

the beautiful summer evening

by the lake

with several from our

little tribe of children

when I suddenly had an

'ah-ha' moment.

Here it is:

I LOVE the outdoors

during the summer

{and year round}

with camping, cookouts,

hikes, sunset watching, etc.

and my husband...

doesn't.

He likes to hunt

in the fall.

{there are no mosquitos}

He loves to fish.

{when the mosquitos aren't biting}

And he is highly committed to

running and biking

especially in the afternoon

when the heat index is 112*.

{again, no mosquitos or flies that time of day}

But fishing by the lake at dusk...

Well, let's just say

the Yard Guard

wasn't doing it's job.

My kind and getting impatient

husband started stomping his feet

to get the mosquitos off.

{ 'Off' we used that, too}

He started to resemble a horse

in a stall stomping

and swatting at flies

with it's tail.

Guess I'd better get a

mosquito net...

xo deborah

{ solitude }

2011-08-13T09:24:00.000-05:00

Solitude

Mr. Fred Rogers

from the children's television show

'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood'

once said

"Solitude is different

from lonliness,

and it doesn't have to be

a lonley kind of thing."

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo deborah

{ gifts }

2011-08-09T11:05:00.001-05:00

{ gifts }

Do you enjoy unexpected gifts?

Are you a gift giver?

I love to give gifts.

Often I will see something and think

"________ would LOVE this!"

Do you do that,too?

I am reading a book called

'THE POWER of YOUR WORDS'

by Robert Morris

and I am reminded again

that words can be

{ gifts }

"Remember,

every time you open your mouth,

your mind walks out

and parades up and down

with words." Edwin H. Stewart

"The real art of conversation

is not only to say the right thing

in the right place,

but to leave unsaid the wrong thing

at the tempting moment." Dorothy Nevill

xo deborah

she had a ring like this...

2011-07-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

{ kindness }

happened.

Have you heard of a book called

Love Languages?

It describes 5 key ways in which

a person generally feels loved.

The receiving of:

{quality time}

{kind words}

{touch}

{acts of service}

{and gifts}

I have to just laugh

{so I don't cry}

when one of my daughters

gives away yet another necklace, ring,

pair of designer shorts, or cute shirt

to an admiring friend.

Yes, she does this often.

{and I know...}

It is awfully kind and giving of her.

She gave an aunt a favorite doll

when she was little.

And gave her grandmother a collectible

porcelain bunny rabbit

{that I just bought her}

and she has given her friends

many clothing items, jewelry pieces,

and toys over years of

{kind}

and

{giving}

friendship...

We have had to establish a few ground rules.

*If her dad or I bought it for her

she needs to check first.

*If she bought it with her own $

she's free to do with it as she pleases.

That way we will know that she still has clothes to wear to school. {insert grin}

I love that no matter what

she chooses to wear for clothes,

she always wears

{kindness}

in her heart.

deborah

Happy Weekend!

2011-07-19T02:56:00.000-05:00

In quietness and in trust

shall be your strength -God

When I create space for quietness

it always amazes me what I hear

in the absence of visual and auditory clutter.

xo Deborah

home: (hom) a place where one likes to be

2011-05-18T11:19:00.001-05:00

home defined:

{welcome}

{peace}

{beauty}

{comfort}

{acceptance}

{solitude}

{warmth}

{fellowship}

{refreshment}

{kindness}

{rest}

{hope}

{faith}

{love}

xo deborah

{photos credits: Swedish very talented artist Morrhar}

wings...

2011-05-14T17:57:00.001-05:00

{ Anna }

When our children were very young

I would sing them lullabies.

One of my favorites to sing

contained the words

"...Butterflies go up and down,

fluttering above the ground.

Butterflies soar through the sky.

Some day, baby, you will fly..."

Someone just got her driver's license.

She certainly seems to want to

exercise her wings
even more now.

{ trust }

I'm always so surprised
at how fast
a child's wings
sprout...

It amazes me.

deborah

.

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. -Cummings

2011-04-27T13:49:00.012-05:00

Laughing at myself today...

I saw a picture

 of bingo cards

 and it reminded me of a time

 when I was very, very bored as a child.

Now, as a mom I don't allow the 

"I'm bored" whine at our house

and the consequences for saying those words results in

laundry folding, sparkling toilets, or an extra walk

for the dogs, etc.

But I wasn't a mom yet and I was bored

 at bingo. 

Very, very bored.

I would have rather
 scooped out the horse barns

or pulled all the weeds in the garden

{which I had to do anyway} 

rather than sit in a hard metal folding chair

in a stuffy, very stuffy 

150 year old building downtown.

{LOOK I found a photo of the actual building!}

And just sit and wait

 as gray haired women

 looked at their cards

 for N 43 or B 11....

Sigh... 

I would ask mom for gum.

That lasted awhile.

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

Even kids can only use the restroom

 just so much in public,

 then it gets old.

"I'm hungry."

"Here, have more gum."

I had a way of creating my own entertainment

when I needed to.

Most parents and most adults call this

'getting into trouble'

but I called it creativity.

{at the time}

One of my first 'treasure hunting' trips

 was in that building.

But I was not really supposed be wandering around

if you know what I mean.

My little brother and I just 'disappeared'

through an old creaky door and climbed up

 an old dusty staircase into a very dark hallway.

We couldn't see anything

except for an old, very old portrait

 of George Washington
 hanging on the wall
in a huge gold frame 

  

and dust,

lots and lots of dust.

{dust usually indicates treasures could be near}

 {well, not always... my home has dust}

Wonder if that portrait is still there?

L.o.v.e. the mystery of treasure hunting.

Back to bingo...

While we sat and sat and sat 

in those hard bunchy chairs

and watched as the intensity would build

as each bingo-er anticipated that they

could be the next winner of

Mrs. Soandso's dozen fresh baked

cinnamon rolls

{instant carb diet} 

 or the prize of a free round of

more bingo!

{sounded more like a punishment to me}

I would hear a loud resounding

"BINGO!"

Then the whole room would moan in disappointment

{talk about poor sportsmanship!!!}  

And then they'd clear their cards

 and start the routine all over again.

As the emotion in the room began to crescendo

 it happened.

I got a terrible, wonderful idea.

I waited until just the right time...

Everyone was staring with beady, glaring eyes

 at their bingo cards 

and whole room was silent as they listened 

for their numbers to be called.

G 52...

B9... 

O 73...

 BINGO!!!

{I yelled  in my 'old lady' voice...}

Then the moaning "awwwww..."

and the sound of the cards being cleared.

I think I was the only one
 in the whole room
that thought it was funny...

And I still think it's funny... :]

I have been writing this post sitting beside
my husband while he has had surgery to remove
skin cancer. 
We have been here for 5 hours.
It was deeper than they thought.

We are off to the plastic surgeon now to rebuild. 

Laughter is good medicine~ God.

added note: we finished at the surgeon's office.

He will be back to his handsome and healthy self soon. :]  

blessings
 xoxo deborah