Compassion International in Nicaragua

Happy Tuesday my friends! As of yesterday, a group of Compassion bloggers began their adventure in Nicaragua! I am so excited about this! After my trip with Compassion in January to Guatemala, I am more than ready to go back. I met our little girl, Iris and her mom.  What a tremendous blessing it was to me.  Maybe next time I go it will be....Uganda? Only the Lord knows and His timing is perfect. In the meantime, I wanted to share Edie's post with you all. She is one of the bloggers who is there, and I love what she has to say. Hope you enjoy!

Sweet blessings,
Susan

Trial Run of Project "Mantel Make-Over"



OK, since it looks like I actually might post more than one blog entry this month, I thought that I would go ahead and get started on my den redo. Before taking the plunge in the mantel make-over, I decided to go small and try my grandmama's side table first as I begin to play with sidewalk chalk paint--once a kindergarten teacher, always a teacher! No, it's actually chalk paint, and it's very cool!

 



 

We have a local store that sells this fabulous paint....Painted Poppies. Do visit them and tell them that I sent you!

Here is the before pic of grandmama's table. I spent many a Saturday morning helping her with chores--including dusting this piece. It's one of my favorites simply because it was hers! And, she let me go crazy with the Pledge! It would really shine!!

Below is after coat number one. I went ahead and did two thin coats because I just wasn't sure how it would look.

I used "Antique Blue" and love it! Two coats did the trick---and NO priming or sanding. Gotta love it!

I did decide to distress the wood a bit with a sanding block and just a bit of sandpaper. I won't distress the mantel as much when I tackle it. But this piece turned out fine. I was pleased.

 

 The secret to the chalk paint is in the wax...the finishing touch. I used the clear wax as I wanted to keep the table a light color. I was amazed at how easy it was to use.

 

I learned quite a bit doing this piece. It really is not difficult, but seeing the daunting size of the mantel and the bookshelves, I might just do another trial piece (procrastinator that I am!).

Sweet blessings,

Susan

Project on the Horizon

Can you believe that May is over, and June is here? Mercy! I am not exactly sure when I started to sound like Mama and say that time flies as you get older....but I do sound like her! And, maybe that's a good thing.

 

Summer is just around the corner! So excited that this is the last week of school (although we have exams to study and stress over!!) for the kids in our district. Praise the Lord! I do have a few plans rolling around in my head for some summer projects. How about you all?

 

First on my list is to have a make-over. Not for me, even though I need one! No, I am thinking about the den. We have lived in this house for 7 years now, and I love it. I have also tried for 7 years to "heart" these dark wooden cabinets.

 

 Notice the lovely brass pulls-- circa 1980's---they will be going along with the dark color! I am thinking some fun and sassy pulls (maybe Hobby Lobby style!).

 When we moved here, we removed the front cabinets and painted the back wall yellow to brighten up this area. It helped a little bit...but not much.

We placed the mirror in front of the humongeous dark space to try and lighten it up a bit as well.

 

But y'all, it's still DARK!!

 

I just don't do dark. Sorry! I love bright, cheerful and clean color schemes. So, with that being said, I trucked on over to a fun store and spoke with some amazing and knowledgeable girls about

 

Chalk Paint!!!

 

Yes, sirree....I am taking the plunge. I am not going with Annie Sloan--it's a great paint from what I have heard. I am using one called Maison Blanche paint. It has a wider variety of colors from which to choose----and I am all about the colors. And, the wax is supposed to go on like butter! Having talked at length (I talked her ears off I am afraid!), sweet Debbie with

Painted Poppies, LLC has shown me a plan that I hope to implement soon....like really soon.  Like maybe next week if the clear wax comes in when it's supposed to. And my fingers are crossed.

 

So, sweet friends, what summertime projects do you foresee in the next few weeks? Other than sleeping in a bit!

 

Sweet blessings,

Susan



Noonday Collection {Atlanta Fun!}

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting our amazing founder and head of Noonday Collection,  Jessica Honegger. She made a trip to Atlanta to meet up with some of our ambassadors here in the south.  Five of our ambassadors from SC were able to make the trip. And, we got to meet some of our fabulous ambassadors from Georgia! And, the icing on the cake was lunch at JCT's Kitchen--oh my word! That smoked brisket sandwich simply melted in my mouth!

 

 

We had a great time getting to know each other, eating, and talking about Noonday. What a difference it is making in the lives of our artisans and their families.  Not all of us can be a part of a mission trip, but by purchasing handmade items to support those in 3rd world countries truly is something that we CAN do. I love being a part of this amazing team of women and those of you who make purchases to help our artisans receive a sustainable income. Take a moment and look at the beautiful items that we offer at Noonday Collection. Seeing God's hand in this ministry has been such a blessing.

Here are a few more pics of the gals from yesterday. Ladies, it was a pleasure to meet you all! You are beautiful inside and out.

Yes, God had us covered yesterday....He is faithful and keeps His promises.

Sweet blessings,
Susan

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We are finally experiencing a bit of spring in the sunny south....still another cold day this week mentioned on Weather Channel! And then....it just gets hot!!! So, I thought that I would go ahead and try to beat the heat by starting on my herb garden! This is sooo easy to do my friends (especially if I can do it!).  This will be a dish garden---so that all these fun plants don't go crazy and take over my beds! I have it on the deck to make it quite easy to get to.

My big question for y'all is do you cook with herbs? I really want to research this and see how to spice up my cooking a bit instead of just always using salt and pepper. I went to a nearby nursery yesterday, and the owner was going on and on about an herb that I have never used--lemon thyme. Do any of you use it? Do you have a fabulous recipe to share? I would LOVE to hear what all you do with these.

 First, find a fun bowl and a saucer....mine came from Old Time Pottery for $1.99!! I was so excited! Then use some good potting soil--not the cheap stuff!

 I chose four different herbs for this size pot. I have rosemary, chives, cilantro, and lemon thyme.

I love the color of this one....just hope I'll like the taste of it too!

Then, I just start adding the plants. Squish them together and add the extra potting soil.

Seriously, please share your recipes and links to recipes that you might have using fresh herbs.  That would be great! Hope y'all have a wonderful day!!

Hugs!

Susan

Front Door Re-Do!



 First Spring project for the season is done...actually two have been completed! For the past 7 years, as long as we have lived in this house, our front door has been red. I LOVE red! The color pops, and it makes giving directions to our home quite easy. We used to be the only house on the street with a red door. But, sun and time fade the lovely red to a dull something or other!  Here are the "before" pictures.

 Yes, it has been extremely sunny during my painting and picture taking time! The other week, I put some pics on Face Book with some paint swatches. Blue and green to be exact. I played with them and took them with me and asked advice of many wonderful friends who happen to be great decorators. Finally, I asked my sister. My sister truly could work for Southern Living. She has "the eye" for color, furniture and picture positioning, etc.  You get the point! I did not receive those genes in my family lineage. Period. But, I love me some Pinterest and BHG magazine!

Baby sister suggested "black." Simply "black". How boring!! She said it makes for a clean slate, and I could add pops of color in my wreathes and flowers that had to be coordinated with the red color for years would suddenly change to any flowers I wanted to use. Guess she has a point. So, I headed down to my local Sherwin Williams and got a quart of black satin paint. Then, the fun began--not really!  But, it had to be done.

Coat number one barely covered the red....mercy!  It took three heavy coats, but, I think I will get used to it. Nothing like having a "clean slate!"

Yes, I know we need to replace our doorknob and handle.  I am sure that they used to be a lovely brass. No more!  That might be a fall project.

Ok, then once the paint had dried, the real fun began: popping color on a plain black door. A few weeks ago, I saw a cute burlap cross that I  LOVED.  You can see it here.

 So I gathered my materials for what I thought would be an easy peasy project and take just a few minutes. Have mercy!!! Y'all, it was hard! Creating your own pattern, and cutting on burlap is not fun at all. I am pleased with the final outcome, but I will never attempt this again.  Pinky promise!

 

So, if you are interested in some really cute door hangings and don't want to attempt it yourself, PLEASE go to Fran's link that I have above. Fran is a dear friend from Tennessee.  She and two of her darling friends are raising money to go on a mission trip. They have a ton of cute items that they will ship to you. Just tell them that Runner Mom sent you!

 

Hugs!

Susan





A Little Bit of Chicken Fried....

This weekend, we celebrated hubby's BIG birthday...the one where you start receiving AARP letters welcoming you into their computer system! He had decided a while back that his BIG day would be just family...the four of us doing something fun. Well, that FUN turned out to be a HUMONGOUS zip line nestled in the Smokey Mountains. Mercy! Y'all, I do NOT do heights at all! I simply have this feeling of getting to close to the edge of a mountain corner and leaning forward just a tad to0 far and oopsi! I am toast!

This adventure turned out to be quite better than toast! It was actually a blast! Hubby's parents have retired in a small community in Eastern Tenn., and we have driven past this zip line and whitewater rafting place for eons it seems! We finally checked it out on Saturday. What an amazing time we had! I truly encourage y'all to find them on the web and make a reservation as you go toodling (is that a real word or a Susanism??) through the NC mountains into Tenn. As soon as you cross the NC/TN state line, it's the very first exit. There are signs galore! If I weren't so lazy, I would try to find the name of it, but....not this morning! Sorry!

The trip is SUPPOSED to take 3.5 hours to traverse all 12 zip lines. People, we did it in WAAAYYYY under that time frame. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were the ONLY folks in line for that entire day to do this (Yes, our family had the honor of being the first folks for the 2013 season to zip!). The two guides were great and very knowledgeable ( I felt better as a mama letting my children ride over the Pigeon River!). We had short zip lines, long zip lines and double zip lines. We climbed steps to get to zip lines and were bounced around on bridges above the river. Just lots of fun! (Lots of prayers were lifted for trust and peace too!)

So, that being said, here are a few pics to share with y'all from our adventure. Let me know if you have any questions! I am now an expert at zip lining ( in my own little mind, that is!). Really, it is a great family adventure!

PS--The title of this post is simply part of a Zac Brown song that hubby sang over and over this weekend, and since it was all about his birthday, I titled it that way! Now, you know!

Sweet blessings,
Susan

There are three large clips that are attached to the line at all times! Gloves are a must, and there is a brake pad on my right glove. I felt pretty safe! And the ride was a blast!

                       We did it! This might turn out to be our Christmas card picture this year!!
                                                    Happy birthday, Hubby! We love you!