Even the Best Laid Plans...

So, I know the past like...million weekends I have talked about getting that coffee table re-do done. And this weekend  truly was going to do it. Friday night at dinner I was plotting to my parents how I was dragging that puppy into the back yard to TCB (Take Care of Business) in the morning. It would be a new table by Saturday night.

After dinner, I wanted to run in TJ Maxx. I hadn't been in forever, and I was in need of a cheap canister for a little project that I want to do. But mostly I just wanted to oodle over the stuff! My dad also loves TJ Maxx, and my hubby had to work, so I invited Daddy to go with me.

On the way over, I started to feel a little funny. Like a pain in my pelvis. Once I got there and we walked around a little, I decided to use the restroom to see if I felt any better. By the time I made it back to my dad at the back of the store (we were only two aisles in!) I was having a sharp pain in my neck and chest and feeling really dizzy. So I told Dad I really needed to sit down for a second. He helped me over to a lovely chaise lounge that I am sure someone will love and then WHAM!

I don't know what happened. All I know is I was shaking, sweating, my chest was on fire and I felt like I could not breathe. I have never been so scared in my life. He helped me over to another lounge that was more laid back to see if I could pull myself together, but all I could think of was "This is it. I am dying." I know in retrospect that may have been dramatic but at the time, I felt like I was having a heart attack and that was it. I have never had an experience where I truly thought my life was over. It really is eye-opening. But we will get to that in uno momento.

So as I got more scared, my dad was talking to my mom (who is a nurse) on the phone about what was going on. I feel so bad because I am sure he felt so hopeless. I finally told him to call 911. So many sweet people came over and offered help. One lady laid her hand on me and prayed for me. (Lady, if you read this, please comment. I have no idea who you are but you brought me so much peace!) Ambulance came and took my vitals. They said I seemed stable, but wanted me to take a ride to the ER just to be safe. Talk about embarrassing, being carried out of your fav store on a stretcher on a Friday night!

So my dad followed the ambulance and my husband, mom and baby sis met us at the ER. Things kind of settled down once I was there, but I was still having headaches, chest pain and vertigo. They ran a million tests and kept us there from 7pm until about 3am. We still have no idea what happened. All I know is that I have been SO tired and that I still have mild chest pain, bad headaches and a little vertigo. I thought maybe it was anxiety so I had taken anxiety meds that my doctor gave me just in case, but they don't seem to make it go away. I am supposed to have a follow-up visit with my normal doc so I will keep you guys posted!

This whole experience has made me want to change so many things. I want to stop living for tomorrow. For the next project. For the next job or big raise. I want to live life now. If I feel like I want to do something, I need to just do it! I need to make smarter choices with my health. I need to get more rest. I need to worry more about God's agenda than my own. I need to draw close to him, because ultimately some day I will have to leave this world and with God is where I want to be! I want to enjoy my husband and where we are at right now. Not looking forward to the next big stage. Things will happen when the time is right. I want to leave dirty dishes in the sink so that I can enjoy an hour of TV or game time. If money is tight, that is life. I don't want to stress or argue over it.

I want to make time for friends and game nights. I want long talks over good meals or coffee. I want to make time for family. I am truly blessed with the greatest parents, siblings, sibling-in-laws, and in-laws in the world. I would not trade one single person. I love you all. I want to make a conscious effort to see each other more. Our family has been through a lot the last few months. I want to enjoy every second that I have with every one. I especially want to make time for my grandfather. He is sick and he needs his family now more than ever. I want to cherish these moments and memories that we get to make with him.

I want to love my job. Life is too short to hate what you do. If you hate it, find something you love. Fortunately, I do love my job. And if you don't love your job, and can't leave it, make the most out of it! I want to always look for the positive. I want my coworkers to feel valued and respected by me.

In general, I just want to devote time to things that matter. Things that I love. No more wasting time stressing. If I want to craft, I will craft. If I want to blog, I will blog. If I want to pull a piece of furniture off the side of the road, I will do it. If I want to cuddle my husband on the couch for a while instead of homework, I will do it.

But I also gotta get my health back to normal. Please pray that I can kick these pesky symptoms and get back to normal! That being said, I am sorry if I am a little slow on the project-sharin this week! Thanks for understanding! And thanks for reading this WHOLE post! (If you are still here!)

Fabulous Friday # 19!

Its Fabulous Friday!

I don't know about you guys, but this week was a tiring one for me. Not really sure why but it felt like it drug! I can't remember being so happy for a weekend! Can't wait to see what you guys have for me this week! I hope to actually get around to that table this weekend! We will see!

Please don't forget the button!

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DIY Thursday: Custom Wall Quote

Its DIY Thursday!

Today's project is so simple and only takes about 10-15 minutes! This is the final piece to our living room makeover! (Other than possible trim) I also introduced the Design Center for custom vinyl Head on over to EAD Designs to see how!

Green with Envy: Master Bedroom Curtains

Alright...we have storage! So if you read last week's Fabulous Friday, you know that I was hoping for nice weather so that I could refinish our free roadside find coffee table? Well this is what I got:

 A rainy, "icy," dreary weekend with a headache and a sore throat. So no outside and no painting. But the weekend was not a total wash. I was able to get a few other things that I have been putting off taken care of. And I had this little cutey to help me:

 I may just frame that one. She looks so cute on my damask chair! I had a big helper too, but he does not love being photographed so alas, there are no photos of him. :) But he was a big help!

When we bought our house, the previous owners also took all of the curtain rods, and left us with bare windows and holes. I did not so much mind the bare windows but the holes in the wall drive me batty.

 And the crack in the wall? Yeah someday we will patch that and repaint the room. It really could use a new coat of paint, but I am painted out!

I have been wanting to put curtains in our bedroom for a long time but have never actually gotten around to doing it. Until a few weeks ago my sister gave me two deep green curtain panels that she did not need any more. They are the EXACT same shade of green that is around the edge of our bedspread. Score! So I hopped my little self down to WalMart and got some $3 Oil Rubbed Bronze cafe rods. They are just the right size. I was not really too concerned with a fancy rod, I like the simplicity of them actually.

 My sweet hubby did the hanging. Here is what we got! The photos do not do them justice, our room photographs weird anyway but the dreary rainy outside did not really help with the natural light. Maybe one nice sunny day I will try to get better photos :)

 I did not bother to make sure the curtain hung perfectly. Sorry! Again, sore throat and head.

 I plan to get curtain ties or hooks to pull them back like this:

I just haven't done it yet. But I will! And when I do, you will be the first to know! Well...maybe after Michael...

By the way, I cannot wait to show you guys this week's DIY Thursday! I finally was able to finish up the livingroom! :) (Well aside from the trim work I would love to do in there, but that is not in the near future).

Error!

Well, friends. I have several projects that I want to share with you but I have been having errors uploading photos this week. I just did some homework and realized that I have run out of photo storage space. I am working on it, but I may not get to post any of my lovely projects today! :(

I just wanted to let you know I was not dead! ;)

Fabulous Friday #18!

Its Friday and its fabulous! I don't know about you guys, but this has been a really long week for me. My classes just started up for the semester, I have been super busy and then my husband and I have been trading sickness. Friday never looked so sweet!

I am hoping if the weather permits to refinish our free coffee table (The one we found on the side of the road this summer!) this weekend. With the semester back in swing, my husband will be working some this weekend and it just seems like now is the time! Unless it is freezing or rainy....in which case I will table this project yet again. Har har! I really need to organize...so we will see.

Annnnywho....can't wait to see what you guys have been up to this week! Any Valentine's projects? I have not been able to motivate myself to do them yet. It could be because I feel like we just reclaimed the house from Christmas! If it is anything like last year, I will whip something up Feb 10th!

Please don't forget the button!

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DIY Thursday: Established Sign Wall Art!

Its DIY Thursday!

Today's project is so simple and only takes about 5 minutes! It is an easy pick-me-up to a plain wall or entryway! Head on over to EAD Designs to see how!

Living Room Reveal!

Okay so I know it has been a week or two since we finished putting the living room back together, but I wanted to do an official reveal on here since things are finally just about all back in place. I really am so happy with the way it has turned out!

Here is our new gallery wall. Similar elements to the old one, just laid out better, more centered on the wall and the cute little plate is new.

Here is the view from the hallway. Love the mantle and mirrors!

New pillows, and a cute little kitty :)

Don't you just want to squeeeeeeze her?

But this is what she has done to our poor plant. We are working on it. Just hang in there plant!

You have to love that face. and she is part of the living room :)

Okay anyways. Sorry! Just love the squishy little baby. :) Please don't mind the Christmas Tree still on the mirror. I am working on it.

I also got that blanket basket on clearance at Wal Mart and using a duplicate gift return, so free! I love having a place to neatly store blankets that is accessible but still stylish.

So there you have it, our new living room. Everything feels so much more put together, bright and airy!

No More Closed Doors!

I know it is a little late for "resolutions" and I will not call this that because most resolutions are not kept. Not that I am 100% positive I will keep this one, but it can't hurt to start out strong right? Good.

So we have this nasty little habit of allowing rooms to get messy. I am sure we are not alone in this. The tendency is to shut the door, which is fine if you have last minute company coming over or something like that. But what I find myself doing is shutting the door to hide the mess from myself. To trick myself into believing that our house is clean and tidy all of the time. The problem is that I keep shutting the door, and never really get at the problem. I mean I do okay with our main living areas, but some rooms just go untouched. The biggest one is the office upstairs. If you walk down our hall on any given day, this is what you will see:

Right there to the right. Here:

Cutting out natural light. I know this picture below doesn't really show it but the hallway is brighter with that door open.

I want to stop shutting doors. I want to stop wasting space in our home. That should be a functional usable room and I need to stop ignoring the clutter. Eventually I would like to get our closets to a point too where if the doors one day just disappeared, I would still be happy with them. That may take a little longer, especially the coat closet! Starting with decluttering the office will be first. And then my office downstairs. And then the workshop. Oh my word that one will be huge. I think I just need to take it one room at a time!

Do any of you find yourself closing doors to hide messes? Do you catch yourself thinking that you do an imperfect but okay job with your house only to come face to face with a mess when you go in to get the checkbook to pay bills or to grab a pen? I HATE it! It is something I need to change :)

Winter Mantle

I figured I should post this on here before winter is over! I have had our winter mantle up for weeks and just have not gotten around to editing the photos. So without further adieu, here is our winter mantle. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it next to the new paint color and with the mirror windows!

Okay well this is not really the mantle, but the centerpiece on the coffee table. It sort of embodies everything that we are going for with the room for the winter. White and silvers with a slight rustic edge (hence, the pinecones, which I think are so cute).

 For the mantle, I wanted to keep it simple and balanced.

 I took the cute little glittery bird that I got at Michael's on Black Friday and set him on a silver and tan book. I also placed the quatrefoil vase (that I showed you here) behind that, filled my fav apothecary jar with faux diamonds and glittery silver ornaments and then put some cute little glittered pine cones (from Walmart on post-Christmas clearance!). The silver thing to the right is a shiny mug that I got on clearance and using Kohl's Cash so it was fa-reee!

 On this end, we have more pine cones, the little evergreen that I used for our Christmas mantle (I love the contrast of the burlap and rustic with the silver), my little tree forest that I showed you here, some silver ornaments and that awesome silver wood grain frame. I also got that on clearance at Kohl's using Kohl's cash so also free! It was originally a $40 frame but somehow it was dubbed "Christmas" so I got it for $6 (using Kohl's cash). Not complaining! I love it so much. I just need to get a photo for it. But I figured if we waited until I had a 5x7 photo printed you may never see it! ;)

 The crystal candlestick holders I have had on our mantle off and on since we moved in. The are Oleg Cassini and I L-o-v-e them. I fell in love with them at TJ Maxx years ago and my sister in law got them for us as a wedding present.

 So there it is, window mirrors and all. Such a bright, cheerful mantle! I am really so pleased with it! I want to leave it up year round. Who knows, I just may. Until I get tired of it. Which we all know will happen! :)

Fabulous Friday #17: Napkin Pillows

Hey guys! Its Fab Friday!

I know that I do not always share a project of my own for Fabulous Friday, but I had this super easy and super cute one that I really wanted to share!

As part of our living room makeover, I wanted to add some fun pillows to brighten the room a bit, but I did not want to spend a fortune. While returning a duplicate Christmas Gift at Belk, I came across these really cute double lined napkins for $4 each on sale. They were PERFECT For the room! And the cream added the brightness that I wanted while the brown matched the curtains perfectly.

Here is the back. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pattern!

So what you do with these is take a seam ripper:

And you tear out the stitches for a section large enough to fit your hand into.

Then You simply fill it with fluff. I gutted an old pillow that someone gave me for crafting purposes (Ew to sleeping on an old pillow of someone else's)

Hand stitch that hole shut and you have a cute pillow! Easy Peasy!

Here is the back. I made two of them, one for each end of the couch.

Once I am ready, I will do a whole living room post and show you how cute they look in the room! For now, I would love to see what you have been up to!


Please don't forget the button!

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