World View Wednesday ~ The Gift of LIFE {a tribute to Truman}

All my life, I've been taught that every life is precious and a gift from God. With the birth of a daughter in the past year, and the death of our friends' precious baby, Truman, this truth has only been reinforced in my heart.

photo credit: Molly Whitmore Photography

Little Truman was born with a degenerative muscular disease and God called him home a few weeks ago. But in the four short months he was alive, his life was a real blessing to everyone that knew him. He had an infectious grin and brown eyes that sparkled with joy. Even though he wasn't able to move his arms and legs, he touched us with his heart. His life was precious, a gift from God.

I had to think of the many babies that are ruthlessly aborted, simply because they weren't planned for, or because a handicap of some form is detected before birth. Those precious lives were also a gift! They were created by God, for a purpose, and with love. How tragic that we've destroyed these innocent lives!! Only God knows what they could have accomplished, because in each person He places a small piece of Himself.  And those things that are viewed as "imperfect" often bring God the most glory.

Thank you, Truman, for reminding us that life is a gift. That it is precious. In your life, we see the hand of God. And in your smile, we see a glimpse of heaven.

DIY Moss Topiary

Happy Monday to you! Is anyone else out there besides me just loving this weather??!! Bye, bye winter. Hello, SPRING!!! To celebrate, I decided to create something I've coveted admired for quite some time. Moss + Topiary = happiness. I had the perfect pot to "plant" it in, so all that was needed was a round foam ball, sheets of moss and some potting greenery. Off to Michael's I went, coupons in hand. Love that place! And 40% off coupons.

Begin by stuffing a bag of the "curly" moss into a flower pot. [Sorry, I don't know the official name.]

Now go outside [you wanted an excuse!] and find a small stick. Push it into the moss as well as the foam until secure.

It's time to pull out the hot glue gun!! I put the glue onto the ball, then fitted the sheets of moss over that. It was a bit tricky getting the glue to stick, so you'll need plenty! Keep adding moss until the ball is covered. 

And that, my friends, is a moss topiary!! So simple. So fresh. I'm pairing it with some old books, live greenery and my cheese cloche full of corks. The greens are calming and perfect for springtime decor. Now, I need to finish up another project that I started last week. [Yes, I got sidetracked (=] I'll be sharing it soon!!  Now go enjoy what's left of a beautiful Monday evening! Or visit Michael's if you'd rather (=

Decluttering: My Journey to Simplicity

I think God made women with built-in house cleaning sensors! When warm weather arrives, I just want to roll up my sleeves and tackle all those neglected areas of my house. Believe me, I have PLENTY. When your cupboard gets so full that you need to slam the doors shut to keep things from falling out, that may be your cue to begin!
For some reason, when the mess is behind doors, it's easy for me to forget about it and pretend it doesn't exist. [Anyone else out there procrastinate like me?? I really need a support group!] By the time I get around to doing something about it, it's TOTALLY out of control. Arghh. Sharing these pictures doesn't do anything for my pride, I can assure you!

For the sake of "keeping it real", here's the BEFORE:

And several hours later, the AFTER:

There's more I can do in the lines of organizing this area, but I'm so happy that I can actually FIND what I'm looking for without four other things hitting me on the head! And this is the kick-in-the-pants that I needed to get me de-cluttering some other equally embarrassing places in my house!!

I have a simple process that I go through to achieve order: the 4 S's.

1. Sort through all the clutter and determine which items you can actually use and what you need to get rid of.

2. Save anything that you will use. I tend to be a pack rat, so it's easy to hang onto things for their sentimental value. Just make sure you're not restocking more clutter that you'll need to eliminate in a year from now.

3. Send away good items that you have no use for to places like Goodwill or Salvation Army. I'm also starting a yard sale pile, since I'm hoping to have one in the spring.

4. Scrap the junk! I had a huge bag full, and it was quite fun to get rid of it!

And that, my friends, is my start on a journey to simplicity! Join me in getting rid of clutter (=

Fashion Friday

I don't know about you, but when springtime dares to show it's lovely face, I can hardly wait to pack away all my dark winter clothing. I can't get enough of the color. Bright & pastel, bold & soft. Solid & striped. It all rocks!

Today, I browsed online [didn't buy anything though!!] and picked out a few of the pieces that caught my eye.

casual & colorful: Target

love the classic look of this top: Maurice's

cardigan completes the look: Forever 21

to jazz up a simple outfit: Cato

breezy, yet stylish: Old Navy

a bit of vintage: JcPenney

a touch of green: Forever 21

summer must-have: Old Navy

Last, but not least ~ the shoes I've dreamt of for sooo long....they're in my closet!!!  [Thanks to my dear husband for giving me a little spending money!] If you want 'em, JcPenney is where you'll find 'em! Happy Friday!!!

                                                                             

Personalized Coffee Mugs

It was my favorite sister's birthday request....

personalized coffee mugs!

Because I love her, I made 4 for her!

And she loves them.

They make her coffee taste better.  

I'm happy!

The cast of characters:

1. glossy white mugs

2. porcelain marker

3. an oven

There's something lovely about a simple white mug. I'm about to take it to the next degree of loveliness!

I found one of her favorite short sayings, and wrote a line on each mug.

The instructions on the marker say to allow to dry for 24 hours, but I thought 16 hours was long enough! (= 

[it's probably better to err on the 24 hr side!]

Then bake at 400 degrees for 30 min to set the paint.

That's it folks!!!

Are they not adorable??!!

She's already asking me to personalize some soup mugs.

But first, I think I need me some like this(=

"Dance like nobody's watching;

Love like you've never been hurt.

Sing like there's nobody listening;

Live like it's heaven on earth!"