Psalms 46:10

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalms 46:10.  This special verse says "Be still and know that I am God".  It means so much to me.  It reminds me of my precious mother. I know this verse brought her such comfort during the months that she battled cancer.  This was also the first verse that the minister mentioned at my mother's graveside service.  It brought such peace then and it still does today.


Do you have times when for no apparent reason you are anxious or stressed?  When you just don't seem like yourself? Or when you lie awake at night and don't know why you can't sleep.  That is how I have been lately. Nothing is wrong, but I have just been sad.  Last night I woke up at 12:30 and couldn't go back to sleep until after 4:00.  Normally this drives me nuts, but I was off today and I knew I could sleep in so I decided to just lay there and figure out what was going on..... in other words, I was going to put into practice this verse:  Be still and know that I am God.  I tried to just free my mind and let God speak to me.  I think in this day and age we are always so busy, busy, busy that is hard to stop and listen to God.  I often read Bible study  books or devotional books and I listen to Christian radio (Focus on the Family, etc.) on my daily commute.  I do think all these are beneficial, but in cases like this I think I am learning or gleaning from others on what they have to say about God's word and what it means to our life.  While this is a crucial part of growing as Christians, I do think it is equally important for us to simply listen to God and see what He has to say to us in moments when we need Him the most - whether this happens while reading scripture or in the still of the night.  It is amazing what God will tell us if we will just be still and listen.  I have been blessed by what God has revealed to me in these peaceful moments - an area of my life I need to work on, or someone has just come to mind and I just knew that I was meant to be praying for that person at that moment. Last night God did speak to my heart and I went to sleep with a renewed sense of peace and well-being. 


I know that some Bible scholars say that this verse is not talking about meditating or listening to God, but for me, it does mean to quiet myself and totally surrender to God and let Him be in control of my life.  I know I am not alone in that sometimes I like to do things my way - I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem to work well for me!  When I force myself to calm down and BE STILL, I know, as always, that God is in control and nothing that I am dealing with is catching God by surprise.


I hope that if you are dealing with anything in your life you will listen to the words of this wonderful verse and "Be still and know that HE is God".

This week I am linking to: 

Inspiration Friday @http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Our Master Bedroom

This is not exactly a "reveal" because we have not renovated or painted or anything lately... this is simply our master bedroom in our new home.  I have been slowly sharing rooms in our cozy new house.  Come on in and see our master bedroom.  I love the classic colors and traditional style.  I was able to use all the furniture from our previous home.  In fact, though the house is smaller the master bedroom is actually bigger.  It works perfectly for us!!!  

The large framed pieces on the wall have been with us in our last three homes.  They were in the hallway in our home in Ocean Springs, in the great room in our last home and now they look beautiful in the master bedroom. I believe if you buy things you love you will keep them forever! 

This display unit was in the great room in our old home.  Our new great room is too small, but this fits perfectly in the entry way in our new bedroom. In our previous home we used the rug in the breakfast room.  I was determined to use it in this house as well because I love it's warm, beautiful colors.  Jon suggested we place it at the foot of the bed.  I think it looks so pretty and I didn't have put it in the attic.  

The armoire hides the television - always a plus!! 

Please ignore the terrible lighting in this picture....I love lots of pillows as I know so many of you do!  Does having eleven pillows on your bed drive your husband crazy?  LOL

As always, thanks for visiting Buttercup Bliss!  

Please join me as I link to the following parties:

Debbie's Newbie Party @ http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/
Amaze Me Monday @ http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
Motivational Monday @ http://threemangoseeds.blogspot.com
Tuesday's Treasures @ http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/
Wow Us Wednesdays @ http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
Open House Party @ http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday @ http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Home Sweet Home @ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

A Day at the Corn Maze

Jon and I have been having a "sta-cation" for the last several days.  We have been playing a lot of baseball, going out to lunch, shopping at the local antique stores and yesterday we spent the day at the local farm and corn maze.  We had such a great time!  Jon's job requires  him to work every Saturday so it was so nice to be able to have an entire weekend together as a family.  The weather has finally turned cooler so that has been an added bonus.  We used our fireplace for the first time Friday morning.  It was awesome!!  I love a fire and in south Alabama it is such a treat :-)

First stop - the corn cannon!!  It was hilarious 

to watch the ears of corn explode from the cannon!  

The targets of the corn cannon.....

What a huge bull!!! 

Seth loved feeding the animals in the petting zoo.  

 This just cracked me up.... the goats could go up the ramp to a little look out area.

I love all of the cute things they make with bales of hay! 

So corny!  LOL  

Riding the Cow Train! 

We enjoyed a hay ride!  At night they offer 

"Haunted Hay Rides".  Uhhh... not for me! 

We had to read the clues to figure out which way to go in the corn maze.  

Naturally Seth chose sports related questions! 

Jon takes a turn leading us through the maze. 

This way Mom and Dad!  

 We made it!!! 

Silly boys! 

  

I hope you have been having a wonderful weekend as well!  


Today I am joining the following parties:


Debbie's Newbie Party @ http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

New Life for a Dreary Old Lamp

In my line of work I deal with the "three Rs".  At home, though, I like to use three other "Rs" - renew, rejuvenate and reuse!  I can spend hours sprucing up my home just by reusing something in a new way, moving something to a new room, or rejuvenating something in some small way to give it new life.  That is what we did recently with this old brass lamp.  Now, don't get me wrong, back in the day, this was an awesome lamp!  I remember clearly the day I bought a pair of these beauties.  I had just been named principal of my first school.  I was so excited and proud and I thought I needed a treat.  I had been eyeing these lamps at a local furniture store.  A day or so later, they were mine.  Fast forward 15 years and I no longer like brass.  Actually, I haven't liked brass in a while so somewhere along the way one of the pair disappeared. There is no telling where it is now - I am sure I probably gave it away.  The other was sitting in the attic.  I tried to sell it at a garage sale, but no takers!  My friend, Lynda, said don't throw it away or sell it.... paint it!  Well, I had no idea you could paint brass (apparently everyone knew this but me!).  

I decided to give it a try, but first I had to figure out where to put it when I finished  my project.  I LOVE lamps so I truly didn't need any more in any room of the house EXCEPT for in Seth's new bedroom.  Seth is 8 so what would look good in his room may not appeal to the masses.  I thought it turned our super for a little boy's baseball bedroom.    

This is the "before" - tired and outdated. 

Cut off pull chains and tape over the light bulb receptacles. 

We decided to use a matte black spray paint.  

Now for the shade:  We tried so hard to find a new shade that would work, but with no luck.  I actually bought two and had to return them.  (If I were doing this for the great room, I had pictured a beautiful square lamp shade with an M for our last name.)  But, as I mentioned before, Seth needed a lamp, the rest of the house did not!  So we kept looking.  Finally, my husband said, let's just buy fabric spray paint and paint it red!  At first I was a little dubious, but the idea grew on me.  After all, it was going to be used in a baseball bedroom. So.... off we went to Michael's.   Soon Jon was painting again.  

 This was a little messy and took three cans of spray paint.  

Hmmmm.... getting there :-)

Jon added baseball pulls since our little fellow is a baseball fanatic! 

Here is the completed project in his new room.  It is just perfect for Seth! For the cost of paint, an old neglected lamp was turned into one of a kind item for our little man! 

Please join in the following parties: 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ http://www.linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Party @ http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/


Tuesday's Treasures @ http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

I thought last week was my final post about making a pumpkin, BUT, when I took my Sally, Dick and Jane pumpkin to work last Monday my friend, Diane, loved it!  Well, I guess she did!  She asked me to make her a Snoopy pumpkin based on the book, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  Of course, just like before, no books were harmed in the making of this pumpkin!  We used a color copier :-)


Just for fun I thought I would show you the final product.  I hope Diane likes it! (To see how I made this, please look at the Sally, Dick and Jane post.) 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!  I am off to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!! 

It is a tradition at our house!! 

I am joining the following:

Debbie's Newbie Party @ http://www.debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ http://www.linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Feathered Nest Friday @ http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Falling for Crafts Challenge @ http://www.oneartmama.blogspot.com/

Seth's "Bigger Boy" Room

 Seth' new bedroom - Cozy and perfect for an 8 year old who LOVES baseball! 

I  never dreamed when Seth was born 8 and 1/2 years ago that the time would come so quickly when we would be moving him into a "bigger boy" room.  It seems like I was just planning his precious nursery.  We moved from the house where we lived when he was born when he was 17 months old so we moved him into a "toddler" bedroom.  After a year we lost our home in Katrina - when we rebuilt we called his room a big boy room.  It was just super cute!! It has been the same until we recently moved.  We were downsizing and it just made more sense to keep the queen size sleigh bed that we had used for my step-son and later on for my mother in law when they lived with us.  I really wanted to hang on to Seth's old room for a while (his growing up as been difficult for me - in my mind he will always be my baby!), but my sister convinced me that Seth was growing fast and would need more than a twin bed fairly quickly.  I reluctantly agreed and set about planning his "bigger boy" room.  Notice I am not calling it a "tween" room.  I am just not ready for that!!!  

As you can tell, Seth loves baseball, and while I am not a fan of theme rooms, I agreed for there to be touches of his favorite thing in the world!!  I am telling you he is obsessed by baseball!!!  The sheets (National League from PB Kids) were his choice.  The simple navy quilt with stars is mine.  He prefers that the European shams go in the front because they show the American League and the National League.  I gave in and put the standard shams in the back.... :-)  What we do to make our little boys happy!  I have ordered a small baseball pillow to go in the front, but for now his beloved puppies (Dudley, Gracie, and Brutus) claim that spot in front of the shams.  Seth has adored stuffed animals - primarily puppies - since he was a tiny boy! I am so glad he hasn't gotten too cool for them!

 A small red quilt from his toddler room adds color to the 

end of the sleigh bed. 

 I love the little pics of Seth  framed in red - just a little punch of color.  

Don't you love Build-A-Bear?  

 Seth has his own little leather chair :-)  Kind of cheesy, but, oh well! 

He really likes it! 

 This is above his closet door - Again, I am not into themes but this is the first one he has had - I gave in! 

Please notice the black and red lamp - My sweet husband totally transformed an old brass lamp into this lamp perfect for a little boy's room!  It even has baseball pull chains.  I will do a post on this soon!  

Jon and Seth picked out the black and white baseball field pictures.  They are of Yankee Stadium and Wrigley field.  Seth would rather go to one of these places than Disney World!  They also picked out the wrought iron pieces above Seth's bed.  I am blessed with a husband who loves to shop!!  He truly cares about what our house looks like! A bulletin board helps display Seth's artwork.  Did I mention that he loves to draw as well?  He is very well rounded!!  

A close up of the Teddy Bears on his nightstand.  I know he will outgrow these at some point, but for now Teddy Bears are still OK and I am thankful! 

This is probably my favorite thing in the entire room - it is an original drawing by a friend of ours.  Yes, one of our "biker friends" drew this of Seth!  This precious man, Larry, took the time to create this one of a kind picture of my baby!  I love it!!!  

Thanks for visiting Buttercup Bliss and Seth's new room!!!  

This week I am joining the following parties:

Debbie's Newbie Party @ http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Met Monday @ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

Amaze Me Mondays @ http://dittledattle.blogspot.com

Tuesday's Treasures @ http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

WOW Us Wednesdays @ http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday @ http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Come and join the fun!!!

Sally, Dick and Jane Pumpkin!

So... I've seen a lot of really cool pumpkins out there made with pages of books, cookbooks, sheet music, etc.  I wanted to make one myself, but my husband said we have enough pumpkins in the house already - bless his heart, he doesn't know I am expecting a few new Plush Pumpkins any day now.  


Anyway, I thought that I would make a pumpkin for my office.  You may remember that I am a curriculum director.  I was an elementary teacher and an elementary principal prior to my current position.  Because of my background I LOVE children's books - in fact, I had a tremendous collection of wonderful children's books before Katrina.  Many of these books were signed by the author.  Oh, I was devastated when I lost these precious treasures! But... I digress! 


The other day it  hit me that I could use the ideas I had seen on so many blogs and tweak it to make it perfect for me.  My first thought was to buy Little Golden Books to use in my creation, but as I was working the other day I looked across my office and saw a vintage Sally, Dick and Jane book that I have had since I first started teaching!  I knew it would be the perfect thing to use to make my pumpkin! There will be people out there who don't quite "get" the Sally, Dick and Jane pumpkin - my sweet husband being one of them.  But, Jon is younger than me and evidently wasn't taught to read using this series.  I do think though that many of you out there sat in a little reading circle and learned to read with our friends Sally, Dick and Jane!  And let's not forget Puff, and Tim and Spot!!   Now, don't panic... I did NOT ruin my vintage primer!  I made copies using a color printer, purchased my first bottle of Mod Podge and I was ready!!  

I had never used Mod Podge before.  It is quite messy, isn't it??

I remember sitting in my first grade classroom reading these very words!!  It was just a few years ago :-)

What do you think?  I can't wait to take it to my office tomorrow!!!  I will take a picture there and update this post tomorrow :-).

This week I am linking to the following parties:  

Debbie's Newbie Party @ http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Just Something I Whipped  Up @ http://www.thegirlcreative.com/


Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Seasonal Sundays @ http://www.thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Met Monday @ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

WOW Us Wednesdays @ http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/


Inspiration Friday @ http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/


Ultimate Halloween Party @ http://www.theletter4.blogspot.com/

Homemade Muscadine Jelly

Last year I made homemade jelly for the first time.  I was so proud of myself because I had never "put-up" anything before.  Lucky for me, I have a great friend, Diane, who knows how to do all of these things!!  She wrote down exactly what I needed to do and I did it :-)  Seth was hooked!!  Now he only wants MY jelly on his PB& J sandwiches.  


We still had one or two jars left from last year, but it is time to make jelly again.  I wanted to pick muscadines from a local farm; however, it was closed.  Not a problem though because our local Walmart sells muscadines (in the grape family) by the quart.  I picked up two quarts, a bag of sugar, one box of Sure-Gel and new lids for my jars and I was ready to begin.  I have to tell you that making homemade jelly just makes me feel like such a homemaker!!  I love it! 


Here is the perfect recipe for Muscadine Jelly (in Diane's words):

 Wash two quarts of fresh muscadines.

 Cover (just barely) with water and bring to a boil.  Cook until they are "squishable".  (Are you impressed with the technical term?)

Using a potato masher, "squish" the muscadines. 

Drain the "smushed" muscadines in a colander - Reserve the liquid in a mixing bowl.  

Next, strain the reserved liquid through cheesecloth 

or very small mesh strainer.  

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil to pre-heat the jars prior to filling with jelly.

Then.... (I forgot to take a picture of this step)

Pour 5 cups of strained muscadine juice in a large pot with one box of Suregel and one tablespoon of butter.    (If you don't have five cups, you can add water to make five cups.) Bring to a rolling boil.

After the juice, Suregel and margarine have been brought to a roiling boil, add seven cups of sugar and bring the mixture back to a roiling boil.  Cook for ONE minute.  

After boiling for one minute, remove from heat and skim off any foam. 

Carefully remove a heated jar from the boiling water. 

Fill the jars with jelly.  Wipe the rim of jelly jars with a clean damp cloth.   Place lid on jars, close tightly and invert jars on a cloth.  

After all the jars are filled, turn the jars right side up.  Listen for the little "pop" that lets you know the jar has sealed properly. 

And there you have it - delicious homemade jelly that is just screaming for a hot buttered biscuit! 

How about adding a ribbon and giving a jar as a happy for a special friend or teacher?  It is the perfect addition to a fall gift basket!

Do you make jams or jellies?  Which one is your very favorite?  

Today I am linking to the following parties:

Wow Us Wednesdays at 

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Savvy  Homemade Monday @ http://www.homesavvyatoz.com

We Did It Wednesday @ http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/

Come and join the fun!!!