Trash to Treasure....Antique headboard bench!

I'm writing this on Sunday night.  I'm so excited that I just have to post this for you to read first thing on Monday morning!  I have a meeting at 9am, and this couldn't wait til afternoon!!!

The Hubs had a meeting tonight so I put the kiddos to bed and just finished sewing a pillow a little bit ago.  I'm now happily perched on my bed with jammies on, 27 Dresses on the TV (fab-o movie if you need a great chick flick), a handful of Cabury chocolate eggs (the little ones with the crunchy shells), and my computer chocked full of pictures of my latest project just for you!!

It's time to reveal the antique headboard I converted into a bench!  Just have to warn you...there are ALOT of pictures.  I documented how we did it to show you in case you happen to score a cool headboard and need to do something with it other than attach it to the end of a mattress!

 <-----This is the before on the left.  Had been in someone's barn for ages and then in our garage for probably 6 months...filthy, but full of potential!

Below is my big helper and me.  We sanded the headboard down a little to reveal some of the layers of paint, and then we cleaned it off really well.

Above on the right, are the 2 pieces of wood (1x8, and 1x10) for the seat that I stained using MinWax walnut stain.  Below is the frame that I made for the seat.  The Hubs cut the first piece that fit along the back between the posts, and then I measured, cut, and screwed the rest of the inner part of the frame together.  Then I pre-drilled holes into the legs and attached them to the outside of the frame.  We put a piece of 1x3 along the front to give a bit more stability and make the legs look flush along the front.

Because of how I had to attach the legs on the outside of the frame, The Hubs cut a couple of little blocks to mount the 1x3 along the outside and make the leg look flush with the side again.

 Tid Bit had been wanting to paint this thing for a week, so finally he got his chance.  The headboard had layers of paint, so we had to do our best to replicate that layering.  First we stained the wood, then painted green (Sherwin Williams Tansy Green to be exact), then a coat of cream (don't know the exact color because it was just $2.50 in the reject section at Lowes, but was perfect), and then finally the taupe-greenish-gray color.  The closest match I could find was Benjamin Moore Sag Harbor Gray, but I didn't have that.  So... I mixed some Benjamin Moore Nantucket Gray with some yellow, and black, and brown and got a color that was actually an even closer match!  Hooray for a genepool that passed on an ability for precision color mixing!

<----So here it is up close...it was still wet in this picture, so the color does look a little off.  Trust me, it's just right!  Remember the giant gouge that was in the top of the headboard too...yeah, I painted over that as well!  All it needed now was to dry and then be sanded down to show all those beautiful layers that Tid Bit so carefully painted!

Ok...so see below!  Sanded down a bit to make the new part look old too!  I think it turned out pretty smashingly!

When I started looking at it all done and pretty, I decided that it needed a little something cushy!  The other day I was thinking of upholstering the back, then I thought of upholstering the seat, then I decided I liked it so much just like this, but I now had a dropcloth that I'd washed and dried to do something amazing with...so I made pillows!  And because I didn't want to spend more on a monogram than I did on a 4x12 length of dropcloth, I decided to create a stencil and paint our initial onto the pillows!

First I found a "W" in a font that I liked and blew it up to be ginormous on a regular sheet of printed paper. Then I traced it onto a sheet of heavy duty stencil paper and cut it out.  I made sure to leave some points of connection for the inner pieces that would have fallen out otherwise.  I used spray on stencil adhesive to get the stencil to adhere to the fabric to make clean lines.  To apply the W,  I used a round paintbrush and dabbed some bronze paint onto the stencil.

See how there are some breaks in the W?  That was from the connection points that I didn't cut out.  No worries though, I just used a small detail brush to fill those areas in!  And below you can see the finished stencil!

I didn't do a tutorial on how to make a pillow.  I figured I'd taken enough pictures today and honestly, there are a million pillow tutorials out there!  If you really want me to do one sometime though, I will, but you will have to comment and say so!

So here it is...the bench AND the pillow!  In fact, I actually made 2 pillows, but need an insert for the other one...so hopefully you can get the jist with only one!

So that's it!  I'm pretty pleased with it!  Now all I have to do is decide where in my house I'm actually going to put this beauty!  Happy Monday!

- Logan

For more fun craft ideas, check out my new friend Beth's blog here!

Thinking of revamping my stairs...

My stairs still have a runner on them from the previous owner that just isn't me.  See look....

Not me at all.  I do like how we painted the spindles black though...poor man's wrought iron I call it.

So here's more along the lines of what I'm thinking...

Love it!!!   Isn't it so fun?!  I just have to finish making the bench before I can move on to something else.  But I have a new idea for the bench though.  I think I might upholster the back of it with burlap...and then put a cushion on the seat....what do you think?! (The more I've looked at the headboard that will be the back, the more I'm thinking I either need to paint and antique it or do something to it.  The spot that the previous owners gouged is starting to get to me, and I don't love it like I've been trying to convince myself to.  It's just furniture though, so if you don't love it....change it!

Anyways...just a random little thing I've been thinking about that i thought I'd share!

Time to feed my kiddies dinner!  I have a hot date tonight with a 4 year old to watch Peter Pan here at home.  Got to get to it!

- Logan

Good for a laugh...Thinking of having kids?

You know once in awhile you read something that makes you laugh so hard you can hardly breathe....this is one of those things. 

I posted something serious yesterday...I think it's worth reading...of course, i wrote it!  But today I wanted to share something that is just plain hilarious.  Grab a tissue...you're gonna laugh so hard you might just cry.

Thinking of Having Kids?

Do this 11 step program first!

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who
already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and like you've got it all together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air. You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready
to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Still think you're ready to have children?

Happy Friday!
- Logan

Kudos to....Single Parents.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on a day that it was just "one of those days."  And today isn't really "one of those days" but I've been doing some thinking on a specific topic the past few days.

Mothering is hard.  Parenting is hard.  Single parenting is grueling.

I'm happily married, so the single parenting thing for me just comes and goes in phases.  Right now The Hubs is working on a MAJOR project for work and so the kids and I have really only seen him in tiny spurts of time.  And the past couple of weeks, there have been several times that he hasn't seen them at all for a couple of days.

He leaves for work at 5:30 am.  Long before we're up.

My kids go to bed between 7 and 7:30pm....which lately has been long before he's home.

So for me, that's a long day of single parenting.  When you do the day shift with the kiddos, the dinner shift, the bathtime shift, and the bedtime shift...and because he's working so hard, I'm on the middle-of-the-night shift too....exhausting.  It is HARD.

Don't get me wrong...I love being a mommy.  And I wouldn't trade this season of staying at home with my kids for anything either, but these past couple of weeks, and looking ahead 6 weeks to the finish date of this project...I get tired just thinking about it.

And here's where I've been thinking and why I want to give MASSIVE kudos to single moms, and dads for that matter...

Your job doesn't have the promise of a once again shared load in 6 weeks from now. 

However you ended up in this place of raising kids without a spouse, I can't begin to understand and won't try to...but I want to tell you that YOU have the hardest job in the world.

I'm sure I've said in the past that I think stay-at-home parents have the hardest job in the world ...but really, that's just not true.  So here I go...admitting ONCE again that I've stuck my foot in my mouth.

I'd like to change that statement. We all have it hard in different ways because life is hard, but I think that single parents may very well have the hardest job in the world.  You have to be mom and dad, lone breadwinner, chef, launderer, boo-boo-kisser, the "heavy", the appointment maker, the grocery getter, the athletic supporter (I mean this in a more encouraging way...less of a jock strap type idea here.)  You are the beginning and the end and all that's in between for your kids in the role of parent here on earth.  And I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart...

I had a meltdown on the phone with my mom a couple of hours ago about scheduling a surgery for Little Bit (adenoids, ear tubes thing,) but having to do it when The Hubs has a major project due and won't be around much, and mom can't be around because my sister is moving into a new house and she's going to help her.  And I thought to myself...how am I going to take care of a pitifully drugged up baby and a rambunctious almost 5 year old at the same time...BY MYSELF?!  And then I just cried and cried because that's just hard.

But you single parents...that is your reality, and you don't need me here reminding you of it.  My goal here is to confess to you that I don't get it.  But right now, I am tasting part of it, and it is a bitter mouthful sometimes....it is hard.  And here I am complaining about the hardness....you just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and make it happen...and I for one want to say that I am proud of you.

James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress"...and single parents, I think that includes you too.   Part of the job of "the church" (and by that I mean, believers in Christ) is to help out those of you who find yourself in this tough place.  And I will tell you that I think in general our world is falling woefully short in this arena.  You probably already know this firsthand.  There are orphans out the wazoo all over the globe, and I'm willing to put money on it that more times than you care to count, you've felt let down by "the church"...which really just amounts to a bunch of human people too.

So my question to those of you who live this reality...is how can I, how can "the church," really...really serve and love on you?  Be honest now...this is your chance to comment below and I hope be heard well. (you will be by me for sure.)

I don't really know what else to say....and I hope in my effort to give you the kudos you deserve that I haven't unknowingly stuck my foot in my mouth somehow.  Point is...you are amazing...and you deserve....

 
A STANDING OVATION!








**I really would like to hear your comments on this subject.  Would some of you be willing to share below for us to all know how to truly serve you well?  And if you don't find yourself in this place, I'm sure there are pieces that we can each relate to...so your comments are equally welcome here!

Some projects...and I meet a nemesis!!!

I feel like junk today....some bronchitis sort of junk.  Kept me up late last night coughing like mad.  UGH....tired and gross feeling today.

Anyways...I finally found a picture of the amazing fabric that I'm putting on that chair i told you about before. 

<-------Here is the chair.

And here is the fabric.
                    ---------->

UH-Mazing!  And did I mention it has a 3 yd repeat?...so those beauties are massive!


Hang on a second...someone is at my door...

Oh man...you'll never guess what just came.  Really great neighbor...but she just brought the one thing that will guarantee my stupid jello jog for at least a little while longer.

THIS!!! ------------------------------->

Dang Girl Scouts!  Messing up my waistline...AGAIN!  Total nemesis!

So i just took a break for a Peanut Butter Patty and while my stomach digests that creamy goodness, I wanted to show you that I did indeed finish the pillow from the other day's post.

Check it out.

And I'm not apparently a super awesome blogger because I did NOT take pictures to show you how to make a pillow like this yourself.  I started this one ages ago but when I do the next one I'll document the process.  So for now, I'm sorry.  This is all you get.

I used Wonder Under to iron the butterfly onto the green linen fabric because I wanted to have the butterfly on there alone.  As you can see from the whole piece of the fabric above, you have to actually cut out a specific butterfly to do what I did here.  Otherwise you'd end up with a weevil or part of a grasshopper or some other unwanted bug on your pillow as well.  And I'm not feeling weevils and grasshoppers and unwanted bugs like I am butterflies these days.  Butterflies....me and the dang Pottery Barn.

Anyhow.  Wanted to at least show you that even if I didn't get the laundry put away the other day, I did get a pillow made.

Oh...and I have to tell you one other super exciting project that I'm working on!


I  bought this headboard and that dresser I showed you yesterday at the same time off of Craigslist ($30 total for both items.)  They both looked pretty much like this when I got them.  I'm sanding this down and then we're going to turn it into a bench to put I think in the foyer.  So far I've gotten it sanded and then I've got some work ahead of me to paint several different coats on the legs and lower part of the bench to try to replicate the amazing layering that's going on naturally on this thing.  I had a sanding helper the other day...he's a total cutie!  I look like death warmed over here, but who cares, we're all friends here right?!

The boards above on the right are what I'm using for the seat...I stained them walnut using just basic Minwax stain.  They're not stain grade wood, but I don't care.  This was cheaper and I want it to have character anyways.  I think when it's all done I might just make some pillows out of burlap to put on here anyways. 

So this to the right is how the headboard looks right now cleaned up a bit.  The previous owner had gouged that top part with what I'd guess was a putty knife trying to scrape off the paint, but I don't care...just gives it a little more character.

Ok I better run. Have a birthday party to go to, and I didn't want to wake up the baby who missed his nap this morning, but if I don't I'm afraid we'll miss the party.  And after Tid Bit spent a good hour making his friend Ruthie a bracelet and ring with my jewelry making supplies, I can't let him miss out on seeing her anticipated delight when she opens it!

Hope ya'll are having a good day!

- Logan

Part 2: Musings of a Master Bedroom Makeover...

I told you I'd take pictures when I could.  So I did it.  But be forewarned that it's still messy.

Someone once told me and I'll tell you..."If you want to see me, come anytime...if you want to see my house, call ahead."  So today we're gonna pretend that you're here reading because you want to have this chat with me about how to beautify my bedroom...not coming with the expectation of seeing something perfectly put together. Ok...now that's out of the way...moving on.

This is my room.  And all of it's challenges.  I'll tell you some of what I like and what I don't.

I think I like the stripes that we painted.  I say I think that I like them because I really do think that I do, but I'm also not sure if it's just that it was so laborious to paint them that I have some unknown reluctance to paint over it all.  I kinda think I want the whole room to be gray.....or maybe just the headboard gray? The trim meeds to be painted white also...it's still antique white (tan-ish) like when we moved in.  I bought the headboard for $75 at a consignment sale and I actually really like the shape...the color however I think is HIDEOUS for what I want this room to be.  I'm thinking of putting a "W" for our last name in the circle....hmmm.

 I also LOVE the little sofa at the end of the bed.  The shape is adorable, the tufting divine, and I love the fabric on it too even though here it's just looking plain brown.  It has a grayish bluish dot on it and is darling.


We don't have an overhead light here or even a wired box...which is $250ish to put in...just the wiring...that's not including the fixture.  SO I rewired the old dining room chandelier (which was too small for the dining room anyways) and hung it in the corner on my side of the bed.

 See what I'm talking about with the dormers.  Not wide enough for drapery and my husband is really almost vehemently opposed to any treatment on them at all.  Mostly because he's 6'6" and anything even kinda covering the window seems like an imposition to his ability to look out.  I told him they'd only cover maybe an inch or so under the top of the window moulding, but he's still not convinced.  And that one spot with the messily covered dresser...well that dresser is the only thing I can think to put there! (and we need the storage of it too!)

 And then there's this EYESORE!  The TV and it's messy looking cabinet.  Can't be too deep though because the dormer is right there too.  I moved a bookshelf into it so that my hubby's book collection wasn't immediately viewable as you walked into the room (as it used to be close to his side of the bed and just looked cluttered all the time RIGHT when you walked into the room.


I love THIS piece!
---->




I found it on Craigslist for $30 (along with a headboard that I'm currently making into a bench) and it was hideOus-O!  I was going to sand it down and then paint it, but once I started sanding I realized it had layers of olive paint, and cream paint, and taupe paint....you have to work your tootsie off to achieve patina like that, so I worked with it and love the end result.  The knobs on the top continue to elude me though...can't seem to find ones that I love (which is why there are 2 different ones now...neither of which is speaking to me.)

<-----I also love this other piece...which serves as my bedside table.  I've had it since I was a kid and there's something about it that I just love.  I even actually like the hardware on it...there's a light blue ball in the center of each handle...love!

Oh, and PS. I don't like the rug in here at all.  My mom gave it to me as a loaner and it's like 10x14, so even if I just put a piece of decent bound carpet, I'm still in for like $300 or more buckaroos. For now though it's at least something soft to stand on.

Let me show you something I like....



LOVE this---->
That's how I want my room to feel!  But I still think I might like the walls a lighter gray for me.







SO what do you all think?!

PS. After looking through my paint deck, I think I've decided I need to paint, and the color I think I need to paint is this...Benjamin Moore HC-172....Revere Pewter.

- Logan

Musings of a Master Bedroom Makeover...

My bed isn't made yet, so I'm not gonna post a picture of my master bedroom right now.  Well, that and the laundry from yesterday is still folded in the basket instead of in all of our drawers.  And... all the flat surfaces seemed to be currently collecting junk...papers yet to be filed, books in the middle of being read, and stuff that I haven't put back on the walls in our bathroom since I have yet to clean the walls from stripping the wallpaper.  Work in semi-progress I guess....I say "semi" because I can't seem to convince myself to scrub the wallpaper glue off of the walls because it's just pure misery to do it.

I think I'm pretty good with color, design, etc in general.  But I tell you what...my master bedroom has been my nemesis since we moved in almost 3 years ago.  It has 2 dormer windows and an angled ceiling on one side, a closet and a door on one wall, and a bathroom door on another.  The furniture is all nice but completely mismatched (I love eclectic, but somehow this has just moved beyond that to mismatched.)  I'm willing to paint anything, but for the life of me I can't seem to decide what I want to do in there!

I think I want to paint it grayish-bluish.  And maybe antique some furniture white.  Sometimes I think board and batten (since it's in again and I've and  always loved it.)  But then i think grasscloth but I can't afford that right now.  Sometimes I think whites and blacks and grays.  Sometimes I think lemongrass and aqua and white.  I love antiques old things that tell stories. I have this fab-o little sofa that is chocolate brown with a grayish-bluish little dot on it...but I tell you, I'm stuck!  I'll take pictures of everything today at naptime and post it all for you to see.  Don't have time right now though...

I don't know what I want...there's too much that I like to narrow it all down.  Indecision is my pet peeve and right now with this room, it is my middle name!

It's a little frustrating though...this decorator's block I have.  I can walk into other peoples' spaces and immediately have vision for them...amazing vision with easy ways to achieve it, but when it comes to my own house I OBSESS and I'm stuck!  The rooms I have done to perfect completion belong to my children.  

I can't seem to find what I did with a good picture of Tid Bit's Room, but below is Little Bit's nursery.  Probably my favorite room in our house.

 

Anywho... My master bedroom needs a makeover.  I'll post some current pictures later and get you guys to toss out some ideas.  Mostly I need a work crew to likely paint, stain, and transform furniture!!!  Wouldn't that be handy...my own work crew! LOL!  Wishful thinking! That, and some more nice days outside to do it!

OK. Off to be a good Mommy!  Watching a friend's little boy today while she has to head out of town for a funeral.  I think I'll do our usual Wolfram family endearment trick and and make some mid-morning cotton candy!

More pictures of my own anti-oasis to come!

- Logan

Tales of a Lesser Woman: Open mouth....insert foot.

I have a confession about myself that I really have to share today.  A tale of foolish speech, if you will.

On occasion, I come down with a serious case of ...

verbal diarrhea.  

 Open 

mouth...

insert 

foot.  

 Hopefully you all know what I'm talking about.  Maybe it's even happened to you.

I did it bad the other night.  And I'm not going to explain specifics here, but I have to tell you....I have spent 2 full days and 3 nights still feeling mortified over it myself!

MORTIFIED!

In my efforts to bring up a real valid point the other day, I ended up completely embarrassing myself and I think mortifying the poor recipient of my loose tongue as well. In the midst of sharing a legitimate thought, I was caught off guard by an additional thought and then blurted out the next thing that came through my mind!  AWFUL...truly awful.  (Anytime you can use the word "blurt" in relaying a story, you can be sure that it's generally not going to lead to a moment of utter wisdom.)

Since sadly, I'm not a stranger to this phenomenon, I always hope that I haven't done permanent damage to how the other person feels about me or to a relationship.  In this instance, I don't think I have, but maybe... I just don't know for sure.  So I do the only thing that I know how to do and ask for forgiveness for my complete stupidity.  After that I am left with no other choice but to move on and hope they can truly forgive and move on too...and also that I don't make the same mistake again....EVER!  (So now I'm going to take my own advice and move on...let it go!  Deep breath...let go!)

Anyways, I just had to tell you...it seems I will spend my life with no shortage of "Tales of a Lesser Woman."

"Many words mark the speech of a fool." - Ecc 5:3

Less words next time Logan....Less words!

Hope today that you keep your mouth shut better than me!

- Logan

Food for Thought: A surprise in blogging....

Saturday!  Hello love!

The Hubs has a huge project at work right now and so is having to work from 6am-noon today.  Bummer!  The boys and I got out of the house at about 8:15 and walked all around my neighborhood for over an hour.  Glory glory!  Loving this amazing weather...hope it sticks!

I'm so new to this whole blogging thing as most of you know.  And over the past few days I've ended up sort of dancing around a whole bunch of blogs of people I don't know at all, but really think it'd be fun to get to know.  Now, I'm really big on relationships and by no means do I want to take time away from people in my here and now, but I love that this avenue connects people with similar interests and because of that really offers some fun inspiration.  I've heard in church over the years that true community is born from shared interests or activities, so I think it's neat to see how this avenue seems to offer that, even spanning time and distance.  And I can't help but think as I've surfed around several people's sites, that I've been surprised at what I'm seeing, displayed in the flesh and shared all around, so much of this :

A good woman is hard to find,         
   and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
   and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
   all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
   and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
   and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
   for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
   then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
   rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
   is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
   diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
   reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
   their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
   and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Her husband is greatly respected
   when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
   brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
   and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
   and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
   and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
   her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
   but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
   The woman to be admired and praised
   is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
   Festoon her life with praises!

Kinda cool huh?  Biblical model of womanhood...displayed on the internet!

Bring it ladies!

- Logan

Spring fever solidified....

I took the day off from writing yesterday. 

Our church sent a team to Haiti this past week (the 3rd in a year...the Hubs went last September) and several of my friends' hubbies have been gone (the team gets home late tonight.)  Anyways, my friend A came yesterday and spent the night with us last night.  We made jewelry last night and a carrot cake today (I'll post that recipe sometime too...it's amazing.) It was a blast, and I figured noone would hold it against me to skip a day of writing in order to be a better friend than a blogger.  Sorry if your'e disappointed...just the way it's gonna be around here.

And, yesterday I'd decided if I did get a chance to write that I was going to do a write-up on steam mops.  I have one and know lots of people who are interested, and I did loads of research before I bought mine, so I figured I'd pass along the info...which I will soon, but not today afterall.

You know I told you the other day that I have spring fever?!  Well, if the other day started it, then the sunny 70's today have solidified it.  I've got it bad.  And the picnic outside today at lunch, and watching my boys get dirty in our yard having a blast...oh man, makes my heart happy as a lark (whatever that means...I really don't personally know the happiness level of a lark, but it must be high.)  It was great!  And you know the Rainbows I was dying to pull out the other day...YES!  Today was the day...and my feet really do look like something from caveman days!  Whatever.....

So, today instead I have to just share with you a few pictures that speak a thousand words to me!

LOVE me some dirty feet...well, maybe I just love those particular feet.

This looks like Little Bit is petting our dog so gently, but really Redd (the dog) was actually just gobbling up the rest of Little Bit's ham sandwich.

Below, Tid Bit was having a blast blowing bubbles for his little brother.  I just LOVE to see them actually starting to play together!  And then he was having me announce "the races" in which he magically won every single one!  Amazing how that happens often when you're 4...

I promise I'll post soon about the steam mops.  I even had Tid Bit give it a really good test around the kitchen again at our house yesterday.  It definitely works great, even if the user happens to be a really cute 4 year-old.  More to come on this subject soon...the steam mop reviews, not the cute 4 year-old....ok, so maybe the cute 4 year-old some too.

If you live in the south, get off your computer as soon as you can and head outside to enjoy the GLORIOUS DAY!!!

- Logan