Decorating Tips & Tricks

My home is a constant work in progress. A friend said to me just last week, "A room is never totally finished" and I laughed. She is exactly right. I am constantly moving, painting, and rearranging. Sometimes when JAM gets home he will walk in and chuckle. He knows he can leave one morning and come home to things completely rearranged, yet he loves me anyway. 

I'm sure some of you can relate!

Ok-to start off I'll be really honest. My decorating used to STINK, LIKE REALLY STINK! When I first got married I had no idea what I was doing. Every room had a theme and every room was a different color. Why I thought that looked good I have NO IDEA. Several years after getting married I became good friends with one of JAM's friend's wives. I remember going to her house for the first time and being blown away at how put together was. Everything flowed from one area of the house to another.  Everything was cute, creative, and perfectly imperfect. As I got to know her more I realized that she was super thrifty and most of her decor throughout her home came from goodwill, garage sales, the side of the road, and Craigslist. To see more of her home, her "Saturday Steals," and read about her adorable family click here.

So over time I took almost everything I had and either gave it a facelift or got rid of it and started completely over. My goal with doing so was that by the time we moved into our new home, I would have a good base to work with and use that as a starting point for what I wanted my style to be from here on out. If I had to sum up my current style and what I want my future style to look like, it would be industrial farmhouse chic with pops of color and tons of frugal flare. When decorating and looking for goodwill, second hand, or Craigslist finds, I always try to consider my style, my current home, and exactly where I would want to try and use it. I am guilty of sometimes buying and not sure what I will do with it until I get home, but that's where the creative process becomes 

really fun and interesting.

Now, by no means do I really "know" what I'm doing when it comes to decorating. But I do know what I like and I know what I can spend. Much of the time what I like or the look that I like can costs tons of money which we do not have, thus my passion for decorating on a budget, decorating with lots of DIY projects, and decorating in a repurposed kind of way comes in to play.

Below are a few tips and tricks that I have learned over the years, mainly from friends, HGTV, and thrifty decorating blogs because again, I don't really know what I'm doing, I heavily rely on others!

Furniture:

--Family Heirloom--

I'm all about using family heirloom pieces. In fact, I would rather have a family piece then a brand new piece. I love the history and memories that come along with those types of furniture pieces. The  left piece is from both of my great grandmother's homes. It's actually 2 separate parts that I painted and put one of top of the other. I used Annie Sloan Chalk paint in the color Louis Blue and then buffed the light and dark Annie Sloan waxes on each piece. It is currently in my dining room in the perfect little corner spot. Don't be afraid to use paint. Whether you want to keep it in the neutral color family or venture out with boldness, paint can make all the difference. Both of these pieces were already painted a white with a vine detail, so clearly they both needed a facelift. 

--Facebook Resale--

The right brown piece is from a Facebook resale page. I HIGHLY suggest using a resale page from Facebook that is designated for people that live within your area. I feel like you can find great deals on bigger items such as furniture. Utilize Facebook for your budget decor needs. You will be surprised what types of good deals are floating around on social media. 

The brown chest of drawers set me back a whole $20. The bottom drawer was broken but I just "shopped" around my house for the baskets and thought that it gave it a cute, perfectly imperfect look. I still need to paint the inside bottom drawer space and have gone back and forth with painting the entire piece, but for now it currently looks like the photo below.

--Garage Sales--

You can find DEALS are garage sales. Most people are willing to sell for cheap cheap cheap just so they can get rid of it. NEGOTIATE for the best deal! You will be happy you did. 

The bottom left piece is actually a solid wood buffet that I purchased at a garage sale for $15. I gave it a good wipe down and it serves the perfect purpose of a changing table in Keller's room. Garage sales are not something that I shop at regularly but this spring and summer I really 

want to try and go to more. 

--Craigslist--

I have had really good luck on craigslist for my last few purchases. I don't buy a ton off the site, but when I'm looking for something specific it's a budget friendly option I like suggest trying.

The bottom right and the two other bottom photos are all things that I have purchased from Craigslist. Our master bedroom headboard and footboard I paid $30 for. They are originally from Broyhill Furniture and were a light wood color. I don't think you can see it but the right corner on the footboard has a little damage to it, but once I chalk painted it, you can hardly notice the issue. The bottom left picture is a twin size Jenny Lind bed that I paid $100 for. If you know anything about the brand Jenny Lind, they can be very expensive beds and within the last few years have become a popular name brand item.

 It's for sure one of my favorite craigslist finds of all time. It's currently painted black and resides in Layton's room. The lower right chest I bought right before we moved into our new home. It was $75 and is all real wood and was dark in color. I used Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint in the color Ironstone and it gave it a light white wash feel. The raspberry colored knobs are from Hobby Lobby and add a pop of color. It is presently in our living room and holds DVD's in the top drawers and all the other drawers contain the boy's toys. It serves as a great storage piece. 

Knick Knacks: 

I tend to have a harder time finding good knick knack items to decorate with. I usually look for these type of items at goodwill or at garage sales. It seems like I have better luck when I am wanting to do a project and go in looking for specific items that are already in my mind. This plate wall, for instance, was something that I knew I wanted to do when we moved, so every time I went into goodwill I knew I needed to browse the plate isle. Plates at the goodwill in our area run anywhere from $0.25 to $0.99, so overall it was going to be in inexpensive project. It took some time finding the plates and the decorative eye of a friend coming over and helping me hang them all, but I would say the entire project cost around $40. 

Below are a few of the staple items that I always get at goodwill 

when the condition and price is right:

--Globes--

I LOVE to decorate with globes. I don't know what it is, 

I just love the industrial feel along with the different sizes, shapes, 

and colors of globes you can find. They are interesting. They are unique. And I love them. 

--Old Books--

Books-old and new are a MUST in decorating. They add height, are a great space filler, 

and when decorating are just something you have to have.

--Black Picture Frames--

According to my friend Brittany and her sister Brooke every room must have black in it somewhere. Black is timeless, classic, and in picture frame form, the neutral color to go with. I always like to say the chunkier the better-so when I find a thick (preferably matted) black picture frame, I buy it.  

--Greenery--

My friends laugh because of my love for greenery, but in actuality I've made them just as obsessed. Greenery whether alive or fake is a necessity when decorating. It adds a freshness, a pop of texture, and bold color when mixed throughout your home. It's everywhere in my home and I always look for it when shopping. You usually can't find it in places like goodwill but sometimes you can, when you are lucky. My favorite places to find greenery are HomeGoods, Marshall's/T. J. Maxx, and Hobby Lobby. 

--Birds & or Owls--

The trend right now is birds and or owls. I have been able to find several lately at goodwill for $0.99. Whenever you spot a bird or owl, BUY IT. It adds personality to a space and can put that final touch on an area you are decorating. 

I snagged this adorable green owl for $0.99 a few months back and found him the perfect home 

(for now anyway) in our master bedroom!

--Coffee and Travel Mugs--

I have an obsession with cute coffee mugs, especially polka dotted mugs. I paid $0.75 for all three of these and use them all of the time. Coffee mugs are cute and can spruce up your coffee bar area for literally just some change. 

--Glassware--

I always browse the glassware section of goodwill. The goodwill in our area has most of their glassware for around $0.59-$1.00. I was in need of new glasses a few weeks ago and knew before I went exactly what I would look for--these adorable Mason Jar Glasses with the handle. There is just something simply southern about drinking out a Mason Jar. They ran me $0.59 each. I am on the hunt for more so that I can have a cabinet full. 

Another thing that is good to think about when scoping out glassware of any goodwill is the cute vases and glass jars you can find. They come in all sizes, shapes, and sometimes colors. I have a pantry shelf full of jars and vases and they come in the most handy when putting on a wedding shower or a baby shower.

 I hope these tips and tricks helped! Like I said before, these are not things that I came up with, but things that were suggested to me from my decorating friends. I continue to shop at goodwill almost every week so there will be plenty more goodwill gems I will eventually share!

Happy Decorating!

Almost

Wednesday (3.11.15) started off like most any day. The boys actually slept in a little due to the time change which was nice. We did our morning routine of breakfast, coffee, cleaning up from the night before, and then decided to make hospital visits as a family that day. There is something about doing ministry as a family that is special, something that I cherish, and something that I want our children to participate it for years and years to come.

On our drive home from the hospital JAM and I were talking about several different things, in particular about how fun it be for us the get the phone call for a child(s) that day. We find ourselves trying not to talk about it too much so that we are not dwelling on what could happen, but being thankful for the here and the now amongst our day to day life.

We get home, do lunch, get Keller down for a nap, and Layton down for his rest time. JAM went to clean the trucking company offices I was able to rest for a little while before starting a few chores of my own. I had been thinking about a friend whose family has been waiting to be licensed for a few weeks now and I thought I would text her to check in on the progress of everything.

We texted back and forth for a few minutes and in the midst of texting, it happened.

My phone started ringing. Ringing with a number I didn't recognize.

Upon answering I hear Mrs. C's sweet voice on the other end. "Good afternoon Mrs. M. I have something I wanted to talk to you about...."

Of course my mind starts going a million miles an hour.
Is this it? Is this the call I've been praying for, longing for, desiring day in and day out?
Then her boss started beeping in and she said she needed to call me right back.
"Sure, I'll be here, feel free to call me back whenever!"

Of course I was hoping she would call me back within the first five minutes, but five minutes turned into fifteen, fifteen turned into thirty, and thirty minutes turned into an hour.

After an hour of not hearing anything I was pretty sure whatever Mrs. C was calling about had probably gone a different direction. I reached out and texted Mrs. C just to let her know that if she needed to call me after office hours it was going to be no problem. She responded quickly to my text and told me that our family was originally being contacted about a possible placement, but it turned out that the other social worker had already worked out everything and they didn't need our home for a placement after all.

Almost. It almost happened.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad. I was, very sad. I had a good cry, and waited for JAM to get home so I could tell him the news.

As I was waiting for him to get home, Mrs. C responded with another text that said, "It's going to happen in God's timing!! Be blessed and hopefully we will talk soon!"

She is right. Not in my timing, but in the Lord's timing. Praise the Lord for kind, Godly, social workers!

It was such a blessing to receive that. It was such a wonderful reminder that I should desire nothing apart from the His perfect and anointed timing. His will for our future is going to far exceed anything I could have ever hoped for or imagined.

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...." Psalm 37:5-7a

This verse puts a smile on my face because every time I read it I think of my childhood pastor, Bro. Bob Pitman and how he would always joke from the pulpit about patience. He would always say, "Don't ever pray for patience...you never know what the Lord will do when you pray for something as big as patience." As scary and big as something like the concept of patience is, I'm boldly praying for and striving for it. I'm also striving to have a Christ-like attitude while waiting- most days I fail and that's just real life.

Another set of verses that the Lord brought to the forefront of my mind was Psalm 139. Goodness, this Psalm is rich, this Psalm is sweet, this Psalm is comforting. Every time I read it, it brings peace and comfort. I'm overwhelmed with the truths and richness in every line of this Psalm!

Psalm 139:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.

 You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.

 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.

 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

 If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.

 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

 For you formed my inward parts;
   you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

 Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

 My frame was not hidden from you,
 when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
 in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!

 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
    O men of blood, depart from me!

 They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.

 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

 I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!

 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!


So now, we are back to waiting, and in the midst of that waiting, I'm fervently praying.

Each and every day, I'm choosing joy and to be thankful for the here and the now. I choosing to be present for JAM and for our boys, and I'm choosing to be thankful for the "almost" phone call.

Coming Soon...

ALL THINGS JESUS...

Is exactly what I desire for this section of my blog- To reflect Him and only Him.

He is "the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him." John 14:6 

I am praying that with each post, you see Jesus in a real, authentic, transparent, and bold form. I don't want you to read me.  I want you to read Christ-to read scripture that is "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16 

Real life transparency for a moment: day to day life can be messy- whether it's a food mess of baby food or peanut butter and jelly-whether it's a fun kid mess of finger paints and toys (our current favorite mess right now)-whether it's a mess of a marriage or a mess of family-whether it's a mess of your own self be being "crucified with Christ" and realizing "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me....Galations2:20a-whether it's a mess of being broken down so the Lord can mold and shape in order to eventually build back up-whatever kind of mess it is, no matter what took place yesterday-"His mercies are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23

Jesus is near. Jesus is good. Jesus is faithful. He is "your God in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Praise the Lord for his faithfulness and steadfastness in our lives. Praise the Lord for his goodness and grace even when we don't deserve it. Praise the Lord for who He is and what He has done and what He is going to do!

Something that I read few weekends ago was incredibly convicting therefore I couldn't wait to share with others. Its content deals with being a living sacrifice. The ESV study bible states that as Christians, we are to give ourselves entirely to Christ, our whole self, both our body and soul belong to God-"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1

In my day to day life, am I living as a living sacrifice? Am I giving all of who I am to all of who Christ is? Am I willing to let go of everything and everyone for the furtherance of Him? Here is what Helen Roseveare shares about being a living sacrifice from her book Living Sacrifice: Willing to be Whittled as an Arrow...

To be a living sacrifice will involve all my time. God wants me to live every minute for Him in accordance with His will and purpose...No time can be considered as my own, 

or as "off-duty" or "free."....

To be a living sacrifice will involve all my possessions...All should be available for the furtherance of His Kingdom. My money is His...He has the right to direct the spending of each penny...I must consider that I own nothing. All is God's and what I have, I have on trust from Him, to be used as he wishes. 

To be a living sacrifice will involve all of myself. My will and my emotions, my health and vitality, my thinking and activities all are to be available to God, to be employed as He chooses, to reveal Himself to others, Should He see that someone would be helped to know Him through my being ill, I accept ill health and weakness. I have no right to demand what we call good health...All rights are His-to direct my living so that he can most clearly reveal Himself through me. God has the right, then, to choose my job, and where I work, to choose my companions and my friends...

To be a living sacrifice will involve all my love...I relinquish the right to choose whom I will love and how, giving the Lord the right to choose for me...Whether I have a life partner or not is wholly His to decide, and I accept gladly His best will for my life. I must bring all the areas of my affections to the Lord his His control, for here; above all else, I need to sacrifice 

my right to choose for myself....

I need to be so utterly God't that He can use me or hide me, as He chooses, as an arrow in His hand or in His quiver. I will ask no questions: I relinquish all rights to Him who desires my supreme good. 

He knows best.

After this was read our loud to me, I was weeping, trying to weep quietly because I was in a room full of girls and didn't want to bust out into the ugly cry, ha, but whoa did this rock me. Convicted me to my core. It dug deep. 

 I long for my life to be living sacrifice, but most days I fail. 

 I hold on and I hold on tight. 

Yet, in the daily failings, those failings come with daily confessions... "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 

 I come confessing and pleading for forgiveness and restoration. Praise the Lord for repentance and for forgiveness!

So today, I'm praying that I let go, that I let my life be a living sacrifice! 

Coming Soon...

Church Plant

My husband, John Allen, is the pastor of Eastpoint Church. We currently meet in the Lewisburg Middle School band hall. It is a church plant that has been in existence since January of 2012. It's an extremely special place with wonderful people. You can find more information about our church here.

Waiting

One of the reasons for wanting to step out in to the blog world is to document our journey of fostering and adoption. I want to be able to have and share our story but ultimately it’s not our story, it’s the Lord’s story. The ups, the downs, the fun times, the hard times, the tears, the joys. It’s all for Him. We would be nothing, have nothing, consist of nothing if it were not for the sacrificial giving of His life for us on the cross. I want to share how we are a vessel and an instrument in His plan of fostering and adoption. 

John Allen and I have always talked about one day desiring to adopt. We had no idea what it would look like, who it would look like, or how it would look like. But we both knew it was something that the Lord had placed on both of our hearts.

When we got married we became friends with a couple that shortly after knowing them started their journey of fostering and adoption through DHS. I remember thinking, “Whoa, I can’t imagine how they are going to be able to do it.” “How is that going to work with going through the state? What if they are not able to adopt a specific child as their own? If they are able to adopt, how will a child mesh with their already existing two parent two child home?” And on and on and on I had questions.

Over the next few years I watched them. Prayed for them. Hung out them them. Went on a mission trip with them. Served in ministry with them. And my love for the children that were brought in to and out of their home grew. I was not around every child that was placed in their home, but the ones I was around, I loved. And just as the Lord works, he grew that love into a conviction in my heart, a conversation John Allen and I kept having over and over, and a constant thought I could not get off my mind.

Is this what the Lord has for us, going through DHS, fostering to adopt?

What is this going to look like for our family?

What if we have a child for a period of time and then have to release that child back to bio parents or the child’s relative? 

What if I get attached and then have to let go? 

What if....What if....What if.... 

This is what was (and sometimes still is) swirling around and around in my head. 

After having Keller in May, many questions still remained, the prayers for wisdom continued, and in August of 2013, we dove in head first. We had a two in a half year old, a three month old, and we started the paper work through the Department of Human Services to foster with the hope and prayer of one day adopting. 

I found the DHS website, filled out several lines of information, and with nervous excitement hit the submit button. Within two weeks we had some of the beginning paperwork, were assigned a social worker, and were mapping out our schedule for the training classes in order to be certified resource parents. 

We attended out first training class which was orientation with approximately twenty other people. A lot of questions were asked and a lot of basic information given.  At the end of the class they handed out a mountain of paperwork and said that if we were serious about being a resource parent we needed to get started on it right away.

Over the next three months we went every Saturday to the public library for hours at a time to complete our licensing training. Some days were long. Some days, the topics discussed were brutal and brought me to tears. With every passing session I was getting more and more excited yet also more and more anxious. 

Along with the licensing classes we also had four home studies. Our social worker would come to our home each time with different things that needed to be accomplished. She always made us feel at ease and comfortable. I’m am continually thankful for her and the work she does in our state and the children of our area. 

January 31st, five months after diving in head first, we were officially licensed resource parents. When Mrs. C called and informed us that we had been approved we were both thrilled. She had warned us that the last two families she had licensed both received a phone call within 48 hours for placement within their home. I remember thinking, “Whoa, 48 hours, that’s fast, but we can do this!”

And so the waiting began. The 48 hour mark passed, the first few days passed, and it has now been 5 weeks. To say that I don’t wake up and think “I wonder if today is the day...” would be a lie. Real-honest-transparency for a moment: I think about it a lot. But it’s weird, its a bitter-sweet emotion. Bitter because in order for us to get the phone call that they have a child(s) ready to be placed in our home, a lot has to have transpired in that child’s life. Sweet because the moment a child is placed in our home it will be just that and so much more. It’s not going to be easy at first. Truthfully, it’s probably going to be a enormous challenge at best, BUT it’s what the Lord has called our family to do. To have an opportunity to show Christ’s love, provide protection, encourage healing, and care for a child to the best of our ability is a journey we can not wait to explore. Whether we get to make that child a part of our forever family or eventually have to let go, we know that it’s all part of the Lord’s intricate molding and shaping of our lives. 

So as of now, every day that we don’t receive “the” phone call is a day that I’m choosing to be thankful for our family of four. I’m choosing JOY! I’m also daily praying for our future placement(s). Praying for wisdom, praying for strength, praying for insight for the proper care of the child and how to deal with all the other individuals involved, praying for a balance of how to manage my walk with the Lord, my husband, my children, and our home in a Godly way, praying that I am a strong, loud, courageous, voice for the one(s) who may not be able speak for themselves, and praying that I am just a vessel and instrument and will move out of the way and allow JESUS to have control. Of course we long for our phones to ring with the news of a placement within our family, but right now, in this very moment, in spite of my longing: Jesus is Faithful. Even though I can’t see what lies ahead: He is still faithful! Even though I have no idea what our future looks like: He is still Faithful! Even though we are waiting: Jesus is Faithful!

A friend shared these verses with me this past week and it was such a sweet reminder of the hope we have in Christ and how incredible the Lord’s faithfulness is in our lives:

“But this I call to mind,

    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, says my soul,

     therefore I will hope in him.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

    to the soul who seeks him.”

 Lamentations 3:21-25

The "Just Us" First Date

Back in 2007 I had two friends named Ben and Levi who were on staff together at a local church in our area. Both of them attended seminary with John Allen. For several months they wanted me to meet JAM. I was hesitant but finally agreed. We all went out together multiple times as a group and things were fun, conversation flowed, and within about 3 weeks of meeting, John Allen went out for our first “just us” date. I was incredibly excited for it. He came and picked me up and had three balloons-red, white, and blue tied together to my favorite candy-a Take5. Side note-the balloons were very festive and fourth of July like and it was the month of March. It was sweet, it’s the thought that counts! 

I get into John Allen’s car and it was cramped. had a very “lived in” feel. and very cramped. It was cramped because he basically lived in his car. He was living in Independence, on staff at Wyatte Baptist Church in Wyatte as the youth pastor, and trying to date a girl who lived in Germantown so he was ALWAYS in his car. 

We are driving along and he had told me when he first picked me up that he had not been feeing well that day but he didn’t want to cancel. For that I was grateful. Down the road we go and the chatting continued about his grandmothers cooking, how his week had gone, and this and that. All of the sudden the chatting abruptly stopped. I look to the left and John Allen has this look on his face that is forever engrained in my mind.

Sheer terror with a hint of embarrassment.  

About two seconds later his cheeks look like we have started to play chubby bunny but not with marshmallows, with vomit. Side not: I grew up in a home with 3 sisters so to hear a grown man throw up for the first time due to food poisoning was a sound I was not aware an individual could make. 

He tells people that for a spit second he thought, “I can swallow the vomit and I don’t think she will ever notice a thing.”  

#whatintheworld #Imsittingrightnexttoyou

He yanks the steering wheel to the left, pulls over in front of a beautiful picturesque home in Germantown and vomits and vomits and vomits. Finally he sits up with tears streaming down his face, looks over at me and says, “Can you please hand me the blue shirt from the back seat so I can wipe off my mouth?” And in that very moment I’m praising Jesus for the “lived in-cramped” car feel! 

We were engaged three months later and married six months after that. It has been 7 years and I adore being married to the man I call my husband. He truly exemplifies sacrifice, unconditional love, fatherhood, leadership, and servanthood amongst our marriage. Our marriage is far from perfection, but I am overwhelmingly thankful I get to do life with him each and every day.