Dining Room: Before & After

We moved into our home (a 1950s ranch that has been a rental for 10 years) last November and have enjoyed cleaning, fixing things up, and decorating these past 4 months. Here is our dining room transformation...

Before:

After:

The table belonged to my great grandpa and was given to us by my Uncle Ladd when we first got married. My great grandpa picked it up off a curb. David and I (mostly David) spent many hours working on it when we were engaged and he essentially rebuilt it to make it sturdy and even made leaves for it! He is thee best! We've looked for a new table, but it is staying for now (it will most likely be a game table for the basement when/if we find another one). Here we are hard at work- we took our work seriously!:)

I found the dresser at Salvation Army and my sister did an amazing job painting it for me! I love, love, love it! Thank you Leah!

The chairs were a GW find and I was so excited to find 6 chairs and all in good condition. They were a honey wood color and I painted them white.

My plate wall is one of my favorite things in my home. I have plates displayed that belonged to my great grandma, grandmother, mother, and David's grandma. There are a few antique finds and an Anthropologie plate too.

I love my Target pillows! The chairs came from a antique shop called "Rachel's" that was going out of business.

I found the mirror at an antique shop as well and I'm so glad I got it! It is truly unique and beautiful. It is super heavy so it is a nightmare to hang, but it is safe and secure now!:)

Lastly, my brother-in-law spotted our incredible chandelier at the beach a few weeks back (I have been looking for one) and it is so perfect! I love it with the mirror!

So, there it is... our new home slowly becoming our home!:)

Pray for Kate

I first heard about this little girl's story last summer and I have been following her story and praying for her ever since. She is a 6 year-old girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and is now fighting for her life. The McRae family has been incredibly faith-filled as they face the ugliest of battles, they are trusting in Jesus and asking for a miracle for their little girl. Kate is tenacious, hilarious, and incredibily beautiful. Olivia and I have been praying for sweet little Kate and I have been so touched by the urgency of her prayers as she has prayed, "Oh God, run to Kate McRae and heal her!" (I don't think we can underestimate the power of our children hearing us pray out loud- wow). It is the cry of our hearts that God would heal her completely!

Warning: watch this video, and you will fall in love with her and be captivated by her life and battle with cancer. I urge you to watch this video and join believers all around the world in praying for Kate McRae! You can read updates on her status at prayforkate.com, which will take you to her CaringBridge journal. Our God is able to heal her! For your Glory Lord!

Common Man

picture via

My husband came across this quote in a building he was working in and I had to share! The quote rings so true for what we want for this nation and our children! Lord, help us to raise uncommon men!

I do not choose to be a common man.
It is my right to be uncommon- if I can. I seek opportunity- not security. I do not wish to be kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.
I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the still calm of utopia.
I will not trade freedom for beneficence not my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.
It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say, this I have done.

~ Dean Alfange

The honorable Dean Alfange was an American statesman born December 2, 1899, in Constantinople (now Istanbul). He served in the U.S. Army during World War 1 and attended Hamilton College, graduating in the class of '22.

Old Fashioned Blackberry Jam Cake

A few months back I tasted the best cake I have ever had! David's aunt made a cake for a family birthday and it was divine! The cake? Old fashioned Blackberry Jam Cake with Carmel Frosting! I don't have the exact recipe she used, but I was able to find a few online. I have been waiting to make it as cooking/baking has not been my favorite pastime as of late, but David's birthday seemed like a fitting occasion to finally make it! The cake is the perfect density and the cake itself is not very sweet, so it pairs wonderfully with the rich carmel frosting. Serve with Vanilla Bean ice cream. Yum! Please make it and let me know what you think!

Old Fashioned Blackberry Jam Cake:

1 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
4 beaten egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup seedless blackberry jam
4 egg whites, beaten till stiff but not dry

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Sift all dry ingredients together. Add alternately to butter mixture with buttermilk. Stir in jam, mixing thoroughly. Fold in egg whites. Pour into buttered and floured tube or bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Increase heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

A few changes to the recipe: I made mine in 9" cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Also, this recipe doesn't call for nuts and raisins, but they are a definitive must the next time I make this (there are recipes that call for them and I completely forgot).


Carmel Frosting:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla



BTW... I made a potato salad (my mom's classic) for his birthday dinner as it is his favorite and I was reminded of a cool trick my Nanny taught me some years back. She is so wise about so many things! She reserves the water from her boiled eggs as it is rich in calcium to water her house plants with (after it has cooled). Here is an interesting article to confirm what she taught me. I'll have to do a post sometime featuring "tips from Nanny".

Happy Birthday!

This post is a shout out to my incredibly wonderful husband who turns 31 today! Happy, Happy Birthday David! I love you lots and lots and think you are stinkin hot! You make every day an adventure and I can't help but laugh when you're around! I love your never-giving up, never-backing down outlook on life. The past few years have thrown us some major curve balls, but you keep on continuing to be the hardest working man I know, looking at each trial with optimism and a great deal of faith. We stepped out in obedience/faith 4 years ago and believed our development business was going to be a source of incredible abundance to bless with, but the economy and the real estate market completely changed that. It is devastating to think about the hours and years and sweat we (YOU) have put into the business, only to have it threaten to take everything away now. Yet, you are clinging to Him and His word and our God will not forsake us. It seems He is even using this time to bring about dreams and new opportunities that once seemed like just dreams.

Psalms 128: 1-4

1 How joyful are those who fear the Lord-

all who follow his ways!

2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

How joyful and prosperous you will be!

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,

flourishing within your home.

Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees

as they sit around your table.

4 That is the Lord's blessing

for those who fear him.

I cannot even begin to thank you for your tender loving care of me during these past weeks of puking and sickness! Thank you for loving me during my unlovely times of sickness! You make a mean milkshake and the best popcorn e.v.e.r.! I think/pray we are on the home stretch now!:) You are super intelligent. You make Matt Damon look good! And you make Muck Boots look really good too. You are faithful to the end and don't worry about what others might think of you. You are a true man's man in a day where men look/act less and less like men. You know how to forgive. You know how to be a friend. You know how to do a lot of things. I am blessed to call you my husband and our children are blessed to have you as their father! You make us proud! I love you, Babe! Pull over!

Cool Guest Room on the Cheap

What do you do when a son moves out? Create a super cool guest room of course! My brother got married last fall, so my mom had a bedroom available in the basement and she turned it into a groovy guest room! She already had the twin beds frames and black bedding. The chic lamp, side table and turquoise pillows she purchased from Target. My favorite part of the room? Her incredibly clever idea to use globes from GW as "toss pillows"! Aren't they cool?

She simply removed the hardware from the globes, which popped off quite easily, and ta-da! She framed some maps that her and my dad got from the beach to tie in the whole theme.She is the Queen of theme rooms!

Below is an antique black chair and desk that she already had and I think she is planning to hang a mirror above it.

I hope you were inspired by her creativity as I was! Great job Mom!

Our Week- Enjoying the Sunshine

The sun was shining this week and we took advantage of every opportunity we could to get outside!

We fed the horses on Monday...

We came home on Tuesday (after our Moms and Tots group at church) and found more seashells in the yard! Thank you Nana!

Brenda shared at the group about parenting the heart vs. behavior (awesome word and scriptures) and I shared a quick devotional. I was so thankful to make it through without feeling sick!

Peyton even got in on the hunt this time!

We worked outside for most of the afternoon on Wednesday and Peyton got tangled up in a rose bush! Ouch! Olivia was so upset to see him bleeding that she started crying harder than he was!

He also found at least two mud puddles this week and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Finally, we met Leah and sweet baby girl for a quick lunch at the park. Olivia has been asking me for weeks to go, but the weather has been too icky. They all had a blast.

She told me on her list of things to do is: 1. go to the playground 2. visit the fire station 3. go to California. In that order. She is a crack up. One down! She also said this week, "I saw ____ and they weren't broken apart" (referring to a friend that I told her broke up with his girlfriend). I love how the child mind interprets and understands things!

She helped me bake gingersnaps; I heard they might help with morning sickness? If nothing else, they tasted yummy!

Oh, and here is my other garage sale purchase, K! It covers up the back of the fireplace just perfectly. I had planned on painting it, but it blends in pretty well with the fireplace, so we'll keep it like this for now. I clipped boxwood for the vases and it is holding up well. We hope you were able to enjoy some sunshine too!

New Book Spot

I have always loved my sister's retro suitcase and was surprised to find she was selling it at the garage sale we had a few weeks back! As it turns out, we ended up buying some of each other's stuff, and re purposing it as seen here and here. I guess you could say we used the lulls during the sale to get inspired! Can you believe it took me until the second day of the sale to lay down my dollar for it? I already have a few shades of blue in my living room, so it fits in really well, and provides a sweet spot for some of my favorite books! The garage sale was a LOT of work, but we came away with some cool finds, less junk, and money to spend!:)

I can't wait for the next sale girls... NOT!!! :)

Starting a Perrenial Garden

I think having cut flowers in my home is one of the biggest treats ever! It is expensive to purchase fresh flowers, so I've started growing my own the last few years. I was thrilled to purchase a peony last year (oh, how I love them!), and very sad to leave it behind when we moved last fall. Actually, I had to leave all my perennial flowers behind, so I was anxious come spring, to plant more at our new home. My mother-in-law is a gardener extraordinaire so I enlisted her help last weekend to start the new flower garden! She brought transplants from her own garden, which meant no cost for me (yeah!), and they are special/sentimental since they came from her! Her gardens are truly exceptional and she is very knowledgeable about the different species, etc.!

Here she is to help me.

I have been quite sick with this pregnancy and was having a particularly nasty afternoon the day she was here, so I wasn't as much help as I had planned to be (frequent trips back to the house prevented that!). Thankfully, Olivia was a sweet little helper. She is even wearing a shirt that says, "sunshine makes little flowers grow". Very appropriate. :)

We (or she) planted...

• shasta daisy
• rudebekia (black eyed susans)
• lamb's ear
• echinacea
• centaurea
• aster, dianthus, english daisy, junior sunflower (planted from seed packets I purchased)

I cannot wait until everything is in bloom! It doesn't look like much right now, but it will be beautiful! I'll be sure to post pictures later this summer. Thank you Judy!

Every Day is a Tractor Day!

Are you getting sick of pictures of the kids yet?? He, He!!!

Future Farmer of America ...

This post/picture is for you Nanny!

I love you!

Newest Member of the Family

Where does the time go? Our new little nephew is already 6 weeks old! Check out the adorable little man and his proud family!

Proud Parents

Seeing him for the first time

So excited!

Love at first sight

Cousins!

We love you baby boy and think your cry is thee cutest!

Fun, Full Easter Weekend

The rain has been relentless these past few weeks, but a soggy Easter isn't too out of the ordinary here in the Pacific Northwest. We made do with fun indoor activities.

We got together with cousins and enjoyed a family tradition of dying Easter eggs.

The kids loved their Easter morning treats!

We were honored to host both sides of our family plus friends for Easter dinner this year (24 people in all). We enjoyed wonderful food and fellowship on a very stormy Easter day, and needless to say, we had to get creative with our Easter Egg Hunt. Eggs were hid all over our house!

I had fun making these name cards from vintage Easter postcards.

I became quite adept at the "bunny" fold after 24 of these.

I think my favorite part of the week/weekend was Peyton calling out "Ho nana" (his version of Hosanna) while he and his sister made makeshift palm branches to welcome their King!
We hope your Easter was blessed!