google reader and igoogle

google reader is my new best friend ... and maybe my worst enemy.

i read blogs. i read a lot of blogs. i may or may not read too many blogs.

a few months ago i decided i would start following the ones i really like, because i would forget to check them for a while and then i would feel like i was missing out on something. and i don't handle that whole "missing out on something" thing very well. i had heard of google reader, but i didn't really understand what it was all about, but when i started following blogs i realized that every time one of the blogs i follow has new posting it shows up in my reader.

so for a while, about once a day i would go to my gmail account and check my reader. on most days there would be about 25-30 new posts for me to scan through. a nice little treat!

now, don't get me wrong, i do not really read each and every one of those, but i do scan through them and look at the ones that interest me.

you can even star the ones you think might want to reference again, and i've found that very handy as i try to remember exactly how someone did a project or the name a product they used for something.

you know what i found out today?

you can search in you reader.

and it searches all items in your reader. so i was sitting here thinking - i have seen 5,000,000 (or so) banners on blogs lately, i want to look a bit closer at them, as i am planning to make one for a shower, so at the top of the screen i found this:

i simply typed in "shower banner" and up popped every entry with the word banner in it.

if you remember which blog it was that you saw something on, you can search specific blogs, too. that's handy!!

if you add igoogle to the mix (where you can customize your google page by adding news, weather, and tons of other things including your google reader!!), you can (as i do) see what's new on google reader every time you connect to the internet.

this could be dangerous!

man, i don't know who thinks up these things, bu i'm sure glad they do =)

counters done.

here they are with the clear coat on. i like them! it will be a few days before i can put anything on them, so my kitchen is still a mess, but it's all good!

you can't see it in these pictures, but some of the paint got pulled off the wall, so i will have to do some touch ups, but that's not much trouble! i can't wait until i can use them!

kitchen redo part 2 - painted counter tops

so, back in february i posted my inspiration board for my kitchen redo. the first part of that project was to paint my cabinets, which i have really enjoyed. the scond part was to paint my counter tops using a process called "countertop transfauxmations". on thursday as i was contemplating what i was going to do over the long weekend, i realized that i had basically three days with no big plans and that i could finally tackle this...i was so excited!

i didn't take any before or during pictures, but i promise, it wasn't that exciting, so you aren't missing anything. the first step is to clean the counters very well, tape them and then use a bonding primer all over. second, paint your base color all over the countertops. mine was a very dark brown called "bark" - like a tree, not like a dog, i think. the third step - and most time consuming - is to sponge on your other colors. my goal was to have mostly shades of the light, cream color (parchment) with some of the dark showing through and some flecks the golden/tan color (country twill). i had never done much sponging before, so that was an experience. of course behind the sink and in the corners and crevices were the most difficult, but overall i am happy with the look.
obviously i am not done yet ... the painters tape will come down! the whole thing took longer than i anticipated, so i have done the fourth step - sealing. the instructions say to use satin finish polycrylic from minwax, but i wanted a shinier finish, so i chose the semi-gloss.

i have some anxiety about the clear coating ... just trying to get it all on there without lines and bubbles and such.

i will post more pictures when i get that done. i won't be able to start on it until sunday, though, because i am headed to memphis tomorrow to hang out with clinton!! i am so excited to get to go visit him finally - definitely more fun that countertops!!

i am beginning to like my mantle

i've always thought that whatever is on your mantle should be what you like the best. this is a place of honor to me. and no, even if i did have a big plasma hd tv, it would not be on the mantle. i know lots of people do that, and that's ok, but i just don't like it. there, i said it!

since i moved into my condo, i have not been satisfied with what i have had on my mantle. for over two years i had the willow tree nativity that my mom gave me out, and i do love that, it was just too much neutral going on up there, so it's packed away until december. this spring i decided to focus on finding some good pieces that i really like to put up there that would bring the color of my cabinets into this room (since the kitchen and living room really is just one big room). and it's beginning to take shape!

this is a mirror frame that is supposed to be attached to a dresser (the middle part tilts). i got it here during the buttercup festival in nolensville. it was pretty rough looking, and i debated on whether to stain it or paint it, but i put it up for a few days before i painted it and i just felt like the white would flow better. i like the way it turned out.

i got this vase here, a fun little shop in pigeon forge. i love the color. and i love forsythia branches. i am not completely happy with the yellow flowers/yellow wall thing, but i'm going with it for now. these were on sale at joann last week..yay!

these are southern living at home candlesticks i got just before i got my condo...i love them! i am looking for some better looking candles (probably taller, maybe a bright white) and thinking about making tassels to put on them...to bring the teal/blue color to this side. the d's i made a couple of years ago. the red looks really bright in the picture.

this was a print that i got two of at goodwill a couple of months ago. i painted the frame the same color as my cabinets and painted the inside with black satin paint (because i didn't have any chalkboard paint, and when i get going on something, i use what i have). i am thinking about rubbing stain on the frame so that it goes better with the vase. we'll see. "dwell" has become a slight obsession of mine lately...i am totally copying the nester, but i'm ok with that! maybe i should say i am inspired by her...that sounds better!! i love the verse it comes from...i also have it on a small canvas on my desk at work, and am thinking about other ways to remind myself to "dwell in the shelter of the Most High".

so that's the progress so far...i'm sure you will all be on the edge of your seats waiting to hear what else happens with my mantle!!

what's been going on

spring is always a busy time...end of the school year, birthdays, etc., so i just decided to do long post with a few pictures of what i've been up to:

in april, the acteens wrote scripture and various other things on the sidewalk in front of our church. we had a great time! this was an idea that i picked up in gatlinburg at connection (state acteens convention) in march...i went to a really great conference about some out of the box ideas to spread God's word!

toward the end of april i got to go to lexington and spend the weekend with melissa! we scrapbooked late into the night on friday and all day saturday...it was great!!

a couple of times a year my dad's side of the family has a birthday party for all of the folks who have birthdays in the spring or fall. a fun time to catch up and celebrate with each other...and always good food!!

melissa came to nashville for her birthday and we all went to the wolfgang puck restaurant in cool springs to celebrate...as usual we had a great time. i think this is the first time in about 4 years that all three of us have been together for all three of our birthdays (march, april, may).

of course the first weekend in may was the flood...thankfully my home was fine. the saturday that all the rain started, mom and i had gone to mema's to take her "to town" and it took me over 7 hours to get from mema's house back to mine. it was a long day, but an adventure none the less.
on may 15 i got to go see katie graduate...i was so glad to be a part of this special day. katie is the first one of my acteens that i have been with for the whole time she was in youth (7th-12th grade). congratulations, katie!!

one sunday, when kim was able to bring clinton home from st. jude i got to hang out with these cuties... this is jordan (now 17) rockin' out.

this is elizabeth (aka bitses), jordan, clinton and max's cousin.

mr. max...about to be 3...becoming so handsome!!

clinton...the wonderboy! those glasses, that smile...it's almost too much!!

paper flowers are still flowers

i started working in the church library a couple of months ago. it has been fun, and i have learned a lot! one of my favorite things to do is work on the display window. this is one that we did for spring...it's very happy!!

we included several books about flowers and gardening and little silk flowers...very cheery!! when i was thinking about a spring display, i kept seeing paper flowers. so i went with that.luckily i still had this book from when i first started papercrafting several years ago, and it has a template to make paper flowers! in my head i saw many. many more of them, almost covering the whole bottom part of the display, but once i started making them i realized they were pretty tedious, so a small bouquet it is.
happy spring!

these are a few of my favorite things

janna did this on her blog a few days ago - so call me a copycat, but i thought it was a fun idea, so here i go!!

of course friends and family are at the top of my list - and crafting - but everyone knows that! the rest of these are in no particular order:

i love my camera - not necessarily this camera (which is the one i have right now), but i love having a camera and using it. i also love looking at pictures, professional and otherwise - i love that you can push a button and capture a moment in time. i keep scrapbook albums of photos i have taken and i love to look back at them and remember the feelings and energy from different times.

i love the sunshine...maybe more today because of the cloudiness and rain and cold we've been having lately, but it's just good stuff! i especially like when you can see the rays like in this photo - it's a very visable sign of God for me.

steel magnolias. love it. always will.

i love having faith. a lot of eople don't and i feel very blessed to. mine is not perfect (no one's is), but i enjoy knowing that God is there, when i am ready or when i am not, He is waiting.

decorating and design. i have had a passion for this for many years. i don't know when or where it started, but i enjoy it a lot! i like decorating at my home, friends' homes, looking at design magazines and websites. i am pretty casual in my style - i want a home that looks like it's lived in and enjoyed.

fresh flowers. they don't have to be expensive or exotic, just fresh. they make me happy!

books. novels, self help books, design books, cook books, art books, books on faith, even books on cd...i love the written word. right now i have three books "going". two at home and one i carry with me. and i have been listening to books on cd at work lately. you'd think i'd be smarter with all that reading!

blogs. i discovered them a couple of years ago, and they are quite addictive!! people blog about EVERYTHING and it is so easy to get lost in blogland. i love to find great crafting or decorating ideas. anything you are interested in - there's a blog.

tv. sad, but true - i love watching tv. i won't embarass myself with how many shows i have on "to do list" on my dvr. i just don't like watching commercials, so i record pretty much everything i watch and fast forward through the commercials....that saves time, right? i know how ridiculous this is - and i have kind of been thinking about cutting back on my recorded shows...seriously, how are these shows making my life better? i will keep thinking on that!

bags. purses, totes, shopping bags, luggage. seriously. any kind of bag - i love it! i like to make bags, buy bags, repurpose bags. cheap bags, expensive bags, second hand bags. i do not discriminate!! just call me the bag lady.

i know this was a long list - thanks for making it all the way to the end. that makes you one of my favorite things =)

happy st.patrick's day

May you always have

Walls for the winds,

A roof for the rain,

Tea beside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all your heart might desire!

self-portrait - alana style

alana had a little self portrait photo shoot - she found this very fun - the rest of us found it very cute!! i have included them all, so no one misses out on the progression!!

i love this child.