I have been giving you all a little tour of my house recently, but I am going to interrupt the House Tour posts with another little tour.
With October first right around the corner, I thought you might enjoy seeing what our house looks like at Halloween.
Did I mention how much I love Halloween?
Enjoy!!
Welcome
Entryway
Dining Room
Living Room
Office
Next week, I will share how I made a few of these items.
How is your Halloween decorating coming along?
THIS is my favorite room. For the most part, this room always stays clean. (Probably the reason I love it.) The only time it gets dirty is at dinner time, and this is a mess that I actually enjoy seeing. Dinner time mess means that we are all together enjoying a meal around the table.
You may remember last year when my husband and Krysta’s husband, Casey put up the board and batten for me. This made me love the room even more. You can go here to see the before and after.
I love that I can use the shelves to display some of my dishes. The black and white dishes are the actual dishes that I use in my kitchen. They go so well in this room. I picked up the rest at the Goodwill.
My black table happens to be something that I picked up on Craig’s list a few years back. It also came with the bench. The bench is made out of a old head board, and has so much character. It is one of my favorite purchases. I recently sanded it down and started over with the paint. I painted it black again, but it just needed a fresh start. Once I finished it, I added this vinyl word.
It makes such a statement. You will notice it isn’t in all the pictures. That is because I took some of these pictures before the table re-do.
My friend Marji cut this out for me on her silhouette. It makes such a statement. The statement is for my children. Notice the period? That means, YES!! you must eat it all.
Most everything in my home is done on a budget. I rarely splurge on anything. The table & bench happened to be a great deal at $100. I always think it is fun to hear about what people save and splurge on. So… I am going to tell you where I spend, and where I save.
Here is an up close and personal of what I have on the table.
I made these plate stands out of $ store glass candlesticks, and plates from the goodwill. A very cheap version of candlestick holders, but I love them.
The centerpiece is a bowl that I found in an antique store for $5. I added the white glass vase from the Goodwill for $3, and then some sticks from my backyard that I spray painted silver. I love my table centerpiece and it cost me next to nothing.
Sitting on the shelf behind my table are silhouettes of each of my kids. I made them myself with black paper, and bought the frames 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby. They actually need to be redone since they are over a year old, and Tess was like 6 months old. My favorite detail, is their name under each silhouette.
I just printed it on white paper using this free font.
I also have my book wreath hanging on this wall, which is still probably my favorite project I have ever made.
All it cost me was about $4.00 and a lot of time.
Off in the corner is this awesome chair that came from a antique store. I paid $30 for it which is a steal. I love the butter yellow color. This pillow is one I made.
I love this black table, that I scored at a yard sale for $2. I had to paint it black, but it just finishes off this corner for me.
It is home to a few of my vintage cameras, and my favorite book about mothering.
The lamp, was a splurge. Probably the only splurge in the room. I usually splurge on lamps. The reason being that I love the quiet light that lamps put off. I rarely have overhead lights on, and I believe a good lamp grounds the room. I paid quite a bit for this over 3 years ago, and I still love it. If I decide to move it, changing the lamp shades will be an easy fix.
I also have one of my favorite pictures hanging on the wall. I actually printed it as a 12x12 and mounted it on 12x12 box made out of wood. That way it sticks out from the wall some, and has some dimension. I painted the edges of the wood black. All this cost me was the cost of the print.
I love this photograph so much. Because photography is such a huge part of my life, I think it is important to hang some of my favorite prints. This pictures symbolizes Jex’s baptism which is a significant event in our family.
And now you have seen my favorite room in my house.
Linking up to:
If you can really call it an entry way…
This is the small space as you walk in our home that I have made in to our Entry Way. I actually love this little area.
This table was free. When a friend moved she left it behind, and I snatched it up. I would love to paint it a color, but I am so nervous because it is an antique.
I love the reflection in the mirror of my dining room. It is one of my favorite parts.
This little table is home to a few pictures, and my favorite pear that I picked up at an antique store. Those are antique keys in that vintage dish.
Here is what I recently added to this table:
These little bitties are a part of my owl collection. Have I ever mentioned how much I love owls?
I also think old books make such a statement. I have them stashed all over the house.
I also have scentsy warmer plugged in here so that my house smells YUMMY when you walk in.
In the corner of our entry way, I used to have a basket for shoes. Until I found this little beauty at a thrift shop.
I love having exciting items in my house that you just don’t find anywhere. It is so fun to be a little eclectic in decorating.
It makes our shoes look so much nicer. I never thought I would display shoes, but I have learned to never say never.
I picked up this trunk at an antique store. It is one of my favorite purchases. It always has magazines stacked on top, and guess what… it has toys inside. Tess loves to open this up, and see what there is to play with.
The rug came from IKEA.
…and there you have it.
Our Entry Way.
There is a beautiful song in our church hymn book that says:
“I’ll go where you want me to go dear Lord, over mountain or plain or sea. I’ll go where you want me to go dear Lord. I’ll be what you want me to be.”
That has certainly been the song Jonathan and I have been singing over the last 8 years of our life. Every move or journey that we have taken has not been without the Lord’s hand. This next journey has not been any different.
We have traveled to the Caribbean, then back to Utah, to Kansas, and then on to Arkansas. Most of the time our place of residence was not by our choice. It has always happened how Heavenly Father wanted it to happen. Every time, it has been what is best for our family. One destination in particular ended up being one of our biggest family trials, but we had to go through that trial to end up where we were supposed to be.
The next phase of life brings a bright light to the end of our tunnel. You see we are nearing the end of Jonathan’s residency. Residency is the training a doctor receives once he completes medical school. Yes, did you know that while in residency you are a doctor? Residency is where you train to be the kind of doctor you would like to be. Jonathan has been doing his residency in Physiatry. Another term for that is Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. That’s a fancy term for a rehab doctor. Jonathan helps people recover from injury, strokes, or certain disabilities that may affect muscles and nerves. After you complete your residency, it is time to start your own practice or find a job. Residency’s very in length depending on the type. Jonathan is a fourth year resident in a four year program. However, instead of starting his own practice or signing on with a clinic, Jonathan has decided to specialize in his field of Physiatry. There are specialties in every kind of medicine. When you specialize, you do what is called a fellowship.
Jonathan has known all along that a fellowship was the right path for him. He wanted to be able to learn more then he was taught in his four years of residency. I know four years is a long time, and you might think that he should be able to have learned everything. I am hear to tell you that doctors cram so much in to their brain. It is amazing all the knowledge he has floating around in his brain. I don’t know how he keeps it all straight, but there is still more to learn. He will always have more to learn. He wanted to do his fellowship in Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine. During a fellowship, you have the opportunity to work with doctors in your field. You work in their practice as a doctor, and receive special training from them in the specialty you are seeking.
Fellowships are hard to come by. It takes a lot of work to secure them. Jonathan has worked very hard the last 8 years, and deserved everything he wanted. You see I don’t think he deserves it only because he is good at what he does. He deserves it because no matter what he faced in his medical career; he put his family first. I am hear to tell you that because he put his family first, Heavenly Father was willing to bless him with his desires.
And so the story of how Jonathan has been blessed with the fellowship he so desired:
Jonathan started applying to fellowships. As he did this, he only applied to programs West of Arkansas. We were ready to be a little closer to home. Soon after he applied, we received word from a practice in Utah, and 3 in Phoenix. Great!! All a little closer to home. I was ecstatic; so was our family.
He interviewed with the group in Utah and immediately knew it wasn’t the practice for us. We started looking forward to his time in Phoenix, I started preparing for our move closer to family, a temple, and a greater concentration of LDS church members. When I say this, I mean literally, I envisioned us in Phoenix. Picking places to live. Telling my family it was a very short drive. Finding the best school districts.
I even made a deal with Heavenly Father. “Heavenly Father”, I said, “I promise to go to the temple once a month, if you can help us secure a job in Phoenix.” The temple is a very special place for LDS church members. We long to go there. Many of us have to drive hours to the nearest temple. If I lived in Phoenix, it would be a very short drive to the nearest temple.
Before his first interview in Phoenix, he was reviewing the list of fellowships and one stuck out to him in bold letters. One he had not applied to. He called this program, and asked if he could send them a resume. They politely told him that they had filled all their interview spots. Before hanging up, Jonathan then asked if he could mail it anyway. The lady replied, “sure, sometimes we have a cancellation and are able to fit you in.” Jonathan then sent his resume to a state that is not West of Arkansas. I don’t think he even told me.
Several weeks later, after returning home from his first Phoenix interview, he is so excited. He loved the owners of the practice, and enjoyed being in Phoenix. I was so elated. They were to make their decision on September 15th.
Two more Phoenix interviews to go, and then; he got an email from that practice EAST of Arkansas. They loved his resume, and had made room for him. They set the dates for the 19th and 20th. PERFECT!! We will have heard from the Phoenix fellowship before he even has to go to the Eastern Interview. Then on Monday the 12th, Jonathan has the feeling to call the East and ask if everything is still in order for his interviews on the 19th and 20th. The woman replies, “excuse me?’ She then gets this sorrowful sound in her voice as she realizes she has given Jonathan the wrong dates. They too are making their decision on September 15th. She needed him to come on the 13th and 14th. That is tomorrow.
To make a long story short, they agreed to interview him on the 14th and 15th(decision day), because of their mistake. Jonathan flew out the next day. He had an amazing interview on the 14th, and when he called me that evening, I knew. I knew that we were not moving to the warm weather. I could hear it in his voice. He knew also. He had not yet been offered the job, but he knew in his heart that he would be.
I went to bed that night, telling God that I would go where he wanted me to go. Even though I had promised to go to the temple once a month, he reassured me that this would be even better for our family. I also felt these words enter my mind, “all your losses with be compensated.” That meant to me, the blessings of the temple, the church members in numerous amount, the warm weather, and being so close to family, will be compensated for by some other wonderful blessing.
“I will go where you want me to go”, were the last words uttered in my prayer.
The next morning, after just one hour of being at the practice, Jonathan was offered the job. Then just minutes later, received an email that he did not receive the position in Phoenix. The practice in the East has so much more to offer Jonathan, and for that we are grateful. It is an accredited Sports Medicine Fellowship which is such a prestigious award for a practice to have. The practice itself is amazing, with so many wonderful features. It has so much to offer Jonathan, including time spent as the team physician for the minor league baseball team. Which is a dream in itself. None of the Phoenix fellowships could offer that to him. It is also a very hard fellowship to come by. This practice interviewed close to 50 applicants, and reviewed over 70 applications. They offered it to 3 people. See how Heavenly Father can make all your dreams come true?
I am so thankful that Jonathan saw it there in BOLD. I am thankful that regardless of what we think is best, Heavenly Father always knows better. I am grateful that he took the time to nudge our family in the right direction with subtle and sometimes not so subtle promptings. I am also thankful that Heavenly Father rewarded Jonathan for all he has done right, by blessing him with something he felt he deserved. This is one of those moments that we really felt God’s love.
…and I think I have kept you waiting long enough. The practice that is East of Arkansas is located in:
York, Pennsylvania. Start date: July 2012
For more information about the practice you can visit it here:
Orthopaedic and Spine Specialists
…and just because I can’t post with out a few pictures, here are a few of my sweet babies that are still at home during the day. The rugrats that I spend every minute with. This is one morning spent outside with their shades on.
Don’t they look cool?
Before I went to Utah this summer, I took pictures of every nook and cranny of this house. I had planned to do a little House tour on my blog; in all my spare time. To make a long story short, I didn’t even get the pictures edited or placed in a folder. I still want to post about our house. I love our house and since we only have 10 more months in it, I decided now is a great time to share all about it.
This is our first home. We have moved around so much. When we finally knew we would be somewhere for 4 years, we both knew it was time to own something of our own. I was pleasantly surprised when we were able to buy a brand new home.
I have enjoyed every minute of making it our own. We have put a lot of effort in to this house, and I will be so sad to say goodbye. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing different rooms and areas of our house.
Today: The Front Entry. This is what you would see just before you came in to our house.
Welcome.
Thank you for coming.
This bench is a recent addition to our entry. Jonathan built it for me out of a old crib. I love it. {Thanks Honey.}
I ususally decorate for the seasons. This is my pot of pumpkins
and my…
fall wreath.
It is always changing.
These pots have different items in them depending on the season. This year I went with Mums. I love the yellow.
This is what they looked like last year.
These birds make me smile. I bought them at dollar tree and painted them yellow.
This is my antique store lamp post. I love it so much. One of my favorite purchases. I added the frame with our monogram.
This little spot is one of my favorite places. I love walking through the front door of our home.
…more to come. Don’t miss it.
P.S. I said we will be moving in Ten months. Guess what!! I know where. I will share all about it in the next few days.
Remember when I said that I keep a list of items that I want to blog about? I am grateful that I do this because…
This guy turned four, 22 days ago, and I have yet to share anything about it. I almost forgot that I hadn’t shared about it, but a list never lies. It is either crossed off or it isn’t.
(Jonathan hates this hat, btw, and thinks that I shouldn’t make the kids wear it. I don’t think Isaac likes it either.)
It was such a great day. I love birthdays that include Isaac because he gets so excited about everything you do.
There are two things Isaac talks about constantly:
His Birthday and Halloween.
He has been talking about both since January. He wanted to make sure that four of his green friends were included for both events"
“Mom, I want to have a Ninja Turtle cake for my birthday, and I want to be a Ninja turtle for Halloween.” he says, almost every day.
(Don’t you love this blue cake plate. I am starting a nice collection. I found this one at an antique store. I even found a platter to match.)
I came through on the birthday wish. I made cupcakes instead of a cake. They were so fun.
For those of you wondering; I used a fruit by the foot for the mask, marsh mellows for the whites of the eyes, and mini chocolate chips for the center of the eyes.
His birthday happened to fall on a school day so we took some to share with the class.
He was so proud when he carried those cupcakes into his classroom.
He also got to bring the snack so I though it might be fun to spruce up snack a little bit.
The kids loved seeing their snacks in these glass jars.
It always amazes me what can excite a four year old.
I typically always decorate our table really nice, but I started refinishing our table the day before. Lets just say it wasn’t worthy of a birthday celebration. So I attacked the bar with all the birthday goodies instead. The kids always wake up to decorations, and breakfast in bed.
Here are a few of the details:
After school, we went to lunch with a few friends, and even had them over to play.
Isaac picked Hot dogs for dinner. He told me, “I want hot dogs just like Jex.” Jex had hot dogs for his birthday as well. I was thrilled because they are so easy.
(here they are eating at the art table. I think I picked a bad time to refinish my dining room table. What was I thinking?)
Of course there were presents…
Can you see why I love birthdays with Isaac?
He gets so excited; about everything.
He makes everything I do as a mother worth while.
…and then cake, happy birthday singing, and blowing out the candles.
…and a nice “special” glass of milk.
…yes those are sprinkles. I attached them to the cup with chocolate. YUM!!
It was a great day. Isaac is such a special boy. We are so lucky to have him in our family. I am one blessed mommy.
That night after he had gone to bed, I think he came out five times to tell me “Thank you.”
All I could think to say is, “you are worth it.”
Scrapbook Pages:
