A Day of Thankfulness...

Lately, I've been super sappy and sentimental. I've been trying to be thankful for all the little things in life and have been trying and seemingly failing working on being a better person.

I can't believe how hard it is.

I'll use a critical tone or be short with a loved one and as soon as I've done it, I know that I should have handled it differently.

Why is that?

(Please note that I am extremely sorry if I have done that to you)

I am thankful for many things in my life and most especially the people in it. But what's a struggle is being satisfied with the things you have, instead of focusing on the things that you want or think you'd rather have.

I'm trying a new strategy. Instead of thinking about the big picture, I want to appreciate each little moment. When I want to go out and find my next fun purchase (usually for the house) I'm going to look for bargains and remember to keep it simple and that I can do a little at a time. Somehow that seems to give me more satisfaction. (Which is a little ironic since I've always been about that whole instant gratification thing). Or if I'm having a conversation and I wish someone would've responded another way, I'm going to take a deep breath and be grateful that I have that person in my life.

When a day off doesn't go my way, I'm trying to not think about what I didn't get done. I'm trying to focus on the things I was able to do.

Life is short. Keep breathing. Learn to appreciate.

It's tough...but I'm working on it.

I had an enjoyable lunch date today, with a girlfriend that I rarely see. Bonus. I HAD planned on going home afterwards to spend a day at home, relaxing and working on some fun projects. Er...wrong! My husband came home from his fishing vaca a little early and decided to spend the day with me. I got nothing accomplished. BUT we did enjoy a day together. We hit up the antique mall, which is something we haven't done together in ages. And then (gulp) my husband got me to switch to an iPhone. (I have been an android user for the past 5 years...I'm a bit terrified that I've hopped on the iPhone bandwagon). And while I was frustrated that we spent 2 hours sitting at a cell phone store "wasting time", I realized once again...we were doing it together. And what better way to finish up the day than grabbing a pizza, sitting outside on our patio and reflecting on our day. All worth it. Enjoy the little things. Keep thinking positive. Appreciate.

So it takes a little work and a little bit of a mind set but it's totally possible.  Maybe the more I do it, the less work it will take to keep thinking about the glass being half full, rather than half empty.

That being said I have to say thanks to my cousin for spending the day with me on Sunday. I'm sure there are things that she would rather have been doing also, but instead, I convinced her to spend the whole day hitting up a flea market. Two hours driving each way and hours perusing booth after booth of antiques and jumbles of old stuff. I'm appreciative of her willingness to spend time with me. It made me feel good. That and our assortment of "loot". Nothing beats the feel of antique pieces gotten at a bargain. :)

"Loot: goods, especially private property,
taken from an enemy in war." Basically.
Have you ever been to a flea market???

Cousins. Also, flea market pickers.

Thank you to my friends and family for making me strive to be a better person. (And please continue to be patient with me). I hope that you all appreciate the little things in life. Enjoy the unexpected moments and remember: happiness is a choice.

Lastly, because my projects make me happy and sharing them makes me happy...and also because I promised...here are a couple sneak peaks at our bathroom and kitchen updates. The ones that I will do a little at at time. And not stress because they aren't done yet. :)

BATHROOM:

BEFORE

SO FAR...

 KITCHEN:

BEFORE: (after shelves went up)

SO FAR...one of my favorite spots.

I am so thankful for the blessings in my life.

See what I mean??? Sappy and sentimental.

 I praise God every day for the things I have in this life.  And I'm going to do my darndest to continue to do so.

Good night friends!

What the Heck Have I Been Up To???

While browsing some past posts I realized that I started a lot of projects and left you hanging. Some are so close to being done but just not where I wanted them yet. And since I'm a perfectionist it's hard to share them without them being totally complete.

But....there are a couple things I will share...

First off...I did start another furniture DIY update. And finished it.

It's AWESOME!!!

My husbands Great Aunt gave us an old desk, and while I didn't know what I was going to do with it at the time, I thought that it was worth hanging on to. (I may be in the beginning stages of the "keep everything" disease. It's a good think we have LOTS of storage.) I'm so glad that I did. I'm working on a room for myself, to spend time blogging and working on my Mary Kay business. A "woman cave" one could say. I discovered a desk on Pinterest and that has been my inspiration. I thought that I must have a desk like that. And now, thanks to some left over paint made into this DIY chalk paint and a few hours time, I do. It's pretty fabulous and I'm super proud of myself for pulling it off.

BEFORE. I may have gotten a little excited and forgot to
take a photo until after I sanded the top.

The desk was very used and abused. I'm still curious how old it is.

Are you ready for it? Can you stand it? Ah! It's so cool I can't stand it!

AFTER. My very own custom desk.

I distressed the edges and details throughout the desk.
I also kept the original desk handles.

Oh I just love the distressed look.

My stained and satin finish desktop. I kept it similar to the original color.

There are a million and one DIY posts on how to repaint furniture. So I'm not going to get into all that. However, I'm going to mention this: Chalk paint is awesome because you are not required to sand and prime. Bam! Amazing right? So I only had to sand the top that I was staining and I didn't worry about the nooks and crannies because I was OK with some dark edges. The rest of the desk got a very light sanding and cleaned up and then the painting began. It was actually done being painted in about 2 days. Then it was a matter of waxing and finishing the top. All in all, I'm pretty stoked that it only took me a week to do. You know, in between eating, sleeping and working.

Now that the desk is done, next on my list is painting and organizing my little room. My desk is patiently hanging out in the spare room until I get my butt in gear. There is just way too much to do and not enough time in a day!

Next up: Bathroom update and Kitchen update. But alas, it's bed time for this girl! You'll just have to wait another day! Can't wait to share some more with you!

Good night folks!