Iced Coffee--the French Press Cold Brew Method

My good Instagram friend, @mrsannamarie, asked me if I'd do a post about the cold brew iced coffee that I make my hubs on a daily basis.  I'm more than happy to do so; although I readily admit that the cold brew method is not my original idea.  It seems that it "hit it big" quite a while ago with this post from The Pioneer Woman...and it appears (from the information provided in her post) that she got a lot of her inspiration from this article in Imbibe Magazine.

We do our cold brew in a French press, in much smaller batches than those of Ree Drummond.  It's what works for us.  I don't have the extra fridge space for a large dispenser...plus I think Paul finds some virtue in the "fresh pot daily" concept.

So, with a little help from another IG friend, @cherishstock (a Starbucks barista, incidentally), here's the formula we came up with...

Dump five scoops of ground coffee into the bottom of a standard-size French press.  We have one of these large coffee scoops from Starbucks...as best I can tell, one of these scoops rounded is equivalent to two tablespoons.  So basically, you're dumping in 10-ish tablespoons of coffee (which incidentally is also 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons, if that's easier).  And don't ask me what a standard-size French press is...I know, I should have checked.  I took all these pictures at home, though, and now we're nearly a thousand miles away from there.  Any-whooo...dump your ground coffee in.

Then, fill it up with water until it reaches the bottom of that green band at the top of the decanter.  If that's not a scientific enough measurement for you, it's approximately 3 1/2 cups of water.  Yes, I measured it out.  Just for you.  But just so you know, I don't measure it out when I make it.  I just fill it to that line...ish.  Sometimes it goes a little over.  No sweat.  (Also, please note here, we put in a bit over 1/2 cup of grounds, and nearly 3 1/2 cups of water...so it stands to reason that a standard-size French press is around 4 cups.  Like the math I did there?  Impressive, huh?  4 cups...2 pints...1 quart...tomayto...tomahto.)

When you fill it with water, some of the grounds seem to like to ride to the top, floating on the water.  I don't like that.  For some reason (OCD?), I think that if those lazy grounds are just sitting there all dry-like, they certainly aren't releasing all their java-y goodness into the water and flavoring it as much as they should.  I believe every ground should do its fair share to contribute to the iced coffee goodness that is to come.  Therefore, I like to give it all a little stir, just to be sure all those grounds are nice and wet.  And that above is generally what it looks like after they've all been mixed in.

Now you can put the top of your French press on. (Don't press down the plunger, obviously.) (Plunger????  Is that really what it's called?  That just seems wrong, somehow.  I feel like I'm using a toilet term talking about iced coffee.)  Any-whooo, put the top on, and then begins the loooooooong wait.  As in at least 8 hours.  Wait at least 8 hours before you press the coffee.  Usually the grounds will all hang out together at the top like this....☟☟☟

...don't worry...that's fine.  That's what they like to do...and the coffee still turns out how it's supposed to (yes, I was worried about that the first time I made cold brew; that's why I took the time to mention it).

After 8 hours, press the plunger down slowly, but firmly, just like you would if you were making hot coffee.  Once you reach the bottom, you're done.  You can either pour your cold brew (which right now isn't really cold, but more of room temperature) directly over ice, then cream and sweeten it to your desired taste...or you can pour it into a decanter (hopefully your decanter is a really cute, vintage Pyrex one) and refrigerate it until it really is cold, and then proceed as usual.  Pioneer Woman suggests the latter--she prefers hers very cold.  You can also check her cold brew post for recipe ideas--I can't wait to try the Vietnamese Iced Coffee variation.

Thrifty Finds Thursday

We--my hubs, four kids, and I--are leaving later this evening for a week-long trek down to Dixie-land.  Paul is from Mississippi and we're visiting a bunch of friends and relatives down there.  And yes, we do know a hurricane is passing through.  And yes, we are taking umbrellas...for those of you who are concerned.

I'm writing this post from a kiddie table at our local library.  I don't know how other mothers operate...but the few hours before leaving for a long trip--those are the very worst for me.  I've got everyone packed, arrangements made for care-taking of the dog and chickens, and the house is all cleaned-up...and I want it to stay that way.  So...what to do?  I decided to take my kids, all four of them, to the library.  I'm fairly certain that the noise level we brought with us is against some local ordinance, but until someone approaches me about it, I'm happy to assume a position of ignorant bliss.

Today's thrifty finds are actually from last Friday.  I wasn't able to hit my resale stops last night...but you'll see that the stuff I found the day after last week's "Thrifty Finds" post are well worth mentioning.

☛I was thrilled to find this Sizzix die cut machine, complete with an entire Lollipop number set.  I don't do scrapbooking, but I figured it'd still be useful in some sort of crafting.  If not, I know I have plenty of friends that'd be willing to give me a good trade for it.

☛vintage Family Feud electronic game--complete with four game cartridges and corresponding books (three still new-in-package).  This was one of those purchases (although very inexpensive) that was far better in theory than in reality.  The electronic game is in working condition, but there are no instructions present in anything I bought.  I may have to give it to my 8-year-old son and have him figure it out for me.

☛small brass horse figure
☛wooden/metal tie hanger
☛3-piece straw serving dish caddy set
☛small Pyrex Butterprint fridgie
☛oversized decorative spoon and fork
☛ceramic owl
Of all these items, only the owl and the tie hanger are not vintage.  Colton wants to decorate his bedroom vintage with a Western flair--the small brass horse will fit well in there.  The tie hanger is headed for Spray Paint Land (the wooden part) and then a creative makeover.  I'm fairly certain the straw caddies are the perfect size to hold my vintage Pyrex baking pans.  The small Butterprint fridgie will find its home along with all my other fridgie sets.  The fork and spoon set will be repainted and then it's headed for the Etsy.  And the owl was a complete impluse buy...I bought it because I like almost anything owl or bird related.

☛These are all seasonal items, headed for the Etsy during the Fall and Christmas shop updates.

☛I purchased these "paintings" and the contact paper for a craft project I've been dying to try out.  You can read all about it here...and you can also enter my first giveaway!!!

.........aaaaaaannndd!!!! {{{drumroll please!!!}}}

You're never going to believe it!

Remember that fabulous painting from last week?

The one that stole my heart?

I found its mate!!!

If you look at them carefully, you'll notice subtle differences.

I was so excited to find the first one...even more so when I found the second one.

I've already warned my sister-in-law that I want to go to every thrift store, flea market, and antique shop within a hundred miles of her house.  I'm hoping to have some incredible finds to share with you next week.

Be patient with me, please.  I'm new to the blogging world (and LOVING it, by the way).  I'll be out of town for a week...I'm going to try to post a time or two while I'm gone, but if not, you'll forgive me, right?  Please?  Thanks so much.

Consider the Lilies

Consider the lilies how they grow;

they toil not, they spin not;

and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory

was not arrayed like one of these.

If God so clothe the grass,

which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven;

how much more will he clothe you,

O ye of little faith?

(Luke 12:27-28)

Why is trust so hard?

Why is it that the very thing that should come natural to us as children, 

children of the all-seeing, ever-caring, most-loving Heavenly Father...

why do we find it so.hard.to.trust?

Circumstances arise beyond our control...

far above the scope of our limited power...

so much more than we can work out or think out or solve on our own.

And instead of doing the "easy" thing, 

and turning those cares and burdens and weights over to 

The One Who Bears All,

we grip tightly to them, clutching them to ourselves,

determined to worry and fret a plausible solution into existence.

"...when it comes to the "little" things, the mundane in's and out's of daily life,

I stress and fret with excess concern over things that will hardly matter in ten minutes, much less next year.

I must...I must learn to let go.

I must teach myself, must force myself to loosen my perceived grip on the reins of my reality.

...my reins...the reins of my reality...

for so long, my favorite Bible chapter has been Psalm 139...and in verse 13, it says, 

'For thou hast possessed my reins...'

But see!  I have NOT let Him possess my reins!

I feel like I, in my pitiful, earthly, finite wisdom can do such a superior job, 

better than the awesome, mighty, infinite Ruler of the Universe.

I am going to start TODAY.

I am going to purpose to let go.

Let it go.  Let it happen.

Let Life. Let God.

What will be will be.  It is what it is.

Complacency?  No.

Trust? Yes.

Radical dependence on One who is so very much stronger than I."

(~entry from MY journal, January 7, 2011)

This one was for me today, friends.

I needed this reminder.

Negative Painting...and MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

☛☛☛GIVEAWAY CLOSED☚☚☚

This post has the potential to be my longest, wordiest post to date.  I am so insanely excited to share my discovery with you.  It's going to revolutionize your crafting life.  Seriously.  It will.  

I'm going to try my very best not to over-explain, over-photograph every little step and detail...because honestly, I don't have four hours to write this all out.

Just promise me that if I lose you somewhere...if you're completely confused about something, you'll just shoot me a message.  Promise?  Ok....here goes.

So.....I've been wanting to try this "negative painting" thing for quite a while now.  (I think that's what it's called...you know, painting on top of another painting?...anywhoo...that's what I'm going to call it...and by the end of my post, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.)   However, all the tutorials that I see for this method call for using self-adhesive vinyl letters.  Two problems I have with that--they are expensive!!!  Really, peeps, have you priced these things out?!?!  I bought one teeny, tiny package of 1" letters...plain, old letters, nothing fancy...$2.99!!!  Now, I know three dollars isn't going to break the bank, but that's just for the 1" letters...they go up from there.  If you want 4" or 6" letters, they were upwards of $9.99.  Not cool.  Not cool at all in my book.  Especially considering that if the phrase you want to use needs more than one "W", you've got to buy multiple packages!  Me no likey.

That's problem number one.  Number two--you're stuck with exactly two boring fonts that the big craft stores offer.  I like options.  Lots and lots and lots of options.  Two?  Not enough.  No way.  

I've been wracking my brain, knowing that somewhere out there, there has got to be a better way of doing this.  

And then!......then, Pinterest!  Now, let me say here, I am not a huge pinner.  Because of my crafty, thrifty, make-over-y side, my friends are always asking me if I'm on Pinterest.  I am.  But I only ever go on there if I am looking for a very specific idea. Otherwise, their site just completely overwhelms me.  It's like sensory overload.  I just can't handle all.those.ideas.  It's like how a kid gets cranky in a candy store because he wants one piece--of every.single.kind.  That's me.  I get cranky when I go on Pinterest, because I want to do one project--of every.single.kind.  And I know that never in a million years will I have enough time to finish the projects I already had in my head.  Anyway...I digress...

I went on Pinterest and searched "negative painting"...and weeded through many, many, many links that were not what I was looking for.  And then...then I found this pin.  Now mind you, the tree idea is incredibly awesome, but it is nothing like what I wanted to do.  However, this pin gave me theee exact piece of information I had been searching for.  It gave me the missing puzzle piece.  

I.  Was.  Ecstatic.  To say the least.

So......
How do you go from this....

to this?......

Easy-peasy...and I'll tell you how...as concisely as I possibly can.  And I'm also gonna keep it real.  Really real.  Like, I'm gonna show you my epic fail of a project.  And you'll learn from my mistake.  Trust me.  It'll save you lots of time.  And energy.  And hand cramps.

First, go to your nearest thrift store. Grab yerself a painting.  It doesn't have to be anything special.  In fact, it's better if it isn't.  You are definitely going to alter this painting, so it's best if you aren't in love with it as-is.  

Grab a painting.  Then grab a roll of adhesive drawer liner (otherwise known as Contact Paper).  The contact paper can be any color/pattern imaginable...doesn't matter.  I got lucky, my GW has quite a stash of old rolls of contact paper.  If yours doesn't, then just fork out the extra few dollars and grab yourself a roll from WallyWorld.  The generic stuff is fine.  No need to get all fancy-schmancy here.

Now you've got your painting and your contact paper.  Gay-ron-teee you that contact paper cost you waaaaaayyy less than those self-adhesive vinyl letters.  Your painting AND the contact paper probably cost you less than the letters you'd need.

Hopefully by now, you know what word or phrase you'd like to use.  I kind of let the thrifted painting dictate the direction of my word/phrase ideas.  One-word projects are very easy.  I'd suggest a one-word project for your first.  It won't be your last.  Trust me.  Once you see how easy this is, and how many options you have, you're going to want to do this over and over and over again.  No tacky painting within 100 miles of you will be safe. 

Go on your handy-dandy computer and type out your word.  Then make it as large as you can (my computer will only go up to 72pt).  If your computer has the ability to make the letters gigantically large, well, that's even better.  You can skip the copier step that comes after this.  I also like to make my letters bold, as the wider the letters are, the more of the original painting that will show through.   Then print off your word backwards.  I had no idea how to do this, so I Googled it.  And then I explored a bit.  

On my computer (it's a MacBook), when I print from Word, this is the box that pops up (photo #1).  I selected "Copies & Pages" and then from there selected "Layout"...clicked the "Flip horizontally" box and Viola!...it did what I needed it to do.  I am very computer illiterate.  If I figured this out, I am positive that anyone can.

UPDATE!!!  One of my Instagram (and real life) besties (@rnshuler) just helped me...turns out MY computer WILL allow me to make my letters as big as my little heart desires!!!  I am SO thrilled!  If only I had a tacky painting laying around...it wouldn't stand a chance right now!  Just be sure to print in light grey (if you can) to save on ink (learned that tip from @littlebitfunky).

I then took my backwards "EAT" and enlarged it on my copier.  Thankfully, my printer is a copy/scan/print all-in-one, so I was able to do this at home.  I enlarged it until it took up as much space  as I wanted it to on my painting.  This will take some fiddling on your part...don't be afraid to cut the word apart if you're trying to make the letters quite large.  By the end of this process, my E, A, and T were three separate pages--that's how much I enlarged them.

Cut a rough outline around your letters.  You're not trying to cut them out precisely here, just trying to eliminate a ton of contact paper waste.  Then glue your letters onto the back of the contact paper.  I used spray glue because I had it on hand.  It is very convenient and dries almost instantly.

Cut out your letters.  For large letters like the "EAT" project, I just used regular scissors.  For more intricate projects like the others you'll see, I used tiny manicure scissors.  Use whatever you like, just get the job done well.

Once your letters are cut out, lay them out on your painting (you're just laying them out here, not sticking them down).  Notice that I didn't center "EAT" vertically.  I wanted it to be placed on the painting where the maximum amount of the "subject" of the original painting would show through.  Figure out exactly where you want your letters and draw a straight line to help you mount them evenly.  I also like to measure side-to-side for a center point.  I count the letters (and spaces if more than one word is used) to determine what should be closest to center and I work outward from there. (meaning, I lay down my center letter first, and then work in either direction--make sense?)  Once you've got that all figured out, peel off the protective backing and stick your letters down for good.

Here's where the process can get a little tricky.  If your painting has a super-smooth surface, your letters will stick very well around the edges, giving you clean, sharp lines along the edges.  If your painting has more of a "bumpy" surface finish, then the edges probably won't stick quite as well.  If you look above (near the top of the post) at the finished photo of my "EAT" project, you'll see what I mean.  Personally, I kind of fell in love with the effect it gave the letters...I think it goes perfectly with the style of that painting.  I'm just warning you, don't expect perfection and don't beat yourself up...if your painting is not ultra-smooth, your results may be just a tad less than perfectly crisp.  Roll with it.  It still looks awesome.

Press the letters down as firmly as you can.  Run the back of your fingernail along the edges to smooth them.  If the painting is stretched over canvas, turn it over, lay it down, and rub firmly along the back, pressing hard...the heat from your hands helps the adhesive to adhere to the painting.

Then, using a wide, dry (no water) paint brush, paint in even strokes across the surface of your painting.  Use little paint on the brush, and wipe it often with a barely-damp cloth.  This is for the see-through effect.  If you want your original painting completely covered (other than the letters, of course), then by all means, apply your paint liberally.  Keep in mind as you paint, that you want to work somewhat gingerly around your letters.  Especially on a "bumpy" painting, the more careful you are around your letter edges, the better chance you stand of somewhat clean lines.

Aaargh!!! I almost completely forgot the topic of paint color.  This is important.  More important than you may think.  You must...you MUST be sure to choose a paint color that contrasts enough with your original painting.  If your painting has an overall light appearance, choose a dark contrasting paint, and vice versa.  This is VERY important.  More on this later...in the "keeping it real" part.

As the paint is applied rather thinly, it dries very quickly.  Once it's dry to the touch (5-10 minutes), you can carefully peel off your letters.  I like to use a fine pin or needle to help me get an edge to peel on the sticky letters.  The paint that is on the actual letters may still be wet, so be careful not to transfer any paint from the peeled letters or from your fingers on to the painting. 

Now!...stand back and admire your handiwork!!!  And if it isn't exactly how you had planned, remember, you've only got 99¢ invested in that roll of contact paper...you've got many, many more paintings to practice on to perfect your method. 

Case.In.Point☟☟☟

Yesterday, I did this one and I thought it was going to turn out so.stinkin.good.  And then...  Wow.  It did not live up to my hopes and expectations.  Remember what I said about choosing a paint color that contrasts enough?  Right.  Now you see why.  I should have chosen a much darker, brighter color as my contrast color.  Lesson learned.  Move on.

And then I did these last night☟☟☟

I am very pleased with how these turned out.  They started out as cheap little craft store "paintings" (that I nabbed at GW, of course).  They had that shiny, brand-new finish on them, so I sanded them a bit just to rough them up.  Not sure if this step was necessary, but I figured it wouldn't hurt anything.  Since the first painting was both dark (red) and light (pale green with white polka dots), I made sure to choose a color that was both dark enough to contrast with the light and different enough to contrast with the dark.  This shade of turquoise ended up being perfect.  On the second painting (the one with the pale green background), I started out just using red paint.  However, that blended in a bit too much near the letters because of the red roses on the cup.  I added some streaks of the turquoise and that was just what it needed.

Have fun with these projects. You are doing it extremely inexpensively.  When my "EAT" came out with fuzzy edges, and my "awesome wonder" fell far short, I refused to let myself get upset.  I reminded myself several times that this was all a learning process and that once I figured it out, I'd have a broad knowledge of what worked...and what didn't.

☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟

And now!!!...{{{drumroll please}}}
My first-ever giveaway!!!
I'd like to send these paintings to YOU!!!  There will be TWO lucky winners...one will receive the "EAT" painting...the other will receive the "Tea Time" duet (first winner gets first choice)!!!  There are five ways to enter:
1. Become a follower of this blog...and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so! (if you're already a follower, then just leave a me a nice comment telling me how smart and beautiful I am....and then beg forgiveness for lying.)
2. Share the link to this post on your Facebook page...and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.
3. Pin this post on your Pinterest...and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.
4. Tweet this post, tag me in your tweet (tweeetpotatopie--notice there's an extra "e" in my Twitter ID)...and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.
5. Share this post on Instagram (your choice of how you do so), tag me in your post (@tweetpotatopie)...and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.

Remember...when it comes time to draw, I'm only going to refer back to this page...so be sure to leave comments here each time you enter!  All entries must be made by 8:00 a.m. next Thursday, September 6th.  Winners (there will be TWO, remember?!?) will be announced on Friday the 7th. (shipping only within the U.S....I apologize to any international readers.)

Yay!!!!  I LOVE giving things away! Spread the news! This will be so much fun!  

☛☛☛GIVEAWAY CLOSED☚☚☚

Quickie Garage-Sale Makeover

I bought this wicker basket trunk-chest-thingy for $1 at a garage sale earlier this summer, with full intentions of making-it-over.  This is one of those pieces that looks better in pictures than it does in real life.  It definitely needed some TLC.  It's still not one of those things that's going to be in our house forever...but for now it fills a purpose, and for that it's handy.

The trunk landed in our sunroom.  In there, I'm trying to incorporate a grey & yellow color palette, so I decided it needed spray paint.  Before you gasp in horror at the thought of spray painting such a handsome basket-thingy, just remember, the photos were very kind to this piece.

Color used on this project were both Rustoleum (according to Julie over at Joy's Hope, that IS theee only acceptable brand of spray paint)...Stone Gray (I wish everyone knew how to spell grey...it's g.r.E.y...get it right, peeps!)...and Sun Yellow.  I like Stone Gray (it pains me to type it that way) because it's not too dark and industrial-looking.  Sun Yellow is currently my favorite shade of yellow...other than Lemon Grass...I love that one, too.  Sun Yellow also happens to perfectly match a chair in my sunroom...you'll see that later.

I started out with a very difficult, intricate technique.  I took the trunk out on my deck, set it on my spray-painting sheet (everyone has one of those, right? Oh, and don't faint...I defaced this vintage sheet loooong before I was aware of the evils of such actions)...and sprayed a wide strip of yellow down the center of the back, lid and front.  I'm fairly certain I could have sent my 7-year-old son out to do that part.

I had to let that dry for what seemed like an eternity (yesterday was 94* and humid--yuck!).  My plan was then to cover the handles and tape off nice straight, neat lines for painting the outside strips of grey.  Taping off the handles went swimmingly.  Then I got to taping off the center strip.  This truck is old, folks...and rickety...and crooked...  Measuring out those lines was taking waaaaayy too much brain power and more patience than I'll ever have.  And then...I found this...

Work smarter, not harder...that's what I say.  Anywhoo...this piece of cardboard just so happened to be the perfect width for my yellow strip.  I held it down firmly across the top and then across the front, being sure to spray paint in a downward direction from above the carboard so that the grey wouldn't overspray on the yellow.

I let that all dry overnight down in the laundry room (we have a dehumidifier running in there) and removed the tape covering the handles this morning. Viola!

Here she is in her new home.  You can see what that part of the sunroom looked like before...and then after.

It's no grand work of art...but for $1, I'm pretty pleased with it.  It holds a bunch of unsightly toys and adds a bright pop of color to that corner of the room.

...and now to add a bit of humor to your weekend...

I guess this is what you get

when you attempt to take a good pic of all your children...

all four of them...

Austyn, my oldest, has the classic I'm-smiling-because-the-sooner-I-do-the-sooner-this-will-be-done look...

Colton sees that there are other boys at the park...finally some male playmates...

Addison is staring off into the sky...at a bird or some such thing...

And Eden is so happy, she just doesn't know why.

This is one of those 

perfectly imperfect

pictures.

It perfectly captured the essence 

of each of my babies.

I love them so.

Wishing you a happy weekend

filled with memory-making times with your loves...

and a bit of peace and quiet for you.

Thrifty Finds Thursday

We attend church every Wednesday evening in a city nearly forty-five minutes from our home.  In an effort to save on fuel expenses, I try to work in most of my thrifting runs around my travels to church.  There are four (four!) resale stops in that general direction.  None of them are on my way, per se; but they're only a few-mile detour here or there...still cheaper than making a special trip just to go to Goodwill (not that I have anything against trips exclusively for the purpose of thrifting...but when you drive a gas-guzzling Suburban,  and you live twenty-five minutes from any sign of civilization, the savings of resale are diminished a bit by spontaneous let's-stop-at-Goodwill trips).

Since the majority of my thrifting is done on Wednesdays, it just makes sense for me to share my finds with you (lucky you!) on Thursdays.  Plus...Thursday is the only day of the week that starts with "th"...thus allowing for alliteration with "thrifting."  Resale Rednesday and Goodwill Gunday just don't have the same ring, know what I mean?

Eventually, I'd love to turn this into a linky party...but I'm new to this whole blogging thing (and I just opened my Etsy store today--you did know that, right?!), and I have no clue how-in-theee-world to do that whole link-up-here stuff and I'm too worn out right now to try to figure it out .  If you're super-smart (or just a bit more blog-savvy than I), and know how to do all those fancy-schmancy things, I'd love it if you'd enlighten me.  Or even share a link to a really good, really easy linky tutorial.  

Yesterday, the pickin's were pretty slim...
I was only able to stop at two Goodwill stores...and one of those is very regularly haunted by one of my good friends (who sometimes reads this blog☺), so my luck there has been decreasing steadily.

Still...
I was able to score a few treasures...

☛HUGE vintage chevron afghan
☛antique Delft tea pot
☛Laptop Holder (what an ingenious name for a product!...I know a company that's hiring a new creative marketing rep.)

Ok...so technically, I didn't score that afghan or the teapot.  My hubs (prince, knight-in-shining-armor, all of the above) will often drop in to a resale shop if he gets off work at a decent time...which is practically never...but still, sometimes.  Any-whooo...he found the afghan and the tea pot at one of his stops yesterday.  I'm pretty sure that both of them are headed for the Etsy.

The Laptop Holder was a bonafide need.  If you follow me on Instagram...or if you've paid close attention to a few of my pics on here, you'll notice that I've been using a baking rack as a stand for my laptop.  I found the LH at a rummage sale today...for $1!!!  Granted, the original price was only $5, but still!...saves me the time and energy of looking for one...and saves me a bit of moo-la.  And even better, I'm using it right this very minute...and it's perfect!

☛all-leather brown Sperry lace-ups

☛floral painting

☛vintage Abbey Press wall hanging

The brown leather shoes were a blessing, for shore.  I hate buying brand-new clothing, especially shoes...not for myself, and not for my kids...they grow too stinkin' fast!!!  Last fall, I had to buy Colton a brand-new pair of tennis shoes...I got them at Target and they cost me $28...I thought I was going to faint.  Not good.  So, to find this top-brand, all-leather pair of shoes...for $2.99...that was awesome...oh, and of course, the fact that they fit him is nice, too.

The Abbey Press wall hanging is larger than it may appear in the photo, measuring 18" x 6" (also, this is another "hubs find").  It's nothing special, just paper laminated onto particle board...but the graphics are adorable, and it's kind of growing on me.  I think it's here to stay. 

The painting...this happy little floral painting is my favorite find of the day.  Framed it measures 15 1/2" x 9 1/2".  The frame needs some TLC (i.e. spray paint), but the painting itself is beautiful.  I'm not a huge painting fan.  I usually prefer photos or needlework...but this one...this one stole. my. heart.  I wish you could see it in person...it is so, so special.

...and now, the question of the day...
the painting is signed...wondering if anyone recognizes the signature...or if it's just a "nobody".  If it's the latter, well then, Nobody, you made my day!

the day has *finally* come!.....

today...

today is theee day!...

and I can hardly believe it, peeps!!!

I'm so incredibly excited...

still a lotta bit nervous...

but so, so excited.

my Etsy store

is up and running.

stop by and say "Hi".

I'd shorely appreciate it.

Things That Make My ♥ Sing

misty, moisty, foggy mornings...

(the view down my driveway)

this chapter...

(Psalm 139 is my favorite)

my girls...

(sorry I chopped her head off, but I couldn't resist sharing this shot of Betsy Ross)

morning dew on wildflowers...

Sybil's fresh eggs...a daily blessing...

(several days since she has been here, she has laid her egg in a bag of discarded clothes in the garage☺)

baby fingers and feathers...

fireworks...

(the plain white ones are always my favorites)

and the wonder in her eyes as she watches them...

my heart

sings...

I am so very

blessed.

P.S.  Don't forget!  Tomorrow, Thursday, August 23, my Etsy shop will be open for business!  Hope to see you there!

One.Week.From.Today...

One week from today.

One.week.from.today...

(well, basically one week from today...I'm writing this on Thursday...so it is one week from today.

But if you're reading this on Friday...then it's one week from yesterday.  Any-whoo....)

One week from today, y'all...

I'll be opening my Etsy shop!!!

I'm SO excited I can hardly stand it.

And nervous.

Really, really nervous.

But mostly, just excited.

I don't know if I'm more excited about opening my store, 

or about being able to use our spare bed again...

(well, not ME use it, of course, but for guests...you know!)

...or having clear kitchen counters again...

...or being able to see my laundry room floor again...

...or being able to use my dining room table again...

to eat at!

(yes, in fact, that is Colton, completely racked out over there...he zonked out reading his Magic Treehouse book☺)

I'll be completely honest with ya, peeps...

I'm overwhelmed.  And stressed out.  And tired.

And probably a bit difficult-to-live-with.  Probably.

I mean, it's doubtful...but maaaaayybe.

And my husband has been such. a. prince.

And my kids are theeee. best!
But still...
they're kids...
you know what I mean?
Most days this blog-and-Etsy-stuff has felt like I'm taking one step forward and ten steps back.

My two major goals for this summer...

my do-or-die goals were

✒to start my blog and...

✒to get my Etsy store up and running.

By the grace of God, the blog has been started...

and you all have already loved on me so much that I can hardly believe it.

And now, now I'm within less than a week of realizing my other major goal.  

This is big time for me, ya'll.  

These have been goals of mine for years.  

Years!

I know...

I know...

I'm sure I probably sound so silly.

It's not like I won a gold medal, or swam the English Channel, or even ran a marathon (although Heaven knows the exercise would do me some good right now!)...

for pity's sake, I started a blog and opened an Etsy store...

big whooop-dee-dee!

But it is a big deal for me.

It really, really is.

And now I feel like I'm blabbering on and on...

and you're probably wondering why...

and I'm probably making no sense...

So, I'll hush now.

But thanks.

Thanks for being here with me right here at the start...

it's kind of like a finish line and a starting line

all in one.

And I'm so excited.

TweetPotatoPie

*vintage treats and handmade goodies*

will be open for business

Thursday, August 23, 2012