A Rustic California Kitchen

We just returned from our second trip back to California in the course of a month! This time we attended my younger brother’s wedding.

Part of our time was spent at my husband’s cousin’s house. I asked permission to photograph her kitchen area to share on my blog, because, simply put, it is gorgeous! Her husband did all the cabinetry and woodwork. He is one talented individual.

But he’s not the only talented one in the family. Sharene has recorded four Christian/Gospel albums and was nominated for a Dove award!

Here’s one of her videos that also features her daughter and her brother. So, sit back and enjoy the music and then take a tour of her fabulous kitchen.

Check out the detail in the tiles over the stove.

Even the fridge is classy!

Intricate carving adds a nice touch.

Sharene has a great eye for details and has her fall décor out.

Loving this towel rack.

The dining area is just off the kitchen in her open floor plan. Once again, her husband created some amazing cabinetry.

Very earthy, woodland feel to her fall table.

Even the sideboard is done up.

These two fellas supervise all the activity from their vantage point.

Hope you’ve enjoyed your “tour”!

Just For Laughs

You never know what you’ll get from my blog.

Today, just a little picture from The Homeschool Corner that made me laugh.

Click on the picture to enlarge it for reading.

Enjoy your day!

A Few Random Pics

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. Weather here has been beautiful. Here’s a few pictures for your enjoyment that I snapped while out on my morning walk.

The thistles are really big here in Texas.

Some beautiful poppies~not just found in California.

I spied this little guy trying to make a quick getaway through the grass. He was fast, but I was able to get a picture.

The flowers are still blooming abundantly here, although without more rain soon, I imagine they will fade. Another lovely thing we’re experiencing is the prolific butterfly population. They are everywhere and much quicker than Mr. Caterpillar, so I’ve not captured any in a photo.

Enjoy your week!

Something I’ve Been Wanting To Do

My posts lately have been few and far between. I’ve been busy as a little bee working on projects for my Spring Sale along with fighting some kind of cold/allergy/crud thingy.

But, last Saturday I go to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years now.

What? You might ask.

Not bungee jumping, not sky-diving, not zip-lining…..

I got to attend Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover Live in San Antonio!!!

Maybe not so exciting to some, but we’ve been following Dave’s principles for almost four years, have read his books, taken his Financial Peace University class and sat in on a simulcast by him. I wanted to experience the excitement and enthusiasm that comes from seeing him live.

I won’t go into details about his program; he has a great site that does all that. But it is the one financial program I’ve found that is easy to follow. I’m a box checker and he has seven baby steps to follow. Perfect! When we get one done, then we move on. And his zero based budgeting is so simple. You work backwards, taking the money you make for the month and designing your expenses around that. Most other budgeting tools have you figure out percentages and expenses first and then try to fit that into your salary. I’ve tried that, it’s stressful.

We’ve fallen off the wagon a couple of times and struggled to get back on, so Saturday’s event was just what I needed to kick it back into gear.

Here’s a few shots of the arena. Again, taken with my phone, so blurry is the theme.

Dave’s daughter Rachel shares what life was like growing up in the Ramsey household.

Dave speaks to a sold out coliseum.

This is Jessa. Her parents are starting her early.

Any other Dave followers out there?

Remember

As you celebrate Easter this weekend, remember it’s not so much about this,

as it is this,

Happy Easter.

Linking to:

Rooted in Thyme Simple & Sweet Fridays

Stuff and Nonsense Fridays Unfolded

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

How Many Plates Are You Spinning?

If you are anything like me, meaning of the female gender, then you probably have several plates spinning at once. The majority of us are queens of multi-tasking. As a matter of fact, as I type this I am also attempting to cook our Saturday night pancakes. And probably burning them in the process.

I tend to overwhelm myself with projects and to-do lists. I want to get things done and have them done correctly, now. Thank you very much.

Along with normal mom and wife duties, I also homeschool, so I have teacher duties; planning, correcting, helping, etc. My husband runs his own business, and I am the bookkeeper. I have my Etsy shop, which is actually a lot of work, if you want it to work. Buying, photographing, researching, pricing, shipping, networking; you get the picture. Blogging. Working on the fundraiser items. Working on my shop projects. Working on house projects. Yep, just checked those pancakes. I burned one. Hosting small group on Wednesday nights at our home. Attempting to organize, decorate….blah, blah, blah.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about these things. I have chosen all of them and I enjoy each and every one of them.  But I’m discovering that in order to not get scattered, I need to put some limits on myself. To not start fifty projects at once and then get frustrated because I can’t complete any of  them. So, part of implementing my word of the year~simplify~is just that….setting limits.

This really doesn’t affect anyone but me. I just feel if I put it into writing, then I might actually feel more accountable!

I’ve decided that I will not blog on Sundays. That is the Lord’s day and I will spend it with my family and friends and do my best to stay. off. the. computer. Wish me luck on that one.

I need to have all the Spring Fling Bazaar items ready by March 31st. So I’ve determined that is what I will focus on this month. I will not work on bazaar projects on the weekends, either. Strictly during the week. I’ll save Saturdays for my (small) household and yard projects.

After I get through with the Bazaar projects, I will be working crazily focusing on getting things ready for my next in-home sale, which is scheduled for the first Saturday in May!

Focus, focus, focus. One thing at a time.

So, until these two events have come and gone, I promise I will hold off on tearing up anymore of my home. Ha ha! That means when summer hits, I can focus full force on tackling more (big) home projects. With the exception of Connor’s room. It just needs a few final touches and then I’ll share pictures.

That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it.

Keep your eye out for my KISS Linky party button. I’ll have it up on my sidebar this week.

Relaxing Sunday Afternoon

This morning we attended our regular church service and then headed back home for lunch. We always like to continue our fellowship by going out to lunch with friends or having them over for a “potluck” style lunch. Today we pooled all of our leftovers and came up with a wonderful spread of ham, mac-n-cheese, grilled chicken and sausage, green salad, mixed fruit salad, sautéed spinach and quinoa. There were tortilla chips and salsa for snacking and some homemade sugar cookies for dessert.

Before and afterwards, the kiddos had some fun running around the yard, collecting “fossils”, building Legos and listening to the guys play a little on their guitars. One of our friends has offered to teach my husband how to play and the kids have already stated they want in on the action, also! Here’s a few shots of our lovely Sunday afternoon.

They’re jammin’!