Thank you!

Good morning
I am just popping in to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you in from SITS yesterday (and to all of my regular readers too).  I overwhelmed by your comments, kindness, and compliments. I am trying to get around to each and everyone of you but please know it will take some time. There were many of you : )
I am working on my laundry room so I will post some pictures soon of the transformed room in a day or two. Until then Thanks so much again and I will see you soon!

It's My SITS Day

Today is my special day! Today - I am the featured blogger at The Sits Girls! 

 I'm so blessed to be a featured blogger....

If this is your first visit to my blog Welcome to you!
Kick your shoes off, grab cup of coffee, take a peek around, and stay awhile. I a wife and mother to 4 daughters(1 set of twins),1 wonderful son-in-law,and Grandma to 1 cute 4 month old grandson Ezra
I am a decorator and home stager, who loves what she does. I have been in the home decorating and home furnishings industry for over 20 years. I love to meet with people and help them define their design style . I love to see the look on their faces when we have transformed their spaces into places they love!! I enjoy taking a tiered room or an old piece of furniture and making it new again. I recently did a makeover on our 1980's dresser and I love the result.
I think faith and family are important and spending time with them is a priority. We are a family who loves to laugh.And we laugh often!!
I started my blog orignanlly to promote my web store Lovethedecor.com. A site where you can find unique home decor items. Although I still do this at times, My blog has become more of a place to share decorating and design ideas. Information on products such as flooring info, paint color information, decorating trends, etc.
It has also become a place for sharing what's on my heart now and then, sharing a project or two,maybe a recipe now and then and a place where friendship is found in abundance.
Thank you for stopping in I hope you will choose to come for another visit.
Oh one more thing to thank you for visiting I am offering a
 gift for you is a savings of 20% off your purchase at my webstore
Enter code HOME20  at checkout

Preventing boredom

 I was bored the other day... not really bored, just not wanting to do all that I should be doing. Sometimes all of the "have to's " are things that just get "undone". Like making the bed for example. You do it up pretty with pillows, etc and just a few hours later off they all come and it starts all over again. I wanted to do something that wouldn't just be undone. So, out came the craft stuff

I started with a piece of scrap wood that was out by the fire pit. gave it a light sanding, painted it everyone's favorite, Heirloom white. Found a vinyl word that was a freebie from a presentation I went to a while back. Rubbed it on the block

Decided it was too white for my taste, so I got out my favorite universal umber paint, thinned it with a bit of water, painted it all over the block and then wiped it off leaving only a small amount of color. You can see in this picture below

Still looking a little too plain to me so I  kept digging in the scrapbook boxes until I found some fabric that I tore to make a "ribbon"

Added some flowers, a button and a Key. 

Voila !!A little shelf sitter that cost me virtually nothing

This cute little gem is making it's way across the country soon by way of a blog swap. Hope it likes it new home!!

I will be linking this to a few parties and fabric fun thursday is probably a bit of a stretch but aI just hate to miss a good party and there is fabric on this thing : )
 





Linking up to frugal friday over at the shabby nest

A YUMMY TREAT

My family loves Biscotti What is biscotti you ask?
Here is a brief history

An Italian cookie, the word Biscotti means “twice-baked”. Modern biscotti are associated with the Tuscan region of Italy, the popular Italian cookie traces its origins to Roman times. The word biscotto derives from “bis,” Latin for twice, and “coctum” or baked (which became “cotto,” or cooked). Biscotti are first baked in a loaf, then sliced and toasted. This second trip to the oven draws off moisture, and results in a crisp, dry texture, and a long shelf life. Making them durable for travel and nourishment for a long journey

Traditionally, Biscotti were almond-flavored because almonds were plentiful. Today, you’ll find Biscotti in many different flavors. My Italian great grandmother often used anise in hers. Their unique texture makes them perfect to dunk in your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or wine after dinner. Because of the baking process, Biscotti have a very long shelf life (anywhere from 1 to 4 months). They however never last that long in my home. There is usually no need to refrigerate or freeze biscotti -- just store them in an airtight container   Because we love it so much I have experimented with various flavors and combinations over the years and this recipe is one of our favorites and my own creation. Enjoy! Double Almond Biscotti 2 C  flour 1/2 C  coarse chopped whole almonds (I use a food processor and let about half of these become a powder) Leave some chunky though 1 1/2 tsp  baking powder  1/2 tsp  salt 1 cup very coarse chopped un blanched slivered almonds 1/4 C  butter(use real butter not margerine) 1 1/4 C  sugar 2 eggs 2 tsps  Almond Extract Chocolate for dipping or drizzling Combine dry ingredients and set aside Cream butter, sugar, and extract until fluffy add eggs and beat until smooth gradually add dry ingredients until blended. Shape into two logs and bake 2350 degrees for 25 to 30 min till center is done reduce oven temp to 250 and slice logs on the diagonal bake again until hard about 20 min.Drizzle or dip with chocolate. Linking up with:

Unplug and Just BE

I just returned from a wonderful few days away with my hubby. We went camping. Now I don't know what image comes up in your mind when you think of camping, but let me assure you, it is probably not  what we did. You see hubby loves to get way away from people which often means way away from things like, running water and bathrooms.(well there is running water if you count the river ) So off we went and found this lovely spot

You can just make out our tent on the left there

And this very similar to the"potty" for the weekend (ugh)

It was a nice enjoyable time, minus the icky bathroom situation and the chipmunk who kept trying to climb the tent in the night only to get half way up and literally side back down. (really) You would think after the fourth or fifth failed attempt he would have given up.

Even in spite of the "uncomfortable" parts of the trip. It was amazing to be surrounded by such beauty and hear the rushing sound of the river. No distractions, no agenda, (no makeup), just hubby and I, all alone(with 1 crazy chipmunk) enjoying the company of one another and the beauty of God's creation. 

For those of you who commented that they thought of me as a girly girl....I really am, but once in awhile it's nice to unplug from all of that  and just "be". Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Linking to Simple Pleasures

Fingerprint friday

I am off with handsome hubby for a few days to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. We are tent camping, so it allows us to get into more remote areas and far away from crowds of people. The mountains are always so beautiful  and we often see deer and other wildlife too. It is breathtaking and the whole area is a testimony to the presence of God

I will be linking up to fingerprint friday over at the rusted chain blog

Save 20% at Lovethedecor .com

Use code HOME20 to save 20% off in my store 

YOU COULD CHOOSE SOMETHING LIKE THESE FINE ITEMS AND MORE. BUT HURRY THE DISCOUNT EXPIRES TUES AUG 31! REMEMBER THE UPS GROUND SHIPPING IS ALWAYS FREE

If you love to entertain...

 I am an apron fanatic and so I wanted to tell you about a fun giveaway over at the hip hostess .
Go now and enter to win these great items. This cute pink apron and the reluctant entertainer book.
I  a mthe proud owner of one of their demi aprons and I love it!!  Go check out their cute shop to purchase the cutest Aprons ever. These ladies do aprons right!!

Table Top Tuesday and a winner

This is one of my favorite vignettes in our home. I love it because it has a warm cozy feel and because the majority of it didn't cost me anything. I used to work in a home decor and design store and when merchandise would come in damaged the staff would get first crack at it. Many times the wholesale companies would not want the merchandise back, but would give us full credit for it to discard it.

Much of the merchandise could be fixed or flaws hidden. So once home some minor "surgery" was always in order. My girls and I often joke about the fact that they will be inheriting less than perfect items someday. Most of my home has been decorated in this way. The trunks came in with a buckle broken and the fabric torn, the lamp has a hairline crack on the back side of the globe as well as a few bent metal parts. The clock is scarred and dinged but not so bad that a bit of shoe polish couldn't help. The books I did purchase on an employee discount, but the plant was a freebie from a very generous sales rep.

Since all of these great things sit  on top of our TV cabinet  no one can see them up close and personal and the view from the floor is perfect.

Linking up to:

 Tabletop Tuesday @ A stroll thru Life

Nifty thrifty Tuesday's @ Coastal Charm

Oh by the way the winner of the cute Family blocks chosen by our friend random # generator

is #32  REBEKAH @http://allthingzrelated.blogspot.com/

Rebekah I sent you an email

 Congrats!!

Thank you to Erica @ Paisley Prints for sponsoring the giveaway!

Remember that you can order custom blocks that match your decor here

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED*

Tonight is the last chance to enter the giveaway for this cute block set! Tell your friends

Don't miss out go enter now!!

Finally... the review

Happy Monday
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. We attended a beautiful wedding this weekend. It was fun to see the couple so giddy with excitement as they said their vows to one another. The pastor (grooms father) had them both write out what they loved about their perspective spouses and read it at the ceremony to them. It was very touching as they each listened to what the other had said about them. It got me thinking  what would my list look like and when is the last time I had shared with my hubby all of the wonderful things I love about him. So your home work for this week... Just kidding... well you could if you want to : )

Now the real reason for this post is to give you my CSN stores product review
You may recall this post where I was asked to review a product. It was a hard choice for me as to what to review but I finally decided on sheets. Not just any sheets though. Hubby and I have an Olympic queen bed. That is a bed that is larger than a queen by 6". The bed was free due to a promo the Simmons company did a few years ago to get people to buy this size of bed. I worked in a furniture store then and Simmons offered the Olympic queen bed at a discounted price to store employees and because  the store owners we so generous they bought the beds for all of us. The bed it self sits on a platform that fits a queen bed frame but the mattress is the part that is 6" bigger. It has always been a problem finding sheets to fit this darn bed. As you probably can tell the Oympic queen never quite took off, making it even harder to find sheets. When I saw that CSN Stores carried Olympic queen size sheets it was a now brainer for me to review them.
Let me just say this company is amazing. I think they carry almost anything you are looking for.
The sheets came very quickly and "hooray" they actually fit. The top sheet is generously sized and the bottom fitted sheet went on with out feeling like I was "fighting an alligator" to get it to fit. Although they seemed a little stiff at first they are getting softer with every wash.
thanks you Ashley and CSN stores for allowing me to do this review.
If you are not familiar with CSN Stores go check them out now. They will not disappoint!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a cute set of "family" block.  It ends tomorrow

Time for a giveaway! *CLOSED*

A few days ago I featured a friend of my daughter's who has a company called Paisley Prints where she makes cute word blocks and memo board and other custom items. You can see that post here
Erica has graciously offered to give this set of these cute custom blocks away to one of my readers.

Here are a few close shots so you can see more detail

You can see more of her creations on ETSY AND FACEBOOK
She also does cute signs, picture frames, and memo boards I think her baby block sets have been the most popular, so if you know of a new baby coming you need to check her out.

Just a comment is fine but for more chances, 

Go to her  shops and tell me what you love in a comment...  1 entry

Tell me you are a follower for another entry

Blog, tweet or facebook for 2 additional entries comment me so I know 

you did

Make a purchase from Paisley Prints for an additional entry

There you have it 5 chances to win

Giveaway will end Monday August16th at 9:00pm pst

Winner will be announced Tuesday August 17th

WIth the holidays here before you know it you could put a set away for an on hand gift.
If you are interested in this particular set of blocks and don't want to wait to see if you win 

Erica is offering this style exclusively to my readers

Just comment me and I will put you in touch with her to order this exact set.

Remember, she will also do custom sets to match your decor.

The Dish... Summer rewind

Today I am participating in Amanda's Dishing It! party.  Where we get to share and get to know other bloggers a bit better. Here is the topic: Summer in review and here are the questions for this month.
~Best activity you participated in this summer.
The chance to spend 2 different weeks at our daughter and Son-in-laws' home taking care of our sweet grand son. Getting together with girlfriends to just laugh and swim has been a blast too.
~Did your family go on any trips this summer?

We opted not to vacation this summer for a myriad of reasons so it has been a very laid back uneventful summer. Which is not a bad thing just different for us~Best new recipe you tried.

Since I love to cook I have many favorites. A new dessert I found here  for  Dulche de Leche - Toffee Tartlets is amazing and so easy. I made them for Bunco the other night and they were the hit of the evening

~Coolest crafty thing you made or home decor thing you tried. I am so happy with how my dresser project  turned out I can't believe it is even the same dresser.
~Best book or magazine issue you read. Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin. Great story 
~Coolest new (to you) blog you've found. I have found many, but am enjoying  Pam @Diy Fanatic She has a great blog with wonderful ideas and a beautiful home too! Go check her out. Also loving Tanya @ frou frou britches.I have to admit when I first say her blog I did a double take at the britches word... It always throws me. She is delightful. you need to visit her too
~Favorite bargain or shopping find of the summer. That's easy, it would have to be  this wonderful metal bed found at a yard sale for $40.00. I left some of the pillows off so you can see the great headboard detail.Can you believe only $40.00?

~What's left on your summer to-do list? Would love to get a camping trip in before summer is over with all of our children and I have a few furniture makeover projects in the works. 

Something cute for Monday

Wanted to share this cute block set a friend of my daughters made for the baby. They are darling in the nursery. If you like them, you can see all of the products Erica offers in her shop Paisley Prints here
She also does custom signs and blocks for all occasions. Here are a few other cute things she does.

Sunday Worship

Sharing with you today word from our worship pastor. Are we Grateful for all we have been blessed with?
Have you ever stopped to consider the emphasis in Scripture on gratefulness?  Even when you don’t read the actual word, the concept is there over and over again.  And I believe it is at the heart of worship - beginning with gratefulness that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8)… that He rescued us from sin and death.  Here are a few other verses:

 

• Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28)
• Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
• …in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God… (Php. 4:6)
• Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. (Ps. 95:2)
• Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. (Ps. 100:4)
• Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8)
• I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks… The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God… And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy.  The women and children also rejoiced.  The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away. (Neh. 12:31, 40, 43)

Have a great Sunday !

Fabric Fun

Ezra is now 3 1/2 months old and I just recently took this wonderful fabric and trim and created this cute crib skirt and bumper pad set. Tiffany could not find what she wanted for the nursery but since they did not want to know the sex of the baby we needed to go with a gender neutral nursery. She wanted something classy and timeless. We bought the fabric back in November on a great sale at Joann's. Tiffany does not sew, (bad mom for never teaching her) so grandma got the job. It was very expensive and that intimidated me a bit, okay a lot! Not sure why it took me so long to get to it, because once we started sewing it went relatively fast. The piping was the hardest to set in, and the fabric was a bit slippery, but all in all it could have been worse. It looks great in Ezra's nursery and I think his mommy is pleased with how it turned out. Remember when we painted this room with all that striping? If you missed that you can read about it here

                                                   I think Ezra likes it too!!

Wish I had a picture of the whole room, it is darling.

Linking this to Fabric Fun Thursday over at Cheap Chic Home
And Transformation thursday @the Shabby chic Cottage
And strut your stuff Thursday @somewhat simple

A cute table top

Today I am linking up to Marty at A Stroll thru Life for tabletop Tuesday

I purchased this little cupboard and mirror years ago while working in a design shop. I have always loved it and it has served many purposes over the years, from storing candles, to holding linens, to more recently an overflow of cookbooks and recipes. Yes it is blue but I still love it!!! The decor on the top has changed often over the years as well but this has been my favorite display. Most everything on it was free. More on that later.

Also linking to Colours Dekor for her Tabletop August

Enjoy Today

Do you find it hard sometimes to just go have fun? It is so easy to get in a rut and let the "have to's"consume us. Today after church hubby and I decided we need to have some fun, so we called up friends for dinner and ended up spending the day with them, boating and laughing hysterically at any and everything. We then came back to our house to make dinner together and enjoy food, more fun, and more fellowship, and of course more laughter. We had such an enjoyable day!! It didn't matter that "this" or " that" didn't get done, it didn't matter that the house wasn't sparkling, or that the meal wasn't perfectly prepared in advance, what mattered is that we had fun and enjoyed ourselves. Sometimes you just need to cut loose and do it. I think we get so worked up in having to have everything just so, that we miss the opportunity to relax and enjoy this wonderful day that the Lord has made.
So my challenge to you is to kick back, relax, have some fun, laugh till it hurts, call those friends you have been wanting to have over, read that book you have been wanting to read. Have fun!!!