A Jar Full of Love

My Mom & Dad were

high school sweethearts!

You don't find that too often anymore...

This is one of my favorite pictures of them.

I believe it was taken at the state fair

before they were married.

Mom & Dad have always been a shining example
of what a marriage built on the foundation of Christ looks like.

Rose in back is made from tea-stained dryer sheet!

 I'm not naive enough to think there were no struggles,
disagreements, and frustrations,
but I never saw it or heard it.
All I saw was Christ's love shining through them both!

Heart was a generous gift from Tina at TinyBear

So I could think of nothing more appropriate

for a Valentine's tribute

than to feature them

and their love that was and still is

so evident to everyone around them!

I love you both!

Linking up to Kathleen's White Wednesday
at Faded Charm!

Have a Wonderful Day!

Hugs!

Lori

Unclutterd and Feeling Good!

Yesterday I spent most of the day

de-cluttering my kitchen!

I have wanted to do this for a very,

VERY long time!

There was so much stuff around 

that it made any kind of work in here 

practically impossible!

Now....I'm very nervous and embarrassed

to show you these pictures!

But you need to see them 

in order to understand

the relief and satisfaction I'm feeling!

Ok....take a deep breath....

Here goes nothing!

Please don't faint!

It does get better!

Here's what it looked like before I started:

Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! 

CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY!

Boy, I had my work cut out for me!

This counter is a magnet for anything 

and everything to gather,

mail...snacks...

Tupperware that won't fit in the cupboard!

 Unfortunately I had to remove the green bin because

water had gotten underneath

and it was not a pretty sight!

I will clean the bin up and use it somewhere else,

away from any water source!

I like it too much to get rid of!

The toaster is too big for this space.

And it also is a gathering place

for anything that I didn't have a place for.

The book and the bag have been there for....

well, let's just say it's been awhile!

 The bin in the corner holds necessary items:

like nails, screws, sewing thread & needles

for quick fixes, plate hangers.

But these things are not needed on a daily basis.

Morning coffee was always a battle!

There was always something in the way 

of the coffee pot, 

and I was always moving things around 

to get to anything.

The cookie jar, which holds tea bags and coffee filters,

was too big for the space,

and I never used anything in the wire basket

except the sugar shaker.

That was painful!

I hope you are still with me!

Now, for the AFTER!

{SIGH!}

 Much better!

I CAN SEE MY COUNTER TOP!!!

And LOTS of it!

Here is my new coffee/beverage station! 

My homemade hot chocolate mix and loose tea

are in the round jars.

I was excited when I discovered the jars fit

LIKE A GLOVE in the white wire basket!

Pens and paper are now in the drawer where they belong!

 And I found this basket in the new spring product

section of our NEW Hobby Lobby!

(it opened last Tuesday & I've already been there twice!)

 Coffee filters and scoop - another perfect fit!

 HL also has coordinating wall plaques

that I will probably be purchasing to cover the 

hideous laminate on the back-splash of my counters.

 Toaster & knife block are now over between the

stove & fridge, freeing up A LOT of space on this counter!

Not sure what to put in the bottom 

of this basket yet (bananas?),

but the top, since it's hard to get to,

is now home of a teapot trinket box and mini teacup.

Will be looking for some greenery to place behind it, too.

This little wire teacup holds recipe cards while cooking!

 And my odds-n-ends bin found it's new home 

on top of the fridge, 

along with my spoon-lady and her cow.

The basket holds snacks & such.

So there it is - my weekend kitchen project.

Largely inspired by Leslie's kitchen transformation at
Goodbye, House! Hello, Home!

I'm hoping to have the cabinets refaced

and the countertops replaced in the near future.

Well, time to go watch the last half of the Packer/Bears game!

~~~GO PACK GO! ~~~

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs!

Lori

A Change of Season

 I finally got around to taking down the Christmas decor 

today and putting up some Valentine's decor!

Here's a sampling of what's been done so far...

 

My "adopted family" wedding pictures!

  I was going to put conversation hearts around

the candle, but I like the pearls better!

 I will be looking for a couple soft pink roses 

to put in this vase I found a couple weeks ago 

at the local thrift store for $1!!!

I will be posting pictures of my 

apothecary jar re-do soon!

So Stay Tuned!

(I promise it won't be a month before my next post!)

Hugs!

Lori

Meet Penny!

Penny is a sweet little girl,

full of hugs and love!

Penny loves to read,

just like her new mama does!

For Christmas, Penny got a new dress, id bracelet

and a little book just her size!

Before Penny took her long journey to her new home,

we settled into a comfy chair to read her new book,

Beauty and the Beast.

Smile pretty for the camera, Penny!

Penny was rescued from a local thrift store,

prettied up, and was sent with lots of hugs and love

for her new mama!

Since I cannot be there,

Penny said she would take care of

her for now until we are together the next time!

What a sweet bear!

Thanks to Dawn at The Feathered Nest

for a perfect gift idea!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas

full of cuddly hugs and love
from those you cherish!

May you have a

Blessed New Year!



Calendar Easel Cards

So what do you give to a friend

who is also a co-worker in your office?

How about an easel card calendar?!

These were a lot of fun to make!

The hardest part was picking the paper and embellies!

Cuz there are so many possiblities!

Here's all 3 together:

First, let's look at Elvis....not a hard thing to do!  ;)

I have a friend who is a HUGE Elvis fan,

and this will do nicely!

 The picture is popped up for texture,

and I cut out a guitar to pop up, too.

The white button is a brad, with a paper-popped, music-note studded star

to prop it up!

My other friend is a nature-lover.

So I went with butterflies for hers!

Who doesn't love butterflies, after all...

You can't see it too well in the above picture,

but I added irredescent glitter to the wings

and across the top "ribbon."

 Added a flower made from bookprint

and popped a cut-out butterfly to the base.

I love this paper, but I can't remember who makes it...

This one is fun and bubbly, just like the friend it is for!

She loves vibrant colors!

Added glitter to the "flower" on the base...

And popped it up for depth and interest!

(sorry for the bad lighting!)

Here's a picture from the side showing how the easel part works.



Nice handmade gifts that will last all year!

Perfect!

It's Been HOW Long????

Proceed, O Angelic Powers! Go to Bethlehem.

Prepare the manger, for the Word comes to be born.

Wisdom proceeds from the mouth of the Most High.

Receive, O Church of God, the announcement of salvation;

Enter into the joy of the Theotokos [God-bearer]!

Let us sing with gladness, O peoples:

Blessed is He who comes:

O our God, glory to Thee!

[Verse from the Praises, Dec. 20]

I can't believe it's been well over a month since I've posted anything on my blog!  I apologize for being such a bad blogger!!!  'Tis the season....

I hope you have been able to slow down from the hussle-bussle of the holidays to take a moment or two to focus on the true meaning of the season.  It's so easy to get lost in it all... Believe me, I'm speaking from experience, here and I'm sure many of you can relate!

Every year I start out with the goal of starting everything early so I can take the time to really soak in what Christmas is all about.  But most of the time it doesn't work out that way.

So, what HAVE I been working on these last few weeks???

A few gifts, of course!

Some of them I will be able to post now, as the intended reciepients are not bloggers...yet!

Some of them will have to wait...

because YOU are WATCHING!

(you know who you are!)

Here is what I've made for my 3 nieces!

HAND MUFFS!

Thanks to my good friend, Mary, at church for giving me her pattern!

These were so much fun to make! 

They are all different sizes for their different ages.

For Mya, our "BLING" Princess! - 6 years old

For Isabelle, or Baby Bells!  2 years old

For Annikah, or Nik!  7 years old

Here is a pic of the inside:

The inside is knit with a double strand in a tube,

then you go down to a single strand with the fun fur

for the outside.

Then simply turn inside-out and sew the ends together!

I really hope they like them!

Or even know what to do with them!

:)

So....Are you ready for Christmas???

Time is running out!

Hugs!

Lori



Mojo Monday

It's been another busy week

here at the R&RP homestead!

But productive!

I made this card earlier this week

for the Mojo Monday sketch challenge

but haven't had a chance to post it until now.

I've had this Stampin' Up stamp for awhile,

just waiting for the right opportunity to use it.

LOVE it!

I know I will get a lot of use out of this stamp!

Here is the Mojo Monday sketch:

My oldest daughter came to visit today!

It was so good to see her!!!!

We had fun bumming around a little,

then we met her dad for dinner,

and played a little in my craft room.

It was super-hard to let her go again....

It wasn't long enough, but I'll take what I can get!

Tomorrow night we are having some friends

over to the house to watch the Packer game!

GO PACK! GO!

My daughter, Taylor, of Lady Lemondrop's Sunroom,

is making cupcakes for the occasion!

 

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Hugs!

Lori