Waiting for Patience

When I purchased my house a little over two years ago, I decided I wanted to redo my kitchen cabinets because I disliked the gold knobs and wanted something different. Then, my entire downstairs was redone because of the flood of 2014 ( remember when... ) lots of other things happened instead.  The Before So this Fall, I decided that it was the time. It took me a month to make the decision and at the end of October, I went and took a class with my local Annie Sloan Stockist in South Charlotte to learn the techniques. When they asked what project everyone was planning, I told the teacher I was going to paint my kitchen cabinets. She replied, "Normally we recommend starting with a smaller project." Well, I say "go big or go home." So I went BIG at HOME! So on November 8th I decided to clean everything and take all of the cabinets down and prepped my floors with paper. I did the cleaning with Krud Kutter and it took all kinds of things off the cabinets! T...

When I bought my townhouse, I was most excited about being able to decorate it the way I wanted, paint the walls the colors I like, and have an opportunity to explore my creative side. On Wednesday, Mer and I went to IKEA to get me a full length mirror. We came up with so many great things, not including a mirror. I decided to buy a bedside night stand instead from the as-is bin that was more than 50% off. An excellent choice. I also purchased a bunch (15) of white frames to decorate my office. I've filled three and ordered 12 other prints to be picked up at Target  today to get hanging. I think that all but three will be great in my office and I'm going to use those ones to redo how my bedroom looks. I've also decided to (finally) paint my kitchen cabinets. I'm going to an Annie Sloan  Chalk Paint tutorial class tomorrow to get my technique down. They had some curtains that are a beautiful blue fabric that I'm going to try to make into two roman shades for ...

Yesterday I flew into Charlotte on a 7am flight from Baltimore. It was the 3rd very early morning flight I took this week and I was so tired! So I get home, answer a few emails, make a few calls, and then lie down for a few hours to get some sleep since I was over exhausted. That's when it begins. A loud, piercing beep! So I check every smoke detector in my house - of which there are 4 in my very small 1200 square foot house. Why so many? I'm really not sure, but apparently the builders of this house were very fire safety conscious. Less than a year ago, I had replaced 3 of the batteries after a similar situation and thought that the green light indicated "good" so I went to all 4 and looked for the green light. The one I didn't replace last time, in my office with the highest ceiling, is the only one without a green light. So I check with my friend who was coming over already and her tall husband was coming over with her before we went out last night. He was ...

Plans Don't Always Turn Out Like You Want... Everyone is now shaking their heads in agreement and thinking, what in the world could you write that would be insightful. I'm thinking the same things. I think this a lot when I read articles on Verily one of my favorite online magazines. The topics about the single life on this quick google search make me always think, "now the secret to embracing being single, the secret to understanding why God has me in this place of being in between." This is just a sampling of the last year or so: 8 Secrets to Savoring the Single Life Single and 30: How I Stopped Waiting for a Ring and Started Living a Great Life The Advice I wish I could have Given to my Single Self You're Only Single Once, So Embrace it while it Lasts Get a Healthier Attitude Toward Being Single with a... Things Happily Coupled People Say to their Single Friends Being Single is What you Make of it, to Make it Positive 5 Reasons I'd Rather Be Sin...

--- 1 --- Last weekend I did a little decorating - putting up some pictures downstairs in the living room and finally hanging the amazing Congo map MG got me for Christmas. Another Wall full of a story! The adjacent wall has a bigger story too, if I haven't shared it with you before... All photos and things from my trip to the Congo. The frame in the bottom right now has a photo in it as well. The fabric in the upper left is a dress that they purchased for me that will be admired more on the wall than in my closet! I also put these curtains and frames up in the guest bedroom - which makes me SO happy whenever I walk up stairs. That side of the house looks so put together! A happy place, rather than a drab place, for guests to hang out in while they stay. --- 2 --- An interesting quote from Matt Walsh  I found the other day about when he and his wife finally walked into a building they didn't know what was inside. It was a new Mega-Church - reminds m...

--- 1 --- I have spent the entire week recovering from last Saturday's smashing success at World Feast 2014 .  It was a LOT of work, but totally worth it!!!  I posted a few great ones on Instagram  on Saturday and was 'live posting' on Facebook all day to get people over to our campus ... and it must have worked because we had at least 1,000 people come to the FEAST.  Everyone had a blast, the food was amazing, and so many smiling faces!!!  That's why my Friday  takes are on Sunday  - either that or extreme laziness ... one or the other! --- 2 --- Oh, and my parents were here to visit last weekend as well - they brought me this: I had it tuned yesterday morning and am loving being able to play the piano again whenever I want - which I've never really been able to do, but alas, it's nice having a piano in my house - and the ability to play!  Makes it more of a home! --- 3 --- For about a month now I've been doing yoga ever...

--- 1 --- On Wednesday, Kendra posted this picture on Facebook: I thought it was an excellent source for inspiration as I prepare for the festival that is tomorrow at my parish.  There's so much to be done and so many people involved.  I have been having the hardest time keeping it together, being kind and charitable toward others, and making sure that I get the things done that I have to get done.  It's been touch and go, but on Wednesday I was able to actually remember this in those hard moments to prevent me from screaming aloud in my office all day long. --- 2 --- What would I have screamed?  Well, "The Ship is Sinking" would have been the first words out of my lips! It wouldn't be the first and honestly it probably won't be the last! --- 3 --- A couple of weeks ago the Fathers stopped over my house for a blessing - but the other day as I was coming in to the house during the rain was the first time I noticed the inscripti...

Welcome to My New House (again)! Well, I've been back in my house for a week now, and it's so fantastic!  Since I wrote about the saga here on the ol' blog, figured I'd take you on a little photo tour!  The entire place is great, but my two favorite rooms are the Living Room and my Bedroom ... although I really love being able to put my personal style on the entire place! I'm glad most of the downstairs was done by the contractor, that sewage backup was a blessing in disguise.  After painting my bedroom, I'm not sure I would have survived the rest of the downstairs.  Apparently, I'm not the biggest fan of the brush! The Living Room The Mantle (with Our Lady)  The couch looks great with the paint, rather than this ! A little reading nook, all it needs is a lamp! The best view in the house! The Hallway A Lovely Van Gogh Upstairs a gallery of some amazing Katie Originals Guest Bath A little bright, but the pictures rea...

Years ago I read part of this book, 20 Something Manifesto , and the one thing I remember was her discussing what she called Expectation Hangovers .  She defines them as a "group of undesirable feelings that arise when a desired result isn't met." ( source ) We'll I'm having one this weekend.  I wrote on Friday (ie: Thursday evening for 7QT) about how my house was supposed to be done on Friday and today I would be super ready to move back in, having floors to walk on downstairs, curtains up, furniture in its place, and everything!  Well, welcome to the hangover. They began to lay the floor and then I was called to the house in a state of panic because it was looking like this: It's hard to see, but the finishes are different on the boards - so when the light hits it and it goes all the way down the hallway, it will look, well as Ben (the contractor said), "not terrible...".  UM... we're going through this whole thing I want my floor to ...