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the reality of Covid-19

11/1/2021

From March to July, life was a whirlwind. My 20 year old daughter, Noelle, was looking for an apartment near her school and we were purchasing and packing for her move. We were also taking care of her Grandmother, Pat, full-time pretty much. She required a lot of help and a lot of care at this point. We were running ragged. Noelle was taking classes online and in person. She was living ALONE in a dorm room due to some crazy stuff that happened first semester. When she was home, we worked trying to get her ready knowing we had a busy summer.

On March 30, Granny Pat (I called her Mom), fell 3 times. She had fallen before but not to this point. Her cousin happened to be there so he called me to come get her up because he wasn't able to. Long story short, after paramedics and everything else, I took her to the ER at Skyline Hospital which is about 2 minutes from where I live. While there, she fell in the bathroom and hit her head. They immediately took her back to the ER and we were there through the night. She was completely miserable from RLS and pain. They tried to sedate her as much as possible but it didn't work well. It was a struggle for her. They did a scan of her head and found a massive tumor. The options were to operate or leave it alone. The surgery did not guarantee a good outcome. She asked me what her Daddy thought she should do. Finally, we decided to go with hospice care. She passed on April 7, 2021 with Del (her son and my ex-husband), Noelle and me by her side.

It was a hard day. I am still in shock and still have bouts of crying and missing her. We began the overwhelming process of dealing with the house. It still isn't finished. We buried her ashes on May 8, 2021. It was a beautiful service and she would have LOVED it.

June and July were crazy busy. We went to Texas at the end of July for my nephew's wedding. We came home and ended up with Covid. Noelle and I were both sick but I got pneumonia and ended up in the hospital for 5 days with a return trip to the ER 6 days later.

Today is November 1 and I'm still recovering. At some time, I hope to have to strength to detail this battle, but I will say this for now. Covid must be fought in prayer. This is a demonic influence that must be SHUT DOWN through warfare against our common enemy.

That's all I can say for now. There's so much more, but I'm very tired. Be blessed.

G

what's happening?

3/15/2021

Well, spring is springing! I have been pretty sick lately so excuse my absence while I've been caring for myself.

I finally feel able to do some things around the house. My raised beds have been cleaned out, new soil added, amended and prep. I have flowers in bloom around my house and I added a few cool weather things like broccoli and spinach. I see life out of the old and I am just ecstatic!

I'm pretty excited to begin the spring planting season. I'm also working around the house to simplify and make things better. I do love my home and God is very good to me. What are you doing for you?

In the next few days, I hope to share my Easter crafting with you!

Love y'all.

G

spring crafting? what's the point?

2/15/2021

Because it makes me happy! I often see things in my house and other places that make me think. "Hmmm... What can THIS become?" I often find myself reimagining things. I'm a single Mom with a Daughter in college who I am determined to keep from having a huge debt load when she finishes college. I work 5 jobs currently so that we can pay bills and pay her college each semester. God has been good to us and as she has no debt from college thus far. God has graciously gifted us a car (2018) so she has transportation at school and can get around to do what she needs to do. She is currently in a dorm room alone and with the help of the Lord, we are hoping to move her into an apartment for her Junior and Senior years. Noelle thrives on her own and is good at managing her time and is fairly good with managing her finances. I'm thankful for that.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYWAY, we've been on our own for 14 years now. We've never had a lot, but we've always had enough. I have been creative in doing a lot of things so Noelle wasn't lacking any of the necessities nor was she lacking fun and whimsy in her life. In fact, let's have a quick look at some of the creative things we've done over the years.

Noelle always loved bags. I made the first one from scraps of what I had laying around the house. It was such a hit, she kept it for a VERY long time. When long bags were super popular, I made the second bag. We were really struggling financially, so I made her first day of school outfit from a denim hoodie (Goodwill) that I cut the hood off of, a tank top ($7) and a skirt I made to match the bag. I used an old jean skirt to create the bottom part. We just do what we have to do, right? I ended up making several bags for Noelle's birthday party. We stuffed them with Dollar Store goodies and they were a hit!

decorating for valentine's day?

1/28/2021

Well, why not!?

Valentine's Day is also know those of us with no significant other as S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day). I have learned that I am not interested in anyone the Lord has not placed in my life. Period. Friend, boyfriend, family member... Nobody is off-limits. I have turned my attention to things that truly make me happy and things that make me smile. Enough of that. Hahaha!

I keep a tree up year-round and I decorate it for the holidays or the season depending on what strikes my fancy. This gives me an opportunity to be creative with crafting and inexpensive décor. I also decorate my mantle to match. Weeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllll, since Valentine's Day is on the horizon, I decided to deck out for that particular holiday. The warmth of the glow of lights really makes me feel wonderful and my living room feels so cozy. Here are a few photos of my home as decorated for VALDay!

I keep a dresser in the living room for much needed storage. It was storage in my room but it was way too large. I swapped it out for a chest of drawers I already owned. The dresser now stores linens, rugs and miscellaneous items. I used very simple decorations that largely came from our Christmas décor. The mantle is a beautiful mish-mash. My favorite thing is the painting on the left. My daughter, Noelle, did that for me several years ago. I also love the velvet wrapped heart on the right from my friend, Ronda. The mantle is GORGEOUS at night. The small trees have red heart lights from Dollar Tree. My big tree is a lot of leftover Christmas with Dollar Tree stuff mixed in. I purchased most of that last year and saved it in my plastic Valentine's Day tub. I use tubs to store most of my decorations because they keep everything pristine. No moisture, no air exposure and, best of all, no bugs, spiders or cobwebs! If you want to start decorating a tree, go for it! Do whatever sparks your creativity and makes you smile. You deserve it.

BY THE WAY,

I purchased a $1 garland from Dollar Tree and cut it into pieces. I added them to my outdoor swags to make them Valentiney. The swags are way too cute and the cost was soooooo minimal.

Get creative. Think outside the box. Do the thing.

I'm curious. Do you decorate your doors or your home for different holidays?

Blessings to you. Craft away!

G

super cute coat rack - inexpensive and simple!

1/25/2021

This is a very simple, easy, unfinished coat rack from Walmart. You can find it here for $9.97 but most Walmarts carry them in store. Side Note: We make things so complicated when simple is often best! This coat rack included 2 nice long screws to mount it to the wall. It's sturdy and just what I was looking for. My office has walnut stained baseboards and I have a bookcase with the same finish. I wanted to bring that walnut wood element to the other side of my office and this was PERFECT.

Here's what I did. My only expense for this project was the rack itself. I had everything else already. I bet you have a lot of things laying around the house that you can use for projects like this. As you can tell, that paint brush has seen some better days. haha!

SUPPLIES

Coat rack
Stain or paint of your choice
Paint brush
Drop cloth
Drying cloth
Gloves

I made sure to shake the stain thoroughly. I made sure the door was open before I began this so I had fresh air coming in. I evaluated the coat rack. It did not require sanding so I got to skip that step. I put my gloves on, opened my stain and applied about 3 coats to get it to the finish I wanted. After each coat, I wiped off any excess so that the stain didn't pool and leave weird spots on the rack.

I let it dry thoroughly before I placed it on the wall. I used a level to make sure it was evenly hung. That's it! D-O-N-E. I hope you'll give something like this a try!

G

IT'S DONE! Office makeover is too cute to boot!

1/21/2021

Ya'll already know that I've been working on my office for a couple of weeks now. Noelle really helped a lot with moving and painting before she had to return to her university. I am SO happy with how my office turned out! I have been in this office about 7 1/2 years and it's looked the same (a few minor changes over the years) pretty much the WHOLE time. It was time to do something fresh and different. I'll give you a little reminder of how it looked before.

It really wasn't bad at all. My original idea for paint was not a great choice, but I bought it so I lived with it. I loved the color at the time, but the stained glass window kind of disappeared into the wall. As you can see, my office is a catchall type of room. Because I do music and administration, I store a lot of things in my office that need to be under lock and key. If I'm not organized, it quickly devolves into chaos. To be quite frank, I got tired of the clutter, most of which I caused myself! WHY DO WE DO THESE THINGS TO OURSELVES?

What you can't see in this picture is the amount of stuff just out of view. I had a hanging rack full of costumes. WHY? We never use them! I also had our old church copier in here which bit the dust LONG ago. It was time like about 6 months after I moved in here, to get this paint off the walls. LOL

Here ya go...

My office is now a wonderful, serene, creative space that I absolutely love being in. There is plenty of organized storage with room to grow. I cleaned up and cleared out a LOT of stuff. As you can see, the costumes didn't return and neither did the old clunky copier. My space makes me feel happy and creative. I just love it!

If you're interested in any of the projects I did for this makeover, keep scrolling down the blog. So, what do you think?

Much love to ya!

G

hot tea bar reveal

1/11/2021

I'm in love with my new hot tea bar! In my previous post, I showed how I transformed the little desk from dirty, shiny white to a gorgeous charcoal gray chalk paint. Well, here is the FINISHED bar!

I love the shelves above that allow loads of storage and some style elements. It's always important to put YOUR personality into everything.

As other pieces of the office get completed, I'll share them with you. I am just loving everything that is going on in my beautiful space. Can't wait to post more!

On a side note, I am excited to teach the bible study "Prepared for Battle" in February on Facebook in my Bible Study and Beauty group. If you are not a part of that, let me know and I'll send you an invite to join!

Blessings to you and yours.

child's desk makeover

1/9/2021

This child's desk came to our home about 10 years ago. Noelle had begun her noellejanae.com website and she was making videos left and right. She wanted her own office because my office was in the house at that time. We had plenty of space and I just couldn't deny her! LOL

The desk came with that large shelf in the back and a couple of other things. The whole lot was $15 I believe and everything is solid wood. The desk stayed with her for years until 2020 when I gave her my grown up desk and took her small desk until I could find what I want. I decided that this little desk could become so much more and I moved it over to my office!

office makeover! What?

1/7/2021

REFRESH, RENEW, REWORK, RECYCLE, REPURPOSE and RECLAIM!

"My office is a lovely, warm, inviting space."

Ok, people. That's great and everything but I've been in this same "lovely, warm and inviting space" for 7 years. I love it, but it's time to update.

My office is often the catchall for all sorts of things especially over the holidays. I am determined to update my space with new to me rustic furniture, DIY projects, and fresh paint. If you want to make a major, but inexpensive change to your space or furniture, PAINT IT.

Today is the day I start the painting process. We've already been prepping the walls - taking down all the art and shelving, filling in holes, spackling and sanding. I did a test patch last night. The color I've selected is CHARCOAL BLUE from Behr. I absolutely love this color. I'm using a premium one coat paint. I have found that the better the paint, the better the painting experience and the better the outcome. Don't scrimp on paint! Always check returned paints and samples in case there's something there you can use at a much better price. My office is going from a warm tan to this and I couldn't be more excited.

Stay tuned for the reveal!

In the still of the morning...

1/4/2021

It's early. Noelle is still asleep upstairs while I sit here in my living room with my laptop open, a piping hot cup of peppermint tea in front of me, the heater blasting and the Word of God playing on my phone. I like to take a moment to breathe before my day begins. I have several projects to work on today. Often, in the still of the morning, God speaks to my heart. It's in the quiet moments that He can speaks most clearly. He doesn't shout or yell. He whispers words to our hearts.

He gives me songs to listen to or sing in worship and He allows me time to sit quietly in His presence. This simple, beautiful version of "Give Me Jesus" is a peaceful and positive way to start my day. I thank God for those quiet moments in the still of the morning.

As I sit here, I thank God for all I have - family, friends, church, work, grace, mercy and peace. The list goes on and on, but this morning, the peace that passes understanding surrounds me. I am grateful for peace in the middle of life's craziness. This scripture is one to remember if you're looking for peace.

COLOSSIANS 3: 1-16 (EMPHASIS MINE)
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Peace is really a choice to believe that God is faithful and true in the middle of our circumstance. We must remember WHO GOD IS and trust that He loves us more than words can say.

Have a beautifully, peaceful day in His presence.