Estate Sale, Moving, Flooring . . . And now I'm a Radio Star!

Sometimes I wonder if life will ever slow down . . . and if it did if I would like it or not!  Sometimes I really crave a slow day with nothing on the agenda.  But I know my personality also likes to have a lot of things going on.  But lately it has been a bit crazy!

I just did a sale here on the farm April 12th and 13th . . . which, I am happy to announce, gave me the money to buy our flooring . . . after discovering the disaster under our carpeting and changing plans midway through . . . we decided we needed to buy the vinyl planking that looks like wood . . . gives us the durability needed and the flexibility to work on uneven floors.  I was really hoping to go for more of a barnwood look, but in the end, price dictated otherwise.  It will still look fine . . . it is a basic golden oak . . . but it isn't the wide planked primitive barnwood I dreamed of.  I could have been stubborn and held out for the other, but I hate living in chaos and I really had a hard time justifying it . . . the quality is still equal . . . just a different finish than I would have preferred.  I realized, in light of eternity, does my floor really matter?  On judgement day am I going to care what my floors looked like?  I just want a nice clean home with decent floors . . . as opposed to ruined hardwood floors covered with sticky old tar paper (that peels off all over the place, making our home look dirty all the time) and our lovely uneven "ramp" where the porch was enclosed.  So this will do the job.  I was so happy to be able to pay cash and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

I really wanted a flooring that had a rustic barnwood look . . . .

. . . But I will learn to be happy with this and make the best of it!

In the meantime, I am staying busy . . . this week we moved my mother-in-law.  You may remember my posts from last summer . . . she was widowed suddenly in June and had to move in a very short time frame.  The place she moved to was costly and she found a nice little place in a retirement community.  We moved her in . . . when I say we, I mean Ron and I . . . that's it.  She owns a large china cabinet, huge dresser with mirror, curio cabinet, two queen beds, and of course all the typical living and bedroom furniture, a freezer and a washer and dryer.  I am not a large woman and by the end of the day I was exhausted.  At the very end of the day, we were able to get my 19 year old son Dillon to come help us unload.  What a blessing that was.  

The other days of the week have all been spent getting ready for a huge estate sale . . . and squeezing in my shut-in parents when I could.  This is a huge estate sale and there has been a ton of things to move, price, sort through, etc.  If you are in the Spokane area this weekend, April 26th and 27th, this is a sale you won't want to miss.  From amazing antique furniture, glassware, kitchenware, primitives and more to . . . get this . . . over 500 Precious Moments!  This house is absolutely stuffed with amazing finds.  The address, for those of you able to come, is 5802 W. Lonewolf Ct. in the Indian Trails neighborhood in North Spokane.  

The money I make from this sale will go to pay for the unplanned, but necessary carpeting in the living room (complete with really thick padding to camoflauge the lovely ramp to the enclosed porch area.)  I am hoping to find a really cool large remnant but am not counting on that.  We did decide to do the wood vinyl planking in our bedroom as well, to keep costs down.  If there is any other money left over after purchasing the carpet, I will use that to hire someone to install our front door.  We would do it ourselves, but we are enlarging the door (as it is the original 30 inch 1898 door) which means redoing the header, etc. . . . a bigger job than we know how to do.  I am so anxious to get this done . . . so we can finally bring our side by side frig in the house!  It has been patiently waiting in our shop for nearly 3 years while a very tiny frig that came with the house sits in our kitchen.  With a house full of hungry boys, this frig has just never done the job very well. We purchased the front door last fall, at the same time when we bought our backdoor, which we installed ourselves, since we didn't change the size on that door.  So it has been patiently waiting in our shop . . . along with our frig . . . for us to install it. 

This is the radio show I was interviewed on . . .
I have to admit Frank Fontana is kind of cute!
He used to do Design on a Dime on HGTV.

And, a funny thing happened because of our flooring disaster . . . apparently a radio show, called Down and Dirty with Frank Fontana . . . saw my post on our flooring disaster and decided to interview me.  It will air tomorrow!  It was just a short little spot . . . and I was nervous and probably sounded foolish . . . but it was my little 5 minute claim to fame!  What is hard about these impromptu shows, is you do not know what they will ask you, so it is hard to sound smart!  He asked me about why I have a pig on my logo . . . didn't see that coming . . . and I know I went into way too big of an explanation.  I was kicking myself all afternoon about it.  But I know it really is just a tiny bump on the road of life and not worth worrying about it.  I am not planning to break into the radio business anytime soon, so it really doesn't matter.   The guys on the show were fun and it is just a funny little ditty to say I did!

Well, I need to sign off . . . taking my parents shopping and to appointments for the day tomorrow, still have lots of signs to make for the estate sale . . . and there is a mountain growing in the laundry room that I may need to conquer (as the old saying goes . . . laundry today, or naked tomorrow).

For those of you who can't come to the estate sale . . . don't forget you can always order signs from me . . . I am trying to get a signs page up and running, but, as you know, I am a bit tech challenged, so it may be a couple weeks.  But there are a couple showing on the "shop" page you can order . . . just email me at pastblessings@gmail.com.

I am trying to remember, even in the times of busyness, to slow down and focus on God and all He has given me . . . if I take a moment or two to reflect on the blessings He gives me, it helps me to stay on the course and keep going.  But, I have to admit . . . I am really looking forward to hopefully having a couple of down days after this weekend.  So, my busy friends, take a moment today and slow down, thank the Lord for the blessings you have and refocus . . . God is there even on the busiest of days and He really wants to be a part of your life!  Just invite Him to spend the day with you . . . busyness and all!

Don't Forget . . . Our Spring Has Sprung Sale is This Weekend at Past Blessings Farm!

Sorry, no time for much of a blog . . . life has been very full here lately!  But I did want to remind those of you in the Spokane area that this weekend (Friday and Saturday, April 12th and 13th) is our second annual "Spring Has Sprung" Sale here at Past Blessings Farm.  I have been painting up a storm and finding tons of amazing treasures.  From antiques and primitives, farmhouse decor, hand painted furniture and more.  There is something for everyone . . . and as usual, at the amazing prices we are known for.  Don't miss it!

8521 N. Orchard Prairie Rd., Spokane, WA  

I promise I will do a real blog next week!

 

We're Hitting the Big Time Now!

Past Blessings is now a dot com site!  Woooo Hoooo!

Well . . . maybe we  haven't hit the big time . . . but I am excited . . . we have changed our blog to a .com instead . . . which now means we will have the ability to have a page to sell our signs and eventually other products out there to all of you throughout the country!  We are still developing that page, but hopefully very soon I will have many signs and goodies to choose from and will have a link to paypal as well, making purchasing easy peasy.

This should have been a simple process, but for me, being HTML challenged, it took many phone calls to GoDaddy and a few times of banging my head against the computer screen . . . but it is finally working now. Keep watching for the changes as we develop our site.

In the mean time I am still deep in our flooring project.  We had a big brick box by the wood stove put in by previous owners.  I think it was to store firewood, but it was the size of a coffin and took up much needed floor space.  So, in order to get to the flooring underneath so it could be part of this project, I grabbed my trusty sledge hammer and went crazy.  It did not go smoothly . . . do these projects ever?! . . . But it is now out.   I did discover, our walls are missing drywall where the box had been, so that is yet another step I will need to take before moving on to the floor.

I think we have a game plan now and hopefully we will start seeing changes somewhat quickly.  I was going to do the vinyl wood plank flooring directly over the existing floors, but hubby insists we add 3/8" subfloor first, so that will hopefully go in this coming week.  It is my birthday on Monday, so I figure if I want to insist on doing flooring on my birthday, I should be allowed.  By the way it is my 50th birthday!  Yipes!  I can't believe it.  I still feel like a little girl in so many ways.  But I truly do believe age is just a number.  I have always been active and will continue to be.  Swinging sledge hammers will continue to be a regular thing for me!

Once the flooring is in, we will order the carpet . . . need to wait until my sale here at Past Blessings Farm, April 12th and 13th . . . if you are in the Spokane area make sure to mark it on your calendar.  I have been buying and making some amazing pieces.  From china cabinets to desks to tables and chairs and so much more.  And of course signs, primitive what-nots and a bit of everything else.  Today I found the most wonderful little primitive table just waiting for a bit of distressed paint to be added to it . . . perhaps robin's egg blue or jadite green . . . I never seem to know what I am going to do until I do it! LOL!

Through all this our house is of course covered in dust . . . as if the flooring dust wasn't enough, I have now added morter dust from the bricks.  Living long term like this is a challenge to say the least . . . but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel eventually.  It is a much longer tunnel than I had originally planned for, but we will get there.

In the meantime, I am trying to focus on the blessings we do have.  Today the sun is shining brightly on our little piece of paradise here on Orchard Prairie, my chickens are in the yard pecking away and my kitties are lying in the sun.  My old dog, Tilley is lying at my feet and I have a glass of iced tea at my side.  My ipod is playing Point of Grace and I am happy.  I choose to see the blessings each day.  Every day each of us is given a mix of challenges and blessings.  We can focus only on the hard parts and the negatives or we can look for the good.  Every now and then I will meet a negative Nellie who does not believe she has any good in her life.  My question to her and anyone else with that mindset is, "Do you live in America? . . . a place where we can still worship freely, where we are not allowed to starve?  Do you not have opportunities that many other countries do not allow?"  And then the common things that we often take for granted.  Is there not anyone, just one person that loves you?  My guess is the answer will always be yes.  Isn't there just one person you love?  Again the answer is yes.  Are you starving?  Are you homeless and destitute?  I am not trying to minimize the struggles we each have . . . but we need to look for the blessings that come as a mixed bag with the struggles.  While our house is a fixer-upper, it is also located in one of the most pretty settings on the face of the earth.  While we are not rich by any means, we have food on the table, clothes on our backs and a warm shelter we call home.   I have a family that loves me and friends that truly care.   

Look for the blessings in your life . . . it may be buried in the dust and rubble, but if you know God, you are already blessed.  Choose joy today . . . and see the blessings!

Floored by a disaster!

Good grief . . . it has been over a month since my last post!  I soooo have good intentions of being a consistent blogger . . . but life just keeps getting in the way!  Since my last post, we have embarked on an adventure . . . adventure being the nice word for it.

Oh dear!  I am not sure I am up for another adventure!

When we moved in this house in May of 2010, the house had been empty for over a year and a half (well, other than the mice and voles that were very content here).  We spent any funds we had making the house somewhat inhabitable and giving the rodents their walking papers.  One of the biggest issues for me of this 1898 farmhouse was the flooring.  The linoleum in the kitchen and laundry area was cheap quality, peeling up  on the edges and hideously dated and ugly.  The carpeting in the majority of the living spaces was dirty, worn and stinky.  We believe they had animals that peed in the corner of the dining room.  Which meant, once we moved in, our well behaved kitties became naughty and started peeing in the same corner, as it already had that scent.  I have done all I can to clean this area and remove the smell.  But it is just "there".  I light tons of candles and am always looking for the latest greatest room freshener to fix this problem.  But it just can't be fixed.  And the stains were horrendous.  We would rent the Rug Dr. repeatedly and it was just never "fixable."  But when I would come to my husband about the possibility of replacing the flooring, he would remind me of our finances and our desire to get out of debt.  One day, I did some "snooping" and discovered the original 1898 hardwoods under much of the carpeting.  So with a lot of nagging and hen pecking, I finally convinced my husband to let me pull up the carpets and linoleum in search of the wood flooring.  It was so exciting.  The first up was the keeping room and dining room.  A few spots where the wood would need repaired . . . but doable.  Then the kitchen.  Rats . . . no hardwood . . . just sub floor.  Quickly rethinking this, I convinced my husband that we could simply tile the kitchen and the rest could still be hardwood.  I can do the tiling myself and keep the cost down.  I can pay for it with my Past Blessings money, I campaigned.  He reluctantly agreed that could happen.  So I continued pulling up . . . through the pantry . . . yeah, more hardwood . . . into the laundry room . . . still hardwood . . . under the washer and dryer . . . oh dear . . . nope, no hardwood . . . sub floor again.  So now I re-negotiated.  Adding tile to the laundry room would still not be that expensive I reasoned with my husband and I could still pay for it with my Past Blessings income. Then I moved on to the living room . . . looking good . . . I envisioned lovely re-stained hardwood with area rugs . . . it will be so perfectly "farmhouse" I thought happily.

This is the hardwood in the keeping room.
It has the old felt paper stuck to most of it . . .
but I envisioned it looking so nice all re-finished . . .

Perhaps something like this . . . 

Then the worst happened . . . as I got to the back half of the living room . . . the portion that had once been a porch but was now living room, I made an awful discovery.  I had already anticipated this part would not have hardwood, since it is an add-on.  But I had found a source that carried the old tongue and groove flooring and thought I would simply replace the sub floor with the hardwood.  Easy Peasy!  But I did not anticipate the way it was done.  The previous owners had done this remodel themselves.  No permits were pulled and obviously no inspections done.  The porch most likely ran downhill, as most old porches do.  Plus I am sure 115 year old houses settle with time. So the floors of the porch did not align with the floors of the house.  But rather than re-framing the porch or jacking it up or whatever else they could have done, They instead filled the gap with cement . . . lots and lots of cement.  The difference from one floor to another in height is over an inch.  As I sat there and studied it, I realized there was no way to put hardwood there without totally re framing the porch area . . . which now, with completed walls and finish work, would be horrendously expensive and was well beyond my "do it myself" abilities.  A sense of panic came over me.  The house is fairly "open" from one room to another in our house.  You can see several rooms from one room.  So it needs to all flow well together.  I knew that if I had hardwood only in the dining room and keeping room, tile in the kitchen and laundry room and then carpet (our now only option) in the living room, it would look hodge-podge, to say the least.  And, by the way, did I mention our master bedroom hooks off the living room . . . so if we have to do new carpet in the living room, that means we need to re-carpet the bedroom as well.  

This is the disaster I discovered once I uncovered it.
At the top of the photo you can see the height difference
in the floors.  We are chipping out the poorly done cement.  

When Ron got home after my sad discovery, I greeted him with a question.  "Do you love me?"  Whenever I use that as a greeting, he knows I did something wrong.  He knows a clip from the Lucy Show, which has now become our life, is going to be coming up.  So, in typical Ricky Ricardo fashion, he asked, "Lucy, what did you do?!" . . . okay, really he asked "Brenda, what did you do?" but it may as well have been Lucy!  Needless to say he wasn't happy with my discovery.  So after talking it through and deciding there was no way to fix that issue, other than to level it as best we can with leveling compound and carpet over it (no wonder they had thick pad, to hide the unevenness!) we sat in utter depression.  My "cheap" project that I sold him on . . . where I did all the refinishing and even used the stain I already had, had become anything but cheap.  If we carpeted the living room and bedroom, it would look stupid to have not only hardwood in the dining room and keeping room but also tile in the kitchen and laundry room.  Several years ago, we flipped a house.  The thing that looked the most ugly to me about this house was that every room had a different flooring treatment.  When we redid it, we solved that issue and it looked so much better.  Now we had become that house.  If we did all those different floorings, we would look like the flipper . . . . we might as well move in orange sofas and harvest gold recliners to complete the 70's look.  Big sigh.  At this point I was feeling very sorry for myself.  So we finally decided we only wanted two flooring treatments . . . carpeting and wood.  But the wood wouldn't work in all those rooms and we couldn't afford to rip everything up and do all new hardwood.  So we have decided to do the vinyl planks that look like wood.  I am amazed at how realistic they are and they will work well for our uneven floors.  I have done the math and have determined I can pay for the vinyl planks . . . over 600 feet of them . . . with the Past Blessings money.  But I can't pay for the carpeting.  Sigh . . . .  what started out as a cheap project has now become a nightmare.  So we will order the vinyl planks and get those installed ourselves over the next couple of weeks.  But the carpeting?  Well, the jury is still out on that one.  We may be living with torn up floors for a while.  

I am sure there is a lesson in here somewhere . . . Ron would say it is to listen to your husband and not pull up the carpeting unless we have money in the bank. I still am glad the carpet . . . and smells . . . are gone.  I know someday we will look back and hardly remember this time.  But for now, the chaos and ugliness is just part of our day to day life.  I have a big set of lockers in the living room that normally go in the laundry room, we can't walk in bare feet or even stocking feet as there are nails and screws poking out all over the place.

I apologize to Ron . . . sometimes I think I only do this because I know it "defuses" him.  He hugs me and says he loves me . . . even though I know living with an impulsive creative maniac is not always easy.  Life goes on. Someday we will laugh about this . . . someday . . . 

I know I promised to show you the new product I was so excited about . . . and I really will.  But not today. Today, I am lucky that I even found my computer.

My life is so blessed.  I live in a world of chaos, but still my husband smiles at me and loves me.  I am sure my kids have long since labeled me as an insane Mama . . . but still they love me.  The chickens and kittens are oblivious to the chaos and our old black dog, Tilley, just doesn't care.  We sneeze a lot from the dust the mess has created.  We eat on paper plates balanced on our laps.  But we are happy . . . a happy family on a happy farm . . . filled with chaos . . . and filled with love.

Chaos, Mud and a Farm Sale . . . all here at Past Blessings Farm!

Hello friends!  Hope this posts finds you all happy, healthy and loving life.  I recently got back from Arizona after a 10 day visit with my sister and her hubby.  It was a great visit, other than getting a flu bug on day 5.  I am not sure why any and all flu bugs seem to think they need to take up residence in my apparently wimpy respiratory system, but I am quite fed up with it!  But finally, after being sick for probably 85 or 90 percent of the time since Christmas, I am starting to feel better.  I am still a bit of a snot nose . . . literally, but feeling better each day.  It seems to me, as much as I blow my nose, I should have lost about 20 pounds by now!  LOL!  If only it worked that way . . . it would almost make getting sick a blessing! Instead of dieting, we would simply blow our noses . . .

So now that I am feeling better, I have been a busy beaver  getting ready for this weekend's "Winter Blahs" Sale here at Past Blessings Farm.  I have been painting, sanding, hammering, cutting and gluing almost anything that can't out run me!  From an antique roll top desk that has been painted a warm gray with iron knobs and distressing to an antique farm cupboard that . . . well . . . came with the farm, there is something for everyone.  Four dressers, three rocking chairs, one wingback chair, four wood chairs, several side tables, lots of shelves and cupboards, quilts, pottery, tinware, woodenware, primitives, linens and more.  And cowboy and cowgirl boots . . . because every farmgirl needs a pair . . . or 12!

At the moment, things are still in disarray and most things are not priced . . . but I have come to realize that is just how I work.  It really doesn't seem to matter how well I plan or how organized I intend to be . . . I always seem to be pulling it together at the last minute.  I dream of a day when I have it all ready and done a few days in advance.  I envision myself lazily crawling out of bed an hour or so before the sale begins, having a nice breakfast, perhaps even reading the paper.  Then leisurely walking down the driveway to move the saw horses that "gate off" the sale and welcome the guests as they come to shop.

But here is how it happens in reality.  I stay up into the wee hours finishing projects the night before (or shall we say morning of . . . ) usually dropping in exhaustion into my bed around 3 am.  I am then back out in the shop around 6 am to rush around organizing things, get my signs ready and price things.  At 8:59, I run down the driveway, signs in tow, managing to step in every mud puddle as I go.  The guests drive in as I move the saw horses and I try to out run their cars so I can turn on the music and pretend the ambiance of bluegrass music was there all along.  Once again, I manage to step in mud and I walk into my shop muddy and out of breath.  But, as usual, my shoppers are wonderful.  My regulars are used to my disheveled mornings.  They simply have come to expect this chaos.  The newbies are busy looking at the amount of volume crammed into this little shop and don't seem to notice the ruckus.  So I catch my breath and accept this "imperfect sale" for what it is and allow myself to enjoy it regardless. 

The day will come . . . I promise myself . . . where everything is priced ahead of time and all dust and clutter has been cleared.  Where cute banners of gingham and burlap drape the walls, where candles are lit an hour in advance along with the music being started, cookies are baked and ready to greet my guests and my checkout area is neat as a pin, complete with calculator, bags and gift wrap.  During this perfect sale, I will always add sales up correctly, will remember the history on all the pieces I am asked about, and will have something wise and witty to offer to each customer.  I will decorate the sale for the season . . . this being a valentines weekend sale, it would be complete with rose petals strewn on the floor, and the homebaked cookies would be gingerbread hearts.  I would have adorable ink pens for the customers to use that have been made out of cute artificial flowers . . . next to the mints and neatly stacked fliers and business cards promoting future sales and shows.

But until then . . . which will probably only be once I see heaven (assuming there will be antique sales in heaven . . .) I will be here a few times a year, selling my wares, being creative and embracing the chaos.  These sales bring me joy . . . I have wonderful customers, I get to be creative and enjoy making a bit of money while staying here on my sweet little farm.  Truly, even with the disorganization and chaos, I am blessed.  Past Blessings Farm is my little piece of paradise.  And I am so grateful.

So, if you happen to be in Spokane this coming weekend, come stop in.  Our sale is Friday, Feb. 15th and Saturday, Feb 16th from 9 am to 5 pm both days.  If you aren't sure you will recognize me, look for the girl who only had about 2 hours of sleep, is wearing muddy cowgirl boots, and has paint dried in her hair and under her finger nails.  That'll be me!  And another way to recognize me . . .  look for the most blessed woman on earth . . . that;ll be me!  Oh, and you may want to wear your cowgirl boots . . . there will be mud!

I will be back in a few days with a new post . . . about the most amazing new product . . . well new to me anyway . . . that has added a whole new world of ideas and possibilities for me . . . and I can't wait to share it with you!  Stay tuned!

But in the meantime . . . look around you . . . look at the people who love you, the roof over your head and the pillow under your head . . . and even if your life is disorganized and chaotic, choose to see the blessing!  Blessings are everywhere . . . we just need to choose to see them!

I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day!

Goodness . . . it has been forever since I blogged!  My last blog post was two days before Christmas.  I had determined to have a great Christmas . . . despite the fact that my husband was working through all of it.  And I had really gotten the right mind set and was feeling quite happy and content.  And then on Christmas morning I woke up sick!  I mean dog sick . . . that horrible flu that is haunting all of the country.  I tried to talk myself into being well . . . put the delicious pork tenderloin in the roaster, made our traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls, cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon and tried to be cheery . . . but then the body aches, fever and chills quickly rolled in.  I finally had to call my parents and tell them not to come, as I did not want to expose them.  I managed to make mashed potatoes and gravy for the boys to go with the pork roast.  And then, after lots of apologizing to my very kind and understanding boys, went to bed for several hours. 

When Ron came home after 7 pm that night,  I got up long enough to do the gifts with the boys.  I tried very hard to be cheerful and upbeat.  But I truly was feeling awful.  The boys were so patient and never seemed to mind that their day did not go the way I am sure they would have wished. 

So when it was all said and done, I finally just decided to stop evaluating and trying to make it be a great day.  For whatever reason, this year was not "our year" . . . but God was still God . . . His gift of salvation was still brought to us when He came to earth as a baby over 2000 years ago and Christmas still mattered, regardless of my circumstances.  I am not sure why this was such a tough year for us, but perhaps those times are what make us learn to "roll with the punches" and not let circumstances affect our inner joy and peace.

I was still feeling poorly on our anniversary 4 days later and once again Ron was working.  Finally, about a week later, I was "back amongst the living" . . . but only for a few days.  For those of you that have been following my blog for any length of time, you know I have had chronic sinus issues for many years.  I have had two sinus surgeries and countless rhino-scope-procedure-thingies along with way too many rounds of antibiotics and sprays and rinses that seem to not do much.   Anyway, I was hit with a terrible sinus infection . . . the kind of infection that leaves you almost praying for someone to offer to shoot you and take you out of your misery.  I am finally on the mend but realize I have lost almost a month.  So now I am excited to get back to living life and hopefully blessing those I love as I go through my day to day busyness.

Here I am with the love of my life . . .
my amazing husband, Ron. 
Can't believe it has been 22 years already! 

This last week I was still not really up to running around much physically, so I spent some time designing some original signs for Past Blessings.  Below is one I just finished.  These signs are original designs I create (finally using my graphic design degree again after all these years!)  I then mount them on wood boards and treat them with my own unique antiquing and distressing treatment I have developed.  This one was fun for me to do as it is kind of sentimental . . . I used to sing this song to my boys when they were little.  And, after showing it on facebook, I realized that this song has sentimental meaning to so many people . . . I have been getting messages and emails from so many people wanting the sign and telling me of their own memories of that song.

This sign measures 16" tall by 10 1/2" wide and is 1/2" thick.  It is available for $25, plus $10 shipping (unless you happen to live in the Spokane area and want to pay us a visit here at the farm . . .)  If you are interested in ordering, you can contact me at PastBlessings@gmail.com.  I will also be adding a page to our blog that I will post all of our signs that are available.  I will let you know once that is up and running.  Also, if you would like to keep up on our sales, our Pickin' on the Prairie Antique Show and our new signs and products, you might want to follow us on facebook. Click here to find our facebook page: Past Blessings Farm.

 So enough with the commercials!  This year I am really focusing on being a blessing to others.  I have always thought it was important . . . in fact, so much so that I named my business Past Blessings 9 years ago . . . before all the "craze" came about with the word "blessings" . . . I named it that because I thought it was important to remember and try to carry on the blessings of the past . . . when serving God, loving your family and valuing life mattered.  I still hold fast to that today.  But I am really trying to personalize the word blessings . . . how I will bless my family, my friends, the cashier at the store or whoever I may come in contact with.

On Monday, I flew down to Arizona to spend 10 days visiting my big sister.  Before I left, however, I wanted to make sure I blessed my family . . . blessed them with a clean and orderly house, blessed them with  food in the frig and simple instructions for keeping themselves well fed, the laundry caught up and all the details of life taken care of so that while I am gone, their lives could still run smoothly.  I am not sure that I left without any loose ends, but I did my best to make my trip not be a burden for them.  I did my best instead to bless them before I left.  

My sister and I are on an exciting journey these days . . . growing up we were like oil and water . . . and for lots of reasons bigger than I can cover here, we grew into adult women who were not close and quite honestly, didn't even really like each other most of the time.  But God is so much bigger than our circumstances that brought us to that point . . . and now He is doing an amazing work of restoration.  We are excited to finally be becoming the sisters I believe were were always meant to be.  I hope to become a blessing to her and I know she is already becoming a blessing to me.  Sad that we went so many years without sharing these blessings with each other, but I am looking forward to the years of coming blessings . . . instead of Past Blessings, these will be Future Blessings!  God is good and is choosing to bless us both after all these years.

I am hoping while I am in Arizona during the early mornings I can do a blog post or two here and also on my new blog The Right Woman.  Sometimes the day to day work of being a wife, Mama and running my business here at Past Blessings Farm makes finding time for blogging rather difficult, so being a woman of leisure for 10 days is a nice change and should make it easier to keep in touch with you.

So how are you doing this week . . . are you focusing on blessing your family?  Is your home a mess or a haven?  Is the laundry done?  Are meals planned?  I am not asking you all this because I have it all together . . . quite the opposite in fact . . .  My desire is to always be a blessing . . . but that being said I am not always a blessing.  I fail a lot . . . my house gets messy . . . I get bored cooking . . . the laundry stacks up.  But God knows my heart and I simply need to keep giving Him my heart . . . and He will continue to feed my desires and help me to be the woman He has created me to be. I am choosing to be a blessing and through God's help I will be.

So put on your apron . . . get cleaning . . . but above all else . . . keep giving your heart to God . . . so He can keep filling it up with His love and blessings and help you to be the woman you were meant to be!

How to have the Best Christmas Ever . . .

As I write this post, it is 3 days until Christmas.  This has been an odd Christmas season here at Past Blessings Farm . . . my husband, who has always taken 10 days off during the Christmas season, every year since we were married almost 22 years ago, has to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas this year.  Two of our sons have to work on Christmas Eve.  Yesterday, while baking in the kitchen, our cupboard fell of the wall . . . yes, I told you it is an odd season.  It scared me half to death and left me with a sore shoulder, wrist and hand after being clobbered by it.  Our kitchen is now full of displaced spices, extracts and baking supplies in various cardboard boxes all over the counter.  Last week, in a terrible wind storm, much of our roofing blew off and our Christmas lights became rather "abstract" to say the least.  I had jury duty during the main prime of holiday preps and managed once again, to over commit myself to church, family and friends.  I need to learn the art of saying "No" once in a while.

 

Husbands working on Christmas can frustrate us wives!

All that being said, it is easy to not be in the Christmas spirit . . . in fact I have kind of been throwing myself a bit of a pity party . . . although no one seemed to want to attend except me, so it quickly became boring.  So I began to think about it . . . about the funk I was in, why I was in a funk and how to get out of the funk.  The "funk" was disappointment, which translated to no Christmas spirit.  Why was I disappointed? Because I had expectations that were not being met.  I was dreaming of our perfect Christmas . . . the family gathered around the tree Christmas morning, reading the Bible story, laughing at our goofy stocking stuffers, eating cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon, opening gifts, later sharing an amazing meal of pork tenderloin with all the fixings.   My dreams did not include people working and kitchens falling apart.  But that, I realized, was the lot I had been cast.  So I could continue with my pity party, or I could put on my big girl panties and instead choose joy. 

 

Stop the pity party and choose joy this Christmas!

So I decided upon the latter.  Which meant I needed to re-evaluate.  So this won't be the Christmas I dreamed of . . . can't it still be special?  And just what is it that makes Christmas special?  Thus began the list . . . of course top at the list is the reason for the season . . . celebrating the birth of a saviour.  Had that changed?  Even if Ron and the boys are working, isn't Christ still on the throne and aren't I still eternally grateful for his gift of salvation?  Okay, so that is still there.  Christmas still has it's significant meaning.  Another reason Christmas is special . . . family time.  Okay, so we are meeting with my side of the family on the 23rd.  Not really a "real" holiday day, but a special "set apart" time never the less.  Only part of the family can make it to Ron's side of the family Christmas celebration on the 24th, but let me be thankful for those that can.  And, did I mention Ron's Dad and step-Mom came to dinner last night?  It was a lovely time.  Doesn't that count too?  On Christmas Day my parents will come to our home and all the boys will be there.  We will have a delicious pork tenderloin dinner together.  It will be a wonderful day.  Yes, Ron will be gone, but come 7 pm when he returns home, we can enjoy time with him as well.  We will open our stockings late Christmas eve . . . not Christmas morning, but we will laugh at the goofy treasures and make memories just the same.  We will open our Christmas gifts Christmas Evening . . . not late Christmas morning . . . but we will appreciate each ones thoughtfulness and effort just as much regardless of the time of day.  We will choose joy.

My kitchen will still look homely.  The cardboard boxes of baking supplies will still be there.  But we will work around it and the kitchen will be filled with heavenly aromas.  We will look at the homely boxes and destroyed cupboard and realize a funny memory was made . . . the time Mama was almost crushed by a cupboard while innocently putting her cooking spray away after baking a cake.  

 

Tonight we go to dinner with great friends . . . last week were invited to another dinner with more great friends.  Regardless of the timing, we have amazing friends and are so blessed to have the love of so many.  On New Years Eve we will ring it in with people we hold dear and celebrate the coming blessings with these dear friends.

 

So, as I anticipate this years Christmas, I have laid down my disappointment and instead embraced change and am Thankful for the blessings I have.  This may very well be the best Christmas ever because regardless of anything else the following is still true:

1. Jesus is our saviour and His gift of salvation is as true as ever.  For that I am eternally grateful.

2.  My family is still here . . . loving each other and caring for one another.  Timing may change, circumstances may not be ideal, but the love has never changed. 

3.  My home is still home sweet home.  It may have a roof without shingles and a kitchen that is crumbling, but living here, in this beautiful location nestled in the rolling wheat fields, I know I am so blessed.  This truly is "God's country" and be it ever so humble, there really is no place like home.

4.  My friends are amazing.  They love me when I am unlovable, let me whine and set me straight from time to time when I need it.  They are not fair weather friends, but are friends that stick with me through the good, the bad and the ugly.  I am so truly blessed to have them.

5.  A new year is coming!  And hopefully, next year, Ron can be home for Christmas!  But either way, all that I have and need God has provided.

 

So look at your life in the light of truth . . . God has provided all that you need.  May your Christmas be the best . . . it is not a matter of circumstances, but a matter of the heart.  Turn your heart toward God and have a blessed Christmas!