Saturday's loot

By close to 8:00 this past Saturday morning, all four of us, loaded up with breakfast, drinks, snacks, cash and the GPS, were off to hunt for treasure. Hubby was looking for books, kids were looking for toys, and I was looking for educational toys, baby stuff, a cordless drill, plants/gardening supplies, and anything else that might catch my fancy. Oh yeah, and a 13x9 in Pyrex baking dish, per the request of a friend. :) (Got something you want me to look out for? Let me know! Between my mom and I we have a pretty good success rate...if you can be patient.)

We were back home before 11:30 with this loot in tow:

So I didn't get a new cordless drill for Mother's Day but I knew if I was patient I'd find one at a yard sale. I don't need anything professional, just something to hang up stuff like blinds, curtain rods, and heavy wall decor. Found one barely used (claimed the seller) for $20.

Katherine was in her glory when she found this "Toy Story" Jessie doll with a pull-string in the back. Twister to help teach left from right, Mancala to teach strategy, Alphabet Bingo to teach/enforce letters, jumbo playing cards, and swimming goggles.

Eeeks! We've seen our better days, but here we are, serious about playing War with the new jumbo cards (which I discovered are impossible to shuffle right).

She's happy to play Twister by herself but still asks which side is left and right after each spin. When do they figure that out???

I had gotten rid of ALL my baby toys so now I'm starting to pick up stuff like this in like-new condition that doesn't appear slobbered on. My 2 year old is admiring herself in this mirror toy.

One guy was selling lots of veggies and perennials from his garden. The only flowering perennial he had was Lupines so I scooped up a few baby ones for $1. We've got a few out front already but these will go out back. They should grow to full size and flower next year.

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently noticed that almost all my vases are green - my favorite dark grassy green. The other day I'd clipped some Azaleas and was looking for a bud vase for the bathroom but everything that fit was dark green and didn't match and my clear glass ones (that weren't already in use elsewhere) didn't fit. One yard sale was selling a ton of vintage bottles so I picked up this old root beer syrup bottle for $3. It fits perfectly and matches the collection I already have on the shelf above it, shown here.

Brand new silicone kitchen utensils. These, together with all the baby & kids toys and games, totalled $10.

Last but not least, this vintage tray tied with the drill for my favorite score of the day. I'm not superstitious but am desperately hoping it is a sign from God because it would be perfect displayed on a shelf in a vintage boy nursery. I was determined not to buy anything related to my boy nursery inspiration until I find out what we're having, but for $1, it was a risk I was willing to take.

After getting home and thinking about what I spent on all the goods, it hit me that I never once haggled price. That's not like me! I almost always haggle down prices. I'm sure I could have paid only $15 for the drill if I'd just asked. I probably could have gotten the $3 Twister game down to $2. After a week off last weekend and a fairly unsuccessful hunt the week prior, I guess I was just so excited to find good stuff that I forgot to ask if they'd take less. Next week I'll be back on my game!

Beauty and the Beast

Ever since we upgraded our main family TV to a flat screen a few years ago, we've hung on to "the beast" - our old 32" traditional TV that is almost as deep as it is high and wide. Connected only to a VCR it only gets used rarely by the kids to watch old VHS tapes (I've picked up all the Disney classics for a buck each at yard sales vs. waiting for them to be released from the Disney vault on DVD and paying full price). This clunker been sitting on "Beauty," a Lane hope chest I had gotten at a yard sale in hopes (no pun intended) that it would make a good stand for electronic components under the TV in our new addition.

Well "beauty" didn't quite fit the corner for the TV in addition as I'd hoped so it has remained in what was our old living room with "the beast" on top. The kids just haul in their beanbags when they want to watch their VHS tapes. But I've hated the fact that this beast is the first thing you see when you walk into our house and I have been brainstorming ways to move it or get rid of it for a while now. 

 

So two weeks ago at a yard sale I discovered a much smaller TV with built-in DVD player and VCR that would be perfect to put in my daughter's room. It was only $25 and I convinced hubby we should get it. (Being the penny pinching financial advisor that he is, he reminded me it would really cost us $50 since it would cost an additional $25 to dispose of "the beast.") But I was pretty confident we could give it away. Sure enough the next day I posted it on Facebook and a friend and her husband hauled it off for their teen. I was SO happy to see it leave!

Our front room has been in identity crisis since we moved our living room to the addition. It's an entry way/mudroom-slash-den-slash-office. In my mind a proper entry way should have a table to place your keys/wallet, a mirror to check yourself on the way out :) and a nice vase of fresh flowers.



(A cable modem and wireless router weren't a part of my vision
but since the hookups are behind the chest, they reside on beauty for now.)

The mirror goes with a dresser that was handed down to us by my in-laws when we moved into our apartment. When we moved to our house and used the dresser in my daughter's room, I put the mirror in the basement because I wanted to use the space above the dresser to hang pictures (which I recently shared here). So I dug the mirror out of the dungeon, cleaned it up nice and rested it on top of the chest. I like how it reflects the sunlight from the windows on the opposite wall.
 

The catch-all basket was a yard sale find from years ago. I placed our Entertainment coupon book inside hoping we'll remember to take it with us and use it more often! Fresh lilacs from the yard in a green yard sale vase. I noticed recently that almost all my vases, whether glass or pottery, are green (my favorite color).
 

Beside the chest remains our basket (from yard sale) for hats, mittens, gloves and scarves. Seeing as it is May already I should probably put those out of site!

When I look at the whole wall I'm contemplating hanging the mirror above the chest to give it some height but the thing weighs a TON so I'm not sure how to go about doing that. And now my gears are turning considering what, if anything, to hang on either side of the mirror. With freshly painted walls I'm hesitant to clutter the clean space, though that's usually my tendency. I'm sure my treasure hunts will turn up just the right thing(s) eventually!

Vintage Nursery

I was more than a little disappointed that I wasn't able to get out yard saling this past Saturday. I had too much to do before lunch and dinner commitments. When something gets in the way of my Saturday morning treasure hunt I get this awful feeling that I am missing out on something great. Well little did I know my mother-in-law was out treasure hunting with her friend up in Maine and she managed to come home with something for each of us. I just LOVE this set of vintage kid puzzles she picked up for me. She knows me so well.




If we learn I'm having a boy (only 2 more weeks till my "hopefully-find-out-the-sex-ultrasound"!), displaying some of these puzzles on the wall would really kick start a great retro boy nursery and I might even head towards a vintage cowboy/western theme. I shouldn't even waste my time getting inspired for a little boy nursery until I know, but I can't help it. (Is it obvious what I'm hoping for????)  :)


Buckaroo sheets






Would also look nice with our brown Jenny Lind crib. Not sure about throwing in a little modern cow print.

 If I'm having a boy and IF I don't go western, I'll still certainly stick with retro/vintage either way. No "bedding set prints", Wallies or matchy-matchy diaper holder/trash can/lamp activity allowed in my nurseries! Any on-theme decor has to be authentic and eclectic. That's the stance I've taken as I've decorated both of the girls' nurseries/rooms.



So I LOVE Dick and Jane. A collection of original readers as well as some updated reprints join Raggedy Anne & Andy and some vintage alphabet blocks with engraved animals. Of course even the shelf was a yard sale find that just needed painting.




For years now my wall calendar at home has been Dick & Jane but one year I had a mini-one at work too. I framed a bunch of them for my first girl's nursery/room. I love how they capture the simple joys of childhood.





I also love how these framed Normal Rockwell prints capture the essense of childhood summer days. I snagged these at yardsale for a couple bucks for my oldest's nursery too.



close up without the glare



Holly Hobby plates also a yardsale find. She's a vintage icon from my own childhood. I remember proudly marching off to Kindergarden with my metal Holly Hobby lunchbox.



This picture could be transferred to a boy's room. :) It is special because it came from my best friend's family. I felt very blessed when her mom allowed me to take some of their vintage heirlooms when they cleaned out 4 generations worth of stuff 6 years ago.



This home-made pillow was a combined gift from my mother and dear friend Naomi for my oldest's baby shower. The embroidered panel in the middle was a scrap of material my mom found at work (why she can't quit). She knew I'd love it so she gave it to my friend to make into a pillow as a shower gift. Little did my mother know Naomi chose some of the same fabrics for the pillow as my mom was using to make a quilt for a shower gift too. So the pillow is vintage yet new and a special gift to my daughter.



This chair was actually a freebie. Before I was ever even pregnant, I was working with the youth group I volunteered with to clean out the house of a women who'd recently passed away. Our job was to empty what was left in the house into a large dumpster. This was one of the few treasures I carried out to my car instead. It was to be my "some day nursery rocker". You can't tell, but it does rock. It has served as a perfect nursing chair for both my girls and would be just fine in a boy's nursery as well. :)



This light is one of two white hobnail lamps I found at a yardsale for $5. A vintage baby planter holds barettes. Vintage baby hangers hang above next to her baby shoes.



This vintage Doll-E-Crib is where we stash all the dolls and stuffed animals. It was the inspiration behind my toybox make-over below.



I picked up this old wooden chest for $5 at a yard sale about 8 years ago. It's served many purposes in many rooms but once I had kids I wanted to give it a make over as a toybox. Slapped on some light yellow paint, applied vintage decals from eBay (didn't come out as nice as I hoped), installed new hardware from where else but Anthropologie, lined the inside with fabric and oila!



I picked up this sweet little picture (that could also be used in a boy nursery) at a yard sale last summer. The print is a little rippled but it was dirt cheap and I loved it. 

  

My favorite thing of all is not really vintage, just inspired by the vintage-icon Sunbonnet Sue. This applique quilt was also made for my oldest daughter by my friend Naomi. What makes it most special is the mini-heart that she embroidered in the upper right square as she was praying for my daughter who had serious heart complications in utero. It's a constant reminder that God answers prayers and healed her heart!



I've had so much fun finding and/or compiling these treasures for my girls' rooms and would love the opportunity to hunt for boy stuff this time around. Beyond the "boys carry low" and other old wives tales, our culture has certain superstitions ingrained in my head even though I know they are false. For instance, two weeks ago I came across a vintage western-theme crib set at a yard sale but I didn't buy it because I thought I might jinx myself. Okay, so it was more like I didn't want to spend the money until I know what I'm having, but the idea of giving myself bad luck certainly crossed my mind. I even thought twice about publishing a post like this because of "Murphy's Law" - then I'll find out I'm having another girl. It's so ridiculous. Colossians 2:8 reminds me to "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

And obviously the sex of the baby has already been determined - its not like a boy will turn girl if I buy boy stuff, yet there's still this nagging "bad luck" hunch that's based on squat! Being jinxed, bad luck, karma - it's all crap and I know it. I will not live my life or make my decisions by those standards or be tempted to think they are true! God is sovereign, he is in control, and I trust him! My baby is the boy or girl God created it to be and he has a plan for this child's life, regardless of my nursery inspiration.

Psalm 139:13-16 is one of my favorite Bible passages of all time because it highlights the purposeful, planned and unique creation that each of us are. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." God knew the sex of this baby before it was even conceived.

So I am anxiously waiting another two weeks to get a little glimpse of the child that is being knit together and wonderfully made inside of me. Thanks to ultrasound technology these little frames are not kept quite as secret as they used to be! Just 14 more days to find out of this nursery inspiration is a pipe dream or not.

(On a side note, I thought it was kind of funny timing that another blogger I know and enjoy following posted about her inspiration for a nursery today too! Check out Jen's girl nursery ideas here.)

My Mother's Day Pledge

On Mother's Day I can't help but think about what kind of a mother I am and how I can be a better one. I rediscovered a "mother's pledge" of sorts that I'd come across years ago. Since then I've had it taped on the inside of my bathroom cabinet doors (which I promised in a recent post that I will open for your curious eyes one day). Because I "see" this printout every day, I don't really see it anymore - it just blends into the background. But being Mother's Day, it caught my attention again today.

This is not something that I wrote, rather I stole it from someone else. If memory serves me correctly, it came in an email from Proverbs 31 Ministries but I can't remember specifically who wrote it - otherwise I would give credit where it is due. Regardless of who wrote it, I found it very inspiring. Oh boy do I fall so short, but it is something to aim for, to aspire to. I wanted to share it for all the other moms of young kids out there who may also find it convicting and inspiring. I need to daily ask for God's wisdom, strength and guidance as I feebly attempt to renew this Mother's Day Pledge:

I will put my Bible before the television, computer, music, telephone, and other books, for my children will know my priorities by the way they see me spend my free time.

I will make my prayer requests known before God and my children, enlisting their help in the process and informing them of the outcome, for by letting them help when I petition our Lord, they will learn of a living God who answers prayer.

When times of crisis, conflict or confusion arise, I will hit my knees before I hit the phone or keyboard, knowing that by my example my children will discover that although friends are important, God alone is the one who holds the solution to life's every problem.

I will erase the words "luck" and "lucky" from my vocabulary and will instead by my speech point my children toward the One who orchestrates every detail of our lives and brings all good things to pass, for by this my children will learn of an all-knowing, all-powerful God.

When bad things happen, I'll neither grumble or complain, but will instead help my children see that in the scope of our lives even bad times are allowed for a reason, for by this my children will learn quiet trust in their Maker.

When normal childhood mishaps occur, I will remember that although difficult, it is still easier to remove grape juice from the beige couch than to erase harsh and unloving words hurled at a child whose chubby fingers have failed her, for by this my children will see a God who understands when our best efforts fall short.

When my children have witnessed something ugly in me - unkind words, an angry temper, "harmless" gossip, biting sarcasm or a "mommy pout" when things don't go my way, I will confess it as sin before them seeking their forgiveness, for by this my children will develop the much needed habit of wiping their spiritual slate clean before God and man.

I will teach my children the importance of cleanliness and order while at the same time remaining sensitive to the fact that a skinned knee or hurt feeling is more important than a spotless floor or uncluttered counter, for by this my children will learn to value people above things.

I will make time for the lonely, the sick, the elderly, the difficult to love, and will bring my children along, for with each afternoon visit, each meal delivered, each ride to the doctor, each raked lawn or washed window, they will have opportunity to serve Jesus by serving "the least of these."

I will make our home a haven of rest and retreat from the outside world and a welcomed place for my children's friends, for with each impromptu backyard soccer game, each video viewed on a rainy day, each cup of hot cocoa or chocolate chip cookie, my children will have opportunity to practice the art of Christian hospitality thereby learning to share all God has given them.

I will by my actions and my speech let my children see a mom love their dad, for by this will my children sense family stability at a time when marriages all around them are crumbling.

I will not require of my children obedience, honesty, patience or kindness without first being willing to submit to the same rules whether in speech, in miscounted change from the store or when answering a toddler for the fourteenth time, for by this my children will see a mother who is also learning and not a perfect parent to whom they'll never measure up.

In all things remember that more is caught than is taught.

There are little eyes upon you, mom. You are the first Bible your children will ever read.

Feeling like a horrible mother right now? Every time I read it I am so humbled and reminded of how far off the mark I am. But then it inspires me to get back on track and to again ask God for the wisdom and patience that only he can give to be the mother he wants me to be.

This just happens to be one woman's own pledge of sorts that she shared but I found all parts of it worthy of aspiring to. I'll admit I've tweaked it slightly to better fit me personally, but I've decided I'm going to use this as a starting block to write my own personal Mother's Pledge. I will take much of this content but also change a lot and add some things. What would you add to this list? Do you have any motherhood goals or pledges that you would share for the benefit of others? Please comment with them here or contact me. Thank you and Happy Mother's Day!

Let there be light!

Almost five years ago, when we were looking to buy our first place, we were really discouraged. It was a seller's market and everything in our price range was the size of a shoe box and/or needed TONS of cosmetic work that we didn't have time for. The first day we looked at the place we now own, I was really drawn to the character it had and the fact that there wasn't any ugly wallpaper to remove or linoleum to rip up. I remember thinking that if we were to buy it, the only things I'd need to do would be to paint and change out the lighting. So here we are 4 1/2 years later. We've built an addition, replaced the windows, put in a brick walkway, etc etc. But have I painted or changed the lighting? No! Paint and lighting had become those things on my to-do list that I just became complacent about. But this week, thanks to our handy, make-it-happen friend Brian, dreams have finally become reality!

The lighting situation in our dining room had gotten really bad. I forgot to take a "before" picture of the old fixture while it was still hanging but here it is sitting by my trash can.

Not only is it gold and gaudy (and because I tried to pretend it didn't exist, it was also covered in dust and cobwebs), it didn't even work. It worked for maybe the first year we lived here and the day it stopped I just stuck a lamp on the dining room table "until we replace it." But this is how we've lit the dining room for the last few years.

I had to browse through photo archives to find this. I tried to crop out most the random kids, but you get the gist.

It's fine for just us but when we host company its kind of embarrasing. I'd move the lamp to the corner of the table, blocking people's view of each other, or place it on a stool in the corner of the room and bring in floor lamps to light the other side of the room. Even my mom had gotten to the point where every few months she'd ask if I'd called an electrician yet. And its not even like I had to buy a new light. About 6 or 7 years ago I had picked up a brushed nickle chandelier with black shades a thrift shop for $3 because "some day I might need this." (That was back when I had a finished third floor just for storage.)

Soon after we moved to this place my intention was to replace the gaudy light in the dining room with my thrift-shop light I'd kept in storage. I gave this chandelier to an electrian friend of ours so he could test it and see if it even worked. He confirmed it did but I never bothered to get it back. A few times a year when I'd considering getting someone to hooking it up, I'd ask if he still had it and he continued to hold on to it for me.

At some point I'd sold or tossed the black shades knowing I wouldn't use them; meanwhile I picked up a couple sets of replacement shades at yard sales.  Not having the fixture with me I couldn't remember how big it was or even how many lights it had. I was very inspired by these shades that I found at a yard sale first.

I can't imagine I paid more than a few bucks. The colors are right up my alley and coordinate well with what I already have. Then last summer I came across these for $2 and picked them up in case the fixture  required something smaller or if I decided I didn't want a patterned shade.

So FINALLY, with get-it-done Brian at our house painting and asking about anything else he could check off my honey-do list, I asked my "keeper of the light" friend for my light back and was delighted to have him deliver it to my house the next day. I thought I remembered it being bigger and its not what I would pick out new now, but I still like it, it matches the room, it actually works and the price was right so I was determined to use it. While Brian worked on installing it I ran out to get new light bulbs. Half an hour later I had overhead light in my dining room!!! If only you knew how happy this makes me! I ran to the basement to get my sets of shades and quickly discovered the patterned set was far too big. Bummer. But the other ones fit and looked just fine. All for under $10 and I'm kicking myself for not doing this sooner.

That night as I was putting Katherine to bed, she grabbed her bedside Bible and asked me to find some new things we can praise God for during prayer. I randomly opened up to Psalm 33 where we read that God is true, fair and right, that he created our hearts and understands everything we do, and that he collected up the waters in a heap and made the sea. In describing this and other elements of creation, in verse 9 it says, "He spoke, and it happened. He commanded, and it appeared."  Of course I was instantly reminded of Genesis 1:3-4a: "Then God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. God saw that the light was good." Only He was able to create light for our world with the mere power of his words. 1 John 1:5 tell us that "God is light and in him there is no darkness at all." and  in John 8:12 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

It's amazing how we love and crave light. While I'm so thankful for the new light over my head, I'm most thankful for Jesus' light that dispels the darkness in my life and his word, the Bible, that is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).

Worth it but not worthy

I love how sobering Easter is...how it makes me think a lot about BIG things like my sin and God's love. I usually review the story of Jesus' death and resurrection by reading and/or getting preached to about the accounts of what happened in one of the gospels in the New Testament. You know, the actual history told by people who knew Jesus and were there when it all took place. This year, my heart was prepared to think about Easter a few weeks early as I read and studied Isaiah's prophesy of what would happen to Jesus about 700 years prior. It blows my mind to compare Isaiah 52:13 through chapter 53 to the New Testament accounts of what Jesus experienced. Not only is it dead-on accurate, down to the nitty gritty details, but it makes it so personal.

Disclaimer: I am not going to include all of the verses in Isaiah's prophesy but you can read it (and I encourage you to) starting in verse 13 here. And if you'd like to see the proof by matching up each of the specific prophesies in Isaiah 53 with the account of their New Testament fulfillment, there's a chart for easy reference here.

I just wanted to share some of the verses (I skipped some throughout) describing Jesus as the suffering servant that I found expecially relevant to me this year. I hope you will find them meaningful too.

Isaiah 52
¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—
Isaiah 53
² He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. ⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. ¹¹ After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

As much as I can't stand Mel Gibson, if you haven't seen The Passion of the Christ, you need to.

Jesus suffered in so many ways, although his physical suffering is most obvious to most. In years past I've studied all the particulars of exactly how he was tortured and how someone who is crucified actually dies. You have a greater appreciation for what he did when you fully understand exactly what his body experienced. I strongly encourage you to read a medical doctor's account of the physical torture that Jesus experienced here.

For me this year, I was struck more by the ways Jesus suffered mentally and emotionally. Most people can't identify with severe physical torture but we've all suffered emotional hurt and pain on one level or another. The verses above remind me that Jesus was despised and rejected, held in low esteem, people hid their faces from him, there was nothing beautiful about him physically, he was oppressed and afflicted, and familiar with suffering and pain. Ever feel like you can identify?

Hebrews 2:16-18 explains why God came down to our level, to become a man, and take on the mental and emotional suffering we all experience too. "For surely it is not the angels that he helps, but Abraham's descendants [people]. For that reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in orer that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, that he might make atonement for [reconcile or repare] the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

I find it very comforting to know that God the Son humbled himself and became the person Jesus in part so that he is able to empathize with me when I feel alone, rejected, or less than beautiful. It's an expression of his love to me. I can never say Jesus has no idea what I'm going through or feeling.

I benefit from his suffering in many ways:
          Jesus' Suffering     Our Benefit
53:4   He took                 Our infirmities (sickness, weakness)
          He carried             Our sorrows
53:5   He was pierced     For our transgressions (sins)
          He was crushed     For our iniquities (sins)
          His punishment      Brought us peace
          His wounds           We are healed
53:6   Laid on him           The iniquity (sin) of us all

So as if Jesus wasn't mentally and emotionally tortured enough by his "friends", his family, his people, the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman rulers and soldiors, just before he died he suffered the worst of it all. Though completely innocent and having never sinned himself, he took on both the guilt and punishment for all of our sins. And because God is holy and cannot be with or even look at sin, God the Father turned his face from Jesus. Verse 4 says he was "punished by God, stricken by him." That was the ultimate rejection. And I'm also to blame.

The worst mental/emotional torture I can imagine for myself is suffering injustice. Getting blamed and punished for something I did not do. But would I do this for someone else on purpose to spare them what they deserved? Verse 12 says that Jesus poured out his own life unto death. Jesus knew what he was heading in to (which is a whole other level of mental suffering). Yet he chose to go through with it. He could have answered his accusers in such a way that would have resulted in him being let free. He could have healed his own wounds or miraculously disappeared from the cross before he died. But he purposefully and willingly took on the guilt and punishment for my sins and suffered the wrath of God the Father in my place.

I'm the sinner but he showed me mercy. There are no good works I can do to earn God's favor, nothing I can say or do to make Jesus love me. Only by his love and grace does he offer the guilt-free, punishment-free forgiveness of sins to anyone who believes. I do believe and so I do have this treasure. Though I continue to sin, I am guilt-free. Though my sins deserve the punishment of eternal separation from the holy God, I look forward to spending eternity with him in heaven because Jesus already paid for my sins. By his grace he offers me this wonderful gift and by my faith I accept it.  It is SO humbling. I so don't deserve a treasure as great as this. Apparently I'm his treasure or else why would he do this for me?

I am not worthy, but he thought I was worth it. Guess what? You're not worthy either. But He thinks you're worth it too.

Out with the old, in with the older (and new)

I've joked with people a few times recently that women should have a gift shower every 10 years. Don't you think? It's been about 11 years since I created my wedding registry. Not only have styles changed but my taste sure as changed. I've updated some things throughout the years but my bathroom decor was something that hadn't changed much at all. Same colors, same linens, same pictures on the wall. Recently I started thinking that I would just keep my eye out for a new shower curtain. I didn't want to spend a lot of money or make drastic changes but I really wanted something fresh.

A few weeks ago my mom and I headed to the mall with the goal of me spending the $120 worth of Anthropologie gift cards that were burning a hole in my wallet. (Thanks to my awesome friends and family that spoil me.) I'm like a kid in a candy store in that place, I just love love love it all. So funky, so fun. I had no idea what I was looking for but was confident I could find $120 worth of stuff I liked. We spent hours in the store and I had a handful of items set aside, deciding how to best spend my gift card balance and wincing at the price of every item:


Flower Burst Headband $28 looked so cute on me. Still want this.

Radiant Necklace $48 Could I make this for less?

Sunflower Stalk Jewelry Stand $72 My jewelry box is overflowing so I do "need" something like this. :)

Then I got to the back of the store and opened up a lonely mystery shower curtain bag to see what was inside. I was immediately inspired.

 

There was a slight case of sticker shock when I noticed it cost $118 but I was fully prepared to put all my other goodies back so I could go home with this lovely new shower curtain. Upon a closer inspection I noticed it was dirty so I asked if they had more, but that was the only one in the store. Deflated. Then they checked their distribution center and the computers said there were two more left. As long as their inventory was correct and I ordered it immediately I could have a clean one shipped to my house. And so I did.



Just the update I was looking for.



Each of these fabric appliques are bordered by embroidery with matching metalic thread (which you can't see well with my camera/lighting combo). I like the contrast of the casual cotton with the sparkley thread. And I love the colors. A seafoam green, gray, and golden yellow.



 

 

Because I can't leave Anthropologie without new hardware (my favorite department) and because I wanted something fun to match my new shower curtain, I paid out of pocket for these new knobs for the cabinet doors:



 2 Urchin Test Knobs in sea foam $8 each 

Since putting up the new shower curtain, I had to at least change out the current bathmat that completely clashed but I was determined not to spend a lot of money on all new towels. Ocean State Job Lot to the rescue:



This $5 cream colored mat replaced my old one that I kept in front of the sink. The $2 sea foam one happens to match the shower curtain perfectly but we only throw that down for after baths and showers. The plush mat is so lush - my kids love to snuggle on it.

I already had a few cream and yellow hand towels so I've only been using those. All of our bath towels hang behind the door so I really don't care if they don't match.


I moved that shelf to above the toilet from a different wall. I've had the bottles (that now perfectly match the color on the shower curtain) for a while - all from yardsales or found on the ground. I recently added two pieces of driftwood I found on a walk along the beach at Rocky Neck State Park in CT last month. Inside the frame with the large matte is a small print of a watercolor by Eileen Smith that I bought at The Handcraft House Gallery on the Cape years ago. This used to be on top of the shelf with the bottles, but to make room for the driftwood, I moved the frame below. The starfish was one of a few purchased for cheap at Remember When Antiques last fall. The owner picked them up on a South Carolina beach and bleached them.

I moved these frames from above the toilet to the opposite wall and replaced the old prints (to be seen below) with personal photos from our vacation this year.



The top picture is the California coastline along Route 1 somewhere between San Louis Obisbo and San Fransisco. The bottom is the view from our room on the beach at The Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina, CA, which I highly recommend.

For anyone that had kept tabs on my old Facebook album of yard sale finds, the following treasure may look familiar. My friend Hannah and I had a fairly successful Saturday morning last April at a town-wide yard sale just north of Worceser. I remember her favorite score was an awesome wicker settee she was going to repaint (and I have yet to see finished) and my favorite score was this set of old windows for $5.



This wall is where the white shelf with the bottles was before I moved it in order to put the window here. Although I love how the two windows look "side by each" (that's the French last name talking), my house is too small for that so I just chose to hang one here for now.

I chose the one with the latch so I could hang a towel there if I want.

I love how worn and rustic it is and I haven't seen glass like that before.



I have a soft spot for old built-ins and love this as an alternative to a modern-day linen closet. The rest of the starfish that I bought at Remember When lean against the wall atop the molding and my new Anthro knobs are on.

Now, don't mind if I go on a slight tangeant...

Do you ever open the linen closet or medicine cabinet at other people's bathrooms out of curiosity? Come on, don't you at least wonder what's behind those doors? Okay, me first, I'll admit I've snooped a couple of times, and that makes me wonder if sometimes other people snoop on me too. This Southwest "Want to get away?" commercial has always cracked me up and captures the risk you take.



I like to keep my linen closet and medicine cabinet fairly clean, organized and pretty - mostly because I can be a little OCD like that but also, what if people snoop? So I will open my doors for you here - in another post for another day - because I know you're curious.


So where was I? Ah yes, one last treasure that I brought into the bathroom recently is something I've had for many years. It hit me that the color was just right for the bathroom now and had to be moved there.



This amazingly awesome stool came from one of my most fun and successful treasure hunts ever. In 2003ish I visited my bestie in Columbus, OH and we trekked all over the western suburbs on Saturday morning.  I think I paid between $2 and $5. Good thing we drove out there instead of flying so I could easily haul my trunk full of goodies back home. This colorful chippy old stool has been wandering around my house ever since.


The stool and our laundry basket help to block the 2nd door in our bathroom that leads to my daughter's bedroom so it stays closed. I'm sure guests just love using our bathroom - two doors and neither one locks!

Now I can't end an "Out with the old..." post before showing you the old stuff that's been taken out. But since I didn't take any "Before" pictures, I've collected together my old stuff to show you what I've been living with for the past 10 years.

11 years ago this is what I picked out for linens:


 

11 years ago this is what I picked out for wall art (among other things that I no longer have because they have not stood the test of time):


I still think those prints are cute and funny, but a little too childish. Heck, I was practically a kid still when I got married. These came in the frames I've kept in the bathroom and just 1/4 inch of the blue border showed as a matte when framed. I bought them through LTD Commodities catalog back in the day. 

These are the only other decor/art that I've kept in my bathroom all these years, but they just had to come out now.


 

These are probably originally from the 60s or 70s and I've had trouble parting with them ever since I picked them up for 10 cents each at a yard sale. They're fairly small (4x6 altogether?) and the pictures inside are actually 3-D. Hard to explain. I don't know why I just can't let them go and still find them so adorable. I didn't actually get rid of them. They don't really go with anything in my house but I'm considering hanging them in our small "hall" right outside the bathroom door where they can only be seen when you are on your way into the bathroom. They are fugly, I know, but I just can't part with them. I think I'm kind of sentimental over them or something weird like that.

So there's my bathroom facelift. Now I'm off to think and write about the most important treasure of all.