Making time pretty

I bought this clock at one of those dollar store after being inspired on Pinterest.  (OK, truth is, the majority of my inspirations come from there!) Anyways, my fabulous sister Rebecca gave me this lovely paper...

The original design



after popping off the face plate I traced it for size reference.




SQUEEL!!!




I used the handle of a fork to push the paper onto the pin.




SUPER IMPORTANT!!!  Mark the main numbers or you might get wonky number placement later. (Not that I would EVER do that!)



I removed the original backing (partly so I wouldn't see the numbers throuh the paper, but mostly out of curiosity to what the clock looked like.)



Oh sweet ModPodge... what would our sweet crafting world be like without you?





After putting the paper back on, I hand wrote the numbers, then reassembled.



The road is calling to me... I can hear it. It started a few weeks ago, I woke up from a crazy dream that immediately became unrememberable. (Is that even a word?) But I heard the low groan. I was terrified at first, it had been so long since I heard the sound. I hid under the covers and started humming to myself, only to realize that my ill-fated song was "Into the Mystic" and the haunting lyrics were gripping at my heart.

Image from BeliefChangers.com

I'm Back!

     Well, the last thing I expected to happen so recently into starting my blog-life, was to have my computer crash on me!  But it did!  Thankfully, I have lovely best friends (and fellow bloggers!) Angy (http://thehoganbunch.blogspot.com) and her uber computer knowledgable hubby Thomas (thesmallestpeace.blogspot.com) who came to my rescue!  So WALLLAAAAHHH!  Here I am! (Bear with me... this might get lengthy...)

     So, my mind today has been getting stuck on this thought... I am a self-proclaimed creative person with tons of dreams and aspirations.  Name a city and I could daydream some romantic notion of why it would be an amazing place to live, the type of work I would do, the people I would surround myself with and the fun we would have. (The common theme as you will see is praising God, making & eating goat cheese, and writing.)



     One day I am longing for a cabin in the woods, surrounded by hippy friends and guitars, milking goats and making goat cheese & hummus with an old cranky typewriter to pen the next great American Novel.  Spending hours walking the woods and talking to God.



     Weeks later and my ideal has changed to an old farmhouse in wine country California. Wine parties with friends from neighboring vineyards and artichoke farms, cool mornings spent in an oversized chair with copious amounts of steamy coffee, watching the fog roll in over the hills.  Sitting with my laptop writing some amazing adventure novel while noshing on perfectly crusty bread smeared with homemade lavender and honey infused goat cheese. 



     A current favorite is a south Florida beach house, the kind up on stilts (got to have a place for my goats!)  Steamy summer nights on the beach with surfers from all over the world who swear the ocean is their mistress and are searching for that perfect wave. Grilling peaches with goat cheese & orange marmalade over fire pits in the sand, drinking mescato and singing praise music all night long. I would down to Key West in a beautiful 1967 International Scout to soak up inspiration from Mr. Hemingway and his 6 toed kitties. 



     What's my point, you might ask (if you made it this far?)  My point is this, I can dream up amazing lives that I would love to live.  Scenarios that aren't ridiculously out of reach, just require creative budgeting (hello Dave Ramsey!) and for me to do the one thing in my life that feels impossible.  Make a choice.  Why is it so hard to decide on something?



     In the Bible, God clearly says He KNOWS the plans He has for me!  Prosperity, hope & a future! (Jeremiah 29:11)  BUT... it does not say "Hey Sarah! Let's go grab a coffee, and bring some of that amazing goat cheese you keep talking about.  I want to tell you everything!"    He doesn't tell me everything for a reason... how can my faith, my love and desire to know Him more, my willingness to be stretched... how can I grow, if I already know it all.  It requires me to stop living in fear, and to step out in FAITH! 



LORD!  I praise You for all the beauty you have shown us, and the desires of my heart to see and touch it.  Father, forgive me for my lack of faith! I pray for your wisdom and guidance as I make important decisions soon.



Your humble servant,
Sarah

I LOVE MONDAYS!!!

No joke ya'll!  I LOVE Mondays!  You see, I work 4 ten hour days a week, so my days off are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays.  Monday is the only day I don't have something scheduled. (Although our church is having a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class starting soon and I really want to go!)  (For more info: http://www.daveramsey.com/category/classes/ )

So, until that class starts, Mondays are mine all mine!  Here's the run down...

Sunday night I make a plan and it goes on the chalkboard...

The "fun times are here again" was written with my left hand. I'm right handed. 

So after sleeping in gloriously late, I get started on my list (disclaimer: I am big on making lists - not for the organizational aspect, but because I love crossing things OFF the list!)

Note: there weren't really that many loads of dishes to be done - I am just a messy cook and I can only get about 1 small load done before the hot water cools down.  Each hash mark under Laundry & dishes is for washing,  drying, and away.  (Told you I liked crossing things off my list - I also can cross my toes, but that seems slightly creepy.)

I have also been trying to eat less processed foods, although suddenly canned squirty cheese seems amazing! Anyways, so since joining WW I have been going through about 3 pounds of canned black beans every 2 weeks.  I love black beans!  So, I recently started making my own instead of canned.  If you have the time, this is most definitely a recipe worth trying!

I followed the quick soak method, then back into the pot with the recommended amount of water.  I add to that one large chopped vidala onion, one head of garlic (peeled & smashed), 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno, 1/8 cup hot sauce, salt to taste (I used about 2 fat TBSP)

(Sorry, I forgot to take a picture  so instead, please enjoy this adorable one of my precious niece)

After the beans have simmered for 2 hours in all that spicy goodness, I then add the zest and juice from one lime. (Sometimes 2 if I'm feeling zesty!)

Then I plop the whole mess into a one gallon tea container that I can easily scoop from.

So if that wasn't enough, I then add 2 cups of those beans to some cooked ground turkey, canned tomato sauce, smoked spices, and more hot sauce.

Adding dry spices to a warm pan, stirring constantly.
(Brings out the smokiness in the spices)

Adding those yummy beans I just made.

All done, so tasty!
(And notice that amazing spoon?  It was a gift from one of my bff's Holly from her missionary trip last summer to Mozambique)

 So aside from that I also spray painted these cute stars I snagged on clearance the other day! I can't wait to show them off.

Have a blessed day!
Sarah

I used to hate the scale...

... but this morning I got on it and am delighted to be 19 pounds lighter than my starting weight!!!  8 weeks ago I had a doctors appointment for some problems with my leg and ankle (I was worried I had a blood clot.) So anyways, imagine the heart-wrenching pain I felt when I weighed in and realized I had gained 22 pounds in 6 months.  More painful than that was the fact that the doctor just shook his head and sighed when he looked over my chart.  So, that afternoon I hopped online and started to search healthy weight lose options.

8 weeks later, I have been steadily losing an average of 2.5 pounds a week.  Now, I have no intentions of telling ya'll my current weight, however, I will say this much, at the rate I am currently going, it's still going to be a LOOOOONG time before this gal squeezes into a bikini!


Current memory verse (isn't this such a great reminder?  God is SO good!)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Gaudy to gorgeous!

Holy socks!  It is 46 degrees out!  After celebrating Christmas day at 80 degrees, this is crazy cold!   On a totally different note, I am really excited to share a project I did a few months back!  I recently inherited this crazy old mirror from my Grandma, and man alive it was seriously funky.  What looks like crazy wood carving is in fact plastic.  (I know!!!  I was so shocked!)

So, my original idea was to use chalk spray paint on the back of the mirror, this way if I wanted to turn it back into a mirror I was easily able to. Unfortunately, the mirror was glued onto a piece of plywood used to screw it onto the frame.  I made an executive decision and covered the mirror!

Tips: 

Pay attention to textures, any bumps need to be sanded off before applying chalkboard paint.

Allow 24 hours between chalkboard drying time before applying 2nd layer and after.

When 'curing' the chalkboard, allow the chalk to sit on the surface for a while before wiping off. (I allowed for 24 hours)

Close up of the gaudiness... don't worry, soon enough it will be lovely!

Top detail of the mirror.

I originally started with standard craft paint, but I really wanted a super high gloss look so  after one coat, I switched to a high gloss spray paint.

Here is the completed project!

Gettin' my blog on!

Okay all you fellow bloggers... here we go. It is the first of the year and I have been wanting to get my blog going, so this is it! Please bear with me as I make massive typoe"s (<-- haha, that was a test) and sometimes ramble on endlessly. Since this is my blog, I plan on doing all kinds of crazy things, like tell bad jokes, share cringe-worthy advice and show pictures of all the plants I have killed off! (Is there a word for a plant killer? Something like 'plantacidal maniac!)

So, who is this amazing and fabulous gal you ask? Well, my name is Sarah. As of right now, late night on New Year's Day, 2012, I am a 34 year old single woman. I am divorced. I have one tattoo but desperately want more! I mourn the death of people I don't know. I like to think I am NOT an ugly crier, but I really am.I do not have children. (That is a story for another day.) I try to be loving, kind and patient, but I fail time and time again, and only through the grace and love of my Lord and Savior am I able to know what true forgiveness is. Last year was a massive testing of my faith and trust in God. Sometimes I still get choked up with self pity, but that's ok, because God has been so faithful to me! (Again, I am sure I will be diving into this soon, just not yet...)

So, my question is this... to do resolutions or not? Let's do it!

* I really want a tattoo

* Pierce my nose

* go on a mission trip (even if just to a neighboring county)

*lose weight (in all fairness, I joined WW 6 week ago, this isn't a new one, but an all year goal!

*move (rental lease is up April 1st, so a move is inevitable
*invite more friends to church

*go to bed earlier!!!!!

Well, it is super late and time for me to get some beauty rest ya'll.

<3 Sarah