Old to New.

We've had an eventful week, but also enjoyed spending some down time together this weekend.  Saturday Lola went to the "beauty shop" to get all cleaned up.  When I picked her up, they had a cute Halloween bandanna on her. I can't get her to wear anything, so I was obsessed with how cute she was and proceeded to have a mini photo shoot.  Here's one of my favorites (she was worn out from her spa day):

Saturday night I gave our china cabinet a make-over.  This china cabinet was given to me by my parents when they downsized to their new house this past August.  They had this antique china cabinet in their home for years, however, at their house it served as a humidifier for my dad's cigars, rather than a home for fine china and crystal.  I was thrilled to take it off their hands when they moved, because now all of my beautiful wedding gifts can be on display in our dining room! 

One problem: the antique look didn't quite match our modern kitchen table.  I debated painting it and changing the hardware, but I couldn't bring myself to destroy its original look.  So, I decided to Mod Podge a print on the inside walls of the cabinet to give it a modern twist.  I'm very pleased with the outcome:

old.

 

new.



This new twist has brought added intrest and sentimental value to our kitchen.  It was easy and best of all, cheap!

On Sunday I went for my last "long run" before the race. I made it 10 miles, now I just need to squeeze out 3.1 more on Saturday... I'm hoping to finish in 2:20.  I plan to let my legs rest until Saturday, so I'll be nice and fresh.

Yesterday I followed my mom to Conway because she had to take her car to the shop.  While they were working we shopped to pass the time.  I got 2 new tops and Gary a new shirt, but my most exciting purchase was this pair of Toms:

In my line of work, I spend long hours on my feet, so comfy shoes (that still have style) are a must! I've found my favorites are Toms and Uggs.  And, the best part is they were on sale!

On a more serious note, I've been going through a new Bible study with 3 friends on idols, called "No Other Gods."  Tonight we met to discuss this past week's study.  1 Peter 2:9-12 was one of the many passages we looked at this week.  In this passage, Peter refers to his audience as "aliens and strangers in the world."  This really convicted me.  Our study pointed out:

"he is saying we will be strange and alien-like because our lives [should] stand out as so breathtakingly good in comparison with others.  As a result those around us will want to glorify God.  Not a goodness that comes from self righteousness or legalism, but a goodness that is the fruit of obedience.  I would love for it to be said of my life: The goodness of Jesus Christ burned so brightly in her that people glorified God; she almost seemed from a different world.  That's the kind of stranger I want to be." 

That's what I am wrestling with as I write to you tonight, updating you on all the silly details of my small life.  I Thought maybe someone out there reading this might find it as convicting as I did.  Tonight I'm praying for goodness that stems from an obedience to the Lord.

Home Improvement.

I've been on a home improvement kick lately.  I thought I'd share a few things we have been working on the past couple of weeks. 

1.  Cleaning/sealing the grout in our kitchen:

Apparently in the midst of rushing to remodel our house before we got married, we forgot to seal the grout in our kitchen.  The grout was a light color when we moved in, and over the course of the past 4 years it soaked up all kinds of dirt.  I tried to scrub it clean with a toothbrush on several occasions, but it got to be such a time consuming job that I eventually just gave up on fighting it. 

A friend of ours recently tried a product called "Refresh" on her grout and got amazing results.  So, I got inspired to take care of our dirty grout once and for all.  First we had to clean the grout with a toothbrush.  Once most of the dirt was removed, we painted Refresh on the grout.  Refresh paints and seals the grout.  It was quite a job! Once you paint it, you have to go back and scrub the tile to get the extra off of the edges.  It took working every night for a week to finish, but it looks SO much better!



Before

After

2.  New light fixtures:

When we bought our house, I was finishing my last semester at OBU and Gary was working in Norman, Oklahoma.  The house needed a major makeover, but we didn't have time to be too involved.  So, my dad offered to oversee things for us while we were away.  He had to pick all kinds of things out for us, and he did a wonderful job.  However, as time has passed, our style has evolved.  We have taken a more modern approach in our decor, and recently got a new kitchen table.  When we got the new table, our kitchen light fixture wasn't centered over the table (which was making me crazy).  So, last week I ordered a new, more modern, light fixture on Overstock.com.  It makes our kitchen feel more "like us".

Our next project is our bedroom.  We have been using my furniture from my bedroom in high school since we got married.  Recently we moved that furniture into the guest room.  So now I have an excuse to buy a new headboard for our bedroom! One that better suits us.  I'll keep you posted on what we choose.