After a few years of wishing for it, I finally gently asked my husband if he would consider giving up the ceiling fan and letting me hang a chandelier in our bedroom.  Let me be clear that I didn’t hound him and nag him about it.  I said something like, “I know you love the ceiling fan, but would you be okay with having a nice standing fan instead, so I can hang a chandelier?  If not, that’s okay.  I know you really like the ceiling fan.”  Well, he thought about it for a few days and told me it was okay.  Woo hoo!!  Sometimes I ask stuff like that and he says it’s not okay and that’s okay, too.  He lives here too and he doesn’t ask for much. Now that I had permission, I started looking around online for a vintage chandelier, but they were all more than

I am going to admit right away that I am a bit of a nerd.  Not as much of a nerd as my husband, but we do enjoy the somewhat nerdy pastime of documentary-watching.  Our favorite documentary maker is Ken Burns.  His documentaries move me, bring to me tears, make me want to travel the US, visit national parks and give me a new appreciation for the past as well as the age we live in now.  He uses photos, beautiful music, letters and narration to tell the stories of ordinary people who became a part of an extraordinary time in history.  He avoids what my husband and I call “cheesy reenactments”, which keep me from watching most other documentaries. Anyway, the most recent documentary we watched was The Dust Bowl.  You can watch it for free HERE.  (Sorry, that is only a clip.  You can buy it on iTunes or try to

 Thanks so much to all who played along with the “before they were bloggers” contest.  I was seriously laughing so hard I cried at some of the pictures.  I submitted my 7th grade school picture…   I don’t know if you can tell, but aside from my four front teeth and back molars, I didn’t have any other top teeth!  I had to have 12 of my baby teeth pulled out in middle school, which was thoroughly humiliating at the time.  I think middle school is a tough time for everyone. Some of you guessed me right, but several people thought I was Becky from Infarrantly Creative. Please meet the winner of the Before They Were Bloggers Contest: Sara from Mom Endeavors This girl knows her DIY blogs because she’s a blogger herself. Please take a minute to congratulate Sara by leaving her a comment on her blog today. She

 I always enjoy my MMS Pick of the month for Decor Steals and this one is no exception.  The piece that they’re offering up for sale today is very special.  It’s a 1920’s wooden water bucket.  Yes, a true antique.     I love the warmth of old wood.  Anyway, pieces like this have so much possibility.  It’s the perfect spot for some magazines by a comfy chair or it could be a waste paper basket in a powder room…       (Check out the detail on that handle!) …and it’s perfect to keep rolls of toilet paper handy.   Don’t wait too long on this steal…I bet it will sell out quickly. And here’s a preview of tomorrow’s steal…a set of four nesting wooden herb crates.     These were made famous by The Lettered Cottage.  I noticed them in their kitchen when I first started following their blog

This blog had surprised me in so many ways.  I never thought when I first clicked that “Start a Blog” button over three years ago that it would bring me to the place I am now.  With all of the surprising and amazing opportunities, this next one is perhaps the most unexpected for me.  I have been asked to speak at the women’s conference at my church, First Baptist Church of Gettysburg.  I’m not a Bible teacher.  I’m not a theologian.  I’m not an experienced speaker, even!  Almost a year ago, they asked me if I would do it and I said yes.  My stomach churns at the thought of it, but I know it’s something God put before me to do and I’m not going to make excuses and shy away from it.  I’m trusting that He will give me the words to say that the ladies who are