Almost four months...

I can't believe it's been four months on the 28th that I purchased my first house by myself! I am still enjoying the new flowers and now the hummingbirds and butterflies. I have two small feeders planted in my hanging pots on my little front porch. I put a folding chair out there and I sit and the hummingbirds fly in only a couple of feet from me to feed. I'm enjoying watching them. I hear them before I see them usually, flapping their tiny wings so fast, they sound like a large bug.

I've gotten alot done on the house people tell me, I guess I could keep busy all the time. My main focus has been to finish the master and get myself in there by the end of the summer. I worked hard and finally got the wallpaper down and repaired and painted the walls. The curtain rods and curtains are hemmed and up. I need to paint the fireplace firebox another coat of white and repair the floorboards as much as I can and prep them for painting the weekend of July 4th. As I wait for the paint to cure before moving back in the furniture. I need to refinish my armoire and get that ready to go upstairs to the room and hang my light.
I'm really enjoying this process and all the new things I get to try to do.

My Abandoned Blog...and my New Home.

So much has happened since I last wrote anything. I am now in my new (to me) 220 year old home!

220 YO Fireplace

Wishing Well

 After the holidays I felt it was time to begin the process of looking for a house again. I can say I was disappointed in my last pursuit but looking back on all that has happened the last six months I can say that God definately answered my prayers. I always prayed if the house wasn't the one to close the door. How could I be upset if that was my prayer? I took a break, enjoyed the holidays and went on to find the house I was supposed to have. It all seemed to happen so fast,compared to the last process. I changed realtors, a friend told me she saw me working with a woman realtor instead and I asked a lady from church to be that person, after I had already found my house. Someone suggested that although I didn't need anyone to find the house I needed someone - who knew what they were doing - to negotiate on my behalf. I also went through the financing process with someone my boss recomended. I had what I called my "dream team"...and they made my dream happen! God had a lot to do with it too!
I closed on February 28th and moved in March 6th with help from old and newer friends and family. There were a few gliches and unexpected repairs but all in all I am happy there, especially now that Spring has arrived and I am enjoying the beauty of being in the country. Lots more to do to get the place the way I want it but I already did quite a bit, so much so my body is rebelling and telling me to rest. Each week I discover new flowers in the yard and feel so blessed.

God's TIming

Well, I am not moving just yet. Although I was disappointed, there is an element of relief. I am not moving, I can enjoy the holidays without rushing to get rooms finished, I am staying put. All I can believe is that it wasn't the right time. Only God knows the future and what we need and when we need it. There are plenty of houses out there for sale and many would fit my needs when the time comes. For now I will go back to my original plans of saving more for a deposit and changing a few things in my apartment for storage. There will be a little unpacking, but not too much. I am thankful for some of the purging I did and will continue to do. I didn't do well with the stress this summer and now it's my favorite time of year so I hope to enjoy that. Moving forward and not looking back. Lessons learned. So with the news on Friday, I met my son for dinner after a little retail therapy at the outlet stores in Clinton. Saturday was a day of beauty for me - nails, hair, things I put off while I waited to close on the house and move.

Sunday was a fun day. A road trip after work/church. The weather was perfect for top down driving. First I stopped at a fabric store in Rocky Hill, CT and then on to Colchester, CT. Our LifeGroup development team went for a tour of Priam Vineyards since they had finished the Vineyard Vine study. Our guide, Gary,  was knowledgeable of Biblical analogies and once he knew that we were a "church group" used this during our tour. A little wine tasting, a small purchase and I was on my way home, glad to have a few leftovers for dinner and relax before the work week begins. Looking forward to visiting family next weekend and going to the Big E! I hope the weather's as nice as it was this past weekend. I can't wait to see Katie and see how big she's grown - it's been too long.

"Mercury Glass" candle Holders

After the many DIY posts I've read I decided to try my hand at making the "mercury glass" candle holders with Krylon's looking glass paint. I made the rounds of "local" (20 miles away) craft store but there was none to be found so I ordered some on Amazon, even though there was the shipping expense.
When I knew the paint would be arriving via UPS soon I made my way to Dollar Tree and bought myself 4 candle holders for $4.25. I figure if I mess up it wouldn't cost too much. I followed directions from other site and chose the vinegar/water method of distressing and also only used two coats of the spray paint since I wanted the glass to be semi-transparent. Here are the pics I took. I have plenty of paint left over and think I'll be making another run to the Dollar Tree. Fun little Christmas gifts for co-workers and friends! Just need to make my yearly visit to Yankee Candle outlet store to add some candles to the candle holders.

Plastic bag and painters tape cover the outside.








Before distressing..

Finished candle holders with candles lit.

Waiting and getting ready.

Still waiting to hear...

So I didn't pray for patience but it seems like I am in that training mode. Each weekend is full of some kind of organizing and packing. This morning I took advantage of the gray skies and worked on getting my deck cleaned off. I hadn't planted any flowers in the spring knowing I was looking to move. I had left the flowers pots all in the corners of the deck from last winter. To my surprise I had some plants return and some plants reseed themselves. Petunias had wintered over, since last winter was not too bad, and parsley showed up in places it hadn't been planted last year. There was also a lobelia plant and a coleus, but mostly weeds. :-(

I gathered up the empty plastic pots to find a toad living among them. A toad on my deck? I had put on gardening gloves expecting creepy crawling inspects but not a toad. I guess he'll have to find another place to live. I gathered the decent larger pots and emptied their contents in the woods next to the property and rinsed them out for the move. Hopefully next spring they'll be hosting flowers and maybe a deck tomato or two.

In the process of waiting and preparing to move I see how it's better to be prepared than to be in a hurry or rush and not being ready - although I'm sure I'll forget to do a few things in advance.

Matthew 25 speaks of the ten virgins filling their lamps with oil...being prepared.